A/n: For the timeline of this story, it takes place immediately after the Grand Magic Games and disregards anything to do with the arrival of the dragons.
Lucy smiled, tried to hold the expression, and dissolved into a fit of giggles. She knew drinking would probably be a mistake, but she couldn't help herself. Everyone was having fun, and she didn't want to be left out.
It was time for a celebration. They won the Grand Magic Games and it was time to party. Everyone was healed and ready for a great time. She'd even made it out of the castle without issue, and they had a few days before they needed to make the journey back to Magnolia.
Looking around the guild, she felt her spirits soar. Everyone was in a great mood, partying and relaxing for the first time in weeks. With the stress of the games over they could finally take time to themselves, and she couldn't be happier.
Bobbing her head along to the beat of the music, she laughed when she noticed Bacchus and Cana arguing about something over a barrel of beer. They were both flushed and slightly unsteady, using the barrel to balance as they yelled. She couldn't make out their voices over all the other noise, but it didn't matter. Everything seemed funny right now.
Nearby she could see her other friends pairing off, the duos all laughing and joking together. Across the room Natsu and Gray were fighting like usual, Juvia fawning behind them at the sight of Gray. She grinned, hoping that ship would sail sooner than later.
Watching the pair fight was funnier than usual. Due to the alcohol their hits weren't as direct, and once Natsu completely missed Gray's shoulder, laughing way too loudly at his mistake. They eventually dissolved into laughter themselves, slapping each other playfully on the back until they fell over.
Lucy smiled, swinging her legs as she sat at the bar. She had a bottle of something in her hand, she couldn't quite remember what anymore, and it was making her feel pretty good.
"Loo-cie," Natsu slurred, coming to sit beside her. He threw his arm around her shoulders, laughing with her when they both got dizzy from their alcohol consumption.
"Y-you're gonna knock me off!" she laughed, squeezing her eyes together. She felt light, like she could literally bounce around the bar. Natsu said something she completely missed, grinning ear to ear as he caught her wrist gently to keep her from falling.
"Let's go outside," he said, pulling her up with him. He was just as clumsy as she was on their way to the door, the pair leaning on one another as they left. No one seemed to pay them any mind, too lost in their own laughter to care.
Lucy was just able to stand on her own once they left the building, swaying to one side. She still had the bottle in hand and it seemed to be ruining her balance. Natsu didn't sober up either and she couldn't ignore that he participated in a very long drinking game only an hour before. She was surprised he could still stand.
"Come on," he laughed, beckoning her to follow him. His eyes were glassy and he reeked of alcohol, but he had never looked happier. Letting loose seemed to do him wonders. "We can go to the park!"
She let him tug on her arm, running haphazardly with him through the streets. They stumbled as they half ran, half tripped through Crocus. The bottle in her hand was locked in a death grip, afraid to drop it on the ground. Her stomach felt like it was sloshing, and she could swear her head was swimming as they ran. Natsu was laughing, barely keeping himself from crashing into the ground. They should probably sit down she reasoned, but she was having too much fun.
Neither of them knew a lot about Crocus, but after rushing around for a while they finally located a grassy area and collapsed together, Natsu still laughing. The run sobered Lucy up some, and now she was just aware of how unhappy her stomach felt. Her head was still swimming, but she didn't feel quite so wobbly.
"It's the… the perfect night," he said, collapsing into the grass. She sat down beside him, holding her stomach as a gust of wind blew by. She stuffed the bottle into the earth, letting it remain there where it wouldn't break.
"It's beautiful," she agreed, looking up towards the stars. Thankfully the night was clear, not a cloud in sight. "A perfect ending to the Games."
"You can say that again!" he agreed, punching his arm into the air. Giving her a toothy grinned he studied her, the way the scant moonlight danced off the soft angles of her face.
She blushed under his attentions and Natsu grinned. "You're beautiful tonight, Luce."
"I think that's the alcohol talking," she replied, smiling at him. "If you were sober you'd just say I'm heavy."
He laughed but didn't say anything else, continuing to study her. His head felt funny, the alcohol clouding his judgment. He rarely drank but when he did, he tended to go overboard.
Studying Lucy, he left something in his chest tighten. She really did look lovely in the moonlight, not that she usually looked bad. The soft contrast caught the curves of her figure, highlighting her physique in a way he didn't typically notice.
He leaned towards her, before immediately jerking back, reaching to grab his head. He'd had the strangest desire to bite her.
Natsu didn't think he normally had that urge. Sure, he was well aware of his growing interests in her, but he didn't want to suddenly push things. Biting her sounded appealing, but it didn't seem like the best idea overall, even if she looked delicious.
That didn't sound right. Biting her would cause her pain, and that was the last thing he wanted, delicious or not.
Still, her neck looked divine in the light. Smooth skin completely unblemished, his teeth would leave the perfect mark at the juncture between her neck and shoulder. She looked positively delicious…
"Hey, you okay?" she asked, reaching for him. His eyes widened, following the wobbly line her arm made as she reached towards his face. He wanted to yell at her, ask her to keep away while he had this internal war with himself. The last thing Natsu wanted to do was harm her, but she looked so damn tempting tonight.
What the hell was going on with him?
Before he could stop himself his arm shot forward, something primal coming to life inside of him. He could feel his teeth biting into his lips, wanting nothing more than to sink into her pale skin and mark her as his.
He couldn't do that, she would hate him.
"Natsu?" she asked, breaking the silence when he didn't say anything. She tried laughing, looking nervous now. "Hey, come on, cut it out."
Lucy tried to pull her arm free, and that was the last straw. Losing what little self-control he seemed to have he lunged forward, pinning her to the ground while his fangs looked for her neck.
He had to mark her.
"Natsu!" she screamed, her fear forcing itself into his clouded mind. For a moment he noticed her terror and pulled back, unable to bite the spot he desired. He'd truly be marking her that way, and she wouldn't even understand what he'd done.
Still, he couldn't stop himself from tasting her, no matter what reasonable things his mind screamed at him. Deciding to not do something that might shatter their friendship he changed his target at the last moment, biting higher on her neck closer to her jaw.
He misjudged the amount of force he needed to apply to break the skin, pulling back the moment she screamed. He could taste a few drops of her blood in his mouth, immediately disgusted with himself.
Drunk or not, he couldn't act like this with her.
Natsu didn't have time to react, suddenly jerked up off his beautiful teammate by force, thrown into the nearest object he couldn't decipher. For a split second he was disoriented, his hormone fueled brain and boggled liquor driven senses making sense of the scene before him too late.
Loke. He must've opened his own gate when he heard Lucy screaming. Natsu could clearly make out the zodiac leader in the brilliant light of his power, hazy brain or not. But he didn't care about the person in front of him, just the girl he'd betrayed.
He felt his heart splitting, no amount of alcohol able to justify his actions. The blonde didn't even look in his direction, struggling to her feet with one hand pressed over the mark he'd left on her neck. Not a mating mark, just a regular bite.
He was so fucking stupid.
Natsu didn't have the energy to go after her as she took off, tripping once over the bottle she'd set down. It broke and she cried out, cutting into Natsu's heart. She didn't turn back however, getting up despite the rising smell of blood in the air, taking off in a random direction.
He wasn't totally worried, even if he just screwed up. Loke's powerful presence more than assured him that no one else would harm her as he took off to follow. Despite his desperate need to go after her and somehow explain himself, Natsu could feel himself failing. He didn't even have the energy to keep his eyes open, drifting off right there on the ground.
The almighty Dragon Slayer, bested by a drink and a spirit.
Lucy was crying, not entirely watching where she as going as she ran through the streets. Her steps were unsteady as she went, her path veering left and right whenever her vision blurred. She was sure she would pass out soon but it didn't matter, she just had to get away from him. Her leg hurt as she ran, part of the glass having thankfully cut her shin and not her foot. She wouldn't let that pain stop her, not when she'd suddenly seen such a different side of Natsu.
She knew, even with her mind clouded, that Natsu wasn't acting normal. He was practically at war with himself back there before he tried ripping her throat out with his teeth.
Choking down a sob she sped up, well aware of Loke's footsteps following her. There was no way the celestial spirit was being beaten this easy, and she assumed he was giving her space for now even if she was hurt. He knew well enough when to let her be.
He didn't need to do that. She wasn't sure right now if she was scared, hurt, betrayed, or some jumbled combination of all three. All she knew was she didn't want to speak to Natsu.
Rounding a corner she finally slowed, her bubbling stomach demanding that she rest. She collapsed beside a building, leaning on the wall for support. One hand came to clasp over her shin, the other remaining on her neck. Her stomach was heaving, and she worried she'd be sick if she didn't rest. All that alcohol was really getting to her.
What a mess.
"Lucy," Loke said, crouching down beside her. He placed a gentle hand over her fingers clasping her neck, his eyes bright in the night. "Are you alright? What did that bastard do?"
She shook her head, trying to compose herself. Her mind felt heavy and slow, like the alcohol was weighing down on her. Surely she'd succumb to sleep soon. "Nothing – I don't know Loke. He… he wasn't acting himself."
"He bit you! If you hadn't screamed right then I may not have been able to come out and save you."
Lucy smiled despite herself, grinning at her spirit. "You didn't have to do that. Natsu wouldn't truly hurt me."
"Look at what he already did!" Loke seethed, standing from his position. He didn't know what came over Natsu, but he didn't like it one bit. That was the guy he entrusted to take care of his princess? "Stupid, god damn Dragon Slayers, acting like wild animals."
"I resent that," someone said, catching them off guard. Loke spun around, much faster than Lucy in her current state. Sting was coming out of the building she was leaning against, looking slightly bored. "I'm nothing like Natsu, just to set the record straight."
"No," Loke agreed, narrowing his eyes. "You're a Saber."
"Heey!" Lucy said, catching their attention. She was grinning despite the mark on her neck and the pain in her leg, cheeks flushed. Her head was spinning, the alcohol making its way into all her senses. "It's Stingy-bee."
The blond blanched, looking between the pair. His nose crinkled, giving the girl a once over. He glanced at Loke, looking confused. "Is she drunk?"
"You could say that," Loke muttered, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing out here?"
Sting rolled his eyes, crossing his arms as he leaned on the wall. He turned his nose up, the smell hitting him hard. "Dragon Slayer, remember? I could smell her through the wall, alcohol and all." He scowled, narrowing his eyes at the spirit. "You I can't figure out. I actually thought she was alone out here. I couldn't even sense you."
Leo smirked, seeing no reason to tell the Saber his story. "You were just going to come out here and investigate a drunk girl, alone?"
"It's not what you're thinking, man. I just don't want someone puking outside our hotel. Fairies have their own place, she can be sick there."
Loke scoffed, shaking his head. Talking to this arrogant prick wouldn't get him anywhere. Turning away he focused on Lucy again, crouching down once more when he decided the Saber was nothing more than an annoyance.
Sting however would not be brushed off so easily. "She's Natsu's girl, isn't she?"
Eyes widening, the spirit stood once more, putting off an immense amount of magical power. "Never refer to her in such a manner. Lucy has a name, and you shouldn't associate her with that moron."
Holding up his hands, Sting shook his head. He looked snide, glancing between the pair like he found everything humorous. "I did hear you talking you know, super sensitive hearing and all. Did he do something wrong?"
"Why would you care?"
Sting shrugged, glancing at the mage again. She still had one hand clasped over her neck, leaning on the wall as she verged on unconsciousness. Briefly he noted her leg, wondering what happened there. His eyes widening, mouth dropping into a small 'o'. "He didn't."
"What?"
Stepping closer, Sting ignored Loke's protective stance, getting as close to the girl as he could. "Hey blondie, did he bite you?"
Lucy's head finally lifted, eyes widening at his words. With her fingers pressed over the puncture he had no way of knowing it was inflicted by teeth. "Uh… yes?"
Sting rolled his eyes. "What a moron." What he didn't understand was the girl still smelled different from Natsu, which didn't make sense. If she'd truly been marked, their scents should be similar even with the blood.
Maybe he fucked it up?
"Let me look at that," he said moving closer. Loke growled, getting in the blonds way. "Relax. I just want to see what it looks like."
"What does that matter?"
Sting huffed, tired of playing around with the fairies. "Well if he actually marked her, he's probably going to lose it if they don't get close to each other again soon."
"Marked?" Loke roared, distracted enough that Sting could slip by. He crouched in front of Lucy, gently prying her fingers from her neck.
Like he assumed, it wasn't done right. He hadn't personally done any marking before for a mate, but he'd seen the way Natsu was extra protective of the zodiac girl. If he'd intended on making a claim for her, he hadn't succeeded. The wound was irritated but it didn't show the right signs for a mating bite, and he immediately pulled his hand away and stood, his nose on fire from the rancid liquor smell on her breath. How much did the girl have to drink?
"Well, at least it's not that," he reasoned, smirking at how irritated her comrade seemed. "Least if that was the goal, it's done wrong. Guess you have nothing to worry about, blondie."
He turned on his heel, satisfied that he'd probably put a damper on the rest of their night. However he didn't get far, surprised when he felt something tugging on the back of his shirt. Glancing down, he noted the mage – he believed her name was Lucy, right? – was holding onto him like she was afraid to let go.
"Why… why would Natsu need to mark me?" she asked quietly, staring at the blood on her hand. He noticed she was still holding her leg but the grip was loose, like she'd forgotten. "I don't understand."
"He really never told you?" Sting asked, surprised. "Aren't there like, four Dragon Slayers in your guild? One of them had to tell you about mating."
"What?" she screamed, her loud outburst hurting his eardrums. The man she'd come with looked just as stunned, staring silently at Sting. Honestly, he wasn't sure if her reaction was so over-the-top because of the alcohol he smelled on her or if she really just was that floored.
What a dork.
"That's how slayers mark potential mates," he replied, shrugging. "If the mark was placed correctly it'd be lower on your neck, and the signs are pretty obvious. Who knows, maybe Natsu just wanted to get lucky."
He really didn't expect his words to cause her eyes to water, honestly. Didn't this fairy just compete in the Grand Magic Games? Of course, she lost terribly in both rounds she participated in, but she should still have decently thick skin. How did the damn guild win if they had softie members like her?
"Natsu's not like that," she defended, but her gaze didn't rise this time. "He wouldn't try any of those things with me. He wouldn't!"
Sting still looked unconvinced, glancing between blondie and her horrified partner. He didn't look like he knew what to do, battling with himself about how to feel with what he'd learned.
Well, this was fun. Much better than getting smashed with a guild he was now supposed to run. He didn't know so much hilarious drama could occur so very early in the morning.
"Looks like he did," Sting reasoned, shrugging. "Even if he did kind of botch the job. Is he drunk too? Maybe he'll do better when he's sober. He leave the other mark too?"
Lucy looked horrified, staring up at him with round, frightened eyes. Sting didn't totally get it. Sure, the idea of being Natsu's mate would make his skin crawl, but wasn't she always attached at the hip to him? He'd even mistaken her for Natsu's earlier, so what was the big deal?
"Loke," she said quietly, addressing the man he didn't recognize. "You should go back. I know you're using a lot of magical energy to stay here."
"It's not that much," he snapped, raising his chin. Sting didn't know what they were yammering about, but it didn't make a bit of sense to him. "I'm not just going to leave you out here when you got attacked once already."
Sting felt his interest increase. Attacked? No, it couldn't be Natsu.
"I'll be okay," she said, giving him a meaningful look. '"I-I'll go back to the hotel soon, I just want to ask Stingy a couple more questions."
"Don't call me that," he scowled, glaring at her.
"Lucy-"
"I'll be fine Loke," she interrupted, giving him a radiant smile in the moonlight. If Sting couldn't smell all the alcohol on her, dragon senses or not, he might actually believe her. "I just need to talk to Sting a couple more minutes and I'll head back, promise."
Loke looked unconvinced, glancing between the pair. His eyes darted to her leg a moment, questioning how she'd walk. "If I sense that you're in danger again, I'm coming back."
"Of course," she agreed, smiling at him as he faded into a pale light. Sting felt his eyebrows shoot up, realization hitting him. The idiot was a spirit.
He should be better at telling when someone is a celestial. After all, Yukino used the same kind of magic.
Once he was gone, Lucy's smile slid off her face. She fell against the wall once more, her fingers coming up to brush the wound like she couldn't believe it was there. "I… can I ask you another question?"
"I'm sure you're going to anyway," he sighed, inclining his head for her to continue.
Lucy bit her lip a moment before attempting to stand. He thought that was a really stupid idea but she somehow managed to stand up, swaying on her feet as she considered her next move. She didn't seem to have any pressure on her bleeding leg. Sting was starting to think she'd simply fall over before she got the words out, but she managed to surprise him. "Why would Natsu bite me if he didn't intend to mark me?"
"W-what?" Sting exclaimed, surprised she thought she could ask him that. "How should I know? Like I said, maybe he just wanted some action."
She blushed, and he got the distinct feeling she didn't like that reason any better. "Oh, okay. I just wondered I guess. Natsu… he's never been this way before."
Sting figured she wanted a reply but apparently that wasn't the case. Without warning she pushed off the wall and turned to go, stumbling twice before she even cleared the front of the building. She took a clumsy step around the corner, and he shook his head as he literally watched her fall over on her face.
It was like watching an extremely bad show.
"Blondie you should call your friend back out," he sighed, following her around the corner. "You won't make it back to the hotel, if you can even remember where that is. Besides, you'll want to get something on that wound, right? I bet you'd hate to see it in the morning."
Even though she was lying on the ground groaning she surprised him, striking out with her good foot to plant a relatively painful attack on his shin. He grunted, hopping a little further out of her reach. For being crazy drunk, she sure had a lot of determination.
"Natsu's gonna h-hate me," she slurred, glaring at the stone ground.
"That's just the alcohol talking," Sting reasoned, shaking his head. "Come on, get up. If you can't be sick out front you can't sleep on the side of our hotel either."
She groaned, refusing to budge. "Leave me here."
"I think that's a really bad idea. We just ended a bunch of battles, I don't need you fairies showing up 'cause I let you get attacked here in the street. Get up already! I'm sure Natsu's looking for you."
"Natsu's asleep… somewhere."
Of course he is. "Fine, just get spirit boy out here and get lost, blondie. Come on, it's late. I don't want to spend all night out here waiting for your ass to move."
Lucy groaned again, lifting her head to look at him over her shoulder. "I'm not calling Loke. He's just going to say he told me so."
"That's not my problem."
She sighed, rolling over to stare at the sky. Yup, she was completely drunk. Maybe she had some sense about her a few minutes ago, but it was gone now. She was too sleepy to think, and he definitely wasn't going to reason with her.
He also wasn't going to deal with the war Fairy Tail would rage if he left the drunk, half-naked girl outside by herself while she slept. Didn't she own any real clothes? He was not willing to have a fight about that.
"Look, if you get up I'll walk you to the fucking hotel," he snapped, watching her crack one eye open. He didn't really want to do that, but he also didn't feel right leaving her out there like this. She was too drunk to think anymore, and who knew what was crawling around out here at night. The last thing he felt like doing was keeping his senses perked all night to ensure the girl didn't die.
He didn't technically need to do that, but he couldn't deny that he was kind of interested in her. If Natsu wanted to mark her, he'd thought she'd jump for joy. Why did she seem so unwilling?
"You'll really, really walk me back?"
"God, if you can walk," he argued, already regretting his decision. The blonde seemed to take this as a challenge, reaching for the nearest item to help her stand. It took three tries, and once he thought she actually fell asleep, but she managed to stand up and start walking, limping on her injured leg.
In the wrong direction of course. "Come on blondie, don't tell me you're that wasted. I know the Fairy Tail hotel is the other direction."
Spinning on her heel she stuck her tongue out at him, awkwardly marching the way he pointed. "I knew that."
"Yeah, I'm sure you did." Stuffing his hands in his pockets he walked beside her, reminding himself to not scream at the drunk as they walked. She was going annoyingly slow, dragging out their little journey more than he wanted.
In reality, the two guilds weren't even that far from one another tonight. The walk should've taken no more than five minutes, yet almost twenty minutes later they were on the right street but not yet at the building.
He could feel one of the veins in his head bulging. If she didn't hurry up he'd lose his patience and end up throwing her over his shoulder to carry her the rest of the way. This was way more than he bargained for.
"Thanks for walking me back," she muttered, breaking the silence as they neared the door. "Guess I should get some s-sleep. Everyone's probably out by now."
"I knew all that damn noise was you guys," he huffed, running his fingers through his hair. "Well, this is your stop blondie. Try not to get lost anymore tonight; I won't be rescuing you again."
Lucy scoffed, rolling her eyes as she grabbed the handle. "You didn't save me."
"I gave you answers."
"That's completely different," she argued, glancing at him. "And for the record, it's not blondie. It's Lucy."
Sting remained where he was until she'd managed to open the door and slip inside. Despite her annoying personality and her inability to drink and function, he found himself smirking as he turned away.
Lucy Heartfilia, Fairy Tail wizard. Yeah, she sure was something else.
A/n: So I have a couple Fairy Tail stories going for unusual pairings, and we will see what happens and where the stories go. Let me know what you think of this one. My main goal with writing is to not create a copy of something everyone's already read, so that's always my personal challenge.
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