For the second time that morning, they awoke. It was still bright, but the sun had lost a bit of the more orange shine that you notice at the start of morning. This time, instead of cuddling, they both individually decided to get out of bed and eat something.

Sting sat up and threw his legs over the edge of the soft and fluffy retreat that he shared with Natsu for the night, and immediately started feeling the cold that still lingered. He stretched his arms as he stood up and gave a quick glance back at Natsu who had rolled to the other side and was faced down.

"Good morning," He greeted with a yawn as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes. Natsu mumbled one back into the mattress, and peaked open one eye.

He watched as Sting slowly made his way towards the door and stumbled out into the hallway. He heard him call out what he wanted to eat, and met him with the simple answer of 'Food'.

Only after he was certain he was far enough away, he grabbed the pillow Sting had rested his head on and brought it to his chest and curled up around it. He took a quick inhale of the lingering scent, and almost purred.

When he remembered that Sting had said yes to his... strange... request, he was certain he did. He heard a startled yelp come from the kitchen and sat up.

No matter how cute he thought Sting was, he was an idiot sometimes, even if he was too.

"Sting? You okay?" He called out with a little worry. Not like he could've done something too stupid in just the few seconds he'd been in the kitchen... probably.

"I'm fine..." Sting called back, moments before there was another yelp and a crash. "...but the food isn't,"

Natsu rolled his eyes and sighed, of course he did something dumb when he was trying to be creepy behind his back. With reluctance, he released the pillow and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He stumbled out and down the hall, through the living room, and into the kitchen.

On the floor were three open boxes, and Sting was searching for something under the sink. Natsu walked around the mess and closed the fridge that was left open.

Sting startled and thumped his head against the top of the cabinet. "Owwww!" He groaned as he came out from underneath, only to see Natsu giggling. "That hurt yaknow!" He whined as he rubbed the bump that was beginning to form.

Natsu's giggles turned into a chuckle. He walked over, while carefully avoiding the mess in the middle of the room, and crouched in front of Sting, and gently patted his head. "Feels like it's gonna leave a bump," He stated as he felt the forming bruise. An idea struck him as he ran his fingers through his hair absentmindedly.

'Maybe if I...' He thought a little skeptically, but decided to go through with his little idea, 'I'll try it!'

Slowly he raised his hands temperature and ruffled Stings hair gently, "This might help a bit,"

"Oh.." Sting sighed comfortably, "That does feel better...". He felt the heat soothing out the lingering ache. Without thinking, he leaned himself against Natsu's hand.

Natsu giggled again, before he pulled his hand away. He knew if Sting kept being adorable, he'd end up sitting on the kitchen floor all morning if he had the chance.

Once he was on his feet, he extended a hand down to Sting, which he took, and yanked himself up. "Thanks,"

"No problem, but..." Natsu turned to the mess in the middle of the kitchen and sighed, "You might want to clean that up..." He gestured with a flick of his hand.

"Oh, yeah." Sting nodded in agreement before closing the cabinets with his leg, "Was looking for a sponge, but it doesn't look like there are any. I'll just use a rag,"

Natsu 'hmphed' and shrugged, "Whatever works, I'll grab some stuff for breakfast. I didn't touch a few of them last night so should find something," He explained as he walked over to and opened the fridge.

He easily found a couple boxes that were still sealed and pulled them out. He deposited them on the counter next to the stove and pulled out some pans and plates.

He dumped the foot into the cookware and instead of heating them up like a normal person, he raised them above his head and blew a steady stream of fire onto the bottom.

While it was faster then cooking on the stove, heating up six meals still took some time, so by the time he was finished, Sting was already done with his own chore.

Sting drooled a little as he stood over Natsu's shoulder, "Smells gooooood". Despite disliking the spicy scents the previous night, right now they were making his mouth salivate with hunger.

Natsu grinned before spinning away, while somehow managing to carry all of the resealed takeout containers, and walked to the living room. "Then come and get some!" He called out as he walked out the narrow doorway.

Sting sprinted past, nearly knocking him over in his rush. When Natsu walked in he was already sitting on the couch, his knees tucked under him and a shine in his eyes was present as he hungrily stared at the boxes on Natsu's arms.

He almost felt like teasing him by walking even slower then he already was, but a growl from his stomach told him to speed up instead.

He sat down on the opposite side and placed the plates towards the middle of the table, and let a few pieces of silverware tumble onto the glass surface.

Sting licked his lips and gave a glance up to Natsu, "Which ones you want?" He asked.

Natsu laughed, how considerate! "Whichever one you don't want, I'll eat any," He tapped one that was a bit to his right, "But, I want to share this one,"

Sting looked at the box and mentally noted they were to split it, before he looked at the others and gave a few sniffs. He immediately figured out which ones were the spicier of the bunch, and reached for the one he found most appetizing.

"I'll have this one!" He declared happily as he opened the lid.

"Just... one?" Natsu asked skeptically, he knew he was gonna eat at least three, if not more.

He laughed and reached for his fork, "Not everyone eats as much as you do, Natsu," He teased, 'How he keeps his...' he gave a quick glance at the pinket, 'form... I don't know,'

"I'll eat this one first!" Natsu declared as he grabbed the spiciest option available. Sting couldn't help but to choke on his first bite, was he insane!?

Before he could say anything, Natsu already opened the lid and was sticking his fork into a piece of Dholka. He bit it off the fork violently and Sting couldn't take his eyes off him as he chewed it as if it was nothing. He swallowed and let out a sigh, "That's the good stuff!"

Sting muttered some incoherent nonsense as he tried to process this, he knew Natsu could eat some spicy shit, but watching him take a bite of it first thing in the morning was... mind blowing. He knew he would've probably gagged as soon as it hit his tongue but Natsu scarfed it down like it was candy.

"How are you eating that?" He finally asked, a little loudly but it got Natsu's attention.

"Easy," Natsu stabbed another piece and explained his movements, "First you get it on your fork, then you lift it... and then... *munch*" he bit off the piece and smiled as he swallowed.

Sting's face scrunched up a bit and he sank in his seat, he stabbed another piece of his Pakora and closed his mouth around it.

It was only a couple minutes before both had finished off their boxes, and slumbed back in their seats. While Sting had only had one box, it was really quite full. It appeared that the restaurant tried to keep the calories in each meal around equal, so there was quite a bit to eat inside.

Sting peaked his eyes open and gazed upon the last remaining box. "One more..." He groaned.

Natsu shrugged, "Can eat it later... it's dessert..." He mumbled as he rubbed his belly.

Sting blinked in surprise. Natsu... turning down food? Unheard of!

"You sure?" He asked skeptically.

Natsu nodded, "Yeah, it'll be better if we can both enjoy it. It'll be crappy if we're too stuffed to savor it,"

"I mean... if you want to eat it, you can have it"

Natsu shook his head, "I want to share it, I saw the old couple having it and it's one of those 'Split it with someone' kinda foods..." he explained but then trailed off, figuring he got the idea across. But of course Sting was thinking about something else.

"The old... couple?" Sting whispered. He felt like he was floating for a moment.

"Ohh... uhh!" Natsu's eyes widened a little and he looked away to hide his forming blush. 'Damit why did Sting have to say it like that!'

"Well... yeah. I th-think they were a couple at least... I just glanced at their food as we walked by... haha..." He laughed nervously.

Sting nodded in understanding, "Okay then, umm... I guess we could eat it later. After we get diner,"

"That works... It'll keep in the fridge," Natsu stood up and grabbed the box, "I'll go put it away now actually," he said before walking towards the kitchen.

"Kay," Sting said quietly before looking around the room. He hadn't spent too much time in it as of yet, so decided to explore it quickly as he thought about plans.

He stood up, and walked to the window and looked out. It faces away from the village so all he saw were trees and hills, so wasn't too much going on there.

Not that it wasn't beautiful though, it was gorgeous. But he had enough of that back home.

He walked over and inspected the paintings and some of the things on the shelves that lined the solid part of the wall, and again, found them boring.

Except for a brochure that was hanging out of a magazine holder. 'This will help!' He thought as he pulled it out. He skimmed a few pages before backing away and sitting down in a recliner.

He didn't realize there was so much to do! The waterpark, which he knew about already. Some oriental gardens were in season with huge garden decor! He heard about something similar in a party town known as Les Legas, at a hotel called 'Caesars Palace'. But, that was outside the country and was actually in Sin. He only heard of it because Sabertooths high class master would need to go on vacation once and a while... and of course brag about it after he returned.

"What's that?" Natsu asked as he walked in, startling Sting who was engrossed by the publication.

"A brochure," He said simply. "Hold on a second..." He flipped through a couple of pages before finding what he wanted to show, "look at this!"

Natsu blinked and moved closer, his hands rested on the arms of the chair "The waterpark?" He asked as he read the words.

"Mhm hmm" Sting nodded, "We could do that today, if you want. We did just go to the bath house but I'm up to go swimming some more,"

"I guess that's fine..." Natsu said as he considered the idea. 'The bathhouse wasn't supposed to be for swimming... that was supposed to be relaxing. This'll probably be more fun," He thought partially in his head and partially aloud.

"Mhm... just..." Sting began and looked at him seriously, "No drowning," he said sternly.

Natsu put his hands up and giggled, "Not planning on it,"

Stings features lightened and he gave a light sigh. "Whatever, we should get ready if we're gonna go. Sooner we leave, the more time we'll have,"

"Aye!" Natsu exclaimed and stepped back, and extended a hand down like he did in the kitchen, which Sting took and yanked himself up with.

"Do we get changed here or there ya think?" Sting asked.

"I think they'll probably have changing rooms, so we could change there. Just throw your stuff into a bag and let's goooooo!" Natsu hollered before running off to his room.

They quickly grabbed their bathing suits and stuffed them into small shoulder sacks, as well as a change of clothes and a bit of Jewel for food and tickets. They then rushed out of the room and ran down the hall, and when they entered the lobby Sting noticed a different desk attendant. 'I could talk to them later, some information gathering never hurt anybody,' He thought as they walked past.

They walked quickly down the path, and almost broke into a sprint when they kept trying to pass the other in a silent challenge. Thanks to a few well placed signs they managed to find their way, but only after a couple small arguments regarding if they were lost or not.

"It's huuuuuge!" Natsu gawked. And indeed it was. A large circular building loomed in front of them, and how they missed it when they first entered the city was beyond them. There were a few ads on the sides of it, one was even about the spa they had visited.

"Yeah!" Sting agreed. He gave the ads a bit of his attention, trying to see if there was anything else to do that the magazine didn't mention.

A couple were for some restaurants, one for a casino, and around three for some zoo which housed rare and dangerous creatures. But probably just the stuff they had fought on jobs though, so it wouldn't be as much fun through a glass wall.

"Oh!" Natsu exclaimed and pointed to a banner, "There's a buffet in town!"

Sting licked his lips, "We are definitely going there this week,"

"Definitely!"

They continued in through the front doors and found themselves in a giant lobby with photos and monitors along the walls... and more ads!

They gave them a quick glance, and saw nothing of interest. Except a couple of pictures of people surfboarding in doors, which they were definitely not gonna try. Slides are just inclines with running water, but a surfboard was a mode of transformation used to ride waves and water currents. They would definitely get queasy on one.

There were a couple of underdressed women and men walking around the lobby, in strange clothes that didn't make much sense. Were they some sort of strange bathing suits? They were feathery and poofy... and also just jeans... maybe some sort of regional style?

Either way, after ignoring the 'locals', they approached what looked like some sort of booth with different kinds of prices listed on a hanging sign that swung above it.

"Hello, hello! How can I help you?" A kind looking woman, with a smile, asked from behind the counter. She wore a regular service industry outfit, with a small pin that said her name on her right pectoral, and a dolphin print on her left.

They asked for two entry passes and received two sky blue wristbands. They were given a few quick directions, and memorized a few rules, and walked away eagerly.

One of those rules, that ended up really peaking their interest, was 'Don't stare into the artificial sun!', which was apparently something that stood tall and proud above a podium in the center of the park.

They walked into the locker room and quickly said where they would go first to change, and to meet at the exit. They had gotten separate lockers and keys, so it wouldn't be too much of a pain regarding storage and privacy.

Sting slipped out of his clothes and tugged on his white swim trunks, and stopped to consider wearing his shirt.

He had yet to publicly display the jagged scar that now marked there, and had only exposed it when in the presence of only the guild or at home.

He had no negative emotions tied to it, but he didn't feel like scaring the kids or normal people. But it really was better than it originally was. The treatments Wendy had been giving him really were paying off! If only he had come to her sooner it'd have already been erased, but he didn't know her healing abilities gave her that ability.

Originally it covered most of his back, but now it was only around one third of a foot long, and half an inch wide. Plus, it lost the unnatural colors that it used to have, and was now just a bit of slightly paler, raised, skin.

Sometimes, whenever he managed to get himself in front of a mirror, alone, he played with the idea of keeping it as he looked at it, and sometimes flexed his arms randomly to see if it stretched weird. So far he came up with a list of reasons why to keep it; It didn't look ugly, it actually looked pretty cool, and it was a memento from his battle with Natsu at the grand magic games after all. But, was that something he wanted to be permanently displayed on his skin?

Well, anyhow. This isn't really the type of deep thought moment one should have inside a changing room at a waterpark. He should save it for when he's back home!

Or maybe even at the hotel room. He could ask Natsu for his opinion on it and if he should cancel the schedule Wendy had set up to get rid of it... which might be a bit rude to the girl, but it was his body.

He sighed and started to pack it away, 'Might as well see people's reactions here. Better than people who see me all the time in Magnolia,'

He crept out the door, down the row of lockers until he came across the one his key was matched too, and dropped off his belongings before heading for the exit. If it wasn't mentioned, the room was split into two sections. They were mirror images of each other, just with different lockers. Natsus happened to be in the other one compared to Stings.

"Sting!" He heard a voice call from ahead, he instantly knew Natsu had smelled him coming as he smelled him now.

"Yeah, I'm coming!" He called back and sped up his pace.

He saw the rambunctious fire dragon leaning against a wall, wearing his black and fire themed swim shorts. He too was shirtless, and he could hear a few men talking quietly as they walked past about him. He almost laughed when one said 'I could take him!' to his friend who pointed the fit pinkett out.

When he was within an arm's length away Natsu pushed himself off the wall and started walking down the hall, and Sting fell into step with him.

"Let's find some seats first, then decide what we want to do from there," Natsu suggested and spoke as if it was his main priority, but in his head he was thinking more about Sting's lack of a shirt.

He could tell from a very, very, faint smell of nervousness that he was worked up about something. And he already knew that Sting had never been shirtless in public, even when they went to the beach that one time.

And now you, yes you, might be wondering how much did they do over the month that Sting was in the guild? Quite a bit actually. How they managed to fit so much in so little time was beyond them.