Sting didn't have many memories from back before he met Weisslogia. In fact, if you were to ask him, he'd tell you he didn't have any recollection of that time at all. The only memory he could remember, he wasn't even sure was real. It was more like a dream than anything else. Not that it mattered to him now. The past was the past and that's where it should stay, he told himself. It was useless to reflect back on things that couldn't be changed. Years of living on his own in a harsh world taught him that well enough.
So why now, after at least a decade of not even thinking about it, was that single memory back? It haunted his dreams night after night, each time it becoming more and more tangible in his mind. It wasn't even a traumatic memory, it was warm and inviting but that's what scared him most. His emotions were becoming jumbled, making him unsure of himself and everything he knew.
The dream started out the same way every time. When he would try to open his eyes, he'd meet the glare of the sun that was so bright it forced him to close them again. A gentle melody hummed just behind his ears as his body was rocked slowly back and forth. The movements would normally set off his motion sickness but in the dream, it was calming to him. A gentle breeze would sweep by, cooling him in the warm embrace he was in. He would feel his consciousness slipping slowly as the tune grew louder. Suddenly the lullaby would cease and was replaced by a familiar woman's voice.
"Is he still awake?" She would ask in a whisper.
There was the sound of footsteps and then a shadow came in front of him, blocking out the sunlight. Slowly he pried one eye open revealing the blurry figure of a man. The man would stare at him for a moment before chuckling. "Looks awake to me." The four words were said with such affection and warmth that Sting felt a smile creep unbidden onto his face.
It would drop instantly at a subtle shaking caused by the light laughter of the woman holding him. The sweet melody of her laugh was just as sweet as the song she was singing. "Still?" She asks and he could hear the smile in her voice. Gentle hands would then grasp his waist, pulling him away from her bosom. The radiant blonde tresses of the woman come into his view but just as he's about to see her face, Sting's eyes snap open and the dream ends.
Slowly Sting pushed himself from the mattress, careful not to stir the still sleeping Lector beside him. His whole body is drenched in a sheen of sweat and he shivers as a small breeze of cool night air waifs in through the open window. With one hand he tosses the sheets off him and swings his legs over the edge of the bed. He heaves a heavy sigh. "Fourth time this week," he mumbles before he stands up and starts heading for the door. He grabs his shirt from off a chair and slips it on, along with his shoes, as he walks. Casting one last glance to the snoozing exceed, he closes the door to his room behind him with a soft click.
He doesn't know where he's heading as he walks along the nearly vacant streets of Crocus. All he can think about is the dream. He just can't make sense of it. It wasn't since he was a little child that he had thought about it but not even a day into the Grand Magic Games, it returned full force each night. It wasn't the games itself that had surfaced the memory, he was sure of that. He had been competing in the games for the past couple years without anything happened. So what was different about this year?
Sting sighs, annoyed at his inability to answer his own question, when he hears music and shouts from across the street. He turned his head towards the noises and found the source of the commotion to be a single tavern. It bustled with the telltale sounds of a rowdy party, bright lights filtering through the windows. Sting's brows furrowed together. Who would be up so late partying? he wondered, taking a step towards it to further investigate. He hadn't taken more than three more steps closer before five people emerged from the tavern.
The group was Natsu Dragneel and his other guildmates. They were all laughing boisterously, except for the blonde who seemed to be the butt of their joke, and were heading in the direction Sting had just come. From what he could tell, they hadn't noticed him so he remained silent and followed after them, listening to their slightly drunken conversation.
They seemed to be talking about barrels and surfing, something Sting didn't understand the relation to each other in slightest, and the blonde looked annoyed. If he remembered correctly, her name was Lucy Heartfilia. The first time he had heard the name, it had struck him in some way he couldn't describe. But at the time, he had shrugged it off without giving it much thought. Suddenly, he saw Natsu wrap an arm around Lucy's shoulder and say something Sting couldn't quite catch over the sound of the other's laughter. Whatever he said to her made her mouth twitch up in a smile. Then she laughed.
Sting froze in place.
The soft melody of her laugh was so familiar to him, it set a shiver down his spine. He tried to place where he heard it before when with increasing panic, he remembered. The woman's laugh, the one from the dream, had sounded exactly the same as Lucy's. They were so much similar that it had to be the same. But that was impossible, right? Then his advanced hearing picked out Natsu's among the group and he felt his stomach drop. Not only did Lucy's laugh match perfectly with the one from the dream, Natsu's did as well.
The others continued forward, leaving Sting behind as he remained where he stood in a state of shock. He waited for them to reach the end of the block before he fell to his knees, his breathing heavy. He clutched his head as the rest of the dream—no, memory—surfaced.
His eyes moved from the blonde hair to her face. Slowly it came into focus and he finally met the caring brown eyes of his mother. A soft smile spread on her lips and she looked at him with what he could only describe as motherly love. It mesmerized him, making him unable to look away until an arm draped over her shoulder, pulling both of them into a side hug. Sting's eyes quickly shot up to meet the just as loving hazel green eye of the same man as before. He too had a smile spread across his face. The wind blew then, tossing the man's pink locks around along with the worn white scarf around his neck.
"Guess you're not ready for a nap after all, huh?" His mother spoke, catching Sting's attention with the overwhelming affection behind each word.
The man, who was undoubtedly his father, took him from his mother's grasp and hoisted him up high onto his broad shoulders. "We can go and have some fun instead." He said, beginning to walk towards the now receding horizon.
"Please be careful." His mother warned, following along side them.
"Don't worry, Luce, I'm always careful." His father grinned at her, then looked up at his son. "Isn't that right, Jude?"
I've been wanting to write a fic about the Twin Paradox Slayer theory for awhile now and finally decided to just do it. I'd like to think that the lullaby Lucy sings to Sting is "Mirajane's theme" from the first FT ost or something along those lines. I decided to make Sting's real name be Jude, just a little headcanon I have since they look so much alike. This is a bit drabbley but better than nothing, I suppose! Hope you enjoyed.
(ps I have no idea what night of the GMC this is supposed to be set on so forgive me and also sorry for any bad or confusing grammar.)