A careless man's careful daughter… A soft sigh escaped the redheaded knight as she gazed at the moping form of the blonde celestial wizard, whining about her rent to the ever patient Mira, who merely laughed at the younger woman's antics.
Blushing profusely Erza jerked her eyes away from the girl, trying instead to focus on the request board in front of her. A job, that's what she needed, anything would do, just something to distract her from the appealing form, manner, and unapologetic fan service of the young mage.
So engrossed in trying not to think about her blonde goddess, Erza was completely caught off guard when said goddess whispered into her ear,
"Watcha doing?" her bright and cheery tone intruding on Erza's distracted thoughts, causing the normally stoic knight to blush the same shade of red as her hair, fearing that her thoughts would leap, unbidden, from her mind and impart their contents on the unsuspecting mage…
Turning slowly to face the excitable youth, her heart fairly leaping within her chest trying to reach the object of her desires, a fresh wave of pain washed over her senses as she beheld the glorious sight before her.
Face split into a wide grin, her brown eyes shining, laughter painted into every aspect of her being; head tilted slightly, with hands clasped securely behind her back, Lucy was a perfect picture for the distant knight.
After a moment or two, the smile began to falter, a soft blush colouring her cheeks, the celestial mage began to feel self conscious under the penetrating gaze of the knight.
"Something wrong, Erza-chan?" the soft lilt in her voice returning the knight to reality
Blushing harder, Erza turned back to the request board, clearing her throat in preparation to reply to her companion.
"No, nothing is wrong." She murmured softly, trying to organize her thoughts while resisting the temptation to inhale deeply, Lucy's scent floating around her in a dizzying haze, "I was just looking for a job."
The younger girl nodded, trying to emulate her own sagely demeanour as she did so.
"Mmm, I need to do that too," a definite slump came over her, "my rent is due this week and I haven't any money."
Erza's blush returned in full force at the sight of Lucy's pouting face, arms crossed across her chest, creating a very eye catching view. Turning away to stop herself from doing anything she would regret later, Erza couldn't help but inhale deeply, letting the girl's scent wash over her; she smelt of sugared treats, with a juicy undertone that seemed to stick in her throat until she could taste Lucy's perfume on her tongue.
Gathering her courage, Erza imitated her companion's position, nodding sagely as was her custom; she turned to face her fully,
"If that is the case then perhaps…" But she never got to finish her proposal, as a certain pink haired boy chose that moment to descend upon the two girls.
"Hey Lucy, I'm bored, let's go on a job!" the boy cheered, draping his arm over the startled girl's shoulders.
Said girl blushed at the contact, but smiled at Natsu.
"Sure, I need the money, so try not to destroy anything!" she warned pointing a stern finger at him.
The salamander pouted, but reaching past the redheaded knight, snatched a request off the board before grabbing his friend's hand.
"Come on Happy, let's go!" he cried, waving to his constant companion.
"Aye!" the blue cat chimed in response, turning tail to follow the two.
Lucy laughed as Natsu dragged her out of the guild hall, leaving Erza standing by the request board, hands hanging limply by her sides as she watched the pair run off.
Jealousy bit into her heart as she moved past the first-class request board, heading for the stairs, intent now on taking a more dangerous, S-class mission.
It's for the best, she tried to convince herself as she grabbed the first notice that came within reach, they work well together, and it's only natural that they should feel drawn to each other. But something in her chest felt like breaking at the thought of never being able to hold the celestial mage in such a manner as the salamander had.
It's for the best, she thought as she moved to exit the guildhall, request clasped in her gauntleted hand, her new mantra running over and over in her head, but thoughts of the blonde continued to dominate her mind regardless of any attempt to quell them.