I do not own Fairy Tail.
The one and only
He was the one to be considered a 'bad guy'. She knew that much. The college wasn't exactly the place to change that or to fix anyone's behavior — nor were his friends. Still, in some magical, mysterious, wicked way, she had fallen in love with him. That exact guy. It had happened by accident, of course, during one of the group projects they had been submitted to. Moreover, she even had gotten to work with him privately… The thing was, he showed her another side of his; tender, diverting, easy-going, caring, helpful, simply lovely. And the result had just occurred.
She was aware of that she was not the most likely type of girl for him. Nor to be considered one of his fangirls. Sure, she was not a nerd and there was nothing wrong with her; she was dressing fashionably, wearing some make-up to emphasize her features, and, luckily, she was enjoying being liked and considered friendly. Still, she was labeled as a 'good girl', so no one would have thought she would have fallen for someone like him.
Along with the time, Lucy grew slightly annoyed with herself and bored of waiting for him to talk to her. All in all, she decided that she would confess to him, not really wanting to make him answer her or anything – just so he knew and was aware of that. For her own souls's peace.
Thus, she saw her chance in an announcement she encountered at the college door. Apparently, a huge party was to be thrown by the council, there would be dancing, karaoke, and an open bar. Indeed, it was an amazing occasion. After a short pondering, Lucy decided to sing a song for him; she was not a master in dancing, plus the option of getting him drunk was not even to be considered. She wanted him to both remember and comprehend what she would tell him! So, all she needed then was a good, meaningful song.
Good thing she had one.
Two days before the party, the girl asked her friend, Minerva, for help. Minerva was known for her amazing skills in dressing up, wide knowledge on cosmetics, and a high level of aesthetics. She was the perfect aid.
In response, Minerva clapped her hands and laughed. "Finally!"
"What?!"
"Aww Lucy, you are so obviously in love with the guy, I hope that he proves to be worthy of your affection."
"Am I?" Lucy was worried; the whole plan was not worth a cent if he already knew…
"Oh, but don't worry. I know you and can see that. He doesn't and I bet he has no idea what's going on." The brunette waved her hand and clapped her hands. "So, I get to dress the famous Lucy Heartfilia. What a pleasure."
All in all, her friend picked a red mini dress for her, revealing her long legs and emphasizing the curves. The red was symbolizing her aim, so, at first, Lucy was not overly excited about the pick — but no one says no to Minerva. Moreover, she had some light make up, which was not covering her real face too much. Finally, her friend forced her to wear hills, making her even more striking.
When they were ready, Orlando announced that she was going with her and keeping her company. Lucy's love had a friend who was an ideal type of Minerva, so she wanted to take a chance. Plus, if the plan didn't work out, she could be beside to comfort the blonde.
"But it must!" Minerva exclaimed. "No one would say no to this!" Here, she slapped Lucy's butt and poked her. "Besides, honey, I made the perfect frame. And no one says no to what I think is perfect."
The blonde sweatdropped and, to be safe, agreed with Minerva. After all, like she had stated, no one said no to her.
The women arrived at the club door before 11pm. There was a huge commotion, many people trying to enter without invitation. The bodyguard at the entrance glared at them unfriendly, yet, seeing the tickets, he relaxed and let them in, wishing them a good evening with a stern voice. Lucy and Minerva exchanged a glance, then laughed.
"Look, the aim's on the sixth!" Suddenly, the brunette giggled and nudged her friend, who sent her a death look and followed her gaze.
Indeed, he was there, dancing with someone. The girl was trying to get close, but he was escaping, an expression of annoyance present on his face. Lucy smiled slightly at that, noting to never get all over him without acceptance.
"So, are you going to the karaoke point? I bet their pack is somewhere there, three people from their group are musicians."
"Mhm, right. Min, you coming? And more importantly, you singing?" She grinned.
"Of course not, but you so are."
Having said that, Orlando pushed the blonde towards the source of other music. Lucy spared the dancing man one last look and let herself be led to the karaoke stand, a small stage, and a huge pulpit.
"Hey, Baccus." They greeted the DJ, who was in charge of the singing place that night. "Is there a long line up?"
"Yo, ladies. Of course, but I can squeeze you in anytime. That'd be wild!" He replied, grinning.
"Listen, Lucy wants to make her performance special. Like, really special, for someone. And I wonder, could you let her perform when..."
"When the victim comes? Sure." Baccus exclaimed and gazed at Lucy. "You're wild if you think you can suck him off with singing."
"She surely will!"Minerva answered in her place.
"I just want to tell him. I don't expect anything, really." Lucy added, turning to the man.
"What? Oh, no, my lady." He frowned. "If you're about to sing your heart out, you MUST expect something. It's an order! It'd be crazy to do that without seeing his reaction."
"I don't think he'd react like I would like him to, so I expect nothing." She shrugged.
"Okay, girl. But he'd have to be a jackass to ignore the fact that you have sung for him." Unexpectedly, Baccus snorted and looked over her shoulder with an annoyed expression. "Again... And I hoped they'd go away."
"What...?" Lucy frowned and turned around. At once, her heart skipped a beat and she swallowed hard; it was him, just sitting down right at the table where the stage was seen the best. There were a few friends with him, all laughing and drinking. The object of her desire raised his head and looked around, apparently sensing that he was observed. Lucy thanked God for being invisible to him at that moment; the DJ's place was hidden.
"What's wrong with them?" She asked a little shakily.
"They're a huge distraction. Of course, I'm not speaking about you two," He said, nodding in approval. "But other girls lose their heads and there is little music in the songs."
"Well, I'll change that." Lucy stated.
"Undoubtedly." The man chuckled and, suddenly, cocked a brow. "Who's the lucky guy, anyway?"
The women exchanged a glance and hesitated. Finally, the blonde sighed and told him: "Sting Eucliffe."
There was a moment of silence in the room, then the DJ looked over her shoulder again, then back at her and simply said: "No."
"Well, yeah."
"WHAT?! That prick?! T-the Sting Eucliffe?"
"I can't help it, okay." She glared at the lad, annoyed by his outburst. "And yes, the one and only. Also, please, sign me up with that song of Adele."
"Blues, I love it when you sing the blues... But still, for him?!"
"Yes, for him." Lucy grimaced. "Now, the next time he comes back, call me up."
She nodded at Minerva and they went out. The second woman was smirking enigmatically.
"What?" Asked Lucy.
"Nothing, just glad to having dressed you in red."
"Why?"
"I don't know, maybe because your little wet-causer can't take his eyes off of you?" Orlando clicked her tongue.
"Maybe it's because I'm the only one dressed in red." Heartfilia suggested. "Besides, we've been at the DJ's, it's pretty unusual."
"Think whatever you like." Minerva shrugged. "But he's still staring."
Now, Lucy raised her brows and simply turned around to catch a glimpse of the man. She blushed when their sights crossed — her friend was right. He was staring. She kept the eye contact, unable to resist. A few seconds later, Sting cracked a smile and winked at her. Lucy blinked and smiled slightly, then averted her gaze, embarrassed.
"See?" Minerva flashed a smile and wiggled her brows suggestively. "I don't think it's gonna be too tough on you."
"Oh, shut up." She groaned and pulled the woman to the bar. "Hi! Two shots, please."
The women drank and started chatting, then two guys approached them and they went dancing. Lucy was trying to keep the distance between her and her partner, but he was rather clingy. Still, she did not allow him to kiss her and simply excused herself. She strolled to the bar again and ordered a beer to have an excuse for not dancing with anyone.
The woman thought the whole plan over. It seemed to actually have a chance of working, especially now that he had acknowledged her presence here. Never before had he winked at her, so she was not sure whether to treat it as a plain greeting or a flirt from afar. Also, she wondered how would his behavior change after she told him what she was planning to... Would he avoid her? If she had had an admirer that she had not loved, she would have cut any contact with him. Thus, was it wise to sing a love song for him?
Lucy rolled her eyes and looked around. There was someone singing, out of the key, but trying to weave as much as possible. She transferred her sight at the table which interested her most, yet, Sting was not there. The blonde spotted him dancing again, not too far away from her. She quickly turned around not to be caught gapping.
Of course she would love to claim him. Sure that she would like to be his girlfriend and stay by his side for more than a few hours. Obviously, she wanted to show him what love was. And, certainly, she had little chance of doing any of those.
"Looking for a man?" An abrupt voice rang in her ear, making her gasp in shock.
"No, I'm not." She answered when she collected herself. "Look farther."
"Okay. Thanks." He mumbled and walked away, leaving her alone again. Thankfully.
Lucy sighed with relief and finished her beer. When she was taking the last sip, Minerva came to her and nudged her.
"Hey, I've seen you leaving that guy at the dance floor, sup?"
"He tried to kiss me and I said no." She explained.
"Ah, right. Well, mine was pretty okay. I mean, we were dancing, not being all touchy." Orlando huffed.
"Lucky." Lucy smiled and glanced at the stage. "We should get back there. Sting's getting his ass back to the table."
"Yeah! And you'll sing for him, and he'll say he loves you, and you'll live happily ever after." The brunette said with irony and caught Lucy's hand. "Let's go, then."
They went across the crowd — just on time since another girl ended her performance. Lucy saw Baccus nodding and he cleared his throat.
"And now we will see a real star! Her voice's angelic, so let the soft rhythm of the blues reach you..."
"What the fuck is this?!" Lucy exclaimed, crossing her arms.
"Hahaha! Apparently, he's making the performance special in his own way!" Stuttered Minerva, laughing hard.
"I'll kill him." She mumbled and went up when her name was announced. She could not help herself and when she was standing on the stage, she showed the DJ with a gesture what she thought about him, earning a laugh from him and the whole audience.
"Yeah, Lucy, I love you, too. Anyway, she's the special performer. Why? Well, why doesn't she say it for herself?"
"Um, so, hi..." The woman smiled nervously, feeling all eyes on her. "Yeah, Baccus is right. I deliberately asked for this song and... Well... I'm gonna sing it with dedication." Someone from the audience whistled and clapped. "Actually..." Lucy gathered her courage and turned to the table of the man she liked and his pack. She made sure she made an eye contact with him and stated. "I want to dedicate the song to you, Sting."
He seemed surprised, but it quickly changed into embarrassment when his friends started yelling something to him and nudging his arms, apparently teasing the poor guy.
She smiled, though, and skinned on the DJ. The music played and she was in another world, singing with her heart, to him.
You've been on my mind
I grow fonder every day
Lose myself in time
Just thinking of your face
Sting seemed to be startled. His friends were partly listening, partly mocking him with grins on their faces. However, Lucy could understand that; after all, she was publicly stating she was in love with him. She would have reacted the same — or worse. Especially when she would have not known the song — and he did not. Yet, what made her happy was the fact he did not avert his gaze even for a second.
God only knows
Why it's taken me so long
To let my doubts go
You're the only one that I want
Here, he shrugged slightly and smirked a little. He knew she was not the only one. And she was conscious of that. That was why she mentioned the doubts — and he had gotten it, too.
I don't know why I'm scared
'Cause I've been here before
With every feeling, every word
I've imagined it all
You'll never know
If you never try
To forgive your past
And simply be mine
Lucy knew that her mimics and gestures were very truthful; after all, she felt it all. Not even for a second did she breaks the eye contact, watching his reactions.
Sting appeared to understand what she was singing about, staring at her in thought and with crossed arms. His friends whistled at the last line, but he did not seem to care, focusing on the woman only.
So I dare you to let me be your
Your one and only
I promise I'm worthy
To hold in your arms
So come on, and give me a chance
To prove that I'm the one who can
Walk that mile
Until the end starts
Upon hearing the word 'dare', Sting shook his head with disbelief and a smile. Little devil, she knew exactly what he liked. At 'your', she reached out to him, leading her whole arm slowly up along with the lyrics. Then at describing herself as worthy of being in his arms, she delicately slid her hand from the shoulder to her hip. She strengthened the voice at 'me', earning a few whistles from the people. But she cared only for one man.
In the first line of the second verse she allowed her eyelids to fall for two seconds, showing gently with her hand 'mind'.
If I've been on your mind
Do you hang on every word I say
Lose yourself in time
At the mention of my name
Lucy returned to looking at him. In fact, Sting was not sitting all uneasy anymore; now, he was bracing himself on his knees, leaning forward, with a smile of positive disbelief and obvious interest. She widened her eyes for a moment, surprised that he actually went for this, then smiled herself and sang to him again, gesturing the meaning.
Will I ever know
How it feels to hold you close
And have you tell me
Whichever road I choose you'll go
I don't know why I'm scared
'Cause I've been here before
With every feeling, every word
I've imagined it all
Sting's friends began to hit his back with appreciation. Yet, the man silenced them and got back to listening to the blonde on the stage.
You'll never know
if you never try
To forgive your past
And simply be mine
I dare you to let me be your
Your one and only
I promise I'm worthy
To hold in your arms
So come on and give me a chance
To prove that I'm the one who can
Walk that mile
Until the end stars
An instrumental began and she hung her head low, swaying to the music. She did not allow anyone to see her face right then. Her heart was beating like crazy. Lucy was scared of the end of the song that was coming soon... Should she run? Wait? She had not thought it over, after all. Stupid girl!
Suddenly, she realized she has half of the tact to sing, so she quickly shaped up and began from under the lowered head.
I know it ain't easy giving up your heart.
I know it ain't easy giving up your heart.
Now, she raised her head and led the two next lines gently, then powered everything up.
Nobody's perfect, trust me, I've learned it. x4
Lucy felt it. All of it. She knew how to make it real. Perfect. Powerful. Strong. And understandable. And she went for it.
So I dare you to let me be your
Your one and only
I promise I'm worthy
To hold in your arms
So come on and give me a chance
To prove that I'm the one who can
Walk that mile
Until the end stars
And come on! And give me a chance
To prove that I'm the one who can
Walk that mile
Until the end starts.
The song ended. Heartfilia was looking at the man, who was sitting there with an expression of both delight and shock. He was clapping, pondering. Thus, not waiting more, she bowed down and listened to the noise of clapping and shouts of approval. Lucy smiled and went down from the stage. At once, Minerva got her with stunned face.
"Hell, Luce, it was incredible. I had goosebumps."
"Thanks." Replied the woman with a grin.
"And? What do you think?"
"About what?"
"Oh, come on." Minerva rolled her eyes. "Will he be coming?"
"How would I know?" Lucy appeared to be really surprised.
"Are you fucking kidding me? You've just confessed to Sting-goddamn-Eucliffe and you're still at your 'whatever happens I'm good' thing? Chick, you totally killed it. And killed him, judging on his expression." Orlando explained patiently like she would to the baby.
"But I don't expect any answer. I just wanted him to know—"
Suddenly, Minerva turned silent and looked above her friend's shoulder. She used it to expand her point of view.
"Really, Min. I just wanted Sting to know what I feel and, well, I honestly never expected any reply. I feel so amazing with having said that!" Lucy sighed with content, yet, the brunette was still frozen. She abruptly understood and sighed deeply. "He's right behind me, isn't he?"
"I'm gonna catch you later, bye!" The other woman said quickly and disappeared.
Lucy, who had time to become completely stiff from stress, turned around hesitantly — just to stand right in front of Sting Eucliffe.
He was smirking, standing there with his hands braced on the hip pockets. He took her breath away and, for a second, she forgot who she was.
"So, hi." He said gently.
"Um, hey."
"Did you really think I'd ignore your confession and let you linger on with no response, Lucy?"
"I-it's just that I don't expect much— I mean..." She answered and averted her sight, biting her lip.
"Well, I'm never leaving things unselved." Sting winked at her and took her hand. "Come on, let's drink."
Lucy jerked her head up, not expecting such an invitation. In fact, she had thought he would have turned her down immediately, definitely not invite her for a drink. And definitely not hold hands with her. "Huh?"
"Would you like a beer, a coctail, or something else?"
"A beer's okay." She answered, not resisting anymore and smiling slightly.
"Great. Hey, tenderman, two beers." The man ordered, then spotted a free table and instructed him to bring it there. "Come on, we can have a sit."
Lucy nodded and followed him, feeling funnier with every second. Why had he not dumped her yet?! Suddenly, he sped up, disappearing from her sight. She shook her head and caught up with him.
"Sting, slow down, can you? I can't keep up." Lucy laughed a little.
Unexpectedly, he turned around and retook her hand, at the same time staring into her eyes. "Hey, I'm not escaping. Don't worry."
"I haven't suggested that." She winked.
"Good." He grinned. "Anyway, I've seen you before. Have noticed you the moment you appeared here. Good choice of clothing, though only now I can entirely get it."
"Thanks, I guess." Lucy blushed. "I'd noticed you on the dance floor before we smiled at each other, too."
"Yeah, well, wasn't overly happy to dance with that girl, but she was terribly nagging." Eucliffe rolled his eyes.
"You didn't seem so."
"Oh?" He smirked. "Jealous?"
"You wish!" She argued jokingly. At that moment, the barman brought their beers. She grabbed her glass and raised it up. "Anyway, cheers!"
"Yeah, to today."
They sipped their beers and returned to conversation. Lucy was completely amazed and delighted about the fact that the talk was going on so smoothly — and it was so easily held! Still, she was wondering when Sting would tell her that he did not want her. The woman was both blushing and trembling, unsure of his decision.
Finally, at the dawn of drinking their beers, the conversation turned on the present events.
"Lucy, I find your performance very exciting." Sting stated with a mischievous smile.
"Really? I just wanted you to know, that's all." Sh flushed, pulling on her dress.
"How long have you been, um, interested in me like that?" The woman gapped at him, surprised by the boldness of the question. "What? It's fascinating."
"For a while..." Lucy murmured.
"I see. Well, I must tell you that you completely stunned me." Sting cleared his throat and smiled sincerely, not with irony. "No one has ever done anything like that for me makes me feel... Like, special."
"To me, you are." Heartfilia smiled apologetically.
"You're cute." Sting chuckled and continued. "Anyway, you made me feel so many things: embarrassment, happiness, surprise, shock, self-consciousness, attraction, hesitance, thoughtfulness... And you showed me I could be special. Which also tells me something more."
"What?" She blinked.
"That you are also special, Lucy."
The woman took a sharp breath in. Excuse me?
"Don't make such a shocked face." Sting frowned. "I've known that for a long time now, but today you've proved that I was right."
Lucy could not believe what she was hearing. He had just admitted he had been thinking about her before, plus he considered her different. Thus, she admitted. "I don't understand."
"What is it that you don't understand?"
"Why you're sitting here with me, drinking beer, chatting like that..."
"And what should I be doing?" He raised his brows.
"Dunno... Just telling me already to back off?"
Sting stared at her, amazed. She was keeping the eye contact with him, shivering. There. She had said that. At last, the man did something completely unxpected; he started to laugh. Lucy opened her mouth, then clenched her jaws, annoyed. How did he dare to laugh at her?!
"That's not nice." She stated bitterly, feeling tears in her eyes. Even though she had not expected him to answer anything, now he had hurt her with his laughter. She began to stand up.
At once, he stopped that and caught her hand. "Wait! I didn't mean it like that. Please, sit down."
"I really—"
"Please. Lucy." Sting stood up to her, gently pulling her hand. Her lip trembled, but she nodded and returned on the chair. "Thank you. I was not laughing because I'm playing with you or something." The man did not let go of her hand, moreover, he caught her second one. "But you're so sure of that I'll dump you. Why?"
"Look, I appreciate that you're trying to be delicate, but who am I fooling? I'm nothing like the girls who chase you, I ain't no striking, there's nothing original about me... I'm only a plain girl. Not cool like those chicks in your fanclubs... And—"
"And that's what makes you different. Better." Sting cut her off, grippping her palms. "You don't squeal when I pass by, don't throw at me all those empty words and one million cards and letters in which you declare an undying love... Lucy, you are special. Original. And nothing like those chicks — and that's what's awesome. I wouldn't even look at you if you were so plain, so crazy like them..."
"Then what are you trying to say?" Lucy asked in a weak voice. She was suddenly glad that she had sat down; she would have flopped on the floor on her cotton-like legs.
"That you've got me interested in you. I'd love to get to know you more, because I consider you a very attractive, smart woman, who has a chance to become something much more to me than a friend."
Heartfilia widened her eyes. "So you're saying that..."
"That I can't promise you anything, but yes, I am attracted to you. As hell." He grinned.
She could not believe it. He was telling her that he was finding her right for himself? "Of course you can't, you're not a robot. But are you, really?"
"Yeah. I thought it was pretty obvious, though I was trying not to ogle you openly. Still, damn, I'd be eating you up with my sight."
"Damn physical attraction." Lucy giggled. "Well, Sting. If you're willing to try out, then of course I have nothing against it. After all, I've already taken a huge risk by singing for you."
"Right." The man nodded. "I want to try, Lucy. I want to get to know you more, although I kind of do now... I mean, we've been working together for a while now."
"We have." Lucy sighed.
"Then, why don't we go on a date tomorrow?"
She smiled widely. She always dreamed about a boyfriend who could take her out, like, traditionally. And there she was, with a man whom she loved, and who had asked her out on a date with him. Was there anything that could have made her feel happier?
"Of course." Lucy answered, delighted.
"Amazing. Which, of course, doesn't mean that I want to get rid of you now. Can we spend some more time together?"
In fact, the whole rest of the night the blondes spent together. Around 3am, Minerva found her friend and, hating to interrupt them, asked to go home. Because they had agreed before that they would have left the party at that hour, Lucy nodded and asked Orlando to wait for her a few minutes.
"Sure, then catch up with me at the cloakroom." Answered Minerva and vanished.
Thus, Lucy turned to the man, who was watching her with a smile. "I guess we'll see each other later."
"Yeah. So, at 3pm? I'll pick you up."
"Sure. So..." She hesitated.
"Yeah. See you." Sting grinned and cleared his throat.
Lucy nodded and, sending him the last smile, turned around, and started walking away. She had a feeling she should have acted differently, yet, she had never had any situation like this... Suddenly, she stopped and glanced back; Sting was still standing there, smilng to himself, staring at the floor. He looked somewhat disappointed.
And she unexpectedly knew what she had to do. She turned on her heels and rushed back to him. The man raised his eyes when she was close.
"Lucy? What—?"
But he did not finish, because, under an abrupt burst of bravery, she caught his collar and pulled him down, covering his lips with hers. She kissed him unsurely, not knowing if that was what she should do and how. Still, she moved her lips on his, provoking him to accept it.
Soon, maybe too soon — how would she know? — she broke the kiss and gazed at him. He seemed a little startled, yet, did not appear disgusted or anything... Rather diverted. Maybe she was not as bad as she had thought?
"Now, goodnight, Sting." Lucy told him and left for the second and the last time. Only that time she knew she had done the right thing.
I've written it a while ago, completely forgot about it, and have found it recently. I hope you enjoyed this One Shot :)
Thanks for the support, guys! Love you all.