So this story is an attempt to give some love to a ship I haven't acknowledged at all. It's also a story that fits into four genres: Romance, Friendship, Drama, and Hurt/Comfort. I hope you all enjoy this story I originally wrote on my iPod. So, without further ado...
Bullies and Butterflies
Romeo checked his watch as he waited for Wendy. She was late. Out of worry for his friend, he pulled out his phone and texted her.
Where are you? We're gonna be late.
Within minutes, a reply arrived.
Not going. I'm sick.
Seriously?! You never get sick!
I'm not immune to everything. Just go and bring me my homework.
Are you sure? You're all by yourself.
Yes.
That sealed it. Romeo turned the car off and got out, heading straight for the front door. He dug out the spare key and unlocked the deadbolt and the doorknob before pushing the door open.
You're not staying by yourself.
But you still have school! Just go.
Too late.
What do you mean, 'too late'?
I'm coming upstairs.
Romeo! You broke into my house?!
I have a key. Gajeel had it made.
I'm gonna kill him...
Romeo was right outside her door. He tried the knob. It turned, so he pushed it open.
Wendy was sitting on her bed, wrapped in her comforter as she frantically texted. Romeo glanced at his phone.
DON'T COME IN! SERIOUSLY! I'M SICK AND I'LL BE FINE BY MYSELF! YOU DON'T NEED TO TAKE CARE OF ME!
"Wendy."
She looked up to see Romeo standing in the doorway. Immediately, she fake-coughed and covered her face with the blanket.
"I told you, I'm sick," she croaked in a fake tone. "Just go without me."
"No way." He sat down on her bed and pulled off the blanket. "I can tell you're faking. What's wrong?"
"N-nothing..."
"Wendy." She covered her face with her hands. "Weeeendy. Talk to me."
"I don't wanna talk about it..."
"That's fine. If you're not gonna tell me, I have another way of making you talk."
"What're you talking about?"
Instead of answering, he started tickling her.
"R-Romeo!" she shrieked in laughter. "S-stop!"
"Not until you talk!"
"O-okay!" He stopped and watched her expectantly.
"Go ahead," he told her.
"I don't wanna go to school today. Or ever again."
"What happened?!"
"Nothing happened!"
"Something happened." She hid back under the blanket. "Weeeendy. Tell me what happened." Her phone blipped with a new text from an anonymous number. Out of curiosity, he looked at the text.
Hey, Your Royal Flatness! How's it feel to be the least-sexually-attractive girl at FTHS?
Hands shaking, he went into her messages and found at least two dozen texts like it, all from anonymous numbers. Some were more tactful, but most were just downright cruel.
That's when he realized she was crying.
"Wendy, stop crying," he whispered.
"Now you know why I don't wanna go to school," she hiccuped. "I don't want to deal with them."
"You know who they are?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Who?"
"I can't say."
"Dammit, Wendy, who are they?!"
"It'll get worse if I tell."
He sighed and pulled the blanket off her again. She was still in her pajamas.
"Listen to me. Get dressed and meet me downstairs. I'll keep this in the meantime." He waved her phone at her. "I'm not leaving without you."
"Okay..."
He left her room and waited on the couch. Eventually, she came downstairs in her uniform, her hair straight down instead of in pigtails.
"Now can I have my phone back?" she asked.
"Not until this is fixed." He took her arm and led her to the car. She arranged her stuff on the floor while he started the engine. The ride to school was silent. As soon as they arrived, Wendy ducked down to avoid the gazes of a group of girls waiting outside. Romeo recognized most of them as members of his fanclub. His stomach churned with anger. How dare they treat Wendy that way?!
Suddenly, a plan formed in his mind.
"Let's go," he told Wendy. They got out of the car and walked towards the school.
The girls by the door stopped their conversation upon seeing Romeo and Wendy. Their leader, Juliet, smirked at Romeo. He noticed her phone was out and Wendy's phone buzzed in his pocket.
Suddenly, he stopped and faced his best friend. He could feel everyone's eyes on them. It was now or never.
"Romeo, what're you do—"
She was cut off as he pressed his lips against hers. Her cheeks grew flaming hot, but she closed her eyes and returned the kiss. His arms wrapped around her and hers around him. Both could hear the gasps of their classmates.
They broke apart, both their faces flushed pink.
"R-Romeo..." she stammered. He just smiled and put something in her hand. Her phone.
"If they try again, let me know," he whispered. "They'll have me to deal with."
Juliet shoved her phone into her purse and stomped inside, her minions close behind her. Romeo took Wendy by the hand and led her inside. Her stomach fluttered.
His hand was so warm...
• • •
"How was school?" Lucy asked Wendy. She and Natsu were home to "study" (actually, to make out until they were either interrupted or had sex, according to Gajeel).
Wendy, on the other hand, was still on Cloud Nine from Romeo kissing her. Her cheeks were the same color as Natsu's hair, which Lucy didn't fail to notice.
"Ooh! What happened?" the blonde inquired. Neither girl noticed Natsu poke his head out of the kitchen.
"U-um... w-well... R-Romeo k-k-k-kissed me!"
The reactions of her brother and his girlfriend were instantaneous. Lucy squealed at how cute it was, while Natsu punched the wall.
"I'm gonna kill him," he growled.
"No!" Wendy yelped. "I-I kissed him b-back!"
"Be nice, Natsu," Lucy warned, narrowing her eyes. "The same thing happened with us."
"Yeah, and now you're pregnant!"
"Not my fault, Mr. 'I'll-be-careful-we-don't-need-condoms'!"
Wendy could tell the argument was going to a very lewd place, so she excused herself upstairs. She had a lot of homework, anyway. The young teen had just settled at her desk when she heard her window open.
"Romeo!" she hissed, the memory of that morning turning her cheeks to fire. "We have a door!"
"I was going to, but then I heard Natsu and Lucy arguing and figured this was the more... innocence-preserving route." He dropped to her bedroom floor and she shut her desk.
"What's wrong?" She'd noticed he was staring at the floor.
"We need to talk about this morning." Her heart sank like a stone.
"O-oh... Is that so? Why?"
"We—I mean, I—dammit!" He looked up at her, at last, his face just as flushed as hers. He took a deep breath and started over. "When I found out about what those harpies were doing to you, do you know how I felt? I was ready to tear them to pieces for making you cry. I wasn't just mad; I was Natsu-levels of mad. I hate it when girls cry, especially if it's you. Your smile is what I want to see, not your tears. I had to do something.
"Do you know why I kissed you this morning? It was to prove to them that you're plenty attractive as you are. It was to keep guys from taking advantage of you." His breathing hitched. "It was because I love you! I've loved you for years and I never had the guts to say it, but now I've said it, so there!"
Wendy covered her mouth as Romeo fell on his hands and knees, tears dripping onto her rug. She knelt in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Dummy. I love you, too." He put his arms around her.
They sat like that for a few minutes in silence, neither wanting to break the spell.
"W-why do you love me?" Wendy whispered. "I-I'm not pretty like the other girls. I don't have a big chest—"
"Stop comparing yourself to them. You're more beautiful than they could ever be." He pressed a gentle kiss on her cheek. She smiled. "There's that smile."
He kissed her again, this time on the lips. For them, the rest of the world faded away. There was only them. Once they'd broken apart, he mumbled something that she didn't quite catch.
"What was that?"
"I said, 'Did my heart love 'til now? Foreswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty 'til this night.'" She shook her head.
"That was cheesy."
"Then I guess I'm pizza."
Both of them laughed. It was the beginning of a long and happy relationship.
I know that this was resolved far too quickly, but there are cases like this in real life. Bullying is a serious issue, one I've dealt with frequently for over a decade. It doesn't bother me now as much as it used to, but I'm still being bullied on a daily basis (mostly in my second period statistics class; I got stuck with dumbasses) and I'm seeing quite a few of my more-nerdy friends being bullied as well. Even if I don't know a person, if I see them getting bullied, I have to step up and defend them.
If you or a friend is being bullied, please, please, please tell someone. It might not stop and it might not get better, but seek comfort in people who care about you or by doing something you love. For me, I throw myself into my reading and writing or talk to my best friends. Don't do the extremes of cutting yourself or attempting suicide. Those things hurt so many more people than just yourself. I've seen the ripple effects in my community as of late. A boy at my school killed himself, and a lot of people are still mourning him.
Never forget: if you're reading this and you feel powerless because you're being bullied, I'm standing with you. Most likely, I don't even know you in real life, but fandoms are full of kindred spirits. We support each other. I love each and every person who reads my stories, whether they like my stories or not.
So, for the first time, I end this with a message that's not the usual one.
Stand together. Band together. Support each other. Let people know you care.
This is Kaitlynn Gold saying I love you. I support you. I'm standing beside you.
Good night.