I own nothing in this story except the concept and the story plot. Hiro-sensei shall surely suffocate me with fillers of the manga if I claim this as mine.

pairing ; implied!rom! Chappy.
words ; 1640. excluding the story details.
to ; Rakora, number seven.
summary ; it nearly made Charle want to gag but laugh how he smiled, and with that smile gone, she couldn't bear it.
warnings ; spoilers of Edolas arc, and DAT ANGST.

I'll Be There – forever or for-never.

She just knew, even if she didn't want to admit it. If she was falling, he'd be the annoying savoir, ready to catch her without fail. If she was sick, his silly antics would cheer her back up, but of course she wouldn't ever believe that. If Charle was leaving, she knew Happy would be there to make her return. He just had that magical power within himself, to make all her thoughts turn a complete one-eighty. It was a sort of ability Charle had more than once pondered about, and thought about, and had wanted to obtain. She wanted to use it on Wendy, for when the "bad times" came as predicted. And she wanted to use it on the blue Exceed himself.

There were those seldom days when Happy's playful personality refused to reign through his guilt and sorrow, and so he would go through the day, forlorn with his eyes cast down. He brought down the atmosphere of the guild down with his attitude, and the place seemed to have lost its luster. The guild drunks were rowdy, but not as boisterous as they were yesterday, where wine and beer caps were flown across the room and foaming beer soaked the floor. Charle could be seen, staring the cerulean cat down, her brows furrowed into one. Her brown eyes held focus and concentration, and she made certain her eyes never left the catlike creature. She made note of every detail he had, from his whiskers to his old green bundle.

His cobalt fur stood on end today, and he looked slightly chubbier than before. His whiskers twitched uneasily when a loud noise erupted through the guild. His large, inky eyes flickered from place to place. His clumsy-looking paws fumbled with each other. His tail swayed behind him, but even it seemed wary and cautious, like it was anticipating someone to jump out with a shout. The Exceed seemed jumpy for something, at the same time scared, and even lost. It intrigued Charle to no end how he could portray his emotions like that, strangely and simultaneously. It made her want to stare, to observe him.

She turned her attention to Wendy, not trying to seem suspicious, but she couldn't keep her eyes from glancing back at Happy. Happy soon hopped off his barstool chair. No one noticed because all were cheering for either Natsu's or Gray's or Erza's victory in the three-way battle they were in. Charle couldn't say she could've cared, because fighting wasn't her style anyway. She believed that she was practically made to strategize and plan. If no procedures were made, how could one act? Everything had to be resolved by order. What drove Charle on edge was how she willingly followed the blue cat out the guild. Without a plan, procedure, or strategy in her head.

She sprinted after him when he broke into a run, staying near foliage to jump into if he looked back. Children and their adults stared at the two cartoonish cats fleeing through the street, some of the smaller infants pointing the two out and mouths gaping in awe. His azure tail swished behind him as his clumsy, stubby paws pattered against the ground in a run. Even from the back of him, Charle could see his whiskers, light and silvery. His vomit-green knapsack bounced on his back like a steady beat. With each step he made dirt flew from under him. He swung his head back and saw Charle's narrowed eyes, scrutinizing his every move. Then Charle's eyes widened in sudden surprise and she sped up, tackling the unsuspecting cat.

"Tomcat!" she said, pinning him down.

"C-Charle?" Happy exclaimed, avoiding her eyes and squirming under her iron grip.

Silence reigned in the air as Charle peered over him, but he uncomfortably stayed under her warm body, with his large head turned to the side. Charle didn't get any of it. Wasn't he head over heels or her? Didn't he obviously showcase his love off to her in any way he possibly could, not caring whether he made a great baboon of himself? Charle wanted his sorry-to-see attitude to jump out a window, because he wasn't making her smile. At all.

But wasn't making people smile, laugh with ridiculousness, or nod their head with understanding his job? And here he was, not bothering to give her the gentle curve of a smile – really, she wanted a toothy grin from this tomcat. She wanted him to smile until his cheeks cracked and smile until his eyes wrinkled at the edges. It was surprisingly weird to admit that she liked Happy's smile.

Charle continued staring at the childish Exceed until it seemed like he was awkwardly irritated. He gently pushed off Charle of his tiny, furry body and stood. She stood up to his height too and gritted her teeth.

"Smile, Happy." He jumped at the sudden use of his name and let his eyes cast down, his feet kicking the ground. He refused to let his smile show, so Charle persuaded him harder. "Isn't that your job, Happy? Making people smile? Isn't that what you were named to do, to be happy and make others the same?" she queried, crinkling her nose in disappointment. She looked him up and down. She saw his hands ball into tiny fists.

"Stop making it sound like I was made only to entertain!" he bursts, eyes fiery with rage. But then Charle saw disappointment and anxiety in his eyes. What was making his so jumpy today?

"Tell me, Tomcat," Charle started, making Happy disappointed to being reverted back to 'Tomcat.' "What has made you so jumpy today? Why won't you smile? Don't you know seeing you all frustrated, with your silly inner conflict makes me feel weird—"

"It isn't silly, Charle!" Happy flared, obliviously ignoring Charle's last words. "It's all because you won't like me, Charle!" He hiccuped, hiding his face in his paws. Charle knew the cat's eyes were now watery and full to the brim with salty, big tears.

Charle reached out to him, but he furiously swatted her hand away, same he did with his tears. "I just can't believe you!"

Charle stood back and let her hurt show, eyes now filled with guilt. It was now her turn to kick at the dirt, watching it fly.

"You've been mean and ruthless all this time! Everything has been back to the way it was since we went to Edolas! I thought maybe you would show the slightest appreciation after Edolas, seeing as I helped save your ass! I really thought we could at least improve our relationship to the point we could've been friends, heck, maybe even close friends, seeing as we were born in the same place, had the same milestones together, and even overcame them – together.

"But I see that all I can expect is your persistent mocking. I loved you, Charle." Charle trembled under his glare, suddenly feeling her cheeks burn and then something hit her. Why was it loved, the past tense version of the word love? Love was the source of all mockery and sadness and suffering, yet the thing that made her mind understand why her heart fluttered.

"I'm surprised you had those words in your vocabulary, Happy," she said, chuckling grimly. "But loved?" she whispered, biting her lip. "But, I still and always loved you. I was giving you tough love. I knew I needed you, to fight with me in my battles, and to help you up when you fell. I just wanted you to be strong, persistent. I had no idea you were under so much stress."

Looking at him again, Charle saw him – and really saw him. His fur was dull-looking and unkempt, while his large eyes looked sunken in. He looked so thin, and he had really lost his healthy glow. Heck, she wasn't even sure whether he had bothered to try to going out in the sun. He seemed like a vampire, pale and simply unwholesome. Was this all stress, from worries about Charle, and worries that whether she even remotely liked him, not even thinking about whether she loved him?

Charle's breath caught in her throat. She was so relieved. She hadn't known until today that she loved the tomcat, fully and wholly. She tackled Happy, embracing him into a hug.

"I love you, Happy." Happy hesitated, but then let his arms slide around her waist and placed his head into her shoulder. Pink dusted both of the cats cheeks.

"I love you, Charle, now and forever. And remember, I'll be there."

The two left back to the guild, hand-in-hand, with Happy's smile radiantly shining through and attracting plenty of attention. Members of the guild whistled merrily and drunkenly, clapping and chanting out their names. They were all obviously intoxicated, because that dazed look was in all of their eyes. Some tables were overturned and chairs were split, probably one's clumsiness. Charle's cheeks were like a vibrant tomato but Happy swung their linked arms unashamedly, toothily grinning.

"Oh lookie, here," Gray commented, "A little Charle and Happy fan service. I'll call it Chappy," he finished, nodding satisfyingly.

"My son is growing up!" Natsu cried out, crocodile, fat tears rolling down his tan cheeks. Obviously, this 'father' was dead drunk too. "But he's still so… short!" Natsu then cracked up laughing, breathing out cackling flames with each huff of breath he blew out.

"Hey, at least I can get a girl!" Then the whole guild rolled on the floor, laughing their drunken asses off. "Lucy is still 'on hold', eh?" Happy cheekily said, flying around the guild as his friend chased after him. Charle noticed that Natsu's cheeks had a pink hue, and that wasn't the drink talking.

Charle giggled – Happy's smile was as radiant as ever.