Disclaimer: B7K does not own fairy tail AND 'playful kiss'. All rights belongs to their respective owners!
OMG THANK YOU TO THE PERSON THAT NOTED OUT. FOR EVERYONE'S INFORMATION! PLEASE! I HAVE BORROWED THIS PARTICULAR SCENE FROM 'PLAYFUL KISS'. I highly recommend that you watch that anime. It's really amazing. Although... I thought there was another name for it but I couldn't remember. BUT THANKS FOR THE PERSON FOR POINTING THAT OUT AND INCLUDING THE ORIGINAL NAME.
IM SORRY IF THIS IS SUCH A PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR NOT CREDITING THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS ONESHOT, MY SINCERE APOLOGIES EVERYONE. I hope you accept this apology everyone. And once again, thank you.
I'm so sorry.
Authors Note:
Flashbash/Thoughts
Lucy sat on her bed with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her back against the wall. The blonde locks of hair sat damply on her shoulders, cascading a cold blanket over her body. The only light of her bedside lamp flickered weakly.
Brown eyes stared down into nothingness as she wrapped arms around her knees tightly. Mind deep in thoughts.
"Will you marry me?" the look on Sting's face was sincere and pure.
Her grip on her knees tightened. How was she supposed to answer him when he asked so suddenly?
Raising her head, her eyes automatically wandered to the photograph that stood proudly on her bedside table. A photograph of when she had received a comment of some sort, over-reacting while the camera snapped her action in motion. Two individuals stood in the image. One of her, pressing both palms against her lips and the other, looking away bashfully and somewhat embarrassed.
"Natsu still hasn't come home." She murmured, her eyes moving towards the clock that sat beside the photograph, the time reading that it was currently five minutes past midnight.
It only happened five hours ago.
She remembered walking with Sting after stumbling upon him at the local supermarket – this was at the evening – in which they had finalized a date tomorrow to catch up. Whilst they were reminiscing their middle school days, Lucy immediately spotted a mop of pink hair in the crowd. Rounding up to greet him with Sting beside her, the blonde felt her energy disappear as she noticed a beautiful white-haired girl that she recognized all too well with Natsu.
It was Yukino. An ex-partner of Natsu that belonged to a wealthy family. Someone that she grew to love, despite standing beside their relationship with a heart breaking in two.
She had left briskly with a forced smile. Telling Sting that she'd go ahead and leave first.
She and Natsu wasn't involved in any way besides the fact that their mother's had been best friends since their young days. Ever since then, Lucy and Natsu were always together. A few weeks before their high school graduation, he had started the first move – kissing her directly on the lips and brushing it off. Laughing as if it was just a prank. He did this three more times, confusing her innocent heart. Even at the night of their graduation.
She remembered him pulling her aside one night whilst celebrating their high school graduation and taking her outside the party. Of course, he wanted to kiss her again! She moved her head to the side as far as possible and it earned his hand smacking the concrete building beside her head in anger. After his harsh reaction, she had confessed her inner warfare with loving him, and whilst during the heat of the moment, he smiled at her!
"What do you want?" Lucy demanded as he glared at her. As if it shocked him back into reality, his face played back to normal. Instead, a hint of mockery settled on his face.
"You sure pull no punches." The blonde felt her face heat up in anger.
"I won't be scared even if you threaten me. You turned my feelings into a laughing matter behind everyone. So, I was just returning the favor! "A new resolve began to build in her heart. With the two locking eyes with each other, she glared at him with determination. His eyes never strayed from hers.
"I've had enough!" He hadn't wavered at this proclaim. So she continued. "I'm going to stop loving you!"
"Can you do something like that?" Is that all he thought of her? Nothing more than just flinging herself here and there like nothing mattered to her except him? This thought infuriated her. It just seemed to her that he thought of her as nothing more than a game piece. Moving only at his beck and call..
"I can!" Lucy yelled, "I know your character so well that it disgusts me!"
With a swipe of her wrist, she emphasized her point. "I'll reset all of my unrequited feelings together with our graduation." His eyes narrowed at her in silent understanding of her claims.
"So… you're going to forget me?"
"That's right. I'm going to forget you and attend university-"
"Then go ahead and try." Without warning, he pushed his body fully onto her, his lips capturing her in an angry way and molding his mouth against her mouth. Forcing his tongue deep down into her cavern and making sure to bite softly into her lips. After a moment, he pulled back and walked away. Leaving the blonde to drop to the ground.
"Serves you right."
She had buried her feelings for her best friend for five years. Knowing that she'd only be a fool to confess and him saying nothing to her while they had that argument, she couldn't help but feel disheartened. Natsu was the star of their high school. An elite of the sports and science world. It was only expected that she'd get drawn to him too.
It only worsened now that she were attending university.
Immediately, her eyes hovered longer on the bed sheets.
"I wonder if he's holding hands with her right now. Are they kissing or something?" Hands reached up to grasp her head in frustration and tears began to build up at the corner of her eyes.
"My head is a total mess."
Grandine stomped downstairs as she occasionally checked the door as the time flew quickly past midnight. Her anger slowly building as her son had not arrived from mavis-knows-where and doing mavis-knows-what with mavis-knows-who. Dressed in her sleeping attire, she folded her arms with a huff and stood at the hallway of their entrance door inside the house.
Her mouth was set in a grim line and her fingertips dug into her sleeping robe. Thoughts of her son and another woman left the angry female walking and stomping back and forth in a furious pace. Her legs moved her towards the living room and back, and to do it once again.
The sound of the door unlocked and a bored "I'm back." Drifted into the house.
Her feet raced to the door and fists clenched, not trusting themselves whether to throw her slippers or hands at him.
"You're late!"
Natsu locked the door behind and him and walked into the house, his eyes settling on his seething mother. "What's with that absurd look?"
"I heard from the director." Grandine scowled. Eyes fixed firmly on her son as he rounded beside her and began to untie his shoes. "What do you think you're doing attending that marriage interview?" The pinkette didn't answer and she continued to rattle on in heated anger. "You didn't even talk to us. What were you thinking?"
Lucy didn't mean to walk out of her room, only to stumble at the edge of the stairs before hearing Grandine talk. A silent gasp made its way to her mouth and her eyes widened with realization.
"Natsu…-"
"Even Igneel is furious!" Grandine's voice sliced through her thoughts. "He said he doesn't even remember requesting such a thing."
Natsu paused before taking the first step to the stairs after leaving his shoes at the door.
"It's not for his sake."
"Don't lie. I know you intended to sacrifice yourself for the company." The sound of padding footsteps climbing the steps resounded in the house. A slight pause.
"You're mistaken."
"Then why?" Grandine demanded.
"I like her."
.
..
…
"W-What?" Grandine's voice spluttered with disbelief.
"It's a legitimate reason, right?" The thump of wooden timber creaking continued up the stairs.
"Natsu!" The pink-haired man ignored it. Walking up the stairs until he sees a blonde woman trying to open the door to her own room. As if wanting to escape the fact that she was caught spying on the conversation that happened down stairs. His eyes rested on her panic state.
"You can't do anything but eavesdrop, huh?" Her hands stilled on the door-knob. Shaking ever so slightly. Managing to finally get time to converse with him, she only turned her head slightly to face him. A blank face that he couldn't work out. A face that was hiding the obvious pain and sorrow that he knew he caused.
"It's a free world. I can do whatever I want." Lucy replied. Not trusting her voice. It would crack if she wasn't careful. She pushed the door to her bedroom and took a step. Her face looked blanked as well. Controlled and careful.
"And you can do whatever you want too." With that said, she stepped into her room and closed the door without sparing a glance back at the man that held her heart. After locking herself in the room, the emotions that she controlled fell.
It was no use worrying of what he chose. It was no use worrying if they would ever become more than friends. Lucy wanted to just forget about the pain and leave this all behind. Leave the memories and the man that was the reason for her happiness and sadness. The one who promised not to make her cry.
"Hey mom, you'd be happy if I married Sting-chan, right?" Lucy stood on her balcony. Her mobile phone pressed against her ear as the wind blew softly. After the small exchange with Natsu, her mind immediately realized the complications if she stayed any longer in the Dragneel household. Regardless of wanting to attend the same university as her friends and finding a sense of belonging in Fairy Tail University, this couldn't continue and her decision to return back home in Acalypha seemed like the perfect opportunity to leave this hell hole.
"Huh? What's this all about?" Her mother replied, a surprise in her tone.
"It's just a 'what-if'." The blonde said quickly, not wanting to allow her emotions into their conversation. Her mom was good at picking those kinds of things up.
"He's a very carefree person, but he shows promise when it comes to business skills." Layla replied with a cheerful tone. "If he becomes part of the family, then I guess I'll be happy since your father will have a successor." There was a protruding silence.
"However, your feelings are most important." The blonde sighed. Her mother was really good at picking these things up.
"But, there's nothing I can do if our feelings aren't mutual." The blonde said slowly, eyeing the streets below.
"Lucy, you really should leave the Dragneel house then." Her eyes widened at her mother's words. "You know it yourself, right? It's unnatural for you to stay there any longer. Everything is out of order."
"Mom…"
"You must be having it hard too, right?" Lucy felt her pain throb inside her heart, "It'll be better for you to leave there in order to forget Natsu-chan."
She looked up the stars and felt her vision blur out again. "You're right..." Her eyes twinkled with tears. "This time, I really should give up, right?"
"It's important for a girl to know when to give up." Her mom spoke lovingly, "Besides, this is a good chance for you to make Natsu realize what a great girl you were."
Silence protruded the phone and briskly, Lucy wiped her eyes.
"Right, Lucy?"
After ending her call with her mum, her fingers tapped the screen slowly to make one more phone call to someone that deserved an answer. Someone who had been by her side when things were rough during her time with Natsu. Someone who always stayed and listened.
Sting had schooled with Lucy when they were very young. But Layla was much closer to Grandine and allowed Lucy to attend Fairy Tail High and Fairy Tail University after graduating from Sabertooth Middle School. But just that short span, Lucy and Sting were very close. Almost just as inseparable.
"Sting? It's me."
"Lucy?" The voice cracked with surprise and it sounded very welcoming to the blonde.
"About tomorrow…yeah. I can go."
"Really?! That's awesome. Let's meet at the ice-cream shop down your street at five."
"Got it. I'll see you at the shop at five then." Her eyes looked at the photograph once more before reaching over, grasping its frame carefully and turning the photograph down.
"I'll be looking forward to it. Bye."
Looking away, Lucy climbed back under the covers. It's fine this way.
"So it's going to rain, huh?" Gray drawled lazily. Looking up to the darkened skies that rolled over the sport grounds. His eyes narrowed as it looked as if it was going to rain the whole rest of the day.
"So can we call it a day then?" A member called out from the courts.
"Don't be a slacker! The basketball club doesn't stop just because of a little rain!" His hand shook at the member who only laughed at his reaction. Suddenly, a ball hit him on the back, forcing the black-haired teen to turn angrily,
"Who the hell decided that they can throw that-?!" Eyes turning around to face an annoyed white-haired girl.
"Sorry about that." His breath hitched and his mental life supported beeped warningly.
"Not all all, Lisanna. It's my fault for standing here." The white-haired girl didn't reply. Just stared at him. Almost apologetic yet sad.
"Lisanna? What's wrong, Lisanna?" She blinked.
"No. It's nothing."
"No, you have been acting strangely lately." Reaching down and picking up the basketball that had hit him before. His eyes locked onto his childhood friend again. "You can talk to me if you have any problems." Instead, her eyes turned to the side of the courts of someone approaching them.
"Natsu?"
Gray walked towards the edge as they both stood on opposite sides of the iron fence.
"It's been a while, matchstick. Why are you here today?" Gray asked, mentally counting the days where Natsu would be off for the club.
"Chill popsicle. I just came to take a look. – Besides, shouldn't you be doing catching up with Juvia? I saw her waiting around the corner at the lockers." The black-haired male turned red.
"Don't say that!" Hands pushed in pure shame but nevertheless, walking away very quickly. Lisanna joined the conversation and also walked towards the pinkette. A hand raised for a genuine wave and a smile.
"It's been a while, Natsu."
They both took a walk outside the court heading towards the lockers. Natsu stuffed his hands into his pockets and Lisanna straightened the straps of her gym bag. Holding the basketball in front.
"Are things going well with you and Yukino with the marriage interview?"
"Kind of." Natsu replied. Eyes trained forward and not wavering for the slightest second.
"I don't like that girl." Lisanna mentioned, "It's rather boring to have a girl without flaws to pick at. I'd rather have Lucy clinging onto you."
"Ah! It's Natsu!" A surprised voice claimed from behind them. Turning around, Lisanna only faced the two woman who seemed like they just finished the lecture for the day. Levy and Cana approached the two.
"Hey, is it true that you're getting married?" Cana asked, as they walked towards the other two beside the fence, holding a bottle of alcohol. "Lucy was seriously depressed."
"Cana!" The small timid bluenette hissed. Lisanna blinked before walking closer to Levy and Cana. A raised eyebrow at the small information that the drunkard had mentioned.
"Lucy isn't with you?"
"Lucy has gone back already." Levy replied, "She said she had an appointment with Sting."
Lisanna smiled in recognition, "Ah… the guy from the Sabertooth University. She sure has lowered her standards."
"But Lucy was pretty bold." Cana almost retorted, a small sadistic smile climbing up her face as she raised the alcohol bottle to her lips. Her eyes looking towards the pinkette who hadn't turned around, despite the fact that they were talking about Lucy right at his back.
"He proposed to her out of the blue."
"She even ditched the tutorials to meet him." Levy added, looking at Lisanna before turning to look at Cana.
"She might actually be interested in getting married."
Cana closed her eyes. "Will his eight years of long distance unrequited love finally blossom?" Levy closed her eyes and nodded,
"And Natsu, Lucy tried her best to love you as well…" as the bluenette opened her eyes, nothing stood before them. Lisanna and Cana turned to look around the courts but not a single sign of the pinkette was anywhere.
The rain pattered again the last place where Sting promised to show his culinary skills. After making their rounds over the town center and city, he had brought her to a private place where he can show her his profound skills after studying a bit at culinary school.
Lucy sat alone on the stools at the serving bench. The sound of rain attracted her attention in which she turned slightly to the door.
"It's raining…perhaps, I should've brought an umbrella." A thudding of footsteps entered the back of the bench.
"It's okay. I'll walk you home later." Sting placed four more dishes onto the bench in front of the blonde with a smile on his face. Proud and warm.
"Here, try it."
Lucy felt her mouth water at the sight of the delicacies laid before her. "Wow, it looks great!" Clasping her chopsticks apart, "Thanks for the meal." And the blonde proceeded with selecting from the dishes before her. Closing her eyes and taking a bite.
"How is it?" The blonde male asked worryingly. Lucy chewed her food slowly before opening them with a bright light twinkling in her eyes.
"It's awesome! It's probably better than that lousy lunch you prepared back in middle school." Sting broke out in a smile. With a large grin on his face, he pushed the dishes close towards her.
"All right. Don't be so modest then and eat up." Lucy nodded before digging into her food.
The rain continued to fall and the dark clouds hovered more thickly as the day turned into night. The train stations were filled and the last train had left for the last stop. Natsu stood beside the glass door on the train. Staring aimlessly out at the rain the continued to fall. His mind almost running feebly to nothing.
"I'm so full. It was great!" The blonde girl gushed as she patted her stomach warmly. The empty dishes laid in front of her without any more contents within them.
"Should I cut some fruits for you?" Sting asked, approaching the bench as he gathered the last few dishes to be cleaned. A smile on his face reflecting the happiness he felt over Lucy finishing his food with a proud smile on her face.
"You sure have a good sense when it comes to food." Lucy commented, turning her head to him as he walked beside her, leaning down and collecting them. "My mother was praising you. About inheriting the business."
He paused, "I still have a long way to go though."
"I'm sure you'll catch up real soon." The blonde girl replied with an assured smile on her face.
Sting turned around with a light blush on his face. "Thanks." He said meekly, "It's best to hear it directly from you." The girl behind him laughed. Just as suddenly, an exasperated look was plastered on his face. He turned around slowly before looking down at the ground in front of him. As if unsure of what to do or say.
"Hey, Lucy…" He opened his mouth slowly, a sweat rolling down his face, this perked the girl's attention. Slowly but surely, he raised his eyes until blue clashed with brown.
"Will you give me a reply?" Lucy felt her heart tighten as the laughter that was once on the tip of tongue disappear. Her smile that once beamed on her face dimmed ever so slightly. Nervous brown eyes looked down,
"Well… can I have more time…" she looked down sadly, almost ashamed at her predicament. "…to think about it?"
Sting stared down with a tired look at the blonde. The answer was clear on her face, no matter how many times he tried to avoid it or nor chose to overlook it. He swallowed thickly before opening his mouth.
"Is it Natsu?"
Her silence was his reply and Sting knew that he had hit the mark. Of course. It will always be Natsu in her eyes. At the thought, anger bubbled up inside of him.
"What's so good about that cold-hearted bastard?" She didn't dare to reply to him. It caused him to only get mad. With that, he slammed the empty dishes down angrily, cracking a piece or two upon impact. At the sudden reaction, Lucy jumped from her seat and stood. Her feet almost walking backwards as Sting approached her.
"Lucy!" Taking one step forward. "You're the only person in my eyes!"
"Sting?"
"I'll make you forget that bastard!" Without resting, he lunged towards her and wrapped his arms securely around her. Forcing her form back to hit the bench. "I'll make you forget!" He squeezed her enough so that she wouldn't let go.
"No. Don't. Sting. Stop!" Lucy cried out. Arms placed at his chest in fear and attempting at her hardest to push him away.
"No." Her struggles were almost for nothing and her heart began to panic.
"Natsu!" She screamed out in fear. With one final burst, she pushed Sting away, his hands hitting the dishes and causing them to fall and break fully. He took a step back. Lucy looked at him with fear and shock at her words.
"So it really is Natsu." The blonde male laughed weakly. His hands outstretched to pick up the fallen pieces of porcelain. He dropped to his knees and Lucy took another step back before running out the door.
"I'm sorry, Sting."
I'm such a terrible person Lucy thought as she stepped onto the train that led back home. She leaned against the rails and held her bag in front of her.
I led Sting on but… what came out of me then was 'Natsu'. She stepped over to cross the train and headed downstairs to catch the taxi home.
I was worried over it, and then decided to give up, and yet…I guess Natsu is the only one for me. She decided to walk home. Just wanting to think along and walking in the rain seemed like a better choice as it would hide her tears if she ever cried. Obviously, knowing that somewhere down her walk, she was bound to cry at a moment's notice.
In that case, I'll just stay single for the rest of my life. The thought sent a tear rolling down and she quickly brushed it away with her index finger. And when it finally comes, I'd be secretly carrying my memories of Natsu.
Her feet stopped at the corner of the street. Before her was another pair. Standing in the rain. Clothes that she recognized. A scarf she recognized. Her eyes blinked as they recognized the person who was standing before her in the rain. One hand stuffed in his pockets and the other holding an umbrella.
"Natsu?" Lightening flashed.
"I was waiting for you, Luce."
"You were waiting for me?" The blonde echoed. Silence once again flooded and just then at that moment, Lucy didn't say anything except to join him under the umbrella.
They both walked in silence as the rain continued to pour over the streets. As he walked a bit in front of her, Lucy had the time to look worriedly at him from the side.
Natsu seems different.
"Were you meeting up with Sting?" Eyes widened and snapped away as Natsu also turned his eyes away from her. "I heard that he proposed to you."
"He did." Lucy replied sharply. "I'm not totally unwanted, you know."
"So how did you answer?" Brown eyes raised at the pinkette who walked beside her.
"It's none of your business how I answered now, is it?" He still didn't look at her.
"I guess not."
Silence followed afterwards for a short period of time. They both weren't looking at each other and just going with the sound of the rain, falling harshly around them.
"I'll be moving out, okay?" Lucy mentioned, "I decided with my mom and my dad will be picking me up. Otherwise I'd get in the way of your marriage, right?" Natsu shifted his eyes to the front.
"I'll marry Sting." He blinked.
"Then… everything will go well, right?" Lucy closed her eyes as they continued walking. "You'll marry Yukino and I'll marry Sting. And I'll help with the Heartfilia business-"
"Do you love him?" He asked. Lucy stopped in her tracks as the pinkette continued to walk in front of her. Anger and surprise was mixed together in her mind.
"Of course I do!" Natsu stopped. "Because Sting has loved me since middle school."
Natsu closed his eyes and turned away to the side. His grip on the umbrella tightened. "Do you fall in love with people who tell you that they love you?"
"Is that bad?" Lucy demanded, taking a brave step. "I'm tired of this one-sided love. Why don't you just think about Yukino? Forget about me."
Natsu turned angrily in heated anger. Eyebrows scrunched in a scowl.
"You love me!" He stated angrily, "You won't be able to love anyone else!" Lucy dropped her bag on the pavement.
"Why are you so confident?" She asked softly before it turned into anger. "That's right. It's exactly as you say!" She screamed allowing the tears to fall.
"But what choice do I have?" Her shoulders shook, "You don't love me. You don't care about me."
Cold broad hands slowly caressed her face. Surprising the blonde out of her misery. With widened eyes, she watched as Natsu gripped her face gently, and leaned down to kiss her. She hadn't even noticed that he had dropped the umbrella during her outburst.
Finally, he pulled back but still remained with his hands on her face. His body still close to hers. She opened her mouth to speak again but he pulled her into a tight embrace. His arms squeezing her form into his chest and a small smile on his face as she clutched tearfully into his shirt.
"Don't tell me that you love any other man."
"This is the fifth time." Lucy stated flatly, causing the pinkette to pull back in surprise.
"With what?"
"You kissing me."
He chuckled lightly before kissing her once more on her lips softly before encasing her in his arms.
"You don't have to count anymore."
And that's another one shot done :)