A oneshot for my 100th follower, Chiyo Yuzuki! :) Ok, so they might be a little, (or a lot), OOC, but I figured that'd be alright. Ok...commence StiCy fluff!
The night was a bit cold, but it didn't bother Lucy as she walked along the now-quiet streets of Crocus. She had a lot on her mind. It was the second day of the Grand Magic Games, and things weren't going as well as she'd hoped. They hadn't had the best of starts, either. Actually, they'd barely made it into the competition!
Still, she trusted her friends. She trusted in the power that was Fairy Tail. She'd always trusted in them all. She squeezed Plue as she thought of how exciting it was going to be when they won. She was certain that they would. All those other teams didn't stand a chance against her guild...because Fairy Tail was and always had been number one.
She sighed as a gust of wind blew her hair around in the night air. The lights of Crocus looked like stars all around her. Lucy was so entranced by the amazing city-despite being there for a few days already-that she wasn't watching where she was going. She was happy as she rounded the corner. That emotion quickly changed to surprise as she slammed into something.
She tumbled backwards, Plue making a distressed 'Pun!' sound as she dropped him. Her back collided roughly with the cobbles and she cried out. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt pain shoot through her arm. "Ow," she murmured, sitting up again. She opened her eyes and closely examined her arm. There were a few scratches, but other than that she was alright. She sighed in relief. It'd be bad if she were injured.
"Watch where you're going," growled a voice.
Lucy immediately froze and looked up, "Um, er."
"Jeez, you're so clumsy. No wonder you lost to Fleure," he spat.
Lucy slowly looked up at the person who she'd bumped into. She blushed when she got an eyeful of well-defined stomach muscles. When she finally looked up, her face still felt hot. Her heart sank to her stomach when she realized who she'd accidentally assaulted. Sting Eucliffe, a twin dragon of Sabertooth.
Lucy glared at Sting who was standing over her, his arms crossed sternly over his chest. "Look, I'm sorry," she snarled, rising to her full height, (which was still annoyingly smaller than Sting's), "But I didn't mean to bump into you."
"Maybe I should go to the Game Master...tell him that you assaulted me outside of the arena. That wouldn't be good for Fairy Tail at all, would it?" he threatened, leaning closer to Lucy. His face was inches from hers.
Lucy was tough, but she was even tougher when someone threatened her friends. "Coward," she said, staring him right in the eyes. "You're just afraid that you'll lose. And you will."
Sting grinned and put a hand on her cheek, "Sure, I will. Because Fairy Tail has the mighty Natsu Dragneel! Well, he's not so mighty."
"Natsu has nothing to do with it," she replied, not inching away from him, "It's because your guild is weak."
"Weak?" Sting said incredulously.
"Yes, weak. You wouldn't understand, though. You wouldn't know friendship or love if it slapped you in the face!" Lucy said.
Sting stared at her, his blue eyes piercing her brown ones. Somehow, deep down, something stirred in him. Unbeknownst to him, he knew that there was something missing in his guild. His heart moved when this girl reminded him. Soon, though, anger rose up. The Master would be furious if he found out that Sting had let a little girl like Lucy speak ill of their guild, "What would your puny guild know about that? What would you know about that? You're just a cute, little virg-"
Slap! Lucy was blushing furiously and now her hand hurt, but not as much as his face. Sting's eyes were wide. She'd just...hit him! He touched his raw cheek gently. When Lucy realized what she'd done, she covered her mouth in horror. Sting wouldn't be lying if he told the Game Master that she'd assaulted him now! He could actually do that!
"Wait, I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"
"That was cute," he said, turning his head back to Lucy. She'd just become a lot more interesting. He wanted to toy with this little girl. "Is that all you can do, though? No wonder Fairy Tail is losing," he said with a laugh.
That ticked Lucy off. Right when she was apologizing to this idiot, he started laughing at her! She was angry. She knew she shouldn't, but she reached out at him. She shoved him as hard as she could. He stumbled backwards. He'd figured that Lucy was rational enough to not attack him again, but he'd been wrong. He was just as surprised as he'd been the first time.
Sting managed to stay upright for a few steps, teetering on the heels of his feet. Lucy, realizing that she'd fell for his taunting again, reached for him, trying to stop his fall. She grabbed onto his wrist, but it was too late. As if in slow motion, Lucy and Sting plummeted down a the small flight of steps behind Sting.
Lucy found herself clinging onto Sting's shirt for dear life. Sting wrapped his arms around her, trying to protect her head from being smashed. He didn't like her, but he didn't want her to die. When they finally reached the bottom of the stairs, Lucy flew forward. Her brain couldn't catch up with what happened next.
Her hands were pressed against Sting's ripped abs, which in and of itself made her face turn bright red. Sting's arms were wrapped protectively around her waist. She was staring directly into his sapphire eyes and he into her chocolate ones. The most unexpected thing, though, was that her lips were gently pressed against his. She couldn't force her body to move, pinned in place by reality. She noticed that his lips were strangely soft and warm, which she found somewhat comforting. Wait, what am I thinking!? This is Sting Eucliffe of Sabertooth! And I'm kissing him!
She squeaked and launched herself away from him. She pressed her back against the wall behind her, trying to get as far away from him as possible. He lay still on the ground, still shocked. "Don't...ever do that again!" Lucy whimpered. She felt tears brim. That'd been her first kiss!
Sting's brain suddenly got up to reality and he turned his head to look at her. He saw her crying and his eye twitched, "Hey, I didn't do it on purpose!"
"B-But you kissed me!" she yelled.
"Uh, I'm pretty sure you kissed me," Sting grumbled. He looked away from her, but when she didn't say anything in reply, he looked back. She was just curled in a ball, hiding her face from him. He didn't feel guilty, though. He had just saved her pretty little head when they fell down the stairs. She should be grateful.
He stood up and brushed off his clothes, "Get over it."
"No." He blinked and stared at her, then decided she was starting to bore him. He turned to walk away. "Whatever," he mumbled.
"That was my first kiss, jerk." If it hadn't been for his dragon hearing, he wouldn't have even heard her. Even Sting, however corrupted his heart had become after years of being in Sabertooth, knew that a girl's first kiss was a big deal. He groaned and went to crouch next to her. She lifted her head, bleary-eyed.
"I'm not going to apologize," he said, looking her in her watery eyes. His voice wasn't nearly as harsh as it had been earlier. She stared at him, wondering what he was talking about. She'd honestly expected him to just walk away and leave her sobbing there. She did not, at all, see this coming.
He put a hand on her head and stared at her, "I won't tell the Game Master anything."
"Why not?" she sniffled.
"Consider it payment," he said, standing up. This time he really did leave her there, but, for some reason, her tears had vanished. After a little while, she stood up and walked back to the inn.
She was cursed. Sick. Plagued. Thoughts of that guy who'd stolen her first kiss buzzed around her head. She spent the rest of the night writing, reading, talking to her friends who were doing their usual thing, (causing mayhem and downing a large assortment of food and alcohol), but whenever her thoughts were idle, they flew back to the blonde-haired, blue-eyed sociopath. He didn't feel guilty at all! He just said, 'I won't tell the Game Master.' Lucy growled just at the memory.
"You seem mad about something," Erza said, sitting beside Lucy.
"Shouldn't you be off destroying something?" Lucy grumbled.
"Wow. You really are angry," Erza said, surprised that Lucy had spoken with such venom in her tone.
Lucy sighed, "Yeah, I didn't mean that."
"I know," Erza said. They didn't speak for a moment. "So, are you going to tell me?"
"Tell you what?" Lucy asked, though she knew all too well what her friend was asking.
"What's bothering you," Erza answered.
"Do I have to?" Lucy asked. She quite honestly didn't want to tell anyone about what had happened with Sting. She'd purposefully started a fight with him, slapping him in the face and sending him, (and herself), cascading down a staircase, only to end up kissing him and getting patted on the head. That was going to be more than hard to explain.
"No. I can't even guarantee that I'll understand what you'll tell me or if I'll be able to help, but it might relieve some stress to tell someone else," Erza said, taking a quick bite of her cake.
Lucy sighed and nodded, deciding to come out with it all at once, "I assaulting Sting Eucliffe and then kissed him."
Erza blinked and then laughed, "Say that again; I don't think I heard you correctly."
Lucy nodded, "I assaulted Sting Eucliffe and then kissed him."
Erza stared at her for a moment before she calmly took a bite of her cake, "Oh."
"Seriously!? That's your answer!?" Lucy yelled.
"You do have a problem on your hands," Erza said, pointing at her with a fork.
Lucy's head slammed against the table as the energy left her, "I know."
"I don't really know what you're talking about here, but you kissed him?"
"Not on purpose," Lucy mumbled.
"You assaulted him?"
"He called me a virgin."
"Oh."
"I mean, who does that!?"
"Right, so naturally your response was to assault him," Erza said.
"Was that sarcasm I sensed?"
"Yes."
"You're one to talk. You assault people all the time."
"Let's get back to the point!" Erza said desperately.
"Ok," Lucy replied, surprised.
"Did you like it?"
"My hand stung, but otherwise it felt pretty good."
"I'm talking about the kiss!"
Lucy blinked, "Oh. Why?"
"He took your maidenly innocence! Why wouldn't we be talking about that?!"
"Maidenly innocence? Whose?" Levy asked, dropping into the conversation.
Erza smiled and turned to Levy, "Lucy assaulted and kissed-" Lucy jumped forward and tackled her friend, covering her blabbing mouth with a hand.
Levy's eyes went wide, "You kissed someone!?"
Lucy groaned, "Yes, but it wasn't on purpose!"
"Did you like it?" Levy asked immediately.
"Why does everyone ask me that!?"
"Ask you what?" Mirajane questioned. Apparently she'd been eavesdropping also.
"Whether or not Lucy like the kiss," Levy said, filling Mirajane in.
"Mmrphrmph," Erza added. Lucy still had her hand over Erza's mouth so as to keep her from spilling the beans.
"You kissed someone!? So, did you like it?" Mirajane asked, leaning forward with a scarily lovestruck grin on her face.
"And yet another one asks me that question," Lucy said, shaking her head.
"So you didn't?" Mirajane questioned, frowning.
"I never said that," Lucy argued.
"So you did like it!?" Levy asked, perking up out of excitement.
"I never said that either!" Lucy insisted.
"So which one is it?" Mirajane demanded.
Lucy froze. That was a surprisingly hard question. I mean, she'd gone from arguing and assaulting him one second to kissing him the next. It shouldn't have been possible to enjoy that kiss, and yet…
"Maybe?" Lucy said, questioning her sanity.
"So you did!" the three other girls chorused. Well, Erza said something closer to, "Phofueed!"
"I said maybe!" Lucy insisted.
"Wait, so who did you kiss? Are you going to go out with him now?" Mirajane asked.
"I'm not answering either of those questions. Erza, I'll kill you if you tell them," Lucy said. With that, she walked out of the room, leaving to try to round up her thoughts.
"You're strange," Rogue said. Sting blinked.
"What?" They'd been sitting in silence, the only sounds in the room coming from Lector and Frosch playing tic-tac-toe on a ripped piece of sorcerer weekly.
"No, that's illegal. You can't add another one on the outside!" Lector argued while Sting started in confusion at Rogue.
"Fro thinks he can," said Frosch, drawing an O outside of the #. "Fro wins!" Lector facepalmed, "Hopeless."
"You're acting strange," Rogue said quietly.
"Am not," Sting said, taking another drink from his cup.
"You are." He didn't ask any questions after that, though. He just stared at Sting, observing him and analyzing him.
"Stop looking at me," Sting growled.
"You did something bad. Something the Master would not approve of," Rogue said, turning to take a sip from his own drink.
It annoyed Sting that Rogue could tell so much about him just by looking, "I didn't."
"You did."
"I didn't."
"You did, though."
"Ok, I did."
"I know." Sting glared at Rogue.
"You don't want to know what it was?"
"No."
"You'll tell the Master?"
"No." Sting nodded.
"Good." Sting laughed almost silently to himself. He couldn't help but consider himself an idiot. He'd never thought that Sting Eucliffe, a twin dragonslayer of the top guild in Fiore, would lie to the Master for a little girl. He took another drink.
"Sting?" Lector asked, "What'd you do?"
Sting smiled at his exceed, "You worried?"
"No. Sting is stronger than anyone, so he can do what he wants."
Sting smiled and patted Lector, "Not quite, buddy."
"Fro wants to know if you did something bad," said the other exceed, curling up next to Rogue.
Sting scoffed, "If feeling bad for a crying girl is bad, then yes."
Frosch blinked. "Is that bad?" he asked, looking to Rogue.
"No," Rogue replied, patting Frosch's head.
Sting grinned, "I wonder what that little girl is doing right now." He couldn't help but be curious. There was something about her that he hadn't seen before. It was strange. He'd never felt the desire to comfort anyone before, but he had with that weird girl. She'd slapped him, but instead of being angry, he was just amused.
Maybe it was his buried desire to rebel against the Master, but he wanted to talk with her some more if he got the chance. Or...do something else.
The third day of the Grand Magic Games seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye for Lucy. Pandemonium was the talk of the crowds towards the end of the day, even during the battles. As she walked through the stands, she heard gossip about Fairy Tail. "They've got Erza Scarlet and Laxus Dreyar. I heard those aren't even their most powerful wizards, too!" someone had said. Lucy smiled. No, they weren't the most powerful. She almost wanted Gildarts to participate in the games. On second thought, that would most likely result in the complete annihilation of the arena.
Once she'd heard her fill of gossip, she turned back. She was relieved when she ducked inside the labyrinthine hallways woven throughout the arena. All the noise had ceased, but that meant her thoughts were going to come back to haunt her. "Stupid Sting," Lucy grumbled, slumping against the wall.
"I'm not that stupid." Lucy jumped and slammed her head on the wall.
"What the-"
"Missed me?" he asked with a sly grin. He leaned forward, dangerously close to her. She took a step back and he took a step forward.
"Not really." Was that a lie? She didn't know at this point. She'd been thinking about him all too much, but had she wanted to see him or was she just mentally scarred?
"Really?" he asked, looming even closer. This time she didn't step back. Instead, she just stared at him. Her skin tingled where he got closer to her.
"I don't know," she answered honestly.
"You're a strange girl," Sting said, easing away from her. He leaned against the wall and stared at her. He took all of her in. He hadn't noticed how cute she was before. She was hugging herself for comfort, which only made her even cuter in his eyes. He furrowed his brow.
"I know," she said. That caught him off guard. He smiled.
"Wow!" Lucy gasped, staring at him. He raised a brow in confusion.
"What?"
"I just...have never seen you smile like that before," she said.
"Huh?" he asked incredulously.
"Well, I'm sure I've seen you smiling, but you're usually smiling at my friends pain," Lucy said, crossing her arms.
Sting frowned, "I know." This time Lucy was the one caught off her guard.
"You're well aware that your team has caused ours plenty of trouble and heartache, then?"
"Yeah, and its the same for your team," Sting pointed out.
"What?" Lucy asked, surprised.
"The Master doesn't think Fairy Tail is a threat, but I know better," Sting said, annoyed.
"So you know the truth, then."
"The annoying truth, yes. Fairy Tail has changed since the last time we went up against each other. Pandemonium alone is proof of that fact," Sting said, scowling.
"Mmhmm," Lucy hummed happily.
"Stop being so cocky," Sting mumbled.
"Cocky? I'm just happy," she said with a smile.
"Stop smiling," he said. He secretly didn't want her to.
"I think you should smile more," she said.
"Stop talking about that!" he insisted, his cheeks a bit pink, "Onto the next subject."
"Right, ok," Lucy said, mock seriousness in her tone.
"There's something I have to tell you, but you're not going to like it," Sting said.
"There's something I have to tell you, too," Lucy said with a nod.
Sting blinked, "Ok, tell me."
Lucy looked appalled, "No. You first."
His temper was being tested, "No."
"You started this," she said, poking his chest.
"I did not! You're the one who said that you had something to tell me!" Sting pointed out. Lucy repetitively jabbed Sting's chest.
"But. You. Said. It. First!" she said, poking him with each word. Sting was now pressed up against the wall and Lucy was pressed up against him. When realization of that fact sunk in, Lucy's eyes went wide. She still didn't move. Her finger was still pressed against Sting's chest. He grinned and took her thin wrist in his hand.
"I was thinking about you," she admitted, "It's your fault, too."
"Right, because you kissed me," Sting said, the corner of his lips lifting into a smirk.
"Right, because I kissed you," Lucy said, looking away from him. Sting took her chin in between his thumb and the crook of his finger and turned her face back towards him.
"You're a strange girl," he said, "And that's why I was thinking of you, too."
She blinked, "You were thinking of me?"
"Why did you slap me?" he asked seriously.
She frowned, "Because you called me a virgin."
Sting frowned right back at her, "But that's the truth, isn't it?"
She socked him in the arm, "That doesn't mean you have to say it to my face! And then you went and took my first kiss!"
Sting smiled, "I'm sort of proud of that fact, actually."
"What!?"
"I've never taken a girl's first kiss before," Sting admitted. Lucy nodded sarcastically and rolled her eyes.
"Sure, the handsome Sting hasn't taken a first kiss before. I totally believe that," Lucy drawled.
Sting smiled, a real smile, "You think I'm handsome?" Lucy was suddenly aware of how close they were. She could feel his chest against hers, the steady yet quick beating of his heart. He was even holding her hand. She flushed.
"No," she lied.
"So you do? Well, you're not so bad yourself," he said.
"But seriously, you've never taken a first kiss before? I was your first?" Lucy asked.
"Answer a question for me?" he asked, his face growing closer to hers slowly. She didn't shrink away. She anticipated what was coming. If her friends were to ask her now whether or not she liked their first kiss, she would answer very differently than she had the first time. Maybe that was just the adrenaline speaking, though.
"Sure," she replied.
"Can I take your second kiss, too?" he asked. His face was now so close that she could feel his breath on her lips. It was warm, but it made her shiver.
"Let me think about it," she said, and then brought her lips to meet his. At first, it was a gentle kiss. A tentative, explorative kiss. The novelty of it was strange to Lucy, but she was still immersed in his warmth, his smell, and...his lips. He continued to hold her hand, but his other arm snaked its way around her waist. She ran her fingers along his rough jawline as he deepened the kiss.
He whirled around, exchanging places with her and pressing her back against the wall. She gasped for air when he briefly broke the kiss, but he soon covered her ruby lips with his again. He held her face as his slid his tongue along her teeth briefly. He moved his kisses to her neck, nuzzling her pale skin and planting a line of kisses up her neck, nibbling on her ear, and then moving back to her lips.
When he finally stopped, he still held her close. They were both breathing hard and clinging to each other, their lips swollen. Lucy started to feel dizzy and she clung to Sting, resting her head on his chest. "You're strange," he whispered in her ear. She shuddered.
"I don't know why I just did that," she said, shaking her head.
"Me neither," he replied honestly. She looked up and him and took a lock of his hair between her fingers.
"This is a mess," she said, "I have no idea how I'm going to explain this to my friends."
"Explain what, exactly?" he asked.
She laughed, the amused sound ringing through the dark hallway, "I have no idea! That's the point!"
He chuckled, "I'm pretty sure I'd be expelled from Sabertooth if anyone found out about this...whatever 'this' is."
"Then we won't tell anyone," she said, touching his cheek.
Sting's brow furrowed. What was he doing? He had no idea. He'd normally never risk his reputation at Sabertooth, much less for a girl. But...this wasn't a regular girl.
"I've got to go, Sting. My friends will wonder where I am," Lucy said, her voice a bit sad.
He nodded slowly, "I'll see you again. Meet me in the gardens outside of Mercurius tomorrow night. I'll find you."
She nodded as he let go of her. He grabbed her wrist. He had no idea why, but he just couldn't get enough of this one girl. "Wait, Lucy," he said, stopping her. He pulled her back to him and kissed her again. He tipped her backwards, soaking in as much of her as he could, before he let her go again.
"We're enemies, Sting," she said even while she was wrapped in his arms.
"We don't have to be," Sting replied.
She stumbled off, disappearing into the darkness of the hallway. He stared after her, wondering if he was doing the right thing. Well, even if he was, he knew one thing for sure: he was crazy.
It was the fourth day of the Grand Magic Games and it was time for the challenge. Lucy's head was still spinning from the day before, but she knocked those thoughts away as she took on the challenge that was facing her. The Naval Battle. She stared at the floating orb of water, but she was determined to make up for her defeat when she battled Fleure. She stepped forward, resolution pulsing through her veins.
When Lucy's name was called, all of Sting's attention was immediately directed to the battle. He hadn't previously been interested, but as soon as Lucy was involved, he was. He wasn't interested in overanalyzing that fact. He couldn't help but remember what had happened between them. At that moment, though, he was more concerned for her safety.
"Damnit, Lucy," he growled under his breath.
"Disappointed about something?" Rogue asked, coming to stand next to Sting.
"Minerva is going to destroy them!" Sting said. Rogue blinked.
"That's a bad thing?"
Sting fell silent. He turned back to the battle, shaking his head. It shouldn't be, but it is, he thought.
He watched as, one by one, people were thrown out of the naval battle. No, Lucy! Get out of there! He wanted to yell out to her, to tell her to stop fighting. He knew Minerva well enough to predict what she was going to do. She was angry at Fairy Tail, and was going to show them that she was more powerful. Sting could only watch helplessly as that time crept nearer.
Soon enough, Lucy was the last one left in the water. Sting silently cursed, knowing that Minerva was no longer going to be merciful. Sting watched each blow land on Lucy's already battered body, a war raging within him. He flinched every time she was struck. This was beyond cruel. Finally, Minerva was done with Lucy. She held Lucy outside of the water and grinned as if she'd won the day...which she had.
When Sting saw Minerva's hold on Lucy loosen, he instinctively lurched forward. Rogue grabbed his arm, "Sting, don't." Rogue had been watching him the whole time, and he was much too clever not to realize what was happening. "The Master will dispose of you."
"I don't care!" Sting bellowed. He knocked Rogue off of him and launched himself over the edge. Lector yelled out at him, but Sting didn't hear what he said. He sprinted towards Lucy, desperate to catch her. "Shit!"
He leapt into the air, catching Lucy's unconscious body. He held her close to him and touched her bruised face, "You're such an idiot! So useless!" His insides were churning as he examined her bruised and bloodied skin, which had been so spotless and smooth when he'd touched her yesterday. He hovered over her, stroking her hair.
"What are you doing?! Don't touch Lucy!" Natsu Dragneel yelled. Sting looked up and reality dropped on him like a 1,000 ton weight. Natsu took Lucy from Sting's arms and he backed away, raking his hand through his hair angrily. Fairy Tail didn't know about him; of course they didn't. Lucy would've never told a soul.
Minerva dropped down from the water, dripping wet, and stared at Sting, "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," Sting growled, still angry. Seeing Minerva before him only made him angrier. He bristled as she approached him. He did his best to contain his rage, clenching his fists tightly.
"What you're doing is dangerous," Minerva said, narrowing her eyes. Minerva now knew the one secret that could remove him from Sabertooth, but Sting's mind was elsewhere. He was just filled with fury.
"I'm going to kill you, Minerva," he growled, "Not here. Not in front of these people. But I will."
"Father will find out what you're doing if you're not careful, Sting," she said. The other members of Sabertooth joined them. They stood behind Minerva, staring at Sting just as the Fairy Tail members were.
"Or...perhaps he already knows?" Minerva said, glancing to the stands. Sting followed her gaze and locked eyes with the Master. He didn't look away, instead stared at his superior. Sting had come to a conclusion. When it really mattered, when he was pressed to make a decision, he'd chosen Lucy. He wasn't going to back down from that decision now. Sabertooth was more like a means to an end; he had his eye on Natsu. He could defeat Natsu without Sabertooth. He was sure of it.
He looked back to Minerva, "I don't care."
Rogue stepped forward and confronted his friend, "You can't go back."
"I know," Sting said.
"I'll come-"
Sting raised his hand, "No. Stay. You don't need to risk it all because of me."
Rogue stood by him, "Risk what?"
Sting blinked and then cracked a grin, "You know, I don't know."
Sting vaguely heard the announcer gossiping, "Could Team Sabertooth be having a falling out? And what caused it? Have the star players, the twin dragons, found something more important than their team? Than glory?"
No, just me. I never cared about my team. I was never after glory. I couldn't care less about those things. Sting looked up and made eye contact with one of the most powerful wizards of Fairy Tail, Erza Scarlet. "Thank you," she said, "For saving Lucy."
Sting was taken aback, "You-"
She nodded, "I know." Wow, way to keep a secret, Lucy. I guess I was wrong. Useless girl.
"She should be alright," said Wendy, looking at Sting and then back to her guild. Sting crossed his arms, relieved. The rest of Sabertooth was already walking back whence they came. Sting took one long last look at Lucy and followed behind them, Rogue on his heels.
He didn't dread going to the guild. He knew what was waiting for him there, but he wasn't afraid. He was strong enough to survive it, and he wasn't going to give in to the guild master. When he slowly opened the doors and met the Master's eyes, that confidence faltered. He entered the room, his comrades watching him closely. Rogue was behind him, walking silently by his friend's side as he always did. The Dragonslayers had forced their exceeds to stay behind; they didn't want them to see what was going to happen. Sting still wanted to be strong in Lector's eyes.
"Master," Sting said, collapsing to one knee before him. Rogue did the same.
"You betrayed me," said the Master, looking down at his Dragonslayers.
"Yes," Sting said, looking the Master in the eye. He had to do this…for Lucy and for himself.
"You betrayed your guild," the Master said.
"Yes," Sting replied, still steady.
"You deserve worse that I will give you," said the Master, rising from his throne. He stared down at Sting, "And for what? A little girl?"
Sting smirked and rose to his full height, "I guess so." The Master growled and pain erupted all over Sting's body as he was sent flying.
"Remove your guildmark, fool!" the Master bellowed. Sting stood again, stumbling for a moment, and placed his hand over his guildmark. Rufus and the rest of his team watched, unmoving, as he did so. He scoffed. Some team they were. There was a sharp burning sensation as his magic ate away at the mark. He saw Rogue doing the same.
"Are you done with me now?" Sting asked, his arm burning where the mark had been; now there was only reddish, burnt flesh.
The Master strode towards him and growled, "Not even close."
Lucy slowly woke up, her long lashes fluttering open. "Lucy!" her friends shouted.
She smiled and then frowned, "My keys?"
Happy immediately flew over to her, handing her the gate keys. She was comforted by her spirit friends' presence.
"We were really worried," Erza said, standing at the end of her bed.
"Thanks," Lucy said, pulling her blanket up over her face. She felt hot tears stream down her cheek. Her cuts stung when her tears leaked through her bandages. She was shaking and she hoped her friends couldn't see.
"Time for you all to go." It was Porlyusica. Lucy was grateful.
"What? But Lucy is-" Natsu began before he yelled out in pain. Lucy could only assume that Porlyusica had hit him to shut him up. Lucy listened as she herded all her friends out the door together. When silence finally fell, she came next to Lucy's bed.
"You can uncover your face now," she harped. Lucy nodded and did so, sitting up in bed. She cried openly now that her friends were gone. She'd lost again, and she knew it.
"Quiet," Porlyusica growled, "Or you'll wake the other idiots up." Lucy hesitated, wondering what Porlyusica was talking about. She looked around the room, her tears subsiding a bit. Her eyes went wide when she saw the other bed and identified the person who was lying on it.
"Sting?" she asked, ripping the blankets off. Her toes barely touched the floor when she was pushed back onto her bed.
"Where do you think you're going?" Porlyusica said, pushing Lucy back to where she had been laying, "You're still injured. You need rest."
"But Sting's over there!" Lucy said, reaching towards where Sting was lying. She could see from there that there were bruises and cuts all over his body. More tears welled up. What happened?
She decided to ask Porlyusica that same question, "What happened to him? An event?"
Porlyusica sighed, "No, he's much too strong to be defeated by one of those silly events. All I know is that his guildmark is missing, along with the third idiot's."
Lucy gasped and tried to sit up again, but she couldn't due to Porlyusica's iron grip. "Stop moving!" she commanded. Lucy was too afraid to do otherwise. She lay in bed, wide awake, and watched Sting steadily, waiting for him to wake up. Every minute that he didn't, she became more worried.
Eventually, though she didn't remember it afterwards, she drifted asleep. Only a few minutes later, Sting woke up. He bolted upright and then groaned, clutching his ribs. He took in his surroundings and immediately noticed Lucy. He smiled and got out of bed, walking to her side. He ran the back of his hands along the side of her soft face. It was good that she was alright. Well, she was in better shape than he was.
Suddenly, the door opened. A woman with pinkish hair entered the room. Her eyes went wide when she saw Sting upright, "Get back in bed, Idiot Number 2!"
Sting backed up, "Who are you?"
"Get back in bed!" she demanded, storming towards him. Sting was pretty sure that 'Getbackinbed' was not her real name. Still, he complied. He smiled to himself even as his broken ribs ached along with the rest of the muscles in his body, planning to leap out of bed and return to Lucy's side the moment 'Getbackinbed' left the room.
Eventually, though it took a while, the woman left the room. Sting eased himself upright this time, careful of his injuries. He limped over to where Lucy was and lay down beside her. Well, even if his guildmark was gone and his body was practically ruined, he still had Lucy. When he stroked her hair, she shifted in her sleep.
"Lucy," he whispered. She didn't move. "Hey, Little Girl," he said, twisting a lock of her soft hair around his finger.
"Good morning," she whispered.
Sting smiled, "So you were awake?"
"Yeah," she mumbled, curling up close to him. He winced and she opened her eyes, "What was that?"
"What?" he asked.
"You just squeaked," she said, sitting up.
Sting frowned, "No, I didn't."
She stared at him, "You did!"
Sting looked away from her awkwardly; he didn't want her to see all his injuries...he was sure that she would worry. He didn't want her to feel guilty. "You're so guilty!" she insisted, ripping the blankets away.
Sting jumped as the cold air surrounded him again. Lucy gasped and covered her mouth with one hand. She looked horrified. Sting was a little offended, "Hey, it's not that bad. Jeez." There were bruises all over his body, but he wasn't dying.
He was waiting for her to show her concern, but she didn't. Lucy balled her small hand into a fist and punched Sting square in the shoulder. "Ow!" he yelled.
"You idiot! Why'd you let it get this far! You're strong! You could've-"
"I left my guild, and this is what I got!" Sting shouted, grabbing her wrist, "But you didn't have to punch me!"
She hesitated and then a tear dripped down her cheek. Sting's stomach twisted; he shouldn't have yelled. He was about to tell her that he didn't mean to shout at her when she leaned forward and took his face in her hands. She stared into his blue eyes for a moment before she kissed him. "Don't get hurt again, ok?" she whispered against his lips. She lay down again, curling up against his chest.
"Ok," he whispered into her hair.
"Hey, we're not enemies any more, are we?" Lucy asked, clutching Sting's shirt in her hand.
Sting smiled and stroked her small face, "Not any more." He was quiet for a moment, "You should sleep."
She nodded, her eyes already closed. The sleep she would get in Sting's arm would be a thousand times more restful than it had been when she was alone. After Sting was certain that she was asleep, her breath slow and steady, he, too, drifted to sleep, holding Lucy protectively in his arms.
Erza walked into the room and strode slowly up to the bed. "Oh," she said, surprised. A smile crept along her face.
"I kept telling him to stay in his own bed, but he wouldn't have it," Porlyusica grumbled.
Erza raised a brow. He must have been pretty determined to best such a terrifying woman. Erza smiled and turned back to the two who were sleeping contentedly side by side. She wasn't sure that she trusted Sting, but she had to. Why? Because Lucy was smiling in her sleep. If he could make Lucy smile, he couldn't have been all that bad.
Please R&R if you liked it. Well, you did read over 6,000 words of it, so you must've liked it at least a little. Either that or you're really bored, which I totally get. But seriously, even if you read it just because you were bored, R&R! T^T