Chapter II - Kizuna
A few days after the fight, you were starting to walk around again. Once Natsu arrived at the infirmary, he'd laid you on a bed only to see you had already fallen asleep. With a light chuckle, he stepped out to talk with the others.
Lucy told you that you'd slept for two days straight. You were a bit hesitant to believe her, but after considering the amount of magic you'd expended during the fight, it seemed logical. You were covered in bandages but you couldn't be happier. Your team came to visit you a few times per day as you recovered your strength.
After five days of recovery, Gray was helping you stand up.
You stifle a yawn as Gray slings a hand around your shoulders to support you. "Who's fighting today?" you question, mind a tad foggy as you stand.
"No one. It ended yesterday with Erza's fight, remember?" the ice mage responds, pulling you up.
"Oh yeah! I forgot. How did she do, by the way?"
"How do you think?" he replies with a slight smirk.
"She completely obliterated everyone and everything standing in her way."
"Yep. It was awesome," the stripper comments, leading you outside. "Today we have the ball, guild party, or...whatever."
"Ah. Are you going with Juvia?" you ask.
He sighs. "Seems so."
Giggling, you take his arm off your shoulder. "I think I can walk by myself."
"You sure? I don't mind helping."
Nodding, you wait until you're steadier to begin stepping again.
"Suit yourself. That reminds me - Erza and Lucy told me to tell you that they'll be getting ready soon."
You groan. "I don't even have a dress..."
Gray only shrugs. "I'm pretty sure they went shopping earlier. They're in the girl's dorm, if you're interested. I have to go catch up with Natsu..." he sighs. "You sure you don't want me to come with you?"
"Positive. Catch you later, Frozone," you tease, turning a corner and cackling as you hear him scoff.
…
Upon opening the room to the girl's dormitory, you hear Lucy and Wendy chatting. When you step inside, they go silent.
"About time," Erza begins. "We've been waiting!"
"I know, I know. But I'm here now," you answer.
Then, before you know it, you were surrounding by the women of Fairy Tail.
"Your battle was awesome!"
"You should've seen the look on Sting's face!"
"You kicked ass out there!"
"Hey, ladies, give her some space," Mirajane calls with a sweet smile.
"Juvia had no idea you were so powerful!" calls the water mage.
"Uh, thanks guys..." you say awkwardly.
"Those two idiots took the loss better than we expected," Erza notes, turning to you and raising an eyebrow.
"I noticed that," you respond.
"I guess you would, after a defeat like that. You were, uh, pretty scary. Especially with the beginning standoff with Rogue," Lucy comments.
"And, the end, when you trapped Rogue in a fire shaped like our guild symbol!" Wendy pipes up. "That was so inspiring!"
Lucy smiles, shuffling you to a bathroom. "Anyways. I'm sure you're sick of hearing about all this. We have your dress hanging up in there. Once you're done, I'll summon Cancer and we can do our hair!"
You giggle. "Thanks, everyone."
You're met with a chorus of 'no problem's and 'of course's before you close the bathroom door.
...
After taking a thoughtful shower and squeezing into your stupid dress, you take a look at yourself. Ick, you don't like it! Regardless, you open the door and step out.
"Finally! You look cute!" Lucy compliments. You feel your cheeks heat up and look down.
"Th-thanks," you mumble.
"Now, I can do this." Lucy detaches Cancer's key from her ring. "OPEN! Gate of the Giant Crab! Cancer!" She swings the key horizontally, then vertically before a magic circle is opened and Cancer is standing before you all.
"What kind of hairstyle would you like today? -eb-choki," Cancer corrects himself after seeing Erza standing next to you.
"We have a larger request today," Lucy states, smiling while glancing at the group.
…
You don't know why, but you think you would rather take on every dark guild in existence rather than stand in the corner awkwardly in a ball gown.
For whatever reason, socializing with people scares the hell out of you. You wish you could just disappear! Almost every guild is here, too...
And that's a lot of people.
A little flash of pink catches your attention, however. You turn to see a cute little Exceed waddling towards the open doors which lead to a balcony. Curiosity spiked, you decide to follow.
The little cat stops once he reaches the ledge.
"Hello?" you ask, kneeling down but giving him some space.
He stops and turns to see you, blinking twice before he says something.
It was then you realized the poor thing was about to cry.
"F-Fro is lost," he says. "...needs...help..."
You frown, feeling your heart break as you gently scoop the Exceed into your arms. "Don't cry! I'll help you! Who're you looking for?"
The Exceed looks up at you before saying: "Rogue-kun..."
Rogue? So, this is his exceed? That's...that's adorable. You feel yourself blushing at the thought of approaching the Twin Dragon Slayers again.
"I know him. What's your name?" you question, clutching the Exceed to your chest as you prepare to enter the room again.
"Frosch," he responds quietly, snuggling up to you. The poor thing is shaking!
"That's a cool name," you comment. Hm, where would Sabertooth be?
You try looking around the ballroom, spying your friends hanging out with some of the other guild members. Erza is towards the middle, dressed in her pretty red and purple dress and talking with Kagura of Mermaid Heel; Natsu and Gray are nowhere to be found. You sigh, knowing you'll have to face your anxiety if you're going to get this cute little exceed back to where he needs to be.
Suddenly, a pop of blonde hair catches your eye. At first, you thought it might be Lucy, but after seeing the familiar spiky hair, you recognize him as none other than Sting. He's dressed in a fancy white, blue, and gold suit, earring still sported on his ear.
You didn't notice it during the fight, but now, you realize...
He's actually really cute?
You inwardly groan as you approach him
"Um...excuse me?" you ask, feeling your shyness take over.
He pauses before turning around. He's carrying two champagne glasses along with a bottle and smiles upon seeing you.
"Hey, it's you!" he chirps, seemingly much more upbeat.
"Hi," you start, trying your best not to stutter. "I, uh...found this little guy outside. He said he was lost."
His blue eyes widen. "Ah, Frosch..." he chuckles. "I'm sure Rogue's gonna tear the place down trying to find you. He's probably outside by now. Here, I'll walk with you."
"Oh, you don't have to..." you mumble.
"I know, but I wanna." He sets the glasses down on the table before you two start walking outside.
"Alright. Thank you," you reply, turning and sighing in relief. Albeit a bit awkward on your part, that wasn't too bad. Exhaling, you step outside and look around.
"Cold," Frosch mumbles, snuggling deeper into your arms. Your heart sinks as you try to cover him as best you can.
"I can smell him. He's towards the back," Sting announces, walking ahead of you. You follow him as you two search the perimeter.
The night breeze flutters your dress slightly. Shivering, you begin searching the perimeter for the Shadow Dragon Slayer.
Honestly, after the fight, you didn't think you'd get the chance to talk to either of them again. You didn't even think the King would host a banquet after everything.
Your thoughts are interrupted when you hear a panicked voice in the distance.
"FROSCH!"
"There we go," Sting mutters, jogging forward. "Hey man, chill out. He's right here." The blonde dragon slayer gestures to you once you approach the two.
Rogue appears to be extremely frustrated, his expression proving that in a stark contrast to his typically emotionless demeanor. Standing next to him is another exceed, although this one has dark red fur and wide eyes.
"Rogue!" Frosch cries, leaping from your arms. Rogue freezes before his eyes widen.
"Frosch! There you are! What have I told you about leaving?!"
"Fro...Fro is sorry!" he cries as Rogue picks him up and cradles him. The dark-haired mage smiles a bit and closes his eyes.
"How could I ever be mad at you?" he mumbles, hugging the exceed. Beginning to feel awkward, you start walking back, arms folded in an attempt to warm yourself. You hope they won't notice you inching away -
"Hey, isn't she the chick you guys fought?" the other exceed questions.
"Sure is," the blonde-haired wizard replies, grinning. "Hey, come back!"
Rogue releases Frosch before looking at you. "Thank you for bringing Frosch back to me."
"Oh, uh...n-no problem!" you stutter, knowing your face is red at this point.
The dark mage's smile fades. "You must be freezing..."
"Yeah. If we could, we'd give you something to cover up with," Sting adds, grinning sheepishly.
"Oh, I, uh...appreciate the thought, but I'm really okay," you say, turning around.
Sting must have caught sight of your blush, much to your dismay.
"You're shy," Sting notices, smiling. "That's cute as hell. You kick our asses on the battlefield but get flustered when people do nice things for you. What happened to all that confidence you had out there?"
You hate being called cute! "I'm not cute!" you say, scoffing.
"You're right. You're adorable!" Sting counters, cackling.
"Fro thinks so too!"
"Sting, do you really think you should be irritating the woman who knocked you unconscious?" Rogue questions, glaring at his partner.
"That's true. Beat me all you want, but you're still cute!"
You're not going to give in to him. Huffing, you start walking back outside.
"C'mon guys, we should be gentlemen and escort the lady inside, even though she can obviously take care of herself."
You silently continue as the other four follow you and fold your arms together as the wind picks up, effectively messing up your hair and caressing your dress.
Sting ends up passing you and holds the door open for you.
"Th-thank you," you mumble, stepping inside.
"You're welcome," he states as you five pile inside. The entrance is quiet as the five of you glance around the ballroom. A few moments later, Sting's name is called.
"Ah, should probably see what he wants," the dragon slayer states quietly, seemingly somewhat disappointed. "I'll catch up later." His exceed goes with him as he jogs off into the crowd.
Biting your lip, you return your gaze to Rogue, who seems a bit conflicted at the moment. You two are silent, listening as the next song for fancy dancing is about to draw to a close.
"Rogue?" Frosch speaks up suddenly, looking up at his partner.
"Yes?"
"Can we go dance together?"
Rogue's face erupts in a color matching his current outfit. "W-what?!"
Frosch looks up innocently. "Can we all go dance? This song sounds pretty!"
You notice that the orchestral group is playing 'Air' by Johann Sebastian Bach.
"You like Bach, Frosch?" you question, smiling a little. He nods.
"I like dancing, too!"
Rogue sighs. "Sure, Frosch, let's go." He picks up said exceed but pauses once Fro looks back at you.
"Can (Y/N) come too?"
The mage freezes. You giggle at his evident awkwardness.
"Uh...only if...she wants?" he eyes you, as if silently asking.
You feel your heart flutter at the invitation. At first, you want to say no, but one look at Fro's pleading face changes your mind in an instant.
"You don't have to, if you'd r-rather not," he says suddenly. "I just thought, since Frosch-"
"O-oh, no, I, um..." you sigh, forcing yourself not to stutter. "I would love to, but I've never danced like that before..." you eye the ballroom dancers nervously.
He seems to calm down a bit. "Frankly, I haven't either. We'll figure something out," he smiles again, and for some reason, you get the feeling that he doesn't usually smile a lot.
You feel Rogue hesitantly grasp your hand before pulling you towards the dance floor. Your heart begins hammering in your chest as you're tugged along. What if someone from your guild sees you?!
Once you three find a spot, he looks around before Frosch climbs onto his shoulder. Rogue, on the other hand, seems completely lost as to what to do next.
"Um..." He looks around, his face flushed as he desperately tries to copy the other dancers' position. He ends up cautiously settling one hand on your waist and uses his other one to take your right hand.
"Is this alright?" he asks, voice lowered as Fro stands and starts waving his arms around.
"Y-yeah," you answer, mind beginning to race. What the hell do you do with your other arm?!
He lifts his hand from your waist before delicately moving your left arm around his neck, having sensed your conflict. Replacing his hand on your waist, the two of you are silent as you start swaying together. It takes a while, but eventually, a suitable rhythm is established. Your movements are slow and steady as to not throw the dancing exceed off balance.
"You're beautiful," he states suddenly, almost making you collapse altogether. He seems to realize what he said as he blinks twice and gets flustered again, stuttering out apologies and 'I-don't-know-why-I-said-that's. You giggle quietly.
"You...you really think so?" you mutter.
He only nods in response, averting his gaze.
"This might be a little weird, but...could I ask why?" you murmur.
"Uh...well, not only are you one of the strongest women I've met, but you're also compassionate, intelligent, and empathetic," he explains quietly. "I envy traits like that after seeing a lack of those characteristics from our former guild master. N-not to mention that your magic is absolutely breathtaking."
No one outside of friends and family has ever complimented you like that before. You silently die on the inside while you force out a small 'thank you'.
Deciding to change the subject, you ask: "So who's your new guild master?"
"Sting, believe it or not. We ended up defeating our former master, so Sting reformed our guild to focus more on camaraderie rather than power," he informs.
"Wow, that must have been tough," you muse.
"It was, and it nearly killed us, but we pulled through," he admits with a sigh. "I'm relieved that his reign of terror is over, though. Our newfound liberation allowed us to see who our guildmates truly were without the fear of being punished."
"I'm glad to hear it. I was wondering why your guildmates were acting a bit nicer than expected," you admit.
Another round of silence ensues as the two of you continue swaying back and forth, back and forth. It's only now that you realize...
...he's pretty hot himself.
With his long, dark hair and piercing red eyes along with his mysterious aura and personality...you let out a small sigh, unable to believe that he's dancing with you.
And, judging from his reaction to finding Frosch, you think he's a lot sweeter than he lets on. You remember seeing him hug the clueless little exceed, causing a little smile to arrive on your lips. The little guy is currently hugging Rogue's head while singing seemingly made-up lyrics to the song that's playing.
Looking around, you find that Gray has given in to poor Juvia's antics and is dancing with her. You silently cheer her on; ever since you met the two you've shipped them. Hard. Gray catches your eyes and spots you with Rogue. The ice mage winks at you with a smirk, causing you to scowl silently.
The song ends before you know it. Rogue slowly releases you, causing you to take a step back.
"Um..." what are you supposed to say?! "Thank you. I, ah...enjoyed that."
"I did too..." Another one of his adorable, small little smiles appears on his face. "I suppose I should th-" He's cut off by the yelling of your name.
You quietly groan upon hearing Natsu yell your name. Where the hell did he come from?! Shooting Rogue an apologetic glance, you turn to face the hothead.
"Oi, (Y/N)! You gotta see this! Erza just..." he trails off upon seeing Rogue standing next to you. His face falls, and he's about to say something before a blur of scarlet appears behind Natsu and drags him away.
You blink, not quite sure of what just took place before turning back around.
"Sorry about that. What were you saying?" you wonder.
"Oh, it's nothing," he says. "Thank you for the dance, miss. I should be returning back to Sting to make sure he's not wrecking the place." You're about to reply when a sudden surge of confidence overpowers your anxiety for a moment.
And a moment was all it took for you to press a gentle kiss to Rogue's cheek.
…
…
…
It takes you a second to process what just occurred.
You blink twice before you run out of the ballroom with a stunned dragon slayer staring at your figure. Pushing your way through the crowd, you head for the balcony as everything starts growing hotter and fainter.
You're close to making it before Erza stops you.
"Oh, uh...h-hi Erza," you greet, praying she didn't see that little exchange. You wouldn't hear the end of it!
She doesn't respond, but instead snatches your wrist and pulls you outside.
"Explain!" she demands once you're outside.
You groan.