Stay By My Side

A/N: I apologize for any confusion. Everything about Lucy's father and Sting's past will be revealed in future chapters. Thank you so much for the reviews and following/favoriting. All of you are wonderful and I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! I regret that this wasn't Nalu, but I have my reasons. Sting's personality has an important purpose for the story, and I can't imagine Natsu being sadistic and rude.

Again, thanks, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. (4, 709 words, not including the A/N!)

Chapter 2: The Laxus Enthusiast and the Weird Doll Collector

SS,

Thanks for the reply. I'm going to take the offer of manager. That means a lot more work for me.

Yay! Not.

I hope all is well for you. Thinking about what you said, I'm just going to look at the positives in my life and try to somewhat ignore my past. You might be trying to convince me that I'm not evil, but I'm probably the biggest evil there is—besides actual murderers, of course.

I don't deserve to message someone as caring as you. You're the best, SS!

Whatever. So, Gajeel and Levy—those friends of mine who are denser than even Natsu—might be on the verge of dating. Cana betted a week. I think their romance might take a couple of months. Gajeel isn't slow and careful, but I know he doesn't want to mess up with Levy.

Erza and Jellal are doing well, too. Oh, I forgot. Yesterday, we met up with Cana at the karaoke cafe. She's as crazy as ever. She was teasing me about always e-mailing you. Yesterday, she seemed a bit out of it, too, after karaoke and seeing Gajeel and Levy all lovey-dovey. Do you know what's wrong? I know you weren't really part of Laxus and Cana's group, but you were still close to them, right? Sometimes I wonder if you're really Freed, Bixlow, or Laxus himself. You could even be one of Cana's drinking buddies.

Well, I'm getting along wonderfully with my friends. Natsu's been coming over a lot, too. I think it has something to do with helping him with basketball. He's been badgering me about new exercises and tips to help him.

I'm feeling pretty happy today. The sun's out and shining, and I can't wait for the anime convention in a couple of months. All of my friends should be attending. Maybe you should come, too?

What am I asking? I'm grateful that you're always there for me. I don't need to know who you are.

Thank you for everything.

I'll always message you if I'm in trouble.

You're amazing!

Yours,

Lucy

P.S. Like the photo?

Sting Eucliffe was lighting a cigarette when his cell phone pinged from a new message. Taking it in hand, he opened it to reveal Lucy's morning e-mail. His lips quirked up into a smile as he read the teenager's e-mail. He studied the picture of Lucy hugging a stuffed frog with messy bed hair and her signature pink PJ's. It made her seem even cuter.

He shook his head at the sentences of praise she sent him. He wasn't good or wonderful. He'd killed, and he definitely wasn't proud of it. Laughing painfully, he wondered how Lucy would react if she knew who he truly was.

A lying, hurtful, deceitful little shit.

It would kill Lucy if she ever knew the truth about SS. Her sweet, wonderful SS. For that reason, he kept it a secret. He needed to continue protecting her.

Sting was still wondering why Laxus had entrusted her in him. He was the worst possible option for an innocent and impressionable girl like her.

He had also actually agreed to become her high school basketball team's coach, even when he learned she would be the manager.

"I can still change my mind," he said to himself, thinking.

He shook his head, dismissing the thought. Lucy was always depending on SS. Sting would have to protect her with everything he had. He wouldn't mind personally checking up on her, too.

His phone started buzzing. The caller ID flashed, showing the words "disgusting hag" with a picture of Cana Alberona. Sting would normally ignore her calls. After all, she knew he was SS. She knew about his thoughts of Lucy. Today was not a normal day, and he was feeling surprisingly giving.

"Yo, stupid kid," she said as soon as he picked up.

"Shut up, gross, old hag," he replied with a snort. Cana and Sting were drinking buddies, along with Macao and Wakaba. While some mistook their relationship as something more, both of them knew they were definitely friends. Cana was four years older, and she always dated older guys. Besides, Sting and Cana viewed each other as lovable and annoying siblings.

"Perverted asshole." she retorted.

"Retarded drunk." he shot back.

"Gravure-adoring moron." she returned with ease.

"Weird slut," he finally said after a moment.

Cana paused. "Hey, that's rude, baka. I've been dating Bacchus for a whole year! Don't say I'm cheating. Yeah, that's right. We might even get married!"

There was silence before both burst out laughing. "No way in hell will you get married," Sting replied in between snorts.

Bacchus Groh was Cana's twenty-eight year-old boyfriend who was an extreme alcoholic just like her. He was also extremely perverted—again, in a way, him and Cana were very similar. They'd both first met while having a drinking contest.

"Cana, your boyfriend is the perverted one," he said, laughing.

Cana chuckled. "Yeah, I know..." Her voice suddenly became serious. "Look, Sting, I know what Lucy told SS. Are you sure you'll be able to keep your identity a secret even if you're at the same school as her? You'll be interacting with her a lot. Lucy's a smart girl. She might figure it out..."

"And then she'll be absolutely crushed when she realizes exactly who I am and what I've done,," Sting finished, his teeth clenched.

Cana sighed. "In a perfect world, you would be Lucy's gentle and beautiful SS. You wouldn't have been such a troubled kid. Don't you think it would be best if you just stayed as far away as possible from Lucy to prevent her from finding out about your true identity?"

The blond man fell silent.

It was surprising how much a man like him cared for Lucy. He'd known her when they were younger, but Lucy obviously didn't remember.

Sting had tried everything to hide his past. His father had been a big yakuza leader, and that was why Sting had been trained and brought up in such a way. There was so much that Lucy didn't know. Laxus had been the first to discover who Sting truly was. It didn't take long before the other friends of Laxus knew. They seemed like a fairly ordinary bunch, but Laxus and his friends had dealt with a lot of bad criminals. Laxus, Cana, Mirajane, Bixlow, Freed, and the Connells They'd been the ones who pulled Sting out of his inescapable ditch. They'd helped him leave his father's dealings with a great deal of trouble.

"Lucy doesn't know. I want to keep it that way until I have to tell her. For now, please continue keeping my secret. I'm gonna go to her school. Just stay out of it. I'll deal with it myself." Sting finally answered carefully before ending the call.

He stared at Lucy's e-mail again.

I hate myself. I'm lying about everything to Lucy.

I jumped out of my bed after sending SS the e-mail, looking forwards to a new day. Usually, I was always grumpy and depressed in the morning, allowing SS to cheer me up with a stupid joke or a remark about something embarrassing about Laxus.

Quickly washing up and changing into my uniform, I grabbed my organized backpack, cell phone, and the novel I had been reading, which had been suggested by Levy.

I walked downstairs to see Natsu already eating breakfast with Mom. Natsu lived with his father who was normally on business trips. The two Dragneels got along amazingly well, but they never really spent much time together. Natsu's parents had separated, and his mother had taken his adorable younger sister, Wendy, with them.

Because he was mostly away, Natsu often ate with us. We were pretty much family.

"Mornin', Luce!" he greeted with a wide, toothy grin.

I smiled. "Hey, Natsu. Good morning, Mom!" I said in a cheery tone.

My mom greeted me back with equal vigor, busy scribbling down something in a notebook. "Lucy, I've been having a lot of meetings since I've been teaming up with other songwriters. Please stay over at a friend's these next few week. You, too, Natsu."

"Would it be fine if we went to Cana's? Her apartment's closest to our house," I asked. Mom smiled. She adored Cana, but I wasn't exactly sure why.

"Of course. But make sure you two check in with her," Mom replied.

Natsu shook his head. "Nah. I'll crash at Gray's today. You and Cana can talk about your girly relationships and crap," he said in a grudging way. I raised an eyebrow. "Natsu, what's this about?"

He pushed away from the table and walked off in an irritated manner.

Mom's lips tugged into an entertained smile, as if she were watching some kind of soap opera and were laughing at the pure idiocy of the in-love characters.

"Mom," I warned, knowing she would probably go on to talk about my best friend having a crush on me. Just the thought made me really confused. Natsu would never want to date me. I was pretty sure he didn't even know what the term "date" meant.

"Alright," she said, sighing heavily.

I finished up my breakfast before walking to school with Natsu. I quickly called Cana to check if I could stay with her for awhile. She immediately agreed, promising she wouldn't invite any "guy friends" over.

"Hey, Natsu, can you tell me what's wrong?" I asked curiously as our shoes slapped against pavement. The pinkette grunted in a way that reminded me of Gajeel.

"Why are you acting in such an obscene manner?" I asked in an exasperated tone. "You're never like this, you know? Why the sudden change?"

He was silent as I tried to get his attention. I made hilarious imitations of him, wrapping my head in my pink jacket and making a "fired up" facial expression.

"I'm a pink-haired baka who likes to talk about basketball and video games!" I shouted, waving my hands.

"Luce, it's salmon, not pink!" he cried, defending his hair.

I laughed. "And I'm overly sensitive about how people interpret the color of pink hair!" I continued with my act of Natsu.

Natsu grabbed me cheek, squishing it. I wasn't able to speak as he moved my head back and forth. My complaints came out garbled.

"Sorry I'm acting weird, Luce," he said softly, releasing my now-red cheek. He wouldn't meet my eyes.

I stared in surprise. Did something bad happen?

"It's just...I have this huge crush on someone, and she doesn't realize it. She's really pretty and kind and I just really wish she noticed…and she calls me dense!" he ranted on about how annoyed he was about the situation.

I lit up. Lisanna and Natsu were getting closer lately, and Lisanna always talked about how dense Natsu was. It was probably Lisanna! Lisanna was also known as the nicest girl in school, and everyone got along with him.

"Oh, it's Lisanna, right?" I asked excitedly. I couldn't wait to have two more of my friends hooked up together.

Natsu was extremely pale, probably from my guessing correctly.

I grinned widely. "Of course! Why didn't I notice? You two would make such a great couple."

He grinned weakly. "Yeah, wouldn't we?"

I nodded, eager to support my best friend. "I'll be supporting you all the way! Don't be afraid to go for it. I bet Lisanna has a crush on you, too," I encouraged.

My best friend agreed. "Yeah, that's true, isn't it? It could be a possibility."

He hesitated. "But, Luce, I don't-"

"LU-CHAAAANNNN!" Levy flew in from behind us, embracing me. She was surprisingly strong for such a small girl.

"Oh, Lu-chan, I have so much to tell you! You won't believe what happened with Gajeel yesterday!" she said enthusiastically, her face flushed from excitement.

I nodded, truly thrilled for my friend. "He asked you out, right?"

Levy looked slightly downcast before she perked up again. "No, but I have a really strong belief that he might like me!"

"That's awesome! Hey, wait, Natsu, did you have something to say?" I questioned, referring to his unfinished sentence.

He scratched the back of his neck. "Hey, no worries," he said with a tooth-filled grin, "It wasn't important anyway." He turned to talk to Jellal.

Levy and I walked to our first class, Japanese. She started to tell me the occurrence between her and Gajeel.

"So, I told him that Jet confessed to me yesterday. Well, he did. I was really sorry to turn him down, and-"

"Not as sorry as you are now! Why didn't you tell me earlier?" I screeched, berating her with angry claims.

"Lu-chan, I really am sorry! Please forgive me!" she cried.

I composed myself again as a group of unnerved freshman passed us. I flashed a disarming smile.

They all ran away screaming like I was a monster.

"Why did they run away?" I sobbed pitifully.

Levy giggled. "Maybe it was because of that scary aura you were emitting. I thought you were going to kill me, Lu-chan!"

I pouted. "Levy-chan, I'm not that scary, am I?"

My blue-haired friend rolled her eyes, pushing me into our classroom. "Lu-chan, when you're mad, you're scarier than Gajeel when he sings," she replied.

"Ouch, that was hurtful!" I whined. How could I be as scary as Gajeel when he sings?

"Nope, my brain disagrees. I think you're much scarier than both of us combined when you're fangirling over Gajeel or one of your OTPs." I said.

Levy squealed. "I was reading this new book, and-"

"Stop reading so many racy romances," I teased.

Levy blushed. "They are most definitely not racy romances! Only Erza reads those. Besides, my favorite books are perfectly respectable and aren't all about sappy romances."

"What about me?"

Erza arrived on the scene, her reading glasses glinting.

Levy and I turned into a bumbling mess. "Uwahaha, we were just talking about how great a couple you and Jellal are!" Levy said.

Erza immediately blushed, turning away and mumbling to herself.

Levy and I shared winks, glad that we had successfully turned her attention away from us.

The class had all settled in by now, but our teacher was not there yet.

The door opened, revealing a model.

Everyone turned to her, eyes wide. We were all absolutely stunned.

"Ohayo, class! Tanaka-sensei is out today, so Master Makarov called me to fill in!" she said, smiling.

"Eh? Mira, why are you here?" Erza asked in astonishment.

Mira's smile became wider. "Oh, hello you three! Well, Master couldn't find any substitutes for today, so I'm filling in!"

"B-but, you're a model," one disbelieving student sputtered.

"Yeah," our other classmates chimed in.

Mira nodded. "Every great person was once a neophyte! I wasn't born a person great at modeling. Everyone has small beginnings, and mine was right here in Magnolia High with Lucy's brother!"

All eyes turned towards me. I shrunk back, not wanting everyone's sudden interest in me.

"Mira, you weren't supposed to say that," I said, sighing.

She winked, tilting her head towards a cute boy diagonal to me.

"Anyway, class, no slacking off. Tanaka-sensei says we'll be working on grammar. Open up your textbooks to page fifty-eight, and let's start with the lesson!"

Class with Mira had been interesting and informative. She made an excellent teacher. Someone had commented on that, and she had explained that she used to tutor.

After three boring classes with my least favorite teachers (it was unfortunate; I had them all in a row), I headed to lunch.

"Hello, Lucy-chan," Juvia said with a smile.

"Hey, Juvia-chan!"

Juvia and I had had a rocky relationship at first. She was a hundred percent sure that I had a crush on Gray, which I definitely did not. After clearing that up with her, I found out that I got along quite well with Juvia.

"So, any progress with Gray so far?" I asked curiously. I was also supporting the two of them. Gray wasn't dense; he knew about Juvia's feelings for him.

It was a matter of time before the two figured things out. Gray was probably too concerned about how strange things would be between Juvia and him if they started dating.

Juvia's shoulders sagged. "No great progress. But Gray-sama needs his time. I will do anything for Gray-sama!"

She pumped her fist into the air, determined.

I laughed at her devotion to Gray. "Yeah, Gray does need time. Don't worry about it, Juvia!"

We quickly sat at the table with the rest of our friends, bentos in hand.

"Natsu, why did you order so much?" Lisanna asked.

Natsu's tray was piled even more with food than it usually was.

"Duh—they're serving rice balls and omelets today," Gray replied, setting down an even bigger tray.

He smirked. "Hey, I got more food than you. Only a real man can eat THIS much."

"You two are wimps. Check this out." Gajeel set down a tray overflowing with food.

Levy squeaked. "Gajeel! It's childish to participate in this!"

Gajeel eyed Levy for a moment before a devilish grin on his face. He grabbed a hold of some of the food on Gray's tray and slowly approached Levy.

Levy shrieked, backing away with her hands before her in a defensive position. "What are you doing?"

"Shortie, I think you should eat more. You're really skinny," he mused.

Levy shot me a desperate look. "Lucy!"

I shrugged. "I'm still mad at you for not telling me," I replied.

"Erza!" Levy cried.

Erza smiled. I knew she wasn't going to beat up Gajeel because she supported them as a couple. In a way, this was a good development.

"Sorry, Levy."

The bluette turned to the others, who all refused.

Gajeel pried a protesting Levy's jaw open, shoving food into her mouth.

"MMMPH!" she cried.

We laughed.

Juvia cooed at the sight, clasping her hands together. "I wish Gray-sama would feed me, too! But not in Gajeel-kun's coarse manner."

Gray reddened, looking away. "H-hey, don't say that! You know that's sorta weird." he said.

Juvia lapsed into silence.

"Um, so, I'm staying with Cana for a couple weeks!" I declared, changing the subject.

"For what reason?" Lisanna asked curiously.

"Mom's away from home on her job," I answered.

Natsu cleared his throat. "Er, ice princess, that reminds me. Can I stay over with you?"

Gray glared. "What did you call me, bastard?"

The two launched into an extremely heated argument, resulting in Jellal trying to keep the two from trading punches.

"Are you two fighting?" Erza questioned in a deadly calm voice, a sinister smile across her face. Immediately, the entire cafeteria went completely silent as every froze. A shiver ran up my spine as I carefully edged away from the scarlet-haired teenager.

Everyone was afraid of the wrath of Erza Scarlet.

"No, ma'am!" Gray and Natsu squeaked, saluting her. They placed their arms around each other. "No, we're best friends! See?" they said desperately.

Erza calmed. "Good," she said before returning to her strawberry cake.

I released the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. Sweat-dropping, I watched as Erza ate happily, sparkles in her eyes.

"Erza, I think you should lay off them once in awhile. They're stupid boys, anyway," I said lightly.

Erza stood up. "No can do! They must be trained to become real gentleman for their future girlfriends!" she cried. She started a long speech about boys and controlling them to make them better.

Lisanna giggled, whispering, "Sometimes, I wonder if Erza practices these kind of speeches at home."

I laughed. Erza dressed up in a school professor's outfit popped up into my mind.

Lunch ended without any injuries, luckily.

Hey Lucy,

I see you've decided to take up the manager spot. I'm sure Natsu will thank you. Of course, I'll supporting you along the way. I actually managed some sports teams, so I could possibly aid you.

Of course I'm going to tell you you're not evil. And it's true. If you asked any of your friends or anyone else, I'm sure they wouldn't call you evil, either.

Honestly speaking, evil is just a mirage created by the brain, making the person guilty and feel like they must account for their sins. You didn't kill your father. You merely were glad he was dead. That wouldn't be classified as evil by normal people.

People do not mourn for people like your father.

Neither should you believe you're a bad person. It's normal to feel like the way you are feeling. I am sure you will someday forgive your father for what he did to you and your family. Don't ever say you're not worth it. You definitely are.

The weather has been nice lately, but I've always loved rain more. It's just me.

It's nice to hear your friends becoming couples. Maybe you should find someone out there for you, too?

For Cana, it's probably her boyfriend. They're practically made for each other, but they're going through a difficult spot. She tries to pretend, but she might actually want someone to talk to.

I'm definitely not Laxus, Freed, or Bixlow. Laxus is too protective over you. I admit I'm also protective, but that's because I want the best for you. I hope I'm giving you enough freedom in your decisions, too. Freed is too prim and praises Laxus way too much. Laxus is amazing, and he deserves the praise, but Freed takes the praising to another level. Although I get along with him well, Bixlow is just perverted and disgusting at times.

I realize that each of them have their own personalities and traits, so please don't take my opinions to heart. I know you love all of them like older brothers.

I really wish I could join you at this convention, but I can't. It's not that I don't want to meet you; I'm just very busy and the point of these pen-pal e-mails is to keep me a secret.

Laxus's commanded, you know.

Good luck and reply soon.

-SS

I smiled happily at the new e-mail. He always knew how to keep me positive. I was so happy he was in my life. I really did want to meet him though. I was pretty bummed about not being able to see him at the anime convention.

Laughing at the parts about Laxus, Freed, and Bixlow, I realized it was completely true.

He wasn't any of them, but he didn't say no to being one of Cana's drinking friends. I shuddered. I'd met Macao and Wakaba, and SS definitely didn't sound like them.

I wondered what SS stood for.

"Maybe his initials…" I said aloud.

"Lu-chan, what was that?" Levy asked curiously.

Juvia and LIsanna glanced at me, intrigued. I blushed. "Oh, nothing. Just something about…"

Lisanna laughed. "Let me guess, SS?"

I nodded, turning away to cover my blushing face. "Oh, look, we're here," I said, pointing at a familiar apartment with dazzlingly intricate iron-wrought gates.

"That's right. We'll see you soon, Lucy-chan," Juvia said, smiling.

I nodded and waved at the others as I left.

Punching in the code at the gate, I watched as it slowly swung open for access. I quickly headed to Cana's apartment, taking the key out. She'd given it to me a long time ago after I kept on going to her house to just "chat".

Cana was really understanding. Sometimes, you didn't want someone to talk. You just wanted to rant about whatever you were mad or thrilled about and have them listen. You just wanted someone who would agree with you wholeheartedly. It was always nice to have someone to talk to face-to-face; it was a comfort SS could never give me.

"Hey, it's the kid!"

My jaw dropped.

Bixlow? Freed?

Freed gave me an apologetic look. "I apologize for his bombastic behavior, Heartfilia-san. He's always like this, as you know, and I'm sure you don't appreciate being called a child." He elbowed Bixlow in the ribs.

Freed was a tall and thin man with long, vibrant green hair. He was prim and poised like royalty, but that all went away when the subject came to Laxus. Then, he would become a mushy fangirl, complimenting Laxus. He was also odd, insisting on wearing thick clothing even during warm summers.

Bixlow was...unique. He carried wooden dolls around. Covering up his eyes, he always wore some sort of eye protector. Sometimes he even wore a metal helmet. He was also quite perverted, but Cana never seemed to care about his antics. Bixlow got a tattoo years ago as a dare. Not afraid to back down, he agreed. That was why Bixlow had a pitch black dragon doll on his tongue.

I never understood where his doll obsession came from.

I laughed. "Hey, it's okay. I haven't seen you two forever! And, Freed, please don't call me 'Heartfilia-san'! That's my mom."

Freed stared at me with wide eyes. "B-but, you're Laxus-sama's imouto! I shall at least call you Lucy-san."

Bixlow slung an arm around my shoulder before ruffling my hair. "Eh? You're still wearing those side pony-tails," he said, pulling on it.

I shoved him away with an annoyed grin. In truth, I was happy to be around the two. I hadn't seen them for a long time. Like SS had said, they were like my older brothers.

Hugging the two, I asked, "Where's Cana?"

"She had to help out with something," Freed replied dismissively.

I nodded. Cana was pretty busy.

"So, how have you been?" Freed inquired, smiling brotherly.

"Yeah, what's up with you, cosplayer?"

I rolled my eyes at Bixlow's nickname. I dressed up as a cheerleader one time for a pep rally, and now Bixlow loved to call me that.

"Nothing much. I helped out with the boys' basketball team today after school since their coach isn't there. They're all pretty decent players. I had them do a couple of speed, stamina, and defense drills today." I said, remembering how I had forced them to run around the entire school thirty times.

I snapped my fingers. "Oh, Mira came to teach today. Did she just have some free time today?"

Freed nodded. "Yes. Mira-san was on vacation from her work, but she wanted to help out Master Makarov."

"Oh, I see."

Bixlow and Freed's cell phones pinged at the same time. Both pulled their phones out, examining the message.

They gasped.

"He's back?"

I hope that was good. I didn't edit this, so i apologize in advance for any mistakes. Please notify me if there are any.

Anyway, that's a wrap!

Please review, etc. etc.

Thank you,

Lying