Always Waiting
Chapter 3: Questions and Whining

Sting found Rogue easily once he entered the back. Finding his best friend resting against the door frame of the back entrance with an energy drink can in one hand and a cat store catalog in the other, he threw jacket onto the chair in annoyance which caught the attention of his friend. "If you sigh too much then Sakura's going to complain about sighing just when you finished school," Rogue pointed out, pointing to his jacket where he raised his can to his lips and took a small sip.

The boy looking away, he lowered the can and easily flipped the catalog to the next page with his thumb. "So, what got you into an annoyed mood?" he then asked, nodding to himself when he saw a special in Frosch's cat food.

Hearing no reply from his friend, he turned his head to look at Sting in question. Seeing how troubled he was, he sighed and pushed himself away from the door frame and sat on one of the seats in front of Sting. "Hello? Sting?"

"I feel like I'm holding onto these feelings of mine for her... For too long," Sting honestly confessed as he looked down to his entwined fingers. "I mean, I don't really get much of o chance when Takuto has helped her for so long," he muttered in defeat where his best friend sighed, making him snap his head up and give the black-haired man a sulking look.

"I'm opening my heart here and all you're going to do is sigh?" he complained.

His friend sighed again which made Sting narrow his eyes. "Well there's no point in trying to woo Sakura when her heart and soul is dedicated to Takuto. I mean, you should've given up when you met him and was introduced as a close friend of hers," Rogue replied in a straightforward tone. "I don't want to say this but she's way out of your league from the very beginning. We know nothing about her past other than the fact that she had a tough life where Fairy Tail picked her up due to her talents," he then said which seemed to make Sting rest his cheek on the table in defeat.

"Was that the only reason though? I feel like there's more?"

Sting groaned and changed sides. "A Fairy called me a stalker. She said it to Sakura while you were out on an errand," he informed where Rogue looked at him in disbelief before snickering at his best friend in his mind.

It's been a while since Rogue had heard of such a thing. Actually no, it was rare to have a stranger accuse his best friend of being a stalker when there would only be one person that he's usually being the stalker of - Well, only to Sakura at times when Takuto was unable to work or be around her.

"I haven't seen them around lately..." Rogue muttered, taking another sip from his can before he realised something in which he placed his can onto the table. His fingers going through his hair, he chuckled to himself. "Of course, how did I forget about it?" he asked himself, catching his best friend's attention.

Sting looked at Rogue in confusion. "What do you mean?" Watching his friend's expression remain neutral, he waited for a reply. Just what did Rogue mean when he asked himself how he forgot about something?

Waiting curiously, he stretched and cracked the joints on his aching back. "Come on man, tell me!" he then groaned. "Spit it out," he continued to nag before Rogue shook his head to his annoying nagging.

"Fairy Tail will always be something special to Sakura. Stop whining about her close relation to them and just be happy that they're -" Rogue was interrupted by Sakura who entered the room with her arms in the air as she stretched.

"Rogue, it's school and work break hours... Do you mind helping Takuto out while I serve Lucy?" she asked as she went to the sink and washed her hands before walking over to the fridge and pulling out a chilled water bottle. "Need to help Lucy with something. Apparently she doesn't know how exactly she wants to character develop my supposed inspired character," she chuckled as she took a sip of water before placing it back to its original place in the fridge.

The girl smiling at Rogue, she beamed when Rogue nodded his head. "Sting, the usual by the window for you?" she then asked, turning her attention to the male blonde who immediately nodded as he walked out of the room with his best friend. The two of them parting where Sting walked over to his usual table that he sat during the cafe's peak hours, he stopped when he heard some loud shuffling outside of the building.

"You're really pretty aren't you?" a male's voice slurred out loud.

"Do you want to go and play with us old folks?" another man's voice then slyly asked where Sting looked over by the counter to see Takuto busy on the coffee machine with Rogue too busy to look around while serving the customers. Usually Takuto or Rogue would be the ones dealing with these sort of commotions within the property since they both didn't want Sakura to deal with it, but since all staff were preoccupied, no one knew what was happening outside.

"I'm sorry, but I have an appointment with someone," a familiar voice stated where Sting rolled his eyes. Grudgingly walking out the building, he folded his arms and looked at the two drunk salary men holding Lucy's arm. "Please, let me go," Lucy said but this time in a firmer tone.

"Leave her alone and piss off," Sting growled as he narrowed his eyes at the two men in front of them. Opening his mouth to say something, he and Lucy froze when they sensed something malevolent standing behind them.

The two slowly turning to look over there shoulders, they paled when they saw Sakura standing there with a suspicious smile plastered on her face. "Potential customers..." she began as she slowly opened her eyes to reveal sharp piercing orbs. "Laying hands on my precious stakeholders..."

The two salary men let go of Lucy's arm and took a step back in fear, instantly sobering up. "If you want some hot coffee being poured onto you where you could end up with some severe burns in which your company will hesitate to send you out on drink parties with other clients... I suggest you to keep on going, if you dare," she threatened where they began to apologise out loud for their carelessness. Her eyes still cold and lethal, she held onto her smile. "A cafe isn't a place for drunkards to fool around, please leave," she scowled before they quickly ran away in which she waved at their fleeting tails.

Her attention back to Lucy, she quickly placed a hand on her shoulder in worry. "Are you okay Lucy?" she whispered in question. Lucy looking up to Sakura with tears in her eyes, she nodded her head. "Yeah... It's been a while since some drunk people have shown up at this certain hour," she replied where Sakura sadly nodded and ushered her into the cafe.

The crimson looking out to the direction where the two sobered man ran to, Sting couldn't help but notice how hostile her eyes were right now. "Uhm, Sakura?" he called, snapping her out of her trance. "You alright?"

She softly smiled to him before shaking her head. "Sorry for allowing you to see that. Usually people like them are seen around here during the night - Late at night. Having you both experience that... I hate it," she replied quietly before looking into the cafe. "Go in and enjoy the rest of your evening, I'm going to go on a quick stroll around the street to make sure that they're not going to do anything stupid," she said where she turned in which Sting quickly grabbed onto her wrist.

"Let me do that. You go and talk to the Fairy -"

"Lucy," Sakura intervened before sighing. "Alright Sting, but please at least give Lucy a chance. She's not that reckless like Natsu and everyone else, and she's been going through a lot - So don't call her a Fairy and use that word as an insult to all..." she then pleaded.

With a tiring smile, she patted his back before entering the cafe.