Always Waiting
Chapter 4: Annoyance
"Where is Sakura?" Was the first thing he heard when he entered the cafe. His head looking up to the midnight blue-haired man that walked up to him. "She went on a quick patrol around the area since there was an issue outside just a moment ago," Sting replied with a sigh following his words where suddenly an apron was shoved to his stomach.
Annoyed, Sting wanted to relax for a bit but knew that it wasn't going to happen as Takuto quickly wrapped the apron around him. "I'm going to look for her, can you please work with Rogue for a moment while I find her?" Takuto said before patting his back. "Thanks." With that he quickly ran off, leaving Sting standing there dumbfounded for a bit before scratching the back of his head.
It was rare to hear that guy talk that much. Usually he would talk quite normally when he's around Sakura and Rogue. When it came to them speaking to each other, it's a bit awkward since they're highly aware of each other and on guard.
Sighing, he went over to the counter where he pointed Rogue to the coffee machine. "I'll take over here and serve," he stated where Rogue raised a brow before noticing that the two owners disappeared. Rogue nodding his head, Sting took over the counter and quickly took the orders that were being made before walking over to Rogue who pointed to Lucy sitting by the corner.
"Now she's a valued customer here, so don't do anything stupid," Rogue reminded as he glanced at Sting's annoyed expression on his face. "Don't go picking fights while she's not here to supervise."
He rolled his eyes to Rogue's words and picked up the sundae and placed it on a tray. Since when did the cafe serve extravagant strawberry sundaes? Questioning it, he grumbled to himself as he approached the Fair- the girl sitting by the corner where he always sat day and evening. Standing at his usual table that was being preoccupied by the girl that everyone knew had a crush on Natsu, he placed the sundae in front of her with a scowl on his face. "Since when did they start serving this?" he voiced out.
Watching Lucy look away from her tablet where she looked up to him, he couldn't help but realise that she had large eyes and long eyelashes. "This is my table by the way. What gives you the right to sit here?" he grumbled in annoyance where she widened her eyes and looked down to the strawberry sundae that was usually made by Sakura. "It was made by Rogue, now don't you ever sit in my corner," he continued before watching her snap her head up to look over to Rogue's direction.
She stared at her sundae before back at him. "Do you work here?" she asked, trying to stir up a conversation with him. Hearing no reply from him, she forced a smile where she placed her hands under the table and on her lap where her hands began to tremble to her wavering emotions. "Thank you for helping me back out there, I appreciate it," she muttered.
He stood there for a bit and analyzed her. She was part of the group of girls from her school that didn't blink twice to his looks or popularity - Something that he still wasn't used to seeing when it came to his awesome appearance.
She was someone who didn't care about looks but rather the personality that the person carries.
"Usually you all have that characteristic... That thing that makes you able to fight for yourself - Like Natsu," he began, watching her eyes widen in shock before she calmed herself down. He watched herself force out a smile again. "I've been working a lot indoors so I rarely leave my home unless when a deadline is approaching where I would walking to and back from the main office or visiting Sakura and the others," she replied before looking over to her sundae, unable to continue the conversation since she wasn't quite acquainted to Sting.
Hearing some shuffling, she lifted her eyes to look up to Sting who was watching Rogue quickly making the drinks. Her eyes watching his back walk away from her, she sighed to herself before picking up the long spoon and digging into her dessert where she hummed to herself in delight as usual. For someone who wasn't Sakura and wasn't the one to always make this for her, she was quite surprised to find out that Rogue remembered the way Sakura would make it for her.
Lucy continuing to work and continue her dessert, Sting watched her in the distance as he helped out the cafe. Easily able to work since he knew the steps of serving and waiting customers, he handled his job in ease until Sakura and Takuto came back roughly half an hour later.
"We're so sorry for taking so long," Sakura apologised as she smiled to them both as Takuto went behind the counter and switched places with Rogue where he went back to his place to taking orders. The crimson walking over to Sting, she smiled with gratitude, "Thank you for replacing Takuto while he went out to look for me. How about you - Oh yeah, Lucy often sits at your spot since when she comes, you're still working or just left." Smiling, she pointed to another seat that was currently vacant, just a few tables away from his usual. "How about you sit there just for today?"
He sighed as he took off his apron and handed it to her open hand. He really couldn't say anything as he went over to the table that he was pointed to and grumbled in annoyance. His eyes wondering over to his old seat, he looked at the girl that was illuminated by the sunset's rays and for once, he had to admit that she was a beauty for someone who attended the school that his old school hated and loathed.
Watching her eyes shine in admiration as she saw Sakura approaching her with a smile, she smiled in innocence as she offered the seat in front of her to the crimson.
"You won't believe this -" With that, he zoned out once Rogue came and gave him his coffee in his special cup before he walked over to Sakura to give her hers. His eyes looking at Sakura engaging with Lucy with a bright smile, without him knowing, his eyes began to move from the crimson to the female blonde that was smiling so brightly as she continue to talk with the owner of the cafe.
His high school really did hate Fairy Tail Academy, but it really wasn't because of the students hating them because of some conflict or whatever, it was rather due to the grudge that their old principal carried towards them. Because of the old fart, he influenced every student in the school that the students from Fairy Tail Academy were a bunch of fools - Idiots.
He really was really arrogant when he first began Sabertooth Academy, changing his high admiration of Natsu Dragneel to envy and ignorance after hearing how successful he was even though he was a brainless fighter. That however, his arrogance, began to change when he met Sakura though.
To Sting, Sakura was the change that brought him back to reality. Fighting was something he was once passionate about and challenging Natsu was everything to him until he met the crimson. She was the water that distinguished the flame of his arrogance - Seeing her easily knock out someone from his school made him realise that perhaps one person from Fairy Tail wasn't so stupid and was perhaps cool.
His eyes moved back to Lucy though. This side that she was exposing was something new and fresh. This side of her was something never seen in front or with Natsu or her close friends that she was all chummy with while she in school or anything - This was something different.
"Surprised no?" A voice suddenly appeared where he snapped out of his trance. "Lucy's only like that when she talks about her stories or whenever she's around Sakura and Takuto," Rogue explained, standing beside him where he rolled his eyes.
"So what about her?" he asked in question to which Rogue sighed. "You'll be seeing her a lot so be nice," Rogue informed before walking off where Sting furrowed his eyes before scratching his head.
Picking up an angelic laugh, he gritted his teeth. Angelic laugh? He wanted to laugh at himself for calling Lucy's laugh angelic. Before he could argue with himself again, he took a large sip of his coffee before browsing through his phone while taking some frequent sips here and there to finish his beverage.
Once it was over, he crossed his arms and shuffled to adjust his back on the chair. Closing his eyes, he began to take a short nap with Lucy's laugh being the last thing to ring through his ears.
