Edited and updated: 12/28/2017

Love you all. Thank you. Enjoy.


Arts Topic: Nudity

Chapter IX


The next day

Going to Reedus' classroom, Lucy did not know what to think. Nor what to expect.

All in all, she forced herself to treat Sting's behavior with a grain of salt. Even though the previous day was difficult and it cost her much not to just stay home the next day in order to avoid seeing him, she felt closer to the man than ever. And not necessarily because of the kiss, but rather due to the unexpected confession he had served her. Although the kiss had played an important role, too. Nevertheless, she believed Sting had meant no harm and she would not let her past experiences destroy what she had established with him. He was a very valuable friend—the only she had close at the moment as well—and she wanted to enjoy it, not end it so fast. Lucy understood that it was just the way he was, broad and arrogant among other things. There was also the attraction thing which she could not deny, yet, she chose not to consider it overly seriously just yet. She hoped it would fade in time.

But. There was no denying that she was thinking about it, about him. How could she not, looking through the prism of her past… But also their friendship. Kissing a friend was not a good prospect for the duo if they wanted to remain just friends. Lucy wanted that above all else, to continue the friendship. Moreover, admitting to be enamored of Euciffe was one thing, but she could not understand the fact she had caught herself on thinking about Sting and his subtle kiss almost all of the time. She had been doing so great with keeping a low profile. And now that. Lucy shook her head and got rid of those thoughts. It was not good. Not at all.

She sat down in her usual place, nodding at the lecturer. It was fortunate the teacher was a type to rather have a peaceful class and work individually. She would not have to confront—and apologize to—Sting till after class… right?

However, she disappointed herself. Reedus was usually like that…

Well. Not that day.

Right after letting the people in, he grinned and waved his finger at the students. "That's not good. Today, sit with your project partner since you're about to discuss a few matters and examine your progress."

Damn. Lucy blinked fast and unsurely glanced at her pair; Sting turned his head to her at the same moment and they stared at each other for a while before she invited him to her desk. She could not help but notice Angel Aguria scowling from behind him, but the woman dismissed it in time to see the man nodding. With a playful grin he came to her and plopped on the free chair.

"Hi."

That was it, the moment she had had no time to consider before it happened; how should she answer? Keep it simple? Normal? But could she do that? Ahh, shit. Here goes nothing.

"And hi to you, too." She answered and tried to return the smile, but failed eventually.

"I hope you stopped being angry? Or worse, scared of me?" Noticing her reserve, Sting asked, cracking an inviting smile. It disarmed her.

"Yes, I guess."

"Then show me that and smile." As if on command, Lucy's mouth listened to him and bowed in a shy beam. He chuckled fondly and nodded. "That's it."

She felt better, a little more at ease around him. So, she cleared her throat and asked. "Anyway, do you know what we're supposed to do?"

"No idea. Talking about project progress?" Sting rolled his eyes, making himself comfortable. "But it's boring. And it's bullshit, we saw each other yesterday."

"Fair enough. So…" She gulped and slowly raised her eyes on him, really asking a question, gazing at him with pure anticipation and trust. "What do we do?"

Eucliffe gaped at her for a moment; God, was she suggestive, but also innocent at that. Thus, fully aware of that he should compose himself soon, the man cleared his throat and scooted closer, lowering his voice. "I don't know if you're doing this on purpose, or you're just ridiculously sexy, but at moments like this—with you looking at me like that—I really wanna take you home."

"Thank you, I'm quite capable of getting home on my own." Lucy replied after a second, the corners of her mouth twitching. "But hey, the question was real."

Sting blinked, surprised by her boldness. Having collected himself, he smirked. "I see someone's done their homework. I like this kind of progress."

She was not sure how it went the way it did, but she did not complain. Instead, she did not deny it, finding the mutual teasing easier with every word. Still, she remembered what she needed to do and made a guilty expression. "I'm still sorry about slapping you."

"Don't mention it. Like I said, I deserved it and it should be me apologizing—"

"About what?"

Another voice made the duo budge and they quickly raised their sights to look at the intruder. It was Angel, who was standing over their desk with a seemingly nice smile which held a touch of maliciousness, though.

Lucy was getting ready to answer something neutral, but she was beat to it.

"It's not your business, Angel. It's a private talk and you should be discussing things with your own partner, not pry into our affairs." Sting told her calmly, stunning both women. "So, can you give us some space?"

Her smile faded a bit. "If you insist. But I'll find out sooner or later." She sing-sang, waving her hand at them, and went away.

Meanwhile, Lucy felt her heart fill with anger and she narrowed her eyes at the man. "What does she mean by she'll find out sooner or later?"

He raised his hands in surrender and shook his head. "Woah, don't get mad, I have nothing to do with that! Somehow, she gets to know everything, Angel has sources everywhere… But we're safe. I mean, I'm not talking to anyone about the things we do during our sessions. So this time she's gonna be disappointed."

"O-oh. Okay." Lucy blinked and hung her head. She pulled on her sleeve, suddenly guilty. She felt rather uncomfortable with the fact she had talked to Levy. "Thanks."

"Anyway, before Angel interrupted, we were talking about the last meeting. Apologizing, to be exact. And don't you worry. I should be the one to do that."

"No, I swear we're good."

"But it's another time we're arguing because of—"

"And I'd say it's completely normal." Lucy cut in and ghosted a smile. "Really, Sting. Stop acting all diffident. It doesn't suit you much and it's definitely not what I'm used to."

"Not what you're used to? That I can care?" He raised his brows.

"Not that." She said calmly and gazed at him, gathering her thoughts and making them resound out loud. "I know you as a collected, a little frisky, and decided guy. I can't understand why would you be so shaky over this little thing… Such as me and my feelings."

"Maybe because you haven't thought about my feelings." Sting stated quietly. "And maybe because I don't want to lose you."

Lucy blinked several times, taking in what he said. Then, she felt that blood was rushing into her face, making her cheeks scarlet. "I-I'm not quite sure if I get it right…"

"I think, being as intelligent as you are, you did catch a hint."

She lowered her eyes, feeling conflicted within herself. Did he imply…? Yes, seemed like it, and it would not have been the first time. But she could not believe it still. She was aware of that he was watching her on high attention, cautious of every reaction. Should she argue further that he was not, could not be thinking that high of her, or just let it go? Thank him, or ignore it? Change the topic or return the compliment?

"I…" She started, still not convinced, but at that moment Reedus clapped his hands and his voice boomed in the classroom.

"Okay, people! I think you've had enough, haven't you? Anyway, get back to your places and resume with the lecture."

All the bravery left her and Lucy hung her head lower, staying that way until Sting sighed and stood up. He made a point of brushing her arm with his fingers in a long, sensual move, making her stiffen and throw him a surprised look. Well, it was very bold of him… And public caresses were definitely something new.

Suddenly, she felt observed; indeed, when Lucy turned her head, she saw Angel staring at her with pure hatred. Her eyes were squinted and she was grimacing, clenching her hands in fists. It was disturbing, to be watched with such loathing. The blonde frowned slightly; she was wondering how much Angel had noticed. Was it the moment their talk had become quieter, her reactions, or Sting's sigh and the fact he had touched her?

Automatically, Lucy glanced at Sting, who just sat down. Apparently, he sensed it, because he returned the gaze. She discretely pointed at Angel, who was still sitting there with a murderous aura. He caught a glimpse of her and frowned, mirroring Heartfilia's expression.

The blonde turned back to her desk and closed her eyes, breathing unevenly. She had just peached on Angel, his friend. And she had a feeling it would get back on her.

However, it was just the beginning. To her greatest shock, someone pulled the chair next to her and was sitting down there, joining her at the lonely desk. Lucy's head jerked up and she widened her eyes at the sight.

"What are you doing here?" She uttered, gobsmacked.

"Why, I came to join you. Apparently, you and I…" Angel eyed her with a disgusting smirk. "Need a talk."

"I need nothing from you."

"Oh, on the contrary. I think that you must know a few things." Her pale eyes moved and she stared in the direction of Sting, making Lucy mimic the move. The man was sitting like on pills, visibly uneasy. "I won't kick around the bush. I want my sexy friend, have for a long while now, but you came in the way." Lucy turned her head to the woman sharply. "I don't care what is your relationship as long as you, like I said, don't stand in the way. And you do, you ugly duckling. So I have a piece of very kind, girl-to-girl advice…"

"You have no idea what you're talking about. I don't—" The blonde began to feel irritated. She could not believe her ears!

Unfortunately, Angel seemed not to listen to her at all and continued as if she had never been interrupted. "Stay away from him. Until the end of the project, well, you must spend time together, so try to discourage him. I fail to see why he could be interested in you, but oh well…"

By then, Lucy was trembling from anger.

"How dare you come to me and say all of that? Have you no shame?"

"It's you who has no shame." Angel huffed. "Remember this. He is mine."

"He's not your property." She spat out through gritted teeth.

"Oh, he is. He just doesn't know that yet…"

"I won't let you hurt him, Aguria." Lucy whispered. "He's had enough, I won't let you touch him, because I know it'd kill him."

"You dumb shit, how dare you say this as if you knew him?!" The whitehead was beginning to lose it, too. She caught Lucy's forearm and dug her nails into it, making her hiss. "Besides, he was my friend even before he'd stumbled upon you. If you're any smart, you'll leave him alone. How can you even think he'd look at you like that?"

"I don't." Lucy mumbled, yanking her hand away despite the grip the other woman had on her. In effect, Angel's nails scratched her and she hissed, bloody marks marring her arm.

"See? At least you're not delusional. Then do you promise to leave him alone?"

Lucy shook her head, furious. "No."

"Are you an idiot? We've just agreed that he wouldn't even look at you. Which leaves him free to me. Just stand back unless you want something bad to happen."

"I won't stand back. I-I care about him, so I won't let you hurt him." Lucy replied, shaking from fury. "You're a real bitch, you know? You can't make him do anything… And I bet being interested in you, Angel, is the last thing he'd ever do!"

"You little fuck! He's mine. Mine, you hear me?!"

"He's NOT!"

Suddenly, she realized she was standing and the whole class was staring at her, shocked. Reedus had stopped with whatever he was saying, also gaping at her. In the corner of her eye, Lucy saw that Angel was smirking and she realized; she took the bait. Fuck.

"Miss Heartfilia? He's not… If Monet was not that great as I was saying… Who is, then?" The lecturer tried to save the situation.

Deep red suffused over Lucy's face and she clenched her hands. "I-I'm sorry…"

She grabbed her bag and rushed to the exit, followed by her colleagues' eyes. When she was closing the door behind herself, she heard Reedus exclaim:

"And where are you going, Mr. Eucliffe?!"

She did not wait. She ran ahead, not eager to see Sting right then. She was simply not ready to face him yet. Nor anyone else for that matter since tears spilled from her eyes without her knowledge. Perfect. But she realized escaping Sting Eucliffe was a lost case when she saw him running behind her in a mirror.

"Don't, Sting." She whispered and ran into the women's bathroom.

But if she thought she would be safe there, she was mistaken, because Sting came inside sweepingly. Lucy squealed and, having run past the second door secluding the sink area, simply locked herself in a cabin.

"Don't! Go away!" She uttered, sitting on the floor and embracing her knees.

"No. Open the door."

She knew her voice was evidence enough that she was crying, but she was so adamant he went away that she did not care.

"Leave me! I, I… It's a women's bathroom. You shouldn't be here."

"Lucy… I don't care, I came to you." His soothing voice only made her more teary. The blonde sobbed and clung to her own legs even more. "Come out to me, please."

"No. I wouldn't dare!"

"What? Don't be silly…"

Lucy heard a crack of the lock. Apparently, he closed the access to the cabins, trapping them both inside and making sure nobody else entered. Then, he came back to the door of the cabin and sat on the floor like she did, just on the other side.

"Sting, I really—"

"What did she tell you?" The man sounded angry. "Lucy… Come out to me. Talk to me. You know you can talk to me about anything… including what just happened."

She sobbed harder. How could she talk to him about that? That she was supposed to leave him alone? That Angel wanted him for herself and that it was the reason for their fight? That Aguria had demanded she backed off and made space for the whitehead? Admit she did not want to?!

But she was saved, oh the irony, by another voice resounding in the bathroom.

"You here, ugly blond bimbo? Reedus told me to go and check up on you…" Angel said, clearly irritated.

Lucy was fast; before Sting could say anything and betray he was there with her or, worse, open the door, she stormed out of the cabin and spun to him. Then, she leaned down and covered his mouth with her hand, preventing him from saying anything. At the same time, she had to kneel in front of him, bracing herself on his legs. Once placed there, she sent him an imploring look. The man hesitantly nodded, agreeing on being quiet. But she did not take her hand away, knowing he could blow up anyway when he heard Angel talking about the topic that had caused his partner to escape.

"You made me look ridiculous, it wasn't nice." Angel said with irony. "See why you must leave him alone? Not only he'd never look at such an ugly bitch with no taste and style, but also you'd only make him embarrassed all the time… Really, is this a kind of autism or just social disability, I would never know. But the point is. You're not good with or to him."

Sting widened his eyes, staring at Lucy. His eyes were asking her a silent question to which she did not want to reply, but she knew she had to. She was looking right back at him, her vision blurry due to the tears flowing, her lips trembling. He was searching for a proof that his theory was right and he had not heard anything wrong. His heart was beating fast, he was both excited and nervous. And soon he found what he was seeking for he reached out and caressed her cheek comfortingly, the gesture like asking her to trust him. The woman nodded slowly, gulping. She lowered her hand which he caught and kissed. His fingers traced the red scratches, making her sigh. Then, he leveled his head with her forearm and kissed them, his lips sliding over the damaged skin with delicacy and care. Lucy became lightheaded and sighed softly.

"And about the hurting thing? You have guts to implore I'd hurt him… You wouldn't let me hurt him? It'd kill him? Please. You'd be the one to do that, idiot."

Lucy blushed deep red when Sting placed his hands on her cheeks and, after scooting closer, whispered into her lips: "You told her that? You brave, sweet, caring, adorable girl. I'm so glad you do care." She had no time to get lost into his ocean blue eyes, so tender at the moment, because he quickly pecked her lips and stood up, leaving the blonde on the floor with a dumbfounded expression.

He fixed his shirt and stepped to the door and unlocked it. Throwing at Lucy one last glance, he opened it to face the imposter.

"Finally, I thought—" Angel, who intended to mock the other woman, found herself face to face with Sting. She yelped and stumbled back. "What the fuck?!"

"Leave, Angel. Now." He growled.

"B-but…"

"I'm warning you. And if I ever learn that you bother Lucy, and believe me, I will, you'll be dealing with me." He stated, crossing his arms. "Especially that this is not the first time."

From the back, Lucy was watching the man with widened eyes. She was still sitting on the floor, trembling. What she could not understand was why he would take her side. And actually defend her. Angel, as horrible as she was, was his friend, after all. And she felt terrible about ruining their relationship.

Yet, in a moment, all the scruples disappeared upon hearing the next phrase.

"S-she's told you?!" Angel whispered, then spat. "She's lied, then! Don't listen to her—"

"No. You told me yourself. Or rather yelled it at her, which I heard." Sting barked. "That attitude! You have guts to even try that on me."

"Y-you don't get it. Listen, Sti—"

"No. You don't get it, Angel." He shook his head and frowned. "Leave."

There was silence for at least a minute before Lucy heard the woman sniff and growl out in an intimidating tone.

"You're gonna regret it, Sting." The whitehead threatened.

"Yeah, sure. Now go."

She turned around and fled, almost throwing bolts of anger. Sting made sure she was gone for good and slowly closed the door, locking them again. Lucy watched how his shoulders flexed and rolled, relaxing after the confrontation. Then, he turned to the blonde and unhurriedly approached her just to sit beside her and observe her.

"Alright?"

"I-I'm not sure." Lucy admitted, making him half-chuckle, half-spit. Her face was open, expressing every thought in her head. He seemed mesmerized—until she asked. "I mean, why would you defend me and take my side?"

"Because I don't make the same mistakes twice." Immediately, Sting told her gently. "I know you don't lie. And I know you were worried about Angel coming to you… So it didn't take me long to realize what was going on. Especially when you stared up and screamed in the classroom."

"Still, she's your—"

"And you're also my friend. Much better at that, too."

The man scooted closer and took her hand without hesitance, caressing it with his long fingers. She looked down, observing the action. She had to bite her lip not to smile even a bit; because even though the situation was serious, he truly felt happy about his admission. A few tears went down her face. "Sting…"

He reached out and thumbed off the tears, then leaned ahead and kissed her forehead tenderly. She shivered, but did not look up nor escape. "You look like three halves from death… Can I comfort you?"

"H-how?"

"Let me hold you."

Hesitantly, Lucy nodded. She needed that, desperately needed a friend beside herself. She needed comfort, closeness, another person holding her while she wept. Therefore, he brought her closer and embraced her, bracing the woman on his broad chest. Lucy took a moment before hugging him back, but she eventually did, making him sigh.

They were sitting peacefully like that: on the bathroom floor, the woman wrapped around his form, sobbing, the man with his head on top of hers, from time to time descending to whisper something into her hair or left ear. Finally, Lucy calmed herself down enough to mumble:

"Sting… Thank you."

"You're welcome. And thank you."

Heartfilia shifted on his lap and lifted her head to look at him. She became a little startled when she realized the distance between their faces was so small, yet, did not move back. She was gaping at him, inspecting his handsome face and his features, then gazing into his eyes; those beautiful, deep, understanding, tender eyes she was beginning to adore. Was she losing her mind?

"What for?" She whispered weakly.

"For making me realize that Angel's not that good."

Lucy stayed silent. She remained in the position, though, staring at the man. She could not help nor explain what was happening within her, why she felt so in conflict with herself. She was delirious and eager… And, above all, she truly was scared.

Suddenly, he shifted under her and his breath hitched. "Lucy, I swear that if you continue to look at me like this, I'll kiss you."

But she did not stop, a little fascinated. She found herself interested in whether he was serious… Moreover, at the mention of kissing, her eyes unconsciously transferred to his lips, inspecting them. Sting was trying to control himself, but he knew it would not last long. Not with the blonde being so innocently sexy.

"I wonder…" Lucy said quietly, not diverting her eyes even for a second.

"About what?"

However, she only blushed hard—like those words had escaped her mouth by accident, unwillingly. And, for him, that had done it.

The man dived in and got a hold of her face, delicately, softly, then slowly joined their lips, giving her time and possibility to escape if she changed her mind. Thank gods, she did not. They both sighed, aware of the thick air and tension between them. He kissed her unhurriedly, devouring her. After a few of his moves, she responded.

Sting exhaled hard and his hands crept up her back to her hair, entangling themselves in the rich locks. He made their lips move faster, dictating the tempo. He could not take it overly slow anymore, nor let her lead the smooch.

As to Lucy, she felt simply right—and that was scaring her above all the other things. Sting's kiss was something just as exciting as terrifying, still, something she truly wanted. Was it that, somehow, he had cured her a little from her trauma? Step by step, slowly yet strongly? Well. She did not know and, frankly, she did not care about that at the moment.

She felt his hands pressing her against him more, and that one of them traveled down on her lower back, dangerously close to her booty. She shifted, making him moan; she realized she moved from his lap onto his groin and she herself was getting excited… She leaned in even more, both wanting and not wanting to stop. Her breasts pressed tightly against his chest, she sighed with satisfaction when his right hand stopped on her hip, gripping her. Unconsciously, her left hand traveled up and into his gelled hair, taking a rich fist of his locks and attaching itself to his scalp. Sting gave out a masculine moan.

But before she do anything more, the outer door opened and a few giggling girls entered the bathroom, then tried to open the second door separating them from Sting and Lucy.

Hearing the handle move, the woman jumped like she had burnt herself. She started up, startled, animated, and blushed. Lucy turned around, crossing her arms and shivering, suddenly full of resent. Sting brushed his hair back, thinking fast. Should he let the girls in and, at the same time, hide in the cabin with the blonde? Or pretend the toilet was closed?

Finally, he stood up and approached the woman.

"Lucy, we need to act quick." He said quietly. "I'll hide in the cabin, you open the door, then join me."

"But I've been crying and it shows." She tried to protest, but was silenced.

"That's the point. You had a real and actual excuse for locking the door."

Lucy sniffed; he was right. Moreover, he could not be seen there… Oh God. Exactly. "Fine, go."

Sting passed to the first cabin quickly, half-closing the door and standing as far as he could so that his legs would not be seen. Meanwhile, she took a deep breath and went for the door. She unlocked it and faced four girls, who stared at her.

"Sorry. I needed a moment alone." Lucy mumbled and rushed back to the cabin where Sting was. Fortunately, the intruders were rather friendly and reassured her they understood. The blonde closed the cabin and sighed, catching a glimpse of the man, who was standing in a corner, watching her. She rolled her eyes and whispered. "Damn, when they go, we need to escape."

"Me and my reputation depend on you." He told her with a slight smile. "And I'd love to talk to you in a more private place than a public bathroom at our faculty…"

"About what?" Lucy turned her head away. "I-if it's about what happened a few moments ago…"

"Precisely."

"I-I'm not ready." She whispered.

"Lucy. Don't you think we should talk about it?" Sting said carefully.

"P-probably." Heartfilia looked completely lost. "But could you give me some time? Please. So many things happened today and I can't act just like it's nothing about it… It's too important to be quick about it. And, to be honest… You are too important."

He gazed at her with seriousness, musing. At last, he said: "Okay. Fine. But you're gonna have much to explain."