Hi, I'm sorry for the long delay, and this chapter is very very short (as compared to the previous chapters). I was busy with a one-shot last week. It's called "What is Strength?" and it is also a Sticy story! ~ Please read it! In my opinion, it is quite similar to chapter 1 of DEBT!

Anyways, please enjoy this chapter of DEBT!

Disclaimer: I don't own FT, or there would be a love triangle between Natsu, Lucy and Sting. Hiro Mashima owns the characters.

Chapter 9: What Natsu doesn't know, won't hurt him

"Nothing, it's just that, I love you guys so terribly much!" She explained herself before rushing towards her nakama and giving them a crushing hug and a peck on Sting's cheeks.

"I love you too, Lucy, but we have more pressing matters to settle," Erza said, her face red from being embarrassed by Lucy's confession. "What are you going to do about Natsu?"

Lucy looked at Sting, then at Erza, and then at her boyfriend again. She bit her lips and thought about Natsu's confession and his outbursts towards Sting previously. How would he feel if he knew about the relationship between Sting and her? Would he hurt Sting like how he did earlier? The thought of Sting being even more hurt caused her to wince.

"Lucy!" Sting shouted and shook his girl by her shoulders, breaking all her thoughts.

"What?" Lucy said, absentmindedly.

It was only after she said the word that she felt blood overwhelming her taste buds. She wanted to lick her lips, but was halted by the touch of Sting's rough fingertips on her lips. He moved his thumb swiftly across, hoping to remove the blood staining his girlfriend's pure lips. Well, not so pure after that kiss, but still more pure than many others. More blood spurt out from that cut on her lips, causing Sting to finally look into her eyes. Lucy's face was red. Her cheeks were as red as the blood he had just rubbed away.

Feeling the stares of everybody else in the room, Lucy looked away, abashed by the attention she was receiving, "Erm, Erza, do you have any ideas?"

"I do think that Natsu deserves the truth, don't you think so too?"

Lucy remained silent.

"You know, Natsu, he likes you more than a friend," Gray decided to put in his two cents into the situation.

"I know," Lucy whispered, "he confessed."

"Gehe! That idiot actually has that guts?" Gajeel smirked, earning a punch from his blue-headed girlfriend and a glare from Sting, who was wishing that the group would stop talking about his girl's pink-head best friend.

"We kind of already figured it out when you two were having cold war with each other the past few days," Levy said.

"We did?"

Levy gave her boyfriend a look and knitted her eyebrows, "You didn't realize?"

"That's why I should not tell him," Lucy interrupted the conversation between the couple in front of her. "I don't want him to get even more hurt. I think my rejection already saddened him tremendously. If I told him about my relationship with Sting, it would be a double whammy!"

Before she knew it, the tears stared falling again.

"Lucy," Erza called out sternly, yet her voice was full with concern for her friend, "we will help you keep it from Natsu for the time being."

"We will?" Gray asked.

Erza shot Gray a murderous glare and he flinched, before nodding his head fervently with a fake smile plastered onto his face. "Yes, we will. Like Gray, I don't approve of you," jabbing her finger towards Sting, "being with her," jabbing her finger to Lucy this time, "but I understand the mutual feelings you have for each other."

"You do?" Gray raised his eyebrows and the girl who he had always thought of as super dense when it came to the matters of love.

And that earned him a smack on his head, if it weren't for his strength, he would have been dead, or to be more optimistic, in coma.

Suddenly, Erza reequipped into her Tenrin no Yoroi, also known as her Heaven's Wheel Armour, and summoned what seemed like a hundred swords, pointing at Sting.

"Sting!" Lucy cried out worryingly.

Ignoring Lucy, Erza warned Sting, "However, if you hurt my precious nakama, this won't be the only bunch of swords you will see pointing at your neck! You got me loud and clear?"

"Aye! I mean, yes, Erza-sama!" Sting flustered.

Sting felt proud of himself, not to mention that he felt his insides melting, as soon as he saw Lucy's sparkling smile and the glow on her face. He knew that getting the approval from her 'family' was something that she had been wishing for ever since they started dating and even though this was only four members of her extremely large family, it was an improvement from just one – Levy. He decided to keep mum about the sort-of double date they had with Rogue and Levy. No doubt that the iron dragon slayer standing in front of him, whom he had newfound respect for, would go ballistic and perhaps, change his mind about slaughtering him. Based on experience from dating the blonde girl, he knew how the power of love could influence the anyone, no matter the guy or the girl, from the relationship – just thinking about Natsu getting close to Lucy could make his blood boil and his strength increase by a hundred times.

"Before I forget, Lucy, I will hide this fact from Natsu, but, I want you to tell him the truth before he finds out. I don't want any of my nakama getting hurt," Erza commanded loudly.

Lucy nodded hesitantly. Part of her, no, every part of her knew that Erza was right. Natsu deserved this much. She remembered scolding Sting when he was at her guild. If you want to fight it out with Natsu, how about you go home and get rid of your stinky ego before having a real battle with Natsu! He, Gajeel and Wendy deserves more respect than this. She was probably thinking about herself when she shouted these sentences to Sting. Natsu deserved more respect than this – he is, her best friend after all. She could get rid of her cowardice and have a real talk with Natsu. So now you're going to spend your life disregarding me, your best friend, and drink all day and night? She remembered scolding Natsu too. At that time, she had thought that Natsu was disregarding her and running away from the fact that she had just rejected him. Thinking further, she realized she was wrong. Lucy cringed inwardly at that realization. It was her who was disregarding his confession all along. She had not given him an actual reply to his confession – all she said was a sorry which was interrupted by her missing charm bracelet.

Lucy groaned and slumped onto the floor. She felt like an ass, a bigger ass than any of the enemies she had went against.

Suddenly, she was picked up by a pair of strong arms. Lucy looked up, finding herself staring at her boyfriend's mesmerizing eyes.

"Stop thinking about it!" he scowled. "The more you think about it, the more the answer would not come to you!"

Erza nodded her head in agreement, "Sting is right. I'm not forcing you to tell Natsu now. I do want you to be truthful to him, but I will not be forceful about it."

If Lucy was any mood to laugh, she would have, for the moment Erza completed her sentence, Sting nodded too. The sight of them agreeing with each other was simply a sight to behold.

"You know what you need?" Sting asked, while his head bobbed up and down.

"What?" Gajeel, Levy and Gray asked in unison.

Lucy shot them weird looks before raising her own eyebrows.

"A date."

As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Sting felt himself regretting for that impulsive comment – Erza had requipped her sharpest sword and pointed it to Sting's neck.

"Woah!" Sting cried while Lucy gasped in horror. "I thought you said you approved of our relationship?"

"I apologize," Erza gave Sting a ninety degrees bow. "It was a reflex action."

Lucy let out a sigh of relief, knowing that her friends were probably okay with her boyfriend.

"As a matter of fact, I have a pair of tickets to this new theme park at Espiree. It was from the previous mission I did. The client was one of the shareholders of the theme park and decided to give it to me. You should have seen his house – it was humongous! The only thing that got onto my nerve was that loud bulldog. I wonder if it managed to get itself down from the roof after barking at me like that. But then again, it deserved it."

The whole room sweatdropped at that comment.

Brave ol' Gray decided that the input of his opinions was necessary, "Erm, Erza, I think you shouldn't have–"

"Shouldn't have what?" Erza glared at him, making the ice-maker magician shiver under her glare.

"Nothing," Gray squeaked, earning snorts of laughter from a certain iron dragon slayer.

"Anyways, I was saying, as my congratulation gift, I would like both of you to have these tickets," Erza cleared her throat.

"Aw, Erza, thanks!" Lucy exclaimed and jumped onto the redhead, giving her tight hug.

Sting, on the other hand, snickered, "Hmmph, I could get my hands on those tickets whenever I want!"

"What did you say about my gift?" Erza began to requipped.

"Nothing, Erza-sama! Thank you very much, Erza-sama!"

"Good. We will cover you from Natsu. You treasure this time with that guy and clear your mind."

"We will have your back!" Levy winked.

"You guys," Lucy started tearing up, "I love you!"

"But on one condition," Erza interrupted that touching moment, "We are coming along with you."

"WHAT?" Sting, Lucy, Gray, Levy and Gajeel shouted all at the same time.

R&R!

I really apologize for such a short story after almost 3 weeks! And I'm afraid that the next chapter might take that long too, my exams are in a week or so! I'm terribly sorry! Good news is that the story is all planned out in my head! & that I'm writing the next chapter already! :D