Chapter 14

Laxus

I chuckle as Lucy's mouth drops open in surprise. I know why though. It's nothing like the stuffy parties she attended with her father. Sure, we make business deals left and right, but you might as well make it fun while you're doing it. There is no need for sickly sweet pleasantries or meaningless babbling about the weather. After all, we all know that it was sunny earlier today and it's a perfectly wonderful cloudless night and we already know that your son was engaged to her his daughter, we're just asking to be polite and to have a chance to practice our 'wow-let's-all-pretend-to-give-a-flying-fuck-faces'. You want to double check? You have a phone, we provide the free wifi. (As long as you have the connections who can give you the password.)

"Go on." I push my stunned best (?) friend forward, "Eat food, frolic and make merry."

"Holy shit," she whispers as I gently close her mouth.

"Honestly, when was the last time you had real fun?"

"Definitely that one time we did that one thing at the one person's house."

"That time? That was five and a half years ago. Get your life together, Heartfilia."

"I'm trying."

I shove her forward again and she stumbles a bit in her heels before regaining her balance and throwing a death glare at me. Feigning terror, I turn and blend into the crowd.

Lucy

FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD.

Honestly, a girl has to think for herself first once in awhile. Thank goodness for buffets. I straighten my dress and pull myself to my full height. (A solid five feet and eleven inches, thank you, death shoes of five and a half inches.) (Author's Note: idk how some ppl do it. i can wear two inch heels for like two hours before i give up)

Swooping towards the food-laden tables, I heap a very-unladylike amount of food onto my plate before sneaking towards the back corner of the ballroom, determined to finish my meal in peace.

Someone taps me on the shoulder. I guess I didn't have enough determination. Sighing inwardly, I turn my neck to stare at the offender.

It's a man. His blonde hair is slicked back (like an absolute fuckboi). His silk sky blue tie is loosened slightly. He holds his probably Italian made suit coat under one very muscular-looking arm. Might I add he is rather attractive and his icy blue gazes entices me so? Might I also add that he looks very familiar?

Might I add that -holy fuck- damnit he's off limits?

Because not only is he very, very, mucho attractive but he's also my step-brother?

And I'm not into incest?

And he's the gayest guy who has ever lived?

"Sting?"

"Who else could this hot body belong to?"

"Somebody less arrogant and self centered," I snicker, punching his (very rock hard) shoulder.

"Well, you can only have so much."

"Obviously you've never heard of too much hair gel or too much airheadedness."

"Touchè, sister dear."

"I haven't seen you since Dad's funeral. How are you and Rogue doing?"

"Absolutely fantastic." He wiggles his left hand which sparkles with a ring.

"And this was not big enough to text your sister about?"

"We're going for a short engagement, so we've been super busy."

"I haven't gotten an invitation yet."

"Shit. We haven't sent those out yet?" He whips his phone out of his pocket and I notice him tapping away on a note labeled "Things we haven't done yet", which looks to be very long.

"You don't even have a location yet, Sting? What are you doing?"

We continue arguing playfully. To the outsider it might appear as -

Laxus

-shameless flirting. Sheesh, when I said 'go on' I didn't mean find someone to leave the party with. I narrow my eyes, staring at the pair of them with a steely, hard gaze.

She looks so happy, laughing and smiling. I haven't seen that in forever. Even when we talk now, I haven't heard the same laugh that I remember from high school. Then again, that man probably didn't leave her in the dust her senior of high school. The man flips his jacket over his shoulder, grabs her plate and sets it on a nearby table before taking her hand and leading her towards the dance floor. She protests, clearly vouching to finish her food, but he laughs and playfully steers her back towards the floor.

Lucy is full of life. She's always been the golden girl. Kind and generous to everyone. Unless you turned your back on her. Then, she's frigidly civil. It's a cruel change. Her eyes turn from pools of happiness to chips of ice. I know from experience.

But right now, as she whirls on the dance floor with this other guy, she's like a delighted child, skipping on the shores of a white sand beach, dancing happily as the balmy breeze gently puffs behind her. Did I just say that?

But still. Something stirs within my chest. Why can't I be the one with her, making her smile like that?

Mira

LOL LAXUS IS JEALOUS OF A GAY GUY*

Laxus

"Someone's jealous," a voice murmurs behind me.

Mira hands me a champagne flute and I gladly accept.

"Don't they look so happy together?" she coos softly. My fist curls tighter around the glass.

"Aren't they just the most darling couple?"

"Mira, please shut up."

"Just go to her."

"What?"

"Take over the dance."

"Isn't that like bad etiquette or someth-"

"Who cares? He's got your girl. You want your girl. Go get her while she's still single."

"What?"

"She's a beautiful person, inside and out. Stop sulking about the past and set up your future."

"That's so cliche."

"But so true."

Lucy

As the song ends, Sting and I leave the dance floor so I CAN FINALLY EAT.

Thankfully, my plate is still precariously laid on top of the table, and when I finally sit down, I hear the tell tale footsteps of one Laxus Dreyar.

"Hksaew Lajdf," I say with a mouthful of food. Sting laughs and sits in the chair next to me casually slinging an arm around me.

"Hey, Laxus," I repeat.

"Hey, Luce."

Something is off about Laxus.

Symptoms:

Uptight

Fist clenching

Not well disguised eye flicking between me and Sting

Could it be?

Diagnosis: Jealousy.

Sting sees it too. And we share a glance. Which probably comes off as blossoming love to Laxus.

My cousin wiggles his eyebrows knowingly at me and I shoot him a glance that clearly says 'let's see how long he can last without blowing up but we'll save him before he does so'. He holds in a laugh, and blots his mouth primly with a napkin before grabbing my flute out of my hand and drinking the rest.

My co-worker is practically seething.

"Right, this is Sting," I smile, "and this is Laxus."

The poor man obviously cannot take much more of this.

"I'm her happily engaged gay cousin."

"You're what?"

"That doesn't matter. But you're clearly head-over-heels for Lucy and from what I've heard she's infatuated with you so I'll take my leave because being a third-wheel, though is awfully entertaining, is probably horrendously awkward in the case of two dense people who won't admit their feelings to each other."

And as he skates away, Laxus and I stare at each other, sure that my face is blushing as red as his.

*if that came off as rude, offending, etc to anyone of my viewers, i apologize profusely.

so not really sure how this is going to continue developing, but this story will probably end around chapter 17 or 18 + epilogue. i'm not sure yet (because i haven't mapped any of this out yet, so it could go for longer~)

i have finals coming up in about three weeks, so i'll probably only be updating a few times, but once semester break rolls around i'll continue updating more again.

idk why i decided to make sting gay, i suppose the more laxus misread lucy and sting's body language the funnier it would be.

hope you guys like it and thank you for all the feedback ive been getting!

(special thanks to zombu7)

zephy out.