Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail - Hiro Mashima does.
"I think I like Rogue."
The statement felt heavier than Erza's luggage. The air seemed to get colder than Gray's ice. The expression of the four members of Team Natsu seemed to get more intense than Natsu's fire.
Lucy watched them with wary glances. She was… embarrassed. Admitting something like that took a huge amount of courage from her than she cared to admit. It was like removing a fish bone stuck on the throat—only to lump up again.
The blonde couldn't help but bite her lip as minutes passed; the four still looked like they've seen a ghost—and was visibly paler than Carla's fur.
"…Guys?" she tried to call their attention.
"L-Lucy…" Erza tried to speak, but her stutter made everything incomprehensible.
As if a pin was dropped, the four recovered and screamed at the same time. "WHAT?!"
The incredulous look on their faces made the Celestial mage wince. Really, it wasn't such a big deal… well, she tried not to make it a big deal—but she obviously failed on so many levels.
The blonde bit her lip; hugging herself, wanting to disappear from the shame of admitting that.
"…Do you want me to beat him up?" Gray asked, unsure of what to do.
"Yeah, Luce! We can take the truth out of him for you!" Natsu exclaimed—rather enthusiastically.
She face palmed; Natsu's way of getting information is to beat them up—much like the rest of her team members. Sighing, she held Natsu's arm as to prevent him from going away.
"No; I don't need you guys to get me anything. It's… It's just something that became too heavy to bear alone. My main problem is that… I don't... know what to do with Sting," Lucy sighed, feeling her eyes water once again.
"You like Rogue, why are you having problems with Sting?" Natsu asked straightforwardly.
Hearing his question, Erza smacked the back of his head. "Idiot," she simply said.
"Hey! What gives?!" the salmon-haired mage complained, as if he doesn't deserve that hit.
Gray rolled his eyes, "Stupid. She already told us that earlier."
Natsu looked at him pointedly, "What? It's simple! Lucy just have to punch him!"
The sane members of Team Natsu looked at him blankly. Nothing was making sense, and Natsu was just adding to the list of things Lucy has to worry about. 'Do I need to bring him to Porlyusica already?' she sighed.
Natsu leaned on his knee, "Here I thought you're the smart one, Luce." The statement caused the blonde's eye to twitch in irritation. He rose a delicate eyebrow before speaking, "Duh! You have to punch him with the truth!"
For the nth time that day, they were stunned with how simpleminded Natsu is.
Erza hummed, bringing a hand to rest her chin on. "I think he's onto something. For once, Natsu thought of something sensible."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" he exclaimed, offended.
The Ice mage rolled his eyes, again. "She's saying you're stupid, flame brain."
The statement successfully riled up the Fire dragon slayer, causing them to butt heads to throw insults once again.
Erza didn't bother putting them in order again for she was lost in her own thoughts. As if a light bulb lit, she looked directly at Lucy who remained quiet amidst the chaos of the group. "It's unfair to Sting if you don't clarify your feelings to him. You have to straightforwardly send your message; or else, it would only hurt the both of you harder."
The blonde nodded, fully understanding what she meant—what they meant. She closed her eyes, as if gathering her courage, "Alright." She opened her eyes, revealing watery brown eyes. "I'll go back to Sabertooth tomorrow to talk to him," the blonde said with such conviction to hide the anxiety bubbling inside of her.
"Do you want us to go with you?" Gray asked, rubbing the sore spot on his head where Erza smacked them.
Lucy only shook her head, "No, I'll be alright. I'll go back right away, anyway." She took a deep breath, calming herself once more. "There's no use prolonging the inevitable. I might as well get this over with already."
Just then, she felt a heavy weight lean on her. A warm arm slung around her shoulders. Looking up, Lucy saw the grinning face of her best friend.
"Don't worry, Luce! It's going to be alright."
Lucy trudged on the way to the Sabertooth guild.
"It's scary!" She shrilled. Falling on a squat as she buried her face on her arms. "Can I just disappear?" she groaned.
"Please don't," a low, female voice replied.
Whipping her head towards the source of the voice, Lucy found herself squatting in front of a female Saber.
"M-Minerva," she stammered, quickly straightening her stance. The blonde cleared her throat, too embarrassed to be caught losing grace in the middle of the street.
The raven haired woman looked at her as if she grew another head, "Are you alright, Lucy?"
Her lips quivered, "Minerva!" She suddenly launched herself towards the woman, causing them to stumble. If not for Minerva's reflexes, they would've already slumped on the ground.
Unsure, she patted the blonde's hair, "Wha…What's wrong?"
She sniffed; trying to compose herself. Lucy calmed herself down, attempting to mask her emotions. "I… I just missed you," she excused; though, it wasn't a lie. She really did miss the raven-haired mage.
The Saber gave her an amused smile; scrunching her forehead in disbelief that the blonde would cry just because she saw her. She gently laid a hand on Lucy's head, stroking it softly. "Stop sniffing already," she laughed.
Lucy sniffed a couple more times, running a hand on her face to remove any trace of tears. "By the way, do you know… where Sting is?"
"Sting?" Minerva rose a delicate eyebrow.
Biting her lip, the blonde nodded. "I need to talk to him."
The once amused expression on Minerva's face was immediately replaced with confusion. Raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Why? Is there a problem?"
The blonde mage bit the inside of her cheek, "I… I just need to tell him something—I forgot to say it before leaving." The lie squeezed itself through her gritted teeth. 'Well, technically, it isn't a lie.'
Minerva sighed, sending a warm, reassuring smile at her way. "I'll take you to Sting," she offered, reaching out for her hand.
Lucy nodded, accepting the hand offered to her. "Thank you," she said with a smile.
