Hey everybody! Here's the new chapter. I kinda wanted to have some fun with Erza's insecurities, so... This is what happened. I may or may not have gone overboard – let me know. This chapter is dedicated to gwb620. (I might've gotten the number wrong – I'm sorry!) Special thanks go to WhiteWinterStar and LeahMineStar. Apologies to those of you who were excited to read last chapter only to get illegible gibberish. I suck with computers. Sorry. Oh, just so you guys know, my brother just made an account here – I'm super psyched. I've read his first story so far and it's really good. If you want, go check him out. His account is ThatGuyYouMetOnce, and I know you won't regret reading his fic! Review for him and all that too. (In case you're curious, the fic is Lucy x OC and a bit of Grayza, I think. So it's got different ships than mine.) Then without further ado, Just Friends chapter three!
I gasped and turned my body towards her. "Really? What'd he say? What'd he want?" Erza stared at the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Erza?" I said softly. Her chin jerked, like I had startled her, but her eyes stayed fixed on the tiles. "Sorry. I didn't mean to rush you. Take your time." She shook her head.
"No, it's not your fault. I'm just trying to process..." The incredibly strong, confident Requip wizard sighed sadly and rested her face in her hands. "He wants to meet. Tomorrow. And I don't..." her voice trailed off, getting softer and softer until it faded to nothing.
"You don't want to?" I said quietly, trying to help her fill in the words she couldn't say. But she shook her head. I watched as her long red hair swished lifelessly through the air.
"It's not that. I..." She finally, finally raised her head and her eyes met mine. To my extreme horror, they were wet and blurry with tears. "I don't know..." Her voice cracked, and I think that was what broke her control. She gasped and started crying in earnest, tears pouring down her cheeks. She flung herself on me and wrapped her arms around me in a death grip. I patted her back and stroked her hair, letting her bury her face in the corner between my neck and shoulder. "I don't know what to say to him!" she wailed. "And he said he had something to talk about, and I'm..." Erza had to break to suck in air and cough trying to hold back her sobs. "I'm afraid of what he'll say, Lucy!" Seeing my strong-willed, beautiful, and inspiring guildmate so broken like that tore me apart. What am I saying? Erza wasn't just a guildmate – none of the Fairy Tail members were. Fairy Tail was my home, and every member of the guild was my family. We had proved it to each other countless times, and would prove it countless more. And Erza was the one I had looked up to most during my time at the guild, as a role model for battle skills and personal values.
So watching Erza cry felt like an army of beleaguered gnomes was stamping on my heart. "Don't cry, Erza," I whispered. "It's going to be fine. Please don't cry." It was no use. She was terrified of what she saw in her imagination, and the tears just kept coming.
"You know," a sleepy voice said from the doorway, "I'm kinda disappointed." My head flew around so fast I almost gave myself whiplash.
"Natsu!" I exclaimed. Erza swallowed hard and looked up tearfully, releasing me from her crushing grasp.
"Natsu?" she said. Her voice was small and frightened, and I squeezed her hand. I hoped I could convey my worry and support through that little gesture.
Natsu yawned and grinned at us. I blinked. His hair was sticking up on one side, and despite Erza sitting next to me, I had to suppress an overwhelming urge to fix it. "I mean, you're Erza Scarlet. The great Titania." Erza flinched like he'd slapped her. I glared at him, but either he didn't see or he didn't care. But suddenly, his expression was serious and the mocking smirk was gone. "Not only that, you're a Fairy Tail wizard. Who was it that defended the guild from a blast from Jose's Jupiter Cannon with nothing but her Adamantine armor?" I stared at him, starting to see where he was going with this. "Who was it that would have sacrificed her life for the sakes of the people trying to escape the Tower of Heaven before it destroyed itself and everything within a hundred miles? Who was it that fought alongside new friends and old to protect the world from Nirvana and the Oracion Seis? Who is it that has shielded her guild and family from danger so many times no one could count them if they spent their whole life trying?" The words flew fast and hard and hot from the Natsu's mouth. Finally, he crossed his arms and lifted his muscular frame from the doorway. "Where is she? 'Cause I don't see her."
Erza stared at him wide-eyed. Her tears had stopped, and now I could see individual drops clinging to her lashes. Her face were tear-stained and her nose was blotchy and red. There was a crease where her cheek had pressed into my collar. Simply put, she was a mess.
Even so, I had never seen her look so majestic and radiant as she wiped her eyes and stood with a smile. "You're right, Natsu. But I'm back now." I stood too, captivated by the proud aura of strength Erza radiated just then. She turned back to me and bowed her head. "Thank you, Lucy. I'm sorry for worrying you." Erza "Titania" Scarlet raised her head and met my eyes. I smiled back, praying the tears in my eyes weren't visible, and lifted my hand like I was waving hello.
"Welcome back, Erza."
"Remind me why we're doing this?" I hissed to Natsu a day later. We were crouched in the branches of the huge tree in the middle of Magnolia Park, peering through binoculars at the scene below us. Natsu put a finger on my lips without looking away from the ground.
"Shh! She'll hear you!" I blinked in surprise and clamped my lips firmly together to keep from doing something stupid. Happy, unfortunately, saw the faint blush dusting my cheeks as Natsu removed his finger.
"You liiiiiiike him," he sing-songed softly. I glared at him and pulled his cheek, hard. "Owowowow!" he wailed, pawing at my hand, involuntary tears at the corners of his eyes. "Lushee, that hurtsh!" Happy complained. "Natshu, help me!"
"Shh!"
I sighed and let go, picking up my own binoculars and zooming in on the couple talking at the base of the tree. Erza was listening as Jellal smiled and said something to her. She laughed and put a hand on his shoulder. Jellal took a step closer and Erza said something. I felt the tight pinch of jealousy in the pit of my stomach. Not of Erza, but of what she and Jellal had. It wasn't like they were together, but it was clearly a mutual love. Meanwhile, I loved an idiot who didn't have a clue about anything but eating, sleeping, fighting, and destroying things. Mutual love was out of the question.
Watching Jellal and Erza talk like it was the most natural thing in the world, I really wanted to know what they were saying to each other that could make Erza look so gentle, or Jellal laugh so hard he grabbed his stomach. I wanted their secrets.
"Natsu," I whispered in his ear, making him rock back on the branch and tear his gaze from the two below. His dark eyes focused on me, wide and surprised and nervous. Nervous? Maybe I was imagining things. "Is there a way to hear what they're saying? We're too high up, I can't make out their conversation." Slowly, Natsu pointed to a dial on the side of my binoculars. An earbud was wound around it, and Natsu twirled it off and inserted it in my ear before I could register what he was doing. He twisted the dial a little, and Erza's voice sounded in my ear. I squeaked in surprise and lost my balance. My feet slid out from under me and I tilted forward, about to fall into the middle of Erza's date.
A strong arm wrapped around my waist and hoisted my butt back onto the branch. "Careful," Natsu mumbled, his arm anchoring me to his side. I had always imagined Natsu would feel kind of hard to lean against, considering all his muscles, but he was surprisingly comfortable. I fit next to him like we were a pair of interlocking puzzle pieces.
"Thanks," I whispered back, resting my head on his chest. He stiffened, but I was suddenly exhausted, all of my energy sapped by fear. I glanced up at his face and Natsu flashed me a grin. Just like that, a little bit of my energy came back. Battery: 10%.
"Any time." Trying not to do anything weird, I closed my eyes and focused on the conversation playing in my ear.
"–was it you really wanted to talk to me about?" Erza's voice queried smoothly. Jellal let out a sigh that merged with a sort of chuckle.
"I was wondering if you would ask," he said. "You see, I wanted to clear something up." He paused, but Erza didn't say anything, obviously waiting for him to continue.
"I lied before. I don't have a fiancee."
So you know, this fic takes place after the big dragon attack at the end of the Grand Magic Games, and it's assuming that they beat the dragons and Future Rogue and go home cheerfully as always. Please, please, please review and all that stuff! It's super encouraging and I love hearing your opinions! Also, I can't fix something if I don't know what's wrong with it, so if you disagree with something, tell me why and give suggestions how I can make it better! (That's why it's called constructive criticism.) As always, love you guys! Remember to check out ThatGuyYouMetOnce – his fic is awesome and it's got lots of cool characters!