You know, I got really excited when I saw 16 reviews, but when they turn out to be spam about ABDL (whatever that is) I get kinda annoyed; unless its a serious request for a story DON'T WASTE MY TIME! Okay, thank you to all the people who reviewed this story properly, and as an apology for my short temper and the shortness of the last chapter, I present this to you. 210 views and counting =D
Standing outside the entrance to Magnolia, dragging her impossibly large collection of belongings behind her the knight stood contemplating her next move; it had been a long two weeks and all she really wanted to do was take a nice, long, and very hot, bath, before climbing into bed and sleeping for at least a week.
But another part of her wanted to check in at the guild first (conveniently forgetting how late it was), to try and catch a glimpse of the young mage that had never failed to dominate her thoughts every second, of every day for the past two weeks. The tempo of her heart began to increase at the thought of finally being able to see Lucy again…
Forcing herself to return to reality, Erza mentally scolded herself; she had taken the mission to try and forget about Lucy, and yet here she was, swooning like a schoolgirl at the thought of being able to see her again. She belongs with Natsu, so just get over yourself already!
She knew she couldn't return to the guild, not just yet, she needed to calm down first, to relax and properly convince herself that her feelings for the celestial mage were that of a… friend…
Grasping the handle of her trolley she charted a mental course for Fairy Hills; a warm bed and a nice long sleep was exactly what the doctor ordered. Maybe tomorrow she would be composed enough to visit the guild, but not today, today her head was tied up into too many knots to make sense of anything.
Opting to use the back alleys instead of the main street, Erza wanted to avoid alerting anyone in the town to her presence; she knew that the minute she was spotted word would reach the guild, and then she wouldn't be able to get any peace.
There was only one problem with using the back alleys, and it was one that Erza had presently forgot about until it was right in front of her; the most direct route to Fairy Hills, if you didn't want to use the main road, took her directly behind Lucy's flat.
Pausing, Erza found herself entranced by the building. The lights were on upstairs, and one of the windows was also open. Steam issuing from the window in a lazy trickle, and Erza began to blush profusely as she realised she was looking at the bathroom; the steam indicating that the younger girl was probably in the middle of a bath.
The normally stoic wizard found herself beginning to fantasize about possible scenarios, where, by some strange twist of fate, Lucy would choose that moment to look out the window, or require some assistance, and with Erza being the only person in the immediate vicinity, being forced to provide it.
The thought of being invited inside when her blonde goddess was so inappropriately… dressed… hair damp, and pressing against her face and neck, with droplets of water tracing delicate paths down her pale skin…
A warm feeling began to spread from her stomach, reaching lower, until she was reminded of her current situation by a short, sharp sneeze, distracting her from her present train of thought.
Guilt began to wash over Erza a she realised the nature of the thoughts that had previously wracked her; Lucy was her friend! She had no right to think about the younger woman in such a fashion. It was highly inappropriate and, and…
And Erza knew that if Lucy knew what the redheaded knight really thought about whenever she was caught staring then their friendship would be ruined forever… Unless she feels the same… the thought struck her unbidden, and snarling quietly to herself she turned her back on the temptation that the partially open window presented, continuing her journey home; it really wouldn't do if someone (other than Lucy) happened to look out their window and see the Titania standing there, staring blankly at the building, her face as red as her hair.
Unfortunately for Erza, she resumed her journey too late (or early), she didn't see Lucy move to the partially open window, intending to close it to stop the heat escaping, only to catch a glimpse of a towering pile of cases disappear around the corner.
"Erza?"