Everyone waited in anticipation for what Willy had to say about Levy. Willy stammered and looked embarrassed.
"The truth is...I...I..." he began.
Everyone leaned closer to Willy and the girls waited in anticipation. Then Willy smiled.
"...see Levy as a good friend and I don't have romantic feelings for her at all," he said brightly.
All of the boys and the girls face faulted at Willy's response.
"Say what?! You gotta be kidding me man!" growled Gray. "You were just kidding?!
"But you were blushing and acting shy and everything!" grumped Happy.
"Sorry guys," smiled Willy. "But I couldn't help it. I wanted to see your reactions and they were priceless!"
"So it was nothing more, but a prank?!" exclaimed Natsu crossly. "Not cool dude!"
"Are you sure you don't like Levy?" asked Jet suspiciously.
"Yeah. You really don't like her right?" asked Droy worriedly.
Willy smiled kindly. "Don't worry you two I can assure you, Levy's awesome and she's really smart, but I only see her as a friend," he said. "Nothing more and nothing less."
Both Jet and Droy let out sighs of relief. Obviously they were relieved that they didn't have any competition when it came to Levy. (Other than Gajeel that is. ^^)
"Wait... He was just joking?" wondered Lucy.
Levy sighed. "Whew. That's a relief. For a minute I thought that he was serious," she said.
"Yep. Besides, you already have a crush on a certain someone in the guild don'tcha Levy?" teased Cana.
Levy immediately blushed. "Cana! Be quiet! You're embarrassing me!" she squeaked
Then Wendy noticed Juvia doing something. She seemed to be doing something to the wall. Wendy took a look to see that Juvia turned one of her fingers into a drill and made a hole in the wall.
"Juvia? What are you doing over there?" she asked.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm made a hole so I can see my beloved Gray!" said Juvia with a slight maniac look. "I can't take all of this anymore! I want to see my beloved Gray in the nude!"
All the girls then looked at Juvia shocked at her plan.
"Well, I'll give her points for being honest," said Cana.
"Juvia are you out of your mind?!" exclaimed Carla. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"
"That's right!" agreed Lucy. "Especially since you're making a hole to peep! That's just plain wrong!"
"Don't be jealous just because you hadn't thought of it sooner love rival!" said Juvia. "You've always had your eyes set on him too!"
"Oh, would you shut up with that!" snapped Lucy. "I'm not as sick as you are!"
"What in the world is wrong with you Juvia?!" cried Levy. "Have you finally lost your mind?!"
"Yeah! Aren't you going a little too far?" asked Lisanna.
"Silence love rival two! There are some things that a woman must see!" snapped Juvia.
"Wait, you think of me as your rival now?!" sighed Lisanna. " I don't even have a crush on Gray!"
"Oh my goodness, things sure have gotten lively around here," said Mira smiling.
"Is that what you call it?" asked Carla.
"That's my big sis for you. Always looking for the positive of things," said Lisanna. "Even when things get a little crazy."
"I gotta admit Willy, you really got us that time," said Warren. "Never thought that you had the talent of an actor.
"Yeah I'll say," agreed Max. "Never would have guessed that you be the prankster type."
"Well, I do like to joke every now and again," chuckled Willy.
"So anyway, what is your relationship with Levy like?" asked Macao. "You two good buddies?"
"You bet she is," said Willy. "She's kinda like a little sister to me. She's also shares my interests in books. In fact, she gives me books to read from her room sometimes too. I also think her Solid Script magic's pretty cool. It reflects her passion for books and shows off how smart she is. If there's any books that I don't know about or if I want to read something new, Levy's the person I go to."
"Is that how the two of you became friends? Through books?" asked Elfman.
"Not exactly. Levy and I became friends from a different reason," said Willy. "She gave me a tour around town back when I first joined the guild. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't know my way around Magnolia. And she helped me be a little more open to people.
"I think I remember that!" said Jet.
"Wait... When was it again?" asked Droy. "I don't remember. Hey Willy. Could you tell me the story again? You know, just to refresh my memory?"
"I'd be happy to Droy," said Willy as he began another story. "It was actually a couple days after my little errand trip with Erza..."
It was another day in the guild. Willy had just walked into the guild hall eager to go on a job with with his friends, but when he got inside they were nowhere to be seen.
"That's weird," he said to himself. "I wonder where everyone went?"
In front of the bar, he saw Makarov. He was sitting on the bar drinking a mug of beer. He decided to ask him where his friends went.
"Hey Master. Sorry for interrupting you," he said.
"Oh, hey there Willy," greeted Makarov. "How are you doing my boy?"
"I'm fine," replied Willy. "Excuse master, but have you seen Natsu, Mira, and the others? I was hoping that I'd go on a job with them if they're around."
"Sorry my boy, but you just missed them," said Makarov. "Natsu and the others just went out on a job and the Strauss siblings are gone too."
Willy was disappointed. "Oh. I see. Man, I was really hoping to go out on a job with them. What am I supposed to do now?"
"You can go solo on a job if you'd like," said Makarov. "Or team up with another member to help them on a job."
"It wouldn't be the same," said Willy shaking his head. "Besides I hardly know anyone in the guild. I don't think they'd want me to be on their team after... you know."
"Come now my boy. That's in the past," said Makarov. "Besides, you should really try to make friends here."
"I know. But still..." sighed Willy who still feeling a little unsure
"You know what? Here's an idea. You still don't know your way around town right? Why don't you let someone show you around Magnolia?" asked Makarov. "That way you can get a grand tour of Magnolia and meet a new person."
"I... guess so. But who should I go with?" asked Willy.
Makarov hummed thoughtfully. "Now... let me see... who should join you?"
Makarov looked around to find someone suitable to go with him. Then he saw the perfect person, a certain female bluenette.
"Levy! Could you come over here please?" asked Makarov.
Levy heard Makarov calling her and she came on over. "What's up master? Something you need?" she asked.
"Yes. Could you do me a favor and show Willy around town?" requested Makarov. "He needs to know his way around and he could use some time with another person in the guild."
"Sure thing master. I'd be happy to," said Levy. She then turned to Willy and she gave him a bright smile. "Hey there. You're Willy Falconer am I right? I'm Levy McGarden. It's nice to meet you."
"Um... yeah. Nice to meet you too," said Willy shyly.
"Well then, shall we? I'll show you around town and we'll have lots of fun together," said Levy.
"Sure. That is if you don't mind," said Willy.
"I don't mind at all," said Levy. "Now come on! We got a lot of stuff to see."
"Okay then. Let's go," said Levy.
And so Willy and Levy left the guild so Levy could give Willy a tour of Magnolia. Makarov watched you both leave and chuckled to himself.
"Have fun Willy!" he called. "And don't stay with Levy for too long, otherwise Jet and Droy will get jealous!"
Back outside the guild Willy was feeling a little shy talking to Levy. He didn't know what to say to her. Then Levy spoke.
"What's up Willy? You seem quiet," said Levy. "Do you not like me or something?"
"No! It's nothing like that," said Willy hastily. "It's just... Well...um...you see..."
Levy giggled. "Boy, Lu was right about you being shy."
"Lu? You mean Lucy?" Willy asked.
"Yeah. It's just a nickname I call her," said Levy. "Anyway, I heard from Lucy that you'd be a little shy. Not only that, but she tells me that you're a sweet guy and in need to be a little more open.
"Is that so?"
"Yup. I also can tell that you're still feeling bad for what happened and I can't blame you," said Levy. "In fact, there was someone in the guild who was kinda in the same position as you were."
"Really? Who?" asked Willy.
Levy then gave Willy a wink. "I'll give you a hint. He's a dragon slayer like you and it's not Natsu or Wendy," she said.
Willy thought for a moment, then he knew who Levy was talking about. "Wait. Do you mean Gajeel?" he asked.
"Yup. You guessed it," said Levy. "Before you came along, Gajeel used to be in Phantom Lord. And like you he did some pretty bad stuff too and he had trouble making friends when he first joined Fairy Tail, but he eventually became friends with everyone and he's now one of our strongest allies."
"Wow. I didn't know that," commented Willy.
"So don't worry about what you did in the past," continued Levy. "Everyone in the guild forgave Gajeel for what happened, so I'm sure they've forgiven you too. And I'm sure you'll make lots of friends if you open up to them. If you need help making friends, I'll be happy to help you introduce you to some of the guild members."
"You would?"
"Of course. What are friends for?" smiled Levy. "You're my friend aren't you?"
Willy looked at Levy with surprise. Seeing her smile and being kind to him like this kinda reminded him of Mira in some ways. He couldn't help, but smile back at her.
"I'd like that Levy," he said. "I would like that very much. It would mean a lot to me."
"Anytime. Now I think I have a tour to give you," said Levy. "What do you say we stop talking and I start showing you around town?
Willy nodded. "Yeah. Let's go!"
For the next few hours or so, Levy and Willy went around town. Levy showed him everything about Magnolia, from Kardia Cathedral to South Gate Park. She even showed him a good place for him to swim whenever he needed to relax. Willy had a great time learning about everything there was to know about Magnolia. After that, they both set off back to the guild. The sun was nearly setting as they both walked home.
"So Willy, do you still like to read books?" asked Levy
"Yeah I still do," replied Willy. "You should know that I always love reading a good story."
"So what kind of books do you read?" asked Levy.
"You know which ones," said Willy. "I mostly read the ones about romance, heroism, and some other stuff. You?
"About the same as you if not more," said Levy. "Books about horror, adventure, romance, you name it. I love reading books period. In fact, I wouldn't be able to use magic if it wasn't for books."
"I think your magic is called "Solid Script" am I right?" asked Willy.
"That's right. It's a type of magic that turns my words into something solid," said Levy.
"Sounds interesting. You think you could show me sometime?" asked Willy.
"Sure. I'd be happy too. I can show you tomorrow if you want," smiled Levy. "I can even show you some books to read if you want to."
"Sounds great!" Willy smiled back.
"I'm also gonna introduce you to Jet and Droy and a lot of other people in the guild," added Levy. "Jet and Droy might be a little overprotective, but they're gonna love you once you start talking to them."
"You think so?"
"Sure. Once they get to you know you, you're gonna have lots of friends," said Levy. "Then you won't be alone all the time."
Soon enough, they came back to the guild hall. They were greeted to the sight of some certain guildmates that had just return.
"Hey look! There they are!" said Natsu.
"Hey Willy! Levy! We're back!" called Lucy.
"Hey you guys. Welcome back," said Levy.
"Hey you guys. How did the job go?" asked Willy.
"The job was completed successfully," said Erza. "However..."
"Natsu over here went over the top as usual," complained Gray.
"Shut up Gray! You were just as bad!" said Natsu.
"Either way, because of those two morons, our pay ended up being cut in half," whined Lucy.
"Hey. At least we got enough to cover for rent Lucy," said Erza. "Anyway, sorry we left you behind Willy. Hope you weren't too lonely."
"Nah. I was okay," said Willy. "Besides, I hung out with Levy while you guys were gone."
"With Levy? Really?" puzzled Lucy.
"Yup. I was just showing Willy around town and getting to know him," said Levy. "It was actually a lot of fun."
"Is that so? Glad you had fun you two," said Erza.
"Yeah. Levy's pretty cool. She showed me awesome places here in Magnolia and she even showed me a place to go swimming!" said Willy.
"That's pretty awesome," said Natsu. "Hey Willy. If you're not busy tomorrow, you wanna go do something?
"Yeah! Like go fishing?" chipped in Happy.
Willy shook his head politely. "Sorry guys, but no thanks. Levy was gonna show me her solid script magic tomorrow. I'm really interested to see how it works. She's also gonna introduce me to some of her friends in the guild. In the meantime, I'm gonna go home, take a bath, and get ready for tomorrow." Then he turned towards Levy. "Hey Levy. Thanks for showing me around and I'm really looking forward to tomorrow."
"You're welcome. I am too. Hope to see you then," said Levy.
"Well, anyway, I'll see you later guys. See you tomorrow Levy," said Willy as he left leaving Natsu and the others a bit stunned.
"What the heck?" murmured Natsu.
"Since when have those two got so close?" wondered Gray.
"It looks to me that Willy's found another friend," smiled Erza.
Lucy then whispered to Levy. "Nice job Levy. I was a little worried about leaving Willy alone, but you sure saved us that worry."
"Anytime Lu-lu," said Levy winking. "Besides, Willy's a total sweetheart. I was happy to show him around town and I'm looking forward to help him get more friends too. One thing's for sure, he seems more open than he was before. Don't you think so?"
Lucy smiled. "Yup. He sure does."
"Thanks to Levy, she was able to help me open up to everyone and we've been close friends ever since," finished Willy.
"What an awesome story!" said Jet. "That's our Levy for you!"
"Yup! She's the most friendly girl you ever want to meet," added Droy.
"Not to mention she helped you come out of your shell Willy," said Gray. "I was getting annoyed with you being shy all the time. You were acting just like Juvia."
"Hey! I wasn't that shy!" grumped Willy. Then he faltered. "Well... maybe a ton shy."
Every one of the guys couldn't help, but laugh.
"So that's how it happened," mused Erza. "Nice work Levy."
"Oh come on. It's no big deal," said Levy. "I was happy to help him."
"Don't be so modest. If it wasn't for you, Willy would have never opened up to everyone in Fairy Tail," said Lucy. "I'd expect nothing less than from my best friend."
"Oh come on Lu. You're making me blush," laughed Levy.
Meanwhile, Juvia managed to finish drilling through the hole and was looking through trying to see through all the steam with Wendy and Carla were trying to talk her out of it.
"Juvia! Stop it! The guys are gonna notice!" pleaded Wendy. "Plus I don't think it's a good idea!"
"You're setting a bad example for Wendy as well as every other woman in this bath!" scolded Carla. "So stop this foolishness right now!"
"I won't! I won't stop until I caught a glimpse at my beloved Gray!" said Juvia. "So don't interfere!" She tried to get a look, but she couldn't see a thing with all the steam. "Curses! Curse this steam blocking my vision, preventing me from seeing my beloved in the buff!"
"She's not gonna give up is she?" asked Lisanna flatly.
"I'd have to say no on that one," said Cana. "Erza, can't you say something to her?"
"I don't think it'll do any good. Let her have her fun," said Erza. "I'm sure she'll give up eventually."
"That's...not the response I was looking for," said Cana sweatdropping.
"That's Erza for you," giggled Mira.
"So who's next guys?" asked Willy. "Need I remind you, you only have two guesses left. Droy and Wakaba. Better make them count."
"Damn. I can't think of anyone else," growled Gray.
"Me neither!" groaned Natsu holding his head. "The only person I can think of is Lucy!"
"Come on Natsu, there's more girls than Lucy you know," said Happy flatly.
"We gotta really think on this one guys," said Warren. "Like Willy said, we only got two guesses left.
"Alright Droy," said Max. "You gotta think on this one. Make it count."
"You can do it Droy. Do it for Team Shadow Gear!" Jet encouraged.
"Okay! Leave it to me!" said Droy confidently. "Now... Let me think."
Everyone stared at Droy, waiting for him to make his guess. Droy thought and he thought and he thought. Then he came up with his guess.
"Okay! I have my answer!" said Droy. "Willy your crush has to be... Wendy!"
All of the guys gawked at Droy. "WHAT?!" they exclaimed.
"Me? Again? Didn't they already talk about me?" asked Wendy worriedly.
"Not necessarily. They did mention you, but they didn't make a guess regarding you," said Erza.
"Hmm. That's true," said Lucy. "But still, I doubt Willy has a crush on you Wendy."
"I agree," said Carla. "Not only is Wendy too young, but she has far better things to worry about rather than looking at boys."
"Hey Carla. That's not entirely true," said Wendy.
"Oh? You saying you like Willy then?" asked Cana teasingly.
"W-w-well no!" said Wendy blushing. "I... just admire him that's all! He's more like a big brother to me."
Erza smiled. "Well let's see what Willy thinks of you," she said.
"Droy come on. Didn't we already say Wendy," asked Jet.
"Technically we didn't. Macao just made the assumption that he did," said Droy. "Besides, you saw Willy's reaction when he asked about Rin. He practically screamed like a madman."
"Hey that's a good point," said Jet. "Pretty clever too."
"Nice thinking Droy," complimented Max."I didn't think about that."
"I don't really get it, but it sounds manly!" said Elfman.
Warren however was frantic. "Well Willy, do you like Rin?!" he demanded grabbing Willy by the shoulders. "Admit it! Do you or don't you?!"
"First of all, Warren you need to take it easy," said Willy. "Secondly, I'll give you credit for thinking this through Droy but again, I told you I don't see her that way. She's just a good friend and she's like a little sister to me."
"What!? Aw man! I really thought about it too!" groaned Droy.
"Well what do you know. It would appear Willy feels the same way you do Wendy," said Lucy.
"Of course he does," said Carla. "I wouldn't expect anything less of the man. Thank goodness he's more sensible than those other hooligans."
"I'll have to agree with you on that one," said Lucy.
"Well that pretty much narrows down a whole lot of people," said Cana. "That just leaves... a couple girls left. I wonder which one Willy likes?"
"Yeah. I'm starting to get really curious too," said Lisanna. "There's just Laki and..."
Then she suddenly realized something which made her look at Mira who was scrubbing herself with a sponge.
"No way... it can't be..." she thought.
"Alright guys, we only have one guess left," said Macao. "So we really need to make this count."
"And if I'm not mistaken," said Max. "the last guess goes to Wakaba since he hasn't guessed yet."
Wakaba then chuckled smugly. "Alright then. Guess it's finally my time to shine. Don't worry boys, for all our manly pride, I'm gonna guess this one for sure!"
"Manly!" commented Elfman.
"So Wakaba's the only one left eh? He's sure raring to go," said Cana.
"Not to mention he sounds really confident," said Levy. "It's as if he knows who Willy likes."
"One thing's for sure, there will be two outcomes," said Erza. "Either we'll hear who Willy likes or Willy's crush will remain a secret."
Then Lucy noticed something. A certain white cat was now next to the wall as well trying to listen in on the boy's conversation. Wendy noticed this too.
"Carla, what are you doing?" she asked.
"You wouldn't happen to be listening in on the guys would you?" asked Lucy slyly.
Carla jumped and then pretended that she wasn't listening at all. "Well... I... I was just stretching!" she said. "Yes! I was simply stretching my limbs from sitting in the spring."
She did some stretches to prove her point making Wendy and Lucy sweatdrop. Then they whispered to each other.
"Sounds to me that she's interested too. Don't you think Lucy?" asked Wendy.
"That's fairly obvious," said Lucy. "Then again I'm interested too."
Meanwhile a certain silver haired girl waited in anticipation for Willy's response, her heart was beating in her chest. For some reason, she was nervous about who Wakaba was going to say was Willy's crush was. One thing was for sure, she hoped that Willy's secret would stay a secret.
"Alrighty then. It's time I make my guess," said Wakaba. "Prepare to spill your guts Willy."
"Um okay..." said Willy uncertainly.
"Let me just start by saying this. I definitely know who your crush is," said Wakaba. "You wanna know why?"
"Um why?" asked Willy.
"Because I saw you the other day," said Wakaba. "When you were walking in the guild hall, you saw her. When you did, you started getting clumsy and you were blushing too."
Willy instinctively gulped. He remembered that day. He was hoping that no one would remember what, but Wakaba remembered. Wakaba went on with a devilish grin on his face.
"I also know which girl it was you were looking at, which leads me to believe that you like this girl," he continued. "I can even tell you what she looks like. First off, she's very young and very cute. Secondly she's very kind and sweet. Thirdly and most of all, she has white hair."
Willy flinched and began to get nervous. His heart was beating like a jackhammer and he may have been water, but he started to sweat. Wakaba was getting dangerously close. Both the boys and the girls thought about girls who looked young and had white hair in the guild. Only two came into mind and they were sitting on the girls side. The girl Wakaba was talking about felt her heart skip.
"Getting nervous yet? You should be, because I know who you like Willy," said Wakaba pointing a finger. "And the person you like, beyond the shadow of a doubt is..."
TO BE CONTINUED...
Hope you guys liked the chapter!
In other news, I just commissioned someone to draw a image of Willy!
Look forward to it!
Till then... Dragoman out!