Chapter 27
Lucy groggily walked the streets of Crocus together with the equally sleepy Dragon Slayer named Sting Eucliffe. It looks like they have enjoyed talking with each other that they've not realized that it was already freaking 7AM and the sun's rising on the horizon.
'Great. Just great.' She frowned. If she didn't know any better, Natsu had already assembled a search unit to find her. She knew her team mates enough to do exactly just that. However, despite the possible humiliation this would cause, she felt guilty about that because from what Mirajane have recounted on her, when she went missing, all they did was group in a corner and plan and plan and plan, disregarding even their health.
She'll say her apologies later. For new, she'll first worry about the two of them because from an outsider's perspective, it looked like both of them have an extremely terrible case of hangover. Who wouldn't think of that? They were swaying from one side to the other, mouths hung agape and it felt like a drool was about to come out of her mouth.
'Eew. Such unbecoming for a woman who's supposed to be getting married.'
Snapping her thoughts back to the present day, she rearranged her mind to think clearly and if possible, stand and walk like a dignified lady in an educated society. Wiping the sleep, or lack of thereof in her face, combing her hair with her hands and straightening her clothes, she fixed her posture. She looked at the man beside her and smiled. Who knows Sting Eucliffe was this deep. Well, too deep. He practically pestered her and squeezed her dry of all the so-called love experiences she ever had until she gave in. And still, it wasn't enough.
'Natsu, I think you're the only one left out in the Dense Department.' She smiled inwardly at how their heart-to-heart talk went, that there's no time to sleep. Now, she's all tired because she can feel the huge bags under her eyes. Not that they're colossal heavy. It's just, well, they're there.
Ok, on the other hand, she'll take back the points she gave in this man's 'wholesomeness'. With this guy, Yukino's guaranteed to have sleepless nights. And Lucy didn't mean it in a sexual way.
However, talking with this guy made her realize that what she did to Laxus was pretty much bitchy, immature and insensitive. Now, she just wanted to get this done and say sorry. And if possible, crawl into a hole because of her own stupidity. How can she face Laxus now? She sighed in defeat. Guess, she'll just have to swallow her pride as a woman...hey, if it meant that they'll be moving on from this, then she's willing to concede. Besides, only a month left until she's officially a Mrs. Dreyar and those wedding arrangements were not going to finish themselves.
"WHAT THE FUCK!" Then something cursed and gasped in front of her. Wait, it gasped first, and then it cursed. Wait, 'its' don't curse; it has to be a 'someone'. And from the familiar tone she heard, she knew that he's angry. She took a careful and slow glance towards him. Big and muscle-y: Check! Fur coat: Check! Blond hair: Check! Angry expression: Lucy gulped. And another point for Lucy Heartfilia. Her answer was correct. It was Laxus Dreyar!
"And here I was searching all night just for you and you're just…just cajoling with this weakling?" He growled as he started walking towards them and stabbing a finger towards the younger male blond. A glare was fixed like he's going in for the kill.
Seriously, having three blonds in one scene was very difficult for a writer to describe. Should the writer start talking about shades to differentiate?
Seeing him, Lucy's eyes started to water. His eyes were frantic yet tired as bags adorned it. The normally brooding look he always donned was visibly downcast. His shoulders, despite the anger, were sagged. Even his normally spiky blond hair was disheveled. Guilt, guilt and more guilt stabbed at Lucy. Curse society and their view on the norm, proper behavior and maturity. She let the tears stream down her eyes.
Even if her knees buckled and seemed to have stopped in fatigue, she struggled to run as fast as her worn legs could take towards him and enveloped him in a hug, resting her head in his shoulder. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...and I didn't cajole with him. He just confessed."
"Confessed!" Laxus was livid in anger, clutching Lucy's body and pressing her body tightly against him. "Now, listen here, buddy" Laxus closed the distance to the still groggy man. "Don't touch my woman. Ever!"
"Um…Laxus, it wasn't me who got confessed." Lucy dismounted from her supposed-to-be bed of a man which earned her a groan, a disapproving look and after a second, an angry one.
"What! You're the one that confessed. Now, Lucy, we will have a wedding and I ain't cance…" Lucy closed the distance and captured his lips on hers. "..lling.."
"Shut up, okay. Tell you later." Then Lucy once again climbed on his body, though this time it was in a piggyback and quickly dozed off. Not exactly the position that Laxus had in mind. If someone might ask, he preferred it to be the one a while ago, with her leg tightly wrapped around his waist, moaning his name in pleasure. Now, that's a position.
"She loves you, you know…" Sting suddenly spoke even if his head was bowed down. "…last night, you're the only one that she could speak of. She's a keeper." The younger male blond suddenly looked at him and gave the older a thumbs-up.
For a moment, Laxus paused. It felt like he was being reprimanded by someone older than him. And this boy wasn't even older than him. The nerve of this boy! To think that a mere twenty-year old boy advised him, a 26 years old, in the matters of heart! That was beyond humiliating! More humiliating than losing to Natsu! He felt irritation for this insolent brat but before he could start contemplating on frying this man with a nine-thousand, nine-hundred, and ninety-nine Magic Power Finder point of electricity, Lucy snuggled closer in the crook of his neck. That brought him back to his rational senses...oops, more like perverted senses
'Irritation must run in the family. Yeah, yeah, that must be it…I hate you Gramps…' He thought, deciding on whether if he should also include his previous ancestors. Nah, maybe next time. He's much too tired from the lack of some sleep to list down all of the names under the Dreyar family, so for the moment, he just shrugged and said;
"I know and I ain't giving her to anyone."
