I sorta went back in time a little here. This is around the beginning of their developing relationship, when Romeo and Wendy were both still around thirteen and just starting to like each other. Hope ya like it! :D
"Romeo~!"
The voice sent chills down the boy's spine because, even if she was an angel, when she held that voice, you could just hear her inner demon. So Romeo pretended to ignore her, hoping she'd lose interest in him (and his love life) and move on to Gajeel who sat not too far away from him. But no, she stood there, one hand on his shoulder to keep him from running, smiling so sweetly…too sweetly.
"Romeo," she sang again.
With a deep breath, he faced her, a smile forced onto his face. "Hey, Mira," he said in a voice he hoped held no fear. "What's up?"
The pretty barmaid shrugged, looking indifferent…to anyone who hadn't spent most of their childhood watching her play Cupid. Romeo knew that sparkle in her eye from watching years of her trying to make his dad find a real relationship, or trying to get Natsu to finally ask Lucy out. He almost shuddered when that sparkly-eyed look fell on him. "Nothing much," she replied after a minute. "Just cleaning up before going home. What are you doing here so late?"
Romeo shrugged back at her. If she could play dumb, so could he. "I don't know…lost track of time, I guess?"
"Oh? But I saw you looking at the clock only a minute ago. Quite nervously, I might add."
Crap. She saw that? He wanted to bang his head repeatedly against the counter for letting the demon-Mirajane catch him doing that, because that motion plus anxiousness plus the accidental catching of him staring at a pretty blue-haired girl led to one conclusion for that woman- he had a serious crush on Wendy Marvell. It was nearly ten at night, and his father had left on some date hours ago after telling his son to go ahead and go home. But Romeo had noticed Wendy staying behind chatting with Levy, noting that she had most definitely lost track of time and would be having a mild panic attack when she realized she'd have to be walking alone to Fairy Hills so late at night. He was waiting to be her sort of knight in shining armor. In other words, to walk her home safely.
Of course, he knew Mira had already put two-and-two together and figured that all out. That's why she was grinning so mischievously at him now. "I-I just realized how long I'd been here," Romeo stammered out in a lame excuse.
"Mm-hmm," Mirajane agreed. "Of course you did. Why don't you go ahead and go home then?"
Ah. She wasn't just merely making a comment, being reasonable. She was putting out a challenge. If he left, he proved her wrong and left Wendy walking home alone, since Carla had taken off somewhere with Happy, Lucy was gone to dinner or something with Erza, Natsu, and Gray, and Levy would surely be here a few more hours in the archives. If he stayed, he proved the demon right but saved Wendy from all that worrying of walking home alone at night.
Tough choice here.
So he saw only one solution.
"Yeah, you're probably right, Mira." He smiled at her shocked expression as he slid from the barstool and headed for the door. He waved goodbye over his shoulder. "See you tomorrow," he called, and then exited.
Mirajane frowned a little as she watched him leave, her gaze flickering in confusion between little Wendy and Romeo's retreating back. She was utterly baffled. She'd never been wrong about love before… "Hmph," she said, crossing her arms as she turned to walk into the back. "Maybe he doesn't like her after all…"
Wendy scrambled for the door, clutching her little handbag to her chest as she trembled. She was completely terrified of the dark, yet she'd been stupid enough to let the time get away from her and now she was walking home.
In the dark.
Alone.
Where was her overprotective cat when she needed her?
She braced herself for that familiar panicky, frantic heartbeat as she stepped through the doors and into the night, her mind torturing her with images of her getting killed by thugs or kidnapped off the dark streets never to be seen again…
"Wendy."
Wendy nearly screamed, whirling on her feet with her fists raised, ready to put up a fight (but probably not much of one) before she was taken. But then she realized it was only Romeo, coming up from around the side of the guild. She felt a relieved sigh escape her throat as she lowered her fist. "Romeo! What are you still doing here?" she asked, feeling relieved someone else was with her for the time being.
"I should be asking you that," he countered. "Aren't you afraid of the dark?"
The blue-haired girl blushed crimson. How on earth did he know that? "U-Uh, a little bit," she admitted, looking down at her feet. "I just forgot what time it was…"
"Well, how about I walk you home, then?"
Wendy looked up at him, eyes wide with shock. "Really?" she asked. "You would do that?"
Romeo smiled. "Of course. What else am I good for?" he joked, and she smiled, too.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
In his head:
Point one of me. Zero for Mirajane.
