Hey guys! Nice to see you again ^^~. I bring you new chapter of Pure!
First of all, thank you all for reading, following, making it your favorite story and reviewing. XD I appreciated it a lot. I replied to your reviews at the end of the chapter.
Special thanks to my beta, Iza XD As usual. She helped me with the "basketball scene", I don't know anything about basketball =))
I had fun writing this chapter although it's kinda long. I hope you guys don't mind.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.
Pure
Chapter 17 - Nothing
"OH, COME ON!" – Loke shouted when Fairy Tail missed another shot.
Lucy glanced at him and sniggered. The guy was so caught up in the game that he didn't even realized her classmates were looking at him weirdly, wondering who the hell he was. Lucy smiled to herself, then frowned when she realized that once Sabertooth won, she would have to humiliate the man in front of the whole town, even the whole country.
Humiliate… Humiliated… Humiliate….
A sudden memory flashed through her mind and she blinked. Did she just see Sting's face all covered in ink? She snickered when she remembered what happened in details.
Wait, I humiliated Sting once?
She widened her eyes in horror and she glanced at Loke again. Now, she felt kinda bad. Sting was her closed to her, it was okay if she played a prank on him. But Loke was different, besides, he was a model, a famous person. She didn't know what would happen to his career once that bet was on the newspaper.
Is that too much? Lucy mused.
Her thoughts didn't have any chance to go any further, though, because her attention was brought back to the game when Fairy Tail successfully scored.
The score by now was 30 goals to 29 with Fairy Tail in the lead.
Oh well, I could always change the condition later. She shrugged and focused on the game again, not bothered by that anymore.
The ball was wandering from Mamura to Rufus. The blonde from Sabertooth tried to pass through Jet, but the Fairy Tail's member was faster. Jet blocked his way and he didn't have another choice but to pass the ball to Rogue. Unfortunately, Gajeel successfully stole the ball and his team quickly concentrated upon counteraction. Rogue was trailing closely behind him; Gajeel was the only one who could be compared to him in speed. That was why Sting told him to set his eyes on the dark haired Fairy Tail player. Rogue blocked his way, glaring at him, yet, Gajeel just smirked. He quickly passed the ball to Gray and the second black-haired guy jumped, slamming another drunk for Fairy Tail.
The crowed got hyped up again and cheered loudly.
"Oh my God, Gray-sama's scored! Did you see it?" – Juvia squealed, making her friends sweatdrop at her behavior.
Lucy shook her head, smiling. C'mon, Sting, Rogue… Show me what you got…
31 goals to 29 for Fairy Tail.
"Come on! Let's get one in! – Sting shouted to his friends.
Jellal was holding the ball, he passed by Orga, but lost the ball to Sting. The blonde jumped. From this distance, he could still make a shot. However, before the ball could fly more than 3 feet, a figure hopped and hit the ball, changing its way of going and saving the basket.
"I don't think so." – Natsu said, smirking.
"WOW!" – The crowd continued to watch in awe. Sting glared at him.
"Wait, the ball's still in." – Lucy mumbled.
Before it went out of the court, Rogue quickly caught the ball. He rose up, his shoulders were tense and he made a jump, the ball went straight to basket, passing every hands which were trying to block it. Lucy held her breath…
*Bam* Gajeel appeared out of nowhere and hit the ball, leading it out of its original path. Lucy flicked her tongue. Damn it. The ball flew in Rufus' direction and he caught it, standing in front of the basket. He turned and saw Gray facing him. Both made their jumps; Rufus was taller, but Gray leaped higher. The ball hit his palm and went out of the court.
"YES!" – Loke shouted and Fairy Tail cheered, 3 block in a row.
"FAIRY TAIL! FAIRY TAIL! FAIRY TAIL! – The crowded started again. Lucy kept her face neutral, only biting her lips. It took all of her will power not to scream at Sting and his team. If I have to go on a date with him and kiss him in front all of my friends, IT WILL BE YOUR FAULT, STING! Lucy frowned slightly.
"Defense! Defense! Defense! – Reserve players from Fairy Tail shouted while Sabertooth's shouted – "Attack! Attack! Attack!
Mamura held the ball, wondering who he should pass it to. Most of the Tigers were blocked by Fairies.
"Mamura!" – Rogue yelled. He was standing among three players from Fairy Tail.
"That's impossible, they are blocking him too tightly." – Lucy murmured.
And she was right. Before Rogue could touch the ball, Gajeel had already caught it.
"Bastard." – Rogue cursed and Gajeel chuckled. – "Let's continue, shall we?"
Gajeel dashed toward the basket of their rival with Rogue following closely, being just one step behind.
"OOHHHHH!" – Some spectators unconsciously stood up. Lucy widened her eyes. So fast. Sabertooth quickly came back in defense.
"He's shooting!" – Levy yelled. Gajeel bounded and Rogue narrowed his eyes. Don't even think about it. He thought.
"Stop him, Rogue!" – Sting shouted. Rogue tried to block it, but his hand hit nothing. Gajeel threw the ball to his left hand, creating a false move to distract Rogue and handed it back to Natsu, who was standing behind him just a few feet.
"What?" – Rogue frowned. He turned around, but it was too late. Natsu took the chance, running to the basket really fast, then made a jump.
"YEAHHHH!" – The Fairies cheered loudly. Another score for Fairy Tail.
Loke smirked, he gave Lucy a thump up, on which she responded with an eyes-roll. Still, it was a really awesome shot, she admitted.
"NICE ONE, NATSU." – She shouted, smiling at him.
Natsu looked at her and gave her his toothy grin. He looked like a kid just receiving his birthday gift. 32 goals to 29 for Fairy Tail.
"Tsk." – Sting glared at Natsu's back, panting.
"Focus." – Rogue said calmly.
They restored the formation and continued the chase, trying to catch up with their rivals.
And it was not easy. That was the last round, let alone this was also Fairy Tail they were talking about. Lucy watched with amazement how the two teams pulled about the score fiercely. Last minute, Sabertooth had managed to draw, but the next minute, Fairy Tail was once again in the lead. Looking at her friends down on the court, she could partly understand why they loved this sport so much. All their personalities were exposed to her in the way they hit the ball, the way they led it, the way they blocked the ball. Natsu and Sting with strength, Gray and Rufus with cleverness, Gajeel and Rogue with briskness… Ha, members of both teams have found their true rivals. I bet the match between them is not an easy task. Lucy thought with a small smile on her lips. It was like they were born to face each other.
Another shot from Sabertooth and the score was 33 to 33. They were now equal, however, Lucy didn't know how long it would last.
At the moment, the ball was in Gray's hands and it seemed like he was going for another drunk. He ran past Orga and Rufus, throwing the ball to the basket without making a jump. Gajeel had read his intention and quickly made his move.
"Alley-oop?" – Woa. Lucy watched Gajeel jumping the highest he could. Somehow, the scene looked really familiar to her.
Almost there. Gajeel thought.
"I don't think so." – Rogue appeared, snatching the ball right under his nose. Both of them landed on the ground lightly.
"Rogue!" – Lucy breathed out. Right, I remember seeing Rogue making an alley-oop once. The familiar image popped in her mind and she unconsciously smiled.
"I just told you, you suck, Rogue." - She continued to laughed lightly. He flicked her forehead, making her yelp.
"Liar, I know I'm good."
"Then why did you ask?" - She pouted.
A light blush crept its way to his cheeks.
"I just wanna hear it from you." - He mumbled and looked at the ground, trying not to make eye-contact.
She raised her eyebrows in surprise and giggled. Aww, he looks so cute.
She stood on her tip-toe and kissed his cheek.
"I was kidding. You're excellent."
"C'mon, let's continue, shall we?" – Rogue said calmly.
Gajeel arched a brow and dashed toward him. Rogue passed through Jet and Gray, they were no match for his speed. The only one who could stop him was Gajeel. Rogue jumped to the basket, but Gajeel wouldn't let it happen. He raised his hand to block the Tiger's way, yet…
What? Gajeel widened his eyes. Rogue let go of the ball and it went straight into Sting's hands, who standing right next to him… They both smirked… Revenge is sweet.
"YEAHHHHH!" – A loud cheer from Sabertooth commented the duo's perfect action and Lucy laughed lightly. Nice job, Rogue. She looked at her phone. 4 minutes left. Sabertooth was in the lead.
"Don't let them score anymore." – Sting shouted to his team and they all nodded. Fairy Tail would surely try to level the score, Sabertooth was having the upper hand, they couldn't let it slip so they tightened their defense. Various series of shots were made, but none of them could pass the hands of the players from Sabertooth. Next to Lucy, Loke looked like he was on the tenterhooks. The time was running out, if Fairy Tail wanted to win, they had to level the score, quickly.
2 minutes.
The ball was in Natsu's hands. Sting was marking him with precision, but Natsu could see the weak spot in Orga. He passed the ball to Gray and the guy handed it to Jet, standingbehind Orga. Orga was tall, but Jet had the advantage of speed. He successfully caught it, then passed it to Gajeel. The black-haired guy jumped. Unfortunately, Rogue was slower just a tad and the ball went smotthly through the net.
"Fuck!" – Sting cursed. 34 goals to 34, a tie again.
1 minutes.
Both teams desperately tried to score. They were taking this friendly match too seriously. The ball was again in Gray's hands. He passed it to Natsu and the team captain jumped to make a score.
"Sorry, that's not going to happen, Natsu-san." – Sting said quietly. Sting caught the ball and Sabertooth flooded back the rival's ground. Natsu glared.
25 seconds.
He chased after Sting. The two team captains were glaring at each other. After several passes, the ball came back to Sting again. Natsu tried to snatch it, but the blonde dodged him quickly.
13 seconds.
Sting suddenly made a jump…
"What? From that distance?" – Lucy murmured. The crowd stood up, holding their breaths.
Sting threw the ball in the basket's direction. Natsu narrowed his eyes and followed his movement. He jumped himself. The ball slipped on his fingers, still going to the basket. However, it was clear it was not gonna reach it.
7 seconds.
Loke frowned, but his brows ceased immediately. Oh well, there's no solution to the problem. Sorry, Lucy, but it's my win.
Lucy sighed in defeat and slumped on her seat. A foul, damn it. The ball hit the hoop and went out.
4 seconds.
Fairy Tail was about to scream in relief when a figure suddenly turned up in the air.
Rogue hit the ball and it went back to the basket.
"What?" – Lucy stood up.
1 seconds.
*Tink* 35 goals to 34 for Sabertooth.
0 seconds. Time's up.
The stand was quiet for a moment.
Sabertooth won.
Suddenly, the B stand broke out in loud cheers.
"YEEAAHHHH!" – Sting and his team rushed at Rogue and picked him up. Rogue smiled widely and the crowd went crazy.
"SABERTOOTH! SABERTOOTH! SABERTOOTH! SABERTOOTH!" – They screamed and jumped and laughed, some of them even cried.
Too dramatic. Lucy thought. She looked at the court and grinned, shaking her head at her friends and boyfriend.
"Unbelievable." – Gray sighed, scratching his head. He looked at his team and they were all panting slightly.
"Tsk." – Gajeel grunted and mumbled something under his breath. Natsu stood at one place, motionless for a minute, and Gray almost laughed out loud at his face. After regaining his composure, Natsu laughed, too. Gray raised a brow, he thought Pinky would throw a tantrum in the middle of the court, but seemed like the guy handled it pretty well.
"Well, that was fun." – He said.
"You're not mad?" – Jet asked, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Why should I? It's not like we suck. They just got lucky." – He grinned and his friends chuckled. He was a really optimistic guy.
"You guys were excellent. I can't wait until the real competition happens." – Natsu exclaimed and they all nodded, regaining their determination real fast. Fairy Tail team then made their way to Sabertooth. The Tigers turned their heads to look at their rivals. They won, but of course Fairy Tail surely didn't make it a tad easy.
"Not bad, Sting." – Natsu smirked. – "It was a nice match."
Sting looked at him, blinking. And in a flash, Rogue was able to detect something in his friend's eyes which he had never seen when Sting and Natsu communicated: No cockiness or arrogance, just pure pride and admiration.
Sting nodded in a silent "Thank you".
"I'm looking forward to the real match and believe me, it's not going to be easy like this again." – He smirked and Sting returned the expression. I'm looking forward to it. He thought.
Rogue glanced at Gajeel and caught his eyes. He gave him a small nod. Rogue smiled.
He then looked at the A stand to look for someone. Members from Fairy Tail guilds went to the ground to join their team, including Lucy.
Lucy quickly pushed Loke out of her mind when she made her way where her classmates were standing.
"That was so cool, Gajeel." – Levy squealed and hugged her boyfriend.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." – He rolled his eyes, but hugged her back anyway. Lucy pulled Natsu and Gray into a bear hug, ignoring a tingling sensation behind her back.
"You guys were so great, that was quite a performance." – She grinned.
"Yeah, you all did great. It doesn't matter if you didn't win." – Erza nodded her head, glancing at Jellal. He gave her a warm smile, making her blush.
"Even so, I still think we could do better than that. We're gonna have our revenge at the real match!" – Natsu said, full of determination. Although they didn't win, they all still had fun and that was all that mattered. There was no doubt that Sabertooth had progressed a lot. Lucy looked at her friends chatting, bickering, and laughing with each other. Suddenly, Natsu glanced at Lucy.
"You should go." – Natsu said, grinning at her. Lucy snapped out of her thought.
"Huh?" – She blinked at him.
"Go to them…" – He jerked his head at where members of Sabertooth were standing. – "I know you want to congratulate your friends, they deserve that."
Lucy stared at him, but he just kept grinning with his toothy grin at her. She looked around and her friends nodded their head. She giggled. – "Thanks, guys." – Seemed like they were no longer showing their hostile towards Sting and Rouge, that made her feel more than happy.
Lucy rushed at her friends, Natsu's eyes followed her to the away ground. Gray stared at him.
"You like her, don't you?" – He asked quietly. Natsu looked back at him and arched a brow.
"She's one of my best friends. Of course I like her."
Gray snorted. - "You know what I mean."
Natsu rolled his eyes. – "Whatever." – He gave Lucy one last look before turning around. A stinging feeling crept through his heart, but he shook his head to clear his mind. Gray caught his eyes and ruffed his head, his face blushed slightly. Natsu gave him a weird look, his face crunched in confusion and he gave Gray a punch right in the nose, taking him off guard.
"Why, you son of a… What the hell IS WRONG WITH YOU?" – Gray held his bleeding nose and shouted. He was trying to console the idiot and he paid him back with a punch?
Natsu blinked. – "I thought you were sick." – He said innocently.
A vein popped on Gray's forehead and he gritted his teeth. – "You fucking idiot, you want a fight or something?"
Natsu glared at him. – "Oh hell-to-the yes."
"Flamebrain."
"Popsicle."
"Pinky!"
"Stripper!"
And the list went on as they started wrestling, unable to see a deadly aura which was emitting from Erza. Juvia was crying something about Natsu hurting Gray-sama.
"It's good to see them full of energy again, ne?" – Levy giggled. Her arms hooked around Gajeel's.
He shook his head. – "A bunch of idiots." – He looked over Natsu's shoulder and saw Rogue was smiling slightly at Lucy.
We'll face again, Rogue. He smirked.
Lucy rushed at Rogue and attacked him with a bear hug, almost making him lose his balance. He laughed lightly at her.
"Oh my God, Rogue. You're so great!" – She squeaked and kissed him hard on the cheek. Rogue blushed slightly and picked her up, spinning her around. Lucy then noticed the first-aid bandage on his face.
"Wait, what happened to your face?" - She scowled, touching his wound delicately.
"Yukino caused it, he pissed her off." - Mamura answered before Rogue got the chance to open his mouth. He glared at him.
"What?"
"It's nothing, just a misunderstanding. I'm fine." - He assured her.
Lucy nodded. - "Okay, if you say so." - She smiled at him again.
"Hey! What about me?" – Sting whined, not minding his friends seeing him acting childishly. She giggled and wriggled herself out from Rogue's arms to hug him.
"You're great, too." – She said quietly, kissing his nose. He smiled gently, tightening his hold around her waist. Rogue slightly looked away.
"Aww, what about us? Lucyyy~" – Other members of the team said, pouting and giving her puppy eyes. Although the look didn't suit them at all, especially Orga. Lucy snickered.
"Okay, come here." – She stretched out her arms and they dashed at her. But before even one of them could touch her, Sting moved to stand in front of her, blocking their way.
"Don't even think about it." – He grunted..
"You're so mean." – Rufus said, pretending to be sobbing. Lucy chuckled and shook her head.
"Anyway, are you guys gonna celebrate or something?" – She asked.
"Yeah, we should definitely throw a party. It's the first time we won against them." – Mamura suggested excitedly and they all nodded eagerly.
"Great! Tonight, 6PM, my place." – Rufus announced.
Lucy smiled. He then looked at her expectedly, making his friends also turn to look at her. Lucy blinked.
"Oh! No, sorry I can't, I have a follow-up examination with my mother's private doctor." - She said. Sting blinked, then nodded.
"Oh, that's okay. You're still recovering anyway. Although it will be more fun if you can come." – Sting pouted playfully at her. Lucy thought for a moment.
"I'll try to stop by a little. I'm sure mom will let me." - She grinned.
"Cool. See you tonight." – They said, leaving her to Rogue and Sting. The trio also stepped out of the court, since Blue Pegasus and Mermaid Heel were about to compete in any minute.
After washing their faces and drying their bodies, three of them went to the canteen.
"C'mon, let's go get something to eat. I'm hungry." – Rogue said, grabbing her hand. Sting quickly followed them.
By the time they finished their meals, it was already noon. The atmosphere couldn't be any better, three of them were all content. Although, Lucy couldn't help but feeling she had forgotten something. Something that was kinda important.
After that, the trio stayed at school to watch different sports like fencing or swimming. It was quite interesting, Erza won after she beat Kagura Mikazuchi in fencing. In swimming, Juvia won the gold medal… Boxing, athletic, badminton, ping-pong, and other sports would take place next day as well as the day after. The last day would be the real match of basketball. Four guilds would compete among one another. There was no doubt that the finalists would be Sabertooth and Fairy Tail again. They would surely crush those Unicorns and Mermaids.
Lucy wondered why members of Mermaids could take part in, because clearly… They were all females. Sting told her that at first, Mermaid Heel couldn't join. But after a long fight about "feminism" and "gender equality", Masters had finally given in. The rival they had ever managed to defeat was, of course, Blue Pegasus. That guild was full of idiots anyway. Lucy snickered, the Sport Congress was absolutely interesting. Now that Sting had finally obtained what he always wanted: gain a victory over Fairy Tail; Lucy's support to her guilds could come back. She couldn't wait to the next match.
[Heartfilia's mansion]
The nurse gently took off the bandage around her left hand and shoulder. The wounds had closed, but the doctor didn't want to risk it opening again, so he said that she could limit any kind of thread in another week. He also said that her recovering progress was pretty good. She just needed to keep taking medicine at a set time so she could be fully recover sooner. Layla let out a relieved sigh, she smiled at her daughter. Everything was getting better.
"Mom?" – Lucy called after the doctor and the nurse had left.
"Yes, honey?" – Layla turned to look at her.
"Can I stop by Rufus' house, Sting's friend, a little bit? They're throwing a party there. I'm not gonna attend or anything, I just want to see them and talk. Is that okay?" – She asked.
"Sure, no problem. But no alcohol, okay? And be home soon." – She told her daughter, kissing her forehead.
"Thanks, mom." – Lucy beamed. Layla took a tray with tea and walked out of the room.
When Layla was gone, Lucy rushed to her closet to pull out a rosy sleeveless blouse, white denim short skirt, and black Oxford high heels. She let her hair down, putting on some mascara and lip gloss. She wanted to look cute, but not overdressed.
Since when did I start to dress up for that idiot? Lucy asked herself and chuckled.
Whatever… She ran outside and saw that the silver Chevrolet of her mother was waiting. As soon as her skin made contact with the cold air, she immediately regretted her choice of clothes. Well, too late now. She shrugged and got in the car.
"Hey Scorpio, could you please take me at this address?" – She said, handing him her phone. Sting had sent her Rufus' address when she got home.
"Hai, Lucy-sama." – Scorpio nodded and started the engine.
[Rufus' party]
"I can't believe he didn't come. That cold freak." – Sting grunted again. Not all too surprisingly, Rogue didn't come.
"He's the star of the party and he didn't come!" – He threw his arms in the air. Sting had used every trick, trying to lure him with everything he got, but the guy didn't budge. He exclaimed that he had homework to do. Sting rolled his eyes.
"Really? What a shame." – Rufus said nonchalantly.
"Yeah, he'll miss a lot of fun." – Orga spoke.
"I agree. Although, I'll say that maybe it's not too bad for him that he stayed at home." – Rufus chuckled.
"Why?" – Sting asked.
"Because his ears won't be tortured by Orga's singing voice." – He said and Sting chuckled.
"Hey!"- Orga smacked his head, but he dodge it. The big guy's hand landed on another guy's head standing next to the long-hair guy. Sting and Rufus busted out laughing.
"Anyway, I wonder when will Lucy come?" – Sting checked the time again. The party started half an hour ago.
"Don't worry, she'll come. I'll go get a drink, want some?" – Rufus asked and two of them nodded.
The car stopped in front of Rufus' house. It was big, but not as big as Lucy's (of course). She told Scorpio to park somewhere and she would call him when she was about to leave.
Lucy started to walk in. The bass from the music beat loudly, the vibrations focusing in her ears and chest. Lucy looked around and smiled in amusement. It was crazy inside, people shouted, they yelled, they fought, they made out, they flirted, they laughed… They could make another perfect Fairy Tail. The only difference between them and Fairy Tail was: they were crazy when they were on a party, however, Fairy Tail members were crazy everywhere they went. Lucy snickered at her thought.
"Ooooh~ A princess, are you lost or something, doll?" – A guy, probably a freshman, gave her a whistle.
She rolled her eyes at him and just kept walking.
"Hey, it's not very polite to ignore someone talking to you like that, ya know?" – He leered and started walking backward before her.
She paid him no attention, she just wanted to find Sting and Rogue as quickly as possible. The guy just kept talking and she just kept silent.
He got annoyed after a while. – "Hey, I'm talking to you." – He scowled, extending his hand to grab her arm. Yet, someone's hand prevented him from doing so.
"What the …" – He spun around and saw Rufus stared at him coldly. His grip tightened and the guy winced.
"Ru-Rufus-senpai?"
"She's Sting's best friend and your senpai. Touch her and I'll cut off your hand." – He said, unsmiling.
Rufus was bringing some drink back to his friends when he saw this guy harassing Lucy. He knew how important Lucy was to his friends. She was their friend meaning she was his friend, too.
"H-Hai." – The guy stammered. Rufus shoved him out of his way and moved to greet Lucy.
"Good evening, Lucy."- He smiled.
"Good evening, Rufus… Great party." – She said teasingly.
He chuckled. - "Yeah, sorry about that."
"It's okay." – She shrugged.
"You're looking for Sting, right?" – He inquired. She nodded.
"Very well, follow me." – He led her through the crowd to where Sting and Orga were standing. They both knew they probably shouldn't say anything about the incidence.
"Lucy!" – Sting's lit up when he saw her.
"Hey, idiot. Having fun?" – She smiled at him, nodding as a greeting at Orga. He waved at her.
"Not really, Rogue didn't come." – He grumbled.
"What? Why?" – Lucy frowned.
"I don't know. He just didn't want to come, he's staying home doing homework or something."
"Oh." – Lucy mumbled. Maybe I should stop by their house later. She nodded to herself.
"It's too loud to talk in here, let's go outside." – Sting said loudly through the music.
She waved to Rufus and Orga, then followed him to the backyard. They sat on a swing near a rock-garden, Sting used his legs to push it back and forth.
Silence.
An awkward silence embraced them both.
The cold air licked her skin and Lucy unconsciously shuddered. Sting stole a glance at her, immediately taking off his leather jacket to wrap it around her.
"You wear that kind of clothes in the weather like this." – He complained.
Lucy glared at him, she unwrapped the jacket and threw it on his head. Sting pulled it down and glared back at her. He sighed in defeat.
"You look cute, but I don't want you to catch a cold. So don't be such a brat and put it on already." – He wrapped it around her again.
Jerk. She pouted.
Silence, again….
Gosh, this is awkward. Somebody help me! Lucy screamed in her head.
"Are you okay?" – Lucy jumped when he suddenly asked. This time, he had a small smile on his face expressing his amusement.
"Eh… Fine, I guess. Why?" – She tilted her head.
"Because you're having the look of "Somebody help me" on your face." – He chuckled.
Her eyes widened slightly and she quickly adverted her eyes on the ground, starting to blush. Why did he have to know her so well. Sting smiled gently at her.
Lucy almost flinched when she felt something warm on her left hand which was lying beside her thigh. She blushed even harder when she realized it was Sting's hand. Lucy turned up her palm to interlace her fingers with him. Her face was red like a ripped tomato. Sting looked the other way, his left hand was busy covering his hot cheeks.
What the hell is wrong with me? They both thought. The duo didn't even know why they were blushing like this. They held hands all the time, but this time, there was something different. After a few minutes which felt like eternity to them, Sting managed to murmur.
"This is embarrassing."
"Definitely." – Lucy nodded eagerly.
Finally, after gathering all his strength and clearing his throat several times, Sting opened his mouth. – "So… What…are…we…now?" – He asked slowly.
Lucy shrugged. – "I don't know. Boyfriend and girlfriend?"
Sting looked at the sky, contemplating the sound of it.
"It sounds weird, right?" – She said.
Sting mimicked her early gesture, nodding eagerly. – "Yep, absolutely." – Lucy snickered.
Who would have thought that someday she would fall for her best friend. But then again, Lucy once read on a weekly magazine that between male and female, there would never be something call "best friends". It was only a matter of time before one of them would start to develop feelings for the other. She had rolled her eyes and called it stupid, and yet, look at where she was then. Lucy thought that their friendship would never change and she hoped that it would never have to. But, now she was standing on a three-way crossroad and the way she took would change their lives forever. It didn't matter, though. She accepted to take the risk, didn't she?
"I think we should just call it an improved relationship, right? – She suggested.
"Yeah, the whole boyfriend and girlfriend thing sound sappy." – He chuckled and Lucy grinned.
The tension had disappeared and they relaxed again. She rested her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her, but didn't break their hands-holding.
"Can I ask you something, Sting?" – Lucy asked quietly, closing her eyes and enjoying the warmth emitting from his body, blending with the cold wind. Sting hummed in response.
"Since when have you known that you have feelings for me?" – Sting smiled at her question.
"A long time ago, I guess. I just woke up in a random morning and I realized that I somehow had developed some special feelings for my best friend." – He answered, kissing her hair. Lucy giggled and a sudden realization hit her. A long time ago? Ahhh, so the girl he talked about was me. No wonder all the girls he dated has blonde hair and brown eyes. And here I thought that he wanted to date someone looking like him with that hair, but couldn't find someone having his eyes color so he accepted the girls with brown eyes. Lucy laughed lightly at her stupidity. Hey, I remembered another thing again!
Sting looked down at her face. - "What's so funny?"
Lucy shook her head, her hair tickling Sting's face. – "Nothing, just thinking." – He smiled gently and picked her up, placing her on his lap and wrapping his whole body around her. She let out a content sigh. Warm…
"Sting?" – She called him again.
"Hm…?" – His name resounding from her lips made him feel easy. Eyes closing, he put his head on the crook of her neck.
"Can you promise me something?" – She asked and felt he nodded his head against her skin.
"If things don't work out between us, can you still be my friend?" – Lucy mumbled with sadness filling her tone.
Being near him was enough, even if she could no longer be the one that made him happy. Seeing him with another girl or smile at another one would be painful, she knew it. But he was precious to her, she couldn't bear losing the sight of him. So for her own sake, she would endure it. If…things between them couldn't be like this in the future.
"Friend?" – Sting asked, not looking up.
His heart ached at the possibility, he didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to think about it.
You mean letting you go, watching you fall in love with another man or touch him like you touched me? He sighed quietly.
No, Lucy, I can't, because I will definitely go crazy if I'd have to see it. He inhaled her scent, calming his own mind.
If things didn't work out between us, I could never be your friend again.
But, he would never let it happen, he had her and he would fight for her. Just… Let him give her a promise he could never fulfill, for once.
"Yes, I promise." – He answered quietly. Lucy smiled, she touched his arms.
Fight for me, Lucy. And I'll fight for both of us.
"I love you." – He whispered, his breath tickling her skin.
"What?"- She heared him said something dimly in the wind, but she couldn't catch it.
"Nothing." – He smiled.
Two of them sat there, enjoying the new sensation. It was strange, yet familiar at the same time.
"Hey, Luce… Wanna go on date with me?" – Sting asked out of the blue, kissing her neck.
"A date?" – Lucy unconsciously tilted her head aside, giving him more access.
"Yeah, a date." – He mumbled.
"A date?" – She asked again.
The word brought back something she thought she had forgotten. Sting knitted his brows slightly. – "Yeah?"
A date.
A date?
A DATE!
"LOKE!" – Lucy screeched and suddenly stood up. Sting jumped at her outburst.
"What?" – He frowned. What did Loke have anything to do with them now?
"That bastard dared to draw back from his word?" – Lucy pulled out her phone to call her father. Loke had disappeared from her mind the moment Sabertooth won.
Sting quickly snatched her Iphone from her hand.
"Woa… Easy there. What's wrong?" – He gave her a look of confusion. Lucy sighed and sat back on his lap.
"He came to watch you play this morning, remember? And we kinda made a bet."
"A bet?"
"Yeah, we agreed that once Fairy Tail won, I would have to go on a date with him and kiss him in front all of my friends, meaning including you and Rogue." – She said nonchalantly, making Sting's jaw drop.
"WHAT? Are you fucking kidding me? What if we didn't win?" – He almost yelled, pinching her cheeks.
"Ow, ow, ow… Let go, stupid." – She slapped his hands. – "You won, right? So let it go." – She glared.
"But-"
"Let-it-go." – She bumped her head against his chin.
"Shit!" – He grumbled in pain. – "You're too violent." – Lucy shrugged, sticking her tongue out at him.
"So, what will he do, seeing that we won?" – He asked, sighing.
She laughed lightly, thinking about Loke wearing a bikini while holding a board with a big "I'm gay" on it. Sting raised his brows.
"It's a secret. You'll know when you see it." – She put her index finger on her lips.
"Aw, c'mon, tell meeeee~" – He whined. Lucy giggled.
"Nope, sorry." – She turned her head half way to give him a kiss on the lips as an apology.
Sting sighed again. - "Fine." – He hoped that it was not something too bad.
"Anyway, how about next Friday? I'll take you to anywhere you want to go." – He grinned.
"You'll still take me anywhere I want to go even if we're not on a date." – Lucy said casually.
That was how their relationship always worked. She would get anything she wanted from him and he would do anything to give it to her.
"Whatever, do you want to go or not?" – He said, not wanting to argue with her any further.
"Sure. But where will we go?"
"It's a secret, I'll tell you later." – He smirked. To be honest, he didn't know yet.
Lucy rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway.
"Oh and one more thing…" – Sting said. Lucy titled her head to look at him.
"Don't tell anyone about us, even Rogue, okay?"– She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Why?"
"I have my reasons. And believe me, there's nothing I want more than tell the world that you're with me. But let's keep it a secret, just temporary, okay?" – He said gently. Lucy bit her lips.
"Okay." – She nodded. She trusted him so she was not gonna question his request.
"Thank you." – He mumbled.
Two of them simply stayed in each other's arms, enjoying the other's company, they talked about everything and nothing at the same time. Sometimes their conversation didn't go anywhere, just around some silly things. But it was fun and relaxing.
She called Scorpio to pick her up when it was around 8. Sting walked her to the front yard where her driver was waiting for her.
"Good night, Stingy." – She grinned, using his old nickname, then stood on her tip-toes and gave him a long kiss. She slightly pulled back, but Sting wouldn't let her. He pulled her closer, one arm wrapped around her waist and his other hand pressed against the nape of her neck. He kissed her twice, including this one and he was already addicted to it. He felt her grin and before he knew it, she smacked the side of his neck.
"Ow! What was that for? I swear you're too violent, it should be illegal." – He grumbled after releasing her lips, but keeping his arms around her.
"I have to do it or you'll never let me go." – She giggled. – "See you tomorrow." – She pecked his cheek and ran to her car before he could react.
"Bye, Blondie." – He waved, smiling. He walked back inside after the car had gone, thinking about Rogue.
[Weisslogia's house]
Lucy stood in front of the door of Weisslogia's house. She had asked Scorpio to bring her here. Scorpio knew that Jude-sama wouldn't be very pleased if he knew she was here, visiting the house of someone he had forbidden her to see. Lucy knew that, too. But she didn't say anything, implying that she would either listen to him or not. She would just do what she wanted to do.
Lucy stepped into the front yard and nostalgia flooded her whole body. She must have spent so much time here. She pulled Sting's jacket tighter, he said that she should keep it and just return it to him tomorrow. Lucy took a deep breath and his scent filled her nostrils, calming her nerves. Her heels clicking on the courtyard, the atmosphere was as quiet as the grave.
Pushing the door open, she walked in. She didn't feel like knocking.
Lucy walked pass the living-room and moved to the kitchen when she didn't see anyone. She somehow knew exactly what room was. Lucy walked upstairs because no one was down here.
The house had two floors, the first floor had three rooms which were Rogue's and Sting's. She knew as much, because since they had their names on it. The third room was the laundry room. Lucy guessed that their father's room must be on the second floor. She saw the light under the edge of the door of Rogue's room. Her bare foot made soundless noise on the floor as she approached it slowly. She opened the door, trying hard not to make any noise in case he was concentrating on something. Lucy peeked in, his room covered mostly in black. She smiled. That was so…Rogue. His study desk was on the right side of the room while the bathroom was on the left. His bed stood opposite of the door. Rogue was sitting on his bed, using his arms as props and looking of his windows, deep in thought. Lucy smirked mischievously. She moved toward his back, using her cold hands to touch his bare arms.
"Hello, Rogue." – She whispered and he jumped out of his skin. His face twisted in horror. Lucy busted out laughing, his face was priceless. Rogue let out a relived sigh when he was her.
"You… should… have… seen your… face." – She said between giggles.
Rogue tried to scowl at her, but failed to do so when he heard her laugh.
"You wanted me to die on a heart attack or something?" – He scolded slightly, pulling her arm to make her sit on the bed with him.
"Sorry." - Lucy snickered.
She calmed down and noticed he was staring intently at her. His red eyes were piercing through her soul, seeking for something. She stared back and tilted her head aside after a minute.
"What?" – She smiled.
"Nothing." – Rogue shook his head.
Was that just him or she was more gorgeous every minute he looked at her face?
"Why are you here?" – He asked quietly.
Lucy pouted. – "Do I have to have a reason to see my friend?" – She asked.
Lucy blinked when she noticed his frown as if he was hurt.
Friend… He inwardly sighed.
Lucy knitted her brows slightly. - "Something's wrong? Why didn't you come to the party? Are you sick?"
She leaned in to touch his forehead, checking his temperature. He shook his head and took her cold hand inside his warm palm. It was like ice and fire had met each other.
"I didn't feel like coming." – He said quietly.
His team won and of course he felt happy, but the feeling didn't last long. After he went home, he began to feel uncomfortable. There were some nagging feelings that kept bothering his mind. Rogue released her hand and laid down on his bed, one hand behind his nape. Lucy followed his movement and rested her cheek on his chest, facing him. He stroked her hair smoothly. Rogue was glad to see her.
"I want to see you so I came after talking to Sting. Where's your father?" – She asked.
"He's having an assignment in Seven. He'll be back in a couple of days." – He answered swiftly, closing his eyes.
Lucy looked at him and touched the scratch on his face which was still red. Damn that girl for ruining his handsome face. She thought, frowning. Her face stretched when she realized what she just thought. She unconsciously giggled.
"What?" – He asked, smiling as he heard her twitter.
"Nothing." – She smiled when he looked down at her. He gazed at her again, then sat up. Her head fell on his lap.
"You're acting differently, you know?" – He said, his fingers brushed against her cheek intimately.
"How so?" – She smiled again. His warmth touched her eyelid and she closed her eyes, letting out a soft sigh. She felt in peace.
"I feel like you're the old Lucy again, the one before you has an amnesia." – He mumbled.
Lucy just hummed, her smile never left her face. She didn't mind when he mentioned her old self. – "Really?"
He nodded, but realized that she didn't see him. – "That's not something Lucy of yesterday would ask, wouldn't she?" – Lucy of yesterday would lose her composure when someone compared her with her old self.
"But I'm not Lucy of yesterday, right? I'm Lucy of today." – She murmured, suddenly feeling sleepy.
"Yeah…" – He said. That's why it's strange. - "Did something happen between you and Sting?"
Lucy unconsciously held her breath and it didn't go unnoticed by Rogue.
She knew he was asking about the night when they made up. – "No, why?" – She felt bad for lying him, but she promised Sting that she wouldn't tell.
"Nothing." – He breathed, smiling a sad smile. She's hiding something from me. Lucy never hid something from him, excepted her true feelings, not that he couldn't read them.
His tone made her eyes snap open and her brown orbs met his red ones. He was staring at her again. She looked closely into his eyes and her heart almost break when she saw too much lonesomeness and sorrow in them. She suddenly felt guilty for something. For lying to him? She didn't know.
She slowly sat up and kissed his cheek slightly, burying her face on the crook of his neck.
"Can I stay here tonight?" – She whispered.
Rogue hugged her, putting his arms around her waist. His thought trailed back to Sting and he tightened his hold on her.
"Okay."
End of chapter 17
A long StiCy moment, not much RoLu in this chapter, though. Things are just getting started XD You'll see more of them in the next chapter. Sorry if I disappointed you, RoLu fans :P
My gratitude to those who had reviewed: Rolulove4ever (Now you know XD), guest
DarqueDeth4444: I don't know if I should, I feel kinda bad for him :))
zin-chan-luvs-u: =)) You're weird, but "good" weird XD You're review was funny, as always. You'll find out soon, dear ^^~.
Shouko Heart: =)) Banana? *point up* you should be friend zin-chan-luvs-u :)) You two are funny.
NatashAurel: I wish they were canon :'( Well, not much RoLu in this chapter, but next chapter I guess XD. Thank you for review, RiMika shipper =))
mmkrinkuta 161: Aw, thank you! *cry*
Petra: OMG, another RiMika shipper *hugs x1000* Thank you so much! I'm wondering if I should humiliate him like that :)) Poor guy.
Mandy 422: Don't worry, it's fine ^^~ I love reading long comment XD I'm sure Rogue will be more active in the next chapter.
I'm . such . a . geek: Thank you so much ^^~ Here's your new chapter.
Thank you you guys so much! I'm so happy to read all of your reviews.
Bye~ I'll see you next time.
PS: The last two new chapters of Fairy Tail were awesome! I cried a lot when Aquarius disappeared :(( GO, LUCY! I LOVE YOU!