IJustWannaReadEpicStories, please forgive me babe, I don't update often because I forget I'm an author 90% of the time. Thanks for the kick reminder to tell me to smarten up because I haven't updated this story in 3 months. Love you boo! Please don't give up hope!! This chapter is dedicated to you, Love!
Lucy clenched her fists and grit her teeth, huffing a breath of frustration into the dirt. She must have looked like a total fool, her spell suddenly disappearing like that. She knew it wasn't her fault, because she felt the overwhelming magic flowing through her as she was casting the spell. For it to randomly vanish like that can only mean that someone had interfered.
She was mostly embarrassed because she was so confident that she would win, because she wanted to prove to Rogue that she wasn't helpless. She knew how strong he was, she wanted him to know that she could stand by his side.
Laugher filled her ears as she sat up, tears filling her eyes. She couldn't bring herself to look up to see Rogue's reaction. Was he laughing too? Was he disappointed because he thought she was stronger than what she preformed?
She heard footsteps approaching her and looked up into the eyes of her best friend. "Natsu.." She whimpered.
"Hey now, no need for tears." He gave her a gentle smile and stuck out his hand for her. "They're all laughing now, but think of the comeback we'll make when we win."
She sniffles and gave a weak smile back, reaching up and grasping his hand. He pulled her up and she gave him a hug. "You're right. I'm sorry that I couldn't win."
He pulled back and grinned. "Whatcha mean, Luce? Anyone with eyes can see it wasn't your fault." He said while leading her back to their stand. "I'm excited to see your comeback so you can show everyone here how strong you really are."
"Thanks, Natsu." She squeezed his hand one final time before letting go and joining the others.
"You were great, Lucy." Erza nodded with a smile.
"Thank you, Erza. I'll do better next time." She gave the red head a determined look.
"I know you will." She smiled, patting Lucy's head.
The next fight started, it was between Blue Pegasus and Mermaid Heel. Lucy had no idea who the woman was, but she definitely remembered Ren. The three musketeers of awful flirting.
Lucy looked up into the Sabertooth stand nervously and noticed S- what was his name again? Ugh! It's so simple so why can't I remember it. Spring? Maybe. Or maybe I'm just thinking that because it's my favourite season? Ssss... She shook her head. She'll ask him if she sees him. Either way, she saw Blondie and Rogue talking with small frowns on their faces. Her shoulders dropped. So then he really did expect more from her. Did he really not notice that someone interfered?
"What's with the long face, Blondie?"
She jumped when she heard Laxus' voice so close behind her. She turned to look up at him. "You scared me. And the long face is because-" She stopped, glancing behind her at the two dragon slayers before looking back up to the older blonde. "Because I lost. Yeah."
Laxus rose an eyebrow and looked over at the duo in the other stand. Seriously? She probably thinks they're looking down on her. He decided that they can figure things out on their own, it wasn't his business. Well, not entirely. He still wanted to make the dark haired man mad by getting close to Lucy. When he saw that the said man was looking over at them, he pulled Lucy into a hug. "It's alright, no need to be upset."
It was strange hugging him, but she didn't mind. It was nice to get a bit of comfort. "Thanks, Sparky."
He grinned over at the fuming Slayer when he felt Lucy wrap her arms around him. This shouldn't be so amusing, but he really couldn't help himself. Sure, he's a changed man, but he's also an asshole at heart. He wondered if he should place a kiss on top of her head, but maybe that would be too far for Lucy. They're friends, but they're not that close.
Lucy pulled away and smiled up at him. "Thanks, Laxus. I needed a hug from a gigantic monster."
He chuckled. "Well I'm here whenever you're feeling like you need a giant." He heard her snicker before she turned to face the arena again. He looked over to the man again and was pleased to see him glaring. He couldn't stop himself from lifting his fist and popping up the middle finger. He slapped a hand over his mouth to stop from laughing when the dark haired man tried to jump the stand, only to be angrily pulled back by his blonde companion. He gave them a wave before taking his leave.
Lucy sighed as she watched the match end rather quickly. Maybe with these matches ending quicker, people will focus on them instead of her loss. She chanced a glance one more time up at the Sabertooth stand and froze when she saw Rogue glaring. It took her a moment to realize he wasn't glaring at her, but behind her. She looked back and saw Natsu walking up to stand beside her. Was he angry at Natsu?
"Had to run to the bathroom. What'd I miss?" Natsu asks.
"Nothing really." She replied with a small frown. Did Rogue not like Natsu? He couldn't be jealous of Natsu, could he? They were flirting earlier and then she hugged Natsu in front of everyone, maybe Rogue thought she was leading him on. She sure hoped not. Maybe she should talk to him and clear things up, see why he doesn't like Natsu.
The next match started and it was another member of Sabertooth. That guy with the long blonde hair from the first match was really strong, she wondered what this green haired guy would be like. She felt an uncomfortable feeling run through her when the dog-person started sobbing, his tears flowing in massive amounts. Why would someone want to practice something like that? The green haired man was so quick, it was almost like she blinked and the match was over. These Sabertooth guys don't mess around.
"I'm gonna use the bathroom." Lucy says to Natsu.
"Alright! But make sure to hurry back, there's still the B Team that has to fight." He says excitedly.
She nods and makes eye contact with Rogue, nodding her head to motion for him to meet her. She wanted to see him before everyone started swarming out of the arena. She also wanted to figure out why he was mad at Natsu.
She leaves the stand and makes her way down the hall. She was frustrated, it shouldn't be this complicated. Everything was going great until she left for three months. Now they were dancing around each other with misunderstandings and she wondered if he thought she was playing with his feelings. She wasn't trying to, she really did like him. The whole rival guild thing threw her for a loop too, and she had no idea if he was interested in being in a relationship with her because his guild didn't like hers.
Although, he was flirting right back earlier that day. He probably didn't care what his guild thought, which was a relief. A shiver ran up her spine at the thought of the dominant side he kept hidden away. He was sweet and caring, but that sudden heat that he left her with made her that much more excited to be with him. She didn't know how well she would do with a long distance relationship, but she was willing to try if he was.
Her eyes landed on a tall, dark haired man approaching her and her heart leapt. They stopped in front of each other and she gave him a smile. "Hi, Rogue. Thanks for meeting me. I figured-"
"Are you playing with me?" Rogue frowns.
Her smile falls. "Of course not. It's actually why I wanted to meet you out here. I wanted to let you know that there's nothing going on between me and him, we're just friends."
He crosses his arms and sighs. "Pretty close friends, then. You two have been rather touchy every time I see you together."
That stupid Natsu. "That's just how he is, it can get pretty annoying if I'm being honest." She shakes her head.
I didn't take Laxus to be such an affectionate person towards his friends. "I see." Rogue sighs.
Lucy reaches forward to hold his hands. "I really do like you, Rogue. If his closeness bothers you, I can tell him to tone it down. I mean, I really wouldn't mind it because he seems to not know what personal space is." She giggles.
Rogue blushes lightly when she holds his hands, his face growing even warmer when she told him that she liked him. "I like you as well, Lucy. You are a very smart and talented woman. That spell that you tried to cast earlier was absolutely breathtaking."
She squeezes his hands. "Thank you, but I still ended up losing."
He takes a step closer and brushes her hair behind her ear. "Nonsense, you would have won if they had not interfered." At her surprised look, he gave her a gentle smile. "I'm sure that every mage here could tell that it wasn't your fault that the spell could not be cast. You are very strong."
She blushed and gave him a bright smile. "Thank you." She leans up to kiss his cheek. Her heart swells at the sight of his own blush and she can't help but let out a small laugh. "You get flushed so easily."
Rogue clears his throat and shuts his eyes in embarrassment. "M-Mostly because it's you. I do not get flustered so easily with others."
Her heart soared at that comment. She grinned up at him and grabbed the collar of his cloak, tugging him down so he was face-to-face with her. "Can I kiss you?" She whispers.
He swallows hard and slowly nods. "O-Of course."
Just as her lips gently brushed his, they heard a voice from behind Lucy. "Blondie!"
Lucy jumps back in surprise, turning to face the voice with a deep blush on her face. "Laxus! What the hell are you doing here?"
Laxus cackled internally at the sight before him. He figured they would be meeting up somewhere when he saw Blondie leave and then the dark haired man right after. He just couldn't stop himself from being able to meet this guy for real. "Was just making sure you weren't getting into trouble, you were pretty upset about your loss." He stops next to the younger blonde and stares down at the other dragon slayer. "And who might you be?"
Rogue held in a growl at the sight of him. He was definitely a good choice for Lucy; Tall, good looking, and his magic practically leaked pure power. He was superior to Rogue in almost every way but that didn't mean he was willing to give up. Lucy has been flirting with him after all, and while Laxus was all over Lucy, he had seen her push him away. "My name is Rogue."
"Right. Well, don't you think your guild might be embarrassed if you're seen with our guild? I mean, you guys are the top dogs of Fiore while we're dead last." Laxus grinned and placed his arm around Lucy's shoulders, watching as Rogue's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "Us small fry gotta watch our backs around you, you could just be trying to get info from our precious Celestial mage."
Lucy tsked and pushed his arm off. "Stop being rude, Rogue wasn't even asking me questions about the guild."
The blonde man shrugs. "Either way, we better skidaddle, Blondie. The day is almost over and these halls are gonna flood with people soon."
She sighs. "Fine. I'm sorry, Rogue. I'll see you next time." She gives him a smile before turning to take her leave.
Laxus lifts his nose at Rogue and gives him a smug look. "See ya, Emo Boy." He turns to follow Lucy, placing a hand on her lower back. He looks back and smirks when he sees shadows leak from the angry man. He was probably getting himself into shit with everything he's doing, but he was just having too much fun. He knew that when Lucy found out what he was doing, she would have some special words for him. Maybe even a Lucy Kick if his luck hated him.
They made it back to the stand just in time to see 'Mystogan' laughing historically before passing out. "What the fuck." The blondes say in unison.
"It seems that Mystogan was about to use a spell he was not supposed to use and he had some outside help to stop him." Erza sighs in annoyance.
Rogue was beyond confused about this whole situation with Lucy. This is the exact reason he had avoided relationships his whole life, they were too confusing. Which it shouldn't be, because Lucy said that she liked him, yet Laxus still threw himself at her like they were a couple. He hadn't seen any kissing, and by Lucy's reactions, he was getting the suspicion that Laxus was just trying to make him mad. It wouldn't make sense though, why would Laxus want to make him mad? They had never even met until a couple minutes ago.
He sighs and makes it back to his stand before taking a seat. Maybe Laxus wanted to make him angry because the lightning slayer had feelings for Lucy. She didn't seem to feel the same way since she was pushing him away most of the time. Unless she just didn't like publicly showing affection. She didn't seem like the type of person to play with others feelings. People who have met her have always talked so highly, how she's so caring and puts her spirits lives before her own.
Even if Laxus did have a thing for Lucy, Rogue would make sure that the blonde man didn't win. Rogue may not be able to beat him in a fight, but he can sure win the battle for Lucy's heart.
He felt a poke on his arm and looked up into blue eyes. "What do you need, Sting?"
"You think any harder and your brain will pop out of your skull." Sting chuckles, taking a seat next to Rogue while the announcement went off for the results of the first day. "What's got you so deep in thought? Is it Blondie?"
Rogue groans. "Everything was going fine between us before she disappeared for three months." He had told Sting earlier what happened after Lucy figured out their misunderstanding. "Now Laxus is all over her as if they are a couple but she seems to be interested in me."
Sting looks over to the Fairy Tail Team B stand and sees Laxus smirking at Rogue. Sting rolls his eyes. "I'm pretty sure he's just throwing himself at her to piss you off. If they were a couple, it would have been leaked by now."
"What if they're good at keeping it a secret? What if the media just doesn't care about Fairy Tail anymore because they're at the bottom. What if-"
Sting slaps a gloved hand over his friends mouth. "Man, I've never heard you talk so much. Usually you go with the flow, no questions asked. She's really got your head in a mess."
The shadow mage slouches. "She's all I can think of. I don't know why she's been clouding my mind with her smile alone. Even when I thought she started ignoring me for those three months, I still didn't give up hope that I had a chance."
Sting folds his hands behind his head as their team starts to leave the stand. "You've gotten cheesy. Did you talk to her about Laxus?"
"Yes." Rogue rubs his face in frustration. "She said she would ask him to stop being so touchy, but even as they were leaving he had his hands on her."
"Wait 'they'?"
Rogue nods. "When Lucy and I were about to kiss-"
"Wow!" Sting grins. "Look at you go!"
"Anyways." Rogue glares at him. "Laxus came and called out to Lucy just before it happened. He says that we wanted to make sure that she was alright because she was upset from her loss."
Sting hums in thought. I get that they're friends and all, but even Natsu didn't go out to look for her. "Seems pretty fishy to me. Pretty convenient that he went to check on her during your guys' meeting. He already gave her a hug earlier for comfort, so I don't see why he keeps pestering her." He hufffs. "And the middle finger? He's totally targeting you. You should talk to him alone."
Rogue frowns. "I don't see why he does not like me, we talked for the very first time today." They stand up to start making their way out of the building. "And if we talk alone, I know that he's going to make me angry again and something bad will happen."
"You sound like a preteen fighting over a girl." Sting chuckles.
Rogue rolls his eyes. "Whatever."
It had gotten dark and Rogue was taking a stroll alone to clear his thoughts. He left Frosch back at the guild since he was afraid of the dark, which Rogue finds ironic since his magic is darkness itself.
He suddenly picks up Lucy's scent and unconsciously follows it. It gets stronger the closer he gets, and when he turns the corner, he sees a different blonde. His blood boils as he watches Laxus walk away from Lucy. He sinks into the shadows and starts to follow the older man down the empty streets.
When Laxus stops, so does Rogue. "How long do you plan on following me?"
Rogue's eyes widen. Even a dragon slayer shouldn't be able to smell him in his shadows, his scent is supposed to be completely erased. He emerges from the shadows and glares.
Laxus turns and raises an eyebrow. "Did you want an autograph?"
Rogue clenches his fists. "Not from the likes of you."
The blonde smirks. "Oh yeah? There something that's got your panties in a twist?"
"What is your relationship with Lucy?"
Laxus hums and smiles deviously before taking a step towards the shorter man. "She's my play thing, of course."
Rogue scowls and stalks forward. "You're disgusting." His shadows are starting to leak, but he doesn't notice.
Laxus lifts his chin and glares down at him. "Are we gonna have a problem?"
"Yes." Rogue growls. "You're an imbecile that does not deserve someone like Lucy."
The lightning mage goes to grab at his cloak, but blinks in surprise when he disappears. He hissed in pain when he's suddenly wrapped tightly in shadows. "What the fuck?"
Rogue is behind him with a deathly glare. "I'll show you what happens when you just use Lucy for your own benefit." He tightens his shadows. He suddenly gasps at a tingling feeling before shouting in pain as lightning courses through him. There's heat, so much heat, and a strong vibrating feeling as his shadows let Laxus go.
Laxus stops his magic before turning around and landing a hard punch to the younger mans jaw. He grabs his cloak before he can fall and brings his fast back for another punch to the face.
Rogue is dropped to the ground, tasting some blood in his mouth. He's dizzy, he can't get his vision to focus on the hulking man towering over his twitching body.
Laxus fixes his coat that's draped over his shoulders and glares down at the panting man. "I know I don't deserve her, that's why I'm not goin' after her. But if you really think you're that much better, then prove it." He spat before turning and leaving.
Rogue's head started pounding. He had never been electrocuted like that, but he should have expected it. He let his emotions take over even though he knew he couldn't beat Laxus in a fight. He called him an imbecile, but he's feeling like the real idiot now. He should have kept his mouth shut, shouldn't have followed him.
The blonde's words rang in his head and he tried to focus on them. Not going for her? Then why did he fight me over her?
Feeling was starting to come back to his muscles and he stared up at the stars. Was it really worth it to go through all of this just for some girl he met on a mission? All of the confusing emotions he was feeling, getting angry when another man is around her too much, getting electrocuted. Was it worth it?
He closed his eyes and let out a breath. This wasn't like him at all. He was becoming a completely different person because of her. All for what?
Her bright smile appeared behind his eyes and he suddenly felt relaxed. Ah, that's why.
He brought his hand up to touch his bottom lip, pulling it back to stare at the blood. He felt kind of pathetic. He knew that he wouldn't be able to beat Laxus, but he wished he could have at least done some damage. He figured it was because his mind was preoccupied, but that didn't matter now. What mattered was that he needed to get back to the guild before midnight, hopefully without running into any more blonde Fairy Tail members.
He let himself slip into the shadows before making his way towards the guild. He slipped right into his room without being noticed, not wanting to be bothered with questions.
After leaving his shadow form, he spots his small friend sleeping on the bed and smiles. As he makes his way to the bathroom, he slowly sheds his clothes. His cloak leaves first, then his shoes, shirt, and finally his pants. He stands in front of the mirror in his underwear with a frown. He turns on the tap and washes the blood from his face, realizing the cut on his lips wasn't as bad as he thought.
Turning off the water, he glares hard at the few small burns that littered his body. He remembered Laxus saying that Rogue needed to prove himself, but he didn't understand what he meant. Why would he need to prove himself to anyone other than Lucy? He didn't care about anyone's opinion because it was none of their business what went on between himself and Lucy.
He didn't know why he was trying so hard to be with her, why he was fighting a powerful mage over her.
Yet, he couldn't stop feeling drawn to her. Like something inside of him was saying that she was right, that he needed her. He would hear a voice in his head to leave, run away because she would make him weak. But there were also these smaller whispers, another part of him telling him that she is right. That she's the one he needs. They were quiet, and they only appeared when he was with her. It was confusing hearing these voices, and for a moment he thought he was crazy.
He remembers hearing a voice every now and again his whole life, seeing a face in his shadow in a passing glance. But ever since he met Lucy, the voice had become more active. He was confused, but he wanted to listen to the whispers coming from the other part of him, he wanted to trust them and stay with her.
He wondered why these voices were so drawn to her.
Do you guys like the whole Laxus making Rogue mad thing or am I adding too much of it? Please let me know what you think!
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