Part 2

End of Day 1

Lucy finds herself at the edge of Crocus, a little lost and very much alone. It's almost midnight, bringing the first official day of the Grand Magic Games to an end.

The rest of her guild were busy drowning themselves in the alcohol, so she had stepped out.

A bit of relaxing fresh air, she had explained, trying to placate an anxious looking Natsu, something to clear her mind. When he had opened his mouth to protest, or suggest he go along too, she had shaken her head. Alone.

She kicked a pebble angrily, watching it skitter across the cobblestone street. Well, her mind was horribly clear now, enough to feel the heavy guilt eating her from the inside out from today's loss.

How had Urana Metria not had any effect at all? Especially with her and Gemini's combined force - it just didn't make any sense.

A door up ahead bangs open, breaking her from her reverie. Light pours out from the pub onto the dark street, and loud, slurred male voices filled the night air.

Suddenly hyperaware of the fact that she was alone and okay-maybe-more-than-a-little-lost in an unfamiliar part of town, Lucy recoils nervously from the sound, sidestepping into the looming shadows of the buildings, praying they concealed her. Drunk men were the last thing she wanted to deal with tonight. She reaches for her keys and grasps at empty air. She squeezes her eyes shut, mentally banging her head against a wall, cursing herself for not taking her keys with her.

Unprotected. Alone. Lost…

Stupid, stupid stupid –

"Lucy."

Her eyes fly open in surprise. She'd recognize that voice anywhere – it's the one that has been haunting her since yesterday.

He's there, leaning casually against a building, several feet away, as if he had been standing there the entire time. Hands shoved deep in his pockets, and his blonde hair illuminated by dim the streetlights. The fur vest he wears ripples in the night breeze. Despite his casual positioning, his eyebrows are drawn together, and his mouth set in a thin, hard line that matches the tension radiating from him. He's upset, she realizes belatedly.

Sting tilts his head, beckoning her to follow him. She hesitates for a split second before following him. A large, rational part of her brain recognizes that following Sting is a bad, bad, bad idea. Maybe even worse than being alone. He was dangerous. But did she really have any other choice?

They walk for several blocks in tense silence with him leading. He walks leisurely, but deliberately, each step a purposeful movement full of control and grace. His long legs allow him long strides, but his deliberately slow walk pace allows her to keep up.

He speaks first, and she struggles to hear him, even with him only a step or two in front of her. "This part of town isn't safe for you, little fairy. Tigers prowl these parts." He says, quietly, his tone devoid of any emotion.

"How did you even find me?" She blurts out, unable to stop herself.

He huffs, and she can practically hear the eye-roll in his tone as he responds, "Shadows talk."

The sudden thought of shadows talking sends a shiver trailing down her spine, raising goosebumps on her arms. She briefly wonders what else Rogue has seen, what else he - and therefore Sting - must know. The thought is terrifying.

"Why are you helping me?" She asks quietly, turning briefly to look over her shoulder to see if anyone was around them. This was the second time he had saved her in so many days. Lucy couldn't stop thinking about it - about him. Why had he saved her from falling during preliminaries? It made no sense - especially given what she knew about him. She had tried to view the situation from every angle, and she still couldn't come up with something reasonable.

His shoulders noticeably stiffen. "My guildmates would rip you to pieces." He says, equally as quiet.

"You are dodging the question." Lucy huffs, extending her step so she levels with him. "Aren't you one of Sabertooth's strongest? Don't they look up to you to set the gold standard?" She looks up at him, and watches as his eyes flicker down to meet hers. His gaze is frigid, unreadable as always. Lucy always liked to look for emotion in her friend's eyes - Natsu was especially expressive with his eyes - but Sting's icy blue gaze consistently revealed nothing.

He stops walking abruptly, turning to fully face her. "I'm not interested in fighting you, Lucy. Is that what you want to hear?" He says, gritting his teeth. His face was twisted in displeasure, like she was forcing each word from him. "I don't like fighting opponents that are weaker than me for sport. Many of my guildmates do not share that same sentiment."

"Why? Not enough of a challenge for you?" She asks, crossing her arms almost defensively across her chest, her tone bitter.

Sting tilts his head at her, his gaze turning calculative, like he was assessing her. "I think it's a waste of time and effort. Fighting is a way to test and showcase my strength. Taking on a someone clearly weaker is just cruel."

"How generous of you."

He takes a step toward her, closing the distance between them. His height is intimidating, she thinks he must at least have a foot on her. He's so close that she can smell him, more precisely than she could yesterday. He smelled of the earth, but with a hint of... was that mint? She couldn't be sure. He stares down at her through thick lashes, his blue eyes hard. "Strength is the only thing that matters in this world, little fairy. Don't delude yourself in thinking otherwise."

"I know that. I know that better than anyone." She bites back angrily, color rising to her cheeks. "But inner strength matters more. It's what separates Fairy Tail from the arrogant, self-serving pricks like you!"

His hard stare intensifies, and he leans closer toward her. They're almost touching noses now. "Oh really?" He sneers, "Did that inner strength win you that fight this afternoon?"

Lucy recoils instantly. It would've hurt less if he straight up punched her in the gut. This afternoon had been humiliating, and the truth to his words hurts like hell. If she had been stronger, today's outcome would be very different. They both know it. Flare wasn't even the strongest RavenTail had to offer. She can feel the shadows of her mind begin to creep forward - did she even deserve to represent FairyTail at these Games? She had almost cost them in the preliminaries, and then she did cost them today. What if -

"Stop."

She blinks, her spiraling thoughts halting abruptly at Sting's harsh interruption.

"I can practically see you spiraling right now. It's written all over your face." He says, his eyes narrowing as he practically glares at her. "How are you going to survive this competition if you can't handle even a little verbal taunting? They are all going to rip you to shreds." He exhales heavily, a pained expression crossing his face. "You need to toughen up Lucy. Mentally, physically - all of it."

"What?" She asks, her hurt slowly morphing into confusion.

"Your friends and guild are notorious for their abundance of emotions. I've been waiting to fight Natsu for years, you don't think I've taken time to get to know my enemy? I know how to get under his skin - how to get under all of FairyTail's skin. You all claim your emotions strengthen you but I beg to differ. They are your guild's weakness. There is no enemy easier to beat than one that submits to their emotions. It clouds your head, prevents you from thinking logically and rationally - both of which you need to win in a fight. If I know, I guarantee you that other guilds will also know. Flare used something against you today, didn't she? She found a way to pull at your emotions and that weakened you, did it not?" He raises an eyebrow at her, as if daring her to challenge his assertion.

"How did you-"

"I am very good at reading people." He says confidently. "You are too. That's why you followed me, isn't it? You trusted me enough to lead you out of danger."

Lucy grits her teeth. He was so arrogant. "I just figured if you wanted me dead, you wouldn't have saved me yesterday. I don't trust you one bit." She retorts.

Something of a smile curls the corners of his lips. "Fair enough." His expression slowly fades into one of neutrality again as he casts a furtive look around before moving even closer to her. She stiffens as he leans down, whispering in her ear. "It's fine if you don't trust me, but listen to me Lucy, these Games are dangerous. There are a lot of wizards who hold grudges, and this is a perfect time and place to enact some revenge. Your mind is the best weapon you have. Do you understand what I am saying?"

She inhales, trying to ignore the fact she could practically taste the mint on him. "Are you warning me?"

He huffs a singular low chuckle. "Well, I would hate to have saved you for nothing."

She turns slightly, just enough so that she can look into his eyes. This close to him, his blue irises look like a depthless ocean, inviting her to drown in them, in him. She has to actively fight the urge. "Why did you save me yesterday? You didn't need our map." Her voice is barely a whisper. She had looked at yesterday's scenario from every angle, and couldn't come up with a reasonable answer. FairyTail's map had barely been started - they hadn't even gotten around to compling any other team's maps. It would have been utterly useless for Sting to steal it from her. How did he even know she had the map? The questions had been eating her alive. Why him? Why her? Up until right now, she would've killed for some answers, to know even a fraction of what had been going through Sting Eucliffe's mind when he tackled her mid-air. But now, with him staring at her like he was... she was almost afraid of the answers he could give her.

"Hmm." He hums, the sound coming from low in his throat. His gaze rakes over her face for a long moment. "Maybe I think you're someone worth saving."

Lucy inhales sharply, his answer has the floor dropping out from under her. "I-"

He presses a finger to her lips, shaking his head. "Ah ah ah, words are just pretty lies, little fairy. Anyone can say anything. Do not let emotion cloud your judgement. Your mind -"

"- is the best weapon I have." She finishes, pulling away from his hand. Her lips tingle traitorously.

"Good girl." He purrs, and his eyes gleam at her. There's emotion in there that Lucy refuses to try and put to words. She really doesn't want to know. This was starting to feel like a whole different level of dangerous, and Lucy can feel her stomach beginning to twist into knots. Sting continues, "I need to get back to my guild. Your hotel is two blocks over, can you -"

"I can walk myself." Lucy says, distractedly.

He looks at her. The calculative gaze is back, and Lucy hates the way she seems to shrink under it. Sting doesn't say anything though, just nods slowly at her.

She can feel his gaze with every step she takes away from him, until she turns the corner. She prides herself on not looking back at him once.

That doesn't mean that her lips stop tingling from his touch.

Revised 11/26/23