Part 3

Morning of Day 2

Lucy can't stop thinking about him.

She had even dreamed about him last night. And it had woke her up in a cold sweat, the taste of blood still heavy in her mouth. She had brushed her teeth for a long time, trying her best to brush off the nightmare as nothing more than an unusually vivid nightmare. After all, Lucy wasn't known for her premonitions.

Still…

But it wasn't just dream-Sting that lingered on her mind. The real person did too. His words and his warnings from last night weigh heavily on her. What was he playing at? What did he mean about her mind? What did he even know about her mind?

The nightmare was nothing. Last night meant nothing.

He meant nothing.

That didn't explain why she was currently hovering near Sabertooth's residence trying desperately to not draw attention to herself. It's not like she had purposely come this way. It was supposed to be a morning walk, to clear her head. She had been taking a lot of those walks recently. They didn't seem to be working. Her intent was to wander aimlessly for a bit and head home to prep for the upcoming day. And then, she just… sort of ended up here. At Sabertooth's hotel.

What was she doing?

She takes a deep steadying breath and forces herself to turn around. Okay, just… go. You're not supposed to be here. Walk away before anyone sees you and -

A gentle cough sounds from behind her, someone politely clearing their throat. Nearly jumping out of her skin, she whips around. Her hands flying to her keys - she was not about to be caught unprepared a second time - her heart racing and adrenaline spiking her blood, gearing up for a fight.

Rogue Cheney is standing there, his cloak still flowing with movement. He must have just exited his guild and saw her. His black hair is drawn up in a ponytail, though long bangs still cover half his face. The corners of his lips quirk upwards, clearly amused at her startled reaction. She has a distinct feeling this type of entrance was something very normal for him, as if he liked the element of catching his prey off-guard.

"I believe that the sign clearly says, 'No Solicitors'" He gives a slight nod towards a hanging sign outside that said exactly that. His tone is conversational but detached. No angry outburst, and so far, no signs that he was gearing up for a fight.

In fact, his statement is almost... humorous.

Lucy is bewildered. She didn't know Rogue. She had only ever seen him with Sting, and even then, Sting was very obviously the alpha of the two. Rogue had always stood apart, hovering, seemingly content to blend in with the background, and always acting - for lack of a better description - like Sting's shadow. He was, as far as she could tell, a man of few words and even fewer feelings.

So, his attempt at a joke threw her for a loop. "Uh…" She starts, trying desperately to collect her now-scattered thoughts.

His left eyebrow raises in a perfect arch, and the quirk of his lips extends. "And here I thought that you were the most eloquent of the rabble. Aren't you writing a book?"

Is he always like this?

"How do you know that?" She manages, internally wincing when her voice comes out pitched with obvious discomfort.

He gives her a knowing look, as if she should already know the answer to her own question. The gears of her mind finally decide to come alive again and she recalls Sting's words from last night.

"Shadows talk." She repeats slowly.

He gives a nod of confirmation, looking almost pleased that she had remembered, before his look turns solemn. "You know, it's not safe to be loitering around here, even in the daylight."

"I'm not loitering!" She defends, color rising quickly to her cheeks at being so blatantly called out. "I was just… um… " She trails off, her gaze slipping past Rogue as she stares at Sabertooth's hotel.

She was loitering. She wanted to see him, no matter how much she kept trying to deny it. She had more questions, and he seemed the only one to give any kind of answers. Damn it.

Her throat is painfully dry all of a sudden, and she can scarcely get her next words out. "Is he around?" She whispers softly.

"Considering this is his guild, yes, I'd say so." He speaks matter-of-factly, but the lack of emotion makes his words lack any superiority that would've come from anyone else. It's obvious Rogue is enjoying toying with her, even if he speaks like a toneless robot.

Lucy hates that she doesn't even care about the fact that he's playing with her, trying to get a rise out of her. All she can think about is Sting. "I need to talk to him."

Her gaze breaks from the building behind him in time to see Rogue scan her, his red eyes narrowed. His calculative gaze is different than Sting's - darker, as if he was purposely searching for the worst parts of her. She meets his gaze unflinchingly, almost challenging him to find something. He apparently doesn't and his expression relaxes slightly, the crease in his brow disappearing, though he still regards her with wariness. "You engaging in a relationship with Sting is dangerous. For both of you." He growls, his voice low.

She shakes her head, trying to ignore the flutter in her stomach at his words. "We're not in any kind of relationship." It wasn't a lie, but she can tell by the look on Rogue's face that he doesn't believe her words either.

"We not like you and your guild." He says sharply, hostility bleeding into his tone as he glares at her. "Sting is not some white knight in shining armor. His moral compass is skewed at best, and he would break you in a heartbeat if it meant opportunity for him. The worst thing you can do is delude yourself in thinking he is something he's not."

She winces slightly at his words. Ouch. A brutal assessment of Sting's character, but truly, none of it was new information. "I know all of that." She fires back, glaring up at him. Sting had instantly revealed who he was that night the four of them had met on the streets. He had been right yesterday - Lucy was good at reading people. And she could see right past Rogue's harsh words. After all - words were just pretty lies. "You're not going to scare me off, so please spare me from the intimidation."

He huffs, annoyance flashing over his face as he takes a menacing step towards her. "I am not some theater performer. I just don't think you truly understand who you are dealing with."

"Maybe I don't." Lucy concedes with nod, refusing to back down. "But don't pretend you aren't on his side. You're the one who sent him to me last night." She has the satisfaction to see his jaw muscle twitch as Rogue's eyes flare in momentary surprise. "Now, are you done testing me? Can I see him or not?"

She watches as Rogue takes a step back, giving her space to breathe again as he once again surveys her. "Stay here and try not to be seen, will you?" He grumbles eventually, the threat now gone from his tone and his posture. He gives her another long, indecipherable look before he nods at her and quite literally disappears into the shadows.

Not even a few minutes later, Sting emerges from the front door, his eyes quickly scanning the area before his gaze lands on her. His long legs allow him long strides that cover the distance between them rapidly. "Lucy," He purrs enthusiastically, as he closes the last three feet between them. "What a lovely surprise." She's slowly getting better at reading him, looking for far more subtle signs of emotion than what she is used too. His blue eyes shine with the barest hint of excitement. He's genuinely happy she is here.

The sound of his voice brings her back to her nightmare, and a well of emotion bubbles up suddenly inside her. "Sting." Her voice cracks over his name, and to her horror she can feel tears prick at the corners of her eyes.

His eyes scan her face and his expression twists. "What is it? What's wrong?" He asks, his tone hardening.

Lucy tries to tamp down her emotions. They had just had a conversation - their only conversation had been about how emotions were a sign of weakness and here she was, about to cry in front of him because of some dream. "It's nothing - I just..." She swallows past the lump in her throat and blinks up at him, at a loss for what to say.

"You can tell me anything." He says quietly, studying her.

She realizes she hadn't ever gotten a good, close look at him before. Not with all the chaos in the labyrinth, and certainly not in the shadows of the night. He practically glowed in the sunlight. He had sharp, aristocratic features that were only interrupted by a scar that intersected his right eyebrow. His blonde hair might as well have been gold the way it reflected light. He is beautiful. Unfairly so.

"I had a dream." She confesses, unable to tear her eyes from him. "A nightmare really."

He tenses. She can almost read the thoughts that flicker across his face. A nightmare so bad she came running to him?

"Don't." He growls, shaking his head. "Dreams and nightmares are pieces of our uncontrollable subconscious. They mean nothing, Lucy - do you understand me? Whatever you dreamed, it's not real. You and me, right here, right now? This is real."

"I know but -" Lucy cuts off as Sting grabs her forearms, his grip tight as he stares at her, his blue eyes fierce.

"I can smell the fear rolling off you in waves. You're scared of whatever you saw but it's not real." He sounded so sure, so confident, and is staring at her so intently, so reassuringly Lucy can't help but feel her fears start to quell.

She swallows and nods slowly, feeling him slowly release his grip on her. "What about my mind being the best weapon I have?" She murmurs, her voice still thick.

He gives a soft snort, relaxing somewhat at her joke. He cards a hand through his hair, a smirk curling at his lips. "I said best, not most reliable. And the fact that you can make that joke right there is why it's the best weapon you have." He points out.

"Do you always have an answer for everything?"

"For you? Most certainly. I don't entertain questions from anyone else."

She frowns at him, making a mental note to add Flirt to the list she was compiling of words to describe him. "And now you're going to tell me now that words are just pretty lies again, huh?" She grumbles, crossing her arms.

He full on laughs at her, the sound so foreign coming from him it startles her. "You are so fucking clever, I swear you're wasted over there with those imbeciles." He says, grinning at her. "I meant what I said when I said that, but I also can promise you that nothing I've said to you is a lie. I just think it's better for you to always have reasonable doubt in mind when someone speaks to you. You will never truly understand someone else's intentions."

"And what about your intentions then?"

He arches a blonde brow, crossing his arms to mirror her posture. "Do you really want me to answer that?" He asks, derisively. "Is that going to change anything?"

She bites back her question of what is anything? He wasn't going to give her a straight answer, he was enjoying toying with her too much. Plus, he was right. He'd shown his hand the moment she'd emotionally collapsed in front of him - he cared. And so did she, even if she loathed to admit it.

"Our guilds are rivals." She says, almost as if that statement was a challenge.

He rolls his eyes, heaving a bored sigh, not rising to her bait "I don't care that you're from Fairy Tail, Lucy." She can read the amusement that flickers in his eyes. Are you serious right now? You're resorting to this? His gaze seems to say.

She lifts her chin. "You should."

"Is that supposed to be some kind of threat? I don't." He counters. "Are you trying to pick a fight? If you really cared that I was from Sabertooth, you wouldn't be here right now."

Maybe she was trying to pick a fight. "You don't even know me." She accuses.

He dismisses her concerns with an airy scoff. "Oh please, we both know I can read you better than anyone else in your guild can. Tell me, does it get boring being the sharpest tool in the shed?" He leans closer to her, invading her space as he sneers at her.

Look who is trying to pick a fight now. She tenses at his words, ignoring the jab at her friends but feeling anger curl in her chest nonetheless. "That is not the same thing." She huffs.

"Then give me a chance to learn." The cruelness to his expression fades and he sends her an almost pleading look.

She blows out a long breath, breaking her gaze away from him. He had this incredible quality of drawing her in, she felt like she was constantly drowning in him, in his eyes - he was so hypnotic it scared her. And she hated how much it was almost... enjoyable to verbally spar with him. She knew he knew it too - he was right again, he read her like no one else. "Rogue said this was dangerous."

Sting acknowledge her statement with a slow nod. "He is not wrong. Does that scare you?" His gaze hasn't moved an single centimeter from her face, tracking her every movement like a hawk.

She shakes her head. "Just tell me this - is this all some kind of game to you?" She asks, turning to look at him once more.

He meets her gaze unflinchingly, his expression softening. "You are not a game to me, little fairy." He says seriously. He expels a breath, then drops his gaze from hers for the first time today as he rakes another hand through his hair. "Truthfully, I don't know what you are yet. I told myself I was going to stay away from you after last night. And then you show up here." He gestures around himself, exhaling yet again. "Extremely reckless of you I might add, and don't you even dare think about doing this again." His stare hardens to ice and Lucy flinches from the harsh bite in his tone. "How many times do I have to tell you it's not safe here. Anyone could've walked out of that door - you're damn lucky it was Rogue."

"I can take care of myself." Lucy says, unable to hide the blatant irritation in her tone. "Just because you've saved me twice doesn't mean I am incapable. I am a mage, just like you."

"I am a dragon slayer. We are not anywhere near the same." Sting growls, his eyes flashing pure white for a moment. "And as far as I've seen, those keys you carry are purely decorational."

How dare he insult her spirits or her magic. "Do you have to be such an ass?" She hisses through gritted teeth.

"And you, as we have already covered, are a reckless, emotional idiot -" He abruptly cuts off, pinching the bridge of his nose, as he takes a step away from her, inhaling deeply. "For fuck's sake woman." He exhales just as deeply, as if trying to calm himself. "I did not come out here to argue with you about your apparently inherent inability to care for yourself or my apparent inherent inability to stop caring as I've just admitted. For my sanity, please do not come wandering these parts in search of me again, okay? Trust me when I say that it is much safer for me to come to you."

He worried about her. The thought had been on the edge of her mind when she'd watched his expression change the moment he noticed something was wrong with her, but now, he was admitting it to her face. It was just another facet to this situation that was so ludicrous it made Lucy want to laugh out loud. A week ago, she didn't even know who Sting was. Now, she was standing outside his guild hotel, arguing with him about whether or not they should engage in a potential relationship? It made absolutely zero sense. How had she even gotten here? How had she gotten here with him?

She opens her mouth, questions brimming on the tip of her tongue before Sting cuts her off. "You need to go. The Salamander and his cat are looking for you. You've been gone for too long."

"Natsu can wait, I -"

"You and I both know that Natsu has the patience of a toddler." Sting interrupts, shaking his head, the barest hint of a smile curling at his lips. "He will not wait, and I don't particularly want a fight forced upon me this early in the morning. He needs you. Go to him." He jerks his chin in the direction Lucy had come from, his blonde hair falling in front of his eyes from the motion.

She absolutely hates that he is correct. About everything really - about Natsu, about her. "This conversation isn't over." She says, scowling at him. She had more questions, and she was going to demand answers from him if it was the last thing she did.

"I know." He has the audacity to wink at her.

"You are infuriating, did you know that?" She snaps, narrowing her eyes at him.

He shrugs. "One of my many amazing personality traits. You'll grow to love it, I'm sure."

"In your dreams Sting."

He smirks at her. "Oh sweetheart, in my dreams, you and I are doing so much more."

When Natsu finds her fifteen minutes later, Lucy's face is still so red he asks her if she had a sunburn.

Revised 11/26/2023