Erza stormed through the halls, jaw set and fists clenched; the look on her face was anything but pleasant. Conversations ceased in mid sentence, and any type of laughter was brought to a halt as she stomped by.
The aura she emitted was dark and heavy, instantly adding pressure to everyone in her presence.
To sum it all up…
She was pissed.
Erza's pace quickened as her eyes became fixed on her target, a head of blonde hair. She clenched her teeth and fist harder than ever before, and she felt a surge of anger rise to her eyes right as her target turned around - blue eyes staring into her own. A resounding crash echoed through the halls, a terrible sound of bent metal and blunt force. The blonde girl stared at Erza, her eyes trailing from her face down to her neck and past the arm that extended past her own head.
She placed a soft hand on the fist that was buried deep into the iron locker behind her.
"What's wrong Red? Did I do something to make you mad?" She said with a gentle smile that betrayed the intentions behind her words.
"Lucy. You..I…" Erza couldn't begin to find the words. She settled on, "What the fuck?"
"Aw, cat got your tongue?" Lucy said resting her cheek on the arm lodged into the metal mere inches away from her head.
The redhead leaned forward glowering at the small girl in front of her.
"What the fuck."
"Oh Erzy, your vocabulary seems so limited today." She said with a small pout,
"Well if you have nothing else to say I'll be on my way!" A laugh left the blonde's mouth as she ducked under Erza's arm and began to sprint down the hall, hair waving rapidly.
Erza didn't move for a second, she simply stared where Lucy had been and listened to her footsteps tap away down the hallway. Was that girl toying with her? Is she that stupid? Finally snatching her arm from the locker she darted in the direction Lucy had gone, ignoring the stares of the students standing by.
"What the absolute fuck?!"
She began to heave as she turned a corner, blue eyes beginning to water. She grinned, satisfied with herself and the way she handled the confrontation. She couldn't believe how well it had gone. Erza really couldn't lay a finger on her just as she suspected! It couldn't have gone any better!
Her thoughts were cut short as she heard the stomping of feet quickly approaching from behind.
She turned to see Erza running at top speed and a shriek escaped her throat.
'So much for the confident act' she thought to herself as she put everything she had into getting away. A quick pivot and shuffle later and Lucy quickly turned another corner leading to the entrance of the school building.
She burst through the front door not daring to look back, heart racing breathing ragged. The stomps behind her only got closer. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Lucy wanted to kick herself for giving into to this incredibly dumb idea but that would mean slowing down, and that would mean Erza catching up to her, and that was something she could not afford. What if it had been a fluke, what if Erza really had meant to hit her and just missed somehow or Lucy had dodged and didn't notice? She began to panic, all this for a little attention? Stupid, stupid, stupid!
The stomps grew ever closer as they raced across the parking lot, Lucy began to grow weary of all the running. She hadn't even considered where she was going, just anywhere away from Erza. Who was probably in much better shape, being on the track team and all. "So stupid!" She thought just as she cut into her heel and quickly sprinted in a different direction, hoping to somehow throw Erza off guard by the change.
No dice, they began running into a grassy field, Erza's stomps being cushioned by the soft grass beneath her feet.
'Can't run anymore gotta try-' her thoughts were cut short by a dull impact into her back as she was tackled to the ground by Erza who roared in anger after catching her prey.
Lucy tried her best to scramble to her feet, but Erza already had her arms around her stomach, trying to leverage herself upwards. Lucy shrieked, and kicked her feet, turning to face her pursuer.
"Erza please!" She begged,
"Please?!" Erza erupted, latching on to Lucy's wrists to stop her from escaping.
They struggled on the ground before that developed into a roll and found themselves tumbling down a small incline in the grass. They both fumbled to a stop at the bottom of a hill, grass and stray leaves latched to their hair. With her grip still on Lucy's wrist she settled on top of the blonde straddling her waist to stop her from squirming and lifting her arms above her head, finally successfully pinning her to the ground.
"Lucy, what the fuck!" She yelled, staring down at the smaller girl, the cocky look she had before now replaced with that of fear and exhaustion. They shared a couple ragged breaths before she continued.
"Have you lost your mind? You must have for thinking you could get away with such a stupid, idiotic act!" She lowered herself, closer to Lucy, trying to regain her breath. "Wait, Erza, please I-"
"Didn't mean to? Don't you dare tell me that lie! You don't accidentally spread a rumor that I'm sleeping with the principals' fucking son! You don't mistakenly say that shit over the Goddamn Entercom! Lucy!" Rearing up, Erza slowly pulled back a fist, her face a massive sneer through gritted teeth. Lucy's entire body locked up, staring up at the redhead, her features obscured in shadow by the midday sun that lay overhead. She saw the pure anger in her eyes, how her jaw was set and seething, how furrowed her brow was and how..
Squinting she could make out the slightest glimpse of the tears swelling in Erza's eyes, making them glossy and reflective. She watched as they fell and streaked her cheeks, streaming down her face and dripping off her chin. Lucy felt a jolt of pain in her chest as the tears dropped onto her breast; as though each droplet were stabbing her. Staking her heart. She hadn't meant for this. Of course she wanted a reaction from Erza, but not this. Erza? Crying? No. She was too stubborn, too defiant, too…
Strong.
Lucy relaxed her body. She laid there underneath Erza who heaved air in gasping breaths, in a flash she saw Erza lunge towards her and braced for impact.
But it never came.
Of course it didn't.
A soft pat sounded next to Lucy's head. Lucy slowly opened her eyes, and she was met with Erza's deep black staring into her. Inches away from her face.
She released the breath she had been holding and inhaled into a small sniff. Her own tears began to form, which, unlike Erza, was a familiar characteristic.
"Do it." She choked out, tears beginning to flow.
She hated herself right now, she has the nerve to cry - after all this? She shut her eyes tight, trying to escape her own fragility.
"So stupid.." She whispered, choking out another sob.
Erza stared at the small blonde girl beneath her. Of course she couldn't hit her. It had hurt her heart that she even took up the gesture. Another reason to be disappointed in oneself. She took a deep breath, then let it out in a long aching sigh. "Oh Lucy.." She said backing away. She released her small wrists, which were now red, and Erza watched as Lucy moved to cover her face, more sobs escaping against her wishes. Erza wiped her own face of tears, silently cursing at herself for allowing such feebleness to be portrayed.
"So..sorry.." Lucy said between sobs.
Erza wanted to tell her it was okay, that she wasn't angry and they could just forget everything that happened and go back to normal. That this wasn't that big of a deal and they'd laugh about it tomorrow. But it wasn't okay. Lucy did something terrible and Erza couldn't find it in her heart to just forgive and forget. Though she did feel a little responsible for Lucy's outlandish scheme. A small argument doesn't justify a week of apathetic disregard for one you would consider your companion. Your best friend.
Erza bit her lip. It wasn't the argument.
It wasn't what was said. It's what led up to it. She shook her head, trying to stop the image from creeping its way into her mind, but it was too late. A head of dyed pink hair, messy and unkempt, clashing in contrast to the golden blonde it stood next too. A pair of sharp beady eyes, staring lustfully into a pair of pure blue. And set of repulsive lips crashing against a delicate pair of -
Erza smacked her cheeks with both hands, that's unimportant right now. Had she been honest from the start none of this would have happened. She needed to move on, for the both of them.
She looked down, and met a pair of tear sodden eyes, filled with confusion and concern at the sharp smacking sounds that occurred. This caused Erza to smile, if only slightly. Reaching forward, Erza wiped at the stray tear that began to fall from Lucy's eye. No more tears.
"Lucy?" Erza moved to lean closer to the small girl.
"Yes Erza?" The blonde squeaked out, her voice beginning to tremble. The evident fear in her words made Erza's heart sink. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off.
"Erza, I'm so sorry." Lucy started, lip beginning to quiver as she hiccuped.
Erza calmly shushed, leaning in closer to wipe the eyes of her friend.
"No more tears, Lucy. Please"
Nodding at her request, Lucy choked back her sobs, biting her lip to contain them.
Erza smiled and continued. "I haven't been honest with you. I've been deceiving you for quite a while now."
"How?"
"Dishonesty isn't always spoken, and I have followed you around like a lost pup for years, refusing to speak." Lucy cocked her head in confusion as Erza continued.
"For years I have…" Erza stopped herself, struggling to summon the courage. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I have kept a secret from thee, due to my cowardice."
Lucy's brows furrowed in confusion, yet she remained silent, sensing the gravity of Erza's words.
"Dishonesty is not always spoken," Erza resumed, her voice quivering slightly, "and I have followed thee around like a lost pup for years, refusing to bare my soul. My heart hath been a prisoner, ensnared by fear of shattering the bond we share."
Erza's gaze fell to the ground, her voice barely above a whisper. "I have loved thee, Lucy, with a depth I scarce can fathom. Each day, I have held this truth close, fearing it might rend asunder our friendship."
She finally dared to meet Lucy's eyes, her own filled with a mixture of hope and trepidation. "But I can no longer endure the silence. My heart yearns to be free, to be known in its entirety, even if it risks the ruin of what we have."
A moment passed between them as they stared into each other's eyes. A small sniffle from Lucy broke the silence. Her eyes, now welling with more tears, were wide open, and her face was flushed. "Y-" she squeaked out, sniffling. She tried again."Y'know I get confused when you go into fancy talk like that, Erza." Her bright blue eyes shifted to the side as she brought her hands up to cover her face. "Say it again.."
Erza smiled once more, leaning down to speak. She gently removed Lucy's hands, allowing eye contact.
"I love you, Lucy Heartfilia, I have for a very long time."
At this point, Lucy's eyes were overflowing with tears as she reached up to pull Erza into an embrace, her arms draped around her neck. Lucy's body quaked and shivered as she cried, years of pent-up emotions being released with each choking sob.
"..e..to.." she said between breaths.
Erza's body went stiff. "Wha..?" she whispered.
"Me too, Erza! I love you too!" Lucy erupted, holding the redhead harder than before. Erza managed to pull away, eyes wide and mouth agape. "But I thought, what about Nats-"
"No!" Lucy Squeaked out, shaking her head on the ground. "Never him!"
"But Lucy I witnessed him kiss you.."
Erza said with sigh trying to rid the image from her mind, a grimace sketched over her features, as she felt a small hand cup her face. She stared down to see Lucy smiling up at her with tear stained eyes, "I turned away last second. I didn't want him to take my first ki-" Erza cut the sentence short with her lips, a kiss of her own claiming Lucy's first. Tears began to flow from her eyes as she grabbed Lucy by the collar, pulling her closer.
That began to flow even more when Lucy opened her mouth accepting more of Erza, draping her arms around her neck once more. They shared in this moment for what felt like an eternity, tasting each other and shedding tears of a plethora of emotions. Neither one could believe this to be reality, each grew anxious at the thought of this being a dream. So the allowed themselves to indulge themselves in one another, for fear of this moment being a cruel prank by the universe, a fleeting passing of time that would pull them into a twisted reality were they were further apart than ever before.
But the moment never came, and they eventually needed air.
There they lay, softly panting, staring into eachother's tear stained eyes; still connected by a bridge of saliva that reflected in the sunlight.
Lucy's eyes began to well as she's stared back at Erza, who pulled her small girl into an embrace of her own, positioning Lucy on top her in a sheltered hug.
They stayed this way for a long while.
The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden hue over the grassy field where Erza and Lucy lay entangled. Their tears had long dried, replaced by the warmth of shared confessions and the unspoken bond that had always been there.
Erza and Lucy stayed in each other's embrace, the intensity of the moment gradually giving way to a serene silence. Erza gently stroked Lucy's hair, her mind replaying the events that had led them to this point. She mused at how everything lead to this point and silently cursed herself for not acting sooner.
"Erza," Lucy murmured, her voice soft and tentative, "what happens now?" Erza looked into Lucy's eyes, seeing both the fear and hope reflected there. "Now, we take it one day at a time," she replied. "No more no more running, no more tricks. We face whatever comes together. "Lucy nodded, a small smile forming on her lips. "Together," she echoed, finding comfort in the promise. The school bells rang in the distance, signaling the end of the day. They both knew they had to return to their lives, face the consequences of their actions, and rebuild what had been broken. But for now, in this moment, they found solace in each other. Erza slowly rose to her feet, holding her hand out to Lucy, who took it and stood along side her best friend.
Lucy suddenly found herself feeling bashful, after everything that happened; taking it one day at a time seemed to be easier said than done. Her tummy flipped and turned at the thought of what's to come. Though as she looked over to Erza she felt a wave of reassurance. With Erza by her side, she felt a strength she hadn't known before. As they walked back towards the school, hand in hand, they were met with curious stares and whispered conversations. But neither girl paid them any mind. Lucy's fears slowly turned into excitement, ready for what's to come in this new chapter of her life.
New story to get me back in the groove of writing.
Just a one a shot, nothing special.
Oh well, leave a review!
Thankies!