First or Last Kiss?

~12~

  She suddenly felt the weight of all those memories. The weight of a thousand unspoken words. The weight of Gray's love for her and for everything she was. Lucy could feel it. She could feel the weight pressing down on her shoulders now and she had to admit that there was no way that she could deny her own love for him.  

Love. Lucy loved Gray, but did she love him the same way he loved her? Wasn't it just sisterly love she felt for him? The kind of love she felt around her other guild mates? Around her family? Gray didn't just love Lucy like that, right? He wanted more. More than just friendship. Was this love different from what Lucy felt for Sting? Or was it just the situation that led to her conclusion? What exactly did she feel for Sting? Didn't she run away from him not long ago?
All these questions made Lucy's head spin. She had too many doubts and too many unrequited pleads for answers. Too many feelings that were flooding her senses and all she could do was to act in the heat of the moment.
Though she immediately regretted acting the way she did, because she was kissing Gray. Again. And she ended up with more heavier feelings than before.

Lucy got lost in the sensation of Gray's cold hands on both her shoulders and his surprisingly warm lips on hers. She felt his hands move down her arms and his tongue was silently asking permission to enter.
Just as she was about to grant it, a heavy feeling pressed down on her heart and she pushed Gray away in one swift, yet rough, motion.
"L-Lucy?" the Ice mage breathed when he found his posture again. Lucy wiped at her cheeks that were now stained with wet trails of tears.
"I-I'm sorry Gray, I... I can't..." she heaved a frustrated sigh and bit her lip.
"Look, Gray... I do l-love you, but I can only love you as a friend. As family. It's just..." Lucy threw her hands up and silenced a sob.
"I-It's just that I can't see someone other than a brother in you and... I'm so sorry." She spun her heels and ran. Not looking back to see the mess she'd left behind. The fallen Fairy, broken and torn apart by a love he'll never get.

*Time skip: a little past 9:00pm*

After many allies and corners, running up and down staircases and strolling through the Royal Gardens to clear her mind, Lucy found herself in front of Fairy Tail's inn. Strangely enough, she didn't feel as invited as she always did once she was around her family. She silently opened the backdoor and tiptoed inside, careful to not make a single noise.
Lucy walked up the many stairs to her shared room with Erza, Cana, Levy, Juvia, Charle and Wendy. She heaved a sigh and opened the door quietly, praying to Mavis, that nobody would be inside the room.

"Lucy-san?" a tiny voice came from across the dark room the Celestial Mage had just stepped in.
Crap, Lucy thought.
"Yeah?" she hesitantly began as she fumbled for the light switch.
"L-Lucy-san..." Lucy froze in her process once she heard the fragile voice and immediately headed over to the girl on the furthest bed near the window.
"Wen? What's wrong?" Lucy asked and sat down on the bed besides the young Dragon Slayer.
"Uhm... i-it's nothing!" Wendy quickly hid her face in her pillow and stayed still.
Lucy looked down fondly at the curled up girl and laid a gentle hand on top of her blue head.
"It's alright, you know? You can tell me anything," She said and Wendy peeked out from beneath her pillow.
"Lucy-san, I... I don't think that Sherria... like-likes me," The girl hiccupped and hid her face again to stifle a sob.
"Really? That's stupid," Lucy mused and tapped her chin.
"Did she say so?" she asked. Wendy lifted the pillow off her head and looked at Lucy.
"Not exactly, no..." the girl answered softly.
"Then there's still a possibility that she actually likes you, Wendy. Don't lose faith in yourself, okay?" the blonde mage watched the bluenette intently as the clogs in her brain did their job and fitted everything into place. Wendy was smiling in no time and she jumped up to hug the Celestial mage.

"Thank you so much, Lucy-san!" the two girls laughed and Wendy finally let go.
"How many times do I have to tell you to just call me Lucy! I'm not that old, y'know..." Lucy sighed and Wendy giggled, falling back on the bed.
"Lucy... I'm tired..." the Sky mage yawned and rubbed her eyes.
"It's okay, Wen. Go to sleep," Lucy whispered and tucked the girl in. She was ready to get up and shower herself before going to bed, but Wendy's hand tugged lazily at her wrist.
"Lucy... stay, until I fall asleep..." she mumbled and Lucy couldn't help but smile.
She laid down next to the tiny figure and stared at her peaceful profile.
Wendy was so young, yet she had seen so much of the world already. And now this, too. Lucy sighed. The young Dragon Slayer always seemed so strong and independent, but this side of her only proves that she's just a child. Strong or not, she needed a parent-figure in her life, someone to hold on to when times got hard. Wendy didn't show her weaker side most of the time. She'd unconsciously build these walls around herself to prove that she was a capable woman, someone everyone could rely on. Especially with having Healing magic and all that.
Lucy could tell that Wendy was having a hard time with figuring out her heart at the moment. Funny, Lucy thought grimly when her eyelids were growing heavier by the minute. She could relate all too badly.
Lucy fell asleep next to Wendy with that thought ringing inside her head.

*POV change*

"S-She did what?!" Erza shrieked, her face glowing a faint red under the moonlight and few lampposts that surrounded them.
Jellal had explained how Lucy had met up with Sting Eucliffe, from Sabertooth, after the first day of the Grand Magic Games and how things had gone... considerably well. For her anyway. It might not have been completely beneficial for Fairy Tail, at all.
"Erza, calm down. I told you they were kissing and after that they've met up several times. It's no –" Jellal tried to reason with the Requip mage but she cut him off.
"So... y-you're saying that Lucy is ... doing s-stuff... with Sting Eucliffe, from Sabertooth?!" Erza screeched and grasped the wall for support.
"No, no, no! Erza, they're just hanging out with each other... not doing, well... 'stuff'." The blue haired mage assured the woman.
"Not that I know of, anyway..." he muttered and was glad that Erza was still too panicked over what he'd explained earlier to hear him.
"B-b-b-b-but, why did I not know of this?!" Erza yelled and Jellal had to restrain her with all his might to prevent Titania from destroying half of Crocus to get to the Celestial girl.
"Erza... just calm down, okay? You can ask her about it tomorrow and things will be clarified," Jellal sighed when Erza nodded.
"Alright, then. Any other... specifics, you wanted me to know? I should really get back to the inn," She said while flattening her skirt and adjusting her metal gloves (A/n: are they metal gloves? Idk, I'm just gonna call them that...).

"No, not really. But Erza..." Jellal said before the scarlet haired mage could leave, "...please be on guard. I, Melody and Urtear will keep an eye out for the abnormalities and I just need you to be safe." A small smile tugged at Erza's lips and she inclined her head.
"Of course. And Jellal?" Erza began and said mage hummed in response.
"Tell me when you find something. Anything." She spun her heels and walked out of the alleyway. Just before she rounded the corner she paused and looked over her shoulder at her childhood friend.
"Take care. All three of you." And with that, Erza disappeared around the corner and Jellal vanished into the shadows of the ally that she left behind. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

That will be all for today, lovelies! I'm gonna go try and save my future by studying like a crazy person T^T

Thanks for reading!

--DevillishReads