Celestial Heart (A Fairy Tail Fanfic)

Chapter 21: Nothing Special

Winter's POV

The second I realized we weren't immediately going to bite it, I ordered Gray to pick up the slack outside. He protested, of course, saying it wasn't fair to leave me along when the guild was under attack (seriously, what else could be going on out there?); I just smirked and gestured at Candor, useless lump that he was at the moment.

"Who said I'll be alone?" 

And because he couldn't effectively argue against me, he complied and rushed outside to help with whatever the hell was going on.

It was silent now.

Not a sound seeped in from the battle. And whether that was because I was deaf and numb to it all, or because there's been a pause in the melee, I didn't know. And that killed me. But I couldn't leave Candor, not just to go and satiate my growing curiosity. Who would protect the brat if I left?

"It's not as though... I need protection... especially not... from a worthless toy like you."

I spun around, a smile pulling roughly at my lips, to see Candor struggling to prop himself up on his elbows. Sweat beaded his brow, trickled down the sides of his face, gathered at his chin and dripped monotonously down onto his collarbone and chest. His skin had gone a few shades lighter with the strain of movement.

"You shouldn't be up," I chastised as I dropped to my knees at his side again, playfully shoving him back into his pillow (fluffed up by the extraordinary Mira). He scowled, swiping the cool cloth from his forehead; it splattered to the ground a few feet away, the sound ever-so-prominent in the quiet room. 

"I think I should be the judge of my own health." And, to prove his point, he hissed in agony as he attempted to swing his legs to the ground. 

"Uh huh. Yeah, totally. You're fine." I poked his forehead lightly, and it was more than enough to send him toppling onto the bed again. I sighed, placing a hand at my hip, the other pushing against my forehead in exasperation. This kid... "Listen, I think Phantom Lord is back."

His painful trembling stilled; his eyes, always so narrow and stoic, widened, a flare of emotion pooling in the neon green. He turned his head, locked eyes with me. I barely kept myself from flinching at the intensity of his gaze. "That French bastard... he'll be here, won't he?"

I hesitated. Not because I doubted that mage would have come with Phantom, but because I wondered whether or not Candor should know about it. But he could see it, see the conviction I held, and he sighed, his fingers curling into his bedspread like claws sliding into tender flesh. His fury was palpable, electrifying the air around us. 

"He's here," he breathed, "I can feel his vile, repugnant magic from this very spot. And I'm going to kill him."

That was where I drew the line.

I grabbed a fistful of Candor's collar, dragging him up to my height. We were in this situation a lot, I noticed, and I doubted it would change anytime soon. We were similar, to the point where we acted like the same ends of two different magnets, always repelling one another. If we ever found common ground, I'd keel over from the shock. "You listen here, brat," I growled, tangling my free hand in his hair, forcing his head back so that our eyes met, "I told you: Fairies don't kill. Besides," I went on, nonchalantly dropping him on his ass as I stepped away, moving towards the door, "you can't get out of this room. You've seen your leg right?"

"That just means I'll need another pair of legs to do my bidding."

My eyes narrowed to slits. "You wouldn't."

"Of course I wouldn't. Don't be absurd, I'm not about to risk my standing in this guild for your sake." He smirked, that good ol' Candor smirk I wanted to smack off his face. "What I'm doing is asking you - politely - for help."