Stellar Mistakes

Burning Truths

With the proposal approved, work on the campaign was set to full steam ahead. Gray came up with a script to match Lucy's concept, and they sat together through many lunches, chatting together and working on the creative side of the project. He had a way of sculpting words that impressed her, and his work made her concept come to life.

Natsu arrived frantic one morning. He had been chatting with a friend who knew people in Sabertooth, and apparently their team had already begun to shoot the Grand Magic Games commercial. Ordinarily, they would not start filming until they got the job, but considering how major the account was, Sabertooth was not merely going to impress the client with a good budget and creative proposal; they were going to show off precisely what they could do. Although it was a risk, Loke made the decision that Fairy Tail should do the same, and he began work to arrange for shooting the commercial as soon as possible. Lucy called agencies to find actors, while Freed made sure the budget for film equipment did not go over what money they had been alloted.

Lucy sat in the break room, mindlessly stirred her coffee, and sighed. Although the workday had ended, she was still finalizing arrangements for the shoot. She had decided to work in the break room for a change of scenery, when Cana walked in.

"Oh, hey Cana. Leaving?"

"Soon. I heard you pulled off a concept that impressed even Mr. Leo, and you guys are ready to start shooting. You should be the happiest person in Fairy Tail right now. People are saying you're Mr. Leo's star protégé."

"Aww, thanks—"

"So, why the hell are you moping around here?" she snapped. "Seriously, what's wrong?"

"It's ... complicated." She forced a smile as Cana sat across from her.

"What's complicated? Do you mean him?" Just like Cana and her boy, Lucy could never refer to her relationship with Loke by his direct name. "You and your boy should be doing great. You have an excuse to openly spend time together at work. I'm rather envious of that fact. I can't see my boy until after hours."

Lucy glanced around, but they were the only two in the break room. She figured it was safe to talk now, but she still kept her voice soft and her words vague. "No. The lines would blur, so we're keeping our relationship professional while we're at work. I'm not clever enough to pull it off otherwise."

Cana let out a quiet sigh. "I didn't think anything could make you happier than having a relationship with the man you've long admired, but I guess I was wrong."

"If I could say he's my boyfriend, I think I'd be very happy." She looked down into her cup of coffee. "I didn't think I'd want that so badly."

"A boyfriend? What are you, fifteen? Who cares about boyfriends when you have a smoking hot lover!"

"No, I mean definitiveness." Lucy thumped her head down onto the table. "I don't know where I stand in his life, and I'm too cowardly to ask."

Cana poked the back of her scalp. "At least you're together, no matter what you call it. That's not so bad."

"It's not good. It's already this late in the game, and I know now ... I can't keep going on like this. Although I knew at the beginning that this was just a fling, something wild, crazy, impulsive, now ... it's changed."

"Did something happen?"

Lucy lifted her head up. "He invited me over."

"Oooh!" Cana leaned forward, ready for juicy details.

"Yes, for that," Lucy whispered, blushing slightly. "I wanted to ask him what I am to him, but he evaded the question." She stared down into her coffee and muttered, "We both evaded it. I think both of us didn't really want to put a label on this."