At The Top Of The Tower

Is This Mutual Pining?

{E.N.D'S POV}
I slam my blazing fist against the wall, and it crumbles on impact.

"Damn it Mira! Why do you keep letting Lucy through the tower?" I yell at my co-worker, using her real name since this is a private chat.

"You were getting so bored up here alone. Don't you enjoy the company?" Mira flutters her eyelashes innocently. I roll my eyes.

"The company is the issue! She doesn't know who I actually am." I groan at the thought of what she'll do when she finds out.

"Then you should tell her." All teasing leaves Mira's voice. "You're always late to work because you're more dedicated to this game than anyone else. You finish all the work you can't in the office at home. You're not getting enough sleep, and you're just going to loose more worrying about Lucy."

"Lucy thinks I'm a big bum." I sigh dejectedly.

"Then prove to her that you're not." Mira says seriously, before walking out of the throne room. I plop down on my throne.

"Prove it to her, huh?" I think about it, and the more I think about it the more I like it. I smirk. Miss Lu_Heart has no idea what's coming for her.

{LUCY'S POV}
I feel a shiver run down my spine. What was that? Mira suddenly spawns in front of me.

"Wah!" I gasp, startled. She jumps too.

"Lu!" She recovers, smiling and hugging me, then gestures to the staircase behind her. "He's in a bad mood, so don't expect much conversation."

"Okay." I nod, preparing to die. That's actually a really weird thought, now that I think about it. As I climb the stairs, I think about Natsu. He was in a bad mood today too.

No! Why do I keep drawing parallels between the two of them? They're totally different! E.N.D is smart and witty and perfect.

Natsu is... well, I suppose he's one of the smartest people in the company. And he can make anybody laugh. And he's not a bad guy. Maybe.

"Ugh." I bang my head against the doors leading to the throne room repeatedly, trying to clear it. My HP bar lowers a little, and even thought I don't feel it, I know my avatar is bleeding.

Then the door swings open and I'm face to face with E.N.D. We freeze when we see the other.

I smile awkwardly, trying to think of an explanation for my self-harming. Then E.N.D rushes forward and touches my forehead worriedly.

"You okay?" He asks. "What happened?"

Normally this would be taboo, for a mage and a demon to interact like this. But I don't care.

I stare at him for a second. From what I see under his hood, he's pretty good looking. Kinda reminds me of Natsu. I raise my hands and slap my cheeks to clear my muddled thoughts.

"Woah!" E.N.D stops me from slapping myself, looking at me with concern.

"I'm fine." I blush.

Maybe it's my cheeks turning red because I slapped them so hard. Or maybe it's just blood from my head injury that is gradually depleting my health.

E.N.D breaks my chain of thought by leaning forward a little. My heart starts pounding, faster and faster. What's he doing?

He leans in so his mouth is by my ear. "You know I'm upset right now?"

"Yeah, She~Devil told me."

"Then you should also know I'm really sorry about this." His hand touches my stomach. Warm heat spreads through my belly.

It's pleasant at first, but exponentially becomes unbearable. Within three seconds, a blast of fire from his hand leaves a gaping hole in my stomach.

Golden light creeps in from the periphery of my vision as I die. All functions except for vision cease to exist, but I see him mouth the words 'My name is—'

And then I respawn.

"Lu-chan!" Levy-chan comes running up to me.

"Levy-chan!" I wave, taking deep breaths to try to cool my still burning cheeks.

Big shots like Erza, Mira, and E.N.D might have to keep their real identities secret, but I can afford to call Levy-chan by her real name, even though her username is still Shrimp.

"Did E.N.D beat you again?" Levy-chan sighs.

"Not even a contest." I sigh, hand drifting to my belly where E.N.D touched it, and a whole new wave of heat travels from my cheeks to the roots of my hair. Curse this avatar and it's ability to blush!

"Oh?" Levy-chan raises an eyebrow knowingly.

"I-I need to log out. Get some paperwork done." I say quickly. Smooth Lucy, smooth.