Sting Eucliffe x Reader Book 3

Chapter 8 - Snips & Snails

A/N - I wanted to get these all out on Christmas, but screw it, let's zoom my dudes. It's corona season and I have nothing but time. Editing will come later but y'all need your dose of Sting and I understand that just as much as the next person.

~~~

Eileen and Erza invited themselves over to Brandish's the evening before Christmas Eve. Throughout all the drinking and laughing and storytelling, you found yourself in a strange sort of happy feeling. It felt like a genuine Christmas get-together with all the decorations, the falling snow, the fireplace, and the weird drunk girls in Santa hats talking about their adventure in Alvarez before they came to Fiore.

"(Y/N), what do you like to do for fun?" Eileen asks, roaring drunk yet cross-legged and classy.

Erza drank enough for her to pass out in front of the fireplace, on a fuzzy carpet she wouldn't stop complimenting in her sleep. Eileen merely covered her with a dark blue throw blanket and continued drinking.

You shrug. "I don't know. Homework? I suppose."

Eileen's eyes roll and Brandish laughs like she's choking. Eileen sighs, "Oh (Y/N), that can't be it, can it?"

You shrug again. You were kind of out of it. Whatever Eileen was smoking, it was not a cigarette and it tickled your nose. It stunk up the room and Brandish herself got a few drags in. "I just... I don't know what to do for fun anymore."

Eileen drops her smoking hand and gasps unnecessarily. "My dear! Where is your youth?"

You laugh, kind of randomly. You don't know what you're smiling about. "I like hanging out with my friends. I read, I really read. But crafting and hobbies, I don't have any of those outside of practicing knitting and sewing."

Brandish's expression turns to one of pity. You saw it in her eyes. "That's not bad or anything!" You raise your hands to defend your response. "Really, I enjoy it. I just never picked up anything outside of homework because I needed to do a lot of homework for my dad."

"Oh, that asshole?"

"Eileen!" Brandish hit her companion.

"Oh sorry, he's a good guy. Sometimes."

You laugh for the right reasons this time. You liked the small shit-talk Eileen was spouting. It got you in the mood to start complaining. "He is though! But he's becoming a lot nicer now."

Brandish's brows scrunch together. "He is?"

You nod as if you were listening to a song. Your head didn't stop banging -- you even felt yourself fall head-first on the soft cushions of the couch. "He's a lot nicer now," you repeat.

There was more talking, more laughs and giggles. You tried hanging onto the conversation but you knew you were going to sleep any second. What a strange night, you kept thinking. It was such a pointless night. Because of that though, you found yourself having the most fun.

~~~

"How do you not have a hangover?" You ask a peppy Brandish who, all the way to noon, didn't stop once for a break. You were holding your chin while sitting on a barstool, just watching her run back and forth.

"Pre-game jitters." she answered.

The small break you were taking let you observe the hectic room.

Eileen reminded you of a beauty pageant mother who wouldn't stop nitpicking everything Erza was doing, wearing, and saying. She told Erza to tie her hair up, wear it down, curl it, and even cut it -- all in one breath. She was more nervous than anyone, since her daughter was wearing some of the best pieces of the show.

Her modeling agent of a friend was coming to the show, so Eileen did her best to make Erza appeal to said friend. She would nit-pick at you if you let her, but you were only following Brandish's orders.

"She's been worse," Erza said, coming over to sit next to you. She was finally getting a break after dealing with her mother for hours. It was too early for this.

"How are you feeling?" you ask her.

Erza was drinking water -- only water after last night. She was given three painkillers from Brandish since only she (out of the four of you) did wake up with a hangover. She downed them as soon as Ajeel got her a glass of filtered agua.

"I've had worse shows, for sure. I have a headache, but really, I feel nothing but pride towards you and Brandish. I think you two are great together. You've managed to bring this show back from complete production hell."

You sip on some alcoholic lemonade. Ajeel told you it would help you wake up but you felt more like you were ready to puke.

It was a matter of hours. The reality of tonight was hitting you and that dizzy feeling came back again. You only now realized that Sting, along with numerous strangers, were going to be staring at you in provocative outfits. Okay, they weren't provocative -- that was an exaggeration. They were, however, the most revealing outfits you ever wore compared to the school uniforms and uptight outfits your grandmother would make you wear for dinners.

"I don't think I'm ready for this," you admit.

Erza finished her water and takes your lemonade away from you, replacing it with her refilled water cup. "You're overthinking it. Don't worry, you're ready."

Your breath shakes. "I am?"

She smiles, rubbing your shoulder and standing in her heels to head back to rehearsal. She turns around to tell you, "You're going to do great, (Y/N)."

Sting POV

"What do you mean you can't go any further!?"

"The road's blocked off man, I can't just run down snow trucks and cop cars!"

NEVER hitchhike with a supply truck driver.

Damn it, I'm going to be late for (Y/N)'s show! This can't be happening.

Earlier, before nay of this shit started, my manager Toparge came into a room I was cleaning, after a group of drunk office workers celebrated the snow-in, and told me Natsu tried calling me. With the snow in, we were surprisingly getting a lot of customers willing to hike in piles of snow just for some good food and a drink.

I finally understood why he called. After I talked on the phone with (Y/N) it was clear. As jealous as I was, I was grateful Natsu took care of (Y/N) when I couldn't.

"How far do you think it is from here to the club, Spriggan 12?" I asked the scruffy-looking driver. He picked me up because I was hitchhiking from Toparge's place to the club. I didn't have any time to change out of uniform so I smelled like booze and good food. My hair was a mess and I didn't even have (Y/N)'s Christmas gift with me -- a matched set of promise rings.

"Maybe a mile? But you can't possibly walk in this shit storm."

I'm already opening the door against the huge gusts of wind. "I'll be fine! Thanks for the ride, thanks Golem!"

Before throwing the door closed he shouts, "You're fucking crazy!"

It gets a laugh out of me, but the freezing weather has me shoving my face in my shirt. This was insane. I was getting frostbite out here. If I can walk this, then they have no reason to close these damn roads. Okay, they do, but it still wasn't fair.

Damn it!

I don't want to let (Y/N) down. She's been working too hard for this. By the tone of her voice over the phone, I could tell the stress was getting to her.

I needed to be there. Whatever it took, I needed to be there for (Y/N).