23: Plotting

"Shake on it."

"What?!"

"Aw geez, really?"

"Shake."

"Luce, I already said sorry. Isn't that enough?"

"If you're going to make things right, do it properly."

Lucy grabbed Natsu's arms and tugged him forward, glaring as he stumbled forward reluctantly. Turning the other way, she directed the same glare at the second male. "And where's your hand?"

"Filia, you can't be expecting me to-"

"Oh yes I am. Now give me your hand, Bee."

"This is bullshit." Sting grimaced and refused to budge.

"You're telling me… you fucking started it."

The blonde male snorted and rolled his eyes. "You're only sore cause you fucking lost."

"Bast-"

"Natsu!"

The pinkette stepped back when Lucy's arm shot out in front of him. "Whatever, man. Lucy chose to stay with me last night." Natsu made a show of draping his arm over Lucy's shoulders and his expression turned challenging as he regarded the other male. "Guess who didn't have to spend the night alone like some other sad bastard."

"You-!"

Sting stepped forward and swung his arm out only to freeze in horror when the female immediately put herself between him and the pinkette.

"Filia, what the hell?!"

"Fist away, Bee."

"Fuck, you can't just- what if I had accidentally hit you?!"

"Well, you didn't. I trusted you to stop in time."

"Still, you can't just... Shit."

"I don't need you two numbnuts causing a ruckus here too," Lucy snapped as she whipped her head around to emphasize the fact that they already had an audience among the lunch crowd. "Erza will kill all of us if another fight breaks out at this convention. Bee, you do not want to get on her bad side."

"The redhead? Pfft, I can take her."

"I'm serious, Bee. Don't. She will publicly castrate you."

He cringed. "I- I got it."

"Now please, just shake and walk away?"

"…"

"…"

"Do it for me, guys?"

"… … Godamnit." Sting growled and thrust an arm out towards the second sullen male. "Dragneel."

Natsu regarded the extended arm critically as he weighed the ramifications of touching that disgusting limb against facing Lucy's fury. Sneaking a peek at the female, he jolted when he realized that she was watching him with a stare intense enough to melt steel. "Fuck." His arm shot out, grabbed the offered hand for a brief split second before pulling back again. Folding his arms, he gave Lucy a sour look.

"Are we done here? I'm hungry."

"Yes, we're done. But go ahead without me, I want to speak with Bee."

Natsu's onyx eyes narrowed. "Alone?"

"Yes."

Natsu looked as if he was about to protest again but he relented after a tense moment. Looking back over his shoulder, he grumbled, "See you later."

Lucy gave him a small smile as she gently patted his arm. "Thank you."

The pinkette's glare instantly softened though that quickly gave way to another glare as he turned towards the blonde male. "Don't you dare try anything funny." Before Sting could reply, the pinkette strode away to join Erza and the others at the lunch buffet. Lucy turned to Sting. "Shall we go somewhere quieter?"

"I sense that you're about to break my heart again."

Sting chuckled as he sat down on a bench. The two blondes had made their way to the small gardened area outside the symposium. Lucy sighed softly as she sat down beside him.

"Don't put it like that. I'm not doing this because I want to either." She moved her hands over to his lap, taking his hands in her own. "You know that I love you, Bee, just not…"

"Just not in the same way as I love you. I got that."

"I'm sorry. I-"

Lucy gaze dropped to where their hands intersected. "I hope I didn't waste your affections all these years."

"Oh you did," Sting laughed. "I am positively devastated but I loved you wanting you to be happy. And if Natsu-san is the one you're happy with, I'll back away graciously."

"Bee…"

"And if ever you grow tired of him, I'll always be happy to have an affair with you."

Lucy's laughed embarrassedly and socked him lightly in the arm.

"What? I'm serious." He chortled. "You have my number. If ever the time comes just text / call me. I'll be over in a jiffy. Just don't tell me about how good a kisser he is," Sting affected a disgusted look. "I don't want to know."

"Alright, I promise. So… we're good?"

"We're good. C'mere." He reached out and pulled Lucy flush against himself, holding her tight in his arms. Tucking her head in the crook of his neck, Lucy sighed blissfully.

"You're a really good hugger."

"Regretting giving me up now?" He teased and stroked a hand down the back of her head.

"Maybe." She laughed back and hugged him tighter.

"But it's so sad! Poor Sting…"

"Oh knock it off. Eucliffe can handle himself."

"Don't you think we should do something?"

"Like what?"

"You heard her! The girl admits to loving him but she's not in love with him."

"Your point being…?"

"My point being that maybe all she needs is a little push in that direction!"

"And what about the pink guy? The one she's with?"

"What, Dragneel? He's a known flirt right? All we gotta do is throw a little distraction in his face, just enough for Lucy-san to get annoyed with him."

"Are you volunteering?"

"Don't be ridiculous. He's cute but he's not my type."

"Speaking of types, what is your type? I've never seen you with any guys, except us of course.

"None of your business, Orga."

"You're not a lesbian, are you Agria?"

"Don't be stupid."

Thwack!

"Ow!"

"Back to the plan. Rogue, you in?"

"Count me out, please. I don't want to have any part in whatever harebrained scheme you two are plotting."

"Not even if it concerns the future happiness of your best friend?"

"… No."

"What a sourpuss. Whatever, we can manage by ourselves. So do you have anything in mind?"

"Uh, flowers and shit like that?"

"… Shit like that?"

"What? How am I supposed to know what girls like? You're a girl, you come up with something."

"Hmm… I'm thinking… setting them up tomorrow."

"Oh yeah, the dinner and dance right? Have him dance her around or something. Bet she'd fall for him in a heartbeat."

A finger was raised. "Sting can't dance."

"Of course he can. He's a fucking good dancer."

"You only think he's good cause you're terrible yourself. The last school dance we had, he gave me a broken toe."

A loud snort rang out. "That cast you were wearing… that was him?"

"He can't dance. Believe me."

"Well, we just gotta improvise right? Teach him or something."

"How do you plan to teach that oaf dancing in less than a day?"

"Oh you're taking part now, Rogue?" Nudge nudge. "Knew he couldn't resist."

"Only because I can't stand listening to you two."

"Alright, smarty pants… what do you have in mind then?"

There was a pregnant moment of silence with two pairs of eyes focused intensely on the brooding male. "

Got it."

Half my usual length since I wrote this one out on my way to school on the train and while I should be paying attention in class. Not my best work but hopefully you all enjoyed it nonetheless.

Signing off,

Sam.