Worthy of Love (Sting Eucliffe x Reader)

13. Sting's No Good, Very Bad Day

Sting sat on his infirmary bed, waiting for his raven-haired comrade to be finished with getting treated. Lector had walked in, and informed him of what (F/n) told him after bumping into her.

It was a lot to take in, honestly. Her views were nearly the opposite of his. Normally he wouldn't worry about what others believed, but she's the tenth Wizard Saint. She's strong and powerful. To not take her advice would be simply ignorant.

Negating weakness didn't equal strength? Then what the hell did? It didn't make sense to him. It's not like he could ask her, though. She hated him for laughing while her friend was beaten and bruised.

Sting ran a hand down his face in frustration. To say he was more conflicted than ever, was an understatement. "Rogue?"

Said dragon slayer glanced up in question.

"What equals strength? If it's not negating weakness and emotions, than what is?"

"I'm... not sure. Maybe Natsu was right. Maybe... we should fight for our friends. It seemed to work for him."

Sting clenched his jaw. "That sounds stupid."

"Perhaps, that's the problem with us. (F/n) said that we lost because we were too arrogant, right? We need to be more humble. That's coming from a Wizard Saint, if nothing else. I'm conflicted too-"

"You think you're conflicted?" The blond scoffed, face morphing into aggravation. "Earlier today, (F/n) told me what a piece of shit I was for laughing at that Fairy being beaten by m'lady. She told me that she doesn't want anything to do with me or the guild. Not long after that, I got the shit beaten out of me by my idol and couldn't keep my promise to Lector. All I ever wanted was taken from me today. Ripped out of my grasp, but you think you're conflicted."

Rogue's eyes were wide in shock. Lector and Frosch has their paws to their mouths. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize-"

"No... I'm sorry," he whispered, placing his face into his hands. "I didn't mean to snap. I'm afraid she's right," he sighed. "I am a piece of shit. I laughed at her friend being tortured when it could've easily been her out there."

"What do you mean?" Rogue raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

Sting's eyes widened. He didn't mean to say that. "Uhm... nothing. Just hypothetically speaking."

"Okay..?"

"You're ready to leave, Mr. Cheney," the nurse informed, writing something down on the board.

Rogue nodded his head, thanking the woman. "Do you want to go get something to eat before we go back and get an earful?"

"Yeah," the blond sighed.

Sting stretched his bandaged limbs with a groan, looking up at the starry night sky. "I'm going to go use the restroom real quick and then we can head back," he mumbled, taking his food and throwing it away before heading to one of the nearby shops to use the toilet.

After exiting, he heard a noise in a nearby alley. He felt a familiar magic coming from it, and upon investigating it, he found (F/n) Fernandes pinned by a sword at her throat. That sword was Kagura's, who was currently glaring at the (h/c)-haired woman.

Sting hid behind a wall. He knew better than to eavesdrop, but what did the strongest member in Mermaid Heel (in which he had never seen her unsheathe her sword until now) want with the former Magic Council member?

"Your brother killed my brother!" The sword-wielding female seethed.

"And you're taking that out on me?"