Face Your Fears (Fairy Tail Fanfic)

Courage And Blood

{AVERY'S POV}
Stupid playboy. Stupid stupid whatever-helps-you-remember-me.

I was hanging out in Domus Flau, walking down a back hallway and minding my own business, when I heard Yuuki's voice and hid reflexively. Sure enough, he's confessing to yet another girl.

"Look, Yuuki-kun," she says in a faux sympathetic, unnaturally high-pitched voice, "I really really like you and I'd totally accept your confession, if you were anybody but you. I absolutely cannot be the one to break your rejection record! That's cheating! My friends totally have mega crushes on you too and I just couldn't do that to them! You're, like, everybody's Yuuki-kun. We have to share. Omg, now I have to tell the girls that I just got confessed to by the Yuuki Eucliffe! They'll be so so jealous!"

The girl giggles and twirls her hair. I can practically see the hearts in her eyes. I honestly hate this type of girl, the type who will spread nasty rumors about you the second you turn your back.

She runs off. Yuuki's shoulders slump. Then he turns and something in my chest drops. Yuuki should be smiling. I've never seen Yuuki not smile until now. His face right now is flat and his eyes are dead.

Yuuki runs a hand through his hair, defeated. He laughs dryly, but I can hear a touch of hurt. Under his breath, he mutters, "Anybody but me. Got it."

"Hey, Yuuki!"

Yuuki snaps to attention. It's like he puts on a filter. Suddenly he's smiling wide and his eyes sparkle with good cheer as he faces the oncoming voice. A mask of happiness so convincing I'd fall for it.

Axis enters my field of vision. "This may sound weird, but tell me a joke."

Yuuki taps his chin, over-exaggerating his thinking pose for comedic effect. "I got one! What did the fish say when it swam into a wall?"

"I dunno."

"Dam." Yuuki grins. "How 'bout this: what's red and bad for your teeth?"

"Candy?" Axis guesses.

"A brick."

Axis can't help but laugh at the corny jokes. "Thanks man. Hey, who was that girl just now?"

Yuuki laughs. "No idea. But she was following me around and begged me to confess, so I did."

"Well, whenever someone attractive confesses to you, it's a huge confidence boost." Axis blushes slightly, scratching his cheek. "Speaking of confessions—"

Yuuki clasps Axis's hands. "I'm flattered!"

"No!" He yelps, three shades redder. "It's... Edel."

Yuuki grins, delighted. "I know. I was just teasing. I'm happy for you, Axis."

"I haven't confessed yet." Axis mumbles. "I'm too nervous to face him. What if he says no?"

"Then you tried. That's all you can do, right?" Yuuki elbows him lightly.

"Yeah well, I figured I'd talk to you, being the Confession King and all. You may be notorious for being rejected, but I've heard that everyone who comes to you for relationship advice ends up having their confession accepted. You can get a significant other for anybody but yourself." Axis laughs.

Yuuki laughs with Axis at his own expense. "Regardless of my personal life, I've seen how Edel looks at you. You've got nothing to worry about."

"What if we get shunned by our guildmates?" Axis looks nervous. "I don't want Edel to lose his place because of me."

"If your friends look down on you for being yourself, then maybe you should reconsider who your friends are." Yuuki says seriously.

"Easy for you to say." Axis snaps. "You're not in any danger of people not accepting you. You're like a magnet, funny and talented, making friends wherever you go. Everybody loves you! Lucky Yuuki Eucliffe, the guild master's golden boy with a perfect life. Sometimes family isn't so accepting!"