Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

Stellar Mistakes
By : Rhov
Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail
Views: 14748 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail nor do I make money from this fanfic.
Chapter List
- 34
- 35
- 36
Chapter 35
Final Meeting
Lucy did end up going to Gray's hockey game. She felt nervous at first. She had never watched a live game of hockey, and all she knew about the game was from watching The Mighty Ducks as a kid. She mostly knew the reputation: rowdy crowds, bloody fighting on the ice, players with lots of missing teeth. Gray did not really fit that image, though, and the crowd was small since this was a local team.
Then the teams skated out, and she saw FULLBUSTER on the back of one jersey. She shouted out to Gray, and his eyes met hers up in the crowd. He saluted her with his hockey stick and gave her a winking smile that melted her a bit, despite the chill of the arena.
Although there was one fight, it was no Gray who threw his gloves off and began to pound the other player in the head. He did check plenty of people into the wall, but perhaps because he wanted a good date later, he refrained from fighting. Still, his team won.
She stayed around until he was done in the locker room, and Gray took her out to dinner that night. They chatted about how he got into the game, playing in high school, but having to stop while he served in the military, only to pick it up again with an amateur local team. Then he drove her home, and they made plans for lunch the following day.
On Sunday, they met up for a bite and walked along the downtown streets, randomly checking out shops. As they strolled through a bookstore, Lucy saw a book about the history of the Grand Magic Games. With the GMG coming to Fiore, these sorts of books were being published everywhere.
"Look, Gray," she said, excitedly pointing to a page with an ad for the Games from almost a century ago, the last time it was hosted in Fiore. "Isn't it exciting? We're working on an ad that could be in a history book like this. If we win, of course."
Gray frowned and turned away. "Of course we'll win," he said, although he did not sound happy.
Lucy slowly lowered the book. "Well, of course we're going to try our best, and I'm confident—"
"We'll win," Gray snapped, still upset. "Mr. Leo made sure of that, right?"
Lucy's mouth dropped. A shiver went through her arms as she recalled the meeting in Crocus and the confrontation with the king. "We still have to work hard," she whispered.
"I, for one, am," he grumbled, "although I question if we have to."
"Gray…"
"I don't want to talk about work," he said sharply.
Lucy closed the book and put it back. However, her hand rested on the cover.
"We still have to prove Fairy Tail is the best," she said with determination.
More days passed, and into another week, then another. Lucy and Gray traveled together for filming, and they went out to the movies the following weekend. She had to admit, he was lots of fun to be around. Work weeks passed by smoother when she had something to look forward to on the weekends. However, when once it looked like Gray was about to lean in for a kiss, she found herself turning away, acting like she had not seen his move.
Filming concluded, post-production was almost complete, and although the team still had once-a-week meetings, even those were often delegated to Freed. Loke seemed to be constantly busy with the final details, and Lucy had not seen him in Fairy Tail in two solid weeks.
Apparently, neither had anyone else, and there were rumors around Fairy Tail about if he had been in a car accident, or kidnapped, or arrested, or ran off after a woman. Freed assured the team that none of that was true. Loke ended up so busy with meetings in Crocus, he had simply rented an extended-stay hotel there. Gray bitterly muttered if it was about the presentation or his engagement, but a sharp clearing of Freed's throat warned them all that this subject was never to be mentioned at work.
Lucy ignored that by focusing during the work week. Although her main jobs were over, she had to be certain all preparations for the presentation were perfect. Nothing less would do, and the future of the entire company was on the line. Natsu helped her learn the equipment to play the commercial during the presentation, Gray proofread her speech to the judges, and even Freed helped her with how to speak in public without looking nervous, drilling her on posture and inflection of voice.
Finally, it was time for the very last Team Leo weekly meeting. As Lucy went over her concluding report, she thought about the past few months. She had been so intimidated at first to be put on a team with such amazing people. As her concept kept getting rejected, she had panicked, filled with self-doubts, convinced she was not good enough. Looking back, even that was a good experience that helped her to grow. Getting rejections helped her to build endurance and dedication. It forced her to work harder, to get better, to mature as a creator, and in the end it was a lesson in humility and perseverance.
More importantly, this was the first and last piece of work she would create that contained her feelings for Loke. She would not have come up with the idea, she would not have had such inspiration, and she probably would have given up right away, if it had not been for her admiration of him, and for his belief in her. Her entire worldview had been changed, and she knew it would help her with her work from now on. It was a career milestone, and she was glad Loke had confidence in her.
She finished checking over everything, saved it to a tablet, and headed off to the weekly Tuesday meeting. Gray met her in a hallway, and he smiled at her. They walked together into the office, and to her surprise, Loke was back. She supposed, with the presentation coming up and this being their last team meeting, he wanted all of them to be on the same page.
The time apart had done Lucy good. She no longer felt awkward when she looked at him, but it seemed she was the only one who felt that way. Gray stiffened instantly, and the smile he had for Lucy sank into a bitter glare for Loke.
Still, the group gathered and went through their concluding reports one by one. Lucy felt tension in the air, but she was not sure if it was just eagerness that the competition was happening so soon, or something more.
"One note about the presentation material Lucy submitted," Loke said. "I'd like Natsu to offer a supplementary explanation when you get to this part."
Natsu's eyes just narrowed at him, and he said nothing.
"Natsu?" Lucy looked over, surprised he was not quick to yell that he was all fired up. "What's wrong?"
His words were caustic. "Is a supplementary explanation really necessary? Whether if we all work hard or you mere phone it in, won't this whole thing be decided when you give the king your answer?"
Freed snapped his head over, obviously enraged that Natsu broke the rules that they had all silently agreed upon, to never bring up that subject.
Lucy looked around and saw a glaring look from Gray as well. She also realized, although Freed and Loke were old friends, he was not instantly coming to Loke's defense. She sensed he, too, was concerned about this issue. He was not angry like Gray and Natsu, but worried.
After all, Loke got Fairy Tail this chance to make a presentation by promising to consider the king's daughter as a wife, and the king had blatantly told Lucy that if he did not get engaged, Fairy Tail would not win the account.
Gray had asked on that day if the account was fixed the whole time, and when she was with him at the bookstore, he made it clear that he thought they would win no matter what they personally did. It seemed that was what everyone assumed was the case. On that day with the king, Loke had not given any of them a direct answer, and his silence was practically an admission. Perhaps because of that, Gray and Natsu now looked at Loke with distrust.
"Mr. Leo," Gray said, and the anger was just barely on the edge of his voice. "We still haven't heard any explanation from you about the king, and you, and this presentation."
Loke still just stared at him with a reticent, neutral face.
Gray pressed on. "What was the point of us doing all of this? You said we could affect the future of Fairy Tail, and we believed you," he said, nearly shouting, yet Gray sank a little, looking hurt. "In the end, you alone had that power. You didn't need any of us. Isn't that right?" he asked bitterly.
"Hey, wait a minute," Lucy cried out. "Mr. Leo—"
"Miss Heartfilia," Freed said with the harshest voice he had ever used toward her.
She looked over at him, stunned by the tone she had heard him use only with irresponsible underlings. Freed merely shook his head, silencing her.
"When it comes to this matter," Freed said softer, "it doesn't matter what you or I say. They won't hear us, not now, when conditions have aligned to make things appear a certain way."
"Appear a certain way?" she whispered, but she knew he had a point. After speaking with the king, Lucy was certain Loke had been pressured into the engagement, maybe even threatened. Gray and Natsu needed to hear this from Loke himself, not from her.
It also showed her that Freed still trusted Loke, and for that she was glad.
"You bring up a valid point, Mr. Fullbuster," Loke said, and he drummed his fingers on his desk. "At the moment, I can't do anything about the distrust you're feeling. I also can't be certain you're taking this seriously anymore. I overlooked that as an issue, and that was my mistake." Loke looked down at his pacing fingers and hummed to himself. Then suddenly, his head jolted up, and he looked all around. "I hate to ask this of you when you're all so busy, but would you come with me?"
"Come with you?" Natsu asked, looking like he would rather fight Loke than accompany him anywhere.
"I have to meet someone who's in town for today only. I would very much appreciate it if you all came with me."
Freed's eyes widened. "Loke! You don't mean—"
"Freed," he snapped, but Loke smiled at his old friend. "Trust me."
Freed's forehead pinched, but he closed his mouth.
"This is important in order for us all to be on the same page during the presentation. It's a matter for the whole team now. So, I'd like you to come with me."
Lucy spoke up right away and raised her hand. "Of course I'll go."
Freed nodded loyally. "As will I."
Natsu and Gray looked a little confused, but they nodded ambivalently.
"Thanks," Loke said, sounding relieved. "Let's go, then."
He raised from his chair and strode out of the room. Freed followed right beside him, trying to question him, but Loke would not tell him what this was about. Lucy followed after. She was not completely sure what he had planned, but if it was for the team, then she trusted Loke. Gray and Natsu shuffled along behind them, still frowning but growing curious.
They all fit into a company van and took off, with Natsu almost vomiting in the backseat, and Lucy glad the van had three benches, so they could throw him into the very back. They drove across Magnolia, and Loke pulled up to a posh hotel known for being used by the rich and famous.
"I'm just glad he's in town today," he muttered.
The group followed Loke into a sprawling foyer with chandeliers and furniture that looked like it was probably three hundred years old. Lucy gazed all around with her mouth opened. She had only heard about this hotel and walked past it. She had always been afraid that if she approached too closely, the doormen would demand for her to leave, yet Loke walked in as if he was used to it. By the way one of the bellhops tipped his hat in familiarity, Lucy wondered if Loke frequented this hotel.
She looked over to Gray and Natsu, but their eyes were ahead in wide astonishment. Lucy almost crashed into Freed, and when she stopped short to look ahead, she saw the issue. Seated in two of those elegant chairs were the king and his dainty daughter, Aries. This time, there was no doubting her identity. Instead of the little white dress, she wore a custom-made gown fit for nobility.
This was her, the woman who would marry Loke.
"Excuse me, my king," Loke said with a bow.
"You're early, old friend," the king said, rising and towering above them all.
Loke then took up the woman's hand. "Aries, charming as always." He gave her fingers a kiss, yet he shot over an instantly cold expression to the king. "I didn't think you'd bring her."
"I'm sorry," Aries squeaked out.
The king answered. "You said you had something to discuss before the presentations." They all saw the smug smile on his face. "I assumed that must be about the engagement, so of course I brought her. My question is, why are your lackeys in tow?"
Natsu stomped and shouted, "Who're you calling a lackey, you giant mustache?"
Gray held him back. "Whoa, easy. That's the king you're talking to."
The king raised a huge, bushy eyebrow. "What's the meaning of this, old friend?"
"Loke?" Aries asked, looking confused.
"I didn't come alone because I wanted you to see my resolve." Loke suddenly bowed deeply to them both. "Concerning the offer of engagement … I respectfully decline."
Lucy's mouth dropped. She felt like she might have shouted, except the king beat her to it.
"What?" His voice boomed throughout the entire foyer, bringing over the attention of everyone.
"Loke," Freed said, sounding relieved.
"Wait, what?" Natsu looked between Loke and the king. "What, what?"
"Oh God, he just damned us all," Gray lamented. "Sir, you don't have to do this for us."
"I know," Loke said, smiling back at him. "This is my choice, and I never think of choices made with my heart as mistakes."
Loke's eyes briefly flicked over to Lucy, and she nodded to him, remembering what he said about their first night not being a mistake. Then Loke turned back to the king.
"Months ago, you called me to your palace, completely out of the blue. I hadn't heard from you in a good three years. You asked me if I'd like the opportunity to work on advertising for the Grand Magic Games. Who wouldn't? You said you could convince the city planners in Crocus about opening the GMG account to all agencies instead of just using Sabertooth like usual. Of course, I leaped at the idea. I was a fool to think you were being altruistic. There was a catch: meet with your daughter for an omiai. Strange conditions, but it seemed like such a small price, and at the time I even figured that marrying her could further my ambitions. So I met with her. Charming woman," he said with a genteel smile to Aries.
She blushed and tucked her chin down.
"I met with her a few times, as promised, but nothing ever really clicked between us. Still, I know a good opportunity when I see it. Even if we did not match up as a couple, she was a brilliant woman and an excellent insider. We spent many dinners talking as she gave me ideas about what would best impress the city planners and the GMG committee. I used her information to guide my own team. She was especially helpful to Natsu, getting the TV slots at the lowest cost. I almost felt like I was cheating, using her vast knowledge like that."
Natsu nodded ambivalently, showing that indeed, he had been working with Aries.
Loke went on. "Then she came to my work one night with a dire warning. For reasons she did not understand, you were trying to sabotage Fairy Tail."
Lucy's mouth dropped. She remembered the night Aries had come to Fairy Tail looking fretful and asking for Loke. Lucy had been feeling spiteful, having just argued with Natsu about Loke. Still, she warned that he was busy preparing for the commercial shoot, and Aries had said that that was the reason she needed to talk to him. Lucy had thought it odd at the time, but ignored it. Just days later, Loke announced the budget slash. Had she gone there to give Loke some insider information? Now Lucy felt bad that she had thought of Aries as a meddling bitch.
"You convinced the committee to slash our funds," Loke continued, "but only after Sabertooth was done with filming, thus you had no reason to slash their budget. You thought I would be forced to turn to you, beg you, be willing to do anything to get those funds returned. I came close, too. Luckily, our team came up with a solution." He looked back to the team again. "They put everything into it, and even though slashing our budget by half was unfair, they made it work. That's how talented the people of Fairy Tail are."
They all beamed with pride.
"Then," said Loke, "with no warning or prior discussion, you barged into that meeting with the city planners and decided to test me, right there in front of my teammates. You brought up actually getting engaged with Aries, something I had no intention of doing anymore. Cutting our funds wasn't enough to make me beg, so instead you threatened me. Get engaged, or you can kiss the GMG account goodbye."
Natsu jolted. "What?" he said, the word slipping out of his dropped mouth. Then he leaned over and whispered to Gray, "I thought we only got a chance because Loke was going to marry his daughter."
"I know," Gray said, looking just as stunned. "Looks like that was the first Mr. Leo had heard about it. In fact, that means the king basically—"
Freed elbowed him sharply, but they were all thinking it.
The king had used Aries as a pawn to threatened Loke. He sabotaged them by cutting funds, then threatened to not give Fairy Tail even a chance to fight. Not only that, but the king now simply stood there, not even trying to deny it.
Loke raised his finger up as he paced slightly. "I couldn't understand one thing at first: why me? Why would you want some Creative Director of a marketing firm to marry the Celestial Lamb of Fiore? Was Aries really that madly in love with me? Maybe the fact that we were hanging out as friends, not lovers, broke her heart. My apologies, Aries, if that was the case."
"Oh, no," she squeaked. "That is, I'm honored that you wanted to be friends with me. Although, I admit, I was wondering if I wasn't enough for a gentleman like you."
Loke bowed to her. "You're far too good for me, my lady. You deserve a real nobleman, not a wily lion." Then his eyes narrowed at the king, and Loke's face grew even colder. "I know now why you would threaten my career, the reputation of Fairy Tail, and even one of my subordinates."
Lucy almost gasped, especially as Loke's eyes glanced over at her. Did that mean Loke knew all along that the king had threatened her to break up with Loke? She was speechless.
"All you wanted was my familial connection to the Regulus Clan. This whole time, it was all about power and money."
Just then, Aries shot a critical look over at the king.
"I'm sorry, but … did you really threaten Loke and his friends, all so he would marry me?"
At her angry little voice, the king took a step back and looked worried for the first time. "Well, Aries, you see, I…"
"Why?" she bleated out. "Why would you do something like that? Loke's a man I've admired ever since we were children. Why would you threaten his friends?"
Lucy suddenly felt sorry for Aries. The poor girl was innocent, just a lamb caught between a lion and a hungry wolf. The king had done the plotting all on his own, probably even urging her feelings for Loke, all for what? Just because Loke was a son of the Regulus Clan? Was winning them over really that critical to the king?
The king turned his chagrin into anger and directed it at Loke. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Exactly as I said," Loke said coolly. "There will be no engagement. You wanted to back me into a corner. Well, a lion fights fiercest when cornered. Right now, I'm fighting for the honor of Fairy Tail. What sort of fight has a victory that's rigged from the beginning? That's not a win, and Fairy Tail aims to win this fair and square. If the presentation next week is going to be directly tied to this engagement, then we'll fight our damnedest to the very end. We will give those city planners a presentation so spectacular, everyone will see for themselves the talent of Fairy Tail!"
Lucy could only stare at Loke's back, but she was shaking her head. Why would he do this? What about his promise to Makarov? She wanted to win this at all cost, even if it meant giving up on Loke and burying her feelings for him, because it was a promise he had made to someone he was indebted to, that he would make Fairy Tail the number one agency in Fiore.
"I implore you, my king," Loke said with a firm face. "Please judge the presentations fairly, without involving Aries, and without threatening my team nor the city planners. It's the right thing to do … for all of Fiore."
The king bellowed, "Do you dare try to give a command to me? Do you have any idea what's going to happen to you? I can crush you and your puny agency."
"You probably could destroy me," Loke admitted, "but not even you could stop Fairy Tail. You'd be facing so many strong, talented individuals, not even someone like you could bring them all down."
"Loke," Freed whispered as his face beamed with honor.
"You need me to win this, Leo," the king warned.
"I don't want to win by making a shady deal," said Loke. "It would defeat my pride as a member of Fairy Tail, and it would mean I don't believe in my team's abilities." He glanced back at the four people behind him. "I have full confidence that my team has created a campaign that Sabertooth could only dream of."
Both Natsu and Gray looked proud. Any doubts they had earlier were gone.
The king growled, "I can destroy all that hard work of yours without lifting a finger."
Aries gasped. "Father!"
Loke's eyes narrowed. "Challenge accepted."
Natsu chuckled slyly, and Lucy saw that he had his 'I'm all fired up' look in his eyes.
"Whatever schemes you try," said Loke, "I have full confidence that the GMG committee will be on our side. This team can do that. Fairy Tail can do that. I believe in them."
Then he bowed first to the king, then to Aries with a regretful smile to her. She smiled back, sad but looking like she was proud of his dignity in the face of such an intimidating opponent. Lucy and the others also bowed, and they followed Loke as he stormed out of the hotel.
Lucy faintly heard Aries whisper, "Father, how dare you!"
She would have loved to stay and watch that dainty woman berate the king, but Lucy had a commercial account to win.
A/N: I just had to toss in "The Mighty Ducks." I was an extra in the 2nd movie. During the final game, I'm in the audience, one of 15,000 people at the beginning, and one of maybe 30 by the end. As the audience dwindled, they kept moving us around the arena, filling in spaces with cardboard cutouts. In the final slow-mo shot, I'm directly behind the player's bench. It's the only time I can actually point and say "There I am!" For that scene, we were told to cheer and jump up and down in slow motion, so that the actor could skate at normal speed, making that final goal with precision. On film, the slow-mo is only slightly slower than his actual speed, but it looks like he's skating very fast in relation to our molasses-like cheering. It was hilarious.
- 34
- 35
- 36
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Stellar Mistakes	By : Rhov Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 14748 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail nor do I make money from this fanfic.

Stellar Mistakes