He slid down into the water, letting it block out the sounds around him. He wished the tub wasn't as crowded so he could go swimming deep underneath it.

It was a rare occasion for him to enjoy relaxing in a bathhouse with the other guild members.

He listened to the conversations his fellow mages talked about, chuckling and teasing them occasionally. The conversations ranged from various topics to another.

Gildarts closed his eyes feeling himself slightly dose off.

Gray, who noticed this, lightly punched his shoulder, waking him up. He peeped at him with a confused look.

"What is it ?"

"You know, I bumped into Y/N a few days ago and she seemed kind of down... And she usually isn't like this unless you're involved."

He opened his right eye and looked at Gray suspiciously. He stood up from his previous position but still stayed comfortably in the water.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, what are you planning to do with her anyway ?"

"None of your business. What's it to you ?" Gildarts replied, slightly raising his voice.

Everyone had turned their heads towards them upon hearing the S-class's voice.

"I mean, a lot of us were wondering about it." Gray started, awkwardly grinning, "Come on ! We're just laughing... No need to take it so seriously. "

Plan ? He didn't have a plan when it came to you. Should he have prepared one ? He didn't really know how to reply to the question.

He stared at everyone surrounding him from the corner of his eyes.

He sighed, running his hand through his hair.

Gildarts kept his eyes closed and held a small grin before replying softly, but still loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Exactly. She's just a kid, so don't take it too seriously."

The moment the words left his lips, he regretted them. He sensed something was wrong.

But before he could retract his words, the voices from the other side interrupted his thoughts.

He turned his head around seemingly trying to hear better what was going on.

They screamed her name. Multiple times.

Telling her to come back, telling her to stay with them. And then he heard them running away trying to find said girl.

He turned his head back around only to find the others staring at him taken aback.

"What the hell, man ?" Laxus shouted at him.

You two were good friends, so it was normal for him to get mad at him for you. He understood that.

Gildarts stood up and walked towards the door. "I-I... I'm going to look for her. Continue on without me."

˚

He changed into the casual clothes he had brought and left the bath house running.

He looked for you around the area in vain, without much luck.

"Goddammit !" He panicked, sincerely hoping you were okay. "Where is she ?"

"Fuck ! Fuck !" He stopped running, put his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

But soon after he continued searching around.

"Y/N ! Y/N !"

˚

He hadn't noticed you yet.

You wandered further away before stopping at a building you'd never seen before. You looked at it briefly before sitting down on the steps, curling in on yourself and put your head between your knees letting out a few more tears.

Then the both of you made eye contact. You peered at him, noticing the pained look on his face.

He advanced towards you breathing heavily.

"H-Hey.. Why are you hyperventilating like that ?" You asked him, jokingly standing up.

Your tears were still flowing down but you no longer felt like wiping them away.

"Listen, what you heard... I- Fuck !" He grunted. "Are you okay ?"

"What ? N-No. Of course I'm not fine. I usually say I am but I can't bring myself again this time." You answered him, smiling shyly.

You looked down, not wanting him to stare at your face.

"Why ? Why would you say that ? In front of everyone too..." You started out. "She's just a kid ? You shouldn't take her seriously ?"

He pranced around sighing softly. Your eyes followed him feeling slightly bad to see him this way.

"How would you have wanted me to respond to them ? I just didn't know what to say..."

"You could have just told me that my feelings for you were just a big joke to you."

"Of course not ! I told you the first time you confessed to me that I would never take you for granted. Your feelings were never a big joke to me !" He responded holding onto your shoulders .

"Okay... " You sighed, raising your head to look at him. "I need to tell you something very important and I don't you to respond."

"Alright. Yeah. Go ahead." He nodded.

"Falling in love with you was like entering a house and finally realizing that this is what home feels like. When you smile at me, I feel invisible hands wrapping around me making me feel the warmest inside, " You grinned from ear to ear, hoping he would to take in consideration your words.

For once you just wanted him to hear you instead of already preparing himself to say no.

"When... When your eyes are locked on mine, I start imagining a million scenarios, if that even is possible. I want you to look at me like that every day. Having you in my life makes me feel like everything's possible in this world, like I can conquer anything. I don't regret feeling this way too. And... I never will."

You wrapped your hands around your arms, occasionally gazing at him.

"Y/N..." He let go of your shoulders, rubbing his temples.

He really didn't want to hurt you again. Not like this.

How many times would it take for you to understand ?

"It wouldn't change anything to tell you how I really feel," He sighed trying his best to explain to you how he felt. "Even if I were to accept, this is wrong ! Can't you see why ?"

"I know why we wouldn't work, but I guess I never cared." You muttered at him, taking a step closer.

"I'm sick of people telling me to give up... It never felt like I was even a thought !"

He looked at you, guilt filling his face. He had so much he wanted to say but suppressed his thoughts in hopes that you wouldn't find out how your words were affecting him.

Clenching his fist, he looked at you in the eyes.

"I can't love you Y/N. I'm sorry. It just wouldn't be right."

You gazed at him with a pained expression.

"Then.. Give me a reason to fall out of love with you please."

"...What ?"

"You can't keep doing this. You always do stuff that makes me think you remotely see me as a choice and it honestly pains me more than anything." You stated, your voice breaking.

The statement seemingly made him mad since a frown could be seen on his face.

"It's not my fault, you feel this way Y/N... You're a good friend of mine before all of this. And... That's just how I act with my good friends in general."

You kept quiet. He was really touchy with others that you knew. But he still could have made an effort towards you. The head ruffling, the forehead touches, the recurrent flirting. It was all too much for you.

"I'm sorry, then..." You looked down at your feet. "You know, I still feel like I could've stopped this from happening if I just didn't let myself start thinking about us becoming something more."

"Don't say that. You... You can't help who you fall for." He denied, raising his hand to run his fingers through his hair.

"Listen, Y/N, this is actually a really good opportunity. I'm.. actually leaving in a few days. I just got this really important quest to do and I won't be able to see you for 5 months or more..." He admitted.

'What the hell ?' You thought, furrowing your eyebrows.

"I've trying to find a way to tell you and now I know you probably won't want to see me before I leave, so I'm telling you now..."

"Oh.. " You still kept looking down while playing with your fingers.

'Please don't go now...'

"I'm- I'm getting tired. I'm leaving okay ? I'll see you when you come back." You breathed out, striding away.

You walked quickly trying to get as far away as you could. You didn't want to be here any longer.

Gildarts ran after you at fast speed catching up to your fleeing figure.

"Y/N, wait !" He said, holding onto your hand tightly.

Your teeth clenched trying desperately to get your hand out of his grasp.

"I can't do this anymore." You whispered. "I'm done."

"Y/N, we'll have to move past this, at some point... And I know it won't be easy but we have to do this one way or another."

"I understand."

"I just can't let you get involved with me. I just... This.. This isn't right." He whispered not wanting to let go of you.

"Stop. Can you please just stop ?" You shouted, as the tears continued to fall, your shoulders heaving up and down.

Gildarts fell silent.

"I understand what you're telling me but, unfortunately, no matter how far you push me away, I just can't help it. I'll still love you. And although the words you stated really hurt," You continued, "I'll always do."

You walked back, your body trembling. "Sorry, for being a nuisance."

He grabbed onto your shoulder once again, this time more gently. "Y/N..."

"Please just let me go." You took shaky breaths, looking at him crying, "You can't hurt me more than this..."

He let go of your shoulder slowly, watching you march past him, his mouth agape.

˚

You wandered around the city before heading home. Despite the time, the hustle and bustle never came to an end.

The city's residents were off for a movie or to chill out in a bar downtown.That's what you loved about Magnolia.

No matter the time of the day, the residents were always having fun celebrating.

You arrived in front of the door of the apartment complex but couldn't open it. You stayed in front of it for a moment before hiding your face with your hands.

"God damn it !" You cried, curling up on yourself. You heard mewling coming from behind you but didn't want to look.

You felt something snuggle on you. It meowed some more before trying to get inside your crossed arms.

You looked down at it slowly and reached down to pat its head. You smile and thanked it for keeping you company.

Lucy and Levy ran around a corner, locating you and advanced towards your shivering body. The cat quickly ran away, startled by their shouts.

They lowered themselves next to you and looked at the fleeing animal.

"Y/N.. Stand up." Lucy comforted you gently. They both held on to your arms.

You nodded, complying, trying to stand up. When you finally had, you dusted yourself off after noticing how dirty you had gotten your clothes.

You glazed at them, muttering small thank you's.

"You're spending the night with us, okay ?" Levy ordered, smiling at you, rubbing your back.

Lucy beamed at the two of you. "I'll be staying with you guys too !"

You nodded again, smiling back at her.

"There's that smile ! Look how cute you are !" teased Levy poking your cheeks.

The three of you arrived at Fairy Hills grinning to each other with them telling you jokes to cheer you up.

Wendy and Juvia opened the door upon seeing you.

"Y/N !"

"Let the maid of honor in, guys !" Lucy scolded them, a warm smile, a second later, filling her face. She took your arm and dragged you inside.

You wiped your tears before entering with a bright grin.

Everything was going to be alright.

˚

Gildarts looked at you from afar, hiding behind a pole nearby. You seemed happy now. That was all that mattered. Still he kept on staring at you making conversation with the others.

"Hey."

He turned around rapidly. It was Cana.

She glanced at him, her arms crossed.

"Oh, hey." He said, going back to staring at you.

"You really hurt her, you know ?" She looked at where he currently looking. You were getting engulfed in a hug by Erza at the moment.

"I'm aware..." He replied, kicking a rock with his foot, his hands in his pockets.

She looked briefly at him before looking away and scoffing.

"Whatever."

"Don't you realize how wrong this is Cana ?" He told her turning around rapidly. He desperately wanted someone to understand where he was coming from.

"Don't get me wrong, I do. I do... But still, that wasn't cool." She began sighing, "You should really go before she sees you acting like a creep."

He took his bag from the ground, walking away signing. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She frowned a bit. "Nah... I'll be busy, so don't come find me."

"Yeah, yeah." He touched her shoulder and waved.

She watched him for a moment and then ran back to Fairy Hills to greet you.

And with that he left, walking further away.

He sighed, trying his very best to not remember the words you had expressed to him. Trying his best not to remember your face as you cried apologizing to him.

The sigh that escaped Gildarts's lips was slow, as if his brain needed the time to process what had happened once again.

His eyes remained fixed on the road, on the exact path you had fled down.

˚˚

➔ UA's note :

Hey guys ! I just wanted to thank you all for still reading the story ! I've actually been planning what I wanted to do for it and now I'm finally done writing the plan down, so it'll take me less time to post ! I will also improve on my writing so that I can offer you the best that I can !

But yeah, I just want everyone to know that I really appreciate the support on this story. You guys really don't understand how much happiness it brings me to see people enjoying it !

Please vote & comment too !
(P.S You look great today!)

Thank you ( ' ▽ ' )