. Alleyways .
"Don't let yourself be seen," Jellal had warned when he'd first parted ways with her. Both had been aware that they were embarking on a dangerous mission. "If you're seen, do what you have to do, but don't hurt anyone. I'll meet you at the main entrance to the town at dawn. Alright?"
It wasn't that Meredy had intended to be spotted so quickly. Honestly, she'd just crashed right into someone who had gotten close to capturing the mages of Crime Sorciere before the events with the Eclipse Gate had taken place. Before Ultear-
Meredy forced herself not to think of her missing companion.
The point was, it had been an accident.
They'd caught her red-handed, laden with scrolls that would help the independent guild take down a man who shouldn't be in a place of power within Fiore. He'd taken up residence years back in Margaret Town, and she and Jellal had been forced to break into some very important places to find the information they needed. When they got away, they'd give the information to a select member of the Council, who would then present the information to the rest of his comrades.
And then...their work would be done.
Thanks to the official, however, who'd been visiting said man on business, it was likely that such an event wouldn't happen.
She just hoped Jellal had gotten away.
Cloak streaming behind her, Meredy rounded a corner, heart pounding in her chest. She heard them hard on her tail and quickly took note of her surroundings. Within moments, she'd figured out that she was losing the ability to get away, because the only way past the dead end was a door.
Meredy took a deep breath, prayed the door would open, and then threw herself at it. She smirked when the door opened, and she bolted inside, slamming and locking the door behind her. Her bag was heavy, making her shoulder ache, but she didn't care. For the time being, she was happy. She noticed the nearby window's curtains open and hurried to close them.
Shaking violently now that she thought she was safe, Meredy lowered her hood.
And then froze when the sound of shattering glass filled her ears.
Meredy whirled to face the man that stood in the doorway that led to what looked like a kitchen, his dark eyes stretched wide with shock. Silvery hair was mussed from sleep, and he was half-naked, clothed in only a pair of pants.
She grimaced in recognition at the emblem that decorated his chest.
Pointing at him with a fierce expression, still heaving for breath, "You. If anyone comes knocking and demanding to know if you've seen someone suspicious?" She took another deep breath. "I've been here all night."
His eyes narrowed suspiciously, and then darted to the window with its closed curtains when he heard yelling outside. Silently, he turned his gaze back on her. He studied her for what seemed like ages before he cautiously asked, "Who the hell are you?"
Her name left her lips before she could think twice. "Meredy. You're with Lamia Scale, right?" She gestured tiredly to the emblem on his chest. "Lamia Scale's allied with Fairy Tail in most times of trouble. I'm good friends with Juvia Lockser."
Hopefully she wouldn't be recognized with her previous alliances.
But luck didn't seem to be on her side, because he mused, "Meredy was the name of a member of the Seven Kin, wasn't it?"
Meredy raised her chin proudly, scowling. "Yes. I was once a member of Grimoire Heart, but I had a change of heart and became a member of an independent guild that has no affiliation with the Council."
She flinched when there was a crash outside. "Are you going to help me? Or do I need to run?"
"...you can hide out here," he sighed finally, scratching the back of his head with a reluctant look. "I'm Lyon Vastia."
She sighed heavily in relief. The hard wariness melted away, replaced with a friendly smile and warm dark eyes. "Charmed to meet you. Forgive me for intruding in your home in such a way. My companion and I are attempting to help with some...important matters, and it turned out a bit differently than originally planned."
His eyes widened a fraction when she smiled warmly at him, and then he gave a returned grin. "It's an honor to help a lovely lady such as yourself," he said suddenly, and Meredy giggled almost flirtily before tensing when a fist slammed against the door she'd run in through.
Lyon narrowed his eyes and then gestured for her to join him. Lightly, he rested a hand on her shoulder, leaning in to murmur, "Head upstairs. Hide anything that will give you away in the chest with a key in it and lock it. Hide the key where no one will look, and then come back down so it'll be less suspicious. You can go when things calm down."
"Thank you," she said in a hushed voice. She blinked gratefully at him, arching a brow at the sudden flush that crossed his cheeks, and then darted up the stairs as he went to deal with the front door. He watched her go, and then sighed and went to answer the door she'd entered through.
He unlocked it, taking his time even as the person on the other side banged furiously. When he opened it, he lazily leaned on the door frame and glared furiously at the official looking officer that awaited. For once, Lyon was glad he had acquired Gray's stripping habit, since it had put his emblem on display for all to see.
The officer faltered when he saw it. "E-excuse me. I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but have you seen any suspicious individuals in the area? A thief is on the run and we have to capture them before they can escape."
Aware that he was still a member of his guild, which required that he assist in such matters should they ask, Lyon picked his answer with great care. "I haven't seen anything. Sorry. I just woke up for some water." He really needed to clean the glass he'd dropped up… "I'd help you look, but I have to catch a train to Crocus in the morning, and need the sleep."
"No, no, we wouldn't ask you to help if you were intent on such a thing." The officer furrowed his brow. "Will you let us know if you find anything, Mr.-" He cut off, suddenly turning red.
Lyon was confused until a pair of arms slid seductively around his waist and a chin propped itself on his shoulder. He stiffened in shock as warm breath puffed against his cheek. "What's going on?"
"N-nothing to w-worry about, ma'am," the officer said hastily, averting his eyes. Lyon silently admitted that he wanted to know what was embarrassing the officer so much. With what he'd seen of Meredy, it couldn't have been anything but pleasant.
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and nearly choked on his own spit.
She'd shed the cloak she was wearing, and it left her in a revealing set of clothes - not that she seemed to care. The top was tied at her throat, curving down to tie around her ribs and back. It revealed a good portion of her breasts for people to see, he was astounded to realize. The simple skirt she wore appeared to have a belt that latched around her hips, and slits on either side ran all the way up to where the belt rested.
With long pink hair that reached her hips - even after being tied up - she was very good looking.
More than good looking.
Lyon really didn't have too many words to describe what he felt. But he forced himself to focus - Meredy was on the run from the man at the door, after all. While he wasn't sure if she had truly had good intentions, he didn't want to hand her over just yet. Not until he knew for sure what she'd been doing.
Clearing his throat, Lyon smirked at the officer. "If that's all, I think we'll be getting back to bed. Excuse us…"
Without waiting for an answer, he closed the door and locked it. He peeked out of the curtains to make sure that the man was actually leaving, and then planted his hands on his hips, furrowing his brow. "What kind of clothing is that?"
Meredy looked down at herself and then shrugged. "My friend and I were in another country that has more desert than anything else, and most of the women there wear clothes like this to help keep them cool. I liked the style." She licked her lips, and then sauntered back towards where she'd simply shoved her belongings under a couch, not wanting to take too long to make an appearance.
Lyon wasn't far behind her, never once taking his eyes off of her as she dropped to her knees to pull them out. His eyebrows rose; he knew Juvia was fond of high slits in the clothes she wore since they allowed her to move easier while still wearing clothes she liked, but this...she didn't seem to even care that he could see her entire leg.
Not that he minded all that much.
He watched as she latched her cloak back on, and then questioned, "Just what the hell did you do?" His mind raced over various possibilities; not just anyone ended up running from every official in their town, avoiding even guild members to try and get away. And he mentioned it, too.
Her lips curved into a proud grin as she stood, showing him a bag full of scrolls, books, and papers. "Even you legal guilds will have to acknowledge that corrupt leaders need to be removed from their positions. And I stole the evidence that is needed to get rid of one."
Lyon frowned, thinking over this, and then realization struck him. "I think I know which one you're talking about. He lives here in Margaret Town, right?"
"Yes." She winked. "We're trying to get him taken down. He threatened to try and get a few guilds messed with, which makes him a bad guy, you know?"
Lyon chuckled, and then offered, "You can lay low here, then. I was ready to turn you in, but if that's what you're up to, you're more than welcome to stay here until it's safe." He ran a hand through his silver hair, deciding he'd just send word to the guild that he wouldn't be in the next day. He'd need to sleep after the eventful night - and he really did need to take a train to a job the next day. Just not first thing in the morning.
Meredy looked beyond pleased. She gave him a charming smile that had the ice-make mage openly staring at her. "Thanks," she said cheerfully. She hummed, her hips swinging as she sidled into his kitchen, and Lyon followed, trailing behind her without thinking about it. She glanced over her shoulder. "Can I get something to eat? I haven't eaten at all today - we were too busy."
"Uh, help yourself," he said faintly.
Meredy helped herself, making a sandwich as quickly as she could before chowing down. When she'd finished eating it, she washed it down with a glass of water and then said almost apologetically, "I can clean up that glass you dropped. It's my fault you dropped it anyways-"
"No, No," Lyon told her as he snapped out of his trance-like state and went to grab a broom. "I've got it. When do you need to get to your friend?" he added as the pink-haired mage trailed behind him.
"At dawn. At the main gate to town. I'll have to take my cloak off...I don't think they saw me…" Meredy furrowed her brow and touched her bag. "Would you be willing to escort my friend and I a short ways away from town? So that we can get away easier? I'm positive you're far more trusted than us. Everyone knows of Lamia Scale."
"Uh, sure," he said, this time with a bit of reluctance, because honestly? He was exhausted.
Fairy Tail and Sabertooth could claim to be the wildest guilds of all, but they were entirely unaware of the insanity that came with Lamia Scale's guildmaster.
The relief on her face, however, was worth it.
And the fact that she pressed her lips to his cheek in a quick small peck before going to drink her water, a look of excitement on her face, made him have to turn away on risk of her seeing him turn red over something so small. Clearing his throat after a moment, Lyon decided, "We should get some sleep if we want to get going soon. I can't function tomorrow without it, so...do you want a bed? I don't have any spare rooms, just the bed and the couch."
"I'll sleep on the couch," she decided. "I've already bothered you so much, I don't want to kick you out of your own bed-"
Before she could finish, a loud crash filled the other room. Meredy froze, a hand dropping to the bag slung over her shoulder. "Mr. Vastia!" a voice shouted, muffled by the door. "Open up!"
"Well, shit," Lyon muttered. He ushered Meredy out, grimacing when the glass in her hand was knocked to the floor, shattering and slicing his foot. She made a small guilty sound, as if she blamed herself, but he ignored it and pushed her up the stairs. "This way. We'll climb out the window and run over the neighbor's roof. They're a light sleeper, and I've done it before, so they'll probably recognize it's me."
"Not if there's two sets of footsteps," Meredy pointed out.
"Shit," he repeated. "I'll apologize anyways. Out!" He snatched a shirt and a pair of shoes off the floor, and Meredy crawled out of the window after throwing it open, ducking to avoid a blast of magic. Lyon came close behind her, not daring to throw a blast of his own magic.
He was already going to be in a massive amount of trouble; Lyon didn't want to add to it by attacking government officials.
Lyon sprinted along the top of his neighbor's roof, Meredy running in front of him. He expertly slid his shirt on as he went, pausing to throw his shoes on as quickly as he could before catching her wrist. "This way," he told her, and then slid down the side into an alleyway that couldn't be entered from the area the officials were in.
The ice-make mage dropped down, and then looked up. He was going to offer Meredy assistance, but she didn't give him the chance, dropping down to crouch beside him. She grimaced when her knees ached at the harsh jarring. And then they were running again, taking a few twists and turns to keep them off of the streets.
"We should be safe for now," Lyon decided when they found a safe-looking one. He doubled over to heave for air, his hands on his knees. Meredy felt a flash of guilt as she slid down a wall, gulping air down.
"I'm sorry," she gasped. "I didn't mean to drag you into this mess. I just needed to hide somewhere and you happened to have a very nice and available door."
Lyon snorted and flashed her a broad grin. "I don't mind. Anything for a lady as lovely as yourself. Besides, I'm sure Juvia will like to hear that you're doing well."
Meredy smiled dryly; if this was doing well, than her life needed to be re-evaluated. "Even if I don't agree, thank you." She swept her pink hair over her shoulder, cursing its thickness when it stuck to her cheeks and forehead. She glanced at the sky and then grimaced. "The sun's coming up. How far are we from the main gate?"
"Not too far," he muttered, looking around thoughtfully. "We should reach it up if we head up the street a little bit."
"Good." Meredy crawled tiredly to her feet. "Then let's get going."
Lyon offered a hand and she took it, letting him tug her forward. Neither said a word as he peeked out of the alley, searching, and then darted out onto the main cobbled road that ran right through the center of Margaret Town. Nobody seemed to be out and about at the time - something both appreciated.
When they reached the entrance to the town, Meredy ignored Lyon's suggestion that Jellal might be outside of it, searching the shadows on each side and near buildings. She wasn't disappointed.
"This way," she murmured, leading Lyon to where Jellal was standing in the darkest of corners, between two houses, his eyes locked on them. Meredy squeezed in beside him without hesitation and Lyon shoved himself in a bit more hastily when he heard footsteps pounding in their direction.
"Sorry I took so long," Meredy breathed. "I got what we needed, but got caught in the process."
Jellal blinked calmly and shook his head. "As long as we can leave soon, it's no matter. I heard a commotion and figured out what was happening fairly quickly. I've contacted Mest; he'll be arriving shortly. We'll remain in hiding right here until he arrives. Will Mr. Vastia be joining us?" Jellal's piercing gaze turned on Lyon. "I assume that you were caught sheltering Meredy."
Meredy was surprised by the mention of Mest, but said nothing. Instead, she cast a grateful look towards Lyon when he admitted, "Yes."
Jellal's lips twitched a little. "I give you my gratitude. Meredy is the only companion I have since our friend's disappearance." Meredy bit back a sigh full of grief at the mention of Ultear, who she missed far more than she cared for anyone to know. "We would give you some sort of compensation, but are unable to. Contact Miss Erza Scarlet, and I'm sure she will offer something."
Lyon gave him a long look. "You've befriended quite a few members of Fairy Tail considering you're now on the run from government officials. I hope you know what you're doing." He sighed heavily. "I better go deal with the ones who will come this way and give you guys a bit more time." With a charming smile, he turned to Meredy, who tried not to blush when he dropped to a knee and snatched up her hand to press a kiss to the back of it. He knew he looked silly, more than likely, with his appearance not as usually as flash as he liked it to be. But he ignored it and grinned. "If you'll excuse me, my lady, I'll be on my way."
Meredy ignored Jellal's staring as she withdrew her hand and tucked it safely against her chest, flustered. "R-right." she mumbled. "Thank you again."
He only beamed. "It was no problem. I'll-"
Before he could finish, she darted forward to press her lips to his cheek in a grateful kiss, and then turned and scampered further down the alleyway. Jellal snorted, and then followed her with a swirl of his cloak.
Lyon only stared after them with shock written across his face, and then grinned like a child who'd been given the best gift a parent could offer.
I need to shelter pink-haired fugitives more often.
Of course, he didn't say such a thing nearly three months later when Natsu Dragneel crawled in through his bedroom window with his entire team in tow.
Got a request from an anon on tumblr for a Lyredy one-shot and I ship it, so. :D