I just really wanted to write something cute with Wendy and Chelia. They are just the cutest little things!
This is kind of a companion piece to my other oneshot, Wendy's Crush, though both can be read alone.
People were bustling within the station when Wendy hopped off the train in Margaret Town. She adjusted the backpack on her shoulders and moved away from the train tracks. The young Sky Dragonslayer's long ponytails bounced as she jumped up and down to try and see over the crowd. If only Wendy had asked Carla to come along but thinking of having the mature feline around during her trip with Chelia made her glad that the self-appointed chaperone was busy spending time with Lily.
A head of pink appeared over by the ticket office. Wendy's face split in a wide grin, and she ran towards her best friend.
"Chelia!" When the Sky Godslayer heard her name, she turned and wore a matching smile.
"Wendy!" Excited after their long separation, Wendy ran into her old teammate's open arms. "It's so good to see you!" Ever since Fairy Tail's reformation last year, the Sky Sisters had been sending letters to each other almost weekly. Since they both wanted a break from taking missions, and Chelia wanted to hear all the latest gossip about Wendy's crush on the Lightning Dragonslayer, they had decided to spend a few days together.
Linking arms, the girls left the train station and headed to the home they used to share together.
Through the front door and up the stairs to the apartment, Wendy was struck by nostalgia. She gently smiled as she remembered the fun she had living here with Chelia. For the most part, everything looked the same. The old burgundy couch, worn and complete with the chili stain on the left side cushion they couldn't get out, was pressed up against the opposite wall with a wooden table, possibly with some new scratches and ring marks, in front of it. A wood floor extended past the kitchen to reach several doors leading to the pantry, the bathroom, Chelia's room, and Wendy's old bedroom.
The only difference was that it looked like a whirlwind had swept through, tossing clothes and books and old food containers about. While Wendy was very neat, always picking up after herself, Chelia had been more likely to drop things and forget to clean up. It was by sheer force of will that she did her best to be tidy while Wendy lived there - at least in the public area.
Carrying her bag towards her old room, Wendy was caught off-guard by the numerous boxes and storage items that now filled it.
"I'm so sorry, Wendy!" Chelia blushed and awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck. "After you moved out, my sister decided to use your room as a closet for all the things that didn't fit in her and Ren's place. You can stay in my room with me, if that's okay," she offered.
"Oh of course, but I don't want to be a bother," Wendy said. The pink haired mage winked and took her friend's luggage. Entering the next door, the Sky Dragonslayer laughed watching Chelia skillfully navigate the obstacle course that was her bedroom floor to drop the bag by the closet. Hopping between the empty spots not covered in clothes and makeup, Chelia grabbed Wendy's hand and pulled her back outside.
"Let's go get some lunch!"
~I~
"So you gave him the card?"
"It was so embarrassing!" Wendy covered her face with her hands. The outdoor table they found at the cafe was in partial shade in the back corner providing them the illusion of privacy.
"You're too shy, Wendy," Chelia teasingly scolded, taking a bite of the cake she had decided to eat instead of lunch. "What did he do?"
"I have no idea. The second after I gave it to him I...kind of ran away," Wendy admitted, hiding her face behind a teacup.
"Oh Wendy," Chelia sighed, wearing an exasperated smile. "You can't just run away every time you like someone. What about him intimidates you so much?"
"You mean besides the fact that he's the powerful and intelligent grandson of my Guildmaster? Possible future Master? The Lightning Dragonslayer that managed to defeat a Wizard Saint?"
"Yeah. Besides that." The two girls stared at each other in stoic silence for a beat before cracking into laughter at the same time. "Okay, okay, but really. Forget the big stuff. Narrow it down to a key trait that scares you. What makes him different from Natsu or Erza?" The blue haired maiden picked at her salad while she thought. It was hard to imagine Laxus as just an ordinary person. Everything about him bled experience, whether it was his intellect or strength or even his personality which had been hardened by his excommunication.
True, Natsu and Erza were both quite powerful in their own right, and the pink haired mage could be very bright on the rare occasion he decided to use his brain. Actually, there are times when Erza can be a little intimidating as well, Wendy rationalized. So what do Erza and Laxus have in common that Natsu doesn't?
Chelia waited patiently for an answer, sipping her tea.
"I guess it's because...he's older so…"
"Because he's mature?" Chelia supplied, though she didn't believe that was the problem. Maturity in itself wasn't a scary aspect, more something to be admired.
"Maybe? I mean..." Wendy paused, grasping for an explanation for her feelings. "It's just that...Laxus has travelled around and done things and….and done things." Fire burned her cheeks at the latter thought that had ended in a whisper.
"Oh," the Godslayer drew out the word while understanding hit. "You're uncomfortable, because he's more experienced than you."
Unable to verbally respond, the red faced Dragonslayer nodded. Holding back a giggle and enjoying the adorable expression Wendy wore, Chelia hummed thoughtfully. "I guess we'll just have to get you used to it."
"Huh?" If possible, Wendy's face burned even brighter. "W-what do you mean? How?"
"Well, how do you get better at magic? You practice, so that's what we'll do!" Chelia placed her hand on top of Wendy's and smiled gently. "You deserve love, Wendy, and I want to help." The soft caress of her thumb along the bluenette's hand had the younger girl swallow in nervousness. "And it looks like we know where to start."
Pulling away, Chelia pushed up from her chair and suggested they go take a walk around town. Wendy cheerfully nodded and stood to follow her friend. When they passed the short fence surrounding the cafe, the Sky Dragonslayer was surprised when fingers interlaced with hers. Blushing brightly, she looked at the pinkette who gave a mischievous wink.
"I'm going to hold your hand like this," she informed, lifting their joined hands, "until you stop blushing." Like a curse, saying the word brought a fresh brush of pink across her face.
True to her word, Chelia never let go of Wendy's hand as they wandered the shops of Margaret Town. As soon as Wendy would start to forget about it, the older Slayer would squeeze her fingers or pull her along to another stall, and each time, brown eyes would be drawn to the interlocked hands as heat burned her cheeks.
When it came time for dinner, the two made their way back to Chelia's apartment. Only once they were crossing the door's threshold did the pinkette release their hands, and Wendy's face glowed faintly when she missed the warmth, even though her hand was now a bit sweaty.
As Chelia began setting out the necessities to start cooking, Wendy decided to pick up a bit. She stacked several of the magazines and books and laid them on one of the bookshelves. After that, old takeout boxes were collected and dumped into a trashbag obtained from the pantry. They both worked diligently and silently.
"Come give this a taste, Wendy," Chelia called over. The Dragonslayer set down the trashbag and walked over to her friend. The pinkette was standing by a simmering wok with rice cooking nearby. "I hope stir fry is okay."
Wendy accepted the offered wooden spatula and scoop a small sample of beef and vegetables to try. She moaned at the taste and gave the utensil back, their fingers brushing slightly.
"It's so good!"
"Why don't you check the rice? This should be almost done," she suggested. WIth the food almost ready, Wendy began setting the table.
Dinner was a relaxed event, the two girls laughing and talking, gossiping about their respective guilds. Whereas Wendy was fairly useless in the kitchen, Chelia had amazing talent as a chef, and she insisted that it was good only because of the amount of love that went into it.
When their bellies were full and warm, the Sky Dragonslayer insisted on doing the dishes while her host took a shower. The bluenette hummed while she soaped the pans, rinsed, and then used a small burst of air magic to quickly dry them. When the shower turned off, Wendy caught a glimpse of the pink haired girl, a towel wrapped around her chest, sneaking from the bathroom into her bedroom.
Ignoring the heat rising in her cheeks, Wendy put the last dish away. Chelia returned to the living area and sent her guest to get her bath over with. Effectively pushed out of the kitchen, Wendy grabbed pajamas from her bag before shutting herself in the bathroom for a quick shower.
By the time she finished, her hair was wrapped up in a towel high on her head, and there was a nest of blankets on the couch. The Godslayer was nowhere to be seen. Wendy took off the towel and rubbed it against her head, stray droplets plopping onto her pale yellow nightshirt. A sudden push from behind forced her to the couch.
Chelia guided Wendy to sit down so that she could sit behind her.
"I'll brush your hair for you. Is that okay?" Already feeling the damp towel being pulled from her grasp, Wendy nodded and closed her eyes. Soft fingers threaded through the darkened locks, followed by the gentle stroke of a brush. The gentle movement lulled her into a relaxed state until she didn't notice when the brush was put away and only slender fingers were stroking and playing with her hair.
Turning her head slightly, Wendy took in the content expression Chelia wore before the pinkette noticed her staring. Quickly clearing her throat, the older girl stood up, suggesting they watch a movie. While she picked out one of her favorite romantic comedies and set it up on the lacrima vision, Wendy grabbed a large knitted blanket. Bundled beneath the fabric, she held up one side for Chelia as the beginning credits started.
Wendy's cheeks turned a faint rose when her friend pressed against her side so they could cuddle together under the warm blanket. That's how they spent the rest of their evening, taking a break to make some popcorn before starting a second film. All the time, Wendy tried not to think about Chelia's proposal from earlier and her new awareness of her friend's normally comforting presence.
By the end of the second, both girls were having trouble keeping their eyes open. Letting Wendy go on ahead to the room they'd be sharing, Chelia went to pick up their mess. She bundled the blanket and tossed it to one end of the couch, moved the bowl of unpopped kernels to the kitchen counter to be properly taken care of in the morning, and turned off the lacrima vision and lights. The pinkette rubbed her tired eyes as her jaw parted in a wide yawn. Yearning for her bed, she stepped through her room, almost tripping on the piles cluttering her floor twice, and crawled over the Wendy-sized lump to her own side of the bed and allowed sleep to claim her.
The small amount of morning light filtering in through the window blinds outlined the bluenette's head, and Chelia smiled. Shifting closer, she snuggled against Wendy's back, soaking in her warmth. There were a few more places in town that Chelia wanted take her guest, but in the sleepy haze of morning, she decided to let them both rest in bed a little later than either of them normally would.
Wendy woke with a quiet yawn and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She could feel Chelia's arms around her but felt too lethargic to feel any embarrassment, instead enjoying the shared warmth between them. Twisting around slowly as to not disturb her friend, Wendy faced the pinkette. Her cheeks heated when she realized they were close enough for the tips of their noses to brush against each other. It took her a moment to notice that dark blue eyes were silently watching her.
"Good morning," the Sky Dragonslayer whispered.
"Good morning," whispered the Sky Godslayer in return. Chelia reached down and grabbed Wendy's hand. When only the barest color tinted her friend's cheeks, she picked up her hand and pressed a soft kiss to the knuckles before letting their clasped hands rest in between them.
Fire burned beneath Wendy's face, and she squeezed her eyes shut to avoid looking at Chelia's amused smile.
"You're so embarrassing, Chelia," she squealed, and the two girls dissolved into laughter. It was still early, so they enjoyed a few lazy minutes before getting up to make breakfast. Wendy took the lead in the kitchen while Chelia pulled out plates and got drinks.
Breakfast was quick and simple, because they were excited to get out and explore the town some more. The moment they left the apartment, Chelia's fingers twined with Wendy's, but they were down the road before she realized the bluenette's cheeks were missing their normal pinkish hue. Fighting a chuckle, the Godslayer decided to step it up and released Wendy's hand in favor of wrapping an arm around her waist.
The rush of heat that had smoke coming out of the Dragonslayer's ears was everything Chelia could have hoped for, though she frowned when she felt Wendy fidget awkwardly.
"Wendy, do you want to go back to hand holding?" She could see the younger girl nervously biting her lower lip and pulled them to a stop. "It's okay if you do," Chelia assured. The whole point of this was to help Wendy get over her shyness, but even if she was getting more experiences and a little discomfort was part and parcel, boundaries were important and she didn't want ruin Wendy's day.
Shaking her head, Wendy offered a small smile. "It's okay."
"You promise?" demanded Chelia.
"Promise." A slender arm reached around the pinkette's waist. "You just surprised me is all." Chelia had the decency to blush and sheepishly rub the back of her neck.
"Sorry about that."
Instead of answering, Wendy smiled and tightened her hold on Chelia. There was a museum with a visiting exhibit on air magic they wanted to check out. It was an enjoyable way to pass a couple hours, though Wendy hid her her burning face in Chelia's shoulder when she saw that both of them were mentioned on a list of notable users.
Unable to stop from laughing, they stopped somewhere for lunch and got ice cream for dessert. Wendy only blushed a little bit when Chelia held out her own cone, insisting Wendy try it. It was a relaxing day that set a satisfying precedent for the rest of Wendy's visit. Each morning they took turns cooking breakfast unless they went out to a cafe instead and then they'd spend the day visiting Chelia's favorite haunts and some of Wendy's own old favorites. As the hours went by, Wendy relaxed more and more.
After the earlier mishap, the Godslayer made sure to ask Wendy before taking another step in her training, starting each morning holding hands then wrapping an arm around her. By evening, they'd be watching a movie on the couch with Wendy's head lying in Chelia's lap while the older girl threaded gentle fingers through the dark blue tresses.
By the final afternoon of her visit, Wendy was preparing some sandwiches while Chelia was digging around in her cluttered spare room for a wicker basket. Wanting to make the most of their last day together, they had planned a picnic in the local park for dinner. Wendy laughed when she heard Chelia give a victorious shout. The pinkette danced into kitchen, basket and blanket in hand, and started packing the food.
They enjoyed the freshly bloomed flowers of early Spring, and saw other families and couples out enjoying the beautiful weather as well. Chelia insisted upon setting up in one specific spot - which would have worked better if she could actually remember where it was. By the time they wandered around a few wrong turns and found the special hill, they were both starving and wasted no time setting out the blanket and food.
Chelia passed a sandwich over to Wendy before grabbing her own.
"I'm really glad you were able to come visit, Wendy," she said, smiling.
"I am, too," replied Wendy. "I've had a lot of fun!"
Leaning back on one of her hands, the older girl looked over and briefly watched Wendy happily munch on dinner. "Do you feel any better about you-know-what?"
Wendy grabbed Chelia's hand without hesitation and showed off her pinkless cheeks. "I feel much better," she said before confessing, "Honestly, I've barely even thought about Laxus since I got here." There was a pleased glint in Chelia's dark blue eyes when she nodded understandably.
As they finished eating, they fell back to lie on the blanket and watch the clouds. Peaceful and content, they didn't return back to the apartment until after the sun began to set.
The next morning was a flurry of movement with both girls running about trying to find all of Wendy's things. They barely stuffed it all in her backpack and closed the zipper before charging out the door. When they got to the train station, Wendy bought her ticket and finally took an unhurried breath, glad she had a moment to say goodbye before the next train left.
She rejoined Chelia near the track, the sweet pink haired mage twisting her fingers behind her back. Adjusting her backpack, Wendy smile.
"Thanks again for all your help, Chelia," she beamed. "It really means a lot to-"
Soft hands cradled her face, and Wendy's eyes widened when she felt a gentle brush against her lips. Chelia's movements were cautious, wary of the Dragonslayer's reaction. Surprise kept Wendy frozen and by the time her thoughts finally came together, Chelia was already pulling back. The pink haired mage gave a sad smile, saying nothing.
"Chelia, I…" The loud train whistle cut her off. Wendy quickly glanced behind her to see the open doors. When she turned back, Chelia had folded her hands in front of her and wore a cheerful smile belied by her watery blue eyes.
"It's okay, Wendy," she assured. "You'll miss your train." With a light push, Wendy was moving towards the train. Stopping just inside the doorway, she looked back to her best friend, silently pleading with her. In perfect understanding, Chelia promised, "I'll write you soon."
More comfortable knowing that things wouldn't have to change, Wendy stepped inside but paused. Moving quickly, the Sky Dragonslayer leapt out of the train and ran to peck the Sky Godslayer's cheek. A blush yet again adorned her own cheeks as she made it back inside just as the train doors closed. Her feet carried her to an open seat next to a window where she could still see Chelia.
It was the first time Wendy had seen her friend's cheeks glow such a bright red, and she knew her own face wore a matching shade. She set her bag on the seat next to her and leaned out the window to grin at Chelia. The train started moving and the two girls waved until they were out of sight of each other.
With Chelia gone from her view, Wendy settled into her seat and hid her face in her hands. The entire train ride home was spent with burning cheeks and a fluttering stomach, but instead of being consumed by stormy eyes and lightning hair, her thoughts were flooded with an ocean framed by a bright pink sky.
Wendy having crushes is sooooo cuuuuute!