Pressing her lips together with a thoughtful expression, Lucy Heartfilia started down the busy street with a small smile creeping along her lips. Her dark eyes sparkled with amusement as she glanced at the watch she'd chosen to worn, the crisp breeze fluttering her hair about her shoulders. A vehicle powered by a mage raced by on the street, but she paid it no notice, too busy searching the central part of Crocus for a familiar pink head.
She and her beloved partner - one pyromaniac by the name of Natsu Dragneel - alongside Happy had taken a job together. Wendy had joined in, naturally, with Charle in tow. Erza and Gray had accompanied them as well. Normally, they would have all gone to meet with the client, but the group had expressed an interest in going to an ice skating rink that had opened in the center of Crocus. So, amused, Lucy had told them she'd meet them there after she was done.
Erza had been reluctant but had decided that it'd be fine. Gray had offered to teach she and Wendy how to skate as well as he could and Natsu had promised to not burn the rink to the ground. Before she got the chance to skate, anyways.
Lucy paused, glancing at a light that said she could cross the street safely. Vehicles were rarely used in Fiore - only by mages and those with magic, but in Crocus, they were everywhere. Because of it, crosswalks had been set up with timed lights. They were easy enough to navigate.
She crossed quickly, seeing the rink. She caught sight of Natsu and Erza immediately, their hair easy to spot among others there. Happy was zipping around their heads impatiently as they chatted. Lucy smiled to herself, her dark eyes warm as she remembered Natsu's excited smile when he'd asked her if she wanted to go.
Two others waited at the edge of the crosswalk when the light turned red. She payed them no mind, instead kept her gaze locked on the group that she knew was waiting for her. She hummed a quiet tune under her breath. She heard them speak to another man, who paused to speak with them curiously.
Why's this light taking so long? she huffed, feeling a sudden sense of unease as the two men began to speak in low voices to one another. Recognizing that while Crocus was a cheerful city, it was still home to various people who would rather see her dead in the street, Lucy dropped her hand to her purse, fisting her fingers in the material.
She leaned forward on the balls of her feet, impatient.
Why's it taking so long? she thought desperately, the unease growing. Her fingers trembled, her teeth finding purchase in her lip as she bit it.
"That lady has a nice purse."
Oh, hell no.
Lucy didn't hesitate. She strode into the street, very aware of the busy traffic around her. Her entire body trembled with fear as she touched the keys at her hip, each of them warming as they sensed what she felt.
Sure, she was a mage. She had her Spirits to fight with, protect her. But all it took was nimble fingers to pluck those keys away and she was on her own. She liked to think she was strong, but she was no Erza. One strong man could hold her down if they wanted. Natsu proved it in a playful manner all the time when they engaged in their random tickle wars.
Her heart pounded as she strode as quickly as she could down the sidewalk and turned into the place that held the rink. She finally spared a look over her shoulder and a shudder ran down her spine when she saw the pair of men looking after her in frustration.
The trembling became violent shaking as she quickly payed the needed price and then went to find her friends. Unshed tears misted her eyes as she found them, patiently waiting at a table with skates already on their feet. Gray had simply crafted his own, not up for wearing painful rental skates.
Natsu found her first of course. Delight lit up his face, his onyx eyes sparkling as he shouted, "Luce!"
Lucy took a deep breath, fighting to control herself as it came shakily. She tried to shrug off the anxiety, the ridiculous fear she felt. She was a mage of Fairy Tail, after all. She shouldn't have felt so scared when she hadn't even been touched. So, she forced herself to laugh.
Her laugh came out hysterical, strained, however, and Natsu's smile faded as he demanded to know what was wrong. Erza and Wendy, who'd thrown greetings at her, stopped chatting to stare, and Gray rose to his feet, frowning as he asked, "You okay, Lucy?"
Her lips trembled. She considered what to say and then shook her head finally, the tears bubbling over. "No," she croaked. "No, it's not okay. I'm fine," she added when Natsu's hands flickered with fire. "Physically. Just...frightened, I guess. I was crossing the street and I think someone thought about mugging me. It's...it's fine, they didn't even touch me, I just...crossed the street, but…" A hysterical laugh left her lips again. "It's stupid, I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm so scared! I could have summoned Loke in an instant or even shouted for you guys if something happened, but-"
"Hey," Gray said sharply, cutting her off. He dropped a hand onto her shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly. "It's not stupid if it scared you this badly, Lucy. Don't ever think like that."
"Right," Erza agreed, smiling warmly though the look held a look that made Lucy shudder in fear for the recipients of her rage. "There's no reason for you to feel scared now, however. We're here and you're safe."
Lucy hugged herself tiredly. "I know. I just...can't shake it."
Suddenly, she was enveloped in warm arms and Natsu huffed as she squawked, crushed against him tightly. "You're okay, Luce. I won't let anyone touch you."
Hesitantly, she let her arms wrap around him, finally relaxing. She buried her face in her shoulder. Wendy, silent up until then, smiled gently as Lucy hiccuped quietly and took comfort in the warmth he offered. When she pulled away after a moment, Natsu gave her a huge grin.
"C'mon, put your skates on, Luce!" he urged, cracking his knuckles. "I wanna try and melt the ice out from under Gray's feet."
The fear melted away from Lucy's heart and she finally gave a real smile. A shaky giggle left her as she scolded, "That's not allowed, Natsu, and I'll kick you out myself."
"I'll kick you flat out," Erza threatened, making Wendy laugh.
Feeling a lot better, Lucy let Wendy tug her towards the rink with a smile. Happy clung to the blonde's shoulder, purring comfortingly in her ear, and Lucy touched his head gratefully. Gray and Erza followed them, Natsu not far behind, and it wasn't long before Lucy was slipping and sliding and falling beside him.
He caught her once or twice, a broad grin on his face.
And when it was her turn to catch him, she apologized for letting him fall on his face, both of them laughing so hard that their sides hurt.
So...small one-shot. This was meant to help release some of the anxiety I'm feeling over this whole event 'cause it freaked me the hell out.
Yep. This was an actual thing that happened. I went ice-skating with friends today, and when I was walking to meet them, the whole thing about being approached happened. I jaywalked to get the fuck out of there. As a seventeen year old female who is the size of Levy and holds no strength whatsoever, I didn't really like being approached. Nothing like this has ever happened, so I was really shaken afterwards. Unlike I wrote, however, I didn't get that "you're okay, you're safe" thing. So I'm still somewhat freaked. Doesn't help that someone's been breaking into houses in my neighborhood and I sleep on the bottom floor. On the bright side, I've got my bulldog. She'll kick ass.