When push comes to shove

by

Silver-Eyed Rukia

Rated: T

Summary: Due to an accident, caused by our favourite pink-haired knuckle-head, Lucy needs to move out of her apartment for a month. Erza, being the chivalrous person she is, offers the Celestial Mage to sleep at her place in Fairy Hills.

Pairing: Erza x Lucy (hinted)

Note: Please ignore any mistakes. Or point them out and correct me, whatever you prefer.

Special thanks to: ANBUShizuka for beta-reading this story.

A light breeze swept through the room, making the blonde hair of one of the three current occupants sway in its rhythm. As if joining the silent dance the owner tapped her foot impatiently, her brown eyes staring at the destroyed interior in front of her. She heaved a sigh before turning her burning glare towards her right, resting it on her fellow team member. Most of her anger had already passed, but she was still furious with the pink-haired Dragon Slayer.

Natsu on the other hand was being unusually quiet. He was sitting on his legs in an apologetic way, hands resting on his thighs and his head bowed slightly. If the big bump on his head was any indication he was also in a hella lot of pain. Happy was right next to his partner, sitting in the same fashion as him even though anyone with functioning eyes could see that he was close to his breaking point. No wonder, they'd been sitting there for nearly an hour now.

The wind picked up and nearly sent a vase in the next room tumbling to the floor. All in all it wouldn't have been such a big deal if it weren't for the gaping hole in Lucy's bathroom that covered nearly the entire wall, successfully hiding the fact that she was now missing her tub entirely.

"I can't take it anymore!", the blue cat yelled and shot up, spreading his wings. He now floated right above Natsu's shoulder, who in turn to his partner's sudden movement, raised his head to meet the Celestial Mage's gaze.

"I still think it was a good idea, I just miscalculated something along the way..."

A few pieces of debris fell off the remains of the wall had had been standing there not too long ago and the composure Lucy was trying so hard to regain went down the drain when she heard Natsu's words.

"You think it was a good idea? You think it was a good idea to go and burn down my bathroom because you wanted to have your very own hot spring?", the blonde mage asked angrily, pointing at the non-existing tub. "Look at this! It'll take weeks before I can use this room again, let alone take a bath or brush my teeth!"

"Don't worry Lucy, the park is nearby so if you have to go-" Happy began but changed his mind when the burning glare was now directed at him. Before the young woman got to say or do anything though there was a knock on the door. When she went to open it she shot the two boys one last glare, signalizing them to not move even by an inch.

"I'll be right back."

But Natsu being Natsu he couldn't just simply sit still any longer, seeing that he had done so for nearly an hour already. He had to do something. So he just looked at his buddy and grinned, a plan already forming in his head.

Lucy kindly thanked the man as he left, handing him her spare key to her house. When he was out of sight she closed the door and rested her forehead against the cool wood. A month. It would take the construction crew an entire month to repair the damage Natsu had inflicted on her bathroom, or more like on what was left of it now.

'A month. 4 weeks. 30 days. All without being able to bathe or shower or do anything that needs to be done in a bathroom in general.'

A strained laugh escaped her lips as the reality of it completely dawned on her. 'This is ridiculous.' The short moment of silence was interrupted by a loud crash coming from the ruins of her former own little paradise and Lucy finally snapped. Her body went into auto-pilot, her hand grabbing one of her Gate Keys and her legs maneuvering her towards the source of all this. The screams that filled the air mere moments later could be heard throughout the whole town of Magnolia.

The guild was as busy as always. The master was out so all the members were having a blast being the loud bunch they were known as throughout the kingdom of Fiore. Mirajane was happily serving rounds of wine and beer to the members, ignoring the half-naked Gray and the drunk Cana along her path through the guild's main hall. When the white-haired mage returned to the bar she gazed at her friend and rival for a moment before taking a cloth with the intention to clean some of the dirty dishes.

Erza was sitting at the wooden bar, clad in her usual Heart-Kreuz armour, sipping at a cup of tea from time to time. Her gaze wasn't concentrated on anything inside the guild nor did she pay any attention to what was going on around her. Only when something blue stepped into her line of sight did she snap back into reality, moving to stare into the gently eyes of Wendy Marvell.

"Erza-san, is something the matter? You have been so absent-minded all day", the small Dragon Slayer asked as she joined the much taller woman at the bar. Carla was currently napping on the windowsill, enjoying the warmth of the sun. Mirajane wordlessly handed the girl a glass of juice, smiling at the care she expressed for her fellow guild members.

Erza ordered two pieces of strawberry cake with her hand, placing one of them in front of the younger girl and tunring towards her slightly. "No need to be concerned about my well-being, Wendy. I am alright, just a bit...distracted."

There was a loud crashing noise that was collectively ignored and Wendy just nodded, enjoying her cake and juice. "Is it about Lucy-san?"

To say that this statement didn't just surprise Erza but Mirajane too was an understatement. The former of the two had to fight down a blush that was threatening to overtake her cheeks while the other S-Class mage went back to cleaning the dishes after having stopped for a bit after that declaration from the otherwise quite oblivious girl.

"W-Why would you think that, Wendy?", the redhead inquired, inwardly cursing her stutter. She didn't want to admit it, but yes. Lucy was indeed the reason for her rather strange behaviour. Why you would surely ask now. Well, if Erza knew she wouldn't be sitting here at the bar, thinking about it.

Just as the blue-haired girl opened her mouth to reply the front doors flew open and the guild went dead silent. Bright sunlight flooded the main hall, illuminating the persons standing just in front of the threshold. Well, the one person that was standing and the other two that were dangling lifelessly from the person's hands.

The clicking of heels was the only sound besides the happy chirping of the birds from outside as the Celestial Mage stalked towards the bar, flinging the Dragon Slayer and his partner into a nearby set of tables and chairs. Both were knocked out cold and that fact alone made the rest of the guild members take a careful step backwards, away from the seething blonde.

Auburn eyes followed said mage's every step, from where she had been standing at the entrance to the point where she sat down right next to the knight. Just like she had done the same with Wendy, Mirajane placed a glass of juice on the counter, smiling her usual smile. This time though it held something knowingly.

After a few moments filled with a more or less awkward silence the guild resumed their usual antics, this time behaving more civilized and being more quiet in general. All of them had seen what the Celestial Mage had done to her fellow team member and no one wanted to be on the receiving end of a force strong enough to knock out Natsu.

"Lucy-san?", came the quiet voice from her left and the blonde turned her head into that direction, facing both the little Dragon Slayer and Erza in the process. The latter seemed to be somewhat distraught but Lucy cast away that thought, guessing that is was because of her not so ordinary entrance.

An audible sigh escaped her lips before Lucy forced out a smile.

"Sorry about that, Natsu was being his usual stupid self and I just couldn't deal with it today."

Carla, who had awoken due to the front doors slamming open, joined the girls at the counter, resting a reassuring paw on Wendy's arm as said girl just nodded, not believing what she had just been told. But she didn't want to push the matter, so she remained quiet. Erza on the other hand wasn't willing to lay the issue to rest just yet.

"That can't be the sole reason for your distress though."

Lucy was about to reassure her female teammate with a white lie, but when she met those honest, caring auburn eyes she couldn't bring herself to say anything but the truth.

"One of Natsu's smart ideas backfired, literally. My bathroom looks like someone detonated a bomb-lacrima in there. The walls are barely holding together and my tub has been laid to rest entirely. It will take an entire month to repair the damage, not mentioning the amount of money it'll cost me."

There was a short pause but the girls knew what Lucy didn't want to say out loud. 'I also have no place to use as a substitute for my destroyed bathroom.'

Laughter errupted from somewhere inside the guild, a stark contrast to the gloom that seemed to hover over the bar. A gauntleted hand was placed over the pink guild mark of the blonde mage, a movement that Erza's brain only registered when those brown eyes directed their gaze at her own ones.

"Don't worry about that. You can stay at my place as long as your apartment needs to be repaired", came the gentle respone from the Requip Mage and Wendy just nodded enthusiastically.

"That's right! We have a huge bath at Fairy Hills that you can use, Lucy-san. I don't think anyone would mind."

The Celestial Mage smiled at her two friends, grateful for their kindness. "You guys...thank you."

Wendy hopped off her chair and moved to grab Lucy's free hand. "Let's go get your stuff so you can stay here starting today."

Before she could reply though the blonde mage felt Erza giving her left hand alight squeeze and giving her a small smile, gesturing for her to go with the little Dragon Slayer.

"And don't worry about the repair-costs", the redhead added, moving her eyes to the now fully conscious Natsu, "I'll make sure that the person who did it will take responsibility."

And with that the two girls left, their empty glasses being the only prove of them having been there at all. Erza's face fell and turned into a stoic expression as she walked over to the fire mage who had just picked himself off the ground, groaning as he rubbed the second bump on his head. The sound of metal against wood pierced the air as the knight came to a halt in front of one of her male team members, staring down at him.

"Oh hey Erza! Jeez, Lucy sure knows how to pack a punch even though I don't know..." he trailed off, having noticed the redhead's expression. A gauntleted hand shot up to grab the front of his vest, the same hand that had been so gentle before, capturing him in an iron grip and lifting him a few inches off the ground.

"You will pay for the damage you have caused, even if it takes you weeks to get the money together. Have I made myself clear?"

The nod she received satisfied her enough to let go of the Dragon Slayer. A dull thud resonated through the once again eerily quiet main hall as Natsu found solid ground beneath his feet again, tumbling against Gray who had watched the whole scene play out in front of him. Erza nodded in return and quickly exited the main hall through the front doors, probably to start arranging her room for a second person to live in it.

Elfman was the first one to revocer. He plopped down onto a nearby chair and shook his head.

"Man, thing are being quite eventful today."

His sister nodded from her place behind the counter, smiling. "But that's how it always is, isn't it?"

The orange glow of the twilight set the room ablaze with light, a last effort of the dying day to show its strength. Admist the ocean of light stood the king-sized bed, dominating a major part of the room. Two pairs of eyes were currently resting on said bed, taking in the obvious.

"I'm sorry."

"N-No, it's alright. We've slept together before, just not in the same bed..."

Erza raised her gaze to look at the Celestial Mage, her arms neatly folded in front of her chest. Clad in one of her favourite outfits, a pair of nearly knee-length boots, a blue skirt and a white-blue sleeveless shirt, Lucy looked absolutely breath-taking. Her blonde hair seemed to glow in the sunlight, her faint smile giving her an aura of serenity despite today's events. She let a lone finger glide over the bed's surface, being surprised at the softness of it.

"Thanks for letting me stay here", she said, lifting her eyes to meet those of her saviour. "If it hadn't been for you I don't know what I'd have done. I can't stay at my apartment, but I certainly don't want to stay at Natsu's place either..."

"Don't mention it, Lucy. You're my friend."

'Even though I wish there was more...'

As soon as that thought had popped into her head it was gone, leaving her dumbfounded by the randomness of it. Confused she shook her head, checking the clock at the far end of the wall.

"We should get into the bath now, the others are probably already finished. It closes in an hour."

Lucy nodded in agreement and the two girls headed towards the shared bath. Due to her Requip Magic the redhead was inside the tub before Lucy had even started to begin taking off her clothes. She laughed quietly at the knight's habit of using her magic to even change into regular clothes or well, no clothes at all. When she was done stripping off her clothes herself Lucy entered the bath with a towel tightly wrapped around her body.

Upon entering it was the first thing Erza noticed. Lucy was hiding behind the towel, but why she didn't know. Either she was uncomfortable being naked, which she didn't think was the case because Lucy had nothing to be ashamed of, or it was because of another reason. Frowning the Requip Mage stood up from her place inside the water, droplets of the hot liquid dripping off her exposed skin. Startled the blonde stared at her in surprise, blushing when she noticed that she was indeed staring at her naked friend.

'Calm down Lucy, it's alright. You didn't stare at her perfectly shaped breasts or her wonderfully toned stomach.'

While Lucy was repeating those sentences in her head like a mantra it was Erza who took action. She gracefully stepped out of the tub and approached her, obviously highly embarrassed, friend. Seeing that said friend had averted her gaze completely the redhead simply placed a hand under her chin, raising her head so that they were on eye level.

"You have no reason to be ashamed, Lucy. You're a beautiful young woman, so don't go hiding yourself."

Her other hand came up to gently tug at the towel, asking for permission. When there was no resistance she gave the towel a final tug and it fell off of Lucy's body like a dead weight, revealing a beauty that excelled Erza's imagination by far. She smiled, letting go of her friend after letting her hand linger under Lucy's chin for longer than needed.

"See? Now come, let's bathe before it gets too late."

Stunned into silence by the older woman's action the blonde mage simply nodded and joined her friend in the hot water.

'She thought I was hiding because I am ashamed of my looks when in all honesty I was worried about what she might think if she saw me naked.' Lucy thought about that for a moment longer before realizing something. 'But she's seen me naked before, back when I was doing the job for Hilda-obachan...' The blonde blushed a deep red once again and shook her head. 'No, better not think about it too hard.' She sneaked a glance at Erza who was back to sitting in the water with her arms crossed over her chest, eyes closed. Little did Lucy know that the Requip Mage was thinking about something similar.

Exhausted from today's events the blonde mage simply fell onto the king-sized bed, sinking into the soft sheets and cushions. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the familiar scent of the redheaded knight. It was comforting and Lucy relaxed immediately, the earlier happenings in the bath forgotten. It was now dark outside and the moon had replaced the sun some time ago. Erza, who had been walking around the room until now, switched off the lights and climbed into bed next to her fellow team member.

The room was filled with darkness and a somewhat awkward silence, as neither of the two occupants was ready to sleep just yet.

"Say, Erza...", Lucy began, moving to lie on her back.

"Hm?"

"This may sound weird but...is there anyone you like?"

Silence.

"I like you."

The blonde's mage skipped a beat, only to falter at hearing the following words.

"And Natsu, and Gray. I like all of the Fairy Tail members."

"Ah...I see."

Silence.

"That wasn't the like you meant, was it?"

The sheets shifted as the Celestial Mage turned to face the redhead, not being able to see her in the darkness.

"No, it wasn't."

The sound of rustling sheets filled the room yet again as Erza also moved to face the girl next to her.

"I don't know. I have never liked anyone like this before. Like Juvia likes Gray, or how Bisca likes Alzack. All I know is that they care deeply for one another and that they are willing to put their life on the line to protect each other."

A sudden warmth spread across Lucy's cheek as the slightly older woman placed her hand there.

"And I am willing to do the same for you."

Suddenly she felt the blonde's arms around her midsection and her face buried in her shoulder. Stroking her hair gently Erza smiled down at the girl. "So I guess you could say that I like you, and not how I like both Natsu and Gray. Because I have bathed with them before and never have I felt so good like when I was in the bath with you earlier. It was hard to keep my eyes off of you, you know?"

She felt Lucy smile and chuckled at the girls adorable behaviour.

"Maybe we both owe Natsu gratitude for giving us this opportunity."

The Celestial Mage lifted her head so stare at Erza's in darkness shrouded face.

"You don't think he...planned this, do you?"

The pair burst into laughter at the thought, agreeing that there was no way the knuckle-head would've thought of something like that.

Unbeknownst to them that was exactly what happened.

Mirajane handed the Dragon Slayer another plate of his promised reward, smiling as she cleaned the last glass for the night. She stared out the window, drowning out the noises of the pink-haired boy digging into his food with a bit too much enthusiasm.

'Sometimes it just needs a little encouragement and things will work out on their own.'

Annotation: In German we use the comma after the direct speech, like this: "Bla bla", [subject name here] said. So please bear with it, it's too much work to go back and change it every time.

Well, this is something I came up with last night and seeing that I haven't uploaded or updated anything in a while (again) I forced myself to get this done in one go. I have several One-Shots that are only halfway done, so yeah...

I hope this isn't too cliché or feels too...forced. I wanted to write some ErLu but without the whole "I think I love you" thing. So in the end it's open if they do fall in love or not^^ I think they do though, they're just too adorable :D

Phrase of the Day

Won't somebody come take me home?

"I'm with You" by Avril Lavigne

If you liked it, please REVIEW.

No flaming please.