Because of the Flu
Ch. 1 - Flu Season and Missing Rent
Summary: Thanks to the flu, Lucy's stuck at home. With rent coming up, Team Natsu took a mission to help pay for it. Lucy wasn't counting on them, for they were bound to lose over half the reward. Instead, when she was feeling a bit better, Lucy went to the guild to find a job that her half-sick self could do. Then, Laxus decides to take a S-class mission, dragging Lucy along with him?!
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Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail
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Lucy awoke on a bright, sunny morning, feeling not-so-sunny herself. Her throat was scratchy, her eyes were swollen, and there was a constant stream of snot running out of her nose. A pile of tissues lay next to her on the floor.
She sneezed into a tissue, blowing her nose, and tossing it into the rapidly growing pile on the floor. As Lucy reached for another one out of the near-empty tissue box, she heard a loud rapping on her window.
Turning, she fell off the bed in surprise. Natsu's face was smushed against the glass, resulting in a distorted look. The fall really didn't help her headache, and Lucy rubbed her forehead as the pounding worsened. She really needed some aspirin. Another sharp rap at her window made her focus on what made her fall in the first place. "Natsu!" Climbing back onto the bed, Lucy reached over to open the window, moving rather slowly as her whole body ached. When it was open, she blocked his way from entering. "Use the door!" she shouted. Slamming the window shut, Lucy started coughing again. The yelling had exerted her voice too much, and her scratchy throat was not helpful at all.
Hearing a knock on her door, Lucy sat up, and started to slowly get out of bed. Before she even left the bed, BAM! The front door burst open, kicked off its hinges.
Groaning, Lucy fell back onto her bed. Great. More expenses to pay along with rent. She listened as multiple pairs of feet walked rather loudly towards her bedroom.
"Hey Luce! Want to go on a mission with us?" It was Natsu who came through the doorway first. He waved around a piece of paper, presumably the mission request.
Coughing, Lucy blew her nose before replying. By then, Erza, Gray, and Happy all had entered her bedroom. "I can't," she said, her voice hoarse, "I think I have the flu." After all, it was flu season, and Lucy had woken up with all the symptoms of the flu.
Happy landed on her bed, his wings disappearing with a green glow. "Then what about that huuggee rent you always need to pay? Will you be able to without the mission?"
She gestured towards a drawer, motioning for Erza to open it. "I have the rent money saved up in there."
"Uhh… Lucy? Are you sure about that?" Erza pulled the drawer out, holding it up for Lucy to see. It was empty, save for a few coins that rolled around before falling out of the drawer. They coins clattered to a stop on the floor.
Lucy noticed Natsu shifting around, with a look on his face. From experience, Lucy had learned the look meant 'guilt'. Lucy turned towards him, eyes narrowing into a menacing glare. "Tell me what you did," she demanded.
"I-uh… um…" Natsu stuttered, taking a step back as evident anger came off of Lucy in waves. "I-I took the money to buy food f-for me and Happy," he said, backing away nervously. One hand reached up to ruffle his salmon colored hair.
"YOU WHAT?!" Lucy groaned. Of course. She shouldn't have left the money unguarded. Now, what could she do? It looked like she'd have to take a mission this afternoon—whether she felt better or not. She sneezed into another tissue, causing Happy to shriek as she purposely tossed it onto him. Revenge was very, very sweet. Lucy hoped that Happy would catch the flu from the dirty tissue, grinning as she watched Happy fly to the bathroom in a panic to wash himself off.
Gray spoke up, bringing Lucy out of her amused thoughts and ill-wished upon the blue exceed. "We'll take some missions to help pay your rent."
Shaking her head, Lucy protested. "No, you don't have to do that."
An armored hand reached for Lucy's own, and Lucy winced as Erza crushed it in her grasp. "Yes, we'll do it for you. You're sick, and shouldn't be out of bed worrying about rent. You have you stay healthy and get better, you know," Erza said.
Gray nodded. "Don't worry about it. After all, we're family," he said, before he proceeded to pull Natsu out the door.
"Rest well, Lucy, and leave the rent to us," said Erza. She let go of Lucy's hand, patted Lucy on the shoulder, before taking Happy out of the bathroom, and exited the apartment with him.
As they left, Erza pulled the broken door up, and propped it against the doorframe. "We'll also fix the door," she said, her voice fading as she walked onto the street.
"Bye," Lucy croaked after them.
Lucy sighed. She decided that she would rest until the afternoon, where she would go to the guild and find a mission herself. Based on experience, Lucy knew not to trust Team Natsu to get enough jewels to pay for rent. They'd spend most of the reward on repair costs for damages.
Sighing once again, Lucy pulled the cover over herself, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
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Waking up a few hours later, Lucy felt better. Her pounding headache had ceased, allowing her to move around freely without feeling dizzy. Her body had also stopped aching.
Lucy cleaned up the mess on the floor. Throwing the last of the tissues into the trash, she was washing her hands at the sink when her stomach growled. Since she hadn't eaten that morning because she was so tired, she was starving now. Looking at the clock, she realized that it was only one in the afternoon. She could make it to the guild in fifteen minutes, get lunch, and head out on a job before two thirty.
Nodding, Lucy smiled to herself. She'd get that rent money in no time! Well, with only five days left before she had to pay rent, she kind of had to.
Grabbing her keys and putting them in the pouch on her belt, Lucy fixed herself up, splashing water on her face. Then, putting on her boots, she headed out the door.
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Lucy savored the last bite of her chicken alfredo pasta. She slid the last of her jewels across the table to Mira. "As good as always, Mira! Thanks!" Lucy coughed into a tissue Mira had provided for her. The flu seemed to be so much better now, but she could still tire easily. In fact, she was feeling kind of sleepy thanks to the rich white sauce and the carbohydrates of the pasta.
Mira smiled at Lucy. "When you find a mission, let me know so I can approve it," she said. Lucy had explained (more like complained) about her situation with the missing rent. Mira was sympathetic, but knew Lucy wouldn't accept a loan of money from her, or anyone else in the guild for that matter.
Standing in front of the mission board, she greeted Nab, who seemed to be thinking hard between three missions. He was holding the mission papers in his hand, looking back and forth between the sheets. "Finally deciding on a mission?" she asked.
Shaking his head, Nab put all the pieces of paper back onto the board. "Nah. None of these suit me. I'll wait for the new ones," he said.
Lucy knew that Nab was often in front of the mission board. "Do you think you could recommend me a job? Something that pays a lot, but is easy for a half-sick person to do?" she asked. As if to prove that she was sick, Lucy coughed, causing Nab to eye her with concern.
Nab studied the board, then chose a few missions and handed them to Lucy. "Take a look at these. Good luck with your rent!"
That last comment surprised Lucy. "How do you know about my rent?"
Her question made Nab looked as equally surprised. "Well, with how often you go on about rent, and how Team Natsu talks really loudly, everyone in the guild knows about your rent," he explained.
Lucy laughed, pink tinting her cheeks in slight embarrassment. "Yeah… I guess we really are loud. Thank you Nab!"
Sitting back at the bar, Lucy looked through the missions. They were well-paying, but some of them had fighting, and Lucy didn't want to fight while sick. The others… were pretty dull.
Finally, Lucy decided on a mission that seemed the least boring out of the boring ones. It was a request for a mage to help with the remodeling of an elderly home. The reward was just enough to pay her rent; 70,000 jewels. Besides, Lucy wouldn't mind to go on this mission if it was to help older people who lived in the outskirts of Haregon. It would only take four days at most, and by train, Lucy would make it in time to pay her rent.
Walking back to Mira with mission paper in hand, she put it down on the bar counter. "Mira, I'd like to take this one, please."
Mira scanned the mission over. "Are you sure? You have to be careful not to over-exert yourself on this mission, especially because you have the flu. And are you going by yourself?"
Nodding, Lucy confirmed that she was going by herself.
It caused Mira to worry even more. "That's not really safe when you're sick… I know you can take care of yourself, Lucy, but what if—"
Lucy sighed, and offered a small smile. Taking the mission paper back, she walked back to the mission board. "I'll choose another one," she told Mira. Standing in front of the board, with Nab at one side, she scanned it for another mission. Lucy shifted her weight from foot to foot as she tried to find a mission she wouldn't mind doing.
When she was about to choose one that required her to buy a special medicine in Oshibana for the client, a large hand clamped down on her shoulder.
Startled, Lucy let out an "Eeep!" of surprise. She jumped slightly back, running into a wall… wait. More like a rock-hard body.
Blushing, Lucy slowly looked up at the person behind her, taking in the blonde mage with a scar on one eye smirking down at her.
"Hey, Blondie, care to take a mission with us?"
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A/N: Well, how's that? My first multi-chapter LaLu fic! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. If you'd like to see more, or have any ideas, feel free to review, follow, and fav! Oooh, this is going to be so much fun. (: