Chapter 3

"Alright then." Macao clapped his hands, expecting everyone to stand at attention, but they just stared at him. He sighed, "come on, get to work. I leave them in your hands, Lucy."

Said girl rolled her eyes, "don't expect much, old man."

"Don't call me that, kiddo." he patted her head and looked at the five boys, who were lounging without a care in the world. He sighed and started walking away. "Good luck, kiddo."

"Goddamnit, old man." She muttered under her breath as he walked away. She sighed and faced the group of boys. "Well, let's do this shit."

They all stood up and started following her. "What do we have to do?" Natsu asked as he fell in step next to her, trying to peer over her shoulder at the list.

She pushed his face back with her hand. "We gotta paint."

"Huh?"

"You heard me." She opened the storage room and flicked on the light. They all looked around the large room as she went to the far end. She walked back to them with three small cans of paint in her arms. "Will someone take these?" Jellal walked up and took them from her. "Thanks" she grunted. She grabbed five big paint brushes, and gestured for them to leave room.

"May I ask what we're painting?" Jellal decided to ask anyways.

"Benches." Was her curt reply.

Laxus rolled his eyes. "I get the feeling you don't like explaining shit."

Lucy glanced at him while they walked. "What's to explain? We're painting benches."

"Fair point." He grunted.

She led them out the front doors, and to two old, wooden benches near the sidewalk. She stopped and turned to face them, making them crash into each other again. "Dammit! Stop doing that!"

She grinned sheepishly, "sorry, not used to having a pose following me."

"Oi! It's not like that and you know it!"

Lucy met Laxus' glare and huffed, "whatever. So obviously, there are only three paint cans, which mean two people have to share each one. So I guess you can pick partners."

"How about you get first pick?" Gray smirked at her.

She rolled her eyes, but stopped when she noticed something pink and fuzzy out of the corner of her eye. "Oh shit!" She ran off toward the corner of the building.

"The hell was that?" Gajeel muttered as they watched her pick up something and dust it off.

"What'd ya find, Lucy?" Natsu asked as she walked back toward them.

"My slipper, it kinda fell off last night."

"Is that a bunny?" Gajeel snickered, which turned into a laugh when she swatted his head with it.

"So what if it's a bunny? I'm gonna put this back in my room, go ahead and start."

Gajeel's laughter died as she ran into the building. "Did she just say her room?"

"I think she did." Gray answered him. "Maybe she lives here?"

"Why the hell would she live here?" Natsu tilted his head.

"Maybe that's why she didn't answer you when you asked her how long she's been here?" Jellal pondered out loud.

"I thought Macao was her old man." Laxus added.

"Ah! That makes sense!" Natsu shouted. "She lives here with her old man, since he owns the place and all."

"Sounds like it."

"Well, we better start." Gajeel muttered as he grabbed a paintbrush that she left on the ground. The rest followed and started bickering about who would get to be Lucy's partner.

About five minutes later, Lucy came running back. "What took you so long?" Laxus asked as she neared them.

"Ah, sorry, I couldn't find the other one, so I had to conduct a search." She rubbed the back of her head.

"Not a problem, Bunny-girl." Gajeel smirked.

"What the hell did you just call me?" She glared at him.

"You heard me." He smacked the paintbrush against the bench unnecessarily hard. "Bunny-girl."

She glared at him for a few seconds before she sighed. "Fuck it, I don't give a shit." She looked at the pairs and saw Natsu, Gray, Jellal, and Gajeel at the further bench while Laxus was at the other. She guessed she knew who her partner was. She picked up a paintbrush and walked over to him.

"So, Blondie?" Laxus started once he began painting.

"Hey, you know you're blonde too, right?" She puffed her cheeks out at him.

"Does that somehow make you not a Blondie?" He smirked at her.

She let out a tiny little growl from her throat that made him raise an eyebrow and chuckle at her. "What was you're damn question, anyway?"

"Huh? Oh right." He focused back on his painting. "I was just wondering if Macao was your old man."

"Well he's an old man for sure, but no, he's not." He looked back at her and furrowed his eyebrows. "Seriously, do we even look related to you?"

"I guess not." He muttered.

"So, what are you guys doing here anyways?" She asked.

He chuckled as he recalled the incident. "We kinda blew up part of our school."

Her head whipped to stared at him, mouth agape. "How in fuck's sake did you manage that?"

"Ya know, I'm not too sure. All I really know is that a lot of things probably caused it. There were a few girls involved, but ya know, they were smart enough not to get caught." He grumbled the last part and she snickered as he angrily dumped his paintbrush in the can.

She started snickering, but she suddenly jumped up when she felt something wet hit her leg. "Oi! What the actual fuck?!"

Natsu and Gray both froze with their paintbrushes touching each other's faces. They blinked, taking in her puffed out cheeks, the empty paint can rolling on the concrete, and the white paint on her jumpsuit. "How'd that happen?" Natsu asked, surprisingly legitimately confused, to which Gray bonked him on the head.

"Is he serious?" Lucy looked to Jellal, who was staring at the oblivious boy in amazement, to Gajeel who was grinning like an idiot. She heard a dark chuckle behind her, and she whipped her head around to glare at a smirking Laxus. "The hell's so funny?"

He looked at her with mirth in his eyes. "I think it suits you, Blondie."

She growled a little before she stuck her paintbrush in the paint and flicked her wrist, making it splash on his face.

He stared at her in shock for a second, before his eyes turned challenging. "You just sealed your fate, girlie."

She let out a small 'eep' as he suddenly stood up and flung his paintbrush towards her. She ran and stood behind a stunned Gajeel.

"Oi! What the fuck are you doing, Bunny-girl?! "

"Save me! He's gonna eat myy liver!"

Laxus' eyebrow rose as he approached them. "Why would I eat your liver?"

She poked her head out from behind Gajeel's shoulder. "Because, you're a m-m-mon, m-m-monster!"

Laxus rolled his eyes as everyone started laughing.

"Oh, shit!" Natsu's eyes suddenly grew wide, and everyone stared at him. "I just realized that it was us who got paint on you!"

"Holy, shit!" Gray enunciated the word by flicking his paintbrush at the idiot, " you're dumb!"

"Oi! I'm dense, not dumb, you moron!" The pinkette took the second paint can and flung it in an arch towards Gray, however the rest were in the crossfire.

"You fucking prick!"

"You're a dead man!"

"What the hell?!"

"You squinty-eyed bastard!"

An all out paint war broke out, and nothing was safe. The flowers, concrete, and pots were attacked mercilessly, but of course, the benches went untouched. It started out with them all getting pissed at each other, but once Lucy cracked and started laughing, it turned into a game. For some reason, it became Gajeel's mission to get everyone in the butt; however, he was only successful in getting his own butt drenched. Lucy squealed and laughed every time one of them tried to pick her up, which resulted in her eventually sliding underneath everyone's legs and wiping paint on their crotches: to which they would squeek like a girl. They were so busy laughing like maniacs to notice a very angry supervisor coming towards them.

"What the fuck?!"

They all froze in their spots. Jellal had his paintbrush halfway down Gajeel's jumpsuit, while Gajeel had his halfway to Jellal's ass through his legs. Laxus had his paintbrush flat against a defenseless Gray's face. Lucy was on Natsu's back, her paintbrush on his head, a bead of paint dripping down his face.

"Lucy.." Macao glared at her in warning.

She slowly climbed off Natsu and walked towards him, folding her hands in front of her. "Sorry, old man. I guess we were having fun."

He sighed and stared at her. "I expected more from you, Lucy."

Her eyes widened in shock and she quickly ducked her head, her body shivered a bit at his words.

He looked over the paint covered boys and ran a hand down his face. "I'm not gonna let anyone clean themselves off until the day is done."

"Eww!"

"Your fucking with us, right?"

"But I'm all squishy!"

"It's your own damn fault!" He yelled, which shut them up. Lucy still stared at the ground. He looked over at her and his eyes softened a tad. "Lucy, grab the hose from the back and clean this up. The rest of you, go wait by the basketball court, I have something else for you to do."

They all grumbled and shoved each other as they made their way behind the building. Lucy had a hunch that he was gonna make them do the edge, which made her almost snicker, before she rembered what she had to do. She finally lifted her head to look into his disapproving eyes and she cringed. "We were just having some fun."

"They aren't here to have fun, Lucy. And you were supposed to be making sure they did their job." He crossed his arms and sighed as he looked up at the sky. She hung her head again as a tear slowly slid down her cheek. "I'm sorry, Lucy, but you know I depend on keeping this center open, and I can't do that if it looks like shit!"

She turned away and muttered a "whatever" as she stalked around the building.

The boys watched from a distance as she grabbed a house near the vegetable garden, her head hanging down. "I feel kinda bad." Natsu muttered.

"We shouldn't have gotten carried away." Jellal stated stoicly.

"I don't see how it's such a big deal. The old man just over reacted." Gray shrugged.

Gajeel and Laxus both stayed silent as they watched her carry a large house around the building.

"But, she seems sad." Natsu frowned.

"I'm sure she'll get over it." Gray mumbled as Macao walked out the back door with a lot of shit in his hands.

He approached the boys and shoved a black claw in each of their hands. "You see all the shit over there?" They followed his finger to all the sparkling bottles on the side of the highway and nodded. "Pick that shit up."

"All that?!"

"Are you crazy?!"

"Yes to both! Now go!" He shoved the wad of trash bags into a startled Natsu's arms, and swiftly turned to leave.

"He's batshit crazy, that's way too much shit!" Gajeel yelled with a scowl.

By the time Lucy was done spraying the concrete clear of pain, the sun was almost starting to set. She skipped lunch in favor of trying to get finished, because she really didn't want to be doing this all day. She sighed and took out her ear buds when she saw the front door open. All the boys walked out in their normal clothes, freshly showered, followed by Macao.

"Holy shit! You've been here this whole time?!" Natsu yelled as he looked at her.

"Where the fuck else would I be?" She stated without much emotion. She was tired for fucks sake. All the boys looked at her in mild concern as Macao walked up to her.

"I'm gonna pick up the kid, what'd you want for dinner?"

She hummed in thought. "I don't know, whatever you want I guess."

"Well, me and my wife made up, so…" he scratched the back of his head as he looked away in shame.

"Oh." She blinked, and she tried to smile. "Time for makeup sex then, huh?"

He choked as the boys snickered at his red face. "Jesus, Lucy!" He turned to glare at the boys. "Go the fuck home already!"

They all shrugged and started walking away, muttering their goodbyes to Lucy. Macao put a hand on Lucy's crusty shoulder. "Sorry for yelling at you today, kiddo."

She shrugged and looked down. "No big deal."

He shook his head. "Romeo said he wants to come over tomorrow. Should I bring him?"

She looked up with a faint smile. "If he wants to, hell yeah."

He chuckled and gave her shoulder a pat before he started walking away. "You're off for the rest of the night, take a damn shower. I'll be back with your food."

She threw the hose in the air. "Thank fucking god!" She stomped into the building and into the locker room.

Once she was done with her shower and adorned herself with some comfy pj's, she heard Macao calling her from the kitchen. She raced down and saw that he had two pizza boxes on the table. "Why so many, fatso?"

"Hey, I'm not fat. I figured, leftovers."

"Cool. Thanks." She blinked as she remembered that he wasn't eating with her tonight. She plopped down on the chair and greedily started devouring the pizza.

"Chill out there, racehorse. I've got a letter for you." She immediately stopped eating to watch him pull a letter out of his pocket and hand it to her. Dread pitted in her stomach as she reached for it. He ruffled her hair, and started leaving. "I'll give you some privacy. Lock up will you?"

She nodded mutely as she stared at the address. She wasn't hungry anymore. She knocked over her chair as she jumped up and ran to the roof. She needed the fresh air desperately, and the comfort of the stars. Once she was seated on one of the chairs that occupied her private space, she shakily opened the seal. Tears flowed down her face once the letter had been read, the paper drifting down to the concrete as her hand stayed frozen. A shrill and agonizing scream ripped through her and she cursed the sky, the stars, and herself.

Thanks for the reviews guys!

So far it's Gajeel and Laxus in the lead.

Let me know what you think! :)