I'm putting out yet another chapter in a short time frame. Thank you everyone for the reviews! I love you guys.
Here's a little character guide to help:
Lacey: 19 (Lucy & Laxus), Jean-Luc: 19 (Freed & Mirajane), Titanus: 18 (Elfman & Evergreen), Lilo: 15 (Bickslow & Lisanna), Oberon: 15 (Elfman & Evergreen), Fae: 5 (Elfman & Evergreen)
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Lacey was soon to be dethroned as the tallest woman in the guild – by a girl who would very much like to stop growing, NOW, thank you. Mostly because the fifteen year old teenager's body was lengthening at a pace her metabolism couldn't quite keep up with and every joint she possessed was protesting the sudden growth spurt loudly and painfully. Groaning, the suffering girl sprawled out on the table, unwilling to move.
The nineteen year old blonde rubbed soothing circles on her friend's back while Titanus and Jean-Luc looked on. Neither of the cousins knew much about this type of situation – Titanus had been large ever since he was born and had increased in size at a fairly consistent rate his whole life, and Jean-Luc had always been on the short side of average.
"Should I give you a manly massage?" Titanus asked his younger cousin, feeling very out-of-sorts at being rendered useless.
"Don't touch me," the bluenette growled at him. "My skeleton has taken enough abuse the last couple of days as it stands. And Dad's not helping. Every time I mention the agony, he laughs at me and says it will clear up in about a week. I'm not sure I can last the day, let alone another week of this!" she whined, dropping her forehead and pressing it against the table. "I think he's enjoying this, he is."
Jean-Luc glanced up at the second floor balcony, where the group's parents were. "Yeah, Uncle Bickslow is really enjoying this." The Seith Mage grinned at his nephew and waved from where he'd draped his gargantuan form over the balcony. Politely returning the greeting, Jean-Luc glanced at his incapacitated cousin. "He's just trying to show you that there's nothing to worry about, Lilo. I assure you – he's probably went through this himself."
"Still," Lilo grumbled, looking up again, "he could at least give me some decent advice other than, 'tough it out'."
Lacey laughed. "That's about the same advice my dad gave me when I was in training. 'I don't care if your legs fall off; if they do, I'll just glue them back on. Then you'll run another mile,'" she mimicked with a deadpan expression identical to the one he usually sported. "I'm pretty sure Bickslow picked it up from him."
"Titanus may have been right. A massage is probably a good idea," Jean-Luc said, patting Lilo on the shoulder. He had to fight to keep the smile from his face when she grimaced at the contact. Lilo would was only letting Lacey touch her because she adored and admired the older girl. Her older male cousins could go fight a dark guild for all she cared and she made her opinion on the matter obvious. "Have you tried rubbing the individual joints?" Jean-Luc suggested.
"Or you might take a mugwort bath," Lacey offered. "It helps with menstrual cramps so it should aid with this."
The boys grimaced at the mention of female body care that they would rather know nothing about.
Lilo perked up and glanced at Lacey. "I think I'll try that when I get home."
The blonde smiled and continued to rub circles on Lilo's back. "Glad to help." Then she frowned a little. "I suspect that this isn't just about the discomfort, though."
Titanus scowled deeply. "Those little town punks haven't been teasing you again, have they?"
The ensuing silence from the teenager was all the group needed to confirm their hypothesis.
"What have they been calling you this time?" Lacey sighed. Most members of the guild knew not to prod at truly sore subjects but that didn't affect the behavior of those outside of it. Lacey had had enough unpleasant encounters over the years with non-guild members to remember the teasing and taunts long after most learned that messing with the blonde earned them a right-hook to the face.
Letting out a sob, Lilo latched herself onto Lacey. With a heavy stutter brought on by tears and phlegm, she cried, "S-s-s-skele-girl!"
Due to her rapid height gain, the rest of Lilo's body mass was stretched thin. Very thin. The girl's cheeks were gaunt and her bones did, indeed, stick out everywhere giving her an almost-dead appearance. Filling out again in a healthy manner would take some serious diet considerations and alterations.
Jean-Luc shifted closer on the bench to Lilo and patted her back gently. Titanus reached down and ruffled her hair. Lacey continued to hold the youngest member of the group tightly and whisper any and all soothing words that came to mind. Having gone through this herself, Lacey knew exactly how Lilo felt. Being different from everyone else wasn't easy, and Lacey was determined that her friend never develop her own insecurities about her appearance. As she comforted her, Lacey thought about what might be done to ease the girl's mental suffering.
After a few minutes, the bluenette calmed down and withdrew from the embrace. However, the trio surrounding her stayed where they were in a protective ring around her.
Wiping her tears away, Lacey then patted her friend's cheek. "How about the girls all go shopping? That should cheer you up. You'll need a new wardrobe, anyway. Afterwards, we'll go out for ice-cream. What do you say?" Lacey knew that sometimes a new look could really bolster a person's self-esteem. It seemed shallow, but there was nothing quite like being able to say, 'I look good.' It just took more effort when your body type wasn't the norm.
If there were two things that never failed to uplift Lilo's spirits, it would be ice-cream and new clothes. Together they were a heady combination the girl was incapable of refusing. "You promise?"
"Yeah, we'll just go get the others."
"Mind if I tag along?" Jean-Luc asked. "I've got nothing better to do." Plus, who didn't like ice-cream? Clothes shopping was always dangerous for him (salespeople often mistook him for one of the girls and tried to get him to try on things), but he always went wherever Lacey was going if he could.
"You could always help me watch Fae," Titanus suggested. "Oberon's about due for a shift change."
Jean-Luc shook his head. "Nice try. She's your little sister. You deal with her. I'm not getting roped into that again."
The large man sighed. "It was worth a try."
As a peace offering, Jean-Luc added, "I'll keep an eye out for anyone who bothers Lilo and report back."
"Good man."
Lacey shrugged. "It's fine with me if you come."
"Me, too," the bluenette agreed. Jean-Luc was usually tolerable. Lilo unfurled from the table, her joints popping and cracking as she did. When she stretched and uncoiled further, everyone in a twelve-foot radius heard the audible snapping and creaking sounds.
The others did their best not to grimace at the noise. They were all pretty sure that cartilage shouldn't be able to make such horrifying noises.
I loved writing Lilo, for some reason.
Please review!