Pushing on (Challenge Accepted Pt. 2)
Her body had never ached more than it did at that exact moment. She had been training with Natsu for the past couple months (and that was brutal in itself), and then Erza had decided that she would enjoy sparring with the young mage, and help her with her defensive and offensive moves. Natsu had at first disapproved of the idea, saying that he was the one that was training her, but then changed his mind and said that she should show Erza just how amazing an instructor he was. Unsurprisingly, she got her ass beat down, but apparently to the two mages, she lasted longer than most people.
Lucy just assumed it was because she spent most of that time running and that Erza wasn't exactly putting her all into the fight.
And since that day, she would spend every other day training with the Erza, and then the other days, she would spend with Natsu. Her trainers had given her one day off a week, Sunday, but Lucy didn't exactly call it a day off, since Natsu would drag her off to have some fun—whether it be a mission, or a fair, or the beach, but never something she would have exactly picked for herself. Or Capricorn would decide to pay his visit and work her magic down to her core so badly that her organs felt like they had turned to mush and would seep out of any opening they could find. She would have much rather spent her free day sleeping, and recovering from the brutal beat downs and attacks she got every day that week. But Erza had insisted that breaks were nice, but once you get down, it's harder to get back up, and that even one day could completely destroy everything they had worked for.
The S-class exams were coming up very soon, and it seems that her 'free days' were disappearing, being replaced with what she liked to call 'extra pain-day', since that was when she was worked to the bone against both Erza and Natsu. And even though she knew that they were holding back so they didn't completely kill the celestial mage, or render her completely immobile, since that would totally screw over their schedule, every hit still hurt. She didn't complain to her friends about it though. She knew every hit and every punch was helping her.
In fact, she was far more resilient to pain than she had ever been, and could actually hold herself without her spirits pretty well. But she still needed them …
She pushed the door to her apartment open, barely having the strength to close the door behind her as she made her way to her bed and flopped down onto it face first. She would have fallen asleep like that right there and then if her close hadn't smelt and felt so utterly filthy. Turning over onto her back and sitting up, she stripped her long sleeved sweater off and shimmied out of her yoga pants. Ever since she started training, she had started wearing clothes that covered her skin better. She found it easier on herself if she didn't have to see the leftovers of what her training had left on her skin.
Tossing the articles of clothing off to the side, leaving herself in her underwear, she stood achingly to her feet and trotted over to the bathroom to wash herself up a bit before crawling into cozy bed. She flicked the light on and made her way to the mirror, lifting her eyes to look herself over. Older bruises were turning yellow and fading back to her regular skin tone, the newer ones fading slightly but still bright purple and obvious. She had a few cuts from Erza's swords, her lips were a little cracked and chapped from licking the sweat off of them when she was working so hard. Her hair fell in strangled strands around her shoulders clung to her neck with dirt, sweat, and just a little bit of blood.
She knew that they weren't trying to hurt her; that was the farthest intention from either of her friends' minds, so she never really brought it up. And honestly, she was sort of proud of the scars and marks. It showed that she was really trying hard for what she wanted. Though she might be proud of them, she wasn't going to be showing them off to everyone at the guild, Natsu and Erza included. They didn't need to know about the marks. She didn't know what kind of reaction it would draw from them, but she had a feeling it would be leaning more towards the negative side.
Her training had started with muscle work and stamina, lifting weights and carrying heavy objects up hills (The objects consisting of rocks, baskets of fish, and Natsu himself). Then every morning, right as the sun was coming up, Natsu would barge into her room and tell her to start running. She would run for about an hour and a half before being allowed to stop and take a small break before working on her muscles again.
She thought that they could have started off with something a little closer to her level of strength, but whenever she tried to bring it up, her opinion would be shot down before she finished it. Natsu said it was what was best for her, even if it seemed harsh. And then Erza had come in, shooting her swords in her general direction, expecting Lucy to dodge and maneuver her way away and through the swords. To pass the red haired mage's standards, Lucy had to manage to land one hit, and her lesson would be over for the day, only for the next one to be harder than the previous the next day.
Also, Erza had insisted on teaching the celestial mage how to fight, when Natsu wasn't around, of course. Lucy had agreed, in what she assumed was a mentally exhausted, brain damaged, conscious coma. And that was when she began gaining bruises. Erza's punches and kicks were as brutal as they looked when she displayed them on Gray and Natsu. But Lucy was slowly adapting to the pain, learning how to take a punch and hold her ground, fighting back within a second's notice. She learned to dodge attacks and how to counterattack, she learned to block hits with her arms, she learned how to fight with only her legs. It was all horribly brutal and difficult, but it did exactly what it intended.
And then Natsu threw her a surprise and told her to fight him, all she had to do was get him on his back and she would pass that lesson. He never even fought back, just dodged. It took her a week to be able to do it. And that was when she actually went head to head against Natsu, magic and fists. Surprisingly, Natsu hadn't come out completely unscathed. Though most of the blows Lucy had received weren't directed at her, she felt every blow and hit that had been bestowed upon her spirits. Not to mention that her body took the toll of every magic hit they handed out. So either way, she was exhausted.
She didn't consider it abuse and harsh treatment, like most people would have. Especially since on her 'days off', Natsu would try and make it up to her by trying to show her a good time, to try and take her mind off of all the training. It was a sweet gesture, but not entirely necessary, since every step she took, every person that she bumped shoulders with, reminded her exactly of what she had gone through that week. She ached every day, even though she had grown used to it and hardly noticed it anymore.
She cupped her hands under the faucet and splashed water on her face, successfully wiping away the dirt and sweat from her skin. She didn't bother stepping into the shower, she just splashed the water on the decided area from the sink and quickly dried off so she could get into bed without the need of blow drying her hair and getting dress again.
She exited the room with an almost excited jog and jumped onto the bed, tugging the comforter over her aching body and closing her eyes. When she folded her arm under the pillow, she held in a pained hiss, the muscle of her forearm and elbow disagreeing with the position. But Lucy decided that she was in charge of where they were placed and how they were used, and set aside the feelings of discomfort easily. It wasn't until usually after the fights that she noticed the pain, since her mind set was always on the battle itself. Kind of like eating extremely spicy chicken; amazingly delicious when first eating it, but then painful a few hours later when you get heart burn. A weird comparison, but it was the only thing that would come to her sleep craving consciousness.
She didn't even have the strength to open her eyes when she heard her window sliding open.
"She's asleep already? I was hoping for dinner." She heard Natsu whisper to, who she assumed was, Happy. Already?! It's almost eleven o'clock! She wanted to snap at them, but decided to keep her mouth shut in hopes of keeping hold of the peaceful haze her mind had grabbed a hold of. She hoped that they would just stop in, check on her, and make their way out so she could fully engulf herself in her much needed slumber, but of course, they never knew what she truly desired at that time.
"Aye, you and Erza have been working her hard for the past couple days. I'm not surprised that she would fall asleep the moment she got home." Happy's voice chimed in. She felt Happy land next to her on the bed, curling up against stomach comfortably. She could feel his side press up against one of the less minor bruises, and even though at first it was slightly uncomfortable, his body heat and the slight rumble of him purring quickly disbanded the pain. "And it's not that early, Natsu." Thank you, Happy. At least you know.
"I guess you're right, Happy." She heard the pink haired Dragon Slayer agree, a yawn and a few satisfying cracks following directly after. She could just picture Natsu stretching his arms above his head, cracking the joints in his back and arms, something he did every night before he went to sleep. Don't judge. He was the one that had insisted on her crashing at their house when their sessions ran later than she planned. It was only natural that she would pick up on his nightly/morning habits. Not to mention that she's been within his presence for nearing on three years (ten years if you counted the Tenrou island incident), she was bound to pick up on a few things.
What she didn't expect was Natsu to lay down next to her, especially with such gentle ease that she barely even felt the bed shift. The only real hint as to him suddenly next to her was the increase in temperature against her back. She wanted to turn around and give him a piece of her mind, that she was allowed to have time to herself since she had been with him for pretty much 24/7 for the past couple of months, but then Happy crawled away from her stomach and slipped his entire body under the sheets, taking back his place at her side, but this time, against her actual skin.
His fur brushing against her stomach caused her to smile and hold in her giggles, but her body shook the slightest bit with mirth. She decided that she wasn't quite ready to be 'awakened' yet, so she pretended she was still asleep by shifting slightly and away from Happy's fur and onto her stomach, tucking her arms underneath her, against her chest. Even though every single movement was met with discomfort, she quickly adjusted and was able to settle in so comfortably she almost fell asleep instantly, but she had to remember that she currently had two other beings with her in bed.
"Natsu …" she heard Happy whisper, along with the comforter shifting as he pulled himself out from underneath it. "Lucy has bruises."
Lucy swore her heart stopped beating for a few seconds as a tense silence replaced what used to peaceful. She 'inconspicuously' wrapped her fingers around a part of the blanket, hoping to hold it over herself just in case Natsu decided to check for himself. And she severely hoped her didn't, since she was only in her bra and underwear!
She felt the blanket lift up on the side that Natsu was on, but instead of pulling it off of her body, she felt him slip underneath it himself. The next thing she knew, she felt two new pressure's against her back. One was obviously Happy curling up on the spot just underneath her shoulder blades, on her middle back. And then an extremely warm arm draping itself across her lower back. And that's all it did. It didn't pull her closer to him, or prod at any of her injuries, it just laid there across her back.
"Yea, I know." She heard him whisper after what felt like hours of silence, finally replying to Natsu's statement.
They sat like that in silence for a few moments before Lucy decided she needed to speak up, to make sure that this didn't ruin everything that she had worked so hard for. She turned her head to face Natsu, not bothering to open her eyes.
"If you dare hold back on me tomorrow, I'll never make you flaming star ice cream again and I'll sic Aquarius on you." She muttered roughly before turning her head to face the other direction again.
Her reply was a quiet chuckle and a gentle squeeze around her waist before settling back into complete silence. And that was how she fell asleep. The heat of Natsu's arm was comforting on the bruises on her back, and Happy's vibrating body from his purring on her upper back lulled her to sleep.