Hey guys!
Been a long time!
Sorry, got busy with studies and other stuff. To compensate for my long absence, I present this looohohohooong chapter.
Before I get on with this, chapter:
A shoutout to CelestialWizard for the PM. It really ignited a spark in me to finish writing this chapter, although it took months to get the editing done. Sorry for that..
DragonFairy…Thank you for your help. Without you, I would never have gotten the guts to write down the airport scene. So if you're reading this, a huge hug to you.
AMMiss-chaaan! Thank you for your encouragement and help with this story. Ummwahh!
Some terms that would help you understand the initial part of this chapter.
Program run: execution of a program code to produce the output.
Program window: The panel on computer used to write program code. One can write it in multiple panels.
DISCLAIMER:I do not own Fairy Tail. It Belongs to Hiro Mashima sensei.
But the OCs are mine..
Previously:
"WOAH….WOAH…WOAH… ! KEEP YOUR PANTIES ON, MISSY!"
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"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PYGMY, YOU FREAKING DRUNKARD!"
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"J-Juvia is happy that everyone is reunited, but… Juvia thinks… it is rude for everyone to ignore.. Lucy-san?"
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"Aren't you going to join us boy? After all, you are the guest of honor. It would be a shame if your father was the only one present…"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world..".
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"Ah, finally… we meet at last…",
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'Another dream, huh..?'
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"…..It was around that time, Mr. Lapointe here….came forward with the proposition of integrating 'Silent Capriccio' Communications with Ignis Immortalis.…"
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"…that… Natsu agrees to accepts his daughter, 's…. hand in marriage…."
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"…..You and above all….your son should be grateful that Lapointe himself has chosen him as his only daughter's suitor, knowing the… 'circumstances'."
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"HE'S NOT SOME PETTY BOY! HE'S MY SON, GOD DAMMIT!",
"Only for eighteen years, Igneel…Bear that in mind…"
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'…..I'm everything I am today…. because of that old man…'
"The 'mysterious code-breaker' wouldn't have gotten the chance if Natsu hadn't stepped in..."
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'…I will not allow….my dad….to lower his head because of me… in front of Faust….or Acnologia…or anyone….'
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"I don't care if the whole empire blows up. I don't care if you hate me. But I won't stand one minute of you insulting my son-"
"I accept…"
CHAPTER IX
But still, I…
Eyes wide open in shock and breath stuck in his throat, Igneel wished like never before that his ears were playing tricks on him.
But, even though it was barely above a whisper, he had heard it nonetheless.
When his snob of a father and infuriating brother degraded his son, Igneel only saw red.
True, his son is reckless and carefree…or rather, he was…
His solutions to most of the real-life situations used to involve violence.
Even when he was in middle school, not a day went by where Igneel wouldn't receive a call from the school authorities to inform him of his son's scuffles at school, but the red-haired man would just dismiss it off with a hearty chuckle as Natsu's way of 'making friends'.
His love for challenge knew no bounds…both project-wise and brawl-wise...which usually ended up in 'widespread' destruction. One may think what 'widespread destruction' is created while working on a mere project and may dismiss it off as nonsense. Ah…but that is where one is wrong.
Brawls used to involve the people in his vicinity only. But when it came to projects…now that is where one should be cautious.
Whenever Natsu took up a project, no matter how big or small it was….he tended to take them veeeerry seriously and never backed out of it…and…that often led too….well…taking down the entire network…in his 'vicinity'.
And if one wonders how far this vicinity goes…well, let's just say that Igneel would receive a call within the next few hours, from the commander of the country's cyber command base located at the far end of the country, inquiring as to whether one of the company's teams has undertaken a project….again!
And one may ask how Igneel would know that it was his son's doing…. Well…to put it simple….
If the code that Natsu was working on backfires on him, then he would run it again and again …but not on just a single program window, but on multiple windows which can go beyond twenty or thirty, each one having some modifications here and there…And not just that…He would run all of them at the same time!
And the worst part would be that the prototype, to which the code was to be implemented on, will be already wired to his system! His son being so dead set on getting the program right, wouldn't be in the right mind to pause and try to double-check everything.
So the minute his pink-haired idiot of a son presses the button for program run, all hell would break lose.
In the next minute, an alert would be blaring out of Igneel's computer with the indication that a fire alarm had gone off somewhere in one of the company buildings, with the system automatically logging onto the surveillance cameras to the 'scene of crime'.
The man would find himself muttering a string of curses while his narrowed eyes skimmed through the scurrying images of employees in the raining room for a certain culprit to confirm his suspicions.
And true enough, his eyes would land on a drenched disheveled fuming figure on the far corner, thrashing about, taking his anger in any way possible on what seemed to be the burned remains of the prototype which, due to its incapacity to handle a load of programs, had blown up in the face of an unsuspecting employee who, by then would be laying back flat on the ground unconscious, his face and the now static hair turned to char emitting smoke every now and then.
Boy, was that brat such a handful!
But, those days were long gone….
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"…You've been a bit off lately."
"I'm perfectly fine, old man."
"It's like something's bothering you."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Cut the crap Natsu!"
"I should be the one saying that to-"
"You don't take up any high-end projects, you refuse to head a team, or in the least be in one unless Makarov, Gildarts or I provide you with a suitable reason. HELL, I DON'T EVEN HEAR ANY FIRE ALARMS NOWADAYS THAT SCREAMS YOUR NAME!"
"You're whining because of the lack of arson?!"
"IT'S NOT BECAUSE- Wha- I AM NOT WHIN- HEY, DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT, BRAT!
….I guess…..What I'm trying to say is…ever since that 'incident', you've been different. You always have that…cold aura about you now, as if….as if you don't have a soul. You've become more reserved and-and withdrawn-"
"Just give me the damn approval order and I'll be out of your hair in no time."
"See! This is exactly what I'm talking about. The Natsu I know would be throwing a hissy fit by now like the brat he is, demanding for a project that would 'surpass' Erza's, always getting into useless fights with that raven-haired friend of yours until Erza 'intervenes'.
It would be lucky if the gym and cafeteria are spared from one of the brawls caused by you, even for one day!
You always wore that stuuuuupid grin that seemed to 'make anyone's day' and make those half-witted comments which would make anyone forget their misery just to whack your head.
Where did that Natsu go, huh?!
Where is that Natsu who always found a way to invert a zero no matter how meaningless it has become?!
Where is that Natsu who always found a way to look at things in a different light, no matter how twisted they've become?!
Where is that Natsu who still pushes on no matter how big of an explosion it creates, no matter what anyone says, until he gets it ri-"
"That Natsu… Is long. Gone!"
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Wide eyes stared off into space as the words still echoed throughout his head.
"Speak up, boy! Surely, Igneel must have trained you better."
Awakening from his momentary trance, Igneel snapped his head towards the source of that snarky comment. Blood boiled in him yet again, on seeing the arrogant look on his father's face.
With a sharp yet shaky intake of breath, veins now bulging out of his clenched quivering fists restrained at his sides, polished black leather shoe made to shuffle forward in a heavy step, a low menacing growl sounding about.
"Like. I. said-"
His eyes widened.
Now only did he feel the hand on his shoulder, when its grip tightened a little.
The red head snapped around.
Slit onyx pupils returned to normal the moment they landed on the owner, whose now disheveled bangs shielded his eyes, jaw muscles twitching as he clenched his teeth, his slightly quivering lips drawn into a thin line.
The trembling lips ever so slowly parted, the voice that came out of it, a little more audible this time, "I said…I am willing to accept the proposal."
Igneel's heart thumped painfully in his chest as his throat went dry, a low whisper escaping his lips, "N-Natsu-"
But the pink-haired man didn't stay to hear what his father had to say, nor did he lift up his head to look at the shock yet pained expression on his father's face, as he slid his hand off his father's shoulder, dashing past him and out of the room.
And once again, eerie silence filled the room…
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The day was bright and warm as any other day. The rays of the morning sun littered in through the large rectangular windows, lighting up the vast private dining room.
A red haired man sat at a mile long dining table, clad in ironed white shirt and black slacks, paired up with polished black shoes, already dressed for the day. He yanked on the knot of his blue necktie in an attempt to loosen it before hunching back over the 10-inch tablet which had some charts and figures displayed on it.
His brows were scrunched up in concentration as he tapped on the screen to edit the matter before averting his gaze, leaning a little bit away to the side to sip on his hot cup of morning tea.
Hastily picking up the fork that lay forgotten over the plate of a barely touched breakfast that stood to the side of his cup, he forked up the grub and plunged it into his wide open mouth before turning his head back…to find the device missing.
"Where th-"
"Tch!"
The man snapped his eyes towards the source.
His eyes widened, almost protruding out of their sockets as an almost girlish scream escaped his wide opened jaw.
A small figure sat on the floor with its back towards the man, small legs splayed about while tapping furiously on the tablet.
"GAH! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE YOU DOING?!"
"Eh!", the figure snapped its head to look at the man with eyes half-lidded in irritation, before turning back towards the device, resuming the previous work.
The man jolted at the unexpected reaction before scrambling out of his chair and onto the floor, speedily crawling towards the figure.
"STOP THAT!"
Still not affected by the man's outburst, with tongue peeking out of the corner of small lips, and pink bed hair pointing in directions unknown while the bangs covered the scrunched up brows with eyes narrowed in concentration at the device, the small figure furiously tapped away at the screen.
Thank god, the screen glass was hard!
With a growl, the man snatched the device out of the small hands while glaring at the small boy who jumped up in retaliation.
"HEY! I WASN'T FINISHED YET!"
The boy lunged at the man in order to snatch it back, only to be stopped by a large hand to his small forehead.
"GIVE IT BACK!"
The screaming boy wildly flailed his arms about, trying to hit the man and knock the device out of his hands which….was futile from the beginning itself.
"CUT IT OUT, NATSU! AND WIPE THAT DROOL OFF YOUR-WHY THE HELL ARE YOU EVEN DROOLING IN THE FIRST PLACE WHEN YOU'VE ONLY JUST WOKEN UP!"
But the boy ignored the man, still continuing on with his attacks, "GIVE. IT. BAAAACKK!"
The tick mark still present on his forehead, the man was now curious as to why his son was fussing over his tablet.
"OKAY NATSU, JUST STO- WOULD YOU JUST STO-"
A vibration in his hand caused the red-haired man to snap his attention towards the device that was held up high out of the boy's reach, with his other hand still on the boy's forehead.
Brows scrunched up together, the man was about to read the notification flashing at the top of the screen but found his eyes glued to the region below it.
'W-Wha-'
Color slowly drained from his face as his jaw dropped open, his eyes widening even more if possible.
The hand restraining the thrashing boy dropped down numb; the boy as a result hurtling forwards without any control over his body from the sudden release, headfirst into the man's stomach.
"OOF!"
The man fell on his back from the sudden collision with the boy on top of him, his head still implanted in the man's stomach.
A groan escaped the boy as he lifted his head up, squinting his eyes open to find himself lying on top of his father who was in the process of sitting up.
Suddenly his eyes caught it.
"AHA!"
The boy snatched the tablet that lay carelessly in front of him on the man's chest, a victorious grin across his small face.
Wasting no time, he was about to resume tapping on the screen when the device was snatched out of his hands again.
"I said, cut it OUT! And, why are you drooling over whatever it is that you're dra-", the man's face turned ghostly white at the sudden remembrance of what he saw in his tablet.
"What did you…WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY PRESENTATION!"
The boy flinched from the man's high pitched scream before his eyes widened when large hands gripped his small shoulders.
The red-haired man began to shake the now fully awake boy who started to scream his reply.
But, only incoherent words were heard due to the boy's head jerking back and forth with all the shaking.
Gripping the boy's upper arms to keep him from shaking, the man glared as he shrieked again, "SAY WHAT?!"
"Tch! I said….THAT'S NOT HOW A PIZZAAA LOOKS LIKE!"
Igneel blanched, looking down at his tablet that lay to the side, displaying his pie chart which was now a poor edit of red color splattered all over it with smudges of different colours here and there on the top, 'M-My sleepless months of hard work…turned into…into food menu…'
"I'm doom-"
"EEEEEEEK! GET IT OFF! GET. IT. OOFFFF!"
Both of them snapped their heads towards the closed door of their dining room.
The red haired man frowned, "What is goi-"
Crashes and yells sounded from the other side of the door.
"Igneel-sama."
The red-haired nearly jumped out of his skin, twisting around to see a tall middle aged man in black twin-tailed coat uniform, standing up straight with his arms plastered at his sides.
"A-Ah, Jerry! What is it?", the red-haired ran a hand over his pale face.
"I'm sorry Igneel-sama, but the young master is mis-", the man cut himself off as his eyes landed on the boy behind Igneel, who was now sneakily extending his hands towards the tablet with an evil grin.
"Ah! There you are Nat-"
"Jerry."
The butler snapped his head towards the red-haired man who wore a grim expression, "Why are you here?"
"My apologies Igneel-sama, but Master ordered me to take care of Natsu-sa-"
"Why? Why does he want to stick his nose into something he so clearly despises to death? Does he wish to make the boy's life miserable than it already is?"
Snapping his head towards the source of the low growl, Natsu watched his father's face turn darker and darker, as words dripped out of his mouth like venom. His heart clenched a little.
He maybe too young to understand anything, but he had the sense to know that he was the main topic. His vision blurred as he watched his father clench his teeth in frustration.
Whatever it was, it was not good. Or else, his always calm father wouldn't seem like wanting to lash out on the butler, yet at the same time wanting to yell out in frustration.
The butler lowered his head in respect, "That's not it sir. Master wishes to keep tab on him. He says he wants to know whether he is worthy enough to bear the 'title'."
Confusion marred his scrunched up brows, "Worthy eno-", Igneels's eyes dangerously narrowed in sudden realisation and took in a sharp breath before muttering darkly, "Worthy enough?", he took a step towards the butler, "Worthy. Enough?!", his hand started to make its way towards the butler's collar, "What, do you me-"
"NOOOOOO…."
"CALM DOWN, WILL YA! ITS JUST A-"
"EEEEEEEK!"
Cries and yells sounded again from the other side of the closed door.
An irritated yet dazed Igneel and his pink haired son turned to look at the door wearing similar frowns again.
The red-haired man turned to look at the nonchalant butler, "Say Jerry.. You wouldn't happen to know what's going on, do you…?"
The butler merely dragged his eyes over to the closed door before looking back at his master, "Well, it seems that the maids and the others have found the food thief in the kitchenette and are currently in pursuit-"
"EEEEEEEKK! GET IT AWAY FROM MEEEE!"
Igneel sweat-dropped, 'Pursuit? Sounds more like, running away..'
The boy who had been looking blankly at the door must have come to his senses now only because his onyx eyes widened as he let out an audible gasp, "Mister Snuffle Pudding!"
He dashed towards the door, bursting out through it, the door slamming against the wall with a loud bang, his screams now mixing in with that of the commotion which now became clearer.
"SOMEONE GET IT AW- EEEK! NATSU-SAMA! DON'T GO NE- W-WAIT! WHAT ARE YOU-EEEEEEEP!"
"NATSU-SAMA! THAT'S DANGEROUS!"
Igneel wasted no time as he dashed towards the open door, fearing the worst.
His eyes widened at the sight.
There stood his son, on top of the counter-top in the middle of the kitchenette. In his arms was a furry creature, whose head was held close to the boy's chest as he hugged it protectively out of harm's way.
The pale-faced maids and panting workers stood around the table, with mouths wide open as the boy looked at them with a scowling red face.
Sighing in relief that his son was safe, the man's eyes softened as he slowly walked towards the boy.
Natsu snapped his head towards the sound of shuffling to shoot a threatening glare at the person, only to calm slightly on seeing that it was his father.
"Natsu…"
The boy just looked up at the man who was now in front of him, with wide, glassy eyes while hugging the furry creature even more tightly to his chest, eliciting a small squeak from it as it shakily struggled slightly in his arms.
The man raised his hand, the palm of his hand facing the boy's face.
The boy instantly squeezed his eyes shut, his face scrunched up waiting for the inevitable punishment from his father.
He flinched when a large hand was placed on top of his head and his body automatically stiffened. He bit the insides of his cheek, waiting for the bitter pain or yelling that was to follow.
His eyes flew open when the fingers gently raked through his hair, the warmth seeping into his scalp calming him down.
He stared at the ground in shock before slowly tilting his head up to look up at the man who was still caressing his hair, combing it in a way so as to make it look more presentable.
His breath stilled on seeing the soft smile that played across his father's face.
His vision became blurry at the loving gaze that was trained on him.
Guilt flooded through him. He squeezed his mouth shut to prevent a sob from escaping his trembling lips before looking down again as he closed his eyes.
"Master Ign-"
"Miss Martha, would you please prepare Natsu's breakfast and bring it to my room. Just the way he likes it?"
The maid nodded with a curt bow, "Yes Master!"
The boy flinched a little when he felt himself being lifted off the table, jerking his head to the side to see none other than his father whose arms were wrapped around him as he carried him out of the kitchenette.
Too scared to open his mouth, the boy just watched the man's face for any signs of anger while being carried upstairs.
The man's face remained emotionless, trudging through the long empty halls to his destination.
Upon reaching a set of large double doors, he pushed them open to reveal a vast room donned with a four-post king sized bed having a bedside table with a lamp on it. Dim-lit lamps decorated the light brownish maroon walls.
Off to the side were large glass double doors which opened up to a side terrace with an ornate yet simple round coffee table with three wooden chairs arranged around it, the banisters overlooking a vast garden estate below.
The man set his son on the bed and squatted on the floor to be in same height as that of the boy's, who still looked down while hugging the creature close to him.
A large hand placed itself on the boy's head causing the boy to look up at the man who held a soft gaze, "So, Snuffle Pudding, eh?"
The man smiled at the boy who stared at him with wide eyes before nodding in response with a shaky hum.
The boy jerked back a little when he saw the man trembling slightly, his wide smile looking strained now. Before he knew it, the man hunched over, guffawing out loud, the laughter echoing throughout the vast room.
"H-Huh?Wha-"
The man raised his hands in surrender looking at the boy while chuckling, "O-Oh s-sorry.. It's just that...It-s a-a weird name, that's all."
"It's not weird!", the boy puffed out his now tinted cheeks while looking off to side.
"But w-why the name?", Igneel tried to keep on a straight face.
"One day, he tried to reach for my bowl full of pudding that was on my table. But it ended up falling on top of him. And he always sniffs at any new thing he finds, his sniffs can be heard even from a mile away.", the boy's mumble might have been almost inaudible but the man heard him owing to his sharp senses.
Igneel chuckled, "I see…."
A large hand rested on the boy's plump cheek, forcing him to look at the red-haired man.
"How long have you had him?"
"One week, I think? I found him in the greenhouse on a rainy night. He was cornered by one of those guard dogs. He looked so scared and that dog was about to attack him, but I saved him. He was all wet… and shivering and could not stand properly. So I sneaked him into my room and kept him warm and fed him…", the boy's eyes trailed off to the side, not able to bear the man's intense yet soft gaze, " I'm…I-I'm sorry..."
"Why didn't you tell me about him?"
The boy's vision blurred a little as he gulped, "I-I thought you might get angry at me, a-and tell me that you didn't want me a-anymore...or-or you might-"
Natsu suddenly found his face buried in the man's chest.
"I will never, ever, ever do that to you. I love you so damn much to give you away. So don't go thinking like that. Ever. Okay?", Igneel mumbled into the boy's hair.
Feeling a heavy lump in his throat, Natsu could only nod into the man's chest as he squeezed his now teary eyes shut, nuzzling deeper into the man's shirt.
Slight squeaks followed by desperate struggles of something soft against his chest made the man pull away quickly.
Looking down, his eyes narrowed a little in curiosity at the creature that was caged within the boy's arms.
The boy followed the man's gaze, looking down at the creature.
"Can I…", the boy looked up to see his father looking at the creature with a soft expression, "Can I see him?"
"S-sure…"
The boy slid down from the bed and opened his arms, and immediately the creature shot out.
Igneel's eyes widened as they fell upon the furry animal.
Long and slender with white, brown and black littering over its entire body, the ferret stared at the pink-haired boy with black beady yet glassy eyes as if to say, 'You almost suffocated me to death!', before snapping its head towards the red haired man.
Sitting on its hind legs, the animal extended its body up a little trying to sniff the man who was a few feet away.
And sure enough, just like Natsu had told, the sniffling sounds were loud and clear.
The man extended his right hand with caution, beckoning the animal to him, "Come here.."
The animal stared at his hand, still trying to sniff it from a few feet away, snapping its head towards Natsu before turning back to take wary steps towards the man.
"I really wanted to keep him.."
The man glanced at the boy who was gazing sadly at the animal which was now near the man's hand, sniffing it.
"So? Keep him."
The boy snapped his head towards the man with eyes wide in bewilderment.
"W-What?!"
"I said keep him..", the man shrugged nonchalantly before turning his attention back at the animal which was now enjoying the man's strokes.
Igneel smirked mischievously at the boy, "You just have to learn to hide him better."
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"B-But why?"
The man sighed, gazing down from his seat on the boy's bed at the pink haired-boy who was on the ground petting the ferret as it nibbled on the treat from the boy's hand.
The man raised a sceptical brow, "Did you not see what happened there? It's a miracle that Mister Snuffles is here in one piece. If neither of us were there, who knows what would have happened. You know how 'he' is. Would you forgive yourself if something were to happen to this guy?", the man gestured at the furry creature who had started to curl up in Natsu's lap.
"It's Mister Snuffle Pudding. But….", the boy cut himself off. Gazing down at the furball, he sighed, "Hmm, yeah… I wouldn't…"
He caressed its head with the back of his forefinger while he closed his mouth shut, trembling lips tightening into a thin line as pink bangs covered his eyes.
Igneel slid down from the bed onto the ground, settling into a cross-legged position and picked up the boy, settling him onto his lap, his large hands resting on the boy's hips to keep him in place, while the ferret which had jerked up a little to assess the situation curled up again in the boy's lap.
Natsu only lowered his head a little more in response, his eyes squeezing shut.
The man rested his chin on the boy's shoulder to peer at his face, "Hey.."
"Why couldn't he have just stayed in my room?!"
The ferret flinched a little at the sudden yell, looking up at the boy's face with beady black eyes, his nose twitching.
The man sighed, "Natsu…."
"No matter how many times I tell him not to go out, no matter how many times I lock the door, he would always find a way out!"
The boy's yells got louder and louder.
Large arms wrapped around the small shaking figure, the child's back now pressed against the man's chest, effectively silencing the now wide-eyed boy at the sudden action.
The man rested his chin atop the small head.
"Natsu…"
The wide-eyed boy was now panting from all the yelling, from all the anger, frustration, sadness and emotions new to him, swirling inside his chest, squeezing his small heart painfully. He just wanted it to make it all go away.
Why do these things always happen to him? Why does he always have to give up everything? No matter what he does, in the end, everything and everyone ends up leaving him, either by force or by fate.
But not this time. He is not going to give in so easily. No. Not this ti-
"Natsu… Would you like it if you were locked up in a room all by yourself, not being allowed to go anywhere?"
"No…I won't. But-But this is different."
The man shook his head, "No Natsu. It's not different. Mister Snuffles is also a living thing like you. He also likes to run around just like you. He is full of energy, always looking for everything and anything that catches his eye. Just like you. The only thing different here is that, he is an animal and hence won't understand what is going on whereas you will….well…sometimes.."
The boy sighed, "Yeah, you're ri-", he paused when the words sunk in and with a slight gasp he tilted his head up to glare at his father, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?! I always understa-"
"We're going off topic here.", the man peered down at the boy with raised brows.
Natsu closed his mouth with a small growl, snapping his head back down to stare at the ferret that was curled up again, while resuming his caresses.
"I know it's hard Natsu. But even if 'he' never did find out about Mister Snuffles would it be right to just keep him locked up in your room forever? For the rest of his life? Would it be fair to Mister Snuffles?"
The boy sighed dejectedly, "I just….I-I-", he clenched his teeth, his vision getting blurry, "He was my only friend, you know…"
The man hugged the boy closer, resting his chin again on top of the boys' head, "I know, Natsu….I know..."
A small hand found its way onto one of the large arms that encircled the boy's chest. Gripping onto it, Natsu rested his chin on it, his bangs covering his eyes as a lone tear glided down his cheek and past his tightly shut trembling lips.
"Hey Igneel…?"
The man hummed questioningly.
"Promise me….that Mister Snuffle Pudding finds a friend who would love him…and-and lets him eat and sniff as much as he wants…"
The man chuckled lightly, "Yeah..."
"Promise me!"
"I promise Natsu…Besides, you and I are best buddies too!", the man squeezed his small body eliciting a groan from him, as the man rubbed his cheek with that of the boy's.
"Eewww! Get away from me, old man!", the scowling boy tried to wiggle out of his father's grip.
The man snorted, "Aaand the brat's back!"
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"Yes Father, I will meet with her."
"After you two get acquainted, Mr. Williams and I will discuss about the future plans and fix the date for the ceremony."
"Yes Father…"
Through the slit provided by the slightly open door, onyx eyes darted back and forth between the red-haired man and an older man who sat at his desk, as they conversed formally in the vast study.
"And I hope you will keep your end of the deal too, Father."
Pink brows furrowed in confusion at the red-haired man's unyielding tone. Somehow, he couldn't help but feel that all of this was related to him.
"Yes, yes.", the elder man waved his hand in a nonchalant manner, his eyes fixed on the papers that littered his desk while he shuffled through them. Not once did he lift his head up to look at his red-haired son, "Do whatever you want, but I do hope you know what you're doing."
The red-haired man clenched his fists at his sides, "Since when did you start 'worrying' over what I do?"
"Well, I always did. After all, you're my son."
Igneel gritted his teeth at the condescending tone.
The boy jolted back when Igneel shuffled in his spot, about to turn around, "If that is all, may I be-"
The boy didn't dare to linger there any longer. He ran as fast as his small legs would carry him, back through the empty hallways, through the flight of stairs, skidding to a stop on reaching the doors to his large lonely room.
Closing the door as quiet as possible, he stumbled towards his bed, collapsing face first onto it. While trying to calm his racing heart and ragged breaths, various thoughts flooded his mind.
What were they talking about? Who is Igneel meeting up with? What is this ser- serma- that thing the old man wanted to fix the date for? Ugh, too many thoughts-
A knock sounded on the door.
"Natsu? You in there?"
The creak of the door sounded, followed by shuffling and closing of the door. Natsu's heart pounded, in synch with the footsteps nearing his bed…thumping in nervousness of being found out.
The boy didn't move, his face still buried in the covers as he felt a shift in his bed.
He didn't dare move, breathing in and out as normally as he could, pretending to be asleep. If he laid there still his father won't suspect that he had eavesdropped on them. But it's so hard to breathe when your nose is planted in the mattress. How do they do that on TV-
Large fingers raked through his hair, working its magic as they massaged his scalp.
The boy sighed in delight. At this rate, he would fall asleep, and he would never be suspe-
"OW!", the boy jolted up at the sudden smack on his head.
He twisted around to glare at his father, "WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!"
The man smirked, "That's what you get for trying to fool me."
The boy opened his mouth to retort, but sealed it shut when nothing came to mind, plopping down cross-legged, his arms crossed across his chest while puffing out his slightly pink cheeks.
The man chuckled, "Say, Natsu…"
The boy snapped his head to look up at the man with wide eyes in curiosity at the sudden change in his tone. The man was staring at the ground with a small melancholic smile.
"What do you say, you and I, move out to live in another house?"
"Huh?", now Natsu was even more confused.
"You never liked this house anyway.", the man turned to look at the boy with raised brows.
"I never said that!", the boy sputtered in surprise.
"Well, I don't need you to tell me that. I know you. You were always locked up in this mansion, not being allowed to go anywhere. With no one to talk with or no one to play with you… So, what do you say? Come on, it will be fun. You and me, having a whole house to ourselves. You can run around and scream as much as you want. You can even go to school and make friends there."
A heavy lump formed in his throat, as the boy gazed up at the man who was grinning widely at him.
Why…Why is this man being so nice to him? After all that's happened…And this man speaks as if it's his own fault…when all along it was he who-
"So? What do you say?"
His vision blurred a little, at the wide pleading eyes staring back at him.
Gulping down hard, the boy looked up at the man with a teary smile, "Y-Yeah, i-it'd be great..."
.
.
.
The corner of his lips turned up into a melancholic smile, his eyes still hidden under his bangs while he continued his mad dash to wherever his feet will take him.
'..Thank you for being there for me always, Igneel…'
"….AND WE WILL PULL FROM THE INSIDE. AM. I. CLEAR?!"
"SIR, YES SIR!"
"So, let me get this straight..", a slightly flushed Cana looked towards Lucy and Levy after lowering the bottle she was hugging earlier, from her mouth.
"ALRIGHT! ON THE COUNT OF THREE!"
"….are we supposed to push or pull?", the half-lidded brunette raised a nonchalant brow in question while placing a hand on her hip.
"1!"
"Ah, never mind..", waving her hand in dismissal, she took a quick large gulp from the bottle, unknowingly spilling a little of its contents onto the ground, creating a puddle.
"2!"
"Let me keep this baby here…", bending down she placed the bottle near the wall away from the door of their apartment, "aaaand…"
"3!"
"Aaall set!", wiping her mouth, she stumbled towards Lucy and Levy who were already in position.
"PULL!"
The brunette immediately planted her feet on the ground and started tugging on the binds that kept the luggage in place on the trolley which currently, was stuck in the door of their apartment.
Earlier, Erza had assumed that her ceiling high luggage would easily pass through the door with no sweat- to which none of the girls voiced otherwise due to fear of her raging out on them again- only for it to get stuck. And now, she and Juvia are trapped inside the apartment while Lucy, Levy and Cana are stranded out.
"P-Pulll!"
"Push!"
"Puuulll!"
Huffs and grunts of 'pull" that elicited from the brunette attracted her companions' attention.
A tick mark appeared on the petite bluenette's forehead on seeing the drunken brunette tugging on the ropes with her feet skidding over the tiled surface, while she and Lucy were pushing the heap in as hard as they could.
The bluenette hissed, "You're supposed to push not pull!", but the half-dazed brunette seemed to not hear her, continuing to just pull at it more and more.
Thank god those binds were strong! Or they would've been buried under an avalanche by now.
The petite girl straightened up, loosening her hands from the binds, "Ugh, this is getting nowhere."
Titling her head up she gritted her teeth a little on seeing the top of the pile stuck in the equally high door before crossing her arms across her chest as her head drooped low with her eyes closed and letting out a frustrated sigh.
She was so damn tired from her journey and her body ached all over after all that happened at the airport.
Though, with the excitement of greeting their new roommate and the surprise planned out for her, the dire need for a whole weekend sleep went right out the window.
And she was dying to take a nice warm bath to rejuvenate her almost inanimate self and maybe read a book while at it before carrying out the surprise.
But nohohoooooooww!
Erza just had to pile up her luggage so friggin' high and jam it in the door without a second thought and now, they are stuck outside with a drunkard whose brain seems to have washed away with the alcohol!
She gritted her teeth a little more, as her body shook slightly in anger.
'This is not happening…'
She bought all the things that was required for decorating the apartment like she was told to, dragging her not-so-light luggage around the freakishly large airport terminal, she argued with the patisserie to have ten strawberry cakes delivered to their apartment by noon, she even bought that-that drunkard's bottle!
And what does she get in return?!
Multitudes of gun barrels pointed at her head!
And to think that she would be able to sink her chibi ass into the soft confines of their living room couch after greeting their roommate for at least a second!
"That's it!"
Growling under her breath, petite fists flew to her sides as the fuming red-faced bluenette trudged backwards until her back met with the wall opposite their door.
Dragging her hands over her scrawny biceps as if to yank up the invisible sleeves, hazel eyes snapped open, burning with fury and determination.
With a high-pitched battle cry- which would be easily mistaken for childish squeals- the girl charged forwards, angling her body sideways towards the heap.
What followed after, happened in a blur of crashes, squeals and laughter, ending up in an almost harmless disaster….almost…
A dainty-sized orange sneaker slid the moment it plunked into a small puddle, a few feet away from the heap, made by a certain someone's poor attempt to guzzle the rest of her brown bottle, causing the bluenette to lose her footing.
The childish 'battle cries' that echoed throughout the vast empty corridor now morphed into fearful screams.
The screamer was hurled headfirst into the pile at high speed the same time the binds snapped under the brunette's sheer force, muffling the bluenette's screams the second she got lodged inside the heap with a plonk, while the bag that was stuck at the top of the pile collapsed onto the head of the poor unsuspecting blonde who fell down flat on her back under the weight.
The instant the top bag got free, the trolley whooshed inside but toppled over a surprised red-head and bluenette owing to the excessive pull provided by the red-head herself.
Shoving the heavy bag off of her, the light-headed blonde stumbled to her feet with a low groan, wincing slightly with a whimper when pain shot through her head and down her whole body.
'Just, what is in that bag?'
Leaning against the door frame for support, she shook her head a little in hopes of warding off the dizziness, only for it to worsen.
Groans and high-pitched screams sounded, followed by a sudden loud laughter that echoed throughout the hall.
Blinking her eyes rapidly to focus her vision, the blonde slowly lifted her head to look at the aftermath.
Brown eyes which were half lidded in pain, popped wide open.
Bags, suitcases and whatnot were littered all over what used to be their living room.
"O-OHOHOH M-MY..!"
Cana's loud howls rung in her ears making the blonde wince at the increasing dizziness in her head.
'God! Why the hell is she….'
Brown eyes widened when they landed on the answer for 'why'.
'….lau…ghing….'
There, flailing vigorously among the many various sized bags and suitcases were two slender legs while muffled high-pitched cries sounded out from the pile of baggage where they protruded from.
The blonde made to stumble her way towards the victim when a shuffling of bags and a low muffled groan to her side caught her attention.
"Is everyone alright?", a disheveled red head popped out of the pile as she looked around the mess, "Where is Juvia?"
Quickly shoving the bags off of her as if they were nothing, she stood up and bent down to frantically move the bags in search of the said person.
"J-Juvia is a-alright.."
Suddenly the pile of bags behind Erza moved and out popped the head of a dazed bluenette.
With her mind focused a little more properly now, the muffled squeals caught the blonde's attention again.
Snapping her head towards the flailing legs, Lucy maneuvered her way towards the victim while Cana still cackled out loud as she sauntered into the apartment, swinging the bottle in her hand.
With the red-head also lending a hand, they moved the bags one by one and together, they finally fished out a red-faced, teary eyed, shaggy Levy whose was fuming with anger and exhaustion.
"H-Ho! N-Never… i-in my life have.. I-I laughed this-this hard..!"
Snapping her head towards the still howling brunette, with a low growl- which the blonde couldn't help but compare to a cute Chihuahua- Levy stomped towards Cana and flailed her tiny fists at her, "If it wasn't for you, this would've never happened!"
"Eh?", the brunette raised a brow with a smug grin, "If it weren't for me, we would've been still stranded out."
The bluenette groaned in defeat, "Ugh, just shut up!"
"By the way..", the grin on Cana's face morphed into a smirk, "..I never knew that strawberry patterned ones were still in fashion…"
"Wha-", Levy's head snapped down as her hands flew towards the end of her shorts before lifting her head back up slowly.
"How would you know I'm wearing one of those?", the bluenette narrowed her eyes at Cana as blush started to creep onto her face.
"Didn't until just now…", the smirking brunette swayed off with the bottle now in her mouth, while Levy blushed crimson.
"PERVERTED DRUNKARD!"
Chuckling silently, the blonde turned her head to look around the shambolic room.
'Looks like a long day ahead…'
Her breath suddenly hitched in her throat when her eyes landed on something colorful.
'WELCOME HOME, LUCY!'
The large banner was hung between the large chandelier in the living room and the simple light that hung above the dinner table.
Her heart thumped loudly in her chest as a small smile tugged at her lips.
"Alright girls, if we are to keep up with our schedule, we have got to clean this mess up!"
The blonde frowned, 'What schedule?'
She snapped her head in confusion towards Erza.
The red-head had her head held high in a domineering way with her hands planted on her hips. In front of her, Levy and Juvia stood straight up in mock salute while Cana was slouched beside them with the bottle dangling from her hand.
"Yes Ma'am!"
Erza turned around to face the blonde, "I'm so sorry for the mess, Lucy. We'll have this apartment tidied up in no time. You just sit there and relax, okay?", she directed a small smile towards the blonde who only numbly nodded.
Turning back around, the red-head clapped twice, "Well! What are you waiting for?! Move your butts! Your things aren't going to move into your rooms by themselves. Move it! Move it!"
The blonde watched in awe as the girls immediately scurried around to move their luggage and tidy up the living room.
Letting out a heavy breath, the blonde put up her hair into a bun, the corners of her mouth turning up into a smile with determination reflecting in her eyes.
'Well, might as well help.'
Heaving up a cardboard box with a huff, the blonde turned to look at Erza who had her back turned to her, with three bags piled up in her arms with ease.
"Erza, where does this go?"
The said girl spun around with slightly wide eyes, "Wha- Lucy! No, we'll handle this!"
The others also paused to stare at the blonde.
"No Erza..", the blonde shook her head with a smile, "I'll also help. That way we can get it done faster."
Levy smiled, "No Lucy, it's our fault this happened. Besides, you look tired.", but the bluenette inwardly growled, 'Although it's Erza's…'
Juvia also stepped forward with a small smile, "Yes Lucy-san. We'll handle it. You just sit there on the couch and relax. I'll get you a drink-"
"No guys, I'm fine. Seriously, I'm not tired at all…", the blonde shrugged, looking down at the top of the box in her hands, "And it's not anyone's fault either…Besides..", she looked up at them with a smile.
"We're all in this together now, aren't we?"
Heavy shuffling of shoes echoed throughout the empty corridor.
A man appeared at the end of the hallway with his head lowered as he slowly made his way towards his destination.
He halted on reaching his apartment door and closed his eyes.
A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he leaned his head against the door with a thump; his hands hanging limp at his sides.
Regaining his presence of mind after a moment or two, he slowly dug his hands into his pant pockets and fished out his keys which jingled when they were pulled out of their confines.
Shuffling inside, he closed the door and threw the keys onto the nearby table, the rattle echoing eerily across the dark empty apartment.
Numbly, he leaned back against the door with his hands behind his back, his head hanging low as he closed his eyes again.
"…..your son should be grateful that Lapointe himself has chosen him as his only daughter's suitor, knowing the… 'circumstances'."
.
.
"That boy has done nothing but tarnish the name of the family…"
.
.
"…Not to sound rude and all sonny, but you and I both know that you were nothing but a disgrace to the family name. So why don't you go make yourself…useful to your father before you go and criticize everyone. Hmm?"
.
.
His eyelids fluttered as he tried to squeeze them tight, trying to prevent any more flashbacks from resurfacing. His head drooped even more low while his bangs covered his eyes. His lips were now drawn into a tight line, his bottom lip quivering a little.
.
.
"HE'S NOT SOME PETTY BOY! HE'S MY SON, GOD DAMMIT!"
His lips stopped quivering, its corner tugging up to form a melancholic smile.
Seriously….that man has got to stop fighting for him.
He knew that the man was fighting for his son's life.
To protect his feelings.
But he had given up on his life a long time back.
His heart….it was just beating because it had to fulfil its duty…that's how he is right now….living as if to fulfil his responsibility…moving in the direction which that-that man orders him to…
Breathing, because he had a never-ending obligation towards his father to fulfil….he was gravely indebted to that man.
And his feelings…After being in that cold dark mansion for years, he doesn't feel anything anymore.
'But still….'
Sighing shakily, he slowly tilted his head up to rest it against the door, and stared blankly at the ceiling with quivering eyes.
'…..It hurts.'
Why…?
Was there a tiny ray of hope hidden deep inside his heart? Had his heart hoped for something to happen?
If so, why now? Why now, after all these years…?
He had everything in his life…more than he could ever ask for. Igneel worked hard to make sure of it.
But he was sure he wanted nothing more than to make his father happy.
After all, it was all because of him that Igneel….
Natsu gritted his teeth as he shifted his eyes to a different spot on the ceiling.
Then…why now?
What did his heart want, that his mind doesn't know of?
This pain…it was excruciatingly dull…it was choking him…
He is so damn tired from it all…
He just…he just wishes it would all go away…
With another sigh, he pushed himself off from the door, running a hand through his disheveled locks.
He felt so lost…
A meow sounded, snapping him out of his reverie.
A blue head with pointed ears peeked out of his bedroom, black eyes boring into his in concern.
A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips, "Hey Happy.."
The kitten scampered towards the man with his tail high as the man squatted down to the feline's level.
Brushing his furry head against calloused fingers, the cat purred in pleasure before withdrawing his head from under the hand a few moments later to sniff its owner's palm.
Natsu chuckled, "Sorry buddy. I didn't have lunch, so no treats today."
He brought his hand over the feline's head to pat him again only for the cat to dodge it and swat it away before looking up at its owner with large watery eyes.
The man narrowed his eyes at the kitten, "Fine, fine. I will go out and buy some…", the cat purred out loud in happiness, "…but only after sometime. For now, you would have to make do with Friskies."
The purring was immediate to stop as the feline looked up at the man in displeasure at the mention of his least favourite food.
"Or else, no treat for dinner.", with that Natsu got up and walked towards the kitchen, the cat following ever so slowly with a scowl.
Pouring the food into cat's bowl, the man bent down to place it in front of the sulking feline, whose ears immediately flattened on seeing the food in his bowl, and patted his head before walking out of the kitchen.
That blue feline was his only companion who would ward off his dreaded thoughts even if it was for just a few minutes. He adored that picky eater.
Having that feline around was the only thing that made Natsu feel that he was wanted. That someone was waiting for him to return home. That he had someone who would listen to anything and everything he says.
Yeah, he gets cranky when he doesn't get his treats on time or scratch as payback for forcefully bathing him, but still…that furball had always been there every time he needed a companion.
No one can take him away.
But…what will happen when he is forced to move away into a large mansion…after that…marriage…
His chest tightened a little at the thought of his little happiness being taken away.
Grandfather despised everything that isn't his blood …and that included humans…So Happy was out of the question.
And that snobbish, flirt of a woman whom he is to be engaged to, doesn't seem to like animals either…especially one as weird colored as Happy.
Well, she will have to make do with him. Whether she likes it. Or not.
'But still, I…'
Natsu dragged himself towards his bedroom.
Is this how it's going to be? Marry a woman whose name he doesn't even know, just so that they can merge their companies?
Won't he get to have a say in this?
But then…he doesn't deserve it…
Not after…
Lowering his head, he clenched his teeth again and squeezed his eyes shut. He raked a hand through his messy locks while his other hand hung at his side tightened into a fist.
Heaving out another sigh, he lifted his head up and opened his eyes…only for them to widen.
His hands dropped limply at his sides as his jaw slackened.
Dark brown shoes paired up with light brown socks…
He dragged his eyes slowly upwards.
Equally light brown shorts with dark brown border…maroon button up shirt with a white cloth tied around the waist…
Small hands hung limply at the sides….
Wild pink locks, an unruly mess…
A young boy stared right back at him from the mirror with equally wide eyes and slightly parted lips...
Those eyes…they held nothing but pain….regret…loneliness…
Squeezing his eyes shut again, Natsu took in a deep breath, his teeth clenching again.
After a few moments, he cautiously opened them only to be met with his reflection this time.
Sighing in exhaustion, he raked a hand through his hair.
'Maybe a bath will help…'
"Finally!"
Levy collapsed on the couch with a loud plonk, sighing in delight at the softness that engulfed her tired body.
Juvia was already splayed out on the recliner on the side of the couch, a giddy smile on her face, one leg hanging lazily off the side.
"Juvia feels like she can just sleep for forever…"
Cana had already claimed her place on the coffee table, sitting cross-legged, already on her third bottle of the day, drinking without a care in the world.
Erza stood there with her arms crossed across her chest, her eyes scanning the room, admiring their work with a proud smile on her face.
A soft chuckle caught their attention.
Turning around, their eyes widened.
With a tray in her hands, lined with violet colored drinks and straws bobbing up and down in each glass, their new roommate walked towards them with a small smile on her face.
"A long journey and heavy cleaning can take the life right out of you. So I thought to whip you up a drink."
Even though they were too tired to bat an eyelash at the unknown drink, the droplets of condensation that lined the tall glass surfaces were enough for them to make a grab for it. Well, except for the brunette of course.
Their eyes twinkled when their fingers made contact with the chilled glasses, immediately shoving the straws into their mouths.
Collective moans rung throughout the living room as the girls sipped on their drinks with their eyes closed.
Setting one drink beside the brunette, the blonde settled on the couch set perpendicular to the one on which Levy was, as she started to sip on her drink while watching all of them in amusement.
"Mmmm! Oh my God Lucy! This is soooooo goooood!", Levy mewled in delight.
Lowering the bottle from her mouth, Cana smirked coquettishly at Levy with half-lidded eyes, "Mmm? You enjoying it baby? But, if you come with me, I might show you an even more good time…"
Juvia immediately spurted out her drink, laughing and hacking altogether while Levy hunched over as the violet liquid came out of her nose before shooting a glare at Cana with a red-face, "Would you shut your freaking mouth already?!"
"Cana, Levy. Manners!", a slightly blushing Erza glared at the two.
"Yes Ma'am!"
The blonde chuckled silently, a mild blush tinting her cheeks.
"C-Cana-s-san, you should try this! It's really delicious!", Juvia croaked out still trying to recover from her wheezing.
"Mmm, Juvia is right. This drink is so heavenly. What is in this, Lucy? I can't figure out the flavour.", the red-head looked at the blonde with curious eyes.
Pink tinted the blonde's cheeks yet again at the sudden attention of all the girls on her.
"Uhm, it's actually something I came up with, a while back. Sort of like an experiment.", the blonde laughed sheepishly, "Its actually grape squash with two scoops of vanilla ice cream on the top. Nothing else."
"Wow, you must have invented a lot of these, huh?", Levy stared at the blonde in awe.
The blonde waved her hands in front of her, "N-No. I tend to come up with them only when I feel like it, which is…not a lot. I mean, I came up with this while I was in college.
It was so hot at that time there, and I was craving for some ice cream and grape squash.. both at the same time. So I thought, why not make a grape juice with vanilla float. I mean, they serve coke floats at cafes. So why not grape juice floats.", the blonde shrugged.
"And it came out greater than I expected. I sometimes drink only this when I don't have time to have food before college classes start, since the drink is heavy enough"
Now Juvia also joined Levy in ogling the blonde.
"W-Well, do you have any drinks that might involve strawberry flavour?!"
The blonde turned towards the voice only to hold back a shriek as she stared wide-eyed at a drooling, twinkle-eyed, blushing Erza close to her face.
The blonde started sweating, "I-I haven't come up with one yet."
The red-head lowered her head in disappointment.
".. But I could…try?"
Erza immediately perked up, "And I want to be the first one to try it!"
"O-Okay..", the blonde nodded, squirming in her seat.
The scarlet head nodded in approval, before moving away to continue slurping on her drink.
"Mmmm. For once, I agree with this pygmy over here…" the brunette who decided to try a sip, commented before slurping it again.
Levy growled but was too immersed in her drink to retort.
Cana merely smirked at the bluenette before facing the blonde with a small smile, "This drink is pretty great!",
The blonde blushed slightly, "Thank you."
Slurping the last of her drink, Levy sighed in content, "Ah, I bet Lisanna would love-", she cut herself off with a gasp and sat straight up with eyes wide in realization.
The other girls had the same reaction as they stared wide-eyed at the petite girl.
"We totally forgot!", Levy began to shiver a little.
The blonde stared at them in confusion.
Immediately taking charge, the red-head stepped forward, "We still got one hour left! Move your butts! Come on! Come on!", the red-head clapped twice again as the girls scrambled into position lining up side by side.
The blonde sweat-dropped as the straw dropped from her lips into the half-empty glass, "Um.."
"Get your gears together and report back here in half an hour! Any questions?!"
Levy raised a shaky hand, "E-Erza, you forgot the most important thing..", she nodded in Lucy's direction.
"Hmm?", the red-head turned to look over to where the bluenette was gesturing at, before jumping in her spot on seeing the blonde with the straw back in her mouth as she watched them with wide brown eyes and head tilted in confusion, "Ah! Lucy!"
The blonde jolted in her seat with a loud slurp.
"I forgot about you completely! How can I forget the most important person in this plan?!"
The red-head scurried over to the blonde and lowered head, clenching her fist in front of her, "I am so sorry Lucy. Please punch me."
The wide-eyed blonde tried to lean back into her couch, trying to get as much distance as she could from the girl, not knowing what to do. Her eyes immediately darted over to the girls behind the red-head who sweat-dropped at the red-head's actions.
Looking back at the girl bowing in front of her, Lucy laughed bashfully, "N-No, it's okay. I mean you were too tired after all."
Lifting her head up, a small smile adorned her face as Erza nodded, "Well then, as an apology I will buy you anything you want after the cele-."
"Ah! Erza, you're kind of ruining the surprise, aren't you?", Levy yelled out as she flailed her arms and laughed sheepishly at Lucy.
The blonde only hummed in confusion.
"Oh, right! I almost let it slip out!", again the red-head clenched her fist in front of her as she grimaced, "Someone please punch me."
Not being able to take it anymore, the half-drunk brunette behind the red-head made to take a step forward, as she raised her bottle into the air, "Fine! If-"
Juvia slapped a hand over Cana's mouth while Levy held onto her wielded arm, both the girls trying to restrain the irritated brunette.
Levy sheepishly laughed again, "Um, Erza, we're kind of going off track again, aren't we? Those strawberry shortcakes will be finished by the time we reach there~."
Immediately Erza straightened up, "Move your butts ya pansies! Move it! Move it!"
The girls again stood up straight, the blonde scampering to stand beside them.
"You are to report back here in 30 minutes! Am I clear?!"
The blonde along with the girls mock saluted, "Yes, Ma'am!"
Shuffling out of the bathroom after a long shower, with nothing but a towel hanging loosely around his waist, the pink-haired man sighed.
Running a hand through his dripping wet locks, he closed his eyes for a moment.
Apparently the shower had done nothing to calm him down.
He sighed again for the umpteenth time.
Calloused hands went to the knot of the towel tied loosely near his right V-line, his fingers hooking onto it.
Maybe food might bring back a little life in him….
And the towel dropped to his ankles.
"Hey you guys! Over here!"
Lucy and the rest of the girls snapped their heads towards the source, panting heavily from their recent marathon.
The blonde caught sight of a slender hand raised high up in the air waving at them, her eyes immediately falling onto a white-haired pixie cut girl who was pivoted around in her chair.
She was seated at one of the large rectangular tables at the back of the café, her mouth opened into a wide smile as her hand flailed vigorously in the air.
Another girl with long white hair sat opposite to her, smiling at them with her arms crossed on the table.
The group maneuvered their way through the crowded tables towards the duo.
As soon as they reached their destination, the pixie-cute girl was quick to whine, "What took you guys so looong?! You guys are an hour late! The cafe is only a fifteen minute walk from the apartment. What happened?!"
"Yeah, usually you guys are on time or even earlier than us when Erza is with you", the other woman wore a concerned look.
Being new to the group, the blonde waited quietly for all of them settle in so as to pick the last seat available
The red-head sat down next to the long white haired girl before turning to look at the women, "Sorry. Had a bit of a tug-of-war fiasco."
Levy laughed as she sat next to pixie-cut girl, "More like a luggage disaster."
The brunette snorted into the flask in her hand, "This is what happens when you pack your luggage that competes Mount Everest." She plonked into the seat on the shorter side of the table, next to the long-white haired girl.
"Excuse me?", the red-head raised a stern brow at the brunette.
The brunette quickly looked away with the mouth of the flask stuffed back into her mouth.
Lucy waited for Juvia to pick out a seat but Levy already beat her to it.
"Lucy, come sit here!", Levy beamed at Lucy, patting the chair next to her.
"Yes Lucy-san. Juvia will sit next to Erza-san.", the bluenette made herself comfortable in the chair next to the red-head.
"Hey! You already had your time with her. Now it's my turn!", the short white-haired girl puffed out her cheeks, glaring at Levy.
"Huh? If anyone's sitting next to her, it's going to be me, since I was the one who came up with this idea in the first place! And not to mention, I bought all the decorations for our apartment!", Levy held an equally intense glare.
The blonde sweat-dropped.
"I was the one who picked out this cafe in the first place and went through all the trouble of reserving this table! So I should be the one sitting next to her!", the pixie-cut girl growled.
"I've known her more than you do, so it should be me!", the bluenette fumed.
By now both the girls were in each other's face, screaming.
"That's enough you two!"
The girls immediately shut up at the red-head's stern voice.
"Lucy, why don't you decide where to- Eh?", Erza stared up at the blonde in concern, "Lucy….Are you listening?"
The girls turned to look at the blonde who was now blushing slightly as she stared at Levy and the pixie-cut girl while seeming to be deep in her thoughts.
Levy waved in front of her face, "Luuucyyy.."
The blonde snapped out of her trance, "Yeah? Ah! S-Sorry!"
"Hmm? What were you thinking about? Why were you staring at us like that?", the pixie-cut girl titled her head in confusion.
"A-Ah..I-It's..I-It's nothing!", the blonde waved her hands in front of her.
"Eh? Then why are you all fidgety? Now, I am really curious.", the pixie-cut girl and Levy stared intently at the blonde trying to read her face.
"S-Seriously it's nothing you guys!"
"Hmm? Now, I am curious. Please tell us Lucy.", the red-head was now staring curiously at the blonde.
Sweat coated her forehead as the blush on her cheeks darkened slightly.
She never liked attention….Well, not this much anyway…
"U-Um…W-Well.. I-I was just confused. I-I mean, back at the apartment, I thought Levy-san and Cana-san were lovers. B-But seeing Levy-san and her…", the blonde gestured at the pixie-cut girl, "having a sort of…l-lover's quarrel…I couldn't help but feel confused as to who she is..." the blonde trailed off when her eyes landed on a furiously blushing Levy, "…dating?"
The whole table was silent.
Erza, Juvia and the pixie-cut girl were blushing. Cana was shaking slightly with half her face hidden behind her flask, while the long white-haired girl just gazed at Lucy with a smile on her face with her chin propped upon her hands resting on the table, "My, my.."
Not able to control anymore, the brunette spurted out her drink, laughing out loud as her liquid dribbled down her chin. The café was luckily busy at this time for her bellows to be heard.
"Y-You've earned q-quite a first.. heheh-impression of y-yourself, Levy!", Cana hunched over the table as she laughed hard.
The blushing pixie-cut girl looked sheepishly at the blonde, waving her hands to gesture at herself, Levy and Cana, "W-We- We're not-"
"Shut it pervert!", a slightly recovered Levy glared at Cana before turning back to look at the blonde, squirming in her seat, "I-I..am not…", but she couldn't complete her sentence as she closed her eyes in embarrassment with a slight whimper.
Lucy gasped in realization, "O-oh..I-I'm s-sorry! I-I thought-"
"N-No..It's okay! Really! I-It's okay!", the bluenette waved her hands in front of her before regaining her composure with twinkling eyes, "But you know, if you want to make it up to me, you can do so by sitting here next to me!", she smiled brightly at the blonde, patting the chair next to her.
"O-Oka-"
"Like. I. Said. She is sitting next to me!", the pixie-cut girl growled.
Forgetting their earlier predicament, both girls were again in each other's face.
Levy wasn't willing to back down, "And, like I said, I've known her more than you! So it should be me!"
"Oh yeah?! We would have been best gal pals by now if you had quit hogging her all to yourself!", the white-haired girl's voice raised an octave higher.
"Yeah right!", the petite bluenette snorted, "She doesn't even know your name.", the girl haughtily crossed her arms across her chest, a smug smirk on her face as she leaned back in her seat triumphantly.
With a gasp, the wide-eyed white-haired girl jumped up from her seat in embarrassment, hitting her knee under the table in the process, eliciting a restrained squeal of pain, earning snickers from the petite blue-haired girl next to her and wincing from the blonde.
A wide wavering smile stretched across the poor girl's face, biting her tongue to prevent herself from cussing out loud. She already had the most perfect greeting, but now most of the words slipped her mind owing to the pain in her knee.
"H-Hi Lucy! L-Lisanna Strauss! G-Glad…f-finally to…..meet you!", the smiling girl stretched her hand towards the blonde as a tear threatened to escape her now tightly shut eyes.
Lucy couldn't ignore her plight, "I-It's nice to meet you too, Lisanna.", she shook her hand, "But, um, are you alright?", a concerned look crossed her face when the curve of the smile on the white-haired girl's face now began to turn upside down.
The girl immediately dropped her 'cheerful' demeanor and whimpered, "N-No!", and collapsed back into her seat, propping her leg onto the chair next to her and massaging it.
The blonde felt troubled, "Do you need ice for it or something-"
"No, no. It will go away in a second. Sorry for worrying you.", Lisanna laughed sheepishly, a tint of blush now adorning her cheeks.
"Don't mind my sister, Lucy. She's always clumsy.", the blonde turned her head to look at the other white-haired girl whose face bore a resemblance to Lisanna.
"My name's Mirajane Strauss. Lisanna's older sister.", the woman smiled extending her hand towards Lucy who shook it in return, "Nice to meet you!"
"Come Lucy, sit!", Levy again patted the chair next to her.
"Ugh! I can't believe you!", Lisanna glared at Levy again.
"Wha-"
"I said, that's enough!", the red-head who was so absorbed in the dessert section of the menu, snapped up to glare at them again as she hissed, "I can't think with you two yapping in each other's faces!"
The shaking girls straightened up in their seats, "Y-Yes Ma'am!"
"Lucy will sit in between you two, if she doesn't mind that is?", the red-head looked up at the blonde with an enquiring look.
"Yeah, a-any seat's fine by me.", the blonde nodded.
Erza nodded, "Good. Levy why don't you scooch over?"
The bluenette immediately complied.
Lucy tilted her head a little in thought as she sat down, 'Is Erza really that intimidating?'
Mira looked around the table, "Now that we are past the introduction pa-"
"Wait. Now that Juvia thinks about it, Juvia doesn't recall introducing herself to Lucy…" , the bluenette trailed off as she looked at Levy in mild shock.
Levy only tilted her head frowning, "What are you saying, Juvia? Of course we did. Remember? Right after Erza….", her eyes widened, "…arrived?"
Levy gasped, "Oh my god!", before snapping her head towards the blonde who got startled at Levy's sudden movement, "Oh my god, Lucy! We're so sorry! Ugh! How could we have forgotten?!"
Lucy lightly waved her hands in front of her, "I-It's okay, Levy-san-"
The flustered bluenette flailed her hands, ""A-A-Ah! N-no! No! Just Levy is fine!", but her eyes widened as she slapped a hand over mouth and twisted in her seat to face forward.
Dropping the hand from her mouth, the flustered bluenette looked down with a frown, muttering to herself, "A-Ah crap! That's not how it was supposed to go!"
Lucy watched as the bluenette closed her eyes and took in a deep breath to compose herself before turning back to face her.
Extending her hand towards the bewildered blonde, the girl smiled brightly with twinkling eyes, the blush still coating her cheeks, ""L-Levy McGarden! I'm so glad to have finally met you, Lucy!"
The blonde who was now slightly flustered, nodded with a shaky hum and a small smile as she shook her hand, "S-Same here.."
"Please forgive me for not introducing myself earlier Lucy."
The blonde snapped her head towards the voice to see Erza smiling politely who too extended her hand, "My name's Erza Scarlet. It's a pleasure to meet you."
The blonde shook her hand with a curt nod and polite smile, "Pleasure to meet you too, Erza-san."
"Please, call me Erza. This here is Juvia Lockser", Erza gestured her hand over to a slightly blushing bluenette sitting on Mira's other side.
"Juvia is happy to meet Lucy-san!", the bluenette smiled brightly at the blonde.
The blonde nodded as she smiled, "Me too.."
"And that there, is Cana Alberona.", the red-head waved her hand to the brunette, who was leaned back in her chair with her face covered by the flask, before lowering it a little to nod at the blonde with a smirk, "How ya doing? If you ever need to hook up with someone, you come to me.", the brunette jerked a thumb towards herself before her face disappeared behind the flask again.
The blonde blushed slightly.
An irritated sigh escaped the petite bluenette's lips as she closed her eyes and tilted her head down whispering, "Some people never change.."
Mira chuckled silently as she observed the interaction with her chin propped up on her hand resting on the table before straightening up, "Well then. Let's order, shall we?"
As if on cue, a raven-haired waitress strode up to them
"Welcome to Mary Joe's Café. I will be your waitress for the evening. May I have your orders?", the waitress smiled politely at them.
Erza immediately perked up, "Yes. I would like three-four, four plates of your Strawberry Fantasy. But, let me get this straight.", the red-head leaned closer, her expression now serious startling the poor waitress, "It is a triple layer strawberry shortcake with strawberry ice cream and strawberry syrup on it right."
The waitress nodded shakily, "Y-Yes Ma'am. That is correct."
"Could you maybe add extra four or five strawberries as toppings?", the red-head's expression immediately changed, her eyes twinkling.
The blonde swore she saw drool coming out of her mouth.
'She reeeally likes strawberries, doesn't she…?'
Levy's head disappeared behind the menu folder.
Lisanna smiled at the waitress, "I would like a lemon soda and a Fresh Vegetable sandwich please?"
"I would also like a lemon soda and an omurice, please.", Mira softly smiled at the waitress while closing her menu folder, before turning to look at Cana who was sipping on her flask, "Cana?"
The brunette let go of her flask with a pop to look at the girl with a raised brow and half-lidded eyes, "What?"
"Are you not hungry?"
The brunette shrugged, "Meh, I'll just have one Cobb Salad."
"Juvia would like a Caesar Salad with iced water.", the bluenette beamed at the waitress who nodded while writing down the order.
The Mira propped her chin back onto her palm before turning to look at the blonde who was looking perplexed at the menu, "Lucy?"
The blonde snapped her head towards the girl, "Ah! Um..", she snapped back to look at the menu fidgeting in her seat.
"Take your time.", the sudden whisper near her ear startled her as she jerked her head towards to her left to see Lisanna's face close to her, peeking into her menu with a small smile on her face.
"Ah, I'm not that hungry-"
Her stomach growled suddenly, contradicting her words.
Lisanna snickered, "That's not what your tummy's telling us~."
The blonde blushed at the girl's sing-song voice before snapping her head towards the waitress, "I-I'll have the Classic Club Sandwich with Fresh Seasonal Vegetables on the side please?!"
"Good choice.", the waitress nodded smiling at the blonde and scribbled it down in her notepad, before turning to look at Levy who was still immersed in the menu, "And what would you like, Miss?"
Not hearing the query, the bluenette's eyes were narrowed in concentration as they glided from top to bottom of one leaf before darting to the next leaf, as she mumbled under her breath.
"What to choose.. What to chooooose..", Levy squinted even more, her nose now touching the menu as if sniffing each dishes.
Lisanna snorted, "Sniffing won't help you."
Levy bend forward with a growl to glare at the girl seated on the other side of the blonde.
"Levy."
The said girl jumped in her seat at the red-head's stern voice.
"You are the only one left to order.", the red-head looked disapprovingly at her with her arms crossed across her busty chest.
"I-I am?", Levy's eyes wandered over to the others who nodded in reply, "O-Oh.", before stopping at the blonde next to her, who was staring back at her.
"Then… Um..", she snapped her head back to the open menu folder in her hands, before her head disappeared behind it once again.
The girls watched as the menu folder slowly inclined towards the now wide-eyed blonde who was simultaneously leaning away.
The blonde craned her neck towards them as if silently asking them the reason for the bluenette's behavior, only for their faces to mirror a similar expression.
"Psst! Luuucyyy! Psst!"
Lucy snapped her head towards the source of whisper before returning to face forward on finding the folder in her face, but froze and did a double-take.
Hazel eyes peeked out from the side of the menu leaf, tearfully staring at her.
Amusement marred the rest of the girls' faces as they watched the blonde lean towards the folder which widened a little, before morphing into that of alarm when the blonde's head quickly disappeared behind it.
"What is-"
"What did you order?!", Levy whisper-shouted.
Lisanna snorted, "You know we can hear you."
A scowling Levy leaned above the blonde's head and snapped, "Shaddap!", before ducking back down again.
"Well?"
Lucy held back a laugh, "Well, I ordered a Classic Club Sandwich with Fresh Seasonal vegetables as the side-dish."
"Then..", Levy slammed the menu folder down onto the table, "..Then I will have what Lucy's having!"
"Eh? But Levy, will you be able to finish them all?", Mira looked at Levy with a concerned face, "The sandwich itself is pretty heavy."
Lucy shrugged, "Well, I can share my salad if you want?"
"Oh. Okay then!", Levy turned to look at the raven-haired waitress, "The just the Classic Club Sandwich please!"
"Oooh!", The blonde snapped her head towards the waitress with wide eyes, "…could I also have a strawberry milkshake too?"
The waitress nodded, scribbling it down in her notepad, "Most certainly, Ma'am"
Erza immediately perked, "Ooh, I want one too!"
Levy bounced in her seat, "Me too! Me too!"
The waitress nodded, "So that will be four plates of Strawberry Delight with extra strawberries, Fresh Vegetable Sandwich and lime soda, omurice, Cobb Salad, Caesar Salad with iced water, two Classic Club Sandwiches with one Fresh Seasonal Vegetables on the side and three strawberry milkshakes. Anything else?"
Erza shook her head, "No, thank you."
"Very well. Your order will be ready shortly.", the waitress nodded with a smile and left.
"So Levy, Lucy wants to go to the bathroom. Do you want to go too?", Lisanna smirked at the bluenette.
Levy growled, "Ooh, that's it!", the girl shot up from her seat, extending her hands past the blonde who was quick to lean back in her chair out of harm's way, in an attempt to grab a chunk of her white hair.
Lisanna's blue eyes shone with determination as she too shot up from her seat, "Bring it o-"
"Enough! I don't want another repeat of what happened at the airport!", Erza's hiss sent shivers down everyone's spine….even those sitting at the tables nearby…
"S-Sorry!", the girls immediately retreated from each other, and plonked down in their chairs.
"Exactly what did happen at the airport?", Mira curiously stared at her sister with her chin still propped up.
Erza raised a brow at Mira, "I thought Lisanna told you."
"No, I didn't get time to see her at lunch. I am partnered up with Dreyar for that project, remember?", Mira sighed in annoyance.
"Oh, yeah. I forgot.", the red-head lowered her head in thought before looking back up.
"So, care to explain, girls?", her stern eyes were now fixated on the petite bluenette and the pixie cut girl who were now sweating profusely.
"I would've expected this from Levy and Cana. But from you, Lisanna? And you all had to drag Juvia down with you.", Erza lowered her head again as she closed her eyes and sighed before looking back up at Lisanna, "I had given you only one job, Lisanna. One job. And that was to watch after these two leprechauns..", Erza gestured over to Levy and Cana, ".. and to make sure that they won't cause ruckus at the airport. And now, the airport is in shambles!"
Lisanna had shrunk into her chair, shakily staring back at the red-head with wide teary eyes.
Mira giggled, "Who would've guessed that our residential caretaker would become the destroyer."
The blonde tilted her head a little, 'Was it that bad?'
Even though the red-head's 'gaze' was fixated on the two shivering girls in front of her, Juvia and Cana knew well enough that they were also targeted for the bluenette was already melting into the sweat puddle below her and Cana's precious flask was left on the table far away from her. It was at times like these she considered her life over alcohol.
The whole table was silent again, the eeriness spreading to the tables nearby. The soft pleasant music that played in the background began to sound unnerving.
Even the poor innocent blonde who had no idea of what was going on, started to quiver slightly.
Erza raised a stern brow at the girls, with her arms still crossed across her chest, "Well?"
Lisanna fidgeted in her seat, "U-Um.."
Levy dared to take a peek at Erza, "W-Well…"
.
.
.
.
A loud chime blared out from unseen speakers.
"Your attention please. Flight ADxxxxx has arrived at Gate Fxx. Thank You!"
Levy groaned, "Why can't the others' flight arrive early like this one."
The bluenette had arrived long ago at the airport and was already through with baggage claim and other formalities, and not to mention shopping for decorations and other things as well, before making herself comfortable in one of the seats in the waiting area.
She would have gone home the minute she set foot into the airport, so as to avoid sharing a cab with a certain brunette who has yet to arrive. But they had already decided to meet up there so as to carry out some….plans.
Hence Erza appointed Lisanna to be their caretaker to make sure that the airport was still one piece when they returned to their apartment complex.
Waiting idly at the airport, the bluenette took this time to observe her surroundings.
A silent gasp escaped her when her eyes landed on a huge model of the Twin Towers of New York a.k.a The World Trade Center, in the middle of the vast complex.
Her eyes twinkled as they took in the number of Jenga blocks and Lincoln logs that made up the model. Small buildings made out of Jenga blocks surrounded the towers while Domino sticks surrounded the whole arrangement eventually ending at a medium sized model of an F-22 Raptor with two missile launchers on either side of it.
Overall, it almost looked like a miniature New York City.
Her eyes took in each every detail of the towers, dragging them upward before her jaw dropped open as they land upon a huge model of a blimp hanging from the roof which was two or three floors high.
"Uwaaaa…."
"Levyyyy! Lev- Oof! Excuse me, would you- would you let me thr- Oh god!"
The bluenette snapped her head towards the direction of groan.
Her eyes widened a little when she saw her white-haired friend trying to get unstuck from between two large men who were too busy in their conversation to notice a girl being squished between them.
The bluenette tried hard to not laugh but failed when a snort escaped her.
The girl finally managed to pop her way out, making her way towards her all the while fixing her attire with a frown marring her face as she muttered under her breath, "….best day to have a headache."
Levy felt a shiver run down her spine at the mention of headache. A Lisanna with headache was bad….really bad.
Lisanna smiled brightly on seeing the bluenette staring at her, "Oh, hey! How was your flight?"
It would be safe if she doesn't ask her about her headache.
Dismissing off the thought, Levy's nervousness faded away when she remembered her last night at home. Levy frowned, "Didn't get much sleep on the flight. I am sleep deprived since Mom decided to keep me up all night.."
Lisanna chuckled, "So we can expect treats tonight?"
"Yes! We have to unpack them as soon as possible or else…", Levy sniffed a little, "My precious books…will...", the bluenette didn't dare to complete her sentence.
The white-haired girl giggled as she patted the whimpering girl's shoulder, "You can count on us!"
Looking at the arrival board, Lisanna sighed, "Hmm, Cana's flight has yet to arrive. But I can't see Juvia's flight number.", she frowned, "Maybe it will be later than scheduled.. Anyways we have to wait for them. Erza's strict orders."
A gasp suddenly escaped the white-haired girl's lips as her eyes twinkled in excitement.
"Huh?", a confused Levy peered at Lisanna's drooling face before following her gaze.
A large colourful sign board with animal plushie toys printed on it.
Levy sighed, "Oh boy…"
Suddenly two hands clamped down on the bluenette's shoulders and the next thing she knew, she was being jerked back and forth by a squealing Lisanna.
"Levy! Levy! Look! Look!"
"I-I d-di-id Li-ss-anna.. Sto-o-op sha-aki-ng m-me-e!"
"Oops!", Lisanna withdrew her hands and clamped them over her mouth with an innocent smile before squealing again, "But look how cuuuute thooose dolphin plushiiiieeesss aaarrre! I wanna buy them nooow!"
A dizzy Levy had her hands gripping her head. Great! Sleep-deprived and puking tendency. This day can't get any better, "Well, who's stopping you? Go and buy them."
Lisanna looked at Levy with skepticism, "Eh? But Erza specifically told me to keep an eye on all of you at all times!"
A tick mark appeared on her forehead as the bluenette cringed at her whines, "But only I am here now. What harm can I do?"
"Hmm..", Lisanna frowned as she looked up, cupping her chin between her fingers.
Levy growled as she clenched her fists at her sides, "You have got to be kidding me!"
Lisanna held up her hands in surrender as she sheepishly laughed, "I was just kidding Levy. Wait here! I will be back in a jiffy."
Levy sighed as she watched the excited girl scurry off before dropping down in her seat.
Knowing Lisanna, it would be hours before she returned back and Cana's flight won't arrive in another hour.
She pulled out a magazine she bought, while shopping for decorations.
'Might as well pass the time…'
Being immersed in the periodical, the bluenette wasn't sure how much time had passed. Not even the chattering crowds disrupted her concentration.
"Well, well, well. Someone's already made themselves at home."
Levy snapped her head up, scowling at a smirking and a slightly flushed Cana.
As much as she wanted to wipe off that stupid smirk off her face, not an ounce of energy was left in her to even retort back. Levy sighed, "I'm not in the mood to play your childish games. So I, am gonna be the bigger person here and let this pass."
However Cana seemed to ignore her as she examined the cover of the periodical in the bluenette's hands, "Eh? No erotica?"
Levy's eye twitched in irritation.
Cana shook her head in disappointment, "Shame. No wonder you got on the right flight.."
A tick mark appeared on the bluenette's forehead.
A distant voice chirped, "I'm baaack!"
A wide smile appeared on the bluenette's face as she gazed up at Cana, "I'm surprised that they didn't wheel you in on a wheelchair since you walk worse than an old hag!"
Lisanna slid to a stop in front of them, "Cana! You're he- Oof!"
"Who're you calling an old hag!"
A grimacing Lisanna rubbed the sore spot on her head as she stared after the retreating figure of a middle aged woman, who had whacked her head with her hand-bag.
The headache that had been bugging her the whole morning had just started to go down thanks to the aspirin she took on her way to the airport, but now it was here to stay...
Lisanna snapped her head to glare at the duo.
Levy had her hands slapped over mouth, staring at her with wide eyes, "I'm sorry Lisanna!"
Cana just snorted.
Lowering her head a little, the white-haired girl took in a deep breath to calm herself. She didn't want to cause a scene at the airport. Not when she was the one to prevent such things from happening.
After all, Erza and Mira did entrust her with the duty. A shiver ran down her spine when Erza's gleaming red eyes flashed across her mind.
She heaved out another heavy breath. She didn't want to complete that picture.
The headache just started to get worse.
"Aanywaays..", she lifted her head up to glare at the still wide-eyed Levy and a smirking Cana, lifting her phone up to show them the screen, "I got a message from Juvia. Her flight arrived earlier than expected and that she will be waiting at one of the cafes. Apparently, the message was received at 10:00 a.m. I only saw it now while I was at the shop since I forgot to remove it from Silent mode. So that means that she arrived here about half an hour earlier than you Levy.", the girl stared at the bluenette.
"Eh? How come she didn't message me..?", the bluenette trailed off as she started rummaging through her bag, "She knows my flight arrival time-Ah!", the girl stared at the phone in her hand, "It switched off again!"
Pressing hold the power button, the device lit up to life while Levy slowly craned her neck around to find the girls deadpanning at her.
Levy giggled sheepishly, "Eheh..", before turning to look at the screen, "Oh, well what do you know. She did send me a message!"
Levy tapped on her screen revealing Juvia's message, "Ah! She arrived here earlier than me! It says she's going to wait at the one of the cafes on the first floor and I am to give her a call when I arrive so that we can meet you together, Lisanna!", Levy turned around to beam at the white-haired girl only to let out a squeak on seeing the death glare being sent towards her by none other than Lisanna herself.
"S-Sorry!"
"Well?! Call her already!"
"O-Okay!", the girl fumbled with her device and set it on loud speaker, the beeps blaring out of it.
"The subscriber you're calling is out of coverage area. Please try again later.."
"Um..", Levy nervously dragged her eyes over to Lisanna who started to fume.
The white-haired girl growled, "Well, let's go find her!"
With that she stormed off, tugging on the bags of plushie toys in her hands.
Levy panicked, "H-Hey, w-wait for me!", she scurried to her seat to tug on her blue trolley case and orange duffel bag, a bored Cana following suit, dragging her trolley case behind her.
They made it to the first floor via the escalator.
After scavenging through two or three cafes, the girls got worn out from heaving their baggage around.
Sitting at the one of the round tables outside a cafe, Levy's eyes sparkled as she pointed in a random direction, "Uwaaahh! Look at that rolling ball clock over there at the end!"
Lisanna glanced towards the end of to see a huge wooden framed glass case with small metal balls falling from rail to rail; the case being kept near the glass barricade overlooking the ground floor.
As much as she wanted to go and take a closer look, her headache has taken the energy out of her.
She sighed in mild annoyance, "Just try and see if you can get Juvia on the phone.."
Levy tapped on her phone to try calling the bluenette.
The three of them watched the screen as the connection tone blared out from the phone, only for it to get cut off when the device suddenly decided to die on Levy.
The brunette snorted, "Ah.. At this rate Juvia will come running into our arms in no time."
Levy growled, "Shut it, Alberona!"
A tick mark appeared on Lisanna's forehead.
Cana smirked, "Oh? Is the pygmy getting grumpy?"
Lisanna took in deep breaths, chanting inwardly, 'Stay calm Lisanna. Just sta-'
"Who you calling pygmy?!"
Again a bag whacked the backside of the white-haired girl's head.
Levy snapped her head towards the culprit only for her eyes to widen in fear when the same middle-aged woman glaring at them from the adjacent table behind Lisanna.
Levy cowered back in her seat as she whimpered, "I-I s-swear that woman is out to torture us!"
"That's it!"
Lisanna shot up from her seat and stormed off.
"H-Hey Lisanna! W-Wait! I-I'm sorry!", Levy stormed after the fuming girl while tugging her bags behind her as Cana followed suit after placing a wad of cash on the table for their drinks from the cafe.
Leaning against the glass barricade, Lisanna hissed as she rubbed the sore spot on her head.
That woman hit her on that same damn spot!
And now her headache was more and more worse.
'Great! Just. Great!'
"Daddy! I want one!"
"Okay.. Though, I don't know why you're getting all hyped up about it.."
Tilting her head up, she saw a small boy pointing up at one of the many sized bouncy balls that filled up the entirety of an enormously huge claw vending machine.
Lisanna smiled softly as the father gripped hard onto the levers as his face contorted to form weird expressions, leaning his body left and right when he inclined the lever, trying to get the one his son wanted.
"I said, shut it!"
Lisanna snapped her head towards the approaching, yet still bickering duo before lowering her head as she frowned.
'These two..'
The white-haired girl gritted her teeth in annoyance as the duo now stood in front of her, their voices getting louder and louder.
Fishing out her phone from her bag, she tapped on her screen to contact Juvia.
"Ooooooh. Whatcha gonna do? Read me a scary story? Aaaaa..I'm scared already!", the brunette wiggled her hands for effect.
Levy snarled, "That's it!"
The bluenette withdrew her hands readying for a punch, only for her elbow to smack the phone out of the white-haired girl's hand.
Lisanna spat, "GAH! You…you rotten brats!"
"S-Sorry Lisanna!"
Twisting around, Lisanna watched in horror as the device plummeted down.
She held her breath and waited for her phone to meet its demise. But it miraculously fell on top of a pile of luggage being driven on a baggage cart.
Regaining her senses, the white-haired girl yelled, "H-Hey! W-Wait!"
But the driver seemed to not hear her above the chattering passengers on the ground floor.
Lisanna made a run for it before the cart drove out of sight, taking the nearest and shortest way to the ground floor….
The way by which they came to the first floor….
The ascending escalator.
"Move out of the way!"
The white-haired girl descended down the escalator, pushing and shoving through the almost thick crowd coming up the escalator.
"What the-"
"Hey lady! You can't-"
"Waah!"
Levy's eyes widened as she watched Lisanna, "H-Hey! Lisanna! Wait! Y-You can't-"
"Oiii! Ya girlyy! Stop right there!"
Levy snapped her head around at the sudden voice only for her face to pale when she saw the middle aged woman dragging a blue trolley case behind her.
Levy shrieked, "Oh! Hell no! I am not gonna let you get me, you creepy old woman!"
She made to turn towards the same escalator, but one of the straps of her duffel bag caught onto one of the levers of the claw vending machine.
The panicking bluenette just tugged hard on her bag when she felt a restriction. Of course, she valued her life more than anything!
The lever broke off its confines, shooting straight towards the bottom of the escalator panel, hitting the descend button, causing the escalator to change directions, while the duffel bag rammed into the bluenette's back sending her flying into the people who started panicking at the escalator's abrupt change in direction.
The duffel bag fell down, again on the escalator panel, pushing down the speed button, causing the escalator speed to creep up, while the balls from the vending machine came flowing out like a never ending waterfall, bouncing towards the moving staircase.
The brunette, who stopped at the top of the escalator so as to not get caught up in the fiasco, stared after the now screaming yet toppling bluenette, scratching the back of her head, "That idiot…"
Meanwhile…
A little far away, a long blue-haired woman clad in sleeveless polo neck dress sighed as she dragged herself out of the café, "Ah…Juvia shouldn't have drank so much water...", but her eyes twinkled as she clenched her hands in front of her chest, "But that fizzy water was soooo gooood…"
She sighed yet again, "Juvia wishes the others would get here already. Juvia wonders what is taking the girls so long?", but her eyes widened as she gasped, "What if…they already came here while Juvia was in the restroom! Juvia shouldn't have drank so much…".
Tears welled up in her eyes at the possible of thought of them leaving without her before her eyes caught sight of a familiar brown head.
A low whisper escaped her lips, "Cana-san…"
The bluenette took off at high speed, yelling at the top of her lungs, "CAANA-SAAAAAN!"
The said brunette, who was scowling after a tumbling Levy snapped her head towards the voice, only for her eyes to widen slightly in relief at the thought of having found their missing roommate, but widened in horror at the raging middle aged woman who bounded behind her.
"What the-"
The middle aged woman who caught sight of the brunette waved her bag in the air, "STOP RIGHT THERE MISSY!"
Cana took a step back as she gulped, her face contorting into grimace. She screamed at the top of her lungs, "LIKE HELL I WILL! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!"
The brunette twisted around only to stop herself again from falling into the chaos.
She turned back around to go and find another exi-
"CAAANAA-SAAN!"
Juvia who was almost nearing the brunette failed to see the balls on the floor.
Cana's eyes widened as she flailed her arms, screaming, "JUVIA NOOO! LOOK OU-"
Juvia frowned, "WHA-"
She stepped on the many balls on the floor, hurtling towards the now open-mouthed Cana.
Juvia slammed right into the brunette, sending both of them into the turmoil on the escalator below.
.
.
.
"Ah! Thank you sir!", the white-haired girl hugged her phone to her chest while the driver just nodded at her.
Tapping on her screen, she raised her phone to her ear but paused when screams and shouts behind her caught her attention.
She twirled around with a confused frown on her face, before her eyes widened when she saw a blue duffel bag ramming into her petite blue-haired friend causing her to fly straight into the people on the escalator, which somehow seemed to have stopped at the exact same time before starting to descend downwards.
Weren't those balls in that...machine?
And, is it her, or was the speed of this escalator beginning to creep up?
She watched as people began to panic, some screaming as they fell down with the bluenette, some trying to run up the speeding steps on reflex, while some began to tumble backwards when the balls hit them in the face.
Her mouth fell open.
A human avalanche had already formed on this unbelievably long escalator.
Not to mention, a screaming Cana and.. wait, is that Juvia?
And the human avalanche…it was headed towards her way…and where was she….
Her face turned ghostly pale.
Near the bottom of the escalator…
"SAAAVE YOURSELF!"
Snapping out of her daze, Lisanna watched in horror as the driver of the baggage cart ran away.
Twisting around, the girl made to make a run for it, but a huge weight slammed into her back sending her flying into the baggage cart behind her….
.
.
.
A pained groan escaped her lips; her eyes squeezed shut from the pain that shot across her whole body, as she lay flat on her stomach over the pile of suitcases and bags on the cart; the lower half of her body dangled down in the front driver's seat while the upper half laid on the wagon behind it.
A not-so-heavy lump wriggled above her. Lisanna growled inwardly on recognizing the whimpers that elicited from the lump.
Squinting her eyes open, she caught sight of Cana, a little away from her on the pile, lying on her back with an almost unconscious Juvia on top.
"Juvia…get off of me…"
"Mmm..Juvia is feeling dizzy…."
Lisanna didn't miss the few people who were also on the other wagons attached to the car.
With a grunt, the white-haired girl tried to push herself up only for her leg to hit something and push it up in the process.
Lisanna froze with wide eyes, "Wha-"
Her words morphed into screams, mixed with squeals and yells of the others passengers on board, as the car which came to life came to life began to speed off into a random direction, swerving left and right whenever she tried to yank her other leg that was stuck in the steering wheel.
Spectators ran in panic, jumping out of the car's way.
Cana yelled, ""STOP THE DAMN CAR, LISAAANNAA!"
Lisanna glared at her, "AS IF I HADN'T THOUGHT OF THAT ALREADY!"
The brunette snarled, "STOP THE DAMN CAR!"
"HOW CAN I WITH THIS IMP ON TOP OF ME AND MY LEG STUCK IN THE WHEEL?!"
"I DON'T CARE! JUST STOP THE FREAKI-"
The car flew a few feet up as it ran over an abandoned bag, the wagons following suit, causing the screaming people at the back to tumble off while the girls clung onto the ropes and handles of the wagons.
A now conscious Levy started to scream, "OH MY GOD! WE'RE GONNA DIE! WE'RE GONNA DIE! WE'RE GONNA -"
"SHUT UP LEVY! SHUT. UUUUP!", a red-faced Lisanna scowled at the bluenette who got thrown over Cana after the jump.
Juvia, who was now on top of Lisanna, was screaming bloody murder, "NUUUUOOOOHHH, I DON'T WANNA DIEEEE! I DON'T-"
"SHUT THE HELL UP, JUVIAAAA! I WILL FREAKING SHOVE MY WINE BOTTLE DOWN YOUR THROAT IF THAT'S THE LAST THING I DOO!"
"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SCREAMING AT HER FOR?!", Levy scowled down at Cana who raised a sceptical brow at her.
"OH, YOU WANNA FIGHT NOOOW?!"
Levy screamed, "WHA- NOW, YOU ARE REEEALLLY GETTING ON MY NE-"
"OH! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE SHITTING ME!"
Cana and the other snapped their heads towards the now cussing white-haired girl.
Their faces paled.
The car was speeding straight towards the New York City model.
Levy and Cana immediately clung onto each other for dear lives.
Tears sprung out of their eyes as the brunette screamed at the top of her lungs, ""HIT THE BRAKES, LISAAANNAAAAA! HIT THE DAMN BRAAAAKES!"
"ARE YA FREAKINGDEAF ALBERONAAA?! I CAN'T BECAUSE I AM STUCK! I AM FREAKING STUUUCK!"
The car somehow picked speed as the girl's words now changed into high-pitched screams.
Suddenly the power indicator blared out signalling low battery before the car started to slow down.
The teary-eyed screaming girls could only watch with wide eyes as the vehicle neared the model, the shadow of the nearing Twin Towers beginning to loom over them.
Everyone held in their breaths as the car tires rolled nearer and nearer…and nearer…
And nearer…
The wheels creaked to a stop.
Everyone sighed in relief.
Cheers erupted throughout as claps rung throughout.
Levy squealed in happiness as she hugged a grinning brunette.
Lisanna wiped her face off cold sweat while Juvia collapsed backwards onto the pile, unconscious.
Pounding steps began to erupt as everyone snapped their heads to see the airport security beginning to appear out of who knows where.
"AHA! NOW YOU HAVE NOWHERE TO RUN!"
The girls turned their heads to see the middle aged woman bounding towards them with the blue case in tow.
Lisanna squeezed her eyes shut waiting for the pain.
"OW!"
Lisanna cautiously blinked her eyes open in confusion, before landing upon a frowning Cana who was rubbing her head while Levy cowered behind Cana.
Cana scowled at the woman, "Why the hell did you-"
"Wrong person, but I don't care.", the woman glared at Levy, "Give me back my bag before I make one out ya!"
Levy tilted her head in confusion, "Huh? What bag…?", her words trailed off as her eyes landed on the bag tag dangling from the case behind the woman.
Name: Levy McGarden.
"Oh.."
"Aha! Found it!", the lady scurried over to the pile of luggage behind the girls and pulled out the case on which the Levy sat on.
Heaving the case onto the ground, the woman shot one last glare at the shivering bluenette as she cracked her knuckles, before walking away with the case.
But her dramatic departure was short lived when she stepped on one of the stray balls on the floor, sending her toppling backwards into her suitcase, her handbag flying out of her hands in the process.
Out of the bag, which was already open, many things flew out, one of which was a compact rolling on the ground towards them.
Everyone stared wide-eyed as the round tin went under the train of wagons and finally out under the car, knocking down a domino.
The sticks knocked into one another eventually going around the large Twin Towers much to everyone's relief.
Levy who was staring at the model, gasped.
Cana craned her neck towards her, frowning, "What is it?"
"The sticks…", her hand came up to hover over mouth as the bluenette stared at the model with wide eyes, "…they are not arranged to knock down the Twin Towers…"
Lisanna turned her head towards the bluenette, "What are you saying Levy?"
"Those sticks..", Levy pointed towards the sticks which were now falling down on the other side of the towers, "…they are arranged similar to a Rude Goldberg model…They lead to those missiles…"
"What?!"
The girls and a now conscious Juvia, snapped their head back towards the replica with wide eyes.
"Uh-Oh…"
The domino effect ended behind the aircraft model before a loud click was heard and the missiles went flying off at jet speed.
A crash sounded as one of the jets shot through the rolling ball clock.
The whole arrangement in the case collapsed, as the metal balls rolled out of their railings, out of the case and down the first floor.
High pitched-sounds similar to the ricochet of bullets echoed throughout as everyone ducked down when the balls bounded off from walls and whatnot into random directions at lightning speed.
One of the many balls shot straight into one of the clamps holding the blimp, the brace unclamping under the force of the hit causing beak of the blimp to tilt down before swinging up and down repeatedly.
Everyone stared up in horror at the craft.
"WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON AROUND HERE?!"
The girls cringed before slowly craning their head down to see a fuming Erza stomping out of the crowd.
All of them clung onto each other as they shook in fear, the bouncing killer metallic balls long forgotten.
When her eyes landed upon the girls in front of the almost ruined model, the red head froze as her eyes widened before her face darkened as she slowly trudged towards them.
Clenched her fists at her sides while bangs covered her face, Erza's whole body shook with rage, "You…You four…I should've known…"
Suddenly one of the balls shot through the blimp the same time the rest of the clamps gave out under the blimp's weight.
The whimpering girls shook in fear as the red-head slowly began to inch her way towards them, chuckling lowly, "Hohoho…You four are in for a biiiig-"
The deflated blimp, now a gigantic grey sheet finally settled on the red-head….
.
.
.
The blonde looked off to side as innocent as she can appear, gulping hard, 'Yup! They are doomed..!'
An awkward silence hung over the group as the four guilty girls squirmed and sweated in their seats while Erza stared hard at them with her arms still crossed across her chest.
Mira was smiling wide, her eyes closed and her chin still propped up, yet a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her forehead, "Y-You girls sure know how to make a grand entrance into a country."
Erza sighed as she lowered her head, closing her eyes, "I haven't reported this to the Master…", the girls let out a huge sigh of relief, "….yet", the red head glared at the girls through her bangs.
The girls shrieked as they sat up straight.
"But then, we usually don't return this many at the same time.", Mira looked at Erza in an attempt to calm her down.
Confusion marred the blonde's face, "Why did you guys have to rush back anyway, if you don't mind me asking? Was it because of a sudden project…?"
"To welcome you, of course!", Levy beamed at the blonde.
"H-Huh?"
"We wanted to be here when you arrived on the first day itself, but we didn't get the return tickets for that day since your arrival was all so soon and all, so…yeah..", the bluenette rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.
"My arrival was a little too soon and unexpected... I mean, I informed the landlady only three days before, but then… how come you guys managed to get hold of the flight tickets?", Lucy tilted her head to look at Levy.
"W-Well..", Levy cautiously turned her head to peek at the red head.
Scrunching her brows in confusion, the blonde dragged her eyes towards the red head.
Erza was deathly pale as bangs covered her face. In fact, the blonde swore she could see the red-head shivering slightly.
Mira stared at Erza with slightly widened eyes, "Wait. Don't tell me, you got them with-with Ichiya-san's help?!"
Erza didn't respond, her lips quivering in response.
Mira let out a snort before turning her body to the side as her face went out of view. Her body shook as suppressed giggles escaped from her, before turning back around, a few moments later, with a flushed face.
The raven-haired waitress arrived with their food, "Here are your orders, ladies! We hope you enjoy!"
The waitress set them down in front of the respective customers.
The petite bluenette sat up in her seat, "Ah! All this story telling has made me hungry!"
Erza glared at her, "I ought to starve you to death, but since today is special, I will let you all off the hook."
"T-Thank you!"
"Um…May I ask? What is the occasion?", a confused expression marred her face again as Lucy looked at Erza who glanced at Mira with a small smile.
Mira nodded at Erza before turning to face the blonde with an adoring smile on her face, "Well, we are all here to celebrate the addition of a new member to our group."
Her breath hitched in her throat as her lips parted slightly. The corners of her eyes stung, 'Why…?'
"And a new member to our family,", Erza smiled as she raised her glass.
Teary brown eyes widened at the gesture, 'But still, I…'
Levy and Juvia smiled lovingly at the blonde as they too raised their glasses while Cana held a small grin, holding up her metal flask.
Pink lips drew into a tight line, quivering slightly.
Erza smiled affectionately at the blonde, "To Lucy…"
Taking a deep calming breath, she swallowed down the lump that formed in her throat. 'No…'
With a small smile, the blonde shakily raised her glass.
'Not yet anyway…'
Glasses clinked together.
"To Lucy!"
Ah! Finished!
I know this chapter was boring and long. But please bear with me. This was a filler chapter before something-something happens in the next chapter or the one after the next.
Sorry for the spelling mistakes or grammatical errors if any. I will correct it as soon as possible.
And I promise to update as soon as possible.
In the meantime, please leave a review. Feel free to point out the errors.
Oh! By the way, to those of you who don't know, I've already posted a new story: " It all started when he STOLE MY SKIRT!", which I will be updating next. I just need to finish editing it.
Thank you for your time…
Arigatou!
