It was the day of the big show and the first morning Lucy and Juvia had awoken in their new apartment. The blonde was struggling to find the right word to describe how she felt. Euphoric? Overjoyed? Exhilarated? Heavenly? She'd find a thesaurus and figure it out later but in the meantime, whatever it was, it was damn good. The two women didn't have much in the way of furniture yet but that didn't matter to them at all. Who cared if their mattresses were on the floor and if they ate their food sitting cross-legged on the carpet?
Lucy was thrilled to be out of the miniature motel room and away from the scrutinizing eyes of the landlady. No sounds reverberating through the walls, whether from the tv or the neighbors doing God knows what and she had never thought she'd be so happy to see a microwave.
While Lucy was worshipping the kitchen appliances, Juvia was basking in her newly reclaimed freedom. Not only was her previous residence strict, there was also little in the ways of privacy. Understandable, since many people there were recovering addicts but Juvia had always been an independent person; it had quickly become suffocating.
Both women had harbored fantasies of sharing a place with a girlfriend; movies and tv shows just made it look so fun. They imagined nights spent on the couch with a bottle of wine eating home-made goodies and talking about boys. It was like a dream come true.
There were already a few personal touches scattered throughout the apartment; Juvia had her teru teru bozu dolls and Lucy had already begun hoarding books. The voracious reader was spread across the living room carpet devouring a mystery novel when Juvia announced she was ready to head to Fairy Tail. They had both donned the outfits they'd worn the night they met, Lucy with her maroon backless top and tight pants, Juvia her strapless leg-bearing dress; they were fairly dressed up for so early in the day but who knew when they'd be back. They were heading straight to the show from Natsu's house and if Lucy was sure about anything it was that everyone at Fairy Tail would be partying well into the morning. It wasn't an entirely uncommon thing for people to pass out and be locked in until the opening shift.
First thing on the agenda was to stop at the bar and meet up with Levy. When Lucy and Juvia arrived the place was already bustling with people, mostly employees making sure the bar would be running like a well-oiled machine for the evening. Erza was patrolling around with a clipboard, checking off lists, Gildarts was stocking the bar and wiping down bottles, Laxus and Loke were testing the sound system and the lights, Jet and Droy were in the kitchen doing prep work and Cana was already halfway finished with a bottle of top-shelf rum.
Mira had spotted them when they walked in and called Lucy up to the second floor to show her the new addition to 'the Wall'. It was a pet project the white-haired woman had been working on for years, using photos of various sizes and styles taken at the bar. She had wanted something special and different to show everyone at Fairy Tail they were a family and belonged. It was very similar to the collage of pictures Natsu had in his room except this covered nearly two-thirds of the second floor wall, expanding from one side to the other. There were more than a few photos of Loke surrounded by a gaggle of women, Natsu and Gray fighting with the other men, a rather large one of Cana slumped over a table with Bacchus behind her waving a bra above his head and then there was a generous cluster of Laxus shots decorating nearly half of one corner.
"Uh, Mira why is Laxus shirtless in all these?"
"Oh that's Freed's doing! He's quite the photographer, isn't he?" The barmaid's cheeks had turned a rosy shade of pink at those words, making Lucy not quite believe her. Laxus' photos were suspiciously close to a few candid shots of Mira, if Lucy hadn't known any better she'd assume they were a couple. As far as she could tell, the two barely interacted while working; if there was something going on between them it was hidden pretty well.
Lucy herself had already earned herself a few spots, there was one picture commemorating her first shift with Natsu, another when she had participated in karaoke and even one when she'd been dancing with Juvia. The particular photo that Mira wanted to show her had just been taken the other day. Lucy thought she might die of embarrassment when she spotted it. The picture was blown up to be three times the size of the surrounding ones and it was more intimate than most that adorned the place. It showed her and Natsu sharing a kiss in Gildarts' office, Lucy was straddling one of his legs and had her hand cupping his cheek while his head was tilted up towards hers. It was very sweet and good quality actually, if you took into account that Mira had been spying in order to get it. Lucy thanked all the stars in the heavens that Natsu's other hand wasn't visible; the one that had been snaking up her leg to grasp underneath her skirt.
"Was it really necessary to make it so big?" The photo really did stand out in comparison to its neighbors, the surrounding pictures were just several bands posing on stage; most she hadn't heard of before. It even looked like Mira had edited it, the colors were more vibrant and the edges slightly blurred; Lucy assumed she was aiming for a romantic vibe.
"Of course, all the pictures of couples are larger! I wanted them to be 'center stage', if you will. Fairy Tail honors friendship and love and what expresses that more than young couples?"
Lucy could think of quite a few things but kept them to herself. The woman practically had hearts in her eyes and she was positive she'd be clawed to death if she tried to take it down.
Going back downstairs, Lucy saw Juvia and Levy were waiting patiently at one of the tables. When she spotted them, Levy shoved her notebook in her tote bag and Lucy noticed there was a camera slung around her neck. In addition to writing the interviews, Levy was also photographing the bands and Fairy Tail for the article. Mira would probably be ecstatic at the thought of more additions to the Wall.
Outside, at the marquee, Lisanna and Bickslow were swapping letters and wiping them down, Lucy gave the girl a very obvious wink when they passed by, making her blush furiously. The blonde wondered just how much Mira would pay to get her hands on an incriminating photo of those two; snickering evilly at her new mission, Lucy closed Juvia's car door and they sped off to Natsu's.
Practice was in full-swing when the girls arrived; they tried not to disturb the musicians in the garage and instead settled down in Natsu's kitchen. Levy was already preparing for the interviews by setting up her laptop and a recorder, Juvia had brought lunch for everyone again and Lucy was content to play with the trio of cats. It looked like the boys had prepared them for a sleepover; there were two cat beds and a large amount of toys strewn across the living room.
In the kitchen, Levy and Juvia were discussing the upcoming events for Fairy Tail.
"The next few months are going to be crazy for the bar, starting with tonight," Levy was explaining, "then there's some theme nights, like casino and karaoke that lead up to the duet competition! Are you two going to participate?"
This was the first that Lucy had heard of it but Juvia jumped in before she could answer, "I want to! I heard Gray talking about it yesterday…I hope he asks me to be his partner!" she fidgeted in her seat a little bit and blushed, "Gajeel says my singing is quite good."
"I don't know about me, I'm all for competition but I've only ever sung karaoke."
"You should definitely enter! The audience votes on the best pair and the winners get a grand prize. Even if you don't win, it's still a lot of fun!"
Lucy gave a noncommittal shrug. She couldn't tell them she didn't want to draw any extra attention to herself. The competition sounded like a big deal and she didn't want to get drawn into the center of something like that.
"Anyways, after that, I'm hoping Fairy Tail is chosen for the big send-off show of the tour. The headliners this year are Phoenix Grave! It's going to be huge!"
"Phoenix Grave?!" both girls nearly shouted at Levy.
Juvia had to restrain herself from jumping out of her seat. Clearing her throat to hide her embarrassment she said, "I used to really love Mace Orlando but he's got nothing on Gray…" Juvia's face had now turned a bright crimson; the color clashed horribly with her hair.
Lucy may have been a sheltered rich girl but she would have had to live under a rock to never have heard of Phoenix Grave. They were practically rock royalty in Fiore, everyone wanted a piece of them and their lead singer Mace. Yukino's bedroom had been plastered floor to ceiling with his photos so Lucy was very familiar with his wild good looks.
"Wow so you think Fairy Tail can handle that kind of star power?" Lucy imagined Gildarts would need to call in every employee to work double shifts to prepare for something like that. The excitement leading up to Crime Sorciére's show would pale in comparison.
Levy nodded enthusiastically, "Definitely. A show that big would bring in so much revenue I bet pervy ol' Makarov would rise from the dead just to get his share," she giggled loudly.
Natsu had told Lucy a little bit about the late owner Makarov Dreyar, he'd essentially taken him in after his father died and helped him become independent. Though, for all the love and devotion he showed his family at Fairy Tail he'd apparently had quite a lecherous streak.
"Yeah I bet the old man would be happy to see all the pretty ladies walking around the bar lately," Sting had just walked in and with a wink, grabbed a sandwich of the counter; he gave Juvia a salute as thanks while he stuffed himself.
"You've been hanging around Loke too much, man," Gray had sat down at the table with the girls and popped open a beer.
He ignored Gray's comment, "So Levy, where do you want us?" The remaining band members had joined them in the kitchen by this time.
"The living room should be big enough I think," she plopped herself in a chair with her laptop on her knees and her recorder on the arm while the others followed. She made a point not to mention or even look at any of the cat paraphernalia that littered the room.
Lucy noted the bright pink flush of Levy's cheeks when the petite girl had brushed past the gruff Gajeel, who was smirking down at her. The blonde couldn't stop herself from thinking those two would make an interesting couple.
Her eyes widened as she had a scary vision, am I turning into Mira?
Lucy's thoughts were interrupted by the scraping of a chair against linoleum; Gray was standing up to get another beer. She noticed Juvia was gone, probably in the bathroom. Lucy realized it was a perfect opportunity.
Gray had just shut the fridge door and turned when Lucy appeared right in front of him. She poked his chest with a stern finger and was glaring at him, "Okay you pervert, you owe me for that little stunt you pulled last week!" her words were practically a hiss. She'd been waiting to corner him for days and now was her chance.
Gray's eyes were wide with fear; he'd seen Lucy mad before, it was a stark contrast to her normal behavior. He wondered how something so cute could also be scary as hell; the image of a deranged rabbit came to mind.
"I'm sorry!" He held his hands at his shoulders, trying to appear as helpless as possible, hoping she would be merciful, "I just –I had to make sure I wasn't –you know –hallucinating!" Gray tried to stop his lips from curling into a smirk at the last part, "I mean Natsu kissing a girl? I thought I'd walked into a nightmare or –Gajeel slipped me some drugs or –something!"
Lucy was not impressed by his excuses. He needed to pay and just a few minutes before, she'd had a sudden inspiration for his punishment. Gray would be embarrassed and Juvia would be over the moon. Two birds with one stone.
"You're going to make it up to me…" Lucy's voice was sweet but her finger was still poking his chest in a threatening manner, "by asking Juvia to be your partner for the singing competition," she ended her sentence with a bright smile.
Gray felt like the hounds of hell were closing in on him, "No –come on! Singing is lame –anything but that!"
Lucy gave him her most innocent smile, "I don't think so, this is the tamest punishment I could think of," her first one had been locking him in the freezer with Juvia or making him tend the bar naked –Mira would have been sure to add those pictures to her Wall, she probably would have dedicated a whole corner to him, much like she did with Laxus. One song wouldn't be that bad.
She could see his mind working, trying to figure some way to negotiate himself out of the situation when Lucy heard the bathroom door open and her roommate coming down the hall.
"We have a deal then!" Lucy winked and snatched the beer out of his hand, "here Juvia, Gray thought you might be thirsty!" Juvia flushed brightly and stammered out a 'thank you' while Gray stared at the blonde with murder on his mind.
Lucy, feeling very pleased with herself, left the two alone in the kitchen and went to see how the interview was going. There weren't any drinks being thrown so she assumed it was moving smoothly. She'd been standing in the doorway for a minute before Natsu spotted her and motioned for her to sit next to him. He pulled her into his lap and nuzzled his head into her neck, giving her a tender kiss. Lucy blushed at how he could be so affectionate in a room full of people. Sting and Rogue were oblivious; talking animatedly with Levy, while Gajeel scowled and narrowed his eyes. Lucy could practically make out the thought bubble above his head, How did that pink bastard get a girl; I really need to step up my game.
Lucy grinned and darted her eyes back and forth between him and Levy, wiggling her eyebrows all the while and had to hide her laughter behind Natsu's head as Gajeel's scowl only deepened.
Feeling like she'd just planted a seed, Lucy then turned her attention to the others.
"All of us can switch positions if we wanted to but the way it is now is the best for us. Natsu and Sting like the guitar, I enjoy playing bass, but Gajeel is only allowed on drums. Anything else and he tries to take over the vocals." Rogue made a face while answering one of Levy's questions.
"Yeah, imagine an old granny being eaten by a shark and you've got Gajeel's singing voice!"
"The fuck Sting? You're not any better! You sound like your balls haven't dropped!"
"I'm better than you! The last time you sang, you cleared Fairy Tail in under a minute! Why else would Erza ban you from the competition?" Sting had a huge smirk on his face, like he'd waited ages to make that jab.
Gajeel spluttered and clenched his fists, unable to contain his rage he jumped at Sting, almost knocking Levy out of her chair.
She snatched her laptop out of the danger zone and squealed, "Well I guess that concludes the interview! I think I've got everything, I'll save the pictures for later."
Naturally, Natsu joined in the fight, chanting about how he was the best singer, and when Gray heard the scuffle he jumped in as well, Rogue merely grabbed Frosch and retreated to the garage to wait it out. The girls convened in the kitchen and were left wondering how those four managed to have so much boundless energy, they all agreed as long as it helped them not fight each other in the middle of their set it was a good thing.
Several hours later, everyone was packed up and ready to go. The band members were all tense with excitement and enthusiasm; Natsu and Sting were more talkative than normal while Rogue and Gajeel became more terse. Juvia, Gray and Levy were taking the car, Natsu insisted on riding with Lucy on his bike and the remainder travelled in Sting's van with the equipment.
When they pulled around the back of Fairy Tail, the whole place was buzzing like a beehive. A few of the early-shift employees, Max, Warren and Kinana, helped bring equipment inside to set up for sound check while the band members were taken backstage to convene with Erza. Levy found herself a table with a good view; if she needed to she could stand on it to get the pictures she wanted. Lucy and Juvia were waved over to the bar to talk with Mira, Cana and Lisanna. Cana had a row of shots lined up along the counter and insisted it was tradition for the women to drink before the show started. After two each, they ordered some food and something to sip on while they watched the sound check. Concert goers were slowly filing in and gathering near the stage while various people tapped microphones, plugged and unplugged instruments and tested the lights. Occasionally, Lucy could spot Natsu on the edge of the stage waving and giving her an excited grin.
Eventually, Erza attracted her attention with a vigorous wave, "Lucy! Would you and Juvia do me a favor? I need help taking some refreshments to the dressing rooms. Apparently I underestimated the size of their stomachs," she made a face as if she was worried the musicians would eat them out of business.
The three women made their way to the back of the building carrying trays full of various drinks and food items. Erza had to kick the door to get their attention, it was quickly becoming very hard to hear; the noise of the crowd along with the music playing through the speakers was causing the hallway to vibrate with echoes. And the show hadn't even started yet!
Inside the room, it was packed. People were lined up against the sides, leaning on the wall-length vanity and climbing over each other on the couch. Not only were all the members of Crime Sorciére there, the Dragon Slayers had managed to squeeze in too. With the addition of the three women and trays of provisions, there was hardly anywhere you could stand without bumping into someone.
After they set their loads down on a table, Erza grabbed Lucy excitedly and pulled her to the side of the room, "I want you to meet Jellal!" A tall man with electric blue hair turned to face her, she was surprised to see a large tattoo across the right side of his face, she wasn't sure what she'd expected of Erza's boyfriend but it wasn't that. Despite his intimidating look, he very politely shook Lucy's hand and made small talk with her. Lucy learned that the two had been childhood friends and had lost touch for many years. He said it was fate that brought them together again; Crime Sorciére's first show had been at Fairy Tail.
On the opposite end of the room, Juvia had made a friendly connection as well, the drummer of the band was Meredy, a short girl with bubblegum pink pigtails, the two had met a few years prior and were excitedly catching up.
The other members of the band were mingling with the Dragon Slayers; Rogue and Gajeel were sitting with one of the guitarists –Midnight he called himself, while Sting was over by the food, stuffing his face with the blond bassist Racer, and the rather large and imposing keyboardist Hoteye. Lucy noticed that the other guitarist, Cobra, had followed Kinana out into the hallway where the members of Mermaid Heel were gathered. The all-female group was the third band on the ticket and had just left the other dressing room to head to the stage.
Lucy had just decided the room needed less people and was about to leave when Natsu pulled her over to him.
"Luce! I need you!" He was standing in front of the vanity trying to tie a bandana on his head. She rolled her eyes and took it from him. While she wrapped it around his pink spikes she couldn't help but notice his outfit; he looked very much like a rock star with his tight black pants, leather boots and a torso bearing vest. He was fidgeting with a piece of cloth that had been wrapped around his bicep giving Lucy the perfect opportunity to ogle him.
She'd briefly seen him shirtless at his house but hadn't had the chance to really look. The open vest exposed his lean muscles packed underneath tan skin which proudly showed several scars. His smooth abs lead into a prominent pelvic muscle, his pants hung low on his hips showing off that perfect 'v' Lucy thought only models and guys in smutty novels had.
Her breath hitched as she took in the sight of the sprinkling of hair that made a trail from his belly button into his pants. She forced herself to look away and instead found her own face in the mirror; she was burning up and her cheeks got hotter when she realized Natsu was staring at her reflection as well. His lips slowly curled up into a smirk.
Oh God he knows I was looking at his crotch, please smite me now!
"Thanks Lucy!" His face lost the smirk as soon as they made eye contact and was quickly replaced by his signature grin, "You feeling alright? Your face is kinda red."
"No problem! Er –it's a little hot in here –I think –I'm gonna go get some fresh air." She sensed more people had crammed into the room, if that was even possible, and oxygen was getting scarce.
"Okay! Just make sure you're backstage before we go on!" He gave her a quick squeeze around her middle and she could feel his muscles tighten as he held her.
Making her way into the hall, Lucy hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath, she'd had the sudden urge to shove Natsu against the wall and kiss him until her lips were numb, which was definitely something she didn't want everyone in the room to witness.
The flustered blonde made her way back out to the bar where Cana was waiting with more shots. After downing two more like a champ, the brunette yelled, "A girl after my own heart!" She pulled Lucy towards her and smacked her ass, causing a chorus of cheers to erupt from the surrounding men.
"Now kiss!" She couldn't see who it was but Lucy was positive it had been Loke's voice. Cana stuck out her tongue in the general direction where it originated before chugging the remainder of a bottle.
Lucy ordered two more shots and made her way over to Levy, the petite woman was already standing on a chair to see over the heads of the assembled crowd. After they swallowed their drinks, the lights dimmed and the background music faded while Gildarts strolled onto the stage to announce Mermaid Heel.
He made a few lewd jokes before the women took their positions and set off the show. All five members were wearing matching mini-skirts with patterned tights and they swayed to the music almost in complete unison. Their sound was very pop-rock, whoever wrote their music had a talent for creating earworms; Lucy knew she'd be humming the lyrics for days.
It was a great first act and got everyone pumped up for more. When they finished to loud applause, Lucy knew she had about fifteen minutes before the Dragon Slayers went on. Making her way backstage she found Natsu jumping up and down excitedly, obviously high on adrenaline. He hadn't gotten any less attractive than the last time she saw him and now her lusty thoughts were being helped along by alcohol.
She surprised him with a sudden hug from behind, throwing her arms over his shoulders and squeezing him tightly, "Naaatsuuu! Are you nervous?"
He turned to face her, noticing that her cheeks were pink and she had slurred his name a little, "Nervous? No way! I've never been more pumped!" He jumped in the air again and slammed his fist into Gajeel's shoulder earning him a hard shove and an expletive laced rant in return.
Lucy silently agreed with him. It wasn't only her boyfriend that was behaving more erratically; Sting was in danger of wearing a hole in the floor with all the pacing he was doing while talking to himself, Gajeel looked like he needed a stiff drink and a brawl while Rogue appeared to be meditating behind one of the large amps.
Suddenly, Natsu pulled Lucy into a tight hug. She was pressed firmly against his chest and could easily feel his heart beating through the thin vest. He pressed his face against her hair and inhaled deeply; her scent calmed him and helped focus his thoughts. He needed to be completely on point tonight. If they screwed this up they could probably kiss any hopes of a music career goodbye.
Someone was tapping on his back frantically –he realized it was Sting telling him it was show time. Natsu could hardly hear anything over the pulsing in his head, not even the cheers of the excited crowd could break through the sudden storm of frenzied thoughts. What if he screwed up? What if he let everyone down? There was a lot of pressure being the front man of the group; Natsu hadn't realized exactly how much until that moment. He wanted to make Fairy Tail proud and live up to his father's legacy.
"Natsu! Come on let's go!" He pulled away from Lucy and turned to see Sting was waving at him from the side of the stage. Gajeel was already sitting at the drum set and Rogue was readying his bass. The pumping in his head quickened and he felt like his feet were glued to the concrete.
He managed to take a step away before he felt a smooth hand cup his cheek and turn his face the other direction. His vision was suddenly filled with brown eyes and blonde hair; Lucy had pulled his head towards hers and crushed his lips with her own. Forcing his mouth open she slid her tongue against his and dragged her hands through his hair roughly, almost dislodging his bandana.
Sting was now pulling on his arm and cursing, Natsu couldn't hear a thing.
Lucy felt him groan in response to her actions and kiss her back just as forcefully. He took a step towards her, about to grasp her with his free arm when he was roughly tugged away. Sting had finally managed to pull him backwards towards the stage. Natsu looked too stunned to fight him. His eyes were wide as dinner plates and his mouth opened in a little 'o'. It was the most intense kiss they'd shared yet and he couldn't quite believe it had actually happened.
There was no time to think about it though, because the last thing he saw before being thrust into the spotlight was wide eyes, bright with lust and a pair of pink, full lips mouthing the words, "good luck".