Hi everyone, so so SO sorry for taking such a long time to update. Things are really hectic with school and my finals have been moved up (and then canceled and moved again) and then work :[
Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon too.
Hope you all had a fantastic holiday and Christmas ^^
Also, thanks so much for all the lovely reviews you wrote for the last chapter. Thanks for supporting this fanfic and I'm sorry to keep you all waiting!
Enjoy!
In her bedroom, Lucy makes quick work of taking off her clothes and fishing out some clean pajamas from her closet. She tries not to think about the fact that this was her first time sleeping over at the Dragneel house. Heck, Lisanna hadn't even slept over at her house yet!
And here she was, about to spend the night – not just with her best friend – but also with Natsu...
Lucy shook her head of the incoming thoughts. They would only make her more nervous than what she already was feeling.
Once dressed in a soft, pink pajama shirt and a pair of striped, purple pajama shorts, Lucy was ready to go. She had considered wearing a nightie, but the idea of walking up to Natsu in a tiny night gown (she unfortunately didn't own long ones) was too embarrassing to go through.
Inhaling deeply, Lucy takes a look of herself in the mirror. Her reflection stared back at her with a bewilded and nervous expression. She wasn't surprised. Everything...this all seemed more like a dream than anything else. She was almost sure that she'd wake up tomorrow in her own bed and everything would be back to normal – or the type of normal she had been living.
Her neighbors were aliens! Her best friend was an alien! Natsu...he wasn't human! It all made so much sense and at the same time, it was still so unbelievable.
Her life had somehow turned into a paranormal novel!
The blonde's eyes move away from the mirror, to look out the open window, straight out at the Dragneel household. She stares for a long while, the building seeming more and more intimidating than it usually seemed, even if she knew there was nothing to fear. She forces her nerves to go down. It wasn't the idea of them being out-of-space beings that overloaded her – well okay, maybe a little – but it was also how she had been included in their world! She was one of the only humans to know about a whole other race of beings!
And she was about to sleep over at their house and on the same night she had discovered their secret.
How would Lisanna react? Would she be happy? Relieved? Lucy made a silent promise to not treat the silver-haired girl any different than how she already treated her. Nothing had changed between them. Lisanna was still her best friend. Nothing was going to change that.
With a determined smile, Lucy closes the curtains, taking the small moment to really seep in the newly formed calmness.
It felt so good to finally understand everything – even if it was something she would never have dreamed it to be. Isn't this what all girls wanted? To be part of a paranormal, romance story?
Wait – romance?
Lucy's cheeks inflame at the word and shakes her head to clear the other thoughts that might follow. What was wrong with her? Natsu hadn't told her because he wanted to, but because he had no other choice! The least she could do was not let her imagination go crazy. She just wanted to take in the new world – just roll with it.
Still, she knew that everything wasn't perfect now, she wasn't ignorant. There was still the threat of these beings that Natsu was so worried about. She didn't know how to deal with that information, it still scared her. For now though, she was going to focus on right now.
And right now involved making sure Lisanna and Natsu were sure they could trust her.
She makes her way downstairs, but before Lucy can get to the front door, she pauses to run into the kitchen.
She'd almost forgotten about her aunt!
Taking the pen stuck to the fridge and jots down quick note on the pad.
"Aqua, I'm so sorry. I know this is really last minute, but there's an emergency at the Dragneel's house. No, it's NOT a boy problem, its just a friend emergency. I've gone to sleep over and help out. Hope you understand.
If I don't see you tomorrow morning; have a good day at the hospital!
XOXO, Lucy."
Rereading her note over, Lucy smiles contently at it.
She locks the door on her way out.
When she gets to Natsu's house, the first thing she notices is how quiet it is inside.
Natsu had left the front door open, so she hadn't bothered to knock and had just let herself inside. It felt strange being in the Dragneel living room. She had never even stepped foot in here before – in fact, the closest she had ever been to this house was when she had knocked on their door that day to ask directions. Funny how that had escalated…
"Kitten?"
Startled at the voice that breaks the silence, Lucy turns around in a quick twirl to see Natsu standing half in the shadows of the hallway. Her widened eyes take in the state he's now in almost instantly and feels her cheeks pink-en.
Natsu had apparently taken the time to dress into sleepwear as well, and was now dressed in a pair of loose-fitted pajama pants and a soft, white T-shirt. His pink hair was still messy from their walk in the night air and it fell slightly over his eyes. He looked so...cuddly. The blonde couldn't help but take in all of him – this softer version of her rude and mysterious neighbor. She was just grateful that he had decided to wear a shirt, having seen first hand the usual attire he wore when sleeping. Was it possible he was being considerate?
She must have been staring silently longer than she realized, because the pink-haired man suddenly cleared his throat. It was an almost uncomfortable sound, unsure even and it had her blink out of the small spell.
"Uhm, h-hi," Lucy shyly stutters, her brown eyes falling down to the wooden floor in her own embarrassment. Had he noticed her staring? How long had she stared? The blonde silently scolded her scattered brain for always getting her into these sort of situations!
"Hey."
Natsu's voice was low and calmer than she liked. Yet, there still seemed something different in the air between them. Was it possible he was uneasy because she knew his secret? She hoped not – it would make this little sleepover a lot more weird.
"All set?" is the next thing Natsu asks and Lucy almost jolts at the sound.
"Yes," she bites the inside of her cheek, wishing for her nerves to calm down. She had no problem talking to him on their walk. Why was it suddenly a problem now? Maybe because she was in his house – his large, intimidating house, alone.
Alone?
"Is-is Lisanna not here?" Lucy blinks, and gives a quick flick around the room for any sign for the female Dragneel sibling. She hadn't even looked to see if the girl's car was parked outside. It was pretty dark out too.
"Ah, no. She's still at the game with the others. I'll call her later to explain what happened."
"Oh," Lucy said, her shoulders slumping just a little. She'd hoped to speak to Lisanna as soon as she got here. Even if it was unlikely that Lisanna would hate her knowing their secret, Lucy still really wanted them to talk it over.
It also meant that she really was all alone in the Dragneel household. With Natsu.
Suddenly feeling bad for just barging into their house, Lucy's eyes snap back up to meet Natsu's, a look of slight panic and apology flickering in the pools of warm brown. "Sorry, the door was open, so, I-I probably should have knocked…."
Her worried state must ease his own nerves, because she sees his lips stretch into a small, amused smile. Her own mouth drops to a less-then-amused pout, which only makes him grin wider, before he tilts his heads towards the hallway behind him.
"Bedroom's upstairs. Come on."
Lucy silently and awkwardly follows after Natsu with no argument. He leads them upstairs to what she assumes is the guest bedroom.
He opens the door and gestures for her to enter first. Lucy hesitates.
"You're sending me to bed?"
Natsu barely shrugs. "Aren't you tired?"
Exhausted. But that wasn't the point.
"Yes, but shouldn't I wait up to talk with Lisanna, she might-"
"My sister can wait til tomorrow," Natsu assures and the look he gives her afterwards holds no room for arguments. "Besides, after everything tonight, you need to rest."
"But-"
"Any other questions can wait til tomorrow, Lucy. You need to sleep. Lisanna will understand."
Maybe it was the worry in his voice or the fact that she really was tired, but Lucy finds herself slowly facing defeat and in the end, nods.
Natsu's eyes soften down at her and before Lucy can think too much about that, she enters the room.
The room wasn't what she expected.
It's well-kept, but devoid of any real personality. There wasn't that much furniture inside, besides the obvious and a few extra features. There was a chandelier hanging from the ceiling – the candles lit up and drowning the room in a pleasantly soft, urban color thanks to the darker walls. There was only one wardrobe standing against against one wall and it looked like it had never been used. In the center of the room is a king-sized bed, the beige color of the blankets and pillows seem almost inviting and Lucy suddenly realizes just how tired she is at that moment.
Well, considering all the information she had to take in – and the fight from earlier as well as nearly getting tramped by a truck – Lucy didn't blame her body for craving sleep. She'd probably black out the moment her head touched the pillow. Her eyes took in the bed with a longing, before forcing them to satisfy her still crazed curiosity and take in the rest of the room. A simple lamp stood on the bedside table, closer to the window, whose curtains were still open….and that was it.
Besides those few items, the room was bare. Not even a small rug or carpet on the floor.
It was so unlike her own room next door, even if it was just a guest room. The only similarity was that that they were both on the same floor, so there was that extra bit of creepy to it by default – especially when some of the floorboards creaked tiredly under their footsteps as they entered further inside.
Great…
Lucy's depressed thoughts are interrupted by the sound of Natsu clearing his throat behind her and the blonde turns around to look at him.
"I changed the sheets and dusted the place up a bit," he says. Lucy can't help but notice how his hands pat unsurely at his sides, seemingly seeking something to do. It make her lips twitch upwards. "The kitchen's downstairs," he continues, not noticing the look she giving him. "I'm down the hall, and the bathroom has a night light, so…"
"Follow the light?" Lucy ends with a smile.
A small chuckle escapes his mouth at her words, before he nods.
With that, Lucy turns away from him and moves towards the bed, not wasting time in pulling back the covers. Her fingers linger on the unbelievably soft fabric and she suddenly can't wait any longer to be under them – so she climbs right in.
It's only once she's comfortably situated on top the strangely warm mattress and under the heavenly blankets that she remembers her neighbor's presence. She can feel his eyes on her and feels her cheeks blush a darker pink than before. Did she seriously have to climb into bed right in front of him? She blamed it on her fumbled state of mind.
"Exactly: follow the light," Natsu says softly, like an afterthought and it actually makes the blonde girl smile down into her lap. The small display of awkwardness from him showed that, at least, she wasn't the only one feeling oddly.
Silence settles between them again and she and Natsu eventually meet each others eyes. The pink-head seems to hover in the doorway, as if unsure whether he should leave or stay.
Lucy wants him to stay. It's an embarrassing and absurd thought and she would never admit it out loud. So instead, she lets her eyes flicker back down to her lap and kneads the ends of the blanket between her fingers – when her curiosity spikes up again and she blinks up at him again.
"Natsu?"
"Yeah?"
"Has anyone else ever stayed in this room before? Humans, I mean," she adds, forcing away the weirdness at using that word to describe normal people.
"...I told you I changed the sheets," Natsu's voice held a ting of confusion and Lucy's brow cocked.
"So that's a yes?"
"No, obviously. You're the first."
"Oh..." Maybe it had been a stupid question, but she was tired after all. Was it possible she was looking for things to say so he would stay longer?
No, she wasn't that desperate.
"Why'd you ask?"
How was she supposed to know?
Lucy shrugged and after a thoughtful pause, decided to tease him.
"Maybe I just wanted to keep talking to you."
The way her heart fluttered as she said it made her voice almost come out shaky and Lucy pouted afterwards.
She watches as his tense shoulders relax suddenly and a cocky, faintly arrogant smile crossed his lips.
"What's this? Is the kitten afraid of the dark?"
His voice is teasing and much less arrogant than she expect. It felt like he understood what she was trying to do and it was nice.
Lucy rolls her eyes at the words, but doesn't bother to stop the smile on her lips as she sarcastically murmurs; "Absolutely terrified."
Natsu chuckles once more, a warmer sound as he shakes his head and arches an eyebrow. "Liar."
Maybe only slightly.
Lucy sighs tiredly and shrugs again. "Fine, you caught me," she hums out breathy. "I'm not terrified, but...I am..." she can't help but glance at the window. The dark sky seems so much more real now that she was calming down and taking it all in. All those things he had showed her – the reason she was staying with them tonight...it did scare her. "...after finding out about everything, from the fact that you're Luxen, to the fact that there are other worlds out there...worlds that men like that exist too..."
She hears the creak of the floor when Natsu takes a step closer towards her, but not any further away from the door than that. She understands it as him wanting to give her space and she doesn't know how she feels about that. She knew she wasn't scared of him. That wasn't the issue here. That man at the library – those things she had thought she'd imagined, her injuries...they were real. People like him could do that.
Natsu and Lisanna had to hide from those people.
Lucy's eyes fall back down to her lap and she hums again, a softer sound. "Never mind. I know I'm safe here – and I trust you. It's not you. I'm just a little..."
"No one's going to hurt you like that again, Lucy."
There's a promise in his voice and an undertone of self-disdain. He doesn't deserve to feel that way – despite whatever he thinks he did, yet she knows that fighting him on it won't do a thing to change his feelings and she frowns down at her hands. She didn't blame him for anything. It wasn't his fault.
Her silence seems to speak wonders, because she suddenly hears him sigh tiredly, before hearing the floor creak again as he turns towards the door again. Her head bobs up instantly and her mouth falls open to call to him or reassure him, but she doesn't need to bother. He only walks into the doorway, before looking back at her, a strange, yet not cold look trained on her. Lucy keeps the stare with hopes of him understanding her.
His black eyes soften then and after a moment, he sighs.
"Go to sleep kitten. I'll be just down the hall, so you don't have to worry about a thing."
Lucy's lips tighten, knowing that the battle was lost tonight, but accepted it gracefully for now. They were both tired.
Instead, the blonde gives a tiny nod and then offers him a thankful smile.
"Good night, Natsu."
'Thanks for saving me.'
When Natsu closes the door behind him, Lucy breaths out slowly, before sinking into the ultra soft bedding, willing it to sooth her worries. The warmth that further surrounds her tries it's hardest to aid in that request and she feels it ease her tired bones.
She doesn't let herself think of any bad thoughts now, and tries to just focus on the warmth of the sheets and blankets.
When she falls asleep, she dreams of fire and stars.
The next morning, Lucy wakes up to a bright light pushing through the windows and shining across her face.
Had she left the curtains open again?
The blonde girl groans softly into her pillow, pure self-pity evident in her voice. She tries to get back into her little dream world by burying herself deeper in the warm blankets. Its in vain though – her body and mind were fully awake now.
She suddenly hated the sun with a fury.
'Hnnngh,' Lucy's brows dip down, still refusing to open her eyes. 'I feel like I've been hit by a truck...my head is pounding...'
Mouth dry and head throbbing, she lets out another groan and then rolls over onto her back, before giving up and opening up her eyes –
Lucy jumps in surprise at the sight of Lisanna's face mere inches away from her own, the other girl following suit and flinches back as Lucy jolts up to a sitting position.
"Ah!"
Crystal blue eyes widen in alarm at the sound the blonde makes and almost at the same time, the other girl jolts back too.
"AH!" Lisanna cries too, her body almost tumbling backwards, but with grace only the Dragneel girl can muster, Lisanna regains her balance.
"Oh my gosh, Lisanna! You scared me!" Lucy breaths as she tries to get her breath to return back to normal. The pounding in her heart may take some time longer though.
Lisanna's face turns overly apologetic the instant she recovers and hears Lucy's words.
"I'm so sorry, Lucy – I didn't mean to scare you or be such a creep. It's just..." her eyes flicker over her once. "...the trace on you, it's blinding and I just wanted to make sure you were okay. That's all."
Lucy notices the naive sincerity in her friend's voice and sighs softly to fully relax herself, before shaking her head.
"It's okay, I just-" her eyes widen then.
Trace.
"I'm just so glad you're okay," Lisanna whispers, her brows furrowing for only a second, before relaxing into a small giggle. "And I'd be lying if I wasn't a bit interested in you – I've never seen you sleep before. You were so cute – you kept speaking gibberish."
That little bit of information had the blonde get sidetracked and she blinked in surprise. "You were watching me sleep?"
Lisanna regards her for a couple seconds seemingly confused by her question, before an embarrassed look crosses over her pale face. "Just a little."
A wobbly smile stretches over Lucy's lips at the truthful confession. Lisanna could be so weird sometimes, watching people sleep shouldn't have surprised her. "Okay, that's a little creepy," Lucy laughs.
The easy tone of her voice has Lisanna smile bashfully in reply and Lucy can only laugh some more. Lisanna still seems a little nervous though so she reaches out and gives the poor girl's hand a little squeeze.
"Relax," Lucy giggles. "Of all the weird things that's happened to me this year, you watching me sleep isn't so bad."
This makes Lisanna laugh too, a happy sound, before her eyes soften on the blonde girl. Relief and nervousness also hold there and Lucy's giggles fade.
Lisanna...there was a reason she was here. There was a reason why Lucy had spent the night.
Luxen.
"So..." Lisanna breathed out slowly and her eyes stayed on the blonde, though she seemed to be forcing herself to keep the gaze. "...you know."
To the blonde's surprise, the weighted question doesn't scare her this morning. Not like she thought it would. There seemed to be a sense of peace and calmness in the atmosphere – maybe it was because it was still early – she was sure, but she felt no forcefulness when she let her lips form a small smile.
"I know," Lucy confirmed and searched her neighbor's eyes. "...is that okay?"
Lisanna's eyes widen at the question and quickly clasps one of Lucy's hands between her own, a mixture of emotions swirling in her blue orbs – but the one that Lucy wants to focus on the most is: gratefulness.
"Yes!" Lisanna squeaks, before clamping her lips shut and her eyes drop to their hands. She seems to be struggling to find the right words and Lucy understands completely – well not completely, but admitting to your friend that you and your brother are aliens has to be a really hard mission. Lucy chooses not to speak, instead letting Lisanna work through whatever storm was brewing in her head. It takes a more seconds, but Lisanna eventually stills her frigid takes a deep breath. "I...I think we need to talk about..."
Bits and pieces from last night start re-filtering through her mind like a puzzle. She knew the overall picture, but some pieces refused to fit. Maybe it was because she was still so tired.
The tired feeling makes the blonde girl frown, a small pounding in her head making her wish she could go back to sleep.
After a giving her a quick squeeze, Lucy retracts her hand from Lisanna's, who frowns in concern.
"Lucy?"
Lucy shakes her head – a bad mood when the pounding hitches up.
"Hey, L? I can – Can I go to the bathroom first? I need some water."
Lisanna is already on her feet as the last words leave the blonde's lips. Lucy blinks up in slight surprise at the nervous motion and takes in the way her friend's brows furrow in concern.
"Oh!" Lisanna peeps, her fingers playing unsurely with the hem of her shirt. "Sure, uhm, I can grab a glass for you from downstairs –"
"It's okay – facet water is fine," Lucy insists gently. "I just…." What did she need? "I need a moment."
Lisanna hesitates as she looks down at her. "Are you sure?"
Lucy gives a small smile. "Positive. I'll be right back."
Inside the bathroom, Lisanna's personal one, Lucy takes a moment to gather herself.
Just as the door clicks closed, Lucy lets out a deep sigh and her eyes slip closed. A step backwards and then her back presses against the door. The whole world seems to grow silent.
'Wait, what-'
Just as the thought processes, every single memory from last night comes crashing down on her – she remembered as soon as she woke up – but the understanding…
That crashes hard.
Her eyes open widely and she fumbles forward against to the sink, her hands finding and gripping the edges.
'Aliens,' her mind yells. 'Aliens...I mean….L-Luxen – I mean...'
Suddenly the headache numbs cold and washes down over the rest of her body. She almost feints, but grounds herself by gripping tighter onto the basin.
Images of Natsu transforming into that being of fire flash through her mind – memories of how warm the flames had been of Natsu's words – the things she'd seen. Her knuckles grip tighter on the counter and brown eyes flash up to take in her bewilded face.
It almost didn't feel real.
But it was!
Her neighbors were aliens! Natsu and Lisanna – Lisanna-!
Acting more instinctively than rationally, Lucy practically pounces away from the basin, and throws the door wide open.
"Lisanna!"
The other girl was still patiently waiting outside, but at the call, Lisanna's eyes almost look as startled as Lucy's own.
"W-what's is it? Are you okay?"
"You're an alien!"
The world seems to freeze at those at those three, bizarre words.
Lisanna's face pales a shade lighter and her shoulders tense – but she doesn't run away. Instead, she looks more scared of what would happen if she did run away.
Lucy watches with baited breath as the girl bites the inside her lip, before giving the tiniest of nods.
"Yes" She sounds breathy and mostly scared, like it's the first time she's ever confessed and isn't sure if she still should. At least she keeps eye contact. "I am."
The weak words have Lucy gasping even though she already knew that fact. Last night seemed like only a few moments ago, all the things Natsu had told her kept echoing in her thoughts. It was, in a word; surreal. To hear it directly from Lisanna though...it made everything so much more real.
"...You're an alien," Lucy whispers the words again, her mouth falling agape as she continues to repeat the revelation.
Unfortunately, Lisanna seemed to take her behavior badly and the silver-haired girl's arms wrapped around herself. She was closing in on herself again and her voice is barely audible as she breathes, "You don't...you don't hate me, do you?"
That broke the spell that fell over Lucy and the girl's body froze to take in the girl more calmly. Lisanna wasn't human – but she was still a person. Even with the new information, nothing changed in Lucy's opinion of the shy girl – nor her brother. They were still Natsu and Lisanna. She just understood them a lot better now.
A pure smile took over Lucy's face as she looked back at Lisanna.
"L, why in the world would I ever be scared of my best friend?"
Lisanna inhales deeply and sharply, her crystal blue eyes first going from confusion to disbelief, and then to hope, before lighting up. And then her eyes watered and excitement took over her body.
Lucy didn't have a chance to say anymore before the lithe girl leaped towards her and en-cages her into a bone-crushing hug. She flinches at the force, but giggled happily at the same time while trying in vain to match the strength of the hug with her own arms. Lisanna was laughing too, even with the small shakes of her shoulder caused by her trying to keep the relieved sobs from escaping. Lucy just hugged her tighter, knowing that the girl was just as happy as she was right now. No more secrets.
"D-Do you really mean that?" Lisanna' hiccups over the blonde's shoulder and Lucy laughs louder. Relieved and happy tears prickle in the corner of her brown eyes for the sake of Lisanna. All the insecurities made sense now – all the hiding.
Moving her hands up to grasp the girl's shoulders, Lucy gently pushes Lisanna away just enough to give her a bright smile and laughs, "Of course! You're my L – my best friend."
"I can't believe you're actually still my friend!" Lisanna cries as she pulls Lucy into another hug, her voice overlapping with relief. Lucy blinks widely, before softening and her smile returns. She returns the hug again, squeezing tightly.
"You're an amazing person, L. I would never shun you for what you are," Lucy hums into the hug. "I'm just glad your not mad. I don't want to lose my best friend either."
Lisanna sighs, a shaky, happy sound. "As if that could ever happen!" she hiccups and Lucy laughs again.
"I'm glad."
Lisanna retracts then and just as expect – the tears were evident in those innocent eyes. "You...you've no idea how worried I've been about you though."
Lucy huffs at that, before fondly shaking her head. Right, Natsu probably would have told her filled her in on all the extra details from last night. "It was only a truck, L. It didn't even touch me. Nothing to be worried about."
"I know that now, but when I got back you were already asleep – and Natsu refused to let me wake you and then he told me w-what happened and I –" she wipes a few falling tears and laughs at herself. "It was a lot to take in. I thought I lost my best friend for good."
That had some guilt swell up in Lucy.
"I wanted to wait up for you, but..." Lucy says softly. "I should have–"
"No!" Lisanna hurries. "No, I understand. You must have been exhausted after everything you saw last night."
Lisanna sounded so sincere and understanding and it only warmed up Lucy's heart further. Alien or not – how did she manage to find such an amazing friend?
"Still..." Lucy sighs and shrugs. "I kinda hoped you would have woke me up when you got home."
"Natsu said you had to get your rest, which makes sense to me," the silver-head smiled, then a bit more guiltily. "Even though I was dying to talk to you."
It's at that moment when Lucy spots the beginnings of the dark circles under Lisanna's eyes. They were such a blaring contrast to her porcelain skin. Lisanna was still a vision of pure beauty, but right now she looked more human. She must have stayed up all night. Just worrying about her. Lucy's heart swelled at the thought. Classic Lisanna – always overthinking things.
"...But I guess I didn't have to be worried," Lisanna adds in softly. Another hiccup escapes the girl's lips and Lucy can't take it anymore, so she wraps her arms around the girl's shoulders again and tries to squeeze away her worries. Lisanna seems to need this too and follows her lead. Both girls laugh at their own emotions growing in their throats.
'This,' Lucy thinks. 'this is real friendship. There was no way she would let something as bizarre as being from different worlds take that away.'
Even with how different they were, they had one main thing in common: Loneliness.
"I'm glad your safe," Lisanna sighs and she sounds more calmly now, more like her cheery self. "Natsu and I, we'll do our best to keep you that way. Promise." After a needed moment, Lisanna pulls away and offers a big, toothy smile. "Hungry?"
As if on cue, Lucy's stomach grumbles and Lisanna giggles, before giving a nod towards the door.
"You must be starving, so come on! I'll make you breakfast."
A flash of pure excitement flashes in Lisanna's eyes and before Lucy can say anything, Lisanna disappears like lightning. In the bat of an eye, Lucy was left alone, standing in shock.
She forgot that the Luxen were able to move at that speed.
She'd have to get used to that, but if anything else, it was definitely cool!
After some quick freshening up, but still opting to stay dressed in her pj's, Lucy heads down to the kitchen where the clanging of pots and pans catches her attention. Lisanna turns around to smile at her excitedly, a purple spatchala in one hand.
"Don't worry, breakfast is on the way!" she grins. "I was digging around and I wasn't sure what you wanted for breakfast."
That's all she says and then Lucy watches, dizzy, as Lisanna blinks around the kitchen in silver blur, grabbing this and that and then another thing.
"I don't have much options considering your preferences, but uhh," Lisanna stalls for a moment and flickers her eyes over the possible options. "Eggs? Toast? Pancakes? I mean, I can also search a vegan recipe? Oh!" As if by magic, the kitchen counter is suddenly decorated with various ingredients. "What sounds good to you?"
Lucy is still blinking in wonder at the ingredients on the table.
"Uhm...how about...a veggie omelet?"
Lisanna grimaces at the choice, but is already sorting out the ingredients needed. "No problem. Me, on the other hand, I'm in the mood for some bacon!"
"I'll be sure to apologize to those poor piggies whose relative you'll possibly be having for breakfast." Lucy teased once her mind relaxed. Yip, this whole thing was going to take a lot of getting used to!
Lucy takes up a seat on one, unoccupied pace on the counter and watches silently as Lisanna grates cheese and prepares their breakfast. At one point she offers to help with something, but the silver-haired girl just waves her off. Lucy just smiles and instead gets them both a glass of orange juice, with Lisanna's directions of course.
Another blink and then Lisanna's at the stove, the sizzling sound of cooking bacon and omelet batter filling the kitchen. Lucy's brows furrow then, because even though the food is cooking, the burner isn't lit. Her mouth falls open.
"Are you using your powers to cook that!"
Lisanna looks over her shoulder with a guilty look on her face. "Yeah – don't worry though, it doesn't do anything to the taste." She turns back to finish up, a quick swipe of her spoon and then she turns back holding the pan of a perfect omelet. "We can bend light, and being able to manipulate light means I'm able to make heat too."
Lucy huffs with a smile as she takes a step closer. "Okay," she nods. "I am totally jealous now."
Lisanna laughs as she tucks a stray strand of silver hair behind her ear. "Don't be. Cooking is an art and even though I can fry things up within seconds, well..." She laughs again, sheepishly this time. "Let's this just say I've had my fair share of burnt food because I get too impatient." She looks thoughtfully down at the omelet. "Though, Natsu seems to like everything extra crispy." As she says this, Lisanna slides the perfectly cooked omelet onto a plate before setting it down in front of her. "Bon appetit!"
Lucy grins gratefully, before accepting the fork Lisanna then offers her. She doesn't hesitate for a second, before she digs into the meal and stuffs some into her mouth and savors the flavor. She just hopes she doesn't look too much like those pigs she had previously been defending. It was hard to worry too much about her appearance when the food tasted so good. It wasn't a surprise though. She was eating food that had been prepared with magic!
Okay, not magic, but it might as well be. They certainly tasted magical. Lucy could just hum appreciatively.
"L, this omelet is delicious, absolutely delicious."
Lisanna smiles bashfully at the compliment, before taking a seat next to her, dragging her own plate of bacon with her. "I'm still improving. Still got miles and miles to go..." she trails off and regards her.
Lucy's in the middle of another fork-full when she catches the thoughtful look and she raises a curious brow. "Lisanna?"
Lisanna blinks out of her state and shrugs. "I was just curious. What exactly did Natsu tell you last night?"
Oh.
Lucy swallows. "He, uhm, he told me a lot I guess."
Lisanna nods thoughtfully and pointedly pokes at one piece of bacon. "Did he...show you our true forms?"
The unexpected question causes Lucy to blush at the memory that comes with it.
"He did," she smiles down at her mostly-eaten omelet. "It was...thrilling. He – I mean your real forms are beautiful."
Lisanna smiles prettily and maybe more relieved down at her plate. Still, there's teasing in her voice when she says, "Uh-hah. Nice save."
The blush on Lucy's cheeks grow darker and she gives her friend a bewilded look, before reaching over nudging her shoulder. "Shut up," she shyly huffs, getting a sly giggle in return.
"I would show you mine too, but now's not the right time for that," Lisanna says and actually does take a bite of her breakfast now.
Lucy looks at her again and her voice goes soft. "You don't have to worry about my reaction-"
"No, it's not that," Lisanna stops her as she chews slowly. "If you can handle Natsu's, you can handle mine. But, actually the only real safe time is at night, though we try not to do that either..." a nervous look crosses over her eyes and Lucy's smile fades in understanding.
"I know about the threats, L. I already promised not to out you, you I would never, right?"
Lisanna shakes her head. "I'm not worried about that, I knew we could trust you a long time ago….but know that you know about everything," she sets down the bacon. "You probably also know why Natsu's been so...confrontational...with you-it's not just the secret we're worried about..." Lucy nods.
"I know. I think I understand Natsu now, at least a bit better," her brown eyes soften as she looks at her. "I mean with everything you've been through, I get it. You're both just tired of losing ones you love."
Lisanna smiles small as she reaches over. Her hand is warm when she takes Lucy's and squeezes it. "But you've always seen that, haven't you?" Lisanna asks.
"Seen what?"
"The good intentions we have – in the way keep our secrets. It's why you're always able to forgive Natsu, why you put up with us."
Lucy frowns at the term. "I didn't put up with you, Lisanna. I just...I like to see the better side of people. It's what my mother taught me."
"She sounds like a wonderful women."
Lucy smiles, before sighing. "I understand things so much better now, and I could never blame you or Natsu for keeping things from me, with what happened with your other brother..."
Shaking her head, Lisanna pulls her hand away from the blonde's, before she smiles again. Lucy drops the subject. Lisanna was still suffering with that loss, she understood.
"So," Lisanna says, her tone a pitch higher and Lucy knows she's trying to get back to the easier atmosphere. "I know Natsu's told you about our powers – he filled me in on most of it, but you want to know something else that's cool?"
"What?" Lucy follows her friend's lead, admittedly more than just a little interested.
"We can also see other people's life-forces, and technically, we can shape-shift."
Lucy tilts her head and grins. "Knew about the shape shift. Didn't know about the life-force thingy."
Lisanna's smile falters a bit and forms more of a pout. "Aww, but it's so cool. It's not fair how he got to tell you all the cool stuff!"
Lucy can't hold back the giggles at the sour look on her mostly perfect face.
"You can still tell me about the other things," she suggest. "I bet I've barely scratched the surface. Uhm, what do you mean by life source?"
Lisanna seems to give in, her lips curving into a smile. "It's the energy that all humans put off around them. You might now it as an aura? This energy, it changes and shifts when you're sick or when your emotions change."
Lucy's eyes widened in understanding and looked down at her own hands as if she could see the colors too. No such luck. "Whoa, so what color is my life force now?"
"Well, with the trace around you, it's hard to tell. But what I did notice is that when you talked to Natsu, it's super red."
There's that teasing in her voice again and Lucy avoids her eyes.
"Oh," Lucy cleared her throat when it came out too high. "So red, like..."
Attraction? Oh, please don't let her feelings be that obvious.
"I don't know for sure," Lisanna shrugs then and Lucy almost breaths out in relief. "It could be a number of emotions, but I'm not all that good at reading auras like Rogue."
Rogue. He's one of the Redfox's. The black-haired guy.
"So what are you best at?" Lucy asks and takes a sip of her juice.
"Shape-shifting, though it gets less effective the older we get," Lisanna smiles. "And before you ask, Natsu...Natsu's just talented at everything."
'Of course he is,' Lucy almost laughed. 'It's like he's the male lead in some YA paranormal romance novel.'
Did that make her the main character? Lucy almost chokes as she swallows the drink, her face flaming once more.
Lucy shakes away the thoughts from her head, before she does something stupid. She instead focuses on Lisanna.
"So, uhm, does the government know that you can do all this? Natsu told me that they support your people."
"No," Lisanna's states. "They know of our existence, but they don't know the extent of our powers."
"Probably for the best, I guess," Lucy hums. "What else?"
Well...I don't really know where to start." Lisanna pauses and Lucy can practically see the wheels turning in her mind. "Oh!" her eyes widen. "You remember Mr Dreyar? You're in his class, right?"
Lucy grimaces, but nods. She'd almost forgotten about him. She wondered if Natsu would tell him that she now knew about them?
"Yeah, I heard he's a Luxen too – explains a lot actually."
Lisanna looks disappointed that Lucy knew that fact too, but it was only for a single second, before her eyes flashed with happiness.
"You know our name too! That's great! How do you like it? Pretty, right?"
'It was,' Lucy had to admit. It sounded so, and not to be so on the nose but, out of this world. "It's beautiful, I love it."
Lisanna practically beams at that and then takes a sip of her orange juice. "Anyway, yes. Mr Dreyar – Laxus – he is one of us. He's also mine and Natsu's guardian, as well as the Redfox's."
That. That surprises Lucy and she straightens in her seat.
"The Redfox's too?"
"Yes, he just keeps us in line," Lisanna says and then adds a bit quieter, "keeps us safer." Lucy nods.
The room grows silent then and Lisanna seems to grow tenser.
"...Do you want to know about the Dakrum?"
By the quiver in her voice, Lucy can tell that Lisanna doesn't want to tell her and it makes her heart skip a beat. Dakrum. Why did she feel like she knew exactly who Lisanna was referring to?
It had to be the monsters she and Natsu had talked about last night. Monsters like that man that had attacked her outside the library.
Lucy hasn't answered yet and Lisanna seems to notice her state of mind, so she continues, her voice soft and careful.
"Natsu also told you what happened to our home?"
Lucy met her eyes and the sadness she saw there was more then unforgivable. "It...got destroyed." Even saying it out loud seemed wrong and selfish. "The Dakrum...I'm guessing they did it."
"They did."
Lisanna's eyes fogged up at some horrific memory Lucy suddenly wished they'd never brought up, before the silver-haired beauty shook her head and in a more composed voice said, "They're the opposite of us. Where we are made of light, they are made of darkness. The Dakrum, they envy us because of our pure power and seek to consume and destroy the Luxen." Lisanna shudders then and Lucy's eyes fall to her plate.
"It's barbaric," she breaths.
"Isn't it?" Lisanna agrees softly. "But sometimes I wonder if the Arum are just driven by a force they don't understand. Like animals."
"But you're not animals, Lisanna. It's not right."
Lisanna nods and a wistful looks falls over her face. "I'm so glad you know everything now. I'm happy I don't have to keep things from you anymore...I know it happened a long time ago, but I miss my home. My family and friends. I have Natsu, but..."
Lucy's heart shatters at Lisanna's words as feelings of her own loss bubble in her soul. She understood. To some extent, she understood.
Pushing herself off the counter, Lucy walks around to stand next to her friend and takes her hands. "I'm here too, L. It's okay."
Lisanna looks at their joined hands for a long time, before squeezing them in return. Pinprick tears linger on her lashes, tears that she quickly blinks away.
"Thank you, Lucy. Thanks for everything." Then she scoffs at herself. "It's actually crazy how you just appeared and now you know literally everything about us..." her hands squeeze again. "I just wish you hadn't been beaten up by that Dakrum."
Lucy shakes her head. "Well, thanks to your brother, I came out of it with barely any injuries. Could have been worse, yeah?"
"Yeah," Lisanna smiles, only slightly, before letting go of the others hands and takes their plates. "Anyway, as much as I'd love to tell you all my little secrets, you should probably go home. Your aunt might be worried about you."
Lucy bites her lip at that and turns to where the stairs are. "But, what about Natsu?" He was probably still asleep if her previous knowledge was on point. It was amazing to talk things out with Lisanna, but she had hoped to see Natsu this morning as well. "Shouldn't I wait to talk to him? After last night..."
Lisanna waved her off. "He'll probably only be up again this afternoon. Don't worry about it. We talked last night and I think he told you enough."
"Right..."
Lucy couldn't help but feel the rise of disappointment. Still, she would see him later. There was no point in him avoiding her now, since she knew everything. Maybe things might actually stay good between them.
"Maybe your right," Lucy sighs, before frowning. "Wait. How do we get the trace off me? Isn't it a beacon for the, uhh, Dakrum? I don't want to be a liability to you or Natsu."
Lisanna plops the dishes into the sink. "Oh, that? The trace will fade over time – now a bit longer since it's gotten stronger and all. Until then, stick with me or Natsu. Just to be safe."
"Isn't that counter-intuitive?" Lucy asks skeptically. "We don't want these guys to find you."
"But at least we can protect you this way. Don't worry, Natsu and I talked it over. One of us will always be with close to you."
"But..."
Lisanna looks back at her and smiles. A real smile and one that comforts Lucy's nerves.
"Trust us, Lucy. We'll be fine."
When Lucy gets home, she finds the note she left for Aquarius put away and then hears the sound of the shower going upstairs. At least her aunt was still here.
She wondered if she was angry with her? It was such a short notice thing.
Thinking it would be a good idea to do something nice for her aunt – and at the same time get her some brownie points, Lucy turns to the facet and begins to wash the dishes. There was a fair amount there and Lucy couldn't help but imagine how easy it would for the Dragneel to do small household chores. Yip, there was plenty to like.
By the time her aunt finishes showering and comes downstairs, Lucy is already putting away the last of the dishes.
"Lucy, you're back?" Aqua voices when she spots her niece in the kitchen. "And you washed all the dishes? Should I be worried?"
Lucy grins at her after she closes the cupboard. "No, I just felt a bit guilty just leaving for Natsu and Lisanna like that."
Aqua hums in understanding and then moves to switch on the kettle. "Don't be. I understand friend emergencies. What happened by the way, is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine."
"Fine?" her aunt's brow raises. "That's it?"
Lucy's words falter and clears her throat for time. She didn't want to lie to her aunt, but it wasn't her secret to tell. Plus, she'd made a promise and she had full intent on keeping it.
"Yeah, they're having some family drama. That's all." The guilt of lying to her aunt is strong, but at least it wasn't all totally false.
"Oh, that's too bad," the older women says. "I feel bad for them. I actually never see their parents around. I never understood how their parents could just let them live on their own like that. Though they do sometimes get a visit by that Dreyar man."
"He's a family friend," Lucy nods.
"Are you going to be heading back to their house later? Check in?"
She wanted to.
"I think so," Lucy smiles, and then presses her lips together. "Maybe. Probably, I'm not really sure."
Lisanna said to keep close to them, but did that mean that she was totally welcome to enter their house whenever? Lisanna probably was okay with it, but Natsu hadn't made that fact clear. And with everything that's happened, she didn't want to overstep too far.
Aqua gives her a confused look, but one honest smile from Lucy and she seems to shrug it off.
"Well, if you are, just know that I'm going out tonight."
Lucy perks up at the sing-songy tone in her aunt's voice. "Oh? What are you up to?"
Her aunt roles her eyes playfully at her nieces teasing tone. "Relax, kid. I'm just going to grab some coffee tonight with an old friend." Even if there was no evident flush, Lucy can still see the sparkle in her aunt's eyes and she smiles wider.
"You go auntie!"
Aqua laughs as she waves her off, another eye roll directed at her then too.
The rest of the day flies by in a blur, with Lucy's thoughts drifting to the Luxen and the Dakrum.
'I wonder what it's like to shape-shift? To get to choice what you want to be seen as. I'd probably get rid of my freckles...'
Lucy rolls her eyes at her own thoughts and focuses on her book again. She turns the page she's yet to even read and tries in vain to at least read the next one.
No use. Though, when you learn that aliens really do exist and that your neighbors are part of them, it was kinda hard not to focus on anything other than that topic.
'I mean – Aliens! They can sense what I feel,' Lucy thought and then wanted to sink between the pillows and vanish forever. She was not going to lie to herself. She knew she'd had some indecent thoughts about Natsu. Oh damn, Natsu! No wonder he was always smirking at her! Could he sense how attractive he was to her?
That's it, she was never going to be able to look him in the face again. Did he purposely not tell her that little ability?
Shaking her head, Lucy forced her eyes back on the page. 'Nope! No more overthinking! Read the book, Lucy. Read the book.'
"Alright, lets see," Lucy shifted better on the couch and focused on the words printed on the page.
A couple minutes flew by and all she could sum up was that she was maybe reading through the eyes of a women….but she couldn't be sure.
A loud knock on her front door pulls the blonde out of her thoughts and she mentally thanks whoever it is on the other side. It was obvious that this activity was going nowhere.
Almost too enthusiastically, Lucy hopped off the couch and ran over to the door, expecting to see Lisanna.
When she opened the door, she finds Natsu standing on her porch instead – wearing his trademark smirk.
"I didn't actually expect you to open the door," Natsu says cockily, but there's something in his voice that sounds a bit like relief, and suddenly the previous embarrassment she'd been feeling melts away. Instead, she just felt happy to see him. Here. Knocking on her door.
He wasn't avoiding her.
Smiling up at him, Lucy shrugs small-y. "Hm. Careful, I might still close the door on you."
Natsu's eyes light up a bit at her teasing tone and he leans his arm on the doorway side. "Nah, you're too polite to do that to me, kitten."
Lucy folds her arms and boldly cocks a blonde eyebrow. "You wanna bet?"
The pink-haired man huffs amusingly at her challenge, but shakes his head. "Maybe another time. We have more important things to do right now."
The words give Lucy a worried feeling and her arms slip back to her sides as she looks back at him. "Is everything okay? Do you want to come inside?"
Was there more that he hadn't told her? Were they in trouble?
Natsu catches on to her fears and chuckles. The easy sound takes some of the blonde's worries away, but not totally. She stares at him waitingly.
"Relax, kitten. You're fine," Natsu smiles at her and the fact that he could do that so easily in front of her now, is what makes Lucy ease up completely.
"Oh," she breaths. "Then what is it?"
Natsu then takes a step backwards and tilts his head towards the forest. "You and me? We've got somewhere to go, like, right now."
Lucy ignores the way her heart stutters at the words. It also wasn't fair how perfect he looked in the sunlight. Even in his human form, he still looked stupidly gorgeous. It wasn't fair. It was even better now that he wasn't being a total tool to her.
She'd probably regret this, but….
"Where are we going?"
Thanks for reading!