Chapter 16: Old Comrades

The return trip to Crocus certainly wasn't a pleasant experience for Laxus Dreyar. For one, he had to ride in a carriage for an hour with a lethargic Lucy Heartfilia to get to the train station. Then, he had to endure another three hours of sitting on a moving train. Fortunately, he had his sound pod with him; the music helped him manage his nausea a bit during the entire journey.

"That was one heck of a ride, huh?" Lucy yawned as they finally walked toward the lively streets of Crocus. "Say, did I practically sleep throughout the trip?"

"Yeah," Laxus responded casually, straightening his coat. "You made me serve as a pillow."

"You're hardly a pillow, big guy—ugh, why does my body hurt all over?" she grumbled, stretching her arms and then grimacing.

Laxus grinned to himself and draped an arm around her, his thoughts drifting to last night's memory. Although he had wanted to seduce her again this morning, Lucy didn't give him a chance. She had nagged about returning to Crocus for Sorcerer Magazine.

"So, what time do you meet up with that guy who yells cool all the time?" he asked.

"Jason said the shoot would start at two o'clock," she replied. Then, she looked up at the sky. "It's barely noon, so I still have time to prepare."

"You should probably look for a new apartment afterward," he told her, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Why should I do that when I like my apartment?"

He cleared his throat, bracing himself. "Yeah, about that… I kind of wrecked it yesterday. You know—when it all happened."

Her eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me!" she gasped, tugging at his coat. "All my writing stuff, my clothes, and—"

"They're all still there, I think," he assured her. "I can't say the same for you tiny door and furniture though."

"Laxus!"

"Look, I'm sorry. I'll help you look for a new apartment, all right? Let's just get your stuff out of there, and I'll pay the owner for the damages."

"Where will I put all my stuff in the meantime? I don't have time to look for an apartment right now." The blonde girl started to panic. "I have to prepare for my photoshoot. Otherwise, I won't get paid."

"Relax, Missy," he told her patiently. "We can put all your stuff in my room at the hotel."

But Lucy continued with her tirade as if it was going to solve her problems. He was tempted to put on his sound pod again but chose not to as he knew it would only make things worse for him. Mavis, she sure sounded like Gramps.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"I'm hanging on to every word."

She began whining about the possibility of losing her manuscripts and starting all over again that it made him feel uncomfortable. Was she planning to guilt him all the way to her apartment?

"I'm sure they're fine, Lucy…"

"You don't know that. What if they're—?"

Having had enough, Laxus placed both his hands on her face and turned it to face him. Lucy looked surprised and then stopped in midsentence. He bent over to her, noting the faint blush on her cheeks. Before she could say anything, he pressed his lips against hers, ignoring the people's startled glances and whistles.

"Well, this is a surprise," came a familiar drawl.

Laxus felt Lucy hastily jump and push his shoulders to break the kiss. He turned his head and saw four pairs of eyes looking back at them. His eyebrows rose. Cana, Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen stood several meters away from them, smiling with an amused expression on their faces.

"You guys!" Lucy shrieked. "You're all here!"

The Thunder God Tribe came barreling toward Laxus. Then, they hugged him. Lucy and Cana also ran toward each other and then clasped their hands together, bursting into a fit of giggles.

"Hibiki contacted us through his telepathy," Evergreen said in a worried tone moments later. "He told us everything. They're on their way to investigate our client, but he had asked us not to get involved."

"I still think that we should teach that man a lesson," Freed snapped. "He played us for fools after we rescued his precious little cup!"

"Yeah, we wanted to pay him a visit," Bickslow agreed, slamming his fist into his palm. "But we wanted to wait for you first."

"Believe me, I would have gone there and finished that guy if it weren't for Ichiya," Laxus growled, his expression darkening. "He didn't want me to get involved either."

"Since when have you ever listened to Ichiya, Laxus?" Evergreen asked, raising an eyebrow.

Laxus was silent for a moment. "He helped save Lucy," he finally responded. All eyes were on him now, and he could feel the heat rising to his face. "What the hell are you all looking at me like that for?"

"Wow, so you've fallen for blondie here, huh?" Cana drawled, slinging her arm around Lucy's shoulders. She turned to smile at the celestial mage and leaned her face close to her. "Good job, Luce."

Lucy tried to squirm out of the brunette's arm. "What are you talking about, Cana? Hey, let go!" She glanced at Laxus, looking nervous, and then glared back at Cana as if daring her to say any more.

"Why don't we all head back to the hotel for lunch?" Evergreen suggested to Laxus.

"Lucy and I need to run an errand, but we won't be long," Laxus told her. "We'll meet you guys back in the hotel."

"Where are you guys heading?" Bickslow asked, grinning broadly.

"That's none of our business, Bickslow," Freed hissed. "If Laxus says we'll meet him back in the hotel, then we should follow his wish."

Cana finally removed her arm from Lucy and walked over to Freed. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her body against his. "Say, Freed, since you stole me away from Bacchus, you should at least buy me a drink in the hotel, yeah?"

Laxus watched as his most devoted comrade tried to push Cana away, although not that hard. Now, this is a surprise.

Lucy was gaping at them, too. Then, she let out a chuckle. "Wow, this is an interesting development!"

"It's not what it looks like!" Freed said quickly, still trying to wriggle his body free from Cana. "Laxus, you have to believe me—!"

"Oh, Freed, don't get all flustered," Cana teased. "Weren't you so pissed off yesterday when you saw me with Bacchus?"

"So, what exactly happened?" Lucy asked curiously. "I thought you and Bacchus were dating?"

The brunette turned to her and grinned. "Yeah, well, I decided to prefer guys with a more chivalrous nature."

Everyone was laughing now and Freed finally relented, letting Cana kiss him on the cheek.