Chapter 20: The Ambush

Lucy Heartfilia was in the middle of making pancakes in her kitchen when she heard a knock on her main door. She frowned slightly, finding it strange. She presumed that Laxus Dreyar had already left the apartment building because he had told her the night before that he planned to leave early to go to the magic guild.

"Just a minute!" she hollered as the knocking continued. She quickly scooped the pancakes one at a time from the cooking pan with a spatula and dropped them onto the plate on the kitchen counter. Then, she switched off the stove and wiped her hands on her apron.

Making her way to the main door, she fluffed her bangs and made sure that her hair wasn't messy. Then, she grabbed the doorknob and yanked it open.

"Hello, Lucy."

Her jaw dropped. Standing in the apartment hallway were Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen. They were all crossing their arms over their chests, looking rather stern.

"H-hey, you guys," stammered Lucy, backing away as the Thunder Legion started entering her apartment without waiting for her invitation. "What's up?"

"Apologies for coming up here without prior notice," said Freed without a trace of sincerity. "But we would like to have a word with you."

"You got time, don't you?" asked Bickslow, although it didn't sound like a question in Lucy's opinion.

"Why don't we sit down over there?" suggested Evergreen, pointing at the couch.

"S-sure," said Lucy, feeling confused. "Would you like some pancakes? I just made some—"

"Gratitude, but that isn't necessary," said Freed, walking over to her.

Sensing that the letter magic user wasn't stopping his tracks, Lucy continued to back away from him until she tripped and fell back onto the couch. His hostile expression made her flinch.

The two other members of the Thunder Legion stood beside Freed moments later, glaring down at her.

"What's with you, guys?" cried Lucy, leaning her back against the couch.

"We just want to know what your real intentions with our Laxus," seethed Freed, bending over and looming her face over the celestial mage.

"We hope you're not just some floozy trying to hurt his feelings," said Evergreen coldly.

I see. I get it now, she thought to herself. In front of her were her lover's closest friends and, judging by their aggressive disposition, his fierce bodyguards.

But their attempt to intimidate her will not work. She was neither playing around with Laxus, nor was she doing anything shady. On the contrary, she genuinely cared about him—more than she was willing to admit. If they thought differently, then they couldn't be more wrong.

"Look, I get it," she told them, fixing them a stony glare. "You're all trying to protect him. But Laxus and I are dating, and I'm serious about my feelings for him." She gripped at her celestial gate keys inside the pocket of her apron. "If you think I'm fooling around, or you simply disapprove of our relationship, then that's not my problem. I'm willing to fight all of you if I have to!"

Freed stepped back from her abruptly, his expression surprised. Evergreen and Bickslow also appeared to be stunned. Then, they all looked at each other in silence.

Lucy pulled out her celestial gate keys. She knew that she was no match for them, but she had to try. She was prepared to summon Loke, her strongest celestial spirit. "Open, Gate of the—!"

But she couldn't finish her sentence. The Thunder Legion had stepped forward and hugged her tightly, squeezing the air out of her. She yelped in surprise.

"Oh, Lucy! We're sorry for ever doubting you," cried Evergreen, sniffling.

Wait, what?

"Please forgive us," begged Freed. "We have no intentions of fighting you."

"You do smell like pancakes though," remarked Bickslow, sniffing her hair.

"Okay, you three, please let go," gasped Lucy, astonished. "I-I can't breathe."

The Thunder Legion pulled away from her and smiled genuinely, their hostility and aggression dissipating before her eyes.

The fairy magic user was wiping her eyes. "I can't believe our Laxus is going to get married soon," she sniffled dramatically.

"Wait a sec!" retorted Lucy, frowning. "No one's talking about a wedding—!"

"Did you hear that, Freed? There's going to be a wedding soon," the seith magic user sighed.

Weren't they listening? "Hey. That's not what I said—!"

"Lucy, you should lose some weight first," the letter magic user remarked solemnly, rubbing his chin.

She gaped at the three of them. "That's—that's just mean!" she spluttered, clenching her fists and waving them in the air.

"Oi, what do you think you three are doing to her?"

Laxus Dreyar's deep voice had suddenly thundered across the room. It was the Thunder Legion's turn to flinch. They quickly spun around and looked at their leader; he was glaring at them from the doorway.

"Laxus, it's fine," said Lucy, her expression softening at the sight of the lightning mage. She walked over to him and gave him a brief hug. Then, she smiled shyly at the rest of her comrades. "They're not doing anything to me."

"R-right," stammered Evergreen, waving her hand and laughing nervously. "We're just paying Lucy a visit, that's all!"

Freed frowned at Evergreen, then he bowed at Laxus. "Forgive us, Laxus," he said gravely. "We didn't mean to cause any inconvenience to your beloved. We are leaving now."

"But what about those pancakes?" asked Bickslow, rubbing the back of his neck.

Laxus glanced at Lucy, his eyebrows rising. "You made pancakes?"

The celestial mage grinned at him. "Yeah, and I plan on making some more. How about we all eat breakfast together? What do you say?"

Her lover grinned back and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds nice." Then, he turned to the Thunder Legion. "Do you three like pancakes?"

"Oh, yes, we love them!"

"Pancakes sound divine."

"Yeah, I like pancakes!"

Smiling, Lucy gestured for them to wait on the couch and then headed over to the kitchen to make some more pancakes.

Ah, what a troublesome group. They sure take after their leader.