Chapter 1: Baby Powder
When Lucy stepped out of the shower that morning, she dried herself and picked up her favorite bottle of baby powder from Burt's Bees. In the humid weather of a Crocus summer, her skin got extremely dry and itchy. So, like any normal adult, she used baby powder. On that Friday, however, she shook the bottle to find it empty. Lucy groaned.
"I guess it's time to visit my favorite neighborhood supermarket!" She sighed.
Target, as usual, was packed. Lucy tried to discreetly walk into the baby section without looking like a weird adult and was relieved to find no one there. She started to quickly pick up the powder until someone behind her cleared their throat. She froze.
"Ma'am, are ya okay? You've kinda been standing there with that bottle in your hand for a while..."
Lucy immediately composed herself. Why did that voice sound so familiar? "Oh yes, I'm fine. I'll excuse myself now," she nervously laughed. She started to leave, without the powder in hand.
"Ma'am, are ya not getting the baby powder?"
"Haha... yeah... guess I forgot it."
"Whatcha getting it for?"
Lucy internally freaked out. She hoped this man wasn't one of those parents who thought that an adult woman shouldn't be using baby powder. She considered her options: she could admit the truth, or she could lie. She chose the latter. "Umm... I have... a baby?"
The man snorted, seemingly unimpressed. Lucy whirled around. That was rude, even though her lie wasn't very convincing. She was about to give this man a piece of her mind until she noticed the tan skin, sharp jawline, and grinning face, although his signature pink (or was it salmon?) hair was stuck in a hoodie. "N-NATSU DRAGNEEL?"
"Shh! Keep it down, I don't want anyone 'ta know I'm here."
"Y-You're Natsu Dragneel?" Lucy stammered.
"Yep, that's me!" He replied.
Lucy couldn't believe it. The Natsu Dragneel, lead singer of Fairy Tail, Heartfilia Records' newest sign-on and Lucy's favorite band, was standing right before her eyes. And yes, you heard that right- Heartfilia Records. Lucy's father, Jude, was a music industry tycoon. His label housed some of the most popular bands and artists, including the Raijinshuu, the Strauss Siblings, Loke, and Jellal Fernandes. Recently, they had signed on up-and-coming alternative rock band Fairy Tail, and their first album was already a hit.
Lucy was dazed, to say the least. Natsu took the opportunity to finally get a good look at her and was surprised to find that he recognized her face. "Wait, are ya our new manager? Lu... Lu somethin'. Was it Luigi? Our label exec showed us a picture of ya," he questioned.
Oh. Did she forget to mention that?
Lucy had finally managed to convince her father that it was high time she started working in the label. Jude insisted that Lucy could just take over the label one day, but she wanted to understand all the inner workings of the business and work her way up. Upon hearing that they were planning on signing her favorite band Fairy Tail, Lucy took up the job of being their manager.
"First of all, it's Lucy. LU-CY," she replied. "And yes... I'm your new manager. It's nice to meet you, Natsu." Lucy brought out her hand in a motion of greeting.
Natsu grinned and shook her hand. "It's nice 'ta meet ya too, Luce," he said. Before she could reply, however, he followed up with "But ya never told me what you were gonna use that baby powder for."
Lucy groaned. Why was he so insistent on knowing? She felt like Natsu would continue to bother her if he didn't, so she just came out with the truth. "Look, I know it might be weird since I'm an adult, but I have really dry skin and get extremely itchy during humid summers in Crocus. It's really the best solution," she explained.
Natsu laughed.
"Hey- Why are you laughing!? It's a real problem!" Lucy said.
"No, it's just that I use baby powder too," he admitted. "For the same reason. I dunno why people think it's so weird for adults 'ta use it. Dry skin sucks ass."
"Oh my god, finally, someone gets me!" Lucy pumped up her fisted hand in victory.
Natsu laughed again. "You're kinda a weird girl, Luce. I think it's gonna be really fun 'ta have ya as our manager," he said.
"I'm really excited to be your manager, too," she smiled. "And hey, I'm not weird!"
"Weirdo!" Natsu teased.
"Says the guy who asked a random stranger what they're using baby powder for," she retorted.
"Touché."
"Anyways... I was planning on introducing myself to everyone tomorrow at the label office. I guess I'll see you there?"
"Oh yeah, the exec mentioned somethin' about a Saturday meeting," he remembered. "Can't wait for ya 'ta meet the rest of the band."
"Yep! I have to go now," Lucy said as she glanced down at her phone screen for the time. "See you tomorrow!" She bounded off.
"See ya then!" Natsu waved. This record deal just got even more interesting.
The next day, as Lucy was walking towards the label office, she found herself getting nervous. She was meeting one of the current hottest bands and was going to manage them. It was her first time managing too! What if she wasn't good enough? What if the band members didn't like her? Lucy quickly shrugged these thoughts off. She was prepared for this. She was the label owner's daughter, for heaven's sake! As an added plus, she knew Natsu had her back now, and he was the lead singer.
Lucy turned the corner and stopped at the extravagant Heartfilia Records building. As one of the most successful labels in the music industry, the building was one of majestic grandeur. She opened the shiny glass door and walked inside, greeting Kinana, the receptionist. Kinana directed her towards a small room attached to a recording studio, already knowing why Lucy was there. Lucy took a deep breath and walked inside.
"Natsu, Gray, stop fighting and sit down. Gajeel, stop brooding in the corner. We need to look respectable for our new manager," she heard a woman's authoritative voice order.
"Jeez, chill out woman. It's our manager, not the goddamn President," someone replied.
"Gajeel, I swear to god I will kick your sorry ass from here to Antarctica and back," the woman said, clearly irritated.
Lucy coughed and three heads turned to face her. She figured it was now or never. "Um… hello?"
Immediately, a beautiful scarlet-haired woman came into view as she scrambled to force everyone onto the couch in the middle of the room. "Hello," she replied smoothly as if nothing had happened. "You must be our manager?"
"Y-Yes, that's me. Nice to meet you, I'm Lucy Heartfilia." Lucy said cautiously.
"No need to be nervous, Lucy. I'm Erza Scarlet. It's a pleasure to be working with you," said Erza.
Of course, Lucy already knew who she was. Erza Scarlet, popularly known as Fairy Tail's "Titania," was a living legend. She was a pioneer in the music industry as one of the first women in the alternative rock scene. She was also the first woman to play an instrument- the drums- rather than sing. Even though she was not the lead singer of Fairy Tail, she was the most popular member because of her stage presence, talent, and beauty. Her scarlet hair captured the eyes of many.
Lucy almost melted right there. Erza was one of her idols and she had looked up to her since she had become a fan of the band. It was admirable how she managed to stand on an equal level, if not higher, with men in a predominantly male industry.
"Boys, introduce yourself," ordered Erza.
Natsu jumped up first out of excitement. "Hi, Luce! I'm Natsu Dragneel… but of course, ya already know that," he winked.
Lucy giggled. "Nice to see you again too, Natsu," she said.
As mentioned before, Natsu Dragneel was the lead singer of Fairy Tail. His boyish looks, unordinary hair, and intoxicating smile made him the perfect image for a frontman. He had a versatile voice that ranged four octaves and could sing in many styles. Although he didn't look like it, he was well known for experimenting with different genres of music by incorporating them into the band's songs, stemming from his classical background playing the violin and piano. He occasionally played these instruments on stage or for songs. It was an established fact amongst fans that Natsu was a cat person. His Instagram was full of pictures of him and his cat Happy (mostly his cat).
"How do ya even know bunny girl, Salamander? Girls always run away from ya," laughed a tattooed, pierced man.
Lucy sweatdropped. Salamander? Bunny girl?
"Shut your trap Gajeel. You're the least popular member because ya look scary," countered Natsu. For Lucy's reference, Natsu added "That's Gajeel Redfox. He's lame."
"Uh… pleased to meet you, Gajeel…" Lucy trailed off. It was typical for artists to have many tattoos in the industry, but Gajeel was still slightly intimidating with all his metal piercings and big build. However, as a fan of the band, Lucy knew that he was nowhere near as scary as he looked. Gajeel Redfox, nicknamed Fairy Tail's "Black Steel Gajeel," played the guitar. It was ironic that he was called "Black Steel," Lucy thought, since his guitar was actually sleek white. Like Natsu, Gajeel was a huge cat person. His cat Pantherlily was a frequent appearance on the band's live streams and official Instagram (it's how the fans knew he was secretly a big softie).
The remaining member of Fairy Tail stood up to introduce himself. "I'm Gray Fullbuster. Ignore the other two, they're dumb," he said. Lucy smiled at him in response. At this point, she figured that Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel's dynamic was always like this.
Gray Fullbuster was the band's bass guitarist. His bass was a deep navy blue color, fitting for his reputation as an "ice king." He and Natsu both worked together while making songs- Natsu composed, and he wrote the lyrics. As one might expect, Gray's silky black hair, handsome face, and habit of never having his shirt on when performing on stage ("Other people in rock bands do it too, it's not weird!" He claimed) earned him lots of fans. Many declared that his voice was, and Lucy quotes, "as deep as that bass guitar."
"I'm… a really big fan of the band," confessed Lucy. "I'll work hard to be a great manager for everyone."
"Thank you, Lucy," Erza said gratefully.
Lucy smiled so wide that her face hurt.
Yes, I put Erza in the band. Queen deserves to be. I've read a decent amount of band fics and I don't understand why every member has to be a guy (they usually insert Jellal or Laxus, even though they have their own squads). In my opinion, Erza is way closer to the three main boys of FT. She's a main member herself!
This is my first multi-chapter story. More characters are going to be introduced in further chapters, I promise.
Sorry for disappearing for like, 2 years. I wanted to finish this story before posting but it took too long so I'm posting after having about six chapters done.
Thanks for reading!