I just wanted to thank everyone so much for reading, following, and favouriting! It means so much to me that you are enjoying the story. A few housekeeping things, I use UK style English so there may be some u's in places you may not put them, such as colour vs color. No one has mentioned anything about this, but I just wanted to let you know in case you were confused.
Second, would you be interested in a one-shot showing how Lucy got with the boys? It takes place after the Oracion Seis arc, with a few changes in it. There will be some reference to the changes in the story, but if you'd be interested in a deeper retelling as to my changes and how it made the four come together, let me know and I'm happy to make that happen!
Now, onward with the story!
Letting the guild door shut behind her, Lucy made a beeline for her best friend's table. Beside her, Plue wobbled after his master, trying desperately to keep up with her. Lucy noticed her little friend and smiled as she bent down to pick him up, cradling him in her arms.
"Come on, Plue, let's go talk to Levy," Lucy smiled, placing a chaste kiss on the forehead of her little spirit.
"Pun punn" Plue cheered, making Lucy smile more as she made her way over to Levy, who was sitting with Droy and Jet as per usual.
"Hey Lev, how are you?" Lucy asked, as she came into earshot of her best friend.
"Lu!" Levy cheered, pushing her book to the side as she shuffled over the bench. "Take a seat, I was wondering when you'd get here." Levy said, smiling and patting the space next to her.
Smiling, Lucy took her friend's invitation and sat next to her, placing her little friend on her lap. She heard the voices of her mates as they entered and focused on keeping her face impassive, so the huge grin didn't break out just from hearing their voices. She'd never live that one down.
"How is the novel going?" Levy asked, a bright smile on her face as she clasped her friend's hand. "I can't wait for the next chapter!"
Lucy laughed and pulled her friend into a hug, glad that any lingering awkwardness between them had evaporated. "It's coming, I think this one will be a fight scene, but I can't give too much away!" Lucy said, miming zipping her lips.
"Oh, come on Lu, you can so, I won't tell anyone, and they won't either," Levy said, turning to grin at her teammates, "Right guys?"
The effect was instantaneous. A deep flush affixed itself to both boys' cheeks, their movements gaining a franticness that was missing before. "Of course, we won't," Droy said, moving his hands in front of his chest in a manic manner. "We'd never do that toy you Lev- I mean Lucy," Jet said, wincing at the slip of his tongue.
Lucy smirked as she raised her eyebrow at the two boys, amused at their antics. She knew they both had a thing for her best friend, but it appears the feelings had grown and if she was being honest with herself, it was adorable. Just as she was about to comment, however, a metallic cup was placed in front of her, with a big black straw. Looking up with wide eyes, the blonde wrapped her hand around it and stuck the straw between her lips, sucking deeply. Laxus's eyes darkened at her movement, his eyes fixed on the straw between her lips. "My favourite!" Lucy cheered, moving the straw from her mouth, and placing it down on the table. Lucy threw herself at her blonde boyfriend, her arms not even able to wrap fully around him. He chuckled as he hugged the petite blonde back, placing a chaste kiss on the top of her head as he did so.
"Are we forgiven?" he asked, amusement colouring his tone.
Lucy looked up at him and nodded her head repeatedly, reminding Laxus of the bobble heads sold in the gift store. "Thank you very much, I'm sorry I've been grumpy today, but in my defence you two are both incorrigible perverts," Lucy said, raising her head and folding her arms under her chest, making her breasts swell. A fact that was not missed by her blonde boyfriend.
Laxus raised his eyes brown and smirked, bending down so he could whisper in her ear. "And don't you forget it blondie, you make us crazy." he whispered, licking the shell of her ear, and moving back slowly, a lecherous grin on his face.
Lucy's face was doing a fantastic impression of a tomato as she glared and huffed, muttering about why she attracts perverts under her breath. Laxus chuckled and patted her head, messing up her hair. "Laxus!" Lucy whined in indignation, only making the blonde man chuckle more.
"Gramps has an announcement soon, I'm going to go see my team for a bit, but I'll come see you after. " he smiled at Lucy, the smile that he reserved for her. Lucy melted and nodded, a love-struck expression on her face. "See you later, Levy," Laxus said, smiling at the bluenette, "Droy, Jet," he added, nodding at them before striding away, his cloak billowing behind him.
Once Levy felt it was safe to comment, she did. "Okay, what was that about?" she teased her friend, elbowing her gently in the side.
"Droy, let's go grab a drink. Want an Ice tea Levy?" Jet said to his male friend, before turning to the solid script mage.
"Yes please, peach-"
"Peach Ice tea with a squeeze of lemon, we know," Droy said, smiling fondly.
"Thanks guys," Levy said, a small dusting of pink on her cheeks.
Without another word the boys were off, leaving Lucy smirking in an eerie resemblance to her boyfriends, at her best friend. "Okay, what was that about?" The blonde teased, purposefully using the same words her friend did moments before.
The blush darkened and Levy averted her eyes, twiddling her hands as she looked at her book longingly. "I have no idea what you mean, and we were talking about you and Laxus," she said, trying to move the conversation back.
"Laxus and Gajeel were being perverts, nothing new." Lucy said, knowing her friend wouldn't answer until she did. "I answered, now it's your turn. Spill." Lucy said, leaning on her propped-up hand.
Levy groaned, her head hitting the book she laid out carefully before her. Other members looked over, Cana smirked with a raised brow, Mira looked over with slight concern and Gajeel smirked at the two girls, hearing the conversation perfectly. Lucy looked over, feeling her partner's eyes on her. She narrowed her eyes and pulled on the thread that connected them, pulling on Laxus's for good measure. Don't you dare listen in; this is private girl talk. She said, her mental voice laced with warning. Gajeel smirked and raised his hands in mock surrender, turning back to his drink while his and Laxus's amusement flowed through their bond.
Sure, Bunny Gajeel thought, at the same time Laxus's mental voice called out Only for your blondie.
Satisfied, the blonde bombshell disconnected herself, and pulled up a mental barrier around her mind, ensuring the boys wouldn't be able to eavesdrop on her mind. She could practically feel their annoyance, but they respected her enough to not try to remove it, knowing she was happy that she finally had her best friend back. After the awkwardness of Gajeel realising that she was his mate, while dating Levy, things had been tense, but they were finally going back to normal.
"Come on Lev, it's just me. Do you have feelings for them both?" Lucy coaxed, smiling gently at her friend, and Plue snuggled deeper into her lap.
Levy looked at her, opened her mouth a few times and shut it, unsure what to say. "This stays between us, promise me Lu?" Levy said, her eyes serious.
Lucy smiled and nodded, capturing her friend's pinkie finger with hers. "I've blocked the boys from my mind so they can't read it, however I can't promise Erik won't. I can promise that I will not be telling any of them." Lucy said, knowing the guilt she felt whenever she saw her friend would flare if she dared break her promise.
"Okay, so yes, I do have feelings for them both," she started, looking up shyly at Lucy. Lucy squealed as quietly as she could, before hugging her best friend and smiling widely.
"That's great, Lev! When did you realise?" Lucy gushed, holding her friend's hands between hers.
"After Gajeel and I broke up-" Levy started, stopping when she saw the guilt tattooed on her best friend's face. "Lu-Chan, look at me." she said seriously, making Lucy do as she was told. "I'm not upset with you, I don't blame you, heck, it was me that made you give in and date him. I love you like a sister and I want you happy, plus my feelings for him are gone now, so no more looking upset okay, it makes me feel upset too." Levy said, smiling at Lucy.
Lucky looked up and smiled, another layer of guilt peeling off with her friend's words. "Okay, thank you Lev-Chan, I'm-" seeing the pointed look she gave her, Lucy changed her topic. "What made you realise you had feelings for them both?" Lucy decided to ask instead, her friend nodding at her with approval.
"After Gajeel broke up with me, I was upset. Droy and Jet spent every second they could with me, cheering me up, buying my favourite foods, even going on a mission without me to help me pay my rent. Eventually I realised what I'd been avoiding for so long, that I have feelings for them both." Levy said, her voice changing from firm to soft as shyness took over.
"How come you haven't told them yet?" Lucy asked, looking at her friend with wide eyes. Even a blind person could see how smitten the two boys were with her, so it couldn't have been fear of rejection that stopped her.
"I know some people date multiple people, like you for example, but that's because of the mate bond. - I guess I'm scared of what people will say. Dating two guys isn't normal, and I'm scared what the guild will say." Levy confessed, looking up at Lucy with teary eyes.
"Oh Lev," Lucy said, hugging her friend and whispering in her ear. "It doesn't matter if it's because of a mate bond or love, if you want to be with both of them then do it. Our Nakama won't judge, and even if they do, who cares? You'll be with the men you love; it shouldn't matter." The blonde pulled away, holding her friend's hands in both of hers. "Besides, they will have to deal with me if they say anything, and my boys too." Lucy said, her eyes getting a flinty quality.
Levy looked up, warmth and sisterly affection radiating from her body. "Thanks Lu, will you help me tell them? I- I want to make it special." Levy said, smiling shyly.
"Of course! We can have dinner at my apartment and then I can leave for a bit for you to confess," Lucy said, smiling happily, her heart practically bursting with happiness.
"Sounds perfect Lu, thank you." levy said, squeezing her friend's hand before turning back to face the table.
Right as she did that, the two boys hesitantly walked over, a look of caution on their faces. "Can we come back now? We didn't want to interrupt…" Droy started, as Jet placed the drink in front of Levy.
"Yet totally fine, thanks so much." Levy said, smiling happily at the two guys.
The boys sat down and the four lapsed into a calm conversation. The boys kept frowning imperceptibly as they looked at Levy with concern, hoping she was okay. Lucy noticed, and it took everything in her not to swoon, their concern adorable. Gradually they loosened up and could joke around again once they saw Levy was okay.
"And then the librarian said-" Droy started, as Jet chuckled beside him.
"Alright you brats, announcement time so come around!" Master Makarov called out, interrupting Droy mid conversation.
The four looked at each other and walked over to the centre of the guild where everyone was standing around. Lucy looked up and saw the S class wizards flanking the master, Erza, Mira and even Gildarts on one side, with Gajeel, Mystogan and Laxus on the other. Lucy felt sadness erupt in her heart seeing that Erik was missing but sculpted her expression into a smile when Gajeel and Laxus caught her eyes.
"Alright brats, as you know we now have 7 S class Mages, the most of any guild." Cheers went up as everyone basked in the fact that their guild was the best, this fact being the one to prove it. "Everyone settle down this instant," Titania called out, her piercing glare making everyone stop immediately.
"Thank you Erza. so, as you can see, we have Erza, the Titania," cheers went up once again, until the redhead glared at everyone. "Mirajane, the She-devil," once again everyone cheered excitedly. "The Ace, Gildarts," even Erza couldn't stop the excited cheers this time, as Gildarts laughed and threw his hands out either side to the guild.
"And on this side, we have Black Steel, Gajeel, The Lightning Beast, Laxus and Mr Mysterious himself, Mystogan!" Once again cheers were heard, Lucy's the loudest of all, making her men smirk with pride. "And as you all know, Erik, the Cobra Snake Charmer is away on a mission." This time the cheers were noticeably louder, all glad the ex-black mage was gone. Lucy however frowned and pouted, the action not missed by her two slayers.
"What does this have to do with anything, old man?" Cana shouted, making everyone else cheer as well.
"Silence, you brats!" Makarov called, and everyone shushed. "We were supposed to have S Class trials this coming month but since we have so many S class members and other guilds have barely any, a change has been mandated." everyone talked amongst themselves, their confused words mixing.
"In honour of our alliance against the Orarion Seis, each guild will have a mini trial to see who will compete, with a 4-group team being put forward to compete against the other guilds. The winning guild can decide whether they want to have a battle between the team to have one winner or name the entire team S Class and have them remain in a team together. If Fairy Tail wins, we cannot compete in the next race."
Immediately people talked again, the excitement contagious. "Quiet brats, we have not finished yet!"
"Each S Class member is allowed to put forward up to 4 members that they think have what it takes to be S Class, the only rule is there can't be bias," his gaze drifted to Gajeel and Laxus who rolled their eyes. "We will start with Gildarts and make our way around. Gildarts, the floor is yours,"
Gildarts walked forward and crossed his arms, staring at the group. "Alright everyone, this will be short and sweet. My nominees are as follows, Macao, Bickslow, Elfman and Cana." immediately the mentioned got up, Cana having the most gazed expression on her face. Tears leaked out of her eyes, but she blinked, instead basking in the congratulations everyone called out.
Gildarts stood back, and Mira took his place. "My nominees for this are, Natsu," she was interrupted by him yelling out his signature catch phrase. "Gray," he stripped and shouted out a challenge to Natsu, the resulting fight only stopped by Erza's glare. "Juvia and Evergreen." she smiled softly and stepped back, letting the nominees bask in their glory.
Erza stepped forward and pinned everyone with a glare. "Alright. My nominees are as follows, Bisca," the girl practically fainted when her idol called out her name. "Levy and Laki," The two girls looked up and excitement, thrilled that their names were called. "I am only nominating three."
Laxus stepped forward, a cocky grin on his face. "Bose, Sue, Totomaru and Jet." Laxus stepped back, making everyone erupt into conversation. Yea, the rest of element four and some of Phantom Lord had joined their guilt after the Phantom Lord Saga, with Toto working part-time as a magic teacher but never did they think Laxus would put them forward, especially Jet who was a 'weaker' member, or was before his training. Laxus stepped back, letting Gajeel come forward.
"Sol, Wakaba, Droy and Alzack." he quickly stepped back, not one for the limelight. Once again people were unsure about nominating Sol, a member who joined them during the Nirvana debacle, but they trusted his judgement.
Makarov stepped forward, "Cobra will not be making any nominees, due to just having his S class license affirmed. Mystogan has not wanted to speak so I will read his three nominees out..." Clearing his throat, Makarov started.
"Nab Lasaro, Max Alors, and last but certainly not least, Miss Lucy Heartfilia."
Not giving anyone a moment to cheer, Makarov continued. "The battle will be in one month, and you will all be allowed an hour training session with each of the 7 S-Class Mages, and one with me. Now, let's celebrate!"
I hope you all enjoyed it! I know I look some liberties with members, but I figured if Gajeel and Juvia were allowed back in then the other members would be. Next chapter a certain poison slayer will be back, Levy will get her dinner and training will begin! I hope you guys enjoyed it and stay safe!