Lucy woke in the morning to the sound of the door clicking shut. She groaned, burying her face back in her pillow in a weak attempt to go back to sleep. Natsu's answering chuckle reverberated through her, making her aware that he was once more pressed up against her back, arms holding her close. In any other scenario, she would have pushed him away and shooed him out of the room hours ago. And yet the block of ice deep in her belly had finally begun to melt last night, leaving her worn-out and in desperate need of something to eat.
"Who was that?" She grumbled, legs brushing past Natsu's and stretching to their fun length, shaking slightly as her muscles shrieked in protest.
He reluctantly released her, missing the touch of her body against his as she continued to stretch her heavy limbs. "Erza. She's determined to have all of us in the living room like, now. You up for that?"
Lucy groaned again, rolling to the side and pushing herself up to a sitting position. "Yeah, as ready as I'll ever be. There better be food there; I'm starving."
Natsu grinned, tumbling out of bed himself and grabbing his scarf from by the fire. "I smell something yummy out there. I haven't eaten in forever!"
"Don't you dare eat everything before I get there!" Lucy laughed, coming to the realization that she probably needed to put pants on before joining the others. "And I have a feeling that you ate a lot more recently that I have."
Natsu rolled his eyes, waiting impatiently by the door as Lucy scrounged around through Erza's pile of things. Finally she found a pair of sweatpants sticking out of a bag, and she grabbed that and a hairbrush, making her way towards the bathroom. She waved at Natsu, quietly wondering why he was still there. "Go on, I'll be out soon."
He waited until she disappeared into the bathroom, and then he reluctantly pushed open the door, stepping into the too bright living room. He squinted, blinking furiously as his eyes adjusted to the change. A familiar snort came from across the room, the ice princess probably laughing at his sudden blindness.
Natsu inhaled deeply, taking in the scents of everyone in the room while he was still unable to fully see them. Gray was near the fire, as were Evia and Erza. Lucy's friend Smack stood by the door, his smell lingering near the food filling the room with a delicious aroma.
His vision finally cleared enough as his nose caught the final scent, a familiar smell he knew as well as his own. He grinned, locking eyes with the young Dragon Slayer sitting on a couch, long hair pulled back in pigtails, still clad in the same nightgown she'd worn for about two weeks now. "Glad to see ya up and about." Wendy beamed, leaping up and throwing herself at Natsu. He caught her with a grunt, ruffling her hair and messing it up. "What's this for?"
"I dunno," she mumbled against his scarf, his chest still lacking a shirt. "I'm just happy to see you." Then she pulled away, still glowing. "Mak brought up breakfast, but you might wanna wait until Lucy comes out. I know she's just as hungry as you are."
"Yeah yeah," he muttered, plopping down on an empty couch and ignoring the curious looks from the others.
"How is Lucy?" Evia asked, somehow bright and alert despite the late hours they had spent talking.
Natsu shrugged, staring longingly at the steaming platters of food. "She's fine. Good. Uh, she's just in the bathroom so she shouldn't be too much longer."
The moment his mouth closed, Lucy stepped into the room, hair pulled back into a messy ponytail and grey sweatpants hanging loosely from her hips. She wore the same green tank top she'd slept in, and Natsu watched her shoulders shiver and arms become covered in goosebumps.
"Lucy!" Three voices exclaimed as one. She stepped backwards under the excitement, smile breaking when the Sky Maiden threw herself forward once more. The two girls hugged each tightly, laughing and crying.
"Wendy, I was so worried about you!"
"Oh thank you Lucy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Gray rolled his eyes at the waterworks, unable to hide his own grin. Erza stood, making her way toward the tearful blonde. Lucy glanced up from Wendy just in time to get a face full of Erza's chest, the requip mage hugging her friend in such a way that probably would've lead to brain damage had Erza been wearing her armor. As it were, the force behind the motion was certainly staggering. "I'm truly grateful to see you alive and well."
Lucy spluttered, fighting for breath as the scarlet warrior continued to hold her tightly. "Thanks Erza," she gasped, finally managing to pull away with a flustered face.
Erza smiled back briefly before crossing her arms, glaring at the young woman. "Now, do you plan on informing the rest of us exactly what was going through your head when you thought going outside in the middle of a blizzard was a good idea?"
Lucy blushed, sheepishly wrapping her arms around her waist in embarrassment. "Uh, yeah. Sorry about that. I really didn't mean to worry you guys. I guess I just wasn't thinking straight."
"No duh," Gray commented, leaning against the mantle in a show of nonchalance.
The busty blonde rolled her eyes, shivering again. "Alright Mr. Cool Guy, come and sit down with the rest of us, why don't you?"
Wendy giggled when Gray made a face at the Celestial Spirit mage, pulling away from the mantle and coming to sit at the one empty spot next to Evia. Lucy smiled softly, beckoning Mak over as well with a nod of her head. The guard came over slowly, looking Lucy up and down with concerned brown eyes. Her unfamiliar clothes revealed a lot of skin he was unused to seeing, and it certainly was distracting. But it also made it more obvious as to how much she was still shivering, out here in the open. He opened his mouth, ready to ask if she wanted a blanket or to sit by the fire, but Natsu was already in action.
He grumbled, sitting up and making room on the couch he had previously been sprawled across. "Come on Luce. There's a blanket here too." She smiled at him, sitting down next to her best friend and grabbing the nearby blanket, draping it across her shoulders. Mak shifted awkwardly before slipping into the last empty armchair.
"Natsu and Lucy, I must say, it is an odd experience to see the two of you after learning the truth behind all your accomplishments." Evia smiled at the pair, picking up the nearest cup of coffee.
Lucy blushed, pulling her legs up underneath herself. "I forgot they told you everything."
"Well, not everything," Erza clarified. "There's some things that only the one or both of you were there for, so we didn't have the whole picture. And Gray didn't feel the need to disclose everything either." At this she glared at the black haired man, still obviously annoyed by his lack of information. Natsu's gaze shot to Gray, the Maker mage shrugging even as he locked eyes with the Fire Dragon Slayer. Lucy felt him relax against her, and she knew the truth. His secret was still safe; only the three of them and Happy knew the truth about E.N.D., and it seemed like Natsu wished to keep it that way. Lucy knew Gray wouldn't have divulged that sensitive information to just anyone. He was too smart and cared too much about Natsu, even if he would never say so.
Lucy reached for the heaviest tray of food, dragging it closer to her and Natsu before digging in eagerly. "I'm not explaining until I'm full," she said between bites, "so you guys might as well eat now too."
Wendy laughed yet again, unable to stop. Her joy kept spilling over, joy at finally being able to sit here with her friends again after months of suffering apart. All that was missing were Carla and Happy. It had been weeks since they had departed, the terrible blizzard keeping them away for too long. She desperately hoped they were together and okay. Lucy might have made it out there for a day, but Wendy seriously doubted that the Exceeds could've made it that long.
They ate in amiable silence, Lucy and Natsu eating more than half the food provided combined. Gray glanced over with a raised eyebrow. "Damn Luce, when was the last time you ate?"
Lucy flushed, shivering slightly. "Uh, lunch? Two days ago?" She shrunk under the immediate reaction, her friends' voices raising in disbelief and outrage.
"Lucy, that's not good for you!" Evia scolded, adjusting the skirts keeping her legs warm.
"What made you think it was good to go that long without eating?" Wendy added.
Lucy huffed, rolling her eyes. "It's not like I planned on it! I was worried about Wendy s'all. And out there was just too cold," she shrugged, "I didn't even notice how hungry I was until this morning."
"Then perhaps you should begin to enlighten us as to your thought process?" Erza suggested, crossing her arms and leaning back against the couch cushions.
Lucy sighed, wiping at her mouth with a napkin. She leaned closer to Natsu subconsciously, the Fire Dragon trying to exude as much heat as possible. Gray smirked at the couple, ignoring the answering glare from Natsu. Erza shook her head at the boys, eyes still locked on Lucy.
She sighed again, struggling to find the best place to start. "Um, well, Evia told me a story several days ago about an herb that was supposed to cure any disease or injury. She thought it was just a myth since only magic could possibly do something like that, but, well, after everything we've seen, I figured it had to be real."
"So why didn't you tell anyone else?" Gray asked, puzzled.
Lucy shrugged. "I guess I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up? And… I wanted to do this myself."
"You don't have to prove anything, Lucy," Natsu said. Dark green eyes stared into the side of her head, utterly serious.
"Don't I?" Lucy pulled the blanket closer around her shoulders, not wanting everyone to see just how cold she still was. "I've always needed saving. I just thought that maybe if I was able to save the day for once, after all Wendy's done, maybe I'd feel like I deserve to be a part of Fairy Tail's strongest team."
"Lucy!" Wendy was aghast, but Lucy kept talking.
"I'm not saying I'm not a powerful wizard, I know I am. Not just anyone can summon three Zodiac spirits at once. But compared to you guys, I dunno. I'm not as strong. And that's okay, I get it. But I wanted to do something myself, show you all that I don't need help to get things done. Although I guess I did need to be rescued in the end. Without Loki, Mak, Natsu," she shook her head, "I probably would've frozen out there. Oh, Mak." She turned to look at the guard, a light smile on her face. "Thanks for getting me up here."
Mak smiled back sheepishly, fiddling with his belt. "It's nothing."
Lucy opened her mouth to respond, but Natsu was already cutting her off. "That's right, I smelled Loki on you when you came back. What's up with that? You didn't summon him, did you? That's impossible!"
Lucy made a face at him, annoyed by the interruption but knowing she couldn't ignore the question. "It's weird. So let me talk and don't interrupt, kay?" Natsu rolled his eyes, grumbling and reaching for the scraps of food left on the coffee table.
Inhaling deeply, Lucy began recalling the events that had nearly claimed her life just a day prior. "I didn't originally plan on going out in the blizzard. I was gonna wait until it cleared up mostly, and then set out. But two days ago, Evia, when you called Natsu because Wendy just wouldn't wake up," she shivered, though not from the cold this time, "I knew I couldn't wait any longer. I borrowed stuff from you Natsu, and then I was outside."
"I wandered around all night before I even found anything, at least I'm pretty sure that's what happened. The sky was lighter than it had been for hours, so I assumed it was morning. Anyway, I finally managed to make it to the tree line of Stetnora Forest, and immediately… well, it's hard to explain. But I felt more alive than I had in months. I didn't even realize how difficult breathing had become until I struggled through that forest, taking in clear air with ease. And even though I was still freezing and exhausted, it seemed like I was actually filled with power and strength for the first time since entering Benos."
"Was it magic?" Erza asked, forgetting Lucy's request to not be interrupted.
Lucy shook her head, surprised she had gotten that far before someone starting speaking. "No, but, well, let me explain about the herb. This herb produced a lot of ethernano; don't ask me how, cause I don't know. But weird things happen all the time, don't they? Especially when it concerns magic. But anyway, this herb let out so much ethernano that the entire forest was kept healthy and alive, unlike everywhere else in Benos. So while I didn't have my magic back, my body was actually getting ethernano like we haven't since December." Erza nodded in understanding. Natsu was still confused, but he knew Lucy wouldn't be so lenient if he was the one who interrupted. And when wasn't he confused?
"Actually, the farther I went into the forest, the stronger I got. And pretty soon," her fingers reached up for the key hanging from her neck, the metal warm despite the cold deep inside of her, "Loki started guiding me."
"Wait a minute, Loki?" Now it was Gray's turn to interrupt, the puzzled Ice-Make mage voicing the question on the forefront of everyone's thoughts.
Lucy threw her hands up, resigned to the fact that she would never be able to get everything out without her friends feeling the need to speak up. "Yes, Loki. I thought that was obvious when Natsu said he smelled Loki. Can I go on?"
"Sorry Lucy, but," Mak frowned, trying to get the story straight, "isn't Loki one of your spirits? How could he guide you if there's no magic for you to summon him?"
Lucy smiled at the guard, annoyance dissipating. She really couldn't blame him, not when he and Evia had their eyes opened to their whole lives just a day before. Natsu grumbled, knowing she wouldn't have given him a smile for asking the same question.
"Well actually, Loki's been able to talk to me before without magic. Remember after his fight with Zordio?" Lucy said, catching sight of the confused faces of the Dragon and Demon Slayers. "He didn't have enough magic power to come to Earthland, so he spoke to me through our bond in order to tell me that he and Capricorn were okay." Gray nodded slowly as he remembered that moment from all those years ago. Natsu shrugged, his poor memory failing yet again. Lucy rolled her eyes, leaning against Natsu's shoulder. "Well, it happened. And that's what he did. At first I couldn't hear his voice, just muffled words and a sense that pushed me in the right direction. I don't know how long I wandered that forest, but his voice got clearer the farther I walked. Then I almost fell into a creek-"
"You did what?" Wendy squeaked, brown eyes wide.
Lucy waved her hand, continuing on. "Then we were finally able to talk." She laughed, rubbing her arms. "I should be ashamed of the amount of tears I've shed in the past two days. Really, it's a miracle my eyes didn't freeze shut."
Erza shook her head with a smile, knowing how prone her friend was to crying. Not that it was a bad thing. It just showed how big her heart was. That she could still feel so much after all the world had thrown at her was a testament to her strength and kindness.
"Loki told me about the herb, and he kept pushing me forward. I… I probably would've given up without him. And then when I actually found it, well," she ran her hand through her hair, making the knotted strands even worse, "I'm weak. I couldn't even open the bag, my hands were so numb and frozen. But I guess since I was so close to the herb," she shrugged, a small smile lighting up her face, "he opened his own gate. And then he helped me open that bag, gave me a compass from Pyxis that I seemed to have lost somewhere out in the snow, and next moment he was gone."
"Who the hell is Pyxis?" Gray demanded with a frown. Lucy gave him a scowl of her own.
"You really can't remember Pyxis? He's one of my silver spirits? Ya know, the compass? Red bird-looking creature that got offended by Erza's compass during the Grand Magic Games?"
"Ohh…" Natsu recalled, the image of the Celestial Spirit appearing in his head.
Lucy huffed. "Why can none of you remember my spirits? They've saved your lives just as much as they have mine!"
Erza placed her fist over her heart, turning solemn. "I deeply apologize for offending you and your spirits. You're right, we should do better by them. I hope you'll accept this apology. We await any punishment you believe suitable."
The Celestial Spirit mage laughed, throwing the nearest pillow at the requip mage. "There. Done. Anyway, I got the herb, actually fell into the creek, tore my dress in half, and somehow managed to get back here. And that's everything."
"Are you really going to gloss over the fact that you fell into a river?" Natsu asked, looking down at the woman leaning on his arm, her fingers wrapped around her pendant.
She shrugged slightly, pressing tighter against him and missing the odd look that passed over Mak's face. "It was a dumb move. But at least only my legs got wet."
"Is that why you had to rip your dress?" Evia asked.
"Yeah," Lucy confirmed. "Only my legs got wet, but my dress practically froze solid in an instant. I never would've been able to move enough to get back here if I had left it, so I just used Loki's key to cut the frozen fabric off."
"You're lucky you made it back in one piece." Evia shook her head, looking the girl over again. "Although, you obviously haven't fully recovered."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucy attempted to sound affronted, but she couldn't hide the shake in her voice.
"I think what she means is that you're sitting under a thick blanket, next to a roaring fire and a human furnace, and somehow you're still shivering," Gray commented, leaning sideways on the couch with his arms crossed.
Lucy spluttered, rolling her shoulders back and attempting to be as nonchalant as possible. "What, no, no I'm not!"
"Sure you aren't." Natsu rolled his eyes, wrapping his arm around Lucy's shoulders and pulling her tight regardless. She protested, but he wouldn't let go. "Just let me keep you warm, Luce. The faster you get warmed up, the faster you can get back to normal, right?"
"I am normal," she grumbled. Evia bit her lip, scanning Lucy and going through options in her head.
"Nonetheless, you shouldn't go back to the servants' quarters. Even if you feel fine, going back into that cold could be detrimental to your health."
Lucy frowned, relaxing against Natsu's toned arm. "Then what am I supposed to do? That's where I sleep. I mean, I won't complain; I hate freezing every night. But I'm supposed to be a maid. Won't people start getting suspicious if I'm not where I'm supposed to be?"
"Why don't you just stay here?" Wendy suggested, drawing all the attention to her. She flushed slightly with the attention, fiddling with her hair. "I mean, like, stay here in our room. It's warm, and Natsu's here and all of us too, and then you can say that you're up here to help me or something. That wouldn't be too weird, would it?"
Evia nodded slowly, thinking it over in her head. "Yes, that could work. And people shouldn't talk too much, especially if you just tell everyone that Wendy has asked that you stay with her while she's still recovering… yes, wonderful idea Wendy."
Gray nodded slightly in agreement, but Erza frowned slightly at the pair still sitting close on the opposite couch. "And where would Lucy sleep? On the couch? I don't think she and Wendy should share a bed while both are still recovering."
"Isn't it obvious?" Natsu said, causing Lucy to blush as she knew exactly where his thoughts were headed. "She can just stay with me, er, if you want to. I mean, it's nothing we haven't done before."
Lucy rolled her eyes, elbowing him in the gut but not pulling away. He grinned, his nerves apparent only to those looking. And, of course, those looking knew exactly just how head-over-heels he was for the blonde he had just invited to use his bed. Gray longed to tease the man, but he knew the beatdown the Fire Dragon would enact immediately if he said anything while in earshot of the Celestial wizard.
"Just because you've snuck into my bed countless times doesn't mean that I'm okay with it, pyro." Natsu's grin grew wider, his free arm reaching out and snagging the closest mug of water. He proceeded to tip the contents back into his mouth, leading to some exclamations from the blonde as she was splashed.
Mak looked back and forth between them, brown eyes furrowed in thought. "I'm sorry, but are you two a couple?"
Natsu choked, face turning a bright red that rivaled his flames as he coughed violently. Lucy's skin was only a shade behind his, even as she pat him on the back to help with the water he'd inhaled. Wendy giggled at the awkward expressions on both young adults, Erza sharing a glance with the Sky Maiden. Gray smirked, and Natsu glared at the Demon Slayer even as he continued to hack up a lung.
Lucy cleared her throat, face still hot enough to heat the room. Then she looked at Mak and continued to rub circles on Natsu's back. "Uh, no, we're not, we're not a couple. Never dated anyone, um and not dating Natsu. We're just great friends, right? Yup, that's it. He's just a pyro with no sense of boundaries." Natsu nodded emphatically beside her, attempting to keep from spitting water all over Lucy. He was not in the mood to be kicked into next week.
Evia hid a smile in her cup of coffee. Mak didn't look convinced, but he shrugged nonetheless, figuring that was as much of an answer as he was going to get. Obviously they had something they either didn't know about or didn't want to share.
"Well," Erza rolled her shoulders, still wearing an amused smile, "I'm glad we got all of that figured out. Now, should we turn our attention to something less serious for a while? I know we need to focus on what's keeping the ethernano out of this country, but I for one believe that it has been far too long since we've all been able to sit and talk with one another."
Wendy beamed at her friends, pulling her legs up onto the armchair she occupied. "Oh yes please! I've missed you all so much." Lucy smiled back at the girl, pressing herself against Natsu as his coughing fit finally subsided. His arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her tight and refusing to let go as the seven of them sat together in the living room, enjoying the company of all their teammates for the first time in ages.
I don't have much to say about this chapter except that it was very fun as well to write, and I like what happens here. If you couldn't tell, I've been looking forward to this arc for a very long time :)
Enjoy!