As much as Mak liked Lucy and her friends, he couldn't help but feel that his life had gotten too complicated since they had arrived at Grimstone Manor. A year ago, he never would have found himself in the kitchens, asking for fish or any food that wasn't perfect enough for the nobles' table. The leftover food wasn't an odd request; the cooks were always having guards or servants looking for better meals than what they were given. But for a country that was pretty much landlocked and who's rivers and lakes were not the cleanest… fish was a pretty weird thing to ask for. And yet that was the only thing the blue cat wanted.
Mak sighed, ready to give up and just go back to the barracks and sleep for the rest of the night. He brushed his hair out of his eyes, belatedly thinking that he probably should cut it soon. But then he shrugged, moving on. It's not like guards here were required to have short hair. Besides, he rather liked it longer.
He reached and grabbed a nearby roll, the ends too burnt to be served. It tasted just fine to him though. As he began to eat, he waved goodnight to some of his friends he saw throughout the kitchens. They nodded or waved back, and he was almost out the door when he heard someone call his name.
The purple haired guard turned, catching sight of Annea waving him down. She slipped between busy staff to come to his side, her dark brown hair swinging freely across her shoulders. "Hi Mak," she said breathlessly, smiling up at him. He nodded back, mouth too full of bread to do anything else. He made an exaggerated motion as he tried to chew faster, and she couldn't help but giggle.
Mak liked Annea. They'd met probably his first week at Grimstone, when he was a new recruit and she was a scullery maid under Mava's iron fist, both probably about eight years old. And while they rarely just sat around and talked, they had grown close simply by being around each other constantly for the last nine years. He could confidently say she was his closest friend, even if he hadn't been spending much time with her since Lucy and her friends brought him into their close circle. A sliver of guilt cut through his chest, but he swallowed it down with his bread.
"Hey Annea. Anything I can help you with?"
She smiled again, nodding toward the doorway. They started walking, leaving the kitchen together and slipping quietly through the servants' passageways. "Oh, it's just been a while since we've spent any time together. And, actually, well," she blushed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "I had a question for you."
He glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow and silently motioning for her to continue. Her cheeks were a dark pink, and for a moment he remembered just how pretty Annea was. Not that he ever forgot. But times like these just seemed to enhance that natural and simple beauty that made her skin glow and hair shine. The man who finally caught her eye would truly be a lucky one.
She bit her lip, fidgeting with her kitchen maid uniform as she obviously battled with her embarrassment. Although why she was embarrassed was beyond him. Hopefully he'd find out soon. "Well, er, you're close to Ashley, right? Ashley Alberona?"
Mak frowned, nodding. "Mhm. I am. She and, uh, the nobles she's with are all… well, they're interesting. And nice." Mak hated lying to Annea so he tried to be as vague as possible, but he knew she saw through him. He could only hope that she wouldn't push him about it. Already he saw the question in her brown eyes, dark green flecks even more evident in the dim candlelight of the passageway. Words poured out before he could stop them. "They're not like the rest of the nobles here. I mean, they're not self-absorbed or cruel like some of the people here."
Annea hid a smile as Mak continued to ramble on about how the Sayes and Surges were good people, and how Ashley was lucky to work for them, and how Mistress Shelia had only just recovered but she was such a sweet girl, and how he had no idea if they would leave soon but he hoped they would stay for a while since he really liked Ashley, and how she brought a breath of fresh air to Grimstone. She certainly caught the many slip-ups he made, but she gave him a pass for now. He would tell her when he was ready. Hopefully. But she wasn't going to let him stall forever. Speaking of, he'd been talking about how great Ashley was for long enough. Time to actually ask her question.
"Mak, I've met Ashley," Annea interrupted gently, elbowing his arm to finally get him to shut up. A tingle went through her arm as her elbow connected with his breastplate, and she shook it to rid herself of the odd feeling. Instead she began to retie her white apron, the soiled fabric clinging to the cheap blue fabric of her gown. She loved working in the kitchens, but sometimes she wished it wasn't so damn messy in there. She pressed forward at the same time she realized just how frizzy her hair had become after hours spent in the sweltering kitchen. "I know she's really nice, even if she does act a little strange at times. And I'm sure her nobles are just as strange, but nice too. But, that's not what I wanted to ask about."
And suddenly her embarrassment was back, her cheeks burning at the awkward question her thoughts demanded she ask. Mak glanced over at her, still wondering what she wanted to know.
Annea bit her lip again, fiddling with the hem of her sleeves. "Uh, I don't really know how to ask this. But everyone's been curious, and I know you're close to her so you might know, but it's not a big deal if you don't-" She cut herself off, realizing that it was her who was now rambling. She looked up with her brown eyes, cheeks still pink. "Well, it's just that Mistress Shelia seems perfectly healthy, even better than most people here. And yet Ashley continues to spend the night at the Saye's apartments. So, er, people have been talking."
Mak narrowed his eyes, trying to gauge where this conversation was going. He had an inkling, but he desperately wished he was wrong about it.
"I don't want to spread any untrue rumors, which is why I thought I should ask you about it." She continued to fidget, looking for the most delicate way to put her next few sentences. "So, uh, is anything happening between Ashley and Lord Drago?" She cringed immediately.
Mak froze in place, gears working in his head before finally everything clicked into place. He stared at the back of Annea's head in shock. "Nea, are you asking me if Lord Drago and Ashley, his daughter's maid, are, are-" He couldn't get the rest of the sentence out, finding the mere thought of it nauseating. "What the hell Annea? Why would you even think that?"
"That's why I asked you first," Annea said, crossing her arms and curling inward ever so slightly.
"It's gross! I mean, first of all, Ashley is like half Lord Drago's age! She's practically the same age as his daughter, so that means he probably watched her grow up with Mistress Shelia! And secondly, he's a noble, a rich noble who probably has acres of land and dozens of servants! And she's a maid! There's no way in hell they would ever-"
"I get it Mak," Annea interrupted, lifting her chin and staring him down. "All I did was ask a question. No need to go off on me. But I guess since you so obviously have a crush on her, it must be hard to hear things like that, huh?" Mak gaped and spluttered, searching for an answer. Annea shook her head, straightening her apron. "Whatever. It's fine. You know, I was going to ask Mrs. Mava if I could have the night off so we could spend some time together, but I'd wager you have plans with Ashley, right?"
Annea brushed past him, walking back toward the kitchens they had left only minutes ago. She looked back with a smile, sure she was always going to remember the image of Mak standing bewildered and frustrated in the candlelight. "Look, it's not that I'm jealous you're spending time with her. You deserve to have more friends, Mak, you really do. And I'm glad you're defending her; everyone should have someone like that. And I know you probably aren't thinking straight, but that doesn't give you an excuse. Keep that in mind Mak. No one knows you like I do. So next time you want to deny a rumor in order to protect your friend, don't take your frustration about not being with her out on me." And then she was gone, leaving his head spinning and his mouth agape as he fought for a reply. Yet there was nothing he could say. She was right. She always was. And he'd been a really, really shitty friend to her lately. He didn't know how he'd fix that, but he really needed to start. Right after he informed Lucy and Natsu about the rumor that was apparently beginning to spread about them. He wondered how they'd take it.
XXX
"Lucy," Erza began, chewing on the inside of her cheek. The blonde glanced over at her, hands in the process of unlacing the back of Wendy's dress. Erza paused for a moment, smiling as she took in the change in Lucy's appearance since last month. Dark circles no longer haunted her eyes, and her uniform looked neat and tidy, a far cry from her ragged appearance when winter first set in.
"Erza?" Lucy prompted. Wendy looked over as well with Carla in her lap, eager to finally get out of the constricting pink dress she'd worn all day long.
The requip mage shifted, glancing at the closed door leading to the main room. "Maybe this should wait."
Lucy frowned, finally releasing Wendy from the contraption of silk and ribbon. She let out a sigh, finally stretching her lungs to the limit. As Wendy shimmied out of the gown with help from Carla, Lucy turned to fully face Erza. "What's that supposed to mean? Everything alright?"
Erza was saved from answering by the sound of strangled coughing from the living room. All four girls started before piling out of Wendy's room, worried about what they might find.
Natsu was pounding on his chest, face red as he gasped and coughed, Happy nearby as he snickered at the Dragon Slayer. Mak stood nearby uncomfortably while Gray lounged on a chair, smirking wildly at his friend.
"Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed, rushing to the Fire Dragon's side as Gray continued to look on with a grin.
"Oh he's fine," Gray grumbled, stretching his legs out with a groan. "He ain't gonna die."
"Well then what happened?" Wendy asked, straightening out the shift she wore with a free hand. Mak spared her a glance before quickly looking away, embarrassed by the amount of skin the girl was showing. They might not be Benosian and therefore might not share their views of what was inappropriate, but he would still think that a young girl like Wendy might want to cover up more.
Mak rubbed the back of his neck, unable to look at Lucy either. "Uh, I, er, I told them about something I heard, something my friend told me earlier."
"What was it?" Erza asked, crossing her arms and staring Mak down. The guard fidgeted, still avoiding Lucy or Natsu. The scarlet warrior narrowed her eyes before nodding in understanding. "Ah, it was the same thing I heard, wasn't it?"
"About…?" Mak finally raised his head, gaze darting between Lucy and Natsu as she rubbed circles on his back before landing on Erza once more. She dipped her head again, and Mak found his tunic growing hot and itchy. Even though he knew it wasn't true, it didn't make this situation any less awkward.
"Can someone please fill us in?" Carla demanded, pulling out of Wendy's arms and standing on the back of the couch to make up for the height she would have had if her wings worked. Wendy nodded in agreement, sliding onto the couch at the same time as Erza.
Happy continued to snigger, opening his mouth to speak but then giggling too hard to continue. Gray rolled his eyes, still smirking at the red-faced Natsu. "Apparently, since Lucy has been spending every night here but everyone can tell that Wendy is perfectly fine, people have started thinking that you two," he pointed at Natsu and Lucy, "are hooking up."
Now it was Lucy's time to turn beet red. Natsu finally managed to take a deep breath without choking, and he cuffed Happy over the head to make him shut up. Wendy flushed as well, face so hot that it was surprising she didn't have steam coming off of her.
"Why, why would people think that?" She stammered, clutching a pillow against her chest in place of Carla. Gray's eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Have you seen these two? I'm surprised people haven't started this rumor earlier."
Natsu glared at Gray, preparing to launch himself at the Demon Slayer if he even said two words about his feelings toward Lucy. They were heading toward dangerous territory, and Natsu really didn't like it. And Lucy didn't like this conversation any more than he did, at least if the embarrassment and discomfort radiating off of Lucy in waves was anything to go by.
"People like to gossip," Mak added, as uncomfortable as his friend. "Nothing ever happens here, so when there's even the smallest chance for drama? The nobles go crazy. And the servants aren't any better. It should blow over within a few weeks or so."
Lucy shifted by Natsu, and he became aware of the inches of empty space she had just put between them. He tried not to be hurt by that little motion she had probably meant nothing by, yet it was difficult to ignore.
Erza cleared her throat, catching sight of the hidden emotions warring across Natsu's normally expressive face. A few wrong words, and she doubted even her threats would keep him from throwing fists. Normally she could rely on Lucy to keep her best friend in line, but the requip mage had a strong suspicion that the Celestial Mage didn't have plans to stick too close to Natsu's side for the next few days. Erza just hoped that Natsu didn't take that to heart. He knew as well as she did that Lucy got embarrassed way too easily.
"Uh, I told Annea it wasn't true," Mak spoke to fill the awkward silence. Lucy smiled at him, biting her lip and pulling Happy into her lap.
"I don't know why you're so bothered by this Lucy." Her brown eyes shot to the Ice Make wizard, gaze narrowing as she tried to possibly find what good he could see in this situation. He shrugged, throwing his legs over the arm of his chair. "People at the guild are always hinting at you two or trying to set you up. Hell, Mak asked if you were dating just like two weeks ago. It's nothing new."
"Well yeah, we've been dealing with that for years." Lucy hunched her shoulders, focused on the coffee table and missing the hurt briefly etched across Natsu's features. "But when total strangers assume something like this? Especially when it's such a crazy accusation! In their eyes, I'm like half his age! What does that say about their opinion of me? Or of Natsu? I hate that people are thinking less of us just because we can't tell them the truth about why we're here."
"I don't care what they say," Natsu grumbled, crossing his arms and leaning back on the couch. His coughing fit was a forgotten thing of the past and his cheeks were no longer inflamed, but Gray narrowed his eyes at the Dragon Slayer.
"Didn't you almost die when Mak mentioned it?"
Natsu shrugged. "I wasn't expecting it." He opened his mouth to continue, but after a brief look at Lucy, he seemed to change his mind about the words he said next. His expression turned guarded and his knuckles white as he desperately tried to control his instincts to lash out and find an escape for the emotions swirling through him. Lucy won't like it if you start fighting someone, he reminded himself, and Erza won't be happy either. So even though that ice bastard's smug face is just itching to be punched… don't.
He sighed, his nails punching crescents into his palm. "If it really bothers you Luce, then we can tell people it's not true, alright?"
"I wouldn't recommend that."
"I don't think you should."
Mak and Erza locked eyes when they spoke at the same time, the guard flushing and looking away awkwardly. Erza glanced back at the pair, brown eyes thoughtful before she motioned for Mak to speak.
He cleared his throat, still looking awkward. "Uh, what I meant to say was that if you both started denying this rumor, that will only make people talk about it even more. The best course of action would be to let this run its course, until people find something new to talk about or just forget about it."
Wendy nodded, seeing the sense in his words. How many times had Cana teased her or Lucy about something? And whenever they denied it or argued about it, that only made Cana more determined to talk about it as much as she could. Granted, Cana was also motivated by the friendship she shared with them, but the situation was the same.
Lucy shifted, seeing the truth in Mak's words and yet unwilling to fully accept it. It was one thing for people to gossip about their group, wondering where they came from or who they were. It was another thing altogether to have strangers gossip about the possible relationship between her and 'her master,' a guy who was supposedly twenty years older than her. It wasn't the pairing between her and Natsu that made her uncomfortable. It was the circumstances.
"Not to mention," Erza added, "that it gives us the perfect cover story. If people think that you two are… having an affair," Lucy didn't think her face had ever been so heated, "then they won't really be wondering why you're spending so much time here with us. It makes perfect sense."
"You gotta admit, she's got a point." Lucy stuck her tongue out at Gray, making the Maker Mage snort and roll his eyes.
"Ugh, fine, yes, I get it. Doesn't mean I have to like it."
Happy snickered, closing his eyes and leaning back against Lucy's stomach. "Quit lying Lucy. You can't just say that without saying you like him."
Lucy scoffed, dumping the Exceed out of her lap despite his protests. "Oi, can it cat." Then she looked around the room, gaze not completely falling on Natsu. "Look, I agree, this is a good thing. So I'm not going to deny it if I hear someone talking about it. But I am not going to pretend like it's true. We're not changing anything, right?" She finally looked at Natsu, confusion spiraling through her when she caught sight of the guarded expression he still wore.
He nodded slowly, not taking his eyes from Lucy until she eventually pulled away with a flush. Even so, she didn't miss the amused look passed between Erza and Gray. "What?" She demanded.
"What?" Erza asked innocently.
Lucy crossed her arms. "That's not the first time you two have done that. Tell me what's so funny. Or at least what you're hiding from me."
A flash of panic shot through Natsu, yet he remained frozen. Speaking up now would only make her more suspicious. He could only hope that his friends wouldn't mess up more than they already had.
Carla narrowed her eyes, especially when she caught the brief worry Erza quickly concealed. What were they aware of that she wasn't? Could it be connected to the way Natsu never seemed able to take his eyes off of the blonde? Was her theory right?
"It's nothing Lucy. No need to get so bothered." Gray hoped that would be enough, but her raised eyebrow and stony stare told him otherwise. He rolled his eyes, sitting up straight. "God Lucy, I'm serious. Uh, it's just that you two are so close that it shouldn't be hard for people to think this is real no matter what you think."
Erza nodded emphatically. "Yes, yes, exactly. That's it. Nothing more, trust us. You two are close, and it's good to see."
Lucy narrowed her eyes, not fully accepting their answer but knowing she would get nothing else out of them. She sighed, slumping back against the couch and not stopping Happy from crawling back into her lap.
Wendy cleared her throat, sensing that the tension in the room needed to be dissipated somehow. "Uh, is there anything else we need to talk about? Oh, Mak, have you learned anything else about that stairwell you guard sometimes?"
Mak shook his head, looking grateful for the change in subject. "No, not really. All I really know about it is that only Lord Ajax and Lord Verlane are allowed down there. Not even Rurd or the Captain of the Guard."
Erza mused over those details, wondering what they could mean. She knew that that stairwell was critical to their mission, but how? She only hoped they would find out soon. They'd already spent more than enough time here.
This was another fun chapter to write, mainly because I was able to explore Natsu's thoughts a little more. And I really liked writing Annea (she might not be a big character, but just her no shit attitude with Mak versus the timid attitude the manor has forced on her is a contradiction I enjoy) I hope you all liked it as much as I did!