Hello, everyone !
I'm back with the ninth chapter :D
Enjoy reading !
Disclaimer: I only own Haru Heartfilia and the plot
"Lu-chan, welcome home!"
"Mommy, welcome home!"
Lucy laughed as she squatted down to pat Haru who was hugging her leg. "Mommy's home, Haru. Hey, Levy-chan. Thanks for taking care of him today."
"No problem!" Levy smiled. "We had tons of fun today!"
"Speaking of fun…" Lucy rummaged her bag. "Haru, look what Mommy has!"
"Ooh…" Haru's eyes sparkled up in curiosity as his tiny hands gently took two pieces of paper from Lucy's hand. "What are these, Mommy?"
"These are the tour tickets for the Fired—I mean, for the hero brothers!" Lucy said.
"Tour?" Haru tilted his head.
"Hero brothers?" Levy raised her eyebrow.
"Well, in this case, a tour means that we're having a trip with them." Lucy explained to Haru. She then lifted her head up to look at Levy and softly mouthed at her, I'll tell you later.
"A trip?" Haru's eyes lit up. "Where are we going, Mommy? When are we going?"
"You'll see." Lucy said. "As for the 'when'… We'll be going in three days, Haru."
"Hurray! A trip!" Haru hopped happily. "I get to play with yasashi-no-nii-chan and the others!"
Levy raised her eyebrow again at the mention of an unfamiliar name, but she figured her best friend would also explain about that later, so she didn't say a word about it.
Besides, those tickets…
It was only for a glance, but Levy was sure those were the VIP tickets for the Fired Up!'s upcoming tour. How did Lucy get those? She even got one for Haru? Did what Haru mean by 'the hero brothers' were actually the members of the band? How did Lucy and Haru know them?
She and Lucy really had to talk about this truthfully. Because to be honest, Levy also has the same ticket in her pocket right now.
Maybe because he was too excited, Haru fell asleep fast. Once Lucy tucked him in his bed, she walked out of the bedroom to her awaiting best friend on the sofa.
"I guess you have plenty of questions for me, Levy-chan." Lucy chuckled.
"Of course!" Levy excitedly patted the seat beside her. Once Lucy sat down, she immediately bombed her with questions. "Tell me honestly, did 'the hero brothers' you mention earlier referred to the members of Fired Up!?"
Lucy nodded. Levy squealed and demanded to know immediately how the hell she and Haru got to know them. Half laughing, Lucy told her exactly what happened from the moment Haru met Natsu at the park and everything that has happened up until now.
Except the part where she and Natsu almost kissed last month, because she was too embarrassed to tell Levy that.
"Oh my, Lu-chan!" Levy squealed. "So, you and Natsu are an item right now?"
"No, of course not!" Lucy said while blushing. "We're just friends, Levy-chan."
"But you're open to any sorts of other possibilities in the future, right?" Levy wiggled her eyebrows teasingly.
"Well…" Lucy's blush worsened. "Of course I am, but you know… There might be also nothing between us in the future as well."
"Right." Levy rolled her eyes. "With the way you and Natsu are right now, are you really sure the two of you might be just nothing in the future?"
Their almost kiss suddenly replayed itself in Lucy's brain, turning her face literally as red as a boiled lobster.
"Oh, this is so fun!" Levy couldn't stop her squealing. "If Natsu is with you, then all of the members are taken!"
Lucy's rationality quickly kicked in. "What? I thought apart from Natsu, there's still Gajeel who hasn't been taken by—"
"He's taken by me!" Levy squealed.
"What?!" Lucy gawked. In the first place, since when did her best friend know the band's bassist? "How? Since when?"
"Remember about the customer that I have a crush on?" Levy giggled. "That's him! Well, in disguise, anyway."
"Wait, how do you know that's him then?" Lucy asked.
"We exchange numbers after that, and he told me soon after through the chats." Levy smiled. "And guess what? We've been dating for two months!"
Two months? Wait… Did Loke possibly…?
"Levy-chan, did his manager come to see you?" Lucy asked.
Levy shook her head. "Gajeel told me that he had personally spoken with his manager prior to confessing to me. I don't know what he said to his manager, but he told me that his manager agreed to announce his relationship with me after the tour ends. But before the tour starts, he will formally introduce me to the rest of his bandmates."
Lucy smiled in relief. Loke must have approved of Levy's status. Thank goodness Loke and the band didn't have to be wary of her.
A realization suddenly hit her. "Wait… By formally introducing you, does that mean… You're coming as well to the tour?"
"Yep!" Levy happily pulled out the VIP ticket Gajeel had given her. "Although, I actually has joined the tour as one of the make-up artists for the boys."
"A make-up artist?" Lucy blinked. "Levy-chan, what about your café?"
"I resigned." Levy sheepishly said. "Since a week ago, actually. I finally managed to land a job as a make-up artist for Fired Up!, so I get to join them on their tour as one of their staffs! But since it was Gajeel who gave me this ticket, I couldn't refuse it, could I?"
"Oh, Levy-chan, I'm so happy for you!" Lucy hugged her best friend. She knew how much Levy loved to be a make-up artist. She had to suppress that make-up hobby of hers for years, because her parents disagreed with her dream as a make-up artist. Which was why Levy ended up taking the management major and became a café's manager instead. But Lucy knew Levy couldn't let go of her passion, she still took freelance jobs as a make-up artist from time to time.
And now, she finally is brave enough to pursue her passion and she even got the job.
"Thanks, Lu-chan!" Levy hugged her back. "Thank you for keeping my passion alight by gifting me those pretty make-up tools on my birthday every year."
"You lucky girl." Lucy jokingly ruffled Levy's blue hair. "Not only you finally have your dream job now, but you also got your dream guy!"
"Oh, stop that!" Levy embarrassedly slapped her best friend. "With this, I can keep taking care of Haru while you're working!"
"Thank you so much, Levy-chan." Lucy's gaze softened. "I'm truly grateful Haru has someone like you around him."
"Silly." Levy softly hit Lucy's head while chuckling. "No matter what, he is still your son and you're my best friend, Lu-chan. I see you as my own sister, so you can say Haru is my nephew."
Lucy couldn't stop a tear from rolling down her eyes. Dear God, thank you so much for blessing her and Haru with such kind people.
"Haru!"
Haru glanced towards his right and left, and after making sure that there were no one else around them, he quickly ran towards Loke's opened arms. "Loke-nii-chan!"
"I miss you so much, my little spring!" Loke scooped Haru up in his arms and nuzzled his chubby cheeks affectionately, which earned him Haru's little giggles.
"Are these all of your belongings?" Natsu asked as he helped Lucy putting her luggage into the bus.
"Yeah." Lucy said. "Haru's getting bigger, so I don't need to bring his necessities as many as before."
"Shrimp!" Gajeel waved his hand and quickly walked over to Levy to help her with her luggage.
"Gajeel!" Levy's eyes lit up upon seeing her boyfriend.
Thanks to their VIP tickets, Lucy, Levy, and Haru were able to share the same bus as Fired Up! and were also treated with the same security and privacy as the band. It helped Lucy a lot because she didn't want to put Haru in the spotlight.
"Have you told the rest of your team?" Gajeel asked his petite girlfriend.
"Yeah." Levy smiled back. "Thank goodness my team leader trusted me with the responsibility as your standby make-up artist."
"Of course." Loke huffed out his chest in proud. "I have my own way with words, lady."
"Okay, I see something here." Gray squinted his eyes. "This little lady here is not simply our standby make-up artist, right?"
"Geehee." Gajeel grinned as he embraced Levy. "Guys, meet my girlfriend, Levy McGarden."
"OOOHH!" The boys whistled.
"Hello, everyone." Levy chuckled embarrassedly.
"You didn't look surprised." Natsu softly nudged Lucy's arm.
Lucy laughed. "I have the privilege of knowing beforehand."
"How so?" Natsu raised an eyebrow.
"She's my best friend since college." Lucy said. "Remember about my friend who takes care of Haru if I'm on the field? That's Levy-chan."
"Oh, I see." Natsu nodded. He then grinned at Levy. "Welcome to the team, Levy!"
"Thanks, Natsu." Levy smiled back.
Gray sighed sadly. "If only my girlfriend could come too and accompany me during this tour…"
"Well, what can we do?" Jellal patted his friend's shoulder encouragingly. "Juvia's pursuing her postgraduate study right now, so she couldn't come back for quite a while."
"And Erza herself is working overseas, right?" Gajeel teased.
"Don't remind me of that, please." Jellal cried invisibly at the mention of his girlfriend.
"Okay, enough chit-chats, boys." Loke said, his hands were still carrying Haru who was playing with a toy Loke had just given him. "Get into the bus and we'll head straight to the venue for the opening event."
Both Levy and Lucy took out their staff passes, and Loke handed each of them a piece of paper with one hand.
"I can carry Haru if you want to." Lucy chuckled.
"Nah, I'm good." Loke instantly refused. "This is the map for you two to gather back at our private spot. You will be followed with your private securities, so don't worry."
"Thank you so much for this, Loke." Both Levy and Lucy said.
"No problem." Loke smiled at them. "This is exactly how we treated our other girlfriends, anyway. And don't worry about Haru, Lucy. I'll gladly take care of him."
"Great. Now my spot as his favorite babysitter will be taken away." Levy slightly pouted.
The opening event and the following press conference went really well. Loke stayed with Haru most of the time, he did a great job in keeping the toddler away from the media. When he had to be present as the band's manager, he assigned a group of guards to protect Haru. As they were all professionals, none of them asked anything nor minded even for a bit. Haru also became attached with them, trusting them to be with him.
Haru truly brought happiness for the band during their tour this time. He was so bubbly and energetic, but also full of curiosity, which made the members dote on him. Even Gajeel whose face was the most similar to a stone among all couldn't resist Haru's cuteness. He willingly played and teased the toddler.
Gray, who was the most skeptical of him before, instantly turned into his snack giver. He fought for that position with Loke, actually, as he had self-proclaimed himself to be Haru's toy giver. Both of them were surprisingly the ones who played with Haru the most.
Haru turns out to be quite close with Jellal as well. When he cried in annoyance due to Gajeel's or Gray's teasing, he would immediately go to Jellal who willingly consoled him. His gentle voice even lulled Haru to his nap.
Haru was truly a quiet toddler, he knew exactly when to speak and show himself and when not to. He obediently followed Loke and the guards to evade the media and the paparazzi, even though of course he himself wasn't aware of the reason. He also knew that his mother was working during this trip, but he didn't ask too many questions. He figured his mother was helping his hero brothers from behind the shadow as a reporter, so Haru wasn't too curious.
Even though he was just a mere three-year-old, but Haru was quite observant. It was a trait that he learned—or rather, inherited—from Lucy. He also knew that his hero brothers weren't exactly the same as the heroes he saw in his books. It didn't seem like they had any kind of superpowers, but there were many people that adored them. With his toddler brain, Haru figured that his hero brothers possessed a different superpower from the other heroes.
And because this was his first ever trip, surrounded by people who he loved and loved him too, Haru was beyond happy.
A trip like this for three months?
Haru would definitely enjoy every moment of it!
"Gray! Stop teasing him!" Jellal scolded as he soothed the crying Haru.
"What? He's laughing!" Gray retorted back.
"Gotcha!" Haru chuckled teasingly at Jellal, making the blue haired man growled back teasingly at him and tickled him right on the bus's seat.
Currently, they were on the way to the next venue for Fired Up!'s three days concert there.
"Lu-chan, here." At the back, Levy made a makeshift pillow from her hoodie and placed it on her shoulder. She then gently placed Lucy's head on the hoodie, so that the blonde could sleep better.
"Thanks, Levy-chan." Lucy softly muttered and adjusted her position a bit to accommodate their height difference better, before going back into her slumber.
"She fell asleep?" Natsu walked over to the back and sat beside Levy.
Levy nodded and gently tucked a strand of hair behind Lucy's ear. "She's never had many chances to rest ever since Haru arrived, so taking a nap like this is such a treat for her."
Natsu's gaze softened at Levy's words. "It must have been so hard on her."
"Of course." Levy agreed. "Although, I'm sure what's actually hard on her isn't taking care of Haru but dealing with other people's judgment and stares."
Natsu mentally counted Haru's age and then softly asked. "Did she… suffer throughout her college years?"
"A lot." Levy answered without a slight hesitation. "Her boyfriend back then refused to support her decision to take care of Haru, so their relationship ended in a bad term. After that, that ex of her told his friends about what happened, then his friends told their other friends, and just in a few days, the rumor of 'Lucy had an affair and was knocked up, so they broke up' spread across the university."
Natsu's hands unconsciously fisted. Anger started to bubble up inside of him, wondering how Lucy's ex could do something like that.
Ended in a bad term or not, what kind of gentleman would do such a thing?
Natsu inwardly scoffed at his own question. Well, obviously Lucy's ex wasn't much of a gentleman.
"I'm sure Lu-chan was on the verge of exploding back then, but she held back real strong." Levy sighed. "She was tired already with taking care of the baby Haru, along with her studies and her part-time job, and yet she still had to deal with rumors like that."
"Then who took care of Haru when she had classes?" Natsu asked.
Levy smiled bitterly. "No one. Lu-chan had no other choice, except taking Haru with her too. With his blond hair and brown eyes, of course others believed that ridiculous rumor no matter how hard I screamed at them that it wasn't true."
"Now that you mention it… Haru inherited his father's blond hair, right?" Natsu asked.
"Most likely." Levy shrugged. "Lu-chan never told me about Haru's father, not even his name. I know Yukino, though, I met her for a few times while visiting Lucy's apartment back then."
"I see."
Now Natsu is wondering about Haru's birth father. Had he never once come and look for Yukino and their child? Did he just throw them away like that because he didn't want to take a responsibility?
What a bastard.
Accident or not, Haru was still his son. If he didn't want to have any accident, he shouldn't have did it in the first place! Or he could at least, use a protection or something like that!
Levy sighed again, this time it was a bit longer, bringing Natsu's focus back from cursing at Haru's birth father and Lucy's ex. "Lu-chan was initially one of the most popular girls in school, but after that stupid rumor spread, she became a target for all sorts of other unbelievable scandals. The university even summoned her and threatened to drop her out of college if the rumor was true."
"But that rumor was false!" Natsu retorted.
"Yes, and thankfully the dean believed her." Levy said. "The university offered her their daycare facility, but Lu-chan refused because she knew Haru wouldn't be treated nicely there. His mother was hated, so obviously he was a target for their bullying as well."
Natsu fisted his hands even tighter. No matter when and where, judgmental environments would always be there. And it was something no one could ever change. The only thing you could do is to just grit your teeth and ignore them all.
"The last two years in college took a hard toll on her." Levy said. "Lu-chan even lost seven kilos of her weight! She's originally a slim girl, but back then she was practically a skeleton wrapped in a skin. Thank goodness she found a kind boss now, one that could support her as a working mother."
Levy then told Natsu about the 'work from home for the working mothers' policy. Natsu breathed in relief upon hearing it, feeling glad that now Lucy has so many people who were there for her and for Haru.
"We're almost there." Loke's voice rang, waking Lucy up from her slumber. "We'll be sharing this venue with an opening event from another band, so be very careful. There will be double media and paparazzi everywhere."
"Understood." All of them nodded.
"I'll head to my room first with Haru." Loke said and brought Haru up in his arms. "You guys go straight to the press conference room, and I'll meet you there."
"Haru will be quiet in the room!" Haru promised.
"That's my little spring." Loke ruffled his hair back affectionately.
The bus stopped at the private point and Loke along with Haru stepped down, followed by a group of guards. They quickly vanished from the sight and the bus moved towards the drop-off point.
Both Lucy and Levy wore their staff passes and prepared to walk down.
"I'll head straight to the make-up team." Levy said. "You should wash your face first, Lu-chan."
"Yeah, I will." Lucy chuckled. "Thanks for lending me your shoulder, Levy-chan."
"No biggies." Levy winked back.
Once they arrived at the drop-off point for the staff, Levy and Lucy quickly walked down from the bus while the bus took Fired Up! to their own drop-off point. The two of them then entered the venue from the backdoor. Levy waved goodbye to Lucy then heading over to her team, while Lucy continued making her way towards the press conference room.
"No way. Lucy?"
Lucy's steps abruptly stopped as she instantly recognized that voice—she would always be able to recognize that voice anywhere—and whipped her head around. Her eyes then widened upon seeing the person who had just called her name.
The one person she thought she wouldn't ever meet again for the rest of her life.
Her heart instantly raced in a different way than when she was with Natsu, and her knees buckled a bit. Lucy gulped down, suddenly she found it hard to call that name.
Her voice ended up as a soft squeak.
"…Lyon?"
Done !
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