*Chapter Forty-Three: Under the moonlight
(February 25th, 2018 Sunday Noon)
"Aliens? Seriously Cana?" Erza asked, giving her friend a pointed look.
Cana shrugged, a few beads of sweat dripping down her face before she wiped them with the back of her hand. "With everything going on you think aliens would be that weird?"
"Alright," Levy started, her breath labored as she set her dumbbells down a little too hard, but luckily the padded wrestling room prevented them from making a loud sound. "Say there are aliens, why would they come here to help us?"
"Simple. They want to harvest our planet, and they can't with all those undead things running around."
Lucy shook her head, a small smile slipping on her face despite the burn in her legs as she continued her squats. "Wouldn't they take us out too?"
"She has a point," Erza said, but Cana wasn't discouraged.
"Those things can't think, can't do anything but destroy. Aliens would take them out without question. But us, we can be an ally to them."
"You just said they'd want to harvest our planet," Levy said, sitting down to take a break. "Why try to make allies with us if they can just take us out too and have everything to themselves?"
Cana huffed in response, never pausing her workout. She did lunges back and forth, engaging her core and leg muscles.
It was one way to kill the afternoon, especially since Makarov added more restrictions on how much alcohol he allowed a person to have. Now she only received one bottle every two weeks, meaning she had to drink it sparingly, which also meant she had a lot more free time on her hands.
Levy repetitively pulled at the top of her shirt, trying to fan herself. "I'm still hoping the military will do something. Maybe they already are, they just haven't reached this part yet?"
Lucy kept her mouth shut on the topic. She didn't want to bring anyone's mood down with her opinions. 'There's no one coming for us. We're all on our own.' She didn't have any inside knowledge, but with as quickly as the virus seemed to spread, she doubted anyone was able to organize on a massive scale.
Placing her hands on her knees, Lucy helped herself up, needing a deep stretch. She started in on a few basic yoga moves she remembered from her days in college. Despite wanting to focus on her breathing, she couldn't help but listen in on the conversation around her, amused when it took a wild turn.
"I'm thinking of dying my hair. Maybe putting some green around my bangs, what do you think?"
"I think it'd look good with the blue. Maybe I could do it too?"
"Yeah, if you wanna look like you're celebrating Christmas again."
"Oh, I suppose red and green would look odd. Maybe something darker?"
"You could try to be a brunette like me! Don't believe what they tell you, we have all the real fun!"
"Why are you winking? Cana, stop that!"
Lucy didn't bother stifling her laughter when she looked up, seeing Cana giving Levy a cheesy grin. She looked over at Lucy before winking again. "Lucy knows, blondes don't have all the fun around here."
If her face wasn't already red from exercising, she might have blushed, remembering Cana's 'fun' with Macao not too long ago. She was too embarrassed to bring it up, not that she would even if it wasn't. Out of everyone, Lucy felt the most uneasy around Cana, but it had subsided greatly over the months.
She didn't fear Cana would grope her again, trusting she had gotten the message that it wasn't okay. Still, Lucy found herself harboring some hesitance when it came to being more open with the energetic woman.
"Sure," Lucy mumbled, lowering her head before dropping down to child's pose. "Whatever you say."
"Anyways, he wasn't supposed to, but Droy brought back some because I was thinking of changing my hair a little. Freed was kind of peeved, but he eventually got over it."
"How's Freed doing?" Erza asked, changing the subject. "I bet he misses Laxus."
Lucy's brows furrowed as she lost her concentration, her pose broken as she lifted herself up. She had done well so far to not dwell on her missing roommate today, but now that was over.
'He's not missing. He's out there, probably on his way back as we speak.'
Despite her wanting to believe that, she found herself poking holes in that thought. He had said he would be back before she knew it, but it was day eleven and they hadn't returned.
'Yet,' she told herself, wishing she could feel some form of reassurance. She closed her eyes as she crossed her legs, pretending she was stretching so her friends wouldn't notice her acting peculiar.
To take her mind off her worries, she thought back to the last night he was at Fairy Tail, her face and ears burning as she recalled those strong arms surrounding her, the bold pulse of her heartbeat as he fell asleep right next to her. She hadn't realized how close—
No.
That wasn't the right word.
How intimate their arrangement had gotten until she was left to sleep that first night without him. It might have been her mind playing tricks on her, but she swore it was colder than any other night before. Then again, it had been days before the first snow fell, so it was probably her imagination.
Lucy's fingers curled over her knees, her heart panging at the thought of not seeing him again tonight. She kept waiting for the day she would open the door and he would be in the room, waiting to surprise her, but it hadn't come.
"You okay?" Levy asked, setting a gentle hand on Lucy's shoulder. She did her best not to flinch, startled out of her thoughts. "You didn't overdo it, did you?"
Lucy looked up, catching Levy's gaze before shaking her head. "No, just resting."
"I think I'm done for the day," Cana said, walking over to the door. "If I keep sweating I'm gonna end up smelling funky 'til my shower day."
Erza couldn't help but snort before shaking her head. "How ladylike of you."
Cana chuckled before leaving the room, the others deciding what they wanted to do.
"I should go get ready for work," Levy groaned, undoing her hair so she could readjust her ponytail. "That food isn't going to sort itself." She sighed before looking over at Erza. "I wish I had a cooler job. I swear, the longer I look at expiration dates the harder it is to process numbers. They're all starting to blend together."
"Your job is cooler than mine," Lucy said, thankful for the distraction. Thinking about Natsu lately had only brought her pain deep within her chest. "Mine's so lame I'm not even needed today."
"Kind of hard to dig holes when there's snow on the ground," Erza said, walking over to hold out a hand, helping Lucy to her feet. "If you want, you can patrol with me? I don't start until three though."
"That sounds like fun," Lucy beamed, needing something other to do besides lay around and work out.
Fairy Tail had slowed down since the snow started falling. No one was allowed off base until it cleared up, and only a few people were required to show up for work on base. Luckily for people like Erza and Levy, their shifts were reduced down to a few hours a day since there wasn't much to do.
"Are you two done for the day?" Levy asked, taking a step towards the exit.
Erza turned to Lucy, her head cocked. "What do you say? Want to go a bit longer or call it quits?"
"I can keep going," Lucy said, loving the burst of endorphins that accompanied her workouts.
"Great. I was thinking we could try doing some pull ups? There's a bar in the weight room."
"You two have fun," Levy said, giving them a wave. "I'll see you at dinner."
"Sounds good." Lucy waved back, following Erza through a few halls until they reached the weight room. The lantern filled the room with a soft glow as Erza set it in the center. She walked over to the pull up bar, stretching her arms before grabbing the bar attached to the wall.
Lucy's mouth dropped when Erza effortlessly did ten pull ups, her body only swaying a bit with each dip. When the woman hopped off and offered it to Lucy, she could only pale, knowing she wouldn't be able to follow that.
"I don't think I can do it," she admitted, glad when Erza didn't laugh.
"If you want, I can help you?"
"Would that even be working out then?" Lucy asked, surprised when her friend nodded.
"I'll only assist you. You'll be doing most of the work. Come here, I'll show you."
Lucy hesitantly stepped closer, more afraid of making a fool out of herself than Erza touching her. She nodded when Erza held out her hands, forming a stand for Lucy to put her foot.
"Easy does it," Erza said, waiting until Lucy had a good grip of the bar before she put a foot on her laced fingers. After a moment, she felt Lucy's weight on her hands as the girl hoisted herself up, Erza helping her less than she anticipated.
"Wow, you almost got that all on your own!"
"You can let me down," Lucy all but groaned, feeling the strain in her arms and chest. Erza slowly lowered her hands until Lucy could put a foot on the ground, her balance unsteady for a few seconds. "How are you so good that?"
"Training," Erza said, dusting her hands off before moving to the ground. "I started with improving my push ups, then gradually eased into pull ups. Even I wasn't able to do one my first time. It takes a lot of patience and effort, but you'll get there."
"I don't know..." Lucy's voice trailed off as she started flushing. Not only did the compliment put her on the spot, her body was overheating. It didn't help that she wore sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt to their session.
While she was learning to accept herself for who she was now, she didn't feel comfortable with the whole base seeing her marks. She had been content with keeping herself covered for the duration of the workout, but even she had her limits, her clothes sticking to her like a second skin.
"Hey... Erza?"
"Hmm?" She looked up, catching the nervousness in Lucy's tone.
Her eyes fell to the wall, unable to meet Erza's gaze. "I... I can." She swallowed, feeling a lump forming in her throat. Instead of letting the negative thoughts control her, Lucy reminded herself that Erza was a friend.
An ally.
She knew she was in a safe, judgement-free space.
"I can trust you," she said, not needing to ask. Without waiting for a reply, Lucy grabbed the hem of her shirt, hesitating for a second or two before peeling it from her body, revealing the small tank top underneath.
Cool air rushed over Lucy's skin before she had a chance to drop the shirt. She kept her pants on despite having shorts on underneath. 'One step at a time,' she reminded herself. Grandeeney told her to step out of her comfort zone in small doses at first. She didn't want Lucy to scare herself into submission.
She would not get better immediately. Progress was made with little steps, which if the past few months showed Lucy anything, it was that they added up.
Erza kept her lips sealed as her eyes raked over Lucy's shoulder blades since the girl turned away from her. There were no horrid bruising, only a small green spot here and there, but that wasn't uncommon since Lucy had been non-stop exercising since she recovered from her illness.
A flicker of nausea struck Erza when she caught a glimpse of the first scar, peeking out from a strap of Lucy's top. More began revealing themselves as she took a better look, but she wasn't surprised. She hadn't been oblivious to the gossip about Lucy's body, but she hadn't thought it was truly as bad as they said.
Before Erza could get fixated on the burns and scars, she forced herself out of her trance. Her eyes fell to the floor as she cleared her throat. "Would you like to learn how to do a proper push up? It'll help you get stronger."
She glanced up, pleased to see Lucy looking back at her. There was fear in the girl's eyes, but not a trace of distrust. "Plus, between you and me," Erza started, a hint of a smile forming on her lips. "It's great for your breasts."
Lucy's eyes widened, surprise coloring her features. She blinked, unable to stop herself from smiling at Erza's silly expression. "It is?"
Erza nodded. "Yeah. It helps them get nice and firm. Get down here and I'll show you."
Lucy took a shaky breath, her anxiety high but manageable. She nodded, slowly making her way to the floor, happy she placed her trust somewhere safe.
"I'd have to say not shaving my legs has been a huge bonus for me," Erza said, a graceful smile on her lips yet her eyes remained alert, looking for any weak spots in the fence or danger lurking just beyond it.
Lucy followed along, wrapped in three layers of clothes to keep the cold at bay. "For a while I regretted not getting laser hair removal before, but I guess it doesn't bother me much." Lucy paused before sighing. "It's not like anyone's looking anyways."
"Jellal hasn't minded, so I'm sure if you find someone that meets your fancy, you won't have to worry about it either. I'd be surprised if anyone's wasting time shaving now." Erza focused on her job, not catching the way Lucy frowned at her comment.
'No one's going to want someone as damaged as me, even if I wanted to be with someone.' Lucy dropped her head, her brows furrowing as she reminded herself what Grandeeney had been saying since the first time they spoke in private.
"Your worth isn't based on what you look like or what has happened to you. It's based on the person you're striving to be and the decisions you make in the present. Healing won't happen overnight, but it certainly won't happen if you hold yourself in such low regards."
Lucy chewed on her bottom lip before regretting it, knowing she didn't have her chapstick with her. The cold immediately attacked the bit of saliva on her lip, drying it out. Instead of dwelling on that, Lucy covered her mouth with the brown scarf Levy had given her, relishing in the much needed warmth, even if it was only momentarily.
'How did she say it again? I have to ask myself is my self-worth dependent on this.'
As the two rounded a corner of the perimeter, Lucy tried it out, feeling a sense of relief when she broke it down and got to the root of what caused her to feel upset.
'I'm worried I'm going to end up alone, but that's not really important, especially now that the world is basically over. Me being alone doesn't mean I'm less of a person or less special than anyone else. Aunt Anna was alone for all her life, and she was the happiest person I've ever met.'
Lucy smiled against the rough fabric of her scarf, thankful Anna had lived a long and happy life. She was still stunning even in her last days, the woman full of life until it was time for her to rest. Luckily it had been a few years before the outbreak had begun. From what she could tell, older people hadn't been as fortunate when it came to surviving compared to the younger ones.
"—and I was thinking of getting it on my arm, but lower than Natsu's. What do you think?"
Lucy's eyes widened when she saw Erza glance back at her, expecting an answer to a question Lucy had been too zoned out to hear.
"I'm sorry," Lucy spouted, almost bowing in apology. "I... I wasn't listening."
"Oh." Erza stopped, causing Lucy to do the same. "Well, I'll try not to take offense."
It was meant as a joke, and Lucy could tell, but she still felt a pang of guilt. "Could you repeat yourself? Please? I promise I'm listening now."
Erza chuckled, reaching out to pat Lucy's shoulder twice before nodding for her to follow along as she finished her patrol. "I'm not sure when you tuned me out, so I'll start over. Since the gasoline won't last much longer anyways, Makarov agreed to let us use the generator to power up a tattoo gun. I—"
"Isn't that a waste of gas?" Lucy asked, cocking her head.
Erza smiled, not minding Lucy's interruption. She couldn't say she knew Lucy on a deep and personal level, but they had gotten better at little conversations, especially after the group left for their search and rescue mission. She thought Lucy might have shutdown with Natsu not around, similar to how she did when he was in quarantine, but the girl had proven Erza wrong.
Not that Erza minded being wrong on occasion.
"Even with additives, the gas isn't going to last much longer, and we've been collecting it since the first week things started happening. He said the amount we have will expire before we could possibly use it, so we're taking advantage and doing a few," Erza beamed, "frivolous things with it before it's all bad."
"Oh..." Lucy didn't have to wonder if that was a bad thing or not. While it would be nice to use some of the energy on fun things, it also meant their vehicles would soon be obsolete. 'How will the runners bring back supplies when they can't haul stuff back and forth?'
Erza waited a moment before continuing. "Anyways, I asked Makarov if we could grab some equipment from the tattoo shop about a mile out and he said yes, so once this snow clears a few of us are going to get it, set it up, then Rogue is going to tattoo us. Hopefully it won't take long, seeing as it's already starting to warm up some."
"I see," Lucy mumbled, her skin buzzing at the thought of purposeful pain. After what she endured, she couldn't imagine herself ever getting a tattoo. It didn't seem worth it.
"I know I had my fair share of jokes with the others when Natsu had to get his Fairy Tail tattoo, but now I'm thinking of getting one as well, but I think I'd want mine on my arm, lower than where his is. Maybe in purple or blue?"
"Blue would be pretty," Lucy said, earning a nod from Erza.
"I haven't told everyone about the plan yet. I was planning on doing that at dinner tonight. If there's enough ink, do you think you'd want one too?"
Lucy didn't hesitate to shake her head. "Nope! But you guys have fun!"
Erza's shoulders shook as she suppressed a laugh. "Very well. I've never had a tattoo before, but I think it'll be a nice addition to my body."
"Good luck," Lucy said, her tone lacking sarcasm.
Erza smiled. "Thanks. And if you change your mind, let me know."
Lucy snorted, tucking her nose under her scarf as they trudged through the melting snow. "Sure thing."
Brown eyes inspected what remained of her nails. She had bitten them down, trying to distract herself from her worry. The sun had set on another day, and he still wasn't back.
'He could be dead, and we'd never know.'
Lucy bit her inner cheek as punishment for such a thought. Natsu was going to make it back. He had to. Not only did he promise to return safely, he was Natsu. She had seen him in action when he took out a zombie before. He was a survivor, tougher than anyone she had ever met.
"He'll be back soon," Lucy whispered, her eyes falling to the dwindling piles of snow that remained on the ground. The steps and side road by the school were clear thanks to the rock salt. Makarov had them using it sparingly, so they didn't bother putting it outside of the base.
"Maybe he's already on his way back," she said, smiling beneath her scarf. "They're probably just waiting out this snow, then we'll see them really soon. I bet that's it."
Her companion never replied, too busy sniffing everything around him instead of using the bathroom like he was supposed to. Happy didn't seem to mind the cold, which was a shame for Lucy, who wanted nothing more than to go inside.
It wasn't the warmest, but it sure beat the direct cold, especially with no sun shining in the sky.
However, despite its lack of warmth, Lucy did enjoy watching the moon every night. It would slowly grow until it faded for the new moon. Tonight it was about three quarters full, flooding the area with light. It seemed brighter when there was snow on the ground, the white illuminated by the moonlight.
"Really pretty, huh?" a voice asked, causing Lucy to startle.
Her hands fell to the steps beneath before her head snapped to the direction of the voice, ready to jump up if needed. When her eyes focused on the figure approaching her, she allowed herself to breathe, realizing it was just a survivor. She had seen him around in the arena before, never catching his name, but he appeared harmless.
"Y-yeah," Lucy mumbled, her body tense despite telling herself there was no cause for alarm. Aside from what those guards did during that isolated incident, nothing bad had happened to her at Fairy Tail. The likeliness that she was in danger was low, but she wasn't about to lower her guard.
"Sorry," he said, nodding towards the doors behind her. "Didn't mean to scare you, just heading in."
"It's fine. I wasn't scared." It was an obvious lie, but he didn't call her out on it.
"You're Lucy, right?" he asked, watching as she gave a cautious nod. "Hibiki. I don't think we've met yet, but I've seen you around."
Lucy tilted her head back in recognition. She had heard his name in a few conversations, but she never had a face to place with the name. She opened her mouth to say she had been around, but stopped when she saw him trying to walk past her.
The moonlight gave more details to his face as he got closer, his appearance striking her as odd for a second before she realized what was wrong. His red nose and cheeks made sense because of the cold, but that wouldn't explain why his eyes were red and puffy. "You okay?"
"Eh," he shrugged, "not really, but I'll get over it."
Lucy frowned before glancing at Happy, seeing the cat was still wandering around. "Do you... want to talk about it?" she asked, unable to meet his gaze when he peered at her. She didn't know him, but even though her mind told her she was making a mistake, she didn't like to see another human being in pain.
Grandeeney had helped her even though it wasn't her job to counsel. Even though Lucy wasn't nearly as experienced as Grandeeney was, she knew how good it felt talking through her troubles, even if no problems got solved. She knew one thing, and it wasn't to underestimate the power of talking.
She didn't get an answer right away, but she knew he had stopped since everything went silent. After a moment passed, Lucy opened her mouth to say never mind, but Hibiki was quicker, turning towards her before saying, "I think I'll take you up on that."
And that was how Lucy found herself thirty minutes later, the cold no longer bothering her as she listened to Hibiki go on and on about his complicated relationship with Karen, a water gatherer who lived down the hall from her.
She had never spoken with Karen so she didn't have a reason to judge her, but after hearing Hibiki talk about her, Lucy was starting to think she wasn't the only person damaged, Karen having a few issues of her own. According to Hibiki, she was controlling and harsh at times, but he swore there was a goodness in her, even if others didn't see it.
"I don't know how much more I can take," Hibiki sighed, hand covering his face. "I'm trying to be patient, I am, but sometimes it's too much for me and I just gotta get some space. But, I guess that was the wrong thing to do because now she dumped me, but I already know in a few days we'll be back together again, because that's how it keeps going."
Hibiki huffed out a breath. "Round and round we go."
"Is that what you want to do?" Lucy asked, causing him to peek at her through his fingers. "Get back together with her?"
"Honestly?" He clenched his teeth before shaking his head. "I don't think so, but part of me says it'll get better, I just gotta wait it out. She'll stop being as controlling if I show her I'm not doing anything wrong. I mean, yeah I flirt occasionally, but she does too!"
Hibiki groaned before dropping his face into his knees. "That's why we got together in the first place. Both of us kept flirting until it was just inevitable I guess. I dunno. I think we're both just wrecks that like hanging out together, and the sex isn't half bad either."
Lucy snorted, unable to help herself. When he looked at her, she shook her head, barely hiding her smile beneath her hand. "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh."
He eyed her for a second before sighing, a small smile gracing his lips too. "It's fine. There's no reason you should take it seriously. Hell, I don't even take it seriously... Or, I mean I didn't."
"At first anyways?" Lucy asked, causing him to nod.
"I guess somewhere along the line I caught real feelings, and that just makes it worse, because now when she says hurtful shit to me it actually, well, hurts!" Hibiki tossed his head back, looking at the sky. "I just wish I knew exactly what to do."
"Don't we all," Lucy muttered, knowing she wasn't going to be of much help, but she was trying regardless. "You should just talk to her, tell her exactly how you feel and say you want to have a real relationship. No games."
"You make it sound so easy," he said, sparing her a glance before looking over at Happy, who had walked over to them. He had already done his business, but the two were so caught up in their conversation they hadn't noticed.
"It's not going to be easy," Lucy started, gaining his attention once again. "But, it'll be worth it. Think of it this way, you can keep playing games with each other, or you can tell her how you feel and see what happens. Either she'll be on board or she'll say no—"
Hibiki flinched at the thought, but Lucy didn't stop. "And either way, you find out what to do. You two can either work towards a stronger relationship, or you can try to heal and move on. It's not going to be easy, at all. I know how hard it is being honest, but so far the more honest I am the better I feel in the long run."
Seconds passed before Hibiki sighed, pulling off his beanie before ruffling his sandy blond hair. "I gotta say," he started, not addressing what Lucy had said. "You surprised me."
Lucy cocked her head, watching as he slipped the beanie back on. "How so?"
"I assumed you never spoke, but here you are, lecturing me." He smiled as Lucy blushed, her eyes falling to the ground between them.
"Trust me, if you tried talking to me months ago, I probably would've cried on the spot." She almost frowned, remembering how fragile she had been when she came to Fairy Tail. It had been eight days since she last felt the need to cry, which wasn't a long time for some people, but considering she used to cry about eight times a day, it was an accomplishment.
'Not that there's anything wrong with crying. Grandeeney said it's natural, but I'm glad I haven't felt that bad in a while.'
"You stick pretty close to your friends," Hibiki said, making Lucy wonder how many other people noticed it as well.
"I don't branch out that much."
"Socially awkward?" he asked, causing her to narrow her eyes, but there was no threat backing the expression. He laughed before shifting his legs so he could stretch them out on the steps below them. "I saw you a few times by yourself, but I never said anything. You usually walk too fast to say anything anyways."
"When did you see me?" Lucy asked, betting it was outside while she was at work, but his answer surprised her.
"Around the library mostly. I've seen you take a few books from there—"
"I always return them!" Lucy defended herself, but it wasn't necessary.
Hibiki chuckled, shaking his head. "Not what I was getting at, but that's good to know."
"Oh." Lucy's shoulders loosened, unaware she had tensed up.
"I was going to say I enjoy reading too."
"You do?" Lucy asked, perking up.
He nodded. "It's a nice escape from reality. I usually read non-fiction, but currently I'm reading a suspense novel, but it's historically accurate so I made an exception." Lucy almost asked what book he was reading, but he continued before she got a chance. "What about you? What are you reading?"
"Well..." Lucy resisted biting her lower lip, her heart suddenly beating faster. Since the beginning of their conversation she had calmed down, but the question put her in an odd place.
She wasn't too fond of talking about herself, especially to strangers, and especially when it came to something so personal. However, she answered, her voice less confident as she decided to open up, just a little.
"I haven't been reading much lately. I've... I've been writing, something."
Hibiki's eyes widened, the man leaning in an inch as curiosity colored his face. "A writer? That's pretty cool. What's the story about?"
Lucy almost cringed, unsure how he would react. "It's... a Game of Thrones... fanfiction."
Hibiki opened his mouth, but Lucy cut him off, needing to explain herself before he could judge. "My roommate really likes it, and he left on that mission, so I'm trying to get as much as I can done before he comes back so I can surprise him. Oh shoot, I was supposed to work on it tonight."
Lucy tapped a knuckle to her lips as she pondered. "I guess it won't hurt if I take a night off. Let the creative juices flow and what not," she whispered, forgetting for a second that Hibiki could hear her.
He cleared his throat, catching her attention. "Sorry I kept you. You can go if you need to?"
"Oh, no, it's fine." Lucy smiled in case he didn't believe her. "This is nice, promise."
"Alright, but don't go saying I didn't give you a chance to bail."
She chuckled before shaking her head. "I wrote some this morning, so I should be good anyways."
"I'm surprised Natsu likes to read. I didn't peg him as a reader."
Lucy's eye twitched at the mention of his name, but Hibiki misinterpreted her reaction.
"Natsu's you're roommate, right?"
She nodded, not bothering to ask how he knew. The base was small, now down to less than a hundred people. If she bothered branching out, she would know more about the other survivors, but for the most part Lucy liked her circle small.
"They'll make it back," Hibiki said, causing Lucy's stomach to twist.
"I know," she shot back, her tone defensive.
He only smiled in return, letting Lucy relax on her own instead of assuring her he didn't mean any harm by his comment.
"I thought you two were dating," Hibiki said, earning a jaw drop from Lucy. "But then you said roommate, so I take it you aren't together?"
She shook her head quickly, her face flushing at the thought. 'Me... with Natsu?' She swallowed, wondering why that didn't sound so bad. Despite that odd thought, she wanted to set the record straight. "We're friends."
She feared Hibiki would pry into her friendship with Natsu, but a gust of wind rushed past them out of nowhere, causing the two to shiver.
"Damn, that's cold," Hibiki said, looking up at the school. "We should probably get inside?"
Lucy nodded, not needing to be asked twice. She scooped up Happy, who was sitting by her feet before they made their way into the school. With the moonlight limited, Lucy couldn't see the details of Hibiki's face as well, but she figured it wouldn't matter since it was time for bed.
She almost lifted her hand to wave bye, but Hibiki stopped her with a question that had no simple answer.
"So, what's your favorite book?"
Lucy unlocked the door to her room, yawning as she let Happy in first before entering herself. The only thing keeping her from regretting staying up so late was the light fuzzy feeling in her chest after a good conversation. She never expected to find someone she clicked with so quickly at Fairy Tail, but once they started talking about books, she never wanted to stop.
The only thing that did end their conversation was Karen leaving her room to use the bathroom. Instead of finding an empty hall, she found Lucy and Hibiki sitting in the dark, swapping question after question with no regards to sleep.
Karen hadn't seemed pleased finding Hibiki with another girl, but thankfully the worst she received from the woman was a narrowed glare. They weren't doing anything scandalous, but Hibiki had mentioned Karen had a tendency of getting jealous.
Lucy was just enjoying their talk, even when the topic somehow switched to their jobs. She had found herself fascinated with Hibiki's since he worked off base as a runner. She couldn't help herself from asking, needing to know what it was like, how dangerous it was, what did he actually do out there, and if it was scary or not.
Hibiki chuckled at all her questions, but he answered them anyway. Lucy had just about gotten her fill before they were interrupted by Karen, which was probably for the best.
Hibiki got a chance to talk to his romantic interest, and Lucy got the chance to get some shut eye.
"Guess I should get ready for bed," Lucy mumbled, walking over to grab her stuff to brush her teeth, using Natsu's phone to light her way.
While going about her nightly routine, Lucy found herself recalling her favorite moments of her day. Her body felt heavier as she drew closer to resting, the day's activities fresh on her mind.
She surprised herself with how much fun she had, all because she allowed herself to lower her guard and just be instead of worrying about what others thought of her.
It had been scary at first, but in the end, it was worth it.
'Natsu would be so proud. Maybe I should try being more open, see what that leads me to.'
For the first time in a while, Lucy felt herself being optimistic about the future despite its uncertainties.
And she might have kept that mindset if it hadn't been for the pounding on her door moments before she fell into slumber. Lucy bolted up in an instant, wide eyes trying to adjust in the dark. Happy skittered across the room at the sudden sound, just as frightened as Lucy1.
She took a shaky breath, failing to calm herself as she stepped closer to the door. It was locked, so unless it was someone with a master key, she was safe. "Who is it?" she called, voice meeker than she liked.
"Erik."
Lucy's forehead wrinkled as she furrowed her brows. 'Why would he be knocking at my door?' She knew of him from Natsu's stories about his day. Erik was a lead clearer along with Laxus.
She swallowed hard before opening the door, trusting she wasn't in danger. The panic in his wild eyes made her regret her decision, her stomach falling as the light from his lantern shined over her.
"Can you come with me? Please? I know it's late, but it's an emergency."
Lucy's hand stayed on the handle of the door, ready to slam it shut if things went sideways. "Wh-what for?" she asked, fear seeping into her heart at the unknown.
"Some people showed up to Fairy Tail."
As soon as Lucy perked up, Erik frowned. "It's not our people, we've never seen them before, and we need to know if they're hostile or not."
Lucy's shoulders fell, deflated once again when she realized Natsu wasn't back yet. How long was he going to be gone? "Oh," she mumbled, unable to hide her disappointment.
"I wish they were back too," Erik said, the roughness in his voice making it hard to believe he was sincere, but his eyes did soften upon seeing her upset. "But we're kinda on a time crunch. We're holding them at the gates. Usually we'd let them right in, but Makarov said we gotta get you to look over them to make sure they're not a threat to the base."
Erik's words finally registered, Lucy's eyes wide as her heart sank. She didn't realize she said anything at all, her body frozen in disbelief while her voice whispered, "Why me?"
And then Erik said the dreaded name she didn't want to hear, the name of her abuser she had only given to one person. She had trusted him not to tell anyone else, and yet—
"We have to make sure they're not with Ivan's group."
.
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So, what'd you think of this chapter? :P
It's my birthday! Nov 18th! My birthday present to myself is an update! Because I absolutely love being able to update! :D
I dunno if it was subtle or not, but for most of the story Lucy called everyone Natsu's friends, but in this chapter she called them her friends. It's a little difference in typing, but hopefully it shows how much she's felt accepted into their group. Let me know if you caught the difference yourself! :D
So, there's probably a lot to unpack in this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it, so I hope you all enjoyed reading it! The next chapter will go back to the search and rescue mission, but for now let's focus on the base! Who do you think is knocking at Fairy Tail's door? What do you think about Lucy feeling brave enough to take off her shirt? Any thoughts on her interaction with Hibiki? I love to hear your opinions, so send them this way! Your reviews light up my day!
As always, I appreciate all the support! Thank you for every favorite, follow, and review! Shout out to those who reviewed last time: lili3346, shootingstarssel, Screeney, Meow Orbit, Michiamotippete, Stavroula99, WhatAnimeHasTaughtMe, Doginshoe(x4), valerioux, Mandapandaa, BluePhysalis, stranger1999, CrazyZaika, SistershoOk, Mrs I don't care, ElementalMiko12, BearPlusCat, Kmf1016, alexmalik15, lkityan, Sam, MyLittleStoryBook, car213, starrytae, Wolfcry77, Perfect Memories, Duchixx, FlameDragonHime(x2), Kitty9453, Guest, Guest, Guest, Sydneste, Letavia, and CopperDragonGamr! Your feedback means a lot to me!
Thank you so much for reading, and I'll see you in the next chapter! :D
Oh, and if you have tumblr, I sometimes post updates about my stories on there, like how far I am into the next chapter, stuff like that. Tumblr name is: mushi9