Charmed
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Chapter Eleven: Angel Eyes
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"You did WHAT?!"
Lucy groaned into the pink fuzzy pillow that she had pressed against her face, almost tight enough to temporarily suffocate herself. The synthetic fibers stuck onto her lips where her applied lip balm was still fresh, tasting peach and synthetic dryness.
It was around noon when Levy showed up at Lucy's apartment, knocking hastily on her door and breaking Lucy out of her chip-eating trance. She glanced at the clock on her bedside table, the neon red numbers letting her know it was five past noon. The vinegar of the chips soured on her tongue as her eyes diverted back to her door, praying that her visitor wasn't who she thought it was.
Then again, he was more prone to entering through her window. More importantly, he wouldn't invite himself into her bedroom after a fight like that. It was that thought alone that gave her the drive to swing her legs over the side of her bed and abandon the half empty chip bag on her bed, a few stray chips escaping and landing on her sheets. They'd leave crumbs if she didn't remember to clean them up, but she didn't care.
She opened her door to a pair of concerned brown eyes, which then darted to focus on the bag of chips left on Lucy's bed.
"So are you gonna tell me what's been going on?"
Lucy blinked. "What do you mean?"
"You're eating chips." Levy stated, brushing past her friend and making a beeline for Lucy's bed. She picked up the bag to examine it, and then turned to Lucy, holding the bag out in front of her. "Vinegar chips. If this isn't a cry for help, then I don't know what is."
It took Lucy all but 5 seconds to cry out in frustration and spill the contents of her conscience to her friend, plopping down on her bed back first and screaming into her pillow. In a way, it felt good to get this weight off of her shoulders, to finally speak with her best friend and let her know why she wasn't spending time at the guild and why she could barely make eye contact with her partner. A small part of her felt guilty, she made Natsu and Happy swear up and down that nobody else would know about their relations, why should she get an exception to the very rule that she put in place so forcefully? That was until she realized that Happy knew, and if Natsu could have a confidant, so could she.
Flashing forward to the present, Lucy refused to remove the pillow from her face, better to not look at Levy's shocked face, which undoubtedly matched the tone of her shocked exclamation.
"I don't know why you're surprised." Lucy groaned. "You and the others practically jump at the chance to tease me about this."
"I never thought you'd actually do it!" Levy exclaimed, jumping onto Lucy's bed and swiping the pillow away from her friend. "I mean, thinking about it versus actually doing it are two different things!"
Lucy turned her head to glare at Levy behind her messy bangs, plastered against her forehead. "You think I don't know that?" she asked ironically, reaching out to her friend wiggling her fingertips. "Give me my pillow back so I can shame-hide my face again."
"Absolutely not." Levy huffed, tossing the pillow across the room and sticking a perfect landing on the couch. "We're going to talk about this, it's not healthy to hold this in!" Levy exclaimed, resting her palms on her thighs. "Is this why you were acting so weird at breakfast the other day?"
Lucy sighed, looking up at her ceiling. "And here I thought I was in the clear."
"Mavis, Lucy!" Levy groaned. "Keeping this to yourself all this time? Why didn't you tell me? Don't you trust me?"
Lucy sat up then, blowing her bangs out of her face and sighing. The pit her stomach was shallow, but it still ate away at herself as she finally sat at eye level with Levy. "Of course I trust you, Levy-chan. It's just that -Oh hang on- don't you sound a little hypocritical talking to me about trust here?"
Levy frowned. "What do you mean?"
Lucy adjusted her position so that she was sitting on her knees, and pointed an accusatory finger at the blunette. "I don't see you confiding in me about your sexual adventures."
A few seconds passed before Levy's face began to glow red, blinking at Lucy nervously as she averted her eyes to stare at the wall. "I...don't know what you're talking about." she tried.
"Oh I think you know exactly what I'm talking about." Lucy accused, adding some vinegar to her tone and leaning in closer to her red-faced visitor. "Don't come talking to me about trust when you're boning Gajeel in secret every chance you get."
Silence suffocated the room as neither of the mages spoke a single word, fire bubbling inside of Lucy until she was able to fully dwell on her position and tone, suddenly backing out and lowering her pointed finger to ball her fists on her thighs, similar to Levy's position. She heard her harsh words play back and forth in her mind.
Lucy sighed, reaching out to lightly touch Levy's arm. "I'm sorry, that wasn't right of me to say."
Levy looked at her friend, her expression neutral other than the redness still lightly dusted on her cheeks. She stared at Lucy for quite some time before sighing and touching her fingertips to her brow.
"No it's okay, you're right. I shouldn't be holding you to a certain standard that exempts me from doing the same to you and your choices." Levy looked off to the side and frowned. "Frankly, I don't even know what our status is. We're just..." she trailed off, Lucy understanding that she was referring to her and Gajeel.
"Not putting a label on it." Lucy finished for her friend, who then reached for the infamous vinegar chip bag and dug right in with vigor. The girls took turns emptying the crinkly calorie filled plastic snack bag in silence, both mulling over their endeavors with their respected men. Ten minutes passed before Lucy was able to continue the banter. "At least you have some sort of structure with your situation. Mine's an entire drunken shitshow."
Levy rolled onto her back and sighed. "The apple doesn't fall far from the Dragon Slayer Tree."
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, pathetically competing in a staring contest with the pink stuffed bunny stationed next to her pillow, silently apologizing to the inanimate creature for having to witness her X rated activity she partook in the other night.
"Do you really think that we just mutually agreed to start hooking up before it happened?" Levy asked Lucy ironically. "As in sitting down at a table and proposing the details, in which no less than 20 minutes later we've seen each other naked?"
This made Lucy chuckle softly, "You have a point," allowing her to break her eye contact with her stuffed animal and shift her attention away from her own drowning thoughts and dive into a little distraction. "So how did it happen, huh?" she smirked, crawling over to Levy and eagerly awaited her response. "Gimme all the dirty details!"
"Oh now wait a minute!" Levy scoffed with amusement, shoving an accusatory finger into Lucy's collarbone. "This is not about me. I'm here to ask you about your night with Natsu. You spill first!"
Lucy huffed and crossed her arms. "I think I deserve answers, after all no girl wants to hear about her best friend's hookup from a male source. You talk first!"
Levy leapt up from her seated position suddenly, her bare feet landing with the smallest thud back onto the bed as she towered over her friend. Eyes widened with sudden anger, her complexion glowed a passionate red.
"That jerk told Natsu?!" Levy exclaimed, the corners of her glossed lips shaking. "We had a promise!"
"No, no!" Lucy stammered out, joining her friend in standing on her bed and grabbed onto her wrists. "He didn't-I mean at least I don't think he- no that's definitely not it. Natsu said that he could smell it on him, remember that Wendy told us that Dragon Slayers can smell...well I mean...they can-"
This phrase emitted a flustered scream from Levy. "You mean she wasn't lying?!" Her eyes became dizzy as Lucy frantically tried to bring her friend back from her mini space mission, undoubtedly remembering every single moment she felt any emotion for Gajeel in front of Wendy.
Much to Lucy's chagrin, this triggered her own memory of the little Dragon Slayer's obvious embarrassment when she averted her eyes from the spot on Lucy's floor where she and Natsu had fallen onto each other. With such a strong reaction after that fact, there was no way in hell she'd be letting Wendy into her apartment anytime soon. Stradling was one thing, but full on intercourse would surely send her into a dizzy spiral. Lucy's head was already spinning just thinking about it.
"That poor girl." They both sighed in union, sinking back down onto Lucy's bed and melting in their own respected puddles of shame. Lucy grabbed her pillow once more and hugged it close, sighing into the fluff and ignoring the ticklish and sticky feeling from her lip balm. Her eyes sunk into sullen dissociation, helplessly falling back into the fuzzy flashbacks of her evening. Everything was slowly making sense, timeline wise anyway. She had time to mull over her actions and piece together her behaviors, down to the very last drop of alcohol and stroke of his fingertips on her skin, a sensation she couldn't forget even if she tried to.
And there it was, almost like clockwork. Her brain showed her images and past sensations of her night with her partner. She could still feel her sheets wrinkling under their bare skin as they found their rhythm. She could feel his smooth and sturdy muscles under her light fingertips as he kissed her neck. His arms were strong and comforting, she fit into them almost perfectly. She abruptly stopped herself from thinking about the addictive and tantalizing heat that she felt coarse throughout her body as he touched her in all the right places at all the right times. Her eyes opened slowly as the memory of the noises that released from her lips only made him touch her more-
No, get a grip. Lucy mentally bopped herself on the head. You're not going to relive your sexual encounter with your best friend laying next to you. Not happening.
"Your door's glass is cracked, ya know." Levy said, prompting Lucy to groan and cover her eyes.
Her imminent death was approaching, courtesy of her landlady.
"So how was it?"
Lucy turned towards Levy, who had a much similar expression on her face as Lucy was certain it was a mirror of her own, minus a twinge of curiosity. Levy's doe eyes shimmered softly as she waited for her friend to reply. She blinked slowly before contemplating her answer, sighing as she smiled pathetically at the ceiling.
"It was...new."
Lucy lost herself in the melodic routine of scrubbing the irish spring soap onto each of the plates, the green bubbles foaming and popping onto her skin and under her fingernails.
It was soothing to her, almost like a nostalgic lullaby. She remembered washing dishes with her mother when she was small, Layla teaching her daughter to take pride in work and to not let their servants do all of the work all of the time. That had always resonated with Lucy, even into her tween years as she'd insist on helping in the kitchen and doing her part. Plus, it took time away from potential lessons for standing up straight or how to angle her spoon just right for optimum soup consumption.
She felt comfort in running the dish under the warm water, and as she placed the dripping wet plate onto the black drying rack next to her, the sound of the kitchen door creaking open caught her attention.
She turned to greet her visitor, and hesitated when she saw Natsu standing before her. His eyes widened for a brief second before returning to their neutral state. He watched her carefully, and she let him.
The days that followed their fight felt slow and grim. They hadn't spoken a full sentence to one another, a record time for both parties involved. She could feel everyone's eyes on her whenever she and Natsu were in the same room and not interacting with one another. It was even worse when she'd sneak a glance in his direction and watch him just continue on; Continue on as if she wasn't around or even existed. It left a sour and pitiful taste in her mouth, and the one person who could curb her anxiety about the situation couldn't even help her.
Even now, as they stared at each other for what felt like the first time in forever, none of it felt real.
"I thought you were going out with Gray and Happy." she stated calmly, turning her back to him and reaching to grab another dirty plate to begin her cycle all over again. She remembered hearing his conversation this morning before abruptly avoiding the three of them and slinking past them into the kitchen. It of course didn't stop him from catching her eye for just a brief moment.
Natsu scoffed. "On hold for the moment." He raised his right arm and ran his fingers through his pink hair, glaring at the soap suds that danced tauntingly around the metal sink. "Cana got chosen for dish duty, and she's decided that I'm gonna take her place."
Her eyes lingered on his arm muscles before she smirked at his bothered expression. "So this is your punishment for getting drunk?" she turned back around and dipped a plate smeared with jelly into the sink. "A little lax for Cana, don't you think?"
"Yeah I guess. I'm sure she'll come collect again when she feels like it." she felt him approach her on the right, and grabbed the wet plate she'd set aside. "Anyway, I guess I'm on drying duty."
"Guess so." she agreed, finishing up the plate she was scrubbing and handed it straight to him. He took it without complaint, and she heard a faint sizzle as he evaporated the water on sight. Quite the convenient power for someone on drying duty.
They stayed silent in their routine for a while, Lucy washing away any residue left on the dishes and Natsu drying them off. It became a silent routine that they had quickly fallen into, and they were quite good at staying silent lately.
Lucy felt her mind begin to wander off into twists and trails, a small pit growing in her stomach each time she handed Natsu a new item to dry. The pit grew even worse when she could just barely feel his warm fingertips tap her pruning ones, the soap and water taking effect on her skin.
"What's there to talk about?" she heard herself echo in her head, words she'd uttered to him so recently, still fresh on her mind. "We made a mistake, we move on. Simple."
She hated it. She hated standing there and not bringing up the obvious elephant in the room, and to make matters worse, an elephant she could've released when he first asked her to talk. She kept her anxiety and toxicity caged up inside of her when all she really wanted to do was to make it all go away forever.
He was her partner, her confidant, her best friend. That was it, that was all they were supposed to be, nothing more.
And she was letting one night of a slip up get in the way of being good with the boy she trusted and cared for with all of her heart.
"I'm sorry."
They both froze as the same words escaped each other's lips. They turned towards each other, Lucy dropping a dish she'd picked up and letting it drown back into the murky sink water. She watched him as he frowned down at her, his eyes swimming with the same sadness that she'd seen briefly in the hall earlier at breakfast. He sort of looked like a helpless puppy dog, though that was almost comical to think about in Lucy's head.
"I…" he trailed off, looking awkwardly to the side, trying to come up with something else to add to his apology.
Or at least that's what she thought he was trying to do.
Natsu sighed, closing his eyes. "Fuck it. I don't really know how to even start this. This kind of thing has never happened to me before."
"So you've said." Lucy blinked in surprise, and she felt herself chuckle softly as she took in how truly awkward Natsu looked trying to work out how to approach his current situation.
She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. "You mean you don't always accidentally sleep with your female friends every once in a while?"
Natsu looked at her again, and her heart warmed at the sight of him smirking at her question. "Only when I'm really drunk."
The stiffness in her body melted away instantly, and she let herself cry out in relief as she launched herself towards him and wrapped her arms against his torso, pressing her cheek into his scarf. He welcomed her immediately, pulling her closer into his body and resting his palm on the crown of her head, the other resting on her lower back. His smell filled her senses, and she found immediate comfort. "I'm sorry too." she told him.
The pit in her stomach vanished, and she felt absolutely euphoric.
"Thank Mavis, now can we stop being weird around each other?" Natsu requested, his voice vibrating in his chest and tickling Lucy's ear through his scarf. "It's...well...I don't like it."
She giggled before ending their embrace. "Count on it."
Natsu's sandals clicked as he casually made his way down the familiar stony path in the center of town, completely zoned out with content casualty. A simple, happy tune softly escaped his lips as he whistled through the cool night air, his mood on a high.
It had been five days since his and Lucy's reconciliation, and Natsu relished in the absence of the unfamiliar pressure that was taking up residence in his body for the period of time that they weren't speaking. It was a poison to him, unnatural, and he was sick of dealing with it.
He re-lived the relief of feeling her steady heart pound against his chest as she melted into his embrace, irish spring soap and peach scents smothering his nose as he rested his chin atop her head.
They slipped back into their daily platonic routines of morning pancakes and normalcy. It was almost as if they never had their strange tiff in the first place; A stranger would find the hot and cold situation completely absurd; to the rest of them, it was just another day of Natsu and Lucy being…well…Natsu and Lucy. Gone were the awkward glances across the room and pointed ignoring, Lucy won the blue ribbon for that charade. The only contribution Natsu made to that effort was sneaking lightning fast glances at his partner to check out the atmosphere. Not that it mattered anymore to them.
Back came the playful banter and shoves, merciless teasing and platonic admiration for one another. They even went on another mini job, one that had nothing to do with biting berry plants.
They were better this way, happier and more in sync as a team and as friends.
When he reached his destination, he tilted his chin upwards towards the warm golden light reflecting onto the cobblestones beneath his feet, white chiffon curtains blowing softly in harmony with the breeze through the open window of the building. He smirked, it was just like her to let a little night breeze circulate her room before bed. Afterall, this was his usual way into her apartment.
Backing up a few steps, he lunged forward and leapt up the brick wall, pressing his palms and soles of his feet in turn with one another as the crusted cement briefly met his palms, the air blowing around his hair and scarf stinging his cheeks. The sting halted as he swung himself fully through the open window and his body was surrounded by cozy warmth.
"How's it going, partner?" he exclaimed cheerfully, ignoring the small surprised yelp from across the room as his feet hit the fuzzy white carpet next to her desk. He made his way from the window over to the kitchen area, swiping an apple from a blue and white ceramic bowl that sat atop the table. "Chilly night, isn't it?"
"Fall is definitely on its way." he heard Lucy sigh as he examined his reflection in the shining skin of the fruit. Her scent met his nose, the clean cotton of her loose t-shirt and shorts mixing with her shampoo. "I thought I told you to knock first, dummy."
"Nah, it's not as fun." Natsu laughed, bringing the apple up to his lips until he felt it swiped out of his hand suddenly, his smirking reflection vanishing before his eyes. Blinking in a rapid haste, he turned towards the fruit thief and shot her a scowl. "Give it back!"
"My apartment, my apple." Lucy huffed, leaning forward and dangling it in front of Natsu tauntingly. She straightened up then, sighing and walked right past him towards the stove in the kitchen. Her hair swung behind her head as she turned a knob and a steady blue fire crackled to life. "Tea?" she asked him as she reached towards a small decorative box on the counter a few feet away from the burner. Scents of clove and peppermint rushed out of the box to greet the air.
"I'm assuming you're hanging around for a bit given you've already made yourself at home."
Natsu scoffed, leaning back against the table. "Hasn't stopped me before, now has it?" This prompted an amused huff from Lucy, who was busy rummaging through the tea chest and pulled out a teabag. "Anyway, save your hot leaf water for a sec," Natsu continued, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a medium, rolled up piece of parchment. "I brought something for you."
"And what would that be?" she asked him, walking over to the sink and returning with a sloshing kettle of cold water. She placed the kettle atop of the burner and let the flames lick at the bottom. She still held the apple in her left hand, fingernails slightly piercing the skin of the fruit.
Natsu smiled brightly. "A job!"
Lucy paused briefly and turned towards him, the apple still in hand. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she crossed her arms. "If it's anything like our last job picking fruit, I'm gonna have to pass." she told him sarcastically.
"Oh you've picked out worse jobs before too." Natsu rolled his eyes. He inched closer to his partner and held the paper closer to give her better access to take it from him. "Besides, you're gonna wanna take a look at this one."
He watched as her chocolate eyes skimmed the paper with curiosity. "Bluebell?" the town's name was the first to catch her interest. "Where have I heard that name before?"
"Beats me, I've never heard of it." Natsu frowned. "But the town name's not important, it's the number on the bottom you're gonna wanna-"
"Hold on!" she exclaimed suddenly, swiping the paper from Natsu's grip and breezing past him, abandoning her apple and tossing it up in the air. Natsu caught it easily, all the while keeping his sight on his partner's widening eyes. "They're paying how much?!"
"You can read, read it yourself." Natsu shrugged, tossing the apple up in the air and catching it, only to bring it up to his mouth and sink his teeth into it. The sweetness filled his taste buds as he watched Lucy's eyes rapidly skim the job listing. "It's almost as much as that gem hunt job we went on a year ago. Plus, we all know you love a good paying job."
"Forty-million jewel…." Lucy read dreamily, then quickly shifted gears to glare at her partner. "Money's not all I care about, you know."
"Yeah, yeah." Natsu dismissed her, waving his hand in her direction and taking another chomp out of his apple. "Just trying to avoid another venting session about how your rent has increased and blah blah blah."
An annoyed tsk escaped through Lucy's lips. "Easy for you to say. You own your place, no rent for you."
"The jewel could help you fix that crack in your door before your crazy landlady finds out." Natsu said nonchalantly, making his way to her couch and plopping down, crossing his right arm behind his head, apple in his left hand. He brought the fruit up to his lips.
"What?"
He paused and looked over at Lucy, who was now full on staring at him with her mouth in a small o. Her hair fell into her face and covered her eyes only slightly, but just enough so that he couldn't read her face fully. She fixed that issue rather quickly though, swiping the blonde locks out of her face to reveal a slight flush.
He blinked at her. "There's a crack in the glass in your door, didn't you see it?"
"I-uh-yeah I know." she stammered awkwardly, which confused him immensely as he studied her. She hastily made her way over to the fridge and opened the door, the artificial light shining behind her body and tracing her silhouette. She emerged holding a clear pitcher of milk, placing it gently on the counter. She was still holding onto the job listing, now clutching onto the edge of it and crumpling it under her knuckle. She turned towards him finally, the flush completely gone from her complexion and appearing…normal.
"So," Lucy changed the subject, looking back down at the paper and skimming the contents once more. "This says that we need to stop the distribution of some sort of drug?"
Whatever train of thought that Natsu had regarding his mentioning of her broken window escaped the metaphorical window. He sat up on the couch and adjusted his scarf. "Seems like it. There aren't many details on the paper, says more info would be given upon accepting the job. Plus, I figured we could all go-You, me, Happy and the others-it'll be fun."
Lucy nodded slowly, growing fond of the idea. "It would be nice to go on another job with everyone again, it's been so long." She made her way towards the couch and folded the paper up once again neatly, sliding her fingertips across the crease of the folded parchment. A smile formed on her glossed lips. "What the hell, let's tell the others."
"Sweet!" Natsu exclaimed, jumping up and plucking the paper out of Lucy's hand. "I'll tell everyone tomorrow." He adjusted his scarf as he placed the paper back into his pocket. Stretching his arms over his head lazily, he let out a yawn as he playfully ruffled the top of Lucy's head, an annoyed blonde huffing and swatting his hand away before rolling her eyes sarcastically. "You're a giant child, has anyone ever told you that before?" she asked as she swiped her fingers through her frizzed locks with an annoyed look on her face.
"Just about everyone." he replied as he made his way back to her open window. He grabbed onto the wall and hoisted himself up so that he was hovering skillfully on the ledge. Her curtains engulfed him and tickled his arms as he readied himself for his departure. "I'll see you tomorrow-"
"Hang on just a second."
Natsu halted his departure and he turned his head towards Lucy, her hand outreached in his direction, hair still slightly mussed from his hands. Natsu raised an eyebrow. "What's up?" he remained perched on her window.
She huffed softly, swiping her hair out of her eyes and glued her gaze onto him, studying him carefully.
"So I know we agreed to not let things be weird since, well, you know," she began, breaking her gaze to look off towards her dresser. Natsu could only assume she was talking about the night of the party. He frowned as he watched her eyes switch from neutral to uncertain, which sent a small twinge of that old uncomfortable feeling he was glad to be rid of. "So I need to lay my cards out on the table."
"Okay?" Natsu replied, going along with it, silently praying that this wasn't going to lead them back into their terrible awkward limbo. He confessed to himself that he had absolutely no idea where she was going with this.
Nodding to herself, she directed her attention back to Natsu.
"You should know that Levy-chan knows everything."
She waited for Natsu's expression to show any change; surprise, anger, shock; it didn't come right away.
Lucy admittedly felt guilt keeping this from Natsu, after all up until that very moment he believed that the only ones who knew what really happened that night were the two of them and Happy. He had a right to know that another person knew of their so-called sexcapades, she owed him that much.
Natsu remained still on his perch, watching Lucy carefully and taking in her words. She desperately wished to know what he was thinking, and she didn't have to wait long before he finally moved.
"Hold on," he began, hopping backwards off of her windowsill and spun in place to face her. He crossed his arms, and to her surprise he smiled accusingly at her. "Someone's being a little hypocritical."
Lucy's mouth dropped. "Excuse me?" she asked him incredulously, her eyebrows raising as she copied his stance and crossed her arms. "Meaning?"
"Meaning," he taunted, "You're the one who made it all too clear that we took this to the grave. What happened to that plan, huh? I kept my end of the bargain."
"Oh no, no," she shook her head and took a step towards the cocky dragonslayer, thrusting her arm out and pointing a sharp finger in her direction. "You have Happy, it's only fair that I get to talk about this with someone else."
"Hey now, Happy found out by accident." Natsu huffed. "This is completely different. Besides, he's not a person, he's an exceed. And I believe that you specified that no other person should know what happened."
"He was a person during the S-class trials!" Lucy exclaimed back at him. "And a person for all other intents and purposes as declared by you."
They glared comically at each other before Natsu conceded and sighed. "Okay fine, you have a valid point."
Lucy huffed and turned her back. "Damn straight I do." she muttered under her breath. She glared ahead of her at her stove, the pot of water she put on the heat still having yet to produce any steam signaling that the water was ready to be poured. The excited fight in her eyes dulled as her expression softened. "I just thought you should know is all."
Natsu coughed uncomfortably behind her. "Thanks."
They stood in silence for a dozen seconds so that Lucy could quickly shake off the nerves. She felt good telling him, knowing that he now knew everything. Cards all out, her hand displayed out in plain sight.
She giggled softly. "Ok, I'm vetoing this silence. We promised we wouldn't be weird anymore." she said confidently as she turned around to smile at Natsu softly. She was done feeling weird over the whole situation, and was ready to move on. To start fresh and continue their healthy Natsu and Lucy activities.
They were better this way, happier and more in sync as a team and as friends.
"That's it? That's all I get?" he then asked her.
Lucy blinked. "Huh?"
"What does she think of all this?" Natsu asked her casually, leaning back so that he gripped the edge of her desk next to her window. He waited patiently as he gave her an amused look, the amused look he always gave whenever he knew that he'd be told something interesting or worth knowing. Not that she could blame him, if it were anyone else other than Happy who knew, Lucy would kill to know their opinion. Even if it didn't matter what a third party thought, knowledge is power. Lucy kept this thought in her mind as she knew that Natsu most likely felt the same, though at a severely weakened degree.
"Well she didn't really say much," Lucy sighed. "Other than being surprised that it even happened in the first place." That makes two of us she thought to herself wryly as she spoke.
Natsu scoffed. She watched him with a careful eye as he laughed to himself softly, clearly amused at her report. "Is she now?" He rubbed his right arm against the back of his neck. "Her secret boyfriend sure thinks the opposite."
This piqued her interest. "Come again?" she asked.
"Oh," Natsu realized what he had said and immediately straightened his posture. " I just mean…" he trailed off almost lazily, looking as if he were waiting for something in the room to catch his eye to help him bring up an alternate subject. When the attempt failed, he closed his eyes and sighed. "He likes to think he's a god or something, knowing everything about everyone and what they should do, eat, stupid stuff." Lucy waited patiently for him to get to his point, a small pit of concern filling her stomach as she could of sworn she saw Natsu's facial expression change to an unfamiliar emotion for just a second.
"He's convinced I have the chemical." Natsu finally said, rolling his eyes. "He's the one who has the damn chemical, the man isn't pretty subtle about it either."
"What chemical?" Lucy frowned.
Natsu waved at her dismissively. "Happens when your emotions are heightened and intensified at certain things. Things that make you happy or someone that you like."
Lucy was interested, she'd never heard of something like this happening to the other slayers. Sure they were connected to their dragon parents and shared fighting styles and abilities, but to go as far as instinctual science? This was new territory. Lucy nibbled on the inside of her bottom lip thoughtfully.
Natsu scoffed once more. "The guy practically reeks of it every single time Levy's within an inch of him."
Lucy giggled, imagining the chemical reaction behind her best friend's not so subtle attraction to Gajeel. "So this is a dragon thing then?" She turned her back to him to glance at the kettle once more, still producing no steam.
"What?" Natsu frowned at her. "No, not just a dragon thing. It's a people thing, Igneel said everyone goes through it."
Lucy blinked in confusion for a dozen seconds before the lightbulb clicked to life in her head.
Then again, maybe it wasn't so foreign to her.
"You mean pheromones?" Lucy asked him wryly, trekking back over to her kitchen and opening up her cabinet, pulling out a yellow ceramic mug. She glanced back at the kettle, still no steam.
"Phero-whats?" Natsu replied, a confused tone covering his voice.
"Natsu, this is the second time we're having this conversation." Lucy reminded him, turning back towards him to shoot him a condescending look. "Don't you remember when we-"
She stopped short, hearing her words and letting them sink in slowly.
"I-oh." Natsu halted his speech as he saw the look on Lucy's face. It took only a moment longer, but his face too grew into a grim phase of thought. His lips were a thin line, eyes focused on Lucy and Lucy only, unmoving yet calculating. "I guess so…yeah…"
Silence permeated her apartment as they stared into each other's eyes, each of them silently daring the other to do or say something to veto the silence once more.
Lucy gulped slowly, a knot forming in the back of her throat as she awkwardly ran the thin fabric of her t-shirt between her thumb and pointer fingers. "So Gajeel he…says he smells them on you?" she looked back at the kettle for what felt like the 20th time, silently cursing at it for not producing a distraction.
So much for not making it awkward.
Natsu scoffed then, almost forcibly. "He doesn't know what he's talking about." he said it with almost enough confidence for Lucy to almost believe him if it weren't for Natsu saying the words.
"It's science Natsu." Lucy said softly. She left the kitchen cabinet and pulled the wooden chair tucked comfortably under her kitchen table and took a seat in it, clutching onto the mug she pulled from the cabinet as if it were a crutch. "You can't debunk scientific facts."
She tried to ignore the unsettling gaze he was giving her from his position in her room. Instead she stared into her own unsure reflection in the mug, her eyes tinted a yellow glaze.
"It doesn't matter." Natsu grunted. "I know how I'm supposed to feel about you."
She continued to stare into her reflection, running her thumbs over the ceramic cup and listening to the high pitched yet quiet scraping of her fingernails. They didn't leave any markings on the cup, she made sure of that.
"And I'll prove it."
"What?" Lucy broke out of her trance, still attempting to process their previous topic of scientific phenomena. She released the mug from her touch and turned towards him in her seat.
Natsu blinked at her slowly after coming to terms with what he'd declared. He pushed himself off of her desk and dashed over to her.. He knelt down to her level and stared into her gaze, a calm and determined stare piercing through Lucy's cautious and curious questioning glance.
"Kiss me."
Lucy coughed suddenly, her hand shooting up to clutch her throat to settle her muscles. "What?!"
"Just to prove to you that a stupid chemical doesn't mean anything." Natsu, reaching out to lightly shove the mug away and out of reach from her grasp. "We're better than science, we kick science's butt."
Lucy shook her head and scoffed incredulously. "Natsu I don't think that-"
"What? Worried you'll fall in love with me?" he teased her, playfully poking at her flushed cheek. "Just let me know now so that I can let you down easy."
Lucy rolled her eyes and chuckled softly. "Get over yourself, casanova." she went to stand up but he stopped her. She sat back down slowly, the playfulness leaving her demeanor.
"Hey, I'm serious." Natsu told her, his finger leaving her cheek to gently touch her bare arm. Lucy glanced down at his hand, warm and sturdy, then back up into his calm eyes. "I don't need anyone else telling me what's what. Besides, we already did it once before. What's the harm?"
Lucy frowned at her partner, feeling his steady pulse through his fingertips and let her eyes flutter down to his lips for just a moment. It was enough to send her right back into the depths of the memories of that night, his lips warm and steady against her own and invigorating as they explored other areas of her body. She honed in on his touch to her arm and remembered how gentle yet firm he was with her as their bodies tangled up between the covers now tucked neatly on her bed. She closed her eyes as she felt him slip his hand into hers, interlocking their fingers under the table in Lucy's lap. Once more, she was transported back to their fingers interlocking as she released hot and quick breaths into the crease of his neck as he led her into a world of pleasure.
She hadn't thought about it for days. And she forgot how much she craved it again.
She felt her face grow warm, not from her own flushed cheeks but from the warmth of her best friend inching closer and closer.
"Where's Happy?" she breathed out softly, opening her eyes slowly. Letting her body take control, she reached out to lightly touch his jaw, feeling a slight stubble.
"Busy." Natsu breathed back. She could feel the tip of his nose against hers.
She exhaled shakily, and with a quick glance into his eyes and then back to his lips, she sealed her fate. "Then let's be quick about it."
It was all Natsu needed to lean in and close the space between them. Their lips brushed together slowly, light as air and steady. Lucy let her hand trace his jaw up towards the back of his neck, she felt their fingers untangle as he slid his hand up her arm, bringing her in closer to him.
Lucy's mind began to swim as their lips danced in a perfect rhythm, no teeth bashing together clumsily or uncertain advances. It was the first time since they made up that Lucy felt completely at ease and in control.
They broke apart only once, their foreheads touching softly, catching a quiet breath. Lucy's eyes remained closed as she re-lived the events, soft and vanilla and warm. It wasn't until his lips reminded her in her a hot flash of their previous night that she broke the gap between them and initiated the second kiss, only this time she leaned into him more fiercely and confident. She felt Natsu groan softly into their kiss, which drove her libido up towards a mildly dangerous level. It was then that her fingers grabbed onto his hair and hungrily pulled him closer to her, wishing there was a way for them to mold into one being. Their pace remained slow yet heated as he traced her jaw with his fingers, cupping her cheek and delicately swiping his thumb across her skin. His other hand snaked down her back and settled on her hip, holding her steady and firm, refusing to let her go. She moaned softly as he bit down softly on her bottom lip, relishing in the feeling of his hand moving up her back to cradle the back of her head. Her entire body was on fire, and she felt her consciousness slipping into her desire to get even closer.
That was, until a high pitched and shrill noise made the two of them jump apart like startled puppies, both breathing heavily.
Lucy blinked in confusion for several seconds before her torso swivelled in her seat to witness the kettle erupting angrily with steam. In a panicked frenzy, she leapt out of her seat and darted towards the stove. She grabbed the handle and removed the kettle from the heated stove, clicking off the knob and snuffling the stovetop flame. The whistling ceased almost immediately.
She kept her back to him for a minute more as she was finally able to process the events that had just occurred. Her chest was still heaving up and down, half from surprise and half from their heated make-out session just moments prior.
She kissed Natsu. No, she really kissed him. Again.
Lucy slowly turned to face him then. He was kneeling on the ground as she left him, panting in the same fashion as she was. His face was only slightly flushed, lips parted and tinted a soft red from the friction; she imagined hers looked the same. He was looking at her with a stunned expression, right hand hovering over the chair where he once clutched her waist. His eyes darted to his outstretched hand, and quickly withdrew it, standing up as he did so. With a flash, his facial expression changed to what looked like an attempted grin.
"See? No difference." he stated.
Lucy gulped softly. "Oh, right." she nodded at him slowly. "Glad we sorted that out then."
She watched his grin slowly melt off of his face to an unfamiliar neutrality. "Yeah."
Feeling rather unfamiliar herself, she turned away from him once more and bit down on the inside of her cheek as if to banish her pounding heartbeat. She couldn't bring herself to look back at him, busying herself by opening a small chest on her kitchen counter that contained colorful packets of sweeteners. She hastily plucked out a pink packet and engulfed it in her right hand, resting her fist on her counter softly. It was in that moment that she realized her mug was still on the table, and she was stranded where she stood.
"I-" she heard him start before his speech was halted for a brief moment. "I'll see you tomorrow then?" he asked her slowly. She wished she could see what his face looked like then, only she couldn't get herself to turn around.
"Mhm." was all she could muster. She looked down at the burner with a sullen expression as she heard him grab onto her windowsill and undoubtedly leave the same way he came in.
Nothing? He felt nothing?
She remained in her spot near the stove, sugar packet in hand, a million thoughts rushing through her mind as she caught a glimpse of her expression in the reflection of the hot kettle. As expected, her cheeks were flushed and her bangs slightly stuck to her forehead. Her bottom lip was slightly swollen from the bite given to her, though it didn't hurt. Her left hand reached to touch her chest, her heart pounding unevenly in her chest as she closed her eyes. She replayed his words in her mind, cross referencing them with the passion and heat he delivered minutes ago.
"I know how I'm supposed to feel about you."
His lips dancing across hers with heat and intensity.
"What's the harm?"
Her hands caressing his chiseled jaw and moaning softly into his kiss.
"Kiss me."
Lucy's mouth dropped open as she inhaled sharply, his words of the evening still flooding her thoughts. She abandoned the sugar packet and touched her lips gingerly. On cue, her memories of the night of the party violently came to life and attacked her subconscious. Retro colors of the passion and heat they created combined with her current emotions as she took them in already warmed up, though this time sober.
It was that thought that let her eyes fly open.
Sober. She was stone cold sober.
In a flash, she turned on her heels away from the sugar chest. Stuck in her determination to complete her pending task, she was too focused to realize that someone was standing just a few feet behind her. She bumped into a solid and sturdy chest, a hand catching her outstretched wrist to assist in steadying her. Her eyes flew up to meet his, calm yet blazing.
He looked back down at her and said nothing at first, soaking each other up in all their frenzied glory. She was frozen in place as she saw him raise his left arm and present a foreign object in her peripheral vision.
"You forgot your mug." Natsu almost whispered, his voice low and raspy.
She glanced over at the yellow mug for a grand total of three seconds before returning her gaze to his. It only took three seconds more for her to lunge at him and grab his scarf, pulling his face down to hers and capturing his lips hungrily. He compiled straight away, both of them ignoring the crash of the mug as it dropped to the ground.
Her arms wrapped around his neck as he lifted her suddenly, placing her on the counter perpendicular from the heat. Her legs instantly wrapped around his waist as he kissed her harder and deeper than she could've imagined. She gasped and moaned into their kiss as his hands explored her torso, sliding up her t-shirt and tracing the clenching muscles on her back. She broke their kiss to move to his neck, kissing him up to his jaw as she bunched up the fabric of his shirt with her hands. A low growl emerged from his chest, which sent Lucy further into her frenzied state of heat.
"Still feel nothing?" she whispered in between kisses as she unwrapped his scarf and allowed it to float onto the floor.
His hands slipped out of her shirt and travelled back down to grip her bare thighs, leaning forward enough so that she could feel his breath on her ear.
"Not another word."
"It's strange to see everyone back here already."
Lucy's eyes swept across the busy street as she picked up the mug in front of her, the delicious scent of baked bread from the bakery wafting into her nose as she brought the cup to her lips. The sugary lavender syrup of her coffee made her smile, pressing her fingertips into the warm cup.
"Agreed, though I do have to admit that it's kind of nice to have everyone back." Lucy said, turning her attention back to her date, who had stabbed a piece of pink frosted cake and brought it up to her lips with vigor. "Brings back the normal necessary chaos, ya know?"
Levy swallowed her dessert. "And the normal chaos of the Guild isn't enough for you?" she asked sarcastically.
Lucy smirked, stabbing her own piece of cake with a fork. "Fairy Tail chaos is different than Magnolia chaos, you know that."
"Touche." Levy nodded. "Which is just why I cannot wait to get away from it all and get to that spa. I'm dying to soak in the hotspring, they say the natural bubbles make your skin glow!" she gushed, her eyes sparking as she dove into her daydream.
It had been a week since the Fairy Tail hide and seek game, and everyone was slipping back into the melodic normalcy of their lives. The guild halls lost their chic decor and the familiar scents of earthy musk and ecstatic demeanor returned to the halls of the guild. Spilt alcohol soaked into the wooden floorboards and benches which had their charms, Lucy learned to find comfort in the scent as the others had.
To their surprise, the guild wasn't billed for any damages to the town that may have been done, a new record as Makarov happily declared. They were lucky enough to recruit Juvia and Lucy to refill the river water that Natsu had evaporated. It had taken all of the two girls' magic energy to fill up only a portion of the liquid, resulting in the girls being handed juice boxes filled with high sugar content and double stacks of impromptu blueberry pancakes. Lucy remembered feeling disappointment shoot through her body as she slowly sipped on her drink, a similar feeling to how she felt post berry pick on that job in Juniper. Nonetheless, the girls completed their task and they both retired to their rooms to sleep off their work.
And now was the time that the girl's prize was to be claimed, it was decided that next month the female guild members would head to Bellea and soak up the skin curing bath salts and mud baths that were said to be equivalent with liquid gold. They would only be staying at the resort for 3 days, so it was only natural that they had to jam pack every treatment and floral-scented soak into their schedules as efficiently as possible.
And to help with said task, Levy ran her finger across a thin piece of paper that sat on the table before them, skimming the text with deep thought. To any passersby, it might have looked as though she were going through an important official document. To a degree, this could be true if orange extract and almond massage oil blends were considered to be of utmost importance to society.
"I'm so glad that Mira got this list for us so early on, there's way too much to choose from!" She used her free hand to spear another piece of cake from her plate. "Do we have time for 2 facials or maybe 3? Not to mention the green tea bath-"
"I think we can arrange it just fine." Lucy re-assured her friend, laughing as she swiped the paper from Levy. "Now it's my turn to pick, don't be so greedy." she teased, excitedly skimming over the contents of the paper.
"Anything particular you're looking for?" Levy asked her as she took a small sip of her drink.
"As long as it's proven to help with maximum recovery, I have no preference. I'll be coming back from our job right before we go, who knows what knots will form in my body that'll need to be undone."
Lucy and her team had answered the job posting the day after Natsu brought her the paper with the job description. As she expected, the others were excited and itching to go on another job together, it really had been too long since their last. Erza had taken up the role of booking rooms at a bed and breakfast famous for their strawberry french toast and blueberry pudding; it also happened to be right in the vicinity of a bar across the way, the place where they were meeting their client.
Levy put her drink down. "That's right, I completely forgot about that. When do you guys leave?"
"Two days." Lucy answered as a eucalyptus pressure point massage caught her eye.
"And everything is…well?"
Lucy exhaled at the question. She got to the bottom of the massage offerings list and tore her eyes away from the paper. Though her reply was instantaneous to anyone else who may have overheard, Lucy carefully and quickly decided to tell Levy the truth. She winked at her friend, flipping the paper over to examine the facials section of the list. "Business as usual!"
Alright, so one white lie wouldn't kill their friendship. To be fair, she wasn't exactly lying. Things were in fact just fine all the way around, so it was only a form of omission by leaving out the tiny details of the recent extracurricular activities that occurred.
Though they came extremely close, they did not sleep together the night that Natsu came to her bedroom. Their evening consisted of intense lip locking and exploration above the waist; it left her lips numb and buzzing from the friction. She couldn't remember the exact moment that he left, or when she fell asleep for that matter. She remembered feeling light and airy when the kissing ceased, maybe it was from lack of oxygen, she didn't care. They had ended up on her couch in the end, sitting side by side with her head resting comfortably against his arm, his hand resting on her thigh. The once steaming water in the kettle on her stove slowly turned cold, undrunk and stagnant.
And the miraculous outcome? Everything between them was absolutely as normal as pie, insanely normal to the point that Lucy had thought she'd imagined the whole night and made it up as a sort of funny joke. The pit of uncertainty was gone and banished as life resumed and their friendship remained strong and joined at the hip. The best way to describe it would be unplugging a computer with connectivity issues and re-plugging it, she decided as a passing thought.
Though, to think that they were past this stage completely would be immature. She couldn't deny that she didn't wonder if they would ever kiss again, or if anything else would ever arise. Was it just a one and done deal to get it out of their systems? They'd proven that they could perform sober, that was undoubtedly true to say the least. She didn't even want to think about the possibility of sober sex, if that was even on the table. Did she even want that to be anywhere near the table? These thoughts and more crept into her mind at night, and she wondered if Natsu was thinking the same, though for the longest time Lucy was convinced that Natsu had no interest in romance.
It was a conversation that could wait for now.
"That's great!" Levy chirped, patting Lucy's wrist encouragingly. "I'm so glad."
Lucy nodded. "Believe me, I am too." She picked up her mug once more, and downed the remainder of her mug.
Drink now, think later.
"Lucy?"
Her hearing sparked at the sound of her name on a new voice, and she turned her head to her left towards it. The speaker made eye contact with her right away, and once she confirmed that her eyes were correct, she smiled brightly and offered Lucy a wave. Her green eyes sparkled animatedly as Lucy matched the newcomer's smile, beckoning her to come closer.
"Stella!" Lucy greeted the girl happily. "It's so good to see you again!"
Stella adjusted her pink crossbody across her shoulders, brushing her curled hair behind her shoulder casually. "Same to you! That shirt really does suit you, you know." she complimented Lucy, who looked down to realize that she was wearing the same purple top that she purchased the day that she met Stella.
"It's definitely becoming one of my favorites for sure." Lucy laughed, taking a moment to lean over and tap the extra chair that was tucked under their table. "Do you have time to sit? Join us for a little." Lucy glanced over to Levy. "This is Stella, we met the day that we all went shopping for our dresses."
Levy smiled. "It's nice to meet you! My name's Levy."
"Likewise." Stella nodded in Levy's direction, taking another quick glance at the chair that Lucy had offered her. She sheepishly began to play with the frilled white fabric of her blouse. "You sure if it's okay that I join you?"
"Absolutely!" Levy beat Lucy to the punch, encouraging their visitor to sit. "We just ordered another plate of passion fruit puffs, they're to die for, you have to try them."
Stella glanced at Lucy, who smiled at her new friend warmly. Stella then returned the warmth, and pulled out the chair from under the table. "Well I'm not one to refuse sweets, that would be a crime."
The girls chatted on for the next dozen minutes, small talk about the town and Fairy Tail; Stella told Levy what she'd told Lucy days earlier, about her affinity for chiffon and the Grand Magic Games. With a twist of her fingers, she made a snapdragon flower bloom out of thin air in the empty water cup next to Levy's mug, Levy's eyes sparkling as she witnessed spring casting for the first time. Of course, it didn't compare to the field of flowers she grew for Lucy, but still wonderful and exciting nonetheless.
Their chatter ceased when Stella's curious eyes caught sight of the paper in Lucy's grip. "Anything special there?"
"Oh this?" Lucy handed Stella the paper. "A list of treatments that we're trying to decide on for our trip. The girls from our guild are all going on a trip to that resort in Bellea. Have you heard of it?"
Stella's eyes scanned the parchment before lighting up. "Not Ambrosia Resort, is it?"
"That's the one." Levy confirmed, her eyes swimming in a dream-like state. "If your reaction is as good as that, then it must be as incredible as everyone says it is!"
"Oh you have no idea." Stella cooed, handing the paper back to Lucy. "My girlfriend actually took me there on our first date. Best massage that I've ever had in my life." She reached into her purse and began fishing around in it, seeming to look for something.
Lucy's eyebrows shot up. "Okay, consider me insanely jealous. A first date to a resort? You hit the jackpot!"
"Seriously. I wish I could be taken on a date to a fancy place like that." Levy drawled on, still in her own little fantasy. This prompted Lucy to smirk at her, unbeknownst to the bluenette. She couldn't imagine Gajeel taking her to a resort of all places, never mind going there for a first date. She silently wondered if the man ever bothered to take Levy anywhere at all, other than his bed that is.
"Oh, she knows the owner." Stella replied, still rummaging through her purse before finally pulling out a tube of light pink lipgloss. She blushed softly then, examining the small air bubbles in the tube. "Even if she didn't, she would've found a way to sneak us in." she laughed to herself softly as she unscrewed the top of the cosmetic. "It also helps that she's a member of Scarlett Hippogriff, their guild always accepts jobs for the resort staff, mostly in exchange for free spa services."
"Scarlett Hippogriff?" Lucy repeated the guild's name back to her, the name foreign on her tongue. "Are they new? I've never heard of them before."
"I don't blame you, nobody knows them really." She shrugged sheepishly, having finished her gloss application. "They're smaller, and they prefer it that way."
Lucy nodded as she plucked a passion fruit puff from a plate in the center of the table and took a bite. "They sound a little niche. Is that why you're not a member?"
Lucy immediately regretted her wording, choking on her dessert as she tried to hastily swallow her mouthful, the fruit and sugar attacking her tongue and coating her throat as she fought to swallow. "I mean-uh-I don't mean to sound accusatory or anything. Actually it's really none of my business-"
Lucy felt a hand gently touch her wrist, as if it were a silencer button. Stella giggled watching Lucy's flustered face. "You're fine, I don't blame you for your curiosity. It's a completely valid observation." Her eyes sparkled with a familiar sheen as she left Lucy's gaze to stare out at the river glistening in the distance. "When we met, I told you that I was travelling a lot and didn't have the time to think about joining a guild. And that still holds true, though I confess I do sometimes daydream about belonging to a guild; finding friends that could become my second family; It wasn't until recently that I found that with Sabine."
Lucy could only surmise that Sabine was the name of Stella's girlfriend. She kept her eye contact steady on the brunette.
"Her guild is wonderful, I mean they basically adopted me as an honorary member." Stella continued, a stoic smile slowly spreading on her lips. "It's just that…well that's the thing…they're a family. A perfectly balanced little family that wouldn't vibe well with another member. Sabine has always pestered me to join, but she understands how I feel."
Lucy and Levy exchanged quick glances, both of them frowning softly. "Are they…unfriendly?" Levy asked softly.
"Oh, not at all!" Stella shook her head animatedly. "They're some of the best people. They're just not…" she took a small pause before inhaling and exhaling softly. "my people."
Silence radiated throughout the three mages at the table until Stella raised her fingers to her cheeks to cover a sudden blush. "Now I've made it sound like I hate my girlfriend's friends. Terrific."
Lucy smiled sympathetically. She was starting to understand Stella a little better in that moment, silently connecting herself to the girl's feelings. Lucy thought back to her upbringing and childhood, being raised in a high class family surrounded by servants and expensive things she was forbidden to touch; A fish out of water in her own home; a lifestyle she just wasn't suited for. It didn't mean that she detested her situation, it just meant that she was destined for a different life. A different purpose with pink hair that came flying into her life that wonderful day.
"You're making a lot more sense than you realize." Lucy reassured Stella, smiling at her softly.
A loud crash interrupted the sentimental moment, the violent vibrations booming through their ears. All three of them swiveled in their seats, their attention flying towards a small jewelry shop just a few spaces down from their seats at the bakery. Glass shattered from the huge window in front, the shards sparkling in the sunlight as a violent snow, shooting off rainbow light. The sight would have been beautiful had it not been bred of malice.
"What on earth-" Levy wondered aloud before a figure dressed in black darted out of the shop, a small tiffany blue bag clutched in their hands. A black beanie covered their head entirely, hiding any refining traits of hair color or texture. All Lucy could see were a pair of deep violet irises swipe over the field before them, a mischievous grin sneaking onto their glossed lips before darting off at a fantastic speed.
"A robbery?" Stella asked incredulously as an older woman scurried out of the shop, her hands clutching her flustered face as her eyes darted from the glass on the sidewalk towards the direction that the apparent robber was running towards.
"Thief!" she shrieked, holding onto the surrounding patrons' attentions even more so than the previous crashing glass. They looked on with fear and doubt in their eyes, knowing that there was nothing they could do at that moment, for they were powerless and without any magic.
The opposite could be said about the three mages sitting at a table outside of a small bakery.
All three girls shot up in their seats and took off, abandoning their dessert for a sweeter chance at secondhand revenge.
"Scorpio!" Lucy exclaimed, plucking a key from her hip and pouring her magic into her fingertips. The key vibrated famililarly, responding to her call straight away. At the affirmation, she let the magic spark and travel back up into her body and engulf it entirely. The light lasted a few seconds before she felt her regular clothing wash away and be replaced smoothly with her stardress. "Give me a boost!"
"You got it!" she heard Scorpio's voice boom enthusiastically behind her, his presence quickly swallowed up by a gust of sand and wind. She felt her body be lifted off of the ground easily, and she used the momentum to kick off of the ground in a heightened flash. She felt an exhilarated rush as her body floated above the town; knowing that gravity would soon be her downfall she wasted no time in scanning the streets ahead. A rush of surprised screams caught her attention just up ahead, and her eyes flashed as she saw a black figure darting through a busied street, pushing pedestrians aside as if they were mere pebbles. Her eyes flashed angrily as she spun in the air and summoned up a mini sandstorm beneath her feet. She allowed it to propel herself forward in a hastened flash, flying over storefronts and micro flower shops before she felt like she was in the prime spot. She always tended to have great aim.
Her body flashed as she released Scorpio from his summons and switched forms, her Taurus stardress flashing brilliantly as she grabbed the whip tucked to her side. She landed on her feet, knees tucked in a fighting stance, the ground crumbling under her newly acquired strength.
It was the perfect amount of surprise to halt the thief in their tracks, skidding to a stop as Lucy stood between them and their ticket to illegal freedom.
Oh yeah, her aim was that good.
She cracked her whip threateningly, shooting the thief a smug look. "Not another step." she told them firmly.
Their violet eyes flashed under their mask, and Lucy's guard shot up when their lips curled into a sinister smile, a small chuckle escaping their lips. Her eyes widened slowly as she noticed the small firework bar sticking out of the thief's left hand, the end of it sparking and near the end of its tail. A firework bomb, she instantly recognized it.
"Stop!" Lucy exclaimed, however it was futile. Lucy quickly realized that she wasn't the only person with near perfect aim. The firework was thrown behind the two of them, towards a small crowd of townspeople with horrified faces. They looked to Lucy in a panic before attempting to dart away from the impending danger.
"Solid script, shield!"
Big bold text burst through the air, in perfect sync with the now exploded firework. White light poured into Lucy's eyes, blinding her for a short moment. Startled and terrified screams echoed throughout her ears and in a blind panic, she struggled to see past the white light.
Relief washed through her entire body as she saw Levy standing meters away, her fingertips outstretched, the creator of a large shield that wrapped around the innocent bystanders and storefronts that stood near the explosion. A few tables and flower bushes were sacrificed in the effort, but it was better than what could have occurred.
Departing footsteps echoed in Lucy's ears, she spun on her feet and immediately continued her pursuit of the enemy. "Get back here!" she yelled, gritting her teeth as her leg muscles burned from the pursuit. She cursed under her breath as the figure she chased seemed to get smaller and smaller, closer to freedom.
Just then, another sound registered in Lucy's ears, crackling and rusting leaves, as if she were running through the woods. The sound increased, and when something tickled her ankle, her head shot down towards the cobblestone ground. Thick, dark green vines snaked through the stone at a hastened speed, shooting past Lucy and missing her body entirely. They zoomed past her with a blur, making her skid to a halt in surprise. She watched in awe as the plants zoomed ahead and miraculously lunged at the escaping thief. The thief gasped in surprise as the vines wrapped around their ankle, forcing them to trip and fall to the ground in a scrambled thud. They coughed harshly at the impact of the fall, trying desperately to scramble back up on their feet. The vines wrapped around their waist and curled up towards their arms, locking them in place at their sides, tight and secure.
Lucy blinked in shock before turning her back to the struggling captor. Her bewildered look soon evolved into a beaming smile as she caught sight of Stella walking towards them, her right hand outstretched and fingers spread. She was giving the same smug look at her captor that Lucy gave them only moments before, her eyes back with the same glistening amused sheen.
"So it's not just flowers you grow." Lucy commented wryly as Stella rotated her wrist and pulled her arm towards her body. The vines did her bidding, creeping back in their direction and dragging the freshly caught criminal with them. They struggled in an attempt to escape, however it only made the plants wrap tighter around their body.
"You flatter me too much." Stella replied coolly. She turned to glance back at the path behind her, frowning worriedly. "These people could have been killed. Thank God they're okay."
Lucy glanced back at Levy, who was currently consoling a group of troubled teens who were shielded from the blast at the very last second. She trusted that her friend could hold things over in her space.
She reached for her keyring and once more poured her magic into the key of her choice. "Loke." she said calmly, immediately feeling her friend's response through her fingertips. A bright flash of light filled her eyes as she hooked Leo's key back onto her hip.
Loke appeared before the girls, his eyes immediately catching sight of the crowd and debris from the blast.
"What the hell happened here?" he asked his keyholder, his eyes surveying the area swiftly.
"Robbery, amongst other things." Lucy told him calmly. She felt the crowd around her begin to grow exponentially, curious onlookers flocking to the scene to get a glimpse of the gossip.
Loke turned to face Lucy, then caught sight of two strangers in her vicinity; one staring at him with sparkles in her eyes and another tangled up in vines. He turned to address an intrigued Stella, who didn't bother hiding her bubbling curiosity. "I don't believe we've met?" he asked her. "Surely I'd remember someone as gorgeous as you." a little flirtatious ring to his voice.
Lucy rolled her eyes and lightly punched Loke's shoulder. "Slow your roll casanova. She's spoken for."
"I'm Stella." Stella replied, her eyes darting back and forth as she sized up Loke. "Wow, I've never seen a celestial spirit that looks so human! My mom only used animal spirits." she said aloud, though Lucy could tell the girl most likely meant to keep these thoughts in her head. She poked Loke's shoulder.
"Well, I am Leo the Lion." Loke smirked ironically, letting the girl continue to poke and prod his shoulders as if she were dissecting a subject for science.
"I need you to do me a favor," Lucy told Loke, no longer bothering to comment on his banter. "Get to the guild and let Makarov know what happened here, that we have it under control but could use some help with the traffic jam currently happening."
Neither of the three noticed that the captured jewelry thief was carefully examining the mages, their eyes slowly studying their bodies and lingering longer on other things.
Loke nodded, adjusting his glasses and shifting back into work mode. "You got it."
He disappeared with another glittering flash.
Their captor began to struggle once more, wiggling their shoulders and biting down on their bottom lip. It made the vines creak and bend, snapping sounds popping softly in the air beneath the chaotic chatter from the crowd.
"Cool down. It's over." Stella said suddenly, her mood shifting to a steely one as she flexed her fingers once more, the vines responding immediately and tightening their grip. "The more you struggle, the tighter they squeeze."
Lucy then directed all of her attention on the captor then, eyes narrowing. "Who are you?" she asked firmly. Seizing the opportunity, her fingers reach out towards the black mask that concealed the enemy's identity.
Lucy's hand froze when their violet eyes stared deeply into Lucy's, and to her surprise, a giddy and feminine giggle escaped their lips.
Lucy stood in her place shocked, as she and Stella both watched those eyes and the body they belonged to disappear in a flash.
The squeezing vines slammed together as their captor's body vanished, curling into one another creating a giant knot. Stella blinked in shock before letting out a surprised gasp, slowly lowering her hand and releasing the vines from their job. "What the hell?"
"They're gone?" Lucy blinked again, much slower this time. She and Stella exchanged worried glances. "You saw that too right?"
"Must be teleportation magic." Levy's voice chirped in grimly, joining the two girls in the middle of the path. "Super convenient for a thief, don't you think?"
Lucy shook her head cursed under her breath, silently berating herself for thinking that they had nothing further to worry about. She released her Taurus stardress and felt her hair fall out of the two space buns and slink down her back, the wind aiding her locks. As she allowed her magic to settle, she felt her breathing become slightly labored, black spots dancing before her eyes as she bit down on her lip in frustration. There it was again, her lightheadedness after using magic, consistently showing up at random points.
"Hey," she felt a soft touch on her arm, and turned to see Levy smiling at her friend softly. "Nobody got hurt, besides a few tables anyway. I see that as a pretty huge victory if you ask me."
She must've mistaken her irregular breathing for frustration, Lucy thought to herself, and she played along and smiled silently made a note to skip out on the sugary desserts and caffeine, perhaps her diet was the reason that her body wasn't processing magic well as of late.
Lucy exhaled slowly, the black spots in her vision vanishing. "Well whoever it was is probably long gone by now." She glanced back at the ignition point, eyes lingering on the black scorch marks that caked the cobblestone. She watched as a small child kneeled next to her mother on a particularly darker spot, using her fingers to draw smiley faces in the soot.
"Is everyone alright?"
Lucy turned, and her eyes immediately caught the flash of red that broke through the crowd. She would have to thank Loke for his exceptional messenger skills.
"Erza." Levy greeted their friend, nodding in her direction. "Thankfully nobody was hurt, none that we know of anyway."
Erza hurried to their side, her eyes careful and cautious as they swept across the area. She only made eye contact with her guildmates once she was sure that there were no missed impending dangers.
When she was sure the area was clear, she closed her eyes and sighed. "Thank goodness for that at least. We should double check the area though, in case anyone wandered off with an injury. The town will want an assessment of the damages anyway." She allowed herself to smirk ironically. "At least this time we weren't the ones solely responsible."
"The crowd's been growing steadily." Lucy commented. "It's not unfathomable that there could be a few injured stragglers. Levy-chan prevented any serious injuries from the blast." she nodded in the direction of the darkest marks.
"I can help." Stella volunteered, stepping forward. "Wherever I can."
Erza nodded in agreement, trusting her despite not even knowing her name. "The others left not long after I did, they're most likely caught up in the traffic flow."
Lucy nodded, the four girls dispersing themselves among the area to double and triple check the scene. The scents of smoke and grass perfumed the air as Lucy picked up on some chatter around the area. She found a comfortable spot to stare into space, right where Stella's vines had once held the culprit captive.
"What was that all about?"
"Thank goodness Fairy Tail was around this time."
"I didn't even get to finish my tart!"
"I could hear the blast from my house!"
The sound of a stone clicking against the cobblestone registered in her right ear, and she turned towards it. On cue, the little girl who was happily drawing pictures in the soot on the ground crept into Lucy's vision. She was hopping around the ground, playing a makeshift game of hopscotch, dirting her little red shoes by scuffing them on the ground. She held a babydoll in her little arms, holding it tight to her body with each mini leap. Lucy smiled at the girl, secretly admiring her innocence and determination to continue the game after a scary situation. She wondered if the girl was around during the blast or if her mother had brought her to the area with her out of curiosity.
The child landed on her feet, smiling to herself and turned her head to look out at the field before her, grassy and lush, void of any scorch marks or signs of destruction. Stella's flowers were visible in the near distance, a cluster of purple and red blowing softly in the breeze. Some petals shook loose from their base and floated dreamily in the sky. Lucy looked on across the field, catching sight of the very first spot where they sat that one day, and where Stella first showed Lucy her magic.
She heard a small gasp, and Lucy watched as the girl dropped her doll by her side, her purple dress blowing in the wind. Taking a small recon break, Lucy walked over to the child and bent down on her knee, picking up the doll and smiling softly.
"You dropped this-" Lucy told the girl before realizing that her eyes were fixated on something in the distance, her little irises slightly widened with curiosity. Frowning, Lucy turned her head and followed the direction of her gaze to a closer patch of flowers; white and purple pansies; all innocently standing guard. Behind them stood a taller patch of grass, the base of the blades concealed by the flowers. An innocent display of nature.
Lucy watched the blades bend and tilt with the wind, it was only when the air shifted and blew the grass in the opposite direction that she first saw it. It was only a glimpse, one had to be looking at the right spot at the right moment in order to see it clearly. Her body tense, she slowly rose up from her crouched position with her eyes glued to the same spot.
"Go find your mother." she told the girl sternly, albeit with alarm.
The girl scurried away, calling out for her mother as she was told.
Lucy took a hesitant step forward, the grass squishing below her shoes and staining them green. The blades tickled her ankles, sliding against her skin as if to tell her to stop advancing, to stop walking towards something that she didn't want to see.
As she got closer to the patch of flowers, her sight became more refined. Her heart pounded in her chest, softly at first, however its tempo grew at a fleeting pace. The tips of her shoes just barely touched the edges of the patch. She wasn't exactly sure what she was looking at, or what could explain the dread and chills that shook her body. Her eyes focused on the ground, tracing the visible roots of the flora and following them back into the grass, hidden from the sun.
Puzzled, she leaned in closer. Pansy roots weren't supposed to be visible, she knew this from the small batches that grew in the gardens at her childhood home. Her and her mother picked them from time to time and placed them in clear vases around Lucy's room; their perfume and scent had always reminded her of happier times. Be as it may, those times were over.
It was a matter of seconds before the puzzle pieces connected, her lips parting and mouth achingly dry as she felt her legs move on their own. She stepped backwards, only one step, as it was all she could muster.
She didn't hear her name be called from behind, back where she once had the safety net of ignorance. All she could hear was blood pounding in her ears as she slowly took her step back forward, fingers finally touching the flower petals and brushing them aside to reveal what she thought were roots.
Long, brown strands of human hair.
Her name was called again, the source of the voice mere feet away from her, and it still fell on deaf ears. Her body continued to move on its own, and to her horror, she let her body take over as she peeled back the long strands of grass to reveal pale porcelain skin.
Dull, lifeless blue eyes stared up at her.
A/N: Hello beautiful people! Yes, it's me, the person who sucks at updating. Everyone who's sticking around, I love you LOTS! P.S, there's some foreshadowing in this chapter, leave a review if you think you caught it! Love you to Fiore and Back xx