It's 7/7! Happy Fairy Tail day!
Hello dear readers, thanks for hanging on during my writer's block of the last four weeks. I hope you guys like the flow of this story and how it's coming along! Let me know if anything is unclear ^^
Questions or just ramblings about FairyTail and its ships can also be sent to my Tumblr (tobethefairybest) or Twitter (2bethefairybest)
Thanks for proofreading, CJ!
''I'm having a hard time processing all of this,'' Lucy said, her fingers nervously clawed into the couch, ''I've known her for so long, I thought we had no secrets between us.''
Natsu wondered if he had to comfort her and awkwardly raised his arm to lay his hand on her shoulder. To his surprise, she laid her hand on his, causing his brain to shortcut and his heart to jump.
''I understand it's hard to accept this information, but I urge you to believe me.''
She nodded.
''How do you know all this?'' Natsu blurted out.
Whereas Lucy was shocked, Natsu was utterly confused. Of course, he hadn't known Cana for a long time, but all the things the professor had told them did not sound like her at all. It stood out that she often had a bottle of beer with her, but to hear she was involved with illegal alcohol smuggling was something of a totally different caliber.
''Let's say I have my... connections.''
''She has been sneaking out late at night,'' Lucy said, ''I've been so naive to tell myself she was just taking a stroll... How can we help her?''
''It is clear to me that this has a link to her addiction,'' the professor said, ''if you want her to stay out of the police's hands, she needs to be part of my new study that's focussing on treating people with a severe addiction.''
''There must be another way!'' Lucy let out, ''I really have the feeling she has been doing better lately, I'm sure this is something that happened once and never again.''
He shook his head. ''I'm afraid not, there have been multiple reports.''
''It may sound weird, but I think she'd rather possibly face jail time than let her pride be destroyed by being part of an experiment.''
He frowned. ''That does indeed sound hard to believe.''
''Give us two weeks,'' Lucy said as she stood up from the couch, ''I can prove she can be sober by herself.''
The burning determination in her eyes made him feel weak and left him without a choice. He felt like he was a soldier given an order by the queen herself. Letting this happen would mean a delay in the plans, he knew that all too well.
''Fourteen days,'' he said, ''not an hour more.''
''So, I'm a water wizard?'' Juvia said, still star-struck by Cana's story.
''You really didn't notice the water around you responds to your emotions?'' Cana said, ''when you were mad at me, the fountains right here literally turned into geysers!''
Juvia looked at Gray in bewilderment, who shrugged. ''Every time I come to visit you it starts to rain or drizzle, that's not a coincidence I think.''
Tears welled up in her ocean-blue eyes. ''Am I doomed to bring rain wherever I go now?''
Gray took a step back. ''T-that's not what I meant, it's just something I noticed.''
''Juvia,'' Cana said as she kneeled down next to the fragile, young woman, ''you have to promise this time that you'll come to Fairy Tail to stay.''
It had started to drizzle, just like the day Cana had first seen her.
''You deserve better than this,'' Gray said, and with his words, the drizzle turned to snow.
Cana's jaw fell open. She remembered Mira telling her about it had started to hail after Gray had seen Juvia lurking around the community home.
''Gray, I think you can control the cold,'' she said in awe, letting a snowflake drop on her hand.
Natsu stayed for a little longer after the professor left. Lucy hadn't asked him too, but it had just felt not right to leave her alone after she had been told her best friend led a secret life right under her nose.
They had drunk some tea and he had let her pour stories over him about Cana. About how she and Lucy had met in high school, how they both lost their parents and planned to support each other after graduation. Cana was sure her long-gone father was still out there somewhere and was hoping to find answers at Fairy Tail.
''Do you think her activities have something to do with her father?''
She shook her head. ''I still can't believe what professor Seyir just told us...''
Natsu looked at his phone and jumped up. ''Shit! I'm gonna be late for work!''
''When are you not?'' she laughed. He sheepishly grinned.
He quickly grabbed his coat, but when he was about to turn around and say goodbye, he felt a warm pressure against his back. Two arms folded around his waist.
''Thank you,'' she said, pressing her cheek between his shoulder blades, ''for having been here while I was panicking.''
He felt his throat turn dry. What was he supposed to say?
Instead of replying, he turned around, looking down at her flustered face as they now stood with their faces just inches apart.
Lucy felt her heart hammer against her ribcage. Was this the moment? Were they really gonna...?
''Anytime,'' he said with a wide grin and broke the hug to grab his coat and walk down the stairs.
He turned around at the bottom of the stairs to wave before going through the door. Faking a smile to hide her disappointment, she waved back.
After he pulled the door shut behind him, he breathed out with a deep sigh of relief and let his back rest against the wall.
What was wrong with him? He had wanted to kiss her. Every fiber of his being had been telling him to lean in and do it, but he resisted. They had just become good friends. It was way too soon to ruin the precious relationship they had built up. He didn't want to lose her.
Lucy hugged her pillow tight and screamed a silent squeal into it. ''I should have done something!'' she wailed to herself.
The bell rung. Her heart made a little jump. Did he come back?
She sprinted down the stairs and yanked open the door, prepared to throw all her feelings out.
''Wow, Lucy,'' Cana said with a raised eyebrow, ''you look like absolute shit, what happened?''
Lucy blinked twice, she hadn't expected her friend back yet and had been so convinced Natsu came back it took her a few seconds to get herself together again.
''N-nothing,'' she stuttered, ''how did it go at Gray's place?''
Cana walked past her up the stairs. ''Let's sit down.''
Lucy sat down on the couch, overthinking how to deal with keeping a secret, while Cana casually let herself flop into it, back first.
''So, on my way to Gray, I walked into that professor guy from earlier, weird right?'' She started her story.
Lucy froze up. It was already hard enough not to tell her what she had just learned. This wasn't making it any easier.
''He said he was on his way to Gray as well and POOF, just like that, he was gone!''
''That sure is weird!'' Lucy tried her very best to act shocked.
''And he murmured something about a failing plan?'' Cana let out, ''I swear, that guy is nuts. Though it feels like I've seen him before...''
Lucy tapped the side of the couch. How could she keep this up for two weeks?
Cana looked at her with leery eyes. ''You're still acting weird, spill it.''
She panicked. She had to act fast, or she would spill the truth.
''Natsu and I kissed,'' she blurted out and instantly regretted her white lie. How was she supposed to fix this?
''No way!'' Cana let out, ''Princess Lucy got her first kiss!''
Her face turned bright red. ''T-that's not true, in high school-''
Cana wavered her hand out. ''I don't care, as long as you guys are happy.''
Lucy was glad she bought it, but realised she had caused a second problem.
''You know Luce,'' she said as she took out an aluminum mug from her bag, ''since all this magic stuff happening, I do better on caffeine than booze.''
Lucy smiled. ''Do you think you can keep that up for a few weeks?''
Cana gulped down the iced coffee Gray had given her when she left his house and wiped her lips with the back of her hand.
''Easy peasy.''