This chapter is a smidge late for... life reasons, really. So much stuff was going on that posting completely slipped my mind until after I'd gone to bed, and it was so hot last night, I feel like a bit of a zombie. We're definitely into summer now, and I can't wait to go hit the beach. #AussieStereotypes Onto responses to reviews!
leolady4ever: The idea of Cobra baking apology cupcakes is so dang appealing is because he's a vicious murderer who's trying to people and show Lucy he's capable of providing for her, which may or may not include committing murder for her. More on that in the next chapter. But yes, he's trying to win her over despite being asexual and having never done anything like it before, so he's going off on what he's heard other people do. He's adorable, and pinching his cheeks might be worth the lungful of poison I'd get.
Tarapasty: Thank you! I thought it would add a bit more depth to the story, and make it a touch more realistic.
Jerlanege: I know what you mean, I'm not fond of Natsu/Lucy myself, I think they work great as adopted siblings, but there is a good chunk of NaLu in here. You can skip Natsu's ending and go straight onto the others, once they've been posted.
AGreen2222: Yukino did not cast a spell; read on to find out what happened!
There is also a lot of Cobra in this chapter. I think I wrote him in more because firstly, I have a lot of fun writing him, and secondly, he has a lot further to go than the others in terms of winning Lucy over. He did try to kill her twice, after all.
"Yukino," She began slowly, watching as warm brown eyes met hers, "How exactly did Sting and Rogue know about my little problem? They didn't look very surprised at the guild, and Rufus looked like he wanted to dissect me." She sat back in her chair, and watched Yukino squirm in her seat. Finally, the white-haired woman looked down at her hands and sighed.
"It was your scarf I borrowed." She admitted softly, ignoring the way Erza shifted at the statement.
"It's only a half hour walk from Crocus to our guild hall, and they could smell your scent the second I walked in." Her face burned at the memory.
Sting had appeared suddenly in front of her, Rogue a step behind. Her guild leader had thought it was her scent at first, and had buried his face in her neck, trapping her bodily against the front door as she tried to back away with a squeak, his response to the scent so physical and demanding against her hip. Rouge had demanded to know who's scarf it was as he first sniffed her hair, then the fabric, and she was mortified they were being so familiar and intimate with her in front of the entire guild. So, she gave in to the questioning without any resistance, and loudly blurted out Lucy's name. The silence had been deafening.
Sting finally drew back, delicately unwinding the scarf from her neck and burying his face in the fabric. Deft fingers snatched it from him, and Sting snarled in response at his best friend. Rogue snarled back before he sniffed the fabric carefully, and he'd closed his eyes briefly, before turning dangerous ruby eyes on the celestial mage.
"Sting, we should take this up to your office." The Shadow dragon slayer's tone brooked for no arguments, and the blond had glared at him before snatching the scarf back, whirling on his heel, and stalking across the hall to the corridor beyond. Rogue had taken a deep breath before nodding for her to go with him, and they followed their leader.
She glanced around the room and found Rufus looking on in amusement, and Orga doubled over, laughing, no doubt at her. Thankfully, Minerva hadn't been present. Thank goodness for small mercies, she'd thought. The rest of the guild had been staring too, clearly stunned by the display of aggression between the two dragon slayers.
"They asked me all sorts of questions about you, and I had to answer. Master Sting is my guild leader." She emphasised, eyes begging for forgiveness from the blonde. Lucy gave her a small smile.
"It's okay, Yukino. You didn't have a choice." She reassured the Sabertooth mage, who slumped back into her seat in relief.
"Thank you." She murmured in reply. A plate of cupcakes hit the low table between them, and they both looked up in surprise. Gray scratched the back of his head and gave them a shrug, looking uncomfortable. He'd also lost his shirt again.
"Cupcakes?" He offered sheepishly, and Lucy's eyes softened at him. He was doing his best to cut the tension in the room, and she decided to follow along. Taking one, she cautiously bit into it, and groaned in appreciation as the perfection of sugar and butter hit her taste buds.
"I didn't realise he could bake like this." She moaned around her mouthful of cake, and Levy sat up from where she was perched near the window.
"Sheesh, Lu, do you need a moment?" She laughed, and Lucy flushed with embarrassment.
"They're really good." The blonde whined in response, and the room dissolved into laughter.
It took well over an hour for Levy to write the barrier into place, and she finally leaned back with a sigh. Eyeing her work again for any discrepancies, or unplanned quirks, she nodded firmly as she found none. Now to test it, she thought grimly, and moved to get off the bed next to the window. She looked up, and found Cobra staring at her through the glass. She shrieked and threw herself backwards, fingers scrabbling for her pen, but it was just out of her grasp. Hitting the floor, she stared in disbelief as he tilted his head and smirked at her, but otherwise made no movement.
Erza had jumped to her feet at the sound, re-quipping a sword to defend her friends. Gray had slid into a familiar stance, fist pressed against his palm and cold air swirling around his hands, and the two celestial mages had jumped to their feet, keys already in hand.
"Didn't you need someone to test the barrier?" Cobra called out through the window, and the wizards stared at him in disbelief.
"Seriously?" Gray huffed, straightening up and shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Relax, Titania, I'm not going to try anything." The Poison dragon slayer promised, violet eye honing in on the warrior. Erza's eyes narrowed, and she deliberately thought about the hammer.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Erik rolled his eye, and gestured at the window. "Are you gonna open it, or not?" He asked impatiently. Levy scrambled up from the floor, and looked around the room pensively.
"It'll be a good test." She thought out loud. Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, the solid script mage leaned over and opened the window. The room was tense as she stepped back, quickly retrieving her pen. Erik eyed the runes on the windowsill, and tentatively poked a finger towards the open frame.
His finger struck the barrier, bright purple runes flashing up between him and the threshold, and the room beyond relaxed. He prodded it again in a few different spots, and finding no holes, sat back on his heels and stared at the runes. Levy nodded in satisfaction, and began packing up her supplies.
"I have to get home, so I'll leave you to it." The bluenette declared, catching everyone's eye. Walking over to Lucy, she hugged her friend briefly, then leaned back and squeezed her arms.
"If there's anything you need, call me on the communication lacrima. Also, don't forget, they'll fight dirty. Don't go outside the barrier with one of them unless you're absolutely sure." Levy stared into her friend's eyes, searching for understanding and affirmation. Lucy gave her a small smile and nodded.
"I promise." She replied softly, and Levy squeezed her arms again before leaving the apartment. Yukino looked hesitantly between her Lucy, her teammates, and Cobra before finally standing.
"I should leave as well. Master Sting will be wondering where I am." She said quietly, a hint of guilt flashing through her as Lucy gave her a grateful smile.
"Thank you for being here." The blonde replied, catching the white-haired mage's hands with her own. Yukino smiled, and squeezed her hands before nodding to the others, and heading out. Erik watched her go with a narrowed eye. She was plotting something, but it was indistinct, and reeked of guilt. He'd have to watch her carefully.
"Well, now the barrier is in place, we should be leaving you too, Lucy." Erza declared, turning to the blonde. Lucy nodded, eyes warming as she regarded her teammates.
"Thank you guys so much for looking out for me." She responded, and was pulled into a bone-crushing hug, face bouncing off well-kept armour for the second time that day. Owww… Lucy inwardly groaned, and somewhere in the distance, Erik laughed.
"No problems. We'll be back tomorrow to check up on you." Gray told her, then turned to the window. "Aren't you leaving?" He asked, an edge to his voice, eyes narrowing at the dragon slayer still sitting outside the window.
"Nah. I wanna get to know Bright Eyes better. If this is for life, don't you think we should talk first? Ah, I see. You want her to choose Salamander." Erik drawled, enjoying the way Lucy whirled on Gray, accusation in her eyes. The ice mage blinked at him once, then turned to his blonde teammate, panic rising as she glared up at him.
"Seriously, Gray? We're just friends! I don't care if this whole situation changes things, I still have the right to choose. I have the right to say no." Lucy clenched her fists at her side, watching as her teammate took a few steps backwards, hands raising between them apologetically.
"I'm sorry, okay? It wasn't even a serious thought, and he blew it right out of proportion. Don't let him get between you and your friends, Lucy. You keep telling us we're family. I'm not gonna let some jerk play mind games with my sister." He responded defensively, and blinked as she deflated.
"You're right, I'm sorry Gray." She said, then stepped forward and hugged him. "And don't think I missed you calling me your sister." She teased, voice muffled against his bare chest. He hugged her back, and gave the room at large a slow smile. Huh. Sister. He thought, and his cheeks warmed at the idea.
"We shall stay until he's gone." Erza cut in, and Lucy stepped away from her chosen brother.
"It's okay. I should probably get to know Erik better." There was the slightest hesitation as she said his name, but hearing it fall from her mouth had his heart beating just a little faster, and he wanted to hear her say it again. Actually, he wanted her to scream his name, but he'd settle for just hearing it coming from her mouth. Erza eyed him warily, and he knew some of his hunger for the blonde was showing.
"If you're sure." She conceded, and shortly afterwards, Lucy was alone in her apartment, guarded by a dragon. She snorted at the thought, and her eyes were drawn to the window as Erik chuckled at her.
Lucy considered what she wanted to do with him; did she want him to leave, so she could scream into her pillow about the unfairness of the situation, or was she actually going to talk to him and get to know him?
"If you really want to scream into the pillow, I could help with that." Erik commented, and watched as she scrunched up her nose in distaste.
"I only found out what your actual name is a few hours ago. Don't push it." She told him, but sighed, and made herself comfortable on the bed. "It suits you, Erik." She said softly, and the warmth in his eye had her blushing and turning her face from his.
"I'm glad you liked the cupcakes." He murmured, almost too low for her to hear. A smile grew on her face, and she turned back to look at him. His scent wafted in the room, and she inhaled, lightly swaying as her mouth watered. Like in the guild hall, his scent was incredible.
"Did you really bake them yourself?" She asked, uncharacteristically shy. He nodded, and she thought back on how good they were, and how she'd felt at the first bite. Heat rushed through her, and inwardly she groaned at the sensation.
He was watching her sharply now, acutely aware of every breath, the flutter of her heart, and the melody of her soul. The hungry expression crowded his face again, and stole her breath away. The air between them was charged, and Lucy's breathing shallowed.
"I can hear you. I can hear everything." Erik murmured, fingers tracing the outside of the windowsill. "Your heart beating, and your soul bursting into a symphony." He paused, tiling his head at her, violet eye hungrily taking in her parted lips, the flush of her cheeks, and the way her expressive eyes watched him. He wanted her. He wanted all of her, and his dragon roared in triumph.
"I can give you everything you've ever wanted." He whispered, aware of how she strained to hear him, and the thrill running through her. "I can hear what you want, what you need, even before you can say it. I will do everything in my power to give it to you." His fingertips traced the barrier lightly, and the runes flared to life. She leaned subconsciously towards the open window, and he watched with satisfaction at how close she was to accidently passing through the barrier, where he could reach her.
"I know you, Lucy. I can hear your soul, and it is so bright, so beautiful." He whispered, and she bit back a moan. His voice was so low, so sensual, and she was having a hard time resisting him. The breeze blowing through the window still carried his scent, and she found it so seductive. The way he stared at her, eye half-lidded, and looking as if he simultaneously wanted to devour her, and give her pleasure beyond her wildest dreams. His lips curled into a smile, and Lucy wanted desperately to kiss him. No. This is moving way too quickly. Her eyes slammed shut, and slowly, she began to gather the tattered remains of her self-control.
Her breathing evened out, and once she felt more like herself, Lucy opened her eyes to regard the man outside her window. He wasn't looking at her. He was staring out across the rooftops, face contorted into a vicious snarl, eye narrowed in anger.
"Salamander." He spat, and Lucy leaned backwards, fear spiking at the sudden and rapid change. He turned back to her, snarl fading from his face into frustration, and his hands clenched into fists.
"We're going to be interrupted soon. I'm going to kick his ass." He ground out, and Lucy frowned.
"No, you're not. You're going to leave, and when you come back, because I know you will, you're going to tell me about yourself." She told him firmly, and his eyebrow rose. Also, why baking? She thought to herself, and he smirked at her.
"Someone once told me I needed a hobby, and murder wasn't an option." He deadpanned, eliciting a snort of laughter from the blonde. She grinned at him, and his smirk faded into a smile.
"Alright, I'll go. Do me a favour? Leave the window open. I want to see him try to jump through and slam face first into the barrier." He told her, a wicked gleam in his eye. Lucy huffed a laugh, failing to hold it back completely.
"That will be pretty funny." She admitted, and swung the window open wider. He gave her a wild grin, and suddenly, he was gone.
Cobra's got serious game, as it turns out. With Natsu coming into the picture, what's in store for Lucy with yet another suitor?