I love Frosch. They are so freaking adorable, I just want to hug them. I may have made Frosch non-binary in this story, which in the grand scheme of things, changes absolutely nothing.
Five thirty saw Lucy standing in front of her wardrobe, flicking through her dresses speculatively. Most of what she owned was fairly casual, but there were a few higher-end pieces. Stopping at a black and white dress, she smiled wryly at it. The message it would send if she wore it would scream that she was choosing them, and it was not the message she wanted to send that night. Likewise for straight black, and straight white. This maroon one? No, too much like Erik's hair, might be misconstrued. Purple is too Laxus, and that pink one might be a little too Natsu. She frowned, and went through the options again. Pausing at a sky blue dress, she considered it, then pulled it out. It was strappy, classy, not excessively revealing, and would flatter her nicely. I don't even think I've worn this one, yet. Quickly slipping it on, she checked herself out in the mirror. Satisfied, she called out Cancer to do her hair, and finished getting ready.
At 6pm on the dot, there was a knock at her door, and Lucy grinned as she glanced at the clock. Grabbing a light jacket, she headed for the door. Sting and Rogue smiled down at her, eyes warming as they took her in. Both of them had dressed up a bit, and she definitely appreciated the effort. Lector and Frosch peered up at her curiously, and she grinned down at them.
"Hey guys, I didn't see you at the guild today." She commented, and Lector took a step forward.
"Yeah, Frosch wanted to go check out the markets, and I wanted to see if I could find a new vest." The maroon Exceed told her, and twisted around so he could show it off.
"It's a very nice vest, it looks good on you." She told him, and he preened in satisfaction. "Did you get anything, Frosch?" She continued, and stepped out into the hall, closing and locking the door behind her. Both Sting and Rogue breathed deeply as her scent hit them, barely holding back a groan.
"I chased some butterflies!" The green Exceed said cheerfully, and Lucy's smile grew.
"Sounds like you had a great time, then." She replied, and flicked her eyes between the dragon slayers uncertainly. Neither of them had moved from their positions, nor had they said anything.
"Uh… guys? Are you ready to go?" She asked uncertainly, and Sting smirked as he pushed off the wall and sniffed her hair. She squeaked, taking a step backwards and her back collided with her front door.
"Oh yeah, we're good to go." The blond murmured, and offered her his arm.
"Sting's such a gentleman." Lector boasted, and his companion winked at him.
"Rogue's a gentleman too!" Frosch declared, and the raven-haired man gave the Exceed a fond look.
"Shall we?" He asked, and began moving towards the stairs. The five of them walked down to the street, and both dragon slayers turned to look at Lucy expectantly.
"So where are we going?" Sting asked, taking the lead. Lucy grinned.
"Levy recommended this place to me, so it must be pretty good." She said casually, and turned to head off. The five of them walked together, chatting as they went.
As they were seated at the table, Lucy caught sight of blue hair, and waved at Levy who raised a hand back at her, smiling. Enjoy! She mouthed, and Lucy waggled her eyebrows back at her, gesturing to Gajeel with her eyes. Levy blushed, and the Iron dragon slayer rolled his eyes at her. The twin dragons of Sabertooth looked distinctly unhappy to see them, but they settled down and quickly engaged the blonde in conversation. It wasn't until dessert that the topic of their predicament came up.
"You know, I'm honestly surprised you're not fighting or trying to kill each other." Lucy confessed with a smile, and sipped at her wine. Rogue and Sting exchanged glances, and she frowned, carefully putting her glass down. "You haven't been fighting, have you?" She asked hesitantly. The corner of Rogue's mouth quirked up in a smile.
"No, we haven't been fighting." He quietly reassured her. "However…" He trailed off, not sure how to tell her their deal.
"Rogue and Sting work together. They love sharing!" Frosch cheered, and waved their arms in the air. Lucy looked at the Exceed, startled by the words. As she processed them, her eyes widened, cheeks flushed, and she glanced rapidly between the two men. Her fork clattered down to the plate of cake in front of her as the moment of silence drew longer.
When neither of them denied Frosch's claim, her eyes flicked over to the table Levy and Gajeel were sitting at. The dark-haired man was laughing quietly, and clearly explaining the conversation to Levy as the bluenette clapped a hand to her mouth before pulling it way and giving Lucy a thumbs up and a wink. Deciding they were no help, she turned back to the two men in front of her, who were starting to look a bit worried.
"Lucy?" Sting's voice was uncertain, and his eyes danced between the blonde and his raven-haired partner.
"You – you want to share me?" She asked shakily, and reached for her wine.
"We didn't want to fight each other, and we thought we had a better chance if we worked together. This is important for us, Lucy. You are important to us." Rogue pressed, and watched her intently as she took a large sip from her glass, a hint of panic flitting across her face.
"Think of how awesome it's gonna be." Lector tried to reason, locking eyes with her as she glanced sharply at him. "Sting and Rogue are the best dragon slayers, and Sting is Master of Sabertooth. None of the other dragon slayers are Masters of an entire guild." He gave her a cocky smirk, clearly deciding his argument would win her over. Lucy let out a short laugh tinged with hysterics.
"I guess not, no." She went for another sip of wine, and took a gulp. "How would that even work? Wouldn't you get jealous of each other?" She asked, still reeling from the shock.
"We've worked out the basics." Rogue replied, taking the lead. It had been his idea in the first place, and he was more confident with the plan than Sting was. "It would take a bit of adjustment, but Sting and I have worked together for many years now. Whilst we've never shared a woman before, we're confident that together, we can bring you everything you've ever wanted."
"And more that you've never considered." Sting whispered, voice low and smooth as he leaned in towards her. Lucy inhaled sharply and she flushed a dark red. A bolt of something ran through her, leaving tingles in its wake. She imagined herself sandwiched between them, slick with sweat and moaning their names, and the thought had her clutching at the table for support as she swayed.
Both dragon slayers were watching her keenly through half-lidded eyes, and the scent of her arousal reached them. Rogue's eyes slid shut as he leaned towards her, and Sting swore softly under his breath.
"Blondie, you're gonna be the death of us." He groaned, running a hand though wild blond locks. The celestial mage took a deep breath as she did her best to claw her libido back under control, and both men slowly relaxed as the scent dissipated. Now that they knew the scent, though, they wanted it more than ever before.
The waitress came past and cheerfully asked them if they were finished with dessert, and if they had found everything enjoyable. Lector declared that the smoked salmon was the best fish he'd ever had, and Frosch smiled happily as he patted his stomach.
"Oh, tonight has been delightful." Sting purred as he eyed the blonde, and Lucy blushed pink once more.
"May we have the cheque?" Roque asked, glancing briefly at the waitress before his eyes were dragged back to Lucy once again. The waitress hummed her assent and bustled away, but not before giving the blonde a curious look.
Leaving the restaurant, Lucy realised she was a bit tipsy as the world tilted slightly walking down the street. Weaving slightly, she took Rogue's arm as it was offered to her, and Sting automatically took her other arm.
"You are not frog-marching me back to my apartment." She told them in displeasure, and stumbled as Sting gave her a heart-stopping smile.
"But what if we frog-marched you back to our apartment?" He teased, and she gave him an exaggerated frown.
"And what kind of girl would I be if I let you take me home on the first date?" She joked, and Rogue smiled down at her.
"Smart?" Lector quipped, and they all laughed.
"What if we didn't drop you off right away? Perhaps we could go to a park and watch the stars?" Rogue offered, and Lucy beamed up at him.
"Excellent idea. I know just the place!" She declared, and marched forward, taking them all with her.
The park was small, but it was one of the only spaces in Magnolia that had limited lighting, and therefore one of the best spots to stargaze in town. Letting go of the men holding her up, Lucy flopped to the ground, turning her face towards the stars, a dreamy expression creeping over her face. Sitting on either side of her, the men looked upwards and marvelled quietly at the night sky. Frosch spotted something interesting in one of the bushes and went to explore, Lector following to make sure his friend didn't wander off again.
"Tell us about the constellations?" Sting asked softly, and her face lit up. Pointing out a few stars, she began the tale of the constellations, who they were, and how they came to be.
Rogue watched Lucy's face as she talked, a small smile stealing over his face at the sight. Her eyes were alight with happiness as she smiled fondly at the night sky, and her fair skin glowed in the dark. Her face was lightly flushed from the alcohol, and the dark-haired man was struck by her beauty. Leaning over, he gently grasped her chin, and she looked up at him with large, soft eyes.
Capturing her lips with his, his eyes slid shut as he tasted her, and purred in satisfaction as she kissed him back. Lucy gasped as Rogue changed his angle, and he took the opportunity to explore her mouth. Her eyes slid shut, and she moaned into his mouth as an extra pair of hands slid around her waist, and a hot mouth latched onto her bare shoulder. Breaking off from Rogue, she opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder at Sting. His eyes had darkened in lust, and he let go of her shoulder to kiss her. Feeling Rogue simultaneously latch onto the hollow of her throat and teasing the sensitive skin with his tongue had her seeing stars, and she mewled into the blond's needy mouth, snaking her hand up to tangle in his hair.
Distantly, Lucy heard a 'No you fucking don't!' roared at them, and Rogue was ripped away from her neck, the heat of his body snatched away from her. Pulling away from Sting to see what on Earthland was going on, she was just in time to see his eyes bulge as a steel pole caught him in the stomach and carried him away from her. Steadying herself now her two supports were taken from her, Lucy whipped her head around to find an irritated Gajeel with an apologetic Levy behind him.
"Are you okay, Lucy?" The bluenette cried, taking the opportunity to run over to the kiss-drunk blonde. Lucy nodded dumbly, and let Levy help her up.
"Shrimp, get her home." Gajeel barked, watching as the twin dragons of Sabertooth got to their feet, magic swirling around them as they glared back at the Iron dragon slayer.
"You followed us? Why?" Lucy asked, resisting Levy's gentle, yet insistent tugging.
"Because they were about two seconds away from marking you, now go!" Gajeel growled at her, and the blonde gaped at him. When Levy pulled at her again, she didn't resist, and the two women quickly made their way down the street, the beginnings of a fight starting up behind them. Lucy made to look back, but Levy pulled her along.
"Gajeel will take them down, don't worry." The bluenette assured her, and the blonde didn't have the heart to tell her she wasn't looking back for Gajeel.
Before long, the women arrived at Lucy's apartment, and Levy made sure her friend was okay.
"I'll come over tomorrow, and we can have a girls' day in." Lucy promised, and Levy's eyes lit up at the idea.
"Sounds great, Lu. I'll see you tomorrow, sleep well." With that, the bluenette disappeared down the stairs, and Lucy closed her door with a sigh. Pulling her shoes off, she contemplated a bath, but decided she needed another drink. Meandering over to her fridge, she pulled a bottle out, and plopped down in her favourite armchair.
She had downed most of the bottle when a light knock at her window had her jumping in fright and shock. Peering around the side of the armchair, Lucy locked eyes with vivid indigo, and the corner of his lips rose into a small smile as Erik watched her scramble out of the chair. He definitely appreciated the dress she was wearing, the straps leaving plenty of access to her neck and collarbones. Both the sound of her soul and the flush on her face told him she'd been drinking, and he inwardly smirked. All he had to do was seduce her, and she'd be his.
Opening the window, Lucy smiled shyly at him.
"Hey." She said simply.
"Hey." He replied, amused. She put the bottle down on the table behind her bedhead, and his eye skated over the curvature of her body while she wasn't looking.
"You came back." Her voice was slightly unsteady, and she turned back to look at him.
"I don't think I could stay away." He confessed, pleased at the blush settling across her face.
"Erik?" She asked, and the sound of his name coming from her lips had his insides warming. "You said you already know me. I… I don't know you, not really. Will you tell me?" Her voice was quiet in the dim lighting, and he stared at her in surprise and apprehension. If he told her his story, he didn't know how she would react. Would she accept his past, accept him? Would she push him away, or think of him with pity? He didn't need that from his life partner, and he briefly considered lying.
No, she would know if he lied, and he wouldn't do anything to foster distrust between them. He settled down on her roof with a sigh.
"It's… not a good story." He admitted, and glanced away from her. He could hear her settling in, and knew she was watching him. Raising his eyes to the sky, he began speaking quietly, starting from the very beginning. The salt in the air told him she was crying as he spoke about the Tower of Heaven, and he could hear the sadness in her soul. As he recounted his years with Brain, he could feel her anger at the white-haired man, red hot and flickering like her partner's flames. He finished up his tale, and sat in silence a few minutes, contemplating his life. Hearing her soul quieten, he looked back down at her, and was surprised to see she'd fallen asleep.
She was ethereal in the light of the moon, face haloed by golden locks fanning out around her. Her eyelashes were as delicate as spider silk against her cheeks, and her chest raised and lowered almost imperceptibly as she breathed. Not wanting to disturb her, Erik carefully slipped inside her apartment and quietly filled her a glass of water, placing it by the bed so she could drink it when she woke. Turning off the lamp, he stood over her bed, watching her sleep for a few moments before he gently brushed his lips over her forehead, and slipped back out the window into the night.
Rogue and Sting are sneaky and nearly got what they were after, but Gajeel comes through to save Lucy from herself.
I decided to add in Cobra talking about his past, because it very much shaped him into who he is. In his mind, Lucy needed to know exactly who he is, where he's come from, so if she chooses him in the end, she's walking in with both eyes open. He's honest, and she appreciates that, and I don't think it's in her character to pity him, or shy away from him, knowing everything he's done. I personally find that perspective on where a person's come from is incredibly important when dealing with others, as it helps offset pre-conceived ideas and expectations that you might have of them, especially in context of different situations.
There will be a few more adult discussions throughout the rest of the story, which I thought it important to include, especially surrounding consent and free will. More in the ending chapters to come, which is not far away, now.
Please leave a review, and let me know your thoughts.