Loneliness settled around me like a weighted blanket as I drank my morning coffee and watched the sun rise from my seat on the balcony. I tried not to dwell on it, knowing that in just a few hours I would be meeting my friends for brunch. That thought put a smile on my face as I took another sip of coffee.
Luckily, this would be my last morning alone until Natsu returns. If all I do is sit on my ass and wait, I just know I'll go completely insane; instead, I'm enlisting the help of The Zodiacs - well, one of them, anyway. Capricorn mentioned that when it comes to self defense, the ability to run the fuck away was a valuable one. So, in an effort to increase my speed, Loke - as Leo insisted I call him by his real name - will be joining me five mornings a week to start running. I hate running, but I want to be faster and stronger so that I can defend myself.
Raising my mug to take another sip of coffee, I'm disappointed to see that I've already finished it off, leaving only a pitiful light brown ring where it once was. Knowing I still had plenty of time before I had to get ready, I made myself another cup, turned on the fireplace in the living room, and curled up on the couch with the book I started reading a few days ago.
My alarm went off a few hours later, letting me know it was time to get ready. As I was sliding into my jeans, a feeling of deja vu washed over me; this is almost identical to what happened two weeks ago when I was preparing for brunch after Levy's wedding. It's more than a little surreal to me that it's been such a short time since everything changed.
Since I didn't want to bother my security team on a Sunday so I could see my friends, they agreed that the restaurants in the building were safe locations, but did ask that I let them know if we planned on leaving other than that. So with a few minutes to spare I headed down to the second floor, arriving just before everyone else to get us a good table.
In no time at all, the five of us were sitting around a table, drinks in hand, waiting for our orders to arrive.
"What were you up to yesterday, Lucy? I stopped by to see you and you weren't home," Levy commented. "Well, you weren't answering your door, anyway."
"I must not have heard you knocking; I spent most of the day curled up in front of the fireplace reading," I replied.
"Since when does your apartment have a fireplace?"
Shit. I'd forgotten that Levy and Gajeel were on their honeymoon when everything unfolded, and I had forbidden anyone from disturbing their time together with the incidents. It had slipped my mind that she was clueless about all that had happened since the reception.
"Yeah, Lucy," Cana piped up with a knowing grin on her face, "since when does your apartment have a fireplace?"
I sent a glare towards Cana, then stuck my tongue out at her for good measure.
"Well, you missed a few things while you were away," I told Levy a little sheepishly.
"What kind of things?"
All four of them leaned closer for 'Storytime with Lucy.' I started with the incident the day after the wedding, going over everything that had happened regarding Bora but leaving out a lot of details the other three already knew. It's not that I didn't want to tell Levy, but I wanted to get the bad things out of the way first. The looks I was getting from Erza, Wendy, and Cana told me they expected me to fill in those blanks or else they would do it for me.
Our food had arrived halfway through my retelling, and we were done eating by the time I finished telling my tale. I signaled the waiter for the check before anyone could wave me off, not wanting any more of what I had to tell to be recounted in public.
"I feel like I'm missing something," Levy pouted as I paid the bill for brunch.
"You are missing lots," I said, standing from my seat. "I just thought we'd all be more comfortable upstairs now that we're done eating?"
"Upstairs?" Confusion flashed briefly over Levy's face. She glanced around for a moment as she quickly put the pieces together. "Wait. You said safehouse?"
"I'm told it's pretty safe here," I said as we boarded the elevator.
Levy's jaw hit the floor when I put in the code for the top floor, and remained silent until we walked through the front door.
"Holy shit." She turned to me. "Natsu moved you into his dad's fucking penthouse?"
"Two weeks ago tomorrow," I replied as I set my things down on the end table. "Would you like to see my room before we get settled for the rest of the story?"
"Is that even a real question, Lu?"
Instead of an answer, I motioned for her to follow me, the other three walking behind us. I opened my door and stepped aside for Levy to enter first. Always the bookwork, she headed to my reading corner first, sitting in the chair and giving an approving look of how cosy it was. She explored my room and all it held, the others chatted with her about this and that, and I grabbed Plue and sat on my bed.
When she was done gawking at my bathroom - something I was still very much in awe of, and would likely remain to be - she and the others joined me on the bed.
"Where'd that come from?"
A smile blossomed without my permission as I thought back to my date with Natsu.
"Before I answer that," I said, setting the treasured item back against my pillows, "I need to know if anyone wants drinks, and where we should go for the rest of my harrowing adventures."
The location was decided by vote, and each of us had a large cup of cocoa in-hand as we made our way up to the rooftop. Instead of the gazebo, we sat on the benches near the door, all of us getting settled before I continued with the things I knew Levy would be looking forward to learning.
"Natsu gave it to me," I began, then corrected myself. "Well, actually, he won it for me."
"What do you mean?"
"He took me to the river on a date a week before you got back from your honeymoon. The plush was won at one of the carnival games on the pier."
"WHAT?" Her screech was loud enough to echo all around us. "Are you two dating now? How did that even happen? What changed? Just…what?!"
My face grew warmer by the second as I told Levy -and the others, though they'd already heard most of it - about the developments between Natsu and I. Every detail shared was met by a warm pulse in my chest, and I could feel the seed that had been planted by Natsu two nights ago taking root and growing steadily into something a little bigger; something a little more.
After I finally finished answering all of their questions, Erza, Wendy, Cana, and I turned to Levy for details about the honeymoon. Thankfully, she did not give in to Cana's demand for more intimate details no matter how much the persistent woman asked.
Our rooftop reverie was broken when Levy's phone rang. Gajeel demanded we return his wife to him when Cana swiped the phone from her hand; none of us realized how late it was before then, but now we saw the sun making its final descent towards the horizon.
We said our goodbyes on the way back towards the elevator, all agreeing that brunch was a weekly necessity.
Monday morning came far too soon. I got dressed and made my way to the kitchen, hoping to get at least one cup down before Loke arrived. As I was getting everything set up, the pounding started at the door.
"Fuck," I swore as I made my way to the foyer.
"Let's go, Princess," Loke called, still hammering away at the door. "The day is slipping away from us the longer you hide in this tower."
"For fuck sake, Loke," I yelled as I unlocked the door. "You're going to wake the neighbors with all the noise you're making. And it's not even daylight yet, so not a damn thing is being wasted."
"Nice try, but I know this is the only unit on this floor."
"You were being loud enough to wake everyone living in this building," I pointed out. "Why are you here so early? I haven't even had the necessary first cup of coffee yet."
"I thought it'd be better to start early to keep you from being late for work. And no coffee before running. Hydration before the running, caffeination after." He allowed me enough time to check my laces and grab my keys before dragging me out the door.
"I'm really starting to rethink this particular morning routine," I grumbled at him when he led me through the lobby and to the park across the street.
Ten minutes were spent stretching and making sure we were properly limber before Loke took off at a decent pace towards a running trail I didn't even know existed. As we ran, Loke gave tips on my form, making sure I'm maximizing my running potential. Gods, I hate running.
Half an hour passed by like a herd of turtles, and Loke finally allowed us a quick rest to drink some water and stretch again. It was then I noticed something was wrong. A man I had seen behind us several times when looking around had also stopped. I didn't recognise him, but I could see him trying to discreetly watch us, and he seemed to be keeping his gaze focused on me.
Before I had a chance to say anything, Loke turned and we continued on our way. Since we were taking our time regaining our former pace, I got a little closer so I could speak softly without someone overhearing us.
"I think we're being followed."
"We are. Keep your eyes forward, Lucy. Don't even acknowledge him."
"But…" I started, only to be interrupted.
"It's okay. Nothing is happening and nothing is going to happen," he assured me softly. "I'm here to protect you, remember? Besides, I already let the team know we were being followed; they're waiting on the other side of the park for us, and there's already a plan in place for situations like this."
Our feet continued to hit the dirt path in sync for a few beats as I let this information sink in. They already anticipated things like this happening.
"You ready to pick up the pace a bit? If you really want to work on getting faster, there's no better time than now to push yourself."
I can't help but smile. Even with a potential threat not far behind, Loke is treating this like just another day. To him, I suppose it is, but my heart is already racing with adrenaline.
"I'm ready," I say and we speed up. Without looking back we continue down the path that will take us out of the park.
I can see Taurus, Aquarius, and Scorpio when we step out of the last small copse of trees. None of them are even looking our way, instead standing with drinks in their hands having a conversation. We slow when we get closer, but none do more than just glance our way before going back to talking amongst themselves.
"Ignore them, Lucy" Loke whispered before raising his voice to a volume I knew was louder than it needed to be. "Good job today. I think you've earned that coffee; there's a cafe across the street we can hit before heading back, if you like."
"Uh, yeah, that sounds good," I couldn't help but be confused, though I suspected this was all part of whatever plan had been concocted without my knowledge.
The cafe has tinted windows which hide the interior from the outside world, and once the door closes behind us, we both turn to watch what happens next. As soon as the man who was following us is close enough to the three Zodiacs, they surround him. I can't hear what they're saying to him, but I can see the way his face pales when he realizes he's been caught. Loke snickers next to me and I send him a questioning glance. He taps his right ear twice, and I see a small earpiece lodged inside; it's nearly invisible unless you're looking for it.
"They'll handle it from here, Princess," Loke says as he turns to look at me. "Time for that coffee, then Cap will be here to drive us back around."
"We're not running back?" I question as we step towards the counter.
I didn't receive an answer until we were seated with our drinks.
"We're too far away from the building. When I noticed we were being followed, I changed our course. And we don't know if he was alone, or if he's already reported where he saw you; the risk is too high."
I nod in understanding. We finish our coffees and Loke leads me through the cafe to the back door where Capricorn is waiting with the car.
The remainder of my day was boring and uneventful when compared to my morning run. Not that I had enjoyed being followed on my first morning run, but it was decidedly more exciting than explaining to computer-illiterate coworkers why the links they had saved on their personal devices were not available on their work computers.
My evenings at home were the only time I allowed myself time to think about my situation as days turned into weeks.
Bora was being held in jail without possibility of bail. Even though he isn't considered a flight risk, his multiple violent acts were enough to keep him incarcerated until his trial, which is still over a month away.
Through my weekly meeting with Makarov and Laxus, I have found out that the expansion to Heartfilia Railways is still progressing as planned, and that Jose has been silent in regards to pushing for a contract. I didn't expect that it would last too long, so our meetings quickly changed from private lunches in Natsu's office to meetings in one of the conference rooms with the Zodiac Squad and Gray all joining us.
Then there was Natsu. Three weeks passed faster than I had imagined, and though I had remained hopeful that he would be waiting for me at home, the penthouse was as empty that afternoon as I had left it in the morning. With each day that passed, my worry for him grew, and I found myself taking solace in the memories of the short time we had together. The note Natsu left for me weeks ago stayed in its place on my nightstand, and each night as I snuggle Plue I would read it again and trust that he would keep his promise and come back home to me.
This chapter was finished both faster and slower than I thought it would be. Hope you all enjoyed this little slice of life while Natsu is away. I've got another chapter already half-finished, but I'm also leaving to see my family in a few days, so it may or may not be out before the end of the year.
Thank you for the new fave/follows. And special thanks to my reviewers: 1986jao, RequiemMage, anneryoko, and galactiaconstella. Y'all keep me going.
Hope all of you have a holiday season filled with love and joy.
TTFN, Lovelies!