Hello there!
Hope you enjoy this chapter! I do recommend listening to the songs, they help me get in the mood when i write them, might help you with reading this as well :D
I DO NOT OWN ANY CHARECTERS OR SONGS
"I can't do it" Lucy said quietly to Natsu before they got to the table.
She felt her anxiety levels rise with every step she took, and she was not willing to meet them feeling this horrible. She just hoped Natsu won't ask too many questions and let her be. If she leaves fast enough, she might even catch her parents since she knew they would take their time and walk in the area before driving away.
Natsu felt how tense she was, and decided it might be better to let her be relaxed before she meets them. He knew his friends were quite crazy at times and that might affect Lucy in a bad way if she met them when she was like this.
"Okay, call your parents and check if they are still here, I'll go out with you if they already left" Natsu agreed with a reassuring smile.
Lucy nodded and took her phone out to call her parents while turning around from the group.
A few rings later, her mother answered "Yes dear?".
"Mom, are you still near Yajima's place?" Lucy asked quietly.
"Yes, we are walking in the park right behind the diner, why? Layla asked with a worried tone.
"Nothing really... Just..." Lucy didn't know how to say it. She didn't want to stress her parents anymore.
"Honey? What happened?" Layla asked louder, Lucy gulped and Natsu sighed and took the phone.
"Anxiety attack I believe, she's too stressed, can you pick her up or should I drive her to you?" Natsu explained with a small smile towards Lucy, mounting 'heard your mom' to answer her silent question as to why he did that.
"We will be right there, 2 minutes, thank you Natsu" Jude said quickly.
"No problem sir, see you soon" Natsu nodded as he ended the call.
"Let's go out, they will be here in a few minutes" Natsu said, making Lucy nod and follow him outside.
When they walked out, Lucy let out a breath she was apparently holding, making Natsu look and laugh at her.
"Hey! That's not funny" Lucy pouted at him.
"I know, you just look cute" Natsu replied with a smile, making Lucy blush and look away.
Idiot
"Thank you" Lucy mumbled as she saw her parents coming and walked towards them.
"Always" Natsu replied and waved to them.
"Are you better now?" Layla asked as she, Jude and Lucy sat at the park with drinks in their hands.
"Yeah, thanks" Lucy nodded with a smile.
"What exactly happened there" Jude asked with a worried voice.
"I don't exactly know..." Lucy sighed. She really didn't want to explain her dream.
"Did they say anything?" Layla asked.
"I didn't even get to actually meet them, a minute after you left, I felt so scared and had to leave" Lucy explained with a shrug.
"I thought your anxiety attacks stopped a few years back" Jude sighed and shook his head.
"They never really stopped, they just became smaller and manageable" Lucy explain with a small voice, feeling ashamed she had suffered from it.
"I hope you don't think I'm angry at you for feeling this way" Jude asked as he noticed her reaction.
"You're not?" She asked with a wide eyes.
"Of course not!" Jude exclaimed.
"We both suffered from them, sometimes we still do, we know how you feel" Layla explained with a small smile.
"I... I had no idea" Lucy looked at them with wider eyes.
"I always said, the more money we get, the more anxiety we will have" Jude said with a sigh, he had gotten use to those feeling long ago.
It seems logical to Lucy, since money was the reason for her fears in a few ways.
"So, just to clarify, nothing happened with those kids?" Jude asked with a small smile.
"No dad, nothing happened, just me and my own fears" Lucy laughed as she answered him.
"Okay then, shall we go to the pretty building?" Layla inquired with a small grin.
"We shall" Lucy answered with a small laugh.
She was so happy she had her parents by her side.
"What was that about?" Gray asked Natsu as he came back to the table.
"What?" Natsu asked nonchalantly.
"What do you mean what? You suddenly got up, left, talked to Lucy, which we didn't even know was here, left outside with her, and came back alone" Levy said with a raised brow.
"Natsu, I hope you don't intend to keep Lucy all to yourself" Erza warned with her scary tone, making Natsu, and everyone else, shiver.
"N-no! I just saw her and went to say hi! I promise! Then she said her parents are waiting for her outside so I went to say hey to them too!" Natsu said with raised hands, signalling his surrender.
"Are you sure?" Erza asked again, with the tone.
"Aye sir!" Natsu saluted.
"Fine" Erza nodded and went back to her strawberry cake.
Natsu sighed in relief as he finally sat down in his spot.
"Why didn't you bring her to us?" Lisanna asked with a frown, she wanted to meet her finally.
"She said her parents were waiting, I didn't want to make them wait even longer" Natsu replied with a small shrug.
"Seems fair" Levy said with a nod.
"I guess" Lisanna pouted.
"Was she here alone?" Jellal asked, he remembered seeing a blonde family sit somewhere near where Natsu and Lucy sat.
"Nah, her parents were here too, they just left before her 'cus she texted me saying she saw me, so I got up to her before she left" Natsu explained.
"I see" Jellal nodded.
"Are we going to the club later or what" Gajeel asked after a few minutes of random chit chat.
"Yup" the whole group replied.
With that decided, the group finished their food and drinks, payed off and left to their favourite hanging out place.
"This place is amazing" Lucy exclaimed as the family walked in the building.
It was huge, one area looked like a bar/restaurant, the other side had an arcade, the map at the entrance showed there was a karaoke area, as well as a whole open area.
"Can we go sing?" Lucy asked after they had explored the place a little.
"Like we did in Corcus?" Jude raised a brow, that was the only time he remembered them going to a karaoke room.
"Yes!" Lucy replied with a grin.
"Do they have separate rooms?" Layla asked no one in particular.
"I think so, let me go check" Lucy nodded and left to check with the woman who stood at the entrance of the karaoke area.
"Excuse me" Lucy said as she tapped her shoulder.
A beautiful, model looking woman turned around with a smile, "Yes?" She asked.
"Wow... Oh! Umm... I-I just wanted to ask, are there any karaoke rooms here?" Lucy stumbled on her words from her beauty.
"Of course! Are you new here?" She asked with a wide smile, leading Lucy to a stand with a computer, probably to check for free rooms.
"Yes, me and my parents want to rent a room, if possible, of course" Lucy nodded with a small smile, waving to her parents to come over.
"No problem, but I must let you know, since you are new here and probably don't know, every half hour we randomly pick a room and play whatever is sung there throughout the building, since usually only regulars are here and there is a little competition, if you may" She explained.
"How many rooms are there?" Jude asked as he thought about the situation.
"About 20 rooms, 16 are rented at the moment" She replied as she checked her computer.
"So, about 5% chance we get picked, if all rooms get occupied" Jude concluded after a few seconds.
"Not so bad" Lucy decided to herself.
"Let's rent a room then" Layla said as she turned to the hostess.
"No problem. Name?" the hostess asked as she typed.
"Heartillia" Jude said with a nod.
"Oh my! Are you Layla and Jude Heartfillia?" The hostess gasped with wide eyes.
"yes" Both replied with a polite bow and smile, Lucy just bowed with them.
"I never introduced myself, how rude! I am Mirajane Strauss, Manager of the karaoke area and the bar" She bowed back.
"Pleasure to meet you" Both Layla and Jude smiled.
"Oh no, it is our pleasure to have you here" Mirajane smiled back. "Would you like the regular room or the VIP room?" She asked as she checked what rooms were available at the moment.
"What is the difference?" Lucy asked.
"The VIP room has snacks and a mini bar inside, with more space and a more karaoke playlists with more options, while the regular room has a little less space, no mini bar or snacks inside and the basic karaoke playlist" Mirajane replied with a smile.
"Do we want snacks?" Jude asked the two ladies behind him.
"Yes!" Both replied with a nod.
"VIP it is" Jude nodded to Mirajane and gave her his card to pay.
"Great pick, here is your key, go back to room 19" She said as she handed them a box with a key inside.
"Thank you Mirajane" the three bowed.
"Oh please, call me Mira" Mira bowed back and waved as they left to their room.
"Mira!" Lisanna yelled as she and her friends ran to the karaoke area.
"Lis! Don't yell! We have high class guests here today" Mira hushed her sister.
"Who?" Natsu asked as he came close.
"I prefer not to say, don't know if they want it to be known they are here" Mira said with an apologetic smile.
"It's ok, is our room free?" Lisanna replied as she tried to see the screen of Mira's computer.
"It is, you can go" Mira nodded and gave her the key to room 20.
"Yosh!" Natsu and Gray replied with a high five as they started to go to their room.
"Have fun, and good luck!" Mira waved as the group made their way to the room.
"Thanks!" They all waved back and went on.
As they opened the door, they saw that the room was already set, all snacks already out with sodas and juices on the table, the karaoke machine and screen already on, the huge Black sofa and light Gray walls were coloured from the LED lights around the room.
"Mira knew we were coming" was all Lisanna said as she smiled and went to sit.
"Who goes first then?" Levy asked as she sat down next to Gajeel.
"Wait, did we check when was the last room pick?" Juvia asked as she remembered the Monday special.
"Nope" everyone replied with a head shake.
"Wanna wait until we hear something?" Gray asked as he opened a soda.
"Let's open the door then" Erza agreed and went to open it.
"Remember to time it when it starts" Levy reminded as she opened her juice bottle.
"I will" Natsu said and picked out his phone, getting the timer app ready.
A few minutes have passed until they heard the famous countdown until a random room was heard across the whole place, everyone got ready to hear what song was going to be heard. The song was Justin Bieber's 'Yummy', and the whole group knew who sang it.
"He always sings the same songs" Jellal shook his head with a laugh.
"That's Eve for you" Levy replied with a laugh.
"He is a cute kid though" Gray said with a smile.
"He is" Juvia agreed with a nod.
As the song ended, Natsu started his 30-minute timer and the group started with their karaoke session, with Gajeel as the first one to sing, as they waited for the timer to open the door and hear the next contestant before Natsu's turn. They wanted to participate in the competition, since the room that wins gets a prize, and Natsu was their secret weapon, they had to time everything to be able to compete. Since they already knew how the rooms are getting picked, mostly because the order was randomly picked beforehand and Lisanna saw when their room was up from Mira's stand, they knew when Natsu needed to pick the song.
It was almost 40 minutes since the Heartfillia's went into the room, having mostly Lucy sing as she always did since she could remember. Her parents picked songs for her, challenging her since they knew she had a very powerful voice.
"What about this one?" Layla asked as she looked at the Disney playlist they had.
"It's a pretty hard song" Lucy said as she looked as the name.
"You can do it" Jude said with a smile.
"I can try" Lucy smiled back with a smile.
Layla clapped as she picked the song and went to sit, waiting for Lucy to start singing.
Idina Menzel, AURORA – Into The Unknown
Lucy listened to the karaoke's version on Aurora's siren as she swayed from side to side with the music.
Ooh
Ooh
Ooh
Lucy closed her eyes as she sang, she knew she had to focus to sing it right.
I can hear you, but I won't
Some look for trouble while others don't
There's a thousand reasons I should go about my day
And ignore your whispers, which I wish would go away, oh
Ooh
Oh
Ooh, ah
You're not a voice, you're just a ringing in my ear
And if I heard you, which I don't, I'm spoken for, I fear
Everyone I've ever loved is here within these walls
I'm sorry, secret siren, but I'm blocking out your calls
Layla and Jude both smiled at their daughter, her voice always made them happy.
Lucy took a deep breath as the music build up.
I've had my adventure, I don't need something new
I'm afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you
Into the unknown
Into the unknown
Into the unknown
Lucy smiled as she managed to do it, her parents both clapping for her.
Ooh
Ooh
What do you want? 'Cause you've been keeping me awake
Are you here to distract me so I make a big mistake?
Lucy did the dramatic pause, pose and all, making both her parents laugh.
Or are you someone out there who's a little bit like me?
Who knows deep down I'm not where I'm meant to be?
Every day's a little harder as I feel my power grow
Don't you know there's part of me that longs to go
Into the unknown?
Into the unknown
Into the unknown
Ooh
Ooh, ah
Lucy took a deep breath again, she knew she can do it.
Oh
Are you out there?
Do you know me?
Can you feel me?
Can you show me?
Ah, ah (Ah, ah)
Ah, ah (Ah, ah)
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Lucy was ready, the hardest part of the song was up next. She took a deep breath again and closed her eyes, giving it all she got.
Where are you going?
Don't leave me alone
How do I follow you (Ah)
Into the unknown? (Oh, oh)
Both Jude and Layla stared in awe, their Lucy actually managed to sing it, and she did it so well, it amazed them.
"Bravo!" Layla said as she stood up and clapped, Jude following her as he also clapped with a proud smile.
"You should consider singing professionally" Jude said after they all sat down to let Lucy regain her breath.
"I prefer" -Lucy breathed in- "Writing" She said and released her breath.
"You can do both" Layla said with a wink.
"I'll think about it" Lucy replied with a laugh and opened a water bottle to drink.
"That really was amazing" Jude said with a nod.
"It was" Layla agreed.
"Thank you" Lucy blushed with a smile.
"Who was that?!" Levy asked as she was the first to get out of the shock.
"No idea" Jellal replied still in awe.
"That was amazing" Erza said, making everyone nod.
"Better then flame brain" Gray added, making everyone nod again.
Natsu said nothing, he heard the 'bravo' in the end and had a feeling he knew who it was. He just smiled to himself, he didn't even care she took his song.
"You need a new song" Lisanna told him a few minutes later.
"Yeah" Natsu nodded with a small laugh.
"there's no way anyone can be better than that, whoever that was won" Gajeel said and opened a soda can.
"We can still try" Levy replied with a pout.
"Against that? No way" Gray agreed with Gajeel.
"We can still do it for fun" Juvia reasoned with Levy.
"I'll try anyways" Natsu decided so they won't start a fight.
"What song then?" Jellal asked.
"I have a few ideas" Natsu said with a shrug.
"Okay then, we still have about 20 minutes until your turn" Erza said with a nod. "Who's next to sing?" She added as she looked at the group.
"I'll go" Juvia said and went to pick a song.
About half an hour later, the Heartfillia family decided to go to the restaurant near the karaoke area to eat before going back home to rest, when they went to give Mira the keys, she stopped them.
"That was great, I think you will win" Mira said to them with a smile and a wink.
"What?" The trio asked with wide eyes.
"The song you did, 'Into the unknown', was played across the building" She explained with a small laugh.
"Oh my" Layla said with a gasp.
"it was a 5 precent chance" Jude murmured to himself.
"What?" Lucy asked again.
Mira just laughed at her shocked face. "You did really good, amazing even, just perfect" Mira exclaimed to Lucy after realizing she was the one who sang.
"T-thank you" Lucy replied with a blush and looked at her feet.
"Thank you for everything, we will go to the restaurant now" Jude said with a small bow.
"Okay, I hope you like the food, and please wait until 7pm to hear the who won today's karaoke competition" Mira replied with a bow back.
"We will" Layla agreed as they left.
As the family sat at a table and ordered the food, Lucy sighed in relief realizing no one knew she was the one to sing that song.
"you were the best until now from what I gather" Jude said as he listened to what people around them say.
"I am pretty sure there are still a few more to go and someone might be better" Lucy denied with a small smile.
"We shall see" Layla replied with a small laugh.
A few minutes later, as the family received the drinks they ordered, they heard a countdown start, from 10 and going down. They noticed everyone went quiet.
"The next song" Lucy concluded, making both her parents nod in understanding.
Lucy's eyes went wide as she recognized the song.
That was in my dream
"It's almost time" Levy said as she checked the timer, they had 3 minutes.
"You decided on a song?" Gray asked Natsu, who just nodded with a smirk and went to pick the song.
'I sang that to her when she was still sleeping, I wonder if she liked it' Natsu asked himself as he found it and waited for Levy to tell him to start.
"In 30 seconds" Levy said.
Natsu nodded and breathed in, he counted to 10 and pressed play.
Ed Sheeran – Sing!
Natsu closed his eyes as he listened to the music, and took a good breath before he started to sing, just as he did to Lucy when she was still sleeping.
it's late in the evening
Glass on the side
I've been sat with you
For most of the night
Ignorin' everybody here
We wish they would disappear
So maybe we could get down now
And I don't wanna know
If you're gettin' ahead of the program
I want you to be mine, lady
To hold your body close
Take another step into the no-man's land
And for the longest time, lady
Natsu started to tap his foot as he sang, the group enjoying his performance as always.
I need you darling
Come on, set the tone
If you feel you're fallin'
Won't you let me know
Oh-oh oh
If you love me
Come on, get involved
Feel it rushin' through you
From your head to toe
Natsu jumped as the chores started
SING!
LOUDER!
SING!
Natsu to a deep breath before the next part.
This love is ablaze, I saw flames from the side of the stage
And the fire brigade comes in a couple of days
Until then, we got nothin' to say and nothin' to know
But somethin' to drink and maybe somethin' to smoke
Let it go until our roads are changed
Singin' "We Found Love" in a local rave
No, I don't really know what I'm supposed to say
But I can just figure it out, then hope and pray
I told her my name, then said "It's nice to meet you"
Then she handed me a bottle of water filled with tequila
I already know if she's a keeper
Just from this one small act of kindness, I'm in
Deep shit if anybody finds out
I meant to drive home but I drunk all of it now
Not soberin' up, we just sit on the couch
One thing led to another, now she's kissin' my mouth
Natsu took a quick breath before the next part
I need you darling
Come on, set the tone
If you feel you're fallin'
Won't you let me know
If you love me
Come on, get involved
Feel it rushin' through you
From your head to toe
SING!
LOUDER!
SING!
(Can you feel it?)
All the guys in here don't even wanna dance
(Can you feel it?)
All that I can hear is music from the back
(But can you feel it?)
Found you hidin' here so won't you take my hand, darlin'?
Before the beat kicks in again
Can you feel it?
Can you feel it?
Natsu started to dance as he did the final part of the song.
(SING!)
I need you darling
Come on, set the tone
If you feel you're fallin'
Won't you let me know
(LOUDER!)
(SING!)
If you love me
Come on, get involved
Feel it rushin' through you
From your head to toe
LOUDER!
SING!
"Woo-hoo!" the group cheered as he finished.
"What was really good" Levy said as Natsu sat down.
"Thanks" Natsu replied with a grin.
"Okay, we done?" Gajeel asked as everyone clamed down.
"Yep" They all replied and started to clean up.
When they finished, they all went to the arcade to kill time until they announce the winner.
Natsu knew she won, and he knew that Mira probably told them to stay until 7PM to hear who won, so he decided to wait with his friends before going to look for her.
