So, for this AU, I've made Cana Lucy's #1 BFF. I know Levy is usually the one who's chosen for that role, and while Levy, Lucy, Cana and Juvia are all best friends, I've chosen to make Cana Lucy's closest out of the three. Since they've been best friends for years, and grew up together, Lucy will do things that seem OOC for the real character, but since she grew up with Cana in this one, and has been close for years, so I think she wore off on Lucy a bit, which will only make things more fun in the future.
I apologize that it's been a while since my last update. My other FT story, Forgotten, has been bothering me a bit. Even though it was 'finished,' it started bugging me the way I ended it, so I went back and wrote a better ending. It is now officially done, twenty pages later…
As always, thanks for the love and happy reading!
Lucy waved at Wendy and Lily as they began to walk away from the apartment. After she shut the door, she put on her shoes and hooked her purse over her shoulder. Natsu was sitting at the kitchen table, eating the last of the food from breakfast.
"Remember, I'll be home a little late today. I'm stopping by the library after work."
"I'll be here," he responded through a mouthful of eggs.
Lucy sighed as she glanced around the kitchen. Plue sat in his seat next to the window, sunning himself in the morning light. Her friends had slept longer than she anticipated, so she hadn't been able to clean up the dishes. The pile on the oven, as well as the full sink bothered her, but she couldn't take care of it if she wanted to get to work on time. Past Lucy had made a mistake by not taking the whole day off, but Present Lucy could deal with it. It was only four hours after all.
"Hey, Natsu?"
"Yeah?"
"I just wanted to say sorry, about what happened."
Natsu cocked his head at her, but his eyes lit up a second later. "Oh, that. Don't apologize. Happy made his choices on his own. You gave him fair warning, I don't blame you."
"I know, but I still-"
"Luce, don't worry about it," he said again. "Just enjoy your day, okay? I'll make supper tonight. It's getting cold outside, so I wanna try to make some homemade chili. Do you have a crockpot? I read that it tastes better if it's given more time to cook."
"Yeah, it's in here." Lucy moved to open one of the lower cupboards. "Actually, I have two. If you want, you could make two batches, then you could make one as hot as you want for yourself."
"Luce, that's a great idea!" He quickly scooped the remainder of his food in his mouth. "I gotta go to the store!"
She laughed as he skirted around her to put on his shoes. He could get so excited about things. It was nice having someone so happy in her apartment. She could feel his energy vibrating in the small entryway as she scooted past him to head out her door. "Don't forget to lock up behind you," she said as she left.
He followed her quickly, turning to do just that. "I'll see you later, Luce! Have a good day!"
She turned to walk backwards a few steps as she waved to him. "You too, Natsu!" As she turned back around, her smile grew as she made her way to work. As she passed the bakery, she wondered what she could grab that would be a good dessert to go with chili. Honestly, she didn't think there was a bad choice. Perhaps she could see if they made cornbread? That would taste wonderful with chili, and she was fairly certain Natsu wouldn't make any. Maybe she could ask him.
Her steps fumbled a little as she realized she had no way to do that. Sure, she had the summoning tag, but that felt like an 'in emergency only' kind of thing. Natsu didn't have a cell phone or email, and Lucy didn't have a phone in her home. She should probably consider getting him something soon. They still had most of a year to go. It would be inconvenient if the only way she had to contact him was by summoning him to her.
Lucy only glanced at the alley she usually used to go to her job. After the previous night, she wasn't quite ready to go down there just yet. It didn't matter that it was a different alley, or that it wasn't Halloween or night time, she knew she'd need a little time before she felt comfortable using the path again.
She forced her thoughts back to the previous track. She did the math, wondering if it would be easier to just add another line to her plan, or get one of those pay-as-you-go phones. Either way, she'd have to buy him a phone, which could be expensive. Unless she could find him a used one. Lucy frowned as she crossed the last street before she made it to her work. How hard would it be to teach Natsu how to use a phone? He'd caught on to her laptop pretty quick, but he wasn't doing anything more complicated than researching stuff online. Getting him an email would probably be easier, and definitely cheaper.
She smiled as she entered the building, surprised to find the foyer basically empty. The lady at the front desk had her head propped up on a fist, her eyes closed, barely covered her bangs. Lucy didn't say anything as she passed by. As she made her way to her cubicle, she glanced around the office, noticing that more than half the workers were gone. She found that odd, since usually everyone waited for the weekend to celebrate Halloween. Just how many others had had parties the previous night?
As she turned the last corner, Mira exited her office, causing her to turn back. "Good morning, Mira."
Her boss was as beautiful and happy as ever as she stopped outside her door. "Good morning, Lucy! How was the party last night?"
"Good! Or as good as it could go when Cana demanded she have her drinking contest as soon as every showed up."
Mira giggled as she adjusted the folders she was carrying. "How many did she trick into drinking with her?"
"Just a few. Our new friends Gray and Gajeel, Loke, without much convincing, as usual, and a friend of Natsu's that surprised him with a visit."
Mira giggled again. "Have your new friends sworn to never drink with her again?"
"Nope. In fact, Gajeel demanded a rematch at some point. Gray quit after only a few rounds, so he didn't get too drunk. Natsu's friend ended up passing out in his room, and Loke didn't get too drunk to flirt, but he was too drunk to walk, so he split the pull out couch with Cana."
"Well, I hope you guys did more than just drink."
"Oh yeah. We played some games, too, but only about half the group played, since the others were trying to eat enough to soak up the booze." Lucy smiled. "It was really fun. I didn't sleep as much as I'd like, though, so I kind of wish I'd take a page out of Cana's book and taken the whole day off. It's only four hours, though. A cup of coffee, maybe some chocolate, and I'll be good to go." She cocked her head at her boss. "What did you do last night? You could have come over, if you wanted."
"Oh, that's okay. Laxus came to hide at our place so he wouldn't have to hand out candy, and Elfman and Lisanna went to a party that was thrown by a friend of her boyfriend's. They came back pretty late, but they said they had a good time. I really enjoyed handing out the candy, though, and having Laxus around for company was nice."
Lucy subtly leaned back, seeing Laxus in his own office next to Mira's. "So he just hung out while you were handing out candy?"
"Yep."
"Hiding from kids so he didn't have to hand out candy?"
"Yep."
Lucy squinted her eyes. "All he had to do was keep the lights off in front of his house and they would have left him alone… Did he not try that?"
Mira didn't say anything as she continued to smile, only giving Lucy a bit of a shrug. Lucy glanced at Laxus' shut office door again. "Huh," she said, trying to keep from smiling. "Well, better get to work."
"Sounds good," Mira said, turning around and going back into her office. Lucy laughed when she heard the door open again as she turned into her cube. She pulled out her phone and quickly shot a text to Cana, knowing she'd want to hear about the conversation. The woman couldn't run a proper rumor mill if she didn't get her information while it was still fresh.
"Tell me again." Cana lifted her head so she could check once more for Mira before lowering herself again.
Lucy sighed. "I've already told you twice, I don't need to tell you again. Now go away so I can work." Cana had showed up an hour before the end of her shift. Apparently her text hadn't contained enough information so she'd come to get the play-by-play from Lucy as soon as she was vertical and mobile. "If you don't leave soon, Mira will find you and put you to work, even if you did request it off. Plus, I have things I have to work on, so shoo!"
"Ugh, Lucy you're no fun!"
Lucy glared. "I went out of my way to question our boss about her maybe relationship with our other boss and then immediately texted you about it. That's not something I would usually do, but I did it for you because you're my best friend, and you're telling me I'm no fun? You can get your own gossip from now on," Lucy said, turning back towards her computer to try and look busy. She knew it would drive Cana crazy to think Lucy would stop helping her gather information from their co-workers. A little fear was good for her every now and then.
"No, please, Lucy, I take it back. You're the funnest person I've ever met! No one can compete with your level of fun! No one!"
Lucy hummed. "I don't know if I believe you. You may need to grovel more, peasant." She gestured to the floor, a glint in her eye.
Cana scoffed. "Yeah, that's a bit far, lady. I ain't getting on my knees for no woman, best friend or not."
"But you would for a man?"
Cana smirked. "For the right man."
"I have a feeling I know who that right man would be." Lucy sighed as she closed up the documents on her computer. "Well, I'm officially too distracted to work. Wanna get out of here? I'll let you drive me to the library, since you've interrupted my workflow."
"I don't have any plans until this evening, so I can drive you." Lucy grabbed her bag after shutting down her computer, then led Cana towards the elevator. "Do you want a ride home after? How long will you be at the library?"
"I'm just stopping to pick up a book. Levy has it on hold for me, and I was going to chat with her for a bit, but I don't think I'll be there long. I would take a ride home, if you're really offering."
"Sounds good."
As the elevator began to lower, Lucy asked, "So what are you going to be up to tonight?"
Cana told her about the elaborate plans Bacchus had for them for the evening as they made their way out to Cana's car. As Cana turned onto the rode, Lucy snorted. "What?" Cana asked.
"You and I both know you won't end up doing half that stuff." Lucy giggled when Cana frowned. "I bet you a Friday night's worth of drinks that you guys end up staying home, drinking and banging until you pass out."
Cana's eyebrows rose. "Oh really? Would this be a Lucy amount of drinks or a Cana amount of drinks?"
"If you win, I pay, if I win, you pay."
"Deal!" Cana reached over. "I bet we follow through with his plans and then go back home to drink and bang."
Lucy raised a finger. "But, you can't tell him we made this bet."
"Fine fine, just shake my hand already." They did, both smiling, as Cana parked in front of the library before heading inside. The pair easily made their way through the aisles towards the desk where Levy was sitting perched on a stool. She looked up as the pair approached, smiling as she reached under to grab Lucy's book.
"Hey Lu, got your book right here. What are you doing here, Cana?"
"Lucy got ahold of some interesting information at work today, so I had to come visit to get the whole story."
"What information?" Levy asked curiously. Lucy told her about her conversation with Mira, the unedited version once Cana demanded to hear it again. "Hmm, that does sound suspicious, but it doesn't mean they're dating. It could just be a one sided crush, or maybe Laxus just has rude neighbor kids. I think you should talk to him and see what you can get out of him."
Cana and Lucy both gave her the same derisive look. "Are you serious?" Cana asked.
"Try to get something out of Mr. Stoic?"
"That man gives nothing away when he talks."
"We've been trying for months just to figure out if he's into any sports!"
Cana leaned forward. "You know what is answer always is?"
Lucy crossed her arms and made her expression as bored as possible, with a side of raised eyebrow. "What do I care?" she said in her best impression of the man's voice.
Levy laughed, quickly putting her hand over her mouth to silence the noise. "That was amazing, Lucy."
Lucy's eyes sparkled a little, but she maintained her expression to continue her impression of her boss. "Sure. Can I get this book now? I've got other things to do today."
Cana chuckled too as Levy turned to the computer to check out Lucy's book. "Maybe you should have been Laxus for Halloween. It would have been more convincing than that princess getup."
Lucy huffed, smacking her friend as she and Levy laughed. "I don't know why I put up with you. You're a terrible friend."
"But at least I'm fun," Cana said with a grin.
The three laughed and chatted for a little bit longer, leaving once another person came over to check out a few books of their own. In no time at all, Lucy was home, after a quick stop at the bakery, and waving goodbye to Cana as she pulled away. When Lucy entered her apartment, she was immediately hit with a wave of smells. She breathed deeply as she put her purse and shoes away, making her mouth water. The kitchen was empty as she entered it, zeroing in on the crockpots near her stove. She set down the cornbread she'd purchased as well as the pie before moving towards the food.
Before she could get a good whiff, she paused and noticed that the dishes had been done at some point while she was gone. The drying rack was even empty. Lucy smiled, finding it sweet that Natsu had done one of his least favorite chores just to be helpful. She turned to go thank him, but paused, wanting to take a closer look at the chili before she went in search of her roommate.
Lucy pulled off one of the lids, waiting for the steam to dissipate before leaning in to breathe in deeply. Immediately, she leaned back, coughly at the pungent odor from the peppers invaded her sinuses. She replaced the lid as her eyes began to burn and water.
Natsu entered the room as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "What kind of peppers did you use?" she croaked.
He frowned at her. "All of them I could find, why?"
Lucy took a deep breath, trying to clear out her airways to get rid of the stinging. "The smell is really strong." His frown deepened and he sniffed at the air. She spoke again before he could open his mouth. "It's not strong in the apartment. I lifted the lid to smell it, but I didn't know which one was mine and the one I smelled was definitely not mine."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I probably should have marked them."
"No, it's fine," she said, grateful her eyes had stopped watering. "They smell amazing by the way."
He grinned. "Thanks. I wasn't sure what kind you would like, so I compared a few recipes before I picked one."
"I'm sure I'll love it. I got some dessert and cornbread to go with it, by the way," she said as she gestured at the bag. "How was your day?"
"It was okay. Just went to the store and then hung out here, nothing too crazy. How about you?"
"It was an interesting couple hours. Do you mind if I go change before I tell you about it?"
Natsu smiled. "Sure. I'm just gonna check on the food."
"Sounds good," she said, heading through the living room.
Lucy frowned a little as she thought about Happy. She hoped she'd made the right choice with him that morning. Despite his apologies, he was a wild card and she was worried about having him around. As part of the contract, Natsu had agreed to keep his friend out of trouble, but Happy had proven that he was his own demon and could not be controlled. She sighed as she stopped outside of Natsu's room.
Deciding he owed her and couldn't get mad, Lucy knocked softly and then opened the door without waiting for an answer. She saw Happy curled up on Natsu's bed almost completely surrounded by blankets. "Hey, Happy, how are you feeling?"
The blue ear she could see moved a little, eventually followed by the other ear and a pair of eyes. "Morning, Lucy."
She chuckled. "It's actually afternoon. Are you feeling any better?" He'd eaten her eggs that morning, despite some of the ingredients being incompatible with cat stomachs. Happy constantly argued with her that he wasn't a cat, but ever since he'd been affected by the catnip she'd slipped him, she'd tried to keep an eye on him to keep him away from things that weren't cat friendly.
"Yeah, a little, but I'm just gonna keep sleeping for now," he said, snuggling back into his blanket mountain.
"Alright. I'll bring you something to munch on later and some water so you don't get dehydrated, okay?" Lucy assumed the muffled noises she heard were consensual as she shut the door.
It made her feel a little bad, but she felt his current state was ample punishment for his insistence to ignore her request the previous night. As she changed her clothes, once again she worried that he would some day cause problems that she couldn't fix. Eventually, she shrugged the worry off, leaving her room so she could go get something to appease her suddenly ravenous stomach.
Worst case scenario, I can always redo the summoning circle, right?
You guys thought I sent him home, didn't you? Hehe, psych.
