Chapter 8: If Only It Didn't Hurt So Much
Erza sat against the wall, the other girls were out. Mira had her back to the rest of them. Lucy and Lexi had been talking, and were now slumped against each other.
This time at the resort had been meant for relaxation, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Now it seemed like certain members of the group could no longer be near each other. Lucy had a faint smile on her face, she sighed and a name slipped out.
"Natsu..."
Lexi on the other hand looked troubled as she slept, her face twitching. "Don't leave me behind again..."
Erza sighed, she could feel the tendrils of sleep wrapping around her consciousness. She hoped everyone would work out their issues, and that she got the chance to see Jellal one more time before they left.
xX Xx
Most of the faces gathered on the platform, for the train heading back to Magnolia, were melancholy. Lucy stood off to the side, as if she were guarding the girl she had her arm wrapped around, if you didn't know better you'd think them sisters.
Mira stood at the back of the group, as if holding herself together. 'He probably thinks I'm a loon now.' She glanced wistfully at Melchior's back.
He was talking with Natsu and Happy, smiling. "Man once we get back to the guild, we should have a fight."
"A fight?" Melchior asked.
"Yeah," Natsu said flexing his bicep. "I need to see how strong ya are."
"If you insist," Melchior shrugged, a smirk playing at his lips. "But be warned, I'm not exactly good at holding back."
"All right, sounds like a challenge!" Natsu cheered.
"Erza!" Every head swung in the direction of the voice.
"Jellal?"
"I'm glad I caught you before you left," he said with a grin. "There's something I have to tell you." She nodded. "Well Meldy has sensed an ominous presence lurking around your guild, ever since these two came into the picture," he nodded to Lexi and Melchior. "It's best to keep an eye on things."
"We will, thank you." She gave him a smile, which everyone noticed. Jellal gave a wave as he turned to leave. "See you later." And he was gone.
"Aw how sweet," Lucy cooed. "Your boyfriend came to see you off."
"What was that?" Erza gave off a strong killing intent.
"Nothing ma'am," Lucy shrunk back frightened. Lexi giggled lightly at her friends antics. She couldn't help glancing toward Gray, who was staring down the tracks.
xX Xx
"Man Lexi, that spell you cast saved my butt!" Natsu stretched as he got off the train.
"Is it limited like Troia?" Happy asked curiously.
"Not that I know of," Lexi shrugged. "But anytime you need it, just let me know." Natsu gave her a high five. "Well I should get home, gotta unpack."
"I'm coming too," Lucy said wearily. "A non motion sick Natsu is too much to handle," she shot a teasing smile at Natsu who replied with his tongue out.
Mira had disappeared without a word the moment it was safe to disembark the train. Melchior headed to the guild in hopes of maybe talking to one of her siblings about what happened on the beach.
xX Xx
Over the next week, Lexi watched as the closeness of her group of friends became tense. Gray had begun avoiding her once again, and she felt her heart grow heavier as the days passed.
Lucy slid into the seat next to her, she seemed to be spared the darkness hanging over Team Natsu. "Hey, how you doing?"
"Why? Am I that obvious?" Lexi sighed, resting her chin in her palm.
"Yeah, if you were Juvia it would be raining," Lucy said gently. "Do you want to get out of here and go do something? We have down time, there aren't many jobs and I don't have to pay rent until next month."
"What did you have in mind?" Lexi asked perking up slightly.
"Well there's this club, it's supposed to be really fun," Lucy wiggled her eyebrows. "Maybe you can get your mind off the stripper." Lexi giggled slightly as she thought about it.
"Yeah, you know what, I deserve to do something for me!" She clenched a fist, a determined look on her face. "I'm tired of worrying whether or not he'll talk to me. Let's go!"
"All right, let's go get ready. Pick out an outfit and grab your makeup, we'll get ready at my place. I'll ask a couple of the other girls too."
"I'll go on ahead, I've got to pick my outfit." Lexi stood and hurried from the guild. Unknown to her, Gray had followed her since the moment that Lucy brought up the club.
"Stare any harder and she'll freeze." He glared over at the dragon slayer. "What it's not my fault you're just a coward."
"I'm no coward," Gray ground out, the air cooling around them.
"Then man up," Natsu shook his head. "I'm out of here."
"What do you know anyway!" Gray growled. Natsu stopped for a second, tensed up, but kept moving.
xX Xx
Lexi sat on Lucy's bed as the other girls giggled and talked. Among them were, Erza, Levy, Lucy, Mira, Cana, Bisca, and Lisanna. They were getting ready to head out to the club.
"So where is this club anyway?" Levy asked as she put some earrings in.
It's right here in Magnolia, on the other side of town." Lucy said with a grin. "Jenny told me it was super amazing."
"Well if Jenny said so…" Mira replied teasingly.
"Who's Jenny?"
"Oh that's right, you haven't met any other guilds yet have you?" Lisanna asked sitting next to Lexi, since she was finished already.
"No, which one is Jenny from?"
"Blue Pegasus," Lisanna replied.
"No way, Jenny Realite?" Lexi gasped eyes huge. "She was the biggest model while Mira was gone!" She turned and looked at Mira. "Is she like your rival?"
"In so many words," Mira laughed.
"Who's all gonna be there? From other guilds I mean."
"Well I think Jenny said her and the Tri-men are gonna be there, and maybe a few from Lamia Scale since they're our two closest guilds." Lucy said as she finished with her lip gloss. "All right everyone ready to go?"
Lexi felt a surge of excitement at the thought of making some new friends.
"Lex, just to warn you, the Tri-men come on strong," all the girls sweatdropped at this.
"Well let's go!"
xX Xx
"Are you stalking her now?" Gray sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"No, I just wanted to make sure she's ok," Gray replied bluntly. "But maybe you're stalking me?"
"Nah, I always follow Luce, even if she doesn't know it." Natsu chuckled. They were sitting at an out of the way booth, watching the girls as they danced and had fun.
"Why are you bugging me?" Gray asked annoyed.
"Because, I don't need you freaking them out by following them. And I'm not sure I like that you're toying with Lexi like you are." Natsu said, his tone becoming serious. Gray looked at him exasperated. "Don't give me that look, ever since we got back from Akane, you've been a royal dick."
"You don't know what you're even talking about," Gray said his scowl deepening.
"I know more than you think," Natsu rolled his eyes. "Did you know, it was my idea to take Lex out to this club?"
"Why would you do that?" Gray asked.
"Because, since I locked you in that shed, you've both been weird." Natsu shook his head. "I'm sorry for that, but you need to man up. Can't you see how much this is hurting her? If you think I'm so clueless, maybe you should take a look in the mirror." With that Natsu stood up and stalked away from the stunned ice mage.
He glanced over to see Lexi dancing with Lucy, laughing as if she didn't have a care in the world. Then he felt like the world slowed down as Lyon walked over to the girls and offered a hand to Lexi.
She looked to Lucy, before a smile lit her face and she walked away with him. His fist tightened and the table froze and cracked. He walked away from the table after he smashed it.
xX Xx
Lexi was having the time of her life, she was with such great girl friends. She'd even liked the attention of the Tri-men, or as she now knew them as Hibiki, Eve and Ren. They were a lot to handle, but she knew they'd make some great friends. She'd had a starstruck moment when she met Jenny, who loved the new attention.
She was dancing with Lucy, when she heard a throat clear. "My aren't you lovely?" She turned to a handsome white haired young man. "Could I possibly buy you a drink?" He offered her his hand.
Lexi looked at Lucy, who gave her a nod. She smiled as she took his hand. "Sure." She thought she'd felt a huge chill for a second, before she shook her head.
"So what's your name beautiful?" He asked in a suave voice, as they sat at the bar. "I am Lyon Vastia."
"Oh, from Lamia Scale," Lexi smiled. "I'm Lexi Violet."
"Beautiful name, for a beautiful girl." Lyon smirked as she blushed. Their drinks came, but Lexi realized she didn't have ice like she'd asked. "What is it?"
"I asked for ice," she sighed. "It's fine...maybe I should stay away from the stuff." She muttered the last part, not realizing he'd heard.
"Why's that?" He asked closing his fist, before dropping some ice cubes into her drink.
"You're an ice wizard too?" Her red eyes widened, a slight blush taking over her face.
"Well since you're from Fairy Tail, you know Gray?" Lyon asked with a sigh, until he noticed her mood darken at the mention of the other ice wizard.
"Yeah, not like he cares though," she grumbled. "Sorry, I don't mean to dampen the mood." At the reminder of Gray, she had to fight through the sting of tears.
Lyon put a hand over hers, it was cooler than hers, but comforting. "Look, I don't always see eye to eye with Gray, but he'd not a bad guy. He's just a little stupid."
Lexi let out a laugh at that. "Got that right," she shook her head. "You're a great guy…"
"But I'm not Gray," he said with a sad smile. "I get it. But don't let idiot ruin your night, there's still plenty of fun to have. Let's go dance and forget for awhile."
"Sure."
xX Xx
Lexi stumbled into the apartment building, hanging on to Lyon for support. "Tonight was so fun, thank you Lyon." She smiled blearily at him.
"You're a little drunk my dear," Lyon said with a bemused look. "Let's get you inside your apartment. Which one?"
"2B," Lexi smiled as she tripped over her own foot again. "Oops, maybe I over did it."
"Just a tad," Lyon chuckled. They finally reached her door, and she dug for her keys in her little purse.
"Huh, I coulda sworn I put them in here," she dug some more. Lyon gently took the bag from her and dug until he found some keys. "Hey! You found them!" She laughed loudly. "My hero. It's the little silver one."
He unlocked the door for her, and helped her inside. "I think it best you drink some water and get some rest."
"Ok big brother," she giggled at her joke. She looked at him as he turned to leave. "I really did enjoy tonight, it was nice to forget for a bit."
"Anytime you want some company, just give me a shout," he smiled his hand on the door. "Good night Lexi. It was such a pleasure meeting you."
He closed the door as he left. Lexi walked over to her sink in a wobbly manner, filling a glass and taking a huge drink. She looked at her clock and saw it was definitely a good idea to sleep now. She walked over to her bed and fell onto her bed.
She stared at the picture again, before falling asleep.
xX Xx
Lexi laid her head on the tabletop, she was glad it seemed to be a slow day at the guild, because it wasn't so loud and her head didn't have to throb.
"How was your night?" Melchior sat down next to Lexi, offering her a cold glass of water.
"It was really fun," Lexi gratefully accepted the water. "But I think I overdid it."
"Just a bit," Melchior said, glancing across the room at the bar where Mira was laughing with her sister.
"Don't torture yourself," Lexi said softly. "Why not go talk to her?"
"I'm not sure that would be wise," he shook his head. "Every time I get close, she runs away. I don't think she wants to be around me anymore."
"You're ridiculous," Lexi sighed. "There's a connection, everyone sees it."
"She couldn't possibly want someone like me," his tone was sad. "She's to pure and lovely."
"Someone like you," Lexi said thoughtfully. "So you're saying she wouldn't want someone who's kind, loyal, and overall pretty amazing? You're denser than I thought. You should talk to her, see where she's at."
"But I-"
"Don't be afraid to go after what you want," she smiled brightly at him. It was easy giving advice on love, but she knew she couldn't follow it herself.
"You're truly one of a kind," he smiled warmly at her. "And an amazing friend."
"I know," she replied with a slightly cocky pose. "Why don't you just talk to her, it seems like you'd rather be over there anyway."
"I will," he said with a surge of confidence. He stood up, but before he took a step he gave Lexi a hug.
She was surprised but accepted it readily. "Now go!" She laughed. He walked away then.
"So just any guy will do huh?" She froze at Gray's tone. She turned and stared doe-eyed at him. He was glaring.
"What-?"
"First Lyon, now Melchior? I guess I dodged a bullet." He scoffed, she could feel her eyes sting. She stood up angrily.
"How dare you," she seethed. "I was helping a friend."
"And were you helping a friend last night?" He accused. "How about when you invited that idiot to your place?"
"Were you following me?" She asked angrily, her fists clenching. "You have no right-"
"Oh I realized that when you made googly eyes at the guy," he scoffed again. "Maybe you're just after one thing-"
Lexi's hand snapped out and she slapped him clean across his face. "How dare you! I can't believe you would even...you're such an idiot!"
She turned and ran out of the guild, tears flying behind her as she sped away. She passed Lucy and Natsu as they walked in.
"Lexi-!" Lucy turned on her heel and followed the girl out the door.
Natsu stared after the girls, before he turned to see Gray. Lexi's handprint still on his face, which was slightly singed because she'd used her fire magic unconsciously.
"Really dude?!" Natsu stormed over. "What the hell was that?"
"Nothing," Gray shoved passed Natsu. The dragon slayer wasn't having it and grabbed the ice mage by his elbow.
"I told you, I knew you would break her heart." Gray yanked his arm free and walked away.
"She'd rather be with Lyon anyway," Gray ground out as he stalked away.
xX Xx
Lexi fell onto Lucy's bed, since the celestial wizard caught her before she'd made it too far and invited her to her place.
"What happened?" Lucy asked stroking Lexi's head.
"He accused me of…I can't believe...Lyon and I are just friends!" Lexi sniffled pathetically.
"Oh sweetie, he's a guy…a jealous one at that," Lucy shook her head, hoping the dense ice mage would come to his senses. "He didn't mean anything he said. I'm sure of it."
"You didn't see how angry he was," Lexi sighed as she curled up. There was a soft knock on Lucy's door.
"I'll be right back," Lucy said as she walked over to the door. She opened it to reveal Natsu.
"How's she doing?" He asked softly, to not disturb her.
"Well Gray's just the biggest idiot I know, and I know you," she teased. "Currently she's in my bed crying, I don't know how she'll get over this one."
"Gray will realize what he's done," Natsu said with a sigh. "But how long that takes is up to him. Idiot better not wait too long."
"Who knew you were so sensitive," Lucy smiled, her cheeks turning slightly pink. She then realized they were in her sitting room.
"I think she finally fell asleep," Natsu gestured to the bed. Sure enough she was asleep on the bed, curled into a tight ball.
"Want something to drink?" He nodded, she made her way to the kitchen.
He closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of her place. "Your place always smells so nice."
"It doesn't smell special to me," she said with a snort as she brought some lemonade in and handed him a glass. She sat next to him on the couch, leaving some room between them.
"It's soothing," he placed the glass down after taking a drink, and leaning back on the little couch. "Smells like you...like home."
Lucy froze at his words, her heart speeding up. "Natsu..." Her tone had him sitting up and sputtering.
"I-I just mean-" she shook her head, smiling.
"I know what you mean," she replied. "Whenever you're around, I feel safe, like nothing bad can really happen." He was shocked at her words, and he realized what the thrumming of his heart meant.
This girl, no, this woman before him was what grounded him. She was the one he would always go above and beyond to keep safe, to see her smile.
"I love you Luce," he said with a chuckle, unaware of what he'd actually said until his brain caught up. "I-I mean..." She looked at him shell shocked.
"What-"
"I just meant...I mean...I know what I meant," he sighed defeated, when he looked up she had this strange look on her face, he couldn't quite decipher it.
"D-Did you mean that?" She asked sounding breathless, her hand brushing his. Even though he felt scared to death, he nodded. She gave him the most beautiful smile then. "I love you too, idiot."
He couldn't tell you who moved first, but it ended way too quickly. They had pulled away from each other quickly at the sound of a gasp.
"Lex...I-"
"I'm sorry!" Her face turned red and she bolted from the apartment.
"That was pretty tactful!" Lucy pulled her fingers through her hair in a stressful manner. "She's hurting and I kiss someone in front of her."
"Relax Luce," he touched her hand, she calmed quickly at his touch. "She's not mad, just...upset at the circumstances."
"Alright, who are you and what have you done with my Natsu?" He grinned at her use of the pronoun. "What?"
"Nothing," he leaned over and pecked her. "Go check on your friend, I might as well go thaw the ice idiot."
"Ok," she replied in a small voice, her cheeks pink.
AN: I know I haven't been keeping up, but I hope everyone who's reading is liking it so far. As always, don't forget to leave a review, a follow or a favorite. See you in the next chapter, buh-BYE!