"Okay, you guys, people should be coming into the chat now," Reedus says.
Lucy leans forward on the couch so she can see the computer screen. She can feel Juvia's presence behind her, though Gajeel remains on the very end of the couch, seemingly uninterested. It appears to be his usual state of being, so Lucy isn't that concerned. He was forced into doing this just like the rest of them (sort of - it isn't as though they were manhandled and locked in the room until the stream is over), so she isn't that surprised at his flippant attitude, if she ever is.
As people begin commenting in the chat, Lucy grins and she and Juvia readjust themselves on the couch so they're comfortable, but still able to see the comments. They'll need to for what they're about to do.
"Welcome, guys!" Lucy says once they have enough watchers. "As you guys are probably aware, Juvia, Gajeel, and I have yet to have our 'embarrassing induction' that seems to be a key component of adding new members to Fairy Tail, and so we're doing all of ours at once. However, we need help from you guys, 'cause we'll be playing truth or dare, in a manner of speaking, so we'll need you guys to give us questions and dares."
"The first round will be truth, so we'll answer one question each, then the next round will be dare, so you will give us dares that we have to do," Juvia continues. "Of course, there are a few rules, specifically for the dares - you can't ask us to do anything illegal or anything that could get us kicked out of this lovely resort. We are allowed to deny answering questions or doing dares that one of the other two pick out for us, but if we do, we have to take a sip of this."
She and Lucy raise their mugs of beer with Gajeel simply gesturing to his own and saying, "We stole it from Cana's not-so-secret stash, so if we go missing after this stream, you'll know why."
"Just for saying that out loud, Gajeel's going first," Lucy says, zeroing in on the chat again. "Alright, guys, someone give Gajeel a 'truth' to answer."
The suggestions start rolling in at rapid speeds, and Lucy needs Juvia's help choosing. Eventually, it's Juvia who finds something she likes, and she stands up straight with a bright smile on her face before looking at Gajeel.
"Okay, Juvia has one! The viewers want to know how you met Lily!" Juvia quickly looks at the camera. "For those who don't know, Lily is Gajeel's cat."
Gajeel shifts in his seat, hesitant, and Lucy says, "You can always just drink the question away, you know," pointing at his beer.
With a frown, Gajeel clicks his tongue. "No way, my mug's gonna be filled to the brim by the time this is over, I'm not backing down from anything." He clears his throat and just barely looks at the camera. "There was a huge storm and I was coming home from work - if that's what you wanna call it - and there was this mangy cat shivering in the rain, scared shitless of the thunder and lightning, so I did what any reasonable person would do and took him home. There, end of story."
"You make it sound so loveless, Gajeel!" Juvia protests, turning back to the camera. "He nursed the cat back to health, he almost never let Juvia touch him until he was absolutely sure she wouldn't hurt him."
"Shut up!" Gajeel's voice is menacing, but Juvia just laughs, completely desensitized to his steely nature. Even Lucy can't help but smile. It took a while for her and the others to realise that this is just how Gajeel is, and it isn't that he doesn't care, as much as he might have them believe he does.
Once Juvia's laughter has died down, Lucy is quick to pounce, taking every opportunity to prolong her inevitable doom. "Alright, Juvia's turn!" She eyes the chat yet again, and she notices Gajeel doing the same, albeit less eagerly. He probably wants to get Juvia back.
"Okay, let's start with something easy," Lucy says. "Out of all the Fairy Tail members, who would you marry and why?"
"Gray," is Juvia's immediate answer, though this isn't a surprise to anyone in the room. Juvia and Gray may not be involved in most of the same projects on the channel, but every Fairy Tail member knows just how fond of him she is, and Lucy doesn't think that it comes from her being such a big fan, not anymore.
"That was predictable as fuck," Gajeel says, watching the chat go crazy.
Lucy scans the comments as much as she can, most ranging from people not being too surprised to other claiming they knew all along. She wouldn't be surprised if they were telling the absolute truth. Besides, Gray has always been considered one of the most popular members.
Several people ask for an explanation, and while that wasn't part of the initial question, Juvia seems happy to give it. "Well, Gray actually saved Juvia's life! She'd always been a big fan before that, though."
"It's true, I saw it," Lucy says, then puffs her chest out, ready to bring forth the dramatics. "He was a knight in shining armour, unable to watch the scene before him without doing anything, he just had to go in and save the princess from being hit by that silver lexus."
Before Juvia can gush further about her near-death experience, Gajeel finally leans forward enough to properly see the chat. "Enough about that. Payback time, Bunny Girl."
Lucy splutters an objection, crossing her arms. "That was one skit! Let it go!"
Gajeel lets out that weird laugh of his, though it's Juvia who beats him to the punch. She appears to be thoroughly enjoying this game of theirs, even though it's supposed to be embarrassing, though Juvia has proven time and time again to be an honest person, if not a little naive. She eventually shoots up so she's sitting with her back straight as she turns to Lucy.
"Lucy! Who was the last person you kissed?"
The answer to that is easy enough. She and Natsu had to kiss plenty of times for the final scene of their movie, but she can't tell people that. Revealing just the name would lead fans to speculate things that aren't actually true, but she can't explain herself either, since they have to keep the details of the movie quiet until the premiere.
Before she can form an answer, however, there's the sound of heavy footsteps, and the door slams open soon after. Everyone turns to stare at Romeo as he gasps for breath with his hands on his knees and his face red.
"Guys! Bisca! The baby! Labour! Now! Nearest hospital!"
In an instant, everyone is moving. Lucy is up from the couch halfway through Romeo's disjointed explanation, and she quickly addresses those in the livestream, even though they're likely to have heard such a loud message.
"Uh, sorry! Emergency baby! Gotta wrap this up!"
Fairy Tail has dealt with many crazy happenings over the years, but an incoming baby isn't one of them, and it shows. Romeo ran to everyone he could find to tell them what was happening, then texted those he couldn't, leading to them all congregating in the car park until they received the hospital name from Alzack, who took Bisca the moment she knew she was in labour, as any diligent husband would.
It's twenty minutes later that they all receive a text with the name and address of the hospital, along with an update (Bisca's fine, just in a lot of pain), and everyone springs into action. They jump into their cars and speed down there as fast as the legal limit will allow them. Romeo rides with Lucy, and he's on the edge of his seat the entire ride, her lookout while she keeps her eyes on the road. No one lets another car out of their sight, and they travel along the highway like a pack of wolves.
"There it is!" Romeo eventually calls, though he doesn't have to. The building stands out completely, something that becomes apparent the closer they become, and soon each and every car is turning into the parking lot.
It takes everything in Lucy not to run through the hospital's automatic doors. Logically, she knows that Bisca can't be giving birth right this second, that it usually takes a while, but she's so eager to just be there. The others must feel the same way, as they're all power-walking as fast as they can. Erza even needs to grab both Natsu and Cana by the collar to keep them from actually sprinting. It's a short distance between their cars and the main building, but it feels like forever.
Despite being the one to hold others back, Erza is the first one to the reception desk, leaning over it a little too eagerly. Her expression is fierce as she says, "We're all here for Bisca Connell? She should be in maternity."
The receptionist just stares for a moment, mouth open wide, until she can compose herself enough to say, "The maternity ward is on the third floor, but you have to all stay in the waiting room!"
She has to raise her voice for the second half of her sentence as everyone has already begun running for the stairs, the elevator too slow for such a fast-paced group. Lucy is among them, skipping stairs two at a time, and in the back of her mind she wonders when she became just as energetic as the rest of them.
They settle down once they're in the waiting room, only because there's nowhere else to go. They try to minimize the amount of space they're taking up with only half of them sitting on chairs, the other half making room for themselves on the floor. It should feel cramped, but it doesn't, not with how close they all are. Everyone seems to invade each others' space on a regular basis. Perhaps it came from most of them growing up together in the one place, but it was hard for Lucy to get used to at first. Now it's second nature.
"Has anyone texted the master?" Mira asks from her spot on the floor.
"Relax, he's in the group chat," Laxus says, leaning back in his cushy chair. "If he hasn't seen it already, he will soon."
Conversations begin between small groups after that, and Lucy takes out her phone, a habit for when she's impatient about something. She doesn't really have anything to do. She knows that Plue will be taken care of, as Kinana asked Richard to look after the pets while they were gone. With that already out of the way, she instead checks her social media, starting with her twitter. She isn't surprised to see how bombarded it is with curious fans.
steponmevijeeter: oH MY GOD IS EVERYTHING OK
oracionus: how's bisca?
fairytailz: WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BABY FAIRY SOON I'M SO EXCITED
Lucy smiles, their concern warming her heart, and she quickly sends out a tweet that reads, 'at the hospital! (im)patiently waiting for updates!' punctuated with some heart and sparkle emojis. Fairy Tail's fanbase is no joke, and her entire timeline is full of messages of excitement and well wishes for the Connells and the baby. There are, predictably, plenty of memes here and there to keep her entertained.
Half an hour passes with her joining in on conversations while browsing sites on her phone, and she's about to give the device's battery a rest when her screen lights up to indicate a call. She doesn't know who could possibly be calling her when everyone she ever talks to is right here, but then she sees the caller ID and stops short.
'Home'
She hesitates. The last thing she wants is for this wonderful event to be ruined, but she also knows that her father wouldn't call her unless it was important. At least she hopes so. Her teeth sink into her bottom lip as she weighs her options, and it takes so much time that the phone vibrates long enough for the call to end. She thinks the decision has been made for her until the screen lights up only seconds later and she realises it must be urgent.
"Sorry, I have to take this," she mutters to no one in particular as she stands and heads to a mostly-abandoned hallway. The lights are dimmer here, and she shivers from the lack of heat the other members were giving her from sitting so close together.
Bracing herself for her father's voice, she taps the green button and says, "Hello?" She hopes her voice isn't shaking.
But it isn't her father on the other end. Instead, she hears Spetto's familiar voice cry out, "Miss Lucy!" It surprises her so much that she forgets to speak for a few moments.
When she finally finds her voice, she says, "Spetto? Why - don't get me wrong, I love hearing from you, but - why are you calling?"
Spetto sucks in a deep breath and Lucy holds hers. Something about this entire situation doesn't feel right, and there is a small part of her that is naturally curious, but her instinct is telling her that this likely won't be something she wants to hear. Does her father want something from her again? She thought he'd learned when she'd confronted him. Did that not work? Yet something feels off. Something tells her this isn't just another scheme her father has concocted, but much worse.
"It's your father, Miss Lucy. The master, he - he has - the doctor said - he has pancreatic cancer."
It takes a moment for the words to sink in. Her first instinctive reaction is to give a strained laugh and ask if all of this is some sort of sick, twisted joke, but she knows Spetto would never do such a thing to her. She's being completely serious, and it's that thought that makes her stomach drop, the rest of her insides curling into themselves like knotted tree roots. A lump rests in her throat.
"Is it - do they know if it's - if it's terminal?" Her last word is whispered, barely audible, as if simply saying it will make it more real.
Spetto is silent for a few long and agonizing seconds before she says, "I'm sorry, Miss Lucy."
Lucy can feel her breath becoming shallower, her mind swirling with questions. "How long? How long have you known? How long does he - does he have?"
"A few weeks, we've known," Spetto says quietly, but her voice is loud and clear in Lucy's ear. "Your father didn't want you to know, since he knows you've been out of the city. He didn't want to bother you, but I know you would've wanted to know, no matter how bad it was, so I'm - I'm going behind his back."
A bark of near-hysterical laughter leaves Lucy's throat, because of course her father wouldn't want to tell her. He's always been stubborn, especially when he thinks he's doing something for her benefit. Despite all the terrible things he's done, she knows he isn't completely heartless, that there was once a time where he thought about her well-being. Perhaps those days weren't entirely over like she thought they were.
"And my other question? How long?"
Another pause from the other end of the line. "The doctor said it could be a few weeks to a few months. She's attempting to narrow it down, but we're just not sure. It shouldn't be within the next couple of weeks, though."
A silver lining. It's faint and more of a dull grey than silver, but it's something. "Okay, I'll be down as soon as I can."
"Miss Lucy, I know you're at the hospital waiting for your friends' baby. I assure you that the master is able to keep himself afloat for longer. The last thing he wanted was for you to drop everything."
Lucy chews the inside of her cheek, biting hard enough for it to sting, but physical pain is nothing compared to the storm within her. After so many years, she genuinely believes that her father was finally learning just how much his attitude had hurt her. She thinks she finally got through to him. And for what? For the universe to take him away before she can face him again with the two of them as equals? As a father and a daughter who are certain that the other loves them? Where's the fairness in that?
Laughter echoes down the hallway, and she turns back to where her friends are huddled together, oblivious to her inner turmoil. She thinks of Alzack and Bisca, of their child who has yet to be born but already has the love of family and friends and fans alike. This is such a momentous and joyous occasion. How can she ruin that? No matter what she thinks of to try and get out of the situation, to leave early without arousing suspicion, there is always a roadblock. They'll focus on her issues instead of the amazing moment of a child being brought into the world.
Clenching her free hand into her fists, she faces away from the waiting room and says, "Spetto, tell dad I love him. Tell him - tell him I'll be back later, that he has to hang on and wait for me like I - like I waited for him all these years, got it?" She means to sound firm, but she can hear the tears in her own voice. It isn't an order, but a plea.
She just has to hope her father is able to hang on.
"Of course, Miss Lucy," Spetto says, and Lucy can hear the tears in her voice as well. "I'll see you soon."
They say their goodbyes and hang up, but Lucy continues to clutch her phone like a lifeline. Her knuckles turn white and her fingertips begin to burn as she desperately wills her tears not to spill over. She leans against the wall and closes her eyes as her mind becomes fuzzy, like static, trying to regain proper reception after such a powerful shock.
More laughter erupts from the waiting room, and she has to force herself not to faint.
SO
it's been a while huh
i'm going to try and update this more often but we'll see how that goes with coursework and other stuff skldfjsdkfskdjf i jUST WANNA WRITE
but let me just say, i've been so surprised the last few months whenever i see activity on this story. it's really what's kept this story in my mind and made me want to keep going, so thank you so much, all of you!