Author's Note:
Hello all. Guess what? It's Sunday! And you know what that means. :D Another new chapter! And it's an awesome one, so I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I really hope it lives up to everyone's expectations.
Also, it's another long one. ;D
As always, I wanna give a huge thankful shout out to all of my wonderful and fantastic reviewers! Big hugs and kisses to all my repeat reviewers: TheJSmooth, Lady La-sara, Elphaba818, 19vanelkc, Shadowslayer15, ThatOneAnimeGirl08, FantasyDreamer06, Donthedarkdragon26, WisdomDragon27, Firefly9917, valerioux, Lunar13, moeruhoshi, kilatails, thechani, ravenqueen162, Leomae2.0, xxIt'sAllAboutThemxx, KitsuneLover05, Wolves silver wind, and HotvampGurl23. Equally big hugs and kisses to all my newest reviewers: Catherine, CFQ or CelestialFireQueen, RabbitMelody, lkityan, Musiclover237, TheAvatarShadow, and Maczorro.
Also, I've had one or two people asking for writing advice, and I'm absolutely happy to give it! The only reason I'm mentioning it here, is that one of those people hadn't logged in when they reviewed, so I had no way of reaching them. So, I figured I'd just respond here. :D If you would still like some tips (or if anyone else would like some tips) I am always happy to help. :D Brainstorming story ideas, giving writing tips, problem solving and all of that are literally some of my favorite things to do and I absolutely love helping out my fellow writers. So feel free to PM me or send me a review I can PM back to. :D
Anyways, on with the show! And be sure to stay till the end for a sneak peek of the next chapter. ;D
The next day, they left the hotel room in a rush and hurried to the restaurant as fast as possible. Upon waking up, all her concerns about leaving in such an unconventional manner last night resurged, and she practically dragged Natsu down the sidewalk.
They were the first ones to get there, aside from the boss, who always showed up earlier than everyone else to unlock. Lucy was fully expecting to be fired – which would look very bad for Fairy Tail – so her stomach tightened with nerves as they approached the bar where Silvester was taking inventory of his liquor stock. However, instead of looking angry, he shot them a broad grin as soon as he saw them and hurried out from behind the bar.
Before he could say anything, Lucy quickly started by saying, "I am so sorry about leaving before our shift was over yesterday. A couple of pervs assaulted me, and I just had to get out of here, but we still should have told you we were leaving and changed out of our outfits. Here are the costumes we wore yesterday. I'm so sorry we took them."
He frowned slightly as he accepted the clothes. "Yes, I heard that you were harassed by some of our patrons, and for that I am very sorry…I hope it wasn't too bad."
"No, it all worked out. Natsu came to my rescue, although I could have handled it myself."
"Ah yes! I wanted to speak to you about that. Harassment aside, the whole thing was a huge hit! Everyone thought it was a show! And I don't suppose you heard the catcalls and wolf-whistles as Natsu carried you out on his shoulder? No? Well the crowd went wild. I think we could really make an excellent production out of it! IF you were willing of course. Several of the girls already agreed last night."
Lucy blinked at Silvester in shock, completely taken aback. Of all the ways she had imagined him reacting to them walking out on a shift and basically stealing two costumes, this wasn't one of them. Relief washed over her as she realized that they weren't going to be fired and Fairy Tail's reputation wouldn't take a hit. In her state of blind relief, she agreed without thinking to whatever it was that Silvester was suggesting.
"Oh yes of course! Thank you so much for not being angry with us!"
"No problem. Although please don't run away with any more of my props." Though it was a reprimand, he said it with a smile and didn't seem upset.
"Of course!"
"Excellent! I'll get to work on the details for the performance and debrief you all during the last break of the day. We'll hold it as the last performance before closing time."
"Okay."
Natsu tugged on her arm and muttered, "…I'm not so sure about this Luce…"
"What's there to worry about? We should just be glad that we're not fired."
He grumbled something unintelligible, but seemed to go along with it. He didn't look happy though.
At that point other people were starting to arrive, so they headed off to the changing rooms to get ready for customers. Today it was the girl's turn to perform, so once again Lucy was going to be wearing a fancy dancing costume.
"Hey!" Ariel called out in greeting as she entered the dressing rooms. "Nice performance last night. Your boyfriend sure is protective, huh?"
"Uh, first of all, it wasn't a performance. Those guys really were jerks."
"Oh, well, yeah. Duh. I mean we could all totally see that," said another girl she had made friends with. Her name was Ashly, and she had bright green hair and a cute skull and crossbones tattoo on one shoulder. "I was getting ready to clock them myself after seeing how they treated you. If Natsu hadn't come to your rescue, I would have."
"Hey Ash, remember we're supposed to call security, not go punching the guests." yet another of her new friends, Sky, said jokingly.
"I know I know. But seriously. Sometimes these jokers need a good talking to…and sometimes a punch to the face."
All the girls laughed and agreed as they continued getting dressed. Today, they were all dressing in some sort of burlesque type costume, with rich colored corsets, super short petticoats, and bustles made of feathers and/or layers of lace, satin, and ruffles. Some were wearing thigh-highs attached to garters, others were wearing fishnets all the way up, but all of them were wearing high heels of course.
"So, uh…" Lucy mumbled to herself as she approached the costume racks, aiming towards the one that everyone seemed to be perusing for the day.
"Just pick whatever you want. Might wanna stick to white, blue, or gold to stay with your celestial mage theme though." Ariel guided as she finagled one of her stockings into position so she could attach the little garter hook.
"Oh, right. Thanks!"
Dutifully, she perused the rack, and found a gorgeous golden corset with a pattern made of light blue swirls that she thought would be appropriate. To match, she selected a white lace petticoat, and then a bustle made of all different shades of blue and topped off with white feathers. She decided to opt for sheer white stockings, so she also had to locate a garter belt in her size and put that on before anything else.
Attaching stockings to garters was much more difficult than the other girls made it look, and after fumbling with it for what felt like the hundredth time, thankfully Ash lent her a hand.
"Yeah, these things are murder. You get used to them after a while, but they're always a pain in the butt." she commented as she knelt in front of Lucy and did up her stockings in a matter of seconds.
"You don't seem to have any problem with them."
"Well that's cause I have practice. If you stuck around for another couple of years, you'd do 'em up like a pro too!" Ash teased back, giving her a grin a she stood and dusted herself off.
"Thanks, but I'm good."
Ash laughed and waved as she went back to her area to finish dressing, and Lucy got busy finishing her own costume off, since she was behind everyone else after spending so much time on her stockings. The petticoat went on second, and barely covered her underwear. The bustle went on next and attached with a high waistband that would be hidden under the corset. Finally, it was time to get on the corset, and she paired up with another late dresser, Sky, to help tie each other's corsets. Sky was already in hers, so Lucy helped lace her up in the back and tightened it for her – which took some doing and a little help from Ariel. Then, it was Lucy's turn, and she had to turn around and lean against the wall while Sky did her laces up and then tightened them. Obviously, these things were not built with comfort in mind, and she was shocked that they allowed for the mobility that they did. It was tight around her waist, and yet she could still swing her hips, which she did just out of curiosity on how in the world she was supposed to perform with it on. The movement was definitely stiffer, but she could still do it to a certain extent.
"Here, you move more like this with one of these corsets on." Ariel commented when she saw Lucy experimentally trying to dance.
Lucy watched as she showed her how to move with the corset, which involved keeping the upper body a bit more still, while letting the hips and legs move more. There was more strutting, a lot more leg work, and even some heavy breathing to move the chest up and down. Then, Ariel showed her a routine they would be doing today that added in a pair of gorgeous fans made of super long feathers. When the fans were put together, they made a full half circle, which – when put behind the back – could act almost like a peacock tail that could be shimmied. Or, they could be used like wings.
"That's amazing!" Lucy exclaimed as she watched Ariel dance, and the redhead laughed.
"It's fun actually. Would you like to try?"
"Sure!"
Grabbing up a white pair, Lucy tried to imitate what Ariel was doing.
There wasn't enough space backstage though, so they decided to wait until they had all gotten out onto the mainstage, where they could practice before the first show of the day. As they all filed out, each dancer made sure to check the schedule of solo dances so that they would be prepared to sneak off stage at the appropriate time to get into costume. There were two solo performances an hour, and today apparently involved a costume change, since it was Friday and extra fancy. This had all been explained to her as they were dressing – along with making fun of the corsets and garters and how difficult it all was.
Once they had checked their solo times, Lucy and Ariel headed to the stage and faced one another with their fans. Ariel started, while Lucy followed along. Eventually though, they put the fans away and Ariel showed her some of the advanced moves she would need to know for joining in with the lead dancers today. As she learned the routines and moves for today, the other girls stretched, warmed up, and did their own practices in preparation.
While they were practicing, Lucy brought up a question that had concerned her ever since learning that she would be doing a solo today for the first time. "Um. So, what all is involved with a solo, and what's up with the different costume and everything? I know you said that Friday's performances are more involved, but how do I pick a costume? And do I need to come up with a special dance or something?"
"Don't worry. Silvester already came up with a selection of performance options for you to go over and costumes to match. We can look over them together on our first break of the day if you'd like."
"Yeah, I guess I'd better."
"Good. Well, the curtain is going to rise any minute now, so we need to go ahead and get in positions."
"Right."
And with that, Lucy took her position as backup dancer, and only a few short minutes later the curtains rose. The crowd was still small this early in the day, so there wasn't a huge cheer as the curtains rose, but they definitely got some whistles and claps.
After an hour and a half, they had their first break of the day, and Lucy immediately found Ariel so they could go over her options for performances. There had already been two solo performances during the first hour and Lucy had watched carefully to get an idea of what she should expect. In both cases, one of the backup dancers snuck off stage and then came back on for their solo performance – during which time all the other dancers stood back and just sort of swayed or backed up the solo performance in some manner. She also noted very quickly that the two performances were quite a bit more flashy and flamboyant than the solos she had observed the past few days.
Still, it settled her nerves somewhat to know what to expect. So, as she took a look at the list Ariel handed her, she was a little more confident about it all.
As she glanced over the list, it looked like Silvester had come up with quite a few good ideas based off her powers – though there were several that she wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole. There was no way she would ever give Leo a lap dance…and certainly not in front of a crowd as a solo performance. She'd seen one of the other girls do something similar by bringing up one of their servers in the crowd, but that just wasn't her cup of tea. Even though she knew good and well that Leo would be more than down for it.
In the end, she went with the option that seemed the easiest for both her and her spirits. Basically, she'd dance, and then as a grand finale, she would summon her heavenly wolf pack. From there, they'd run off stage, between the tables, and out the door…where they would then go back to the celestial realm. It didn't ask too much from them, and basically just required her to dance solo … instead of acting out a specific scene like some of the others outlined.
Before she chose it though, she summoned Amy to make sure it was okay with her. The white wolf appeared in golden light and a wisp of white mist that drifted across stage and got a few of the other dancers' attention. When they saw a white wolf (or dog) suddenly appear, a few screamed.
"This is just one of my spirits! Don't worry!" Lucy called, and they all calmed down a bit before coming over to investigate curiously with big eyes.
Ignoring them for the most part, Lucy addressed Amy. "Um…as you can see, I'm currently working as a dancer…"
Amy looked her up and down, and then a wolfish grin spread her lips and she sneezed in amusement. "Yes…"
"Hey! Don't laugh!" she protested, but just got another sneeze in response. "Oh whatever. Anyways, the point is, I have to do a solo performance, and I was wondering if you and your pack would mind getting summoned. All you'd have to do is run down off the stage, make your way between the tables and head out the doors. I'll show you."
She led Amy over to the curtains and created a very small gap that she could peer out of, so the spirit could see the table arrangement and the way to the exit. The canine eyeballed it for a moment before backing up and nodding. "Sure. That shouldn't be a problem at all."
With a breath of relief, Lucy said, "Thank you…the other options weren't great."
At that, her wolf companion barked a laugh, winked, and poofed, saying, "Just call when you need us."
Thankfully, her performance wasn't for a while, so she didn't have to worry about it too much at the moment. Which was good because the curtain was rising, and once again all her attention focused on dancing. This round she started as a lead dancer, so it took a great deal of her focus to keep up with the much more experienced performers and not trip over herself as she went through the complicated footwork required …. in high heels no less. When the half hour mark was reached, she gratefully switched to being a backup dancer, and – after catching her breath – she took the opportunity to seek out Natsu in the crowd.
She wasn't surprised at all that he was currently trying to extricate himself from a woman who had managed to snag his wrist. His captor was talking to him intently…while pushing her boobs out and pursing her lips cutely. Lucy couldn't help but roll her eyes at the display. When this mission was concluded, she would have officially reached her limit of watching girls – and guys – come on to her partner. It was downright maddening.
Though she tried to keep her eyes to herself, she just couldn't help but find Natsu in the crowd every few minutes, and almost every time she did he was being flirted with. It was enough to make her wish she'd never realized she had fallen in love with him.
After a couple of hours of that, it was finally Lucy's turn to have her solo performance, so she snuck off the stage as a backup dancer and headed to the dressing rooms to get into her costume.
For her solo dance, she would be wearing sort of a goddess outfit. Up top she was wearing a metal golden bra-thing that swirled in a beautiful pattern – which unfortunately also had cutouts that exposed a pretty good portion of her boobs. Thankfully the pattern did converge over her nipples, so those were completely covered. However, someone had left a note and a pair of nude pasties in the bra, suggesting she wear them just in case of a nip slip – which she thought was both very helpful and also quite concerning.
The bra was held up with golden chains laced with white ribbon, and the chains crisscrossed in some amazingly complex ways across her back. That took some work to figure out, but eventually she struggled into it and got strapped in properly. Part of the confusing part was that some of the chains actually hung down in front and crisscrossed across her belly too.
The bottom part of the costume was composed of a golden thong, over which a complex golden metal belt strapped around her hips. The belt was thick and heavy and was the same swirly cutout pattern as the bustier….and did absolutely nothing to cover her butt. Instead, it just sort of framed it. Thankfully though, a sheer white loincloth type of thing dangled in both the front and the back, while glittery light blue scarves looped over her hips. On her feet she wore knee-high golden lace-up sandals that had high heels of course.
Over all of it was a one shouldered toga that she was going to be shedding pretty soon into the performance.
The dance itself and props were pretty much up to her, so – deciding to start with the feather fan dance – she snagged a white pair that were tipped in blue and covered in golden glitter. As she stepped out onto the stage, she couldn't help but feel super self-conscious, and the cheering and hooting certainly didn't make her feel any better about it. The music switched to a new track, and the other girls all stepped to the sides to give her the stage.
Starting out, it was fine. She just did the fan dance she had learned earlier – which was actually quite fun to do – but soon she knew she would have to shed the toga thing and get a little more serious. All the solo performance outfits were a little more revealing than any of their other costumes, and she wasn't sure how to feel about being on stage in the skimpy getup. It was certainly nerve-wracking if nothing else.
Before she could psych herself out too much, she decided to just get it over with. So, after dancing with the fans for a while, she managed to snag the ties of the dress without dropping her props – which she was rather proud of – and the material slid off. Keeping firm hold of the fans, she used them to cover herself at first as she stepped out of the puddle of dress and then kicked it to the side so she wouldn't trip in it. All of this got a large amount of noise from the crowd, which she mostly tried to ignore. This was uncomfortable even for her, and she was without a doubt a showgirl by nature. She loved being in the Fairy Tail parades and participating in beauty contests at the guild, but this was a whole new ball of cheese.
Then again, she had gotten nervous about dancing at the last pageant – so maybe it was just performance anxiety that was part of it. As she'd noted then, there was a big difference between just being pretty on stage … and actually performing. Doing it in something so skimpy was just another level of uncomfortable.
As she danced with the fans, of course she couldn't keep herself covered for too long – not if she wanted to perform the full range of moves with them – so eventually she did have to just try to ignore her state of undress and simply danced, keeping her mind mainly on the timing of the song and how much longer her dance was going to be. As she heard the notes rising and knew the end of the song was starting to approach, she let her magic leak out, to the point where she began to emit golden light. The crowd oohed and awed, and she couldn't help but feel a bit of satisfaction at that. The wolf whistles had been a little off-putting, but the impressed sounds at the beauty of her magic were different. Those, she could fully appreciate.
As the dance wound to a close, she did her final move, turned so her back was facing the crowd, tossed aside her fans, and reached for the single key she had on her body at the moment. Holding it up high, she called, "Open! Gate of the Wolves! Lupus!"
Golden light spilled across the stage, outlining her as the gate opened in front of her.
As planned, she turned around and two of the pack emerged from behind her, one on each side. The crowd gasped and then started to applaud. Those two wolves stepped off the stage and headed to the outsides of the crowd, slowly and regally making their way between the tables on the very edges of the room. The next pair of wolves appeared as the first pair stepped off the stage, and they headed into the crowd closer in. This pattern repeated as her wolves filed in two by two, until every aisle had a wolf going down it. The clapping had petered out as the wolves walked through the crowd, and an awed hush took over instead as everyone watched them in shock and amazement as they passed by their tables. A few brave people offered some small table scraps, and the wolves would pause for a brief second before taking the offering and continuing down the aisle. Finally, the glow from behind her slowly faded, leaving Amaterasu as the last wolf. She stepped up beside Lucy and stayed with her on stage, watching regally as her pack filed out the door.
She was full-sized and in her red heavenly markings, unlike the smaller white version of herself she had been presenting to everyone lately, and even Lucy was a little surprised. She'd almost forgotten just how big and majestic Amy really was. She truly was the queen of the pack in every way.
Once all the wolves had filed out, Amaterasu threw her head back and howled, then took a running leap and launched herself off the stage, jumping over the crowd and disappearing midair in a shower of golden sparkles.
There was a long pause, and then the crowd erupted into applause and cheers. Lucy took a bow, and gratefully made her way offstage, ready to put back on her other costume. Thankfully, it was break time, so Ariel followed her back to help her relace her corset.
…
After several more hours of going back to the normal dancing, finally the day started to come to a close. She had completely forgotten about the earlier conversation with Silvester about a big final performance with all of them …. until on their last break of the day he suddenly showed up backstage and called a conference.
"Hello ladies! I trust you're all doing well?"
There was a smattering of agreement, and then he continued. "Excellent! Well, as I'm sure you all know, today we have a special performance to finish of the day! I was inspired by the antics of our temp-members Lucy and Natsu when they ran out yesterday, and I really think we can make something special! I've already talked to the guys, so they all know what's going to happen."
"Alright, so what are we going to do?" Ashley asked curiously.
"Right. Yes. Here's what's going to happen – about ten minutes before the end of your performance, the music is going to change, and that's going to be your cue. Half of the servers will have snuck away and dressed in bandit costumes. They're going to rush up onto the stage, and you ladies will act scared and run away – really ham it up … but make it a little flirty too. I'll leave that part up to you, and I'm sure you'll all act a little differently. Which is what we want!"
He cleared his throat and continued. "Alright. So then, the rest of the servers will come up to 'rescue' you ladies. The three servers who have volunteered to be the rescuers are Natsu, Josh, and Mike, and they will be in soldier costumes. Most of you will have already run backstage with the 'bandits' in pursuit. That will just leave the few of you who volunteered to be kidnapped on stage… which includes Lucy, Ariel, and Stacy."
Lucy blinked, not realizing that she had signed up for this part.
He continued before she had properly absorbed the information. "Some of the 'bandits' will stay up on stage with you, and I've told them not to get too risqué, but there will be some mild groping in an antagonizing manner. The 'soldiers' will challenge the 'bandits' to a fake fight, and then they'll carry you girls off. Hopefully it will be a big success!"
"Um…" Lucy's unsure protest fell on deaf ears as all the other girls started speaking at once, and Silvester had soon exited the stage before she could talk to him about it.
"So, does he do this a lot? Just randomly come up with performances?"
"Oh yeah. He loves theater and tries to bring it to the stage here by acting out scenes and stuff." Sky said from her spot on the ground where she was munching on a container of strawberries.
"We get random performances like this sprung on us all the time. After you get used to it, it's kind of fun really." Ariel supplied, and Ash sent her a sour look.
"Speak for yourself. I hate getting unexpected assignments thrown at me."
"You just don't like much of anything."
"I do too! I like dancing! Otherwise I wouldn't be here, would I?" she protested and threw a strawberry at the redhead.
"Watch it! We can't be getting food on the stage. It'll trip us up."
Ash just laughed.
…
Meanwhile…
Natsu had gotten his assignment too, and he was feeling even more unsure about it than this morning. It was a bad idea, and that was saying a lot coming from someone who regularly charged into danger blindly. But in this case, he'd been watching guys eyeballing Lucy all day, not to mention yesterday and the day before, and he was at his max.
Actually, he had reached his limit yesterday.
Last night, he would have hunted those perverts down and given them a beating if Lucy hadn't stopped him, and if they hadn't left when they did, he would have taken them out right then and there…and probably the restaurant along with them.
Sleeping with her had only soothed his nerves so much…and certainly not enough to deal with having to watch her get 'kidnapped.' Even if it was just an act, he already knew he was going to blow some major fuses if these guys got grabby with her. Hell, if they even laid so much as a finger on her, he was going to have trouble controlling himself…and he was already pretty sure they were going to do a lot more than that.
It was going to be a god-damn miracle if everyone got out alive tonight.
Lucy also wasn't looking forward to it. She was easily able to predict the outcome of this if the 'bandits' got too handsy with her, and she could only pray that Natsu not kill anyone or burn down the place.
The end of the day – and the weird performance – came much sooner than she would have liked.
She knew it was quickly approaching when she noticed servers sneaking off to change, and the crowd seemed confused about why there were suddenly just a few servers bringing them food. It was a large establishment, so the remaining servers really had to scramble to try and keep up with the crowd's demands – especially this close to closing when everyone seemed to want one last drink.
When the music suddenly changed though, everyone's attention shifted to the stage, because in this place it seemed to be the universal cue that something was going to go down. Once the heavy drums set in, suddenly a handful of 'bandits' – who were dressed in sleeveless skin-tight shirts, tight pants, and masks covering the upper half of their faces, all in black of course – rushed up onto the stage.
All the girls screamed and scattered – Lucy included. The other girls were definitely hamming it up like Silvester had asked, and were screaming, squealing, and making a general fuss while scampering away from the 'bandits' in an almost teasing way. There was definitely a flirtatious edge to the actions as they glanced over their shoulders and batted their eyes while acting mock-surprised or frightened. It was almost funny really.
As for Lucy, her instincts kicked in, and she did none of those things. She'd been on too many missions where she actually had to escape from dumbass enemies, so she automatically switched into evasive maneuvers. However, it was shockingly hard to dodge and run in her corset, and soon she was beyond out of breath.
The first few seconds were pure chaos with so many people running around on the stage and there was a real danger of actually falling off as more than one person ran into another person. Thankfully, girls quickly started running off the stage, and a few of the 'bandits' followed in pursuit – at a ratio of about one bandet to every two or three dancers. They disappeared into the back as planned, while the rest of them on stage had quite a bit more room to move around.
Ash got caught by one of the servers, and a loud crack rang through the space as she smacked him across the face with what seemed like a pretty decent amount of force. The audience cheered and cut up, but Lucy was close enough to hear her hiss at the guy angrily, "This is not an excuse for you to grab my ass, Scott! Let go or I'll really smack you!"
His grip loosened, and she stalked offstage at a fast clip, looking thoroughly pissed. Apparently there was some history there, and Lucy couldn't quite help but let her eyebrows raise in surprise and some amusement. She didn't have too much time to let herself think about it though, because the 'bandits' were still after her, and with less girls on stage, she was a much bigger target – especially since she apparently 'agreed' to be one of the hostages.
One of the girls had already been captured, but the other was still scampering around, teasing the guys with flips of her skirt and hair. At this point, there were only five 'bandits' left on stage. One of them was holding Sky, who had given up relatively quickly and was standing meekly in front of the guy who was holding her wrists together behind her back – which pushed her boobs out of course. His free hand had latched on to her hair, although Lucy could see that it was a very gentle hold and he had been careful not to mess it up too much.
As for the other girl, she was still running around, but the guys weren't really having to try too hard to catch her. It was all obviously a game, and both parties were trying not to smile as she almost let them catch her before dancing off a few steps, and they let her get away with a smirk as she gave them a little peek up her skirt. She had two of them going after her, while the other two were going after Lucy. Her pursuers were much less happy, because she was actually making them work. They were breathing hard and visibly sweating as they ran around the stage trying to catch her, but none of them had gotten particularly close yet.
Soon, a third joined in her pursuit as the other girl let herself get caught and was hefted over the winning 'bandit's' shoulder. He gave her a playful swat to the rear and she squealed, which had Lucy rolling her eyes and shaking her head. That girl obviously loved her job. As for Lucy though, she wasn't going to give in that easily … although she probably should. At this point, she almost felt like she was proving that Fairy Tail wizards were tough, even though this crowd probably didn't care, and it was the weirdest setting for such a challenge.
Thankfully, the crowd seemed to be eating it up. There were catcalls and cheering and yelling for her to dodge those 'bandits,' and then there were also calls to the 'bandits' to catch her already and show her what for. Eventually it was the corset that caused her to be captured, because she simply ran out of breath. Two of them tackled her, and she went down. She was dragged to her feet and one of the 'bandits' slid behind her to wrap an arm tightly around her waist – pinning her arms to her sides.
The other grabbed her chin and grumbled, "You are really tough to catch, Miss Lucy of Fairy Tail."
His face was way too close to hers, but she figured that was just part of the performance. Still, she jerked her head back and scowled. "I've had lots of practice."
The guy laughed and said good-naturedly, "Running from horny guys?"
Behind her, the server pinning her arms snorted. "I wouldn't be surprised with a bod like this." His free hand snuck down to her thigh and ran his palm up to her hip, her skirt riding up with it.
That was pushing it and she jerked in their hold. "Watch it. Don't push your luck."
"It's all just part of the performance. Don't worry, I'm not gonna do anything too bad to you." the guy behind her muttered into her ear.
Meanwhile, the fifth 'bandit' who wasn't busy hanging onto a hostage walked to the edge of the stage and said, "We have captured these lovely ladies as our hostages! Unless our demands are met, we will do unspeakable things to them!"
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" A voice came from off stage, and suddenly three guys charged into the fray, two other servers and Natsu.
They were wearing what looked like a skimpy knight's outfits – with black pants tucked into tall boots, a skirt-like thing made of metal strips, bare chests, straps across their shoulders and chests holding on shoulder armor, and armored forearm guards.
To Lucy, the whole thing was becoming more comical than anything else, but the crowd seemed to love it.
The 'heroes' rushed onto the stage and the leader – who had announced their presence to start with – said, "Let go of those damsels, you fiends!"
It took a great deal of willpower to prevent herself from laughing at the cheesy line. Her amusement abruptly vanished though, as the 'bandit' in front of her grabbed her leg and hoisted it around his waist before fake thrusting, and jeered, "Take them if you can!"
The other 'bandits' did similar things to rile up the 'heroes,' but of course it was all just for show. The leader of the 'heroes' was about to say something, but he was shut down by Natsu, who was already stomping forwards with a murderous expression.
"Uh …. Charge!" the other guy hurried to say, and both he and the other server dashed towards their respective damsels in distress while Natsu made a beeline for her. The others engaged in a fake battle sort of situation – one of them even grabbing Sky's arm and playing tug of war with her and the 'bandit.' It was all very showy and very fake.
Natsu on the other hand …. there was nothing fake about his reaction, and Lucy went very still as he stalked towards her and her two captors with a deadly aura surrounding him.
"Let her go."
His voice was low and held a note in it that told her he was seconds away from losing control.
"You've got to fight for her!"
She winced at the stupid mistake, and muttered, "Uh, guys… I think you better let me go."
The one behind her whispered, "This is all a performance remember? He's got to fight for you."
The sight of the guy whispering in her ear must have pushed Natsu over the edge, because a wave of heat blasted from him, making everyone stagger back. One 'hero' had already freed his girl, and the two of them scurried off the stage to get away from the sensation of being cook alive, while their 'bandit' dived off the other side. The other pair quickly finished up their 'fight' as well and made a beeline for safety as fire started to lick across Natsu's skin. As a testament to the sheer heat coming off him, it took mere seconds for the straps holding up his armor to burn away, and the metal props dropped to the ground. The only things left were his pants and boots, which she had to assume were his own clothes.
"Natsu…it's just a performance…" Lucy whispered, knowing he would be able to hear her.
A deep growl was her response, and he gritted his teeth, obviously holding himself back. All of his muscles visibly tensed as he physically held himself in place. If looks could kill though, the two guys still on stage would be dead several hundred times over by now, and she could feel their palms begin to sweat and tremors go through them.
"I said…LET HER GO!"
The roar nearly deafened her and sounded very much not human. It was also accompanied by another blast of blistering heat and power as scales rippled over his form. When his wings came out, it was with a gust of wind that caused the curtains to lift up and flare out dramatically. Thankfully they didn't rip clean off the stage, because for a second there, Lucy was afraid they would be with how violently they flapped. Also, luckily the gust of wind and power was directed mostly upwards instead of out, and the stage was raised, so the tables closest to them were safe. It still hit them though, and Lucy caught a glimpse of several people grabbing for their hats.
By this point, she was pretty sure the two guys holding onto her were scared shitless and were only still there out of shock and fear that had rendered them immobile. When Natsu took one step forwards, it was with a resounding bang, and an ominous creak sounded throughout the stage beneath them. The flames around him were growing larger by the second, and there was a serious danger of the place catching on fire if something wasn't done fast. So, she shoved her elbow into the guy behind her and he fell back, letting her run to Natsu. As she did so, the two servers pretending to be 'bandits' finally found their legs again and made a mad dash off the stage like their lives depended on it…which it actually might.
As soon as she was in grabbing distance, Natsu reached out as fast as a whip and yanked her to him with a grip that almost hurt. His wings snapped closed around them, suddenly making it very dark, and her cheek pressed against his blisteringly hot chest. She felt like she was in a sauna, or an oven – but strangely the heat felt nice, like it penetrated down to her bones and made every bit of her relax. There was no way she could just let herself enjoy it though, because she had to calm down a very angry dragon.
"Natsu…calm down. It's okay. Really. It was all a performance remember? You have to chill out, we don't want to set fire to the place." Lucy said urgently.
He took a deep shuddering breath, and then she felt him nod jerkily. His wings opened, letting some cool air hit her, and she shivered a little as it brushed across her now sweaty skin. Before she knew what was going on, he'd swept her up into his arms.
Knowing he was probably going to make a mad dash out of here like last time, she hurried to say, "Wait Natsu. Before we leave, we need to change back into our clothes and stuff."
A sharp snarl resonated in his chest, but he nodded stiffly. Suddenly he was flying and they were up in the rafters. As dust attacked her, she scrunched her eyes closed and buried her face in his chest.
As soon as they landed with a jarring bang, she gingerly raised her head and looked around, mumbling, "What the heck just happened?!"
When she looked around, she saw that they were back stage in front of the dressing rooms, where all the other girls had already gone to dress back in their normal clothes since the performances were over for the day. She was plopped somewhat unceremoniously onto her feet and staggered forwards a few steps before spinning around to give Natsu a piece of her mind. He was already disappearing in a puff of smoke and fire though, and she stared at the wisp as it burned out. Huffing in irritation for the stunt he had just pulled, she turned and headed into the changing rooms to at least get out of her costume and into her street clothes, so they could leave.
Something told her that Natsu's patience had run out.
So, she hurried to change, with the help of the other girls after she had explained the situation.
"Um, I think I need to get into my clothes and out of here pronto. It really looks like that performance knocked something loose in Natsu, and he doesn't seem too stable right now. I've seen him destroy buildings before when he loses control of himself – like, literally burn them to the ground – so I need to get going."
They were only too happy to help after that.
As soon as she was ready to go, they practically shoved her out the door, and sure enough Natsu was waiting for her on the other side with crossed arms and a tapping foot. As soon as he saw her, he grabbed her hand and dragged out outside without a word.
Before they could get too far, she hurried to ask, "You turned in your costume right? You didn't leave it in the celestial realm?"
"I turned it in." he rasped back, and uncharacteristically didn't say anything else.
Once again he was in one of those weird moods, the kind she'd never seen before last night. He was still fuming, which apparently turned him into a steam engine as he plowed down the sidewalk at top speed.
Eventually Lucy yanked back on his hand and gasped, "Slow down! I'm tired after dancing all day!"
"Oh right. Sorry Luce."
He shot her one of his smiles. Thankfully he seemed a tiny bit calmer, but his smile wasn't quite as cheerful as usual, and she could tell that he was still put out by what had happened.
"Hey…you still seem kind of upset. You okay?"
"Yeah. M'fine," he grumbled. "Just got so mad seeing those guys messing with you. If I'd kicked their asses I would feel just fine, but letting them walk away – again – left a bad taste in my mouth."
"It was just a performance though. None of it was real."
"Felt plenty real to me."
"Why? And why did you get so mad anyways? It was all just an act!" she exclaimed finally, still thoroughly confused about the whole thing.
"Just because it was an act didn't mean I liked them touching you."
"Um…why?"
He shrugged, and then casually stated, "Cause you're mine Luce."
She very nearly tripped over nothing as she gaped at him in pure shock. That was the second time he'd said that, and once again she had absolutely no idea how to feel about it.
After wordlessly mouthing syllables for a while, she finally found her voice again and sputtered, "Wh-what the heck is that supposed to mean?!"
He shrugged again. "Dunno really. I just know that you're mine, and I don't want anyone else to touch you like that."
At that, she got mad. Sure, there were some warm buttery flying creatures of undetermined species fluttering around in her belly, but mostly she got mad out of her own pent-up jealousy.
"Oh! So nobody can touch me, but other women can grope you as much as they want?"
Once the words had come out of her mouth, she realized just how they sounded and instantly wished she could take them back. That was about the stupidest thing she'd ever said. His statement could easily be translated as not wanting to see a friend get sexually harassed, even in a make-believe situation. Whereas her statement instantly went into jealous girlfriend territory, which was completely uncalled for.
He sent her a weird look and she cringed a little, wishing again that she could take the stupid statement back.
"What're you talkin' about Luce? Nobody gets to touch me but you. I'm yours after all." He said it matter-of-factly – as if she should already know it – and paired with the look he was giving her, it was almost like he was saying something as obvious as, 'the sun is bright.'
There was a long moment as they walked in silence, while Lucy tried to absorb that information – which for all the world sounded like a confession to her. Instead of clarifying it though, the first thing that popped out of her unguarded mouth was, "B-but all those women…they were fawning all over you!"
"Uh…when, where, and who?"
"Back at the restaurant, Idiot! When you work as a server!"
"Okay…so what about it?"
She growled in exasperation. "All the women you served kept giving you their numbers and touching you and stuff!"
He just looked mildly confused, and Lucy slowly realized that he hadn't even noticed them. It was a preposterous notion, given just how many had come on to him – most of them not in subtle ways – but that was the only explanation she could think of to rationalize why he seemed so befuddled about her questions.
To get to the bottom of it, she stated, "All those women were flirting with you. Big time."
He blinked, and then suddenly busted out laughing. "Oh! So that's why they were all acting so weird!"
Apparently her theory was correct, and it left her flabbergasted. "You didn't even notice?!"
He just continued to laugh, and soon the conversation ended as they reached their hotel. It was only then that Lucy realized she should have asked about what he meant by saying he was hers, instead of going on about all the other women. Now, it was awkward to bring up, and she spent the entire time climbing the stairs to their hotel room trying to figure out how to do it. By the time they'd unlocked the door and were inside their shared room, she had reached a stalemate, and just couldn't figure out how to broach the subject.
So, she did the thing that she always did when feeling stressed and confused. She retreated into the bathroom and drew herself a hot bath – which she soaked in for a long time and stewed over everything that had just happened.
The one thing she knew for sure was that she needed to ask him what he meant … and get a straight answer this time. If not, it was going to bug her till the end of time, and she would always wonder if she'd missed her chance with him. At this point, if he did have feelings for her, she would pursue her own emotions and try not to worry about the consequences. Sure, it might not work out, but she was a Fairy Tail wizard, and if she had learned one thing from being a part of her guild – it was to reach for the stars. Even if it ended in death, chaos, and destruction.
With renewed confidence and determination to get answers, she pulled herself from the hot water and toweled off briskly before striding out of the bathroom in her pajamas. She pulled up short though when she saw Natsu already passed out on the bed. For a long moment there was a silence that felt like crickets should start chirping, and then it felt like her balloon had been popped as something inside her deflated. With a sigh, she let her shoulders droop, and resigned herself to maybe never knowing. Who knew what tomorrow would hold? There was every possibility that she wouldn't get a chance to ask him.
So, she dragged her feet as she plodded to the bed, turning off lights as she went. Sleep didn't come easily though as she curled up under the covers and listened to Natsu's soft snores in the pitch-black room. Only the little lights on the air conditioner and the smoke detector blinked to show that her eyes were open instead of closed. Just like last night, everything that had happened recently swirled around in her head and kept her up as thoroughly as a washing machine cranking within her skull.
It was kind of surprising how Natsu didn't wake up even once during all her tossing and turning. His breathing and snores remained even and undisturbed no matter how she squirmed, trying to get physically comfortable at least. It was amazing how mental discomfort caused the body to be unable to find a comfortable position.
Finally, she got out of bed and made a bathroom trip – using it to splash warm water onto her face in the stupid hope that maybe it would somehow reset her brain. It just seemed like the thing to do, and it did feel good as she scrubbed her wet hands over itchy eyes. With a sigh and a groan, she shut off the water and dried herself before heading back to bed. This time though she left the nightlight on in the bathroom so that at least there would be some illumination to get back to bed. She didn't want to have to worry about stumbling into the bed and falling on top of Natsu – who was sleeping closer to the bathroom.
Once safely back on her side, she rolled onto her side and faced Natsu, watched his sleeping profile in the dim light from the bathroom. After a while of silently watching him, she sighed and mumbled quietly, "I wish I knew what you meant…when you said you were mine…"
Snorting softly, she admitted in a whisper, "You were right though, you crazy idiot. I really am completely yours…but I don't think you meant it like that…."
Because she was watching, she saw his eyes pop open.
Her brain hadn't shut up for the past few hours, but at the sight of his head turning and his awake eyes looking right at her, everything upstairs closed up shop and shut right down.
"What d'you mean?" he mumbled, sounding a little sleepy but perfectly lucid.
"Um…uh…did I wake you up?"
"I guess…" He shrugged and rolled onto his side to face her. "But I don't mind."
"Oh…er…good. Sorry though."
After a long pause, he prompted, "So, what'd you mean?"
"When I said I was yours?" At his nod, she gulped and made a knee-jerk decision to try and cover it up – even though this was probably the perfect opportunity to make a confession. "I'm uh…I mean…Well, you're my best friend." That was the best excuse she could come up with for what she'd said.
He gave her a bright grin, though it was still a little sleepy on the edges, and then he said through a yawn, "You're my best friend too!"
She couldn't resist returning his infectious smile, and the adrenaline still rushing through her system finally began to ease up. With a deep sigh, she closed her eyes and decided it was time to try and actually go to sleep before she got herself in more trouble. After another couple minutes of silence though, the quiet was broken by Natsu.
"Hey, Luce? You're more than my best friend though. You know that right?"
She instantly tensed up again and opened her eyes… to see him looking at her with an open, honest, almost innocent expression. His eyes glittered, and he almost looked a little scared…like he was afraid that he was doing something he shouldn't.
"Uh, well, I am your mage, but…"
"No, that's not…I mean – yeah you are – but that's not what I meant."
"Then, what did you mean?" Her heart was pounding a mile a minute, and it felt like the room was spinning a little even though she was lying down.
"I mean… I think I love you."
That caught her totally by surprise, and she stared at him and felt her jaw drop. "You…you think you love me? What…uh…what makes you think that?" It was such an awkward way for him to say it, she was almost offended. He didn't know? Then again, she wasn't one hundred percent sure herself…so maybe she shouldn't be too hard on him.
He chuckled awkwardly and rolled onto his back, one hand reaching up to scratch at his hair in a fidgety sort of way. "Well, I mean I've never felt like this, so I can't be sure. But, I know I can't stop thinking about you, and I want to be around you all the time -"
"You've always wanted to be around me." she interrupted.
"Well yeah, but not like this. It's like… it almost hurts to be separated. And when I look at you I feel all warm inside, and I just want to get closer – like I wanna grab you and hug you close and never let go. It's really weird…. I've never felt anything this strong before."
With that, he snuggled close, wrapped one arm around her and then buried his head under her chin, tucking his face into her neck. She was too shocked to respond and just let it happen, her eyes wide and her body limp. She had never expected him to come out and say those things, especially in such a conversational – if slightly concerned – tone. When air puffed over her neck and he nuzzled his nose to her skin, she tensed up and sucked in a sharp breath, instantly coming back to reality.
"You smell so good Luce, it drives me nuts…" he mumbled lazily into her throat, almost absentmindedly.
"U-um…thanks?" she squeaked, not sure how to respond to that statement. He'd mentioned the same thing before when they went dancing together, and it was just surprising now as it was then.
He sighed happily and then nuzzled closer, his whole body practically melting against her…like he'd been bottling this up for some time and was finally able to relax now. He was so relaxed in fact, that it almost seemed like he was gearing up to go back to sleep of all things, after shocking the hell out of her.
It was a long moment before she found her voice. "That sounds like love to me…"
"Yeah, that's what I thought…" he mumbled, sounding partially asleep already.
After a brief pause, he continued in an even sleepier tone, "I've been wanting to tell ya…but I was worried you'd get freaked out or somethin'…"
There was yet another long pause…one full of Lucy attempting to control her rapidly fluttering heart. She honestly wasn't sure if this was a dream, it seemed so utterly surreal. But if it was real…then there wasn't any reason for her to keep her feelings a secret, especially if Natsu was worried about her potentially freaking out.
So, she took a deep breath and quietly said, "I…I think I love you too…"
She felt him smile. "Really?! That's awesome Luce!"
He pulled her even closer, as tight as he could, and nuzzled his face against her a little more. Both his arms wound tight around her and even his legs worked into the mix, tangling with hers so thoroughly that it was almost uncomfortable. By the time he was done wrapping himself around her, she wasn't entirely sure where exactly she ended and he began.
And then he fell asleep, leaving Lucy wide awake and in a state of shock.
Had that really just happened? As if it was nothing? Was he sleep-talking? Her mind spun in circles, trying to make sense of the fact that they had both just confessed, and now Natsu was practically on top of her and sound asleep.
It took her a very long time to join him in dream-land.
Sneak Peek:
"Hello Natsu. Lucy was just telling me about the job you two went on. It sounds like quite the adventure." Mira greeted.
He turned to the barmaid and snorted. "It wasn't an adventure. It was a pain in the butt."
"Oh, well…in that case, you two should go and do something relaxing today. Take a little break. Do you have any plans?"
"Yes actually!" he perked up, and Lucy cringed, already predicting what was about to happen. "Lucy and I are going on a date! Right Luce? We're going on a date today?"
"Oh, uh, yeah." she muttered, a little self-conscious about having their relationship outted so quickly.