"Gray?"
He stood in the clothes he wore yesterday with the small addition of cloth bandages. Gray's face held small scratches, the inflamed red making his eyes darker than normal. His smile shredded with heroism but other than that he was completely unreadable and completely out of place in her sunny-filled home. That dark hair an infringement on the warm decor.
Lucy wanted to slam the door in his face but smiled instead. It was a bittersweet curl of her lips, the ice mage's eyes filled with hope. "Morning, Lucy. You sleep…" He paused his eyes a pool of worry as they looked over her but the look should have been reciprocated on her own face. Gray obviously noticed how she was dressed, taking in her outfit. "You're not planning on leaving so soon, are you? Jude made us breakfast."
She pushed past him, unable to think coherently in his presence. Since when did her father make breakfast? And when did they refer to one another on a first name basis? Not only that, but why the hell did he let Gray stay? He had always hated mages, but for some reason he had taken a liking to Gray. Jude choose the ice-maker mage out of her entire group of friends. But at a fault, Lucy was always too nice. "I guess I can stay for breakfast. Minerva never gave me a time."
"Minerva?" Gray questioned bitterly. He walked past her, opening the door to the kitchen, a gentleman when he really wanted to be.
Oops, Lucy thought. The smell of eggs and burned bacon filling her nose. She wrinkled her nose, the bacon not appealing to her senses one bit. "Yeah, she wants to take me somewhere. Is there a problem?" She stated curtly, taking a seat at the breakfast bar. She kept her back to him, daring Gray to answer her.
Her father stood at the oven, lost in his own world for now. He never was a good cook, mostly because he hated the hobby. Which is why she was so surprised he was taking up the reigns of making breakfast.
He sat beside her, shaking his head hesitantly. "I thought we could go out with Natsu and Yukino… But since you have plans, that won't work."
Lucy didn't look at him. If she did, she would fall into Gray's trap like she always did. It was how this predicament first started but there was no way she was going on a double weren't dating. Not even close to it. But she did miss hanging out with Natsu and she hadn't seen Yukino in a while. "I can bring Minerva with us and we can all hang out together."
Now she could hang out with all of her best friends at one time. "I can also call Erza to see if she's available. She's been very busy with guild business as of late. And I also heard that she's seeing someone." Keeping the conversation as casual as possible, Lucy winked at Gray.
"I've heard about it too," he chuckled. "I've also heard that he's a wizard saint."
Jude cleared his throat and presented them with two plates. They were filled with broken sunny-side-up eggs, almost black pieces of bacon, and triangular slices of burnt toast. "Morning kids."
"Morning," Lucy chirped happily, already stuffing her face with the eggs. They weren't seasoned at all. "Thanks for the breakfast, dad."
He gave her a cross look and she began to eat in a more civilized manner. Jude looked at her with discontent, turning to fix his own plate. His deep tone holding a gust of austere. "You worried me last night, Lucy."
She kept her eyes down, Gray giving her an awkward side glance. Lucy knew he didn't really care, he was making plans to give her away. "I just went out with friends, and-"
"But you don't come home unconscious and in the arms of you boyfriend." Jude was frigid, his true personality becoming unleashed -a cold-hearted businessman.
Gray and Lucy stilled at the mention of being in a relationship. "But he isn't-"
"She isn't-"
Their eyes met as Jude turned around. "What is it? You know better than to stumble over you words, Lucy." The jolly facade replaced with sternness and rigidity.
"Sir, she isn't my girlfriend." Gray stated, his face tense as he looked at her father.
Jude gave him a cold glare, uninterested in his comment. "Nonsense, you two have been together since the beginning of your second year." His face darkened, facing Lucy once again. "I can see everything that goes on in this house, boy."
Lucy's eyes met Gray's once again, he knew about everything between them. Deep down she felt regret clutching at her, making its way up from the tips of her toes and seeping into her heart. "Don't yell at him. I'm the one you're mad at." Lucy gained her father's attention back, not prepared for his outburst.
"I'm afraid it does. Even if you claim you're not dating, it doesn't matter either way. It'll end as soon as you graduate." She shook her head, shame and misery filling her. Lucy looked down as tears threatened to spill from her eyes, she knew exactly what he was alluding to. He already found someone for her to get engaged to.
Out of the corner of her eye, Gray shifted. It was obvious he didn't know what to do but he was managing. "Look, Lucy hasn't done anything wrong. She was just out with friends last night, don't yell at her for that."
And in one quick second, Jude's personality switched. Speaking to her with a soreness, "I'm dearly sorry, Lucy. But it's the way things have to be." Gently he pat her head and began to eat his own dish. "I'll leave the two of you to clean up this mess, I have to get to work. Meet me in my office when you get home, Lucy."
She didn't acknowledge him, only listened as he left. His expensive leather shoes clicking against the hardwood floor, the door opening without a breath and shut with a voracious belt as he left. She gripped her firsts, sucking in the tears as best as she could.
Gray's hand came down on her back, rubbing it lightly. She could tell that he was scared to touch her. His fingers barely ghosted over her shirt. "Let's just go Gray. You still need to get ready."
She stood up and picked her plate of food up, all appetite lost. Gray followed her into the kitchen, beginning to wash his plate as Lucy scrapped her food into the trash.
"Is he usually that much of an ass?" Gray took Lucy's plate, dipping it into the suds.
"Ehhhh…" Lucy debated on what to say, her father took a drastic change after her mother passed. "He's just stressed right now and worried about me is all. Being a big tycoon and raising a child isn't easy."
He moved the dishes to the drying rack, shaking his hands. Drops of water flew from them as he shook, drying the rest by wiping his hands on his pants. "You can talk to me, Lucy."
Lucy ignored him, grabbing her car keys off the counter. "Where are we going?"
"I don't know, Natsu said to meet at his place." Gray frowned when she picked her keys up. "I can take us, you know."
"I'm not coming with you to the Fairy Tail dorms, Gray. I'll meet you there. Now let's go." She was eager, her home gradually becoming a living nightmare with each passing day. The tension between her and Jude ready to snap at any moment. Lucy wasn't ready to come home tonight, afraid of what her father might say. Afraid to face the reality she was raised in.
They exited her home, each going their separate ways. As Gray pulled out of the driveway, Lucy started the ignition, focused on the small screen in her hands. She had to tell Minerva something before she started to drive, otherwise she would forget completely. At her thumbs was the beginning of a message, but she kept deleting and fumbling with the words. She frowned when she finally sent the message to Minerva, worried that it wasn't suitable enough.
Lucy: I'm going over to hang out with some friends, but I would still love to see you today! It's going to be tons of fun, here's the address…
Lucy overloaded the message with smiley-face and heart emojis, but she didn't care. She hoped that Minerva would make it down to Natsu's house, there was some things she needed to discuss with her. Backing out of the garage, her yellow Volkswagen Beetle raced and buzzed down Strawberry Street.
Lucy was absolutely pissed off at this point. The road to Natsu's home was treacherous. The dirt rode to his humble abode held unsuspecting traps! It was full of rusty nails and potholes, her poor car wasn't made for this type of terrain. She was such an idiot for even attempting to drive on it, and now her yellow bug had suffered.
The back left wheel had two nails stuck in the tire. They had punctured the tire and completely ripped it apart, leaving the wheel sad and deflated. Lucy could only imagine how much more trouble she would be in if someone had to tow the damned thing.
Shaking her head, she stood up from the car's wheel and immediately pulled out her phone. Looking down she had no idea who to call, but Minerva's name had popped up.
Minerva: Omw
The message was sent right after Lucy left the house and she smiled at the thought of seeing the enticing woman once again. She leaned on the back of her car, not sure of what to say in response but there was no need.
Coming around the bend was Sabertooth's very own vibrant Volkswagen van. The car was bouncing as it came toward her, the boisterous music rocking the vehicle. Lucy waved at it in desperation, hoping that whoever was in there would stop.
It was like they had read her mind, the vehicle of rowdy students stopping. The door was violently thrown to the side and Lucy was pulled in by a pair of hazel eyes.
"Hop in, Blondie. We'll fix your little buggie later, right now we have a party to crash!" Sting happily whopped in the driver's seat and took off.
Lucy squeaked as the door wasn't even closed, a pair of warm arms wrapping around her. Rufus stood in and pulled it fully shut as those same arms buckled Lucy in. "Nice to see you again, Lucy."
Minerva's voice sent a small jolt through her, hooked on the woman's natural charms. Looking at her wistfully, Lucy spoke excitedly. "I'm sorry for the mess I caused last night, I didn't mean-"
A silken finger was placed at Lucy's lips, silencing her. "Worry not, Lucy. You did well and that's all that matters, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but… Flare was really…"
The finger was back at her mouth and Lucy blushed. "You beat her by a long shot. That crazy bitch just decided to cheat." Minerva was clearly pleased with Lucy. Once she mentioned Flare, the lines in her face tightened. Although Flare
"Yeah, don't ya worry one bit, Blondie. Everything has been taken care of." Sting turned to wink at Lucy, pulling up to Natsu's small cabin home. Lucy knew something else had happened, but she wasn't going to question it right now. There was no point in bringing drama to a friendly get together.
The door to the car was thrown open once again, startling Lucy. But wait… Sabertooth was never mentioned when the plans were made. "Hey Minerva… Did you invite these guys?"
In the dark car, she couldn't really see Minerva but the day shed a small light on her. Lucy gasped when she saw the small cut on her lip. Surprised to see the bandages that were wound around her neck and the bruises that littered her arms. All she could utter made Minerva's face go blank.
"What happened?" The boys from Sabertooth, stopping their chattering to look at the two of them. They backed off, afraid of what Minerva was going to say.
The scowl that formed on those busted lips made Lucy cringe. "I did some training with my father early this morning. It's not as bad as it looks, I'm fine."
The boys made their way to the front door, leaving them behind. Lucy stared at Minerva, not sure if it would be wise to push it. She decided not to and smiled, holding her hand out to Minerva. She walked past Lucy, leaving her hand empty.
Lucy's first question was ignored but she trusted that Sabertooth wouldn't mess anything up; most likely, her own gang would ruin this sooner than them. After all, the nature of her friends was a big ball of randomness accompanied with destructiveness.
Natsu's house was small and quaint on the outside, just a cute log cabin. But once you passed the threshold, it completely different. There was expensive hardwood floors (usually covered with clothes), the nicest furniture sets, and the newest wizarding technology! On his regular budget, he couldn't afford this -no one could. But his father, Igneel, left it to Natsu in his will. Once Natsu turned 18, he moved right in and had been living here for the past couple months.
The moment she put her foot inside, Natsu came barreling toward her. "Lucy! I told everyone that you would show, my best friend could never let me down. But that popsicle told me you wouldn't be coming! But now you're here, how dare that fucker lie to me." He pulled her in for a back-creaking hug, lifting her up off the ground. "We were all so worried about you yesterday!"
"We?" Lucy stangled out, Natsu soon relieving her of his hold.
"Yeah, Luce." Stepping to the side, he revealed much of their class. Levy, Cana, Freed, Wendy… Everyone who hadn't graduated yet was here. Lucy smiled at them, walking further into the room. "You didn't pick up your phone at all."
Cana sauntered over to them, wrapping her arms around their necks. She pulled them close together, alcohol on her breath. "The betting pools were in your favor Lucy. You're alive!"
"You guys bet on whether or not I was alive!" Lucy exclaimed, shrugging the card mage off.
"Well, naturally," Cana quipped. She took a sip from her canteen, offering it to her. "But the good thing was that no one thought you were dead."
Lucy ignored her offer, still annoyed. "That's beside the point."
Cana chuckled heartily, walking back to her previous place -Freed's lap. Glancing around the room, there was two sides, Sabertooth and Fairy Tail. It was split almost down the middle, Natsu and Yukino the only outliers. Natsu had settled back into her side, pulling the celestial mage in despite her protests. Her face shone a bright red and Lucy could only gush at how cute they were together.
There were various snacks set on the coffee table, most barely touched. Lucy picked up a pretzel stick and munched on it, contemplating on what to do with her friends. If the tigers and fairies weren't going to associate with one another, then she would make them. A small lightbulb appearing above her head, a small thought coming to mind.
"Hey Cana, do you have any non-drinking games?" Lucy inquired, grabbing some more of the breaded sticks.
Cana pulled herself away from Freed, that small canteen still in her hand. Her purple eyes flashed with playfulness, her lips pulled into a small grin. "There's spin-the-bottle."
Lucy shook her head, no way, almost everyone here was in a relationship. "Something else, you cheeky devil."
"I think truth or dare should work," a cool voice interjected. Gray walked in through the door, holding a couple boxes of pizza.
Most of Fairy Tail agreed but a head of white hair shook profusely. "I-I can't play that game… It's too…"
Natsu pulled Yukino into his side, reassuring her as he rubbed her arm. "Don't worry, Yuki. The game won't be that bad."
Minerva chuckled and she leaned on the fireplace. "You fairies always make a big mess of everything. I can't imagine all the possible ways you guys can ruin a simple game of truth-or-dare." A couple glares were sent toward the dark haired girl but Lucy knew she wouldn't be phased.
"Maybe we could try never have I ever…" Yukino suggested faintly, looking down at her lap. Her cheeks were seared red as Natsu whispered something into her ear. Her friend was always so bashful and shy, but she was proud of Yukino speaking up in such a large crowd. Natsu was really rubbing off on her fellow celestial mage.
"I love that idea, Yukino," Lucy beamed. "Anyone object to this?" Her mocha eyes searched around the room, not one person abstaining to the game's recommendation.
Except a certain blond from Sabertooth. "Wait, how the hell do we even play this game?" Beside him, Rogue facepalmed as Sting sat back in the love seat.
"It's simple…" Rogue muttered, shaking his head at Sting's idiocy. This small comment making the room chuckle. To Lucy, the two were like night and day -absolutely perfect for each other. "Depending on what we decide, you hold a certain amount of fingers up. And by turn, one person will start with the phrase 'never have I ever' and proceed to say something random. If you have done it, you put a finger down. Whoever is left with the most fingers wins."
Sting nodded slowly, his face piquing with foolishness. "So whoever wins is the loser?"
This caused everyone to laugh. Lucy caught Minerva's small and delicate giggle through the boisterous guffaws of Fairy Tail and she swooned at how melodic it was. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pull her attention away from the enigmatic teenager.
Lucy clasped her hands together, surveying the group. "I think we should just do seven fingers. It's not too little and not too much, right?"
"We should just do ten, Luce! I wanna go all out for this!" Natsu's eyes were lit with the force of competition. The blonde couldn't help but shake her head at his vying tendencies.
A couple other agreed with Natsu, especially Sting. Sabertooth's Class president held up both of his hands, "If we do ten, we'll have more fun!"
This caused Rogue to flick his partner's head. "Don't be so ridiculous, we always have the option for one more round."
Sting's mouth formed in the shape of an 'o', standing down from his argument. "I think seven it is then, Blondie."
"You're a blond too, Sting." Rufus muttered, his forefingers rubbing the bridge of his nose. He looked miserable standing at the fireplace with Minerva. Lucy supposed that if he really hated the fairies, he wouldn't be here. She knew that's why their buff mascot, Orga, hadn't shown. The guy only tolerated them at the beach.
"We should probably grab some food first. I don't want the pizza to get all soggy and cold." Gray had propped open the boxes of pizza on the kitchen counter, helping himself.
This was another consensus amongst the group, everyone crowding around the granite kitchen countertop. Everyone in modesty grabbed what they knew they could stomach, but Natsu and Sting grabbed entire boxes for themselves.
Even with his level-temper, Gray could always find a way to banter with Natsu. "Aye fire fuck, you know how much one of these pizzas cost?"
"Don't nag on me. You're the one who brought them to share, ice princess." Natsu opened his box and shoved one whole slice into his mouth, chewing with his mouth open. He did it to spite Gray, the ice mage melting from the hot blood running in his veins.
His shirt was thrown from his body as he stalked over to Natsu, the door opening. "I thought you two promised no more fighting when I left." Everyone's favorite red head, stood with great confidence as she stood in the doorway; a blue haired man behind her.
Lucy squeaked when she saw the woman, "Erza!" The blonde practically tackled her, embracing the woman that was two years her senior. She had graduated from Fairy Tail as valedictorian, also receiving the highest honors from the magic council. Now she was working as an S-Class mage in the guild, Lucy had really missed her so much.
Gray and Natsu squealed in fear, embracing one another as the best of friends. "We didn't think you would come, Erza." Natsu grasped Gray's hand in an awkward manner, shaking it as he spoke to her.
"Just as you thought I wouldn't come," Lucy drawled.
They were certainly surprised by her arrival, putting their best effort in to make it look like they weren't about to brawl. Erza merely glared at them, glancing around the rest of the room. Her brown eyes stopped on Minerva, her stare narrowing. "Minerva."
Minerva was still standing by the fireplace, proclaiming that she wasn't hungry. She held a cup of water to her mouth, the tiniest amount of hatred sparking in her eyes, "Erza. It's nice to see you once again."
Everyone was frozen at the two's interaction, waiting for the girl's claws to come out. But Erza nodded at the tiger, clearing her throat as she stood to the side. "Sorry, for being so rude but I have brought a guest."
A soft smile was set on the blue-haired man's face, a large ancient-looking red tattoo set over his eye. He looked oddly familiar to Lucy, but she couldn't place her finger on it. "It's nice to finally meet you guys, Erza has many great things to say about you all." At this, a small blush appeared on her face. "I'm Jellal-Siegrain."
And Lucy's eyes were met with stars, he sat on the magic council! Everyone else began to murmur good and bad things, not sure of how to receive him. Fairy Tail was never on the council's good list, more like their hit list. Erza gave a small look to Lucy, telling her they would talk about it later.
To settle the group's excitement, Cana began to speak. "We were just about to play a game, of Never Have I Ever. You two have to join us." She winked as she looked at the two of them, sidling up to Freed's side.
Jellal glanced at Erza sheepishly, his eyes full of doubt. The red head grabbed the blue-haired saint by the hand, both of their faces blossoming with pink. Fairy Tail bust into a melodic discord, sending good regards to Erza and Jellal. Lucy really was happy for her, Erza deserved to be as happy as possible. (Even if she was a tad bit jealous of the celebrity she sported on her arm.) Erza sat with Jellal on the floor by the coffee table, their hand holding about as elementary as it could get. She thought it was cute how bashful the were being about their relationship.
"Who's up first?" Erza inquired. Aside from Minerva and Rufus, everyone held up their seven fingers.
And as luck would have it, Natsu thrust his hand up into the air, startling his girlfriend. "I wanna do it! I gotta good one."
Lucy gave him a thumbs up and his green eyes were fixed on Gray. "Never have I used ice magic!"
Gray grit his teeth, raising his fist at Natsu. "You can't just target people like that, tabasco breath."
"Uhm…" Levy breathed out, only holding six fingers up. "Technically, I've used ice magic before."
The ice-maker mage in defeat curled up one his fingers. "Have it your way then."
Natsu looked to the side of him, poking Yukino. Her brown eyes widened as she was put on the spot, fumbling over her words. "Ah… Uhm… Never have I ever played strip poker."
Lucy as surprised to see so many people put their fingers down, even Freed. Natsu teased Yukino, nuzzling his nose into her white head of hair. "We should play it sometime then, babe."
Already frazzled, Yukino shook her head. "Don't taint our innocent Yuki, Natsu." Minerva chided in her own demented way.
Natsu leaned down, Yukino's face glowing pink. Minerva cleared her throat, her gaze sending daggers at fire slayer. He chuckled, completely unphased by the tiger. "It's your turn, Miss Pouty Face."
It was evident that Minerva didn't approve of the nickname. She let Natsu off the hook, taking her turn. "I have never driven a car."
Everyone put down a finger, Minerva smirking victoriously. Gray couldn't hold his tongue, "How have you never driven a car? Doesn't your dad own a car company?"
Sabertooth looked uneasy, Minerva shutting him down. "I only have a motorcycle license. I never took too kindly to automobiles, only tolerated. Bikes are more of my thing."
The unease of the tigers vanished, almost seeming surprised by Minerva's answer. Lucy was sure she was the only one who noticed. But Sting chimed in right after her, "I'm the lady's chauffeur. There's no reason for her to drive anyways."
Some chuckled at his answer. Apparently his Volkswagen minivan was today's new limousine. But the tension of the room settled, Rufus ready with his own statement. "Never have I ever… Failed an exam."
Lucy groaned, admitting defeat. Everyone but the blond, Levy and Freed put their fingers down. She was now left with five fingers, though she was lucky. Only one was down to four, Levy.
"You're such'a putz, Rufus. You should have done something more fun like, I have never been caught having sex." Sting's laugh was flamboyant, hunching over as he saw the couple across from him lose again.
Lucy blushed as the memory of Natsu and Yukino crossed her mind. She had been very unlucky that day. The two were also a maddening red, Cana choosing to mock them. "Damn, I guess Yukino might be less of an angel than we thought."
"I-It wasn't like that-" Yukino tried to explain herself, but failed.
"Shhh… It's ok, Yuki." Lucy cood, "Everybody has sex."
Her brown eyes were pleading, the rest of Yukino's classmates smirking. "Just like how everybody poops," Sting so graciously included.
Rogue rolled his eyes, elbowing his boyfriend. "You have the humor of a toddler." Sting simply nodded, nudging the unruly slayer. "Right, it's my turn. Never have I ever," he glanced around the room, making sure to make the rest worth his while, "found the person behind the ink."
Though Rogue's was ominous and a bit metaphorical, Lucy understood. Only a few putting their fingers down, along with her. Some looked at Rogue with confusion, including his boyfriend.
"What d'ya mean?" Sting eyed him, the question flying completely over his head.
Jellal interrupted, "He means have you found the mage you're supposed to fight to the death with. He just decided to put it in a more eloquent statement."
The blond immediately put a finger down, flashing a look toward Gray. Lucy noticed the brooding ice mage had put a finger down, leaving him with three fingers. She tried not to think much of it, very uninterested in speaking to him at the moment. She knew the grudge wouldn't last for long anyways, Gray was one of her best friends.
The attention of the room was brought toward Jellal as the council member sighed, his lacrima com blaring. He kissed Erza's cheek and stood, "It was nice to meet you all. Council duties call, as always."
Erza blushed, waving by to him with the rest of the group. The moment the door closed behind him, Fairy Tail gushed. Cat calling and teasing the scarlet haired mage about the "hunk of a man" she brought in, even Sting joined in on it.
She became a flustered mess, unable to answer the questions directed toward her. In order to get everyone's attention, she blurted out the next round. "Never have I ever gotten a tattoo."
There was complete silence, the realization dawning on everyone. "Uhm… Erza." Lisanna was certainly brave to speak up. "We all have the tattoo of our guild emblem."
The room was filled with cacophonous and bright laughter, the scarlet haired mage holding her head down in shame. But above the rambunctiousness, Lucy could hear the light chiming of Minerva's own laugh. It was very quiet, a spring's breeze. And she was completely hooked on it. But as soon as Minerva's laughter rang, it subsided along with everyone else's.
Lucy grinned, ready for her turn. "I have never ran a red light."
Minerva shot the blonde a look of appraisal as numerous fingers were put down, including her own. Lucy shined an innocent smile toward the tigress, proud of knocking some numbers down.
"Go on, Levy," Lucy said.
The petite girl was alight, her mouth quirking to the side. "I would like to but I have never gone skinny dipping."
All the tigers put a finger down, followed by Cana, Freed and Erza. This surprised Lucy, the red head paying no mind to her inquisitive stare.
As the rounds continued, the fingers dwindled. Levy was out first followed by Natsu (he blamed it on Gray). And now Lucy was left as the last one standing next to Cana and Gray. Cana's presence baffled the blonde, she thought the drunkard had done so much more but apparently all three of them were lacking when it came to a social life.
Lucy had experienced so much heartache but not much when it came to life experiences apparently. She gave Cana a devilish yet innocent smile, wiggling her single finger at the brunette. "Never have I ever had a fruit cocktail before."
Neither of her two opponents put a finger down and Lucy pouted. Cana shook her silver canteen at Lucy, snickering. "I only drink hard liquor, Lucy. None of that girly shit for me. And Gray wouldn't dare touch something like that, it would ruin his masculinity."
"At least I'm not poisoning myself with it. Shouldn't your liver be dead by now?" She swore that Gray's eyes rolled into the back of his head.
"If only life was so nice." Cana erupted with laughter, slapping her hand down on her knee. She composed herself in quickly, gazing at Lucy with the same impish face she had previously. With the next round being her turn, the brunette didn't hesitate, "Never have I ever had sex before."
Everyone gasped as they saw their "innocent", blonde friend finally admit defeat. Lucy and Gray didn't bother to look at one another as they put their fingers down. Erza was the most shocked out of the bunch, staggering to her feet. "Who took your chastity?!" With vigor, she shook Lucy's shoulders, those brown eyes boring into her own.
"Back off, will you? Everyone has their own personal life that doesn't involve you, Titania." With much vehement, Minerva spat the woman's nickname out, challenging the red head. She looked past the requip mage and directly at Lucy, shooting her a sympathetic glance. Lucy could feel her cheeks rise with heat.
Sting and Natsu were completely out of place, searching for something that he could do to stop this cat fight. Lucy expected that the two had the maturity to keep their cool but that was not the current case. Natsu tugged on Erza's arm in an effort to calm her down but her magical aura flared. The red a clear warning sign for him to back off.
"This conversation has nothing to do with the likes of you." Erza's attention was now focused on her rival, Minerva.
Minerva's aura easily surrounded her, a dark iridescent purple coming off her body. "It involves everyone when you're standing in the middle of the room." She replied with ease, confidence exuding from her.
Erza sighed and her aura dissipated followed by Minerva's. It seemed like Minerva was only hostile when others challenged her, sinking her teeth in when they made a mistake.
"Lucy and I will go somewhere else then." Erza acted as if her word was law, pulling her away.
But Lucy shook her head, yanking her arm from the steely grip. "Let's not make a scene of this, Erza. I will explain everything to you," her confidence dwindling as Lucy spoke, "later. Can't we enjoy the party just for now?"
She felt that Erza already knew, her gaze turning ice cold. This was focused on Lucy and then to Gray, almost daring them to speak out of turn. But in that same moment, the look was gone. It was replaced by a small smile and Erza's voice boomed with content. "We can. I didn't mean to make a big fuss. You know how I feel about those type of things."
Lucy simply nodded, taking a small glance over to Minerva. She was practically begging for an out, those hazel eyes filled with understanding. The Sabertooth student huffed, stepping outside. The sliding glass door closed silently, Natsu's cream curtains hiding any view of the picturesque forest. No one questioned the territory mage's antics, it just looked like she was heading outside to cool down. But Lucy felt like Minerva wanted her to follow, but she needed the perfect opening.
Especially with Erza and Gray breathing down her neck.
I almost forgot to post this chapter today omgggg. I am so sorry But I honestly hope you guys are loving where I'm taking this, because it's about to get so much more wild. *evil smile* But don't worry, the girls will be okay in the end! 3