Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over 'Fairy Tail' nor am I profiting from this.
I am going through a difficult time right now both emotionally and mentally, and really appreciate everyone being so patient. I've outlined our remaining pieces/stories and look forward to sharing them with everyone.
Lucy frowns and gives his cheek another pat. No matter what she does, he refuses to raise his head or laugh. Every attempt just seems to make him grip her tighter and tighter. It seems like strangers are hovering everywhere: behind desks, in corners, and even in front of the bathroom.
Lucy mashes her lips together and squirms until she grasps his cheeks.
"You're sticky." Elfman raises his head with an echoing laugh. "How does that even happen? What do you touch? Everyone was watching you."
A better question, one which he doesn't want to be answered: who's going to watch her now? These soldiers have cleaned up his guilds messes, hauled a few drunkards away, and can usually calm crowds. Lucy is far more work than a guild mess, crowd, and drunkards combined, though.
Elfman runs his hands through some non-existent tangles and covers her ears. He turns towards the nearest soldier.
"Am I allowed to ask questions?"
"You may ask, but I might not answer."
"Once we're separated, who will look after her?"
He receives a slow apologetic headshake. He drops his hands and accepts the frustrated hair ruffle. Now, isn't the time to make her promises or lull her into sleep. Everyone appears to be waiting and watching. It appears everyone expects him to snap, demand release, or use his takeover form.
But she's watching, and he is not the one who performs the expected outburst.
Her patience is beginning to wear thinner and thinner. Lucy ceases squirming and begins sighing and turns his legs into a makeshift slide. It provides her with temporary fun, but she quickly becomes bored. Her squirming and sighing resume as she searches for something new to play with.
"It's like waiting for supper," he murmurs. "We don't get any dessert, though."
Lucy goes still and climbs into his lap. Her arms wrap around his neck. Her face presses into his collarbone. It doesn't appear that anyone is watching them with any more scrutiny than before. Everyone remains absorbed in their work, pausing every few moments to check on them. Her breath escapes in panicked puffs, her nails dig deeper and deeper into his skin. A soldier cranes their neck and mashes their lips together in concern.
"I can find someone to take her to the restroom," they offer quietly. "Is she able to use the restroom herself?"
"Look, she just runs off and goes by herself when she needs to," he says and attempts detaching her. "Come on, you don't even get like this when you're tired. What's the matter?"
Lucy cranes her neck, sniffing, and peeking with wet eyes towards the door. It feels appropriate, natural to tighten his grip and prepare for whatever is coming through those doors. But everyone is watching the doors with her and gripping her tighter might just be taken as a threat. Elfman gives her wrist a gentle squeeze and takes a deep breath as the doors swing open.
Freed Justine struts with an undeserved confidence, considering that everyone is arching eyebrows, whispering, and look totally unintimidated. Levy McGarden lacks his confident strut but gives everyone a polite smile and wave.
"I sincerely apologize for barging in like this, but its an emergency situation." Levy crouches and extends her arms. "I can take her for a moment."
Freed raises a hand before anyone can approach with an objection. "I will not have this known as 'barging in' by anyone. We were sent by Master Makarov after all. I realize you must have some questions for us, but I have some for you. Do you have any objections, Levy?"
"I have none."
"Where were you intending on keeping her until her father arrives? I imagine she isn't the first child to arrive here with a guardian. You likely have some room prepared upon their separation. Lucy knows no one here but is extremely attached and comfortable with him. It would be much better to maintain a neutral environment than shoving her into a new traumatizing situation?" Freed glances around the room with a smirk. "I know Jude Heartfilia is a powerful man, whose power extends far beyond what anyone here has. Imagine how he would feel knowing what you put his daughter through."
"I will retrieve his processing papers. It is necessary he return on a later date, though. A failure to comply will result in arrest and an added charge. I expect you have enough jewels to bail him out."
His cocky smirk only intensifies. "I wouldn't have wasted my time here otherwise."
"Everyone knows what happened, but we're doing our best to dispel any rumors," Levy warns and reaches up to give him a pat on the back. "Master Makarov asked everyone to go home for today while he tries sorting through what happens."
"How were you two roped into this?"
"No one can decipher things better than us, right?" Levy lowers her voice. "I believe Laxus had some part in convincing Freed to help. I doubt that he enjoys Lucy as much as everyone else, but absent parents, whether intentional or not will always cause him to intervene somehow."
Truthfully, he couldn't even imagine anyone from the Thunder Legion enjoying children. Bickslow might convince his babies to play with a child, but that would probably venture closer into terrifying them. Evergreen and Freed are too cold for most adults.
Laxus?
"I would go thank him in person like a man," he sighs. "But we probably shouldn't leave the house more than necessary."
Her smile becomes more apologetic than polite. Levy drops her hand and turns back towards the doors where Freed emerges with an armful of paperwork. His lips are twisted into a snarl as he dumps a generous portion into her arms.
"I've never interacted with such indecent people," he says. "I jumped through far too many hoops for this paperwork. Do you know what this is? It is a record of the damages which the guild has done."
"What do you need that for?"
"It doesn't have anything to do with your case." He shrugs. "I want to play with the soldiers, though, and change records. I have your paperwork right here."
Freed gives an exasperated sigh as he shuffles through the paperwork. It hurriedly becomes outright irritation and then disgusts as he discovers the source. Lucy coos and gives his long hair another gentle batting. Levy covers her mouth, a poor attempt in stifling her giggles.
"I see she feels better," she says. "Children know more than we give them credit for. You're not so nervous anymore, Elfman, which means she's calming down."
"I fail to understand her cuteness," he mutters. "You can take her back now. Shoo, child. Shoo."
Her coo becomes a high-pitched giggle, and she begins a determined chase. Levy's giggles become snorts as he clutches the paperwork against his chest and flees.
"Please tell Laxus that I appreciate his help."
"Laxus will hear about everything." Her snorts dissolve. "I'll make sure to include the chase part."
"I'll take her home soon."
What he doesnt say: we're all going to be locked up soon.
Just let her have this.