Thank you for the reviews! As I've said before, I will not be announcing any official pairing for this fic, because that takes all the surprise out of it. I will however take your feelings into consideration. Oh and Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate! I'm off to make my Turkey now!
Afternoon had fallen over Magnolia's shopping district, our gang filling the air with the sounds of laughter and charging the atmosphere with our excitement. Half of the guild was out and about, enjoying one of the last nice days of fall. My group tried to stay together for a while, as we browsed through the open air market place, but everyone had their own agendas. Soon I lost sight of Levy and Gajeel when we passed her favorite book store. Lisanna and Evergreen were dragged off next, by Elfman. Laki and Kinana ducked into the magic store, an excited look on both of their faces shortly after. Erza moved on ahead dragging Gray by the ear, Juvia of course was not far behind.
This left Cana, Wendy, Charla and our two Sabertooth guests in my care. We maneuvered in and out of stores as well as stopping by merchant carts to see what they had available. I picked up a few trinkets for myself, such as new ribbons, or a replacement set of shoe laces, trying my best not to over spend in anticipation of my long desired shoe purchase.
"Lucy, you need to see this!" Cana called from a traveling merchant's booth near the canal. I laughed at her eagerness and made my way through the crowd. "It's like it was made for you!"
In her hands was a thin metal chain, strung with the golden symbols of the twelve Zodiac spirits. I smiled at my friend as I took the necklace from her.
"It is stunning." I laid it against my chest, marveling at how it looked against my pale skin. "The craftsmanship is on par with the best." The metal was high quality, yet light. I pulled the piece back to inspect it closer, marveling at the way the bobble sparkled in the bright afternoon sun. I replaced the necklace on it's velvet cushion and found that he had made it a full set, with two bracelets and two anklets. I struck up a conversation with the middle aged man who was selling them, intent on finding out more. He informed me of everything from his smelting process all the way to the fact that it had taken him two weeks to finish the engravings. He admitted that he had made it with me in mind, bashfully telling me he was a fan of mine.
I was surprised, by his admission and slightly embarrassed as he asked me to sign a copy of Sorcerer's Weekly for him. My mind was made that this man deserved to have the items purchased by their inspiration, especially since Celestial Mages had become so rare over the last couple of years. As far as I knew, Yukino and I were the only ones who were still active. It made perfect sense since we held the full Zodiac between the two of us.
A smile crept over my face slowly as I turned to my other companions. "Yukino, come here." I didn't give her a chance to ask what I was doing as I grabbed her wrist and wrapped the delicate jewelry around it.
Her eyes sparkled as she inspected it, admiring the detail of the different symbols that were engraved in gold. I wrapped the other around my own wrist, and paid the vendor with a warm smile. He and I had struck a rather nice bargain; I almost had to force him to take the money because he was just so happy that I was willing to purchase the items.
"It's a gift."
I started walking away from the stall and back into the crowd, humming happily as the metal jingled in time with my keys.
"I can't accept something like this, Lucy-sama." She protested as she followed me down the street.
"Yes you can." She opened her mouth again to protest but I continued. "We are friends, remember? This is my way of thanking you for being there for me when I needed you." I patted her on the head. "Now wear it proudly, or I'll be sad."
This effectively stopped her from fighting back. I laughed lightly at the pout on her face before speeding up to catch up to the others. Erza was sure to have found a few new outfits by this point, so I needed to hurry or she might get to my desired boots before I could.
When we reached the store front, Gray was standing outside. His arms were already piled high with bag and boxes, Cana was quick to start poking fun at his lack of a backbone where Erza was concerned.
"You're so whipped." She sang as she danced around him.
"This is self preservation thank you. Only an idiot with a death wish tells Erza no." He turned white, obviously remembering the last time he tried just that. "I'd much rather live to see another day, it's worth the dent to my pride."
"Why is Gray-sama friends with so many women?" Juvia whined from the side of the store, peering at Gray from the distance.
"That's a good question, Juvia. Why are you such a lady's man, Gray?" I giggled moving past him into the shop. I could hear him cursing me from the door as Juvia started her yundere tirade; I of course ignored them. My mind was on more important things. Finally, I would acquire that long desired pair of boots; I felt giddy just thinking about the high quality leather, and shining silver buckles.
There they are! I knew my squeal of joy was unladylike but I didn't care. There's a price cut too!
"Excuse me Miss, do you have these in a size seven?" The attendant made her way to the back room, and I waited fidgeting with excitement. This was the one thing that I had been looking forward to, my reward for taking care of my responsibilities with my own two hands.
When she came back, her head shook from side to side. "I'm sorry, we seem to have sold the last pair earlier." I felt my face fall, the fight going right out of me.
"Thank you for looking, sorry for the trouble."
I dragged my feet as I left the store, ignoring Gray and Cana's calls as I walked to the edge of the canal. I knew it was just a pair of shoes, but I felt like it was connected to all the other bad things that had been happening to me lately.
Maybe my luck has finally run dry. What next, is my apartment going to burn down?
Two deep breaths were enough to settle my depressing thoughts. I pushed every negative emotion I had into a little box and stored it away. No more weakness, there was no room for it in my life now. I spun on my heel when Cana and Yukino came up to me. Yukino gave me a sidelong glance, as if she wasn't sure what I would do next, while Cana simply put an arm around my shoulders.
I needed to keep my composure for their sake, as well as my own, so I put on a smile.
"Change of plans, the boots are gone."
"Do you really need another pair?" Cana teased lightly her arm tightening around my shoulder.
"I really liked them though." I pouted playfully before laughing it off. "Can't be helped, lets shop somewhere else."
The three of us walked together laughing and enjoying the cool chill in the air, Rogue trailing behind looking as though he might die of boredom. I was calm and cheerful, smiling and laughing with my friends. It was almost like nothing had happened, like my life was back to normal.
For the first time in a very long time, I felt like I really would be ok.
Two hours later I purchased a fair bit more than I had originally planned. The sales were incredible, and I just couldn't stop myself. It was so much fun I almost didn't want to go to the park to meet up with the rest of the gang. Cana however, made sure that I remembered just how much Erza would be displeased with me if I didn't show. So we made our way to Magnolia park, our arms filled with bags all three of us smiling like idiots.
Levy had finally caught up about ten minutes after we arrived, cradling a new book in her arms with a bright smile. She had allowed Gajeel to head back to the Guild, since he had no interest in sweets. Lisanna came next, sporting the cutest winter hat, and a new pair of sneakers. She informed us that Evergreen had business with the rest of her team, and Elfman had errands to run for Mira. Erza was last, having bought half the boutique, (Gray was forced to have Juvia help him carry part of the load) with Wendy who had only allowed herself to purchase new hair accessories and a new dress for Carla.
We chatted happily at the meeting place, until the designated time when we would head to Erza's favorite sweet shop.
"Strawberry cake for everyone!" Erza beamed at the shop keeper. "One slice for my friends, and two for me." Yukino found herself laughing at Erza's antics as we slid into our seats. It was rare for Erza to act like this outside of the Guild so I could see why she was amused. Erza was always so strong and fierce it was hard to imagine her as a normal girl.
"All hail Erza and her bountiful Strawberry cakes!" I cried when a piece was set in front of me. "May they be spongy and delicious!"
The girls (and one of the two men) laughed at my declaration and cheered back. "Aye!"
"So now that we are all settled," Cana turned her attention back to me, making me feel very uncomfortable. "You are not going solo; I told you that I'd help you find a better way to get over this."
"I am aware that you want to fix it for me, but you can't." I took a bit of cake to allow myself time to think of how best to phrase it. "When I left my Father's home, all I wanted was to be free, to have a future where every door was open to me. All I want is to be that independent person again."
"Working on a team won't take away your independence." Cana rubbed at her temples, she was fighting a losing battle, and she knew it.
"It's deeper than that."
"You could always join Team Shadow Gear. I'm sure Jet and Droy wouldn't mind." Levy pointed her fork at me as she spoke. "We don't do super dangerous missions unless we bring Gajeel and Lily with."
"I love you dearly, but I'm not right for your team."
"My offer still stands; we keep Team Natsu without the Natsu." Gray shrugged. "Who needs that squinty eyed fire breather around anyway?"
I couldn't help but laugh, until I looked over at Juvia who was not pleased with the idea of Gray running around with two women who weren't her. I swallowed a piece of cake and turned to the half-naked ice mage with an evil grin.
"I have a better idea, why don't you and Juvia just make your team official." He paled at the thought. He decided to keep out of our conversation, turning instead to the only other male in the room, in an attempt to save face. I turned back to Juvia and gave her the thumbs up before going back into my cake. Her cheeks had turned bright red, her eyes glassy from the daydream she was now completely absorbed in. Exactly as I had planned.
"Working alone isn't always fun." Wendy added her comment in. "That's why I come with you guys most of the time."
"It's work, and most of the time I'm trying not to get killed with our team. I'm not saying I'm a weak mage, but compared to Erza I'm mediocre at best. And when it's just Natsu and Happy coming with, something always happens so that we don't get paid." I forced my body to relax; so that no one would notice just how much saying his name bothered me. "Working alone will be good for me."
"You were so good for that idiot. Choosing you as his partner was probably one of the smartest decisions he ever made." Lisanna was smiling at me. "He'll never be able to find someone who can put up with him as well as you did."
"Yeah Lucy, if you weren't so set on going it alone I'd totally keep you on as my partner." Cana held up her flask with a smile. "I mean come on, you forced yourself to learn disenchantments to improve your versatility, who does that?"
"I'm not nearly as good as Freed or Levy."
"You're smart and you can keep up with a rowdy crowd like us, who wouldn't want you?" They were all smiling at me now, and I felt the warmth of their affections fill me.
"You guys sure know how to make a girl feel special don't you." I couldn't keep the smile from taking over my own face.
"Lucy-sama is being so modest." Yukino patted my hand.
We all laughed again, Erza digging into a third slice of cake.
"Hey I meant to ask earlier, before everything got all crazy. What did you three end up doing after I left the bar last night?" Cana was always good at changing the topic, thank goodness.
"We checked out the karaoke bar." Yukino answered before I could.
"It was a blast actually, I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would." I was being completely sincere, Yukino and I had a great time. "The food was good too."
"Maybe we should do something like that again." Yukino looked so excited about the idea of making fools of ourselves that I had to laugh.
"Count me out." We both turned to Rogue with a pout. "Take Rufus next time."
"You're no fun at all." Yukino gave him puppy eyes, like that was going to change his mind.
"Absolutely not." He turned back to focus on a magazine Gray had slipped to him.
"We don't have to go anywhere for that, the Guild hall has everything we need." Levy propped her chin on her fist intent on going through with the plan.
"Or we could try the club that opened up on the west side of town." Cana put the idea out there. "The night is young, we could go when we are done here."
"Juvia has never been to a club before." She finally snapped out of her day dreaming.
"I heard they have live bands, it sounds interesting." Lisanna was getting excited as well.
"Ok we'll take a vote then." Erza, always the diplomat.
"I vote club!" Gray called with an evil grin. "Anything is better than Gajeel's singing, and if we try that at the Guild he will sing."
"Juvia agrees with Gray-sama!"
"I vote club too, I need some fresh meat." Cana gave me an evil smirk and a wink.
"I want to check the club out, it sounds different." Levy gave me a small smile like she was apologizing for something.
"I'm all for the club." Lisanna cheered.
"I don't care either way." Erza turned her attention to the last three adults.
"I'll go so long as you bring Lucy-sama." Yukino was such a little trader.
"I'm too young to go aren't I?" Wendy focused on the table, taking her last bite of cake.
"I wouldn't let you go even if you were old enough." Carla the voice of reason as always.
"I have no objection." I turned my head, not expecting Rogue to agree. He was still reading, acting as if nothing in the world phased him.
"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Cana chuckled and leaned over to whisper something in Erza's ear. I could feel the chill run up my spine as they looked back at me; that look meant doom. "Fine, we'll check out the club. You'd probably drag me there anyway."
"Damn straight." Cana took a swig of her canteen, before cracking her knuckles. "You need an ego boost girly, and we're gonna make sure you get it."
Half an hour later I was sitting on my bed, as Cancer worked on my hair. Erza and Cana had made me wash first then took turns making sure I didn't escape as they showered. Yukino looked sympathetic as she tugged on one of my less revealing outfits.
Lisanna had taken the liberty of raiding my closet for everyone except Erza. It was nice that we all had similar body types, but I was afraid that Yukino might stretch my blouse a little to much.
"Are you sure this is appropriate?" I twisted in the mirror, as Cancer moved on to the next girl. "I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb."
It was a dress I had never had the occasion to wear, I didn't really even remember buying the little black number at all. The whole garment hugged my curves in just the right way, the silk of the the under skirt felt like a second skin. I loved the way the sheer over coat shimmered like stars on an inky blue back ground. The pin keeping it all together was a gold star, positioned just under my bust line.
My hair hung down around my shoulders for the most part, with a small mass of curls secured with bobby-pins on top of my head. Cancer had even added small gems so that I sparkled even more.
I liked it, but thought it might be a bit much for a club.
"Calm down and enjoy this." All of a sudden Cana was far scarier than Erza had ever been.
"You're planning something aren't you?" She rolled her eyes at my question, and handed me a pair of silver dangling stars to replace my normal heart earrings.
It wasn't like I could get out of it now, not when Erza had pulled out her favorite casino gown. I sighed, resigning myself to the idea that it was going to be a very long night.
"Alright, everyone is dressed, so lets head to the guild. I'm sure Juvia and Levy should be there by now." Erza grabbed my arm, intent on dragging me along.
This was not how I expected to spend my night, but I couldn't be angry when my friends were trying so hard to take my mind off of everything else.
When we made it to the guild, I was pushed through the doors tripping over the heel of my shoe. I was ready for the fall but I ran into a very startled Freed instead.
"Miss. Lucy, are you alright?" His cheeks were burning as he pulled his face off of my chest.
"Yes, I'm fine." I smiled at him before letting go of the arm that propped me up. "Thanks for the save."
I watched as he excused himself, practically running to the second floor. Cana wrapped her arm around my shoulder, humming proudly.
"Poor Freed, looks like he might have a nose bleed." Cana sang in my ear.
"You're evil." I hissed at her, knowing full well she had pushed me on purpose. I noted the heads turning in our direction, but tried my best to ignore everyone other than my close friends.
"You know it! Now, let's get the pregame on, I could use a drink. How about you Erza?" The red head on my other side nodded her two women picked me up carrying me to the bar, my feet dragging across the floor.
"What, Erza!?" I hadn't pegged her for a traitor.
"Mira, we need some drinks over here!" Erza called over the bar. My girlfriends filed in around me, and Mira gave a grin that told me she was in on it now.
"Don't go easy on her either Mira-Nii."
"Come on guys, I don't want to be drunk." I turned in the chair ready to plead my case, but realized quickly that I was fighting a losing battle.
"Drink." It was a command, not a suggestion, and I wasn't brave enough to tell Erza no tonight.
"Why are we drinking before the club?" Yukino tried to whisper from two seats down, a shot glass of her own pressed to her lips.
"Because we can?" Levy giggled at the look of disbelief on Yukino's face. "Don't worry, we're all pretty happy drunks, Lucy even gets flirty from time to time."
I rolled my eyes; this was the stupidest plan ever. Drinking wasn't going to solve my problem, and I would be damned if I kept silent about my dislike of their plan.
"There are better ways to go about this." I hissed. "Healthier ways."
"Yeah there are, but this is going to be more fun." Lisanna leaned against the bar placing her empty glass down as she spoke. "Family takes care of their own, we want to help you. If we all have to get trashed in the process, then so be it."
"Are you all conspiring against me then?" I looked around, they were all nodding. "You are all evil." I took a deep breath and took the bottle from Mira's hand. "Fine, but I'm doing this my way." Cana cheered as I drank, emptying the rest of the bottle.
"You didn't have to drink the whole thing." Levy teased.
"I wanted to." I gave her a lopsided grin. "Mira can I have another."
"That's my girl!" Cana patted my back proudly. "Keep this up and one day we could have a real contest."
We both settled in as Mira gave us our next round.
"I doubt that, drinking half as much as you would kill a normal person." She laughed again.
"You were keeping up pretty well last night. I was honestly surprised that you aren't hung over." Mira took that as a cue to fill my glass again.
"Who said I'm not?" I raised an amused eyebrow in her direction.
"Must have slept it off, she didn't get out of bed till noon." Yukino sang, tattling on me.
"Was someone having a good dream then?" Lisanna teased.
Mira was on top of everyone's drinks, making sure no one had an empty glass for long, so needless to say I was already feeling the effects. I knew I shouldn't think about the previous night, because I couldn't put up my barriers against the fear when I was tipsy.
"What, me? No, I was just tired. Um, Let's go check out this club already. I wanna see why you are so excited." I took the last shot in front of me with a sigh and slammed the empty glass on the bar. Slowly I got to my feet, fixing the hem of my dress as I spun around, and came face to face with the last person I wanted to see.
"Lucy."
I found myself holding my breath as he stood there staring at me. No one moved, and my world began to slow down around me. He opened his mouth ready to say something, but I didn't let him get a word out. My anger was burning again thanks to the alcohol rushing through my veins. I would regret it later, but my body wasn't listening anymore, the time to let him know just how much he had hurt me was here.
"Move aside." The words came out harsh and cold, and I'm sure the look on my face reflected that. "I have no desire to talk to you." He made no effort to listen to my words as his eyes traveled up and down, inspecting my outfit. It made me uncomfortable, and I didn't know why.
"Please, I just need a minute."
"I said, move." I made an attempt to side step him, but his hand shot out and grabbed at my wrist.
"Let me explain; I'll beg if I have to." I knew that if he continued, I would be dragged back in. I didn't want that; all I wanted was to walk out that door and forget all the heart ache. I had a burning to rip my hand away and slap him, but I held the impulse back.
"You could have explained weeks ago, but you didn't. You blew your chance, Natsu." I took a deep breath, steeling my nerve. "I've spent the whole time trying to rationalize it, trying to make excuses for you, but I'm done. Nothing you say can change my mind, I'm finished with what ever this was. I am absolutely finished with you."
His grasp tightened painfully around my tender skin, a glint of anger making his already deep green eyes nearly black. My hand reached for the garter on my thigh, a reflex I had developed through the years of fighting by his side, moving over to rest on my whip. I was a breath away from doing just that when the door opened. Gray was standing there with a pleased smile, Rogue by his side wearing one of Gray's more formal button down tops, and loose pants. It only took a moment before they noticed Natsu, and his grip on my arm.
"I had my reasons for doing things this way." He nearly growled it at me, making me want to step back but I held my ground, wincing as his hand began to heat up around my wrist. "Why won't you just listen?"
"There is no reason I will accept for being left in that manner!" I could feel the chill run through me of his hand start to burn me. "I said let me GO." I had my whip in hand now, poised to strike.
I never got the chance, as a blur of black sent Natsu flying. Natsu must have let go to try defending himself against the blow, because I remained where I was.
Blink.
What the hell just happened?
"You ok Lucy?" Gray asked as he put a hand delicately around my injured wrist; I nodded to his question, not trusting my voice just yet.
"That bastard just burned you!?" My mind processed that Loki was there but it was already moving on to the next astonishing image.
Rogue had his eyes fixed on Natsu as Mira dragged his limp body out of view, fists still clenched. Cana called out that Mira should 'Drown his sorry ass in the pool' from her seat, even offering her service if necessary. My attention wasn't on my brunette friend though, as I watched the faint traces of Rogue's shadows retreating. Slowly his anger dialed back, and the calm returned to his eyes, and he turned to look at me. I had been caught staring I realized, and forced myself to focus on my other two rescuers finding my voice once more, even if it was weaker than I had hoped.
"I'm fine now, thanks for the help." I gave them a shaky smile, trying to defuse a little of the tension.
"Will you let me beat some sense into him, now?" Loki pleaded, we had been on poor terms for a while, since he disapproved of my affections for the fire mage. It had gotten so bad that we agreed that I wouldn't summon him for a while.
"Rogue took care of that." Gray gave an approving smile at the other man.
"I guess I owe you my gratitude then." Loki gave a forced smile, one that meant he was uncomfortable about something.
"No need." He put a hand on my head for the briefest of moments, with a small smile on his face. "So long as Lucy is ok that's all that matters."
I was sure my cheeks were on fire, because I felt like I was going to melt. I let the feeling wash over me, enjoying every second of it.
He smiled at me.
"Hey, Lucy I think you can put your whip away now." Cana chuckled as she laid a hand on my shoulder. "Mira's got it under control."
"Oh, y-yeah." I quickly stored it back under the fabric of my dress, glad that I could hide my face long enough to force my blush to calm down.
"I'm proud of you." Erza was beaming as she placed her hand on my other shoulder. "That display took a lot of courage."
"He won't be bothering us again tonight." Lisanna joined the group. "He'd have to be suicidal with the Lucy protection squad on duty!."
"Don't tease her so bad Lisanna." Levy chirped happily. "That's my job!"
Somewhere off in the distance I heard a wail from Juvia, obviously displeased that Gray was still holding my wrist.
"Let's not let that bastard ruin our night." Gray offered his arm with a smile once he was satisfied with the thin ice bracelet he had made to coat my burn. "You coming Loki?"
Loki gave a grin befitting his title of womanizer, as he offered his arm on my other side. "Of course, I am."
"Right, lets go have some fun." I looped my arms through both of my friend's allowing them to steer me towards the exit.
"You look great by the way." Gray patted my hand affectionately.
"Great? My Mistress puts the stars to shame with her radiance!" Loki was posturing, knowing it would make me feel better.
I laughed, and laid my head onto Gray's shoulder whispering a thank you to the both of them. Juvia followed just behind, a menacing cloud hovering over her as she chanted 'Love Rival' over and over.
I decided to ignore her tonight.
"Don't wait up!" Loki called as Mira came back to the bar, lightly dusting off her gown.
"Take good care of our girls." She sent a smile and a wave.
"Well well, this looks promising." Levy hopped off her chair ready to catch up. "Come on Yukino, this is going to be entertaining."
The rest of the gang filed out, chasing after me, chatting happily with each other. I listened to Loki attempt to tell a joke, as we walked, laughing even though his punch line wasn't very funny. Every so often I threw a glace behind, watching my friends from Sabertooth chatting with my friends from Fairy Tail. The calm and comfortable way they were interacting was more than enough to settle the last of my nerves.
We were going to have fun tonight, and I'd make sure of it.
It took a good ten minutes to reach the club's entrance, where a fairly long line had formed. The bouncer took one look at our group, before beckoning us to the front of the line. "Who would have guessed all the pretty ladies of Fairy Tail would come on the same night?" He chuckled letting us through the velvet rope.
"Aren't you lucky?" I cooed as I took my escorts into the establishment, I was feeling so much better now. Levy giggled like a school girl behind me, apparently amused by my attitude.
"Our little Lucy is back." Erza declared while she patted Cana on the shoulder with a smile.
"Lucy-sama is so calm, how is that possible?" Yukino turned to Rogue who didn't seem to be interested in what she was saying, since his eyes were focused on something in the distance.
"Told ya." Levy danced around happily as we took over a large part of the V.I.P. section, secured thanks to Erza. "This is the way Lucy was when she first joined the Guild, before The Games." Levy wasn't even trying to be quiet at this point, knowing I could hear her. "It's like the heiress in her mixed with the wild child we know the result is absolutely dazzling."
"What are you talking about, I never changed?" I turned on her with a glare.
"It doesn't matter what you think, it's what we see!" Levy sang happily. "I'm so glad I got to see you tell Natsu off!"
"Yeah, you really put him in his place." Lisanna gave me a sweet smile.
"Juvia hopes Lucy can find someone else she likes. Anyone other than Gray-sama." She glared at me, though it wasn't as intense as before..
"I have do desire to be involved with him like that, no offense Gray."
"None taken." He shot me a smile, this only fueled Juvia's misplaced aggression.
Cana settled in the seat between Juvia and Gray after having placed our first set of drink orders .
"I agree with Juvia, except you need to stop looking for boy, and start browsing available men. That was your first mistake." She chuckled.
"Again, if your trying to make me feel better, it's not working." I could see the twinkle in her eyes as she leaned toward me. "What do you have planned?"
"Take a look and tell me what you think I have planned." She swept a hand to the floor, to shift my attention to the hungry eyes that were focused on our group.
"We are here to enjoy ourselves, so please refrain from fighting." Erza gave Gray a pointed look before she turned to talk to the waitstaff again.
"I'm sticking with Loki for now." I patted Gray on the back. "You go play with Juvia, she looks lonely."
"Throwing me to the wolves after I helped save your butt. You really are cruel Lucy." He whined as I kicked him the short distance to the water mage.
"Ah so I get you all to myself then?" Loki practically purred into my ear. I shivered against my will as I pushed the lion spirit away playfully.
"Not going to happen, you're a great friend and all, but I despise playboys." He was pouting at me now, one hand resting on my knee. "I know you're itching to go over there and talk to that red head." He followed my line of sight, and I could tell I was right.
"You are too damn perceptive for your own good." He teased.
"You've been watching her since we got here." I rolled my eyes at him. "Thank you for your help, you've earned a judgement free night." I gave him a sweet smile, taking my drink from the waitress with a thank you.
"If you need me, just call." I waved him off, shifting my focus to the stage.
The house lights went down, and the band came back onto the stage. As the music started to fill the air, I let myself relax. I began to lose myself in its steady rhythm, listening to the lyrics as I sipped my drink. People in the main area were dancing, letting loose as the low lights of the club changed color. The atmosphere itself was intoxicating, and I wanted more.
"Right, I'm going down, who else is coming?" Cana called to the group. I was on my feet before my mind processed what I was doing, moving over to my friend with a sense of purpose.
"I want to go." I saw my friend's brown eyes light up with excitement. "Lead the way, Cana."
We bobbed and weaved our way to the center of the crowded room, hips swaying in time with the music. I had never been allowed to dance like this when I lived with my father. Everything I did was regal and poised, that was the expectation of the Heartfilia Heiress. This was messy and playful, and in Cana's case bordering on inappropriate.
I had never allowed myself to be this free, moving in time to the music, not caring who sees. This was a feeling I had never known I was craving. It was far beyond intoxicating, I dare say I was quickly becoming addicted to it.
My mind was blank for a long time, just allowing myself to be. I ignored everything else around me, closing my eyes so I could focus solely on these feelings. I found that the ache in my heart was nothing more than a murmur.
I took a moment to look inward, to search myself for an answer as to why. It didn't take long to pin it down, it was a realization that Natsu and I were no longer right for each other, the thought that maybe we had never been right for each other.
I wanted someone who would look at me as more than just someone to protect. I wanted to be with someone who wanted to share the burden with me, not take my burden to carry as his own. I needed people to acknowledge my strengths and my weaknesses, and then embrace them along side me, especially those closest to me.
The events of the final Grand Magic Games had changed both of us, and without realizing it, we had walked down two very separate paths.
He taken two years and a letter to tell me this, that the death of my other self was what drove his actions. I knew somewhere that he hadn't meant to confuse me, that his only intent was to keep me safe. He was scared of losing someone who was so close to him again. He didn't act that way because he had special feeling for me, to him I was no different than Lisanna or Erza. I had come to terms with this after my conversation with Cana, and seeing how foolish I had been.
I was left only with my anger for how long he allowed me to believe he had interest when he held none, and for the years that I had spent in his pursuit only to have my hopes crushed in such a dramatic fashion.
Couldn't he have simply just said, "Lucy, I don't feel that way about you." Give me his goofy smile and continue "But your still my best friend!" I would have accepted that, and moved on with life. He had to make me feel like there was something wrong with me by refusing to say it to my face. He had to run away, so he didn't have to look me in the eye. I let the last remnants of anger bubble up to the surface, channeling them into singing out the lyrics of the song that was playing.
Let it all go, so that you can move forward.
I was done grieving over the loss of my first crush, because that's all it was, a crush on a boy I admired more than I had ever anticipated.
"Cana, I understand it now." I twisted to look at my friend, ignoring the stranger who was grinding her back side. "I can move forward without a problem now." She laughed at me.
"Of course you can. You are Fairy Tail's Lucy Heartfilia, proud and strong! The devil himself can't stop you."
"Damn straight! I'm going to enjoy myself, no regrets!" I was smiling, bright and full of life.
The song ended, and a slower tempo started up in it's place. Cana took the opportunity to switch partners, unsatisfied with the last one's performance.
"I want another drink, be back soon!" I gave her a wink and made my way back to our sitting area.
"Lu-chan you are too cute." Levy's cheeks were bright red now, as she jumped up, wrapping her arms around my waist.
"Why is that?" I grabbed the fresh drink from our waitress with a grateful smile.
"You had guys tapping your shoulder to dance with you, and you ignored them all." She dissolved into a fit of giggles, and I put her back in her seat. "Don't you know that means they think you're yummy?"
"I think this fairy has hit her limit." Yukino offered as she sipped her own drink, a healthy pink coating her own cheeks. "You lot really do have a high tolerance though." Her voice was steeped in wonder as I finished my drink and called for another.
"Don't you know that Fairy Tail is full of drunks and delinquents? I thought that was common knowledge!" I was sure my smile was lopsided as I took the next drink; I finished that one in a single go. "Come dance with me, Yuki-chan, you need to have more fun!"
She yelped as I pulled her up to join me.
"Do your best Lu-chan, Yuki-chan!" Levy cheered from her spot on the couch.
"Don't fall asleep Levy-chan or I'll tell Mr. I'm so Badass that you like it when he makes you dress in the bunny suit!" She laughed, leaning heavily on Rogue's side.
"I'm not a pillow." He gently pushed her back to the other side.
"Silly Lu-chan, stop teasing me or I'll tell him you're the one who enjoys the bunny suit!" Yukino was laughing along with her now.
"Not as much as you like it." I stuck my tongue out at her. In all honesty I was starting to worry about leaving her in that state, she could do something stupid. "You are drunk, Miss McGarden." I pointed my finger in her direction. "You're rather intimidating Teddy bear of a boyfriend would not be pleased." I scrunched my nose trying to think straight. "I would like to keep our pleasant relationship so I am sending you home!"
She made a face at me, grumbling that she wasn't that drunk. I fought to keep a straight face at her antics as I summoned Virgo.
"Don't ask for punishment, I just need you to take Levy back to the guild and hand her off to Gajeel." She agreed, throwing the very angry faced Levy over her shoulder before taking her towards the exit. "Now that we've taken care of that problem." I wrapped my hand around the dark haired Sabertooth mage's wrist and pulled him to his feet. "We can't leave Mr. Doom and Gloom all alone can we Yuki-chan?"
"Of course not!" She sang happily clapping her hands.
"What are you doing?" He wasn't exceedingly happy, and that made me frown at him. I tugged harder, wrapping his arm with my own so that he couldn't escape.
"Having fun with my friends!" I grabbed Yukino again and dragged the two with me into the fray. "It's more fun when we're all together."