Yuletide Lessons

Chapter 5

December 15th


Presents, he was dreading the day they would go out and shop for gifts. Not because he didn't want to or anything, more like he had no clue what to give Lucy that would tell her just how much she means to him. He paced the floor endlessly in their hotel room night after night racking his brain for a gift she would not only like but would mean something, but what? The answer came to him in the form of an innocent question from his exceed.

"Fro wants to get Lucy a nice gift. Do you think Happy would know what to get her?"

Rogue froze in place and tilted his head as he gazed at Frosch in contemplation. Would Happy know what to get her? Or for that matter maybe Natsu would, or Gray or even Erza. They were all really close being in a tight knit team so perhaps he could get some insights as to what to get her.

He smiled gently as Fro hovered near his face. "That's a good idea. How about we go visit her team and ask them together?"

"Yay, Fro gets to see Happy!" She shouted as they walked towards the guild hall. Rogue pushed open the doors and immediately had to duck as a body went sailing past, chuckling he stood up and barely managed to get out of the way as Gray barreled out the door.

"Seems everything is rather lively here as usual. Since that sounded like Natsu disguised as a human bullet and Gray went after him, so I need to find… aha!" His gaze locked onto his target sitting at the bar talking to the barmaid and started in their direction barely catching the tail end of their conversation.

"You'd think those two would get tired of picking fights with each other by now." Mira mused.

"I do believe they've fought for so long that they can't help it any longer. Almost as if the day wouldn't be right without their fists flying at the other." She turned to regard the new comer with curiosity. "Hello Rogue, what brings you here this morning? I believe Lucy isn't due to show up for another couple of hours."

"Hey Rogue, what can I getcha? Anything to eat?" Mira asked leaning on the bar top with a smile on her face.

Rogue shook his head and faltered being the center of their intense stares and almost knowing smirks. It was like they knew he wanted to ask them something important, something about Lucy and they weren't going to make this easy on him.

"Fro, Rogue! How ya doin'?!" Happy shouted as he plopped on the bar with a paw raised.

"Happy!" Fro squealed launching herself across the bar and tackling the exceed with enthusiasm. They ended up sprawled against the wall in a heap of laughter and Happy immediately launched into their teams latest adventures.

"Looks like someone missed Happy," Mira mused and then turned back to Rogue with a raised brow. "So, what can we do for you today Rogue?"

He shifted his weight as he tried to think of how to ask the question without raising suspicion. He didn't want anyone spoiling the surprise he had for the blond.

"I suppose this is about Lucy, am I correct?" Erza inquired, crossing her arms.

He nodded.

"Well go ahead and ask then, we know her better than anyone." Mira said proudly, bouncing in place in excitement.

He scratched the back of his neck and shifted again, his eyes darting between the two women's nervously. "W-well you see, in a few days we are supposed to go gift shopping and I..." He faltered, looking lost.

"You wish to give her something very special, but have no idea as to what to get her, correct?" Erza finished for him.

Surprised he nodded again.

Mira giggled at his expression. "Well, we are sort of like her family so we're understandably protective of her and when you first started coming around we figured it had to be for some reason. It didn't take a genius to figure out why either." She winked at him and giggled as he flushed.

Erza turned fully and leveled a truly intimidating stare at him. "We know you feel something for our Lucy and at first we weren't going to let anything happen between you two because of your guilds treatment of her in the past, but your actions have thus far convinced us that your intentions are pure. And Lucy does not hold you responsible for past incidents with your guild, so I trust her judgment." She leaned in closer, making him gulp hard. "Don't make me rethink that decision."

He nodded with a small, "Yes ma'am."

Her expression relaxed as she leaned back and plopped a hand on his shoulder with a smile.

"Good, now that that's out of the way let's hear your ideas for a gift for her."

He relaxed somewhat and crossed his arms in thought. "Well, I've never really given anyone a gift before, except Frosch." He pointed out. "But those were all little kids things, nothing for a grown woman."

"So in other words you have no idea what to give her, right?" Mira asked.

"Unfortunately, no," He bowed his head in shame.

"Well that's alright, that's what we are here for right, Erza?"

"Indeed. Now let's see what does she like." Erza tilted her head back to think.

"Well, we know she likes to take baths, so perhaps some frilly bath products?" Mira offered.

"Hmm while she might like those, they aren't exactly special and I'm assuming you want this to be extra special, am I right?"

"Yes I do." He put on his most determined face and squared his shoulders. "Lucy means a lot to me and I want this gift to convey that I wish to be with her."

"That's a tall order for a gift." Erza said dryly, turning to look at a mystified Mira. "Is there such a gift?

Mira shook her baby induced hallucinations and nodded. "We will do our best to think up a suitable gift for her Rogue, you can count on us." She leaned over the bar and whispered. "Just don't tell any of the boys, they can't keep a secret for the life of them."

Erza paused taking a sip of her tea and looked thoughtful. "Yes, there's that and I don't think they would be too happy hearing their precious teammate whom they consider a sister, is being pursued by anyone."

Rogue frowned. "Do they not let her date then?" He wondered if they would be another obstacle in his way.

Mira bit her lip and nodded as she twisted her hands in her apron looking towards the guild doors. "Well you see, we're all very protective of her, but those two guys are the worst." She stressed. "And there's been so many odd..." She faltered.

"Creepy, weird, most ungentlemanly men approach her." Erza finished for her.

Mira nodded. "Yeah, so she's had a lot of men approach her and if they don't like the looks of them they automatically chase them away, but its gotten so bad lately that even if a guy looks her way it sends them off the deep end."

"Any guy at all? What about guys they know? Like say for instance someone in the guild?" He asked.

"Well." They both started, sharing a look. "They seem to be more lenient towards guys in our guild, but not by much."

"I believe," Erza stated. "That it's a question of someone being able to not only protect her and cherish her, but," Her gaze locked onto his. "For someone to stand up to them and defend their feelings for her. I believe that in their mind if someone doesn't stand by their feelings and hold firm then they aren't the one for her."

"I think you're right Erza." Mira interjected. "Her team is like her family so if they were to ever give her away willingly it would be to someone willing to lay down their own life for her."

Erza nodded. "I agree with their thinking in that. So to that extent Rogue, are you willing to lay down your life for hers?"

He didn't even have to think on the answer. "I would gladly do so in a heartbeat." He replied smoothly with conviction.

Both women smiled. "Good, very good Rogue. Now you only need to convince those two of the same and we have an idea how to do that, but first her gift."


Lucy opened her door and discovered a package sitting on her stair. She picked it up and examined the tag just as Rogue and Fro came up the stairs and spotted her.

"Morning Lucy." Rogue says studying her face as she turned the package this way and that.

"Hiya Lucy!" Fro shouts. "What's that?"

"Hey guys! Looks like I've got an early Christmas present, but I have no clue who it's from." She frowned and turned to go back into her kitchen as they followed close behind.

"What does the tag say?" Rogue asked curiously.

"It just says open me."

"Well then open it Lucy!" Fro shouted.

Lucy bit her lips uncertainly and turned her gaze to Rogue. "You think I should? I mean I have no clue who it's from and it could be dangerous."

Rogue looked thoughtful at it for a moment. "Let me see it for a moment Lucy." She handed the package to him and shook it a little and gently sniffed at it, before handing it back with a shrug.

"I can smell nothing dangerous and it doesn't sound like anything bad, so go ahead, see what's inside."

Still looking uncertain she nodded and gently unwrapped the package, finding a box. Very slowly she pried the lid off and peered inside and gasped, the most beautiful scarf she'd ever seen peeked back up at her. She lifted it out of the box and wrapped it around her only noticing a piece of paper on the bottom of the box, she picked it up examining it.

"Hmm it looks like a page out of a book, odd." She murmured absently.

"What does it say?" Rogue asked peering closer as Fro hovered nearby.

Her eyes widened and a blush spread across her cheeks before she answered. "It says, 'For those cold and lonely nights use this to keep you warm knowing I wish it was my arms holding you so tight'. "

Rogue looked thoughtful at the gift while Lucy couldn't believe she'd gotten such a thing. She had a secret admirer and knew her taste well. But even as the warm feeling bloomed in her chest at the endearing words she couldn't help but feel guilty because her heart belonged to someone else. And that someone didn't really seemed bothered that she essentially had just gotten a love letter from a stranger.

'Maybe, maybe I haven't been forward enough. Maybe he doesn't know that I like him like that.' She wondered as Fro gushed about the pretty scarf and Rogue smiled softly at the cat's wonderment. 'Perhaps I need to be more aggressive.' She nodded to herself and tucked the page into a folder on her desk. Lucy had a feeling that wouldn't be the only present she was going to get and wondered what else was in store for her, who it was sending them to her and just how she was going to let them down easy. After all, her heart belonged to this quiet young man, and she was determined to make him see that they could be together.

Slowly she formed a plan to initiate more contact between the two as they spent more time together. "Alright, how about we go shopping today? I've got a few gifts to get."

"Have you figured out what to give to whom?" He asked.

"Well Master thought it would be better for us to shop for our own teams, that way we wont go broke shopping for everyone and I doubt I could think up gifts for everyone or afford something like that."

He nodded. "That makes sense."

"I think Master gives everyone something anyways so no matter what everyone will get something. So I've got to get four, no six gifts this year."

Rogue frowned and tilted his head. "But you only have five people on your team and I doubt you will get yourself a present, so who are the extra two for?"

Lucy turned away and pulled on her coat and mittens as she made her way to the door.

"That my dear Rogue, is a Christmas secret." She winked at him as they made their way into town.

"Fro wonders if they are for us." She whispered into Rogues ear, but the blonde heard anyway and laughed.

"Could be Fro, could be." She said mysteriously.


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