Capricorn answered the phone as monotone as ever, despite it being midnight. "Miss Lucy? What's the matter?"
Lucy huffed as she ran through the back alleys of the pub. She was lost, again. "I found out why my father needs Don so bad. It has nothing to do with industry domination." Had she passed that door before? She stopped running, taking a minute to catch her breath and look around.
"Miss Lucy, whatever do you mean? That's been his and Alyssa's goal for—"
"Exactly, Capricorn." That alley looked the most familiar. She took off at a much slower pace. "His and Alyssa's. I just had like an hour long conversation with my dad, and apparently Alyssa's been running the show for a while now. She's got control over both companies, and my dad needs out. But he can't do that with the risk of Alyssa exposing what they've been doing for the past ten years, so he's hoping that Don can give him something good enough to keep her quiet."
Capricorn hummed thoughtfully on the other end. "That's most interesting, Miss Lucy. That clears up a lot of his actions, honestly. His ambitions were lofty, but where he's at is a whole new level." Lucy didn't respond, as she had started running when she heard the cheers of entertained drunkards. "Is that all he said?"
Lucy huffed and slowed down enough to talk. "That's—the gist of it," she got out, her breath coming out in short gasps. She was glad she was wearing flats. "He basically just explained to me the surface level of what's going on, because he has no idea I know what you've told me." Capricorn hummed again.
"Well, okay, Miss Lucy. I'll be seeing you—"
"Wait, Capricorn, there's one more thing." Lucy looked around the pub's lot quickly. Natsu was normally outside waiting for her, but he had no idea she was out here. She'd have to protect herself until she made it inside. "Jacob saw me with Natsu earlier, he called a raid on the pub. He has video footage of us, but I had a plan and I don't think my father believes him. But what are the odds of Alyssa blindly believing her son?"
Capricorn was very quiet, and Lucy's heart pounded. 'Please say she won't,' Lucy prayed.
"She isn't the blindly believing type, fortunately. Put yourself and Jude in that situation; would he believe you despite the evidence?"
Lucy thought for a minute; her father had always believed in her, but only based upon his own beliefs and faith in her. But if she had concrete proof, would he still believe her?
"I don't think he would, but I'm going to be careful anyway. I don't trust her."
She could practically hear Capricorn's small smile. "I think that's smart, Miss Lucy. I'll see you soon."
Lucy nodded, smiling too. "Okay, Capricorn. Thanks." She ended the phone call and went to tackle the biggest problem on her plate.
/
Lucy sometimes grew tired of how loud and packed Don's place was. There was always the same stench of beer, blood, and perfume; always the same ear-shattering buzz in the air. She never walked through the crowd untouched. And in the mood she was in, it was honestly the last place she wanted to be.
But she had to talk to Natsu. It had only been a few hours, but she couldn't let him think she meant it. She shouldn't have even said it, as it did no good for convincing Jacob of her innocence. Tears stung her eyes as she remembered his face on the computer screen, shocked and betrayed. And she said it for nothing.
She hiccuped over a sob, and quickly maneuvered through the crowd toward a wall. She let the tears go down her face for a minute, hoping letting it go would help her get over it sooner. There was no point in crying over it now, she just had to fix it. But it didn't stop her heart from feeling like it would crack, or his face replaying through her mind like a broken record.
She felt a presence next to her, and she turned her head to see an older, very drunk man eyeing her up and down unabashed. "Hey, beautiful," he slurred. Lucy flinched away from his hand reaching for her stomach, disgusted. She wiped away the tears on her face and went to tell him off, but he kept talking.
"You look pretty sad there, want me to make it better?" His hand swiped lower, and Lucy shrieked in surprise. He missed and tried again, and Lucy scrambled backwards on to the table. He lurched forward again, a creepy grin on his face now, but then suddenly he was on the floor. Lucy looked up from his crumpled body to see none other than Natsu, looking down at the old drunk with a disgusted look on his face. He looked back up at her after a second, and Lucy caught him staring at the tears dried on her face.
She sniffed and crawled off the table, crossing her arms to hide how uncomfortable she felt. "Thanks," she mumbled, not meeting his eyes. He didn't move, and Lucy looked up at him. He was staring at her, eyes flicking around like he was looking for something. She shifted, slightly embarrassed. "Natsu—?"
He moved forward so fast Lucy almost screamed again. But his arms pulled her forward into his chest, squeezing the life out of her. Lucy immediately moved her arms around his hips, feeling fresh tears start up. "Natsu, I'm so sorry—"
"'S fine, Luce," he mumbled, his arms tightening. "I get it, you did what you had to do. 'Didn't like it, but it's okay." Lucy hiccuped; she didn't deserve his kindness, but she was going to be selfish enough to keep it. He pulled back a little bit and looked down at her. "How did the bastard take the punch?"
Lucy laughed lightly, and he brushed a few tears off of her cheeks. "I heard you broke his collarbone." His grin was wicked, and Lucy laughed and buried her face in his chest again. His laugh rumbled through it, and Lucy let the ball of worry she was carrying in her chest dissolve. 'Thank God,' Lucy thought. If he hadn't…She didn't even want to think about what she'd do without him again. The last year had been enough.
But a thought occurred to her, and she looked up with a cheeky grin on her face. "So…How many poor drunks did you beat up before I got here?" The smile slipped off his face, and he looked up to the ceiling like he hadn't heard her. She giggled and poked him in the side, and he flinched back from her abuse.
The bell rang from behind Natsu, and Lucy groaned. "Are you going up now?" she asked, but it was a waste of breath. He gave her a look, like "Duh," and took off his T-shirt. Lucy snatched it from his grip before he could throw it to the side. He gave her a serious look.
"Luce, you can't keep this one. It's like my last shirt." Lucy maintained eye contact with him as she slipped it on over her tank top, and he rolled his eyes and groaned. They walked toward their table together, and he pointed his finger at her. "I mean it, Luce, I'm gonna get that one back." Lucy scoffed at his serious tone; they both knew he would be laying on the table top shirtless for the rest of the night.
He walked away pouting, and Lucy smiled to herself. The fight begun, and as she watched the dancing bodies in the ring, she caught a glimmer from Natsu's hand. She squinted to focus, and, sure enough, there it was again. 'What is that?' she wondered. Why would he have something shiny on him during a—?
A huge arc of flame curled in front of Natsu, and the crowd roared. Natsu flew into the air over it, dispelling it with his arms and crashing into his screaming opponent. The bell rang, and Lucy reeled. Did Natsu do that? Just create flames in the middle of the ring? Since when did he do that?
All these questions piled up in her head, and when he plopped down next to her without a word all she could say was "What the hell was that?"
He looked startled at her question, then his face cleared. "Oh, that? Just a trick I picked up a while back." He wagged the lighter he'd shown her, the little salamander reflecting the dim light. He didn't look her in the eye.
"Natsu," Lucy said, and he deflated. He shoved it back in his pocket and flicked his gaze back to the bar.
"Don's orders. I need to show off what I've 'learned' this last year, for a few disbelieving friends of his. Don't worry, it'll die down in a few weeks. It's fun to spook them, though." At Lucy's confused look, he threw his head to the side. "Look around, there're suits everywhere tonight. Sober as kids, too, which is a shame. Don's got the top shelf down for 'em." Lucy ignored the fact that that meant Natsu had a buzz and looked around. Sure enough, there were a few men in suits staring at them discreetly. Lucy rolled her eyes. Of course Don would show off his prize.
Natsu suddenly rocketed out of his chair, and Lucy turned to see Don standing next to their table. 'Speak of the devil,' Lucy thought. "Ms. Heartfilia, good to see you." He looked nervously behind her. "Would you mind—"
Lucy figured he'd seen what she just saw. "Don, perfect. I need to talk to you." Lucy hopped up off the table, smiling at his startled expression. "Come on, Natsu, I need your help, too." She led both men forward through the crowd, hoping she looked in control.
Because she had just seen Alyssa Cobeson walk through the door.