A bit of filler and stuff before the real stuff happens. ErLu happens in this story, I promise!
Disclaimer: I don't own FT
The month before the battle was filled with activity.
The Magic Council took the decision to evacuate all citizens from the major towns that had yet to be attacked, setting them up in camps built on the ruins of destroyed towns. This created much upset, but was seen as necessary by the higher powers to keep the citizens of Fiore out of trouble. Protective runes had been cast around these designated areas as an extra security measure; a prediction on where the enemy would attack was never truly safe. Only the guild members willing to fight (which was many) remained in the cities to protect all they could. Those who did not wish to be on the front line were to help guard and police the citizens.
In Fairy Tail, Lucy learnt a lot more about the guild's history and the recent battles the mages had faced. She was awestruck by the tales of the Tower of Heaven, the utter defeat of the Oracion Seis, but most notably the redemption of Gajeel and Juvia, who were now settled and happy in Fairy Tail. Hearing about Erza's past had brought her to tears as the Requip mage opened up to her in private, feeling particularly strained under the pressure of being the world's knight that day. Indeed it was not only Erza that had a sad past; most of the guild members had been vagabonds when they joined, looking for a family. Lucy almost felt out-of-place in this respect. Her story did not seem to compare to others.
She sat with Levy in her room at Fairy Hills, admiring the collection of books. The two had struck a deep friendship during Lucy's time with the guild.
"You should have a pair of these," Levy said, offering Lucy a pair of Gale-Force Reading Glasses, "I have lots of spares, and you said you lost yours on your journeys."
"Thank you Levy-chan," Lucy responded gratefully, taking the glasses and hooking them onto the front of her shirt, "I'm sure they'll be useful when I can get into my novels again."
"Do you think things will return to normal soon?" Levy asked, "I hope this battle doesn't last for a long time."
"Me too," Lucy agreed, "but I don't think it will. Erza will kill Moros quickly, then all the demons should die."
Levy giggled, "You have a crush, don't you?"
Lucy blushed, suddenly finding her hands interesting. "Is it that noticeable?"
Levy shook her head, "No, I just pay attention to detail, Lu-chan."
"I've tried to push my feelings back but I can't. There's something about her that I can't resist," the blonde admitted. Was it the strength in her stance? Her endless beauty? Her indomitable spirit? Lucy reckoned it was all three, and more.
"Did you know Erza-san likes novels that are a little... naughty?" Levy revealed, traitorous glint in her eye. This made Lucy flush further.
"R-really? That's surprising," she responded to the knowledge, trying hard to not let her mind drift. Changing the subject, she asked, "are you going to be fighting?"
"Yes," The blue-haired mage replied, "usually I'm not much of a fighter, but I can do my best for the good of the world."
"I'll do my best too," Lucy said, "I don't know why, but I just have this feeling that everything is going to end okay."
"All this rests on Erza-san. I wonder how she's coping," The younger girl said, thinking of the pressure laid thick on Erza's young shoulders.
"When this ends, I'm going to tell her how I feel," Lucy swore, smiling with affection for Erza. "I don't want to burden her with it now."
"Ex-quip!" Erza said, changing to her Flame Empress armour to stave off some of (fully recovered) Natsu's flames. Cutting through his roar, her sword slammed straight into the hard, dry mud, the dragon slayer barely dodging the attack. Swiftly equipping her Flight armour, she lunged after him, this time managing to land a solid kick against his ribs. From the corner of her eye she saw several spikes of ice heading straight for her. With ease, she sidestepped the attack, jumping at Gray with her arms outstretched.
"Time for a break!" Mirajane called, carrying a plate of drinks. Erza wiped her forehead, panting heavily as she equipped a bikini to cool down. She, Natsu and Gray had spent the large majority of their time training against each other to hone their skills. By the time Erza returned to her room at Fairy Hills each night, Lucy was blissfully fast asleep. Erza had resorted to sleeping on the sofa, not wanting to wake up the blonde girl. This meant that they only saw each other for fleeting moments, but Erza looked forward to them each day.
"You should have a day to rest," Mira suggested as the Requip mage took a long drink of lemonade, "Lucy-san has been asking about you. She says you're always gone by the time she wakes up."
"I need to do this training," Erza replied, "the fate of Earthland is up to me. I cannot waste a second."
"You're already skilled, Erza-san," Mira pressed, "besides, training can't reflect what you'll face and it won't show what you're capable of. Are you sure you aren't hiding from something?"
"Positive." Erza mumbled in reply, knowing full well she was partly training so hard to avoid the blonde. The urge to draw the girl into her arms and kiss her was becoming unbearable. It was hard enough for her in the evenings, where she would see Lucy sleeping soundly, and her body would burn with the longing to give the girl a goodnight kiss on the forehead. Sometimes she gave in to this longing, unable to resist.
"You should spend the rest of the day with her," Gray suggested, "she's obviously worried about you."
"And then maybe you could spend some time with Juvia," Mira teased, seeing his face drop.
"Where is Lucy?" Erza asked, "Maybe I can take her for coffee."
"Like a date?" Happy said, "You liiike her."
Erza smiled shyly, "I am many things, but a liar isn't one. Lucy is a very beautiful girl. Not a date though, Happy, we're just friends."
"She is with Levy at Fairy Hills," Evergreen said, walking to where they were, Elfman in tow. "I saw them together when I came out. Better make your move quick, or Levy will be in there before you."
The red-haired mage chose to ignore that snide remark, despite how much she wanted to throttle Evergreen, instead heading for the Fairy Hills dormitories.
"Oh, hello Erza-san!" Levy greeted upon opening her door to the sight of Erza Scarlet.
"I was wondering if I may spend some time with Lucy, though I don't want to interrupt your time together," Erza said kindly. Levy simply shook her head, smiling. Feeling slightly devious and wanting to speed up the trudging process that was the two getting together, she concocted a plan in her head.
"She's just in the bathroom brushing her hair," Levy said, thinking quickly on the spot, knowing that Lucy was in fact probably getting out of the shower, the two having just returned from the beach, "go straight in, she'll be happy to see you!"
Erza gave Levy her thanks and entered the room, still astounded by the amount of books that dominated it. Turning the handle of the door leading to the bathroom, she nearly dropped dead when she opened it.
"E-Erza!" Lucy screamed in shock, towel falling. Erza could not look away, transfixed at the naked beauty in front of her, Lucy desperately trying to cover her modesty. She felt her face -and body- heat up as she returned to reality, still unable to turn away from the spectacle. Neither of them noticed Levy slip out of the room, or her loud chortles as she left the building completely.
"Stop looking!" Lucy ordered, throwing the nearest object - a bottle of shampoo - at the young woman, striking her in the forehead. This made Erza snap out of her daze, stumbling backwards and slamming the door shut.
"S-Sorry, L-Lucy!" She stuttered, heart rate through the roof, "Levy said I could go straight in."
When Lucy emerged a minute later, she was fully dressed and looking incredibly uncomfortable.
"I just wanted to take you for coffee, we haven't spent much time together. I'm sorry, I should have knocked first." Erza explained, her face sweating slightly. She internally sighed in relief when Lucy smiled.
"It's okay, it was an accident, right? I'd love to go for coffee right now," she said, 'yes, Levy. It was an accident, wasn't it?'
"Where is Levy?" Erza asked, only now noticing the avid reader was missing.
"I don't know. I hope she's okay," Lucy replied, narrowing her eyes, 'because she sure as hell won't be when I get my hands on her.'
"Perhaps she just had some business to attend to," Erza offered, holding her arm out to the blonde. "I'm sure she's fine."
'You're so oblivious when it comes to the most obvious things,' Lucy thought, linking her own arm with Erza's as they left, smiling at the Requip mage.