A/N: Me, at some point during the year: you're gonna finish this by New Years Eve.

Also me: you thought, you trick ass bitch, you thought.

This chapter was hell, I'm bad at writing confrontations man...

I hope to finish this fic this year. Possibly by June. I'm being realistic.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Seven swans a swimming...

Somewhere close to ten minutes ago, Lucy had lost all feeling in her eyeballs.

Eyeballs didn't even feel on a good day. If you blew on them they felt weird, yeah (especially from those machines at the optometrist's office), and they hurt like a fucking bitch when her mascara wand decided to go rogue, but never, in all her years on planet Earth, had Lucy ever lost feelings in her eyeballs because it was so cold outside.

How cold did it have to be for one to lose feeling in their eyeballs? Somewhere around -30 with the windchill.

-30 (or 243.15 Kelvin, as Erik would report it - the .15 was important no matter how many times people just used 273 as the conversion factor, according to him) had been the standard temperature for Crocus over the past week or so, and while most normal people heeded the city's Extreme Cold Weather Alert and stayed indoors with their heaters blaring and thermal socks on, Lucy, in all her infinite wisdom, had forgotten to pick up her prescription before the Hell Weather had dropped.

Thus, Lucy found herself doing a not-normal thing and waddled her way over to the pharmacy a couple blocks away, decked out in three layers of sweatpants, two sweaters, the puffiest coat she owned, and a pair of Natsu's heavy-duty gloves. The trip to the pharmacy was bearable, but the way back faced the wind and brought a kind of wind-whiplash that she'd only ever seen in reruns of Inuyasha with Kagura's fan.

"I'm gonna die," she wailed into her scarf, though it sounded a lot more like "amfunafyeeee" to those walking past her.

Would Erik actually stick her in a cryogenics lab when they found her frozen corpse? Could her body be salvaged enough to be deep freezed? Did they have to inject her full of special chemicals beforehand for it to work? Would she be shipped off to a cadaver lab for tired students to see what extreme cold did to the human body? Find out next time on 'Lucy, You're a Fucking Idiot', she groused to herself, if I live long enough for there to be a next time…

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and it was only through the grace of whatever God was shining down upon her unfortunate ass that day that she managed to yank it out and squint at the message displayed on the screen.

From: Dr Viv-ass

Time: 4:52 PM

I can see you turning into a psychsicle outside, look left.

Seeing as her neck was immobilized by a thick scarf, Lucy shuffled her whole body to the left and peered through the window of what appeared to be one of many bars littering the street. It took about a minute for her eyes to adjust to the lighting before she spotted Erik seated at the counter, staring at her and waving his phone in the air. She looked down at hers again just in time for his next text to pop up.

From: Dr Viv-ass

Time: 4:54 PM

Cadaver lab or cryogenics...I'm starting to think cryo.

Lucy scowled as much as her frozen facial muscles would allow and hobbled her way into the bar, catching herself before she moaned in delight at the burst of heat across her skin - there was no way she would allow herself to be caught in one of his orgasm jokes again.

"Can you move," a droll voice came from her left side. Lucy jerked back and was met face to face with what could only be described as a MySpace time-traveller. He was a couple inches taller than her at most, but his slouch made him level with her height. Anaemic was the only way she could describe his sallow pallor and exhausted eyes, and the black hair that fell over his face only made the contrast that much starker. Honestly, he looked kind of like a zombie…

"Leave her alone, Macbeth, she's one foot in the cryo door already," Erik called from his seat. Lucy tilted her head and hummed. "You know, you do look like the kinda guy to pick up a skull and monologue for a few hours in a graveyard."

"...Hamlet. You're thinking of Hamlet." Macbeth gave her an odd look and made his way over to the spare stool beside Erik. Lucy tugged her scarf off and followed in suit, smiling as best she could despite the shivers that had suddenly gripped her. His casual flannel-and-jeans combo sent an odd thrum through her stomach; he looked illegally attractive, especially with his sleeves rolled up to bare his forearms and their tattoo.

Put on nothing put his shirt and ride him to oblivion, Inner Cana suggested crudely, he'd probably bust a nut just seeing you in it. Or maybe wrap yourself up in his lab coat and -

"She's not wrong," Erik said, handing Lucy a beer and tugging at her jacket zipper. "Coat rack is in the back, just tell them to stick yours with mine."

When Lucy returned, half her beer drowned to calm her nerves, she found Erik seated at a large booth with six other people, Hamlet - Macbeth, she corrected - included.

"Right, people, this is Lucy. Lucy, this is people. Left to right is Macbeth, Sawyer, Richard, Kinana, and Sorano."

Lucy perked up at the second-last name, eyeing Kinana with interest. "Hey, I think I know you! You GA'd for one of my courses in first year!"

Kinana pursed her lips and tilted her head thoughtfully. She snapped her fingers after a beat. "Social Psychology! With Azuma! You used to sit front row and interrupt the lecture every ten minutes with a question about some obscure margin in the text."

Lucy flushed and ducked her head, careful to keep her gaze focused on the label of her bottle and not Erik's suddenly amused face. It wasn't her fault she was a keener; she'd heard absolutely nightmarish things about Azuma's midterms and wanted to ensure she wouldn't make stupid mistakes that would cost her a 4.0. Granted, it was also partially because she was a naturally curious soul, driven to research and the human condition, but it was still embarrassing being pointed out as that kid.

"You remind me of Erik, actually!" Kinana laughed, pressing a hand to her cheek and staring at the aforementioned man affectionately. "He would actually correct our organic chemistry professor when he found mistakes in the lecture slides. You're both very sharp people, I see why you get along so well."

"He also used to correct tests, eh?" Sawyer poked Erik in the ribs. "Fuck, you remember when that bitch of a TA docked you a full five marks 'cause of some dumbass rounding error and you went in to appeal the grade and pointed out that your answer was right 'cause they fucked up the question?"

"It was your love of chemistry that drove you to passionately defend your marks!" Richard exclaimed firmly. Lucy was somewhat disturbed to see floating sparkly hearts surrounding his head, but the rest of the group seemed to take it in stride. Perhaps this was normal for him?

"Except he got a 95% on that test," Macbeth chimed from where his head was cushioned in his arms. "Didn't need the five marks."

"Oh, shut your whore mouth," Erik said with a roll of his eye. "Like you didn't threaten Stinger within an inch of his life if he didn't bump your 99% to a 100% for your quantum physics two final."

For once, it wasn't the alcohol that had her head spinning. 95%? 100%? How fucking smart were Erik and his friends? She knew he had some next level brains, but this sudden glimpse into the depth of his intelligence was somewhat terrifying. She swept her gaze over the group, registering a cloak of power that she hadn't seen before. It was stifling. Compared to them...where did she stand? They were leagues ahead of her, with such raw talent and understanding of the world that next to them she felt like nothing. She quickly took a swig to her beer to flush down the sudden thickness that built up in her chest, relishing in the bitter taste on her tongue.

She looked over at Erik and was taken back by how animated he was. His one free hand was waving in the air, illustrating some point he was making, and his face was as teasing and relaxed as it had ever been. There it was - that fundamental difference she had thought he was looking for with her and Erza and Natsu and Gray. Had she looked this at home with them? Did the atmosphere around her bubble with deep levels of comfort and trust? Had he felt this same pang of longing as was running through her right now?

Had he wanted it to be the same way with her?

You'll never know if you keep waiting for him to make the first move, Inner Cana whispered, subdued for once.

"So, Lucy," Sorano drawled, speaking for the first time. "We're probably all positively boring you with our school-days anecdotes. Tell us about yourself. We've been dying to learn all about you, ever since Erik here told us who you were."

"She's a soft-science," Erik sighed dramatically. The group collectively laughed at that, leaving Lucy feeling like she'd missed out on some kind of inside joke.

Tugging at her sleeves self-consciously, she began, "I'm a psychology major at the U-"

"Ah, the passable soft-science," Sawyer said.

"At least she's not a sociology student," Macbeth muttered.

"Now, now, boys, don't tease poor Lucy here about the fact that she's not some robotic STEM like you. I minored in psychology myself, you know," Sorano said. Her glossy lips pulled up into a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, sending a brief shiver down Lucy's spine.

"That's so cool! What did you major in?"

"Law," she replied. "I'm a prosecutor for the attorney-general's office."

"Sorano's the only humanities in our group," Richard explained. "It brings a special kind of love between us all!"

"What did you major in, Richard?" Lucy asked.

"Geology!" He puffed up proudly. "I'm a seismologist now. My love for the subject is such that I plan on returning to pursue my PhD and share my love with undergraduate students as I do so!"

"That's awesome!"

"Sawyer here majored in automotive engineering and now helps design race-cars," Richard added. Sawyer grinned. "The best part is test-driving them."

"Macbeth majored in physics and is currently finishing up his PhD in the matter."

"And CERN is already hounding his ass," Erik interjected proudly. "Our little Midnight, all grown up and ready to fall asleep in the Large Hadron Collider instead of on top of microscopes."

Macbeth (or Midnight, she supposed) threw a half-assed middle finger in the air.

"Kinana majored in chemistry and works in the university research labs while debating finishing up her PhD," Erik said pointedly. Kinana blushed, scowling. "Excuse me if I don't feel ready to defend my thesis in front of a panel of scary old men!"

"Is...is there anyone at this table without a PhD?" Lucy laughed nervously.

"Sawyer would have gotten his, but he landed a pretty sweet job when doing his Master's, so...Sorano, I guess," Erik replied.

"Don't worry, princess," Sorano purred, and Lucy stiffened, feeling Erik tense a little at her side as well. "You and I are in the same boat."

"Oi, Sora-" Lucy placed her hand on his thigh and shook her head discreetly. If Erik could put up with Erza threatening him with a knife, she could put up with being called princess no matter how much it grated on her nerves. A part of her was flattered by his immediate jump to defend her, especially when he had no real idea why she hated it so much.

"Good to know I have an ally here," Lucy said with a smile.

"Indeed. What do you plan on doing with your degree, then?" Sorano asked suddenly, her eyes as razor sharp as her manicured nails.

"I...well...m-maybe a psychologist? Or psychiatrist? I don't...really know," the blonde mumbled, placing the lip of her empty beer bottle to her mouth, suddenly uncertain. She could feel Erik's burning gaze on the side of her skull, but her eyes were firmly fixed on Sorano's cold blue ones.

She'd known for a long time that psychology was her thing. Growing up in the kind of environment she had, Lucy knew first hand just how to say the right thing to get someone talking, and she could read body language like it was second-nature. But she didn't want to use that knowledge to expand the Heartfilia empire; instead, she wanted to do what Igneel did when she was at her worst - give her a friend to talk to who also knew just what to say to make everything okay.

Faced down with all these hyper-geniuses, suddenly her dreams seemed like a blip in the radar compared to theirs.

"Psychiatry requires an M.D.," Sorano pointed out. "Have you taken the pre-reqs?"

"Um, I did the biology units in first year but I've been putting off chemistry for a while now. I was thinking I'd take it next year," Lucy said.

"Good thing Erik's around to help you," Richard said, brightening. "His love for the subject will surely infect you!"

"I'm sure that's not the kind of love she's after, Richard," Sorano said coolly, eyeing Lucy with barely hidden contempt. "If that's what she's after. She wouldn't be the first to see a PhD and think dollar bills."

"Sorano," Erik snapped, pushing his bottle to his side. The part of her mind that wasn't roiling with anger and mortification realized that this put his arm in front of her in a makeshift shield.

"What? I'm just being honest, Erik. You trust people way too easily."

"Sorano, that's going a little too far," Kinana murmured, placing her hand on the lawyer's shoulder. "Lucy helped Erik after his accident. She's a friend, not a defendant."

"A little sacrifice for a large payoff," Sorano said.

"Can you chill for a second?" Macbeth piped up. "Seriously, Angel, what's gotten into you?"

"I'm looking out for the interests of my best friend," Sorano sneered. Her silver hair shimmered under the dull lighting of the bar, painting her face with an eerie glow. She really did look like the angel she was named after: beautiful and full of vengeance.

"I'm gonna go get a refill or something," Lucy bit out as calmly as she could, using the table to stand up steadily. Erik's hand shot out, tightening around her wrist. His brow was furrowed in concern, but she shook both it and his hand off with a smile. "I'll be back soon! Just need something a little fruitier."

She headed off to the bar, missing Erik's snarled, "Sorano, what the fuck," by a mere second.

"Miss Heartfilia, of all the students I have had, you are perhaps the last I would have suspected of drinking yourself silly during exam season," Professor Mard Geer said smoothly as he slid into the stool next to her. Lucy jerked up, sloshing her martini over her arms. As she scrambled for a napkin, Mard procured a handkerchief and extended it to her.

"Thank you, sir. Um, sorry, I just…" she met his unyielding eyes and sighed. "I've had a long day."

"Haven't we all," he replied, signalling the bartender. "However, not all of us choose to drown our sorrows in alcohol. I would have thought you wiser than this."

"Why are you here?" she countered.

"They do serve actual food here," he said just as Mirajane Strauss swept by and placed a BLT in front of him.

"Mard, you're late," she whined, though even that sounded like a soprano's clear pitch. Mirajane was nothing short of angelic. Soprano, Sorano. Angelic, Angel. There went two more words from her vocabulary straight into the 'uncomfortable associations' box.

"Apologies, Mira. Mr Eucliffe would not cease bargaining over his last essay grade," Mard said. Lucy perked up at the subtle softening of his face as he stared at Mira, who looked just as taken as he was.

Oh, hell, Lucy thought just as Inner Cana crowed, They're fucking!

"Ah, Sting. Never change." Spotting Lucy, Mira clapped her hands together and smiled broadly. "Lucy! What a surprise! I didn't even see you here."

"Ah, yeah, Lisanna got me this." Lucy held up her empty glass. "Er, Mira, mind if I get something...stronger? Like…really strong."

Mard and Mira exchanged mildly concerned glances. Lucy huffed, placing her glass down firmly and sitting up. Sorano's words pounded through her head in time with her heartbeat, building up behind her eyeballs and pressing hard. She wanted wanted something to shut it up. Alcohol headaches were bearable compared to the cruel implications that she had been using Erik for his wallet. Just the thought of it had her reeling. She was Lucy fucking Heartfilia, the heiress to the fucking Heartfilia Konzern and the immense wealth that came with it. Living on her own and fending for herself was a personal choice. She had no need for Erik's money.

Her eyes pricked even as she rapidly blinked back tears. Emotions were so fickle. She'd always hated studying them because sometimes they were illogical beyond belief. She was angry and frustrated and she should have wanted to pin Sorano to the wall and tell her, in no uncertain terms, that all she wanted out of Erik was his friendship (love). But what she felt like doing was curling into a ball and sobbing until she fell asleep.

"Lucy," Mira said gently, plucking the glass out of her hand and unfurling it. "What's wrong?"

"I don't get it," her voice cracked. "Erik gets along just fine with my friends. He and Natsu argue a lot but they don't hate each other. Why can't...why can't I be like that with his friends? Why does Sorano hate me so much?"

"Miss Heartfilia…" Mard's tone was distinctly uncomfortable with having to deal with an emotional woman. If Lucy was about her wits she would have been ashamed of breaking down like this in front of her former English professor, but she couldn't find it in her to care.

"I don't think she hates you," Mira said, "I think she's just...scared at the thought of having to share Erik."

"Scared at the thought of me digging for his wallet," Lucy mumbled. What on Earth did Sorano have to be scared for? Erik and her went back years and it was clear that they cared for one another. Lucy could never get in the middle of that and she didn't want to.

Another thought struck her - did Sorano have a thing for Erik, too?

As if reading her mind, Mard shrugged. "It is entirely possible Ms Aguira may harbour affections for Dr Vivas, however I doubt it. If I remember it correctly, theirs has always been a familial relationship. Ms Aguira is merely incredibly defensive in regards to her friends, much like yourself."

"You know them?" Lucy wiped at her eyes as quickly as she could. Mira procured a glass of water seemingly out of thin air and passed it on to her.

"I was a Master's student when their group were completing their undergraduate degree. They all took an English course I was a graduate assistant for at the time. Ms Aguira was an exemplary student, however she kept her social circle small and strived to keep it that way." Mard's lips turned down ever so slightly. "It always did amaze me the lengths she went to to keep people away from their group."

"Meaning?" Lucy asked.

"Ms Aguira would ensure to seat herself at the end of the row to prevent others from filing in to finish the rest of it, and when it came time to do group work, it was assumed the six of them would work together. She had a difficult time permitting splintering," Mard said. He toyed with the toothpick jammed into his sandwich, eyes far away. "We always did wonder how she dealt with then making friends in other classes."

"She sounds awfully possessive," Mira commented. "Mostly scared of losing them to others. It's sad but no excuse to treat you the way she did."

"I concur," Mard said, fully turning his body to face Lucy. "Miss Heartfilia, you were one of my brightest students and I am fully aware that you are capable of standing up for yourself. I understand that this is a novel situation for you, however you are not one to bend over and allow someone to trample over you. I will be extremely disappointed if, when she confronts you next, you do not make your ire known."

If there was one thing Lucy had always admired about the cold English professor, it was his ability to compliment someone and somehow still sound dissatisfied with them. She took a sip of water and marveled over how it flowed down her throat effortlessly. The thickness in her chest was still there, but she could breathe through it.

"Lucy." Erik's deep voice had her heart stuttering all over again, but Mira's small hands tightened around hers and Lucy felt herself calm down enough to look up at him. The toxicologist wore a carefully blank expression and held himself as casually as possible, but there was no fooling her - she could see the tenseness in his shoulders and the slow grind of his jaw as he struggled to hold back whatever it was he was feeling. When he spotted Mira and Mard, he straightened up and allowed a scowl to take over.

"Dr Geer," Erik said. Lucy's eyebrows shot up and she wheeled around to face the man. "Doctor? Oh my god, when did you get your PhD?!"

"I was awarded my title last week," Mard said primly. "Although I would prefer it if we simply stuck to Professor Geer. Dr Geer sounds odd coming out of your mouth."

"Are you kidding me? I'm never gonna shut up about this! I'm so happy for you, Dr Geer! Would you mind telling me what journal published your thesis so I can read it? This is amazing!" Lucy leaned over to pull Mard into a messy hug, breathing into his unruly hair. "I'm gonna take another one of your classes just to celebrate!"

"Miss Heartfilia," Mard hissed just quietly enough that only she could hear, "If this were any other occasion I may have permitted this...blatant act of affection, however your friend and I do not get along on a good day, and today is almost certainly not a good day."

Lucy pulled back, craning her neck back even as she twisted in her seat. Erik's scowl had grown more pronounced, darkening the violet of his eye. Even in the beginning, back when they had first met and he had tried his best to get rid of her, he had never looked so mean. Her own lips drew back in a frown at that. What right did he have to get so pissy at her? She'd known Mard longer than him and was damn well within her rights to hug him even if the two were bitter rivals. After everything his best friend had just pulled, too!

If I have to put up with her hating me, he can put up with me being friends with Mard, Lucy thought.

"Can we talk for a sec?" Erik turned his attention back to her, easing up despite himself. She hesitated, and that was all it took for Mira to sweep in and place her hands on her shoulders, shoving her lightly. Lucy stumbled forward, managing to stop herself from barrelling into the toxicologist's chest by only half a foot. Again, she was taken aback by how warm he was, even at a distance. With the packed club and high heating, it was almost too warm. She took another sip of her water and exhaled into the glass shakily.

"Remember what we said, Lucy," Mira chirped, pinning her frosty eyes on Erik. "And you. If Lucy looks even a little bit uncomfortable, it won't be Elfman coming around to drag you away, hm?"

Erik grabbed the hand that wasn't currently ready to shatter the glass, huffing. "What is with you and making friends with people who wanna kill me?" he complained. Privately, Lucy wondered the same. Mira and Mard's words echoed in the back of her mind, but she found herself wondering what she would have said if Natsu had acted like that with Erik. Berating him for being rude was definitely at the top of her list, but what about after? What could she say to Erik to make up for it all?

He pulled her into a small nook at the end of the bar, where the music wasn't as loud and the most she could feel was the thrum of the bass beneath her feet. If she stood on her toes, she could just make out Mard's messy hair over the crowd. That was one escape route if this all went to absolute shit.

"I'm sorry for what Sorano said," Erik finally said. His hand dropped from her wrist to twine with her fingers, rubbing his thumb up and down. "It was way out of line."

"Yeah, it was," Lucy said. She chewed on the corner of her lip as she mulled over her next sentence. "Did I say something to offend her? Or does she just not like my being a, uh…'soft-science'?"

"No!" His grip tightened. "No, that...that's just us being stupid. Sorry."

"You sure are apologizing a lot," she said, her tone bordering teasing. "If I were a psychiatrist I'd be taking you in for some brain imaging to check for tumours."

"I'm saying sorry because she won't. She's looking out for me. Well, she thinks she is. She's been my friend for a long time but…" Erik trailed off, his mouth opening as if he was going to finish, but he froze, exhaling instead. His free hand went up to rub at his forehead. "This is stupid," he muttered, "Sorano needs to get her shit together."

"Dr Geer was just telling me that he remembers you all from your time in undergrad."

Erik snorted. "Yeah, I remember him, too. Annoying fuck went extra hard on us."

"He was telling me that he remembers her as well," Lucy chose her next words carefully, "She seems to have...attachment issues."

"He's right, I do," Sorano spoke up from behind her. Lucy whipped around and stepped back, bumping into Erik's chest in surprise. His hand fell to her shoulder, holding her in place.

"Sorano," Erik warned, "I told you to stay at the table."

"You're not my keeper. Lucy and I need to talk. Alone." She looked at him pointedly.

Lucy kept her eyes focused on Mard's bushy head, hoping her come bail me out! signals would somehow transmit from her brain to his. Just being within a foot of Sorano had her hackles rising defensively, every inch of her screaming run, bitch, run!

"No," Erik replied, just as pointed. As if to emphasize that, he pulled her closer to his chest. His heart thudded steadily against her back, every one beat of his matching two of hers. For once, Lucy wished Inner Cana would pop out, say something lewd, and distract her enough that she didn't have to deal with the sensory overload that was her crush was that close and her crush's psycho best friend was that close, too.

"That's not up to us is it?" Sorano stared at Lucy. "Well?"

A fuck no almost escaped her lips, held back only by her earlier discussion. Mard had told her to stand up for herself, and Mira…

Well, Mira had said something that had her inner psychologist sniffing at the air like a bloodhound. Sorano was scared of losing them to others. There was some deep attachment there that Lucy would never understand, but if she was right - and she often was - then part of what Sorano would say next would tie into that. Understanding was the first step to making amends with anyone, and while Lucy wasn't sure if it was forgiveness Sorano was looking for, she knew that understanding had to be established between the two.

"Okay," Lucy agreed, prying Erik's hand off her shoulder and shooting him a reassuring smile that did nothing to ease the tension that gripped him. "I'll be fine, don't worry. We'll be close."

His eye flicked from her to Sorano and back. "Sorano...don't be a bitch."

She pressed a hand to her chest in exaggerated offense. "That's such a fundamental aspect of my personality! No can do. She'll live, no worries. Now scram."

Erik squeezed her hand one last time before disappearing in the throng of bodies. She watched as his maroon head bobbed towards the bar and paused by...Mard?

"They'll snark while we talk," Sorano dismissed them with a wave. "Now, I owe you an explanation."

"Yeah, but you don't have to-"

She held a hand up. "Shut it for a second. You're right, I am protective of my friends. Extremely so. We've been through everything together. Grew up in the same shithole, survived the constant flow back and forth between our homes and the foster system, and you of all people should know the kind of bond that forms, psychologically speaking."

Foster system. Erik had been a part of the foster system. Everybody at that table had. Her mouth ran dry and her heart clenched uncomfortably as everything she knew about the foster system from her classes rose to the forefront of her mind. The abuse, the neglect...the scars they left behind even years later.

"Yeah," she croaked. "Yeah, I do."

"We're not children. We're over it. Don't treat us any differently or start using that psychology shit to 'adjust' or whatever," Sorano's tone was haughty and her posture as relaxed as could be, but even she couldn't hide the minute adjustments she made to close herself off: her arms crossed over her chest, body angled towards the door, and tapping foot. The amount of stress she was putting herself under just to share this, daring Lucy to judge her, was phenomenal.

"I wouldn't. Ever," Lucy swore, and she meant it. Erik was Erik, and even if the past was important, the present was moreso. They'd found a comfortable rhythm in one another, and she wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that.

"Good. Anyways, the point I'm trying to make here is that I'm a protective bitch because I refuse to let people walk over my friends like they used to. People see Erik's success and that's all they want out of him. They refuse to take in the ugly bits, and if you want him, you take him all. Do you hear me?" she said sharply. "He's moody, rude, and he speaks sarcasm more than he does English. He can be more caustic than the chemicals he works with, but underneath it all, he's-"

"Kind and caring. In his own way, of course, but...I'm slowly learning to understand him. I think I'm doing okay," Lucy licked her lips before saying, "And...I want to get to know his friends, too. This means you, Sorano. You're his precious people and I think it's important to befriend you all."

She waited for the scoff to come, but instead Sorano laughed. "This will make the second non-science in our group. I suppose this makes us allies."

Lucy matched her smile with one of her own. "I'd like that. Let's start again, hm? I'm Lucy. It's nice to meet you."

"Sorano. I think you and I will get along just fine."

"Hey, Sorano didn't kill Lucy!" Sawyer shouted as they approached, each bearing a fruity cocktail. Sorano slid in next to Kinana and leaned over to stab Sawyer with the pointy end of her mini-umbrella. "We came to an agreement."

"You good?" Erik murmured in her ear as she took her spot beside him. His arm rested behind her seat, a scant few centimeters above her shoulders. Lucy took a sip of her drink and smiled. "Yeah. Sorano told me...a lot. We decided to become non-science allies."

"Good to know." His lips curled up into one of his rare true smiles. Her fingers itched to rest in the small dimples on his cheeks, so she focused on twirling her straw, spelling out the longest words she knew.

"Is that Mard?" Macbeth asked, eyes barely visible over his arms. "We should go say hi."

"We don't even have a prank ready for him!" Sawyer complained. "Ugh, Richard? Got anything?"

"Mard Geer will slap you all with a harassment charge so lengthy your grandchildren will be serving it," Sorano sneered. "Don't be children."

"Honestly," Lucy sighed, exchanging a look with Sorano. "This is such a hard-sciences thing to do."

"Rushing into situations without thinking first? Definitely," Sorano said sagely. "Tsk, tsk."

"...did you just soft-sciences us?" Kinana gaped. "I-"

"This means war!" Richard declared. "A war of passion!"

A heavy arm dropped around her shoulders. "I regret introducing you two," Erik groaned. "Now all my fun jokes are gone."

Boldly, she leaned into him. "You have time to come up with new material. I'm not going anywhere."

A/N: This needed to be published tonight, if I had to look at it any longer heads would start rolling.

Read and review?

-Eien