Oh my goodness, the reviews. You guys are the Lector to my Sting. If you're not careful, I'm going to get a swelled head.
Sorry for the slow update this time – Rogue fought me. Sting, ironically, isn't the one being obstinate when I sit down to write.
For Leafy: Yeah I have no idea why I write like this. I never thought of it like that before, actually. I'm glad you like my style, though.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
As Lucy awakens, she realizes she definitely has a problem.
A few of them, actually.
But right now, the most pressing one is the fact that Gray is sleeping with his head on her bladder. (Really, brain? Really? Puns? First thing in the morning?) Shoving her slumbering teammate aside, she extricates herself from Juvia's embrace to make her way to where the toilet by rights should be.
Stumbling into the door, she rubs her now-smarting forehead and grumbles under her breath. A forceful fling of the object blocking her way and she steps into the room beyond. Groping for the lights, once they're on she's left just as confused as before.
Because this isn't the bathroom.
It's a closet.
'Where the fuck am I?'
A queasy ripple through her midsection quells any desire to further investigate the mystery.
'Where the hell is the toilet?!'
Lurching from the incorrect room, she scans for another door. Spotting one, she rushes to it. Hallway. From her new viewing angle of the bedroom, Lucy is able to identify one more door – which, upon inspection, yields the desired facilities.
It's only once she's finished and halfway through her morning routine that she realizes her toiletries are nowhere to be found. A few minutes more of groggy contemplation reveals to her that she doesn't actually recognize the bathroom she in, either. Or the bedroom from whence she came. The closet and hallway are also unfamiliar. Normally, this would lead her to conclude she was at a hotel for a mission, but then her toiletries would still be present or at least a hairbrush and toothbrush.
Lucy eyes her reflection, as if it would give her the answers.
She's rather surprised when it does.
Dark splotches on her cheek resolve into words in the glass – words she can read. Reverse-imprinted upon her flesh, despite the help of the mirror Lucy cannot glean any important information from it. Prodding her cheek experimentally, she's left wondering just how she acquired the lettering. It's dry, so it must have been some time ago.
Her hair is an utter mess, too. As if she'd walked through a storm again. She's not entirely sure how her hair could get that mussed when all she did was sleep.
Deeming it unimportant, she grasps the door handle to reenter the room.
A peek around the corner reveals a room she's still unfamiliar with. Also, it's a little odd to find Gray and Juvia both in the same bed. Belatedly, Lucy recalls that it was hers, too. The other bed in the room looks rumpled, though, which provides her answer. Gray must have gotten lonely and snuck in with the girls at some point in the night. During missions Team Natsu slept in a dog pile on top of Lucy half the time so it wasn't all that surprising. Although Gray is definitely in for a surprise when Juvia wakes up.
Which would be… right about now.
Juvia squeals in ecstasy at seeing her beloved so close and in the same bed, even! Promptly going on the attack, awakening Gray with a startled yelp of terror.
The confused and terrified man's gaze reaches Lucy's, silently pleading with the blonde for salvation.
She shakes her head and slowly closes the door, ignoring her teammate's subsequent despair. There is no way she is getting in the middle of that. And Gray brought it upon himself – missions were one thing but she did not suffer to share her bed with her male teammates. They were horrible sleepers, for one. Gray tends to spread himself all over the place and Natsu sleep fights. Gray has seen her rearrange Natsu's skeletal structure for the offense enough times that he really should know better by now.
Also, she doesn't want to Juvia to realize that Lucy had been in the same bed too. That might not end well. Especially with how she'd woken up with Gray's head on her midsection and trapped within Juvia's arms in a strange, unfamiliar room.
Only for her memory to decide that now would be the most appropriate and opportune moment to return. A strangled noise emanates from the back of her throat. Releasing the door handle as if it were scalding hot, she pivots around and presses her back against the door. Knees no longer functioning, she slides to the ground.
She really is going to have to do something about Sleepy Lucy. Like, slap her.
Soon.
Her heart is not going to be able to take many more of these surprises.
Just how much trouble is she in? Future Rogue may have been the topic of discussion the prior night, but it doesn't escape Lucy's attention that what she said can be applied to her dark friend by association. And because they're technically the same person.
Gorgeous. Drop-dead gorgeous, no less. Is that really what she thinks of Future Rogue? And the present Rogue, as well? Uncomfortable though it is, she has to accept it as the truth because Sleepy Lucy cannot be bothered with lying.
Also, Sleepy Lucy doesn't let Awake Lucy forget anything that transpires. Not even that small kindness is awarded her. Sleepy Lucy cannot be allowed out in front of Rogue again, lest something else pop out of her mouth that Lucy isn't prepared to deal with.
How in Earthland is she going to face Rogue after essentially saying he's… pretty? Prettier than her. This is a hundred times worse than accidentally saying he smells nice. Actually, there is no scale by which to compare the two. What will she say when she sees him next? Will she be able to even string words together before collapsing into a superheated mess? Suddenly, she understands how Wendy must feel when she's at her most unsure. It's a positively miserable feeling.
Sneaking out the back door is starting to seem like the best plan of action for her to take right now. It's discarded after a minute of thought as an unviable option. She doesn't even know where the back door is. Or if one exists to begin with.
Now that she thinks about it, she doesn't know how to get back to the main area either.
She's just going to have to gather up the tattered remnants of her dignity and face the man.
Which leads her wonder if she actually has to bring up the topic in conversation. It's not considered running away from the problem… right?
No, that's definitely running away from the problem.
Actually, what is the problem with all this, really? Is it really an issue at all? So what if she called him drop-dead gorgeous! He is, and he's probably well aware of that fact already. It's just… really, really embarrassing because she hadn't realized herself until that moment she thinks he is. And she can't deny that she still does, even while fully awake.
Thinking over the circumstances that led to the comment causing her so much dismay, Lucy frowns. Despite the nebulous motives and brutal honesty of Sleepy Lucy (she's really not going to try to analyze that woman's thought processes so early in the morning), the fact remains that she never truly answered Rogue's question about Future Rogue. There were so many other things that had come to mind in response to the query, but Sleepy Lucy had gone with the most embarrassing of the lot. Those other things she hadn't gotten the chance to say, though…
Rogue should be told. He deserves a real answer. She needs to tell him that he isn't Future Rogue. If only for her own peace of mind.
It also makes her wonder if she should explain the full story behind her nightmares.
Frantic knocking breaks through her reverie. "Love-Rival! Open up!" Juvia whines. "Juvia needs to pee or Juvia will turn into a puddle!"
Scrambling to her feet in record time, Lucy yanks the door open and the bluenette rushes in past the blonde. Exiting and shutting the door firmly behind her, Lucy sighs. She doesn't see Gray anywhere when she glances around the room. He must have escaped the water woman's clutches while Lucy was occupied with her panic attack.
Hoping to catch him so she can inquire as to where exactly the common area is located, Lucy reenters the hallway. Gray is nowhere to be found, though. Likely hightailed it as fast and as far as he could. For all Lucy knows, he could be halfway back to Magnolia by now.
Just as she's about to retreat into the room once more, next door down the hallway opens. When Rogue steps out, Lucy nearly flees back into the safety of the room. Great effort keeps her out in the hallway as he notices her.
"Good morning, Lucy," he greets, damp hair trailing in his eyes.
"Good morning, Rogue," Lucy automatically replies, fighting to keep down a blush at how much she likes hearing that from him and at how easily the words spring to her own mouth.
"Was the room satisfactory?" Rogue inquires, eyes lingering on her altogether frightening bed-head.
Lucy loses the fight with her internal temperature gauge as she remembers the state of her hair from her perusal in the mirror. Somehow, through her intense discomfiture, she manages to squeak out, "It's great." After a second or two of silence, she decides to forge on ahead with what she had resolved to talk to him about. If she delays it too much, she might lose her nerve and her face is already the same shade as his eyes so what the hell.
"Hey, Rogue… um… about last night…" And whoops. She'd waited too long. Nerve is gone.
A moment passes, and Rogue says, "If this is about how you got to bed, I put you there after you fell asleep at the table."
Oh. She'd wondered about that. "Thanks. But… I wanted to talk about the conversation we had last night."
He regards her blankly. "What conversation would that be?"
Lucy blinks at him in confusion. "You know, the one after I fell asleep on the reports – after my nightmare."
This doesn't seem to ring any of Rogue's mental bells. "I'm sorry, Lucy. But I'm still not sure what you're talking about. Did you dream you spoke to me about something? Sting does that quite often." It was rather annoying when the Dragon Slayer did that, actually. Mostly because Dream Rogue apparently said all of the wrong things to Sting, and it could take days before the issue was sorted out as being all in Sting's head.
That can't be possible. Sleepy Lucy has perfect recall (unfortunately). Doubt plagues her, though, because Rogue's explanation makes sense. It wouldn't be the first time Lucy's dreamt a discussion or argument that didn't happen (thoroughly confusing Natsu because he had no idea why Lucy was pissed off at him all of a sudden for things he hadn't even destroyed yet).
Could Rogue possibly be lying to her?
If so, why? Did he have a reason for playing the ignorance card?
Lucy then remembers that she initially didn't want to have this conversation either, and had debated pretending it hadn't happened. She hadn't considered that Rogue might want to do the same, however. Maybe the topic of Future Rogue was still a too-raw one for him right now.
Yeah, that was probably it.
So she goes along with it.
"You're probably right. Maybe I just dreamt it. Wouldn't be the first time," she reassures him.
Tension drains from his shoulders.
There is no doubt in her mind now that he is trying to avoid a continuation of their discussion.
A light tap on Lucy's shoulder catches her attention. "Love-Rival! Juvia thinks we should get cleaned up before joining the others."
Lucy smiles at her friend. "Yeah, sure." She turns back to Rogue. "Sorry, Rogue. I'll see you shortly?"
The Shadow Dragon Slayer nods. "I will be out on an errand for a little while, but I should return before long."
Juvia remains at the door while Lucy runs to the bathroom and shuts the door behind her. On the other side of the wooden barricade, Rogue can hear her muffled, "Virgo, can you get Juvia and I a fresh change of clothes?"
The water mage regards Rogue for a long moment. "Love-Rival is sometimes really dense," she suddenly announces. "But it's one of the things about her that Juvia likes the most."
A smile almost breaks free to Rogue's face. "Likewise."
Juvia smiles at him knowingly, and shuts the door.
Rogue turns to leave, silently thanking that particular trait of the blonde's. That conversation would have been even more awkward if she had realized that the bathroom of the room next to hers shared a vent with the one she had holed up in. Apparently, she also had the rather endearing habit of talking to herself out loud without being aware of it.
He's content with not discussing more about the previous night and leaving the issue be for now. Lucy didn't seem at all ready to face whatever her feelings were in regards to Rogue – present or future, friendship or something else. Besides… it gave him a little bit of hope that someday his lingering (and still utterly mortifying) crush might one day be reciprocated.
Rogue is, after all, very patient.
A none-too-gentle knock resounds on the door. When Lucy opens it, Sting is waiting for her on the other side.
"Yo!" he greets. "Just coming to see if you two are coming for breakfast… er, lunch?" Sting amends when he remembers the time.
"Brunch," Lucy supplies for him.
"Right. Anyway, Yukino wants to know. She's just about done in the kitchens."
Smiling at him, Lucy replies, "Juvia's in the shower. But she should be finished soon. Do you want to wait in here until then? Truth be told, I'm not entirely sure which way is back."
Sting nods and enters when she steps aside to let him in. "Fine with me. Yukino ordered me to not come back without you two, anyway. It's my policy to never argue with a woman when she has a knife in hand." Sitting down on the edge of one of the beds, he surveys the room for a moment. "You didn't have to make the beds, Blondie. We would have taken care of that."
Leaving the door ajar, Lucy goes to sit next to the Guild Master. "It's okay. And that sounds like a wise policy, by the way."
A pained grimace crosses Sting's face. "Had to learn that one the hard way. Turns out that, while I may not be able to pass the rune barrier around the kitchen, it doesn't stop a thrown knife from reaching me."
Giggles burst forth from Lucy as she imagines that.
Offended, Sting scoffs at his fellow blonde. "It's not that funny, Blondie." When her mirth refuses to subside, he rolls his eyes at her. "All joking aside, there was something I wanted to say to you."
Wiping tears from her eyes, she motions for him to continue.
"About Rogue. I just wanted to thank you. For, you know, being his friend. Especially given… you know who."
That sobers her up fast. "Sting, you don't need to thank me. I like Rogue." She shrugs when he raises an eyebrow at her. "You know what I mean." Nudging his shoulder with hers, she adds, "He's kinder than he lets on most of the time. It makes it easy to like him. It's not just that, though. Rogue seems to be trying very hard to prove to everyone that he won't become Future Rogue. I just wish he understood that we all know there's no way that future will come to pass, because Rogue is a good guy."
Sting sighs at her statement. "Yeah, and the only person he actually needs to convince is himself," he laments. Inspiration strikes him, and he playfully nudges her right back. "Think you can help with that, too, Blondie?"
Lucy grins at him. "I would love to."
"Oh, that reminds me," Sting said, unease creeping into his expression. "You might want to tread carefully around Rogue today. He was in a really foul mood earlier this morning."
Lucy's first thought flew to a dread that Rogue might have been upset with her for her comments the night before. A moment later, she reconsiders and frowns in concentration. Rogue had seemed perfectly normal when she'd spoken to him not long ago.
The answer is simpler to discern than she initially believed.
While Rogue is a difficult person to read, Sting is not. The man wears his emotions like a flashing neon sign, much like his former idol Natsu. And right now that sign obnoxiously proclaims, "I'm Guilty."
She fixes him with a flat expression. "What did you do?"
He flinches under her gaze. "Why do you assume I did something?" Sting observes her unimpressed disbelief at his assertion. "I did do something, but that's not the point."
"What was it?" Now Lucy is amused. He's getting defensive. This ought to be good.
"I vomited on him when he came to wake me up."
Lucy stares at him. Completely understanding just why Rogue might be upset about that. It also explained his wet hair when she'd spoken with him – he must have just gotten cleaned up.
"…You are a truly wonderful best friend."
"I am the best," Sting replies. "With friends like you and me, it does sort of call his tastes into question, though."
"Don't include me in that statement!" the Celestial Mage protests.
The Dragon Slayer gives her a derisive snort. "Says the woman who walked through a typhoon to get here in order to return a cloak I have yet to actually see."
About to argue with him, Lucy suddenly pauses. Trying to recall if she had brought the cloak, or if she'd given it to Virgo for safekeeping.
To her horror, a flash of memory reveals that she left it folded and draped on the back of a chair. In her apartment. Back in Magnolia.
Facepalming, she groans while Sting guffaws.
"I can't believe I forgot it!"
Sting collapses backwards onto the bedspread, rolling around in his uncontainable glee.
Lucy waits patiently for the man's giggle fit to subside. Silently cursing her absentmindedness. "Where is Juvia?" she grumbles under her breath.
Wiping his eyes, Sting sits up again. "I've got a question for you, Blondie. Just how does that work? I mean, Juvia's made of water right?"
Shocked, wide eyes meet that remark. "I have no clue," Lucy admits. "What would you do?"
Contemplating it for a moment, Sting offers, "Plug the drain and hope for the best?"
The bathroom doors slams open. "How rude! Juvia can maintain her solid form in water just fine at full strength! Although," she adds, "Juvia does sometimes plug the drain, just in case." Suppressed giggling from the two blondes only serves to irritate Juvia further. She stamps a foot to regain their attention and the muffled laughter bursts forth from them in uncontrollable waves.
The bluenette huffs and resigns herself to waiting until they're done being silly.
And this little arc is going to be extended to another chapter beyond this. Oh well. I like where this chapter decided to end.
Credit for Sting's comment about plugging the drain goes to ChaoticDucky, who entertained my silly discussion about Juvia taking a shower.
I had a lot of fun putting more of Juvia and Lucy's friendship on display.
In the meantime, please review and let me know what you think!