A/N: I'M SO LATE AND I'M SORRY I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON. BUT FOR SOME REASON I HAVE 184 FAVS AND 236 FOLLOWS. (THANK YOU AS WELL). AND OH MY MAVIS 20 CHAPTERS. I SWEAR I PUBLISHED CHAPTER 10 YESTERDAY?!

Schoolwork is killing me. Papers are everywhere, and I do not joke. Task sheets, revision sheets, you name it. I'm drowning, but I've resurfaced long enough to give you this chapter. I sincerely apologize for the long wait. My only excuse is school work and responsibilities from my extracurricular activities. It's 12:38am as I give you this chapter, so I apologize for any grammatical errors. Thank you for the overwhelming support.

Thank you SilverGhost and Rosetta Nightstar. Here is your update, Coolanime14 and Ebon fire Red waters. Pikaace, they have a brief meeting here, but a longer one is coming up soon, don't worry. I'm glad you're excited. Alongside this, massive thank you to saracresp. (I'm sure favourting is a word somewhere, don't worry :D) Yes, this is a NaLu story, I'm just trying to give a slow romantic development so it's more in-character. Thank you for everything!

Homebound

Heat emitting from the newly-made infusion resting in Lucy's hands immediately brought warmth to her cold palms and fingers as they curved around the mug. Lowering her head and slowly blowing onto the steaming beverage, Lucy watched her already distorted reflection ripple until she was no longer visible. The potion sparkled with shimmering swirls of scarlet and violet, the two colours blending together as she continued to try and cool it down. After a few moments, she brought the drink to her lips and took a sip, cursing under her breath as her tongue was scalded. Her features contorted into a grimace, displaying her displeasure at her burnt mouth, thinking bitterly at how many times she'd been scorched from heat as of recent. An image of a wall of fire coming towards her startled the Celestial Mage, making her flinch involuntarily and sink into her seat in what she guessed was shame.

Shame of the fear she had acquired that she knew could quite possibly pose a problem in the near future.

Closing her eyes, the blonde-haired teenager told herself to relax and allowed herself to mould into the comfortable seat, trying to take another sip of the vibrantly coloured liquid. Her gaze shifted away and onto Porlyusica as this time she didn't burn anything. The elderly woman quirked an eyebrow at the small smile of triumph Lucy suddenly began to wear, but didn't say anything. She was sweeping the floor with the broom she often used to chase out any human beings who happened to come by her home, and her current patient was quite surprised it had another use. One that didn't include it being a weapon. And, on the topic of cleaning, all of Lucy's belongings had been collected and were currently sitting together on a pile on her newly made bed, ready for her departure. She was returning home in a few moments, after she finished this last infusion and had one last check-up from Fairy Tail's Medical Advisor.

Draining the mug, the Stellar Mage placed it on the end table nearby and let out a soft sigh, content. The faint taste of jasmine and its lovely scent was slowly fading from her senses, yet it strangely still seemed to linger in the air around her. She was fortunate enough that the various elixirs she had consumed over the past few days had a sweet fragrance and flavour for her to enjoy. In fact, Lucy had also noticed the aroma had somehow eased her fitful slumber during her stay, even clearing her head slightly.

Poor hospitality aside, Porlyusica had a magic touch as a healer.

Said host made her way towards the girl and sat down in front of her. After a few questions, she began to examine the girl, from her pulse to her temperature. Lucy shifted uncomfortably under her intense gaze, unable to read the woman's emotions from her unchanging features.

"You seem to have completely recovered," Porlyusica's expression remained stoic as she did her final examinations of her patient, her voice nor the way she spoke showing any happiness at the matter. "You'll be fine to return back to those wonderfully loud friends of yours, as soon as you like," grumbled the healer in a fashion that Lucy wasn't sure if it was either sarcastic or plainly irritated. She rose from her seat, immediately busying herself with other tasks, as if the blonde had suddenly disappeared as soon as she had finished speaking. She also ignored Lucy as she attempted to express her gratitude, much to the Celestial Mage's displeasure.

"That's cold," the teenager said under her breath as she gathered her belongings, heading out the door without another word.

As soon as she stepped outside, a smile brightened her features as the sun's rays hit her skin, bringing warmth, something she had missed while being kept in a bed for the past few days, minus toilet breaks. Making a mental note to properly stretch out her stiff muscles once she returned to her apartment, Lucy began walking. She squinted at the intensity of the sun as she travelled throughout the forest, but nothing could bring down her good mood. She was finally heading back to her friends, to Fairy Tail.

Or as she liked to call it, her home.

LINE BREAK

"Morning, everyone!" Her cheerful greeting turned many heads as she waved, laughing as she saw her closest friends shoot up from their seats at the sound of her voice.

"Lucy!" Happy was the first to reach her with his wings, and buried his face in her chest as she closed her arms around him. "You're okay!"

"Of course I am," Lucy giggled, scratching the exceed behind the ears in a loving manner. She didn't miss the soft, gentle purr that erupted from his lips which made her smile. "Porlyusica is a really talented healer, after all. I'm better than ever." She assured, lifting her head as she heard footsteps and the soft clink of metal against metal that signalled Erza's approach.

"I'm greatly relieved at your full recovery, Lucy," the Requip Mage said, smiling fondly at the girl, who blushed slightly at her sincerity. "I can't tell you how worried I was, first this happened to Master Makarov, and now to you as well…" She sighed before brightening up again. "As long as you're well, that's all that matters. But, if you don't feel ready for any job requests so soon after what happened-"

"No, I've already rested a lot." Lucy said with a small laugh. "I feel like that's all I did."

"Yeah," chimed Happy as he lifted his face from Lucy's chest. "You looked so funny!" He scrunched up his features in a mocking manner to imitate what she apparently looked like while sleeping.

Lucy's eye twitched at his words. "Don't you have fish to give to someone?" She hissed through gritted teeth. I'm back for a few seconds and the damn cat's already giving me hell, huh? The Celestial Mage glared at the exceed as he brightened up at the thought of his favourite dish.

"Aye!" Happy cheered, flying off in search of Carla and Wendy.

"You feeling better?" a sudden weight indicated that Natsu had wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she was hit with the scent of firewood. He was grinning at her, ecstatic to see her back home.

"Yeah," Lucy nodded with a smile upon her lips as she looked from Erza and back to him. "Thanks for visiting me so often, you guys."

"Well, we couldn't just leave you alone with that old hag," Natsu shrugged. "And besides that, we're teammates! And best buds, right?" he chuckled.

"That's correct." Erza nodded, smiling at his words. "We are all Nakama, and close friends. We'll always be there for each other."

"Of course we will." Lucy said sweetly, before her features showed confusion. "By the way, where's Grey?" She asked, turning her head in hopes to catch a glimpse of her dark-haired comrade.

Natsu chuckled as he pulled the girl closer. Her cheeks flushed at the action, although he didn't notice, simply grinning at his best friend. "He's been hiding all mornin'." The Fire Mage lowered his voice in case the Ice Mage was nearby, and Lucy realised he'd increased their proximity so she could hear better. "If we seem 'em, we're not supposed to tell her." He snickered as he tilted his head in the Rain Woman's direction, and Lucy followed his gaze. The two watched as she eagerly searched every square centimetre of the Guild for her beloved. The corner of Lucy's mouth twitched with amusement, and she was soon grinning with Natsu as she followed Juvia's movements with her eyes. "Hey, look over there," Natsu smirked in an almost triumphant fashion as he directed the blonde's attention to the bar. Using the crowd of wizards by it to shield himself, Grey was crouched, glancing wearily from his position as he tried to evade the hopeless romantic that was Juvia Lockser. Looking back to Natsu, and judging by the pyromaniac's expression, Lucy knew what he was about to do.

"You're gonna blow his cover, aren't you?" she let out a sigh as Natsu lifted his free hand. He curved it around his mouth in order to amplify what he was about to say so a certain someone would hear.

"Oi, Juvia! Stripper's over there!"

"Natsu, you frickin' idiot!" Grey stood up and shouted at his rival before making a hasty escape.

His two team mates were too busy laughing to assist him, although one of them felt slightly guilty, the other found the ordeal absolutely hilarious. Erza just seemed confused.

"Natsu…he's gonna get you back for that later, you know." Lucy murmured while they continued to watch, giving Grey a sympathetic glance as he ran out of the Guild. "If Juvia ever lets him go, that is." She shifted uneasily at the thought.

"There is a possibility of that occurring, indeed." Erza smiled in amusement. "However, if there comes a time where Grey is in actual trouble, without a doubt, Natsu, you and I would and will be there for him." She turned and shook her head at the sight of Juvia's retreating figure in the distance. "On that note, I was about to suggest a job for our team to take, but it appears Grey is already occupied with other activities this afternoon. What a shame." She sighed quietly in disappointment.

"U-Uh, Erza…" Lucy laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of her head. "I'm sure Grey wouldn't mind taking a mission, because Juvia-"

"Nah, let Ice Princess take a raincheck!" Natsu interrupted, cutting off Lucy's sentence before she could change the Requip Mage's mind. He'd rather have the fun of knowing that his rival had spent the afternoon being chased down by the love-crazy Rain Woman. Why would he let Grey have the easy way out by going on a mission with them when there was such a better option available? "Let's go on the job now!"

"Is Happy accompanying us? He seems to also be preoccupied this afternoon." Erza said, raising an eyebrow at the blue cat, who was recovering from another rejection from Carla in a far corner of the Guild Hall. "I'm quite content with just the three of us going, if need be."

"What's the job request?" Lucy asked, unable to lean forward to check from Natsu's tight grip around her shoulders.

Erza opened her mouth to tell her when a certain Solid Script Mage surged forwards and stole Lucy from Natsu's hold to give the girl a hug of her own.

"L-Levy-chan!" shrieked a startled blonde. She laughed as the shorter girl squeezed her tightly, beaming with joy.

"I missed you so much, Lu-chan!" Levy whined. "It's been so dull around here without you!" She smiled brightly as she released her friend, fixing her glasses as they'd slipped down at her sudden actions. "I was so worried!"

"I'm fine, Levy-chan, you don't have to worry." Lucy said, patting the bookworm's shoulder. "But imagine how boring it was for me, sleeping all day and not being able to do anything!" she shook her head, placing both hands on her hips and letting out a sigh in exaggeration. "Sheesh!"

"Sooo, you should come on a job!" Natsu urged, growing more and more impatient. He was frowning, having folded his arms in annoyance. He'd waited for days for Lucy to come on a job with him, and now he had to wait even longer? "Wouldn't you want to do something fun like chasing down some crooks, y'know after you were doing nothin' in bed all week?"

"We already talked about this the other day," Levy waved him off. "Lu-chan's hanging out with me today! I already said so! You go on jobs every other day! Let me have her for once!"

"She's my teammate!" Natsu reminded, glancing at the blonde, who had a small smile at the sight of them bickering over her. "Yo, Lucy, you wanna go on a job with me and Happy, don't ya?" Natsu ruffled her hair, laughing as she swatted his hands away and glared at him.

"I'd rather stay with Levy today if all you're going to do is mess up my hair!"

"She's going on a job with us!" Natsu insisted, ignoring her comment as he directed his statement towards Levy, who folded her arms.

"I don't think so!"

Then they both turned to the blonde, staring straight at her.

"Well?!" Natsu demanded. "Which one are you gonna pick?"

Lucy laughed, shaking her head as she lifted a hand to her mouth in an attempt to conceal her amusement. "I-I don't k-know," the Celestial Mage giggled.

"I think I do," Levy sang, nudging her friend, "you wanna know what I bought for you yesterday, Lu-chan?"

The blonde's eyes widened as she grasped Levy's hands with both of hers. "You didn't. You haven't, have you?!"

"I may have..." Levy teased with a wink.

"You got me Burning Stars, didn't you?!" Lucy squealed with delight, jumping up and down as her fellow bookworm eagerly nodded and squeezed her hands back. "I love you so much, Levy-chan! I have to go home and read it right now!"

"Nu-uh, you're coming on a job!" Natsu whined. "C'mon, Lucy~!"

"But I've waited for this book to come out for over a year, Natsu!" Lucy cried. "You don't understand!" she looked pleadingly towards Levy, who smirked and lifted up said novel, chuckling as the blonde swiped it from her grasp. "You actually did, wow!" Lucy hugged the tome to her chest, moving to the nearest table, sitting down and opening it. Natsu's jaw dropped as he watched her in disbelief, yet Levy just smiled in a triumphant way.

"You never get between girls and their novels, Natsu," the Solid Script Mage said wisely. "You better remember that."

Then she skipped off towards the elder girl and sat down, leaving the Dragon Slayer to mope about aimlessly. Erza gave him a warning look to stop him from pursuing their teammate, which made him drag himself over to the bar and complain to Mirajane until they were done.

LINE BREAK

Resting her elbow on the table, Levy propped her chin in the palm of her right hand, titling her head to the side to grasp a better view of the Celestial Mage's possession. "So, Lu-chan," she said, brightening up slightly as she noticed what chapter her friend was on, "what was chapter fourteen like, for you?" she giggled and raised her hands up in a makeshift shield as her fellow bookworm closed the novel and proceeded to jokingly attack her.

"Horrible, actually!" Lucy cried in exasperation, dropping the publication back onto the table before she hurriedly flicked back through the pages. "How could Azaria just do that to us?! I-I mean, sure, with all those demons everywhere, you'd expect there to be a lot of bloody battles…but…" She fixed her Gale-Force reading glasses back into place as she continued reading. "I just wanted one scene with Yumi and Haru together! I know they're going to be brought back together soon, but all of this foreshadowing is just getting to me and I want Yumi to just be there for him!"

"I know!" Levy sighed heavily, tugging at her hair in frustration before she cried, "And what about Nagisa's character development?" causing Lucy to nod eagerly, leaning closer to express her own thoughts.

"What's wrong with them?" Natsu asked, jerking a thumb in the girls' direction.

"You know those two love their literature!" Mira was giggling softly at her friends' dramatics. "Apparently the latest novel in their favourite series came out a few days ago, and…" She let out a laugh as Levy grasped the volume to her chest and let out a pained cry, declaring that the series was becoming too hard for her to continue. "…they're not too happy with its ending, or at least how its going towards the end. I suppose it's a bit sad…" Jet and Droy had now rushed to the blue-haired girl's aid in worry for her apparent grief, although they were unsure of how to comfort her as they had no clue on what was going on. "But I do know for a fact that Lucy absolutely adores these books. Uh… Laura Azaria, I think the author's name was."

"Reading doesn't seem that fun," was Natsu's two cents on the matter as he watched Lucy with a slightly concerned expression.

"Aye!" Happy agreed. "Lucy's being weirder than usual…"

"What was that, you stupid cat?!" the Celestial Mage yelled.

The exceed snickered in response, muffling his laughter beneath his paws just as Lucy's attention was diverted from him and back onto the novel she and her friend were emotionally conversing about. The Solid Script Mage took a breath to compose herself, eyes now shining.

"If only I could meet her," Levy let out a long sigh, flicking to the back of the tome, "that'd be amazing, wouldn't it, Lu-chan?" the two girls stared at the back page of the hardcover, where details about the writer and an image of them were printed. "Ooh, wow," her voice sounded almost dreamy now, "there's a picture of her too! She's so pretty…" at her words, Lucy leant closer to observe the image and her eyes widened. The light hair and dark eyes were so familiar, her gaze quickly shifted to the script below and she made a startled noise of shock at the name and information written there.

Laura Azaria currently resides in the Kingdom of Constellar, writing in her spare time…

"Are…are you saying you actually met our favourite author and didn't realise?!" Levy's shrill demand was bordering on a scream as she roughly grasped a hold of her friend's shoulders. "Her name is Laura, and you never made the connection?"

"B-Because she's a nurse!" Lucy stammered, yet the girl hadn't seemed to hear her. "And I'm sure there are a lot of people with the same name as her!"

"We have to go!" Levy released her before she clapped her hands together with a sudden squeal of delight. "Do you think she'd sign our books?"

"Uh…sure?" Lucy scratched her cheek, awkwardly shuffling away. "But it's such a long journey, Levy-chan!"

"That reminds me, Lucy, I'd like to have a word with you," Makarov cleared his throat, causing her to turn her head at the noise. She turned in her seat to completely face him, showing that he had her full attention as he continued. "Mirajane and I contacted the Royals of Constellar via communication lacrima while you were recovering, and I can't say I have much to tell you."

"That's all right, Master." Lucy smiled, assuring, "I'm grateful enough that you did that for me." Her hand went to the keys resting by her hip, and she patted the leather that kept the precious items safe. The Guild Master smiled at the sincerity of her words before beginning.

"They said they barely had much information on that matter, yet what small facts they did know were kept secret, so I have gained no new knowledge for you, my child." He said in a disappointed tone. "However, whatever knowledge the royals have, they wish to discuss it only with you."

"Well, it gives you an excuse to meet your favourite writer and talk to the King and Queen of Constellar, doesn't it?" Mira smiled sweetly at the blonde.

"But we're going on job, Lucy!" Natsu whined in her ear, still impatiently waiting for her to accompany him. "You can't just ditch us like that!" He moved to start another round of dramatics, yet his scarlet-haired childhood friend stepped forward, signalling for him to silence himself. He immediately obeyed for fearing the consequences that may occur if he did not. Seeing as he was now quiet, the S-Class Mage faced Lucy with a serious expression.

"Lucy, I'm aware that this is a personal matter of importance to you, yet…" Erza's features softened slightly in concern, "the last time you attempted to dig deeper into this mystery, it almost cost you your life. For now, at least, as you've just recovered, I recommend you take a break. At least for a few days, allow your mind to clear off this topic and your body to completely heal." She folded her arms, the movement generating the sound of metal clinking against metal as her armour shifted. "This is for your own health, Lucy."

"Well, you did say they didn't have much information." Lucy said, glancing to Master Makarov, who nodded at her words. "Maybe a break from this would be good…"

"So we're going on the job!" Natsu grasped hold of his partner's wrist and tugged her towards the Guild's front doors.

"Wait, Natsu!" Lucy cried as the doors opened, indicating someone was trying to walk inside the entrance they were zooming towards. "Slow down!" she felt him let go of her, only to send her stumbling forwards and straight into whoever was walking inside. He reached out to stop her from falling but only succeeded in sending both of them to the ground.

"Sorry, that was Natsu's fault." Lucy giggled as she climbed off of the person. She blinked a few times at the unfamiliar face, her eyes widening at the sight of the Guild Mark on his arm. "Eh?" She said, staring at them quizzically. "Who are you?"

That was all she could say before the boy got to his feet, pulled her up as well, and then dropped to his knees before her.

"I can n-never repay you," he choked out. "I'm i-in your debt."

Her features showed confusion before realisation settled in as she recalled something Erza had said to her during a brief visit. "W-Wait," Lucy murmured. "Erza mentioned you, I think…are you Erin?"

"You brought those who hurt my townsfolk to justice, I can't thank you enough." The Earth Mage gushed. "I'm in your debt, for now and forever more!"

"No, no!" Lucy shook her head and held her hands up to reassure him. "It's okay, you don't owe me anything."

"No!" He cried, jumping to his feet and grasping hold of her shoulders, startling the girl. "I have to pay you back, alright? I'll probably never be able to, but I promise-"

"Hey, it's alright, calm down," she laughed. "I don't mind-"

"You don't understand!" Erin cried. "For what you've done for me, I have to pay you back!"

Lucy moved to reply when Natsu came into view and grabbed her wrist again, ready to blow a fuse. "Can we just go already?!" The Fire Dragon Slayer shouted. "Lucy, hurry up!"

"Natsu, hang on!" Lucy snapped. "I'm trying to talk to Erin-"

"Lucy, we must truly go." Erza called as she travelled towards them. "Or we'll miss the train."

"Sorry, Erin," Lucy apologized, squeezing his hands. "I'll have to talk to you when I get back."

"Lucy-san-"

Natsu didn't give her time to answer before he began running outside, pulling her along beside him.

However, this time she wasn't irritated.

She had missed this idiot's antics for the past few days.

Back inside the Guild Hall, Erin Magnar watched the trio head off on their mission with a thoughtful expression.

He wondered about the tea roses he'd given to his fellow Dragon Slayer a few days ago.

.

..

…

A/N: I really wanted to write a scene with Levy and Lucy being total bookworms, sue me. :P