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Chapter Text

Lucy was exhausted, her shoulders ached, sweat beaded on her face, and the cold, hard floor beneath her dug into her knees and shins.

"Why didn't I do this last night?" She complained to no one but herself, wiping the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, and went back to scrubbing the grout between her moss coloured bathroom tiles.

Patches of white shone through the bubbles as she leaned harder on the little wooden brush. The pine scented bleach burned her nostrils but she didn't care, she would get them clean, grunting with each pass of the brush.

It wasn't normally a task she'd take on, but this was the first time people were coming to her new house, and honestly she didn't think it was going to take as long as it was. She didn't realise the grout was supposed to be white.

She sighed as she leaned back on her heels, stretching out her back and then yawned.

People warned her getting older would take a toll but she didn't listen. Quitting the guild and taking a job where she was sat at a computer most of the day left her more exhausted than running around fighting evil ever did. She had absolutely needed to leave though. After everything she went through, it was too much for her to see everyone, to be where a lot of it happened. So, she packed up her tiny apartment and moved to Crocus to work for a publisher. She had more time now for her own writing now, too. She already had one book out there in the world. A memoir of her time with Fairy Tail.

The tour for that had been mildly successful, and even though it was years ago, people still asked her to sign a copy for them if they recognised her in book shops.

She always said yes, of course, but the smile was forced. The further away she got from her time as a wizard the harder it was to think about it. Especially when she thought about the later years.

She shook herself out and leaned back over the bucket of warm, soapy water, and really really went at the grout. Like it was an itch she couldn't scratch.

"I shouldn't be doing this on a weekend," She grumbled to herself, "I need a maid."

"Yes, Princess?" Virgo appeared in a puff of pink smoke, standing in the shower beside Lucy.

Lucy gasped and jumped, wafting away the plume. "I've asked you not to do that, Virgo."

"Of course, Princess," Virgo bowed at the waist, her shackles tinkling around her wrists, "I am here to help, though." She straightened up.

"Actually," Lucy sighed again, her shoulders sagging, "That would be really nice."

Virgo held out a hand to help Lucy up from the floor.

Lucy thanked her spirit and left her to it, and decided to go grab a drink before she had to get ready for the evening's antics.

She used to look forward to the rare Saturday nights she had off, dancing and drinking with her guildmates, now her weekends consisted of either Netflix binges and wine or networking in faux classy hotel restaurants for clients. She honestly preferred the former, the latter almost always made her feel cheap and dirty, depending on the client. Though they were usually not being weird with her, their extra curriculars outside of a work environment made her uncomfortable. "Party favours" and call girls were not her scene, but whatever kept her boss happy, she supposed.

Until this particular Saturday, when Cana and Levy had gotten them tickets to see a band playing in the city that night. She didn't even know who they were going to see. Cana just looked for shows for that night, for something to do.

She hadn't seen Cana since the party she had to celebrate her divorce from Bacchus the previous year, and the last time she saw Levy was the day after, when she dropped Lucy off at the train station, they were both hungover and emotional. Gajeel had stayed in bed, the idea of even being near a train station was utterly abhorrent to him.

She hadn't even seen Natsu or Erza since that night. Gray, she had seen, once. Fairy Tail had fucked up royally on one of their jobs and as their new guild master, it was Gray's job to fix that mess. So he and Juvia stayed in Lucy's spare room the night before their hearing in Crocus, and the night after. Apparently, it was a rough one. Gray came back in a mood and Juvia was silent for the rest of their stay.

They were all adults now. Married, kids, new jobs. Though most of them had stayed in Magnolia, training the next generation of wizards. The thought of Natsu and Gray as teachers always made her smile, and sometimes laugh. There was no way the two of them could keep it together and amicable for long enough to get through a lesson on the basics never mind anything else. Gray's penchant for stripping didn't even bear thinking about, especially considering his new role.

Lucy couldn't lie to herself, she probably would have enjoyed staying to impart her own wisdom. But after Makarov's funeral, it all became too much for her to bear. Too much had happened in those walls, in that town. Leaving was the best thing for her, even if it broke her heart in more ways than one.

The doorbell rang as Lucy made her way down the stairs, the sound reverberating through her tiny house.

"Shit," Lucy muttered, "They're early." She'd hoped she'd be able to at least get a shower before they arrived. She knew she was a mess. Bleach stained tank top and ratty shorts, dirt and scuffs up her legs and arms. She'd dragged her hair up into a scrunchy and she could feel grease stains on her chin and nose. She didn't even want to look in the mirror, she knew she looked an absolute horror show, smelled like it too.

She inhaled, deeply, and strode towards the door.

"Hi!" Cana and Levy both squealed at the same time, going in for a hug, but stopped, scrunching up their noses.

"Yes, I know, I smell like a bag of hot garbage." Lucy half laughed.

"Why-" Cana started, her eyes glancing over Lucy and stopping at every spot and smudge.

"I started cleaning my bathroom, and shit got away from me." Lucy gave them that tight lipped smile, pretending not to notice that they weren't coming any closer.

"You guys can wait in the living room? Virgo is finishing up the bathroom, and then I can shower."

She showed them in, telling them to make themselves comfortable

-

Fresh and clean, Lucy finally sat down with her friends to catch up. They chatted and drank wine while they did their makeup.

Cana was more than happy to share gossip about former guildmates, letting Lucy know about Natsu and Lisanna's twins nearly burning the guild to the ground, about Mirajane trying to teach Laxus how to make cocktails and him smashing up half the back bar.

Levy had tears running down her face at the memory, "He was actually trying so hard too!" All three of them were holding their sides at the thought of Laxus' concentration face trying to measure out liquids and flipping boston tins around.

They were all laughing so hard Lucy could hardly breathe.

"Oh!" Cana said, "and then when Crime Sorciere-" she stopped herself, and the laughter, abruptly.

Levy levelled Cana with a stare so dirty Lucy nearly summoned Virgo back.

The room went so silent, the tension so thick for a brief second that Lucy wanted the world to open up and swallow her. So quiet that she could have sworn that time had stopped.

"Um," Cana broke the spell, movement returned to the world, "I'm really sorry Lucy." She tucked her hair behind her ear, crossing her arm across her body.

"It's okay," Lucy grinned. A fake, and painful thing that split her face. She grabbed an unopened bottle of rosè from the table between them all.

The other two girls frowned at her.

"Really," Lucy chuckled, "it's fine." She smiled, less fake this time. The sharp edge of her hurt had been blunted with the years that had passed, and also the wine they had drank.

As she poured to top up all of their glasses, she noticed the clock on her wall.

"Ah, shit." She chugged the whole glass of wine, standing as she did. Cana and Levy did the same. "Time to go!"

-

Lucy was so excited. She didn't even care that they didn't know who they were going to see. She remembered when Makarov used to let random bands practice or gig in the guild hall and it was always fun, even if they weren't that good.

"Is the name of the band on the ticket?" She asked Cana, who was clinging on to Levy to be able to stay upright. Lucy glanced at her shoes, heels, a bad choice for a gig, but she shrugged, it wasn't her feet that were going to ache later.

Cana rummaged through her bag for a second. Lucy knew it was a never ending pit of chaos in there, and didn't know why she didn't give them to Levy to keep hold of. She found them though, passing them to Lucy.

Lucy took them, 'Blue October & special guests'. Something about their name rang a bell somewhere in the back of her mind, buried deep enough for her to not be bothered by it. She nodded, slowly, pretending she knew what to expect. Then laughed.

Cana and Levy giggled too as they made their way through the capital.

"Where is it we're actually going?" Lucy asked.

"A venue on Dahlia Drive?" Cana replied. At least she'd had the foresight to look that up, even if they still didn't know who the bands were.

"Dahlia dr- I know that place!" Lucy grinned, "It's up by the university." She turned them up the next little avenue. Ignoring the monolith she was now facing in the distance. The arena looming over the top. She shut the memories down before they had a chance to crawl through her mind.

"Ah good, I thought we might get lost," Admitted Levy with a relieved sigh.

It didn't take them much longer to get there, Cana spent the walk shit talking Bacchus in a way that had Lucy convinced it wasn't over. And by the look Levy gave her, she was convinced too.

Lucy had to have walked past this place who knew how many times. It was tucked away in the middle of coffee shops and bakeries. She didn't even know it was there. The door was unassuming. A small sign above the door giving away it's name in icy neon blue.

The Zanzibar

The growing crowd of people accumulating around them suggested that at least one of the bands they were there to see, were far more popular than Lucy had possibly given them credit for. Everyone was chattering, groups joined bigger groups.

The three of them moved with the growing congregation towards where the line for the venue was starting

Lucy heard girls talking about how long they'd been waiting to see the headline act, how they thought they'd never tour.

"I hope they play Say It," One girl, who can't have been older than 18, said to her friend who hummed eagerly in agreement.

"Shape Of Your Heart is my all time favourite-" Crooned another fan.

Lucy smiled, allowing herself to absorb the buzz around her.

The sun was setting, casting a rich and resplendent glow onto the street around them. People and trees across the way became silhouettes, and everything came down to that moment. To Lucy, it felt like she was in a movie. She had some of her best friends, her edges were softened by the wine they drank. She felt 21 again, she was ready for whatever the night threw at her.

Inside the venue was dark, only dim blue and purple lights illuminating the farthest corners of the room. It was a stark contrast to the golden evening she'd just stepped in from, thought it was warmer, now, humid. Sticky. She blinked, allowing her vision to adjust.

Cana pushed Lucy from behind, further inside, towards the bar. Everyone seemed to have the same idea, it was eight deep waiting for a drink. It was going to be a while, and Lucy could see Cana's mind turning, she was regretting the shoes.

Lucy's weren't much better, black leather boots, but at least they were flat.

Fifteen minutes passed before they were able to rest their elbows on the bar and order. Lucy didn't want to have to wait longer for a cocktail, and she wanted to make the bartender's life as easy as possible, so the three of them agreed on a beer each.

It was tepid, nearly flat, and in a plastic cup, but it was better than no drink at all.

Once they had their drinks, they made their way to the stage area. Cana managed to strongarm her way into the middle of the room, giving them a great vantage point. They were right in front of the sound engineer's little box, so they could lean on the rail behind them.

Pop punk songs crackled through the overhead speakers while everyone waited for the first band to come on. Chattering and Fall Out Boy filled the room. The energy was electric, as though Laxus was there, charging everyone up.

The lights dimmed, Patrick Stump's voice faded into the ether, and chattering lowered to mumbling lowered to nothing, until everyone started cheering and clapping. It was a roar and Lucy was completely caught up in it.

Smoke filled the room from the stage, it smelled like Halloween and late nights out with friends. Lucy allowed herself to indulge in it, letting small memories of nights out and raging hangovers make their way into the forefront of her mind.

Four young guys came onto the stage, waving at the crowd, and picking up their instruments.

"Hey, Crocus!" The singer's voice was smooth, girls in the audience squealed. "Come on," He winked, "Hey, Crocus!" He shouted and was met with riotous applause, "That's more like it!" He grinned, "Let's go!"

They jumped straight into their first track, guitar heavy and raspy vocals.

Lucy lost herself in their music, swaying with her friends and the crowd around them. She'd forgotten how much she loved live music. The atmosphere, the feeling that everyone there was connected, hearing the same words. Feeling the same energy.

Her, Cana and Levy danced and laughed. Stopping to sip their beer so it didn't spill. They whooped and cheered between songs. Lucy had to ground Cana more than once when one bigger guy kept bumping into them.

"I'm going to fuc-" She seethed, eyes narrowed and laser focused on the offender.

"Cana," Lucy laughed, "Everyone is bumping into everyone, let it go." Lucy beamed, turning back to dance. It was hard for Cana to be mad, seeing her best friend having the time of her life. It reminded her of when they'd party at the guild, after long days and weeks of gruelling work, getting to let their hair down.

The band slowly got quieter, their last song tapering off, mingling with the growing applause. They grinned, wiping sweaty hair from their eyes and taking gulps of water that they had by their feet.

"Thank you!" The singer called out, smiling while he waited for the crowd to calm. When it was quiet enough, he spoke again "This is our first show outside of Bosco," He paused again for more whoops and cheers, "I want to take a minute to thank Blue October for having us, for flying us out to open for them on their first big tour, it's a pleasure, we've been Diamonds at Night, thank you!"

There was another ovation then, louder and longer as the band made their way off the stage.

Lights came back on overhead, low and barely there. But enough to let people know it was okay to talk again. All American Rejects sputtered out of the PA. And the girls shared a look, definitely time for another drink.

Sweat made it's way down Lucy's back in beads. She remembered every other time that had happened. Working out. Fighting, wrestling Natsu and Gray away from each other. Chasing assholes through crowded streets and up and down trains. Other memories tried to creep their way into her head, ragged breaths and dragging fingertips. Satisfaction and eye contact. Calloused hands wrapped around her-

Lucy shook her head, she wasn't going there. She caught back up to her friends, the queue for the bar was shorter now. Everyone was probably in the bathroom.

With their drinks ordered, the three of them made their way over to some benches off to the side of the room.

"Can't really see the stage from here," Cana frowned.

Lucy and Levy both shrugged.

"I need to sit down," Lucy laughed.

"No kidding," Cana sighed, flopping onto the seat, careful not to spill her drink. She grimaced, leaning down to rub her feet as best she could. "These fucking shoes."

Lucy and Levy tried hard not to laugh while being sympathetic.

The three of them took the couple of minutes they had before the headliner to catch up on a little more gossip.

Cana was halfway through an anecdote about Elfman being used as a dress up doll by Mirajane's youngest when the music went quiet again, the chatter around them dulled into nothing.

"Should we?" Lucy asked, nodding her head back to where everyone else was stood.

They made it back into the middle of the room, reclaiming their spot at the sound engineers booth. A curtain had been closed across the whole stage in the time they were gone.

Dead silence. Everyone was holding their breath.

Overhead lights went off, blue strobes flashed around them.

The curtain covering the entire stage dropped.

The crowd went absolutely wild. Whistles and whoops rang through the air. Lucy and Cana screamed while Levy laughed. Everything started to calm down again.

Silence. Then soft synths, a simple drum beat.

The singer, back-lit by a dusty blue spot light. Guitar around his neck, hanging there waiting. He cupped the mic oh so gently, pick in one hand, and leaned down so his lips brushed the metal. His gravel deep voice barely above a whisper, like Lucy was the only one he was singing to.

The eyes take notes and the body collects

You're the ghost, you're a comet of the opposite sex

You're a white star, fast car, fucking user-friendly god

Goosebumps came up along her arms, hairs on her neck stood up, a shiver made its way in delicious waves along her spine. She closed her eyes and gave herself to that voice.

Chapter Text

"Run!" Lucy yelled, turning on her heel. Projectiles hurtled towards her, popping as they screeched through the air. One made impact too close to Lucy, it exploded, throwing her.

Pain spiked along Lucy's spine at the impact. She screamed. The limestone scraped and tore at her skin as she slid down the wall the blast had thrown her at. She gritted her teeth and braced herself, locking her knees before she collapsed into a heap on the floor. She panted, winded from the collision. One arm wrapped around her ribs, the other reached for her Fleuve d'étoiles. The flares and flames crackled along it's length as it unfurled beside her.

She could feel the sweat trickling, tracing paths in the dirt and dust coating Lucy's face, back and arms. Bruises were forming rapidly across her shins and elbows. Adrenaline was on her side right now, but she knew she was going to hurt all over the next day.

The stringy-haired asshole who chucked the enchanted rock, was coming towards her. He had a smug smirk, enough to show two or three of his broken and rotten teeth. He took a step, another.

Lucy cracked the whip.

He stopped, eyes wide, not quite understanding what it was he was seeing. Blue electricity snapped next to his face, then around his ankles. The world tilted violently to his left, stars exploded in his vision when his head bounced off the wall he'd blown Lucy into not two minutes earlier.

Lucy left him there in a heap, limping into the fray with her team mates.

"Now I've got a fire in my belly," she heard Natsu over the ringing that was still in her ears.

'Finally' Lucy thought, she'd been through enough, this fight needed to be over. She looked over to Erza who had also been caught in the explosion. Soot and scrapes covered most of her arms, singes and burns still had embers eating at her clothes. Fury encompassed her entire being. She screamed, re-equipping into her Heaven's Wheel armour, and launched herself at their enemy for this week.

Lucy roared then, too. Running at the men snarling at them. Her whip cracked again, taking the wrists of the one closest too her, his bald, sweaty head gleaming in the sunlight. His mirth turned to fear as she lifted him with a graceful flick of her wrist and launched him over a shop nearby.

Lucy was sure she had broken ribs. This was the third wall in as many weeks she had been slammed against. Breathing hurt. Getting dressed hurt. Having to wait until they got back to the guild before they could see Wendy or Porlyusica meant her bones started to heal on their own, which meant a lot of the time, she had to have her bones re-broken. She was grateful that full breaks were so rare, and healing a cracked rib was relatively easy.

But she needn't have worried. Natsu had entirely too much fun blowing the top guy to kingdom come before Erza even made it through all of his cronies.

What few lackies were actually left shaded their eyes from the sun as he soared, screaming, miles above them. They stared at Natsu, dumbfounded for half a second, then turned tail and fled.

Natsu dusted his hands together, stupid beaming smile, teeth glinting in the sunlight. Not a scratch on him. Or Gray, who was standing like none of what just happened was a big deal, arms crossed against his bare chest.

Lucy rolled her eyes, stuffing his discarded t-shirt into his stomach as she walked past, earning her an annoyed grumble.

She tried tried not to be resentful, but it was hard, knowing that all of this came so easy to them with barely any training. Natsu especially. Maker and Slayer magic meant they got to fight at long range without breaking a sweat. Lucy was stuck with Melee if she wanted to do the work herself without bringing her spirits into it. She sighed, a long and defeated noise, patted Natsu on the back, and headed back towards their lodgings.

-

The shower was luke warm but it was better than nothing, she watched as rivulets of orange grime and blood snaked their way to the drain. Brick dust and dirt from the streets had matted her hair so badly that it was painful to try and detangle. She worked conditioner into every knot one by one and by the time she was finally done, the water was cold.

She stepped out, shivering, gritting her teeth against the pain in her back and ribs, and wrapped the fluffy towel around herself.

She lay on her bed, shoulders slumped. Sleep threatened to close in on her peripheral. She was far too tired to fight it, and lay down with her hair still wet.

-

Travelling back to Magnolia sucked. None of them had the energy to talk, so they mostly just slept. Natsu had been out for the count since they got into their seats. He took a potion Wendy gave him to knock him unconscious so he didn't have to suffer with the travel sickness.

Lucy struggled to get comfy enough to fall asleep, so stared out the window the whole way back. She counted cows and sheep, memorised the different shades of green and stared at clouds, trying to press them into shapes in her own mind.

By the time they got back to the guild hall, Lucy was more stiff than when she woke up that morning.

-

"What happened this time, Lucy?" Wendy asked in that soft way of hers, trying not to frown. She ran her fingers over Lucy's ribs, trying to be careful, but Lucy still winced when she reached the tender spot about halfway down her back.

Wendy's eyebrows knitted together in concentration. Both hands hovered over the broken ribs and warmth flooded into Lucy's muscles. She was finally able to relax and breathe without wanting to cry.

Lucy breathed in deeply, savouring the clinically clean smell of the infirmary, and blew a long breath back out through pursed lips.

Wendy moved down to her ankle.

"Same old, I don't even read the jobs anymore," Lucy chuckled.

"That's a lot of trust to put into Natsu," Wendy laughed back.

"Oh," Lucy giggled, "We don't let Natsu near the board anymore, that's all down to Erza."

Wendy held her hands out again and that same magical warmth soothed her aching bones.

"What next?" Wendy looked concerned, wrapping bandages around her friends ribs and foot. Lucy spent more time in the infirmary than pretty much anyone else in Fairy Tail.

She hopped off the examination bed, and stretched, relishing in being able to move freely again.

"Bath. Books, and bed. For at least a week," Lucy sighed with a small smile. Her whole body ached. Despite Wendy's handiwork, her bones and muscles still screamed every time she moved.

'Maybe even two weeks' Lucy thought to herself. It hadn't even been two months since Natsu, Laxus, Sting, Rogue, all the dragons slayers, had taken out Acnologia. Natsu took two days to recharge and wanted to get back out there. Lucy felt like she'd barely had time to breathe.

"That sounds like a good idea," Wendy smiled at her.

Lucy smiled back, and limped out into the main hall. It was rowdy enough that she could slink through unnoticed. Thankfully, because she had no energy for anyone.

Crime Sorciere had turned up while Lucy was in the infirmary. Jellal was at the bar talking to Makarov, they weren't chatting long before Makarov motioned for him to follow up to his office.

She made her way through the guildhall, keeping herself as hidden as possible. Natsu's timing was on her side because he and Gray starting a huge fight while she was walking through. Elfman, Erza and Bickslow got dragged into it.

She chuckled softly to herself as she snuck past and could have sworn Natsu winked at her.

On the other side of the room, Cobra, Angel and Racer stared at the altercation with a mixture of disgust and amusement.

Cobra caught Lucy's eye as she was trying to make it out unseen, he said nothing, but a smirk pulled the corners of his mouth and eye before he took another sip of his drink.
She looked away, rolling her eyes, and made it out of the guild hall.

-

When Lucy finally made it back to her apartment, Virgo had appeared.

"I ran you a bath, Princess." She bowed, lowering her head towards Lucy.

"You didn't have to do that, Virgo," Lucy smiled at her spirit. Perpetually in her maid's outfit, Lucy wondered what had made her commit to a life of servitude. Then realised she probably didn't want to know.

"It's my pleasure, Princess," Virgo replied, her ever polite voice soft, "I also made your bed with fresh sheets, laid you out clean pyjamas and that new book you've been looking forward to." She bowed again.

"Thank you, Virgo. I don't know how I got so lucky as to end up with you as a friend." Lucy smiled, tears threatening to spill over. She was so tired.

"Any time," Virgo smiled back, and vanished in a cloud of candy floss pink.

Lucy allowed herself to sink slowly into the lavender bubbles, the hot water a refuge after the last week of shit showers and no soap. The steam swirling around her smelled of essential oils and was making her sleepy. She didn't want to get out, but the prospect of falling asleep in the bath and that being what ended her, was enough to make her stand up and grab a towel.

-

After what felt like a year of sleep, Lucy finally felt human again. She looked at the old school black and white clock on her wall.

"11am? My God I really was tired." She stretched and yawned, scratching the back of her head.

The wooden floor was cold on her bare feet, but it was a welcome feeling. It had gotten very warm over night and her apartment didn't do much to keep that out.

"Should have worn the short pyjamas," She muttered to herself, searching through her dresser. "Aha," She beamed to herself as she found her outfit for the day: Her blue skirt and white and blue tank top. "A classic."

She got dressed and decided to eat breakfast at the guild, she couldn't be bothered cooking and cleaning herself.

"I deserve a treat," She told herself balancing on the little wall that lined the edge of the river that ran right through Magnolia.

"You're going to fall in, Miss Lucy!" One of the fishermen laughed from a boat below her. She just grinned at him and hopped down.

She took in her surroundings, the birds calling to each other from the emerald leaves above her, the way the sun made the river sparkle. She hummed to herself, content with the fact this was her life.

Four years ago, 'well technically eleven' she thought to herself, she never could have begun to imagine this would be where she'd end up. She had a dream of becoming a Fairy Tail wizard. She held on to that through the fear of leaving her father. She ran into Natsu by chance, and look at her now.
She tilted her head back, hair cascading down her back in blonde waves, and relished the heat on her face, then pushed open the heavy wooden door to Fairy Tail.

"Hey, Lucy!" Levy shouted, waving her over.

Lucy shimmied into the corner booth that unofficially belonged to Levy and Gajeel. It was closest to the bar and kitchen, and with the hours Levy put in to research and spellwork, it made sense that she would keep herself as close as possible to a source of energy and hydration.

"Coffee?" Levy asked, sliding a plastic take away cup over to Lucy, ice rattling as it moved along the wooden table.

"God you know me so well," Lucy snickered, taking a sip. "What are you working on?"

"A tracking spell," Levy slid her glasses back up her nose and showed Lucy the book and her notes.

Lucy nodded, pretending to understand what she was seeing, and even though Levy knew Lucy was humouring her, she was polite enough not to point it out.

"What for?" Lucy asked, slurping at her drink.

"For Crime Sorciere," Levy explained.

"They're still here?" Lucy asked, turning to scan the room, she couldn't see them.

"Yeah, they're staying in Magnolia for a little while, taking a break I guess." Levy shrugged.

"Hmm," Lucy kept looking around the room, but still couldn't see any of them. She gave up and went to order a yoghurt and granola bowl from Mirajane.

"Hi Lucy," Mira sang, "I heard about your rough job, are you okay?" She frowned, passing Lucy the bowl.

"Oh yeah, Wendy sorted me out, good as new," Lucy smiled, grabbing a spoon from the caddy at the end of the bar.

Lucy stayed at the guild hall most of the day, catching up with Cana, who was on yet another break from Bacchus. She seemed in high spirits though, but it was hard to know if that was because Cana was okay or if she was on barrel 3 by 1pm.

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled, almost kicking the hall door off it's hinges. Happy flew in behind him and Erza followed not long after with Gray.

It wasn't long before Natsu and Gray were at each other's throats over something completely ridiculous, and Erza was too busy getting a little too involved with a strawberry cake. So Lucy was the one who had to intervene, screaming at them both to stop.

"Put your clothes on!" She screeched at Gray who had become, once again, inexplicably naked during the commotion.

Natsu took advantage of Gray's back being turned, flames licked his knuckles up to his elbows and that shit eating grin spread across his face as he launched himself at him.

Lucy moved like lightning to stand in his way, throwing off his trajectory. He ended up knocking her over, right into the pile of cakes that Erza had accumulated.

Quiet descended through the guildhall, everyone staring at Lucy, with cream and sponge in her hair.

A knife could have cut through the suspense. Lucy didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She stood up in stunned silence.

Her teeth ground together and fury burned behind her eyes, Natsu backed off, starting to stammer an apology.

Laughter bubbled up from the other side of the room, a dark cackle that reverberated through the whole hall.

Lucy broke her eye contact with Natsu, to see where the noise was coming from, and any anger that had made it's way through her died in her throat.

"Cobra," Sorano smacked him in the chest, stifling her own giggle, "Shut up."

Chapter Text

Watching Lucy storm out of the guild hall with bits of cake and cream tumbling off her shoulders made it all but impossible for Cobra to keep his shit together. He burst into uncontrollable laughter the second the door latched closed again. A dirty, evil sound.

"You're an asshole, Cobra," Midnight said from where he had his head resting on the bar top.

Jellal had been watching from the staircase and levelled Cobra with a look of derision and discontent before heading back up to Makarov's office, shaking his head.

"It's not my fault," Cobra cleared his throat, looking away from Jellal, "That shit was hysterical." He supressed another laugh with a snort, choking back his drink, and fought the smile trying its hardest to creep across his mouth.

-

Lucy could feel her ears and cheeks burn. Her teeth ground together while she scraped cream and pulpy strawberry out of her hair and off her arms. It took all of her strength to not just scream on her walk back along the river.

"What an absolute asshole," She muttered furiously to herself, wiping yet more cake debris from her clothes and face. Although her attempts seemed to be in vain, all she managed to do was smear cream and jam across her shirt.

More frustratingly, she didn't know who she was more enraged with, or who exactly she was calling an asshole. Natsu, sure, but his little stunt was par for the course when it came to his behaviour, much to Lucy's (and the rest of the guild's) dismay.

But Cobra? That was straight up humiliating.

She seethed, muttering angrily to herself the whole walk back to her apartment.

After showering (again), Lucy decided to stay in. She'd contemplated heading back to the guild hall, and tearing Natsu a new one, but, she realised that would be impossible without also having to rip into Cobra.

The thought of that made her head spin and her stomach do somersaults. Nothing good could come from that interaction. The last time she had prolonged contact with him, she'd been slowly being digested by the Infinity Clock. She hadn't even known he was involved in the war against Zeref and Alvarez until well after the fact.

And after they defeated Acnologia? She was so relieved that her guildmates were okay that he had barely registered in her peripheral.

Lucy helped herself to a large glass of red wine, and sunk into the deliciously deep cushions on her sofa to read her most recent purchase from the used bookstore in Magnolia.

-

Lucy had startled awake around 3am, her book on the floor, an arm up around her head and her mouth dryer than the desert. She crawled sleepily across to her bed and settled back in to a deep sleep.

She woke again at around 10am, covers strewn across the bottom of her bed, one hand hanging just above the floor and hair stuck to her face. She stretched, several vertebrae in her lower back popping in a very satisfying way.

Lucy lay there, relishing in the comfort of her duvet and pillows that still smelled of her strawberry fabric softener, rolling onto her stomach and pulling the pillows into her face.

For the briefest, most blissful of moments, Lucy had forgotten about the events of the previous day, but all too quickly the memory yanked her from that delicious space between dreaming and waking, and once again she felt anger and humiliation bubble in a pit in her stomach.

At least they'll be gone today, she told herself. As little as she knew about them, she knew they never hung around one place for too long, even a while only meant a matter of days to them. Erza would tell her about letters she'd gotten from Jellal from pretty much everywhere at this point.

She showered and dressed, tying her hair up and choosing clothes that cake would hopefully just slide right off of.

By the time she was walking out of her front door, she'd convinced herself fully that she was never going to see any of them ever again. Maybe not never again, but for a long long looong time.

The stirring in her midsection started to settle at the thought of not having to face them for a very long time, or maybe even forever. She smiled to herself. Wouldn't that be nice.

She allowed herself to glide on that good feeling, humming to herself as she walked along the riverbank.

She'd decided she was going to spend her day at the museum in Magnolia, but wanted to grab a strawberry milkshake on her way, and maybe ask Levy if she wanted to go with her.

She was practically skipping by the time she came up to the guild hall. Still humming, her golden hair bouncing as she made her way along the cobbled street.

Lucy's good mood, however, dissipated the second she stepped over the threshold of the giant oak doors. Sitting at the bar, shit eating grin plastered across his face, cool indigo eye locking with her own gaze, was Cobra.

The tune she'd been humming died in her throat, the bounce in her step disappeared and her hair fell flat.

She turned on her heel, the doors slamming shut behind her.

Except that heavy thud never came, footsteps followed quickly behind her. She sped up, not wanting to engage with anyone.

"Shit you're faster than you look, baby spice," the gravelly, mirth filled voice stopped Lucy dead in her tracks. A cold chill gripped her by the spine and threatened to never let go.

She turned, slowly, methodically. "Are you fucking kidding me?" She damn near hissed as she came face to face with Cobra.

"Yeah, yeah, you're fucking pissed at me," Cobra's tone was so dismissive and bored that the cold abhorrence snaking up Lucy's back boiled into white hot rage.

Her eyes narrowed and her teeth clamped together.

"Are you for re-"

"I wanted to say sorry." Cobra spat out before Lucy could finish.

Fury fizzled into confusion, Lucy crossed her arms, eyes still narrow, jaw still clenched. He had all the sincerity of a toddler promising not to drink bath water, so Lucy was curious as to what lead to his sudden attempt at atonement.

He was stood, inspecting his fingernails, slouched, yet still towering over her 5'2" frame. He was apathetic and did not want to be there. So why was he?

His eye rolled and he dropped his arms.

"Look, I'll level with you," He cleared his throat, "Jellal is making me apologise."

"Ohhh," Lucy drawled sarcastically, "Well thank you, so much." She turned and went to walk away again when he caught her wrist. Her eyes went from his fingers to his face in a split second, disbelief painting her yet another shade of infuriated.

He let go so fast it was like she had burned him, a flicker of shame in his eye so brief Lucy convinced herself she'd made it up.

"It was funny as hell," He coughed covering a chuckle at the memory, "But if we have to work together I-"

"We what?" Lucy spluttered.

"Crime sorciere are staying at Fairy Tail- not the point," He shook his head, "What I mean is, I'm trying to make our lives here as easy as possible, okay"?

All Lucy could do was stare at him. Overwhelmed by anger and frustration and embarrassment.

"Get fucked, Cobra," She snarled, and hauled her ass back to the guild hall, leaving a confused and pissed off Cobra in her wake.

-

"Where's gramps?" Lucy demanded from no one in particular as she marched straight through the now silent guild hall.

"Upstairs, Lucy," a bewildered Mira-jane called out in that soft, sing song-y voice.

"Thanks," Lucy snapped, stomping up the staircase that lead straight into Makarov's office.

She knocked, even in a dark, red haze of pure, unadulterated rage, she knew better than to just barge in. She'd never been on the receiving end of Gramps' wrath and she intended to keep it that way. Even if he was about to be on the wrong end of hers, that thought had her taking a deep, steadying breath. Guns blazing was the wrong way to go about this.

The door creaked open, and Lucy let herself into the small room.

"Lucy?" Makarov's voice was full of concern, the love there causing tears to well in her eyes. She wouldn't cry though, she blinked hard.

"Why are Crime Sorciere here?" Lucy blurted before she started wailing out of frustration.

"They have some work to do in neighbouring towns, and asked if we would be of assistance if necessary-"

"But why are they here?" Lucy gestured to the room, and pointed at the floor, out the window at the Fairy Tail dorms.

"Ah," He frowned, thoughts ticking over behind his eyes, "Jellal asked if we wouldn't mind housing them. I said it would be a good opportunity for them to reintergrate after so long away.

"You had already left yesterday when we told the rest of the guild, how did you-?"

"Cobra. With his half assed apology and charming demeanour." Lucy sank into one of his chairs, crossing her arms and sighing. Tension and anger started to melt away. Of course the arrangement made sense. Cobra was just being Cobra.

Makarov smiled at Lucy's sarcasm. "I understand your frustrations Lucy, but they've worked hard to change-"

Lucy scoffed, Makarov's demeanour hardened.

"Take this chance to get to know them. For the time being, they are your guildmates and you should treat them as such."

"But, Master-"

"No, Lucy," Makarov held up his hand, commanding respect and quiet instantly, "I told you, I understand. But I will not tolerate any animosity, are we clear? You will make an effort."

Lucy nodded, feeling chided and ashamed. She knew he was right, she just didn't like it.

-

Lucy was sat with Cana, nursing a beer, stuck between pissed off and frustrated. She wanted to talk to Erza, but she knew that if Jellal had said anything about it in his letters, Lucy would have been told. So she sat in the middle of her feelings, somewhere around fed up and tired. She didn't realise getting so angry was so exhausting.

It was Friday afternoon and Cana had waved her over once she'd come back down the stairs. Lucy sat, not wanting to give up on her day just yet, but also not wanting to go to the museum anymore. So the pair of them sat and talked about nothing and Bacchus for a couple of hours, sinking beer after beer. Juvia and Levy came and sat with them for a little while, Lisanna too, at one point. But as the day went on, herself and Cana were the only two constants.

By the time the evening came around, Cobra had come back. She scoffed and rolled her eyes as he made his way through the guild hall, which had steadily grown busier throughout the day.

She made a point of trying to ignore him at the other end of the bar, he was sat with Sorano and Yukino. Both of whom were visiting with most of the rest of Sabertooth, Sting was trying to arm wrestle Natsu, Rogue was his usual broodingly emo self sat with Gajeel in the corner, watching his friend getting rowdier and rowdier, spurred on by Natsu's own riotousness.

Lucy knew it wouldn't be long until the whole guild dissolved into unmanageable anarchy. Drinks and fists flying, Gray stripping down and Natsu setting shit on fire. She weighed up whether or not she had it in her to let loose and have fun with her friends.

She wanted to, she wanted to laugh and get fake mad at Natsu and Gray. She craved the feeling of not caring what people thought because everyone was being a menace.

But she couldn't let go of the itch in the back of her brain that felt like she was always in the peripheral of a singular amethyst eye.

"I'm calling it," Lucy sighed, jumping off her bar stool, her head span, she held onto the bar to keep herself upright.

Cana laughed at her unsteadiness, "You okay there, girl?"

"I'm fine," Lucy grinned, "See you later, Cana." She waved while turning to leave the guild hall, saying her goodbyes to everyone as she stumbled down past the tables.

At the door, she tripped, the floor came at her face fast but the impact never came.

An arm snaked under her shoulders.

"Up you get, you fuckin' lush," a deep voice came from her saviour, a voice that belonged to-

"Cobra?" Lucy scowled, trying to move away from him.

"Actually," He let her go, "It's Erik."

"Oh," she chewed her lip, "What are you doing?" She was back to scowling.

"Stopping you from smashing your teeth in, for a start," He gestured to the cobbled street that she nearly just took a bite out of.

"And for a not start?" She hiccupped.

"I was going to walk you home," He folded his arms across his chest, looking away, his turn to scowl.

Lucy just looked at him, waiting for him to explain why.

"It's dark?" He raised an eyebrow.

She raised an eyebrow back, So?

"None of your actual friends were going to make sure you were safe," He sounded out slowly, like she was four.

"I live two minutes away," Lucy slurred.

He looked at her as though that mattered.

"Take it from me, sweet cheeks, anything can happen in two minutes," He drawled, matter of factly.

She threw her hands up and back down again. Fine, let's go then.

Chapter Text

Two minutes my ass, Erik grunted internally. By the time they got to her building, it had been at least 15 minutes. Maybe she was right, during normal, sober circumstances. Because it really didn't seem that far, but between her stumbling and him having to half heave her up every few steps and her stopping because she felt like she'd puke if she didn't, it took them entirely too long.

"This is me," Lucy fought the slur in her words, but it made her sound worse. She jangled her keys at him, "Thanks, I guess." She took her shoes off before she ascended the steps to the main door.

Erik just stood there, arms folded, a bored expression on his face. Waiting.

Lucy stopped on the cold, top concrete step, and turned to him, "Don't think this means I like you, or whatever." Her own expression was schooled into neutrality, then she turned her keys in the door and disappeared inside.

-

My head hurts. Was Lucy's first thought, her second was: oh my God, I'm going to vomit. She slid out of bed, begging the room to stop spinning, and ran to the bathroom.

After emptying the minimal contents of her stomach, Lucy washed her face and rinsed out her mouth. She rested her shaking hands on the edge of the sink basin, and stared at her reflection.

Dark circles bloomed under her eyes, she never slept well when she drank. Her cheeks were flushed and, despite having vomited, her mouth was dry.

She splashed cool water on her face, the temperature waking her up fully.

"Fuuuck," Lucy groaned, dragging her hand down her face, she knew a cold shower was the only way to fix her hangover.

That, and a huge bowl of chilli cheese fries.

Thankfully, it was already almost midday and no one would judge her for scarfing down greasy meat and cheese for breakfast if they didn't know that it was her breakfast.

She climbed into the bath, and dragged the curtain across.

Lucy used to try and prepare herself for the icy blast, deep breaths, trying to step in slowly, holding her breath. But she came to realised that nothing would ever be able to prepare her for feeling like she was getting jet washed by Vulcans at the top of Mount Hakobe.

So, she turned the faucet and yelped, almost hopping out of the way, but she made herself stay under there, teeth chattering, goose bumps forcing her skin taut. She breathed deeply through her nose and out again.

Nope, She had enough, turning the water off, and jumping out of the bath so quick she nearly tripped.

Her towel was fluffy and soft, like wrapping herself in a strawberry scented hug. She pulled it up over her mouth, trying to stop her teeth clattering together.

Cold as she was, she did feel better. She made her way into her kitchen, praying that she had cold water in her fridge. She opened the door, little light flickering on, and there on a shelf was one bottle of sparkling spring water.

She found a lemon in the bottom drawer too, and silently thanked whatever deity was looking down on her this glorious morning.

Fresh sliced lemon in her bubbling water was just what she needed to really bring her back from whatever hell she'd caused herself the previous night. She drank half the glass in one go, and felt brand new.

With her new found clarity, she remembered the walk home.

She had no idea why she let Erik walk her back. She'd made that journey, sober and inebriated, countless times.

Moreover, why did he insist?

Whatever, she couldn't think about it right then. Her stomach growled and she could practically taste the chilli cheese fries Mira made at the guildhall.

-

"Oh my god," Lucy sighed around the mouthful of food. Just the first bite was enough to settle her queasiness.

She stuffed every last bite into her mouth and had to restrain herself before she licked what was left out of the cardboard tray. Natsu had been sat with her and even he looked perturbed at her horrendous table manners.

Her hangover was all but forgotten. The cold shower and raging headache nothing but a distant memory. She was entirely different to the person who woke up in a heap in her bed that morning.

She was grateful it had disappeared so quickly, she'd almost forgotten that she and Sagittarius had planned a training session that afternoon.

Lucy had decided not long after Acnoglogia, that she wanted to be more useful in fights, and nothing was more useful than someone who could hide and shoot arrows from a distance. So she spoke to Sagittarius who agreed to help her on Saturday afternoons.

She wanted to learn hand to hand too, but didn't know which of her spirits would be best for that, plus, one thing at a time was probably best for the time being.

She said her goodbyes to Natsu, and grabbed her sweater from the bench. Despite the pleasant early June weather, Lucy hadn't quite managed to chase away the chill from the shower. She hoped an afternoon of archery would warm her up.

After waving to Mira and Cana at the bar, and grabbing a bottle of water, she made her way out to the huge old barn-turned-gym at the back of the guild hall.

The old door slid open along the rusting tracks, and she took a deep breath. Pine and disinfectant filled her nostrils.

Her shoes echoed on the crudely laid plywood floors.

Lucy took off her hoodie, and set it with her water by the wall. She stretched, pulling her arms over her shoulders, touching her toes.

She summoned her Star Dress. She leaned back into the transformation, finding comfort in the warmth. Green leotard and boots replaced her shorts and running shoes. Her bow and quiver materialised in her fingers.

-

He'd been on his way to the dorms when he noticed golden light radiating from the open barn, intrigue and an inability to read who or what was in there meant his feet took him to the edge of the open door. It took him longer than he would ever admit to realise that the source of the glow was Lucy.

Of course its the goddamn Light of Fairy Tail, he rolled his eye, the irony wasn't lost on him. He went to walk away, but then he noticed the bow in her hand, and the quiver of arrows in the other.

He felt the atmosphere of the whole shed shift with her breathing. Her deep breath in made everything feel clear and calm, even inside himself. An arrow whistled loose with her breath out, and slid right into the bullseye.

Erik was loathe to admit it, but Lucy was impressive. She loosed arrow after arrow, most finding their mark. The ones that didn't, she retrieved; and took the horse-man's criticism with grace.

After about an hour, Lucy lowered her bow and turned towards him.

-

Lucy felt a presence, it was distracting but she refused to acknowledge whoever it was. She'd been doing this with Sagittarius for months now and was determined not to be put off by whatever busybody had decided her lesson was entertaining enough to stick around.

She took a moment to centre herself, and now ready, she shook herself out before calling on Sagittarius, asking him to help her set up targets.

Everything was set up. Lucy took her stance on the mark. Feet apart, back straight, shoulders dropped, she inhaled. Deep, grounding, everything was quiet, perfect. She brought up her bow, arm perpendicular to her body, her other hand at her jaw.

Sagittarius nodded approvingly.

She loosed the arrow on her exhale, and it landed, with a satisfying thunk, in the bullseye.

She focused on breathing, nocking arrows and loosing them. Sagittarius had to correct her form more than once, but he put that down to the distraction.

When she'd finished, she finally turned to see who'd been watching her, just in time to see Erik walking away.

-

Over the next few weeks, Lucy warmed up to the idea of Crime Sorciere being so close. She'd had conversations with Hoteye and Racer, where she learned they were called Richard and Sawyer now. She got a kick out of watching Natsu trying to beat him in races and never got tired of his whining when he lost.

She mostly ignored Erik, but it was hard to when she knew he was there every time she was out practicing with Sagittarius. She never saw him fully, he always left just as she finished. Lucy could never find him straight away afterwards, and by the time she saw him again, she'd lost the nerve to confront him about it.

In mid July, Makarov called most of Team Natsu up to his office, to finally give them the full run down of why Crime Sorciere were in Magnolia.

She found out Jellal had been following rumours about a guild who'd been terrorising and wiping out towns all over northern Fiore. He wanted more evidence before he made solid plans, and had wanted members from Fairy Tail to help them out. After the breakdown from Makarov, she found out they had wanted her, Erza and Natsu with them.

She found out they were called Grim Spectre. A name that struck complete and utter fear into the unfortunate, but sparse, population forced to live in the northern towns of Fiore. Most of the towns had been forced to leave in pure terror, Jellal had heard that shop fronts and houses were abandoned, dilapidated, trashed, there was no one left.

"Okay, but why us?" Lucy asked from Makarov's worn leather couch.

"And why not Gray or anyone else?" Erza added.

"Erik asked for Lucy specifically," Their master told them, Lucy's eyebrows rose, "I don't know why, something about long range weaponry?"

"That's why he was watching me in the barn," Lucy realised.

"He what?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, on Saturdays I train with Sagittarius, I've been learning archery to be more useful. Apparently that means now." She chewed her lower lip.

"When do we leave?" Erza turned her attention back to Makarov.

"In a week."

-

Now that Jellal had spoken to Makarov, he shared the real reason they were there, in Magnolia. He decided that he would tell them before Makarov told his guild, get their input on who they would think would be useful on a job like this.

"Grim Spectre?" Erik said.

"Yes, a ruthless and evil dark guild. They have been involved in some... nefarious dealings," Jellal explained as they drank in their corner of the Fairy Tail guild hall.

"Which dark guild hasn't?" Erik quipped, his eye rolling so hard it almost hurt.

"Yeah," Macbeth added, "This is pretty much standard at this point. In, take 'em out, leave. Home before dinner." He yawned.

"As terrible as some of the things we've been involved with were," Jellal's tone was more serious than usual, Erik didn't think it was possible, "we all had some kind of moral compass. There was lines we still wouldn't cross."

Richard's face knotted with disgust. Jellal refused to elaborate further, telling them whatever they imagined, it was probably worse. Erik's stomach felt like he'd swallowed lead.

"All we need to do, is dispatch the guild. The magic council have given us a pass, no survivors."

He was met with silence. This was a first. None of them knew what to say. The magic council had all but ignored Crime Sorciere's existence, but now they'd sought them out, specifically to put down an entire guild? They really must have been fucked up.

"Listen, Jelly baby," Erik used Jellal's least favourite nickname, which also happened to be his personal favourite, to try and bring the mood back, at least marginally, from how gloomy it had gone, "We're no strangers to the shit side of life. This'll be a cake walk."

Macbeth and the other's nodded, tension visibly melting from their faces.

"We need Lucy," Erik stated, eye focused solely on where he ran his finger around the edge of his glass. The table all stared at him, he swallowed his drink in one gulp, "She's been training. Archery. With her weird horse fuckin' man thing. Long range is exactly what we need for this."

"You two haven't said more than three words to each other since we got here and she's who you want?" Sawyer scoffed.

"I don't need to be her best friend to know she's good, Sawyer." Erik said, top lip curling in derision.

"Spend more time with her," Jellal told him, not looking up from his own beer.

"Fuckin', why?" Erik coughed, sitting up straight in his seat.

"If you're going to work together, you need to know you can."

They spent the next 30 minutes deciding on both Erza and Natsu, for their strength and unpredictability. Nothing at all to do with Jellal's feelings.

"Yeah, sure," Erik half laughed into his new drink.

Not long after Jellal let Makarov know, their three choices went up to his office, and on their way back down, Lucy caught Erik's eye.