Lucy let her head fall onto the couch as her back arched, giving Natsu the perfect angle to run his tongue down her neck and bite down right beside her pulse.
The wanton laugh she let out made Natsu feel lightheaded, his thoughts consumed by the desire to hear her make that sound again.
"Natsu~" His name sounded so sweet on her lips, "Kiss me."
She'd never have to ask him twice, the eagerness with which he moved his tongue from her neck to her mouth had Lucy giggling into their kiss. Nothing else mattered to them in that moment but the warmth they brought one another, and the blissful sensation of being in each other's arms.
That is, until the blaring sound of Natsu's phone notification going off made Lucy jolt in her spot and snap her eyes open.
He was still kissing her as if didn't notice his phone at all, which was fine, until Lucy started to get back into the moment just for his phone to go off several times again.
After hearing it for what had to have been the 10th time, Lucy broke away from the kiss and grumbled breathlessly, "Are you gonna see who that is?"
"What?" Natsu's eyes were completely glossed over, "What are you..?"
"Your phone, silly," Lucy had to laugh at how dazed he was, "Don't you hear it?"
"My phone..?" He dismounted her and sat on the couch to grab his device from his pocket and confirm that he indeed had accumulated over a dozen texts. "Oh, it's just Gray."
Cupping his girlfriend's cheek, Natsu was ready to get back to it, pecking the corners of her mouth. But his notifications went off again, and Lucy had to gently guide him back, "It seems important..."
"Ugh," Indignantly, he looked back at his phone and actually read the messages. "Oh... He's talking about some party..."
"A party? When?"
"It's supposed to start later today... at his place."
Natsu looked to be deep in thought as he read over all the messages, and Lucy could make out a hint of sadness in his eyes.
She placed her hand on his thigh and stroked her thumb against him. "Hey-"
"I don't know why he's blowing my phone up to tell me about it, he knows I wouldn't have time to go."
"What? Why's that? You aren't working today, and you have the afternoon shift tomorrow..."
He looked at her incredulously, "Luce, a party would be loud and obnoxious and filled with drunk people, you'd be too irritated to go with me. And if you're here, I wouldn't want to leave you by yourself- what if you need something? Your back's been hurting lately and I gotta make dinner, and there's some work we planned to do in the nursery-"
"Hey," Lucy was giggling again, though he was still hesitant to take that as a good sign, "It's okay to take a break sometimes, y'know. Go have fun, I'm not completely incapable. I might just call up some of my friends and have some fun, too."
The way Natsu stayed quiet, searching her eyes for any bit of doubt, made Lucy stand up, "I'm serious, we'll have our hands full once the baby is here, why not enjoy the free time we have now? I know you used to really like parties before we met."
He nodded his head, silently debating the idea until he stood up as well. "Alright... If you're sure."
"Yes, I am. Surely not everyone will be at the party, I'll start sending texts now."
Natsu still looked uneasy, but he knew Lucy was right. One party wouldn't hurt.
-
"Are you sure you're up for this..?"
Lucy rolled her eyes as she got out of her car, having gotten that question more times than necessary, "Yes, I haven't gone to the mall in forever."
"It's gonna be a lot of walking around..." Cana leaned against the door of the vehicle, seemingly amused by how disgruntled the blonde was.
"What's your point?"
"Just saying. If your feet get sore and you'd rather wait in a seating area, no one will judge you."
"Ever since my parents have been helping out more, I feel more comfortable with spending money. I want to shop."
Cana let a snicker escape her, which proved that she truly was humored by this, "I'm sorry, but your face... I never realized how red you could get when you're angry."
With a sigh and a quick straightening of her coat, Lucy composed herself, "Well, I guess my temper has just been very... fragile, lately."
"Noted. In all honesty, I think this is nice. I'd rather not be at a party surrounded by alcohol when I can spend time with my best friend instead."
Her kind words seemed to immediately dissipate whatever mal emotions Lucy held, though her attention was soon brought elsewhere as the back doors of the car opened and the other half of their group- the two snowy-haired sisters- stepped out.
"And what about me?"
In just a split second, Cana's entire demeanor changed when she turned around to face Mirajane, an unnaturally sweet smile on her face as she answered her, "Yes, of course, no party is better than you."
Lucy didn't want to think much of those words, the way Mira batted her eyelashes in response, or how the two of them seemed to stand so close together that it was as if personal space meant nothing to either of them.
But she wasn't the only one who noticed all of that. Lisanna almost forgot to shut the car door, too busy flitting her gaze back and forth between Cana and her sister.
As they started towards the entrance of the mall, Lisanna fell behind the group and tapped Lucy on the shoulder, gaining her attention so she could whisper to her, "Don't those two seem close?"
Her suspicions worsened now with the confirmation that it wasn't just her imagination. "Yeah..."
Luckily, that was all she had to say on the matter, and Lucy could let her thoughts wander elsewhere.
-
The loud, thrumming music had Natsu feeling his heartbeat in his throat, which was an oddly comforting feeling.
It wasn't like he partied all the time, but they still were something he enjoyed, something about the carefree atmosphere put him in a good mood.
Instead of dancing in the crowded living where most people had gathered, he wandered into the kitchen where he could laugh at the people who already had too much to drink. Eventually, his eyes flitted over to the counter, and he felt himself stuck in place.
That was where he first saw Lucy. It was where they had their first conversation.
"Hey, I didn't see you come in," Gray's voice just barely took him out of the daze he fell into, and he blindly took the beer can that was handed to him.
"Yeah, got here a few minutes ago..."
Gray followed his line of sight and took in how fixated he was on the counter, though he didn't address it. "Didn't think you were gonna make it, honestly."
"Lucy said I needed a break," He smiled fondly, still staring at the seat he remembered she was in when he sat beside her on that fateful day, "I wish she could've came, too."
"Uh... I think a party like this would just irritate her."
"Yeah, no shit. Still, I met her at a party in this house, it would've been nice to... reminisce."
Gray eyed him for a bit before taking a swig of his own beer. "You've gotten sappy."
That honestly wasn't an insult to him, Natsu was glad to have someone to make him feel this way. "You're just a hater."
"True. But you should loosen up a bit. Remember last time? You were so uptight, worried about people making messes and shit."
"That's 'cause I lived here." Natsu stared at the cool beer in his hand, swishing it around as he thought back. He is a little more tense then he'd like to be, but his last drinking experience didn't exactly go as planned. "I'm probably not gonna get into it too much tonight, though... I gotta get back home once it gets late, gotta be responsible and shit."
"If you say so, but you could always ask someone for a ride if you change your mind. I heard Gajeel's staying sober tonight too, probably for Levy's sake."
He nodded quietly, still debating it over as he went back to scanning all of the other guests, and almost reeled back when he saw Juvia, "Yo... what is she wearing?"
Gray wasn't sure who "she" was referring to until he looked into the living room and saw his girlfriend in nothing but a swimsuit. "Oh my God..."
He rushed over to her, likely hoping to stop her from getting even less dressed, leaving Natsu to go back to his thoughts.
It wouldn't be wise for him to get flat out drunk, but one beer wouldn't hurt. It's not like he's ever been a lightweight, anyway.
-
Lucy wasn't sure if it was nervousness or excitement she was feeling as she was confronted with all of the stores that the mall had to offer. It only just now dawned on her that she wasn't sure how to go about getting clothes, right now her belly likely has a lot of growing to do and there's no telling what size she'll be once the baby is born. It was still nice to look around, though, and the others seemed to have a general idea of where they wanted to go.
Well, Mira had a general idea. Cana seemed content with just going along with wherever she was going, and Lisanna kept to herself for the most part, silently studying every interaction between those two.
When Lucy initially invited Cana to go shopping with her, the brunette was "occupied" with the older Strauss sibling, so of course Lucy encouraged Mira to come along too. And Mira must've extended that invitation to her sister, who would always be welcomed. But right now, Lucy felt completely out of place, like she was preparing to witness something that should be happening in private.
"I need to get some lingerie while we're here, I'd like to look for some first, if that's okay." Mirajane's voice just sounded so sweet, it was hard to really process what she said.
However, Lisanna was well accustomed to that voice, it couldn't trick her into not paying her any mind, "Wait, did you say lingerie? As in... underwear? Sexy underwear?"
Her older sister made sure not to face her, and if someone didn't know any better, they might suggest that she was embarrassed. "Yes."
"...Since when do you wear lingerie?"
"Oh sweetheart, I wear it all the time. And with you moving into the dorms, well... I've been more comfortable taking a few more liberties when it comes to my modeling. Haven't you seen my latest posts?"
"Well, yeah, I have, but..." Lisanna sighed, and grabbed her sister by the shoulder to get her to look at her, "Why do I get the feeling that... something is different about you?"
Still sporting the most pleasant smile in the world, Mira giggled, "Would that be a good different, or a bad one?"
"...I can't tell."
"You don't gotta worry, Lis," Cana's addition- along with the way she ruffled Mirajane's hair- only seemed to cause more suspicion, but she didn't notice it at all, "Your big sis still has her perfect fairy tale princess personality. Lingerie pics' just bring in the followers, you know how it is."
"I guess so..."
They'd only just got here and Lucy was already exhausted. It wasn't clear when this whole friend-group dynamic had changed, but all she could hope was that it wouldn't get more... weird.
Luckily, there was someone else that she ended up inviting, and maybe another person would help balance the vibes out.
"Before we forget, Erza is supposed to be meeting up with us near the food court, she said she was almost here a few minutes ago."
"Erza?" The way Mira suddenly seemed excited now definitely didn't go unnoticed, "We should be heading to the food court now, then."
No one pointed out her eagerness, it was common knowledge that Erza and her are pretty close. But Cana was sure to show how she felt about it on her face. Still, Lucy was hopeful that this unusual behavior wouldn't last long for them. Most of it was probably just her overthinking, anyways.
-
Natsu wasn't sure when he ended up in the bathroom, laying all the way inside the bathtub and having what he was sure was the most intellectual conversation ever with...
Well, he couldn't exactly remember who was talking to right now. He glared at the empty beer can in his hand, and then was happy to find that he remembered to bring an unopened can with him in his other hand. As he opened and began chugging the beverage, he realized that he wasn't sure if this was his 2nd or 5th or 10th can of beer, but he was still conscious, so it couldn't have been much.
"And I told her, like, bad grades are just a social construct that the government implemented into our subconscious to stop us from finding out the truth about birds."
Ah, yes, that was Levy speaking to him. He remembered wandering into the bathroom when he saw her sitting on the sink. Still wasn't sure when he'd gotten in the tub, though.
"You're so smart, Levy."
"I know. Hey, can you tell that to my speech professor? It's not my fault I stutter over my vowels sometimes, y'know? We can't all be superstars."
"I feel you. Just, uh... light their car on fire next time they give you a lower score."
"Arson is illegal."
"That's what 'they' want you to think."
"Woah... That's deep."
"Holy shit, I've been lookin' all over for you!" Gajeel charged into the bathroom and pulled his girlfriend off of the sink, much to her disapproval, "You can't sneak off like this, do ya know how easy it is to lose someone as tiny as you in a crowd?"
Levy bursted into laughter, which was usually a rare response after one of his comments about her height, "You really don't have eyebrows..."
Gajeel could only roll his eyes, and he turned to the bathtub, having already known Natsu was in there, "You know how much she's had to drink?"
He shrugged, "No idea, we're just doin' life, man."
"Good God... How much have you had to drink?"
"Dunno, just been going with the flow. You feel me?"
"It's okay, Gajeel, we were just talking about arson-"
"Okay, that's enough. We should get you home, shrimp. This is gonna turn into one hell of a hangover. Have fun with yer... bathtub, Natsu."
"Wait, I like the company," Natsu whined, and frowned deeper as he realized he was actually out of full beer cans now, "I feel lonely."
Gajeel stared at him in disbelief. They've known each other for years, and he's never known Natsu to be a lightweight. He must've had way more alcohol than usual, because he was sure that he's never seen him this drunk before. "Wait, does yer girlfriend know you're at this party?"
"Yeah," Natsu's pout grew even more distraught.
"...Is she expecting you to go home shit-faced wasted?"
"I..." And just like that, Natsu was reduced to tears, "God, I miss her so much!"
"...What the fuck-"
"Oh my gosh, you hurt his feelings!" Levy quickly kneeled down to comfort him, her own set of tears threatening to spill from her eyes, "It's gonna be okay, there there..."
"I just wanna go home and see her! I shouldn't have come to this stupid ass party without her... She's like the peanut butter to my jelly."
"Oh my, that's so poetic..."
"Yeah, but she told me to come here and now I did and now I hate it! Everything reminds me of her!"
"So romantic..!"
"Did you know that our daughter was conceived in my room right next door? In this house! At a party just like this one! How was I supposed to not think about her!?"
Gajeel pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, still struggling to fathom how out of it Natsu is right now. "You know what? This is the last time I'm the designated driver."
-
Luckily for the girls, they didn't have to venture far into the food court to find their red-haired friend, and Lucy was relieved to feel like things were back to normal once she joined them.
While they made their way to the first store on the list, Lisanna had cooled off on being in detective mode, and Mirajane and Erza were caught up in a conversation, which was pretty normal for them. Those two commonly stayed close whenever they hung out, so this was to be expected, yet still, something- or someone- felt a little off.
Cana was silent, and it wasn't a comfortable silence, it was more of a forced one. Something has definitely happened behind closed doors, and despite Lucy's hunch that she shouldn't pry, this was starting to drive her crazy.
"Hey," She pulled the brunette so they'd be a bit behind the group, going unnoticed, "Are you okay?"
"Uh, yeah? I'm fine." Despite her reassurance, Cana's eyes continuously darted over the two older women ahead of them.
"Are you sure? Because I can't shake the feeling that something is wrong."
"Don't worry about me, Lulu. Nothing is wrong, how about we just think of what stores we wanna check out?"
Lucy definitely wasn't buying that, and if there was one thing she hated more than seeing her best friend upset, it was hearing her try to hide how upset she is.
"Does this have something to do with your relationship with Mira?"
Cana froze, looked around to make sure no one else heard that, and cleared her throat, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Right... Well Lis seems to be onto you guys, is that what's been bothering you?"
"What-" She legitimately hadn't realized that, and now this was something new she had to try and process, "Wait, what do you mean?"
"She mentioned how close you two seem right now. Which is true, and I know you guys have been... bonding a lot lately, but I'm getting major 'girlfriends' vibes from you guys."
Cana couldn't find a response to that, her eyes focusing on Mira's back as she was saying something to get the shade of Erza's face to match her hair.
"Don't you think Jellal would appreciate it? A sexy underwear set could be the perfect thing to spice up your alone time," Mira teased, though her face showed nothing but innocence.
"Mirajane," Erza huffed, her embarrassment only fueling the fire, "I do not think lingerie would be a necessity addition to my wardrobe."
"But it'd do you some good! Cute panties always give me more confidence."
"Something tells me you just want an excuse to gauge my taste in underwear."
"Maybe, but if you'd honestly rather not get any, then fine," She turned around and searched the group before her eyes lit up, "Cana..."
The conversation Cana was having with Lucy was already long forgotten as she rushed up to the front of the group to answer Mira's call, "Yes?"
"Would you like to get a few sets of your own? I think it'd be cute, and, well... I was hoping to have someone join me in my pictures. But only if that's okay with you."
Cana's eyes were practically sparkling, "Sure, yeah, that'd be fun."
"Yay," Mirajane giggled, and leaned up almost as if she was going to kiss her, "I can't wait!"
Now, it definitely wasn't just Lucy that was getting more-than-friends vibes, just that interaction alone had the others staring at them in confusion. And yet, there was still no one who felt brave enough to comment on it.
-
"You are so fucking lucky, Salamander. If you didn't have a kid on the way, you'd be a dead man right now."
"Everything is spinning."
"You ruined my fucking car, my fucking shoes, my-"
"I'm never stepping in that hell box again."
"I can understand the car, but yer weak ass stomach seriously couldn't handle the elevator!? Why!?"
After a 3-minute long struggle of Gajeel trying to coax his keys out of his pocket so they could get into the condo, Natsu collapsed onto his kitchen floor in a coughing fit.
Gajeel was already so fed up, he couldn't bring himself to be worried right now. Especially with the way Levy was hiding behind him like she was afraid.
"Is he gonna throw up again..?"
"I don't know, but I couldn't care less right now. As long as he doesn't spill his guts on any more of my shit..."
"Where is my honeybee..?" Natsu tried to stand up, but he laid back down when he couldn't get his legs to steady. "Is she home?"
"Her car wasn't in the driveway, so no, probably not. Here," Stepping over his pathetic, fetal-positioned body, Gajeel took a water bottle from the fridge and set it on the floor, "Drink that. I gotta worry about cleaning out my car and getting Levy home-"
"No! I wanna stay! The night's still young, and this condo is so cool!"
"Levy-" Gajeel had to grab his girlfriend and hold her by the waste to stop her from climbing atop the counter, "We gotta go home before you start throwing up."
"No," Now Natsu started using the counter as a brace to help him stand, "She can stay. Let's turn some music on and make this our own party."
"Yeah!" Levy laughed, and pulled out her phone, "I got the perfect playlist!"
"No, no, and- I can't stress this enough- no!" Gajeel fumed, he really hadn't planned for his night to turn out like this, "Levy, use that phone to call Lucy. And Natsu, sit the fuck down, you look so sick it's almost making me feel bad for you."
Somehow, Levy successfully made it on top of the counter, but Gajeel couldn't worry about getting her down because Natsu was going through his fridge and had started pulling out what looked to be more alcohol.
"Have some, metal-face. It'll help you stop acting like a bitch."
His eye twitched, and he snatched the drinks away.
"You seriously owe me after all of this. Big time."
-
There had to be at least 10 lingerie stores in this mall, and Mirajane somehow knew where to find all of them. After stopping by each of them, they'd only accumulated about 3 shopping bags between the 5 of them, and could seriously do better.
"How about we start looking for more than just underwear now?" Mira's suggestion earned a few relieved sighs, but Cana couldn't help but to add,
"Or you can try on some of those sets you got. Y'know, it'd be like a preview."
"Well," Mirajane actually blushed as she laughed this time, "I don't know..." Her voice lowered, and they locked eyes, "Only if you give me a preview, too."
She walked past her to lead the way to the next store, leaving the brunette looking completely starstruck. Whether or not anyone else felt like their affections for each other were painfully obvious, Lucy wouldn't know for sure, because they were all silent as they followed behind Mira.
But this was seriously getting out of hand, and if Cana really wanted her newfound bond with Mira to be a secret, then she needed to be a bit more self aware.
"You two might as well be making out right now, and even that wouldn't be much more obvious than what you've been doing," She whispered to her best friend, trying to address this as privately as she could.
Cana's eyes refocused, and she laughed at how serious Lucy looked right now, "Relax, you just think it's obvious 'cause you already know the truth."
"Do I, though?"
"Hm?"
"Listen, I know you've denied it before, but... Are you sure you aren't attracted to her... more than just sexually?"
Now Cana just looked uncomfortable, shaking her head and lowering her gaze, "N-no. Even if I did- which I don't- it wouldn't matter. Mira doesn't feel the same. Er, I mean, hypothetically speaking."
"What? Don't you see the way she looks at you?"
"Yes, but you're reading too deep into it. It's not necessarily romantic."
"Really? She's been all giggly this entire time, do you honestly think it has nothing to do with how she might feel about you?"
"She's like that with Erza, too. That's just how she is with people she's close with."
After studying her eyes for a few silent seconds, Lucy sighed, "If that's honestly what you believe, then alright... But I need to rephrase my first question; Are you in love with her?"
As she was met with nothing but Cana's silent grimace, a part of Lucy's heart broke. That was likely due to an influence from her hormones, but it truly hurt to witness her fall for someone who doesn't return her feelings... again.
"I'm guessing you don't plan on telling her, huh?"
"No," Cana let her sadness show on her face for a split second before shaking herself back into control, "But it's really not that big of a deal."
"Isn't it, though? Whether you like it or not, your feelings are gonna make themselves known one way or another. I know you struggle with handling rejection... If you truly believe she doesn't feel the same, then..."
"Then what? Are you gonna tell me to stop too?"
There was a bite in her tone that made Lucy furrow her brows, but she had to stay on topic, "I'm just thinking it'd be best for you to quit while you're ahead. With the way things are now, you're only gonna fall in love with her more. I don't want you to end up feeling the same or even worse than you did when you first started spending time with her. Who else has told you to stop this?"
"Gildarts, but like I said, it's not that big of a deal. I know what I'm getting myself into."
"I don't think you actually do..."
"What?"
"I mean, unless you stop being so clearly head over heels for her, she will find out. And then what? Would you like me to ask her about her feelings for you so that you won't have to go through another confession?"
"No, please, I can handle this. It's fine." Knowing that Lucy wouldn't keep taking that response, Cana power walked to put distance between them and got closer to the others, ending the conversation.
If she thought she was going to get Lucy to stop worrying for her, she had another thing coming. But for now, she'd keep quiet, but if whatever they got going on doesn't resolve itself soon enough, she won't be afraid to step in as her best friend and help wherever she can.
"This store is usually where I get my favorite dresses, you might like to get something from here, Lucy. Evergreen's been mentioning that dresses are the only thing she feels comfortable wearing right now." Mirajane turned around and smiled at the blonde as they entered another clothing store, and Lucy tried to put on her best poker face.
"Oh, yeah? I'll, uh, look around..."
The falter in Mirajane's smile made it clear that she noticed the odd behavior, but as usual, it wasn't addressed.
Instead, Mira directed her smile towards Cana and grabbed the brunette by the wrist to venture further into the store with her.
With yet another example of just how close those two suddenly are, Lisanna finally felt comfortable enough to say something now that her sister was too far to hear her, "Did I miss something between them? Because why does it feel like we're all third wheels right now..?"
"Right!?" Lucy was so grateful she wasn't alone in this, and the fact that it's someone who doesn't even know about their sexual history that's able to notice it, no less. "I'm not crazy, they're way closer than usual."
Erza looked off into the distance in deep thought before coming to a conclusion, "I thought something was off, too... Perhaps I should ask Mirajane to enlighten us."
As much as she wanted to figure this all out, Lisanna paled at the thought of how a conversation like that would go,"Wait, that might not be a good idea. One of the few things that Mira never changed about herself is her desire to be private about that sort of thing. She won't even talk to me about it."
"I'll get her to answer, it won't be an issue. It's the least she can do after making us endure this much already."
The fearless woman she is, Erza was already storming after Mirajane, and she spotted her giggling away with Cana in front of a spread of winter garments.
"You should get this one, it'd match my pink one," She purred as she ran her hand down a furry blue coat.
Cana blushed at the thought, but shook her head, "No, I wouldn't be able to afford it. It's nice though."
"How about I get it for you? Think of it as a pre-payment for our upcoming photo shoot~"
"What are you, my sugar mommy?"
"If you want me to be..."
"Ehem," Erza cleared her throat, snapping them both to attention, "Mirajane, I need to speak to you."
She didn't wait for a response before taking her by the arm and pulling her to a more secluded corner of the store, and for the first time today, Mira's sweet smile turned into a glare. "What the hell?"
"Are you and Cana in a relationship?"
"W-what?"
"The two of you have been very affectionate with one another. Didn't I just hear you offer to buy her an expensive coat just now? Is this because she is your partner?"
"I..." Mira was overwhelmed by the sudden question, but as she began to process all of it, she erupted into a laughing fit, "Wait, you think we're-" She interrupted herself with more laughter, "No, we're not dating."
"Oh?" Although Erza wanted to trust her, she knew what she saw, "So that was all a coincidence?"
"No, we're just friends-with-benefits, but being intimate together has really strengthened our bond. She's very important to me."
"I see..." The redhead looked back to see Cana standing awkwardly by the coats, and then spoke to Mira with the most serious expression on her face, "Your arrangement with her likely isn't a good idea."
"Shut up," Mira's usual smile turned mischievous, "What, are you jealous?"
"Of course not, I am in a very happy relationship-"
"Yeah, but if you ever get sick of Jellal, you know where to find me. I already know his tongue work isn't as good as mine."
"Mirajane Strauss," Despite the growing embarrassed blush on her face, Erza kept her composure, "I'm being serious. Both Lucy and your little sister have noticed the way you are acting with Cana. This is definitely more than platonic affection."
"Boo, you're no fun. So what if it's more? It's nice being this way with someone."
"But being this way will undoubtedly lead to feelings brewing up. In other words, one or both of you will fall for the other. Is that what you want?"
"I was hoping to hold off on that conversation once the time comes, honestly."
"From my observation, Cana has likely already fallen for you. I've spent many years growing up in the same house as her, I have never seen her look at someone the way she's been looking at you. Well, besides her best friend, I suppose."
"Honey, if you noticed it, then you should know that I already noticed it a long time ago."
"Then... Could you remind me why you're not in a committed relationship again?"
"Well first of all, monogamy has never been my thing, you know this. And second, well, that just isn't what we want."
"Evidently it is if she's harboring romantic feelings for you."
"Why don't you let me do my thing and mind your business?"
By now Mira was making that sinister, fake-smile face, but she always met her match when it came to Erza. There was no intimidating her.
"It is my business when we can't have an outing with friends without having to endure your 'platonic' PDA."
"Ugh, what do you want from me, Titania?"
"I just want you two to either make up your minds or learn to have some decorum."
"Or else what?"
They became engaged in a stare-off, both of them daring the other to cross a line.
At this point, the last Lucy was thinking about was shopping. She and Lisanna sat on a cushion meant for customers that would be trying shoes on, waiting on some results.
It was taking longer than expected, this should've just been a yes or no question, and Erza is usually very straightforward. There's no telling what this all could've evolved into.
"I hope they don't start fighting," Lisanna laughed humorlessly, though there was genuine worry in her eyes.
"I doubt they would, Mira isn't the violent type and Erza tries to be classy when she's in public."
Lis smiled as Lucy gave her a few comforting shoulder pats, but still, "They just have a history of bringing out that side of each other, I guess."
"That might be true, but this shouldn't be something worth getting worked up about."
"Yeah... But all of this is so strange. Mira always tells me everything, if there's something going on between her and Cana, why wouldn't she mention it?"
"Uh..." Lucy was definitely not going to be the one to reveal Mirajane's frequent trysts to her little sister, "Who knows? Ha..."
"This just feels like the situation with Erza all over again. I didn't find out that those two had been in a relationship until years after they broke up! They managed to keep me in the dark despite one being my sister and the other literally living in the same house as me at the time."
"Oh," Now Lucy felt herself getting sad, probably sadder than she needed to be, "I didn't realize how that must feel for you."
"I understand she likes to be private about certain things, but... I dunno, I'm honestly only assuming she likes to be private because she literally won't humor any conversations about anything like this at all. I don't want to make her tell me things she's uncomfortable with, but I'd like to understand why she's this way. She's my big sister, and honestly more than that, she basically raised me..."
She let out a deep sigh, as if a weight was taken off of her shoulders now that she's finally vented to someone about that. Unfortunately, however, when she turned to look at Lucy's face, she found the blonde sobbing uncontrollably.
"Oh my- Are you okay!?"
"Yes," Lucy wailed, "I'm sorry. I just... This was just supposed to be a normal shopping trip! I didn't mean for all of this drama to happen!"
"It's okay, it isn't your fault! Please don't cry!"
"I'll try..."
"Aw, Lu-bear," After pulling her into a hug, Lisanna had to laugh at the situation, which got Lucy to start laughing too, despite the tears still falling from her eyes. "You're so cute!"
"...I'm never gonna get used to these hormones."
A vibration startled them away from each other, and Lis gasped, "Was that a baby kick!?"
"I hope not," Lucy smoothed her hand down the expanse of her belly, trying to catch another monster kick, but things became clear when the vibration happened again from within her coat pocket. "Oh, it's just my phone."
When she pulled it out and saw that it was Levy calling, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but that changed the second she answered.
"Hey, Lev!"
"Lu! Your condo is soooooo cool!"
"My... Wait, what?"
"Natsu threw up all over Gajeel in the elevator!"
"What!?"
"Yeah. But you should totally have some parties here. Your counter feels so nice..."
"Levy, what in the world are you talking about?" She could make out some shouting that sounded very much like Gajeel, but it didn't clear anything up, "Are you saying you're at my condo right now?"
"Yeah!"
"Why? What happened to Gray's party?"
"Gajeel started being all moody and made us leave. And then Natsu kept throwing up. And then Gajeel told me to call you. And now I'm calling you."
"Levy... Are you drunk?" All Lucy could hear was hysterical laughter now, which pretty much answered her question, "Okay, where is Natsu right now?"
"Gajeel's tryna stop your man from chugging another bottle~"
"I... Is he okay?"
"Well he's super grumpy-"
"No, I mean, is Natsu okay? You said he threw up..?"
"Oh, uhhhh... Hey Natsu, Lucy wants to know if you're okay!"
There was shuffling for a bit, and Lucy was sure she heard crying, which was confirmed when her boyfriend sobbed into the phone,
"Luce! I miss you so much!"
"Uh... I miss you, too, but I need you to calm down. Do you feel like throwing up again?"
"When are you gonna come back? The party was boring as hell without you there!"
"Well, I wasn't planning on being done at the mall anytime soon, but-"
"All I could think about was when we fucked in my room the last time I was at a party in that house. Remember that?"
"Oh dear God..."
There was more shuffling, and finally someone who didn't sound absolutely out of it started,
"Look, Lucy, you need to get home right now and deal with this bullshit."
"Gajeel? What on earth happened!?"
"Yer boyfriend's drunk off his ass, that's what happened. Listen, I gotta get Levy outta here before she climbs up on any more of yer shit, and then I gotta hurry and clean out the backseat of my car before the smell lingers. I'm not gonna stay here to babysit him."
"O-okay, I'm on my way, then-"
After what sounded like he was fighting with someone over the phone, Gajeel hung up, leaving Lucy to turn her anxious face to Lisanna's confused one,
"I'm sorry, but I have to get home right now!"