Lucy raised her hands above her head and stretched, feeling the sudden need to do so as she and her rosy haired friend walked along the pavement. A few minutes after getting out of that wooded area they'd been in she, somehow, had finally rid her face of that unwanted heat she'd been feeling on her cheeks and ears, and was ecstatic to be without it- ecstatic being an exaggeration. It was more like she was just relieved her face wasn't acting like a heater in the dead of winter. Really. Lucy almost felt like she needed to go and have a talk with herself when she got home about learning how to control the blushing dilemma- and it was a dilemma. Thankfully she'd shaken it off, at least for the time being, and was able to finally get her head and thoughts back on track.

The two of them, including Happy, had departed from her house for the third time that day a good six minutes ago- Natsu had made it very clear Happy was not to be late for his dinner date with his lady cat friend. Plue had been passed out when they got there, making Lucy want to pick him up and squeeze the cute right out, but she let him sleep knowing he was probably tuckered out from all the exercise he'd gotten earlier that day. Before leaving she set out some food and water for him just in case he woke up hungry or thirsty. The blonde probably fussed over him more than six times before she actually left the house- she just wanted him to be comfy and have everything he needed when he woke up.

A pet owner, she had read, could never be too cautious or caring.

Natsu had rolled his eyes when she quoted this in response to his hurrying her out of the house. He knew she was right but his teasing had been on a roll so he went with it.

"Hey Lucy." Natsu spoke suddenly and snatched her attention away from her thoughts- she'd been thinking about some random plot points for something she was working on. It was maybe a book idea, Lucy had told herself repeatedly it wasn't anything yet, but it'd been a fun think to think about.

"Huh, wha-?" She mumbled before running into his back, wondering why, and being a little annoyed, he suddenly stopped moving. Lucy was about to complain but didn't when she moved her eyes from the back of his head to the building on their right. It was a convenience store, nestled in between a tattoo shop and a shoe repair business, not, surprisingly, looking out of place at all.

"I gotta stop here for a second." Natsu said as he strode up to the door, as did Lucy who stopped him by asking, "Wait- are you allowed to bring him in there?" She pointed to the blue cat.

The teen halted his hand that was reaching for the door handle, "Oh right…" he muttered. The owner of that store had actually gotten onto him multiple times about bringing Happy in… "Uh… ah, I got it." In two seconds he thought of a solution and grabbed Happy from his spot on his heck, holding him outward.

"Open your jacket." He stated.

"You're not putting a cat in my jacket." She deadpanned.

"C'mon."

"No."

"It'll be two seconds."

"Even if I did that it would be way obvious I had something stuffed in there! What if someone thinks I'm stealing something?"

"Just, I don't know, move with your back to the clerk or somethin'."

"Oh okay, because that's not suspicious criminal behavior."

"It'll only take four seconds."

"That's already two seconds longer than what you originally said and I don't think he'll appreciate being put in my-"

"Pleeeaas-"

"Fine." She unzipped her jacket, with attitude of course, and said through clenched teeth, "Give him here."

Her friend grinned and gave Happy over, watching as Lucy set him inside and zipped her jacket back up, making sure the cat's face was still out and able to breathe. Her jacket, unfortunately, wasn't strong enough to hold the cat up so she had to awkwardly cradle the animal so he wouldn't fall through, resulting in making her maintain an awkward pose. Natsu wanted to comment but that would probably, most likely, make her angry so he withheld his words.

The two of them walked inside the store, seemingly innocent customers, which they were save for breaking the rule of no animals allowed, and immediately went behind an aisle to hide Lucy's now deformed abdomen.

"What are you even getting?" Lucy asked as she followed behind him, still slightly annoyed.

"Hot sauce."

"Oh... Did someone ask you to bring some?" She talked as she looked through bags of trail mix, trying to see the different kinds.

"Nope. Just wanted some for myself. Can't have barbecue without it." He replied a little absent mindedly as he tried to decide on the bottle he wanted. Most days he went for the hottest he could find, since normally he would be the only one using it, but because he was taking it to a party he might as well get one he could share…

He always bought two anyway.

"Question." Lucy stated and let her hand fall away from the trail mix calling her name, "Do you always take Happy with you everywhere you go?"

Natsu found his two bottles, deciding on them based on how corny the names were, and replied, "Kinda. If he hops onto me in the morning then I'll take him wherever. If he doesn't then home he stays."

Lucy laughed, "So you're usually seen with a cat curled around your neck?"

"I guess. Why?"

She laughed again. Obviously, he didn't mind getting odd glances from people- she'd been noticing the curious eyes given to him all day. It was a good thing though, she knew, not caring about what kind of looks you got or what people thought about you. It was a lesson, or… lifestyle, she wished she could stick to more. Growing up the way she did, it was habitual for her to carry herself "properly". Head up, shoulders back, face blank and unreadable- the "I'm in charge" stance, she called it. Also, making sure to not do or say improper things. Her father would be having a cow if he knew often she was saying the word "hell" recently. It was all a part of her supposed "schooling". It irked her that she still carried most of those mannerisms.

The teen shook her head and explained, "Just wondering. I've never really seen anyone take a cat places the way you do. I was curious."

Natsu raised a brow, "Don't people take their dogs everywhere? Like in those weird dog purse things? What's the difference in taking a cat?"

"Nothing I guess." Lucy conceded, "I think cats are considered to be more indoors-y by most."

Natsu was only getting more confused, "I see cats outside all the time?"

Lucy sighed and walked ahead of him, "Let's just buy your hot sauce…" There was never an end to things with him. He was right, but Lucy didn't feeling like diving into the world of why it was weird to carry cats around with you.

Natsu shrugged and walked to the counter, answering Lucy's question of "Anyway, doesn't it hurt your neck to have him there all the time?" as he paid for his condiments.

A few minutes after their stop, and a successful secret mission of sneaking a cat into a convenience store, the pair dropped Happy off at the nearly empty warehouse- empty because it was early evening and the crowds didn't start until a bit later. Wendy had picked the time for their cat's dinner date, wanting them to have a calm surrounding as they dined- Natsu thought it was cute- and was determined to let them have a nice evening. Lucy, who thought it was cute as well, was almost a little jealous of the cat's set up. It was definitely nicer than any date she'd been on, not that she'd ever attended one…

"Did Wendy not want to come?" Lucy questioned as they walked out of the warehouse and onto the road, moving her bangs behind her ear.

"I'd feel bad for her if she did come." Natsu admitted. Their parties weren't always the most enjoyable… at least not for fourteen year olds. Though she liked the warehouse's rowdy atmosphere well enough, he didn't know if she'd enjoy their…. get-togethers. She was invited once, to a party Natsu hadn't attended for reasons, and had always declined politely when they asked her to join them ever since.

"How ominous…" Lucy slowed her legs and her trim brows furrowed in doubt.

Natsu noticed this and laughed, "I'm not leadin' you to a den full of crazy peopl…" he stopped his sentence for a moment, remembering they'd actually been labeled crazy people from time to time but continued when she actually stopped walking due to his sudden silence, "Wait, just- what I meant was that she wouldn't enjoy the… activities… I guess. Y'know, she's a kid and-"

"So nothing to worry about?" Lucy walked back to her spot beside him and they continued on, "I won't be walking into another beach scenario again will I?"

Natsu groaned. Already he could tell she wasn't going to let that one go… "No." He huffed, "Though I can't guarantee there won't be any lovey-dovey crap goin' on." The teen shivered at the thought of seeing a certain couple doing what they called "eskimo kisses". Gross.

"Oh, I wouldn't mind that much." Lucy smiled sweetly to herself. She liked it when people could be open about their feelings for their loved one. There was a line of course, like what that beach severely crossed, but displays of affection were on her good list.

"Gross." Natsu mockingly gagged at her words and got an elbow to the ribs.

"There's nothing wrong with showing you love someone!" She declared, ready to defend any pair of innocent lovers, "It's a really good thing to have that kind of confidence. It also brings solidarity to a relationship. Physical expressions can go a long way."

Natsu hummed at her words, "What, are you a love expert?"

"Not at all. I've just… seen it in action before." She replied.

It was true. Back when her mother had been alive and well, and her father hadn't been such a... ... … they'd been the perfect example of a happy couple, practically the definition of it. They'd hug when it wasn't necessary, her dad would stroke her mom's cheek now and then when they were talking face to face, Layla would always grab her dad's hand when she came up behind him, just wanting to hold it and put her head on his shoulder… In short, Lucy knew love was a great thing and people shouldn't waste the time they had to act in it. So, it definitely wasn't gross as her friend was describing.

Of course, the thought to someday apply that kind of relationship to herself hadn't crossed her mind in many years.

Natsu noticed the depth in her expression when she spoke and decided not to reach any further into that discussion. He'd pried into her past once before, it still bugged him somewhat that he'd been so pushy, and he didn't want to do it again so untouched that comment went.

"Well anyway, like I said no guarantees about mushy stuff but we're safe from that beach… stuff."

Lucy was quiet for a moment, not really wanting to ask her next question but did anyway, "How do these parties normally go…? What usually happens?" The sudden realization of the fact that she'd never been to a normal party had hit her when he'd been speaking, and her lack of knowledge concerning them worried her. Sure she read tons of novels describing a regular teens' party but she had no idea how accurate those descriptions were. When the word "party" was mentioned to her, her mind immediately went to memories of all the business parties she'd been forced to attend through her adolescence, and she was fairly sure the place she was heading wasn't going to be anything like those gaudy mansions.

"Um… I don't know… we just…" Natsu, having never been asked to explain that type of thing, was finding it kinda difficult, "Hang out? Eat, drink, a lot of us get drunk- but that's pretty normal- games and stuff… We don't do anything crazy if that's what you're askin'."

"No," Lucy clarified, "I was just curious. Most of the parties I've been too are probably a lot different so… just wanted to know."

Natsu eyed her, becoming curious himself, and replied, "Don't worry." He slapped her back and grinned, "It's gonna be fun. There's a ton of people I want you to meet!" The teen went off into detailed descriptions of the people she was to soon be introduced to, looking like an excited child- if she were to put words to his expression- and stopped when he realized they reached their destination.

"Here it is!" He spread his arms and looked over at Lucy, sounding a bit exhilarated, "Second home away from home!"

Lucy side-eyed her friend, wanting to laugh at how kiddish he looked, then brought her attention to the thing he was eagerly gesturing to. She set her eyes on the small apartment complex before her and took it in, forming an opinion as you do with everything. It didn't seem like much when you first looked at it, most would probably think it was filled with teenage hooligans, but when you take a step back, as Lucy just did, you were able to see the character it was chock-full with.

It was built at the edge of Magnolia, settled near the beginning of the woods that surround the south side of the town, and only a few minutes away from Fairy Tail Odd Jobs. It looked rough, almost intimidating, but now that she saw it, it was almost like the complex and the warehouse were a matching pair. Both in exterior and vibes.

"Alright." Natsu spoke, mostly to himself, and walked up to the green gate separating them from the apartments. Once he reached it he placed his bagged hot sauce on the other side and quite easily, like he did it every day, the teen hopped over the gate and landed inside.

"Um…" Lucy walked up to it as well, sticking her hands on her hips and asking, "Are you going to open it from in there or…?"

"Oh shit- right. Sorry. Just hop over. S'fine." He crossed his arms casually and waited for her to follow his instructions.

She didn't.

"I don't know the code thing." Natsu replied, reading the question plastered on her face.

"How do you not know the code?" Lucy asked unbelieving. "This is your 'home away from home' isn't it?"

"Second home away from home."

"Whatever. How am I supposed to get in there?"

"Like I said." Natsu emphasized, "Just hop over. I do it all the time."

Lucy rolled her eyes, "Do I look like a gold medal gymnast?"

"Do I?" Natsu countered.

Lucy would be lying if she said no but ignored the question so she would have to, "Regardless, I know for a fact that I can't vault over this thing like you did." She'd had her share of gymnastics training actually, but nothing that taught her how to hop over a gate that was over six feet.

"Okay fine. Hold on."

Natsu coiled himself once again and made a jump for the top of the gate, reaching it easily and jumping over effortlessly in turn. He landed almost silently, Lucy noticed, watching him as he bent down on one knee and place his laced hands in front of her.

"I'll help you." He stated and looked up at her, waiting.

"If you think I'm going to step on you- hey!" Her sentence was cut short by Natsu groaning and immediately picking her up by her waist, setting most of her weight onto his shoulder as he came back up.

"W-What are you doing?!" Lucy yelled her question at the teen underneath her.

"H…Hop over…" Natsu tried not to show that he was having a little bit of a hard time, not that she was heavy- he just hadn't picked her up correctly, and tried to speak normally, "Grab the… top."

"Let me down!" Her cheeks were reddening at the placement of his hands, unintentional she knew, but they were there.

"I already picked you up!" Natsu insisted and tried raise her higher, his face now next to her lower back. "Just grab something!"

"UGH." Lucy conceded and reached for the top of the gate, almost halfway over when three new people appeared in front of them.

"…Lucy?" Levy questioned, a little laugh in her voice, as she and two other bodies walked toward her.

"Uh… this uh… AH!" Lucy yelled briefly as she fell over. The new company had momentarily distracted her and made her forget to hold onto the gate properly, resulting in her landing harshly onto the pavement.

Natsu, now released of her weight, hopped over easily like he had done before and greeted Levy, Gajeel and Erza with a smile, "Hey guys."

Erza crossed her arms while Levy went to help Lucy up and said, "Why didn't you call us to let you both in?" She questioned sternly, "And did I not tell you what the code was two days ago? For the hundredth time?"

"Oh…" Natsu scratched his head and laughed sheepishly, "Did you?"

Erza pinched the bridge of her nose and didn't reply but a murmur of "you're so dumb" could be heard from Lucy who was still on the ground. Though, she also applied the statement to herself.

"Are you okay Lucy?" Levy asked as she grabbed the girls' elbow and helped her stand, "That looked like it hurt…"

"I'm fine!" Lucy insisted, though she knew her ass was probably going to be bruising pretty soon. "Totally fine."

Levy didn't really buy it but she figured the blonde was trying to put it behind her as quickly as possible so she let it go. "...If you're sure then. Welcome to Fairy Hills!" She gestured toward the apartments with a grand smile on her face, proud of the place she called home.

"Thank you…" Lucy thought she returned the smile well but she was actually still grimacing due to the now stinging sensation on her rear.

Erza released her nose, she had still been in a state of 'done' with Natsu, and joined in on the smiling that was happening, saying, "Everyone's gathered in Cana's apartment, shall we?" She nodded and turned, walking back toward the building. Truth be told, she was actually pretty excited to have Lucy over. It wasn't every day you got to welcome a new friend into your traditions. Yes, she thought of their hangouts and parties as traditions.

"Sorry about that." Natsu nudged her shoulder and apologized for letting her fall.

Lucy made a face but sighed, "It's alright. It didn't hurt much. Falling off my deck was more painful." She smiled at her friend, making it clear she wasn't mad in any way.

Natsu chuckled, "Great!" He moved on quickly, not to Lucy's surprise, and grabbed a hold of her wrist, "Let's go meet some people!"

"Wait wha-!" She didn't have time to reply as she was suddenly being pulled along, full force, by a grinning Natsu.

Levy wore a slightly embarrassed expression as the pair passed them, and said when they were out of earshot, "He knows no restraint…"

"Well," Erza replied, "it wouldn't be like him to handle this any differently, would it? Remember when he got Happy?" She recalled the time with a small smile, "He wouldn't stop introducing the animal to people. He enjoys this sort of thing."

"I suppose… though he may need to be brought down a few notches." Levy laughed, shaking her head when she saw the pair running across the upper level, hearing Lucy's annoyed yells telling him to slow down.

Gajeel yawned, having not said a word the whole time he finally said, "Who was that blondie with flamebrain?"

Levy backhanded his arm, looking up at him with a scolding face, "Lucy! She's Lucy! I've told you this maybe five times. You should really try to remember."

Gajeel shrugged. Blondie hadn't been any of his business when she first arrived so he didn't see the importance in remembering her name. He'd seen her quite a few times. To him she just popped out of nowhere, not that it mattered really. She'd being occupied with that pink haired guy and hanging around with Levy when he'd been doing other things. The shrimp had told her the chick's name, and he had even tried to remember it for her sake- if the girl was going to be book buddies with Levy he might as well try- but in light of new jobs and other things, he'd just forgotten.

He shrugged again, mentally this time, and let his mind wander to other things, like how the shrimp beside him hadn't eaten anything all day- he just realized… She'd been too busy stuffing her face in a book at the warehouse. He'd get her to eat something as soon as the food was finished…

"Gajeel quick!" Levy shouted suddenly and turned around to face him while they were on the stairs, her expression urgent, "What's her name?"

He stared at her for a few seconds then replied, "…Lucy."

Her usual smile, one he saw all the time but never really got used to (it would light up her whole face in a way that made his chest feel uneasy) spread across her features, "Correct! I'll do this at least three times tonight so be prepared." She turned and went back to climbing the stairs.

For some reason, Gajeel felt like he had just lost a fight…

Lucy endured ten minutes of being dragged around and introduced to Natsu's friends, most of which she already met but hadn't really spoken to. He'd taken her to Elfman, who was manning the grill, Juvia, who had for some reason asked if she planned on being her rival, Cana, who was already starting on getting drunk, and Loke, who for some reason felt oddly familiar. She didn't think on it too much. It was most likely because he looked, and dressed, like most of teenage boys she had to greet at her father's parties.

Thankfully, Levy intervened at the eleventh minute of being showed around. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate his enthusiasm, but her wrist felt like it was going to fall off. The short teen had insisted on taking her to where the other girls were convening on two couches in one of the back rooms, saying girl talk was an absolute must since it was Lucy's first time at one of their parties. Natsu had let her go easily, saying he needed to go check the foods' progress anyway, and wished the blonde luck- he knew she was probably going to be buried in questions.

Lucy now sat in between a black couch's armrest and Levy, surrounded by Erza, Juvia, Mirajane, and Lisanna. The six of them had sectioned off away from the rest of the lively crowd to share their new likings, concerns, compliment one another- girl talk, as Levy had said earlier. Though now, after a few minutes of pleasantries, the focus was on Lucy and her still "mysterious" past. Apparently, everyone there had a curious mind.

"So?" Levy asked with a raising brow, "What about you Lucy? Where did you live before coming here?"

The blonde mentally grimaced… The dreaded question… but! Lucy had prepared herself. She knew those questions would come eventually, and from the moment she agreed to attend the party, she started coming up with simple answers. Answers that still answered the question but didn't reveal anything unnecessary. As long as they didn't ask specifics, she was fine… hopefully.

"I lived further up the country, somewhere around the capital." She replied gracefully, happy to answer. It wasn't that she didn't trust the people she was speaking to, (she hadn't known them long but they were one-hundred percent amazing people) her past just wasn't something she wanted to bring up. Not ever if she had a say in it… Unfortunately, she still saw it as pathetic. Who would want to hear a sob story coming from a former rich girl who "had the world at her feet if she wanted it"? "No one" had been her answer.

"Oooh! Crocus?" Lisanna gained a shine in her eye when Lucy mentioned the capital, "What's it like? I've only ever seen pictures but it looks gorgeous!"

"It is. It's very gorgeous. There are flowers everywhere." The blonde smiled, recalling the city as she replied, "Anywhere you go it seems like they're pouring out of every store and street."

Lisanna had a dreamlike expression on while she addressed her sister, "We have to go sometime sis! It sounds amazing!"

"It does." Mira agreed, laughing at the face her sibling was making.

"Did your famil-" Juvia was about to make an inquiry of her own when Cana suddenly appeared behind her.

"Ooooooh girl talk?" She almost yelled her words as she brought one leg over the back of the couch, then the other, and somehow landed herself in the middle of Erza and Mira, a bottle of beer in her left hand, "I wanna get in on this."

Lucy was immensely grateful for her out of nowhere appearance.

"Soooo? What are we talking about? Boys? Love? Politics?" She laughed and took a swig from her bottle, "Lucy you sure do seem cozy with our little Natsu."

Okay, now… not so grateful.

"He's been very welcoming and helpful." Lucy decided not to deny anything hastily- it would most likely have the opposite result of what she wanted.

"Oho?" Levy giggled and put her fingertips on her mouth, hopping on the teasing wagon.

"Nothin' steamy going on?" Cana wiggled her eyebrows, "The word "welcoming" could mean anything. You too Levy," she added, "Gajeel's gonna be forty by the time you hop on tha-"

"Ahaha! You're too funny!" Levy interrupted the cross-legged woman, a blush tinting her cheeks as she waved her hand about.

"Wha-?"

"I'm really not looking for that sort of thing anyway." Lucy interrupted, knowing her friend needed a way out as Cana had unintentionally given her one.

The drunken woman let out a hearty laugh and got up, squeezing herself between Levy and Lucy this time, and said, "Listen up ladies, I've got a short story for ya." She cleared her throat and crossed her arms, "You don't go lookin' for love. It's some shady stuff and it's gonna blow up in your face one day and it's gonna leave you like "oh SHIT"."

Erza nodded in agreement. In her experience, what her brunette friend was saying was accurate.

"So it doesn't matter if you're lookin' for it or not. It's gonna find you eventually, unless you're really not into that stuff, then hey you do you, but otherwise BAM!" She put emphasis on the word, startling those who were listening intently, which was everyone, and continued, "You can decide if you wanna get with it once you figure it out, that's up to you, but that dumbass heart of yours isn't the easiest to tame let me tell you." She finished her speech, not really intending for it to be one, and had most of the girls there blushing slightly by the end of it, excluding Lucy, who was remembering her mom with all the love talk, and Erza, who had already come to terms with that information years ago.

Cana saw this and let out another bark of a laugh, "Ahaha! Did I hit the nail on the head with all of you?! Ahahahaha! Wow, bet you all got a lotta thinking to do now. Ah… I'm gonna go get another drink." And with that she got up, stumbling twice before she made it into the other room.

Levy put a hand on her cheek, groaning slightly at how warm it felt, and said, "Well that was…"

Erza shut her eyes and nodded with a small, understanding smile.

Lucy, now back in reality (she'd gotten lost in old memories for a moment), looked around curiously, "What…?" A grin was forming on her face slowly as she saw their expressions, "You all like someone?"

The blushing intensified.

The blonde laughed, throwing her head back slightly, "Are they here now?" She asked.

"No." Erza answered first, "Unfortunately, no." It was the first time she'd ever let anyone know she felt that way about someone, and it was surprising apparently by the looks she got from the ladies. For some reason, hearing what Cana had just said, it didn't feel like it had to be such a secret.

"You like someone?!" Levy very nearly yelled her question.

"I do."

"Why didn't you say anything?" She leaned a little closer to her friend, elbows on her knees now, "I really had no idea."

"Well…" the woman scratched her cheek, somewhat hesitant, "it isn't the easiest thing to talk about. It's… oddly complicated, but I felt like now was an appropriate time to come out with it, with all this love business being said. You're all very dear friends and I thought you should know." Erza finished with a warm smile, the two drinks she had earlier made her a little uncharacteristically mushy.

Levy put a hand over her heart, genuinely touched.

Lucy couldn't help but find the two funny.

"Juvia's love has never been a secret." Juvia, who was sipping on her own drink, spoke next, "Juvia has always let her feelings known to Gray and everyone else."

Levy sighed and sat back, "Must be nice to feel so confident." That was her issue when it came down to her own feelings. Confidence. If only she could just say it and have things go well, she'd have no issue with shouting the words aloud to the entire world… but that little "doubt demon", as she called it, never failed to put a frog in her throat whenever she came close to letting it out.

Juvia shook her head, "Juvia doesn't think it's about confidence… Juvia doesn't really have much confidence in Gray's feelings, but hiding is worse than being embarrassed in Juvia's opinion."

"A wise answer." Erza said. It varied from person to person, she knew, but Juvia's way of looking at it was certainly valid.

"What about you, if you don't mind my asking?" Lucy questioned, directing the inquiry toward the petite girl to her right and nudging her shoulder.

Levy cast her eyes downward, "W-Well…"

While the pink-cheeked girl was having a struggle with the words, most of the ladies there, excluding Lucy, already knew very well who she had set her eyes on. It was obvious now, but no one had expected that kind of development between the two. Now that it was common knowledge that they fancied each other, it was almost painful to see how oblivious they were. Though, they could all admit Levy looked alarmingly cute when trying to talk about Gajeel.

"It's not like I don't want to say anything…" Levy mumbled, and they couldn't help but compare her current behavior to her usual outspoken one. "It's just…"

"Oi shrimp." Gajeel suddenly appeared behind the couch, having just come in from the other room, and from what it looked like, almost scared the blue right off of Levy's hair. "Food's done. Go eat."

"O-Oh. Okay. Thank you." Levy replied tight-lipped as the flush on her cheeks grew a deeper color.

Lucy observed her reaction to the man and formed a small, open-mouthed smile on her face. Feeling a little mischievous, she leaned closer to the girl when Gajeel had walked off and said teasingly, "Looks like I got my answer~."

Levy whipped back around, as she had turned to face Gajeel, and burst out with, "W-What are you talking about?"

Laughter erupted among the ladies, causing Levy's face to rise to a whole new level of red. The girl set a pout on her lips but Erza assured her that there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

"Hey guys!" Natsu rushed into the room gripping a huge turkey leg in one hand and a beer in the other, chewing on a piece that seemed like it was as big as his fist, "The foods done!"

"I already told them dumbass!" Gajeel called from the other room and Natsu ran back out to land a hit on Gajeel's shoulder for calling him a dumbass.

"To be fair," Mira said as they all got up, "he really only told Levy."

More giggles came from the group and Levy replied with an "Oh shut it!"

Cana sat back in her chair, she was drinking with Erza and Mira at one of the tables they brought out into the courtyard (the whole party had moved outside) and gave a satisfied sigh as she finished another bottle of beer, "Ah! That was good. Mira you mind getting me another?"

"I'm off for the rest of the night Cana." The white haired woman reminded her and sipped on a soda, "I made and ran drinks earlier but only because you asked and no one else was doing it. These hands," she raised them, "are done with drinks for the day."

"Booo." The brunette complained, but didn't really mind. She knew Mira worked the bar almost every day so getting her own drink was the least she could do. "Any*hic*way, I've been meanin' to ask…" a new topic flew into her head, "where'd Lucy come from? Forgot to ask."

Erza set her water bottle down, she was taking a break from the alcohol, and swept her hair over her left shoulder, saying, "She said somewhere near Crocus."

"How va*hic*uge." Cana noted.

"I agree but let's not push the issue." Erza warned. Poking into other's business when it's clear they're trying to keep it to themselves was something she knew not to do. The only exception was if it affected the person's health or wellbeing.

"Sure, sure." Cana scratched her head and crossed her arms over her bikini clad chest, "What about her and Natsu? Now that's something worth ta*hic*lking about."

Mira handed the brunette a bottle, "Here. Your hiccups could use some water."

"Thanks." She took a few really fast gulps, effectively getting rid of them, and continued, "Sooo? What's their deal? I see them hanging around each other like two little puppies."

Erza laughed, "Puppies, huh? I'm not much for gossip but I agree that they have become fast friends."

"It's cute!" Mira gushed. She was an absolute sucker for all things romance, "What if it's meant to be?" she gasped, "What if it's fate!"

"Oho! Now we got the ball rolling!" Cana whipped out her tarot cards, "Let's see if I can te-"

"No, no." Erza stopped the two of them before they could get carried away, "You leave them be. Both of you. If anything happens with them let it be because they initiated it."

"But look at them!" Mira pointed discreetly, aiming at the pair who was sitting near one another with a few other people, laughing at something Natsu was saying and acting out, "You have to at least let me help them out if something does blossom!" She turned to Erza with a begging face.

Blossom… Erza wanted to laugh at her friend's description; the woman did have a love for romance. "I would cheer for them as much as you would if that were the case but don't go crazy. I've already had to stop multiple of your attempts at Gajeel and Levy," the blue haired girl who was getting seconds across the courtyard sneezed, "and I do not want Natsu and Lucy to become another target for you."

Mira pouted, "You act like I'm some sort of serial match-maker or something." Wait… she thought, that doesn't sound too bad…

Cana howled, "Ahahah! That's exactly what I'd call you! Though your résumé's a little lacking."

"Well it'd be a lot longer if I weren't met with so much interference." She shifted her eyes toward Erza who could only laugh at the accusation.

"What are you guys talking about?" Lisanna came and sat next to her sister, "Seems like you three are having a good time?"

"Hell yeah we a*hic*re- dammit they're back." Cana grimaced and went back to chugging water while Mira explained, "We were just talking about Natsu and Lucy. They're rather close already don't you think?" She grinned and nudged her sister's elbow, causing the girl to roll her eyes and form a small smile of her own.

"You'd better not be thinking about planning another one of your schemes." Mira pretended to be offended, "Natsu probably wouldn't know what was going on but Lucy… I don't know how she'd react." Lisanna cast a glance over at the pair, "She's still kind of a mystery."

"Okay, okay!" Mira threw her hands up, "I won't do anything. Though I can't promise I won't nudge things along if they need help."

"Well!" Cana began as she banged the table with Mira's water, setting it down, and got up from her chair, "There's no better way to welcome someone and get to know them at the same than a good old drinking game!"

The woman stepped onto the fold out table, took in a deep breath, and yelled, "WHO'S READY FOR A *hic* ugh dammit…" she paused for a second, coughing it out, and tried again, "WHO'S READY FOR CONTEST?!"

Cheers erupted around the courtyard, and Lucy, who had been a little startled by the sudden yelling, looked up at the woman standing- more like staggering- atop one of the tables. Contest…? she thought curiously. The blonde hadn't been expecting anything like a contest, not that she minded but things had been going well so far. No one had asked her much about her past, and she really wanted to avoid anything that would upset that streak.

"Alright! We're goin' with beer pong- our usual one!" Cana began organizing the game while still on top of the table, "Two teams of pairs! Natsu and Lucy!" She pointed at the two with a troublesome grin on her face, "You two seem like a flowery scenario so you're up first! Team 1! Gray!" She moved her finger to Gray was in the middle of taking his shirt off- people were surprised he lasted as long as he did with it on, "I know you wanna go against Natsu so you're with me!"

"Why you?" Gray complained and tossed his shirt on the ground. Cana was an unpleasant partner when it came those types of games… While she was an amazing drinker, someone who could go at it until dawn, she sucked at contests that were something other than only drinking.

"Tough it up!" She replied and went back to organizing- her reason was she just didn't wanna wait to play. She really enjoyed those games, "Alright, the rest of you team up and pick for your horny selves! Remember the rule! Levy, Lisanna, help me set up in the street!"

The girls who were called on nodded and grouped together with their drunken leader. They always held their contests in the street outside their complex due to the room it gave them. They lived next to a dead end that led into the woods and there were no buildings or houses in front of them thanks to the slope Fairy Hills was so nicely placed on top of. Basically, they had a lot of room to work with outside the courtyard. Also, it was easier to hose the street down after they made a mess than it was to do it inside the complex.

"Alright Lucy," Natsu rubbed his hands together, grinning confidently as his friends set up the table in front of them, "you ready to win?!"

"I've never even had beer before." the blonde deadpanned, "You expect me to be able to win a game like this?"

"Oh… well it tastes like shit so I'll try and spare you from havin' to drink it." He gave her an assuring look and said a bit smugly, "I'm actually pretty good so no worries."

Lucy groaned and rubbed her forehead saying, "You're not getting any promises from me so don't expect much."

"Hey," he pat her back and gave her that toothy grin, "relax! This is gonna be fun!"

He made it sound so convincing but Lucy still wasn't sure… Only way to find out was to try, she supposed.

"OKAY! ROUND ONE!" Cana hollered, "Mira! Get the duct tape!"

"Alright, alright, stop the yelling." Mira emerged from the crowd formed around the table, holding a roll of duct tape, "Natsu, Lucy, I need your hands."

"Wait- what for?" Lucy turned to her partner and apparently looked so confused it was laughable.

"Oh right!" Mira realized as Natsu tried to bite down his laughs, "Sorry Lucy, we haven't even explained the rules to you. It goes like this, there are two teams made up of pairs, as you've seen. The rule for picking a partner is they have to use the opposite hand you do." Mira laughed at a memory, "We play it this way because Cana had one day found out that we have a lot of diversity amongst our friends when it comes to what hand they use and she… well… Anyway," She gestured to the players, "each pair goes up against another from the opposing team with their dominant hands duct taped together, making the game harder as you have to throw with your non-dominant hand. Only one person from a pair throws each turn and if you make it into a cup, you have to step back, making it harder yet again, if you miss your partner has to take a shot. And it repeats. The winning team is decided by who gets a ball in the opposing team's last cup. Easy enough?" She asked.

"Yeah okay." Lucy replied, absorbing her words, "Thanks."

Mira nodded and went to tying the teams up.

"Shit…" Natsu raised their hands and looked at his dominant one with furrowed brows, "I forgot we had to do this. It might be harder than I remember… Oh yeah, by the way are you left or right handed? Cana chose for us so I didn't get to ask." He turned his face toward her, not noticing he was pushing hard on the personal space she required.

"I'm ambidextrous actually." She replied simply, trying to keep their closeness in the back of her mind. She did however appreciate the heat he was letting off.

Natsu tilted his head and this time he was the one to be so confused it was laughable.

"It means I can use both hands equally." She explained, shaking her head with a little laugh in her voice when his face lit up.

"Both?! That's awesome!" he complimented her, "Now we got an advantage. You hear that Gray?!" Natsu shouted over the table he'd led them to at his friend, "She's am… wait what was it again?" he leaned down to whisper to his partner.

"Ambidextrous."

"… …She uses both her hands!" He threw the term for it out the window (he still hadn't caught what it was) and shouted at Gray.

"Quit flaunting your partner and throw already!" Gray replied a little irritated. He was already itching to take his pants off but being duct taped to Cana didn't make it the easiest thing.

Natsu immediately put on a concentrated face and picked up the ping pong ball with his non-dominant hand. Already he could feel it was gonna be more difficult but the competitiveness in him refused to let that get in the way. He took a short breath, aimed for a close cup, and tossed.

…He made it in.

"Yeah!" Natsu exclaimed proudly and turned to Lucy, holding his hand up for a high-five. The blonde gladly returned the gesture, congratulating him as she did, and Natsu noticed she was finally starting to relax.

Next up was Gray and he would've made it in if Cana hadn't stumbled a little as soon as he threw. She offered him a "whoops!" and Gray couldn't even reply. As per the rules she took her shot supplied by Levy, and the game went on.

Now it was Lucy's turn and her nerves were beginning to liven up. She could feel her heart picking up speed, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. Actually, she was pretty excited to be playing now. Seeing her partner get one in gave her spirits the boost they needed.

Natsu handed her the ball and she took it in her left hand, rolling it around a bit. She wasn't too confident in her aim, nor did she think she had a chance of winning (for the moment at least), but that wasn't going to stop her from at least trying.

The blonde could be quite competitive too when she wanted.

With a deep breath, she furrowed her brows and threw the ball toward the nearest cup. It bounced once and, thankfully, landed in one of the red cups with a small splash.

"Yes!" Lucy had the same reaction Natsu did, to everyone's surprise (excluding Natsu- he was really the only one who knew how loud she could get, which wasn't exactly a good thing…), and this time she offered up her hand for a high five.

"Nice!" He praised her and hit her hand with this, "Looks like the winner's pretty clear already huh?" Natsu taunted Gray, his natural rival, who in the end decided to take his pants off regardless of being taped to someone.

Gray wanted to make a comeback, saying something like he was gonna wipe the floor with both of their asses but, with Cana as his partner, someone who'd already hit her top level of drunkenness, he wasn't so sure of his victory. Instead he chose to flip Natsu the bird, causing "oooh!"s and laughter from the crowd- even from Natsu himself (he knew it was just to rile him up), and let Cana get on with her turn.

She missed of course and Gray took his shot with a sigh.

The game went on and the pairs rotated out. Gajeel was with Erza, as Levy didn't want to play, Mira was with Elfman, Laxus, who arrived late as usual, was with Freed, Evergreen, who had wanted to go against Elfman, was with Bixlow, Lisanna was with Laki, and so on and so forth. Others decided not to play. They figured watching their friends get drunk and try to throw balls into cups was much more entertaining. Which, factually, it was. Two rotations in the spectators were thankful they weren't the ones playing. The way Cana set up the rules was like it was designed to get everyone drunk off their minds. Which, for the good of all, had made Erza declare her own rule that stated they could only play through four rotations.

Now they were down to the last two cups, and the pairs had gone back to the start. Natsu and Lucy were up along with Gray and Cana. To be short, they'd all been in better shape. Gray was over the line of being buzzed and was full on drunk now thanks to Cana being in another world and missing so many cups. Natsu was almost drunk, he had a strong tolerance for the stuff, but still had a clear-ish head. He really had his partner's ambidexterity to thank for that. As for Lucy, who'd been doing far better than she expected, she was in the same boat as her partner. A little drunk but for the most part, or maybe half…part, she still thought clearly. Though, she had the strangest urge to just lie down on the table and take a nap… Okay, maybe she wasn't as sober as she thought.

"Okay Lucy!" Natsu turned to the blonde, beginning to psyche her up, "You got this!"

"Yeah you *hic* got this Lucy!" Cana cheered for her opponent.

Lucy closed her eyes for three seconds and shook her head, trying to get her brain back to normal functionality for the last throw. Since they'd already successfully made quite a few shots in they were positioned a lot farther from the table then when the game started. Who even made up these rules? Lucy thought irritably. She was lucky enough to sink some in while one-hundred percent sober, now she was cups and cups of beer in and about five feet away from table! She shook her head again- no way was she going to lose now.

"Yeah I got this." She mumbled in response to Natsu and pushed her bangs behind her ear, focusing.

A breath passed in and out of her mouth before she threw, willing the ball to land in the cup she aimed for. It bounced once, then twice, and circled around the cups' rim, making Lucy want to bite her lip off, before landing in the foam covered liquid.

Victory yells sounded from their team, applause was heard from the crowd watching them, and Lucy couldn't believe she'd actually won the game for them. She'd been very proud of a few select things in her life but she never imagined winning a game of beer pong would end up being so high on that list.

"Rematch!" Gray drunkenly protested but was immediately shut down by Mira.

"No way." She refused, cutting herself out of the duct tape as she moved on to help others out of theirs. Somehow, she'd stayed almost completely sober- only having to drink maybe one cup throughout the game, "You remember what happened the last time we allowed two games, right?" Mira eyed him as she cut him and Cana free, "We don't need another incident like that."

"Fine." He replied childishly and rubbed his wrist, thankful to have his hand back.

"Here. Juvia collected Gray's clothes." Juvia went up to him and handed him his things, somewhat drunk herself. She hadn't participated in the game- she was a little bitter Cana had called dibs on him so quickly, but immediately got over it when Gray had gotten so heated over the game. Needless to say, she enjoyed watching as much as she would've enjoyed playing.

"Oh… uh…" Gray scratched his head, and took his clothes, forgetting he had even taken them off, "thanks."

"It's no problem." Juvia flashed him a smile, and proceeded to shower him in compliments on how well he played.

Lucy, who had spotted them from the corner of her eye, grinned. Juvia's words returned to her mind at the sight, "Juvia's love has never been a secret." and quickly, she felt familiar warmth in her chest when she saw the woman interact with him so lovingly. Though, Gray's reaction to her was a little laughable. The guy looked like he didn't know what do with all the affection he was getting.

The crowd broke apart now and everyone headed back into the complex, some people getting more drinks and others getting seconds on the food. Elfman, once he got through the drunken crowd, went and put some music on, soon to be joined by Evergreen who was more than a little ready for some alone time with the man. At this point everyone was too drunk to care about appearances, hence the reason why Natsu would've felt bad for Wendy if she had gone.

Mira laughed as she walked back with Erza and said, "Looks like everyone's drunk enough to start dancing now..." before they disappeared into the crowd, along with the scissors Mira "accidentally" forgot to cut Natsu and Lucy's tape with.

Still at the table the pair stood. The two had been immersed in conversation about their victory when Lucy finally noticed they'd been left behind and taped together, "Wait… they forgot to cut us out." She stated, somewhat lethargic at the moment, and raised their joined hands as if to provide proof.

"No biggie." Natsu replied, "I can tear it just hold… on… What are you doing?" He asked and looked down at Lucy who was now sitting on the pavement.

"Nothing." She said curtly, "I just wanted to sit down."

Natsu stared for two seconds and then shrugged. She could sit if she wanted to. He needed to get them out of the tape anyway… and now that he was trying, it proved harder than he thought.

"Damn it…" he cursed under his breath and tried to rip it again, "What, did they buy Hulk strength tape or something?" He gave up after a few more attempts, "I can't get it off." He admitted and turned his attention back to the flush faced Lucy on the ground when she began laughing. "What?"

"You reminded me of the finger trap from earlier." She wiggled her index fingers and laughed again, unintentionally letting out a rather large burp after.

Natsu paid it no mind- he was used to hearing people burp, "That thing was ridiculous. Why don't cops just use those? Seems like they'd be cheaper."

Lucy shook her head, "Cause they're not that hard to get off. You just sucked." She burst out in drunken giggles at her words, like they were the funniest thing she'd ever said.

The rosy haired teen couldn't find words to retaliate. Her sudden giggle fit was distracting him, making him forget he was supposed to feel- or usually would feel- insulted. Her laughter was enjoyable.

"Well?" He moved his wrist about, shaking her arm, "You wanna go get cut out of this or sit on the ground all night?"

She shrugged, "Doesn't matter. I'm not getting up though."

"You kinda need to get up if you want this tape off." He deadpanned.

The blonde didn't reply.

"Fine." He gave up after waiting a few seconds for her to stand and plopped himself down next to her, "We'll just sit here then."

Lucy didn't hear him. She was too busy looking into the happy crowd inside the courtyard. Some people were dancing, some were talking, others were being rather affectionate, and some had already passed out and were being carried into their apartments. She'd thought of it a few times before, but the sense of family they gave off almost made her want to cry sometimes.

"They look really happy…" She spoke into the air, not really directing her words into a conversation.

Natsu chuckled, "Are you that drunk?"

"No. I'm just observing."

"Well you wanna observe your way over to some scissors?"

"No. Don't wanna move yet."

"You're definitely drunk." He laughed.

"I am not."

Without really thinking, he put his hand on her cheek to check the warmth, saying "Yeah, you are."

Lucy went still, her mind immediately spiraling back to when he helped her climb down that cliffside. Only this time her defensive wall was down and she had no real filter to care about. His hand was calloused, as she had discovered earlier that day, but it felt nice and warm- the sensation it gave her cheek was pleasant. "Wait." She said as he moved to put it back down at his side, "Do that again."

"What?"

"Your hand feels nice. Do it again." She titled her head the smallest amount, prompting him to place it where it'd been.

Natsu's face could've been a literal question mark as he raised his hand and set it back on her face, the back side of it touching her cheek this time. Her skin was soft, warm from the amount of alcohol she drank, and he'd be lying if he said it wasn't a little sweaty, not that he minded. Sweat was a normal thing. His body tensed as she leaned into his touch, and something in him felt like it was speeding up at a dangerous rate. Like, he felt his body was about to get into a car crash or something- as if a wrestler were about to come at him and try to place him in a choke hold. He felt abnormally aware and… well he didn't know. It was just fuckin' weird. Was he the one who was drunk?

Yet, his actions didn't display what was happening inside his person as he saw his hand slowly turn around (this was like an out of body experience for him) and place his palm against her face. Her eyes were closed and apparently, from the lack of response to it, she hadn't noticed his odd action. Thank God… He didn't need anyone asking for an explanation on what he was doing. Hell, he didn't even know what he was doing.

A few quiet seconds of them sitting like that passed before Natsu suddenly heard a camera go off.

"KODA*hic*K MOMENT!" Cana exclaimed behind her camera.

Natsu immediately brought his hand back down and replied, "What the hel-"

"So rare to see you bein' so sweet on someone~." She teased.

"Knock it off Cana." Mira came up behind her with actual hearts in her eyes and said, "So sorry! I just realized I hadn't cut you two out and when I couldn't find you anywhere Cana followed me."

Natsu's only response was a turned head and brief "tch."

"Yo lover boy. Did she pass *hic* out?" Cana bent down to get a look at Lucy but the girl replied, "Nope. Still awake."

"Okay." Natsu stood and spoke with a little irritation in his voice, "Time for you to get up."

"Fine, fine." She grasped the ping pong table behind them and got off the ground as Mira walked over to them with a silly grin plastered on her face.

"What are you smiling about?" Natsu questioned.

"Nothing. You don't have to be angry." Her grin grew larger, she really was trying to hold it in, as she cut their tape.

Before Mira could dig her hole any further, she grabbed Lucy's arm, and motioned for Cana, who was still teasing Natsu with the looks on her face, to join them in heading back into the courtyard, asking Lucy if she could use some water as they did.

Natsu walked on with them, subconsciously clenching the hand he placed on her cheek into a fist.

Lucy, who was now sat down at one of the fold out tables, finished her water in a few short gulps. Apparently, she had really needed it and man, water had never tasted better. Now that she'd gotten something other than beer (which had indeed tasted gross as Natsu had said) into her system, and had some space to herself, her actions poured into her mind like a waterfall.

Slowly, she got up from her table and looked around for the nearest person she knew… Levy! The blonde strode over to the girl and tried to ask calmly, "Where's the bathroom?"

"The one down here is messed up, we really need to get a plumber over here, but you can go back up to Cana's apartment. It's unlocked so let yourself in." She replied and stared after her friend who practically ran up the stairs and disappeared behind Cana's door. Levy passed it off as her just really needing to go to the restroom- which she did but that wasn't her primary reason.

She just needed to think, unfortunately.

Within a minute Lucy was behind a locked bathroom door and had relieved herself of the weight in her bladder. Cana's bathroom was nice, full of perfumes and products that made Lucy quickly think she should pick some things up later that week. Anyway, now that she'd become more comfortable physically, she needed to think.

Think, think, think.

Okay Lucy, you're fine. You're just a little drunk. You can just blame it on the alcohol. His hand did feel good anyway. No shame in that. It was warm and you were feeling a little chilly. We're friends, it's no big deal. He probably forgot about it already… no wait… he does call me weird a lot… no, no it's fine. Like, I said just blame it on being drunk… blame it on being… drunk…

The girl stopped for a moment and raised her head to look at her reflection.

As mentioned before, always a bad idea (in her case).

Her cheeks were flushed, her lips were darker than usual, her hair looked windblown but still presentable, and her eyes looked… different. It may have just been the lighting in the bathroom, but if she had to pick one thing that looked different it would've been her eyes. They were… brighter? No. Wi…der? No, no. She shut her eyes, shook her head, and looked again.

Nothing.

Lucy sighed and pulled her hair up as if she were going to put it into a ponytail- she did this sometimes when she needed to think.

It irked her that she was so… analyzing of her actions. Why couldn't she just do something and leave it at that? Why did she always need to go back and triple check to see if what she did was really alright? Was it the way she was raised? Was it a normal thing? Why did she go back and forth and back and forth…?

"Ugh."

Lucy let her hair down and she turned the faucet on, splashing her face with water. You're fine… This is no place to be getting worked up. Just go back out there and forget for a while… She turned the sink off and opened the door, flipping the light switch as she left.

The party was beginning to thin out, she noticed, as she looked over the railing and observed the people down below. A lot more of them had passed out and some were dragging their friends along as they exited through the gate. Her eyes wandered back to the people who were still conscious. Gray, Juvia, Natsu and Erza were sitting together at one of the tables, all of them nursing water bottles that were supplied by Mira in their hands. Lucy didn't know what was in that water or what Mira had done to it but it really worked wonders. While she wasn't completely sober, she could feel the fog in her head clearing up. Speaking of Mira, she was happily convening with her sister, Elfman having run off with his girlfriend a few minutes after the music started.

Lucy sighed and pressed her wait against the railing.

"They really do look happy…"

She let her mind get lost and was about to succumb to an icky feeling that surely would've made the tear in her eye fall when Levy suddenly appeared around the corner.

"Lucy?" The teen came closer to the blonde who was desperately trying to suck the water back into her eyes, "I got worried when you didn't come back down… Are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm good." She turned to her friend with a smile, "Just a little tired."

Levy squinted her eyes, unbelieving of her, "No… you don't' seem good. Do you feel sick?"

"No, really. I was just thinking." Lucy replied.

Still not so sure, Levy decided to stick around, leaning on the railing herself, "Well, overthinking is the mind's greatest enemy." She pat Lucy's back, "It can even make you ill so be careful of what you're letting into that pretty head of yours. If you need to let it out I'm here."

Lucy could've sworn her kindness was like an actual bomb due to her blowing up the dam that kept her tears at bay. She couldn't help it. There was something about someone being nice to you when you're sad or upset that just made you want to cry a river.

"Wh-What? Lucy?" Levy grew wide eyed as she was taken off guard by the sudden falling of tears, "Why are you crying?"

The blonde could feel herself about to fall into a full on blubber mode and Levy, who sensed this, turned them away from the railing, giving Lucy some form of privacy, "What is it?"

"It's pr-probably just the drinks getting to me." She replied, falling back on her "blame it on being drunk" plan.

Levy looked at the girl in dismay as she watched her squat down with her face in her hands, trying to get a hold on herself. Not having it, Levy got down with her and said, "Listen to me. I'm making a declaration here okay? We've hung out plenty of times and this is as good a time as any to say this… you're one of my best friends now, alright? And best friends talk to each other when they're sad or happy or whatever. You come talk to me whenever you need me," now she was beginning to tear up, "and I expect you to do the same for me, okay? I don't care if this seems out of nowhere just… I don't know." Levy didn't want her friend to cry, she hated seeing people cry from sadness, but if that's what she needed (a good cry) then so be it.

"You're making me wanna cry more." Lucy replied, and suddenly had an overwhelming desire for a hug. She couldn't remember the last time she hugged someone…

Levy looked down at her now best friend and saw she had the look of an abandoned puppy on her face, something she never imagined she'd see. The expression blew up of her own dam of tears and she couldn't help herself anymore. With more force than was probably needed, she embraced Lucy in the tightest hug she could manage and said, "I don't know what's making you sad but tell it I said to shove off."

Despite being a teary mess, Lucy laughed and returned the hug.

"Do you feel a little better?" Levy asked as they pulled apart after a good while.

"Yeah... Thank you." She wiped her tears away on her jacket sleeve. "I uh… I should probably be getting home."

"Oh right," Levy remembered, "you live pretty far away huh…?"

"From here it's not that far, I just don't want it to get too late… I have Plue to get back to…"

"Oh yeah I remember that cutie." She smiled at the memory of him getting passed around the guild, "Just a sec. I'll get Natsu to-"

"No! I- uh… No, I can get back fine on my own." Lucy protested, probably a little too strongly.

"Oho? What's this? Is there a reason you don't want him to go with you?" She teased, hoping to lighten the blondes' mood a little before she left, "I heard you two were getting… cuddly…"

"We were not."

"Sorry but no can do." Levy laughed and got up, helping Lucy stand along with her, "I can't let you go back alone. It's late, you're drunk, who knows what could happen."

Lucy made a face but didn't protest.

Levy peered over the railing, trying to find the pink haired guy she was looking for, and laughed when she saw him with a face full of his third turkey leg. She also spotted Gajeel who was called over to their group by Juvia- she tended to not let him be by himself during events and such and Levy appreciated that. They were childhood friends and Juvia knew how closed off the guy could be, something Levy had learned a few months into knowing him. The two had joined them about four years ago. After a rocky meeting she'd rather not get into, and through time and a little prying, she watched him open up bit by bit.

She sighed.

"Okay, come on. Let's get you on your way." Levy grabbed Lucy's hand and led her down the stairs, saying with a smile, "Make sure you text me when you get home okay."

Lucy nodded and descended the stairs with the caring girl.

They all said their goodbyes (it took roughly around ten minutes before they let her leave) and Lucy, along with Natsu, left Fairy Hills and its happy, drunken atmosphere. It'd been quite the experience, Lucy admitted to herself. In the end she was glad she agreed to Natsu's invitation on the cliffside. Despite her sudden and pitiable breakdown, she would give it a rating of eight point five out of ten. At least now she knew what a normal teenager's party was like. It compared pretty well to the ones she'd read about. But oh man, her father would've probably fainted at the sight of her chugging a beer down and unabashedly yelling about her team's victory.

The night was somewhat chilly, she noticed it more after being on the road a few minutes, and the sky was overcast. Perfect weather, she thought, for taking a warm bath and bundling up on her couch with a book- if she weren't drunk and in need of a cold shower of course.

Great… she bit down on her lip and eyed the quiet teen next to her… I've resorted to thinking about the weather…

Truthfully, she was still nervous. In the eyes of anyone else, she was sure the hand thing would be minor, which it should be… but… UGH. She couldn't bring herself to see it as just some passing action. Probably because she'd never been one to let others touch her so casually, let alone a guy. If she knew the person then sure, but she still wasn't used to it. She'd always refrained from dancing at the "Grand Ball's" she and her father would attend simply because she'd rather eat a bucket of worms then let any of those men hold her.

It wasn't as big a deal as she was making it out be… She gave mental laugh. That could've been the title of her autobiography.

Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat, she was running out of time now that they halfway down the path that lead to her home, and said a little too quietly, "Thank you for today. It was really fun."

Natsu raised his brow. He was almost sure she was going to stay silent the whole way back. "You don't have to thank me." He scratched his nose, "I'm just happy you didn't stay pissed at me when I chucked that ball at that guy."

The blonde laughed dryly, "Don't remind me… He turned out okay anyway and it's not like you did it for fun."

Natsu was too busy snickering to himself about the "toilet ball" thing to reply.

"Oh by the way," Lucy recalled the feast they had for lunch, "did you want to take some of those leftovers?"

"Nah, you can keep it."

Lucy forced a grateful smile. She knew he thought he was being nice but that last thing she needed was all that pizza… "…Do you want the finger trap instead?"

"You keep that thing away from me." He warned, actually slowing down some so that they weren't next to each other.

"I don't have it on me!" She laughed and pulled her hands out of her pocket for proof.

"Good." He left his defensive pose and strode back to the spot next to her, "Next time I see it I'm ripping it in half."

"You wouldn't dare!" She scolded him as they walked up to her door, "I paid hard earned money for it. No way in hell are you going to ruin it."

"Then don't show it to me again." He replied stubbornly.

"Even if you see it again you are not to destroy it!" She retorted and made a face that finalized their conversation.

"Alright, fine. I won't rip up your devil trap thing." He muttered under his breath as she unlocked her door.

"What was that?"

He didn't reply.

Thought so… Lucy chuckled to herself.

The house opened with a creak and she turned to face her former beer pong partner, "Thanks for walking me back. Sorry that they always get you to do it…" It really was something she was starting to feel a little guilty about. Out of all the times she'd been walked home, he was the one doing it.

"S'no big deal." He assured her with a grin, "All this walking's good exercise." He was about to go into how her house gave him a funny, warm feeling but he didn't know how to word it so he withheld that little bit of info.

"Oh I know it is…" She inwardly groaned at all the trips she'd made in and out of the woods and the trips she'd have to make in the future, "Anyway, thanks again. Good night."

"Night."

Natsu gave a small wave and turned to head down the steps from her porch. The last thing either of them needed at the moment was a longwinded goodbye. The both of them were too boozed up (they were arguing about a ninety-nine cent finger trap) and too consumed in a new territory of worries to be able to withstand a jokey and continuous goodbye.

Lucy walked into her house, noting the smell of old wood as she did every time she arrived, and called out for Plue. When he didn't come around the corner, she went over to her only couch and saw him sprawled out on top of one the pillows. She laughed at how it looked like he'd gotten into a serious fight with the blanket trying to get comfortable. The blonde smiled and pet his head before walking into her kitchen to get a glass of cold water.

Her house was quiet, not like Fairy Hills had been. While she thoroughly enjoyed being around rowdy people, the silence of her home was really welcoming after a long day out. Even if she had tried to put being alone again off for as long as she could, she knew there was no avoiding it. The day had been pretty healing, though she hadn't realized it. That week she spent doing nothing was behind her and a new was starting…

She placed her forehead on her counter and stared down the black granite, looking absentmindedly at the patterns hidden there.

Natsu strolled into the warehouse, it was one in the morning now, and saw that the crowds had come and gone. The scent of food, cigars, and beer (among other drinks) still lingered in the air, but it was faint. The smell never ceased to give him sense of relief. The only thing that didn't ever feel right about the warehouse was how weird it was seeing the place empty. It just didn't feel right. Didn't set well with him… but, knowing Happy a few other people were still there took the edge off.

He walked passed all the freshly wiped tables until he came to the one where Wendy, Happy, and Carla had fallen asleep at. The three of them were bundled together, sleeping peacefully in the rare silence of the place. "Hey, time to get up. You wanna sleep here all night?" Natsu spoke softly as he gently shook Wendy's shoulder, coaxing her back into reality.

"Oh, Natsu?" Mira spoke from behind the bar, "Back from walking Lucy home already? Thanks by the way, I was just about to wake her up." She finished wiping the bar down and threw her towel over the faucet. Mira always closed up the warehouse even though the boss had repeatedly told her she didn't need to, that he would do it, but she insisted on it since, apparently, it was never done right otherwise.

"Mm…" Wendy groaned lightly and picked her head up off the table, "Natsu?"

"Yeah, it's me." He reached down and grabbed the unconscious Happy. "How'd the dinner go?"

The girl rubbed her eyes, "Um… Sorry…" She cleared her throat, "It went well. They had a lot of fun." She grinned and placed a hand on Carla's head as she talked.

"Good, good." Natsu replied and set Happy on his shoulder, "Sorry for taking so long."

"It's fine. I know you guys were having fun. So was I." She assured him and looked over at Mira who waved her down.

"I'll be just a second Wendy. We can walk back together."

"Hey Mira, did the boss just leave?" Natsu asked.

"Yeah, he did. There was some paper work he needed to finish up. Why?" She replied and raised a brow at his question.

"No reason. Just wondering. Night. Night Wendy." He ruffled the girls' hair and received a sleepy goodbye from her before he walked back out and went straight home.

His house, or better called, shack, was inside the woods just like Lucy's. Though, the town was more accessible to him in his case as he didn't live so deep into it. He built it himself, with help of course (he didn't know shit about plumbing and he wasn't about to go without it) and it was in the perfect spot. He had picked a place that was a little higher up, high enough so that he could get a good view of the town when he walked up his hill, (he called it his for reasons) and was clear of trees so that he had a nice sky to look at whenever he wanted.

Which was what he was doing now.

As soon as he reached his home, he put Happy down on his bed, changed into sweat pants and a tank top, grabbed a water bottle from his fridge, kicked his weights around for no reason, climbed onto his roof, as he often did, and stared out into the sky. It was cloudy, but he could still see pieces of sky here and there, the stars along with it.

Natsu stretched and lifted his shirt a little to scratch at his stomach, letting out a long sigh. His buzz was wearing off and deep tiredness replaced it.

His chest felt heavy.

As he admitted before, being alone wasn't his thing.

He shut his eyes and tried to silence his thoughts.

Feeling the hard roof beneath him, he let his consciousness drift away as he fell into sleep.

A/N: What to say, what to say...? This took way longer than I expected... my bad! First, I got sick, wrote a little when i got better, then got sick again, then Naruto ended and that was a complete shitstorm. Then holiday season started, other things happened, and I didn't really have the mood for writing. BUT! I GOT IT DONE! And I made it extra long. So there's that I guess. Me taking like, four days to re-read this and fix stuff didn't help the wait either... and I'm pretty sure there're still mistakes in there somewhere but I'll go through it again when my brain isn't mush. :DDD

Onto some other things.

Lucy's currently in a state of "I'm getting worried over nothing, it's fine." and "But wait what if it's not?" then back to "Nah, it's alright." It's a cycle. She ran away thinking she was going to change into a whole new person immediately but habits you've been stuck with for years don't disappear over night.- i have a feeling i said that already but i'll leave it in case.

The Lucy/Levy brotp is in full swing. I really liked the idea of Levy just declaring their bff-ness. Also, I wanted Levy to be the first one to see Lucy in that way (crying, abandoned puppy look, etc.). It opened up, or rather, broke down that wall of Lucy's that stopped anyone from seeing her upset, even if it was unintentional. Someone being kind to you when you're sad or whatever is a force to be reckoned with imo. Now that Lucy doesn't have that to hide from her, not that she's totally okay with crying around people now, there's gonna be a lot of bff-ness incoming. Sorry, I just really love supportive lady friendships.

As for Natsu, poor dude- i think he's gonna have a hard time with his dokis.

Side note- sometimes i almost piss myself laughing at how i outline these chapters. they're so bad. so awful. but so grea t. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this late, late chapter. I'll try to have another up before Christmas. :DDDD