16 Chapter 16

"No."

"Please? Please think again!"

"Let me rephrase that...hell no."

A pout slid across Natsu's face. "But Luce…" he whined, and Lucy flushed in both annoyance and embarrassment at the scene he was causing in the middle of a busy street in Crocus. "Come on, we're not that bad…" His eyes were wide with panic, his face full of terrified horror.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "You burned my apartment building down," she scolded, "And what if someone like Bora comes along again? I'd like to be able to move to Magnolia sometime in the next few years, thank you very much. Besides. Those requests you took offer a lot of money, Natsu, but they seem incredibly dangerous, particularly for someone who is almost useless in regards to their magic using."

"You're not useless," he protested. "You just don't have any Spirits that can kick ass yet!"

"And there's a ton of other things I should be able to do and can't," Lucy pointed out.

"That's not your fault," he muttered, "I blame Yukino for not being able to teach you."

"You're an idiot," Lucy retorted. Sighing heavily, the celestial mage ran her fingers through her messy blonde hair, grateful she'd had just enough money to buy a few necessities like clothes, a new brush, the likes. Tugging the jacket she'd purchased shut so she could zip it, she told him, "Look. I don't want to get any of us killed, so I honestly think we need to ask Erza to come help. She told me if I wanted her to do so, all I needed to do was ask, and she'd be here."

"Why can't you ask Levy?" he whined, "Or Juvia or Cana? Why Erza?"

"Because Erza offered." Lucy rolled her eyes, annoyed with his reluctance. "Please?"

"Fine," Natsu agreed with a scowl. "But she's not staying with us, right? Hotel room's too small."

"What, we're going to kick her to the curb? She can stay." Lucy beamed. "I haven't ever had a female friend in the same room, it'll be kind of like those sleep overs I used to read about."

"...you sounded like a kid just then," Natsu commented with a snicker.

She only shrugged. "Says the person who can't grow out of his adolescent stage."

It had been a few days since the incident with the sort-of fire mage Bora, and Lucy was beyond relieved that Happy and Natsu had agreed to pay for the room they now stayed in. Fairy Tail - particularly Makarov - had been clued in on what had happened, though Makarov wasn't all that happy about it. He'd scolded Natsu fiercely over the phone and the dragon slayer had supported a rather guilty countenance for the rest of the day. Natsu had reassured him that it wouldn't happen again before handing the phone to Lucy, who had explained that it might take a little longer than planned for them to get where they wanted.

She really wished that it didn't make her feel guilty to refuse Makarov's offer of the guild paying for rent and such until she was able to herself.

"Come on," Lucy told her partner, shoving her hands into her pockets. The weather had grown chilly recently, warning them of the upcoming winter season. Lucy's lips twitched up into a huge smile at the thought. She loved winter. The snow mixed with a good cup of hot tea and the warm indoors were enjoyable, and would hopefully be even more so this year since she'd have company.

They made their way down the street, heading for their hotel, and Natsu tugged at his scarf as they walked, looking exceptionally annoyed that he'd agreed to her plan. "You're going to be the death of me," he told her, "Erza's going to beat me to hell and back for burning down your apartment."

"That wasn't completely your fault," Lucy reminded him.

"Still partly mine." He scowled. "She's gonna kill me. Told me not to ruin anything."

Lucy tapped her lower lip thoughtfully, head tilted to the side. "Don't worry, I'll stop her." She pulled her phone out of her pocket, affectionately brushing the key that was stuffed into it, too. It warmed happily beneath her touch. She'd been working every day with Plue, and was careful not to overdo it under Natsu and Happy's supervision. She paused in calling Erza to glance over her shoulder. "Hey, did you grab Happy's fish?"

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to forget my best buddy's dinner, Lucy."

"Okay, okay, just making sure." Lucy held the phone up to her ear, grateful it hadn't been destroyed in the fire. It rang for a moment, and then was picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Erza," Lucy greeted hesitantly. "It's Lucy."

"Lucy!" Erza sounded pleasantly surprised, almost eager about the fact that she'd called. "Are things going well with Natsu and Happy assisting you?" Her tone took on a threatening undertone, and Lucy smiled faintly.

"Yes," Lucy promised. "They've helped me a lot. I have a Spirit I've been working on summoning, and we've been keeping an eye out for anything strange and the likes in the process. Someone came after us the other day, but Natsu handled it." She shot the fire mage a beaming smile and he huffed, looking away. "Anyways, I had a question...you said I could tell you if I needed something, right?"

"Of course."

"Could you do me a favor? Natsu brought some jobs with him, and I don't think we should be taking them without extra help."

"...did he," Erza mused, sounding entertained. "I wasn't aware...did he log them in with Mira, by chance?"

"Uh…" Lucy glanced at him. "Did you log in the jobs with Mira? No," she repeated when his eyes grew wide. "He didn't. Is that bad?"

Erza's voice was tight with barely concealed annoyance. "Not quite...may I speak with him for a moment, Lucy?"

"Sure." Lucy offered the phone to Natsu, who pouted and took it. Holding it up to his ear, he greeted Erza meekly, and then cringed, holding the phone away as Erza began to shout at him. After a moment, he brought it back to his ears and said hurriedly, "S'not my fault Mira doesn't watch the board! I just wanted to pick out some high-paying stuff so Lucy could hurry up and move to Magnolia." More shouting. "I don't think any of them are S-Class...no, they're not on me…" Natsu cringed, making a face. "I'll call you back later and let you know. Are you gonna help us or not? Lucy needs to move soon."

Lucy rolled her eyes as he continued to chat with Erza, sure she'd figure it out at a later time. She didn't understand what he meant by S-Class, and made sure to make a note of it in her mind so she could ask about it later. They'd just reached the hotel when Natsu finally hung up. When she held her hand out for the phone, he slammed it into her open palm hard enough to make her wince. "Great," he huffed, cheeks puffing up in irritation, a wisp of a flame leaving his lips. Lucy hurriedly made sure no one had seen. "Now I'm gonna get in trouble. You just had to call Erza. Damn it, Lucy, I'm blaming you for this!"

"It's not my fault you did something you weren't supposed to," Lucy pointed out with a sigh, looking slightly hurt by his words. Face falling into an expression of displeasure - a look she hadn't worn since her last day in the palace she used to call home - Lucy hugged herself as they made their way to their room, ignoring the greeting a receptionist called. Natsu muttered his irritation about her and her "annoying decision to include Erza" the entire way to their temporary housing.

When they reached the room, Lucy left Natsu to give Happy his fish, her face hardened into a stony look she'd mastered years before. It was a look she wore when trying to fight back angry tears. She grabbed her small bag of belongings and slipped into the bathroom, deciding to take a bath and see if that helped her feel better. It usually did, and gave her time to think as a bonus. Lucy locked the door behind her, pulled Plue's key out, and proceeded to summon him, deciding she didn't mind company so long as it wasn't Natsu's.

Plue was more than happy to keep her company as she shed her clothes, put her phone on silent, and slipped into the hot water she'd prepared, her lips pressed into a hard line. He walked along the tiles of the linoleum as if balancing on a balance beam, and Lucy watched on in amusement, a soft giggle escaping her lips. It was as if the small Celestial Spirit sensed her distress and was eager to make her feel better.

She was proud of herself. The length she could keep Plue out was quickly growing, and she was no longer tired out within the first few hours. As suggested by Yukino after a small conversation, she'd kept an eye out for any keys, but had yet to find one.

"I hope we come across one soon," Lucy murmured to herself, brushing her fingers through her wet hair. "Then I'll be able to help with the jobs…" A thought suddenly struck her. "Hey, Plue? Do you know if any of the other Celestial Spirits might want to form a contract with me?"

Plue paused to glance back at her and give a nod.

"Can you tell me which ones?"

Plue shook his head.

Disappointed, Lucy sighed. Oh, well. Someday, maybe.

When Lucy was finally done with her bath, she climbed out of the tub and wrung her hair out, wrapping a towel around herself. She checked her phone, then arched an eyebrow at the message that awaited her.

The hell are you doing in there? Come out already. Talked with Erza. She said to tell ya about the job we decided to go with. Can't really do that if you're in the bathroom all night.

"Jerk," Lucy grumbled. Did he have mood swings or something? Maybe it was a dragon slayer thing… She responded that she'd come out when she was good and ready, then picked Plue up to set him on the counter. She propped her elbows on the counter placed her chin in her open palms, and then stared at herself in the mirror, pressing her lips into a hard line.

She looked different. Even from a few weeks before, when she hadn't had a single clue that magic really existed. Not necessarily in a bad way, but not in a completely good way, either. She had bags under her eyes despite the good sleep she'd gotten the night before, from the previous nights that Natsu and Happy had kept her up. Her face was set in a scowl from her irritation with Natsu's complaining and irritable words about her, there were healing scratches and burns, and the tips of her hair were still singed from their fight with Bora.

In other words, life with the fire dragon slayer and his blue companion was proving to be a bit difficult and tiring.

But, she admitted with a heavy sigh as she reached for her bag, pulling the needed undergarments and comfy clothes out. She wouldn't trade it for the world. Because having the world meant being alone and miserable again.

Lucy paused, a mournful feeling filling her. Something told her she'd end up back in the Heartfilia household whether she wanted to or not. And while she didn't exactly want to go back, she knew it would be necessary. She couldn't hide forever.

The celestial mage heaved a huge sigh.

Damn all the problems that came with her status as a run away.

A pound on the door made her jump and Lucy put her hands on her hips, glaring at it. "Come on, Luce!" Natsu shouted, making her cringe in sympathy for their neighbors. "The hell are you doing in there?"

"Contemplating how short I'm going to shave your hair," Lucy retorted, scowling. "Currently, I'm considering baldness. Might be a good look on you."

A pause. "...you wouldn't."

"I would." Lucy rolled her eyes and set to work on dressing herself, smiling to herself as Plue kicked his little legs, happy as can be. "Now go away. You're ruining my happy time."

"That's 'cause you're taking so long," he mumbled through the door before wandering off again. Lucy gave a sigh of relief as she tugged a T-shirt over her head. She patted Plue's head before sending him back to the Celestial Realm, then finally scooped her possessions up and made her way out of the bathroom, humming to herself as she went.

She was met at the bathroom door by a pouting dragon slayer. His onyx eyes were serious, his brows drawn down into a look she hadn't seen him wear since finding her half-dead on the floor. "Hey," he demanded, not seeming to care much for personal space as he shoved his face near hers, searching her gaze. Lucy immediately leaned back with a squeak, her own eyes snapping wide. "Are you okay?"

Lucy blinked, as if startled by his question. Then she huffed, her breath rushing out sharply. "I'm fine," she muttered, pushing past him. "At least I am now that you're not being a jerk." So maybe she was overreacting a little bit. But it was seriously irritating that he'd been so annoyed over her inviting Erza to assist them in work that might get them killed without her!

Natsu blinked, grabbing her arm gently to stop her. "...the hell are you talking about?"

"You - oh, never mind," Lucy groaned, snatching her arm away. She pinched the bridge of her nose between her finger and thumb after dumping her bag on the bed. Silently grateful they'd taken up their original setup of her on the bed and Natsu and Happy on the couch, Lucy dropped to sit beside Happy on the floor in front of the TV, glancing at the television momentarily to check what he was watching. "...how did you find a documentary on fish?"

Happy beamed. "I dunno, but don't they look tasty, Lucy?" He pointed at a whale that suddenly crossed the screen. "Look! It looks like you!"

Lucy's jaw dropped. "You little-" She lunged for Happy and he leaped away, cackling happily as he taunted her. "Natsu!" she wailed, glaring over her shoulder at the laughing dragon slayer. "Stop laughing and make him stop!"

"Nah," Natsu answered with a snicker. "This is fun."

After finally managing to shut Happy up with a threat to not feed him anymore fish for the rest of the week, Lucy turned to Natsu, face flushed with annoyance. He was simply sitting on the couch, sprawled out, a huge grin on his face from watching them. Lucy rolled her eyes. "When is Erza getting here?"

Natsu's grin dropped into a scowl. "Tomorrow afternoon. I'll get to have one more good lunch before she shows up. She never lets me eat enough."

Lucy gave him an apologetic look. "Since you were kind enough to agree to let her come help, I'll buy you and Happy a huge lunch tomorrow, okay?"

His irritation was gone in an instant. "Yay!"

She sighed. That's going to be the biggest mistake I've ever agreed to make...