#my electricity has been goin out so it gives me an opportunity to draw on paper more

[zinofghast]

traditional art

[livesincerely]

keepsakes

Also on Ao3

00000

Davey stops and stares, absolutely stunned.

“Jack,” he breathes.

“Hi, Davey,” Jack quietly greets, hands tucked deep into the pockets of his jacket.

“You...” Davey swallows around a sudden lump in his throat, a hand braced against the doorframe in an attempt to steady himself. “What are you doing here?”

“I got the address from Les,” Jack says, rocking a little on his feet. “I’m in town for the week visiting Ma and Charlie, thought I could swing by and see you for a sec.”

“Oh,” Davey says, still trying to process the fact that Jack is here, that Jack’s actually here, standing outside of Davey’s door. His hair’s a touch shorter, his skin a bit tanner, but he’s still Jack.

He’s still Jack.

“So, uh, can I come in?” Jack asks.

“Oh, right.” Davey gives himself a little shake, then takes a step back and holds the door open wider. “Yeah, sure. Please, come in.”

“You moved out of the old place,” Jack comments as his eyes rove around Davey’s modest entry and living room, and his tone is casual but the words are weighted with an unspoken question.

“It was a bit too much for just one person,” Davey says, averting his eyes. “A smaller apartment is easier to keep up with.”

He doesn’t mention that he hadn’t been able to afford the rent for their old apartment by himself, or that even if he had been, all the reminders of their life together, all the hollowed out spaces Jack had left in his wake—the places he used to be but isn’t anymore—would’ve driven him away regardless.

“Can I get you anything?” Davey asks after a brief pause. “Soda or coffee or...?”

“Coffee would be great, actually,” Jack says. “But, uh, only if it won’t put ya out.”

“It’s no trouble,” Davey says. “Here, go ahead and sit down and I’ll fix you a cup.”

He leaves Jack to pull up a stool at the counter while he pulls two mug out of the cabinet, turning on the coffee maker with a quick press of a button.

“So, how have you been?” Davey asks, careful to keep his head down and his voice light as he waits for the coffee to brew. “How’s Santa Fe been treating you?”

“‘S good,” Jack says. “It’s great, it’s got everything: clear skies, gorgeous sunsets. If you go out to the desert at the right time of day the views are unreal. So, uh, life’s pretty good.”

“And work’s going well?”

“Real well,” Jack confirms. “Now that I’ve been there a while they’re startin’ to give me my own projects to work on, which is great. Nerve racking, and I’m constantly terrified that I’m gonna fuck it all up, but great. Honestly, the studio space and the stipend I get for supplies on its own is pretty incredible, let alone all the experience and connections I’m getting too. So, yeah, things are goin’ well.”

“That’s great, Jack,” Davey says, even as his heart gives a painful little lurch. “I’m glad things are working out for you.”

“Couldn’t ask for much more,” Jack responds, and the way he says it is strange—strange enough that Davey risks a glance at his face. But Jack’s expression is flat and impassive, giving nothing away. “How’re you doin’, Davey?”

“Good,” Davey says, turning back to the coffee maker. “I’ve been good.”

“Yeah?” Jack asks. “Anythin’ interestin’ goin’ on?”

“Just the same old, same old,” Davey replies. “Nothing new to tell, honestly.”

“Nothing at all?” Davey can’t tell if Jack sounds disappointed or relieved. “Did you ever end up gettin’ that transfer you wanted?”

“I, uh, rescinded the request after you— after everything,” Davey answers, watching the the coffee bubble and drip, his chest tight. “There wasn’t really a need, and it was easier to just stay at my old branch.”

“Oh,” Jack says. 

The silence stretches between them, stiff and heavy and awkward. Instead of coming up with something to fill it, Davey busies himself with serving up their coffee, fixing one mug with his usual creamer, then the other with even more cream and a heaping spoonful of sugar, which he sets gently in front of Jack.

“Here you go,” he murmurs. 

Davey takes a small sip of his own coffee, trying to decide what’d be worse: asking Jack another question and having to listen to him talk about how wonderful and perfect his life in Santa Fe has been or just sitting there quietly and trying to pretend like this whole situation isn’t agonizing. 

He tries, “So, um, have you had the chance to—”

“What the fuck, Davey?” Jack bites out. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

Davey freezes, eyes wide. Jack’s holding his mug in both hands—like he was about to take a drink and got distracted halfway there—and the look on his face is one of absolute fury. 

“Why do you still have this?” Jack demands, setting it down so hard that a bit of coffee sloshes over the side. “Why would you keep—?”

Davey looks, and then he realizes. The mug is a simple, sturdy thing, bigger than most of his other ones so he doesn’t have to refill it as often. He’d grabbed it out of habit—it’s always sitting near the front of the cabinet because of how often he uses it, and he honestly hadn’t thought anything of it.

But now he’s seeing what Jack sees: the trellis of flowers that encircle the rim, painstakingly painted by a careful hand in yellows, golds, and blues. Remembers the smell of the clay and the rainbow wall of glaze, remembers the satisfied grin that had turned so sheepish and shy when they returned a few days later to pick up their creations, remembers the flutter in his stomach as he reached out for the surprise gift, remembers the thrill of electricity when their fingers brushed…

Davey swallows.

“Why wouldn’t I keep it,” he says in as even a tone as he can manage. “It’s mine, isn’t it?”

“Oh, so that’s where you draw the line, huh?” Jack says, and his voice his like the rumble before a storm rolls in. “That’s how it is? Knick knacks, keepsakes, sure, those you’ll keep around, but the stuff that’s actually worth having? That’s actually worth fighting for? You can just let all that go without ever sayin’ a fuckin’ word otherwise because who gives a shit—”

And suddenly Davey’s furious too.

“Right, because you were so fucking eager to stay?” he asks with a derisive scoff. “Give me a break, Jack, you couldn’t wait to leave. Just fucked off to the other side of the country and left me here to pick up the pieces—”

“You were all but pushing me out the fucking door!” Jack yells, throwing his hands up. “‘It’s a wonderful opportunity, Jackie,’ ‘You’d be an idiot not to take it, Jackie,’ ‘It’s what you’ve always dreamed of, Jackie!’ What a load of horseshit—”

“Oh, so it’s my fault for being supportive?’ Davey asks, incredulous. “Are you serious?”

“I’m just sayin’, you weren’t exactly bent outta shape at the thought of me leavin’,” Jack says coldly. “Didn’t seem to bother you one fuckin’ bit. Probably relieved to finally have an excuse to get rid of me—”

“Shut your fucking mouth,” Davey hisses, stepping forward until they’re standing nearly chest to chest. “I’ve missed you like you wouldn’t believe, missed you every single goddamn second of the last eight months, don’t think for a moment that I didn’t, you fucking asshole.”

“Oh, yeah?” Jack asks, chin lifted in challenge. “If you missed me so fucking much, then why’d we break up?”

“Because you were moving to Santa Fe!” Davey yells, completely fed up. “You were leaving, Jackie! What else was I supposed to do, except let you go and try my best to be happy for you?”

“If you really wanted me to be happy,” Jack growls, “you would’ve come with me.”

“You didn’t ask me to come with you!”

“And you didn’t ask me to stay!” Jack roars back.

“Ask you to stay? Ask you to stay?” Davey says, a wave of emotion stinging at his eyes, a note of hysteria shredding his voice, something aching and frenzied clawing at his chest. “Of course I didn’t fucking ask you to stay, I was never going to ask you to stay! It was Santa Fe, it was all you ever fucking talked about, it was your dream, Jack! It was everything that you wanted! I would never even suggest that you give that up, God, what kind of shit-ass person do you think I am, that you thought I would ever, ever try to stand between you and Santa Fe when I know how important it is to you—?”

“I’m not fucking hearing this,” Jack says, with a frantic, jerky shake of his head. “I am not fucking hearing this. I— You—“

He rakes a hand haphazardly through his hair, the other pointed accusingly at Davey’s chest, jaw clenched and eyes glittering. His throat works silently for a moment, two moments, then he turns on his heel and storms out, the apartment door slamming behind him with a thunderous bang!

And Jack’s gone, tearing right back out of Davey’s life like he’d never returned in the first place, the abandoned coffee mug the only evidence that he’d ever been there at all.

And Davey’s alone, his heart pounding a lurching, deafening beat in his ears, the churning, curdling, swirling feeling in his gut a perfect mirror to how he’d felt all those months ago, quietly, impossibly heartbroken as he watched Jack walk away.

Davey takes a shivering, shuddering breath, scrubbing a trembling hand across his mouth. Fuck.

He might’ve been standing there for thirty seconds or thirty minutes when the front door swings open again. Davey’s head whips up just in time to see Jack step inside, closing the door behind him with a soft, purposeful click. Then he can only watch as Jack stalks forward, eyes blazing, fists his hands in the front of Davey’s shirt, and drags him into a bruising, desperate kiss. 

“I love you,” Jack says. “I love you. I loved you before I got the job offer, I loved you while I was searching for apartments and planning the move, I loved you every time I talked up Santa Fe to you, tryin’ to convince you to come with me any way I could think of. I loved you when we broke up, I loved you when I left, I loved you when I landed, and it’s been eight fucking months and I’m still so fucking in love with you—”

Davey interrupts him with another heart stopping kiss, threading his fingers in Jack’s hair as he pulls him closer. They still fit together so perfectly, lips and teeth and tongues all moving together like they’d never been parted, and its so good that Davey could almost cry with it because he’d never thought he would have this again.

“I love you too, Jackie,” Davey promises. “I love you and I’ve missed you so much—”

“I missed you,” Jack says, punctuating the declaration with another kiss. “You’re it for me Davey. There’s just you. And I… I can’t give this up again. Santa Fe ain’t worth nothin’ if you’re not there with me.”

“I thought that was what you wanted,” Davey murmurs, and its a confession and an apology. “I thought I had to let you go.”

Jack shakes his head. 

“I wanted you to keep me,” he whispers against Davey’s lips. “And I wanted to keep you too.”

“Then keep me,” Davey says. He realizes now, that it’s as simple as that. “Keep me.”

00000

Jack’s pov here

Tag List!: @yahfancyclamwiththepurlinside @corbinthecowboy @stroopwafeldetective

[ycmiis-blog]

now recording {chapter three}

When upcoming YouTuber Lucy Heartfilia finds herself collaborating with popular channel Fairy Tail, she ends up getting more than she bargained for. ( ff.net // ao3 )

( ONE  TWO )

'can lucy be here every week.'

'i will literally give all my organs to have lucy be a regular.'

'Are you guys sure this is the first time Lucy's met any of them? She fits in so well!'

Lucy scrolls through the comments of the most recent Fairy Tail Friday video. It's only a few hours before she has to go record the next one, and she's still mulling over her answer. While she knows that she doesn't have to answer today, she wants to, because after today, she doesn't know when she's going to see all of them again. She may have Levy's number, but she's the only one she knows how to contact. Note to self: remedy that.

The thing is, she's ninety-nine per cent sure of her decision. She's found a place close to the studio that allows pets and has a decent rent, even if it's smaller than her current address. Mirajane ran the numbers with her before she went home the previous week, which was nice of her, so she knows what she would be paid if she joined them. Not that it matters. They could be paying her with those fake chocolate coins and she would be happy to join them. It's not her willingness to join that's the problem.

It all comes down to how spontaneous she thinks she's being. Everything is happening so fast, it's so difficult for her to wrap her head around, yet she doesn't want this opportunity to pass her by. That would be disastrous. And looking back, some of her best decisions have been made without too much preparation. Her running away from home had truly been a rash decision fuelled by one last argument with her father tipping the scales toward her breaking point, and now she feels more free than she ever did growing up. Starting her YouTube channel had even been a product of boredom one lazy Sunday when she had nothing to do, but her mind was full of thoughts about the book she just read, and she had to let her thoughts out somewhere.

She looks at Plue, who is once again resting on her bed. "What do you think, Plue? Should I do it?"

Plue barks and wags his tail, and she thinks it's as good a sign as any.

"Alright, let's do it."

When Lucy walks into the studio, she comes face-to-face - well, actually, face-to-chest - with Elfman, who's carrying several crates of electrical equipment. She quickly jumps back and peers around the crates so she can see him properly. "Hey, Elfman!"

Elfman shifts the crates to one arm like it's no big deal and her eyes widen, shocked at how damn strong he is. She knows he works out, it's all over his channel, but what she sees in his videos is nothing compared to seeing him in real life. He doesn't seem to notice, just greeting her with a brief wave and a grin as he walks over to the corner and dumps the creates on the ground.

"How's it goin', Lucy?" he asks, dusting his hands off. "Ready to sing your lungs out?"

Lucy's smile tenses. "Well, as ready as I'll ever be, I guess. I'm not the best singer, but something tells me that's not going to matter."

Elfman's laugh is boisterous, echoing around the entrance. "Nah, it won't. Most of us can't hold a tune to save our lives."

"Good thing we're not saving any lives then," Lucy says, heading inside to the main set. Everyone else already seems to be there, and she's quickly spotted by both Mira and Levy. They rush over to her immediately.

"Lucy!" Mira greets her by giving her a big hug, which Lucy definitely wasn't expecting, but she isn't about to push her away. She's always down for hugs. "How was your week?"

She just shrugs before Levy goes in for a hug as well. "Same old, same old. Nothing really interesting happened this week. My daily vlogs weren't really daily, they were just a weekly wrap-up, really."

And it's true. Her life seems to pale in comparison to her time spent with the Fairy Tail members, and she's not sure whether that's because she's had their offer bouncing around her head for the whole week or if she's always felt this way and it just took their influence to bring that side out of her. She doesn't think it matters either way. She's already applied for the apartment, she's ready to resign from her current job, and she's more than ready to join the others with their company.

Before any of them can say another word, Erza speaks up from the set, "Alright, guys, let's go!"

Everyone heads to the set's sofas, Lucy taking a seat between Natsu and Cana. Natsu grins at her and she waves back, not as uneasy as she was a little over a week ago when she'd seen all those comments on Levy's video. The shipping comments had, admittedly, freaked her out a little, but texting Levy had helped ease her worries. This was what came with being high-profile.

'It's nothing to worry about!' Levy had texted. 'People ship all of us together all the time, so you can just ignore it!'

Lucy took that advice and has forgotten about it completely. Natsu's a friendly guy, so of course he would treat her as though she's one of them. It's best to let the fans think what they like.

Warren does the usual countdown and Mira jumps into frame like she's a talk show host, which isn't entirely wrong. "Hello, Fairies! Welcome back to Fairy Family Friday, and we're once again here with the lovely Lucy," she gestures to Lucy, who waves, "and we're about to make fools of ourselves again, because today we're singing until our lungs shrivel up and turn to dust."

"I don't think lungs can do that," Laxus says, but he's ignored.

"Today, we'll be singing duets, and the pairings will be decided completely and utterly randomly in the most cliche way possible - drawing names from a hat!" Bisca tosses the cowboy hat she often wears and Mirajane drops a bunch of papers inside after she catches it.

The pairs are drawn after that, completely at random. Natsu and Kinana, Max and Lucy, Bickslow and Nab, Jet and Elfman, Cana and Bisca, Droy and Levy, Alzack and Mira, Laxus and Lisanna, Gray and Laki, Erza and Evergreen, and Vijeeter and Freed. Lucy is slightly nervous because she doesn't really know Max, but when she catches his eye from across the room, he gives her a thumbs up. It's a small gesture, but it's reassuring. She doesn't know what it is about the Fairy Tail members and their ability to put her at ease, but she's here for it completely.

Long story short, most people's singing is abysmal. Kinana is a diamond in the rough, her voice sweet and clear as she sings alongside Natsu's questionable vocals, and she even seems in her element. Lucy wonders if she's done this before. Kinana is one of the only members who doesn't have a personal channel of her own, though she often appears in everyone else's videos, securing her spot as a permanent fixture in Fairy Tail. Perhaps she's had experience performing? Lucy makes a note to herself to ask her about that later.

Mira, Lisanna, and Vijeeter are contenders for the next best. Lucy isn't surprised by Mira and Lisanna, since she's heard their voices before in several of their vlogs, but Vijeeter catches her off-guard. She can't help but clap after he and Freed are done, and she isn't the only one. Freed asks him how he ended up being so good and he responds with, "I can't be a professional with just one talent, not in this economy."

In the end, Vijeeter and Freed are the winners and Bickslow and Nab slide into last place, only just behind Erza and Evergreen (who is sulking after Jet made a comment about her unique singing style).

"Whaaaaaaat?" Cana whines, flopping down on the couch without looking and almost suffocating Gray in the process. "But I wanted to continue my winging streak! I have an amazing voice!"

Gray snorts, pushing Cana to the side. "Are you crazy? I've heard how you sing in the shower, do you know how many times the neighbours have complained?"

Mira does the outro and Warren finishes with a, "That's a wrap! Great job, guys."

Lucy lets herself relax, wiggling her arms around to get rid of the nervous tension she'd been building up throughout the whole thing. As much as she feels at ease around the Fairy Tail members, there is still that sense of self-doubt that comes with being in a new environment, especially one that she never thought she would be in. Filming is fun, but exhausting. Yet she wouldn't change that for the world.

Before she can do much else, Natsu takes the spot beside her with his usual charismatic smile. "So, Lucy, thought about our offer yet?"

Lucy isn't even surprised that he jumps straight into what he wants rather than making small-talk. It's clear from his videos that this is the type of person he is, but she actually quite likes it. It's a nice change to the people she's surrounded herself with her whole life. She wishes she was able to be so candid all the time, but whenever she tries, she just overthinks things.

"Well, actually, I have," she starts slowly, trying to stop the grin from spreading across her face too early. She's been ready to tell the others all day. "And, well, I've applied for an apartment that allows pets and I've got all the forms ready quit my job, so I don't see why not?"

She didn't think Natsu's smile would be able to get any bigger, but he proves her wrong. "Seriously? That's great! Time to celebrate, I should check what we're having for dinner, but first -" He cuts himself off and stands on the couch, his sneakers staining the leather with dirt. "Hey, guys! Lucy agreed to join us! Permanently!"

There is a chorus of cheers and Lucy is reminded of just last week when all of them agreed that they wanted her here. She covers her mouth with her hands and looks down, trying to hide just how happy she is, but she doubts it's working. Not with everyone looking at her like she's just done something impressive or won some award, and honestly? She can't help but feel the same way.

"So, new member, you know what this means," Lisanna says, swatting Elfman's arm off of her head, which he was using as an armrest. "Party at Yajima's!"

Yajima's ends up being a restaurant in town called 8-Island. Lucy vaguely remembers it being mentioned in the Raijinshu's videos of all things, and she thinks she's seen the place in some of their videos, since the interior looks familiar despite her never having been here before. The few patrons who are still in the midst of their meal look up at the large group. The only person who doesn't seem perturbed by their arrival is the man behind the counter, and Lucy assumes he's Yajima from the way everyone greets him as they approach.

They're given the longest table in the place, and even then they have to push tables together and move chairs around so they'll all fit. This isn't the first time Lucy has attended such a large dinner - actually, she's attended dinners with far more people than this, but those were all high-class and uptight, so they don't count - but it's the first time she's felt as though she can be herself at one, and that is a success in itself. It helps that this is a party to celebrate her, even if it's just an excuse for everyone to run around and get drunk. Providing Cana doesn't hoard all the alcohol for herself.

"Order what you like, I'm paying!" Mira says, waving her menu around, almost whacking Elfman in the face.

Cana raises her still-empty glass with a, "Mira, the light of my life, my queen, my everything!"

Lucy giggles as she opens her menu. There's more of a selection than she originally thought, and she becomes absorbed in all the delicious-sounding dishes for a good few minutes. It's only when she hears a, "The Spaghetti and Meatball Supreme is the best, I'm just putting it out there."

She looks up at Natsu's grinning face for a brief moment before searching for the spaghetti dish on the menu, finding it beneath the 'Bestsellers' title. "Well, I guess I'll have to give that a try, won't I? I'll probably have a milkshake with it."

"Not a beer? Just checking, 'cause Cana's gonna have drunk it all in the next half our if you're not quick," he says, and sure enough, Cana's glass is now filled to the top.

"I'm driving, remember?" Lucy reminds him, setting her menu down. "I'd rather not get pulled over for a DUI."

From Lucy's other side, Erza says, "Are you sure you'll be alright driving home tonight? I know you took your car, but we could look after it and drive you home ourselves, we don't mind."

Lucy shakes her head. "No, it's fine. I've driven longer trips at this time of night."

"If you're sure," Erza says, leaving it at that as Yajima himself comes to collect their orders.

Once everyone has decided what they want to eat and drink, Lucy asks both Erza and Natsu, "So, you guys come here a lot, right? Do you guys know Yajima personally, or do you just like this place that much?"

"Both," Natsu says, leaning back in his chair. "You know Makarov, right? Laxus' grandpa, he's in a shitload of our videos. He and Yajima are old friends and it was him who introduced us to the place, thought it would be great for it to get some exposure on our channels. Yajima told us not to go overboard, though, so we just end up vlogging while we're here. We make sure we mention the name and everything."

Lucy definitely remembers. It's hard not to when the old man stands out like a sore thumb despite his height. In contrast to Laxus, he's enthusiastic and ready to take on any challenge the team or the viewers give him despite his elderly status. If Lucy didn't know any better, she might assume that he was thirty years younger than he actually is.

"That's so nice of you," she says in a soft voice. "And from what I've seen of it, this place deserves recognition."

"Just wait 'til you taste the food," Gray says from the spot across from her (wait, where did his shirt go?), and Lucy figures he's been listening the whole time. "Then you'll know just how great this place is."

Lucy doesn't have to wait that long to test his claim. Their food arrives faster than she expected, especially with so many of them here, but when she asks about it, Erza just tells her that 8-Island has the best customer service out of all the restaurants in their area. Lucy doesn't know whether she's saying that because it's true or because she's biased, but she doesn't mind. She would be the same way.

"This smells amazing," she says as the smell of her Spaghetti and Meatball Supreme invades her senses. She's sure her mouth is watering.

Natsu nudges her, his mouth already full with steak. "It tastes amazing, too!" he says, though his voice is muffle by his food.

Lucy wastes no time in digging in, and she isn't disappointed. The pasta isn't soggy, but it isn't hard. The meatballs are the perfect size to fit in her mouth. The sauce, the Sauce, just tops everything off. Whatever method Yajima uses to get his dishes out so quickly doesn't lower the quality by any means. She doesn't talk for so long, just letting herself enjoy her meal, and she almost forgets that she has a strawberry milkshake to go along with it. When she does remember, she takes one sip and almost sighs in contentment. It should be illegal for food to be this good.

"Having fun?" Natsu asks, his steak now completely gone, leaving only a trace of sauce on his otherwise clean plate.

She nods eagerly as she rushes to swallow the meatball in her mouth. "This is amazing. I haven't had food this amazing in ages."

He laughs, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand before reaching out to steal one of her meatballs. It's gone before she can react, going straight into his mouth, and she gasps in surprise. "How dare you! What is it with you and stealing my food?"

"I like food," he says simply. "Besides, your reaction when I steal something of yours is hilarious."

She points her fork at him, as if doing so is a legitimate threat. "I will stab you with this."

His laughter only grows from there, and she's unable to keep her own down, bursting into a fit of giggles. It only stops when Natsu's phone goes off, and he snorts as he checks his messages. She raises an eyebrow, an unasked question, though she doesn't speak aloud in case it's a personal message.

"It's just my little cousin, Wendy," Natsu says as he replies. "I dunno if you've seen her in our videos or whatever, but she's mad we went to Yajima's without her. She's studying for exams right now."

Lucy does remember Wendy. It's hard not to when she's in most of his vlogs, since she lives with him, and she's sometimes even there for Fairy Family Fridays. She's adorable. Lucy can't imagine her being mad aside from the adorable little pout she sometimes does when Natsu makes fun at her expense, though even that is a rare occurrence. Everyone seems to love and protect Wendy around here.

"Tell her I said good luck. She's a high school student, right?" Lucy says, finishing the rest of her pasta, leaving only one meatball that she quickly claims with her fork before Natsu gets any ideas.

Natsu nods and types again before setting his phone back down on the table. "She is. She and Romeo - you've probably seen him, too, he's like our mini-intern? That's what I call him, anyway - are in most of the same classes, so they're studying together with Chelia, another friend of theirs. They're cat-sitting while we're here, too."

Lucy wants to ask about the cats when Cana interrupts all conversation by tapping her fork against her glass as she stands on her seat. If Yajima notices, he doesn't care. "Alright, alright, everyone finished? It's time for a toast!" She raises her glass even higher as everyone else grabs theirs. "To Lucy!"

"To Lucy!" everyone repeats, though Lucy stays silent. She finds it strange to make a toast to herself, but she raises her milkshake and takes a long sip anyway, just so she can join in the festivities.

They all leave not long after that, and it's only because of Yajima's coaxing. They're cutting it too close to closing time, apparently, but by the look on the older man's face, he doesn't mind that much. Lucy wonders if this is a common occurrence. With this group, she wouldn't be surprised.

Everyone starts piling into cars, and Lucy starts heading for Erza's when the woman in question lightly tugs on her arm, signalling for her to stay. Lucy blinks as she turns to Erza, though she's sure she hasn't done anything wrong. She quickly goes over the night's events in her head. Did she ask too much? Did she eat too quickly? Should she have spoken during the toast?

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble," Erza says with a light laugh, as though reading her mind. "I just wanted to talk to you about something."

Lucy lets her shoulders sag, just a little. "Alright, sure."

Erza presses her lips together for a moment before speaking again. "I know this offer came up very quickly and it may seem very relaxed, but something we do with all our new employees is a background check of sorts, just to make sure you are who you say you are, that you're safe, things like that. We haven't done anything official yet, just a Google search. I just wanted to know if it's alright to proceed with the background check."

Lucy's stomach drops, but not because she's done anything wrong. A background check means risking the exposure of her past, and she doesn't know if she'll be able to handle that, not when she feels so at home with all these people. She hasn't told anyone in this new life of hers. Even Plue wasn't with her in her previous life; he's a stray puppy she found while running away.

Still, she says, "Yeah, that's fine," in a quiet voice.

Erza pauses again. "If this is about the Heartfilia Konzern, I already know."

The nauseous feeling in Lucy's stomach triples. "Does everyone know?"

"No," Erza says, and Lucy sighs in relief. "Just me and Mira. We won't ask why you left and we won't tell anyone else if you don't want us to. Just know that we aren't here to know Lucky Lucy Heartfilia of the Heartfilia Konzern. We just want to know Lucy."

Lucy just stares because she doesn't think anyone has actually said that to her before. There are people back home who care about her, like Spetto and Bero, but she always wonders whether they were only pretending for the sake of their jobs. They addressed her as 'milady' and the like, and went above and beyond to make her happy, but they shouldn't have had to. All she wanted was a friend to talk to. She didn't (and still doesn't) what this class divide, she doesn't want anyone to feel as though they have to be nice to her, she just wants friends. And that's exactly what Erza is offering her here.

She doesn't realise she's crying until Erza starts panicking. "Lucy, are you alright? I didn't say anything wrong, did I?"

Lucy smiles and shakes her head as she wipes her eyes. "No, it's just - what you said means a lot to me, that's all."

Erza's panic subsides. "Okay, good. Just know that we're here for you to talk to if you need it."

"Thank you," Lucy says.

"C'mon, you guys, get in the car before I start driving this thing myself!" Cana shouts from the passenger seat.

Erza rolls her eyes, and Lucy laughs as she slides into the backseat, forcing Gray to move closer to Natsu so they're side-by-side. Their bickering only makes things more entertaining, and she hopes that things can stay this way for a long while yet.