Chapter Text
Lately, Lucy has been incredibly restless. Legs shaking when sitting down, fingers tapping when moments stand too still, jaw tense whenever people talked for too long. She tried to keep it under wraps, Lucy really did, but an itching feeling seemed to be following her around for what felt like weeks at this point. The worst part of it? Lucy can barely sleep. This normally would never be a problem, as she had always been capable of taking overtly long naps thanks to Team Natsu, but suddenly her nights have been plagued by odd dreams.
Lucy didn't know when exactly it started, must have been at least two weeks by now given how exhausted she's been on the daily; Team Natsu making sure to let her know of their concern. Wendy in particular has been giving her worried glances throughout the day, but Lucy did her best to reassure everyone that she was fine, just tired. She wasn't sure why she didn't confide in her guildmates, normally she would never second guess letting one of the other girls know how she was feeling. However, something inside Lucy’s gut begs her to keep things a secret for now.
So Lucy complies.
One thing Lucy does know for certain though, is that these dreams greet her every night without fail. They're vivid and captivating, but she also immediately forgets them the moment she wakes up. It frustrates her to no end, as if she's missing out on the ending of a book, but no matter what she does, she cannot remember. Despite this, a feeling gnaws at the back of her head, like her subconscious was screaming at her to remember. The feeling has been growing over the last few days, a weight on her shoulders that Lucy isn't sure how to shake.
And so Lucy lays in bed, flat on her back, blanket brought up to her chin, cozy as can be. With her eyes closed, lashes soft against her cheek, she begs to whatever sleep god exists to finally let slumber ease her mind to a decent night of rest.
'Please, please, please...' Lucy thinks to herself, truly trying to not let her mind overthink. 'I just want to sleep.'
With this mantra in mind, Lucy's consciousness finally slips into a deep slumber.
~~
Visions of stars grace her mind. A vast world opens up before her, and Lucy stares in awe. The celestial realm always steals her breath away; the vibrant and ethereal colors dancing across the night sky, comets scattering stardust in their wake, and stars glistening in all the moon's soft glow.
Lucy moves, her steps soft and delicate, and they make no noise on the surface she's standing upon. Surprised, Lucy looks at her feet, amazed to see herself floating just a hairlength above the celestial river that runs through the realm. The river moves smoothly, trails of gold and silver licking the soft current of the water. Small fish swim within the stream, though none she could recognize, and Lucy reckoned they were some sort of celestial being.
“I wish I could show everyone." She said softly, her words barely a whisper. Thoughts of her friends and guildmates blazes through her head. Even in her dreamstate, Lucy realizes she can't help but think of the guild she loves.
Lucy shakes her head, refocusing her thoughts to the world at hand, and begins to walk again. With each step, the vibrations set off small ripples across the water's surface, but her feet never get wet.
Her breath catches in her throat, an odd feeling draping over her like a veil. She looks around at the night sky, and despite all the twinkling lights and beautiful views, there’s not one constellation she can make out. This isn't how she remembers the realm from the last time she had been here, nor the night sky she knows like the back of her hand. Lucy glances down at the water, thankful for its reflective surface, but the image that stares back at her does not register in her mind.
Without a second thought–her body moving on its own, Lucy cups a handful of water in her hands and brings it chest high. The water darts out of her palms in an elaborate dance until a mirror forms in front of her in a small but spectacular burst. The mirror was just big enough to see her chest and up.
"Who is-?" Lucy begins, a question on the tip of her tongue, but the words never seem to come out.
Instead, she stares.
Lucy knew of many beautiful spirits, but the one she was staring at now was a new sight to behold. Platinum hair stares back at her, long and wavy, with the ends dipped in what she could only describe as starlight. Beautiful hues of rose gold run along the ends of her hair, with glistening clusters of stars twinkling up the strands. Braids sit delicately on both sides of her head, no doubt held together by a beautiful clip in the back. Soft curtain bangs frame her face, delicately bringing attention to her other features. Lucy's hand comes up to her face, watching precariously in the mirror as the reflection mimics her movements.
"There's no way... this doesn't make any sense." She speaks slowly, confusion lacing every word.
"This can't be me!" She exclaimed, but as she spoke, so did the figure in the mirror, and Lucy knew in her heart exactly who she was staring at.
Herself.
Lucy leans forward, closer to the mirror, peering at the face. It looks like her, features still the same even if the coloring is different. Still the same doe eyes, and the curl of her lips the same. Yet, the color of her eyes are different, no longer the warm brown she was used to, but rather a dark blue that reminded her of the cosmic sky. Lucy felt like she was staring into the universe; her eyes deep and enchanting. Her ears were also different. Her normal ears were replaced by pointed tips. Beautiful jewelry adorned her lobes, earrings stacked and glistening in the soft hues of the celestial realm.
She found it difficult to believe this was herself in the reflection. While Lucy would be the first to say she was beautiful, vanity being one of her few sins, she could not grasp that this ethereal being was her.
Lucy looked down at the rest of her body, focusing on the garment draped so delicately around her frame. A gorgeous ivory fabric graced her skin. Lucy lightly dragged her finger across the fabric, taking note of the delicate lacey details encompassed in the fabric.
She stood back further, hoping to see the rest of her figure in the mirror, but at the last minute, her foot slipped.
"Wha-!" she screeches out, as she suddenly finds herself slipping through the celestial realm, stars and planets zooming past her and she feels herself plummeting through the skies.
Lucy tries screaming out for one of her spirits as she falls, hoping and praying that maybe Leo or Virgo would save her, but to no avail.
No one came.
Dread fills her bones, a sinking feeling entering her stomach and ripping up through her insides.
She was going to die in a fiery crash, like an asteroid decimating the ground below.
Wind whipped past her as she fell, ringing in her ears and slicing against her skin. Her body was burning. Lucy could feel her consciousness slipping again, fear eating its way through her veins, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
If she was going to die in a vivid, horrific accident, she didn't want to see it coming.
But Lucy knew it was close, the land taunting her body down, and just before she should've crashed, everything went black.
~~
Lucy woke with a violent start, body shooting up out of the sheets, sweat drenching her skin. Her heart hammering against her chest, blood pounding in her ears.
She stares at her hands. Eyes wide. Breath shaky. “What the hell was that…?” Lucy mumbles under her breath, still shaken up. “I really thought I was going to die!” Lucy cried out, throwing her face in her hands.
Lucy didn’t cry, knowing it was just a dream, but it still shook her to her core. Feeling uneasy, Lucy gazes out the window. It was still early in Magnolia, and a fog had settled over the city. She could see the river in front of her apartment, but Lucy was unable to see the other side. She couldn’t even tell if the sun was close to rising, the fog and clouds betraying her inner clock. She tries to calm her breathing. One breath in, one breath out. She puts her hand over her heart, feeling for the slowing of her heartbeat, and lets out a deep sigh of relief.
“Well, I guess that’s just how today’s gonna go,” Lucy says as she swings her legs off the side of her bed, bare feet touching the cold floor. “Might as well head to the guild before everyone else gets there.”
She stalks to her closet, quickly slipping into something more comfortable, abstaining from her normal outfit for some reason she didn’t feel like thinking. With another sigh, she grabbed her key pouch, threw a small bag over her shoulder, slipped on her shoes, and walked briskly out her door.
The walk to the guild is quiet, not a soul on the streets. “It must be earlier than I thought.” Lucy said aloud, her breath coming out in a small cloud before her. It was chilly outside, but not freezing cold yet; the changing of seasons wisping through the air. Leaves crunched under her shoes, the tall tale sign that autumn was taking root in Magnolia.
Lucy stuck her hands in the pockets of her jacket, happy to feel the fuzzy material enveloping her hands in slight warmth. This would be easier with Natsu around, Lucy recalls to herself as she continues her walk. He was warm, constantly radiating heat. In moments like these, when she braced the world by herself, she missed the portable heater.
“I bet he’s still asleep.” She laughs to herself softly, a small smile on her face. It’s easy for her to imagine his messy pink locks and the probable trail of drool dripping down the side of his mouth.
A gust of wind hits Lucy, making her stop in her path; her smile begins to falter, an odd feeling of guilt washing over her. “I need to talk to them soon.” Her voice was soft, face downcast as she looked up at the sky. She didn’t mean to keep them in the dark, not entirely at least, but she knew she wasn’t ready to talk about her absurd nights from these past few weeks.
“I mean, how could I?” She questions herself. “Before today, I couldn’t even remember a damn thing!” She huffs, irritation building in her shoulders, and looks up at the sky.
The clouds are dark, the smell of rain heavy in the air. A droplet falls right on her face, dripping down her cheek as if she shed a tear.
“Are you crying for me, too?” She ponders up at the sky as more raindrops start to fall. Lucy jogs the rest of the way to the guild, figuring she can take leisurely walks when the weather clears up if she so pleases. It was a tad bit too cold for her to enjoy the freezing cold rain, she definitely didn’t grab warm enough clothes.
Lucy makes it to the guild quickly, gracefully opening the doors and thanking the heavens that Mira was already at the guild hall. Said woman looks up at her from behind the bar counter, shock written all over her face. Mira quickly fixes tune, and smiles brightly at her.
“Good morning, Lucy,” Mira says as the blonde walks over to the bar. “You want a warm drink to start off the day?”
Lucy nods her head, a small shiver making its way through her body. “Yes please, Mira, you’re an absolute life saver!” Her voice comes out cheerier than she expected, and Mira must’ve noticed Lucy’s puzzled reaction. If she did, she decided to keep it to herself, Lucy figured, given her silent but knowing look.
“So, darling, why is my favorite celestial mage awake so early?” Mira asks softly as she brews a hot pot of coffee just for her and Lucy. It was still early enough they didn’t need to bother sharing with a hoard of caffeine-addicted mages.
Mira grabs two mugs from one of the shelves on the back wall, both decorated with a large Fairy Tail insignia, and sets them on the counter. She pours a small amount of chocolate in each mug, and puts a dash of cinnamon in what Lucy assumes is her mug. Mira knows just the way Lucy liked her coffee. Lucy was grateful for Mira’s thoughtfulness.
“Who knows,” Lucy starts, contemplating waving off the questions as she watches Mira fill the mugs with coffee. After adding a splash of cream into both their mugs, Mira carefully pushes Lucy’s mug into her hands. The white-haired mage arches an eyebrow, intently looking at Lucy. “I just couldn’t sleep.” Lucy finishes her thought, suddenly feeling very aware of the wet jacket on her shoulders.
Lucy strips the jacket off, hanging it on the stool beside her, and rubs her arms in an attempt to warm them up a tad bit.
She reaches for her drink, the mug warm in her hands, and Lucy sits contently for a moment. The aroma of the coffee wafts up through the air. She blows on the liquid in the cup, the steam flying away from her, and Lucy carefully brings it to her lips. It’s hot on her tongue, but she welcomes it all the same. She savors the flavor: chocolatey caramel with hints of cinnamon and honey. Mira really did know how to make the best drinks in Magnolia, Lucy reckoned as she took another sip.
Mira takes her own sip before setting the mug down, and stares deeply into her eyes, as if she was trying to swim into Lucy’s soul.
“Lucy, we’re worried. All of us are.” Mira says softly, as if she didn’t want to scare her off.
Lucy sighs, a newfound habit it seems, and stares into her cup. She swirls it gently, watching the brown liquid twirl in the mug. There was a part of her that thought maybe, just maybe, she could transport herself out of there.
But of course, Lucy did not have those powers.
Instead, she looks up at Mira, a small smile adorning her face and forcing a gleam back into her eyes. “I’m okay, Mira, really. You guys don’t need to worry so much.”
The lie dripped off her tongue easily, and Lucy knew she made a convincing statement given the look in Mira’s eyes. If she fully believed her Lucy didn’t know, but she could tell Mira was going to give into her statement.
“If you really say so,” Mira says before taking another sip of her own coffee. She sets it down before placing her hands on the table, leaning forward towards Lucy. “But you know, if you ever need an ear, I am always here to listen.” She backs away after finishing her thoughts, not giving Lucy a chance to answer. Mira heads to the pantry out of Lucy’s sight, and she can only assume she’s about to start prepping breakfast for the day. After all, hungry mages would start barreling through the doors within an hour or so.
Lucy finishes her cup in one final swig, and places the mug closer to the sink for Mira to handle later. She slips off the barstool, and treads her way over to the request board. Missions scattered the board. New and old quests intermingled with varying rewards, but nothing was jumping out to Lucy yet.
She was tired of doing monster hunting missions, but that seems to be all that Team Natsu has been interested in lately. Those missions, while normally pretty quick, have been leaving her extra drained. The copious amounts of energy needed to fight accompanied by the fact she hasn’t been sleeping well, meant that Lucy was reaching her breaking point. This, of course, was something she kept to herself. Lucy didn’t want to worry everyone more than she already was.
Eyes peering over the board once more, thinking that maybe she missed something, Lucy notices a tattered paper hidden behind one of the monster hunting requests. She lifts up the parchment to look at the quest.
An archeological dig site on the westside of Fiore nearing the waters edge. Needing more sets of eyes and brain power to unearth ancient relics and artifacts. Cannot destroy the site! Possibly need runes deactivated. Will not be able to work unless weather permits. At least two people are required.
Reward: 150,000 jewels.
Lucy stares in awe at the request, as if it was a message sent from the heavens.
“That much for just excavating a site?” Lucy questions under her breath, a little suspicious of the high reward for the considerably low-threat job. “Hey, Mira?” Lucy calls out, making sure her voice was loud enough for the white-haired mage to hear.
“What’s up Lucy?” Mira peaks a head out from the back section of the bar, hair slightly disheveled.
“Do you know how long this job has been posted?” Lucy gently tears the request from the board and brings it to Mira. The barmaiden squints her eyes as she reads it over, another confused look on her face.
“Um…” Mira ponders, lips pursed as she thinks. Her eyes scan over the request again. “I really don’t remember this one Lucy. Are you interested in it?” Lucy nods her head.
“Well, I think you should be pretty well-equipped to handle this but you do need one more person. I just don’t think you should bring Natsu!” Mira laughs as she hands Lucy the request back.
“Oh god, no!” Lucy laughs back, a smile on her lips. “Natsu would somehow destroy the entire site plus the relics, and we’d never see a single jewel from it!”
“And,” Lucy continues, “I actually know just who I want to bring.”
And Lucy did know. Her beloved best friend with unruly blue hair. Lucy wanted to bring none other than Levy McGarden.
The doors to the guild swung open, a small body dipping in quickly to get out of the rain. “Jeez it’s brutal out there today!” The voice chirps out. Lucy looks over.
“Speak of the devil,” Lucy says to Mira, and Mira nods approvingly. The white-haired mage knew they would make a perfect team for the job. After all, they were two bookworms with a love of history.
“Morning Lu-chan! Morning Mira!” Levy exclaims, a bright smile on her face. She walks over smoothly while trying to bring life back into her hair, after all the rain had flattened her messy waves, and they lay rather unkept on her head. To neither Lucy’s or Mira’s surprise, Levy pushes her hair back with her very iconic headband, obviously giving up on the matter.
“Mornin’ Levy,” Lucy says as the blue-haired mage cozies up to her side. She gives the shorter girl a side hug, as they always do, and points to the paper on the bar counter. “I know it’s still early, but would you be up for a job?” Lucy asks sweetly, eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks and a pout on her lips. Lucy knew this was a sure-fire combo, no one could resist her doe eyes.
“Depends on what it is!” Levy sings, voice soft and sweet in Lucy’s ear. Her friend gives the blonde a teasing look, playfulness dripping off her demeanor this morning. Lucy nudges the request closer to Levy so she can read it, hoping Levy would take the hint. The girl smiles softly, giving into Lucy’s quiet demand.
Levy skims over the paper quickly, a slight nod to her head as she obviously weighs the quest in her mind. “This sounds perfect!” Levy exclaims, her voice echoing in the still empty guild hall. “Plus! It’s been ages since the last time we got to hangout!” Levy then gives Lucy a look, and wiggles her eyebrows up and down. “All alone too~”
Lucy laughs, a genuine laugh, and Mira and Levy join her. She knows the short blue-haired girl is pulling her leg, likely noticing the weird slump she’s been in lately. “Stop messing with me, Levy! It’s too early for this.” Lucy laughs as she wipes a small tear from her eye.
“Yes, yes,” Levy says, a knowing look behind her eyes. “I just wanted to hear you laugh. I’ve been missing out on my required dose of Lucy laughter lately.”
Mira nods in agreement.
“I know…” Lucy trails off awkwardly, hand darting out to scratch the side of her neck. Has she really been so obvious lately? “But don’t worry! I promise you’ll get your daily dose of me on this quest, plus some!” Lucy attempted to tease back. This time, the smile didn't quite reach Lucy’s eyes, but neither girl wanted to comment on it.
“Well, you girls should probably get packing,” Mira chirps from behind the bar, eyes focused on whisking some sort of batter. “Given the weather, it’d be best for you two to head out as soon as possible, before it gets wor-”
A crack of thunder shakes the guildhall before Mira can finish her statement. The deafening sound of a downpour reverberates off the guild's roof, rain pattering loudly against the tiles.
“So much for that.” Lucy says, tapping her fingers against the bar counter. “How long is the bad weather gonna last for?”
“At least a week.” Levy chimes in beside her, feet kicking back and forth on the bar stool.
“Damn, seriously?” Lucy groans, a hand running through her hair absentmindedly. She ponders in silence for a moment, knowing that this means they’ll have to hold out on the job request until the weather gets better. For some reason, this irritates Lucy to no end, the tapping of her fingers quickening in accordance to her mood.
Levy and Mira exchange glances, both eyeing the obviously annoyed and exhausted blonde mage. “Lucy?” Levy starts, and the blonde gives her a tight look. “Maybe you should take a break before going on a quest just yet anyways?”
“Not you too,” Lucy quips back softly, obviously annoyed. Lucy eyebrows furrow, a headache beginning to form. She sighs dejectedly. She didn’t want to argue with one of her best friends. Lucy shakes her head, trying to calm down.
“Nevermind. I’m going home.” The two other girls watch in shock as Lucy grabs her jacket, a sullen expression on her face, and saunters out of the guild before even putting it on.
The two girls exchange bewildered expressions, neither one knowing what to do.
And just like that, Lucy Heartfilia leaves the guildhall, wandering into the storm outside.