Work Text:
Lucy hummed under her breath as she worked, pen moving smoothly across the page for once as she seized a rare moment of quiet to try and finish her latest chapter. It felt like weeks since she’d had a chance to just sit and write, for once in a position with her rent where she had been able to decline when Natsu and the others had invited her on a job. Not that writing was her only reason for remaining behind, as she’d also had a lacrima call a couple of days before to say that Freed was finally on his way back from the job that had kept him and the rest of the Raijinshuu away from the guild for nearly a month now.
Which was why for every dozen or so words she wrote, her head would come out, eyes focusing hopefully on the Guild doors, although she knew that it could be a couple of days yet, especially as he had admitted they were travelling slower than usual as he had been injured. Words that had worried her, and still concerned her, although he had been swift to reassure her that it was nothing too serious and that it was healing well. Not that she believed him entirely, as he had a bad habit of downplaying anything that involved himself, and she wouldn’t be entirely at ease until she could see with her own eyes that he was fine. There had also been an edge to his voice, not something that many people would have noticed, but to her was as clear as a shout that there was something wrong, which could just have been pain and exhaustion, but was more likely to mean something more serious if she knew Freed.
Maybe that was why her story had taken on a somewhat darker turn, she realised as she scanned over the page, groaning as she realised that what she had hoped had been progress would now need to be rewritten. She sighed, setting aside her pen, and massaging at her temples. Perhaps it would have been better to go on the job with the others, after all, it had been close by, so she would probably have been back before Freed returned anyway.
“Here.” The soft voice and the clink of a mug being set on the table in front of her made Lucy jump, and she looked up to find Mira smiling down at her before her friend nodded at the steaming mug of tea that she had just set down.
“Thank you,” Lucy whispered, reaching out and taking the mug, blowing on it before taking a sip and sighing appreciatively at the taste of chamomile.
“You look like you needed,” Mira replied with a smile, sitting on the edge of the table, and sparing a brief glance at the open pages. “Writing not going well?” The Take-over mage wouldn’t pester her about her story like Natsu and the others would, and she wasn’t as excited about it as Levy was, but there were genuine curiosity and sympathy in the blue eyes.
“It was…”
“Freed?” Lucy jerked at the question, yelping as she splashed tea on her hand, and for a moment she was distracted wiping her hand on her jacket and shaking it out, before looking up at Mira once more, blushing at the knowing expression that met her gaze.
“I miss him,” she admitted, knowing that there was little point in trying to hide that, but there was a smile on her lips as she glanced down at her book for a moment, fingers curling against the cover. “I guess I hadn’t realised how much…” There had been a time when she could write through anything, using the words to draw herself into a world where she wasn’t bound by the problems of her real life, remembering lying under her bed at home and scribbling stories on scraps of paper on the days that she had argued with her father. Apparently, that was something else that Fairy Tail had changed, or maybe it was just Freed she thought with a smile. “I was just trying to pass the time until he’s back,” she added.
“That’s good because you don’t have long to wait.” Mira had been distracted by something on the other side of the Guild, and the Celestial mage blinked, the words taking a moment to penetrate and then she was turning to follow Mira’s gaze, a smile quirking her lips before it slowly turned into a frown as her gaze landed on Freed.
The Raijinshuu had apparently only just got back, as Evergreen and Bickslow still had bags in their hands and over their shoulders, and Lucy quickly noticed that the latter was also carrying Freed’s bag as well, and at once her gaze shot back to Freed. The Rune Mage looked as composed as ever, although there was a new nick in the left shoulder of his jacket that needed repairing, however, what caught her attention was the sling immobilising his right arm and the way he favoured that side as he waved off his teammates and headed directly in her direction.
“Lucy…” Freed had an unreadable expression on his face as he reached her table, nodding to Mira who murmured a quiet greeting before tactfully retreating, although not without a lingering glance at his obvious injuries. He sounded as calm as always, but Lucy wasn’t just anyone, and she had learned to read the lines that previously only the Raijinshuu and Laxus had been able to pick up on. It was why she saw the exhaustion and the tension of a man teetering on the edge, and she was up and moving before the others had even had a chance to start greeting the Rune Mage, her writing and Mira already forgotten. She was worried about the injuries, but she knew that Bickslow and Evergreen would never have let him walk across alone if they had been too serious, so she decided that they could wait until she had dealt with the rest.
“Come on,” she murmured, reaching out to grab his uninjured hand, not giving him a chance to pull back. However, the fact that he made no effort to escape told her everything that she needed to know, and her fingers tightened as she moved past him, tugging at him and forcing him to follow. There had been a time when he would have tried to argue, unaware of the steel below the surface, but now he fell into step behind her, letting Lucy pull him along without argument although he did ask quietly.
“Where are we going?”
Lucy didn’t bother replying, knowing that it hadn’t really been a question, and realising with a quick glance that words were needed right now. She waved the others off when they tried to say something, no doubt about to suggest Freed go to the infirmary, knowing those suggestions wouldn’t go across well at the moment, but she did manage a reassuring smile for the rest of the Raijinshuu. Promising them without words that she would take care of him, and it was a sign of how far they’d come that they nodded and let her lead Freed out of the guild.
*
Neither of them spoke as they walked through the town, following a familiar route, but Lucy knew that he had worked out where they were going when his fingers tightened briefly around hers, squeezing lightly. Relieved Lucy squeezed back, slowly slightly so that they were walking side by side, rather than her dragging Freed alone, their joined hands at ease between them, and she smiled at him, not expecting one back just yet, but seeing the softness around his eyes that told her he understood. Now she took the time to study him properly out of the corner of her eye, noting the bruise around his temple that she had missed before, and the bandages peeking out from the sleeve of the sling-bound arm, and she struggled to hold back a frown. Clearly, they were going to need a discussion about what ‘fine’ meant, but at least she knew enough by now to realise that none of them was threatening, although he would be aching like hell for a while.
That was something for later though as she had finally spied the sign that she was looking for, a pair of quills crossed over an open book, and she sped up, once more pulling Freed behind her. He didn’t complain, matching her pace as she led him to the door and then inside, the gentle tinkle of a bell above their head announcing their entrance, but neither of them heard it as Freed came to a halt and Lucy turned back to watch him.
This was the moment that she had been waiting for, and a tender smile warmed her expression as she watched Freed take a deep breath, drinking in the atmosphere in the shop. It took a moment, longer than usual which told her just how strained he had been, but she could see the tension beginning to melt away. It was the same whenever they went to a bookstore or a library. It never seemed to matter whether he had come back from a lousy job, if his teammates were driving him up the wall, or if he was stressed out over a translation that he was working on. It would all disappear the moment they stepped inside, as though the pages of the books around them had just soaked up all his stress.
No, that wasn’t strictly true she amended as Freed turned towards her, squeezing her hand again and tugging her close, and she went willingly into his embrace although she was mindful of his arm. There had been a time when she had thought that it was just the books that helped and the atmosphere and that her company wasn’t such an essential part of it. However, Freed had quickly dispelled that notion the first time she had mentioned it, back when they had been dancing around one another, bonding over books and writing, pointing out that as much as he enjoyed these places and the books, it wouldn’t mean as much without her there to talk with. That memory still brought a smile to her lips, and she leant up to kiss the underside of his chin, already able to feel the last of the tension easing out of him.
She wasn’t naïve enough to think that it was gone entirely just yet, but they had time, and here in the sanctuary of the bookshop, they could huddle up in a corner and babble about books without interruption or complaints that they were being boring again. And Lucy had to admit, just as she had that day that one of her favourite things was sitting pressed against his side as they talked about whatever book they were reading, or as she told him about her writing. However, she knew without a doubt that it was the relaxed, almost carefree expression – the one that made him look his age for once rather than the intimidating Captain of the Raijinshuu that she’d barely dared approach once upon a time. The same expression that was slowly creeping onto his face now as he glanced down at her, before sighing as he dipped his head enough to press a kiss to the top of her head, as he murmured. “Thank you…”
“I forgot to say it earlier,” she replied, pulling back to look up at him with the broadest smile she’d worn since he’d come home, before leaning up to meet him for another kiss. “Welcome home.”