Chapter 18
"You sure you're okay, Lucy?" Lisanna peeked over the bar to try and get a better look at the blonde, who was nibbling her fries between Natsu and Gray. Standing next to Mirajane, the younger sister tried her best to see if she could tell any emotional injuries written in her eyes. "You sure you don't need anything? You don't have any bruises on you, do you?"
"I'm good, thank you," Lucy said softly with a smile on her face. Looking to Lisanna and Mirajane with a smile, Lucy held a fry dipped with ketchup with glee. "Your guys' cooking really hits the spot. Like it erases anything I was worrying about before!"
Mirajane smiled and ran her fingers through Lisanna's short hair. "You see? She's doing just fine."
"I'm sorry about the job though," Lucy confessed, making Natsu turn his eyes with his hands and mouth filled with the burger he was eating. "I should have used the taser you got me, Natsu. And, I should have been quicker to find the drugs."
"Doesn't matter," Gray said on Lucy's other side, chewing on his straw with a bored look as he stared off into the distance. "We should've guessed they were further back in the train anyway. You did good enough just by checking it out anyway."
"And the fact that everything was in Russian was a flaw, too," Makarov's voice came from behind, making Lucy perk up and turn in her stool to see Jellal, Erza and the gang's boss approaching. Erza and Jellal held hands as they stood behind Makarov, who crossed his arms and smiled up to Lucy. "Juvia is quite well known to the Russian language, since her mother is of Russian descent. It would have been her advantage to be able to read anything or overhear the guards talking."
Blinking, Lucy suddenly gasped and reached down for her backpack. Everyone around her blinked in confusion as the young blonde picked up her pink backpack and opened it hastily, digging inside. "I just remembered... In the first car, Jellal and I were surrounded by these files and junk. I saw these specific ones on a table," Lucy blabbered, pulling out three files with red ink splattered on it. Holding it out with both hands to Makarov, Lucy went on. "I figured, you know, they could be useful for something, I guess. I don't know, but I felt like I needed to take them...for something."
Makarov blinked and took the files, opening the one on top to see plenty of words written in cursive Russian, blinding the old man with the scribbles and messy penmanship. Jellal tilt his head and Erza reacted the same as Makarov, jaw dropping at the sight of the messy lettering.
"Levy!" Makarov shouted out and a loud clang of a wrench dropping to the pavement echoed as Levy, now dressed in her sports bra and dirty mechanic pants, ran over. Rubbing the oil off her cheeks with the back of her hand, her sunshine smile lit up the whole bar.
"What's shaking?" Levy smiled, ignoring how Jet and Droy hurried to her side. Makarov held a file paper for her to take, and she gingerly plucked it with her fingertips, looking at it with round eyes and a curious pout.
"Levy, you grew up with Russian in your household, right?" Makarov asked seriously, watching as the young mechanic mumbled under her breath.
"Spoke it, wrote it and read it, sir," Levy sang, but a firm line on her lips brought another note. "However, I can't read cursive handwriting all that well. My parents wrote in print, so it was easier to read for them and me, but I can definitely tell you that these are delivery and stocking papers, and they have specific names and areas on them."
"I see..." Makarov hummed, nodding slowly.
"But, I'm sure I can get the major names off from some of my books," Levy offered, handing the sheet back to the boss. "I do know someone back at the station who took college courses in Russia, maybe they can help you out there?"
"Good thinking, Levy," Makarov smiled. "Thank you for your time. You can return to your project now." The blue-haired mechanic bounced and bolt past her boys, who jerked and followed after her just as quickly, leaving everyone else to look back to the short, old man. "Jellal, do me a favor and call back to the station. Tell 'em we got something they wanna take a look at, and tell them I'm gonna be there in an hour, so have some drinks ready. None of that sweet crap, something spicy."
Jellal nodded and looked to his wife, who smiled and leaned up to her toes to press a brief kiss to his lips before leaving. Erza crossed her arms and smiled to Lucy, who blushed a little when realizing that all of the attention was now back to her; Gray was still chewing on his straw with raised brows, Lisanna and Mirajane looked to her in wonderment and Natsu had that funny grin with his teeth still embedded into the burger.
"Lucy," Makarov caught her attention as she snapped her red face back to the old man, who was grinning ear-to-ear. "I know I said it before, but welcome to Fairy Tail. You're officially one of the gang now, dear. It won't be long until you've received your streetname."
"Streetname?" Lucy gawked with flushed cheeks, her words stuttering.
Swallowing the last of his burger, Natsu nodded next to her. "Yeah, you know how I'm called Salamander?" he grinned and pointed to Mirajane, who giggled shyly. "Mira used to be called the She-Devil, when she raced back in the day." Turning to Erza, Natsu had Lucy follow his gaze to the redhead, who rolled her eyes and shifted her weight to one leg.
"I'm called Titania during races, from tampering with my car's appearance all the time, I suppose," Erza shrugged, trying not to get it all to her head. Mirajane snickered behind Lucy and pointed out how Erza was starting to blush, making the older woman glare back in response. "Anyway, it's usually S-Class drivers who gets names, but you're technically in our ranks, since you're with Natsu."
"What's yours, Gray?" Lucy asked and looked to the dark haired man who, for some reason that Lucy didn't notice, was not stripped of his coat and shirt.
"I go by a lot of names on the streets, but it's originally Ice Mage," Gray finally spoke, sighing tiredly as he asked Lisanna for a refill, and the short haired woman nodded and took his glass. "But everyone calls me Stripper."
"Can't blame them," Lucy smiled, making Gray flinch and everyone else, especially Natsu, laugh hard. Lucy gave Gray a teasing smile and waved her hand. "Don't take it personally, Gray. It's kinda funny when you think about it!"
"I do think about it, and it's not funny!" Gray snapped, leaning back to see Natsu pointing at him and still going at it. "What'cha lookin' at, shitbrain? Ya lookin' for a fight? You still have it from earlier, Natsu!"
"Bring it, popsicle! Give Juvia-chan somethin' to look at next time she sees her boyfriend!" Natsu snickered as he got up from his seat, making Gray jump off his own and Lucy glancing between the two with confusion.
"I ain't her boyfriend!" Gray shouted and tackled Natsu to the tiled ground. Lucy jumped when Natsu hit the ground with his friend, rolling them over to the middle of the garage, both of them kicking and punching each other.
Lucy looked up to the older woman with red hair with a worried gesture to the young men fighting. Erza simply shrugged in response. "Those two will tire themselves out in a minute. Fighting right after eating usually causes stomach aches."
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