Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
June 3, x784..
After Lucy's welcome party, which ended with a guild wide brawl and most of the members passed out due to the fight or alcohol, Lucy, led by Alfonzo and Elicia, went to a real estate office to find an apartment for Lucy.
Although Elicia offered Lucy a room in their mansion, Lucy politely declined. Stating that she wanted to be independent. In the end, Lucy found an apartment that was affordable and to her liking on Strawberry Street for 70,000 Jewels a month.
Before signing the contract, however, the trio and the realtor went to check it out. When they arrived at the address provided, they saw a two-story building with red walls and a dark-brown sloped roof with two chimneys and two dormer windows that overlooked one of the town's canals.
"Wow, it's a really nice looking building." Lucy said as the group stood outside the apartment building.
"Yeah, and the place doesn't look like it gets much foot traffic." Elicia added. "So, it should be pretty quiet around here."
"Indeed." The realtor, a middle-aged man with slicked back dark purple hair, affirmed with a nod. Then, he pointed his finger to the left and continued. "And if you head that way, The shopping district is only three blocks down."
"That's pretty convenient." Lucy said with her eyes shining.
"Yeah, but you'd better be careful while walking." Alfonzo chimed in. "You don't want to fall into the water."
"I'll be fine." Lucy replied with a smile. "I'm not a kid."
In response, Alfonzo only smiled at Lucy, causing her to blush lightly.
'Smiling up close like that is unfair.' Lucy thought to herself as she slightly averted her eyes. 'He's so handsome. And after having the thought that he's perfect husband material, I feel like I'm gonna get sucked in. No… Be strong, Lucy. He's a playboy. I'm not into guys like that.'
Although Alfonzo and Elicia could guess what was running through Lucy's head at the moment, neither of them minded. Instead, they were both giggling internally. In the anime, Lucy was often told to be careful when she walked along the canal. And Alfonzo was just having fun with his statement.
"Anyway, can we take a look at the room?" Lucy asked, trying to change the subject.
"Of course." The realtor replied.
Then, the realtor led the trio to a door on the second floor. Pulling a key from his pocket, he opened the door and gestured for Alfonzo, Elicia, and Lucy to enter before following them inside as well.
"As you can see, the four apartments in this building are all studio apartments. They also have a fireplace, kitchen, and their own bathroom."
Looking around as the realtor introduced the apartment, the trio saw that the walls were pure white. There was also enough room for a decently sized bed, a couch, a table, desk, and dresser. Pretty much anything anyone would need in their room. There were also two entrances on the wall opposite the door that led to the kitchen, which was fully equipped with the latest magical appliances, and the bathroom.
"Not bad for a single woman living alone." Alfonzo mentioned as he looked around the apartment.
"Yeah, it's almost as nice as Fairy Hills." Elicia added.
"You lived in Fairy Hills?" Lucy asked. "That super-luxurious dorm I've read about in sorcerer weekly?"
"Yeah, that's where I lived when I was first brought here from the orphanage." Elicia replied with a smile.
"Huh?" Lucy exclaimed in surprise. "You grew up in an orphanage? But I thought you said your parents were part of the guild."
"They were." Alfonzo replied. "Well, my mom and Lici's dad were. But they got injured on a quest and had to retire. Then, when we were five, the village we lived in was attacked by a group of Zeref cultists and they died protecting us."
Lucy's expression visibly saddened after hearing the story.
"Don't put on a face like that, Lucy." Elicia said, hugging the buxom, younger girl. "That was a long time ago. And although we both miss our parents; we've been able to move on."
"I'm sorry." Lucy said, wiping the tears that started forming in her eyes. "You two are really strong."
"Time heals all wounds." Alfonzo said with a smile. A moment later, however, his expression turned malevolent. "But if I ever find the ones that did it, death would be a mercy to them."
Hearing Alfonzo's dark tone and devilish grin, Lucy looked up in surprise. Then, she started to blush once again.
'What he said was scary, but he looks so hot right now.' Lucy thought to herself. 'No! Bad Lucy! He's got five girlfriends/fiancées! He's a playboy!'
While Lucy was struggling internally, she did not notice that Elicia, the usually cheerful girl who was still hugging her was wearing a similar expression. However, before she could, both Alfonzo's and Elicia's expressions turned back to normal.
"Anyway, what do you think, Lucy?" Alfonzo asked.
"You're really good-looking." Lucy replied absent-mindedly.
Lucy was immediately brought back to her senses when she heard Elicia giggling. Her blush deepening due to embarrassment.
"I think he was asking about the apartment." Elicia said as she playfully poked Lucy's red cheeks.
"No, I meant…" Lucy started to stammer in embarrassment. "It's really good-looking. No, I mean, it's really good. The apartment is good. I'll take it!"
"Wonderful!" The realtor exclaimed, pretending he did not see the trio's exchange. "Then, let's go back to my office and we can sign that contract."
While the realtor was smiling professionally on the outside, his inner thoughts were totally different.
'That handsome guy should just go and explode.' The realtor thought as he led the trio out of the apartment. 'He's not even twenty yet from what I can see. Yet, one of the girls was wearing an engagement ring and he was flirting with the other one. Yet, I'm almost fifty and still single. The world is so unfair.'
After another hour, Alfonzo, Elicia, and Lucy were standing in front of the realtor's office. In Lucy's hand was the key to her new apartment.
"Well, the only thing left to do is get you some furniture." Alfonzo said with a smile. Then, he looked up to the sky and continued. "But it's kinda late now. The shops will be closing soon."
"Yeah, the party took longer than expected." Elicia added. "Why don't you spend the night at our place for tonight. Then, we'll take you to get your furniture in the morning. We can use the Escalade to pull a cart. So, moving it all to your apartment shouldn't be a problem."
"No, you already showed me to the realtor, I don't wanna impose more than I already have." Lucy replied.
'Besides, I need to protect my heart from that playboy.' Lucy added internally.
"But, you don't even have a bed." Elicia said. "Plus, me, you, Cana, and Sun can have a slumber party and talk about what you can expect as a member of Fairy Tail."
That suggestion interested Lucy immensely. But she was still unsure.
"Plus, Fonzie will cook breakfast." Elicia said, sweetening the deal. "And since we have a point system in place at the guild, if you're anything like most of the Fairy Tail wizards, you won't have many opportunities to eat it in the future."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Lucy asked curiously.
Instead of answering directly, Elicia grabbed Lucy by the hand and started pulling her in the direction of the guild hall.
"I'll tell you later tonight." Elicia said with a smile. "Let's go pick up the Escalade from the guild hall. Your bags are still inside it, remember."
Watching Elicia, who was clearly acting as his wing man, Alfonzo could only smile as she followed behind the girls.
'*Sigh* Lici knows me so well.' Alfonzo thought.
Eventually, the trio arrived at the guild hall. Then, they picked up Cana, who was till drinking, and Sun, who had passed out from joining the brawl and drinking too much. Then, they all returned to the mansion. By the time they arrived, Sun had woken up.
After getting inside, Elicia led Lucy to one of the guest rooms. Then, everyone took a shower and got cleaned up before all the girls gathered in Lucy's room to have their slumber party and talk about guild life.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo headed to the kitchen to prepare some snacks and drinks for the girls. When he was done, he carried the snacks and drinks on a platter up to the second floor.
"*Knock!* *Knock!*
"Hey, girls, I've brought some snacks." Alfonzo said after knocking on the guest room's door.
A moment later, Sun answered the door.
"Oh, hey, Alfonzo." Sun said with a smile. "Why don't you come inside, too. You can tell Lucy some stories about the quests you've taken."
'He even brought us snacks without being asked to.' Lucy thought to herself as Sun opened the door. However, when Sun asked Alfonzo to come in and talk with them, her thoughts were interrupted. 'He's so considerate. Maybe he's not such a play--- Wait, what? Did she just ask him to come in? I don't think I'm ready for this. I've never been in the same bedroom as a boy before.'
"Huh?" Lucy exclaimed in a fluster from her spot on the bed.
Seeing that, Elicia and Cana smirked playfully.
"Nah, I'm not gonna get in the way of your girl talk." Alfonzo replied with a smile as he handed the platter to Sun. "I'll go to the basement and do some training. Since I skipped it today."
"But you just took a shower." Elicia said. "You'll have to take another one as soon as you're done."
"I know, but I don't mind." Alfonzo replied with a smile.
"Wait, you have a room for training in this house?" Lucy asked curiously.
"Oh, now that you mention it." Cana said while tapping her chin with her right index finger before taking a swig from a metal flask filled with liquor held in her left hand. "We didn't give you a tour of the mansion, did we."
"No." Lucy replied. Then, she replied in an excited tone. "But I'd love to go on one."
Although this mansion was not nearly as big as the one she grew up in, it felt much more like a home.
"You should lead the tour, Fonzie." Elicia said, standing up from the bed. "You can make up for skipping today's training by training extra hard tomorrow."
Then, Elicia walked toward Alfonzo with a smile. When she was right in front of him, she hugged him around the neck and pulled him down to her height.
"Besides, if you're gonna get all sweaty at night, it better involve me." Elicia whispered before licking Alfonzo's earlobe.
Seeing that, Cana smirked, almost certain she knew what Elicia just whispered into Alfonzo's ear. Meanwhile, Sun was too innocent to understand. However, she did feel a warm feeling in her lower abdomen which she could not identify. Lucy, on the other hand, was blushing up to her ears. Although she did not hear what Elicia said, nor did she know her well enough to guess, she could read her body language.
'Have they done it?' Lucy asked while fidgeting. 'Yeah, they definitely have. I wonder what he looks like nak--- No, no, no! Bad Lucy!'
After that, Elicia, Cana, and Sun eventually convinced Alfonzo not to train tonight. And just as Elicia suggested, he led the tour of the mansion. The group eventually ended up in the game room and played around for a few hours before Alfonzo went to the master bedroom and the girls returned to Lucy's room for the night.
On side note, Elicia did not manage to get Alfonzo all sweaty that night.
June 4, x784.
"Ow…" Lucy mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes.
The next morning, Lucy was the first of the four girls to wake up. Not because she was a particularly early riser. Nor was it because she was uncomfortable sleeping in an unfamiliar bed. Instead, it was because Cana rolled over and unintentionally slapped Lucy in the face.
Looking around, Lucy finally registered where she was after seeing the other three girls sharing the bed with her.
"That's right, I spent the night at Elicia's house last night." Lucy said quietly as she slowly sat up. "Last night sure was fun. I've never had, or been, to a slumber party before."
*Growl!*
"We might have had too much fun last night, though." Lucy said as she put a hand on her growling tummy. "Now, I'm really hungry."
Lucy then slowly climbed out of bed, trying her best not to wake the other girls.
"They showed me where the kitchen is and told me to make myself at home." Lucy said. "Maybe I can find a little something to eat in there."
Just like that, Lucy left the guest room. Then, she made her way down the stairs. Halfway down, she was surprised to smell the scent of food. Letting her hunger guide her footsteps, Lucy picked up the pace. A few moments later, she was standing in the entrance to the kitchen and salivating.
The reason? She was staring at Alfonzo's lean, muscular body as he cooked in nothing but a pair of baggy shorts.
"Hmm… Oh, didn't think anyone would be awake so early." Alfonzo said as he turned away from the stove. "Good morning Lucy, did you sleep well?"
In stead of responding, Lucy, who was not ready for that much stimulation first thing in the morning, fainted with a bit of blood trickling out of her nose. Luckily, Alfonzo reacted quickly, using his magic power to increase his speed and catching her before she fell to the floor.
"Damn, that's an ego boost." Alfonzo said with a smile as he sat Lucy down at the kitchen table.
About twenty minutes later, Lucy started to slowly open her eyes once again.
"Huh? Where am I?" Lucy muttered groggily.
"Good, you're awake." Alfonzo, now wearing a shirt, said as he placed a plate on the table.
Looking around absent-mindedly, Lucy noticed there were five places set at the table. Each place had a plate with a ribeye steak, a cheese omelet, and home fries. There was also a glass of juice next to each plate as well as a pitcher of juice and a pot of coffee in the middle of the table.
"Lucy, could you go upstairs and wake up the rest of the girls.?" Alfonzo asked. "I'll clean up the kitchen in the meantime. "If they won't get up, just tell them that I finished cooking breakfast, they'll get right up then."
Lucy nodded absent mindedly. Then, she stood up from the table and headed upstairs.
'He's trying to trap me, isn't he?' Lucy thought to herself while she climbed the stairs. 'Showing me how good a husband he would be with his…*Gulp* sexy body… and cooking talents. But I won't fall for your schemes, Alfonzo Marcus…. You'll see….'
When she got to the part about Alfonzo's body, she subconsciously remembered the sight. Then, her conviction seemed to waver. Still, she continued up to the guest room and woke up the girls. Then, they all had breakfast together. After that, Elicia and Lucy went out in the Escalade to shop for Lucy's furniture while Alfonzo, Cana, and Sun headed to the guild for their morning training.