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the first time cana is introduced to lucy, she's sporting a raging hangover and drinking far too many espresso shots to cure it.
mira – the sweetest, really – propped up cana's sunglasses and shields her eyes with her hand. "this," she announced proudly, "is my best friend, cana."
cana weakly waved, eyes still scrunched up. she could vaguely make out blonde hair, ribbons, and an air of nervousness. cana’d always been good at noticing that sort of stuff.
"cana alberona," she introduced herself, pushing away mira's hand. "i'm in economics, and i like drinking. you?"
mira sat lucy down and tittered from beside her. "cana can drink anyone under the table. and i mean that. i think the only one she can't beat is her dad."
cana rounded on her. "hey! no mention of him. it’s only because of him that i'll die early of a damaged liver."
and that's when lucy laughed. it's also when cana remembered that she falls for cute girls too easily. really – the bar is very low.
lucy dug around in her backpack and brought out a little juice box. "it's nothing alcoholic, but i figure you should hydrate yourself, what with that hangover you have,” she said.
oh, the bar is so, so, low.
"i told you not to overdo it and then what do you do? overdo it!" cana isn't furious, she's just playing the part, but lucy's sad eyes and pout makes her want to baby her, and cana just doesn't think she has it in her to get out of it feelings unscathed if she tried to baby lucy. "okay, dumbass, what's your room number?"
lucy mumbles something too quiet to hear, and cana gently jostles her. "you're so mean!" lucy wails. "i said, i don't remember! i'm too drunk to remember."
cana looks heavenward. curse her heart for being weak to pretty girls.
"okay. okay." cana breathes deeply. "mira is with her girlfriend, so i'm not calling her. natsu’s still at the party, so he's pretty much wasted." cana looks at lucy. "would you be comfortable sleeping over at mine?"
and maybe it's a trick of the light, but cana swears she sees a little smile playing on lucy's lips. it's gone as quick as a flash however, and cana's left questioning herself.
lucy seems to lose any sort of inebriation however, when she looks into cana's eyes and firmly nods. cana makes a face, and tells her, "alright then. sleepover time!"
later, when lucy’s in a spare change of clothes and curled up peacefully in cana's bed, cana will wonder why she didn't try calling lucy's roommate instead of giving up her own bed.
the rain is so cold. cana hates the rain. it's also why she always has an umbrella and spare clothes in her trunk. she once got caught in the rain when she had a presentation in class, and she'd never been more mortified than that day, presenting in a class full of twenty something's with wet hair and a half dry t-shirt.
she shakes out her umbrella and steps out of her car only to see a blond whirlwind nearly crash into her. “i'm sorry!" the little ball of hair says, and cana takes a second to figure out who it is.
"lucy…?" cana ventures. and when lucy looks up balefully, cana promptly realises that lucy's wearing white. actual white clothes on a rainy day.
"oh my god, you're drenched!" cana exclaims. "get inside the car, i'll give you some clothes to wear!" she unlocks the car and all but shoves lucy into it.
"this is kidnapping!" lucy yells goodnaturedly, banging her fist against the window.
cana grins, and goes around to the back of the car. she pops the trunk open, and fishes out the pale blue hoodie stashed for emergencies. she closes the trunk and discreetly sniffs the hoodie. it doesn't smell bad but it's also the only change of clothes she has, so it'll have to do for now.
"i saw you sniffing that hoodie," lucy says without preamble, when cana comes into view. "please tell me you're not giving me stinky clothes."
"be glad with what you get, you brat!" cana throws the hoodie at lucy in the backseat. her face softens. "if it does smell, i have some deodorant in the glove box."
"oh, thank goodness, i was wondering how to turn this magnificent but stinky hoodie down," lucy jokes, and cana blindly swats at her from the driver's seat. she hands the deodorant over anyway.
"hurry up," she says instead. "i think we're both kinda late to class."
cana walks lucy to her building even though it's a bit out of her way, because of course the little goblin doesn't have an umbrella. cana assures lucy that it's no big deal, but lucy doesn't relent and steals cana's phone to save her contact. "text me," she says, "i'll treat you to dinner as thanks."
she doesn't give cana time to reply as she quickly skips away.
"cana, stop laughing, this is awful!" lucy's tinny voice comes through the phone placed on the table. cana is mid-laugh, and trying her best not to mistype her assignment due that night.
"you have to admit," cana begins. "it's kinda funny."
"no, it is not!” lucy says shrilly, and cana dissolves into giggles again.
the scene is this: lucy is locked out of her apartment ("that i pay half the rent for!" she tells cana) because her roommate has a "friend" over ("she had the nerve to use quotations, cana!”). cana called to ask for lucy's notes from a shared lecture, and she's now subjected to a ten minute whining of how lucy has nowhere to stay.
which is a lie of course, lucy is always welcome at cana's. lucy knows this, and cana knows lucy knows this, so this is just a long-winded attempt of lucy’s to wheedle an invitation out of cana just for the sake of it.
well, tough luck. Popular to contrary belief, cana's not that easy.
"aw, poor baby," cana croons instead. "do you want a bandaid and a kiss to make you feel better?"
lucy sputters on the other end and lets out an indignant squawk. "no! what i want is revenge because juvia knows that i have a lab exam tomorrow and i need to get enough sleep for it!"
"wait," cana pauses typing. "your lab final is tomorrow?"
"uh huh." lucy says. cana can almost hear the pout in her voice.
cana sighs. "alright, you've cracked me open like a walnut. would you like to stay over?"
"yes, of course, you're the best, thank you so much!" lucy says in a rush, and cana snickers at the change in tone.
"okay, then, make your way over,” cana says, trying her best to keep her smile out of her words.
lucy does treat her to dinner at some point, and cana acts like a lovestruck teenager trying to decide what to wear. she throws out her whole wardrobe looking for her lucky jeans ("yes but lucky for what?" mira asks. "what, exactly,are you hoping for here," she adds, waggling her eyebrows for good measure until cana pushes her off the bed).
it's a smooth affair, and while there are awkward pauses in conversation, cana thinks it's nice. lucy is an avid talker, and there isn't a thing under the sun she doesn't know a little about, and when cana tells her about the brewery back home that her dad runs, lucy’s eyes are as big as dinner plates when she says, "that's so cool!"
lucy doesn't divulge much about herself, merely mentioning an estranged family. cana leaves it at that, and instead brings up her classes as a distraction. lucy brightens up at that, and describes all her worst teachers in the funniest manner possible, that cana ends up snorting sparkling water through her nose.
and when the bill is paid and they walk back to their apartments, cana hesitates but does it anyway. she sneaks a hand through lucy's and interlaces their fingers together.
to her credit, lucy doesn't break stride. instead, she comments, "i was wondering how long it would take for you to do that." she looks up at cana and grins widely.
and cana grins back at her too.