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It was a special day all across Magnolia. As the sun rose up over the horizon people were waking up to spend time with loved ones. Presents were being opened as laughter and kindness hung over the town, giving it a unique glow. But, for one Lucy Heartfilia, the day hadn't started just yet. She stayed snuggled in her bed, nice and warm. Sure she had a Fairytail guild party to get to, but that was later in the day and a problem for future Lucy. Present Lucy wanted nothing more than to fight off the chill in bed.
She turned over and was about to drift off again when a pleasant smell drifted into the room. Her eyes opened blearily, blinking to remove the blur on the edge of her vision. She could faintly hear shuffling around and quiet conversation in the living room. A moment of panic shook her awake before she felt a familiar magic in the air. Celestial magic hung lightly in her home, there but not charged with any strong purpose. Another beat before her fogged mind realised that there were two spirits in her living room. It didn't take a genius to guess which two. She heaved herself out of bed, stretching her still asleep body. She pulled her fluffy dressing gown over her pajamas before reaching for her hairbrush. She was sure they didn’t care, but they could wait until she felt awake and at least presentable before they saw her.
Hair in a ponytail, water splashed in her face and a lot warmer thanks to her gown (she wasn’t in the mood to get out of her pajamas just yet), she finally left her bedroom and made her way into the living room. Unsurprisingly, she spotted Aries on the couch. A soft smile curled her lips unbidden as she slowly sat down by her.
"Good morning Aries"
Aries lit up on seeing her and she couldn't deny how her heart lifted to see it. It was extremely flattering that she was so happy with her company that she relaxed around her. Without an invitation Aries scooted closer, knees touching as they sat together in a peaceful atmosphere.
"Good morning Lucy! H-how are you?"
"I'm alright" She broke herself off with a yawn. "Little tired though"
Her girlfriend flinched slightly before frowning at her hands. She fidgeted with her fingers idly as she chewed her lip.
“We didn’t wake you up, did we?”
Well she hadn't wanted the first thing we did today to be guilting her girlfriend and yet… She waved her off, determined to soothe her.
"It's fine. I needed to wake up soon anyway."
"Oh, ok"
She visibly relaxed, a physical weight off her shoulders as she returned to her side. Aries had gotten so much braver in their time together, but she still had some reservations, mainly she was still nervous about upsetting people. But she did calm down much faster now, so that was a plus. She casually placed an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a one arm cuddle. As much as she wanted to relax like this, the 'we' hadn't gone unnoticed.
"So, where is our favourite lion then?"
She didn't get the chance to respond before there was a cheerful interruption behind them, she hadn't even said his name and yet there he was.
"I was just in the kitchen, my love. I was making these” He came around the front of the couch before placing a plate of really too many pancakes on the table in front of them. They were drenched in syrup and she bet they were heavily buttered too. “The perfect way to start a morning. Well, second to being lucky enough to catch a compliment from you. Your favourite huh? Don’t think I’ll forget that in a while”
If ever. This was unfortunately going to be something he bragged about now, how swell. She wanted him to know she loved him, but he could be a bit too boastful and embarrassing when he received said love, it was a dangerous balance.
“No, somehow I feel I will be hearing about it for a long time”
“You bet you will!”
He lazily plopped down on the other side of her, squashing her in the middle of the couch. An arm was slung over her shoulders without much thought as he relaxed against her. His head rested on hers as he slumped into what was becoming a very familiar position as of late. As much as she would love to cuddle and chat with them both, she was expected at Fairytail that afternoon, she sadly couldn’t stick around. They’d have to get to the point of this visit quickly, even if the idea of lounging around with them did feel appealing.
“I don’t want to seem unhappy to see you, because you both know I love spending time with you, especially today, but why are you here?”
She almost jumped out of her skin as both moved to reply to her at the same time, though they both had very different responses as they spoke over each other.
“We can’t come see you over the holidays? How rude-”
“I-I’m sorry, are we bothering you? Did you have something planned?”
Loke paused in his whining, coming to a complete stop as he thought Aries’s question over. Had he not realised that she was going out today? Didn’t that mean Fairytail had forgotten to invite him? Oh, there would be words with them later. No one excludes Loke on her watch, even if it was by accident!
“Fairytail has a Christmas party this afternoon, so I was planning on sleeping in a little to get the energy for it then go to that. But I don’t mind spending the morning with you two instead, especially since you’ve made me such a sweet treat”
She reached for the pancakes and pulled the plate onto her lap. She was hoping to make amends and help them forget any offense, sadly Loke wasn’t willing to run with her this time. His expression was a strange mixture of glee that she was about to eat his cooking and frustration at something. She could sorta guess, but she allowed him to vent anyway.
“They didn’t invite me?”
“Have you been around the guild for them to ask?”
“Does that matter? They could have asked you to ask me. I’m sure they could trust you to pass on a message. Well, whatever. I’m not going now”
Then what was the issue?! If he wasn’t going anyway then did it matter what they did?! Stars, he was a lot of work. He was being petty and everyone in the room knew it. His being forgotten was most likely an accident in the rush to get everything ready. It didn’t stop him from feeling hurt though, and she understood that. It was best to help him through this upset, rather than tell him to squash how he felt down.
“Do you want me to ask them later? I do think it’s just a case of genuine miscommunication. Perhaps someone was meant to tell me and they thought someone else had, you know how it is with that lot, can't organise a thing properly”
He hummed, placated slightly by her point. It was a truth everyone knew. Anything Fairytail touched ended in chaos. The hand on her shoulder found the tips of her hair as he fidgeted, trying to not look as affected as he clearly was. Even with his two loves, he did his best to put on a brave face.
“Would you? I suppose if I’m invited I have no choice but to go after all”
“No Choice” Of course.
He could never win at a game of poker, his need to go to the party and see his friends were clear in his longing tone, in the way he turned his head down and away from them. He couldn’t fool them. Still, this topic had run its course and now it was time to hopefully cheer him up again. To move this on to greener pastures, like spending the morning together. She picked up the knife and fork from the plate, silently thanking Loke for remembering she hated sticky fingers, and started to cut herself a piece.
“If you’re invited, I’ll happily summon you to the guild Loke, you can count on it.” He visibly perked up, happily wiggling back against her. She put the fork up to her mouth and finally ate a bite of pancake. Sweet. That was the first taste she experienced, before she appreciated how soft and warm it was in her mouth. Sweet and tasty she hummed in happiness and moved to cut another piece. “This tastes lovely Loke, thank you. It’s great to wake up to something sweet”
“Aww, thank you. You think I’m sweet?”
“I meant the pancakes”
“Riiiiiigghhtt, of course you did“
He patted her head like she was a child and as if to prove him right she pouted and turned away from him, trying in vain to ignore his new grin. Well, at least he was happy again. Her sharp turn of her head allowed her to catch Aries staring at her plate in what she could only describe as a hungry fascination. There was a moment of pause before she realised she’d been caught, startling slightly before apologising.
“S-sorry, they just look really good that’s all”
There was nothing to be sorry for! Good food should be appreciated. She may not gorge herself the way Natsu did, but she could appreciate a good meal all the same. She got another piece onto her fork before lifting it up for Aries.
“Would you like a bite?”
She seemed surprised for a moment before breaking out into a shy blush. She looked down for a moment before slowly nodding her head.
"Yes please"
"Then here you go"
She held her fork out for Aries, more than a little perplexed by her hesitation. It took a moment before she finally hyped herself up enough to move. She leaned forward and ate the pancake of the fork. She leaned back, smiling as she tasted the treat. That hadn’t exactly been what she’d meant, she’d been holding the fork out expecting her to take it. So she was left unable to react and take in how cute she had just been. Loke had not been as caught off guard and she heard him cooing beside her. Aries licked her lips before smiling happily, eyes closed in taste bliss.
“This really is delicious Leo. T-thank you Lucy”
“Uh, no problem Aries”
“She has a bit of a sweet tooth Lucy, sugar is the way to her heart. That’s why I put so much syrup on them, I wanted you to share them really”
Oh, well she supposed that made sense. A sweet person enjoyed sugar, it was a little like Erza. Huh, something that actually connected the two of them, she hadn’t thought they had anything in common, giving their extreme difference in personality. You live, you learn, she supposed.
"C-can I have some too?"
How could she say no to that? Aries was staring at her longingly, hopeful that she’d get some pancakes. With a small smile she put her fork down back on the plate.
“Of course you can. Loke would you mind-”
“Getting her a plate and a knife and fork? Absolutely!”
He shot up, giddy to help her and Aries. She quickly held up a hand to stop him before he sped away. He stopped impatient, frowning like she’d put him out.
“I was going to ask you to stick with Aries while I got them. But if you’re desperate to go, two plates and two sets of cutlery please”
“I will always make sure you don’t have to go anywhere Lucy, even if it's just to your kitchen. But why two plates?”
“Isn't it obvious? One for Aries and one for you too…Unless you don’t like pancakes?”
“ I do but…” He tilted his head in thought and she got the feeling he was slightly off balance with this topic. “I made them for you two, so it’s fine if I don’t have any-”
“Loke”
His name cut into his sentence. Her gaze cut into him. He hesitated, before responding quietly.
“Yes Lucy?”
“Two plates”
“Yes Lucy”
Head down he scurried back into the kitchen, properly scolded for daring to try and exclude himself. An ongoing problem that she was trying to nip in the bud, was his stubborn belief that they should be looked after and not him. He was so quick to treat them at any moment, yet denied himself the same. She had to start with small indulgences to hopefully make him comfortable with asking for bigger things. To hopefully make him see he could include himself. She felt eyes on her and faced Aries' shocked expression.
“Is everything alright?”
“Yeah…Y-you have to show me how to be stricter with him. He forgets to treat himself when we go out together and I’m not good at reminding him”
‘Forgets’. Yeah she bet he did. And of course Aries would be too shy to point it out, why hadn’t she realised this before? They needed to be attacking from two fronts. Operation ‘Make Loke realise a relationship wasn't a one-way thing’ is a go!
“We don’t have time today, but I absolutely will be summoning you soon to talk about this”
“Ok”
They grinned like two conspirators before quickly doing their best to school their expressions when Loke strolled in. He must have given himself quite the pep talk since the spring was back in his step as he sat down and handed Aries her plate and sat down with his own. Suspicion flared up in her as she took in his new ‘innocent’ smile.
“Glad to see you so chipper Loke”
“Why thank you Lucy. I just realised that, in the interest of fairness, you should share a bit with me too. It’s only right”
But she hadn’t meant- Ugh, he could be so frustrating! So selfless yet so self indulging at the same time, a living contradiction. He was only ever self serving when it came to them though, whether it was his need to protect them or be loved by them. Annoying is what it was.
“Fine, come here”
She put the last part of the first pancake onto her fork, holding it out for him. He was practically buzzing in his seat, eyes gleaming with unhidden excitement. He made a big deal of taking a deep breath to ‘steady’ himself before leaning in closer to bite the pancake off the fork. He audibly swallowed before looking her directly in the eyes. He slowly licked the syrup off his lips.
“Delicious”
Her hand was pushing away his face before she could even think of being mortified. She felt her face heat up while she heard him giggling at his own joke. He was a nightmare sometimes. She huffed, ramming a fork into the top pancake to practically toss it onto his plate. With a huff, doing her best to ignore his childish glee, she turned to Aries to gently place more pancakes on her plate. When they all had the same amount, she kept her focus on Aries, doing everything she could to pretend Loke wasn’t in the room. She’d already forgiven him, the problem was more if she looked at him right now she’d blush and think…inappropriate things. Nope, even thinking about thinking about it was dangerous, she needed a safe topic and quick.
“What would you like to do after breakfast? I’ve got all morning with you after all”
That wasn’t too awkward a jump in conversation right? Aries took a moment to take a quick bite, unable to wait to eat, not that she could blame her, before humming in thought.
“W-well, I heard that the city is so pretty this time of year, I’d like to go and have a look at all the decorations in town”
“There’s a few game stalls out there too, we could try and win some prizes!”
Energy and happiness returning to her, she grinned at Aries. The idea of winning her a giant fluffy plushie that was just as cute as her was becoming more and more appealing. One as tall as her and just as fluffy for her to hold and cuddle as they looked adorable together. She’dbe so happy too to receive such a gift. It would be nice to win something to lighten up the house too.
“Yeah and maybe we could hear some singing too!...Choirs are nice to listen to and there’s a lot this time of year…”
Determination fueled her. This would happen, she looked so excited, or at least Aries’ version of excited. Such a shy joy as she did her best to hide her smile. It wasn’t a wild request, but if it made her that happy, they’d do it!
“I’m sure they’re are carolers somewhere Aries, we’ll make sure to go for a listen”
“Really?! Ah, sorry for getting overly excited”
“Don’t apologise! Eat quickly and we’ll go now!”
“Ok!”
It was with full gusto that they both wolfed down their dessert breakfast, she was much faster than Aries though so she had to wait for her loves to both finish their plates. She was getting slightly wound up, knees jittering as she hyped up a peaceful walk through the snow decorated town with her soulmates. A slow, romantic walk was the epitome of dream scenarios and now that she was thinking about it, she knew she wanted it. They finally finished and she had their plates in an instant, rushing out to the kitchen to quickly clean them. It was all on instinct, on the momentum her dream-like fantasy had given her so all she could do was hope she hadn’t upset them by being so quick to leave. Drying her hands as quickly as she was able, she practically ran back into the living room. Loke was trying to put a wooly pink hat on a giggling Aries, who was wriggling too much for him to get it sturdy on her head.
“Keep still you menace, you need to stay warm while you’re outside. I will not have you freeze in the snow while I can prevent it”
“But Leo, I have my own wool!”
“Not the point! It doesn’t keep you fully warm and we both know it! So-” He cut himself as he finally got it on her, letting out a small yell of triumph. “Ha! There we go! I’m sorry Aries, but I’m keeping you wrapped up because I love you”
And wrapped up she was. She was in a large winter jumper, gloves, a large scarf and boots. It was impressive she could see through the layers he was putting on her.
“Why are you tormenting our girlfriend Loke?”
“I think you mean I’m getting Aries ready. You need to get wrapped up too, come here, I’ve got your coat”
She sighed loudly, making a show of walking over to him as he worried over her. In a blink of an eye her coat was zipped up and she was just as wrapped up as Aries, he was very much giving off the energy of a worried mother with the way he was checking over them and asking over and over if they were comfortable. Which was more than a little frustrating when he was only in his shirt.
“And what about you?”
“Hm? What about me? You mean how I’ll keep warm? I’ll keep an eye on the house, so I’ll be fine”
“You’re not coming?”
That put a wrench in her plans, she could feel her happiness ebbing. For his part, Loke only looked slightly confused. She swore she heard Aries mumble a small ‘I told you’ but she couldn’t be sure.
“I’m allowed?!”
She was stunned silent as glee overtook him. In a blink he was suddenly in a winter jacket, wooly hat and gloves. She hadn’t even said yes yet and he was eagerly preparing for their trip. It was sweet, but the fact he thought she didn’t want him along was a problem. Did he think she’d hold a grudge over one bad attempt at flirting?
“Of course you’re allowed. It's a Christmas date after all, so all three of us should be there.”
“A.Christmas.Date! Aries, it’s a Christmas date!”
“Y-yes Leo, it’ll be fun”
He was bouncing on the spot, hopping from one foot to the other. His energy passed down to the sheep spirit, who was now slightly shaking side to side in silent anticipation. Those two could be an infinite energy machine as they both silently hype each other up. His focus turned back to her, his hands clenching and unclenching in his excitement.
“I’m not going to step over your plans by coming right?”
“Nope, I planned for you to come. Loke, I’m not going to hold something as silly as you having bad flirt timing over your head. I certainly won’t exclude you from a fun day out for it, just please don’t do that again, I’m not ready for that kind of talk yet”
She worried they were tired of waiting for that next step, but he just nodded so quickly she thought his head would snap off.
“Of course! I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable, even for a moment!”
“There, all is forgiven and forgotten. You’re coming and I’ll just have to win you something too”
He paused, before a small smirk stretched across his face, one eyebrow raised he crossed his arms.
“Not if I win you something first”
The world froze as their eyes met, an undercurrent of tension slowly filling the now quiet room.
“Is that a challenge?”
“Maybe it is”
“...First one to win gets to ask for whatever they want”
“Deal!”
“Quick Aries, let’s go!”
They both charged out of the house, running at high speed to be the first to the stalls, both determined to one up the other and get a Christmas wish. Aries easily caught up with them and she silently apologised to her, this wasn’t the relaxing start she had wanted, but she needed to beat Loke! A gauntlet had been thrown down and she wasn’t going to let him win and she knew the feeling was mutual. Neither were prepared for the sleeper agent that was Aries, sneaking up behind them and acing the first game she tried, winning all three of them a gift and then some.
She asked for a group hug strong enough to crush her while they sat on a bench, out of the way of the public and listening to soft choir singing. Not a hard wish to grant and definitely the best way to spend her Christmas morning.