Drinks on the House
A drabble in honour of the latest Mashima twitter sketches - the almost Nalu kiss. He’s a troll, but it did give lots of ideas to lots of writers and that’s a good thing! A second hand story told from another's eyes is just as valid and perhaps more scarring. ;) READ on A03 here^^ FF.net HERE Enjoy! Comments, reviews welcomed.
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Mira slid another double whiskey on the rocks to Happy who flinched at the scrape of the glass down the bar top. She had to restrain herself from diving across to offer the poor exceed a hug. "Aww! Are you ready to talk now?"
The abject misery on Happy's face dimmed, replaced with an unfocussed look. Praise be to the insulating haze of alcohol! He tipped back the rest of his drink and pushed the empty to Mira with a little hiccup. "Aye sir!" Grabbing the new drink, Happy held onto it as if it were a lifeline and he was willing to take on a whole gang of bandits to defend his beverage. Happy took a slow look around the guild. He hunched his shoulders and leaned closer to the avidly listening Mirajane. "I saw something I shouldn't have."
"Mmm." Mira glanced at the various guild members in attendance. Who was Happy looking for before spilling his guts? Normally, the exceed loved to be the centre of attention and would instigate a fight at the smallest opportunity. Time to get him to talk. "Did Macao scratch or adjust himself where people could see again? I had Laxus -" she made air quotes as she spoke, "-tell him that has to stop."
Happy frowned. "Ew but no! I can't sleep without having nightmares!"
"Oh. Did you see Reedus' new collection of art? His series on man and broom? I have so many questions about Max now."
"Good to know I gotta avoid talking to Reedus, but I saw real life action that will haunt me forever!" Happy gulped half his whiskey, this time his shudder at the fiery taste was mild. "I should bury this deep."
"No!" Mira suppressed her urge to shift into one of her demon forms - barely. "I mean, it's better out than in, right?" How was she going to keep her title of most informed guild mate without learning every bit of gossip available?
"All I know is that doesn't apply to farts. Charle still won't come within twenty feet of me." Happy pouted, the booze was making it hard to keep track of his whirling thoughts.
"Well,-" Mira batted her baby blues and leaned closer, the better to hear and let Happy feel their conversation was private and intimate, "-let's ignore that for now. What did you see that has you drinking so early in the morning?"
Happy rubbed one paw over his forehead. "I saw…I saw Natsu and Lucy standing real close to one another…" His voice petered out, thin and trembling.
Mira waited for a minute. "That's not even weird." She squinted at Happy, taking her time to best consider what words would make him spill his guts. "They're best friends and partners. When aren't they close to one another?"
"He licked her! I'm a cat and I don't even do that!'
Various adult ideas began to swirl around Mira's brain - but she'd had her hopes raised one too many times. "Oh, you mean he licked a bit of food or sauce?"
Happy shook his head, eyes wide and panicked. "No, not food or sauce or else Lucy would have bitten him, she doesn't share her greasy meat!"
Mira topped up Happy's whiskey and gave him a slow reassuring smile and nod. "So they were standing close to one another, what else did you see?"
"Hands…"
"They do both have hands…" Mira hoped Happy would talk faster or else she'd have to scare the information out of him. "What's so traumatizing about hands?"
"They were all over each other! Clutching! Grabbing! Touching!"
"Sounds like they might've been play fighting." Mira sighed. She should have known better to get her hopes up. Sooner or later she'd be Godmother to thirty or so Nalu babies - but since Lucy was young and healthy, there was plenty of time for that to happen.
"Since when does play fighting include sticking your tongue in someone else's mouth?!" Happy shuddered, drank the dregs of his whiskey and hugged himself, rocking back and forth on his bar stool. "I keep seeing it over and over! First it was just Natsu licking Lushi's mouth and then she grabbed him! I thought she was gonna push him away but she stuck to him like a barnacle!"
Mira almost toppled to the floor. Years of waiting for a miracle had made her almost give up hope but Happy's story was undeniably the truth. There was no way the exceed would make up such a fanciful lie. Nor did he have the imagination! Or let alone, actual knowledge about what two consenting adults could get up to when they liked one another.
Giant hearts in her eyes, Mira slammed her hands on the counter of the bar. At the top of her lungs she bellowed, "Drinks on the House! Imma be a Godmother!"