Mating Season (Mostly Chendy, Erlu, Canajane)

Chapter Thirteen

"WHAT?!" Lucy shouted, eyes falling on Natsu with pure shock and anger. Natsu looked back at her, appearing slightly hurt. "I mean... yeah? We're always hanging out and I mean... I just assumed that's how it's supposed to be..." Natsu suddenly perked up. "Why? Do you not think we are?" He asked. "I know we aren't." She said, looking slightly smug. "Oh yeah?! And why's that?" Natsu asked. Lucy froze, eyes widening slightly as she looked around for help. Lucy's eyes fell on Mirajane and the white-haired girl gave an encouraging smile. "I... I know who my Mate is." Everyone's eyes fell on her. "No fair! Why does Luce get to know who hers is but we don't!?" Natsu asked, pouting. "Who is it, Lucy?" Wendy asked with a smile. Lucy blushed deeper and looked away. "It doesn't matter." She said. "How does she know?" Laxus asked, looking a bit intrigued. "My Spirits told me..." Lucy said before sighing at everyone's intrigued looks. "I don't wanna say mine first!" She whined. Mirajane smirked. "My Mate is Cana." She said with a proud air to her words. Lucy rolled her eyes at that. They all knew that. "I don't know who mine is." Everyone turned to look at the brave girl who had spoken up. Wendy. "I wish I did. It's just so nerve wracking not to. What if they're out there experiencing the symptoms and I'm not there to help them?!" She looked incredibly worried now. "I know what ya mean, Wendy," Laxus added consolingly. "I wanna know who mine is too. We'll figure it out at some point." Wendy gave him a grin and seemed to perk up. It was nice and comforting... even if she was shocked to get that from Laxus. "You're right! And Mirajane said the steps wouldn't hit the Mates in full force until..." Wendy blushed and didn't finish. It didn't matter. They all knew. Until their first kiss with their Mate. Then the steps and symptoms would take hold of the Mates as well as them. Gajeel took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders before speaking. "If nobody else is brave enough to say theirs first, excluding the Kid," Gajeel gave Wendy a small smile that shocked her for a moment, "then I'll go. I think mine's... S-Levy." He had clearly been about to say his nickname for her, Shrimp, but had stopped himself. Wendy giggled and gave him a grin. "That's adorable! I knew there was something there!" She said. Gajeel rolled his eyes, his face turning red at the attention he was getting from everyone in the circle. Wendy felt a little jealous. She wanted to know who hers was. Not knowing was a burden Wendy didn't even realize she had been carrying for the past few days, but it sucked. Everyone turned to Lucy as she cleared her throat. The eyes weren't persistent as they had been earlier but instead simply wondering. Lucy's face was as dark a red as physically possible... at least she hoped that it was. She didn't know what she would do if she got even more embarrassed. "My Mate is..." Lucy paused long enough that everyone assumed she had changed her mind about telling the rest of them her secret. "Erza." It was so quiet that none of them would have heard it without their Dragon Slayer hearing... and Mirajane seemed to have a natural talent for hearing the gossip and possible ships. "ERZA?!" Natsu shouted incredulously. Lucy winced, face turning impossibly red. "Yes..." Mirajane was grinning from ear to ear. "Aww!" Wendy giggled and reacted basically the same as she had to Gajeel's announcement. "That's adorable!" She cheered. Lucy could lead Santa's reindeer on Christmas Eve at this point. "Yeah..." She looked at Natsu. His eyes were wide and he had seemed to space out for a bit. "That's great, Luce!" He suddenly shouted, hopping from his seat and giving Lucy a bear-hug. She was too shocked to respond to the hug. "Does that mean... LUCE! HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD A CRUSH ON HER?!" Natsu shouted, eyeing her with excitement and curiosity. Lucy blushed deeper. "I don't know... I guess since I met her... she was so awesome." Natsu suddenly burst into laughter, literally rolling on the ground as he did so. "THAT'S NOT FUNNY, NATSU!" She shouted. Wendy giggled at the pair. "Does she know?" Wendy asked after a moment of consideration. Lucy looked away from Wendy. "I haven't worked up the courage to tell her yet." She mumbled, again forcing the Dragons to use their heightened senses to understand her. "Oh." Wendy felt bad for asking. She should have known... She knew Lucy would be super proud if she had Erza as her girlfriend... she probably would have came in with Erza with a huge grin on her face. "Let's tell her now!" Natsu said excitedly, taking onto Lucy's hand. "WHAT?! NO!" Lucy shouted, stopping Natsu in his tracks. "What? Why not?" The Fire Dragon Slayer asked with a confused look on his face as he did so. "BECAUSE!" Lucy shouted. Natsu sighed, pouting slightly as he was rejected. "You can't force her, Natsu," Wendy said wisely. Lucy shot the younger girl a grateful look. "I still can't believe how much taller you are!" Lucy suddenly cried, making Wendy smile a little. She was still the shortest person in the room, but not by as much as she had been the night before. "There's one more thing I need to tell you." Everyone turned around to look at Mirajane.