Lucy sighed as she sank into the warm waters of the Hosenka hot springs. It had been a long time - years, even - since her team had found its way back to the heavenly resort. Back then, her enjoyment of the visit had been cut short by both Loke’s looming demise (although at the time she thought he was just being strange) and by the violent pillow fight that had broken out amongst her teammates in her absence.
Sinking lower into the water, feeling the heat seeping into her very bones, Lucy gleefully ruminated on how nothing would ruin her enjoyment of the springs this time around. For Loke was safe and sound in the Celestial World, and her teammates had been left behind in Magnolia entirely.
Well… all but one of them, that is.
Behind her, Lucy heard the sliding of the doors as they opened. Swiveling around slightly, she cast a cheerful smile towards her companion for the night.
Erza readily returned the expression, setting down her towel at the edge of the spring before climbing into the water. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Lucy.”
Lucy shook her head. “I only just got in! I was just thinking about how much more quiet it will be this time without the boys in tow.”
Her companion huffed and crossed her arms under her breasts. “Those two. Honestly, they’ve only gotten worse with age. Hopefully they’ll learn from being left out this time and won’t get us kicked out again in the future.”
‘She says that like we aren’t still pretty young,’ Lucy observed with a wry twist of her lips. ‘And like she wasn’t at least partially responsible for getting us kicked out the last time.’
“Although,” Erza tacked on, oblivious to Lucy’s doubt-filled expression, “it would have been nice if Wendy could have come along with us.”
“Mmn.” Lucy nodded in agreement. “But it might be a little deep at this end for her. Maybe when she grows a little more.”
Silence fell between the pair as they soaked. Cold air nipped at Lucy’s face, a reminder that winter was just around the corner. But it felt nice in contrast to the water’s heat. With a contented sigh, Lucy leaned back against the edge and peered up at the sky. Hazy from the tendrils of steam rising all around, the stars still glimmered, and the moon shone down large and full.
“Remember the last time we were here?” Erza suddenly remarked, breaking the stillness of the moment. “The place hardly seems to have changed, despite the years.”
A giggle arose out of Lucy at Erza’s statement. “I dunno… I seem to recall a certain someone trying to get into the hot spring while still in her armor…”
Red seeped into Erza’s cheeks at the mortifying reminder. “…Yes,” she conceded. “Perhaps a lot has changed after all.” She ruminated on that thought for a while. “That was before… the Tower of Heaven, wasn’t it.”
It wasn’t a question, but Lucy nodded anyway. Laying her hand on Erza’s shoulder, she squeezed it gently. “It was.” She left her hand there for a minute, unsure of what else she could say in the sudden melancholy.
“You know,” Erza began, a mischevious note in her voice as she looked at Lucy, “I seem to recall you calling me beautiful back then. Or is that something else that has changed?”
Lucy swallowed thickly. “O-of c-course not!” she protested. Keenly aware that she was still touching Erza’s bare skin (even if it was just her shoulder) Lucy dropped her hand into the water with a small splash. “I-I mean… I still… Erza!” It was her turn to flush, heat rising all the way to her ears.
Erza let out a chuckle. “Why thank you, Lucy,” she said, despite Lucy’s lack of a proper answer.
The teasing in Erza’s voice was almost too much to bear, and Lucy had to forcefully break her gaze away. Looking back towards the entrance, she then peered at Erza’s towel behind them. Maybe it was just the steam in her eyes, but it seemed to her that it was a little bulkier than it should be. “Did… did you bring something along?”
“Astute eye.” Turning around in the water, Erza reached over and lifted the towel’s edge up. Underneath lay a very small sake bottle, and two small sake cups. “I thought, since there were no other visitors around, we might be a little naughty. It is such a nice night, after all.”
Lucy regarded the bottle with suspicion. Neither her nor Erza ever held their alcohol particularly well, nor was it very safe to drink in the hot spring. Then again… Erza was right, it was a lovely night. And it didn’t seem like the bottle held enough liquid to actually do much damage to either of them. “…Alright, just a bit,” she agreed, reaching for a cup.
“Excellent. I shall pour.” Erza picked up the bottle and filled Lucy’s cup before doing the same to her own. “A toast, Lucy?” she prompted, holding up her cup.
“Er.” Not expecting to be put on the spot so suddenly, Lucy found her mind blank. For a long moment, she stared into Erza’s eyes, before twisting to look back up at the night sky. “To the moon,” she said. “She’s still just as beautiful as she was back then.”
She resolutely didn’t look at her companion after uttering those words, but she could hear the smile in Erza’s voice as she replied.
“Yes… so she is. And so is her star.”
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