#let it be known that i love meredy with every ounce of my being ty

[ycmiis-blog]

now recording {chapter five}

When upcoming YouTuber Lucy Heartfilia finds herself collaborating with popular channel Fairy Tail, she ends up getting more than she bargained for. ( ff.net // ao3 )

( ONE  TWO  THREE  FOUR )

The following week is full of Lucy's official admittance to the channel. It's not as insane as she thought it would be, just a contract to look over and sign, and soon she's a proper member. It's easy to slot herself into several of the channel's segments, like the DIY videos that Lisanna and Mira usually do as well as any and all talk of beauty. The skits are the best part, though, being able to act like a different character for a while. It's exciting, and everything feels so professional. Most of the time, anyway.

It's Thursday when the door open and Lucy stops mid-script-planning because she's sure that everyone she knows is already inside the building. She looks up whenever anyone walks past, and she, Mira, Kinana, Reedus, and Laxus are the only ones inside the main room as of now. The others are elsewhere, working on other things, and Natsu said earlier that Wendy and Romeo wouldn't be coming in until their exams finish tomorrow. That's why stares at the entrance when a man she recognises but has never met walks in.

"Oi, old man," Laxus greets, breaking Lucy's concentration when he gets up and strides over to his grandfather.

If Lucy is being honest, she can't see the family resemblance between Laxus and Makarov. Not only is Laxus tall and buff while Makarov is stout and thin, but their personalities (or what she's seen of them, because all she has to go off of is Makarov's behaviour in videos) are also completely different. Perhaps it's some sort of generational gap? She doubts she'll ever ask.

"Haven't I told you to respect your elders?" Makarov says, but he's smiling.

Mira rushes over. "Master! I didn't expect to see you today."

"I didn't expect to be here," Makarov says, giving Mira a brief hug. "I had time, so I'm here."

"You shouldn't just walk in as you like, you know. We could be in the middle of filming or something," Laxus says.

Mira waves off his complaints. "Don't be ridiculous, he's more than welcome, even if we're filming. The fans love him! Speaking of which, have you met Lucy?"

Lucy perks up once her name is mentioned, and she can't pretend she wasn't looking when everyone's now staring at her in return. She smiles nervously and waves as Mira leads Makarov to her. He's much shorter in real life than she anticipated.

"The newest recruit? You poor thing, I hope they haven't been treating you too badly," Makarov says, offering his hand to shake.

She shakes his hand, her free one twirling her pen. "They've been fantastic, actually. More than I could hope for."

There's a spark in Makarov's eyes as he says, "Ah, they haven't had the embarrassing induction ceremony, have they?"

Lucy could have gone her whole life without being reminded of that. Ever since Jet started the topic in the group chat a week ago, it's been in the back of her mind, and she dug deep into the channel's old videos to see what she was getting herself into. When Kinana joined, she was forced to read explicit fan fiction. The time before that when Bisca joined, she had to stand on Yajima's roof and promote the restaurant with an, as Vijeeter had put it, interpretive dance. Even Wendy and Romeo had undergone some sort of food challenge that had Wendy swearing off sour food for the rest of her life. Needless to say, Lucy isn't looking forward to whatever she has to do.

"No, they haven't," she sighs, and Mira giggles.

"We're still thinking on what we're going to have her do," Reedus says from the editor's desk.

Makarov's laugh is boisterous. "You'll find something appropriate, I'm sure. But for now, could I ask you to gather the others? I have an announcement to make."

They all head off to collect the others, people entering the main room one by one. They hit a snag when the gamers refuse to come out of their gaming office for fifteen more minutes because they have a video to wrap up, but they soon wander out and join everyone else. Erza practically forces them to.

Everyone is talking at once, and it takes Erza kicking desk chairs into the crowd to make them stop. Once she's satisfied, she turns to Makarov and says, "Please continue."

Makarov nods at her and climbs onto one of the unused desks near the front of the room. "Alright, listen up, you brats! When I was at work, we were talking about having a film festival for amateur creators, and all the others were talking about how they'd gotten their favourite up and coming film makers to sign up, saying how they'd beat everyone else, but I saw their stuff and thought, 'My brats can do better than that!'"

Lucy vaguely remembers Makarov (and several of the other members) mentioning that he works as a film critic, and things suddenly make more sense. Then his words sink in and she blinks. Is this going where she thinks it's going?

"So, I decided to sign you all up," Makarov continues, pulling a flyer out of his pocket. It's a little crumpled and there's a rip at the top, but Lucy can see the words 'Crocus Film Festival 2017' in big bold letters. "I know you'll be able to do it."

Laxus snatches the flyer from Makarov's hands, and his movements are so harsh that Lucy winces. "The fuck, old man? You can't just do that shit without our permission! We're pulling out, fuck it."

"Hold on."

Everyone turns to Freed, who has his thinking face on. It's rare for him to ever disagree with Laxus, but from what Lucy has seen during the past few weeks, he is also the person who keeps Laxus from exploding. This is probably another one of those times. She just didn't expect it to be now.

"You were telling me about how you wanted to make a short film, right?" Freed says, looking at Laxus. "Why not take this opportunity and run with it? The deadline is a few months from now, and we've had tighter deadlines before, so I'm sure we could pull it off."

Laxus' expression is a combination of stubbornness and sulking. Lucy would laugh if she wasn't waiting for his response with baited breath, because honestly? The idea of making a short film is exciting, and a quick scan of the room tells her that the others think so, too. Everyone is anticipating Laxus' response, because if anyone can get him to agree, it's Freed.

Then among the silence, Natsu says, "What, too scared to take up the challenge?"

Laxus narrows his eyes at Natsu, because it's clear what the younger man is doing, but if Lucy didn't know any better, she would say that it's working. She's sure that half of the stuff Laxus does on camera is because someone challenged him to. With this group, it's a very real possibility. Her eyes dart between Natsu and Laxus as she watches Natsu's shit-eating grin and Laxus' calculating expression.

"Alright, fine," Laxus finally says, and he puts his hand up to stop any premature celebration. "But if we're gonna do this, we're gonna go all in. This isn't just some fuckin' side-project, this is some real deal shit, I don't care how much work we have to put into it, we're winning this thing."

"Well, obviously," Gray says, smirking. "Fairy Tail comes to win, not to get a pat on the back for participating."

Cana takes a swig from her flask. "Gray, your clothes."

"Fuck."

Roles are quickly designated. Laxus is the obvious choice for director, and it will be the usual team when it comes to editing and sound. Lucy, Levy, and Freed are in charge of writing the script based on the different ideas the group bounce off of each other during brainstorming. Lucy is impressed with how quickly the main concept is pieced together. Everyone appears to be on the same page, and any minor disagreements are usually resolved with an even better idea. Lucy takes notes at an alarming rate, different scenes running through her head, and soon she has several handwritten pages covered top to bottom.

"You're really into this, aren't you?" Natsu says as he slides his chair beside hers.

"Of course I am," she says, adding to the growing list of characters. "Writing stories is what I live for."

Natsu's low laughter is drowned out by Evergreen's, "Who's going to play who, though?"

"Ooh, ooh!" Natsu shoots up like a rocket. "Can I play the dragon king guy? He sounds like a badass. He can control fire, for fuck's sake!"

"He's one of the two main characters, Dragneel, think you can handle that?" Gray taunts.

Natsu slams his fist down on the desk so hard that Lucy almost drags her pen over her entire paper. She sends him a look that he ignores. "Of course I can! It's like this part was made for me. What are you gonna do, play Tree Number Three?"

"Fuck off," Gray grumbles. "I'll play one of the nature spirits or something. The one that fights the dragon king is preferred, though. The ice one, right?"

"I'll be the fortune teller," Cana says, lifting a hand. "She gets to be all mysterious and creepy, so basically the complete opposite of me."

Lucy scribbles down who is playing who as the discussion continues, giggling to herself as certain roles are cast (Elfman and Evergreen as the bickering married couple who live in the woods? Yes, please). Within the next half hour, most of the roles are filled, but there are still some gaps. The biggest one is at the very top of the list.

"So, who's going to play the celestial princess?" Mira asks.

Lucy would be lying if she said she didn't want the role. The character of the celestial princess sounds so wonderful, and she's always loved stars, always thought about whether the stars are a world of their own with their own inhabitants and royalty. She knows that it's just her writer's mind running away with her, but it's a concept she's loved since she was a young child. She has her mother to thank for that.

Yet she doesn't put her hand up. She's nervous, and while she believes in herself enough to play the role decently, she doesn't want to take the opportunity away from anyone else. But no one else has raised their hand yet either, most likely because the majority of people in the room already have their names attached to other characters. She should just take the chance.

She puts her hand up. Everyone turns to her. "I'll do it." Realising she sounds too eager, she coughs and tries to keep herself calm. "I mean, if no one else wants to, of course."

Is it just her imagination, or does Mira look a little too happy about her volunteering? "Fantastic! That's all the main roles filled, we'll still need a couple of people to say a line or two, but other than that, we're all set!"

"Alright, everyone!" Lisanna calls out, waving her tape measure to get everyone's attention. "I'll need to measure you all to make your costumes!"

As people start heading to Lisanna's side, Levy sits on Lucy's desk. Lucy doesn't think she likes the smug look on her face. "So, the celestial princess, huh?"

Lucy blinks. "Well, yeah? I really love her character, the whole stars thing."

"And she and the dragon king fall head over heels in love with each other, forbidden love from two realms." Levy places her hands on her chest, like she's in the middle of some Shakespeare play.

Oh, right. Lucy forgot about that.

"Be professional, Levy," Lucy chides, lightly tapping her pen against Levy's leg. "You were the one who told me to take the shipping comments with a grain of salt, remember?"

"And I still stand by that," Levy says. "But don't think I haven't seen all the late night text convos on your phone." She picks Lucy's phone up from the desk and unlocks it (Lucy told her that passcode for emergencies, thank you very much), and Lucy remembers just whose message log she'd been on when she locked it earlier.

She makes a dive for the phone. "Gimme that!"

Levy dodges easily. "C'mon, this is cute!"

"We're just friends," Lucy says, and when Levy gives her a sceptical look, she says, "Very good friends."

Levy still doesn't look convinced, but when it's clear that Lucy isn't going to fold, she just sighs and returns the phone to its original spot. "Whatever you say."

"Wait, what?!"

Both Lucy and Levy look towards the entrance where Erza is standing and, to Lucy's surprise, she's beet red. Kinana raises her hands and steps back, and Mira, who is standing beside the entire exchange, is finding the situation incredibly amusing. Laxus just looks annoyed. Eager to gossip at someone else's expense rather than her own, Lucy heads over with Levy at her heels.

"What's wrong?" she asks, standing opposite Mira and Laxus so she's creating some sort of circle.

"Nothing, really," Mira says with a bright smile. "We were just talking about what we should do for the soundtrack, and Kinana suggested this really good band she has ties with, they're pretty famous on YouTube – Oracion Seis, if you've heard of them – and it just so happens that Erza knows their manager."

Lucy feels as though there's a story there, but now isn't the time. "That's great! Then we should have music sorted, right?"

Mira nods eagerly, resting a hand on Erza's shoulder. "Kinana, you want to see Erik, right? Why don't you take some of the others and go down there yourselves? I'm sure he'd love to see you. I'd go myself, but I have to stay and help Lisanna set up some stuff for the next DIY show."

Lucy can almost feel Erza's panic as Kinana considers the idea. "Alright, I don't see why not," she finally says. "Erza, Levy, Lucy, would you mind coming with me?"

"Of course! Of course we'll come with you," Erza says, perhaps a little too loudly, and Laxus snorts.

"Have fun with your boyfriend," he says, though he's looking at Erza when he says it, and she just hides her head in her hands.

Kinana is the one who drives them down, since she knows the way off by heart. Lucy spends her time alternating between concern for a suspiciously silent Erza and researching the band they'll be (hopefully) hiring for their film. She actually has heard of Oracion Seis, or she's at least seen them around on YouTube. They're an up-and-coming band known for experimenting with genres, and they have a very edgy style, even going by stage names rather than their real names. Of course, the internet is a place of knowledge, and she can find them with a simple Google search.

Another search reveals the name of their manager, a one Jellal Fernandes, and Lucy wonders where he and Erza know each other from. She isn't about to pry, though. If she's being completely honest, it's a little unsettling to see Erza so quiet, and if Erza wasn't as tough as she is, she would be a little more worried.

They arrive a little later than expected, but Kinana doesn't seem too put off by it. "It's normal to be set back a bit by the traffic," she says as she pulls into the studio building's underground parking lot.

Following Kinana's lead, they head to the elevator and wait for her to press the button to one of the top-most floors. Lucy taps her feet to the elevator music as they ascend. It's different than the usual elevator music, more pop-sounding, and she wonders if the studio plays songs their artists have made all around the building. It would make sense.

The elevator opens into a classy looking lobby with red carpet blue walls. It should be a little jarring, the contrast, but Lucy finds that she likes it. Kinana approaches the reception desk, which is being attended to by a pink-haired woman. Said woman looks up once a shadow falls over her desk and she smiles brightly. She recognises Kinana, at the very least.

"Kinana, hi! I wasn't expecting you today!" She peers around Kinana and spots Erza, her smile becoming even wider. "And Erza, too! I haven't seen you in forever!"

Erza smiles, though she still seems uneasy. "Hello, Meredy."

"Sorry I didn't call ahead," Kinana says. "I'm here to see Erik, but I'm also here to ask him and the others about something work-related. If I have to make an appointment, that's fine –"

"– Of course you don't have to make an appointment!" Meredy says, waving her hand dismissively. "Erik's always grumpy, but when he sees you he's happier, which means he works better. You're our lifesaver, you know."

Kinana flushes and shakes her head. "I'm sure that's not true."

"Oh, it is. You just don't see it 'cause he's always happy around you," Meredy says before pressing a button on her desk phone. "Hey, Jellal! Kinana's here, and guess who she brought with her? Just guess!"

"Meredy, would it kill you to behave a bit more professionally in front of our guests?" comes the reply from the speaker phone.

"Yes," Meredy says, smirking. "And you didn't even try to guess!

Erza steps forward. "That won't be necessary, I promise –"

There is a crash from the other end of the line and Meredy starts cackling. Lucy can feel a fit of giggles coming on herself, but she manages to suppress it in favour of sparing Erza from any further embarrassment. For now, anyway, because she feels as though it's only going to get worse once Erza and Jellal see each other face to face.

"Just send them in, Meredy," Jellal says in a tired voice.

"Will do!" Meredy replies cheerily, releasing her hold on the button. "Just go straight in! They're in the break room, Kinana will show you the way."

Kinana says a quick 'thank you' before heading into a corridor off to the side. There are several doors, all of them closed, but Lucy is more interested in the decor. There are awards hung on the wall as well as autographs and photos of different artists. There are quite a few of Oracion Seis, probably because this is their designated area of the building. She assumes that the blue-haired man beside Meredy in most of the pictures is Jellal, but she's about to find out.

They stop outside the last door to the right and Kinana knocks. The door muffles the sounds from inside, but Lucy can hear someone wolf whistle, and laughter follows. It's only when the door opens that everything can be heard, though not seen, because Erik, otherwise known as Cobra, stands in the way. He's taller than Lucy anticipated, but any air of intimidation he may have had disappears once he sees Kinana. It's quite cute.

"Hey," he says right before he spots everyone else. "You brought friends? That's a first."

Kinana just smiles. "That's because I'm not just here to hang out. We have a business proposition for you."

This surprises Erik, who raises his eyebrows, but he still moves out of the way so they can all enter. "Well then, come on in."

They enter into some sort of lounge decorated with music memorabilia, the smell of coffee filling Lucy's senses, and it doesn't take long to find out why when there are half a dozen coffee cups on the main table. The rest of the band sits on the sofas towards the edge of the room. Lucy vaguely remembers each of their names, and it seems that all of them are here. The lead vocalist, Sorano (Angel), is adjusting her high-heels, her elbow occasionally jabbing Sawyer's (Racer's) side, much to his annoyance. Richard (Hoteye) is notating something on a series of music sheets and Macbeth (Midnight) is asleep with an entire sofa all to himself. Jellal is sitting in the single armchair in the room, looking incredibly nervous.

"Hello, Jellal," Erza says, surprisingly composed compared to how she was acting previously. "It's good to see you."

Jellal smiles, and Lucy notes that while there is definitely some nervousness there, his eyes speak louder than his mouth does. He looks so happy to see her. It's subtle, but it's there. "Likewise, Erza."

"So, what's up?" Erik asks, deciding to ignore the two other lovebirds in the room as he shoves Macbeth so he's only taking up half of the couch as opposed to all of it.

"Well, Fairy Tail is entering a short film contest and we were wondering if you guys could do the soundtrack for it," Kinana says. "As long as you're not busy, of course. The deadline is in a few months, so it all depends on what you're doing."

The band, with the exception of Macbeth, shares a few looks that Lucy can't quite interpret, and it's Erik who speaks again. "Well, I'm down for it."

"Of course he is, it's for his beloved Kinana," Sawyer says, not bothered by the glare Erik sends his way. "But I'm down for it, too. What genre is it?"

"A fantasy romance," Levy says, then gestures to Lucy. "Lucy and I can fill you in on the rest of the plot details if you need them."

Sorano sits up, crossing one leg over the other. "A fantasy romance? Sounds like my sort of genre. I'm in."

"I have endless ideas for love songs," Richard says, and is he swooning?

Lucy eyes Macbeth, who hasn't moved since they began save for the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes. "Um, is it alright to make these decisions without everyone's input?"

Sawyer shrugs. "He's asleep for most meetings we have, so I wouldn't worry about it. As long as we tell him what's going on, he's usually fine with what we do. And if not? Tough luck." He looks to Jellal. "Now we just need our manager's input."

"You're actually asking for my opinion? Are you feeling okay, Sawyer?" Jellal jokes, but quickly sobers up. "I'm all for it. From a business standpoint, it's good. Fairy Tail is one of the most popular channels on the platform, aren't they? It should be good exposure."

Erik leans back in his chair, smug. "Please, don't act as though you don't know. You watch them just as much as I do. Whose videos are you usually watching?" He nods towards Erza. "Erza's, right?"

Jellal coughs and Erza looks away, though Lucy can see the faint blush on her cheeks. The two are saved from further awkwardness by someone's ringtone, and by the apologetic look on Levy's face, it's hers. Lucy watches her expression change to one of confusion.

"Sorry, I have to take this."

She moves to the opposite corner of the room and starts speaking in a low voice, too low for Lucy to hear. Rather than trying to eavesdrop on her friend's conversation, she turns to everyone else with a smile, and this seems to gather everyone's attention.

"So, the plot of our film –"

"Wait, what?!"

'Deja vu,' Lucy thinks as everyone turns to Levy, who is clutching her phone with both hands, biting her lip. Lucy quickly rushes over and puts a hand on Levy's shoulder. The sudden change in her friend's behaviour is too concerning for her not to.

"Levy? What's wrong?" she asks.

Levy sucks in a deep breath, and Lucy can vaguely hear the panicked voices of Jet and Droy on the other line. "They're gone. All the – our entire – all our videos on mine, Jet, and Droy's channels. They're all gone. We've been hacked."