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roosterforme · 7 months

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Always Ever Only You Part 13 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: When Nat and Bob are in imminent danger, Bradley is beyond furious about the decisions that have been made. It should have been him up there flying with them. As you count down the minutes until Bradley returns home, the rush of nerves feels more like anxiety than anticipation, and that does not feel good.

Warnings: Angst, swearing, fluff

Length: 5100 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female Reader

This was written to accompany my series Is It Working For You? along with a bunch of my one-shots and other series, but it can be read on its own! Check my masterlist for the reading order. Always Ever Only You masterlist. Gorgeous banner by @mak-32

Now that you were just a few days out from Bradley's return home, you were starting to feel antsy and anxious. This wasn't the way you usually felt. It used to be a rush of energy thrumming through your body, knowing he'd be back soon to hold you all night, make love to you, and fill the little pieces of your life that were lost without him. But now you just felt unsure.

When you really thought about it, you knew you and he had been missing the intimacy in your relationship for a little while, too focused on other things. The sex was still enjoyable... well, except for the last time when you felt sick with obligation. And he still held you all night. But some of the pieces of your life together felt like they had gotten lost, and you desperately wanted to find them. Because feeling nervous about reaching those previously known levels of happiness and intimacy when Bradley got back was not something you were prepared for.

So you talked to Dr. Genevieve again, and in her cool and collected voice, she said, "If something is broken, you either take the time to fix it, or you abandon it. And when it's a relationship, you don't have the luxury of making that decision alone. Do you want to fix it or abandon it?"

"I want to fix it," you replied easily.

"And what did your husband say when you spoke to him?"

Your heart thudded in your chest as you replayed the facetime conversations in your mind and whispered, "He wants to fix it, too."

She nodded. "Then you'll both take the time to do that."

Afterwards, you felt like hiding in your office, because what did that even mean? You knew what you wanted, but you didn't know how to get it. And you tried your best not to focus on your cycle and wanting to get pregnant, but it would have been impossible to forget about it completely. Where was the balance? You were simultaneously antsy for Bradley to get home so you could see if putting in the time to fix things was worth it and also scared that it wouldn't be.

Instead of hiding in your office, you made your way down to get a burrito bowl for lunch. "Is this seat taken?" you asked Jake, kicking the leg of his chair with your boot and nodding toward the empty seat across from him at the small table.

"Angel," he said, meeting your smile with a look of panic. "You know I love you, right? But I saved it for Cat. Unless she decides to bail."

"Oh," you gasped, a little surprised by that. When you, Javy and Jake had gone out for pizza two nights ago, Jake claimed he was going to let Cat decide if she wanted to try to be friends with him, but you knew he was hoping for more. He sat on your couch with Jeremiah until Hondo showed up, and Jake didn't back down against the glare from Cat's Uncle. "Guess she's into the idea of hanging out? That's good?"

He kind of shrugged. "Listen, all I want to do is make out with her and hold her kid, but don't tell her that, alright? Oh, there she is."

"She didn't bail," you murmured, watching Cat make her way toward you. When she saw the small table with only two chairs, her steps slowed.

"Go," Jake growled, planting his palm against your lower back and shoving you out of the way. "I'll call you after work."

"Jeez," you groaned, glaring at him and heading toward Cam instead.

"Hey, stranger," Cam said as you sat down across from him, and soon Maria joined the two of you. Eating with them was familiar and comfortable, and you didn't have to think about it too much.

When they asked if you wanted to do brunch on Sunday, you smiled and shook your head. "No way. Bradley's coming home on Friday."

Cam smirked and said, "Oof. Lieutenant Commander Mustache returns home to his little wifey after his long, hard deployment. Sounds like a Lifetime movie."

"I don't know," Maria added. "You said long and hard. Kinda sounds like a porno."

You sat with your forehead on your tray as you shook with silent laughter. "Maybe it'll be a bit of both?"

Cam stole a bite of your burrito bowl as he said, "Report back."

-----------------------

Bradley had been chosen as the spare. When Dean told him after he had dismissed everyone else, Bradley knew it was simply to add insult to injury. But he took it on the chin, saluted the admiral, and returned to his bunk.

If Bradley said more than two words to anyone the following day, that was news to him. Nat and Bob gave him a wide berth as they got themselves prepared for the mission, and he appreciated that. He wasn't jealous of them, and he'd been quick to tell them that. And he knew they understood. This was a feeling that came along with the territory, he supposed. But this would mark the first mission he didn't qualify for, and he just needed to take a breather.

Getting home to you was now his priority, his focus. If he could only be successful in the air or on the ground right now, he was going to choose the ground in San Diego with you. But that didn't stop him from worrying about Bob and Nat flying with Slayer.

Bradley collapsed back onto his bed with his notebook. He decided to read what he wrote. He hadn't done that yet, favoring scribbling more thoughts and sentiments down every time he picked it up. But reading it from the beginning calmed him down, and just the thought of you made him finally able to fall asleep.

Bright and early the next morning, he and Bob were both dressing in their flight suits. They walked to breakfast together and ate with Nat. Then the three of them made their way out onto the tarmac. But instead of being part of the main bustle of action, Bradley saluted his friends and stood next to his aircraft with his helmet on.

The weather looked good, and the comanche was reporting back that everything looked clear. But just before the four aircrafts were due to take off, Admiral Dean made a surprising announcement over the comms.

"Initiate the backup plan! Option B! Strike the military base first and then head back around to the communications tower. Follow the flight plan for Option B. Please respond that you understand in order."

Bradley climbed the ladder into his F/A-18 as he listened to Nat respond, saying that she copied Dean's orders. This was not a good sign that the plan was changing on the fly. There were probably loads of enemy aircrafts already airborne if such a drastic decision was being made, and Bradley automatically switched to the updated flightpath in his mind, even though he wouldn't be flying it. But being able to envision what was going on might help keep him calm.

He got himself strapped in and ran his thumb along his silicone wedding band before sliding his hands into his gloves. And then he waited. He watched intently and listened over the comms, and when it was his turn, he said, "Rooster. Spare. Standing by."

The carrier was outrageously far out in the ocean right now. Nearly five hundred miles away from the coastline. And as he watched Nat and Bob launch from the deck, he kept his eyes on them as they faded into the late morning sunlight. It would be about thirty minutes until they were flying over land, and another five minutes more until they reached the military base.

So he would have to sit here and wait for nearly an hour and a goddamn half while worrying about his friends and having an existential crisis about his career before they all returned and he could get changed out of his flight suit.

"Unbelievable," he muttered to himself as he listened to the others over the comms. Slayer had been named team leader, and right now he was trying to boss Nat around. She wasn't having it though, and Bradley smiled as he listened in.

But a few minutes later, he heard the radar tech from the comanche give a heads up that there were some enemy aircraft nearby. And then Slayer said, "Everyone else stay on course, I'll switch to tack northwest and hit the communications tower first."

Bradley lurched fully upright in his cockpit. He must have heard incorrectly. No way Slayer would deviate from the plans like that. But Bradley could hear Nat's panicked voice saying, "You won't have our laser guide! And we won't have your missiles! Stay on course, Slayer!"

"I'm the leader, Phoenix. You stay on course. I'll loop back around. It will be fine."

There was so much commotion all of a sudden, Bradley could only hear a jumble of voices inside his helmet. He did some quick math, visualizing the terrain maps he'd had memorized for nearly two months. Five hundred miles out. Five hundred back. They weren't flying at maximum speed, but they were still burning fuel fast, hauling almost two dozen missiles. There was absolutely no way Slayer would make it back to the carrier if he tried to switch course now and rendezvous with the others at the military base. He'd run out of fuel halfway back to the aircraft carrier.

"Stay on course!" Admiral Dean demanded loudly. "Everyone stay on course!"

But Slayer was already gone. And now the comanche radar tech was reporting four more enemy fighters in the vicinity of the military base. Bradley pounded his fist on the side of his seat. Nat and Bob were completely fucking screwed. And so were Charmer, Mack and Terror. Unless all six aviators were working in unison, this was going to result in a tragedy.

"Come on, come on," Bradley chanted under his breath, his fingers already twitching along his control panels. He thought about his friends whose handful of missiles would only get them so far before they were dead without cover. And he thought about you, but then again you were never far from his mind. His perfect wife. The main reason he did anything.

Finally his thoughts settled on the fact that he'd left his wedding band at home with you, and he felt calm knowing that you'd always wear it on your chain.

"Send the spare." His Super Hornet was being towed to the catapult.

-------------------------------

It was a weird, stormy evening. There were clouds rolling in from the ocean, and although you could see a lot of lightning and hear thunder, it hadn't started raining yet. So you put on Bradley's sweatshirt and clipped Tramp's leash onto his collar, running your fingers along the tags your husband had gotten engraved for him.

"Yeah, you're spoiled," you told the dog as you pocketed some treats for him. Then the two of you ventured outside and along the blocks that would take you to the beach. The wind was blowing harder down here, whipping the sand and dune grass around. But the beach was completely deserted, and the storm looked intoxicating.

As you walked along the water's edge, your flip flops and sweatpants got soaked. Tramp kept pausing to look out into the ocean, and you said, "Daddy's out there. Somewhere." You weren't sure exactly when the mission was being flown. It could have already been completed. You had enough clearance at work to be able to find out for sure, but if Bradley caught wind of that kind of behavior, he would have a fit. You knew he didn't want you worrying about him.

Tramp whimpered and started barking, and then the clouds rolled in faster. A loud crack of thunder had you running back up the beach with Tramp right next to you. By the time you ran up past the dunes, the sky opened up. You turned back to look at the ocean one last time before hard raindrops started pelting your exposed skin. It was almost painful, and it was hard to keep your eyes open as you made your way back to the pretty craftsman.

You stood on the covered porch, looking down at your sandy, drenched dog and laughing. "Come here," you said before scooping him up and carrying him right into the bathroom, leaving a sandy trail along the way.

If Bradley were here, he would take Tramp off your hands and clean him up as you soaked in the tub yourself. But for now, you'd do everything. He'd be back soon. You would take the time to fix things soon.

--------------------------

Once Bradley was in the air, the clock was ticking down the minutes until he could see land and locate the others. He'd been given permission to hit mach 1.8. Actually, he'd been given permission to do whatever was necessary. "Spare inbound. Land sighted," he said, easing back on the throttle a bit as he banked along the mountain range and dipped past the river that would lead him to the recently destroyed military base.

Slayer had managed to destroy the communications tower as part of the solo mission he decided to go on, but at what cost? He got so far off course from the others, and backtracking would have eaten so much fuel. Bradley listened as he was called back to the carrier where he would be safe while everyone else was now in danger.

Bradley was getting closer now as he listened to what was going on and tried to visualize it.

"Tally, tally! On your nose, Phoenix!"

"Deploying flares!"

"Incoming at twelve o'clock!"

"I can't shake them, Charmer!"

"I'm out of missiles and flares! Switching to guns!"

"We took a hit!"

He would know Nat's voice anywhere, but hearing her say that she and Bob had been hit had Bradley flying way faster than he should have been this close to the river embankment. But one more cut through the mountains, and the aircrafts were in sight. And it was the worst kind of dog fight.

The air was a mess of flares as Bradley immediately spotted missiles being launched at Charmer. And he knew Charmer said he was out of defensive aids.

"Tally, tally!" Bradley called out. "Bandit on your nose, Terror!" Then he laid down a cover of flares for Charmer as the other pilot eliminated one enemy with his guns. "Phoenix! Bob! How bad is it?" Bradley asked, deftly launching a missile and watching it collide with the wing of the jet that was headed for Terror. The enemy pilot ejected, but there was no point in pursuit. Not on a rescue mission.

"We're leaking fuel," Bob shouted, and Bradley could actually hear all of the alarms going off in their Super Hornet through the comms. "Rapidly." Then Phoenix dodged past Charmer and shot down another enemy jet. "And we're out of ammo," Bob added.

"Head back, I'll lay down cover for you," Bradley told them. "Go!" There were still two Bandits, but his friends would never make it back anywhere near the carrier if they delayed leaving. He could smell the jet fuel as it permeated the air around him, and he just knew what a hazard that was. He prayed nothing would cause an explosion at this point.

"Out of ammo now," Charmer reported, and now Bradley was starting to panic. But then he saw the opening they needed.

"Terror! Follow my lead!" The remaining Bandits saw how vulnerable Nat and Bob were and started to pursue them, so Bradley circled back to get their attention on him.

"I'm almost out of ammo!" Terror responded, getting into position.

"Then don't miss." Bradley fired his last missile at the first one and then joined Terror and Mack in shooting down the other one.

"That's splash six!" Charmer announced.

"Is that everyone?" Terror asked.

"Affirmative. That's everyone," Mack confirmed.

"I want everyone back on this carrier, now!" Dean nearly shouted through the comms, and Bradley rolled his eyes. "Phoenix, land first, if you can even get here!"

Then thankfully he eventually heard Nat say, "We're limping in slowly now. It's gonna be close."

What a fucking nightmare this had turned out to be. As Bradley flew cleanup, since he was the only one with bullets and flares left, he kept his head on a swivel. "Comanche? Incoming?"

"Negative. Picture looks clean."

"And an ETA for Phoenix and Bob?" he asked as he followed Charmer and Terror out over the water.

"Seven minutes."

Bradley swore he didn't breathe and barely moved as he flew further away from the coastline. He didn't dare think about anything except the passing clouds overhead and the sound of his own heart beating. He didn't utter another word until he heard Nat say, "Coming in hot! Banking toward the tower. Full engine failure, no fuel to the feedline. Tailhook extended and hoping for the best."

"Come on, Nat." Bradley still couldn't see anything up ahead, but when the tower announced that Phoenix and Bob were safely on deck, he finally let out the breath he had been holding.

When he was able to circle the carrier and see it for himself, Bradley loosened his death grip on the throttle. And when he landed cleanly, that signaled that everyone was back on deck. The crews came to help him unload, and as soon as his boots left the last rung on the ladder, Nat was tossing her helmet aside and reaching for him.

"Thank you," she whispered against his shoulder.

Years of trust and friendship had him clinging to her. "It should have been me up there with you two the whole time."

"I know. That was so fucked, Rooster."

And then Bob was there as well, looking more flustered than Bradley had seen him all deployment long. But then Bradley pushed past both of them and tossed his own helmet, shouting "What the hell, Slayer!"

But Slayer barely acknowledged him as he walked toward the tower looking like he was headed for the gallows. Bradley stood there, drenched in sweat and reeking of jet fuel, and watched the other aviator as a red faced Admiral Dean appeared on deck and started yelling. It didn't matter. It didn't matter that Slayer fucked everything up or that Bradley saved the day. The only thing that counted now was getting home to you.

-----------------------------

Friday morning seemed to stretch on for an eternity. You didn't have a specific time to expect Bradley to unload from the carrier, so you decided to go to work until you heard from him. When Bickel called you in for a progress meeting on all of the lab projects, you hauled a stack of folders in with you. And that's when you fully realized that over several years of working with him, he had made you his number two. He always wanted your opinion the most.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as you set everything down on his desk and took a seat. He met your eyes, and he was expecting an honest answer, but you knew he wouldn't give you a hard time.

"Better. Bradley is coming home today," you told him. "Thanks again." But he just waved you off like it was no big deal and opened up the top folder on the stack.

Later when you went down to eat lunch, you got cornered by Jake. "Come sit with me."

You just smirked as you grabbed a fistful of tiny packets of hot sauce. "Don't you want to sit with Cat?"

"No, I want to sit with you. Rooster comes back today, and I'll never see you again," he replied. "I know you're struggling, but the two of you will be disgusting again soon."

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath. You were nervous. It had been building up all week. Part of you just wanted to get this over with and work things out, and part of you wanted to bask in Bradley's words as he told you how much he missed and loved you. If he told you those things.

"I miss being disgusting," you told Jake as you followed him to a table. "But I still want to have a baby." You felt tears in your eyes as you sat down, and Jake met your gaze. "I'm anxious that Bradley is going to talk about my cycle and want to know when I'm ovulating. It's bad enough that I know I'm ovulating right now, you know? I don't want him thinking about it, too. And, fuck, I'm sorry Jake."

"Hey, no," he said, reaching across the table and squeezing your hand. "I love that you want to talk to me about stuff. But just dump your hot sauce all over your lunch and take a deep breath. Let Bradley get home and prove to you that he wants to fix things as much as you do. Give him a chance, Angel."

But your nerves carried through lunch. And now you were scared that your husband wouldn't greet you the way he always did. You were afraid that you were just a fragile, broken thing in his eyes, and there would be some sort of undertone of rejection even though the two of you said you were on the same page over facetime.

As you walked back to your office, your phone vibrated with a text, and you already knew it was him without even looking. Your heart started pounding, knowing what you needed but unsure if you were going to get it.

Bradley Rooster Bradshaw <3 <3 <3: I have phone reception! I can see the dock! I should be off this thing around four or five. Think you can skip out of work a little early and meet me? I missed you so much.

No turning back now. A smile actually broke out on your face. There would be no time to run home and change, but it didn't matter. You had missed him, too.

I'll be there. Of course I'll be there.

When you mentioned to Bickel that you were going to leave two hours early, he told you to have a nice weekend. And when Cat saw you packing up your computer at 3:30, she walked over and gave you a little hug.

"Don't be nervous."

You tried to act cool. "I'm not."

"I can tell you are. Just enjoy your weekend with your husband. I'll stay late if need be and finish the coding."

"Thanks," you muttered. You and she never explicitly talked about the fact that you were jealous that she had tiny Jeremiah in her life, but you knew she knew. And you were okay with that.

As you jogged out to the Bronco in the parking garage, you found you were only thinking about one thing: how good it felt every time Bradley wrapped his strong arms around you and held you against his warm body.

"Shit," you gasped, fumbling the key in the ignition. You needed that. That was it. "Fuck." You could barely start the engine, but when you finally did, you pulled quickly out of the parking space and headed the half mile or so around base toward the military docks. When you drove through the gates and parked again, you could see khaki uniforms pouring down the ramps and onto the dock.

"Oh no." You were out of the Bronco and running, scrambling for your phone. But as you got closer to the ramp, you spotted Bradley. He was so easy to pick out of a crowd. Tall and broad and impossibly handsome with his duffle bag slung over his shoulder. His head was on a swivel, probably wondering if you were here yet.

And then you froze up. Every feeling hit you all at once as he stepped down onto the dock, boots back on California soil for the first time in almost two months. He looked to his left and then to his right, searching for you, and you could tell he was about to reach for his phone as his hand dipped down toward his pocket. But then he saw you. And that was when you realized that he had the same look of apprehension on his face that you must have had on yours.

It was so noisy, and there were hundreds of people on all sides of you, but you could see him mouth, "Baby Girl," before his lips formed into a smile that had your feet rushing forward. Bradley was actually shoving people out of his way now which had you laughing. And when you realized you weren't so nervous anymore, tears started to fill your eyes.

"Baby Girl!" he called out, and a second later, you were in those strong, sure arms that you loved so much.

"Bradley." But the sound of his name was muffled as he kissed you, holding you so close to him that only your toes touched the ground as you wrapped your arms around his neck. You smiled against him as he shook his bag free and let it drop to the ground next to him, but he didn't break the kiss.

Every voice around you and the warm sunshine melted into a dreamlike quality. You wanted to stay here in his arms where you finally felt comfortable. There was a lot to say, and you'd get to it eventually, but the feel of his big hands and his mustache were so familiar that you felt more confident again.

When he finally broke the kiss, Bradley pressed his forehead to yours and kept one big hand at the back of your neck, stroking your skin softly as you shuddered in his arms. "I love you," he promised, voice full of desperation like he was begging you to listen. "I just needed to be with you."

You closed your eyes against your tears and whispered, "I love you, Roo."

Then his rough fingers were moving slowly along the back of your neck, his other hand coming up to work at the clasp of your necklace. You smiled when you realized what he was doing. Bradley removed your necklace but kept his body pressed against yours and he carefully palmed your gold charms.

"Been dying to put this back on since I took it off." He kissed your cheek and then slid his wedding band along the chain before carefully clasping your necklace in place again. Then he quickly removed the silicone ring and pocketed it before slipping his gold band into place. "It just didn't feel right. It's not the one we got married with."

And then his arms were wrapped around your waist, and you let your cheek come to rest on his chest. You didn't want to be the first one to say it, but you thought one of you should. About how much you wanted to fix things. About making things work. "Bradley."

But you shouldn't have been worried. He kissed the top of your head, his grip on you unrelenting as so many of the other officers and crew members around you were starting to clear out. "I promise you that you're everything I want. And I'll make sure you know it."

So you nodded and melted into his touch. And it was quite a while later before you moved, but you could hear Bradley's stomach growling which made you smile. "I have some Marry Me Rooster in our fridge that just needs to be reheated."

He peppered your face with kisses until you were laughing. "Let's go home," he whispered. "Wanna see Tramp and snuggle you on my lap while we eat."

After Bradley had you safely buckled in the passenger seat, he started the engine, and you could tell he missed his Bronco too. He held your hand on the short drive home, and you filled him in on a few things. When he parked in the driveway and helped you out, you asked, "How was your deployment? I didn't even get to see Bob and Nat."

He kissed you softly as you unlocked the front door. "I'll tell you later. It's not as important as this. As being with you."

Your heart swelled as Tramp tried to jump up into Bradley's arms. "Missed you, too," Bradley told him, kneeling and scratching him behind his ears while the dog kicked his other hand. "Were you a good boy?"

"Of course he was. The best." You squeaked as Bradley scooped you up for a piggy back ride as he stood, and he carried you to the laundry room with Tramp jumping around behind you. "What are you doing?" you asked, kissing Bradley's ear as you held onto his shoulders.

"Just want to get out of my uniform before we eat."

When he set you down and turned, you carefully unbuttoned his shirt and started working on his pins. His hands settled on your waist, stroking you through the fabric of your own khaki uniform shirt. And his eyes were soft. And he wasn't in a rush, except maybe to get dinner. And he wasn't asking about your cycle. And he didn't seem interested in doing anything at this moment except working on your pins and lining them up in the tray near the sink along with his.

"I missed doing this," you whispered, and then his lips found yours again. And it was a few minutes before Bradley let go of you long enough for both of you to finish getting undressed and put your uniforms into the washing machine.

"Let me put on some sweatpants, and I'll help you reheat dinner," he said, hoisting you up for another piggy back ride that had you laughing.

"Sounds good, Roo."

He bent to pick up his duffle on the way to the bedroom, and you helped him empty and sort everything onto your bed. When you dipped your hand inside the bag, you pulled out some neatly folded undershirts and a beat up notebook. You flipped open to the first page while Bradley sat on the floor to play with Tramp.

Baby Girl, when I think about you, I think about the rest of my life spread out in front of me. And it's not exactly like a map, because I don't know where we are going or where we will end up. But I feel safe when I'm with you. Even though so much is unknown.

You carefully closed the notebook and pressed your lips together, unsure if you were supposed to read that. "Roo?" you asked quietly, and Bradley looked up at you as you showed him the notebook. "What is this?"

----------------------------

He's home! Finally! And Slayer is hopefully completely screwed. Thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 14

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veintrry · 6 months

Text

HAUNTING SOUNDS

an: I have four other Halloween fics and this is the one i rolled with. can u tell I got tired at the end. (ifyk the ac feel free to comment!)

tagz: 3k. casual at the beginning, smut, minor degradation, fingering, brief mentions of groping, creampie, scaramouche was forced to volunteer

A trip to a haunted mansion leaves you abandoned within the eerie isolated rooms of the vacant home till a familiar face decides to make the chilling night grow in warmth.

Wooden boards creak beneath your feet and each step you take towards the darkened path before you is a risk of being taken by surprise. You and a couple of your friends had chosen to visit a haunted house. It was your first time, and you'd never been to one before, so why not?

However, you were left abandoned after everyone split up due to a panic. You decided it wasn't worth calling their names when you could meet them outside...when you get out of here that is.

You had stumbled onto a narrow hallway, one with many doors all of which are vandalised or partially ajar. There was no reason to peek, you'd be met with webs and a void. Continuing to progress, you held your phone for light. The sounds outside of people had long vanished and you were left with the sound of your own breaths, the house, and whatever else was there with you.

A creak cuts through the tense air. You still. Tempted to look behind you, around you, yet your body is frozen. You swallow your nerves, hoping that maybe you had misheard or maybe it was just one of your friends who is nearby, but the noises don't stop as you had wished, they seem to be actively doing the opposite.

A whisper here, a squeak there. It felt like your mind was being toyed with and your breaths were growing heavier- A deafening crash came from behind you, something like shattering glass, a vase? You peer over your shoulder, squinting your eyes in an attempt to see if there was a figure in the spotted dark.

A row of footsteps resound, thunderous and agile… Yet, it wasn't coming from behind you. The sooner the realisation sunk in and you turned your head forward you were met with piercing stormy violet irises, lit up with thrill and conniving mischief as hands grab at you.

Not a sound leaves me and yet the prior anticipation has piled atop you, and you frantically push him away with a gasp as you stumble back, feeling your heart beating out of your chest. Your legs feel weakened and the space between the two of you grows. Blinking, he only gets closer, till… Wait. "Scaramouche?"

"You're really easy to scare, aren't you?" A smirk was plastered on his dark wine lips, some 'blood' leaking from the corners. You can practically see how glad he is to have humiliated you like that, even if he was the only one to see it.

"Shut up, I didn't know you'd do that." You retort weakly, although evidently more relaxed compared to prior now that there was someone you knew here.

In turn, he raises a brow at you, hand on his hip as he looks at you as though you're the biggest moron he knows. And in his opinion you might be. "It's a haunted house. What do you expect?" You can only remain silent. Though, you use this to take in his appearance. With a ragged cloth draped around his neck, filled with holes and tattered at the bottom.

He still somehow maintains his ability to stylise his clothing with black button up, decorated with a brooch that reads 'Haunted House Staff'. Unexpected…. A violet necktie is knotted tightly and securely, though he seemed to disregard his flimsy collars. Rustles dressed the wrists and torso of his attire, and it's hard to not tell what's happening here.

Your eyes linger down… This guy still wore shorts even in October… At least he had sole knee stockings on, though, I'm not sure how historically correct that is for vampyres.

"Are you going to keep staring?" His tone was harsh and seemingly annoyed. Well, he likely thought being put in a somewhat prissy outfit is agitating. Actually, "How'd they get you to do this?"

You are met with a stone cold face and apparent distaste. "Don't ask." And maybe that's for the better sake of both your conscience. "So, what, are you gonna stand there all night?"

"Why did you even come here alone, are you stupid or something?" That man could not hold his tongue if he had a gun to his head. He seemed like he already wanted you gone, hell, if you asked maybe he'd show you the path out himself. Then again, that's just how he sounds most times: Uninterested and aloof. The vampire sthick makes sense now.

Approaching him to a more comfortable distance, you angle your phone so the light is revealing to you both. "I didn't come here alone, moron. I'm not that lonely." You swear you hear him mutter under his breath, 'could've fooled me', but you decide to ignore it, for the spirit of Halloween.

"Either way, I lost the others so I was roaming around on my own." This seems to capture his attention and his head perks up with an all too familiar grin. He wasn't one to be so blatant but it was like even he was elated by whatever scheme came into mind. "So you're alone,"

He inches closer, leaning into you with darkened indigo irises and you swear his pupils expand at the idea. "All alone?" A hum leaves his throat and he pulls back. His smile cools and his arms cross over his torso.

"Stay with me."

Opening your mouth to ask why he'd even offer, especially because he is part of the staff, you don't think it'd make sense to have someone of the crew help a participant. And to add onto that, it was strange for him to put it on the table in the first place. "I'm only keeping you company." He interrupts, "You'd get too scared by yourself. That much is clear." You wanted to argue otherwise, but you held your tongue and swallowed your retort. It was better to have company than nothing.

Turning on his heel, he walks off crossed arms and takes casual strides in his raven black platforms, expecting you to follow behind him, so you do. "How long ago did you lose each other?" Scaramouche asks, gaze straight ahead unlike your wandering ones, inspecting the scene you travel through. "A while ago. I thought I'd just get out and meet them that way."

"Why not call?" He suggested, peering over his shoulder back to you. "Didn't think it would be this hard to get out." A chuckle leaves his throat but the small lifted corners of his lips quickly disappear as he halts. "They must be far." He begins, tone laced with a certain ominous vine and you wonder what misconduct he was plotting. "Yeah… What of it?"

His body faces your direction and you can see him bite on the inside of his bottom lip, almost appeased at the perfection of this outcome. "I haven't gotten a break in well over three hours." The dark-haired man mentions, stepping towards you. "I'm hungry." Raising a hand to his face, he swipes off the paint along his chin, smudging it along his porcelain skin.

Those unforgettable amethyst eyes glaze over the crimson that tints his fingertips before meeting your irises in an almost enrapturing look, as though he intended to take your soul.

"I prefer the real thing…"

With sudden movements you watch him come closer to you, yet before you can process it you feel how one of his palms rests against your waist, another on your upper back as the gentle yet prominent sensation of his teeth meeting with the skin of your neck makes itself known, not only in feeling but with a mark.

This takes you by surprise. You cling an arm to his tricep, as if to ensure that he wasn't just losing it. Maybe he got so bored he went crazy. Though, the shove he acts on proves otherwise as he holds you against the wall, the ceiling above decorated in webs and fake bats.

His tongue licks at your skin, as if to seal the mark he left, but he doesn't end there, trailing kisses up to your jawline. "Scaramouche-" You interrupt, voice filled with an amount of confusion and something else.

"Don't think too deeply about it. I just need something to cure my boredom." He muttered, answering your unspoken question. Nibbling along the skin of your jaw, he takes in your scent whilst his fingers stroke your skin through the fabric of your clothes.

"We have all the time. I have so much I want to do to you…"

It becomes crystal clear that he has not been joking nor underselling what he meant when he voiced those thoughts. His almond-shaped nails can be felt digging into your skin, his hold ok you growing stronger. "I'm going to ruin you." Delight permeates his tone, his lips moving closer to your ear and his tongue pokes out, swiping at your lobe before chewing on it, his face plastered with the smile of a predator toying with their next meal.

"Won't someone come?" You make no attempts to push him away, only looking at the blackened hallway. A mocking laugh leaves him like you had asked something naive. "No one's gonna pass by, unless you want me to fuck you in a room you can't even see in?"

The risk was high but you'd rather not enter one of those rooms only filled with decor and piles of ruined furniture and books. He takes your silence as your answer, "That's what I thought."

"Just relax, I got you."

A firm hold was on your body, his warmth growing more and more apparent against you. Placing a hand on the side of your face, he revolves your head away from him, granting more skin for him to feast on. Shivers run up your back as you feel his hot breaths meeting the skin of your neck, his sharp canines grazing you before he digs in with a relieved moan.

The hand on your back doesn't remain still for long, his nails scratching down the centre of your back till they reach your thighs. Squeezing the mould of flesh possessively till crescent marks taint your beautiful skin. He continues to kiss your body as if he was praising someone superior to himself, a being above his reach.

His palm massages the skin of your legs, moving inwards as he hums. You swallow thickly, feeling the raspy vibrations against you.

Letting your hands find home at his nape, you bring him closer to you, his bites growing rougher and more painful, feral like an unstoppable force of hunger and yet, it only serves to fuels the growing heat inside of you that makes you roll your hips against him, pleading for him to proceed faster. "Stop wasting time…" You complain, but he only snickers in return. His digits reach your underwear, tracing the patterns of the design before giving you what you've been waiting for and rubbing your clit slowly through the fabric, tormenting you for his own amusement. "Be patient," He reprimands hoarsely, "I'll fill you up when I want to."

A whimper leaves you and you push your body to meet his fingers repeatedly. Still, you need more than that, you need to feel all of him. Your hands trail down all of you till a finger hooks onto the side of your panties, yanking them off in one swoop, eagerness prominent in your moves. There's no hiding the amusement in his eyes, it's as if he's pleased with your actions.

You don't need to tell him again what you want for him to start touching you again, this time his pace growing faster, more than you even wanted.

Leaning into you, he captures your lips with his, biting on your bottom lip before taking you in as though he wants to taste every inner part of you, memorising it like the back of his hand. Sliding your tongue along his swollen bottom lip, he guides you into his burning mouth, pressing himself against you and forcing your back to the wall as he lets you feel the strength of his body.

He was starting to grow impatient himself and his actions revealed that as his free hand slipped under your clothing with ease, groping at your chest, touching the supple softness of your breasts and pinching your nipples in between his fingers. God, how he wanted to shove his dick in-between them and cum on your pretty face.

The growing hardness was making itself more evident and you can feel his skin meeting your abdomen. Metal resounds as you unzip his shorts, sliding them off partially, just enough to slip your hand inside and palm him through his pre-cum stained thin boxers.

A whine leaves his throat and if divinity existed you were certain you had just heard what it must be like.

Taking out his cock from the confines of his boxers, you feel up and down his length rapidly as though memorising each vein beneath his skin. Your thumb traced the slit of his tip again and again, causing his kisses to grow sloppier into wet tongue kisses as he merely desires to feel you.

Forehead-to-forehead, his crimson stained lips separate from yours, remaining parted as he groans with every move that you make, practically paralysing him under your touch. You could feel him inching closer to your entrance and when his finger enters you, you nearly melt in glee. He pumps up into you with growing speeds, adding another digit as he stretches you out for his cock.

"I'm going to make sure you never forget me."

Scaramouche promises, hand wrapping firmly around his dick as it throbs in anticipation to be embraced by you. Lining himself up with your entrance, it was the furthest thing from gentle. Snapping his hips up into you sharply, making you gasp at both the force and the rapid size you had yet to come accustomed to.

Still, he wasn't completely inconsiderate, even if you did feel him throb at the sight of your surprised face. Coming off slowly, he goes in and out of you so kindly you'd think it was an apology for being so rough prior. Though, the sweetness doesn't last as he begins to thrust with intent similar to that of a madman. He didn't know if he was fucking you to the beat of his heart or the other way around. Something was certain though, Scaramouche wanted to ensure you were going to leave stained with his cum, your body holding his essence inside of you. He was going to make sure you needed his help to carry you out of here.

The noise of flesh meeting flesh echoes along the empty halls, the grunts and pleas that leave your throat only echo back to you, like some form of humiliation. You feel your mind slowly lose thought as your body aches in a numbing pleasure. Your moans are choked as breaths get stuck in your throat and you meet his merciless shoves, but the deeper he goes the weaker you grow. Strangely, you wanted it. You wanted to be rendered useless by him. "Deeper- Ah…Go deeper." You murmur, your temple rested against his shoulder, kissing at his collarbone and leaving marks and lipstick traces in its wake.

When he discovered the spot that would make you break, he did not hide or cover up his abuse as his tip kisses your insides frantically in perfect recreation again and again. His palms wrap around your thighs, hoisting you upwards against the dark weakened wooden wall, assaulting your skin like he needed to know how each part of you feels. "You're mine… You hear that? mmn.. You belong to me." The way he pumped through you was like he only had one goal and that's to use you as his toy, getting himself off with your body. "Yours… I'm yours to fill."

He could feel his body beginning to reach its limits and the whimpers he tried to suppress only grew till he couldn't hold them back. The mewls he let out were so soft and vulnerable you'd think it impossible to be coming from someone as cold and ruthless as him.

Only focused on shoving in and out of you, he relishes in his love for how tightly you wrap around him like he is your saviour, what you desire to not leave you. It feels so good he might cum just from the idea that you crave him so. "Haah… You're such a whore. You like when I fuck you like this?" He spits out with venom, though there's no hiding how much he likes being balls deep inside of you, with both your clothes clinging to your sweat-ridden skin.

Scaramouche can feel the knots inside of him threatening to come undone, pushing him to the edge. Not once do his tantalising amethyst eyes part from yours, and for once they looked to hold something comforting within them, appearing warmer.

Maintaining his speed, his muscles tense, hardening when a string of cum shoots out of him with a loud moan that morphs into an almost weakened joyful whimper. His seed fills you to the brim and you bite into his shoulder, attempting to stifle the sound of your moan as your eyes roll back. Scaramouche continues to fuck you as you reach your high, clamping tighter around him and milking him of anything left he has whilst your cum surrounds him in this encompassing sensation of unmatchable heat he would not find elsewhere.

The both of you breathe heavily, exchanging oxygen with your bodies still pressed together like they're glued to one another, and to some part you were with how he seemed to be avoiding pulling out. Your cum mixes together, leaking out of you and down the length of his cock.

Reluctantly, Scaramouche pulls out of you and resists nearly shoving himself back in the moment he loses your warmth. His fingers swipe up the leaking juices, bringing them to your sweet lips. "Open." He orders firmly and when your pretty lips do as such, he shoves his fingers into your mouth and makes you suck on them, your tongue swirling around and in-between his fingers as you taste the saltiness of your mixture.

There's a smirk stuck onto his lips and he doesn't mind the idea of spending another Halloween like this.

#i wrote this on halloween night #its now november 1st #its 1am help #can he suck my blood lol #scaramouche #scaramouche x reader #scara x reader #genshin scara #scaramouche smut #wanderer #wanderer x reader #wanderer smut #wanderer genshin #kunikuzushi #genshin kunikuzushi #kunikuzushi x reader #kunikuzushi smut #genshin impact

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sweetandscarlet · 1 year

Text

unrequited love | pt 3

notes: after much waited anticipation, the 3rd part is finally here 🤠 enjoy lovelies <3 pt 1 & 2 if you haven’t read them :)

warnings: 18+, smut, stepmom!wanda, stepdaughter!reader, age gap, mommy kink, mentions of masturbation, reader having major mommy issues, slight fluff/angst, cunnulingus, strap on use, fingering, hair pulling, dirty talk, degradation, blow jobs. minors DNI!

words: 6.6k

to say the past few days had been intense was an understatement.

ever since your dad came home earlier than expected, you and wanda had become slightly estranged. the distance made your heart clench with worry and neglect, but, if you were being dramatically honest with yourself, you knew deep down the reason was that it had probably thrown wanda a little bit (or maybe a lot) to see him, given the circumstances you two were in.

albeit, scarcely hurt, you tried not to take it to heart too much. instead, you hurled yourself into uni work as a distraction. anything to take your mind off of the fact that you and wanda were mere seconds away from teetering over the edge and crossing a boundary that you could never undo.

"darling! what're you doing home so early?" wanda called out, still frozen in place on the staircase. her body reluctant to turn around and descend back down to greet her husband.

she watched as you silently stepped out of the doorway and into the hallway, and as much as it hurt to see the look of disappointment and panic written all over your face, she was just relieved that you hadn't actually done anything. the redhead could never live with herself if you had both been caught in her husbands and hers shared bed.

"i'm so sorry, detka" the sokovian whispered, her hand reaching out just a few inches before deciding she should just leave it and go welcome her husband as a good wife should. "we'll talk later, just- let me handle this"

you in fact did not talk later. ever since your father returned, wanda hadn't had a minute to herself, let alone any time to speak about what you both did, or almost did. she now had to return to her role of the attentive wife and cater to his needs, not her own.

but, to say you were an impatient person, in your opinion; you were dealing with the situation pretty well. after practically flinging yourself into uni work and even asking your professor if they had anything extra you could work on, you decided it would probably be best if you went for a walk to clear your head.

so that is exactly what you did, you showered, got dressed and headed downstairs. you didn't bother telling anyone where you were going, instead just opting to leave out of the front door and tell your father and wanda where you had been when you would inevitably see them at dinner time.

after around twenty minutes of mindless strolling around the block and eventually settling on a park bench, you felt a buzz in your back pocket.

guilt fluttered in your chest at the thought of it being kate, knowing full well you had hardly spoken to her the past couple of days and that she was probably messaging you, understandably worried at the space between you two.

when you pulled your phone out of your jean pocket, your heart did backflips as you looked at the screen.

wanda: hey, where did you go? are you okay?

you chewed on your bottom lip upon reading the message. how on earth could you respond to that? of course you aren't okay, you were upset and riddled with shame and treachery. you had done the one thing you had forced yourself to never act on. months of battling with a part of your brain that told you to just go for it, even if it would change the trajectory of your life. all for it to change in the blink of an eye.

you: hey, i'm just on a walk. i'm fine, how are you?

you shouldn't lie, you should just be honest, but the nagging feeling of not doing that over text lingered greatly in your mind.

you: actually, i'm not. can we talk? i miss you.

wanda: i'm sorry this is happening. i miss you too, come home, malysh. let's talk.

butterflies fluttered deep in your chest, eventually making their way to your stomach and settling there. i miss you too.

you instantly rushed a reply that you would be back soon before shoving your phone into the pocket it resided in and walking out of the park, and back to your house. every single feeling you could possibly feel hit you as you walked. questions running through your mind like an emotional marathon about how the conversation would go between you two.

ᗢ

"wanda?" you called out, closing your front door behind you as you stepped into the house. as you kicked your shoes off, a tired and almost dishevelled redhead walked through the kitchen door, letting it swing behind her before coming to a halt.

wanda stepped closer to you, a small smile on her lips seemingly growing as you came closer into her view before eventually, she closed the gap and your bodies were pressed together; perfectly might you add.

before you could ask what she was doing, wanda's hand snaked around the back of your neck and pulled you in for a kiss. you could feel the want and desperation radiate into it as you kissed her back, your hands falling to her hips and tugging her impossibly closer to you.

when you both pulled away to breathe, wanda's hand trailed from your neck, cupping one of your now-flushed cheeks. "you have no idea how badly i've wanted to do that these past few days"

your mind reeled at that, knowing that she wanted you just as much as you did. "me too," you breathed out, your chest rising and falling as you spoke. "i couldn't even touch myself at night because all i wanted were your hands on me"

"fuck, i-" the sokovian choked out, the grip on your cheek hardening slightly at the thought. "you can't say things like that"

"it’s true," you feigned a pout, your hands on her hips moving down to cup her ass through her jeans. "you left me dripping wet the other day and even then i couldn't do anything about it"

wanda trapped her bottom lip between her teeth to suppress a moan at your words. "you're a fucking tease, you know that?" your attempt to bite back a grin failed and wanda's eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "and you're also lucky i’m not going to slap that smirk off of your face right now, now come on, i made you a snack and then you and i are going to talk as promised"

you nodded, whispering a thank you as you pushed the gnawing ache for wanda into the back of your mind. you followed her through the swinging door and into the kitchen, your steps behind her small as you followed her like a puppy.

"how have you been?" you asked meekly, pulling one of the dining table chairs back to sit on it. "did you sleep well last night?"

wanda hummed in thought for a moment, her attention focused on the countertop on which two plates rested. you smiled as she turned around, your sight landing on the food that was perfectly prepared and smelled utterly sensational. it truly amazed you how good of a cook she was.

"i've been okay, albeit slightly whiplashed to see your father coming home that night" wanda confessed, before setting down the plates in front of you and then in front of where wanda would be sitting. "do you want juice?"

"um, sure! thank you" you reach a tender hand out, running your fingers down the arm of her sweater. "i wish that didn't happen, but i guess the silver lining is he didn't catch us on the sofa"

the redhead's eyes trail down to where your hand resided on her arm, wanting so desperately for the material to be out of the way and to feel your hands on her skin once more. "i guess you're right, that would be a hard one to explain"

a chuckle escapes your lips, watching as wanda moves away from your touch and over to the refrigerator to pull out the jug of juice before stepping over to one of the cupboards to pull out two glasses.

"do you regret it?"

the question had been lingering on the tip of your tongue ever since you woke up the morning after. you wouldn't admit it but it ate away at you bit by bit the more the days passed, all you wanted to know now was where you stood with the older woman.

wanda remained facing away from you, her hand shifting to rest on the countertop in front of her. you listen as a shaky exhale leaves her plump lips, the sound making anticipation bob in the middle of your throat. she didn't regret it, right?

"i don't, malysh," she spoke aloud, thick red locks and her back were still all you could see. "i never will"

"then why can't you say that while you look at me?"

wanda picks up the glasses from the counter before slowly turning to face you. your heart skipped a beat as you watch her nervously chew at her bottom lip. you don't think you've ever seen this woman nervous, always keeping her emotions at bay and never wearing her heart on her sleeve.

"we're both with someone, y/n. god, i'm married and you're-"

"in an unhappy relationship, which is clearly how you feel or you wouldn't have reciprocated"

wanda sighs, stepping towards the table before positioning the glasses in front of your selected seats.

"i know, i know. it's just- it's a lot more complicated for me, i made a vow and i just hate myself for breaking it. i never would have dreamed to cheat on my spouse, let alone it being with their daughter"

your head falls and all you can do at this moment is let indignity and guilt plague your mind like a disease. you stare at your food numbingly, watching as it slowly grows cold. but, you can't eat right now. you can't. the only thought running through your head is of the woman standing in front of you.

"if i could change the way i feel i would, it would make life so much simpler but i can't wanda, i want you" you push the chair away with the back of your legs before striding over to where wanda stood, your hands instantly moving to cup her slightly tinted pink cheeks. "no one's ever made me feel the way you do, and i owe it to myself to at least try and see where this could go between us"

the redhead sighs against your touch, nuzzling herself into one of your hands, basking in the warmth they bring. "detka.."

"don't say anything, just.. let me take care of you"

wanda's head moves in your hands as she nods, and that's all the permission you need to close the distance between you. the moment your lips touch one more, a small groan of appreciation rumbles in the back of your throat, the days that had passed without her soft lips against yours were agonising but god was the wait worth it.

you pull away slightly, your lips ghostly over hers. "where's dad?"

wanda catches your gaze when her eyelids flicker open and she bites back a whimper at seeing your now blown-out pupils. a clear-cut sign of how badly you want her. "he went fishing with one of his work colleagues, he won't be home for a while"

a smirk twitches at your lips, curling just vaguely at the corners. you hum in thought before responding. "i've been very good lately, i was so patient waiting for you mommy, i think i deserve dessert first, don't you?"

"fuck, please" wanda whimpered out, nodding eagerly; her hips bucking at the way the title rolled off of your tongue, so delicious and sweet coming from your lips. she wanted- no needed to hear you say it again. "you have no idea the number of times i've dreamt of sitting on your face, squeezing you between my thighs and all you can do is just lie there and eat my pussy like a good girl"

a guttural moan escaped your throat, your hands faltering from her face before deciding to rest them on her hips, gripping slightly.

wanda took this opportunity to lean forward and let her warm tongue run against the delicate skin of your neck, before leaving an open mouthed kiss against your pulse point. the feeling of that combined with the filthy words wanda spewed out, sent a jolt of pleasure to your clit.

"come with me darling," wanda beckoned, stepping backwards as she tugs at your arm to pull you through the kitchen door, past the back of the sofa and up the staircase. "i've waited too long for this moment"

the pace in her footsteps confirmed it as they moved with certainty and purpose, her hand instantly turned the doorknob when you reached her room, and she yanked you inside before kicking the door shut with the back of her heel.

"go sit down on the bed, detka," wanda purrs, "mommy's going to give you what you deserve"

you hear a click of a lock turning behind you as you faced the large bed, your legs working on autopilot as you reached the edge of the mattress, sitting down instantly. your clothed thighs rubbed together on their own accord, trying so desperately to satiate the evergrowing feeling of uncomfortableness that twitched and pulsed between your thighs.

wanda hummed in approval as she sauntered over to the bed, seeing you sit so obediently for her increased the fire that sparked in the pit of her stomach. "so pliable for me, darling. now, do you want to watch me undress or do it yourself?"

you shook your head immediately, your hands already moving to reach out for her. "please, can- can i? i've thought about doing this myself so many times"

a wide grin creeps it's way onto wanda's face, twitching at the corner of her lips at your reaction. "go ahead then, sweet girl"

you didn't have to be told twice as you surged upwards and off the edge of the mattress, your eyes flickering up to the redheads before letting your hands rest on her hips; your fingers fidgetted with the hem of her sweater as anticipation swirled in your mind.

you lifted the material upwards, letting wanda raise her arms to help assist you in pulling it over her head. once you did, your felt your mouth dry up at the sight of wanda in a red lacey bra, her full breasts sitting perfectly on display. fuck, you wanted nothing more than to rid her of it and claim your mouth around one of her nipples.

"can i?" you asked, your voice small as your eyes stayed trained on her chest.

all wanda could do was nod in response, her mind too occupied with the sight of your eyes darkening as you watched her intently.

you stepped closer, your arms reaching around to find the clasp of the bra. your head dropped slightly, just enough for you to pepper wet kisses along the curve of her breasts. you let your mouth work on the exposed skin, your tongue swirling and sucking at it until you were satisfied. once you were, you pulled at the clasp, unhooking it instantaneously.

"you're so beautiful" you mused, your words coming out almost a whisper when you let the bra fall down wanda's arms and drop to the floor. "so, so beautiful"

you thought the urge to continue pressing your lips against her soft skin, instead opting to do as you were told. undress her.

you felt the soft carpeted floor under your kneecaps as you bent down to kneel before her. your eyes now aligned with curved hips and thick thighs that you wanted so badly to touch.

a thought echoed briefly in your mind that every single dream you've had of pleasing wanda was finally about to come true.

letting the fleeting realisation pass by in your mind, you focused your attention on working the button of wanda's jeans, your hand trailing down to pull at the zipper. an audible groan escaped your lips at the patch of matching panties that peeked through the opening of the jeans.

you had no idea what wanda was doing right now but if you had to guess, a smirk was displayed proudly on her lips at your reaction.

your hands smoothed up the side of her hips before hooking your fingers through the hoops of the jeans, pulling them down until they pooled at the redhead's feet.

wanda watched as your hand wrapped around the back of her calf, lifting it just an inch until her foot raised from the floor and you could easily pull her foot through the bunched-up jeans. you repeated this with the other foot until wanda stood before you with nothing but her underwear.

you couldn't help but move forward at the sight, your mouth displaying open-mouthed kisses on the soft smooth skin of her thighs.

"ah, ah, ah," wanda tutted, one of her hands threading through your hair at the back of your head until she gathered enough in her fingers to give it a harsh tug. "god, so eager to please mommy, you're adorable"

your head bobbed up and down, vigorously agreeing with her. "yes, i- please, i want to make you feel good"

"i know, detka and you will," wanda husked, her voice now much deeper and laced with lust at the sight of you on your knees for her, head lolled back in her grip as you pleaded up at her with blown-out eyes. "get back on the bed and lie down"

you scrambled from your knees when wanda let go of her grip, pushing yourself up from your position on the floor. you didn't even look as you jumped back enthusiastically, once again landing on the edge of the mattress before shuffling backwards until you were on display for the older woman in the middle of the bed. you let yourself fall, your eyes now staring up at the blank ceiling as the soft comforter rested under your back.

"good girl," wanda uttered, stepping towards you until you felt a dip in the mattress. "i can't wait to use that pretty mouth of yours"

wanded shifted into view, her lustful eyes staring down at you as she straddled your lap, the action made you squirm under her gaze but the older woman didn't stay there long, her intentions residing much higher up your body.

she moved once more until her figure rested above your head, your eyes being greeted with lacy red panties and a wet patch that made you gulp hard and your mouth to instantly water at the sight of her arousal.

the scent consumed all of your senses as the strong desire for you was prominent between wanda's legs. you inhaled through your nose, wanting so badly to greedily take in everything wanda had to offer you.

a sinister chuckle came from above, the delicious sound invading your ears. "did you just smell mommy's pussy? such a dirty girl"

a whine rumbled at the back of your throat, effectively answering for you. but, before you could shamefully deny such a thing, wanda's slender fingers pulled her panties to the side; giving you the perfect view of her wet and ready for you. "stick out your tongue, little one"

without so much as a thought, you immediately obeyed, and soon after a moan followed as you felt wanda lower herself fully until she rested on the flat of your tongue. the taste of her intensified the fire growing in your belly and you made quick work to lap desperately through her folds.

"i knew you'd be great at this, detka," wanda mewled, her hips jutting back and forth in an attempt to match your pace. "such a good slut"

heavy pants and breathy moans echoed throughout the room, bouncing off each wall before eventually coming back to you and imprinting themselves deep in your brain as they reverberated loudly in your ears. you continued to swirl your tongue through her folds, inching itself closer to where you so hopelessly wanted to put your fingers. you teased her hole slightly before retreating upwards, flicking your muscle over her swollen clit before engulfing it between your lips to gently suck at the bundle of nerves.

"svyatoy yebat', just like that" you felt the older woman's legs vibrate around your head, her hands flying to your hair to grip it tightly and force your head to stay where it was. "shit, you're going to make me cum already"

oxygen was beginning to creep its way less and less into your brain, the need to breathe was resonating loudly in your mind but, you didn't care. the only thing you wanted to do right now was to watch wanda fall apart above you and to hear her moan your name.

you continued to suck, your tongue moving to swirl around to give her just that extra bit of stimulation that would effectively push her over the edge.

"such a good girl for me- fuck, mommy's cumming, mommy's cumming" her words left her mouth in a breathy chant, her hands tightening in your hair as she gasped loudly and before you knew it, wanda stilled above you and her thighs squeezed around your head, trapping you beneath her.

a strangled cry escaped wanda. "shit, shit- don't stop, yn, don't stop"

you continued your torturous pace on her clit, your efforts never faltering as the older woman whined and whimpered through her orgasm. your eyes stayed trained on her, your gaze never breaking contact so you could watch every single reaction and noise that came from above.

after a few moments passed, wanda's body ceased from her tense position; her body slowly starting to relax as she came down from her high and her pants grew more even.

pride beamed brightly in your chest as you slowed your movements before eventually halting them so as to not overstimulate her. the thought of you pleasing your stepmother this much brought you so much joy and satisfaction. you would do it every day if you could, for as long as she wanted, even if your tongue ached and your body grew tired.

"oh malysh, that was... i don't think i've ever cum so hard" wanda exhaled, her hands in your hair loosening its grip as she shifted to move from your face. a soft laugh fell from wanda's lips as she looked at your appearance, your hair was dishevelled and wanda's cum had left your lips, chin and cheeks sopping wet. "god, i've made a mess of you"

you instinctively licked away what you could, smiling at the taste that resonated on your tongue. it took everything in you to not cockily remark on what wanda had just said, instead, you pushed the thought in the back of your mind, keeping it there as a reminder of how good you are for her. "you taste so good"

"i bet you taste even better, detka" wanda mused, her thumb coming to your cheek to wipe away any excess that you had failed to lick away, before switching to the other one. they felt hot under her touch, your cheeks flushed pink and radiating warmth that made the older woman's heart jump. "i can imagine you're all sticky down there, want me to make you feel better?"

you nodded your head enthusiastically, whimpering out a 'yes' before moving to rest your upper body weight on your elbows. "want you so bad"

wanda just hummed in response, the bed dipping once more before the mattress raised again and she was no longer next to you. you watched tentatively as she moved over to the mirrored closet in front of you, pulling on one of the sliding doors before kneeling down to root inside. she instructed you to strip down to your naked form and stay on the bed, you obliged as you made quick work of it and instantly rid yourself of all that you wore before hastily chucking them into a pile across the room.

you were about to question what she was doing until wanda spoke. "hmm, here it is. i must be honest with you detka, my intentions to have you have been stronger than you think. when we were at the mall, i slipped away while you were at the bathroom and bought this"

she stood from her position, turning to face you with a grin splayed on plump, pink lips. "i was hoping one day i could use it on you.. i'm glad it's sooner rather than later"

your curious eyes drifted down and you couldn't help but gulp at what you saw.

in one hand was a scarlet red dildo that was generous in size, and in the other was a black harness.

"would you like to try it?"

you eyed the toy and the harness before meeting wanda's predatory gaze. there was fleeting silence for a split second as you settled yourself on your tucked legs, resting your weight on them to sit up straight. "yes please, i want you to do whatever you want to me"

"your manners are endearing, y/n. any specific position in mind?"

"i-" you trailed off, god what didn't you have in mind? you would gladly have her put you in whatever position suited the redhead best, whatever would appease her hunger for you. but, as your eyes faltered slightly to your reflection in the mirrored doors in front of you, your brain screamed to tell her what you had in mind. "i want.. i want you to take me from behind and for you to make me watch"

confusion spread across the redhead's face for just a moment, until it clicked in her brain and she turned to her right, your reflection and hers staring back at her. "my my, you dirty girl. i love how your brain works"

wanda stalked towards the bed, before coming to a halt as she reached the edge of the mattress. you watched in awe as she slipped into the harness, adjusting the straps so they were secured snugly against her hips and thighs before attaching the dildo to the rubber ring in the middle of the harness.

"are you going to get mommy's cock all nice and ready for your pretty pussy, baby?"

you nod eagerly, shifting forward on your knees until you reached the end of the bed and wanda and her toy were directly in front of you. your mouth salivated at the sight before you; your stepmother with a thick cock strapped to her waist towering over you. to think less than an hour before, you were taking a stroll outside to help clear your mind of wanda and now here you were, about to take her in your mouth until she deemed it good enough for her to fill you up.

"are you ready, sweetheart?" wanda purred, a delicate hand threading through your locks before scratching softly at the skin, her enchanting way of soothing you. "don't be afraid to get sloppy, i want to see you drooling for me, dear"

fucking hell.

"yes, yes i- i'm so ready, please mama"

the older woman felt her heartstrings tug at the new nickname. such a good girl, she didn't even have to coax it out of you. so obedient and perfect, just like she knew you would be.

"open your mouth and stick out that talented tongue of yours, moya lyubov”

you did as instructed instantly as your jaw slackened and your tongue fell loosely to hang over your bottom lip. this caused wanda to chuckle darkly at the way you obeyed so quickly; so eager to please.

she wasted no time as she guided your head forward with the palm of her hand that rested in your hair, her grip tightening just slightly to control your movements.

a twang of pleasure contorted in your stomach as wanda coached you closer until the tip of the dildo rested on the flat of your tongue. you groaned around the head of it as it pushed further into the warmth of your mouth and a couple of inches of it disappeared inside.

"well done baby, taking me so well, just like i knew you would" wanda's voice was raspy and low as she spoke, her gaze never stuttering from the view of you below her. she watched in awe as you greedily took everything she gave you and it took everything in her not to snap her hips forward until she eventually reached the back of your throat.

a muffled moan vibrated around the fake cock as wanda's praises hit your ears, her words stirring you on to take more of her even if your mouth constricted it.

"take deep breaths, my love, you're doing amazing." her words of encouragement filled the silence of the room as more of her filled your mouth. "nice and slow"

you gagged slightly as you felt the tip of her eventually reach the back of your throat and your lips came into contact with the soft skin of her stomach, but you did as wanda said, taking in deep breaths through your nose as she stood still, letting you get used to the intrusive feeling.

finally, after a few moments passed, your throat relaxed around her. wanda hummed in approval at how well you were doing, her fingers continuing their delicate scratches against your scalp.

"atta girl, now start sucking detka, i'll do the rest"

you suctioned your lips around the dildo upon request, and your tongue that rested under it swirled around experimentally even though you knew wanda couldn't feel it. but, nevertheless, that wouldn't stop you from putting in the effort.

wanda's hand ceased its peaceful movements against your head, quickly turning harsh in her hold as she began to move your head up and down, guiding it to meet the pace of her hips when she started to thrust gradually into your mouth.

you mewled around her, your mouth filling with saliva that soon crept its way into the corner of your lips, begging for a way out.

"god, malysh.. you look so pretty like this, taking me so well. it's like you were born to be mommy's cock slut"

a wanton groan rumbled deep from your chest, humiliation mixed with pleasure settled there as your eyes flicked upwards, instantly being greeted with wanda staring down at you; admiration strongly apparent in her gaze.

after a few more wet thrusts, wanda slowly pulled out of your mouth leaving you gasping for much-needed oxygen, your chest rising as your laboured breathing calmed with every intake. she was clearly impressed and evidently happy with your work, the dildo that was attached to her was dripping with your saliva, the coating slick and soaking wet that shined from the aluminated lamp on the bedside table next to you.

wanda didn't utter a word as she rounded the bed, a delicate hand smoothing down your back and over the curve of your ass. when she reached the other side, you felt the bed dip. your head shot up to see wanda behind you, a smirk on her lips as she watched you catch your breath.

slender fingers trailed from your ass and down to where you so desperately needed her the most. she moved the tips over to the inside of your soft thighs before eventually teasing your outer lips which were now puffy and wet. "oh my, y/n, you're absolutely soaked. is all of this for me?"

as quickly as you got your breath back, it was just as quickly taken away from you when wanda traced her fingers through your folds, parting them with two fingers before moving them up and down. you choked out a moan when they retreated away from your swollen clit and down to your hole, pushing them in inch by inch.

"all for you, fuck- that feels so good"

wanda hummed pulling out slightly to push a third digit in, "look at you sucking in my fingers like a good girl, is this how badly you've wanted me, detka?

you cry out a strangled 'yes' at the stretch until eventually, wanda's knuckles pressed flush against your lips, your eyes falling shut at the feeling. "all i think about is you using me like a toy, just for your own pleasure"

the redhead's fingers moved at a languished pace, letting you grow used to the intrusion even though her fingers slipped inside you with ease. "eyes on me, sweetheart, i want you to focus on mommy only"

you heeded immediately, your eyelids flickering open the moment the words left wanda's lips.

"i think you're ready for my cock now, don't you?"

your mouth fell open in a gasp as soon as the older woman retreated her fingers. you groaned at the empty feeling, your walls contracting around nothing, just begging to be filled again.

"yes, please, i want it so badly mommy"

wanda wasted no time as the hand that had just been inside of you seconds before moved to wrap around the girth of her strap-on, spreading your wetness onto the length of it and mixing it with your saliva. "don't forget, dorogoy, if you want me to stop, i will"

you nodded desperately in response, your mind relishing the feeling of the way your body buzzed with anticipation. "okay"

that was all the permission wanda needed before using her hand to guide the dildo towards your sopping folds, running it up and down your slit to collect all of the wetness that she could. wanda gingerly pushed her hips forward, your lips parting as she continued her movement.

your eyes clamped shut as you felt the tip of the faux-cock push its way inside, but wanda's words boomed loudly in your mind, so you forced yourself to open them and keep your gaze focused on the reflection of wanda.

your heart stuttered in your chest at the sight.

to see the woman you had been lusting over for the past few months knelt behind you, her cock pushing through your velvety walls with her mouth dropped open in an 'o' shape was mind-whirling, to say the least.

it made you shudder at the thought.

"you're doing so well, baby, just a little more"

all you could do was bob your head in response. it wasn't long before wanda had pushed in the entire length and her stomach pressed flush against the back of your thighs. although your cunt stayed a soaking mess, it burned at the feeling of being so full. you don't think you've ever taken anything so big before, the thought only intensified the sensation even more.

"it's okay, angel, you'll get used to it," wanda cooed, raising both hands to grasp at your hips to keep you steady, "just breath through the pain, it'll start feeling good soon"

just as promised, after a few brief moments passed, your walls fluttered and a spark of pleasure formed in the pit of your stomach.

you instinctively moved your hips forward just slightly before pushing back, your mind reeling as you tested the waters before eventually picking up the pace.

"seems like you're ready," wanda remarked, sarcasm dripping from her words with a smirk creeping at the corner of her lips as she watched as you began to gradually ride the dildo. "now let mommy do all the work, all you have to do is stay there and look pretty while mommy uses your cute little cunt”

you whined at her words, the way she spoke to you made your brain turn to pathetic mush as submission and humiliation settled deep in the crevasses and as good as it felt, you did as instructed and halted your movements.

the moment you did, wanda slowly pulled out before she gave a sharp snap of her hips, burying the dildo deep inside of you. the action caused your arms that propped you up to buckle from under you, and your head to fall to the mattress.

“ah ah, this is your fantasy, my love. get back up” wanda voiced, a hand snaking up the smooth of your back, then to your neck, her fingers wrapping around your jugular before lifting you back up until your back pressed flush against her chest.

the redhead continued her torturous pace, her thighs slapping against the back of yours harshly with every thrust, and all you could do was stare back at yourself and watch. when wanda rounded her other hand around you so both of her hands were wrapped firmly around your neck, that's when you lost it.

"fuck, fuck," a strangled moan fell from your swollen kissed lips, your breath growing more ragged the rougher wanda got with you. "right there"

a smirk itched at wanda's lips as she watched from behind you, her mind and body putting in all the effort as she rutted into you, all the while holding you upright. one of her hands tightened its hold on your neck as she let the other one fall to where your breasts were, she trailed her hand down before grabbing a handful and kneading and squeezing it roughly a few times until her hand moved to pinch the nipple between two fingers.

"i want you to cum just like this malysh, tell me when you're close, okay?" wanda's voice was hoarse, her accent coming out slightly as she panted in your ear.

all you could do was nod your head, your mind too foggy to come up with the words to respond. you moved your hand up to your body until you met wanda's, cupping the back of it in an attempt to feel her.

"look at how pretty you look, y/n. such a good girl for me, i can see how much you're fucking loving this," wanda uttered against the shell of your ear, her tongue flicking out to lick a stripe against your neck before suctioning her lips around your skin to suck harshly, her teeth nibbling slightly against your flushed skin. "i bet you'd love it if my cock was real, so i could fill up your abused little pussy with my cum"

the words that left wanda's mouth, in a dark and husky hiss, echoed loudly in your ear as every thrust of wanda's hips that fucked upwards hit against your g-spot, it was quickly beginning to make that tightness in the pit of your stomach grow.

your moans grew louder, your chest heaving as you gasped for oxygen that was being fucked out of you with every movement that wanda made. you whined out as wanda continued to pinch your nipple, twisting and pulling it as she squeezed harder around your neck.

it was all too much and you could feel your body teetering over the edge.

“wanda fuck, i’m gonna cum. please don’t stop mama, please” the words were raspy as they left your lips, struggling to fully vocalise yourself as wanda’s hold on your neck didn’t let up.

but she heard you anyway. she always would. wanda’s sole purpose right now was focusing on every movement of your body, every pant and breath you took, every moan that you choked out and every whisper of broken words that you spoke.

your eyelids fluttered shut as you felt the all familiar feeling in your stomach tightening, just mere seconds away from the coil snapping.

“don’t close your eyes, detka. watch me as you cum, can you do that?”

you nodded instantly, forcing your body to open them and as soon as you did a long moan ripped itself from your throat as you held eye contact with the woman behind you. your body trembled as the orgasm hit you like a ton of bricks, instantly tensing up as the shock waves flowed through you.

wanda watched in amazement as she held your body up, her hips continuing their thrusts but decreasing in pace as she helped you through it. she watched as your mouth hung open, whining and panting as you shook in her hold.

after a few moments passed, the redhead felt your body relax and sink into her touch. to avoid overstimulating you; even though she had thought about it many times, she could tell you were spent, so she slowly came to a halt until her cock just stayed nestled deep inside of you.

wanda’s gaze on you never faltered, her eyes focusing on the way you gasped for breath, your chest heaving up and down as you tried to calm your beating heart. it was ethereal in wanda’s opinion, you looked so beautiful all fucked out. sweat beads slowly ran down your face, a few strands of hair clinging to your head as you lolled your head back against her shoulder in exhaustion.

“are you okay, darling?” wanda spoke against the shell of your ear, her voice shaky and just barely above a whisper. she paused for a moment, letting herself catch her own breath before continuing. “that wasn’t too much was it?”

you shook your head, taking in a long breath before responding. “no no, i- that was just.. it was really intense”

a soft smile creeped onto wanda’s lips at that. “in a good way or bad way?”

“in the best way i-“ you shifted slightly in her hold to snake an arm around the back of her neck, your blunt nails scratching lightly at the skin. “have you ever been with a woman before because that was.. god”

a low chuckle hit your ears, the divine sound causing your walls to clench around the dildo. “i might have.. but, that was all back in my college days”

you hummed in response, ignoring the fleeting moment of question that this could possibly be another experiment to her.

“how about we both shower and we could finally get around to that dragon show you like?”

your eyes widened giddily at that, your hand falling from the back of her neck to rest on the soft skin of her thigh, your thumb rubbing in slow circles. “together or..?”

wanda’s laugh echoed in the room, “yes, together” she moved her hand to rest on the back of yours, letting herself take in the delicate moment of your first time together, something she would remember for as long as she lives. “now come on, the smell of sex is deafening in here”

ᗢ

tag list by request: @fxckmiup @natashaswife4125

#wanda maximoff smut #wanda maximoff x reader #mcu fanfiction #elizabeth olsen #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff/reader #wanda maximoff x you #stepmom wanda

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zablife · 9 months

Text

Windflowers

Tommy Shelby x Lily Shelby (OC, Tommy's wife)

Summary: A continuation of my fic, Lily, where we revisit Tommy and his wife a year after the death of their daughter. As Lily wakes from a nightmare Tommy is there to comfort her and they have a break thru in her recovery.

Author's Note: Requested by @jomarch-wannabe who wanted to read a fic about Tommy comforting someone after a nightmare. I decided to use my OC. I hope that's ok!

Warnings: drinking, PTSD, mention of child death

“You’ve brought her those every day for months. Why?” Tommy gestured wearily toward the white and black flowers, thinking how much they reminded him of funeral flowers. They were nothing like the cheerful pink tulips and red roses his wife had kept in the house before their daughter was taken from them. Why must the color be stolen from every corner of their lives, Tommy wondered.

“Where streams his blood there blushing springs a rose and where a tear has dropped, a wind-flower blows,” Ada mused softly as she arranged the blossoms carefully in a vase. Turning to face her brother she explained. "These flowers only close at night and open in the morning. Like an anticipation of something soon to arrive.”

“What are you on about, eh?” Tommy asked, stamping out his cigarette in frustration. His head throbbed with a fresh headache, the first whisky of the day not doing enough to quell his growing fears about his wife’s condition.

"I thought Lily should have something to remind her of her strength," she said, holding Tommy’s gaze for a moment before reaching forward to give his hand a reassuring squeeze.

As his sister’s hand slipped from his calloused fingertips, Tommy called out, “Ada, what if…”

But she interrupted, knowing all too well what trepidation he held close to his heart. “She’ll come back to you, Tom. Give her time,” she said quietly.

“She will,” Tommy agreed quickly. He paced toward his desk, stomping the thought out like burning embers of weakness he didn’t dare let catch fire.

There wasn’t anything anyone could do except wait for Lily to reemerge from the dense forest of her mind. She seemed to wander aimlessly about Arrow House as though in a dream, but when she slept she seemed to be fully conscious elsewhere, her facial expressions changing in her sleep.

While she lay in repose, Tommy kept careful watch over her, noticing these small shifts of movement, wanting nothing more than to reach for her and stroke her cheek. He wondered in those moments if she might awaken and speak to him as she used to, looking up through heavy eyelids and smile when she realized how adoringly he gazed upon her. Would she blush and giggle as she did when they were first married, hearing him compliment her natural beauty?

That night as Tommy watched Frances gather his wife’s nightgown and slippers, he stared at the flowers on the bedside table.

“The windflowers are lovely aren’t they, Mr. Shelby?,” she asked, making pleasant conversation.

“Windflowers? Is that what they’re called?” he responded.

“Yes, sir. Only open when the wind blows. Or as my mum used to tell us —fairy folk hid in the petals and closed them up when it threatened to rain,” she added with a chuckle, heading toward the bathroom to help Mrs. Shelby dress for bed.

Tommy smiled at the children’s tale, having heard similar stories in his youth of fairies and their world of twilight. For a moment he thought of sharing it with his daughter, a funny little bedtime story, and then he remembered her empty room at the end of the silent corridor. It was moments like those that made him lose breath, the unbearable ache taking him from joy to grief so suddenly he felt nauseous. Sitting forward on the bed, he placed his head in his hands to keep the room from swaying, waiting for his balance to return before descending the stairs in a panic.

It wasn’t until hours later, he returned to bed, properly numbed by the alcohol and stacks of paperwork. Lily slept, though he couldn’t quite tell if it was a peaceful slumber. She often moved about the mattress at night and currently she was laying across it so there was little room for Tommy. He didn’t mind, taking up a place in the armchair across from her to keep watch. He had only just sunk into the deep cushions when her lips parted in a shallow cry and Tommy lurched forward in fear, worried tonight might be a rare occasion for the doctor.

Tommy placed a hand on the duvet to be closer to her, though he didn’t dare touch her directly. In the early days that had sent Lily into a panic, setting off screaming and thrashing that could only be calmed by sedatives. Now Tommy was more cautious in his approach. However, tonight would be different. To his surprise, Lily’s demeanor was calm and contented as she seemed to be having a pleasant dream. Her hand reached for something in the darkness and Tommy observed with awe, enchanted by her beautiful smile.

Then suddenly she recoiled and her body began to shake uncontrollably. Tommy froze, unsure what to do. Should he wake her or allow the dream to continue? Uncertain what she was seeing, he debated for a fraction of a second. When Lily began to toss and whimper painfully, he could not restrain himself any longer. He hadn’t been there when the Changrettas tortured his wife and daughter, but he was here now and he could comfort her. He had to try.

Sliding into bed beside his wife, he took her in his arms, smoothing back her hair as he hushed her. “Lily, darling, it’s me. You’re home. You’re safe,” he whispered to her as he rocked her. To his surprise she clung to him, fingers gripping him with brutal strength he didn’t know she possessed. Then her eyes opened, wild and frightened at first.

Suddenly, she focused on him, seeing him for the first time in months. Eyes glistening with tears, her lip trembled. “T-tommy?”

“Yes, yes,” Tommy replied, overwhelmed by the sound of his name on her lips once again.

“I’m here. You’re safe with me,” he repeated as he kissed the top her head. “I love you, Lily,” he said, feeling tears stinging his eyes. Feeling her in his arms was a revelation, the solace he had been seeking all that time without knowing it. Had she really said his name or did he imagine it?

As they sat huddled together, the sun began to rise in the distance. For the first time Tommy noticed what Ada and Frances had told him. The flowers were opening slightly and leaning toward the light. As Lily stroked a hand down his chest, he felt hopeful. She had let him comfort her and she had said his name. He was sure of it now more than ever, she would return to him.

-----------------------

Tag List:

@peakyswritings

@evita-shelby

@shelbydelrey

@alanadetigy

@severewobblerlightdragon

@lovemissyhoneybee

@theshelbyslimited

@kittycatcait219

@callsign-fangirl

@christinasyellowflowers

@theshelbyclan

@areyenotfondofmelobster

@polishcrazyone

@elenavampire21

@little-diable

@lyarr24

@jomarch-wannabe

@the-fangirl-diaries

@kmc1989

@everythingelseisextra

@kpopgirlbtssvt

@cillmequick

@look-at-the-soul

@runnning-outof-time

@dandelionprints

@rangerelik

@babayaga67

@babaohhhriley

@callsign-shark

@raincoffeeandfandoms

@trixie23

@mythos-writes

@padfootdaredmetoo

@moral-terpitude

@dearshelby

@anonymooseforever007

@thegreatdragonfruta

@peakyltd

@brummiereader

@kmhappybunny240

@pherelesytsia

@toms-cherry-trees

@l1-l4

@mrs-bellingham

@duckybird101

@gypsy-girl-08

@murderousginger

#Peaky Blinders fanfic #Peaky Blinders imagine #Tommy Shelby fanfic #Tommy Shelby imagine #Tommy Shelby #Tommy Shelby x OC #cillian murphy

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ravenelyx · 6 months

Text

I Love You In Every Timeline - Sebastian Sallow

My Love is as a Fever, Longing Still

Fic masterlist

Pairing: Sebastian Sallow x Fem!Reader

Warnings: angst, fluff, Harry Potter characters appearance, no name appearance for the reader

Themes: angst, temporarily unrequited love, pining, some form of transference¹, developing relationship, slow burn, explicit (eventually)

Summary: "He turned around, and the world seemed to stop around him. She had followed him: into another timeline, into another universe." In which Sebastian, in his search for a cure in the Dark Arts, finds himself 100 years into the future and meets his most trusted companion's descendant (who looks far too similar to the girl he was once secretly in love with).

A/N: SHE'S BACKKKK

AO3 • Wattpad

Sebastian decided to walk to the Defence Against the Dark Arts tower, to the Undercroft, praying it would still be there, untouched by other students. When he arrived, he saw the familiar clock, and his heart swelled in fear and anticipation as he took out his wand and flourished it like he had done so many times he practically relied on muscle memory alone.

The clock hands started to turn, and he breathed a sigh of relief as a door opened to the familiar room that he considered an analogue to his house. He stepped in carefully and looked around. The furniture hadn’t moved an inch in a hundred years, still in the same position that Ominis knew by memory. He wondered about him: if he knew Sebastian would one day disappear forever only to remain stuck in the future, if he had waited for him in that same room hoping for him to come back, or if he was glad he was gone after all.

Sebastian wondered if he would ever return to his time: if Ominis and Anne had been waiting for him their entire lives, getting old without him, and if they had hoped that they would one day see him again, and then he had another terrifying thought: what if he went back yet it was too late?

What if all of his pals were much older than him once he did? What if, upon his return, he discovered Anne still suffering the effects of the curse, or worse yet, already deceased? What if Ominis had been made to return to his family, where he would have either changed into one of them or been tortured and murdered? What if she had found someone else to fall in love and share the rest of her life with, or what if the perilous journeys she was compelled to take killed her and he had not been there to save her?

" Scourgify!" he declared, pointing his wand at various objects around him to clean them, wishing he could reproduce the same effect on his mind.

Once he was done, he sat down, leaned against a column, and put his head in his hands, breathing deeply and feeling his eyes burn.

The calm had gone, replaced by pure, utter despair and panic. It had only been a few hours since he'd found himself there, confused and startled, and he knew it would be many more until he went back — if ever.

If ever .

The thought cut at his lungs like sharp glass, drawing quiet and wet sobs. He didn't know whether the artefact could ever be repaired at all. He didn't know whether he could control it enough to go back if it was repaired. For all he knew, he'd find himself in bloody Mesopotamia, if he was lucky enough to survive another travel. Or he'd get stuck between time and space, forever embedded in the threads between realities.

Based on those thoughts alone, Sebastian felt like he should be grateful to have found himself still in Hogwarts, as safe as he could be, but he wasn't.

He missed his routine, his life, his friends. He had disappointed Ominis, but he would give anything to hear his voice now, even if he yelled at him, to see Anne even if she did not want to see him, to read their old letters over and over again, to accompany her on whatever adventure she was setting out on. Heck , he wanted to hear Headmaster Black's voice scolding him for his horrible detention record, listen to Poppy ramble about her dear magical creatures, see Garreth blow up his potions, and even wanted to hear Imelda complain about Quidditch being cancelled. He missed it all.

He spent some time there alone — he did not know whether it was minutes or hours — weeping silently to himself. His wrists copiously moved to his eyes in a weak attempt to dry his tears, which kept falling nonetheless, undaunted, wetting his cardigan and shirt and skin.

Sebastian had always prided himself in his capacity to bottle up emotions, to avoid the crying and instead channelling those goopy feelings into something more useful, like studying or spellcasting. That had backfired, and Sebastian had to learn, awfully, that doing that didn't mean those emotions wouldn't force their way out in a way or another, and after what had happened in the Catacombs, where his feelings had exploded in the worst way imaginable, he had reluctantly decided that crying alone was the best way to let them flow naturally. With that and everything that had happened to him within a few weeks, not to mention the previous events, he felt overwhelmed.

He hated it.

After drying his tears as best he could, hoping that no one would notice his glistening eyes or swollen face, he decided to leave the Undercroft and find Ron and Hermione again; they were to give him his timetable, as he would join their class starting the next day. That was before he abandoned them.

He stepped out of the room and froze in his steps. You were sitting on the ground just outside, back against the wall, focused on your textbook. You looked up once you heard a noise, and saw a dishevelled and surprised Sebastian staring straight at you.

"Oh, well, hello again, new fifth-year!" You smiled politely.

He cursed under his breath, turning his face away slightly and rubbing the back of his hand under his nose again, in case any stray tears were still present.

"'Didn't know about another secret passage in the school," you continued, apparently ignoring his actions, before muttering to yourself, " It wasn't on the Map. "

"Map?" he said in a rough, unfamiliar voice, surprising even himself.

You examined him, a quizzical expression on your face. "Have you been crying?" you asked bluntly, raising your eyebrows in surprise.

Great job, Sebastian. Perfect disguise.

He felt his cheeks warm up, and he turned away again. "No... not at all." He cleared his throat, trying to find a way to switch up the conversation when his eyes fell on your book. "What are you reading?"

You frowned slightly, obviously not believing him, but understanding that he wasn't willing to talk about it, and looked back at your book. "My Herbology book. Ron gave it back to me at lunch. Finally , I’d say."

Sebastian paused for a moment, unsure whether it was appropriate to ask about what happened in the corridor, but then he felt that ache again, right above his navel, and the words slipped from his mouth without restraint. "Did you two—"

"Don't." You interrupted him and averted your eyes, staring down at the cover musingly. "Don't bring it up again. That was already embarrassing as it was."

Sebastian stayed quiet, his eyes never leaving your form. He would very much have liked to just plunge into your brain at that moment and make himself at home there.

Perhaps he needed to add 'Learn Legilimency' to his to-do list.

"How so?" he asked at length, quite stupidly, he realised.

"I lost my temper," you said simply and forced your eyes back towards him. Your next words seemed to eject out of your mouth painfully, like they were unfamiliar to you, and it took a while for you to utter them. You sighed, "I— I suppose… I owe you an apology."

An apology never felt so forced and so sincere at the same time. "Oh, you don't have to—"

"I do. It wasn't the best impression I made of myself." Your lips parted as you leaned your head back on the wall. "I suppose I have to apologise to Ron as well — properly, I mean."

Sebastian stayed quiet, observing you curiously. Why were you telling him all that? "I... suppose," he uttered, not knowing what else to say. That appeared to be enough for you because you didn't even seem to acknowledge his words.

"He was looking for you, you know? Hermione, too. They said they needed to give you your schedule."

"Ah, yes, they mentioned that before," said Sebastian, glad to change the topic. "I’ll meet them promptly then, I was—"

"—Too busy hiding in a place no one else knew about," you continued for him.

That made him still in his steps, a chill running down his spine. Your eyes met: his open wide, yours unwavering and daring him to contradict your statement.

Perhaps the previous topic was way better.

"I just..." Come on, Sebastian, think!

"I just stumbled upon it!"

Usually, he was one to conjure lies out of thin air, but being around you made his brain seem to melt. Sebastian thought that it was because he didn't really want to lie to you, or perhaps it was because, with the way your eyes pierced him, he felt as if you already knew all his secrets, all his lies, and you certainly wouldn't be fooled, not even if he made up a whole story full of intricacies and chapters worth publishing.

He knew, however, that the answer was neither, and it lay deeper than anything he was willing to admit to himself so loudly that he had to face it.

"Right."

You closed your book and stood up, facing him. He couldn't read your expression properly, but he felt his body start to uncharacteristically shrivel at the intensity with which you stared him down. He was in Ron's place.

"Strange, isn’t it? how the new student suddenly stumbles upon a secret room on his first day — a room not even Fred and George know about."

You had spoken that last part quietly, as if only to yourself. In fact, Sebastian didn’t know who Fred and George were at all. And, frankly, he didn't want to. "What can I say? I’m full of surprises," he replied smoothly.

"Or full of lies." You hadn’t missed a beat.

It was frightening how easily you had switched back to the girl he had met in the corridor. And he pitied it. And he liked it. And perhaps he was a fool for liking it, and an even bigger fool for pitying it. "I didn’t know it was illegal to be in this room," he said, scowling.

" Illegal ? Oh, not at all. But certainly unusual for someone who has supposedly never set foot in this school before."

You took a step towards him, and he had to fight the urge to take one back himself. There was something wrong in the air — something goopy and misty and heavy, penetrating his skin like Mallowsweet fumes, inebriating and dizzying and frighteningly close to losing control. He had only felt it once, in Hogsmeade nonetheless. Electric and impatient, but, now, shrouded. That day, it had been galvanising. Now it was almost shy — almost… veiled.

"Hermione told me that she barely only took you through the first two floors. You're not even supposed to know about the classroom's whereabouts, and yet you seem all too comfortable with your surroundings," you continued, unaware.

He felt his heartbeat accelerate. Why did you have to be so inquisitive? Was he supposed to tell you the truth now?

Dumbledore’s voice came back to his mind: "... unless it's absolutely necessary. "

"I don’t know what you're talking about. It was an accident, as I said," replied Sebastian in a poor attempt to reason again, knowing full well you wouldn't believe him.

"Certainly a convenient one." He twitched involuntarily, like he had just got a shock. The corners of your lips lifted in a sneer. "You are an interesting case... Sebastian, was it?"

He nodded hesitantly and narrowed his eyes, baffled at your countenance and your confounding words. An interesting case?

You shuffled on your feet in a nimble movement and pressed your back against the wall again, leaning onto it. "Don’t forget to show me that room sometime, too."

"And why would I do that?" Sebastian was growing impatient at your behaviour, while some part of him was thrilled at your nonchalance. The more you bantered with him, teasing him like that, the more he felt his stomach flutter. He hated himself for it.

He felt a sudden urge to leave. To run to his Common Room, or back into the Great Hall, where the noise cramming his ears would be enough to shut down each and any possible much-too-loud beat of his heart, as if the mere sound of those tiny pulses would beguile him into wandering proscribed feelings. A deceit of his own body he wasn't willing to face, not even through his love of the forbidden. The hunger and ache had to stay just that: mere curiosity, more about her and her family than you.

But he stayed in the silence of the corridor, with a loud pounding noise in his ears.

#hogwarts legacy #sebastian sallow #harry potter #sebastian sallow fanfiction #wizarding world #harry potter fandom #sebastian sallow x mc #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow x you #sebastian x mc #hogwarts legacy fic #harry potter legacy #harry potter fanfiction #ron weasley #hermione granger #ginny weasley #hogwarts legacy fanfiction #sebastian sallow fluff #sebastian x reader

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sassylegshayne · 1 year

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marry me, idiot. - chapter five

holy shit this chapter is nuts and kinda long but we have a lot to get through so I'm sorry?? idek what I'm apologizing for but whatever lmfao 🫶💓 enjoy!! mwah xx 3.1k words!!

series masterlist

Everyone noticed it the next day. You and Spencer worked beside each other in complete silence. Josh felt on edge as he sat at his desk across from the two of you, the lack of chatter in the background of his editing was very weird.

You decided to give Spencer space, he would tell you how he felt whenever he was ready to. You respected his boundaries, and he respected yours, and that was the problem.

Kiana wanted to tear her hair out by the end of the week because the two of you still hadn't fucking talked about everything. She's been stuck listening to both of you complain about just how much you miss each other and couldn't bring herself to do anything about it.

Jackie's hopeless romantic heart couldn't take it, she's was right under Kiana for your number two supporter. Jackie and Kiana had planned a brainstorming lunch in Friday, determined to help you two get together.

The hope was that you two would admit your feelings, fall even more in love, and live happily ever after, but if you're just friends again, it'll do.

Jackie had presented an idea that made the woman across from her squeal in excitement. Kiana quickly set up a reservation as Jackie planned out just how she'd word her texts to you.

As soon as you had arrived home and parked, a message rang through your phone, the notification causing you to panic momentarily, your silence so suddenly interrupted for the first time in a while.

You didn't expect to be this lonely without Spencer. You had expected something, but you didn't think it would be this bad. You hadn't realized just how much time you spent with him until you were without it.

"hey, Ki's been super busy and I really wanna throw her a surprise b-day dinner at Buca's tn at seven if you can make it!"

Kiana and Jackie sat in their respective apartments, chewing their nails in anticipation for responses as Spencer received the same message as you.

The girls' facetime call felt silent as Jackie watched the both of you begin typing simultaneously, an eye roll well deserved before you both agreed, causing the women to cheer in excitement.

You rubbed your face, groaning as you agreed. Spence and you could put things aside for Kiana, it wouldn't be fair to her if your declined just because Spencer would be there.

Of course he would be there. It'd almost be weirder if he wasn't there. Honestly, if he didn't show up a piece of your group would be missing.

You took a deep breath before heading inside and getting yourself ready, pushing thoughts of Spencer to the side. Kiana was your priority tonight.

You'd been so wrapped up in all of this mess that your best friends birthday had slipped your mind, usually it was your forte to plan the gatherings, but it completely slipped your mind.

Ki's birthday was three days away, but Monday's are always packed for everyone, so dinner tonight, and you would bring her a cake and do a whole thing at work. Plenty of time to plan.

Spencer adjusted his grip on the steering wheel once more as he pulled into the last empty parking spot, letting his forehead rest against the wheel as soon as he shifted into park. His palms had been sweaty and shaky since he'd texted back Jackie earlier.

His nerves were set on high alert as soon as he'd finished reading. He has to be there for Kiana, no matter what was going on between the two of you.

He'd almost reached out and asked your for a truce on the night, but he's not even sure what he'd be calling a truce for. Both of you having long forgotten why you weren't speaking, but both of you were too nervous to break it.

It seemed like the universe wanted to give you a little nudge when you look up from your phone, your eyes meeting Spencer's across from you.

A smile splays across his lips and quickly disappears, replaced with a tight-lipped smile as he offers you a curt wave, getting out of his car quickly.

Your grip on the door handle tightens as you exit your own vehicle, trying your best to bite your tongue, afraid of what you might say.

Your former best friend.. former? Current? Who fucking knows anymore?

Spencer falls in stride silently beside you, your head tilted toward the ground, eyes watching as your feet fall into a rhythm, steps synchronized. It was hard to separate yourself from someone when they become that intertwined into your life.

Your hands brush ever so slightly as you approach the host stand, a small smile across your lips.

"Hi, we have a reservation under Jackie Uweh." Spencer offers, his smile matches yours as he fidgets with his hands, mindlessly picking at his cuticles with his hands stuffed into his pockets.

He didn't know what to do in this situation. His hands are normally on your hips, or his fingers intertwined with yours, so the air between the two of you sat awkwardly, uncharted territory for the both of you.

You're quickly led to the table, your brows furrowed in confusion as the hostess grabs two menus, throwing your look over your shoulder at Spencer out of habit as he mirrors your look. The two of you sit with quiet thank you's as the menus are placed before you, the table clearly not big enough for anyone but the pair of you.

Realization sets in as you adjust yourself in the booth a bit more than necessary, your heart racing as you avoid Spencer's eyes as long as you could.

But eventually, you find yourself looking up from the menu, your eyes finding his glowing blue eyes already gazing upon you, drinking in every detail.

Spencer thought he might tell you everything he's ever wanted to, until your waiter gives a bubbly introduction, noting the recent engagement between the two of you.

Your cheeks burn as you bashfully thank her, your fingers fidgeting with the simple band on your finger, a habit you'd recently noticed. Yot quick to order, throwing on the appetizer you and Spence normally split as well, a smile tugging at his lips.

You settle your hands into your lap, smiling brightly as Spencer chews his lip, his voice barely audible.

"Hey."

"Hi." You smile, a weight lifting from your shoulders as you slump into the seat, sighing in relief. Spencer laughs a bit, fiddling with the napkin in his hands as he finds himself relaxing. Your laughter mixing with his like music to his ears.

He missed this so much, every part of it. He missed his lips pressed lightly to your skin, the softness of your skin as you brushed hair out of his eyes, the blush on your cheeks each time he looked at you.

Spencer knew he couldn't make it through this dinner without teling you everything, now he just had to accept that.

It was time to throw everything he had at you, no longer concerned with holding back if he was going to confess. So he shook himself a bit before reaching across the table, taking your hands into his.

Your eyes trailed from your hands, up Spencer's arms, detailing every tattoo you wished you could trace until you meet his eyes. You were glad to be seated, worried your legs would buckle under your weight right now.

You were always flustered by Spencer, but this was on a whole new level. Butterflies danced about your stomach as your heart raced, you felt like you could pass out from sheer excitement as you squeeze his hands gently.

"I can't go without you for that long again, that sucked ass." You laughed softly, smiling as Spencer nodded in agreement.

"I never realized how little talk to anyone else, my phone hasn't died at work once, either." You grinned, ducking your head down in embarrassment. You had a bad habit of sending Spencer tons of stuff while seated next to him, rapidly draining his battery.

"I don't want it any other way, Y/N, don't worry." He was quick to soothe you, knowing that you might mistake his admiration for anger. He thought it was the cutest shit ever.

"Spencer, I don't wanna go another day without talking so can you please tell me what was wrong the other day?" You bargained, brows furrowed as you tilted your head at him.

Spencer stiffened, his hands leaving yours as your drinks and appetizer arrived, the relatively slow night allowing for quick service.

You smile as you slide a small plate in front of Spencer. Your waitress is quickly behind, happily taking your entree orders before disappearing back into the kitchen.

The moment was lost as you two grabbed bites of spicy shrimp and fried calamari, but the tension remained clear. Your hands brushed a few times as you made small talk, unaware of when the next interruption should come.

"Okay," Spencer began, noting your waiter preparing to take the order of a large party, taking his opportunity when he could. "Listen, I'm sorry didn't tell you sooner, I want you to know that I really regret that."

You nodded slowly, encouraging him to continue as you sipped your wate, unsure as to where this could lead.

"You're my best friend' Spencer grinned, sighing softly as you reddened once more, his heart racing as he wiped his palms on his pants. "You know that. You mean the absolute world to me, Y/N. You're the person I really do wanna spend the rest of my life with."

"Tve spent years by your side now and wouldn't trade it for the world. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." He took a deep breath, smiling softly as his heart pounded in his chest.

Being in love with you has been the easiest thing in his life, it just feels so right, so perfect. Now all he could do was hope that you felt the same.

"I'm in love with you, Y/N." Spence spoke, biting his lip, eagerly awaiting your response. He felt like rything in his life had brought him to this point, even with the gentle push, or shove, from his friends.

You open you mouth to speak, your eyes wide and mind still reeling as your best friend sat before you. This wasn't a day you'd ever expected to see, and Spencer seemed so calm about it.

"It's all cool if you don't feel the same, I promise, dude." Spence spoke right as you were about to begin, causing you to chuckle nervously.

Spencer felt like there was a spear in his heart as you laughed, he was prepared for rejection but that was brutal.

You lean across the small booth, placing your hands lightly on Spencer's cheeks as your lips meet his.

The kiss is short and sweet, but the years of sparks were there. Everything you had ever wanted and more.

You're caught off guard by quick movements behind Spencer. A server rounds the corner, your own following behind with a soft smile.

Please don't walk this way... fuck.

You settle back down, smiling softly as Spencer meets your eyes with a dopey grin, slumped back into his seat. You kick his foot gently beneath the table, laughing as your waiter approached.

Spencer's mind was left in shambles, as was his heart. You didn't say it back, but you kissed him. You fucking kissed him. He had never been more confused and thrilled in his life.

As you open your mouth to speak, a plate is set before you, a smile whine leaving you as your face falls. You didn't want to wait, you wanted to say it back, but doing so over a view of your server's arms wasn't the right time.

The both of you were polite yet curt as you assured the server that you two would be okay, no refills, no cheese, thank you so much, oh my gosh will she ever leave?

Spencer was honestly still very surprised with the set up from Kiana and Jackie; pulling one over on the both of you deserved recognition. Granted, you were both extremely focused on each other, the outside world in a fog.

"You talk too much but I'm in love with you, too, Spencer." You grinned, the words tumbling from you as soon as your privacy had returned, your heart racing as you stared at him.

Spencer froze like a deer in headlights as he looked up to you, fork and knife resting upon his lasagna, prepared to take a bite. He was quick to set down his utensils, shufling a bit in his seat as he coughed a bit.

This was the best case scenario that he still didn't see coming. Spencer had assumed for so long that you loved him, just not in the same way. It was throwing him off to even think that you could.

"You do?" Your brows furrowed, laughing softly as Spencer questioned you.

"Yes, I do. I love you so much, dude." He grinned as you spoke, his eyes sparkling. "I love everything about you and have for a really, really long time."

Spencer nods, the grin unable to leave him as he takes his time to process everything. You've loved him for a long time, so what are the odds that you two fell in love around the same time?

If he could go back in time and kick his own ass, he would. There's no telling where you'd be right now, if only he'd told you sooner.

You felt like you could run for days with all of the excitement and nervousness coursing through your body. Everything was tingly as your hand met Spencer's, fingers intertwining as your heart raced.

"Okay:" Spencer chuckled, nodding as he finally spoke, unsure of where to go from here.

"Yeah," You nod back, laughing as you began to eat. "I'm happy."

The awkwardness was something new. Everything between the two of you before had been natural and felt fine, but there was a new, different air of tension hanging between the two of you.

The dinner continued on with lots of giggling and blushing, your small touches that had gone previously dismissed where now front and center in your mind.

Spencer was touching you every chance he got; his hand holding yours, brushing your hair out of your face, his knees endlessly bumping into yours beneath the table.

It felt like the first time all over again, Spencer knew he's set himself up to fall in love with you all over again. Everything felt different, everything felt new.

"So," You began as you dug your spoon into your shared chocolate cake, mentally comparing it to Josh's. "Do we tell everyone or do we keep this a secret?"

A grin immediately spread across Spencer's face and you could practically see the lightbulb going off above his head.

"Let's keep it a secret until the wedding." You set your fork down, slowly nodding as you finished your bite.

"Well, that certainly is an idea, Spence." You chuckled, covering your mouth. Definitely doesn't hold a flame to Josh's.

"I actually think that could be fun, but if we fold, we fold, okay?" You placed your elbow on the tabletop, pinky poised as you stared down your... boyfriend? Undecided.

Spencer nodded eagerly, grinning as he wrapped his pinky with yours. "We can be friends, at least, right?"

"Yes, obviously we can go back to normal but I guess.. yanno, couple stuff can stay in private." You laughed as you spoke, your cheeks burning brightly as your eyes darted everywhere. You quickly dug for another bite as a way to keep yourself quiet.

It was a strange territory for both of you. Neither of you had ever expected to be here, especially with the circumstances surrounding it, so navigating it was difficult.

"Okay, so we are a couple." Spencer stated, though it sounded more like a question. He took his turn at blushing as you nodded eagerly, a grin across your face.

"Yeah, we're pretending to be engaged, actually engaged, and secretly dating. I think it's pretty simple." You laughed, as Spencer nodded.

"I'm sorry, that's on me." He held his hands up in defense as you two dug back into the cake.

The office seemed to have a strange air when you arrived the next morning. Saturday's were normally pretty empty, most shoots wrapped earlier in the week, and videos prepped well ahead of the weekends.

The usual small group of cast and crews were there; Josh sat at his desk, headphones in as he edited an upcoming video for the Games' channel featuring Shayne and Spencer.

You smiled as you settled into your seat, your eyes glancing to the clock. It was second nature for you to be early. It was far less stressful than being late.

Spencer, on the other hand, strolled in fifteen minutes late, two coffees in hand as he sat beside you. You finished editing the audio of a particularly loud scream of Shayne's, thankful for the excuse to remove your headphones.

You sighed, setting them aside as you smiled at your boyfriend. Your best friend. Spencer. Holy shit, your best friend is your boyfriend, holy fuck.

It was obviously going to take you quite a while to get over all of the butterflies, if you ever do. Finally getting what you've yearned for for so long was definitely weird, but you could get used to it.

He grinned at you, leaning in as he presses a soft kiss to your forehead, setting your cup before you.

"Hi, love" You smiled, taking a sip as Spencer chuckled softly. As you turned to him, you caught sight of Jackie strolling very, very slowly past the open office door.

Jackie waved, grinning brightly. The two of you reluctantly wave back, you tried your best to hide your giggles.

You shot her a playful glare as she froze for a moment. Spencer turned to look over his shoulder, a disappointed look across his face.

She raised her brows, offering two thumbs up. You finaly broke, laughing as you nodded your head, mirroring her pose. You glance to Spencer to find him shaking his head with a furrowed brow.

You shove his shoulder softly, laughing as he turns back to you, a grin across his face.

"I think she got the message."

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onestepbackwards · 1 year

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What’s All the Buzz About?

@r0-boat‘s BeeGearStation AU has had me in a vice grip for w e e k s. I decided to take a shot at writing for the AU myself (❁´◡`❁) It’s heavily inspired by their AU, so please check them out! R0′s writing and ideas are so good! The design for Bee Hybrid Emmet was also heavily inspired by @antidotesprout designs for them. Please check them out as well! Their art is amazing! I hope you enjoy the start of this new series, and have a happy Halloween! Summary: After ending up stuck and injured in the old abandoned Nimbasa City subway tunnels, you don’t have much hope in escaping. Despite the odds, you try to push onward anyway, only to meet someone verrry interesting. CW: Description of leg injury (though not too graphic), broken leg, anxiety attack, slight dark thoughts, cave in, minor claustrophobia, (It all gets better at the end, I promise), Beehybrid!Emmet, King Bee Emmet, Implied King Bee Hybrid Ingo. Word Count: 4138 words! >Next: Link -----

Today was just not your day Well, that wasn’t entirely true. It really just hasn’t been your week, let alone year. But this… This certainly topped everything that has happened to you yet. “Of course. Of all things to happen. Of all things!” You grumbled to yourself as you pulled your leg out from a pile of collapsed rubble. You hissed in pain, but managed to pull your leg free. Scooting away from the fallen debris, you shone your flashlight to get a better look at your leg, and winced at what you saw. “Well… that isn’t good.” You hissed through grit teeth. Your leg was covered in bruises, and was certainly swelling a bit in a few places. You would be surprised if it wasn’t broken. No doubt a cave in partially falling on your leg like this caused a break of some sort, even if it looked okay(ish) now.

Most of the skin was intact, thankfully. Just a few scrapes on top of some fresh bruises. You at least wouldn’t have to worry about bleeding out all alone in a dark cave. Silently, you thanked any gods out there listening for your higher pain tolerance, and the adrenaline running through your veins. You sighed, feeling overwhelmed, and fought back hot tears that threatened to fall. You knew going into the abandoned train tunnels would be a bad idea. Why did you let them convince you? You blew a tuft of hair out from in front of your face. Right. To keep your boss placated. Look how wonderful that turned out. Bastard. You took a moment to get your bearings. Panic was threatening to seep through your chest. “Calm down. Deep breaths. Panicking will get you nowhere,” you told yourself. It was certainly true. You had read plenty of stories about hikers and cavers panicking when they became stuck in caves, only to make things worse by doing so. That being said, you never anticipated getting stuck in a tunnel like this. Not immediately panicking was a lot easier said than done. You were beginning to see why even experienced folk were able to become so easily distraught. Your heart rate was already beginning to spike.

You took another deep breath. Hyperventilating would only make things worse. Biting the inside of your cheek, you flashed your light over the fallen rocks, and cursed From the looks of it, the way you came in was completely blocked off. Attempting to dig through this mess might just make things worse. Not to mention, the rocks still looked loose. One wrong move, and more might come caving in on top of you. “...Well, no use going back that way, I suppose.” You mumbled, sounding a lot calmer than what you felt. Oh how you desired to scream. Shuffling a bit, you leered behind you, further into the tunnels. Your flashlight could only light the way so much, but it was better than nothing. Better than wobbling around completely in the dark having a panic attack. At least you could fight your panic attack in some form of light. “Positive. Just think positive.” You mumbled as you hobbled to your feet. You let out a pained yelp as you tried putting pressure on your left foot. Yup. Something was most likely broken. This hurt like hell. Grabbing the nearby wall for support, you placed the flashlight in your jacket pocket, and fished around your other pockets for your phone. Finding the device, you unlocked it, only to let out a shaky sigh. No service. Fucking figures. “That’s… fine. I can just… make my way through the tunnels. I’ll either find an exit, or a spot for cell phone service. It’s okay. I will be okay.” You weren’t okay. But at least you could lie to yourself until the shock wore off. Shoving your phone back into your pocket, you took your flashlight back out, and eyed the tunnel ahead of you. “Well… no time like the present…” you spoke, swallowing down the urge to cry. Reluctantly, you began making your way down the tunnel. It was slow, and painful. Your leg may not be as bad as it could have been, but it most certainly was giving you trouble. Several times you thought about stopping, only to shake your head and press on. You had to get out of here as soon as possible. You feared if you took a break, your thoughts would begin to spiral, and you would lose the will to continue. A bit dramatic, but given the circumstances, well… You didn’t trust your brain at the moment. Not with the fear in the back of your throat. Slowly, you pressed onwards. Thankfully, limping down the subway tunnel surprisingly helped keep your mind a bit busy. The despair really didn’t hit you until you came across a fork in the road ahead. In front of you were two tunnels, where the tracks converged into one, leading back the way you came. You stood there, almost dumbfounded. Of course a subway would have diverging tracks. Why wouldn’t it? It was designed to take people to many different places across Unova, after all.

Still, seeing the fork in the road did little to help you. If anything, it made you this much closer to losing your shit. You really wanted to cry right now. You had been walking for at least two hours. You were tired, scared, and in immense amounts of pain… All you wanted was to go home, and crawl in bed. Oh how you wanted to strangle your boss for putting you in this position. Who knows? Maybe if you make it out alive, you’ll get the opportunity to do so. The thought of murdering your boss briefly helped against your growing nerves. However, you still had a choice to make. Left, or right? For all you knew, one was just a couple of miles to a dead end. Choosing wrong could potentially keep you here longer, and may even be a death sentence. Your hands shook as you looked between the two tunnels. Even if you weren’t injured, this was still a big choice to make. You only had so much energy, and you doubt you’ll be able to easily turn around and walk back the way you came if you choose wrong. So right… ...or left? Time was ticking. You couldn’t afford to sit and anxiously fight with yourself. Every moment you wasted was a moment you could be using to get out of here. That thought only made the knot in your stomach worse. Taking a deep breath, you decided. Just as you began to make your way left, you froze. It was faint, but you could have sworn you heard a noise coming from the right. Almost like a muffled tink of some sort. Whatever it was, it had to be far away, judging from the small echo, and how faint it was. But it was a noise. You couldn’t move, your heart racing. Thoughts were flying through your head a mile a minute. Down here in the tunnels, one little sound could be anything. From a stray animal, a rock falling from the structure shifting… ...Or even a person. The thought made you anxious. You would think the idea of finding anyone down here would give you hope. But why would anyone else be down here? Surely not someone up to anything good. Even you weren’t supposed to be here, only having been coerced to come by your boss and coworkers. You licked your lips. But if it was a person, they might take pity, and help you. But they could also hurt you and kill you as well. It was a gamble. And for all you knew, it might not even be a person. It could be a wild animal that would attack you for entering its territory. You wouldn’t even be able to run or defend yourself, no matter the case. You took a shaky breath. Quite the gamble indeed. You silently weighed in your options. Go left, and head into uncertainty. Or head right, and possibly get help. Your leg ended up helping make the decision for you. It was beginning to really hurt, especially after limping on it for so long. Any chance to receive aid was a chance you were going to have to take. The longer you were stuck here, the higher the chance of your leg becoming permanently damaged. And, y’know. Possibly dying down here alone from starvation. “Positive thoughts. Think positive thoughts.” You mumbled out through gritted teeth. With that, you forced yourself to move. Despite the circumstances, you tried to remain hopeful. Both for your own health, and peace of mind. You couldn’t afford to drown in despair just yet. The walk down the tunnel was slow, and it ate away at your nerves. Your flashlight could only illuminate the path ahead of you so much, and the anxiety of not knowing what you’ll find ate away at your mind. Every little noise, or odd looking object in the distance had you on edge. It also didn’t help that the further you walked, the more you began to hear noises. Strange noises. You couldn’t place what they were. Sometimes it would be tinks far off in the distance. Other times, you would hear what sounded like rumbling in the walls. Your light was no help. Whatever it was making such sounds was still too far away to be seen. Or again, in the walls. These were not comforting thoughts. You couldn’t tell if you wanted these sounds to be real, or a figment of your imagination. Going mad wasn’t exactly something you wanted to deal with this early on, but… ...You weren’t sure if you wanted to see whatever was making these noises at the end of the tunnel, either. In fact, you could feel yourself beginning to wonder if this was a choice you were going to regret. The thoughts weren’t sitting well in your stomach. The further you walked, the more you were fighting the feeling of being watched. It was silly, you know. There was no one in sight. No matter how many times you looked behind you, you never caught sight of anyone. Regardless, you still felt your hair stand on end.

“It’s just my nerves. No one is here but me. I’m okay.” You tried to assure yourself. Speaking it outloud helped a little bit, at least enough to keep you grounded. You could at least pretend to be okay a little longer if you could fool yourself. However, there was one thing that was beginning to distract you. There was an odd scent in the air. Several odd scents, in fact. The further you had walked, the sweeter the air had become. You knew this scent, but couldn’t quite place it. The air was pungent with it, almost humid in a way. Another scent in the air confused you. It was almost waxy. It didn’t make any sense to you. This was an abandoned set of train tunnels. Why were there these specifically weird smells? That, and it’s not like someone could grow a lot of flowers down here. Sure, some might survive in the dark, but you couldn’t help but doubt it was flowers causing the weird scent. It was heavy. Whatever it was, there had to be a lot of it.

You wanted to have hope, and say it was perhaps a flower shop above ground, but you doubted that would be the case. You were far enough underground that you wouldn’t be able to smell a flower shop. Nor would one be this… pungent in a specific scent. Swallowing thickly, you carried on. Surely, something this sweet smelling couldn’t be bad, right? It didn’t ease your rising heart rate, or the feeling of eyes on your back. Then there were the ominous sounds. Not only were there rumbling in the walls, but the further you walked, the more it sounded like it was all around you. You idly wondered if you were going to die today. You already almost died once in these tunnels. Maybe whatever god was out there wanted to finish the job? ...You really needed to get out of here. Walking further in though, you couldn’t help but feel the urge to just turn around, and head back the way you had come. Each little noise, the scents, and the feeling of being watched only made you yearn to the other path you could have taken. But it was so far back, and you had already walked for so long. You were getting really tired… You stopped for a moment, and leaned against the wall. It had been hours. You were tired, hungry, in immense pain, and your nerves were shot. You wanted to rest. “I can’t. I need to keep going…” you tried to reason with yourself. You can’t rest just yet. It isn’t safe here. But your body was beginning to feel heavy and sluggish, despite how anxious you were. You imagine a part of it had to do with how much you’ve been fighting your leg. Otherwise, you’d be able to easily keep moving. Shaking your head, you gripped the wall to press onward, only to pause when you heard a loud noise up ahead. You don’t know what it was, but it was loud. Loud and big enough to shake the tracks on the ground, which vibrated with a hum, before slowing to a stop. Then you heard it. A loud buzzing sound coming from the end of the tunnel. Multiple buzzing sounds. Eyes wide, you could feel yourself shaking again. That… was not human. You didn’t know what was down there, but all your instincts were screaming to turn around, and hightail it out of here. You didn’t belong here, you needed to leave. You began to walk backwards, but before you could turn around- Your back ran into something solid. The blood in your veins ran cold. It took all of your will power to gain the courage to turn around. Slowly, you turned around, and saw you were face to face with a chest. You hadn’t been alone. You felt tears prick your eyes. Blood was rushing through your ears.

Hands shaking, you tilted the flashlight upwards. After a few beats, the light landed on a smiling face. You let out a shriek, and stumbled backwards, falling in the process. Your flashlight tumbled out of your hands, rolling away towards the tracks. You couldn’t think, you couldn’t breathe. You were starting to hyperventilate. Oh gods, you were going to die, weren’t you? This guy wasn’t human. From the quick glance you got, his skin(??) was yellow? And his eyes were black and silver… You swore you could still see them watching you, even though the light was no longer on its face. You were shaking, and you could hear his footsteps getting closer. Desperate, you began to crawl backwards, only getting so far with your broken leg. In your panic, you barely registered the footsteps veering off to the side. You only became aware the being hadn’t been walking towards you when it picked up your flashlight. Freezing up seemed to be the only thing your body was capable of doing as it got closer. They stopped right in front of you, and must have watched you curiously for a few moments. A beat passed. Neither of you moved. You heard an odd buzzing. You could briefly see the figure lean down, and you flinched, tears threatening to fall. When the being began to lean down, you closed your eyes and shook, fearing what may possibly come. …Only for nothing to happen. After a few moments, you cracked an eye open, and saw the figure holding the flashlight out to you. Staring for a few moments, you shakily reached out, and grabbed it. Were they not going to hurt you? Hesitantly, you shined the flashlight upwards, and fought back a gasp that threatened to leave your lips. “Hello! I am Emmet!” he spoke, a smile wide on his face. You were speechless. A hybrid…? Yes, he was definitely a hybrid, now that you were getting a good look at him. His face was golden, but he had silver hair, hair that almost looked like fuzz. And then his eyes… They were silver, though where the whites would be, almost seemed black. Then you noticed the… Antenna? Antennae? And the faint buzzing… Looking behind him, you could faintly see what appeared to be bug-like wings. It hit you, just what exactly kind of hybrid you were looking at. “You’re… You’re a bee hybrid.” You spoke in awe. Insect hybrids were incredibly rare. Not many existed, and most that did, stayed with a hive or a colony. Other independent bug hybrids tended to stick to themselves. You swallowed nervously. He was very pretty. And also very huge. You don’t think you had ever seen a hybrid this size before… His smile only seemed to widen at your awed expression. “Yup! I am a bee hybrid, and you are a human!” He gazed down at you. You seemed at a loss for words. “Are you alright? That leg doesn't look very good.” His words brought you out of your daze. Eyes flickering down, you noticed your leg, and the throbbing pain suddenly became a lot more noticeable. You bit your lip. Walking as much as you had no doubt had put a lot of strain on it. You would be lucky if it didn’t have irreparable damage. You remained silent for a moment as the thoughts ran through your head. Thankfully, the hybrid, Emmet, you think was his name, was patient. “I… Got injured in a cave in, near the entrance down that way.” You told him, pointing towards the way you came. He glanced where you gestured towards, an odd look on his face. He turned back to you, and you nearly felt your heart jump in your throat from how fast he was. “I see. What was a human doing, entering these abandoned tunnels?” he asked. You felt a bit nervous, but decided to answer anyway. What could you even do? Run? Lie? Even if he seemed nice so far, there wasn’t a lot you could do for yourself. “...I came here with my boss and coworkers. They wanted to explore the abandoned tunnels. I didn’t want to go but… I was coerced into doing so, or deal with my boss’ temper, and risk my job. Said it would be a fun ‘bonding’ activity for the office…” you grumbled. You were still very much upset about this. All of this. You were exhausted, tired, and in a lot of pain. Your nerves were shot, you were alone in a tunnel with a stranger, and as far as you knew, he could kill you at any moment. You were tired. At this point, you weren't even sure if you could cry. Emmet looked at you, a calculating look on his face. You felt a spike of anxiety in your chest.

If there was a single bee hybrid here, did that mean…

You felt your stomach drop.

If a bee hybrid was underground, it wasn’t because they were lost or looking for flowers. The tunnels must be their hive. You were trapped in a tunnel leading to a hive. That explained the odd noises, and all the buzzing, you supposed. You felt a bit sick. You had been this close to presumably walking into a live hive. No doubt the drones inside would not take kindly to an intruder. Hell, the Queen would probably have had your head. Maybe it was a blessing this guy found you first, even if you weren’t sure of his intentions as of now. He was at least kind enough to listen to how you got here in the first place. Maybe he’d take pity on you and let you live? Or at least he could point you to where you need to go, so you could get crawling. In your internal musings, you were unaware of the internal debate within the hybrid’s mind. This was a golden opportunity! If you proved to be a nice fit, you had potential to solve all his hive’s major problems. If you proved unfit, well… Depending on how you act, they could either drop you off outside the city, or easily dispose of you. But he couldn’t let this opportunity pass! The hive was in too rough a position not to try. He was sure Ingo would agree, after listening to reason! However, he had to gain your trust. You were very much stressed and afraid. He felt for you, he really did! Being injured, and left alone in an abandoned tunnel with a different species was probably terrifying. He would be stressed if he was in your position too. He briefly looked over your leg, and fought back a wince. Sure, there wasn’t a lot of blood, most of the cuts having scabbed over. However, the skin was badly bruised, and there was swelling in a few places. Emmet didn’t need to be knowledgeable on humans to know that probably wasn’t good. And yet, he could help but admire this small human he had just met. From what he gleaned from your story, you’ve already been through a lot! Being betrayed by your boss and their drones? And to try and persevere by making your way through the tunnels, all while in immense pain? All for survival? He wouldn’t lie. You appeared to be very strong, mentally and emotionally at least. Even physically too! It was almost as if he couldn’t take his eyes off of you. He had been watching you for a while, ever since that fork in the road. His wings buzzed behind him for a moment in awe and excitement. Yes! Those made great qualities for a Queen of a hive! You could be a perfect fit! Plus, you were a verrry cute little human. He had seen plenty of your kind out and about, albeit hidden from their sights. You were way more cute and regal than any of those humans he had seen in the past. Now, he just had to convince you to try and take the role… …It wouldn’t be easy though, he’d imagine. Humans had their own lives, after all! They seemed to be verrry independent, and liked it that way, not wanting to be involved in other things unless they simply desired to. Not only that, but from what his hive has seen, humans were not huge fans of sudden change. Taking over a hive as a Queen no doubt would count as one of those sudden changes. So he had to make it tempting. But where to begin? His eyes landed back on your leg, and his antenna twitched. “Would you like help with that?” He asked you suddenly, and you nearly jumped at his sudden eagerness, hovering over your leg. “Huh?” You dumbly asked, not expecting the question. Help? What did he mean by help? “Your leg. You have put a lot of strain on it. It doesn’t look good. Let me help you.” You could only stare at him, trying to process what he said. “You can stay at the hive until you are well again!” He assured you, his smile seemingly growing excited. You couldn’t help but look at him a bit confused. “But… Won’t the uh, the Queen not like that?” You ask, slightly fearing for your life. If you ended up stuck in the hive with an angry Queen Bee Hybrid, you doubted you’d make it out alive. Especially if they were territorial. Emmet shook his head. “Our hive has no Queen.” Ah. His face almost fell as he said so. Well, that was one thing you didn’t have to worry about, but…

“What about the drones? And the other bees? Won’t they not take kindly to a stranger?” You asked, a bit hesitant. Not having a Queen made things less difficult, but that didn’t mean the drones and other bees would just accept you- “They’ll be no problem at all, I promise.” He spoke, confident as he attempted to assure you. “But-” “They will listen to me. I promise they will not hurt you. They will help you recover.” Silence followed his statement as you weighed in your options. Still, you couldn’t help but wonder… “Why would they listen to you?” It came out a bit more rude than you had intended, though he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, his grin grew incredibly wide. He leaned down towards you, almost like a bow, his wings buzzing behind him. “Because I am one of its Kings.”

#pokemon #submas #subway boss emmet #emmet #emmet x reader #pokemon x reader #submas x reader #hybrid!submas #hybrid!emmet #implied hybrid!ingo #bee hybrid emmet #beegearstation #beegearstation au #hybrid au #claustrophobia #cw injury #cw anxiety attack #zed.writes

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tokkias · 1 year

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Hi for a fic idea how about Natsu accidentally lost the engagement ring the day he wants to propose meanwhile half the guild are trying help search for it while Lucy has no clue what’s going on, please I thinks it’s a funny/ cute idea ^^

sometimes i get requests that just stick in my brain and nag me until i write them and this was definitely one of them. i had so many thoughts and ideas for it that what i originally anticipated was going to be a 6k fic turned into nearly 20k words. dies.

this one is a big boy, there's lot of characters, there's lots of scenes and it's a long read. i put a lot of hard work and effort into this so i'd appreciate if you read the whole thing <3

as always thank you to @nalunalu for getting me through this, i probably would have given up at 10k if it weren't for you.

ao3

"It was right there yesterday. I saw it with my own eyes."

"Well, it’s not there now."

"I can see that."

Stressed and frustrated bickering filled the otherwise quaint and quiet home, tucked away in the outskirts of the Magnolia Forest, as Natsu and Happy both scrambled around the house to find a very important item before they could head out to the guild for the day.

"Are you sure it was in here?" Happy asked, looking inside the drawer where Natsu had claimed he had left the ring, but came up short.

"Yeah, I’m sure."

"Then where is it?"

"I don’t know!"

While Happy was simply sitting on the table and scanning the area, Natsu was conducting a much more thorough search, crawling around on his hands and knees on the floor, trying to locate the small ring that had, to his knowledge, been here just before.

"Is there anywhere else you could have put it?" Happy asked, realising that their efforts searching in this one spot would be futile.

"I don’t think so," Natsu replied, brows furrowed in thought, trying to recall if he had moved it at some point.

"Maybe you took it to the guild and left it there?" Happy suggested.

Initially, Natsu blew his idea off, but the more he thought about it, the more it felt like it was a very real possibility, and panic began to set in.

"Shit," he hissed. "Maybe I did."

He shot a concerned look at Happy, who returned it with one of his own.

Natsu wasn’t usually this careless, especially with something as important to him as the ring he was going to use to propose to Lucy, but somehow, some way, it has escaped his possession. Had someone stolen it from him? It was worth a pretty hefty sum of cash, and he’d picked up countless jobs just to be able to think of affording it. That being said, his house wasn’t exactly a prime target for a robbery, and he’d know if someone had slipped by and taken it.

That only left one other option.

"I guess we’re going to the guild hall."

The guild doors slammed open with such force that they swung back around almost instantly before Natsu stopped it with his hand. His overly dramatic entrance caught the attention of almost everyone lingering in the guild, though he wasn’t interested in any of them. His eyes scanned the hall to see if Lucy was here, or perhaps more accurately, to make sure she wasn’t here.

For someone who wasn’t known for sticking to a plan, Natsu had planned the entire proposal out pretty thoroughly, and he wasn’t going to let that work go to waste by spoiling the surprise because he’d lost the goddamn ring.

He couldn’t seem to spot her in the crowd, but deciding it was better safe than sorry, he marched over to the bar to make sure she wasn’t going to be hiding anywhere in earshot when he announced his great fuck-up.

"What’s got your panties in a twist, dumbass?" Gray spat once he was in direct earshot.

"Has Lucy been by today?" Natsu practically demanded, ignoring Gray’s provocation altogether.

"Can’t say I’ve seen her," Mira replied with an apologetic smile. "Why? Is something wrong?"

He sucked in a breath, out of relief or fear of what he was about to say; he wasn’t entirely sure.

"I’ve lost the ring."

The room around him fell silent in a moment of confusion as everyone tried to process what he meant.

"The ring? What ring?" Gray asked, breaking the silence before realisation finally struck him. "Oh my god. You’re a fucking idiot."

"Yeah, I know that, dipshit, you don’t need to remind me," Natsu hissed back, his mood very clearly soured from having searched for it all morning to no avail.

"Every time I think you couldn’t fuck up any more, you outdo yourself," Cana drawled from her designated spot at the bar, drink already in hand despite the daylight hours.

Despite the immediate negative reactions, the inadvertent announcement of his intention caused a more optimistic reaction from the romantics in the room.

"Oh my gosh! You’re going to propose?" Wendy exclaimed, her eyes lighting up in delight over the romance of it all. "That’s so great! Lucy’s going to be so happy!"

"Juvia agrees! Lucy has told her all about how she’s been waiting for Natsu to propose," she gushed. "Juvia thinks this is very exciting news."

"Yeah, well, I can’t propose without a ring," Natsu spat, growing more and more irritable for each moment that passed without the ring in his possession.

"Hey, calm down," Lisanna said, her hand resting on his shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze. "You’re not going to find it by snapping at us, so how about you take some deep breaths and maybe give us some information that might help us find it. When was the last time you saw it?"

Taking her advice, Natsu sucked in a long, deep breath to calm himself down, feeling the worry begin to wash away bit by bit.

"I had it yesterday."

"And what does it look like?"

"It’s about this big," Natsu said, holding his thumb and index finger in a circle to emulate the approximate size of the ring as he recalled it.

"Well that’s not very helpful," she replied. "What colour is it? How many stones does it have?"

"It’s gold, and it’s got three red gems in it," he described. "Two little ones on the side and one big one shaped like a star in the middle."

"That’s a start," Lisanna hummed. "Is there anywhere else you think might have left it?"

Natsu furrowed his brows in thought for a moment as he tried to recall where he had been and what he had done since the last time he had seen the ring.

"We went to Lucy’s place yesterday; I guess I could have left it there."

"You don’t think Lucy’s already found it, has she?" Happy asked hesitantly.

Natsu’s face dropped at the suggestion, all of the worry and panic that had just left him now bubbling back to the surface and threatening to burst.

"If she found a random engagement ring at her apartment, you don’t think she’d have come and told us about it already?" Gray refuted. "She hasn’t been by all morning, and I doubt she’d just keep that to herself."

Natsu relaxed slightly at his affirmation, but the stress of not knowing kept him tense, which showed in every part of his body.

"When do you need it by?" Wendy asked in an effort to distract Natsu from his worried state.

"We’re supposed to be meeting back here at six," he explained, nerves quelled slightly, but his gaze kept flicking to the guild doors, clearly growing more and more antsy with each passing moment. "I have to find it before then."

All eyes moved to the clock that hung up on the wall behind the bar to note the current time, finding the small hand creeping ever closer to the two on the face.

"Well, it’s two o’clock right now; that gives us four hours, which is plenty of time to find a ring," she added, optimistically.

"So you guys are gonna help?" Natsu asked, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eye.

"Of course we’re going to help," Mira smiled. "We’ll find the ring, don’t you worry!"

For the first time since he walked through the guild doors, his shoulders relaxed, and he let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding in.

"All of us searching in the same spot isn’t going to get much done, so how about we split up?" Lisanna suggested. "Natsu, Happy, and I can go search their place again, another group can go search Lucy’s apartment and everyone else can search the guild hall."

"I can check at Lucy’s place," Gray offered. "I know the place pretty well. If flame brain left it there, I’d probably know where to look."

"Juvia will come help!" She volunteered, latching herself to Gray’s arm with a look in her eyes that said she wasn’t in this for Natsu or Lucy’s sake.

"You’re gonna help?" Natsu asked again, a disgusted gaze shot in Gray’s direction, his tone thoroughly unimpressed, leaving no room for speculation about how he felt about having him join the search.

"Hey man, don’t be a dick, I’m tryna help you out," Gray spat back. "I’m not doing this for you anyway, dipshit, I’m doing this for Lucy. You can look for it yourself for all I care, but I’m not gonna let Lucy go sad because you’re a dumbass who lost the engagement ring."

"Um, I’ll come too, if that’s alright with everyone," Wendy offered, interrupting the impending feud between the boys. "I might not be much use, but I’d really like to help Natsu out."

Her words worked to sufficiently distract the boys, who seemed just about ready to jump each other, perhaps for reasons unrelated to finding the ring.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," Gray agreed. "You could probably use your dragon slayer senses to sniff out the ring or something, right?"

"I can try my best!" She replied, looking more enthused now after his suggestion, her hands held in determined fists before her with an adamant look on her face.

"But what about Lucy?" Happy chimed in. "You won’t be able to search her apartment if she’s still there, and we won’t be able to search the guild if she’s here either."

"Don’t worry about Lucy, I’ll take care of her," Erza announced, standing tall and proud and looking very, very determined to play her part.

"You’re not gonna kill her, are you?" Natsu asked, a little hesitant from her choice of words and her penchant for solving problems with a very sharp sword.

"N-no! That is not what I meant by take care of!"

"I’ll join you," Levy announced, lifting Yajee off of her lap and transferring him to Gajeel’s. "You can take care of the twins for the day, can’t you?" She asked, turning to her partner.

Gajeel merely let out a gruff noise of acknowledgement that she took as his agreement.

"But don’t expect me to do none of that searchin’ shit. Salamander’s on his own there."

"Great!" Levy exclaimed, clasping her hands together, "In that case, Erza and I will go-"

Levy’s plan was cut off, and as if on cue, the doors to the guild hall swung open and the woman of the hour entered. All heads whipped around to look at her, any and all conversation about the ring came to a screeching halt.

"Good afternoon, Lucy!" Mira chirped, filling the new void of silence that had washed over the guild.

"Hi Mira," she replied, looking a little confused by the weird behaviour that was seemingly brought upon by her entrance.

"Hey, Lu-chan!" Levy called out, beckoning her friend over to the table where she and Gajeel were seated.

"Hey, Levy-chan," Lucy greeted cautiously. "Is something going on? Do I look weird or something? I feel like everyone’s staring at me," she murmured, not wanting to draw any more of the unsettling attention to herself.

"That’s just because you look really pretty today, Lu-chan!" Levy affirmed with a smile.

"You think so?" She replied, a gentle smile and blush crossing her face. "I tried something new with my hair this morning," she explained, her hand moving to twirl a strand of it around her finger bashfully. "Natsu and I are going out tonight, so I thought it would be nice."

Levy made eye contact with Natsu as he, Happy, and Lisanna all snuck behind Lucy, trying to make their exit without being noticed. Levy offered a confident smile, expressing that Lucy would be in good hands until the ring was located, and Natsu silently nodded back before the three of them scurried off in a hurry.

"I’m off of mom duty today, so Erza and I were going to get our nails done. If you’re going out with Natsu tonight, why don’t you join us?" Levy offered, an eager look on her face, hoping that Lucy would accept without much trouble.

"You and Erza?" Lucy asked, a little sceptical about the unusual combination.

"Mmhm!" Levy confirmed. "Erza and I grew up here together, you know! But it’s been a while since we caught up," she added, sensing her friend’s apprehension.

"R-right!" Erza confirmed, caught off guard by the sudden plan but scrambling to feign confidence.

"Come on, it’ll be fun," Levy pleaded, leaning over the table to grab Lucy’s hands in her own.

"I mean… if it’s okay with Erza," Lucy replied, turning her gaze towards the woman in question, a little nervous about being invited along without her input.

"Yes!" Erza replied, perhaps a little too eagerly, before noticing her mistake and trying her best to rectify it. "I mean, I would be happy for you to come along."

"Great!" Levy cheered. "That settles it! Let’s get going then!"

"Wh- Right now?" Lucy exclaimed before she was pulled to her feet by Erza, her grip firm around her wrist. "Hey! I wanted to see Natsu before we left!"

"Natsu can wait!" Erza declared. "Today is a girl’s day!"

"I didn’t realise Levy was so fast on her feet," Gray commented, as those remaining watched Erza practically drag Lucy out of the guild hall with Levy following close behind.

"Having kids’ll do it to ya," Gajeel replied. "Ya get real good at distractions, and Levy’s great at ‘em." He began to bob Yajee up and down on his knee as Jutla started to cling onto her papa’s arm, all but begging for his attention. "But today I’m on double distractin’ duty."

"Now that Lucy’s gone, it should be safe to check her apartment, right?" Wendy said, pulling the attention of her new teammates towards her.

With a mutual nod of understanding, the three of them went ahead to make their exit before Gray promptly froze.

"We don’t have a key," he realised. "Lucy probably locked the place when she left, and Natsu’s already gone, so we can’t use his."

"No worries!" Mira chimed in, holding up a ring of keys that she jingled in front of them. "I have a spare!"

A sigh of relief was let out amongst the Lucy-apartment-trio, knowing it would be an easy break and enter, though upon closer examination, Gray noticed another familiar key dangling off of the ring.

"Hey, is that the spare key to my place?" He asked, his brow raised in confusion.

"No time for questions! We have a ring to find!" Mira diverted, placing Lucy’s key in his hand and hurrying them off.

Lucy honestly couldn’t recall the last time she had stepped foot in a nail salon. In fact, she hadn’t even known there was one in Magnolia at all until Erza and Levy had physically dragged her to it. She was more of a do-it-yourself type of girl, but the idea of taking the day to be pampered for a bit (and not getting polish smudged around the nails of her left hand) was too pleasant an offer to say no. It wasn’t exactly how she had imagined her day to play out, but Erza and Levy would hear no complaints from her as the trio sat around to pick their colours.

If Lucy hadn’t been to one in years, Erza probably hadn’t been in her entire lifetime, based on the stressed expression on her face as she stood before the wall of every nail polish colour under the sun. Though Lucy probably could have guessed that by her chipped nails, calloused hands, and the dirt that seemed like it had been under her nails since she had met her.

"Not sure what colour to pick?" Lucy asked in a hopeful attempt to try and lighten her mood.

Erza remained silent, instead merely shaking her head as her gaze remained stuck on the colours.

Lucy held out a deep red colour in offering to her.

"This one matches your hair," she suggested in an attempt to be helpful.

"Um… I think that’s a bit bold for my first time," Erza managed to stutter out, confirming Lucy’s earlier thoughts.

"Okay, well, how about a more neutral colour then?" Lucy asked, putting the red back on the shelf.

Levy took another off of the shelf and held it by Erza’s hand to see how it might look on her.

"Brown?" She suggested. "This one would look pretty with your skin tone."

"I’m not sure," Erza frowned, not looking entirely sold on the idea. "I thought I might like something more… exciting."

Exciting but not bold, Lucy thought. It seemed like an oxymoron, but she wasn’t about to criticise Erza’s choice of words, lest she be beheaded in a nail salon. She scanned the wall once again to see what her options were.

"You could go pink," Lucy offered, more for her own amusement than anything else, not expecting anything to come from it.

"Pink. I want pink."

"What? Really?" Lucy asked, taken completely off guard by her response.

"What’s wrong with pink? Do you not think it’ll look good?" Erza replied, looking worried and a little flustered by her friend’s reaction.

"No! That’s not what I think at all," she assured. "I just didn’t think you’d go for it, is all."

"How about a peach shade?" Levy suggested, much to Lucy’s relief, as she provided a distraction for a stressed-out Erza. "It’s a pretty colour, but it’s not too out there either."

Taking her suggestion, Erza directed her attention to the pinks and picked a light, almost nude pink.

"This one," she said, turning around to face Lucy and Levy and holding out the colour for their approval.

She held her options in one hand, letting the glass of the containers clack against each other as she compared them. She had managed to narrow it down to three so far: an eggshell blue, a rosy pink, and a metallic gold. Any other day she might have picked the blue without hesitation; it matched almost every outfit she liked to wear, so she wouldn’t have to think about it too much, but thinking forward to her date with Natsu, Lucy thought it might be appropriate to switch it up a little.

Perhaps pink would be too on the nose for a date, but the shade matched Natsu’s hair so perfectly that it made her heart thrum with excitement over the mere thought of him. Her face flushed red slightly when she caught her thoughts running away from her. She’d get her time with him later, but right now it was a girl’s day, and her full attention was going to be on her friends.

"Do you think you know what colour you want?" Levy probed, looking over Lucy’s shoulder, having already picked out a soft orange for herself.

"I think I want the gold," she finally decided, placing the two rejected options back in their designated spots.

Remembering Natsu’s description of the ring, Levy had to bite down on her lip to suppress the massive grin she would have otherwise broken into if she hadn’t physically stopped herself.

"That’s great, Lu-chan! It’s really pretty," she smiled, trying her best to hide the excited jitters that were beginning to build up in her chest.

"It’s been a long time since I’ve been out here," Lisanna commented as the familiar sign came into view.

It had been several years since she had last come by, but from the very moment she stepped through the door, it was as if no time had passed. The place looked exactly the same as she remembered it, which would have made for easy searching if it weren’t also as messy as she remembered it.

"Still as untidy as ever, I see," she observed.

"Hey! We just cleaned the place!" Natsu shot back.

"You call this clean?" Lisanna retorted, stepping over a stray pile of unclean laundry that had clearly been tossed there without much thought. "No wonder you lost the ring when your house is in this state."

"Lucy’s not gonna be happy you called it untidy after she just cleaned up," Happy commented.

Lucy being the one to have cleaned up most recently made a lot more sense, and yet somehow, she was not surprised that Natsu and Happy had already made a mess of it. Lisanna couldn’t help but think what a saint she must be to willingly volunteer to clean up a place like this, even more so to see it and still keep Natsu in the running for potential life partner.

"And how long ago was that?" She asked, kicking a dirty sock out of her path as she moved deeper into their home.

"I dunno, like a couple months ago?" Natsu shrugged, not seeing any issue with the discrepancy he had just created.

"That's not recent at all," Lisanna pointed out.

"Sure it is," Happy brushed off. "We only have to clean it once a year."

She grimaced slightly at his comment, regret slowly creeping up on her for agreeing to help out as she thought about what kind of gross, nasty things could grow in a home that was only cleaned once a year. If it were anyone but Natsu, she would be out of there immediately, but unfortunately, she had long since deemed their friendship too important to let him do this on his own.

"This is where I left it," Natsu called out, snapping Lisanna out of her thoughts.

He had pulled open a drawer, which, when she peered inside, seemed to be empty aside from a few miscellaneous papers that had been haphazardly shoved in there, perhaps never to be seen again.

"So you think it could be around here?" She asked as she proceeded to shut the drawer and look through the ones surrounding it.

Natsu sighed and shrugged slightly at her query.

"I thought so, but I’m really not sure anymore."

Lisanna furrowed her brows as she searched through the final drawer, only to come up with nothing. She hadn’t expected it to be easy when Natsu arrived at the guild looking as panicked as he did, but this was going to be more of a difficult task than she had anticipated.

Natsu was messy, but he wasn’t incompetent; she was certain he had already done a somewhat thorough search of the area he thought he had left it in, so there would be no point combing through it again. Instead, a more cohesive plan was needed. She scanned the room and pursed her lips as she thought through what the best course of action would be.

"How about you and Happy clear up some of the stuff from the floor, and I’ll take a look on the shelves," she decided. "Maybe you’ll find it in a pile of something on the ground."

"Aye!"

Eager to get going and find the ring, the three set off to attend to their respective jobs, but not before Lisanna got in one last word.

"We’ll find it," she assured.

"I know." Natsu nodded. "Thanks."

When the door to Lucy’s apartment swung open, Gray mentally thanked his past self for volunteering to come here. Lucy’s apartment was a much smaller space than the guild hall, and between the three of them, they would be able to cover plenty of ground in a fraction of the time while missing out on the chaos that was sure to ensue back at the guild.

That being said, they had come without a clear plan in mind, which left them with a very important question.

"So where do we start?" Juvia asked, her gaze passing across the apartment, examining the search area.

It wasn’t a large space, but going in without a plan felt like setting themselves up for failure.

"The ring would probably smell like Natsu, right?" Gray suggested.

He looked over at Wendy, who wordlessly nodded at his comment, not needing him to elaborate any more for her to pick up what he was suggesting. She inhaled deeply, taking in all of the different scents that lingered in the air, trying to spot that familiar smell to give them their first lead before letting out a defeated exhale.

"I’m sorry… it all just smells like Natsu," she said, an apologetic smile on her face.

"Juvia supposes that makes sense," she mused. "Natsu must spend a lot of time here if he wants to marry Lucy."

It was a disappointing start to the search, but they had been through much worse than something as trivial as searching for a ring.

"Can you pick up where his scent is strongest? Maybe we can start looking in those places," he offered.

Nodding, Wendy gave another good sniff, the scent now fresh in her brain as she tried to locate where it smelled the freshest. She wandered around the room a bit, trying to get a better feel for the layout of it. After a moment or two of tracking, Wendy thought she had a good hold on where the strongest scent was.

"The bed, the couch, and-" Wendy began to list, pointing at each of the items before making her way over to the dresser and opening a drawer that had a particularly strong smell. In her curiosity, she opened it, only to be met with Lucy’s collection of risqué panties. Her face now bright red, Wendy slammed it shut and turned on her heel to face Gray and Juvia. "That’s it! Just the bed and the couch!"

Gray and Juvia shared a sceptical look but otherwise didn’t press her on it, both having a vague idea of what she had just seen.

"Juvia thinks those are both good places to start," Juvia affirmed. "It’s easy to lose small things like Natsu’s ring in places like that."

Wendy quickly recovered from her brief traumatic moment in response to Juvia’s agreement.

"I can search the couches then!" She eagerly offered.

"Juvia and I can check around the bed then," Gray suggested, to which Juvia nodded in agreement, perhaps a little over enthusiastic for the cause.

"Try not to get lost between the cushions," Juvia giggled, much to Wendy’s dismay.

"I’m not that small!" She squeaked as she tried her best to pry the tightly fitted bottom cushion, which was almost as big as she was, off of the seat.

Wendy had said the bed had smelt freshly of Natsu, and knowing his penchant for popping over to Lucy’s for a quick midday nap, Gray couldn’t say he was surprised. If Natsu had it on him, there was a very real chance that he could have dropped it in or around the bed and it would have gone unnoticed. Unfortunately, searching the bed posed a glaring problem.

It had been made neater than he could ever hope to make it. There was no way he was going to be able to remake it to Lucy’s standard and leave it looking like he hadn’t been searching through her sheets afterwards. Deciding it would be best to leave it as is for now, he ran his hand across the sheets to try and feel if there was anything poking out from the surface. His hands confirmed what his eyes could see – no ring.

He lifted up the pillows to check under there before shaking the pillow case in hopes that maybe it would fall out of one of them. A small grunt of frustration escaped him when nothing came of it, but he reminded himself that at least Lucy had left the place neat and tidy for them to search.

"Lisanna really pulled the short end of the stick by volunteering to search Natsu’s place," Gray commented as he lifted the mattress off of the bed frame to check underneath. "At least Lucy’s place is well organised, and we don’t have to sort through trash to look for it."

"Gray-sama has been to Natsu’s house?" Juvia asked, shutting the drawer of Lucy’s nightstand to proceed to check in the next one.

"Yeah, just once, a long time ago," he replied. "Place is a pig sty. It’s kind of a miracle that Lucy’s apartment is this tidy when he spends so much time here."

"Lucy is very good for Natsu," Juvia commented. "Natsu is a better, more mature person around Lucy."

"You’re tellin’ me," Gray grumbled, dropping the mattress back onto the frame after not having found anything under it.

"Juvia wouldn’t be surprised if Lucy’s tidy habits have rubbed off on Natsu," she added.

"I wouldn’t go that far," he scoffed.

Natsu had changed a lot since Lucy had come into their lives; he had grown a lot as a person, he was more mature, he thought more before he said or did things, but Natsu was going to live and die a slob, no amount of Lucy would change that.

"Gray-sama is putting a lot of effort into helping Natsu," Juvia observed, the implications of her words not needing to be spoken aloud for Gray to pick up what she was trying to say.

"He’s like a brother to me," he admitted. "A dumb, stupid, idiot of a brother, but he’s still my family."

Juvia let out a murmur of understanding as he spoke, a smile making its way onto her lips as she listened to Gray get sentimental about the person he frequently and publicly claimed he couldn’t stand.

"And being with Lucy makes him about a hundred times more tolerable," he continued. "I don’t know what she sees in him, but whatever makes them happy, y’know?"

"From what Juvia has heard, Natsu makes her very happy," Juvia hummed, continuing her thorough search of the nightstand.

"Yeah," Gray mused, recalling the way Lucy always seemed to feel more at home with Natsu around. "He does."

"Alright, let’s make a plan then, shall we?" Mirajane announced, gathering a group of guild members by the bar who were lured in by her authority. "Natsu tends to get himself into tussles around the whole guild, so there aren't many places we can rule out," she observed.

She tapped her finger against her chin, lost in thought for a moment as she examined the search area and devised their plan.

"I think we should split up," Mira decided. "We can have one group search upstairs and everyone else look down here. If he dropped it, it’s probably on the floor, so be sure to check under chairs and tables." Murmurs of understanding were passed around the group, enraptured by her uncharacteristic authoritative presence. "I’ll be searching by the bar; someone can go check in the supply closets as well," she added.

"What? Why the supply closets? Does Natsu even go in there?" Freed asked, brows raised in doubt at her suggestion.

"Of course he does," Cana chimed in, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "With Luuuccyyy~"

Alzack quickly covered Asuka’s ears with his hands at Cana’s implication, much to the young girl’s distress.

Bickslow let out a loud cackle as her joke registered in Freed’s brain, and the immediate regret of asking overcame him.

"Volunteering for sex room duty, are we?" Evergreen asked, a smirk growing on her face.

"That is not what I meant when I asked that, and you know it!" Freed spat back, his face growing a deep red in embarrassment, which only made Bickslow laugh even harder.

"Great! Freed is on sex room duty then!" Mira chirped, an oh-so-innocent smile on her face that could almost make one believe that she wasn’t joking.

"No, I am not!" He protested as Bickslow absolutely howled in laughter, slamming his fist against the bar top, tears beginning to roll down his face.

His protests were cut short by Evergreen’s grip on his wrist as she pulled him over towards the nearest supply closet.

"I do not want to go anywhere near where Natsu and Lucy have had sex!" He cried out, struggling to get his hand back from a deceptively strong Evergreen.

"Don’t be a baby!" She spat back, tightening her hold on him as she tugged him to the nearest supply closet.

"Aren’t you going to help Freed?" Bisca asked Laxus as the remainder of the group watched him be pulled away by his teammate.

"What am I? His babysitter?" He scoffed. "Ever’s put him through worse than dragging him into Natsu’s sex room."

"Okay, I think we’ve talked enough about the sex room," Alzack interrupted, gesturing with his head towards an upset Asuka who was trying to pry away his hands from her ears.

"I do not want to be here," Freed reiterated as he unwillingly followed Evergreen into one of the guild’s many supply closets.

"Oh, calm down, would you? They haven’t actually had sex in here," she assured. "Do you actually think someone like Lucy would do that?"

"Then why are we searching in here?" He asked, still a little bitter about the scene that was made at his expense.

"Natsu came in here yesterday because Master made him and Gray fix the barstools’ they broke in a fight yesterday," Evergreen replied matter-of-factly.

Freed didn’t reply; he simply raised his brows at her explanation.

"I saw the whole thing go down," she elaborated, noting his surprised expression.

"I didn’t realise you paid attention to those sorts of things," he observed.

"It’s hard not to when they cause such a ruckus," Evergreen replied as she began to move some of the cleaning supplies out of the way to search one of the shelves. "Is it so surprising that I want to help? They’re still our family," she said in response to his silence. "Natsu never stopped defending Laxus after Master kicked him out of the guild, and Fairy Tail would still be disbanded if it weren’t for Lucy. If looking for this ring is what it takes to thank them, I don’t mind doing it."

Her explanation practically stunned Freed into silence. Sure, he knew Evergreen well, they were a team—a family—but rarely did she let herself show a more compassionate side of herself, even to him.

She was right, of course. If it weren’t for Lucy and Natsu, they would still be back at Blue Pegasus, and though he had found himself fond of the friends he had made there, nothing could compare to the home he had found in Fairy Tail. To help in this search was the least they could do for them, and little more than a drop in the bucket in showing just how thankful Freed was to be reunited with his family – his whole family.

"And if Natsu can propose then maybe Elfman will finally grow a pair and pick up the hint," Evergreen added.

Freed chuckled lightly at her addition, feeling as though that was the most Evergreen thing she could have said in that moment.

"Now would you quit standing around while I’m doing all the hard work?" She complained. "We have a ring to find, you know."

"Of course," he smiled.

Lucy felt completely at ease as the woman sat across from her clipped, buffed, and prepped her nails. She practically melted into the plush chair beneath her while she, Erza, and Levy chatted idly about everything they hadn’t had the chance to talk about until now.

Levy gushed about the twins, and Erza told stories of her recent solo jobs (to which Lucy and Levy both teased her relentlessly at the mere mention of Jellal’s name, causing her face to flush as crimson as her hair). It had been a while since she’d had some real girl time with Levy or Erza, and even longer since she’d been pampered like this.

A content hum escaped her lips as the gold polish went on, the metallic finish shimmering in the artificial light. There were no nail polish smudges around her cuticles like when she had to do it herself with her left hand, or perhaps more commonly, when she forced Natsu to do it for her. The bright shimmer wasn’t something she’d have chosen for herself on a normal day, her own collection only being made up of more muted tones, but she supposed the day warranted it.

As she admired her manicure, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness overcome her as she noted how bare her fingers looked. The only thing that decorated her fingers were the scars that held precious memories of her adventures, which she held close to her heart, but she still couldn’t help the longing she felt to have a ring on her finger.

She and Natsu had been dating for years now, had been best friends for even longer, and Lucy had long since thought it had been time for him to pop the question. Maybe it was because she hadn’t been forthright enough on the topic or hadn’t made it obvious enough that marriage was something she wanted. She had dropped a few hints here and there, though maybe she shouldn’t be surprised that someone as direct as Natsu might not have picked them up.

It had crossed her mind that perhaps she would have to be the one to ask, but she couldn’t shake her longing for a more traditional proposal. In her dream proposal, Natsu was the one to get down on one knee and pull the velvet box out of his pocket before revealing the dazzling ring inside.

She scoffed lightly at the thought. Natsu was not the romantic prince charming that she had always envisioned herself with growing up, but she was content with that. He wasn’t one for candlelit dinners or grand gestures of love, and Lucy had long since made her peace with that. In fact, deep down, she prefered what she had with him to anything she could have imagined as a child. He was not her storybook lover, but he put more into their relationship than any other guy she had been with before him, and she valued that more than any cheesy, romantic scenario her imagination could conjure up.

Even though she didn’t expect a fancy, traditional proposal from someone like him, Lucy was still surprised that he hadn’t ever brought it up himself. He had told her that they were always going to be together, and she wholeheartedly believed that he was going to follow through on that, but she supposed that was never a promise of marriage; they weren’t even together at the time.

Closing her eyes, Lucy let out a sigh, which caught the attention of Erza next to her.

"Is everything okay, Lucy?"

"Yeah, I’m just thinking about something," she admitted.

Erza looked at her as though she wanted her to elaborate, but Lucy wasn’t so sure that this was something she wanted to talk about right now. It was supposed to be a nice outing with her friends, she didn’t want to drag the mood down with her relationship woes. So instead, Lucy waved her off and offered a smile in hopes of moving on.

Much to her relief, Erza promptly dropped it, and the conversation quickly picked back up as Levy began to recount another story about the antics Jutla had dragged Yajee into as of late.

"Have you found anything?" Wendy called out from across the room.

"Nothing yet, but if we do, we’ll let you know," Gray called back. "How about you?"

"Just this," Wendy replied, holding out a handful of bobby pins and coins for them to see. "No ring, though," she added before trying to fit the cushions back on the loveseat. "Sorry, I’m not being much help…"

"Wendy is being a great help!" Juvia reassured, to which Wendy responded with a relieved smile.

"If you’re done over there, I could use some help checking under the bed," Gray added, kneeling at the foot of the bed and glancing underneath it. "I don’t think I’m gonna fit under here."

"Oh, of course!" Wendy replied, placing her couch haul on the coffee table before eagerly bounding over to the other side of the room.

It was a bit of a tight fit, even for Wendy, but she managed to wiggle her way under and get a good look. It was kind of dark too, but enough light streamed in from the room that she could still get a good look at what was under there. It was pretty clean, save for a few dust bunnies that indicated that Lucy hadn’t cleaned under there in a while and many, many hair ties.

"Anything?" Juvia asked, feeling herself get a little antsy in anticipation after a few moments of hearing nothing from the girl under the bed.

"It doesn’t look like it…" Wendy called back, loud enough that hopefully both of them could hear her.

Once she managed to pull herself out, Gray noticed the slightly dejected look on her face.

"Don’t beat yourself up about it, alright? It’s not your fault it wasn’t under there," he said, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"That just means we have to check elsewhere, right?" Juvia added.

"Right!" Wendy agreed, not letting herself get down after another failed search.

Lucy’s apartment wasn’t that big; there were only so many places the three of them could look, which should have made this an easy search in theory. Truthfully, Gray had expected them to be in and out quickly, to find it wedged between the couch cushions or down the side of her bed, and then be back at the guild within the hour. As the clock ticked on, that expectation was seemingly becoming more and more unrealistic.

Knowing Natsu and his careless tendencies, there was nowhere that they could truly rule out as a possibility. There was no place that they could find it that would surprise Gray, he had simply accepted the fact that Natsu was stupid enough to lose it anywhere, which simply meant they had to check everywhere.

Examining the room, Lisanna immediately noticed that Natsu’s board of many memories had grown substantially since the last time she had seen it. She chuckled lightly to herself at how much of it came back to Lucy. Pictures and notes littered the board with Lucy-this and Lucy-that. The occasional job flyer, photo, or souvenir with notes mentioning other guildmates were scattered across the walls and shelves, but it seemed like nothing when put next to the sheer number of memories he had kept with Lucy. She was certain that he had kept a photo from every date the two had been on in the entirety of their relationship and tacked it onto his wall with a note recounting a summary of their day together.

Natsu loved his friends perhaps more than anyone, Lisanna was acutely aware of that, but that love paled in comparison to that he held for Lucy. She hadn’t been around when they two met, but she had seen how much meeting Lucy had changed him for the better. She’d simply assumed that his newfound maturity (by his standards, anyway) was simply chalked up to age and life experience, but if the stories told around the guild about the pair were anything to go by, Lucy was a big part of making him into the person he was today.

While she could have been content to admire Natsu’s dedication to his collection, Lisanna was well aware that she had a job to do. Between all the knick-knacks and tchotchkes that Natsu had accumulated over the years, she wouldn’t be surprised if the ring popped up somewhere on the shelves between them. It was difficult to find where he might have placed it recently given how surprisingly neat his collection was, clearly having been dusted frequently and taken good care of. Not wanting to leave any stone unturned, Lisanna checked every shelf, between, and under every trinket, mindful to be careful with everything she touched, not wanting to sour Natsu’s mood any more than it already was.

Natsu had always been pretty temperamental growing up, but he seemed to have vastly improved on that front over the years. That was why it had come as such a surprise to her when Natsu had arrived at the guild in such a shitty mood, unprovoked. Granted, she couldn’t find it in herself to blame him when she found out why.

A gentle smile crossed her face as she thought about it. Sure, they weren’t as close these days as they used to be, but that didn’t stop the joy and fondness that filled her heart at the thought of her childhood best friend getting married.

Finally, after all these years, Natsu, of all people, was going to settle down. Well, as much as someone like him could settle down, anyway.

Even then, Lucy was filled with just as much vigour and fondness for adventure as he was, that was just one of the things that made them a perfect match. The two of them were inseparable, partners in crime, never one without the other. Together, they had been on more adventures than anyone else could dare dream, and now Natsu was about to take her on a whole new adventure.

The sentiment was so sweet, it could almost make Lisanna cry.

It was like she was watching a storybook romance play out in front of her eyes, only instead of words on a page, this was a real, lived experience from her real-life family.

Holding back tears but failing to suppress the wide smile on her face, Lisanna lifted up one of Natsu’s many trinkets, this one seemingly hollow on the inside, to check if there was anything accidentally left underneath. She didn’t get much time to examine the space beneath before her thoughts were cut off by Natsu’s voice from the other side of the room.

"I’m sorry."

Placing the item down, she turned around to face him, her head tilted slightly in confusion at his sudden apology.

"For what?"

"For bein’ a jackass back at the guild," Natsu admitted, his gaze cast down and away from her as he spoke. "Everyone was just tryna help, but I was bein’ a jerk because I was stressed out."

"It’s okay; I understand," she replied. "If I were in your position, I would probably be a little snippy too."

He still didn’t look up at her, even in his apology, but she could see the way his expression changed, easing into a softer, more gentle look.

"Thanks for helping me out," he added. "It really means a lot."

"That’s what friends are for, right?" She smiled. "I know you’d do the same for me."

By now, Natsu’s smile had fully returned, much to Lisanna’s relief.

"Only I wouldn’t lose the ring," she added, a cheeky look on her face, to which Natsu didn’t respond well.

"Hey! Shut up," he grumbled, throwing a balled-up shirt in her direction, missing drastically as it hit the wall a few feet away from her before pathetically dropping to the floor and earning an amused chortle from Lisanna.

For as much as he’d grown, Natsu really hadn’t changed one bit.

Erza’s eyes were firmly stuck on her hands as the three of them exited the salon, narrowly missing walking straight into Lucy in her trance, who thankfully stepped out of the way just in time.

"Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen your nails look so clean," Lucy commented, taking one of Erza’s hands and holding it in her own.

"Yeah, me either," Erza replied, brows furrowed as she closely examined her other hand.

While Lucy was distracted, Levy pulled out her communication lacrima in hopes that she would be met with good news, but instead her home screen remained devoid of any new messages. Quickly, she flicked over to her messaging app to make sure, only to find no updates since they had left. She tapped on Mira’s contact, figuring that if anyone would know what was going on, it would be her.

SMS Levy Any updates on the ring?

SMS Mirajane nothing yet :( we r going to keep looking :) will let u know :)

With a slight frown, Levy put her lacrima away and tried to give Erza a look to indicate that they would need more time.

"This was really fun," Lucy mused, looking content with the outcome of their outing. "I suppose we should head back to the guild now. I didn’t get to see Natsu before we left earlier."

"N-no!" Erza cried out abruptly, to a look of confusion from her friend, before she realised how suspicious she sounded. "I mean, your date isn’t until six, right? That means there’s plenty of time before we have to make it back," she managed to stutter out as she tried to correct her previous mistake.

"How did you know what time my date was?" Lucy asked, surprised that Erza had known when she had never brought it up herself.

"Natsu mentioned it at the guild this morning!" Levy butted in, much to Erza’s relief.

That wasn’t technically a lie, they were simply omitting a key piece of information, but Lucy didn’t have to know that.

"And Erza’s right. You practically live with Natsu these days, and I never get any time to myself with Jutla and Yajee, so what do you say we make this a real girl’s day?"

Lucy’s gaze flicked between Levy and Erza, both of them practically pleading her to stay with their eyes alone. That was all it took for Lucy’s resolve to fizzle away entirely. It had been entirely too long since she’d had a day out that didn’t somehow involve Natsu or Happy and she had admittedly been having a lot of fun with Levy and Erza.

"Okay, you’re right," she agreed. "It’ll be fun."

"Real romantic for Natsu to propose tonight, wouldn’t you say so, Al?" Bisca commented, drawing out her last syllable as she referred to her husband, giving him a sly look that didn’t quite match her words.

Alzack shrank slightly under her words, hearing the implications of them loud and clear as he and Asuka crawled around on hands and knees, searching the floorboards underneath the tables in hopes of seeing the glimmer of the golden ring underneath one of them.

"Yep, sure is," he meekly replied, trying to divert away from the contentious topic.

"I wonder what it’d be like to be proposed to," she continued. "Well, at least one of us knows, isn’t that right, Al?"

He tried to shoot her back an unimpressed look but ended up looking a bit more like a kicked puppy as she bought up his proposal, or more accurately, lack thereof, earning a laugh out of her.

"I was nervous!" Alzack defended, trying his best to sound assured in his words, though he was given away by the crack in his voice. "I was afraid you were gonna say no…" He added, his voice little more than a mumble.

"Oh, come on, I’m only teasing ya," Bisaca laughed, giving him a gentle nudge in the arm that nearly shoved him on his side.

"Something tells me that this isn’t just teasing…" he murmured, trying his best to get back to the search.

"It’s kind of strange, isn’t it?" Bisca added suddenly.

"What’s strange?" He replied, turning his head to look over at his wife, taken off guard by the sudden jump in subject.

"It seems like it was only yesterday when we were all teenagers, growing up alongside Natsu, doing all the stupid things that teenagers do, but now we’ve settled down with a family but they’re still making up for lost time."

Alzack frowned slightly as he processed what she was saying. It wasn’t something he ever gave much thought to, but she was right. He, Bisca, Natsu, and Lucy had all been the same age once, in the most literal of senses. They should have all lived through the same milestones together, and yet now, through the cruel hand of fate, they had several years on them.

It simultaneously felt so recent but also like a fleeting memory.

That was over a decade ago now—to them anyway.

"Do you think that if it weren’t for those seven years, they’d already be married?" He asked.

His question caused her to pause and consider for a moment. For as much as she saw the guild as her family, she was never all that familiar with Natsu prior to the events of Tenrou Island, even less so with Lucy. In a way, the Natsu and Lucy she knew were always going to be the ones changed by the events of Tenrou, the Grand Magic Games, the Eclipse, and every subsequent challenge they had to face together so young. The Natsu and Lucy, who were barely adults by the time she and Alzack had figured out their lives, the Natsu and Lucy who were deceptively good babysitters, and Bisca was sure they would make just as good parents if they ever chose to be.

"I don’t know," she answered honestly. "But there’s no point dwelling on the past though, is there?"

Alzack looked at her with a deadpan gaze, recalling how dwelling on the past was exactly what started this conversation, but Bisca merely returned it with an innocent-looking smile that her husband could see right through.

"Daddy! Stop talking with mommy and help me look!" Asuka demanded with a determined look on her face, sounding very unhappy with her father’s lack of contribution to the search effort.

Bisca did nothing to suppress the laugh she let out as she watched her husband be bossed around by their daughter. She couldn’t exactly blame her, though. Asuka was right; they had a job to do—a friend to help—there was no time for slacking off on the clock.

"Any updates?" Happy called out from among the pile of dirty clothes he and Natsu had accumulated during their search.

The floor was mostly clear, save for a few items scattered across the floor, albeit ones that didn’t necessarily obstruct their search, but they had still come up short, no ring in hand.

"I’ve checked all the shelves, but I haven’t found anything," Lisanna updated.

Her eyes scanned the shelves once more for any places she hadn’t already checked, but at this point she was almost certain she had been about as thorough with it as she could be. If she was certain about anything, it was that the ring wasn’t there, and they would have to focus their search elsewhere.

It was beginning to get dark outside, and those four hours that had once felt like plenty of time were now beginning to feel incredibly insignificant. The thought that he had lost the ring somewhere else entirely had crossed her mind plenty since they began their search, but she had always nipped it in the bud before it overcame her. Now, though, as each moment passed with no ring, Lisanna began to worry that maybe that was the case.

"Maybe you have to postpone it," Happy reluctantly suggested.

"No, I have to do it tonight."

"Why does it have to be tonight?" Lisanna inquired.

"It just has to," he replied. "I’ve planned everything out, and it’s gotta be perfect, and that means asking tonight."

The room fell quiet for a moment, and Lisanna took that time to examine the expression on his face. He had that serious look on his face, the one she hardly ever saw on him, even rarer outside of battle. She already knew that this was something that was important to him, but perhaps she hadn’t understood just how serious he was about it until now.

"Okay," she conceded. "We’ll keep looking then."

"Thank you, Lisanna."

His voice was full of such sincerity that she couldn’t believe that giving up on the search had even been in the cards. In response, she flashed him a reassuring smile to let him know that she wasn’t about to concede any time soon.

"No problem, Natsu."

The rest of their afternoon was spent roaming the streets of Magnolia, window shopping, looking in stores, and treating themselves to lunch at a quaint café just down the street from Lucy’s apartment.

The sun had begun to threaten its fall over the horizon with no news on the ring, but keeping Lucy occupied didn’t prove to be much of an issue when she was happy to stick around with her friends until the end of the day. The three of them walked side by side along a street in the shopping district, peering through windows as many of them closed up shop for the evening, until Levy noticed that Lucy was no longer at her side.

Panicked, Levy looked over her shoulder only to find that she had stopped in front of the display of a shop that was still open despite the approaching evening hours. As she walked back to her friend’s side, she noticed the almost mesmerised look on Lucy’s face as she admired the dress that adorned the mannequin at the very front of the window display.

"It’s really pretty," Lucy breathed.

"Yeah, it really is," Levy agreed.

"Why don’t you go in and try it on?" Erza suggested as she approached the two from behind.

"It probably closes soon," Lucy frowned, clearly disappointed to turn down Erza’s suggestion.

"Closes at 6," Levy said, pointing towards the listed opening hours by the door, hopeful that this would allow for another distraction while they waited on news on the ring.

Lucy still looked reluctant.

"If I go and try it on, I think I’ll be tempted to buy it," she chuckled nervously.

"Girl’s day treat?" Levy suggested, wrapping her arm around Lucy’s, trying her very best to sound convincing.

Lucy remained quiet for a moment, her eyes still glued to the display in the window, examining every inch of the dress, from the silken straps all the way down to the very bottom stitches of the hem. It seemed as though Levy didn’t need to do much convincing of her own when Lucy had already made up her mind.

"Girl’s day treat," Lucy replied, a keen smile adorning her face.

With Lucy busying herself in the changing room, Erza and Levy were left on their own as they waited for her, and a silence befell them, neither knowing exactly what to say to the other now that the girl who connected them was no longer part of the conversation. It was comfortable, if not a little awkward, as both searched for something to occupy the quiet between them. It wasn’t until Levy finally spoke up that the ice finally shattered between them.

"Erza, can I ask you something?"

She was a little taken aback by Levy’s sudden request but obliged nonetheless.

"Of course."

"If you’re so nervous about hiding the proposal from Lucy, why did you volunteer to distract her?" She asked, head tilted to the side slightly in curiosity.

"So it seems you noticed…"

Levy bit her tongue to keep herself from telling her that she was certain everyone had noticed and simply nodded along.

"It’s a bit embarrassing, really…" she began, her cheeks lightly flushed but a fond smile on her face. "I don’t get to spend a lot of one-on-one time with Lucy, and I thought perhaps this might be our last chance before she gets married."

Levy’s expression softened at the unexpectedly heartfelt response. Erza had always been so stoic, so put-together. She seemed like someone who had no need for companionship; she was strong enough on her own. But she was only human. It only made sense that she still craved that platonic intimacy, and perhaps it made even more sense that she craved it with someone who would be more than willing to indulge her in her more feminine side, especially having grown up in a guild dominated by such masculine energy.

"So you think she’s going to say yes?" Levy asked, a smile on her face and her curiosity sated.

"I’d be a fool to think otherwise," Erza replied. "I’ve never seen someone look at another with as much adoration in their eyes as Lucy does at Natsu."

"I’m sorry for hijacking your plan," Levy apologised, feeling a pang of guilt go through her after hearing her reasons.

"Don’t apologise. You were only doing what you thought was the right choice in the moment, and it was the right choice," Erza assured with a kind look on her face. "If it were up to me, Lucy and I would have spent all day looking at new armour until I lost track of time, but I’m not sure that would be her ideal day out." Her gaze flicked from the dressing room, where Lucy was currently changing, back to Levy. "I’m enjoying myself."

"I suppose this means we’ll be competing for the maid of honour position," Levy teased, poking her lightly in the arm.

"I suppose we will be," she smiled back. "But beware; I do not intend to lose," she added, her expression darkening.

"I was just joking!" Levy squeaked out in clarification, holding her hands out in front of her in a placating gesture.

"As was I," Erza replied, the frightening look on her face having since softened into a gentle smile.

The sudden adrenaline spike prompted by Erza’s joke eased at her words, and Levy smiled back.

"I think I’ve got it," Lucy called out from behind the curtain.

"Oh! Let us see!"

Pushing the curtain aside, Lucy stepped out, revealing herself in the dress that had once been worn by the stoic mannequin in the window display. It was a pure white sundress, the skirt falling with gentle ruffles just above her knees, and the bust held up with ribbon tied in cute bows on her shoulders. Lucy did a small twirl to show off the way it flowed, and Levy and Erza clapped and cheered in excitement.

The colour, the fabric, the way she was showing it off for them, and the cheerful smile on her face all made Levy think that Lucy would make the perfect blushing bride. Based on the way tears were beginning to roll down Erza’s cheek, she could only assume she was thinking the exact same thing.

"Wh- Erza? Why are you crying?" Lucy questioned, worry growing in her chest over the unexpected reaction.

"You just look so beautiful," she sobbed, tears now flowing completely freely down her face, having found herself in the troughs of emotion.

"I don’t think that’s anything to cry over…"

Before she could even think of how to comfort her crying friend, she found herself pulled into Erza’s arms, holding her tightly to her chest, and rather than argue, Lucy could only bring herself to wrap her arms around her too. It didn’t take long for her to feel Levy’s arms snake around her back, and suddenly the three of them were holding each other in an unexpected embrace.

"I’m just so happy to have you in my life," Erza said, her voice muffled in the hug but clear as day to Lucy.

Her words were beginning to cause tears to well up in Lucy’s eyes too.

"I’m so happy to have you too, Erza."

She squeezed her two friends closer to her chest, causing Levy to squeak slightly in protest.

"Okay! Too tight!" Levy complained, trying to wiggle her way out of their grasp and eliciting a flutter of giggles from the other two girls.

Lucy would never take moments like these for granted.

"You should buy it," Levy hummed.

"You think so?"

"If it made Erza cry, who knows what it’ll do to Natsu," she giggled.

Turning back around to face the mirror in the changing room, Lucy examined her reflection once more. Erza was right; she did look beautiful.

She hadn’t put much thought into what she was going to wear on her date with Natsu this evening, and as the night approached, Lucy wasn’t too sure she would have adequate time to make it home, get changed, and meet Natsu in time. Even if she did, somehow everything she had back in her wardrobe seemed to pale in comparison to the innocent beauty of this dress.

It was almost as though fate had decided to deal her a perfect hand.

Besides, she deserved to treat herself today, right?

"You’re right," Lucy agreed, a giddy smile evident on her face as she made her decision.

Deeming their search in and around Lucy’s bed unsuccessful, Juvia scanned the room once more, looking for a new place to scavenge. Recalling Wendy’s strange reaction to Lucy’s dresser, Juvia wandered over there with the thought that perhaps he had misplaced it in one of the drawers somehow. At the beginning of their search, it might have felt like a stretch, but the rest of their attempts to check in the obvious places had come up short, and she felt as though they were running out of ideas.

Opening the drawer she had remembered Wendy reacting to, Juvia grimaced slightly as she came to face Lucy’s panty drawer. Deciding better her than Wendy, she began to pull out the garments to search the bottom of the drawer where she assumed the ring would have fallen, only to quickly find herself distracted by examining the risqué garments that Lucy owned.

"Juvia didn’t know Lucy wore this type of thing…" she murmured. "And Juvia didn’t know Natsu was into it…"

Her face held a deep flush to it as she inadvertently thought about all the indecent things Lucy would do in undergarments like these, but her morbid curiosity outweighed any hesitancy she had about looking through her panty drawer. There was more lace in there than Juvia thought she had seen in her life, along with fabric so sheer that she wondered how (or if) they covered anything.

"Any luck over there?" Gray asked, his voice enough to snap her out of the panty-induced trance she had accidentally found herself in.

"N-no! Nothing yet!" Juvia squeaked out, suddenly very aware of what she was doing, before she shoved them back into the drawer and slammed it shut, deciding her time was better spent searching elsewhere.

Wendy, on the other hand, didn’t reply to his update request, instead, his answer was met with nothing more than silence.

"Wendy?" He tried again, worried by her lack of response.

This time, the only sound she let out was as she sucked in a breath, trying to hold back the sobs that threatened to escape her.

"Wendy? Is everything okay?" Juvia asked, noticing the way her breathing had changed suddenly, becoming shallow and jagged.

"What if we don’t find the ring?" She managed to choke out. "What if- what if I didn’t search good enough? And then Natsu won’t be able to propose because we couldn’t find the ring."

Her panicked response caught Gray off guard almost instantly. No matter how old she got, no matter how much she had grown, Wendy was always going to be his baby sister, and seeing her tremble and sniffle like this had his brotherly instincts kick in almost instantly. His hands rested on her shoulders, holding them with a firm grip that made her lift her head up to meet his gaze, where he could see the tears that were already beginning to form in her eyes.

"We’re going to find it, okay?" He reassured, giving her shoulders a light squeeze in an attempt to ground her as she started to sob.

Moving a hand up to her eyes, Wendy wiped away her tears and nodded slightly in understanding.

Gray was going to be damned before he let Wendy cry because Natsu was a moron.

They had searched pretty much everywhere there was to look, but they couldn’t simply give up on it when they still hadn’t heard anything back from the other groups. So long as there was even the smallest chance that the ring was here, they had to keep searching.

"We’ll find it," he repeated.

"Okay," Wendy whispered. "You’re right. We’ll find it."

"Laxus, could you please actually help instead of doing whatever it is you’re doing now?" Mira asked.

"What? I am helping," Laxus argued. "See, I’m looking on this bar top," he added, gesturing to the empty bar top where he was sat doing not much.

Mira didn’t reply, she simply looked at him with a deeply unimpressed look on her face.

"Why are you getting on my case when Cana’s just sitting there doing nothing as well?" He spat back, clearly not happy that he was the only one getting heat for not crawling on hands and knees on the filthy guild floor.

"Hey, I’m not doing nothing, I’m searching for it in the bottom of this barrel," Cana chortled, clearly already inebriated despite the afternoon hour.

The unimpressed look that had once been directed towards Laxus was now being shot at Cana, who shrank a little under her gaze.

"Fine, you want me to help, I’ll help," she conceded, deciding to contribute in the best way she knew how.

Mira’s eyes lit up as she watched Cana pull her cards out of her back pocket. Her hands expertly shuffled the cards promptly and fluidly before splaying them out in front of her and flipping over a select few of them, one by one. Mirajane and Laxus both watched intently, waiting for any change in her expression that might indicate what her cards were reading, but she remained completely stoic. Both flicked their gazes between the cards and Cana’s face. Laxus’s previous disinterest now turned to intrigue as they watched the master at work to find them an answer.

She flipped one more card over, and for a split second, Mira could swear she saw Cana furrow her brows as she examined the new addition to the cards she had pulled. That split-second hope for a helpful answer was quickly dashed when Cana finally broke the silence.

"Natsu has the ring," she stated plainly.

Her reading was met with a let-down sigh from Mira, who had decided that it was entirely unhelpful.

"If the idiot had the ring, then we wouldn’t have been dragged into this crap," Laxus replied.

"The cards don’t lie," Cana shrugged. "I’m goin’ back to my drink."

Realising she wasn’t going to make much progress with these two, Mira decided a more productive use of her time would be to look elsewhere and left the two of them to tend to their drinks alone.

"Levy-chan, I have to go."

"Come on, it’ll be really quick," she assured, trying to keep Lucy from leaving and finding the crazed search back at the guild. "In and out, I promise!"

Lucy shot her a sceptical look, which Levy returned with pleading eyes. Her gaze flicked from her friend to the book store behind her. It was oh-so tempting—shelves and shelves lined with books of every genre for her to flick through the pages of—but six p.m. was rapidly approaching, and she wasn’t sure she would be able to cut it in time.

"Okay, fine," Lucy gave in. "But it has to be quick. I really don’t want to be late."

"It will be! Promise!"

The moment she stepped foot in the shop, any and all of her worries about the time were dashed. It was just her and the shelves of books before her, and suddenly Levy’s promise of in and out was becoming less and less realistic, but as she perused the selection, Lucy couldn’t find it in herself to care that much.

Taking one off the shelf, Lucy flicked through the pages and enjoyed the new book smell that wafted from the pages. It was as though all time had stopped as she read through blurb after blurb, flicking through the first few pages of each book she picked up, having to physically hold herself back from taking up residence on the floor for a full read-through right then and there. She hardly noticed the reassured look on Levy’s face as she slipped another book under her arm and moved on to find the next one.

"Have you read this one?" Levy called out from across the store, summoning her even deeper into the aisles.

Taking the book out of her hands, Lucy examined the cover to be met with what she assumed to be a traditional fantasy novel based on the dragon and gold embossed text adorning the cover until she flipped it over and read the description on the back. She could feel the blood rushing to her face in embarrassment as she read an incredibly not-safe-for-work description of a romance between a girl and a half-human, half-dragon and realised that what Levy had handed her was not, in fact, fantasy but an erotica novel.

"Remind you of anyone?" She teased, watching the moment realisation hit her friend.

"L-Levy!" Lucy sputtered out.

"It’s really realistic~" Levy replied, enjoying the way Lucy seemed to practically glow red in mortification.

"Oh, have you found something good?" Erza asked, peering over her shoulder, causing Lucy to pull the book to her chest in a bid to keep her from catching a glimpse at it.

"Nope! Nothing interesting!"

Erza gave her a look that was somewhere between shock and confusion, but Lucy didn’t give herself much time to analyse as she tried to hide her face and quickly move on, trying not to draw any more attention to herself as she slipped the novel in between the ones she was already carrying and shuffled away.

Lucy busied herself looking through the shelves to hide her embarrassment, trailing her finger across the spines that lined the shelves until something caught her interest. One by one, she amassed more and more novels for her collection, all self-restraint thrown out the window, until she simply could not carry any more in her arms and decided that she needed to make her purchase or she might never leave.

As she made it to the counter, Lucy caught a glimpse of the clock over the shoulder of the shop attendant.

5:52

She sucked in a breath as she realised how long had passed since they had entered the store. If she ran, she would maybe be able to make it back to their meeting spot in time.

"I’m sorry, I have to go," Lucy declared, dropping her books on the counter and making a mad dash out of the front door.

"Lucy, wait!" Levy called out as she ran after her friend.

"Levy-chan, I’ve really enjoyed our day together, but I’m already running late," she called back over her shoulder.

The composure that Levy had been able to maintain the entire day so far was suddenly beginning to wane. They still hadn’t gotten word on the ring, and they couldn’t let her go until they had found it, but she was running out of ideas, and Lucy was adamant.

She couldn’t tell Lucy what was going on, that was simply out of the question, but there was nothing she could do now that would keep her distracted without also giving away that something was up. In a moment of near-defeat, she shot Erza a worried look, though it seemed like she was already far ahead of her.

Erza took off after her, her pace far exceeding Lucy's, and it did not take long for her to overtake their friend. Before Levy could understand what her plan was, a blinding light overtook her vision, and suddenly in front of Lucy stood Erza, wielding a sword in each hand, looking more determined than she had seen her in a long time.

"I’m sorry, Lucy, but I cannot allow you to go on that date," she declared, pointing the very sharp tip of one of her swords in Lucy’s direction in threat.

"W-what?" Lucy stuttered out, her expression somewhere in the mid-point of confusion and terror.

Lisanna checked her communication lacrima, hoping that some news had broken about the location of the ring and she simply hadn’t heard it go off. She bit her lip to keep the defeated sigh from passing through as she found no new updates.

"I still haven’t heard anything from big sis," she said, trying to hide the twinge of disappointment she was feeling.

"We’ve combed every inch of the house, and we still haven’t found it," Happy complained, not at all trying to hide the exasperation evident in his voice.

"Are you sure there’s nowhere else it could be? Is there anywhere we haven’t checked yet?"

Her question was met with silence, completely uncharacteristic for those she was with, and concern began to bubble within her.

"Natsu?"

She turned around to see what he was up to, only to find him sitting at the kitchen table, holding his head in his hands.

"We’re not gonna find the stupid ring."

His voice held a sense of defeat and sorrow that she had never heard in it before and the sound of it was disconcerting and made her heart ache in her chest.

"Natsu, I am not letting you give up on finding this ring. I’ve never watched you give up before, and I’m not going to let this be the first time."

"We’ve been looking for hours and we still haven’t found it," he said, turning his head to the side, wherein she caught a glimpse of the blank, defeated look in his eyes that looked so uncharacteristic of him that it almost made her feel sick.

"You said it has to be tonight, so it’s going to be tonight, okay? There’s got to be some place that we haven’t thought of."

"We’ve literally checked everywhere," Happy emphasised.

"We can’t have checked everywhere if we still haven’t found it," Lisanna replied, not wanting the mood to get any lower than it already was. "Have you checked in your pockets?" She suggested, in a hopeful attempt to try to get them to refrain from giving up at the very last second.

Natsu shoved his hands in his pant pockets, still looking slightly defeated and not expecting anything from her suggestion, until he felt something in there and froze in place.

"Natsu… please don’t tell me-"

"Have I ever told you that you’re the best ever?"

Before she even had time to respond, Natsu had her in a bone-crushing hug, her feet having left the floor as he picked her up in delighted celebration.

"Woah-!" She cried out in surprise before laughter overcame her. "You might have mentioned it once or twice," she teased as she felt her feet touch solid ground once more.

Once he had set her down, he held out his hand to show off the very ring they had been searching for all day, as it had sat dormant in his pocket the whole time. It was something more elegant than she ever thought Natsu would pick, and she could only assume that he had had more than a few hands in helping him choose.

"Lucy’s going to love it," she hummed, admiring the way the stones glimmered as the light hit them. "Now hurry up and get changed! You don’t want to be late for your engagement."

Though Mira hadn’t expected the search to be a prompt one, the way the light streaming in from the windows was beginning to dim as the sun began to dip over the horizon had her worried that it wouldn’t be successful either. A quick glance around the guild hall indicated that others were feeling much the same way. Even little Asuka, who had been so gung-ho about the search at the beginning, was now beginning to bore of it, her eyes growing droopy as she clung to Alzack’s arm to keep herself from nodding off completely.

Erza and Levy had been doing their best to buy them time all day. Natsu, Lisanna, Gray, Juvia and Wendy hadn’t given up on their search yet, and neither would she. This was a group effort, and she was going to play her part.

She pursed her lips together as she tried to think of all the places they hadn’t already searched. She’d already searched every inch of the bar top and every inch behind it. Maybe she’d have better luck searching on the other side, beneath the barstools. She could recall serving Natsu a drink the day prior, so it wasn’t a stretch to think he could have dropped it there.

Leaving her post behind the bar, she began to search beneath any and all of the unoccupied barstools. Now that she was mostly alone, Mira didn’t try to hold back the exasperated sigh that passed her lips. After designating herself as the leader of the search, she tried her best to keep up a confident and assured façade, but even she could see that things were looking a little hopeless.

Her quiet moment of searching was cut short when she noticed her communication lacrima buzz on the counter top and strode over to check her new message.

SMS Lisanna <3 we found it! i’m sending natsu over now

She sucked in a breath before subsequently letting it out with a squeal of excitement.

"Natsu’s got the ring!" Mira called out across the guild hall, capturing the attention of all who still remained in the evening hour.

Raucous cheers promptly broke out throughout the hall, both in early celebration of Natsu and Lucy’s impending engagement and in gratitude that the search was finally over.

"Someone go tell Freed, he’ll be happy to get out of the sex room," Bickslow cackled, earning him a half-hearted smack on the arm from Laxus.

"WE DID IT!" A familiar voice called out from the middle of the guild hall, drawing all attention to Makarov, sitting on one of the tables, his face a deep flush to match his deeply inebriated state.

"But you didn’t do anything, Master," Mira pointed out, though her corrections were quickly brushed off in favour of more slurred celebrations.

"Three cheers for Fairy Tail!"

"You really think you should be drinking that much, old man?" Laxus asked, not at all sharing his enthusiasm.

"I gotta if Natsu’s gettin’ married," Makarov slurred back. "‘Cuz that means soon we’re gonna have a bunch of mini-Natsu’s runnin’ around, and I’m not sure I’m ready for that," he justified before letting out a small hiccup. "I just gotta make sure I retire before then," he tried to whisper to Cana next to him, though his words evidently came out much louder than he intended.

Laxus gave him a vaguely sceptical look before shrugging and taking another swig of his drink, deciding that this wasn’t his problem.

"Fair enough."

The moment of quiet that fell across the hall at their Master’s words didn’t last long; after all, their Natsu was getting engaged, and that was plenty reason to celebrate.

Any and all concerns about keeping Lucy’s room as tidy as they found it had long since gone out the window, along with perhaps their sanity, as the group ravaged her apartment in search of the ring. All of the couch cushions had been pulled off of the couch and left in a pile on the floor, not at all dissimilar to the pile of bedsheets that had accumulated in Gray’s second search of the bed. Juvia’s section of the room wasn’t in much better shape, with Lucy’s clothes in piles by the dresser as well as seemingly thrown onto every other piece of furniture in the room.

Another pile was added as she emptied another drawer to search the bottom of it for the ring, hoping that maybe she would hear the clink of it hitting the floor between the garments. She hadn’t seen anything in her first search, but maybe she just hadn’t been thorough enough. With a frustrated grumble, Juvia began to search through the garments to ensure the ring hadn’t gotten caught in any of them before tossing each to the side once she came up ringless.

Wendy, on the other hand, had relegated herself to searching Lucy’s desk in complete and blissful ignorance of the absolute carnage behind her. She carefully rummaged through the drawers, going so far as to avert her gaze when she found an unfinished manuscript sitting at the bottom of one of them. Her brows furrowed slightly in concentration, focusing all of her energy on feeling around for the ring.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, that drawer was a lost cause, as was the one below it, and the next below that, full of nothing but books, letters, and stationery. Letting it slide closed, Wendy decided her attention would be better spent looking on top of the desk; after all, if Natsu had carelessly placed it somewhere, it was more likely on something rather than in something.

Her desk was probably the messiest place in the whole apartment, with papers and notebooks strewn across the surface. The ink on them still smelled fresh, indicating she had just left them there this morning, so it wasn’t a stretch to think that perhaps the ring sat under the papers and Lucy simply hadn’t noticed it was there.

Or at least, that’s what Wendy had hoped anyway.

Carefully, she gathered up the leaves of paper, wary not to smudge any wet ink as she glanced underneath. In her search, Wendy carelessly knocked over a pen stand that she hadn’t noticed sitting there until it was already knocked on its side, pens and pencils now strewn all across the desk.

"Oh no! Lucy’s pencils!" She exclaimed, panic beginning to take hold as she watched the pens roll off the edge of the desk.

She scrambled to pick up the stationery that had been scattered across the desk and place them neatly back in the little pot that she had knocked them out of.

"I’ve made such a big mess," she murmured, paying no mind to the real mess being made behind her.

As she placed each item back in the pen holder, a brilliant idea struck her. She looked inside the container, hopeful that maybe the ring had found itself at the bottom of it or perhaps hooked around one of the pencils, but alas, she had no such luck. A sad sigh escaped her as she placed it back on the desk with a small clink, disappointed that her mess hadn’t brought any success with it.

Juvia bit down on her lip as she looked into the empty bottom drawer at the end of her search. Although perhaps it seemed unrealistic, she had still been hopeful that maybe, by some miracle, she would find the ring safely tucked away beneath one of Lucy’s shirts, and they would finally be able to put an end to their search. Unfortunately, it seemed as though it simply couldn’t be that easy.

She glanced over at Gray and then Wendy to find both of them still searching, indicating that neither had found anything either.

Hoping that perhaps the third time was the charm, she began to dig through the pile of clothes once more. She searched through pockets and shook each garment in hopes of it miraculously dropping out of it before tossing it to the side when she inevitably came up short. With every passing moment, it was becoming more and more likely that they weren’t going to find the ring today. Trying to keep her hopes up, Juvia shoved her hand into the pocket of a pair of shorts before she felt her communication lacrima buzz in her own.

Placing the shorts back down, Juvia pulled her lacrima out while keeping her hopes low, at best expecting the search to be called off and postponed for a later day. They’d been at the search for hours, it was creeping closer and closer to their cut-off time, and there was only so long Erza and Levy could keep Lucy occupied for.

Opening her messages, Juvia’s heart skipped a beat as she read the three new messages.

SMS Mirajane natsu found the ring! :) you are free of your ring searching duties now :) you should get out of there before the happy couple gets back teehee ;)

She nearly dropped the lacrima in joyous surprise as she reread it. They had been searching for so long that part of her was worried that they simply wouldn’t find the ring today, so a feeling of relief washed over her, knowing that they hadn’t somehow missed it in their search.

"Ah! Natsu has found the ring!" Juvia cried, capturing the attention of the others in the house.

"Really?" Wendy called back, dropping the papers ungracefully on the desk.

"Really!" She replied, holding her lacrima out for Wendy to confirm herself.

Gray threw his head back and let out a sigh of complete and utter relief upon hearing the news.

"Took him long enough," he commented, glancing over at the clock sitting on Lucy’s nightstand and noting how close it was to six. "Guess that means we can finally get out of here."

Juvia murmured in thankful agreement. Lucy had a nice place, but staying there for this long, doing nothing but frantic searching was beginning to drive her to the brink of insanity, and she was more than a little thankful to finally make their exit.

"This is the longest Juvia has ever been in Lucy’s apartment," she mused on their way out of their friend’s home.

"What about the Christmas party?" Gray asked, brows raised over the discrepancy.

"This is the longest Juvia has ever been in Lucy’s apartment sober," she corrected.

Gray let out a short breath of amusement at her comment, though before the mortification of the memories of that night could kick in, the sound of Wendy’s voice coming from behind caught his attention.

"Um… Gray? Juvia?"

The two turned back around to face Wendy after hearing her call out to them.

"Do you think maybe we should clean up before we leave?"

Looking back into her apartment, Gray and Juvia noticed the absolute state they had left it in. It looked like they had absolutely ransacked her apartment, which, in fairness, they very much had, but the thought of cleaning up after themselves had completely slipped Gray’s mind until now.

"Yeah, I guess we should," he reluctantly agreed.

If Gray had known how much of a pain in the ass it would be to clean the place up back to Lucy’s standard, he wouldn’t have made such a mess in the first place.

And all for the ring to not even be here.

Even still, he couldn’t find it in himself to be mad at Natsu for the waste of a day. Outwardly, he’d keep up their façade, he’d chastise him, he’d make fun of him, he’d make sure that Natsu would simply never live this down, but if it were to happen again, he would still help him in a heartbeat.

Maybe it was the thought of the impending proposal and wedding that had him feeling particularly sentimental on this day. Gray was never one for romance, but then again, neither was Natsu. Somehow or another, just the thought of that idiot finally giving Lucy what she had been not-so-subtly begging for for months at this point and all the celebrations that would ensue in its wake was enough to have Gray smiling even as he fitted the sheets back on Lucy’s bed.

Weddings were meant to be the joining of families, but they were both already family, weren’t they?

That’s why he felt so compelled to lend a hand in the search—because they were family.

He could already imagine the ear-to-ear smile on Lucy’s face as she showed off her new engagement ring, the tears beginning to form in her eyes again as she recounted whatever ridiculous plan Natsu had come up with for their proposal. She would go on and on about how it had been the best day of her life (so far, the wedding was still yet to come), and Gray could be content knowing that he had done his part to put that smile on her face, even if that part hadn’t been all that useful in the end.

His job at remaking her bed certainly wasn’t as neat as Lucy had left it in the morning, but he just hoped that she would be so elated with the events of the night when she arrived home that she simply wouldn’t question it.

All the clothing that had been thrown in piles around the apartment was now neatly put away in her dresser, and the documents stacked up on her desk looked even more organised than when they had entered.

Pleased with their clean-up, the three of them were more than happy to take their long-awaited leave.

"Oh! Just before we go," Wendy chimed out, capturing their attention one last time before tottering over to Lucy’s nightstand, where she placed the hair ties’ she had collected from under her bed. "Okay! That’s all!"

She hurried back out into the hallway where her companions were waiting for her before shutting the door behind her for Gray to lock before they set off back to the guild, where celebrations were no doubt already ensuing.

Heeding Lisanna’s advice, Natsu scurried off to the bathroom, grabbing his change of clothes on the way before slamming the door shut behind him in his renewed vigour. From behind the door, Lisanna heard a clatter of multiple items falling off of the countertop before a loud thud rang out, followed by a loud expletive.

"Shit!"

"Are you okay in there?" She asked, trying to suppress a laugh at how much trouble he seemed to be having in his rush to get dressed.

"Yeah, I just—god fucking—" He paused for a moment and let out a frustrated grunt. "I can’t get these stupid pants on."

The image of Natsu struggling to get into his pants (no doubt because he probably forgot to unbutton them before pulling them on) made her giggle, but she quickly held her hand over her mouth to hold it in before it escaped.

"Do you need some help?" Lisanna offered, feeling bad for merely standing by the door and

"No, I-" His reply was cut off by another frustrated grunt before he finally called out in success, "I got it!"

He came out wearing something much more dapper than Lisanna ever expected him to own—a pair of neat dress pants and a deep red button-up that he surprisingly managed to get buttoned up entirely on his own without misaligning any of them. There was no tie or blazer, though she suspected maybe that was a bit much to ask of Natsu.

"You look very handsome," she smiled.

"Ya think?" He asked, already tugging at his too-tight collar, before giving in and unbuttoning the top button entirely, letting it fall open in a way that looked much more in character for him.

"I do think so," she hummed. "Lucy’s gonna be really happy that you put in the effort."

At her praise, Natsu broke out into a pleased, self-assured smile.

"Got the ring?"

To her question, he confidently pulled the ring from his pants pocket, and Lisanna could rest easy knowing that all of their searching hadn’t been for nothing.

"I gotta go," he said, shoving the ring back in the pocket, confident that he wouldn’t lose it this time. "Can’t be late, or else Lucy’ll get mad at me."

"Hey, before you leave," Lisanna called out before he could make it too far.

Natsu turned on his heel to face her, and Lisanna responded in turn by dusting off his shoulder and adjusting the collar of his shirt, making sure he looked his very best for Lucy when he arrived.

"Now go get ‘em, tiger!"

For the first time that day, Lisanna saw that signature Natsu grin spreading from ear to ear, and suddenly all that effort became worth it.

"Right!"

He left no time to exchange goodbyes before he was off, for real this time. His face had a familiar look of determination on it.

"Thanks for all your help!" He yelled out before he could get too far out of earshot.

"You’re welcome!" Lisanna called back, and before long he was on his way.

As he sprinted back in the direction of the guild, Happy and Lisanna lingered behind, content to take their time in returning, not wanting to accidentally bump into the happy couple lest they accidentally ruin the surprise.

"You think Lucy’s going to say yes?" She asked, looking over to Happy, knowing that he knew Lucy infinitely better than she did.

"I think Lucy’s gonna cry like a big baby," he replied, earning a soft chuckle from Lisanna. "And then she’s gonna say yes."

"Yeah?" She hummed, earning a confident nod from their exceed friend. "I think so too."

Lucy’s brain was telling her to run, but her body stayed frozen in place in fear. She’d been in plenty of fights over the years, but she’d never fought Erza, and she was not about to now.

"H-hey, we can talk this out," Lucy tried, wary and confused by the sudden change in her friend’s demeanour.

If she fled, she would no doubt not make it more than maybe a few metres before she found herself skewered, which was less ideal than being late for her date, but she had made a promise to Natsu that she would be there at six, and she was less than keen to break it if she could help it.

Her gaze flicked between Erza and Levy as she tried to send her a silent plea for help but was met with no action from her friend, who simply stood and stared, seemingly a little in shock herself.

"Levy! Help!" She cried out in a desperate effort to get herself out of this situation.

Levy was about as taken aback by the whole scenario as Lucy was, but she, on the other hand, was less inclined to stop it. It wasn’t ideal, but it was working, and really, Levy had no better ideas that warranted the intervention.

So long as Lucy made it out intact, she would let Erza distract her by whatever means possible. Instead, she nervously shrugged in Lucy’s direction as if to say she didn’t know what to do either.

"You will not go on that date, even if it means I have to use force," Erza interrupted, pulling both girls out of their panicked trains of thought.

"Okay! Please just… put the sword away," Lucy pleaded, raising her hands to show she meant no harm.

She was at a complete loss of what to do, aside from plead for her mercy, but even that didn’t seem to work, with Erza still holding her weapon up in threat. Her brain could hardly comprehend what was going on—the day had been going so well; they’d laughed together, cried together, Lucy hadn’t felt this close to Erza in months, but now she was only feeling close to the lethal end of her weapon.

"Erza, please, whatever’s going on, I’m sure we can talk it out," she tried again, hoping that her words would break through to her.

A group of onlookers was beginning to gather at the unusual scene unfolding in the middle of Magnolia. Chatter began to spread through the audience, with many making note of the Fairy Tail guild marks that indicated that this was simply another of the local guild’s shenanigans rather than a threat to anyone’s safety.

Levy was thankful that the scene hadn’t caused any panic from onlookers, but she still wasn’t particularly keen for this to go on much longer. At this point, all they could do was bide their time and keep Lucy occupied for as long as they could without either spoiling the surprise or maiming her in the process.

Erza hadn’t moved an inch since drawing her sword, and thankfully, neither had Lucy, but the two could only stay locked in a standstill for so long. Watching it only served to make Levy antsy.

Someone needed to find the ring. Fast.

Almost as if someone had heard her prayers, Levy’s lacrima buzzed in her pocket, and she eagerly scrambled to check it, hoping that they could finally be free from this unusual standoff.

SMS Mirajane natsu has the ring! :) he is on his way back to the guild now :) feel free to send lucy back :)

Levy read the message. And then reread it. And then read it a third time, just to be sure.

She could have cried with happiness at the words on her screen, knowing that after this unusual experience, tonight would be Lucy’s night. Instead of dwelling on that, however, Levy slipped away somewhere out of Lucy’s line of sight but still within Erza’s to let her know the good news. The large crowd and her small stature made it difficult to get her attention without calling out to her, but as she waved her arms, she noticed Erza’s gaze flick up to her.

Levy held her hand up, pointed to her ring finger, and furiously nodded in hopes that she would get the message. With the way Erza’s stiff demeanour seemed to ease at her gestures, it seemed that she understood.

"Never mind," Erza said, sending her weapon back to the pocket dimension with a bright flash as though nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred. "You may go on your date now."

"What?" Lucy cried out, perhaps more lost than she was when Erza had first drawn her sword.

"No time for questions! You don’t want to be late, do you?" Levy diverted, trying to usher her back to the guild quickly.

"But what about-" Lucy began, only to be cut off by Erza.

"If you run back, you’ll make it there in time."

Lucy’s brain simply could not compute what had just happened, but her feet moved in time with Erza and Levy guiding her back to her meeting spot with Natsu.

"Run!" Levy shouted.

Heeding her advice, Lucy pulled off her heels, stumbling as she did so, before sprinting down the stone pavement towards the guild.

Before she could get too far away, Lucy looked over her shoulder to see her two friends watching her as she ran, smiling at her as though nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

"Thank you for today!" She called out to them, deciding to ignore the unusual blip at the end. "I had fun!"

"We did too!" Erza shouted back, both of them waving their arms at her in goodbye.

"Have fun on your date!" Levy added.

"I will!"

Lucy was almost certain she was getting stares as she bolted towards their designated meeting spot at the guild. It wasn’t every day you saw a girl sprinting through the streets of Magnolia in heels as though her life depended on it, but it was a town that was full of surprises, and this was one of the milder ones compared to the things the guild tended to get up to.

She paid no mind to the looks being shot her way as she dashed through the streets along the familiar path to the guild hall. Even as her chest began to ache and she began to heave for breath, her legs continued to carry her until she spotted a head of pink hair standing right at the place they had promised to meet.

She watched his face light up as he spotted her, and suddenly nothing else mattered.

He held his arms out for her in anticipation, and she took full advantage of it, throwing herself into them and nestling her face into the crook of his neck. He stumbled back slightly, taken aback by the force with which she launched herself at him, but he quickly regained his balance and wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey," he murmured into her hair, lips grazing her scalp as he held her tight against his chest.

"Hi," she mumbled back, her voice muffled against his skin. "I’m sorry I kept you waiting," she apologised as she pulled back slightly, trying to keep her breath steady and even as she tried to hide just how much she had overexerted herself on the way here. "I’ve had a weird day."

"Yeah? Me too," he replied.

She cocked her head to the side, waiting for him to elaborate, but nothing came of it.

"Don’t worry about it," he brushed off. "I’m real happy to see you."

"I’m happy to see you too."

Reaching up on the tips of her toes, Lucy rested her hands on his shoulders and placed a gentle kiss against his lips. When she pulled back, she found a grin on his face accompanied by a light dusting of pink on his cheeks that made her heart race in her chest. It didn’t matter how many times she did it, Lucy would simply never get over how she could make her big, strong Natsu blush with little more than a kiss.

Seemingly unsatisfied with her light peck, Natsu’s hands cupped her cheeks and pulled her in again before running his tongue along the seam of her lips. A small squeak escaped her in surprise, which was promptly swallowed in their kiss. Once the shock of the kiss wore off, her arms came to rest around his shoulders, and she let him take the lead as she melted into his touch.

He barely managed to pull himself away from her lips, his nose grazing against hers when they parted as he leant over slightly so his forehead rested against hers.

"You look really pretty, by the way," he breathed, his words grazing hot against her lips.

Lucy let out an airy laugh at his words, amused by his sudden, unusual affection.

"What’s got you so sappy today?" She asked, pulling away slightly to get a better look at him, her arms still draped loosely around his neck.

"What? Nothin’. I’m not bein’ sappy," Natsu defended. "What’s so weird about me callin’ you pretty, huh?"

"Nothing’s weird," she hummed. "You look really handsome today, too."

He broke out into a grin at her compliment, which elicited a laugh from Lucy.

"I look pretty cool, right?"

"The coolest," she assured with a smile. "So, where are you taking me?" She asked, plenty ready to head on their way for a hopefully relaxing date after the day she had just had.

"It’s a surprise," Natsu grinned.

"You’ve been saying that all week," she pouted, clearly unhappy to hear the same answer he’d already given her each time she asked.

"That’s ‘cause it is," he said. "It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you."

In response, Lucy stuck out her bottom lip even further, hoping that maybe her pouty lips and glistening eyes would finally convince him to spill the beans, but he merely laughed at her expression.

"You’re weird."

His hands moved up to her face, squishing her cheeks together and pushing both lips out.

"There, now you look like a fish," he laughed, much to Lucy’s dismay.

"You’re sho annoying," she whined, her words distorted by the exaggerated Natsu-induced pout on her lips.

Natsu didn’t reply; he simply grinned down at her, happy to bask in her presence after a day spent apart, even if she was currently shooting him a very unhappy expression.

"You wanna get going?" He finally asked, letting his hands drop from her cheeks and down to her hands, where he intertwined her fingers with his own.

"Yeah, I would like that."

Truthfully, Lucy didn’t know what she had expected Natsu to come up with for tonight. Rarely did Natsu plan their dates, even rarer was that he insisted on planning their dates, so she really had no frame of reference for what he had on the agenda.

She just wasn’t expecting an hour-long hike out of Magnolia.

"Are we nearly there?" Lucy asked, trailing behind him, unable to keep up with his pace in her shoes.

"Almost," he called back.

"You said that twenty minutes ago," she whined. "And now my feet hurt."

"You shoulda worn more comfy shoes," Natsu retorted.

"Maybe I would have if you had told me where we were going," Lucy huffed as she stopped to slip her heels off. "I thought we were going to a restaurant or something, not a hike in the woods. You’re certainly not dressed for it either."

Upon noticing that Lucy had stopped behind him, Natsu followed suit and turned around to face her.

"You’re gonna love it, promise."

Lucy fell silent for a moment as she looked him up and down. Natsu knew her better than anyone, sometimes even herself, and he’d never taken her on a bad date before now. She didn’t know what was up his sleeve, but if he said she was going to love it, then she was sure he was right.

"Okay," she conceded. "But can you please hold these for me?" She added, holding out her shoes to him.

"Sure," he agreed, and before Lucy could even understand what was going on, one hand was under her arms while the other hooked under her knees, and she was swept up off of her feet and into his arms.

"The shoes! Not me!" She cried out, clutching onto him in shock.

Natsu simply grinned down at her, not phased by the prospect of carrying her the rest of the way.

"You’ll complain less this way."

Lucy hadn’t paid much mind to the passage of time, content to rest her head on Natsu’s shoulder and listen to his steady breath as he trod along the forest floor. Her eyes had fluttered closed long ago, and she was teetering on the edge of sleep, lulled in by Natsu’s familiar and calming warmth as he held her close. It wasn’t until she heard him murmur a few words to rouse her from her slumber before her feet hit the ground that she knew that they had finally arrived.

"We’re here."

She took a few moments to rub the sleep out of her eyes before she could fully process where they were. When she looked up at Natsu, she noticed foliage still behind him, though the moonlight shining upon them indicated that they had made it out of the forest. He was still grinning at her, giddy, waiting for her reaction to what he had been planning for her for weeks now.

Curiosity piqued, Lucy turned around to see what he had been so insistent on keeping a surprise.

Behind her sat a cliff that was little more than a backdrop to the view of a sky that was undisturbed by civilisation. Gorgeous shades of blues and purples melted together into the galaxy, dotted with stars as far as the eye could see, shining like glitter against the backdrop the sky provided them.

She had never seen anything like it before.

"Wow."

"Awesome, right?"

Awesome would be understating it.

It was incredible. Breath taking. Extraordinary.

No words in her vocabulary could even begin to encapsulate the true beauty that stood before her.

She felt so small under the stars, but so alive.

"It’s not as good as Stella, but I thought you’d still like it," he said, arms snaking around her waist, chin resting on her shoulder.

"Natsu this…" Her breath hitched in her throat, unable to muster up the words to describe how she was feeling. "This is amazing."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Part of her wanted to turn back to face him, to kiss him senseless for bringing her out here, but the other part couldn’t bring herself to tear her gaze away from the sky. Only when she felt his arms leave her waist did she finally look back over at him, only to find him making himself comfortable on the grass, waiting for her to join him.

She practically dove onto him, letting them both fall back onto the grass as she pressed her lips to his, kissing him with as much passion and fervour as she could muster, which he responded with just as much. Lucy was entirely out of breath by the time she pulled away, but that didn’t stop her from littering his face with kiss after kiss after kiss, ensuring no inch of skin was left untouched.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she murmured between each kiss.

"No problem, Lucy," he smiled before cupping her jaw with his hand and easing her down for one more kiss.

Once he pulled away, Lucy rolled off of him onto the grass beside him before sitting up and pulling her knees to her chest, where she rested her chin to admire the view, a dreamy sigh passing her lips as she did so. That position didn’t last for long, however, before she felt Natsu’s hands on her and was pulled into his lap.

"So you don’t stain your new dress," he reasoned when she let out a confused squeak.

"Huh?"

Lucy looked down to recall that she was still wearing the dress she had purchased mere hours ago.

"I didn’t realise you noticed," she sheepishly admitted.

"Course I noticed," Natsu replied. "Like how I noticed that you curled your hair and painted your nails different."

She had barely managed to keep herself together thus far, but hearing him say that made her feel like her heart was simply about to burst.

Now it was her turn to cry.

Her eyes grew glassy as tears began to form. No longer could her emotions be contained, and suddenly the tears began to flow freely down her cheeks.

"Lucy? Oh god, Lucy, is everything okay? Did I-"

"I love you so much!" She sobbed, throwing her head back to rest on his shoulder and bringing one hand up to tangle in his hair.

Her sudden declaration caught him off guard, causing him to stiffen for a moment before he finally relaxed, knowing that she wasn’t hurt or upset. He lowered his head to place a tender kiss to her bare shoulder.

"Yeah, I love you too."

A few sniffles and sobs later, Lucy finally felt as though she had finally gotten all her emotions out. She brought a hand up to wipe away her tears and restore her foggy vision so she could truly admire what Natsu had brought her out here to see. She felt him nuzzle his nose into the spot where her neck and shoulder met, no doubt preparing himself to spend the rest of the night out here with her as she pointed out each constellation she could spot and recounted anecdotes about stargazing with her mother as a child.

His arms were warm, fighting off the cool night chill as a gentle breeze passed them by, and she snuggled even further into his embrace. She didn’t even mind the cool air hitting the exposed skin of her legs and arms, definitely not dressed for the occasion, but then again, neither was he.

She didn’t get much time to mull it over before something much more enticing caught her attention.

"Natsu, look!"

Her finger pointed up towards the stars, following the train of a meteor that ripped across the sky, followed by another, and another, and another, until falling stars were all that the eye could see.

"Did you know this was happening tonight?" She asked, whipping her head around to face him.

He didn’t answer her, didn’t need to. The wide smile plastered on his face was all the answer she needed.

"You gonna make a wish?" He simply asked.

Lucy turned her gaze back to the sky, watching the shooting stars pass them by.

A wish…

She didn’t need a wish.

Everything she could ever want was right here with her.

"No, I don’t think so," she breathed, content to simply be here, to exist with him.

"Really? You’re not gonna wish for anything?" He replied, his tone almost a little disappointed by her response.

"Do I have to?" Lucy asked, a little caught off guard by his tone.

"I guess you don’t," he mused. "But it probably would have made this a lot more romantic."

He left her no time to guess what he meant before he held out in front of her a dainty gold ring, embellished with three red stones at the top, and for a moment, Lucy swore the world around her stopped.

Her jaw dropped open, words caught in her throat as she sat there gaping at the ring.

She knew exactly what she wanted to say; she’d practically rehearsed it, but now that she was sitting here, Natsu holding the ring expectantly for her, she was too overwhelmed with emotion to spit it out.

Suddenly, all the tears that she thought she had cried out threatened to break through, and Lucy did nothing to stop them.

"Y-yes!" She finally managed to sputter out, answering a question that he hadn’t even asked.

Through her tears, she could barely manage to make out the ear-to-ear grin on Natsu’s face, but she didn’t need to see it to know. Instead, she simply held out her left hand for him, and he slipped the ring onto her ring finger, where it fit perfectly snug, and Lucy had to wonder just how much help he had gotten to make that happen.

With both of their hands now free, Lucy moved to straddle him, resting her arms around his neck as he began to wipe away her tears. As his hands moved to rest on her cheeks, she leant down to feel his lips against hers once more.

She didn’t know how many times she had kissed him tonight, but she did know that it would never be enough.

"I’m so happy," she choked out once they parted, their lips barely millimetres apart.

"Me too," he breathed, his hands still cupping her cheeks. "I love you," he repeated, his voice barely a murmur against her lips.

He closed the distance between them once more, and then again, and again, and again, barely letting her breathe between kisses until she was a giggling, sobbing mess.

Her heart was well and truly full.

She’d dreamed of this day for so long, her mind had conjured scene after scene of how it would happen, but nothing she could have come up with was as romantic as sitting here under the stars with her best friend and the love of her life. If they could stay like this forever, she would be content with that.

Forever.

Yes.

Forever sounded nice.

#fairy tail #nalu #lucy heartfilia #natsu dragneel #fan fiction #fanfiction #fanfic #mya writes things #dies this took 3 weeks of writing every single day #im so glad thats over lmfao #long post

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