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tokkias · 8 months

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tell me you loved me from the start ship: natsu dragneel x lucy heartfilia summary: There's nothing that can get between a friendship as strong as Natsu and Lucy's—or at least, that's what they'd like to think. Sometimes feelings are a little too complicated for it to be smooth sailing when you're feeling them towards your best friend. Lucy finds that one out the hard way. ao3

Lucy had always been good at keeping secrets. Many a friend or guildmate had confided in her before, and as such, she had gained plenty of dirt that she was sure the guild’s gossips would kill for, by virtue of being able to keep her mouth shut. She was, for the most part, an open book. There were a few things she felt the need to keep close to her chest, which would have been difficult to achieve in the first place considering just how nosy her best friend was.

Given their frequent close proximity, Lucy couldn’t keep a secret from Natsu, even if she wanted to. He knew everything about her, and she, in turn, knew everything about him. She trusted him, so there was no reason to keep secrets. They both spoke candidly to each other about their lives and their feelings, each seeing no reason to keep things from the other.

For the most part, anyway.

It was just one, teensy, tiny little secret, something she was sure would go away at first. She had expected it to pass quickly; what she had not expected was for her little, baby crush on him to spiral out of control into a full-blown yearning for her partner that consumed her entire being to the point where he was always on her mind at any given time.

Part of her felt guilty for keeping it from him, though the other reasoned that she was sure Natsu felt similarly on some things. Romance was never the type of thing they spoke about; he didn’t ask and she didn’t tell, but that was before her thoughts of romance involved him.

A brief period of contemplation had passed in which she thought about letting him know, but the realistic part of her brain reminded her of the irreparable damage that could be done to their relationship. She liked what they had too much to throw it away over anything. Instead, she resigned herself to the fact that Natsu would never know.

It wasn’t the most well-kept secret: Levy knew about it, as did Erza, Mira, and Wendy; even Gray had been in on it too, but Natsu still remained none the wiser. It was nice being able to confide in others when she couldn’t with Natsu, but it felt wrong to keep secrets from him.

It had been about a year or so since her feelings had become too big to contain, and she had let it slip to Levy, and somehow it had become an open secret to everyone but Natsu. Perhaps it was out of pity, for fear of watching their sweet angel Lucy be rejected by a dense and romance-averse Natsu, but whatever the reason, everyone was sure to keep tight-lipped around him.

That’s what made it all the worse when it was Lucy who accidentally managed to let part of the secret slip.

Lucy rested her chin in the heel of her hands, her elbows balanced on the table below her where she sat in defeat, her gaze not even focused on Levy before her as she expressed her woes.

"I just wish he’d look at me, you know?" She sighed, resisting the urge to flop down onto the table in defeat. "I want him to say I’m pretty, or something, but it’s like he doesn’t even see me as a woman."

"Who doesn’t see you as a woman?" Came the voice of the man in question as he slid into the seat next to her, and Lucy immediately froze.

"Oooooooooohhh~ Lucy’s got boy problems," Happy chimed in with his sing-song teasing.

The two of them had been out on a solo job for a few days and hadn’t been expected back until tomorrow. Had she known there was a possibility that they would come to the guild hall today, Lucy would have kept her stupid mouth shut. Now, all she could do was gape like a goddamned moron as she sat paralysed in fear that she had just let it slip.

"Soooooo~ Who’s the lucky fella?" Happy sang, clearly trying to worm his way into information that could be used against her down the line.

"Yeah, I wanna know too," Natsu added, his tone and gaze much more serious than Happy’s.

Lucy looked over to Levy in a plea for help, but it seemed as though she had slunk away in the moments since Natsu’s arrival, leaving her to deal with this one on her own.

"How was the job? Did you do any cool stuff? Eat any good food?" She asked in a desperate hope of diverting the conversation.

"The job was fine, I kicked some ass and Happy ate so much fish afterwards that he passed out," Natsu replied in quick succession, seeing right through her. "Who is this guy you’ve got a crush on?"

"Crush? Who said anything about a crush?" She sputtered, trying to maintain her composure.

It wasn’t technically a lie. What she had going on was far beyond a crush.

"You did, just now," he said bluntly. "You said you wish he’d call you pretty. You only say that mushy stuff about guys you wanna date."

Lucy paused for a moment, surprised by how adamant he was about this. She’d assumed that getting him to talk about his job, all the cool things he did, all the bad guys he’d fought, and all the food he’d eaten along the way would be enough to divert his attention, but he was stuck on the one thing she did not want to talk about with him.

"Come on, I promise I won’t tell anyone," he whined through her silence.

That’s ironic , she thought to herself.

"No," was all she managed to get out without incriminating herself.

"Why not?"

"Because I don’t want to."

"What if I say please?"

"The answer is still no."

"Pretty please?"

The two of them continued to run in circles, neither willing to be the first to break, but knowing just how stubborn Natsu could be, Lucy was beginning ware down, only, not in the way he might have hoped.

"I’m not going to tell you, Natsu, so just drop it, okay?" She finally said, unwilling to let this go on any longer than it needed to.

"Why not?" He repeated.

"Can we not do this?" Lucy sighed. "Please?"

"Why?"

He sounded like a broken record at this point, and figuring that she was not going to win their little game, Lucy simply didn’t reply. Natsu, on the other hand, was not satisfied with this response.

"Tell me," he said.

Lucy stood her ground.

"Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me," he began to repeat, over and over again, until the words began to blur together and Lucy simply could not take it anymore.

Grabbing her bag and throwing it over her shoulder, Lucy stood up to take her leave.

"I’m going home," she declared. "Go bother someone else."

She half-expected him to follow behind and continue his nagging, but it seemed her foul mood had done enough to have her off the hook for now.

By the time her rent was due once more and it was time for them to take on a new job, Lucy had hoped that Natsu had dropped the subject. She had hoped that in the time between when she last saw him and now, he had found a new subject to fixate on. That was decidedly not the case.

Suddenly, she regretted agreeing to walk the scenic route.

"Have you changed your mind yet?"

"No, Natsu, I have not changed my mind," Lucy sighed, arms folded across her chest as they walked. "I’m not going to tell you."

"Come oooonnnnnn," Natsu drawled. "If you tell me, I’ll be your best friend."

Lucy quirked an eyebrow.

"I already am your best friend."

"Nuh-uh," he refuted. "Happy’s my best friend."

"Aye!" Happy butted in, much to Lucy’s chagrin.

"But if you tell us who you like, I’ll let you be my new best friend."

"Hey!" Happy added, clearly not pleased to have the position of Natsu’s best friend being used as a bargaining chip.

Lucy looked over at him to ensure he saw just how unimpressed she looked with his deal.

"You’re not very good at this whole bribery thing, are you?"

Deflating at her reply, Natsu’s shoulders slumped forward and he stuck his lips out in a pout, apparently having thought that worming his way into Lucy’s secret would be much easier than it actually was.

"Please?" He tried rather pathetically this time.

"Still no."

"Will you tell me?" Happy chimed in.

"Absolutely not."

"What if I promise not to tell Natsu?"

"Wh- Hey! That’s no fair!" Natsu cried out.

"That’s a lie, and you know it," Lucy said.

Happy responded with a sheepish look that told her that she was right on the money. That damn cat would backstab her for the promise of fish any day.

"What if I annoy you into telling us?" Natsu suggested, and Lucy grimaced at the idea.

Being annoying was certainly high on the list of things that those two were good at, and anyone not as strong as her may have caved right at that moment, but Lucy remained strong.

"Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!" Happy began to chant, with the background vocals of Natsu’s "pleaaaassssssseeeeeee," ringing in the back.

Pressing her hands over her ears in some attempt to block the noise out, Lucy had never regretted not taking the train more than now.

The thud of Natsu’s pack hitting the floor was louder than usual as he let out his frustration on the poor thing. Though he had been all smiles just before, Happy was quick to notice the way his mood had soured into an almost sombre state the moment Lucy was no longer around, and he thought he had an inkling as to why.

"Are you sad because Lucy won’t tell you who she likes?"

"No," Natsu shrugged, brows furrowed as if he were deep in the dregs of thought—something Happy rarely saw on his face. "Maybe, I guess."

Natsu let out a hefty sigh, though the expression on his face remained inscrutable, even to Happy.

"I just-" He stopped, his brain unable to keep up with the words he was saying. "You know."

He didn’t have to elaborate. He did know.

Though Natsu was never really one to talk about his feelings too much, he’d confided in Happy on many occasions about his little Lucy problem. Though some liked to think of him as dumb, dense, and unaware, Happy knew better than that. He knew that Natsu had his complicated feelings and emotions just like anyone else; he just kept them closer to his chest and played things off like they didn’t affect him at all. In quiet moments like this, however, Happy caught a glimpse into what was really going on in that brain of his.

"Why are you doing this if it’s just going to hurt your feelings knowing that she likes someone else?" Happy asked, trying his best to be empathetic to his situation.

Natsu was quiet for a moment as he mulled the question over in his mind. Happy knew there wasn’t really an answer—not a rational one, anyway. Anything beyond admitting that this was just some unusual form of self-inflicted pain would be nothing short of a blatant lie.

"‘Cause I need to make sure they’re good enough for her," is what he settled on.

It sounded reasonable enough. If Happy didn’t know better, he might have almost believed him.

Almost.

"I can’t let Lucy date some loser who doesn’t call her pretty," Natsu huffed. "What kinda best friend would I be if I did that?"

Happy didn’t reply, instead letting him try to justify himself, though perhaps more to convince himself than Happy. He didn’t feel the need to probe further—he’d simply deny any accusations he made because Natsu was stubborn like that. If he wanted to figure out his Lucy troubles, he’d simply have to do it in his own time.

When Natsu hadn’t brought it up again the next time they were together, Lucy had thought she was safe. Little did she know, he had simply lulled her into a false sense of security that remained throughout lunch and all the way back to her apartment.

That was until the moment her apartment door clicked shut, and as if treating her secret as a reward for him to receive for not bringing it up all day, Natsu asked, "are you going to tell me who you like now?"

Lucy crossed her arms and let out a huff. He sounded like a damn high schooler, pestering her over some stupid crush, unable or unwilling to let it go. She didn’t even know why he cared so much, but she was certain that she cared more about keeping her secret than he did about knowing it, so instead of responding, she just shot him back a deeply unimpressed look.

Her lack of response did not deter Natsu, who, in the time between first bugging her about it and now, had come up with a new strategy.

"Is it Gray?" He asked, narrowing his eyes. "‘Cause he’s not good enough for you. You could do better than him."

"It’s not Gray," she dryly replied.

"Laxus?" He probed.

"No."

"Elfman? Gajeel?"

"No."

"Is it Bixlow?"

Realising he wasn’t going to stop any time soon, Lucy just gave him a blank stare, but he remained undeterred. He continued to list people until she was certain that he had named every single man in the guild, no matter how appropriate.

"Are you done?" She asked, fingertips pressing into her temples, thoroughly over whatever little game Natsu was playing.

The only solace she got from this situation was Happy’s silence. He had been quiet from the moment Natsu started nagging her—almost suspiciously so. Any other time, the cat might have jumped at the chance to annoy her until smoke was pouring out of her ears, but he hadn’t said a word. Supposing she shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, Lucy was willing to take whatever small victories she could get in the wake of Natsu’s inability to just leave her alone.

"Was it any of those guys?" He asked.

"No."

"So he’s not part of the guild?"

Lucy stayed silent at his question. If Natsu was going to run around in circles, she would let him, but she wasn’t about to lie to his face. She was simply ready to wait until he would tire himself out and get bored of her lacklustre answers, but it seemed he didn’t have plans to stop any time soon.

"Is he from another guild? Sabretooth? Is it Sting? Rouge?"

With a groan, Lucy flopped down onto her bed, which Natsu seemed to take as a no.

"It’s not Jellal, is it?"

"No, I’m not interested in being shanked by Erza," she replied in earnest.

"Yeah, that’s probably for the best," he mused.

After a moment of quiet contemplation, Natsu spoke up again.

"Was it that guy from the library?"

"Why?" Lucy finally responded, thoroughly sick of this game.

"Why what?"

"Why do you want to know?" She asked, irritation seeping into her voice.

"‘Cause I’m your friend, and friends tell each other stuff like this," he justified.

Lucy scoffed at his almost humorous answer.

Yes, of course they were friends—they were best friends, but this, whatever it was, was not something they did. They didn’t talk about crushes or romance because Natsu never showed any interest in it until now.

But even if she wanted to, she couldn’t, because telling Natsu that every time she read a romance novel, she imagined the love interest as him, would completely and irrevocably ruin their relationship. Lucy liked what they had too much to change that, no matter how much her heart ached knowing that what she wanted with him was always just a little far out of her grasp.

"I’m not to tell you, okay?" She huffed.

"Why not?" Natsu hit back, seemingly growing frustrated at this trivial impasse that they had found themselves at.

"Because I don’t want to."

"But I’m your friend."

"I know you’re my friend, but I don’t-" Lucy paused to let her mind catch up with her mouth before she said something she might regret.

She didn’t want to argue with Natsu. She knew that he didn’t want to argue with her either, but it just seemed like this was something that they wouldn’t be able to compromise on.

"Look," she sighed. "I’m not going to tell you, so you can either make peace with that or you can leave."

Her remark was met with an almost astonished silence. Perhaps he hadn’t expected her to put her foot down like that. Maybe he had just assumed that she would eventually cave to his pleas. Whatever it was that was going through his head, Lucy couldn’t exactly see it on his face, so they simply sat in silence as she awaited his reply.

It didn’t come the way she had hoped.

Instead, he turned on his heel and headed for the door.

"Come on, Happy."

All Lucy could do was stare and gape as he left without another word, Happy shooting her an apologetic look before following his friend out the door.

She knew she had given him an ultimatum, but she didn’t think that was the option he was going to choose. It all felt so childish to her, leaving over a silly little crush. That had always been her fear, but she had never thought it would happen before she got the nerve to tell him.

It had her heart aching in her chest and tears pricking in the corner of her eyes, and all she could do was let her pillow soak up her sorrows.

The silence on the way home from Lucy’s apartment was uncomfortable. Happy could practically hear the way that Natsu seethed and sulked as they walked the ever-familiar path back to the cottage in the woods. Happy never really minded the silence between them, but this time was different. This time, Natsu was hurting, and Happy didn’t have the words to make it better.

"I don’t get it," Natsu said, finally breaking the silence. "Why won’t she tell me? Is it someone we don’t know? I named everyone."

Perhaps the worst part of this was watching this all fly over Natsu’s head.

There’d always been an inkling in the back of Happy’s mind about the way Lucy felt. He’d always wondered if Lucy saw Natsu as a little bit more than a friend, but over time he had simply put that down to Lucy being weird. Now, though, after Natsu’s interrogation and Lucy’s little scene, the pieces were beginning to fall into place.

Happy knew better than anyone that Natsu was not dumb. A little dense, maybe, sure, but never stupid, so the fact that he couldn’t see what was happening right in front of him had Happy scratching his head.

"Well, you didn’t name everyone," he curtly replied.

Natsu was quiet again for a moment, contemplative, before he spoke up again.

"You think it’s Alzack?" He asked, evident confusion tainting his voice, so genuine that Happy wanted to throttle him right then and there. "‘Cause I don’t think Lucy would stoop that low."

"I don’t think it’s Alzack," Happy shot back, trying to keep a straight face.

For as much prank potential as there was in spilling Lucy’s blatantly obvious secret, it also had the potential of her never speaking to either of them again out of sheer anger and mortification. So in the name of maintaining their friendship, Happy kept his mouth shut.

"Who do you think it is?" Natsu said, glancing in Happy’s direction.

Happy looked at him for a moment before responding. There was genuine intrigue in his friends’ eyes, perhaps a hint of desperation. Happy had to break their eye contact and look forward to the path before them before guilt started to eat him whole.

"I don’t know," he lied, earning a defeated sigh from Natsu beside him.

It certainly didn’t feel good lying to his best friend like that, but even Happy knew it wasn’t his place to meddle in their relationship. At best, it was disingenuous; at worst, he was wrong and getting his hopes up for nothing. He simply had to have faith that Natsu would put things together himself. If he was going to continue to sulk the way he was, Happy could only hope that he figured things out quickly.

When Natsu had stormed out of her apartment without a word, Lucy had hoped that he simply needed some time to himself. He could be a temperamental sort of guy, but sometimes all he needed was a little bit of time to blow off some steam before he was back to his usual self.

Unfortunately, this time, it seemed he needed a little more than that.

It had been a week.

A whole week since she had seen Natsu, much less spoken to him. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that he had been deliberately avoiding her, and that fact was beginning to piss her off.

The last thing Lucy had wanted was for her feelings for Natsu to cause a rift in their relationship, but it seemed as though she had no choice in the matter. Either she told him and things would grow weird between them, or she kept her secret and he would continue to resent her.

Damned if she did, damned if she didn’t.

In the week since he had walked out on her, Lucy had done a lot of thinking between all the tears.

Would it really be that bad if he knew? Surely their friendship was strong enough to withstand the fallout from it. Though, the longer Natsu avoided her over it, the more uncertain she became.

But maybe he deserved to know. Maybe it wasn’t right to keep a secret so heavily involving him. Maybe he would understand, and if they just talked about it, they would come to an understanding and maintain the easy friendship they had.

Maybe she should have thought more about what exactly it was that she wanted to say to him before she had come all the way out to his little cottage in the woods.

She hadn’t really thought about why she was coming out here or what she wanted to say. There was an equal chance that she was going to chew him out or that she was going to burst into tears the moment she saw him. She was so angry at him for letting this get in the way of their friendship, but more than that, she missed him. She missed hearing his laughter from across the guild hall, she missed taking jobs with him. She missed his teasing, his warmth, his comfort. She missed the way he’d crawl into her sheets at night and pretend to be asleep, so she couldn’t kick him out, not knowing that these days she’d never make him leave. Just thinking about it was enough to make the tears almost breach, but as she bit down on her lip, she maintained her composure and rapped her fist against the front door.

Every semblance of composure left her once the door opened and she caught a glimpse of Natsu on the other side, looking at her like a deer in headlights, as if her mere presence had struck the fear of god into his heart.

In that moment, she was overwhelmed with so many emotions—relief, joy, sadness, absolute seething fury.

It seemed that last one was the one that took over when Lucy finally opened her mouth.

"What the hell is wrong with you!"

Part of her was expecting Natsu to slam the door in her face, but all he could do was stand there and gape as she yelled at him.

"You are so stupid! You storm out on me, and then you not only don’t speak to me, but you don’t even show your face at the guild? You dumb, stupid idiot!"

Her expression didn’t match her harsh words as her lip began to quiver, all the emotions of the past week coming crashing down on her as she spoke.

"You idiot, you don’t know—hic—you don’t even know how lonely I’ve been…"

With that, the dam burst, and she was in full tears, sobbing and wailing. She tried to step towards him but stumbled slightly, with Natsu catching her before she could fall. Feeling his touch once more only served to make her cry harder as she recalled how much she had missed it in their time apart.

With no words to make her feel better, Natsu simply wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as she cried.

"Please don’t cry…" He mumbled, resting his forehead on the crown of her head.

"I don’t understand!" Lucy wailed. "Why does- Why does who I like matter so much that you’re willing to hurt me over it?"

Natsu’s jaw clenched, and she could feel his grip on her tighten, as though her words had caused him physical pain.

"I don’t- That’s not what I-" He barely managed to stutter out, clearly struggling to find the words. "Lucy…"

Though her grief-stricken wails had subsided, Lucy continued to sob, gasping for breath between them as Natsu struggled for an answer. When the words didn’t seem to come to him, there was only one thing he could think to say.

"I’m sorry…"

Lucy could hear the remorse dripping from every syllable. Natsu rarely apologised, even rarer did he mean it. This time, he did.

He wasn’t apologising because he was made to; he wasn’t apologising because he felt he had to. He was genuinely remorseful for making her feel this way.

"I still don’t understand," Lucy murmured. "Why? I mean- I don’t- It’s so stupid…" She paused to suck in a breath and gather her thoughts. "You completely avoid me because I won’t tell you who I like? Why do you care so much?"

"I- I just-"

Natsu sputtered out the words, clearly unable to form a coherent answer to the question, almost as if he didn’t know himself.

Lucy looked up at him with glassy, pleading eyes. For the first time since she had shown up, she got a good look at him, too blinded by anger and tears to have caught a glimpse prior. He looked so terribly lost and guilty, his brain seemingly barely able to comprehend the speed in which this had all happened. She couldn’t quite find it in herself to blame him.

She had shown up out of the blue, chewed him out before bursting into tears in his arms. It certainly was not her finest moment, but keeping up appearances was the last thing on her mind. Natsu was her friend—her best friend. Not having him by her side was like some cruel, twisted torture, a reminder of days long past that she had hoped she would never have to relive. She never wanted to not be with him if she could at all help it, and if weeping in his arms was the best way to get that across, then so be it.

"I don’t want you to like some… stupid guy who’s gonna hurt you because he doesn’t think you’re pretty," he said, cobbling his words together with uncertainty as he spoke.

"You’re already hurting me!" Lucy blurted out, not taking a moment to think about what she was saying.

She hardly even registered what she had said until he was looking down at her in some gut-wrenching combination of horror and confusion. It was like her words hadn’t quite set in, but he got the gist of where she was coming from. It was like he knew how she felt but wasn’t sure how to feel about it himself, and the idea of that made her swallow thickly to push down the bile that threatened to rise.

He looked at her slack-jawed before he managed to sputter out, "me?"

With no backing out of this one, Lucy decided the only way she was getting out was through.

"Yes, you, stupid! Are you blind?"

Her insulting words didn’t seem to hit him as he simply stood, lost in his own thoughts for a moment before he finally spoke up again.

"Why didn’t you tell me?"

"Because… I like the way things are between us," she breathed. "I don’t want to change that because I like you. It would just… make things weird, and I don’t want to lose what we have."

Natsu furrowed his brows slightly.

"Why would it be weird?" He asked, his voice low and soft, but she wasn’t certain he meant it to be. "I don’t think that’s weird."

"It is! It’s always weird when someone likes someone else, but they don’t feel the same, and it’s just-"

"Who said I didn’t like you?" Natsu interrupted.

"I-"

Lucy stuttered around an answer, not truly knowing what to say. No one had said that. She’d simply assumed that there was no possible way that her feelings would be reciprocated because it was Natsu. Natsu, who had never shown romantic interest in anyone, let alone her. It was just an informed assumption based on years of friendship that she thought was just that—friendship. She had never considered the idea that he might feel the same way, and now it felt like everything she knew about him had been flipped on its head.

"I just didn’t think that you-"

Her breath hitched in the middle of her sentence as her mind began to race with the possibility of being loved back.

"Why’d you never ask me?"

Because I didn’t want you to reject me. Because I couldn’t handle seeing your face as you tried to let me down easy. Because I knew that if I did, things would never be the same between us again.

There were so many answers to his question running through her head that she just couldn’t seem to figure out which one she wanted to hear.

"Because I wasn’t sure I was ready for the answer."

Natsu was quiet for a moment in response, and Lucy felt her heart sink to her stomach. He still hadn’t given her a real answer. For all she knew, she was simply getting her hopes up only to watch her friendship with Natsu come crumbling down.

In a small, dwindling moment of courage, Lucy squeaked out a soft, "do you?"

"Yeah," he breathed. "I do."

His words were a little shaky, but he said them with such conviction that Lucy couldn't do anything but believe them.

"And for the record, I think you're really pretty."

Those were the words that she had been waiting for him to say for all too long. She had dreamed of hearing it from him for longer than she could recall.

Suddenly, everything started to fall into place.

"Is that… Is that why you’ve been avoiding me all week?" She asked. "Because you were jealous?"

Well, it sounds bad when you put it that way…" He murmured.

"It sounds bad no matter what way you put it!" Lucy exclaimed.

So much of the pain and despair she had been feeling could have been foregone if he had just told her how he felt. She had never felt such joy and such frustration at the very same time, because, god, he felt the same way about her, but he had put her through such heartache over a little secret that it made her want to scream.

"I don’t know if I should be mad or if I should kiss you senseless."

She knew she couldn’t be mad, even if she tried. He was protecting his heart the same way she was protecting hers—she could never hold that against him. She’d be a hypocrite to pretend she was any better.

"Can you do the second one?" Natsu asked, drawing her back into the moment and away from her thoughts—and who was she to deny him?

With no reply, Lucy placed her hands on his shoulders and pressed her lips against his, sending them stumbling back into his home. He caught her by the hips, hands gripping tight, and Lucy hoped that he wouldn’t be letting go any time soon.

#nalu #fairy tail #fan fiction #fanfiction #nalu fan fiction #nalu fanfiction #natsu x lucy #ft nalu #fairy tail nalu #mya writes things #yes i did repost shhhhh

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shelbyshoe · 4 months

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A Smutty ENDing

Lucy wakes up from the most thrilling wet dream she's ever had. In her delirium, she writes it down. But not in the book she thought. Natsu isn't going to be happy that she wrote smut in the book of E.N.D. Well, maybe he is. One-Shot Words: 3193 Rated: E (Shameless Revenge Sex, where Natsu feasts like the king he is) AO3 FFN This is a thank you for voting for FAD for best AU/AR in the Guild Awards. Enjoy!

Lucy sat up in bed and pressed her hand against her damp chest. Her heart crashed against her palm, and her sex ached from her vivid dream. There was something euphoric about the dream, twisted limbs and a cacophony of moans that rang in her ears.

She didn’t think. She stumbled out of bed and sat at her desk in the dim room. Lucy had no time to turn on a light lest she lose the dream. Her mind clung to it as though she desperately clutched sand. She pulled her notebook out of the tall pile of books on her desk and flipped it open to a blank page. She had no time to edit, no time to overthink. The only thing that mattered was to get the images on a page. She wrote like a mad woman on fire. Every image moved to the next until she realized she wrote a cohesive sex scene. She pressed her thighs together from the ache. She’d do something about that after she finished writing. Her handwriting was a scribbled mess, but legible enough for her to decipher later. She held the notebook up to reread what she wrote. Now, she could finally relieve the ache she felt and go to bed.

But something wasn’t right about the notebook. She didn’t remember having one this thick.

“Did I write in one of my own books?” If that were the case, at least it was her book and not one she borrowed from Levy. Lucy closed the book. Her blood froze in her veins. How? How had she not noticed which book she wrote in? The front cover was hard not to read, even in the dark. The title read, E.N.D. The dark bold letters stared back at her accusatory, as though it said, “I know what you did.” Lucy had written a sex scene in Natsu’s book. The book that connected to his own life. She glanced around the empty room, her lust and purpose forgotten. She was wide awake now.

Once the shock wore off, it was damage control time. She flipped back to her raving lunatic ramblings and attempted to rip the pages out. But as though the pages were bound with cement, they did not budge. A litany of curses tumbled from her panicked lips. She pulled out an eraser and desperately ran it over the text. It was futile and she knew it. Lucy had not only written a sex scene in Natsu’s book, but she’d also written it in ink. As she furiously continued to try and rub the words out, she cursed past Lucy for reassuring Natsu that she’d take good care of his book. She set the eraser aside in defeat.

“What have I done?” she said to the dark.

“I would like to ask the same question,” Natsu said. Lucy swiveled around and clutched the book behind her back, as if that would hide her blunder. He held onto the window frame for dear life. A thin sheen of sweat made his sleeveless gray shirt cling to his sculpted body. His chest rose and fell in a rush. How had he gotten to her window so fast?

“What are you talking about?” she said. He laughed at this. The familiar sound lower than she expected.

“Lucy, give me the book.” Natsu held out his shaking hand.

“No.” She didn’t know why she wanted to hide it from him. Maybe, he didn’t know what exactly was written in it.

“Lucy,” he said as he stepped over her bed and nearly toppled onto her little pink rug.

“I can fix it.” Lucy backed up into the chair she’d abandoned and nearly tripped. She had to catch the book before it hit the ground. Natsu eyed the tome like a jungle cat.

“Damage done. Give me the book.” He held his hands out in a stance that said he’d tackle her for it. She had to get out of there. Lucy took in her options. The window, the door, or her tiny bathroom window. Door it was. She clutched the book against her chest and bolted for the exit. Natsu lurched for her and put his hand against the door to keep her there. She squeaked when he nearly got a hold of the book in his other hand. She stumbled below his arm and ran for the bathroom. She prayed the window was big enough for her to fit. Natsu’s laughter muffled behind the locked door.

“I just want my book back,” he said.

“Not until I fix this.” Lucy opened the book in her hands, but there wasn’t much she could do about it in the bathroom. She popped open the tiny window above the toilet. There was no way in hell she’d fit her hips through. She had to come up with something. Her cheeks burned at the thought of Natsu reading what she wrote.

“I told you, damage already done. I’d like my book back,” he said.

“Let me try to fix it and I’ll give it back to you.”

“You do realize that book is connected to me, right?” he said.

“Of course, I do!” She squinted at the messy page.

“If fixing it means rubbing on it again, it’s a definite no.” He practically groaned against the door. She clutched the book to her chest again.

“Wait, did you feel that?” she asked.

“Yes.” The word was strained. She hoped she didn’t hurt him.

“How did you know I wrote something in the book?” she asked. Part of her didn’t want to know, but she couldn’t help her curiosity.

“I felt it,” he said.

“Like, you felt me writing in it?” she asked the door. The other side was uncommonly quiet for a moment before he answered.

“I felt what you wrote in it,” he said. Lucy had made the worst and most embarrassing mistake of her life.

“I can fix it! Give me a minute and some white-out or something. Back away from the door or I won’t come out!” she called. His shadow disappeared from underneath the door. “Stand at the front door. Away from my desk so I can try something.”

“Fine. I moved.” Natsu’s voice sounded far enough away for her to crack open the door and peek out. A rush of wind whipped her hair out of her face as Natsu wrenched open the door. Lucy protested when Natsu leaned forward and took her over his shoulder. Her bottom high in the air as he placed her back on the rug to get the book away from her.

“Why. Are. You. So. Impatient!” With each word, Lucy hit Natsu with the book. He held his hands up over his face. His smile was evident beneath his arms.

“Lucy,” he laughed, “Just give me my book back.”

“You can’t read it!” she called and lifted the book over her head to keep it farther away from him. He pressed his body against her to keep her still and reached up to take the book from her hands. With a strong grip he pried it away. “Give it back!” He rose onto his knees and opened the book. She sat up and spread one of her hands over his face and the other over the pages of the book.

“Come on.” He wrestled her hand away from his face. Unfortunately for Lucy, her hand was too small to truly obscure the words on the page.

“Please,” she begged.

“I gotta say, you have terrible handwriting.” He held the book up over his head so she couldn’t reach as he slowly read the words. Natsu grew quiet, but Lucy continued to struggle.

“I can fix it!” Heat spread over her face and chest. While he was paying more attention to the book, she slid from beneath him and took it from his hand. “Ah ha!” But there was no triumph, only embarrassment. She stood over Natsu, who still sat on his knees. Just like how her little story started. His face was far from amused. He looked up at her with his hands on her thighs.

“It’s payback time,” he said.

“Oh no it’s not. I’m writing in here that you forget all this.” Lucy moved toward her desk, but his strong hands held her still.

“Damage done,” he repeated and kissed her stomach where her night top had ridden up. Everything about her dream came back to her. Her sex clenched again when he met her eyes. “Drop the book.” He tugged down the waistband of her sleep shorts a bit further and kissed her heated skin.

Now came the dilemma. To make a break for the pen and fix this mess or allow Natsu to continue with whatever he wanted to do to her. Her resolve melted away as soon as his thumb ran up and down her damp slit through her little shorts. The book slipped from her fingers and fell to her rug.

Just like the dream he slid her shorts and underwear down her legs until they fell into a heap on the floor. He kissed along her inner thigh, and she bent forward and slid her fingers through his hair. He skimmed his teeth over her thigh before he guided her backwards until the back of her legs met her desk chair. She sat in the chair without complaint. There was little to complain about after all.

Natsu spread her legs wide for him to get a good view of her. He tilted his head to admire what he saw there before he leaned in to kiss her other thigh. Lucy groaned when he slid his thumb down her slit again. The touch so soft that her legs shook.

“You write good instructions, Lucy,” he said before he wrenched her forward and pulled her legs over his shoulders. She gripped his hair as he ran his hot tongue over her inner lips. That ache returned, and begged for him to do it, just like her dream. As if he heard her thoughts, he peered up at her between her legs and ran his tongue along her clit and down to her drenched core. He sank himself into her, and her walls clenched around him. Natsu wasn’t kidding when he said he’d have payback. What did he feel from her little dream in his book? Lucy could barely contain herself and wiggled in her chair as he devoured her. He pulled out and sucked on her throbbing clit. Lucy moaned and pulled on his hair. The action made his eyes slide shut and a growl to leave his lips. She could feel his lips move over her bud as he cursed.

“Natsu, you don’t have to,” Lucy said. He pressed a digit past her folds and sank deep into her. She cried out and moved her hips desperate for more fingers, desperate for him to fill her. He didn’t respond but watched her face as he finger fucked her in her desk chair. The suction around her clit so intense that she panicked. “I’m going to—Natsu.” He added two more fingers. The slick sounds of his fingers in and out of her sex filled the air. The sight and sound so erotic she couldn’t stop the flood of ecstasy that overtook her. She screwed her eyes shut and saw stars. The only time she’d ever come that hard was with her own fingers. Natsu smiled against her and slowly thrusted his fingers into her. She tried to pry him away, but he ran his tongue over her sensitive clit instead.

It was too late to fix what she’d done; he had already read what she wrote and clearly wanted it too. So, Lucy wanted more. She wiggled her legs to let him know she wanted to let them down, but his broad shoulders kept her pinned there. He shook his head, ran his tongue over her thigh, and bit her playfully. Every nerve felt alert after her orgasm. Even his soft bite made her groan. Lucy pushed against his shoulders as hard as she could. She set her legs free and pushed him backwards with a grunt. This time, he easily toppled over onto the floor. Because he’d grabbed her thighs, she fell onto her knees, his head between her legs. The sight made her face heat up again. What was she doing?

Natsu palmed her ass and moved her hips so that she rubbed her sex against his mouth. She cursed but followed his lead. This wasn’t in her dream. Natsu continued to prove that he was in fact a fast learner. His hands worked the soft skin of her ass as she swiveled her hips. But again, she wanted more. He quirked a brow and moved her hips back so he could speak.

“Is that a challenge?” he grinned. His mouth glistened from her arousal. Lucy was sure this was all another dream. She’d wake up, grab the book, and bring it back to him at the guild tomorrow, never to speak of this.

“What is?” she asked.

“That frown,” he said.

“Not everything is a challenge,” she said. This appeared to amuse him, and he moved her leg over him so that she sat next to him on the floor. “What are you doing?” He came to sit behind her with his legs straddling her back side. He slid her flush against his back. His erection evident as it pressed against her back. He pulled off his top and pulled hers over her head. They sat flush against each other. He moved his lips over her shoulder and one hand over her exposed breast. She groaned when his other slid between her legs.

“That’s better,” he said as he positioned them. She was about to ask what he was talking about when she noticed that he’d angled them so that she stared into her own eyes through her long mirror at the far end of her room. “That’s the frown I was talking about.” He met her gaze through the mirror. Her legs were splayed along his and his larger hand wrapped over her sex. She arched her back when he fondled her nipple into a hard peak and his fingers penetrated her. He watched himself enter her core and splayed his fingers open to see her fully. He moaned against her shoulder and grinded his clothed shaft against her back. She leaned her head against his shoulder and took hold of her other breast. They fit together, her body snug against his.

As hot as it was, she thought of her dream, of what she really wanted. Just before she felt another climax coming, she used every ounce of strength to break his hold on her. She turned around so that she faced him. Natsu’s eyes were as wide as the full moon outside her window. Lucy ceased his complaints with her mouth against his. She pressed her body against him so that he lay back onto the rug. He buried his fingers into her hair and plunged his tongue into her mouth with a groan that shook against her own chest. She slid her fingertips down his bare torso and slid his waistbands down over his legs. He tossed his pants off with his feet and left himself open to her. She placed her hand against his chest to keep him there as she leaned back. The sight of him took her breath away. His flushed face, chest, and messy hair. His body open and vulnerable beneath her made her shiver. This is what she wanted. To mess him up.

“Stay still,” she said. He obliged her, clearly more confused than anything, and watched as she took his length into her palm. He hissed out a breath when she circled the head of his cock with her thumb until precum glistened at the tip. He balled his fists up into the rug as she leaned in to kiss his thigh. Natsu, the king of not listening to anyone, followed her instructions with full attention. A thrill ran through Lucy’s veins. Power. She kissed up his stomach to his chest. Natsu groaned and wiggled beneath her but allowed her to continue unattested. “I think I’m about to win this challenge,” she said. He opened his mouth to protest, a grin already on his face when she rose up over him. His lips parted but no sound came out as she placed his cock at her entrance.

This was what her dream was about after all. It was what woke her in the middle of the night. She sank down on his shaft. Natsu’s eyes rolled back as he filled her walls to the brim. Lucy moaned as she seated him deep and sat fully atop him. Her fingers splayed against his chest as she adjusted herself. His hands encompassed her hips and his eyes lit with a fire she’d rarely seen. When she was comfortable, she circled her hips over him, then slid him out to the tip. She stopped there and met his eyes before snapping her hips forward. A moan escaped Natsu’s lips, and his face softened, fucked out beneath her. She did it again and again until he unleashed soft pleas.

“You win,” he choked out. With that, she thrust against him with her hands pressed against his chest. Her rhythm was ruthless and greedy. Their moans and wet sounds of their sex filled the room. Lucy could feel her orgasm coming. She couldn’t hold it back even if she wanted to. As if he could see through her, he took her hips in a firm grasp and snapped them forward over and over. His own hips thrusted up to meet her every move. He bit down on his lip as she rode his cock until she fell apart over him. Even as she came, he continued their rhythm so that when one orgasm ended another started. She cried out with her fated bliss.

Natsu groaned and moved them so that he was on top of her, still deep inside her. He braced his muscular arms around her head and moved to the same ruthless rhythm. Lucy slid her legs farther apart, so he hit that perfect spot. Their moans were like a song that she’d still be singing in the morning as they came undone together on her floor, the book long forgotten. His movements became languid until he stilled above her. Their breaths loud in each other’s ears.

“I win, huh?” she said.

“This time, I guess,” he replied. “But don’t tell anyone.” He leaned to the side to fall beside her.

“Like I would tell anyone about this!” she protested. Natsu laughed at that. “I’m sorry for writing in your book.”

“I’m not,” Natsu said. “Do it any time.” Lucy couldn’t help the fit of laughter that ensued. She couldn’t tell if it was because this whole thing felt absurd, the relief that she didn’t have to fix the book after all, or because she’d have to figure all this out in the morning.

#fairy tail #nalu #nalu fan fiction #a smutty ending #fairy tail fan fiction

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petri808 · 8 months

Text

Here’s ch 7 for refresher

I had to write 23 lines for this story that was the winner of the WIP poll. So, here it is!

For chapter 9:

Invel is the first to arrive at the Izakaya restaurant where he’d reserved a private room with tatami floors and a heated horigotatsu recessed floor. It was perfect for this time of year because they would add electric heaters at the bottom of the recessed floor to keep the diners nice and warm. These horigotatsu’s are similar to the kotatsu found in most Japanese homes and in the old days, they would have used charcoal or wood burning hearths. Zabuton, flat, square or round and firm cushions are placed around the table that sits over the recessed floor. The room is also decorated with simple flower arrangements designed in the zen style. These high end, traditional Japanese restaurants were a favorite of his and he often conducted business meetings in one of their private rooms.

The frosted, plexiglass paneled shoji sliding door opens and in walks Jerome. He takes a seat opposite from Invel. The hostess then asks if they would like any tea, sake, or other beverages, and once they give her their order, she leaves, sliding the door closed again.

“You’ve got great taste,” Jerome tells Invel as he looks around the room. “Personally, I prefer western style places.”

“That’s why I chose the meeting place,” Invel retorts. Jerome only rolls his eyes as Invel continues. “I’ve already ordered the shogoyaki ginger pork teishoku meal. If you’d like something else, you can order when she comes back.”

“Nah, that sounds good. So,” Jerome leans in, curiosity brimming from his expression “tell me, is the distraction I set up for Natsu working?”

“If you’re referring to the tap on Heartfilia’s computer, yes, though he doesn’t need it to be distracted.” Invel’s voice drips with disdain. “It’s just another reason I feel he is not worthy of being an oyabun. The boss can’t be distracted by a woman or it’ll affect the organization.”

“Well, he is young,” Jerome suggests. “He could get better.”

#nalu #wip poll results #nalu fan fiction #we’ll take back heaven #nalu au #natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #fairy tail #petri808

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fics-n-stuff-n-stuff · 4 months

Text

Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia Gray Fullbuster/Juvia Lockser Levy McGarden/Gajeel Redfox

all fairy tail characters basically

Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic

Follows Fairy tail but with my own twists set in modern day

Fluff and Angst

Romance / Friendship / developing feelings

Lucy has new spirits I checked constellations and gave her ones I thought were cool

Summary

Lucy is thrown into a world she didn’t know existed. Join her as she unravels this new world full of magic that brings adventure, romance and destruction along with it.

———

Just a modern re-telling of Fairy tail following its arcs with a few twists and turns along the way💞

You can also read it here

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Chapter 19

"You found it." The man said with a hint of relief in his voice as he moved to walk closer to them.

Natsu's form tensed up as the man approached with slow, hobbling steps and moved a step to the right, so his whole body was standing in front of Lucy.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" Lucy asked as she moved to watch the man over Natsu's shoulder.

The closer he seemed to be, the stronger a feeling of sorrow seemed to envelop Lucy. His existence was screaming agony, and it was like she could feel a part of it.

"I was hoping that you would find it before anyone else figured out where the other half was buried." The man kept talking, ignoring her previous questions as he took careful steps towards them.

"Though I see that you had some company before I made my way here." He commented as he looked over to where Helena's body was tied up.

"I don't like attacking someone who can't defend themself, but if ya don't stop walking I'm not gonna have a choice." Natsu's voice cut through the clearing, making the man stop in his tracks and turn back to look at the pinkette.

With his nose raised in the air he sent an unimpressed look towards her partner, Lucy saw him scoff slightly before turning his gaze towards her.

"Of all the people to team up with, it had to be him?"

The question was directed towards her, but Lucy was too scattered by everything that's happened so far and majorly pissed at how this person was treating Natsu to realize that he was addressing her as if they know each other.

"I don't see how that's any of your business." She shot back at him with a small glare.

He seemed to think himself above Natsu, and Lucy didn't like that. "Now, I'm going to ask again. Who are you, and what are you doing here?" She asked him as she moved to stand next to Natsu instead of behind him.

"My name is Loke, I'm the one who sent the job request to Fairy Tail." Loke answered her after a few moments of pondering and Lucy's mind went into overdrive at his confession.

He's the reason they're here?

Who was he to do such a thing? He wasn't working with whoever possessed Helena, that much was obvious.

But what were his motivations then?

"Why did you do that?" Natsu asked that question as Lucy was busy spiraling in her mind.

"There have been whispers of a spirit summoner for months, I didn't believe it myself until just before the New Year. It was around the same time that Franmalth took possession of Miss Helena." Loke explained his actions as he motioned to the unconscious woman, but they still made no sense.

"Franmalth? That is the creature possessing her? Why is it after Leo's broken key?" Lucy asked the man, if he knew the name of whatever took over the head curator, he must know more of what was happening.

"I have many suspicions about what their plans could be, and I promise it is nothing good. Which is why I needed you to find the second half." He said, trying to take a step forward, only for Natsu and Lucy to take a joint step back.

Loke let out a sigh at their actions and raked a shaky hand through his hair.

"None of that explains who you are and why you sent out a fake job to our guild." Lucy noted sharply, crossing her hands and raising an eyebrow in Loke's direction.

Did he think to just hobble his way into this clearing, declare he was the one to send them on a fake job, and expect them to, what, trust him?

If Lucy was honest with herself, she doesn't trust a word out of his mouth. He was hiding something, she could see it, feel it.

Her words seemed to amuse him, as he let out a pained laugh, holding his stomach as he did. "I haven't explained much, you're right." He answered simply, but it was vague enough for it to be frustratingly familiar.

Getting answers out of him was like trying to get information from her spirits.

When they answered her summons that is.

Yes, she was still mad at them.

"If you're not going to tell us anything, why bother coming here?" Lucy tried a different approach this time, hoping that if she prodded enough, she might find something that would set him off.

"I came here to assure myself that it was indeed you and that you located both halves of the broken spirit key." Loke answered, but there was something about the way he said it that sounded rehearsed.

She could picture him reciting the same words to a mirror.

Narrowing her eyes Lucy went to walk towards him.

Natsu's hand caught her arm before she could take a step, but when she looked back at him with a determined look in her eyes he let go without a word.

Trusting her, and his own instincts.

"See, the thing is, I don't believe you."

Lucy said as she took small, slow steps towards Loke.

"The art of telling half-truths is hard to master. But once you do, it's easier to see through other people's bullshit."

There was a look of shock on his face at her words, and Lucy only smirked in return.

"That's not the proper language for a Lady." Was the only response she got from the man, and it made her laugh.

"I see no ladies present. Just two partners, an unconscious possessed woman, and a dying man who can't seem to tell the truth." Lucy said as she stopped a few steps in front of him.

There was a sadness in his eyes as he started back at her that she didn't catch across the field, and the feeling of anguish was even stronger, now that they were only a few steps from one another.

"If it is what you truly desire, I will tell you the truth. There are no consequences anymore, as you said I am dying." Loke told her, with a hint of depreciation in his voice.

Lucy was partially stunned by his comment, and she felt bad for phrasing it like that and throwing the words at his face.

It wasn't very compassionate of her, whatever his reasons for lying were, she didn't think they were for evil.

And he was still dying.

Everyone deserves a chance to explain themselves.

Everyone in Fairy Tail gave her a chance after what happened with Phantom Lord, Loke deserves the same courtesy.

"Okay, I want the truth, we want the truth." Lucy told him as she looked back at Natsu.

He was surprisingly silent throughout her whole exchange with Loke, deciding to observe their interactions and intervene if necessary.

He nodded back at her and started walking towards them.

"Yes, We would like the truth." He said as he pressed his front against her back, and propped his chin on the top of her head.

Lucy rolled her eyes at his behavior but was glad for the proximity. His warmth always called out to her when they were near.

And it was below freezing in the clearing.

Loke was once again slightly put off by Natsu, but when Lucy shot him a glare, he opted not to comment and instead started talking.

"Franmalth is one of Zeref's demons." He started with that, and Lucy felt a shiver run through her spine at the sound of the name.

"I already put those pieces together." She told him with a flat look.

Loke let out a chuckle at her before it turned into a coughing spree. "Sorry, that's been happening a lot more recently." He said as he moved to stand, somewhat straight.

"I believe he was after the key so that they could use the residual magic left in it."

"Who is 'they'?" Lucy asked, feeling like he was going to gloss over it if she didn't.

"They, are his followers, more than just the demons he's created. There is a threat coming." Loke said ominously, and Lucy felt Natsu stiffen from behind her.

Loke turned to look at him, and this time there was none of the hostility in his gaze. "You can sense it." Is all that he said.

Not a question, but an acknowledgment.

"It was why I used what was left of my magic to send that fake flyer to your guild. There were, as I mentioned, rumors of a Spirit Summoner in Fairy Tail. So I took a chance. It was imperative for you to find it before Franmalth."

Lucy was unsure of what to think of all this yet, there is more to this story.

He was still holding back.

"How were you aware of the key's location? And of what importance is its safety to you?" She asked as she crossed her hands, moving back into Natsu more.

There was a twitch to Loke's eyebrow at her question and he let out another sigh, before moving to sit down.

"If we're gonna do this, I might as well get comfortable. No use swaying on my feet."

He waited for a few moments to see if they would join him, before sighing again.

There was a pause, where all they could hear was the crashing of water, and the birds singing around them.

"I was, cursed, almost 14 years ago. The circumstances around it bound me to Leo's key. It was my duty to watch over the broken pieces. One half was donated to the museum by Lord Jude before I could do anything."

His posture was slumped as he talked, head turned to the right looking at the trees. "The other I managed to take and bury here." He told them staring off into the distance as if caught in a memory.

Lucy watched him as he talked.

He was telling half-truths again, but there were more details this time. She was getting closer.

"That's still not the truth, we're getting closer though. Why were you cursed? I thought my mother had all the zodiac keys before she died, so how do you fit into all of this?"

Loke seemed to be shrinking into himself with her every question, he lifted his head for a moment and his eyes were filled with tears.

"Please, Lucy, don't make me." He pleaded with her, and she was once again struck by how he addressed her as if they knew each other.

"Who are you?" Lucy asked, feeling frustrated with his carefully chosen words.

Talking to him felt like listening to a script being read. He was prepared for her every question, each answer parried with a carefully crafted and frustratingly vague response.

He said he would tell her the truth and she would settle for nothing less.

"He's a spirit." Natsu's words shocked both Lucy and Loke to the core.

Loke's face was horrified as he turned to glare at her partner, Lucy in turn moved her head to give him a confused look.

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking between him and Loke.

"I couldn't smell it till he was close enough, and even then it took me a second to place it, over all the death and decay that's covering him. But it's there, just like all your spirits." He told her with a shrug and Lucy turned back to look at Loke.

She carefully studied every part of him.

His hair was severely disheveled, but if she tilted her head she could see what looked like ears. His suit was well made, tailored to fit like a glove, and even tattered and sullied, you could tell it was high quality.

It reminded her of the suits that Capricorn wears, the quality looks the same, and so does the material.

That would explain why she seemed to be able to feel his pain, though it's never happened with any other spirit until now.

The look in his eyes, when they met, solidified her thoughts even more.

"You are Leo." She stated bluntly, not giving him a chance to deny.

He let his head fall into his chest at her words, his shoulders curling in on themselves even more as he started shaking.

No, not just shaking, he was crying.

Lucy was stunned for a moment as she watched him weep, feeling his sorrow with each breath.

What had finally made him snap? Was it the use of his name?

Pushing through the assault of feelings Lucy found herself taking a step towards him.

"Leo, please, you need to tell me what is going on. What happened, how are you here, if your key is broken? Why is it broken? Why are my spirits keeping secrets?" Lucy rambled out before she could stop herself.

She needed to get him to calm down first, but there was a sense of urgency driving her.

She was tired of half-truths, she needed answers.

"Please." She tried again, begged.

"I- I'm so sorry Lucy." His words were barely audible through the muffled sobs, and it made her heart clench at the desperation in his voice.

Lucy turned to look back at Natsu, who was as stunned as she was by the turn of events, he shook his head at her, raising his hands in defeat.

She turned to look at the leader of the Zodiac Spirits and crouched down in front of him.

"Leo." The sobs had ceased by this point, but he was still shaking like a leaf.

He was still dying.

He took a few deep, calming breaths before sitting up as straight as he could and looked at her with such sorrow, that it made Lucy want to weep with him.

"I- I was cursed in a way, that wasn't a lie." Was the first thing he said, his voice was a bit rough as he spoke. "For killing my previous master. My key was broken, I was cast out of the spirit realm and left to roam this one until death takes me."

Out of all the things Lucy could have expected, this was nowhere on the list.

A spirit killing their master.

That was not something Lucy thought her spirits were capable of.

"There are other spirit summoners?" She blurted out and immediately regretted it, out of all the things to ask.

Leo tensed at her question and looked back down at the snowy ground.

"You are the last living spirit summoner, Lucy Heartfilia." He told her with an almost sharp tone that she knew wasn't aimed at her, but at himself.

"What happened then? How did you kill your summoner? I know my spirits, and I know that none of them are capable of killing me." Lucy said as she moved to stand back next to Natsu.

"14 years ago, I helped your mother perform a spell that has been forbidden, and in doing so, was a direct cause of her death."

It was as if someone pierced her heart.

She felt like she couldn't breathe, and for a moment everything went still. It was just her and an almost forgotten memory of her mother, bedridden but still smiling at her.

"But, my mother didn't die 14 years ago, that's around when she got sick. She died three years later." Lucy told him, as she scrambled trying to put the pieces together.

"And why was she performing a forbidden spell in the first place?" She asked, mind numb at this point. With every answer received, a thousand new questions bloom.

It was all just too confusing, and she was tired.

This day has felt endless.

"It was paramount for that spell to be cast. The repercussions of it drained Layla of not only magic but life energy."

"I tried talking her out of it." Leo let out a bitter laugh. "I knew it was in vain, but it was my duty, as one of her closest friends to try." He kept talking, voice unsteady as he did.

"You know what she said to me? 'If you're not going to help me Leo, I'm going to do it on my own.'" The chuckle he let out this time was genuine, the smile on his face fond as he remembered Layla.

"If she had done the spell herself, she would have died instantly, with my help, we had hoped she would survive." His voice cracked at the end of the sentence, and he took in a deep breath to steady himself.

"When it was all over, we were convinced that everything went smoothly. It was only after a couple of weeks, when she started getting sick that we realized it only gave her so much time." He was crying again, but his head was high, and he tried to reel himself in.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Lucy." He kept repeating as he shook with tears, and probably a fever as well. "Please forgive me!"

Lucy was even more confused now.

The story that Leo is telling her doesn't speak of him killing Layla, if anything he's the reason she got to spend three more years with her.

If there was one thing that Lucy remembered about her mother, it was that Layla Heartfilia was a stubborn woman. If she had set her mind to casting that spell, her life was a price she was willing to pay.

So why was Leo cursed?

Or maybe the better question is, who cursed him?

"Leo, I'm sorry, but, you, this.." Lucy trailed off as she tried to gather her thoughts. "This is bullshit!" What she realized was that she was angry.

Here he was, on his knees on death's doorstep, sobbing and begging for her forgiveness, for something that wasn't his fault.

He was dying for trying to save her mother, dying and cast out of his realm, left to rot for years.

And Lucy was livid.

"Who did this to you?" She almost growled with rage, taking the spirit and her partner aback with her sudden mood shift.

She didn't notice that she was channeling her magic as her emotions started overtaking rational thought.

Light was swirling around her as she thought about the 14 years of agony that Leo had endured.

"Who gave themselves the authority to make such decisions? Because I have to say that this is the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my life!" She was laughing now, it sounded a tad maniacal, but Lucy was past the point of caring.

Leo stared back at her, mouth open and eyes wide in shock.

He had not expected this reaction from her.

"I want to speak with whoever thought that putting the person who saved my mother through years of torture was a good idea! Because frankly, they sound like an idiot!"

Lucy was yelling by this point, feeling fury at what she'd found out.

The thought of Leo, alone and suffering for all these years made her blood boil with rage. He has lived 14 years blaming himself for her mother's death.

How dare they?

With no further thought, Lucy moved her hands to dig through her pockets and pulled out the broken key.

Looking at the pieces in her palm she felt like there was only one thing left to do.

"I refuse." Lucy said with determination as she turned her gaze back to Leo.

Her magic was still surrounding her and she felt it intensifying with every second that passed.

The key pieces started glowing in her hand, and she moved to bring them together and channeled all her power into them.

"I REFUSE TO LET YOU DIE!" She yelled as she willed the key to fuse back together.

"NO! No! Lucy, you can't do that!" Leo yelled as he tried to get on his feet, stumbling through the pain as he fell over.

"You'll use up all your magic and die trying, please!" He was on his knees, pleading with her but Lucy refused to listen.

There was nothing he could say to get her to stop now. Her mind was made up, she would save him if it was the last thing she did.

"I am not dying today, and neither are you!" She shot back at him, channeling more of her power into the key.

Unbeknownst to Lucy, all of her spirits started appearing by her side as she focused her power on restoring Leo's key.

They materialized one by one until they were surrounding her, their teary gazes meeting Leo's huddled form.

"You.Will.Mend." Lucy said through gritted teeth as she glared at the key, putting all of her magic into the bond that could be felt between them, and with a sudden shockwave the key clicked back in place.

Lucy stumbled back several steps, feeling the aftershock of the blast as her knees buckled. Thankfully there was a warm hand around her waist, steadying her.

Blinking through the sudden haze, Lucy looked down at her hand and was half-stunned to see Leo's key fully intact.

"I did it." Her voice came out small, her chest heaving and her breath shaky as she continued staring at her palm.

The feeling of joy lasted for half a second before the earth started shaking violently underneath them, Lucy turned her head with a panicked look to where Leo was huddled before the blast.

She found him standing a few meters from them looking down at his hands with wide eyes and confusion. Lucy watched the spirit pat himself down as he realized what had happened.

A weight lifted off of Lucy's shoulders as she noticed how healthy he looked.

His cheeks were no longer hollowed out, she could see the colour on his face, his suit was intact, hair was styled in a way that pronounced his ears.

After several moments of inspecting his newfound body and strength, he turned to gaze at her with a mix of awe and disbelief.

"How did you do that?" His voice was small as he asked and Lucy wasn't given a chance to answer, not that she really had one, when everything around them stopped shaking and came to a sudden halt.

The birds froze mid-air. The Waterfall behind them was suspended in place, the whole clearing was left in a deafening silence.

Lucy turned and looked around for the source of the spell, only for the sky itself to part above them.

There seemed to be a different sky from beyond the crack, with a giant man looming over them.

His eyes were sharp, and his mustache twitched as he observed them. "Who are you to question my authority, little girl?" The man spoke, his voice booming through the clearing.

At his presence, Leo seemed to freeze in place, not daring to move a muscle.

Natsu was ready for action the moment the giant man spoke, but Lucy stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

This was her fight.

She couldn't explain why, but she felt no fear looking at the giant, even with his booming tone and glare.

Still fueled by anger, adrenaline, and a sense of justice Lucy glared right back at the giant man, refusing to stand down or be intimidated.

"I am Lucy Heartfilia, the last of the Spirit Summoners. It is my duty to protect the keys, treat the spirits bound to them with honor and respect, and use our magic to help those who need it."

She stated proudly as she walked forward, passing Natsu and making her way to the middle of the clearing.

Her posture was regal as she stepped forward, shoulders back, head held high and she looked at the giant man head-on.

"And who are you, to think you can just leave Leo in agony for years? Over something that was not his fault!" She shot back at him.

"You know not what you speak of girl!" He warned, but Lucy was passed reason. "Do not test me, I am the King of the Spirit Realm, it was my authority to do so."

Lucy only half faltered at his admission. 'King of the Spirit Realm?' She scoffed at the thought.

'Some King, to leave his subject in such a state.'

No, Lucy was not backing down. This wasn't right, Leo did not deserve the punishment he received, and to hell, she would fight the King if she had to!

"My mother would have cast that spell whether he helped her or not." Lucy said with conviction.

"Now tell me, Your Majesty, would have it been better had he let her die?" She shot back, curling her hands into fists as she tried to control her emotions.

"What he did helped her live." She argued through clenched teeth. "And your decision to do this to him is frankly inhumane." Lucy finished with a glare in the King's direction.

There was a moment of silence as she finished her speech and Lucy knew that she was trembling with adrenaline.

She heard footsteps from behind and then Natsu was at her back, his warmth was enveloping her as he offered his support without a word.

Lucy let out a sigh, grateful for his proximity, and welcomed the grounding effect he had on her.

Leo, Lucy could see from the corner of her eye was frozen in shock and fear as he stared at the man in the sky. It seems like he hasn't moved a muscle since the King appeared.

"Lucy Heartfilia, you say." The King's voice boomed through the clearing, bringing everyone's attention back to him.

He seemed calmer as he observed them, and there was a mischievous glint in his eyes as he stroked his mustache. "It is an incredible thing you have done here Lucy Heartfilia. Giving a spirit its key is something no one has done since the very first summoner."

A gasp echoed through the clearing and Leo's head snapped to look at her in awe.

"She was the first to call upon the stars, and pull them from the sky." The giant continued with his story as he looked down at Lucy.

"The keys were formed by her power. Shaped to represent the opening of doors between our realms." There was a wondrous tone in his voice as he spoke of the first Spirit Summoner, and Lucy was amazed by the tale.

There was nothing written on the origin of her powers, and she felt privileged to learn how the connection between the stars and her family came to be.

"In her lifetime she formed many bonds with many spirits, and when she passed away, her bloodline continued to thrive.

You remind me of her. She was a dear friend of mine." There was a twitch to his lips as he spoke before he turned his gaze to Leo.

"Leo, the lion. You have been given a second chance, I suggest that you do not waste it. My official rule is that you pay your sentence by serving Lucy Heartfilia."

His tone was serious, but the wink he gave them put everyone at ease.

"I hope we meet again, old friend. Thank you for caring about the spirits enough to challenge even me." The Spirit King addressed Lucy with a smile.

"There are great and terrible things in your future, Daughter of the Stars and Son of Fire Dragon King Igneel. I hope you are both ready for what is to come." And with an ominous warning time seemed to restart.

The crack in the sky was gone, leaving behind a picturesque sunrise.

"How did he know about Igneel?" Lucy heard Natsu's strained voice from behind her, but she was suddenly too tired to react in any way.

With the adrenaline leaving her body, all Lucy was left with was her exhaustion and the empty, almost cold feeling coming from where she could usually feel the tingling of her magic.

There was movement from behind her, and she could hear Leo and Natsu's voices getting louder, but she couldn't focus on what was said.

Everything was slowing down again for Lucy, and she let herself fall into the abyss.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

"There are great and terrible things in your future, Daughter of the Stars and Son of Fire Dragon King Igneel. I hope you are both ready for what is to come."

Natsu froze the moment the stash-faced man mentioned his father, trying to figure out what he meant by the warning.

Before he could say anything, in a blink of an eye the man was gone, and time seemed to be back to normal.

Tightening his grip on Lucy's waist, Natsu moved his glare to the no longer dying spirit.

"How did he know about Igneel?" He growled at him, if these spirits had any clues as to where his father could be, Natsu needed to know.

"I don't have the answers you want." Leo sneered his way as he turned to look at him and Lucy.

"But you know something, now tell me! He is my father. Tell me what you know!" Natsu shouted at him, feeling the control over his anger slip as he glared at the orange-haired prick.

"I don't answer to you! Honestly, it is beyond me what she sees in yo-" The spirit was cut off mid-sentence when Lucy suddenly collapsed in Natsu's arms.

There was a flash of pain in his gut as she fell into his hold, head lulled on his shoulder as he held her.

"Wha-? Luce? Lucy!" Natsu yelled frantically as he moved to pick her up.

He could see her chest was moving up and down, her breaths were shallow and her skin was unhealthily pale.

The usual glow she had around her was fading fast, making her golden hair look dull in the morning light and Natsu felt like he couldn't breathe for a moment.

There was a bubbling pain forming in his gut as he watched her light go out.

Holding back a curse, Natsu turned his wide-eyed gaze back at Leo for

answers. "What's happening to her?"

"She used up too much of her magic."

Leo's voice sounded as shaky as Natsu felt at that moment. "This- this is what happened with Layla when she cast the spell. I told her not to do it. Stupid girl." The spirit said through tears as he watched the blonde in Natsu's arms slowly fade away.

A feeling of dread crept its way to the back of Natsu's head, along with the growing pain in his gut as he cast his gaze down to his unconscious partner.

His brain was fizzling as he tried to think of something he could do, maybe if he could remember all the lessons about sensing and estimating a person's magic.

It isn't something he even needed when fighting. Natsu always went head first and all out, no matter the opponents' strength.

This was different.

This was Lucy.

He moved to connect their foreheads and focused on his magic.

Not really knowing what he wanted to do, Natsu continued channeling his magic and aimed towards Lucy.

There was an unexplained, unspoken bond between them.

It's been there from the moment they met, and he hoped that this would work.

It has to work.

He will not let her die, she said she wasn't dying today, and he wasn't going to let her.

He didn't know if he could, there was no world without Lucy.

He stayed like that for what felt like hours, pooling his magic and trying to create a bridge between the two of them.

There was no guarantee it would work, Natsu barely knew what he was doing, healing magic and fire do not mix well but there were no other options left.

It took him by surprise, it started as a slight zap from where they were connected before it unfurled into a fluttering sensation in his stomach, and he could feel tingles all over his body as her magic flowed through him.

Natsu moved his head back in shock, and stared down at Lucy, only to witness the colour slowly come back to her face and her breath even out.

He felt like a weight lifted off his heart and the pain in his gut disappeared as a little spark of his fire began to burn her magic back to life.

"That was incredibly stupid of you." Looking up he saw Leo's unimpressed eyes stare back at him.

He had forgotten the spirit was there.

"I don't even know what happened." Natsu answered truthfully as he stared back at him.

All he knew was that Lucy dying was not an option, so he did what he could until they could get back to Fairy Tail.

There was a scoff from the Zodiac Leader, and Natsu was getting tired of his attitude.

"You'll see with time, it was too late to begin with. But now you've sealed her fate, and yours too."

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mdot911 · 1 year

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Natsu loves twirling Lucy’s hair around his fingers when they are casually watching TV. It makes the cutest curls when he heats his hand. Lucy fusses at him saying he’s messing up her hair, but she secretly loves it he’s easily entertained when they are together.

#nalu #fairy tail #natsu dragneel #natsu x lucy #lucy heartfilia #fairy tail 100 years quest #ft 100yq #nalu fluff #this is cannon #nalu fan fiction

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gymjunkie412 · 2 years

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💞Nalu Fanfic tropes💞

#fairy tail #nalu #lucy heartfilia #natsu dragneel #ft #hiro mashima #natsu x lucy #fairy tail nalu #fairy tail dragon cry #fairytail #my art #fairy tail 100 years quest #nalu fan fiction #nalu fanfiction

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moeruhoshi · 1 year

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Freshman - mini series

“There’s a freshman that likes you,” Gray said nonchalantly as he took a bite out of his sandwich. Natsu’s eyes rose from his phone screen, pointing at himself with a quirked eyebrow.

“Me?” He asked as his best friend nodded, Gajeel snorting and shaking his head.

“As if,” He laughed, looking at his cousin as he spoke. “In what world would someone find this dope attractive?”

“Oi! Well, obviously somebody does, otherwise Gray wouldn’t have said anything.” He looked back at Gray who only nodded again as he took another bite of his food.

“Juvia told me that one of her friends thinks you’re pretty cute,”

“Dude, I’m trying to eat here. Can you please not call him cute?”

#fairy tail #fairy tail nalu #nalu #natsu and lucy #lucy and natsu #natsu x lucy #lucy x natsu #nalu fan fic #nalu fan fiction #nalu fanfiction #nalu fairy tail #slow updates cuz im busy but i miss you

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tokkiasficlets · 3 months

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The chime of bells fills the cathedral, echoing off the walls, soft and delicate, full of joy and hope for the celebration of a new union.

It’s not a place that Natsu can see himself getting married in, but Lucy likes it, so that’s why they’re here.

A hush falls over the room as the music begins to play. The romantic notes of the organ begin to fill the air as the doors open and all eyes turn to Lucy as she is escorted through the door.

Natsu doesn’t hear the music. His mind is a blur, all the noise drowned out the very moment he watches her walk in.

She’s soft and elegant, she moves like water.

She’s glowing, just like she always is. She looks like she’s been blessed by the heavens themselves.

She’s a star, so brilliant and bright that he almost has to look away, lest he blind him with her beauty.

Her smile is beaming and it makes Natsu’s heart melt, just like it always has, and the moment her eyes meet his, he can see her eyes grow softer, the way they always do for him.

White is her colour, he decides. Gentle, delicate, pure of heart.

She looks like an angel and she fits the part.

Her dress fits all of her curves almost as if it was painted directly on her. Stones etch the dress and dazzle in the lights, but she outshines them all.

To say that he had not imagined this day would be a lie. Though he was not much of a romantic, visions of her walking down the aisle, clad in white, had plagued his dreams and fantasies for perhaps longer than it should have.

Marriage had never been an option in his mind until Lucy. He had assumed he would live out his adventures on his own, just him and Happy, until she came along and taught him that there was more to life than that.

She had saved him.

In more ways than one.

Now, seeing her walk down the aisle, holding her flowers close to her chest as her hands shake with anticipation, makes him want to cry.

He wants to wail and sob and have her as forever his.

But he doesn’t.

He holds himself together until she makes it to the altar, standing below an arch of flowers decorated with flowers and petals of soft pinks and yellows.

Her smile is soft and gentle and full of all the love in the world when she looks at him before she gently places her bouquet in his hands and turns to face a man who Natsu has long since deliberately forgotten the name of.

He can’t see adoration shining in her eyes when she looks at this faceless man, but he knows it’s there because it always had been. It’s the look that makes his stomach twist and turn and makes him want to wretch because he should be looking at him that way.

It makes him want to scream, to object, to take Lucy into his arms where she rightfully belongs.

But he doesn’t.

Because she’s smiling.

And that’s all that matters.

#nalu #fan fiction #this is the one that irreparably damaged my relationship with abba #this one fucked her up #rip to tumblr for not having tags you guys just have to go into this one blind

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beargyufairy · 2 days

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Just a little something I wrote…

Dull light and a soft morning breeze seeped into the stifled apartment as Lucy arose from a restless slumber. She remained motionless, covered in blankets that lacked warmth, staring absentmindedly at the ceiling. It was serene yet devoid of comfort for the blonde mage. The mellow light cast false aspirations, mocking her empty state.

Despite year passing by without contact from her guildmates, Lucy held onto hope of waking from the nightmare. She unconsciously glanced over at the door, desiring her friends to burst through and whisk her away back to the place she knew as home.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she pushed the thoughts away. A feeble attempt at burying it in the back of her mind. There was no need for another day of hopelessness. She recalled how the hours turned into weeks of impatiently waiting for their return. Time slipped away from her, like a river running dry. She wished it had taken the lingering emotions pounding rapidly in her chest with it.

Impulsively, Lucy packed her belongings and fled to Crocus. After being offered a modeling job, she worked day and night, keeping her focus solely on the task. It prevented her mind from wandering into the depths of her memories. Her efforts paid off, earning her the position of journalist. A lifetime ago, Lucy would’ve been ecstatic. Now, she had a glimpse of a different reality she couldn’t shake off. Like a second skin, haunting her every step.

The blaring screech of the halting train grabbed her attention, making her aware of her surroundings. A white scarf fluttered in front of her. Eyes widened, a small smile blooming as she reached forward. Her arms stopped midway, her fingers clenched into a fist. Disappointed loomed as she realized her reality was intertwined with a faint mockery of desperation. She laughed at her misery in an attempt to keep tears at bay as she walked onward.

The stadium was brimming with hundreds of people, eagerly awaiting the events to unfold. She, too, was filled with the enthusiasm, a slight hope to find a familiar face among the crowd of strangers. She was met with everlasting loneliness in its place. A heavy weight pulled her further into its empty embrace.

But today was different. An intruder entered the stadium. A sudden burst of excitement pooled in her stomach as she grabbed her pouch, a habit formed by her dreamlike past. Since moving to the capital, she has rarely used magic. It served as a reminder of who she was meant to be. It felt natural. The golden keys were cool to the touch. However, her actions were quickly shut down. Her body on autopilot as heat rose in the stadium. A familiar feeling she yearned for. Only one person could make her feel safe in the midst of grief. A faint smile betrayed her shock as she recognized the pink-haired mage grinning softly at her. An urgent sense of relief and warmth flared in her chest. Everything would be okay after all.

** @blazingorchid thanks for your help 🫶

#fairy tail #lucy heartfilia #nalu #natsu dragneel #natsu x lucy #writers on tumblr #lucy x natsu #fairy tail fanfiction #writerscommunity #just me and my thoughts #thank you for coming to my ted talk #nalu headcanon #fanfic #fan fiction #i would give up forever just to see you #allaboutnalu #take my hand take my whole life too

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genavere · 7 months

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Fairy Tail - RE:Script

Episode One: Hargeon

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter Two

“Miss Lucy, are you certain this will be enough?”

While Capricorn tended to enjoy his tailored suits and proper manners, he could understand why she had asked him to change his clothes for this particular mission. And why she had not asked Taurus to assist her.

“As long as we keep your head hidden and we keep a low profile, I think it will work perfectly. There! All set.”

The young woman stepped back and nodded in approval of the hood that covered most of the ram’s inhuman looks and the ragged clothes that he donned. They matched hers quite well, which he was pleased with.

“What form of mission will we be performing today for such appearances?”

She attached her key satchel to the belt that held up her three-sizes-too-big torn jeans and swiftly covered them with an even larger sweatshirt. They were not the most flattering of clothes, but literal beggars could not be choosers in this world. “Well, the owner of the magic shop said that the docks needed some help moving cargo boxes.”

“Are you certain you will be capable of such manual labor, Miss Lucy?” Concern for his charge left him wondering if she had been pushing herself too hard the last couple of months. Without the protection or clearance of an official guild, she could not get jobs that would have fit her caliber of a Celestial Wizard. But with the threat of being found hovering over her head constantly, he understood her reluctance to approach any.

They had discussed many times several options of guilds, but her heart would only settle for one. “But how do I even get into an official guild? Is there a test? Do I have to tell them my last name? What if they reject me?”

Such needless worries his young mistress fretted about when he knew the value of a Celestial Wizard, especially one of her bloodline. Since the days of her ancestor, Anna, he had served the Heartfilia women through all their struggles and achievements. Any guild she deemed worthy to have her would be honored for such an esteemed line to enter their ranks.

Convincing her of that high praise remained to be the difficult part.

While she held grace and beauty like those before her, she also had a brilliance none could deny. Unfortunately, her lack of confidence and traumas of the past held her back from a greater purpose.

Lucy lifted her arms and flexed, the sleeves of her sweatshirt hanging down like stretched skin made the action rather unconvincing. “I’m fit as a fiddle and ready to prove that I have what it takes to be on my own!” The smile on her lips died before they could reach her crinkled eyes, and they both knew it.

Neither said anything, and to keep her bravado up, he flexed his own arms and offered a smile. “Then let us tackle this challenge together-r-r!”

Gathering the bag that held all her belongings in it and her own cloak, she led the way out of the rundown inn they had managed to stay at for the night. It had been the cheapest, and they required no documents, both of which they were short on—the documents due to her current status, and the jewel after the purchase of a silver gate key the day prior.

Even after working in the magic shop, translating several books that the owner had been scammed to purchase, and getting a large discount, they had just enough money for food and a place to stay for the next couple of nights. It had been like this since she had called upon her spirits for help to run away from the place she had once called home.

“Miss Lucy.” Capricorn kept his voice low as they moved through the darkened streets of early morning. A quick glance down the alleyways showed those who were down on their luck or had slept where they passed out from whatever pleasures they had sought out the night prior. Having his young charge so close to such realities soured his pride. “You did not explain to me why you are not going back to the magic shop.”

In the chill of the morning air, the baggy layers she wore to keep warm and the hat hiding her hair kept him from noticing each of her body movements from behind. But he had been by her side from the day of her birth even as he served her mother, and the slightest rise in her shoulders caught his attention.

At the magic shop, her spirits had stopped coming out while she worked on translating and working in the back after she promised each of them that she could handle it. With translating, she needed all her energy to stay focused and concentrate on the task. Even after years of tutoring and study, learning different languages and translating them had been a stumbling point for her.

“I did everything I could do there,” her reply came, soft and tired. “All the books he needed had been translated, the accounting books had been cleaned up, everything had been organized and set up in a way that would make things easier for him.”

Under the weight of her bag, he watched her shoulders shrug. “He said he would give me a good word to other shops, and suggested the docks until others asked for help.”

Knowing her tutelage and her attention to detail, none of what she explained surprised him. Being trained to take over the family estate when she grew up had left her with knowledge most in the small harbor town would never receive. Taking a page from Aquarius’ page, he straightened his back and strolled faster to walk beside her. “Then, might I suggest we make haste to the docks?”

Her eyes lifted and met his. The smile that had refused to surface in the brown eyes earlier finally made an appearance. “Sure!”

#####

A belch escaped Natsu and he held his stomach in desperation. Still green from the train ride, he leaned against a wall and took several deep breaths. “Never,”—he fought back another belch that he knew would not just be air— “I am never riding the train again.”

“You always say that.” His companion, a blue cat named Happy, looked up at him and offered a handkerchief. “It has peppermint on it. Teach said it would help the nausea.”

“Gettin’ rid of transportation would do the same…” He pressed the piece of fabric against his mouth and nose, fighting the urge to throw up. Then the strong scent of the crushed leaves in the fabric hit him. “So…strong…!”

Tears welled up in his eyes and he itched his nostrils.

“You weren’t supposed to shove it against your face like that, Natsu,” Happy said and shook his head.

“You could have told me that before I did!”

“You didn’t give me time!”

High-pitched squeals caught their attention as a pair of women took off running in a direction away from them. While people running from them, mostly due to Natsu’s actions, occurred frequently enough for them to not think much of it, the giddiness of the sounds they made did. They shared a look and decided to head toward the commotion.

Outside the rows of buildings on the cobblestone streets, a courtyard with a large flowing water fountain had a large group of people huddled around it. With keen eyesight, he could tell that most of the people in the group were women, though there were men, too. They all stared upwards at a man dressed in a bright violet cape standing on the edge of the fountain.

Arms stretched out wide with the sleeves of an immaculate white shirt rolled up to his elbows, purple flames bounced between his open palms and swirled around in spectacular fashion. The crowd ate it up, cooing and cheering. When the fire disappeared, he would reach out to adoring fans and touch their outstretched hands. Many of the women let out a breathy scream, fainting against their jealous friends

“I don’t get it,” Happy frowned, having flown his way up onto Natsu’s shoulder to watch the scene. They could see he had fairly tanned skin from their advantage point, but that made it harder to discern if there were identifying tattoos or guild marks. “Why are they so happy?”

“I dunno, buddy,” he frowned.

“Do you think he’s our target?”

“Heh,” he cracked his knuckles and grinned, “only one way to find out! Let’s get closer.”

As he ran down the cobblestone roads towards the crowd, another figure stalked towards the preening male from the opposite direction.

Fists clenched, the anger boiling inside had set her on the path of violence. Before he had ventured back to the Celestial Realm, Capricorn asked her not to do anything she would later regret. No promises had been made. They both knew in her current mood, there would be no other choice than to confront the pompous asshole who stole a day’s work and pay from her.

When Lucy arrived at the docks that morning, the lack of ships concerned her. For a harbor town, fishing and trade ships were in and out of port all year round. If there were no ships, that meant no products to fill the shops or for merchants to take inland to the other cities. And if the vanity products were not important, produce certainly was! But along the large harbor, only small fishing boats came in using the smaller docks on the far edges.

She shared a concerned look with Capricorn before going to a couple of men who looked like dock workers. “Excuse me, I was sent here by the gentleman at the magic shop in town. He said there would be work to do?”

The men looked her over and shrugged. Travelers usually came looking for side jobs to fill their wallets until the next city. And the docks were the best place to go that always needed more hands. “I’m ‘fraid yer luck is just rotten, miss.”

She looked at the dock worker who spoke to her, meeting his squinted eyes. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” he scratched the back of his balding head, “if ya had come by yest’rday, yer’d been in luck, but some wizard threw in lots of jewel late yest’rday and rented up the ‘hole place.”

The others nodded and added to the conversation. “I heard he even flew in. Big cloud of flames under him.”

“Yeah, and the dock mister got so mad. Face just red! All thought he’d have a heart explosion,” another added, laughing. She did not know exactly why the thought of someone dying would bring laughter, but in that moment, it did not matter.

“But why would there be no work?”

“Yeah, with that guy renting up the docks, no one but the army can use them,” the dockhand shrugged. “We were all told we’d be given part of a day’s work of pay, so that’s nice.”

That was nice for them, she thought bitterly. Who had the power and money to do such a—An icy hand gripped her heart and caught her breath. Had he found her? Did he send a wizard to track her down and they were limiting the escape routes?

A hand rested on her shoulder and squeezed. The pressure calmed her as Capricorn stepped next to her. “Excuse me, gentlemen, but do you happen to know why they rented the docks out, and if they have a name associated with them?”

Not for the first time since she had received Capricorn’s key did she realize how blessed she was to have him by her side. Being a runaway would have been near impossible without his patience and steady nature.

The first dockhand pushed his lips out, she thought it resembled a pout or a duck-face, and nodded slowly. “’Ell, this ship’s ‘is.” He motioned to the large ship in the dock. Lights were strung around the decks and boxes of crates labeled ‘Wine’ sat on the upper decks. A party ship. Great.

“Yeah, and from the rumors I heard,” the third dockhand leaned in, ready to tell them a secret, “he went around boo-sting he’s some famous lizard from a fairy place.”

A famous lizard? Fairy place? Rolling around the words in her head, the latest edition of Sorcerer’s Weekly had mentioned the great success Salamander of Fairy Tail had achieved with destroying an abandoned village that needed to be cleared. It briefly mentioned other points of damage he had done that had not been requested, but they tried hard to keep those as footnotes near the bottom of his article.

“Do you mean, Salamander of Fairy Tail?” They had to have heard wrong. Why would such a renowned wizard come to a place like Hargeon to throw a party? Fairy Tail was located on a giant lake that near resembled an ocean. He could have stayed there and not disrupted people trying to work.

“That’s it!” The other dockhand gave his friend a narrowed look. “Really? Lizard from a fairy place? You drinkin’ on the job again?”

“Yeah—no!”

If Salamander of Fairy Tail was here…she worried her lower lip between her teeth, zoning out the arguing of the dockhands. Fairy Tail held all her dreams of becoming a wizard. If there were any guild strong enough to protect her, it would be them. But could she convince him to let her join?

“”Ey, miss?”

She blinked rapidly and looked at the first dockhand. “Sorry, I was thinking a bit. What did you say?”

“He said that you might want to steer clear of that guy,” the second answered.

“Why’s that?”

“Yeah, well…he was saying that he will only accept the most beautiful of men and women, and you lookin’ a bit young,” the third shrugged.

Brows furrowed, she glanced at Capricorn and then the men. “I don’t understand…”

The three men leaned in closer to her, and instinctively, her and Capricorn did the same. It felt like they were sharing secrets with her, and if there had been work available, she felt that they would have been some great personalities to pass the day by faster.

“’Hat guy’s a snake,” the first hissed.

“He’d ruin you any chance he got. Don’t let him even look your way,” the second warned.

“Yeah, he bad news! Gonna try sleepin’ with all the women,” the third shook his fists.

“Listen to your uncles,” the second pulled her attention back to him. “Don’t approach him and don’t go on that ship.”

Their warnings had been sincere, and even Capricorn agreed with them, but the thought that someone she looked up to turned out to be such a creep clouded all rationale.

Anger flushed her cheeks, and her footsteps quickly turned to huffed stomps on the cobblestone. Salamander of Fairy Tail or not, the fact he threw around his reputation and ease of money in the face of those who had to work for theirs added to the fire building. He was an entitled jerk who looked down at those less fortunate. Just like those from the life she ran away from.

It had not taken long to find where he had been gathering his potential ‘guests’ for the party; one only had to follow the giddy laughter and excited squeals that led her directly to him. He stood high and mighty on his water fountain throne, using his magic in a way no respectful wizard should.

Her eyes narrowed. He had ruined her plans to earn enough money and potentially find additional work, and he dared to dress like some half-baked noble. That shade of purple had been out of fashion in the upper class since she had been a child!

Whether it was from the fury she exuded or her ragged appearance, the crowd parted easily for her. The disturbance to his show caught his attention, and she saw the way his nose wrinkled and the judgement that passed over his features. Fine by her. He was certainly no looker himself.

A perfect showman, the look disappeared in a blink and he smiled at her. “My, what a lovely—!”

Without a thought, her legs had taken the step up onto the fountain right to him and mete out her vision of justice. Water splashed over the edge of the fountain from the mass of his body falling into it. The skin of her knuckles burned and instantly turned red from the abuse of meeting the thin flesh under his chin.

Shoulders shuddered with each breath. Every fiber screamed that it had not been enough.

“You uncultured swine!” her voice rose above the murmuring of the crowd. From her raised perch on the edge of the fountain where he had been, she shoved her fists against her hips. “Using your magic like it’s some paltry magician’s trick and taking away work for those who need it!”

Her annoyance only grew when she turned to the crowd of overzealous women who returned her glare. While they outnumbered her, she knew that if they decided to jump her the water in the fountain would play a huge role in washing them all away—herself included.

“Do none of you have any self-respect? Why are you throwing yourselves at—” Words caught in her throat as arms wrapped around her chest, pinning her arms tightly against her sides. At first, she tensed at the thought that she would be thrown to the ground. If she managed to roll as Capricorn had taught her, she would be able to walk away with only a few scratches.

Then, she tensed for a completely different reason. The arms around her loosened enough that one of them began to move upwards in a way that sent a shudder through her. Through the fabric of her clothes, she felt an arm pressed up into her breasts and a breath of air slithered across her cheek.

“What is this hidden under these clothes?” His voice, only a whisper, echoed loudly in her ear. With a wince, she tried to pull away from him, but the movement against her side brought a strange sensation over her. Her heart pounded against her chest, but it fluttered at the feel of his arms wrapped around her. Heat rose up in her chest, spread over her cheeks and to the tips of her ears. What…what was happening to her?

A new face broke through the crowd, pulling her attention to it. No, she realized, it was not a face, but a shock of pink that adorned the head of the person rushing toward her. The heat that pooled in her chest diminished and a different sort of heat fixated on the wrist the newcomer grabbed.

Inside, something shattered and left her breathless as she was dragged through the crowd.

“Come on, weirdo!”

They ran through the courtyard and down a few back alleyways, dashing around each corner until she felt she would be sick from how fast they were going. Still, through the entire way, not once did the grip on her wrist loosen or tighten to the point of pain. And the heat from him traveled all the way up her arm. Just that touch alone felt warmer than the chill of Salamander.

When they finally came to a stop somewhere in the back alleys of the port city, he let her wrist go and fell forward. She followed suit and gasped for breath. It had been a long time since she had to full-out run like that.

After a few mouthfuls of oxygen, she pushed her hair back from her face and combed her fingers through it. It always got unruly under her hat to the point that it often took an hour to get the knots out. Her eyes widened.

Patting the top of her head, she looked at the ground for any sign of her hat, but only sludge and garbage filled the narrow space between the buildings. Panic surged upward. Without her hat, anyone hired to track her down would have an easier job of it. The last time she had been found, it had been nearly the end.

Hands grabbed her shoulders, jolting her from the panic clawing at her sanity and back to her surroundings in the alleyway. A shaky breath filled her lungs and she focused on the noise coming from the person who had dragged her there. Blinking, the corner of her lips tugged down as the person in front of her…laughed?

With his head bent downwards, all she could make out of his features were the pink locks she noticed earlier and his shoulders that bounced along with his laughter. A large travel pack with a bedroll gave her some clues that he was also a fellow traveler looking for work in the area.

Maybe a wizard down on his luck, or someone also on the run.

“That…” he took a deep breath and threw his head back with more laughter. With his mouth wide, she took notice of the sharp fangs. “That was great! You really socked him!”

Except for her self-defense training with Capricorn, she had never been praised for punching someone. That had been something completely frowned upon. She still remembered the stern talking to she had received as a child after hitting a boy who had pushed her.

A familiar warmth covered her cheeks, and she realized it felt really nice to be complimented by someone with no obligations to praise her.

“Thanks.” She offered him a smile and scratched her cheek in embarrassment, “I wouldn’t have normally done that, but…he really made me mad.”

“You looked ‘bout ready to end him,” he cackled, wiping his eyes of tears. “I know a few others who are just as scary as you. I bet they would be thrilled to meet you.”

It felt like a bucket of cold water had been dropped over her head and the bucket followed soon after. Had this been a trap to lure her away from a public place and kidnap her? Anyone could have been hired by her father, or someone who wanted to use her for ransom.

Self-consciously, she tugged on her hair and looked up and down the alleyway. Were there others who were around there? Waiting for the signal to jump out and grab her? She reached down with her free hand toward her keys.

“By the way,” he pulled back from her and held out his hand. The grin on his face startled her at how large it was. If she were to describe it, she’d say it was encompassing, spreading over his entire face from his crinkled eyes, his revealed dimples, and the slight crunch of his nose. It made her reconsider her previous misgivings and feel a spark of hope. “My name’s Natsu Dragneel, what’s yours?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note:

I realized after publishing the first chapter that I completely forgot to thank my betas for what they were able to do so far to help me on this.

Kiri and @legendoftheotherside did fantastic while dealing with life. Sorry that I love screwing up dialogue and action beats!

My favorite part of this chapter (besides Lucy punching Bora) are the Uncles at the dock. They came out of no where while writing this and they became my favorites. I hope you all enjoyed them, too!

At some point, I hope to actually have a banner for this series. Will need to work on that. Until then, I will use Fairy Tail gifs!

Reminder that chapters come out every two weeks! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and will see you on October 6th!

Links: AO3 (Is locked to registered AO3 users) | FF.net

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

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xanvasofxords · 2 months

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“If anything, you’re the biggest pervert here!”

“Me?!” Natsu snaps, smashing his forehead against Gray’s. “How am I a pervert when you’re the one getting naked all the damn time?!” The ice mage tackles him backwards with double force. The temperature around them simultaneously rising and falling because of the polar opposite magics clashing together.

Lucy assumes it’ll take her thousand years more to get used to them. Just when she thinks ignoring them is the ultimate solution, not even a feet away, a chair crashes into the floor so loudly that she drops her book with a yelp. A vein pops on her head.

“Cut it you two!”

The blonde complains, picking the book up and closing it to glare at them. There’s absolutely no way she can finish the novel like this. She hasn’t had the chance to read it in peace at home- thanks to Natsu and Happy messing around with her all morning. And now the two of them are trying to kill her!

Unfortunately, the boys don’t even spare a look at her as they continue with their fight.

“Oh yeah? Better than looking up a girl’s skirt,” Gray shouts while giving sideways glance to Lucy. “Or shoving a hand down her cleavage!” Both Natsu and Lucy turn their heads at the remark and for the first time in his life, the pinkette doesn’t seem to have any proper response to the raven haired mage’s insult.

Gray takes it as a sign of his victory and takes off his underwear with a shrug, standing completely naked. But nobody complains because the other two people are too embarassed to speak. There’s a long pause before Lucy clears her throat. Gray smirks at the pair.

#this was the start of a oneshot i had planned to do lmao i forgot #though im not a fan of pervy natsu its fun writing him at times #will do the oneshot some other time #maybe #fairy tail #natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #nalu #natsu x lucy #fairy tail nalu #ft nalu #fairy tail 100 years quest #nalu fanfic #nalu fanfiction #nalu fan fic #nalu fan fiction

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tokkias · 25 days

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you can just fall into me ship: natsu dragneel x lucy heartfilia summary: Lucy had always known that big changed would come into her life as she stepped into her new role at Heartfilia Konzern she just hadn't expected one of those changes to be the result of a threat to her safety. The feeling of dread through her veins is no longer an uncommon one, but at least the feeling is eased when Natsu is by her side. ao3

insp

The quiet bloop of an incoming email pulled Lucy out of her moment of concentration as she tapped away on her keyboard. Any other time, it would have been an inconspicuous sound that she paid no mind to, just a regular part of her business day, but things at the Heartfilia Konzern had been... complicated as of late.

Stepping into the position as C.E.O. and owner of Heartfilia Konzern, she had kept a low profile. Sure, she had expected massive changes in her life—that there would be more attention on her than she was once used to—but what she hadn’t expected was the intense attention of one individual in particular.

It had started innocuous at first—a few social media posts expressing their infatuation with the pretty new girl in charge of the railway conglomerate—but it had slowly devolved into something much deeper and sinister. A few social media posts had turned into a few emails, turned into a few phone calls, turned into showing up outside one of the office branches one morning in a bid to catch her on her way in or out. Thankfully, it had not been one of the buildings she frequented, but it had sent her anxiety over the edge. This man was obsessed with her and was quickly becoming a threat to her safety.

She didn’t read through the incoming email for the sake of her own sanity, but from the brief glance she had captured, she got the gist of it. They’d gone from pleading to threatening, an attempt to scare her into giving him the attention he craved. Her team had told her not to respond, and though she had heeded their advice, it had made her feel so helpless.

She was scared.

Even with her security team around, there was always the lingering thought about how there was someone out there who quite possibly wanted to hurt her, and based on his actions so far, he very much had the means to do so. For the most part, she could push it to the back of her mind to get through the work day, but reminders like this did her no good.

If she thought she had successfully masked her anxiety, she was quickly humbled by Natsu’s worried expression from across the room.

Just as she was about to speak her reassurances, a knock came at the door, causing Lucy to jump and undoing all the work she had put into convincing Natsu that she was fine. Peering out the glass wall of her office, she saw her secretary, Aries, standing outside, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief. If someone were here to kill her, they probably wouldn’t knock, after all.

“Um, Miss Lucy?” She meekly said. “Mr. Beaufort’s assistant just called to say he’s cancelling his meeting with you next Wednesday. He said something about… um… security concerns.”

Lucy didn’t bother to hide the frustrated groan she let out, her head falling into her hands, elbows thunking against the table.

It was easy to pretend the problem didn’t exist when the problem wasn’t making itself at home in her work emails. Admittedly, she was picking up a bad habit from her father before her of throwing herself into her work to avoid thinking about the problems in her personal life, but suddenly her personal problems were beginning to affect her work life too. This was not the first time someone had cancelled a meeting for safety concerns, and for as long as this issue was prevalent, she was certain it would not be the last.

“I-I’m sorry!”

“No, it’s not your fault,” she assured with a weak smile. “Thank you, Aries.”

With her dismissal, Aries rushed out of her office, leaving just the two of them alone once again.

“Dunno what he’s talking about worrying about security concerns,” Natsu said, air quotes around the last two words. “You got the best security around,” he added with a grin.

Lucy offered him a smile at his fighting words, but it didn’t quite go up to her eyes, and she knew he could tell. Any other time, she would have wholeheartedly agreed. Natsu and his team were great; they had never let her down before now, but they had also never faced a threat like this until now.

She tried not to frame it like that. He wasn’t a "threat," he was just some random with too much time on their hands, chasing after her like all the boys had in high school, but then again, those boys hadn’t shown up outside of her place of work. She tried to convince herself that it wasn’t a big deal, that she would be safe, but she still couldn’t help but worry.

The only time she ever truly felt safe these days was when Natsu was in the room with her. If she was a little jumpy in the office, that didn’t compare to how she got when she was at home. Given the current circumstances, Lucy had a member of her team with her at all hours of the day, but realistically, it couldn’t always be Natsu. He was her employee who still had to go home at the end of the day. He had friends he drinks with on Saturdays, he had a cat at home to feed. There was no amount of money she could pay him that would take away the fact that he still had a life to live outside of her.

Natsu protects her during her work hours, while Erza and Gray take the night shifts at her apartment. They were both scary and more than qualified for their jobs, but she just seemed to feel at ease with Natsu in a way she couldn’t with them. That wasn’t a knock to them; there was just something about Natsu that she could never find in anyone else. She always felt calm around him, entirely at ease.

The rest of the afternoon came and went without incident, much to Lucy’s relief, and before long she found herself being escorted into her apartment by Natsu behind her. That wasn’t originally part of his job description—he would meet her at the office in the mornings and leave in the evenings, but now that there was the concern about her being jumped on her commute, it was better safe than sorry.

Gray was taking the evening shift tonight, and while it would have been reasonable for him to be the one to escort her home, these days it was always Natsu taking her to and from work. Even though he was technically off the clock, even though he wasn’t paid for the extra twenty minutes before and after, he never complained about it, and Lucy couldn’t be more thankful. Maybe having someone on her tail at all times could have been overbearing to some, but she didn’t mind it so much when it was Natsu.

Gray was already standing outside her building by the time they arrived, and the pair escorted her to her apartment with only little fuss.

Though a little unnerving at first, Lucy had grown used to having someone with her at all times. It was better than the alternative, given her current situation. Gray mostly minded his own business, and Plue had gotten used to the company quickly, so it wasn’t all that bad. Tonight, though, the company just didn’t seem like enough to keep her from getting antsy through the evening.

She tried her best to busy herself to keep her mind off today’s events. She cooked her and Gray dinner rather than ordering out; she finally got a start on that new podcast that she had been meaning to listen to, but even as she tried to focus on other things, she couldn’t help but let her mind wander. It was bearable for a while—she could rationalise with herself when the lights were on and Gray was in the room, but as the sun dipped below the horizon and Plue yapped at her to get into bed, things quickly went downhill. Every time she closed her eyes, her brain would be washed over by a series of what-ifs.

What if the security wasn’t enough?

What if when she opened her eyes, he was standing, looming over her?

What if he intended to make good on his threats?

Even with Plue snuggled up in bed with her, ready to go on the offensive and do whatever his little body could do to protect her should the need arise, she just couldn’t seem to shut her mind up.

She wished Natsu were here.

He was the only one who could truly make all the voices in her head simmer down, if even for just a few moments. Natsu had proven himself time and time again as her protector, shown his willingness to go above and beyond for her to keep her safe. She knew that all of her team would do that—it was their job after all—but with Natsu, it felt like something more than that. It wasn’t just the physical safety he provided her; it was emotional too.

Harm couldn’t come to her when Natsu was around; he would never let it. That was even true when it came to the anxious thoughts plaguing her head.

She tried not to talk about these problems with anyone, to not let anyone in on the fact that she was struggling. She already had so much pressure put on her as the new head of a massive conglomerate. The media made sure everyone knew she was unqualified for her position, and they were right—she was just a nepo-baby stepping in to uphold what little of her family legacy was left behind for her. Still, she couldn’t let the media, the public, or her peers think of her like that. She was a hard worker; she was well-spoken, smart, and kind. Given the time she knew she would flourish into something great.

She couldn’t let them see that behind that confidence and composure, she was just a scared little girl, lost and confused.

With Natsu, she didn’t need to maintain that image. Due to the nature of his position, he was the person she spent the most time with these days, and there wasn’t anything she could hide from him. He was the only one who really knew the inner workings of her brain, the real fear and confusion she felt from everything that was happening around her. He was the only person she really felt she could confide in.

A soft sigh passed through her lips as she gazed at the dark ceiling. Yearning would not make Natsu magically appear, nor would it make all her woes and worries disappear. Figuring she wasn’t about to get to sleep soon, Lucy crawled out of bed and made her way into the kitchen in hopes that a warm drink might ease her woes.

The lights were still on in the living room when she passed by, and the television was playing softly as Gray kept himself occupied. Though she tried to pass by unnoticed, Gray was still on the job and wasn’t about to let anything slip past him.

“You alright?” He asked.

His voice stopped her in her tracks, leaving her standing static in the doorframe.

“Yeah, I just…” She trailed off, realising that Gray was no fool. There was no stepping around it, no pretending that she was fine. “I can’t sleep.”

“Yeah, I get that,” he sympathetically replied. “I’m sorry.”

He furrowed his brows as he tried to search for some words of comfort, but he was her guard, not her therapist. Though they were friendly, he wasn’t close to her like Natsu was.

“You’ll be alright,” he settled on.

Lucy offered him a soft smile.

“I know.”

She bit at her lower lip, hesitating for a moment before she made her way to the kitchen.

“What time does Natsu start?” She asked.

“He’ll be here at six,” Gray replied.

Lucy glanced at her phone, finding that it wouldn’t be another four hours until Natsu would arrive. She’d usually be long asleep by now, but today’s events had been weighing heavy on her mind, leaving her more anxious than usual.

“Okay,” she said, trying her best to hide the disappointment lingering in her voice. “Thank you.”

☆♡

The taste of lavender overcame her senses as she sipped on her mug of tea, hoping that the warmth that spread through her body as it went down would soothe her.

Plue let out a soft whine as she crawled back into her sheets, roused from his slumber upon her return. She murmured a soft apology as she stroked his fur in an attempt to soothe him back to sleep. She would rather at least one of them get a good night's sleep tonight.

She didn’t have a television in her room, knowing that one would just keep her up on nights she just needed to know what happened in the next episode of her soaps, but she had never regretted that more than right now. A distraction was more than welcome right now—a trashy reality programme to keep her mind off her own problems. Unfortunately, tonight it was just her and the flitter of moonlight that made it through the curtains.

She closed her eyes and tried to simply will herself to sleep, counting sheep until her consciousness faded into dreams, but as had become routine for this evening, that just wasn’t the case.

And so she lingered awake, accompanied by nothing but the shadows on her walls and Plue’s dreamy whimpers.

After what felt like hours of sleep evading her, a soft knock came on her door, and assuming it was Gray, Lucy let out an affirmative murmur to let him know he could come in. When she looked up, however, it was not Gray’s gaze that she was met with. In her doorframe stood her day guard, Natsu, with messy hair, a dark grey hoodie, and a pair of pyjama pants covered in little cats.

“Natsu?” She croaked out. “What are you doing here?”

She wondered for a moment if she really had fallen asleep, if she was simply dreaming this moment up. What he said next proved that she was very much awake.

“Gray called me and said ya couldn’t sleep, so I came over to make sure you were okay.”

Lucy was quiet as Natsu made his way to her side, sitting down on her bed next to her.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said. “Your shift doesn’t start until six; I’m not paying you to be here.”

“I’m off the clock, which means I get to make my own decisions, and right now I wanna be here for you,” he replied, his hand reaching for hers in a comforting manner. “I’m not just your bodyguard, y’know. I’m your friend, too.”

She looked up at him, even in the dark, still able to make out that trademark Natsu smile on his face.

Natsu was always a nice guy, always kind and friendly towards her. She was never sure how much of his friendliness was just part of the job that she paid him for. In his words, she realised that their relationship went beyond that of the paycheque she signed for him every week—he saw her as a friend.

“I’ll stay for however long you need me.”

His thumb ran gently across the back of her hand, and immediately she felt herself growing more at ease. The worry still lingered in the back of her mind—it had never fully gone away since the very first incident, but with Natsu by her side, she finally felt herself safe enough to let out some of the fear that had been plaguing her brain.

“Natsu…” She murmured, her voice soft and low as she spoke. “I’m scared.”

“Yeah, I know,” he replied, his brows knitted together in concern. “But I’ve got you, okay? Nothin’ bad is gonna happen to you while I’m here.”

She wholeheartedly believed him.

He had protected her from drunkards and catcallers; he had never hesitated to throw himself in harm's way to keep her safe. Nothing could dare touch her if Natsu had anything to say about it.

The thought of him fending off some perpetrator in his kitty cat pyjamas made the corners of her lips quirk up in a small smile. That sounded like exactly something the silly boy she had come to know would do.

“Get some sleep, okay?” He said, his voice more tender than she thought she’d ever heard it before.

“What about you?”

“I’ll be alright,” he assured her. “Me and Plue are gonna keep you safe, isn’t that right, buddy?”

At the mention of his name, Plue stirred a little before giving out a huff of what Lucy liked to believe was affirmation before going back to sleep.

At his words, she slowly sunk back into her pillow and let her eyes fall shut.

She felt better, safe, comfortable.

She felt like grasping sleep tonight was no longer something well out of her reach, and as she faded out of consciousness, she was in no mind to consider the moral implications of falling asleep, holding her bodyguard’s hand.

#nalu #natsu x lucy #fairy tail #nalu fanfic #nalu fanfiction #nalu fan fiction #mya writes things #ngl i forgor i can post my fics to tumblr wumblr

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shelbyshoe · 10 months

Text

Looks Like Rent Is Due

One-Shot

Fairy Tail (NaLu) Lucy is fired, again. Saving the day with psychic abilities isn’t as rewarding as you think it is. Down on her luck, and with only half rent, she strikes a deal with her landlord’s brother, a vampire named Natsu. Free rent for free blood. At least it’s a trial run, and he’s incredibly hot. Rated E (smut, vampire bites, blood) Words: 7398

Based on this amazing post.

AO3

FFN

“You’re fired.”

“What? Can I at least get a two-week notice? I have people to feed,” Lucy said. Her manager narrowed his eyes and slapped an envelope onto the counter.

“First, you are the only person you’re feeding. Second, this is the rest of your paycheck. Feel free to leave.” He didn’t wait for her to convince him that she was a great employee and that she needed the money. On his way to the back room, she caught his brief thought.

Thank gods she’s gone.

The front door to the Seven Eleven rang as she walked out of the store for the last time toward her apartment building. The summer humidity settled over her skin. Some of the hair that had escaped her ponytail stuck to the sides of her face. This wasn’t the first time someone had fired her. That’s what happened when you had psychic abilities and just so happen to stop a man from abducting a child at a Seven Eleven. Alright, she could have stopped him a bit less aggressively. But come on. It was either she allowed the man to walk away with the kid or she kicked him in the face to give the kid some time to get the heck out of there.

Lucy was a magnet for disasters. She had stopped two kidnappings, a robbery, a drug deal, and stopped a surprisingly sneaky old lady from pickpocketing everyone that passed by her at the local coffee shop. Every time, she’d had to intervene without a good reason. No one would believe that she could read people’s thoughts.

She’d tried to tell herself that it was none of her business what people thought about. Their evil intent had nothing to do with her. But when she kicked that man in the face today, that little kid appeared so relieved. It made it worth getting fired. Except, she now had to find another job. The Seven Eleven gig was already a miracle. Managers knew her as the girl that kicked the shit out of customers. No one would take her.

Lucy stood in front of her apartment building with a sinking feeling in her stomach. The small apartment she’d moved into had the usual amenities, leaky faucets, missing cabinet handles, and of course the loudest neighbors in town. The ones below her sounded like two giraffes scraping their heads on the low ceilings, and the ones above had two dogs who had zoomies all night. The outside of the building let her know that she lived in a Junji Ito novel. The lock to the gate had long broken, left wide open for anyone to get through. The building itself needed a new paint job, and the banisters had rusted, just begging for someone to fall. But at least it was cheap.

She trudged up the concrete stairs to her second-floor apartment. The little old lady that lived next door sat in the breezeway in a little chair. She cradled a steaming cup in her hands and smiled at Lucy’s approach.

“You’re home early,” she said.

“Fired again.” She pulled out her house keys from her bag as she approached her door.

“You’re young yet. You’ll find another one. I believe in you, Heartfilia.” Ms. Sato took a sip of her tea and closed her eyes in bliss. If only Lucy’s life could feel that good.

“Thank you, Ms. Sato.” She pushed open her door and slipped inside. There wasn’t much to her apartment, maybe that was best in her situation. She pulled off her shoes in the tiled genkan, passed the little kitchenette and the door to her all-in-one bathroom, and dropped her bag on the floor before she sank into her two-seater couch. She had plans to get a new TV to fill the empty space in her living room. That was until she lost her job, again. Now she had to save every penny. She didn’t feel like she had needed one before. There was a used bookstore down the street, so she had piles of mass market paperbacks stacked just below the window in the way she’d seen on Instagram. Lucy’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She found a text message from her best friend lit up the screen.

Levy: Want to come out tonight?

Lucy leaned her head back on her couch cushion and stared up at the water-stained ceiling. Either this was a girl’s night, which she couldn’t afford now that she had no job, or Levy had asked her to be a third wheel again. Levy had acquired a new boyfriend and loved to drag Lucy along to try and find her one too. Her tired body begged her to stay home, take a hot shower, and crawl into bed. Her weary mind wanted to drink and forget her loss of a job. Ah, decisions.

Lucy: Who’s coming?

She hoped that was a hint to leave the boyfriend at home. With her luck, Levy would insist that he join them. Their honeymoon phase was cute and all, but Lucy didn’t want to date while in crisis. Did she even have enough money to go out? She leaned over, pulled her bag into her lap, and took out the envelope that her ex-boss gave her. Inside was a stack of cash. He had counted the exact amount that he owed her for her final paycheck. It included a copy of an official notice of termination. Great. Might as well add them to the pile. Her phone buzzed again. She expected to find her answer about Levy’s plans.

Scumlord: This is your reminder that your rent is two days past due. If it is convenient for you, submit your payment through the client portal. If you are using cash, please slip it under door 101. No checks or money orders. Thank you.

Fantastic. Just what she needed in these trying times. Another message lit her screen.

Levy: Just me and Gajeel. You’ve been working so many hours. You should take some time for yourself!

Lucy: Maybe next time! I’m exhausted.

If Lucy’s calculations were correct, she didn’t have enough money for rent. She needed money or time to find a new job. She stared at the landlord’s message. She had cash at least. Maybe she could go down to 101 and convince whoever lived there to take an IOU. Or she could run down to Seven Eleven and beg for her job back. She devised a plan to tell the manager that she’d heard the gross guy, that she kicked to hell, tell that kid some dirty things or something. Though she doubted that made a difference. She still kicked a customer, and corporate only cared about the money in their pockets. The next time she saw something weird, she’d ignore it. Lucy hated her little gift of reading minds. For her entire life, it had only brought her trouble.

“What people think is none of my business.” If she said it enough, she could feel better when she inevitably allowed things like kidnap to happen. Might as well—

Someone knocked at Lucy’s door. She stood and slipped her phone in her back pocket. She peeked through the peephole and found nothing on the other side.

“Who’s there?” she called.

“Here to collect rent,” a low voice said from the other side of her door. Lucy had met her landlord on a few occasions. He was aloof with longish black hair, owned multiple properties, and was ruthless with rent. He had enough money to live somewhere other than the Junji Ito horror apartment building. This person at her door must be whoever lived in apartment 101. Now was her chance to convince whoever was on the other side to allow her to pay half.

Lucy opened the door with an entire spiel about rent rattled off in her head. All of which evaporated as soon as she got a good look at 101. He stood off to the side and leaned against the metal railing. He braced himself on the rail. The drapey gray sleeveless shirt helped display his perfectly toned tanned arms and broad shoulders.

“I can’t.” She hadn’t meant to blurt it out. To her credit, her brain had run on fumes all week and clearly no longer functioned like an adult.

“You can’t pay?” The man in front of her lifted himself off the rail. Her eyes followed his movement. Bad idea. Now, she couldn’t stop staring at his arms.

“I can do half.” She held up the white envelope.

“No can do.” He crossed his arms over his chest. This was not the time to lust over a random man at her door to collect rent. “When can you have all of it? I was explicitly told by my shitty brother not to accept more than full payment.”

“Look, you seem nice. I’d hate to put you in a bad spot, but I only have half. I just got laid off and need to find another job,” Lucy said. He whistled low and shook his head.

“That’s a bummer. But I still can’t take half.”

“Wait, you’re the landlord’s brother?”

“Unfortunately.” He grimaced and peered down the breezeway.

“What brings you to this dump?” It helped the situation that the hot guy sounded like he hated her landlord as much as she did. If she could soften him up a bit, and get him to talk freely, she could convince him to take half the rent payment.

“Dropped out of college and needed somewhere to go.”

“Man, your brother must hate you to send you here.” Lucy leaned against her door frame and tucked her envelope in her back pocket.

“Probably, but I’m not planning to stay. What brings you here? I was expecting drug dealers and gang members.”

“What makes you think I don’t deal?” she said. His eyes widened before he broke out into a soft laugh. The sound made her want to hear more. “I’m kidding. I’m strapped for cash.”

“Clearly, but I meant that you seem like you belong in a high rise somewhere, not here.”

“It’s a long story. What made you drop out?” she asked.

“It’s a long story.” This time when he smiled, his canines stood out to her as particularly sharp. Either Lucy was extremely lonely, or she’d unlocked a new turn on.

“Well, if you don’t want this money, I’m going to grab a drink with it. You are welcome to join me.” Lucy ducked back into her apartment, grabbed her bag, and slipped the envelope inside.

“I’ll take you up on that,” he said as she locked the door.

They fell into step with each other down the stairs and to the sidewalk.

“So, what is your name, 101?” she asked.

“101? Oh, Natsu.” He lifted his arms to secure his hands behind his head while they walked. Lucy found him oddly relaxing to be around. “What about you, 204?”

“I’m Lucy.” They waited at a pedestrian light and waited for cars to pass. Natsu moved to turn the corner, but Lucy took his arm before he could move on.

“Nope, not that way,” she said.

“There’s a Seven Eleven down this way. It’s not that far,” he said.

“We’re going to the Lawson down the road. I was fired from that Seven Eleven.” When the crosswalk signaled them to go, Lucy stepped off the curb and tugged him in the same direction.

“How did you get fired from a Seven Eleven?” Natsu asked. This was the problem with superpowers. She didn’t know how to tell someone that she could hear people’s thoughts. Most freaked out or believed she was crazy.

“I apprehended a criminal,” she said. The cicadas whined in the lush green trees as they passed a small park. A couple kids laughed with each other on the swings. All the sounds of summer played out in a lull around the neighborhood. Even their chatter matched the ambient sounds of the city. If she wasn’t in such a tight spot financially, she may have enjoyed it.

“Fighting evil by moonlight?”

“I’m the one named, 204.”

“But seriously. What did you do? Attack someone in the store?” His tone implied sarcasm, and Lucy wished she could laugh it off with him. On another timeline, she’d still have a job and could have met Natsu under better circumstances, all bills paid. Her fantasy of a better paycheck loomed over her. Natsu’s smile fell, and he leaned forward to get a better look at her face. “You’re kidding. You attacked a customer? No wonder you got fired.”

“He was being a pervert to some kid! I couldn’t stand there and let him abduct children.” The need to validate her actions made her chest tight.

“You didn’t have to beat him up either. Though I don’t blame you. He sounds like he deserved it,” Natsu said.

“I didn’t beat him. I kicked him.”

“What’s the difference?” he said as they rounded the corner to the Lawson. They passed below its blue and white striped sign and into the air-conditioned building. Lucy followed Natsu to the back of the store and stood with him in front of the wall of refrigerated drinks.

“Beating him up implies that I hit him more than once,” she said and browsed the shelves. Her usual green tea caught her eye. Natsu picked up a bottle of cold coffee and eyed the back of the can. What was he thinking? Wait. What was he thinking? Lucy concentrated on his energy but came up empty. Until now, she’d yet to meet a person whose mind she couldn’t read.

“What? Can’t decide either?” He took up a different coffee from the shelf and meandered toward the alcohol. Either she was finally free of her powers, or Natsu’s mind was as dry as the Sahara Desert.

Damn it, she’s here. The thought had dripped in malice and entered her mind at top volume. Lucy glanced over her shoulder to find the man she’d kicked the hell out of eye her from the register. He narrowed his gaze in her direction as the clerk, oblivious, rang him up. Just what she needed, drama to follow her while she browsed a Lawson with her landlord’s brother.

Natsu had moved away from the drinks and strolled the aisle of snacks.

I’ll kill her. The man’s thought sent a chill down Lucy’s back. She turned back to the drinks, grabbed her usual green tea, and squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them, she prayed the man had disappeared. Lucy jumped when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“It’s on me.” Natsu held up two beers, a bag of Calbee chips, and his coffee tucked under his arm. “What?” He followed her eyes to the cashier behind the counter on their phone. “Miss your job already? Don’t worry! You’ll find another one.” He took her green tea and added it to his stuff. She followed him to the counter and surveyed the store for signs of the man. Maybe she had imagined him. Natsu swatted her hand away from the bag when she tried to take it from the counter.

“I got it,” he insisted. The summer air, while tepid, made her feel better. The streets were desolate behind them. “Looking for someone?” Natsu asked. Lucy shook her head and adjusted her bag on her shoulder as they walked back. They turned to the street where their apartment building loomed. When she realized Natsu was no longer with her, she made it to the staircase. He squatted on the corner of the street with a shoelace in each hand. He had placed the bag down beside him to tie his shoe. She crossed her arms over her chest and opened her mouth to make a snarky comment when she heard the voice again.

There she is. The man’s voice was unmistakable. Lucy took a step toward Natsu, who kneeled far from her by the street with his other shoe’s laces in his hands. The man jumped out from the shadows. Lucy stepped back into the massive crack in the pavement. She fell over her own feet to the concrete and lifted her hands in front of her face to block an imminent blow. A wall of darkness blocked the final rays of sunlight. Natsu had stood in front of her, bags dropped at her feet, with his hand clutched around the man’s throat. How had he gotten there so fast?

“You may want to rethink that.” Natsu lifted the man up. His feet jerked around as they left the ground. One of his shoes clattered to the floor as he clawed at Natsu’s grip to no avail. “If I catch you anywhere near my friend again, I’ll have to do more than choke you. Got it?” A grin spread across Natsu’s face, and his eyes lit up. While the man gasped for air, he nodded in Natsu’s grasp. The man crumbled to the ground and coughed. His hand had wrapped around his own throat, now an angry shade of red, as he clamored away. “You forgot your shoe!” Natsu picked up the shoe and threw it at the man. It hit the back of his head so hard that he hit the floor. The man grabbed his shoe with wide eyes and ran from sight. When Natsu turned and held out a hand to help her up, she flinched.

“Don’t worry, I don’t think he’ll be coming back any time soon.” Natsu helped her off the floor and took the bag again. Without a second glance, he trotted merrily up the stairs with their goods. Lucy followed behind him with her heart still in her throat. As not to incur his wrath, she quietly opened the door and allowed him inside. Natsu set the bag down on her coffee table and sagged into the couch. “I think your apartment is bigger than mine,” he said.

“What did your brother put you in? A sardine can?” she asked. Her apartment was already tiny. She couldn’t imagine something smaller.

“Basically, a closet compared to your place.” He leaned forward and took out his can of coffee. His fingers snapped back the aluminum tab. His casual posture did not read as someone who would murder her, but she found herself on edge.

“Are we going to talk about what just happened?” she asked.

“I think he followed us from the Lawson.” Natsu took a long sip of his coffee and leaned back on the couch. “I like your couch too. Need a roommate?” he teased.

“Are you on drugs?”

“Drugs? Where did that come from?”

“I’m serious. What was that?” she asked. He eyed her for a moment and tapped his index finger against the can.

“You are kind of odd yourself, being a mind reader and all,” he said. Lucy’s blood ran cold in her veins. She took an involuntary step back toward the door. Natsu held his hands up in front of him. “It’s cool. Your secret is safe with me.”

“How did you know?” she asked.

“You probed a few times,” he pointed to his head, “but I have guards up, sorry.” He downed the rest of his coffee, placed the can on the table, and leaned into the bag for his chips.

“You’re a psychic? But that doesn’t explain the speed.” Lucy slid her bag from her shoulder and set it down on the floor beside the table. Natsu munched away on his chips, and Lucy sat opposite him on her little pink sitting cushion.

“Not exactly. But I’m not allowed to talk about it. Chip?” He held out the open bag for her. She took some and pulled out her cold tea from the bag. They sat in silence munching and enjoying the air conditioning that she turned on with a little remote.

“Why aren’t you allowed to talk about it?” Lucy had never met anyone like Natsu before. Granted, she’d yet to meet someone like herself. “Is your brother psychic too?” she asked.

“Nah, he didn’t get the gift.”

“Does he have your speed?” Lucy’s phone buzzed in her bag, and she reached over to grab it. A text lit up the screen.

Levy: When was the last time you were outside of that apartment, aside from working? You deserve a night out. She practically heard Levy’s voice through the text. Unless she had an alibi, Levy would insist she join them.

“He does.” Natsu sifted through the shopping bag, pulled out one of the beers, and popped the tab.

Lucy: Just now, actually! I’m hanging out with a neighbor. Her phone buzzed immediately.

Levy: A hot neighbor? Her text included a very suggestive emoji.

“What?” Natsu asked from the couch.

“Nothing. Texting a friend back.” Lucy turned her phone face down beside her and sipped on her tea.

“I’m faster than him,” Natsu said. It took her a moment to remember what she had asked him before.

“Your brother?”

“I mean, he tried to beat my speed, but I always have the fastest time.” Natsu grinned to himself and took a drink of his beer.

“I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me. Let me get this straight, my landlord is a super speedy guy, and his brother can read minds but isn’t allowed to talk about it,” Lucy said.

“Look, I’m not allowed to talk about it with just anyone, but you clearly are just as weird as we are, so I’m sure he’d let this slide,” he said. Lucy’s heart raced in her chest. She didn’t expect the excitement that came with those words. Would she feel less alone if she could finally talk about her gifts with someone like her?

“We’re vampires,” Natsu said. The world dropped beneath her. She needed to get this clearly delusional drug addict with brother issues out of her apartment. She lifted her phone to check it and gave herself a moment to escape.

Levy: Lucy Heartfilia! Do not leave me hanging or else I will call you!

Lucy: He is good looking, but he is my landlord’s brother. It isn’t what you think. She hoped that was enough to keep her from calling. Now was clearly not the time.

“No, I’m not a drug addict with brother issues.” Natsu rolled his eyes and finished off his beer. “Do you recycle?” He crunched a can in his fist and pointed to his empty coffee.

“Stop reading my mind! And yes, the cans go in there.” She pointed to the kitchenette. “There’s a bag under the sink.” Her phone buzzed in her hand. Natsu got up with the cans in his grasp.

Levy: Ohhh free rent? Lucy had almost forgotten about her rent problem. Natsu’s relaxed demeanor and possible insanity really put a wrench in her plan to talk her way out of paying in full.

“Ah yeah, the rent,” Natsu said from the kitchenette.

“I said don’t—”

“Read your mind. Yeah, I got it.” Natsu waved her off and sat back on the couch. Lucy leaned back onto her palms. “Well, now that you know I’m a vampire, maybe we can make a deal for rent.” He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands steepled together. From her angle, Natsu resembled a movie villain.

“A deal? Look, I tried to get you to take half the rent. I can get the rest by the end of the week if I can get another job.” Lucy didn’t want to make a deal with a drug addict, but her back was against a wall here.

“I’m not a drug addict.”

“How am I supposed to believe that you’re a vampire? That’s crazy.”

“You’re a psychic and you don’t think vampires can exist?”

“Fine, I’ll bite, what kind of deal?” Lucy heard her phone buzz again but left it alone. Levy could wait.

“I feed from you, and you get free rent. You can use the money to take a vacation or have more time to look for a new job. I get fed, which I’m currently having a hard time doing since the blood bank is low on supply. A win-win if you ask me.” His grin revealed the sharp canines from before. Could he really be a vampire?

“Feed? As in bite me? I’d rather not go to the hospital for an infected human bite.” She sat up and drank more of her tea.

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m not human then.”

“I’m going to be honest with you because you can read my mind.”

“That’s fair.”

“I think you’re a lunatic.”

“I’ve met lunatics and I can assure you that I am not one of them. But my offer still stands. My brother clearly stated he will not take half rent.”

“You couldn’t just ask him to take half?” she asked. Natsu tossed the empty bag of chips into the plastic shopping bag and stood.

“When I say he won’t take half, I mean it. That man will not budge on something like this, trust me.” He threw the trash away in a bag under the kitchen sink.

“Do you mean that, or do you just want to bite me?” she asked. Natsu leaned on the entry to her small hall and laughed.

“You really are fun to be around, you know that?” He ran his hand through his messy pink hair. She had to admit that she hadn’t lied to Levy. The man was hot. If only he wasn’t crazy. “I mean it though. He won’t take it.”

“But you’re so convinced that he’ll let it go if you get to feed from me?”

“Yeah. If he thinks it’ll get me closer to getting a big boy job and out of this apartment, he’d allow it. Saving money on blood supply would do that.” He pushed away from the wall, his eyes lit up, and he snapped his fingers. The gesture was so comical she expected to see a little light bulb above his head. “I have an idea.” Natsu bounded back into the living space and crouched next to her. He sat on the heels of his feet and draped his arms over his knees. Lucy leaned back at his sudden closeness.

“I’m afraid to ask,” she said.

“Why don’t you try a trial run?” he asked.

“Come again?” Close up, everything about Natsu remained pristine. The flawless skin and attractive turn of his lips made her rethink his immortal status.

“We can do a monthly trial,” he said, “I take your blood, and you keep your money. If you don’t like it, then you can go back to paying for rent the old fashion way next month.” His excitement was infectious and terrifying. The truth was, she had no idea where she was going to look for a job. She couldn’t go back to the convenience stores. Retail was hell and she had a better chance of running into people with malevolent intent. If she took this little trial, she could stash her money away and buy her time to find a job in another industry, something quiet.

“How do I know you’ll keep your end of the bargain?” Lucy couldn’t believe she entertained the idea.

“I live downstairs from you. Even if I didn’t keep my end up, you could find me easily and kick my ass,” he said.

“Do we have a contract or something?”

“I’m fine with your word.” Natsu shrugged and gave her a million-watt smile. She couldn’t help the way her stomach flip flopped. Either she had reached the limit of her loneliness, she had lost her mind, this man had mind control over her, or it was truly a good deal. Either way, she took his offered hand and shook it.

“It’s a deal then,” she said. He dropped her hand but made no move to stand up. “Uh, when did you want to start?” Her heart hammered in her chest as he leaned in and sank to his knees in front of her.

“Now, if you’d like,” he said. If she moved mere inches, she’d be able to kiss him. The idea rattled around in her head but all she could do was nod. Had he heard that little thought? Natsu moved her hair over her shoulder, leaned in with both palms pressed to the ground on either side of her, and hesitated at her neck. “I did hear that.” First, she felt his warm breath against her neck, then the exquisite sensation of his lips against her skin. She melted into him.

“You should stay out of my head,” she said.

“Do you want in mine?” Natsu took her arms in his grasp and pulled her against him. Lucy’s breath caught in her throat, and with apprehension, she concentrated on his mind.

Beautiful. The first word she’d picked up from him made her heart flutter. Hold still, Lucy.

When his fangs pierced her skin, she balled his shirt in her hands. The pinpricks were followed by the most overwhelming lust she’d ever felt in her entire life. A soft moan slipped from her lips, and his grip tightened around her arms. Her sex clenched painfully with need. A long draw of her blood forced another moan to tumble from her lips. Her whole body pulled taut and teetered on the edge of orgasm from his mouth alone. Natsu’s chest vibrated with a deep groan. He slid his hands onto her backside and dragged her into his lap. His thick arousal pressed against her core. He pulled away from her neck and lapped at the mark. Lucy’s head lulled to the side and her body thrummed in her haze.

Natsu palmed the back of her neck and dragged her lips to his. Their kiss was like lit propane. His taste mixed with the metallic tang of blood that rolled over her tongue. She thrust against his length, determined to relieve the ache. The clothes felt too heavy, too imposing, against her skin. As if to answer her thought, he pulled her shirt over her head and unclasped her bra. The air was cool across her heated skin. He took her lips again and trailed kisses from her jaw to her breasts. Lucy slid her fingers through his hair when he took possession of her sensitive nipple. He rolled the peak between his deft fingertips, and his eyes never left her as he swept his tongue over the breadth of the other.

The loud buzz of her phone cut off the curse that rolled off her tongue. She groaned when he squeezed her breast in his hand and sucked harder on her skin. The phone stopped and then started again. This time, her groan was because of the sound.

“Sounds urgent,” he said against her nipple, “you can answer it.”

“I can’t.” Her voice came out as more of a whimper than she liked.

Just tell them you’re busy and hang up. His hand that cupped her ass tugged her against him. She’d give anything to take the rest of her clothes off. The phone continued its demand for her attention. Better answer it if they want to talk to you that bad.

You just want me on the phone while you do this. She made sure that her voice came out snarky in her mind.

I wouldn’t say that. But it’s going to keep ringing. He grinned and released her nipple from his mouth with a wet suck. His dark eyes flickered up to her as he lapped at the flushed skin. Her phone started up again.

“Fine.” Lucy leaned back to reach for her bag. Her arm dug around for the damn phone. She wrapped her hand around it like treasure and answered.

“Lucy! What is going on? Did your hot neighbor leave?” Levy spoke loudly to the receiver. Her voice slurred slightly, and other voices mingled in behind her. A bar maybe?

“No and I have to go.” Lucy worked to keep her voice steady.

“He’s there with you? Did he get you free rent or something?” she asked. Natsu took that moment to sink his fangs into the supple skin of her breast.

“Yes.” She bit her lip to keep from crying out in Levy’s ear.

“What? What does he get in return? Surely, they wouldn’t let you get away with a whole month for free.” Levy was clever. Lucy feared that her intelligent friend, even tipsy could hear what the man in her arms did to her.

You taste amazing. Natsu groaned low against her skin.

“I really have to go.”

“Are you alright? You sound out of breath,” Levy said. Lucy had a few choice words for Natsu, but her brain had barely processed her phone conversation, her telepathic one was out of the question.

“Just ran to the store. I’ll call you after, I promise.”

“After what?”

“Come on, Shrimp. You’ve had too much and it’s time to go.” Levy’s boyfriend’s voice sounded further away. If it weren’t for her predicament, Lucy would thank Gajeel.

“Talk to you later!” Lucy hung up the phone, tossed it on the couch, and let out a long moan. “Why did you have to bite me while I was on the phone?” she asked. Natsu gave another hard suck and groaned against her breast. Her pleasure sent stars across her vision. No matter how good she felt, or how close to the precipice she was, her orgasm didn’t come. Something about the bite itself could not bring her over the edge. He laid her back against the floor and pulled back. A bead of blood traveled down the side of her breast, and he followed it with his tongue before he licked the bite.

They fumbled to get the rest of their clothes off. His erection sprung free, and precum shone from the head of his shaft. In Lucy’s haze, she looked her fill, unabashed by her greedy gaze. Natsu did the same and languidly stroked himself at the sight of her.

Where have you been all my life? Did he even know she could still hear him? Natsu lifted her legs over his shoulders and clutched her thighs, lowering himself to the floor. His warm breath stroked her core.

Please. Her sex glistened with how wet she’d become.

Someone else liked the phone call too. His voice and soft chuckle bounced around her head. Natsu trailed his lips along her inner thigh toward her center. She wiggled with impatience. His deep green eyes flicked up to her. Looks like you loved it. He reached one hand over and ran his thumb up and down her damp slit. Her legs shook as he skimmed the pale skin of her thigh with his teeth. When he bit down, he pushed past her folds with his thumb and slid himself deep into her. Her moan was so loud that she was sure that the little old lady next door heard.

Lucy grabbed a fist full of his cherry hair and tugged. The growl of pleasure shook against her thigh. He pulled his thumb out of her and rubbed her aching clit with her own slick heat. Lucy writhed beneath him. He sucked hard and plunged two fingers past her soaked lips. This time, she felt her pulse race with her impending climax. The harmony of their heavy breaths and the slick sound of his digits moving in and out of her filled the room.

Can’t get enough of you. His voice was velvet and through their mental connection alone, he made her feel as though his hands pulled her hardened nipples. A curse left her lips in surprise. He pulled his fingers out of her and began to vigorously stroke her sensitive bud. The friction mounted enough to make her eyes roll back. With one last suck, she found rapture in her release. No man had ever made her cum so hard in her life.

Natsu slowed his pace and pulled away from his bite. He lapped at the skin there and moved her legs from his shoulders. The absence of him made her skin feel cold, and her sex tightened without him inside her. With the slickness of his hand, he stroked his length. A low hiss escaped him as he did. She could only imagine the discomfort he felt then. Even so, she found the look of his hand wrapped around his shaft, the definition of muscle across his arms, and the aching way he gazed at her body sexy as hell.

Lucy attempted to sit up, but dizziness made her fall back. Natsu stilled and leaned over her.

“Are you dizzy? I’m sorry, I may have taken too much from you.” He pressed his palms on either side of her and leaned in to take her lips.

“I’m fine,” she said into his mouth. His tongue moved over hers as though he’d never taste her again.

“Can I?” Natsu clutched his thick erection and poised himself over her damp curls.

“Yes.” Lucy squirmed beneath him with need. He grinned down at her and spread her lips with the head of his cock.

Hold tight. He steadily sheathed himself into her. She arched against him, and her legs spread wider. He cursed as he plunged himself inch by inch. Her walls stretched deliciously to accommodate him; the feeling so exquisite that her legs shook. He clutched her thighs, sat up, and peered down at the way their bodies met. You wanna try something? She barely registered his husky voice in her head.

Try what? Lucy had no clue what he wanted to try, but she knew she’d say yes.

Remember how I touched you telepathically before? He took a long breath out. Her walls gripped his length as he slowly moved out of her. Both groaned with the sensation.

“I remember,” she said.

“I’ve never had a connection like this before,” he admitted, “Concentrate on that link, the way you do when we talk.” At first, she felt skeptical. Part of her didn’t care about anything but the pleasure, but she obliged him. Their eyes locked as he thrust deep inside her. Lucy grabbed his arms like an anchor. Instead of pulling out, he rotated his hips so that he could stroke her clit.

This is the best sex I’ve ever had. She hadn’t meant to “send” that thought, but from the wide grin on his face, she knew it was too late to take it back. Their connection felt like a line between them, only stronger as they came together. She held onto that line. Then she felt it. Her eyes widened and her breath quickened. Natsu thrust into her at an easy rhythm all the while she felt his teeth gently tug on her nipples, even with his mouth far from her. How? The mounting feeling in the pit of her stomach started again. Her mouth hung open with cries that never came.

He bit his lip as he surged forward. He moved his hand to her ass and pulled her hips higher. The angle was her catalyst. The head of his shaft grazed a soft spot inside her with each thrust. Lucy came undone in his hands.

Yeah, just like that. A small trickle of blood rolled down his chin from his teeth clenched against his flushed lip. Her orgasm ripped through her. Could he feel it? She concentrated on the way they spoke to each other, that thread pulled taut. Natsu’s moans mingled with hers and he screwed his eyes shut. Is that your— Fuck, Lucy. Is that yours? The waves of her orgasm ebbed, and her mind reeled.

Maybe. Served him right for using whatever this was on her first.

I guess I have to return the favor. He pulled out and flipped her onto her stomach. She made a sound of protest but quieted when he lifted her hips up for his cock to slide back into her from behind. Lucy gasped at the movement. But it wasn’t until his orgasm reached her through their connection that she knew what he meant by “return the favor”. A litany of curses tumbled from her mouth. So much for a good repour with her neighbors. His climax ripped through her so hard that she thrust in the air around his dick that rocked into her. He moaned her name like a prayer. Their essence ran down her leg as she reached down to stroke herself as he came.

When their movements became languid and her muscles ached, he pulled out of her. They lay on the floor out of breath.

You said you’ve never had a connection like that before? Her exhaustion made it easier to ask in her head.

“You’re the first psychic I’ve met.”

So, you’ve never done that mind thing with another woman before?

“Never. This was the best sex I’ve ever had.” He turned his head to meet her eyes. Didn’t know it could be that good.

“Neither did I,” she said.

“We’ll need to work on this connection thing.”

“Why?” She sat up slowly. Natsu followed her movements and held out a hand in case she fell back again.

“We keep reading thoughts that we don’t mean to send. Are you dizzy?” he asked.

“Not as bad,” she said. Natsu stood and took to her little refrigerator. It was bizarre to see a hot naked man casually in her fridge.

“Ah, ha.” He pulled out a bottle of juice and came back with it. “Drink this. You should probably eat something too. I’m sorry about that.”

“Got a little carried away?” She popped the top off the drink. He messed with the back of his hair and didn’t meet her eyes.

“It seems like it.”

The two of them cleaned up and dressed. Natsu waited until she finished the rest of her juice before he offered to grab her food. She told him she had leftovers, and he didn’t have to worry about it.

“Can I ask a question?” she asked later as she walked him to the door.

“Sure.”

“Why are there no marks?” She noticed in the bathroom that none of his bite marks had stuck around. Another reminder that he wasn’t human.

“Why? Want them to show?” He wagged his eyebrows at her suggestively. She playfully swatted at him. His ability to bypass awkwardness with mischief was amazing to her. Nothing appeared to faze him. Who was this man?

“No, I was just wondering if that was why you, you know, licked them.”

“Yeah, that helps them heal as fast as I do.” Natsu leaned against the closed door with his arms crossed over his chest. “Are you sure you don’t want anything to eat?”

“I’ll be fine. I appreciate it,” she said. Natsu nodded and opened the door to reveal Levy on the other side. Her fist raised to knock. “Oh, looks like you have a visitor, Lucy.” Natsu extended his hand. “Nice to meet you. Levy, right?” he asked. Levy nodded with her mouth slightly open. “Well, this was nice. Same time next month, Lucy?” At that moment, Lucy wanted to kick his ass. She’d save it for next month.

The weeks passed quickly. Without rent looming over her head, she found a pep in her step. It didn’t hurt that she had great sex. Yet, she debated another meeting with Natsu. They’d seen each other in passing. One time she caught him in the hall, to which he whispered in her mind. Looking good, Lucy.

Her body craved him and his bite. She found that she’d pleasure herself more with thoughts of him. Occasionally she’d bite her own arm as she did so. She never broke her skin, and it never felt the same.

The day had come, and Lucy stood in front of apartment 101. Instead of knocking on the door, she focused on that connection, that thread they shared, and sent filthy images of everything she’d fantasized about. The door pulled open and Natsu’s dark eyes met hers. He had nothing on but a towel over his waist and droplets of water rolled down his body from a shower.

Looks like rent is due.

#nalu #fairy tail #nalu fan fiction #fairy tail fan fiction #ft fan fiction #looks like rent is due

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petri808 · 1 year

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Nalu Yakuza Au *cover art by @jmoart214 💜

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |

*Special holiday chapter*

“Uwah!”

Lucy’s excited giggle pierced the cold night air as she held out her hands to catch the snow falling around her. It’s not very often that Tokyo receives snow, maybe a couple times in a season and rarely enough to blanket the ground. On the sidewalk around her, other tokyoites scurry past uninterested in a young girl’s childish antics for it is two days before Christmas Eve and there are errands to run. She grinned at Natsu before looking towards the sky and closing her eyes for a moment while the cold little drops of snow flurries touched her skin. He merely chuckled as a warm smile graced his lips. It never failed to amaze Natsu each time the woman did something to make him fall in love all over again. But here she was, her face bathed in the artificial glow of store signs looking like an ethereal angel.

This was their first winter after graduating from high school when nothing was yet set in stone and the rest of their lives laid before them. Once Natsu turned 20, he already knew that his father wanted him to succeed as the Oyabun, but he wasn’t ready to be a boss of their yakuza group just yet. He’s still young! And as he watched his girlfriend catching snowflakes, it only steeled his desire to focus on love not business… especially because Lucy is opposed to him becoming the boss. He held back a sigh and put on a smile as she grabbed his hand again to continue walking down the avenue.

“Did you order the meal from KFC?” Lucy queried.

“Of course,” Natsu lifted their conjoined hands, kissing the back of her knuckles. “I even ordered your favorite cake from the patisserie.”

“Mmm,” she bounced up placing a quick peck on his cheek. “You take such good care of me,” she cooed and snuggled to his side.

‘I’d kill for you,’ Natsu mumbled in his head. “I wanna give you everything kitten. I’ll always protect and take care of you.”

He knew that she knew exactly what those words meant… and it only added to her opposition. It wasn’t that Lucy was against him being the boss, what she’s really annoyed with is the whole boys club aspect of the yakuza. Natsu didn’t blame her for feeling the way she did, hell one of the things that attracted him was her strength. People often assumed Lucy was just another pretty girl who traded on her looks and lacked in intelligence, but they’re dead wrong. Picture it. The woman who was just minutes ago childly catching snowflakes was always in the top 10 percent of exams and was accepted into Tokyo University, one of the toughest universities to get into for business. Beautiful, brilliant, and feisty. He loved her so much… It’s because of that love that he didn’t want her joining the yakuza.

Time to change the subject.

“Hey, I was thinking we should go to an onsen after visiting the shrine for New Year’s.” Natsu suggested. “We haven’t visited one in a while.”

“That would be nice, a trip before I start college.”

Natsu kissed her temple. “I’ll book a room with a private onsen.”

The couple spent a sweet and savory Christmas Eve together at Natsu’s apartment, cuddling under the covers for most of the evening. He lived in a one-bedroom flat on the 26th floor of a high-rise apartment building where the nighttime views of Tokyo were beautiful. Outside the picture window, snow flurries fell and swirled through the air, catching on the light coming from the apartment before disappearing into the darkness. A few scattered buildings around the city were lit up for the holiday season making them stand out in the skyline. These really were the best times, when they could forget the world and all the responsibilities of life that lay beyond the front the door. Here in their own little heaven, where they made the rules, it was always sad to leave it.

The next morning, Lucy went home with plans to hang out with her best friend Levy because Natsu had to deal with some end of year matters for the organization. No matter, it’s just five days until they’ll leave for their trip. He really hated being apart from her for more than a couple days, but he knew he better get used to it. Once Lucy started school, there will be times she needed to focus on projects and exams that may keep them apart for weeks at a time. He too may have problems that pop up that he needed to deal with. As the current first lieutenant it’s his responsibility to take care of matters before they escalated and required the boss to get involved.

Finally, the 30th arrived. Natsu picked Lucy up from her apartment and they headed out in his car to an onsen located in the Saitama region. It’s about an hour’s drive, but the route is scenic once they leave Tokyo with forested land flanking many sections of the highway. During the autumn, the colors… all the reds, yellow, and orange leaves are pleasing to the eye, now those trees lay barren, and the pines are blanketed with piles of snow. Mountains of white wintergreens gleaming in the mid-afternoon sunlight.

The ryokan Natsu chose was a mid-sized inn tucked away from the nearby city. Its design featured traditional Japanese style accommodations from tatami floors to pillowy futon mattresses, complimentary yukata robes, and in-room dining services. There are sliding shoji doors that led to a private deck and covered onsen bath that’s open to the outside. It’s a perfect hotel if you’re looking for a cozy, intimate getaway, and that’s exactly what Natsu wanted to spoil his girlfriend with before school stress began. Let Lucy start off the new year relaxed and sated.

“Of course, I’m being clingy,” Natsu teased as they walked towards the guest room after check in. “It’s been a week.” He wrapped his arms around Lucy’s waist making it difficult for her to walk, but as much as she grumbled through gritted smiles, he won’t let go. The poor attendant carrying their luggage must’ve been so uncomfortable.

The moment the door closed behind them… “Okay! Okay!” Lucy shrieked and clawed at the arms cinched around her waist. “So embarrassing!”

“Oww! Oww!” Natsu laughed as he finally let go. “Sorry kitten, I’ll leave the affection for behind the scenes.” Lucy rolled her eyes though there’s no malice in her expression, so Natsu still considered it his win. He kissed her cheek. “I’m just happy.” He kissed her cheek again. “Can you blame me?”

Lucy’s cheeks flushed. “No…”

Yup, definitely his win.

The couple changed into the more comfortable yukata robes and hapi coats before venturing outside. For the three hours before the dinner service would be served, they spent it walking around the hotels zengarden and tea house. It’s a beautifully maintained garden replete with a koi pond that had a wooden bridge that crossed it, several intersecting pathways to follow, benches along the way to rest, and a couple of gazebo structures to enjoy the tranquility of nature. There’s a very light snow fall during the walk, but without much of a breeze the chill factor is tolerable. Natsu couldn’t remember the last time he’s been in a garden like this one. It might have been during a school trip. Had he held hands with Lucy then like he’s doing now? Possibly. Oh well, now there’s this memory to add to the collection.

Because the hotel is smaller it doesn’t have a sit-down restaurant, so meals are delivered to the rooms by request. Guests were also allowed to order specialty menus at the time of reservation, which is the route Natsu chose. He knew Lucy’s favorite dishes and made sure they were included. For dinner he’d chosen a mix of options. A chirashi bowl of sushi rice covered in a variety of fish, scallop, shrimp, and eel sliced thin in sashimi style. Braised pork belly coated with a sticky teriyaki sauce. Red miso soup with wakame seaweed, tofu, and scallion. Shrimp and vegetable tempura, and lastly for dessert, strawberry mochi ice cream drizzled with sugar glaze and kinako powder. The resident sake master included a top line junmai daiginjo sake to go with the meal. Everything was delicious.

Now that their bellies are full and the sake has mellowed them, it was the best time to relax away the rest of the evening. They took turns taking a quick bath before slipping into the onsen. Natsu went in first.

“Finally,” he teased from the steaming waters. “I was starting to worry you fell asleep in the bathroom.”

Lucy kneeled next to the edge with the towel wrapped around her body and her hair tied up in a loose bun. “I have a surprise to show you first.”

“Oh?” Natsu shifted his body to rest his elbows on the edge.

She turned around, still on her knees, then let the towel drop down to her waist to reveal her back. “I got it on the 26th so it’s still healing.” Lucy twisted her neck so she could see him. “What do you think?” Then before he started to respond, she let go of the towel and joined him in the water.

Natsu prompted Lucy to sit with her back to him so he could look at it closer. “It’s a beautiful tattoo, fits you perfectly.” He ran his fingers over the soft, fluid line work that graced her upper back. Top to bottom it covered half of her back, perfectly centered over her spine with the wingspan stretching over her shoulder blades. He couldn’t quite place the style, a touch of whimsy, fantasy, maybe even tribal and the design was part butterfly, fairy, and angelic in its beauty. “Very delicate, perfect for a woman, but why wings?”

Lucy turned back to him. “Because you often call me kitten or angel, so when Levy and I visited the tattoo shop and I saw this design I decided to go with it.” She caressed his cheek and placed a pressured lingering kiss on his lips. “Now I’m forever your angel.”

Natsu pulled her onto his lap so she’s straddling his legs, wrapping his arms around her waist with hands draping over her lower curves. The steaming waters chased away the winter chill, while Lucy’s lithe body is framed by the lightly falling snow behind her and the overhead light created a haloed glow around her blonde hair. Just, breathtaking… and it’s all his. He grinned and returned the kiss in kind letting his forehead rest against hers, “Damn right your mine, and I’ll never let you go.”

Snap Snap Snap “Boss? Oi Natsu, why the hell are you staring at the kids?”

“Kids?” Natsu’s eyes blinked and slowly readjusted from daydreaming. That’s right, the restaurant they ate dinner at was across from a park decorated with lights for the holiday season. He was waiting outside while Gray settled the bill when he noticed a young woman bathed in lights looking at the sky while two children, presumably hers, were laughing a few feet away as they made snow angels in the snow. Did he just flash back to a decade-old memory? The second he realized where he was, he turned around to address Gray. “I um, was just remembering how we used to make snow angels too as kids. Remember, Gray?”

Gray’s brow raised in suspicion, “not really, but whatever. I paid so let’s go.”

“Right…” Natsu glanced back to the park one last time before falling in step with his lieutenant. He’d almost forgotten that memory, but how could he. “My angel,” he muttered under his breath and gained another weird look from Gray.

With the shinnenkai end of year celebration party coming up in a couple more weeks, Natsu had been too busy preparing to notice all the Christmas seasonal decorations around the city. Though a western thing, it was becoming more and more accepted as a secular holiday, especially in the bigger cities. But that wasn’t the issue of the moment. He really loved it when Lucy got that tattoo because he thought that it meant she’d accepted a future with him— Oh, how wrong he’d been because that was the year they broke up and ten years later he still wasn’t exactly sure why.

“You go on in Gray, I’ll be in shortly.” They’d arrived back at the office building, but Natsu wasn’t ready to go in just yet.

Natsu pulled the collar of his coat tighter to his neck to brace against a small gust of chilly wind. Lately his and Lucy’s current relationship as rivals was starting to wear on him mentally and it was getting harder and harder to control his emotions surrounding her. Guess ten years of pining really will drive a person insane. He closed his eyes and tilted his head to the sky to allow the little white flurries to chill his skin. Somehow, some way he’ll win his angel back and finally fulfill the wish he’d made at the shrine all those years ago. ‘I said it didn’t I Luce,’ he smiled to himself. ‘I’ll never let you go…’

#nalu #nalu winter wonderland 2022 #nalu fan fiction #fairy tail #nalu fanfiction #we'll take back heaven #ch 8 #special holiday chapter #petri808

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fics-n-stuff-n-stuff · 5 months

Text

Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia Gray Fullbuster/Juvia Lockser Levy McGarden/Gajeel Redfox

all fairy tail characters basically -

Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic Follows Fairy tail but with my own twists set in modern day Fluff and Angst Romance Friendship developing feelings Lucy has new spirits I checked constellations and gave her ones I thought were cool

Out of Character probably because it is an AU

Summary

Lucy is thrown into a world she didn’t know existed. Join her as she unravels this new world full of magic that brings adventure, romance and destruction along with it.

———

Just a modern re-telling of Fairy tail following its arcs with a few twists and turns along the way💞

You can also read it here

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Chapter 18

The key, as it turns out, wanted them to go back to the forest.

It seemed to be leading Natsu and Lucy deeper into the woods compared to their light walk earlier that day.

The greenwood surrounding the East side of Sakuramori Village was vast and spread out for several kilometers. It was known for being tricky to navigate, due to the density of the tree line even in the harshest winters.

The earth was covered in snow as they trekked through the fields, and everything around them was covered in a white blanket, with a slight peeking of greenery from some of the trees.

Looking around Lucy wondered just how far into the forest they were going.

They'd been walking for a couple of hours at least by this point and she was about 50% sure that they were lost. Though Natsu would probably be able to sniff out the town, so she wasn't too worried.

Their walk was quiet for the most part.

Natsu's heat was still helping to keep her warm from the biting January air and the sound of snow crunching and sloshing followed them as they in turn followed the broken key piece to an unknown location.

"It's warming up again, I think we're close to wherever the hell it's leading us." Lucy muttered to Natsu, who was walking a few steps behind her.

He was insistent on keeping watch of their backs in case unexpected creatures were lurking in the forest.

"Well, we're a long way from the Village, that's for sure. And I can hear running water coming up ahead, a river maybe? What do you think's out here anyway?" She could hear him ask from behind her as they continued their way through the woods.

"I have no idea, maybe there are ruins of a temple or some kind of hidden cave." Lucy speculated as she continued following the tugging object.

"I remember reading that my ancestors built shrines and temples dedicated to the stars." She told him as she automatically went to look up at the night sky.

It was a clear winter's night and this far out into the woods you could usually see them, but the tree lines were preventing her from catching a glimpse of the various constellations painted in the sky.

Looking at the stars always reminded Lucy of her mom, and how they would camp out in their garden during the summer months and spend hours naming and counting the constellations.

"That was a long time ago, but there are remains of both found in a couple of places around Fiore. I was actually thinking about, maybe, visiting one of them." She trailed off absentmindedly as they continued walking.

It was one of those moments where Lucy wished her mother were here with her, and they could go see the ruins together.

And not for the first time since her death and finding out about her magic, Lucy wished that Layla would have shared more of their history with her.

Not for the first time, Lucy wished that her mother never left to begin with, and sometimes when she was younger, she wished it was her father who died instead.

Was that selfish of her?

To wish for such things?

Or was it childish naivety?

Her train of thought was cut off when the trees suddenly parted and they found themselves entering a large clearing.

It was a vast space, currently covered in snow and with a ledge overlooking a beautiful waterfall.

How far into the forest were they, to end up in such a place, Lucy wondered as she looked around.

As a child, Lucy liked studying and memorizing maps.

She wasn't allowed to travel anywhere or leave her estate, so she found her escape in books, charting the stars and pouring over various maps.

And though her memory was somewhat muddled over the years, she was sure they were closer to Mountain Village than Sakuramori if they were near a waterfall.

And just as she'd suspected earlier, the stars were lighting up the sky beautifully and she could see several of her spirits gracing the heavens.

On a closer look, Lucy could see that they were almost unnaturally bright.

Her spirits' constellations, that is.

The rest of the stars seemed to be shining, for lack of a better term, normally.

Lucy could see Aquarius, Virgo, Cancer, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Libra, and Taurus glimmering extraordinarily back at her.

It almost looked like the stars themselves were dancing.

Which made her wonder if it was because she was led to this snowy meadow by the broken spirit key of their supposed leader, or if this was their way of apologizing for burning her and refusing to come out earlier.

"I think this is it." Lucy voiced her thoughts as she slowly started walking closer to the ledge, wanting to take in the beauty of the Waterfall.

The broken piece of Leo's key was still simmering in her hand, but no longer tugging.

'What is it about this place?' She thought as she looked around.

Sure it was a beautiful sight of nature, but why would a broken spirit key lead them here?

But then again, what was it doing in the museum? Why was the key broken in the first place? And who sent the fake job request to Fairy Tail?

There were too many questions jumbling around in her head that Lucy didn't know where to start.

"Okay, what do we do now?" Natsu's voice pulled her from her thoughts and brought her back to the clearing.

She turned from the waterfall to look back at him.

He was standing casually in the middle of the clearing, hands in his pockets as he surveyed the surrounding area.

As if sensing her gaze, he turned back to look at her.

"I- I'm not sure. The key is still hot to the touch, but the tugging stopped." She said as she looked down at the hand holding half of Leo. "So we're in the right place, but I have no idea wh- " Lucy's sentence was cut off when another sharp tug pulled her to a large stone at the ledge, overlooking the waterfall.

Not expecting the sudden pull made her stumble several steps before she fell to her knees next to the rock.

"Fuck."

"Luce, you good?" Natsu was at her side in an instant at her sudden topple, one of his hands on her back with the other gripping her arm to help steady her. "I'm okay, it just startled me."

Lucy explained as she moved her gaze to inspect the rock, expecting to find a clue as to what was going on.

Only to see it was just a plain slab, there was nothing engraved, and there were no markings on it.

Nothing that would indicate any importance to a Spirit Summoner.

"There must be something, the key literally dragged us here." Lucy said with a hint of humor in her voice. "I can't find anything written on the stone though."

There was a moment of silence between them as they both started at the rock, not knowing what to do next.

"What do you think it could be?" Lucy turned to look back at him over her shoulder.

She was stumped as to what they should do, and she had a feeling that Natsu would have thought of something she wouldn't have.

He stared back at her for a few seconds, looking properly stunned that she asked for his thoughts on the matter.

"Maybe the other half is buried under the rock, or something?" He said with a scratch to his head.

"Hm, that's not a bad idea." Lucy said as she looked back at the rock and then at Natsu. "Wanna help me dig? I don't think Virgo will come out to help with this one." She asked with a smile and he nodded as he crouched down next to her.

"I just want to know why my spirits are so insistent on withholding the truth." Lucy huffed out suddenly as she watched Natsu melt the snow surrounding the rock and warm the earth so it would be easier for them to dig.

"They obviously know what happened to Leo! And none of them were willing to come out and tell me the truth." She continued ranting, feeling the need to vent suddenly.

"They must have their reasons, I mean Virgo seemed like she wanted to tell you, maybe they're following orders or something." Natsu answered her ramblings with his line of thinking as he started digging through the earth.

"Yeah, maybe you're right, but whose orders would they be following?" Lucy wondered out loud as she moved to help him.

"Grampa Crux said that Leo is the leader of the Zodiacs. Is it his orders that they're following? I swear every time I find out something new about my magic, it only leads to more questions than answers." Lucy huffed as she dug through the earth.

Now that she thinks about it, she doesn't know anything about the inner workings of the Spirit Realm.

Was it a Democracy? Monarchy?

Did they have any type of established government official or was it something completely different to how people here live?

"I have no doubt that you will get your answers, Luce." Natsu reassured her with a smile.

She smiled back at him and looked back to their hands in the dirt.

Lucy wanted to tell him that she believed he'd find Igneel someday, but she didn't want to stir up any unwanted memories, so she focused on their task.

The earth was cold beneath her fingers as they dug through it, and she knew that it would be hell getting the dirt out of her nails.

But it would all be worth it if they found some answers.

Natsu, it would seem, had no problem getting dirty. It didn't surprise Lucy per se, it was just a shock to see every time.

He shoveled his way through the earth at a quicker pace, taking out more of the dirt than her, and within a few minutes of digging, there was a glimpse of something gold underneath the layers.

It looked bigger than a key, but it was something.

"There, I see gold." Lucy called as she moved to shovel as much dirt as she could with her hands.

Natsu moved at her words, and with his help, they managed to dig out a golden box.

"It's kinda heavy." Natsu said as he weighed it in his hand before offering it to her. "Do you wanna open it here?"

Lucy looked between him and the box once, and then once more before taking a deep breath and grabbing it out of his hand.

"I can do this." She said under her breath as a form of reassurance, not caring that Natsu would be able to hear her talking to herself.

The box was heavy, and she suspected it was because it was made of solid gold.

With almost trembling fingers, Lucy worked the box open and was only half surprised to find the second half of Leo's key inside.

"You were right." She said as she turned the open container to Natsu. "That was good thinking."

His response to her words was peculiar, at least from what she'd seen of him so far.

His spine straightened, shoulders back and he beamed back at her, a slight blush on his cheeks.

He seemed bashful to a point at her praise, and she found it adorable.

"But how did this get here? I mean someone must have purposefully buried it here." Lucy asked not expecting Natsu to answer, more so resorting to asking the questions out loud.

If only to see if that would help her think of an explanation for all of this.

"It makes no sense."

"Well, if someone buried it, that means they didn't want it found by just anyone. That's gotta be a good thing, right?" Natsu asked and Lucy had to agree.

But who would do such a thing? Was it her mother? Or someone else entirely?

Feeling a headache coming on from everything that's happened in one day, Lucy suddenly felt exhausted and ready to get out for the snow.

"Well, we should get going, no use in staying here in the cold. We can take the train to Magnolia in the afternoon and investigate more of this when we get back to Fairy Tail." Lucy finally said as she stood up and dusted the snow off her pants.

"Ugh, do we have to take a train?" Natsu whined as he got to his feet.

"We could take the bus, or rent a car. Although I don't have a license, and you obviously can't drive, so bus or train?" She gave him the options and suppressed a laugh at how his face turned multiple shades of green as he pondered his fate.

"Bwah, fine! Train it i-" He didn't finish his sentence, and in a split second Natsu's demeanor shifted from partly nauseous and hunched over, clutching his stomach to on guard. Standing tall and sniffing the air.

"Natsu, what-" He cut her off with a hand gesture and continued tracking whatever it was he smelt.

"Someone is approaching the clearing, it's two people." He said suddenly and Lucy felt her heart start beating faster in her chest.

"They're not together, I think, and one is closer than the other. I don't know how I didn't catch it earlier." He muttered as he turned his head to the path they came from and took another deep breath. "It's cheap perfume and something sinister on the first person. The second one-" Natsu stopped for a moment.

"The second one smells like death."

Now that freaked her out.

"So what I'm hearing is we're in for a fight and none of my offensive spirits want to come out? Fan-fucking-tastic." Lucy mumbled the last part under her breath as her hand went to her belt.

She took Scutum out of the loop and readied herself for whatever was coming their way.

"Should we move to intercept them, or stay put and wait for them to come to us?" She asked him as she gripped Scutum.

Natsu turned to look at her and pondered over the question for a second. "Stay put, no reason in leavin' when they're the ones after us. They'll probably just follow us back to town. It's safer this way."

Lucy nodded, agreeing with his logic.

This far out in the woods, only the animals would be witness to whatever showdown was coming.

As they waited, Lucy, for what felt like the hundredth time that day was irritated with her spirits.

She saw them as her friends and her partners and trusted them with her life. But they obviously didn't have the same kind of trust in her.

What other explanation was there for their actions, why were they not letting her summon them still?

Even when it was for her protection.

"The perfume smells familiar, I can't remember from where though." Natsu brought her out for thoughts and she turned to look at him.

"Well, a lot of women use similar perfumes, I'm sure you caught a whiff of it somewhere." Lucy tried to reason as they waited for their enemies to approach.

"How far away?" She asked after a few minutes of waiting, she was getting antsy with anticipation and anxiety.

"Getting closer by the second. But one of them is lagging behind a bit." He told her and she nodded in return.

It was no more than five minutes later when they saw a figure emerging from the trees.

It was a woman, not surprising, considering the perfume Natsu smelled.

What was surprising was the fact that it was the same woman they'd talked to in the museum that morning.

What did she say her name was?

Helga?

No, Helena! The head curator.

What the hell was going on?

"What are you doing here?" Lucy decided to ask when the woman stopped a few meters from them.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Heartfilia." A disembodied voice rang through the air when the woman opened her mouth, and Lucy felt a shiver run down her spine.

Natsu was in front of her in an instant, as if sensing a threat in the greeting and Lucy gripped Scutum tighter in her hand as she looked over his shoulder back to Helena.

Only it wasn't her.

The woman that they spoke to this morning was not the being standing in front of them now.

Was she possessed? Is that a thing?

Lucy honestly had no idea.

"Now, now little guard dog, or should say Drakon, there is no need for that. I am not here to hurt the precious summoner, I am only here for the key." She was taunting Natsu with her words as she moved a step closer to them.

The tone in her voice seemed to be almost implying that while she wasn't here for Lucy yet, the day was coming.

A shiver ran down Lucy's spine as a name she had seen so many times while reading about her family and magic echoed around her head.

Zeref.

"Like hell I'm gonna let you touch Lucy or any of her keys!" Natsu yelled back at the woman, who in turn only offered a smirk.

But it looked more like a snarl on her face.

"Well it's a good thing Leo isn't one of her keys then. That is all I want, the pieces. What use is a broken key to spirit summoner?" It seems the taunting was turned onto her this time, as Helena directed the question towards Lucy.

And she could tell that Natsu was getting rilled up with her words.

Lucy could almost see the smoke coming from him as he stayed on guard in front of her.

"I am the last of the spirit summoners, it is my duty to protect the keys. That includes broken ones." Lucy shot back, not letting this thing parading around in this poor woman's body intimidate her.

"Have it your way then, I'm sure it will be no problem getting rid of you, I would be doing you a mercy and our Lord a favor at the same time." The threat was clear this time and Lucy did not wait another second before moving her right hand through the air.

"Open, gate of the shield, Scutum!" She called and the shield appeared in a flash of golden light. "It is my pleasure to guard you, Lady Heartifilia." He greeted her upon arrival.

"Thank you, Scutum." Lucy said as she grabbed ahold of him and took a step back, letting her partner take point in this fight.

Natsu, following her strategy, moved before the woman could attack and went to take her down.

"Natsu! I think she's possessed, that's a thing that can happen, right?" She called out after him, hoping that he would listen to her and answer.

Lucy learned the hard way that just because he can hear you, doesn't mean he'll listen.

"It is very much ' a thing ' Lady Heartfilia, and I am afraid you are right. The woman is possessed poor thing." Scutum informed her and Lucy's heart dropped as turned back to the battle and saw Natsu clock Helena in the face with his fire fists, and send her flying back.

'Idiot.'

"Natsu! You can't hurt her, she's human! Just knock her out without using magic, so no fire! She's being possessed!" She yelled at him again, knowing that he would listen this time.

Natsu looked at Lucy and then back at Helena, and they both saw the split second where her eyes turned a yellowish red before flashing back to their normal brown, a smirk on her face as she sneered back at them.

"Smart little summoner you are." Helena said with a laugh.

Lucy heard him let out a curse as he realized what was happening and quickly changed his tactics.

As soon as Natsu stopped coming after her with fire, Helena seemed to be dodging his attacks with ease and trying to advance towards Lucy.

But there were no attempts at attacking on her part.

"Why isn't she attacking?" Lucy wondered out loud as she watched Natsu lunge at her again, only for the brunette to swerve the punch and fall back.

"I suspect it is because of the form it chose to possess. As you said, she is human, and while the creature that is possessing her is a powerful one, the human body has its limitations." Scutum once again explained, and Lucy was grateful to have at least one spirit that would answer her questions without any riddles.

"Thank you for explaining that, I don't really know that much about how magic works and what the limitations are." Lucy said to the shield.

"Hell, I barely know anything about my own magic." She mumbled with an almost bitter chuckle as she watched Natsu finally wrestle the brunette to the ground, pin her face forward, and knock her unconscious.

"Gatcha ya slippery bastard." She heard him say before he turned to her. "Ya got any rope, Luce?"

"Yeah, give me a second." She said back and let go of the shield. "Thank you Scutum, you can go back now." She told him with a smile.

"The pleasure was mine Lady Heartfilia." He said with a tilt as he disappeared in the same golden light he came from.

Lucy rustled through her bag for a moment before finding a rope and those anti-magic cuffs.

"Here." She tossed the rope to Natsu as she walked towards them.

She watched as Natsu tied the rope around her torso, with her arms behind her back, and once he was done, Lucy decided to put the cuffs on for good measure.

"Maybe they'll keep whatever's possessing her at bay until we can find a way to help her." She said when Natsu gave her a weird look.

"Well that wasn't fun at all, I couldn't even fight properly." He pouted as he went to stretch out.

"I'm sorry that the fight wasn't up to your standards, I'm just glad that you managed to knock her out without too much damage." Lucy said as she looked down at the unconscious woman.

'Was she possessed when we talked to her this morning as well?' She wondered.

Was Helena the one who sent the job request to Fairy Tail?

That was the most likely answer. It was probably in hopes of luring Lucy out and having her find the second half of the key.

Whoever was possessing Helena is working for, or worships Zeref. The dark mage that is responsible for the death of seemingly every spirit summoner.

'What could they possibly want with a broken spirit key?' A shiver ran down Lucy's spine at the thought.

Nothing good.

Gods, when did her life become a fantasy drama?

"Do you know who we can get to help her? I mean we can't just leave the woman possessed." Lucy decided to focus on what she could do now, instead of pondering over uncertain things.

Now was not the time for that.

Speaking of time.

"It's almost 4 am, I can't call Mira now. We'll have to wait till morning." She started rambling as she paced back and forth through the snow.

"Do you think we should try and get some answers from the thing that's possessing her? Or would that be a bad idea?" Lucy continued pacing as her thoughts ran wild.

"Why are they coming after spirit keys if only summoners can use them?" The questions poured out of her mouth and she could feel herself starting to panic.

Feeling dizzy all of a sudden, her knees buckled under her and Lucy found herself falling on the snowy ground.

"Hey, hey, Luce, what happened?" Natsu, who up until that point had been watching her pace with a worried expression, asked as he crouched by her side. "Are you okay?" She looked up at him and saw the wide-eyed panic in his gaze.

"Sorry." Lucy replied automatically "I got dizzy for a moment and lost balance." She said as she went to slowly sit up. "It's been a long day, I probably used up more magic than I realized. I think that Leo's half was draining a bit of it while it was leading us here."

Natsu's shoulders dropped at her words and he puffed smoke in her face. "Don't scare me like that." He mumbled as he helped her stand up.

Lucy coughed slightly as she stood and shot him a glare.

"So what are we going to do with her?" She asked him and he looked back at the unconscious woman.

"Well, we can take her to town, and call the Council, they'll send someone to expel whatever is possessing her and deal with everything." Natsu answered with a shrug of his shoulder and turned back to face her.

"We have one more to go." He reminded her and glanced back at the tree line surrounding them.

Lucy turned to look around, not seeing anything.

She had completely forgotten that he said two people were approaching.

The threats from the being possessing Helena shook her enough to temporarily forget.

"Are they near?" She found her asking as she watched him concentrate on his hearing and smell.

What was it like to have such enhanced senses? Being able to hear, and smell everything around you.

Lucy wrinkled her nose at the thought of smelling everything and everyone around her.

'No wonder he gets sick on trains, with his senses.' She thought as she watched him try to determine how far away the second threat was.

"Almost here, they seem to be moving slowly." Natsu finally answered with a scrunch to his nose before adding. "They smell like death and decay."

He turned from the forest back to her and took several steps in her direction.

"So they're dying?" Lucy asked, finding it fascinating that he could smell something like that. "What does death smell like?" She asked before her brain could filter it.

Natsu looked at her with a tilt of his head as he pondered her words. "No one's ever asked me to describe what something like that smells like." He told her as he looked for the right words.

"Rotting, but not like fruit, it's much worse. With hints of spoiled fish and sulfur. This one has a distinct magic scent as well, so I don't know what we're dealing with." He answered and Lucy was torn between being amazed by his abilities and regretting asking him.

What else can his senses tell him?

From what she's been able to observe and learn in her time in Fairy Tail, it was obvious that everyone thought Natsu was just a one-track mind.

She heard Levy and Mira call him dense on several occasions, and Gray is constantly calling him stupid.

His reaction to her asking for his input earlier only solidified that he assumed she thought the same.

But Lucy felt like she could see more of him than the others. That he lets her see more of him, even if he doesn't realize it.

It was in the way he would randomly tense up while they were in public out of nowhere.

How he would sometimes pick fights with people at random and for seemingly no reason.

How he knew exactly when during the month not to piss her (and all the women of Fairy Tail) off, and treat her to chocolate raspberry cakes.

It's in the way he fights.

Going head first is the usual ammo, yes. But he is a master strategist, she's seen it firsthand.

No, Natsu Dragneel is anything but dumb, or dim-witted. It was just something he let other people assume of him.

Why was that?

"Whoever they are, how much of a threat could they be if they're dying?" Lucy said hopefully, and Natsu shrugged back.

The sound of crunching snow made them both turn to look at the left side of the trees, where a figure could be seen hobbling slowly toward them.

Natsu moved in front of Lucy as they both waited for the figure to emerge.

It seemed to be a man.

Unnaturally pale and skinny, cheeks hobbled out, with shaggy orange hair.

He was dressed in a fancy, well-tailored suit. Only it was tattered and stained in several places.

The look on his face as he saw Natsu and Lucy standing in the clearing was unreadable.

There was a tense moment of silence where no one moved, and they started at each other.

"You found it." The man said with a hint of relief in his voice.

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