#natsu: that was before i found out i could use it to intimidate people that looked a shouto wrong

[introspectivememories]

four months into getting to know each other, shouto finds him by touya-nii's shrine. his little brother gently sits down beside him and offers a small prayer.

"yumi-nee-san," natsuo wonders if his little brother will ever drop the second honorific, "said you were the closest to him," shouto says quietly.

after all these years and the use of past tense still makes his heart break. 'you are the closest to him' he wants to correct but that wouldn't make sense anymore. touya-nii hasn't been talked about in the present tense since before middle school. does shouto even remember a time before nii-san's dea-, disappearance?

"yeah, i was," he says, eyes never leaving the photo. it's the one nii-san took for sixth-grade picture day. kaa-san had got him all dressed up and he had hated it. somedays he thinks if he looks close enough, he'll see the displeased pout on nii-san face. "why?"

his little brother says nothing for a long time, back ramrod straight. natsuo has no idea what's going on in that head of his. shouto has so few tells that he's practically a blank slate. natsuo hates his father.

then slowly and so quietly, he has to strain his ears to catch it, shouto stammers out, "do-, do you think he would have liked me?"

natsuo's immediate reaction is to say 'yes'. yes, of course, touya-nii would've loved you. yes, of course, touya-nii would've crossed the heavens for you. yes, of course, he would've loved you shouto; you're his precious younger brother.

but he remembers the way nii-san used to spit out shouto's name when he was a kid. the way his brother's mouth wrapped around it, the face he made, like he had just eaten something disgusting. he remembers the way touya-nii had become almost crazed by the end, hellbent on proving himself the rightful heir to their shitty father's legacy. he remembers the way touya-nii had said, "i just need to prove that i'm better than him,"; the 'him' said with such bitterness and contempt.

he knows instantly that touya-nii would not have liked shouto. that this house and his father would have twisted any ounce of love, nii-san would've held towards shouto, into jealousy and hatred.

(this house may have ruined all of them but it only ever broke two of them.)

natsuo can't say any of that to shouto. his kind little brother who forgave him for not being there. his amazing little brother who falls in love with every cat he sees. his wonderful little brother who has a wickedly dry sense of humor. his soft baby brother who loves him and yumi-nee with a passion. his tender-hearted baby brother who still worries if his long-gone older brother would've liked him.

no, natsuo can't tell shouto that nii-san wouldn't have like him. shouto will internalize it like he does with everything else that hurts him. and there is already so much that hurts shouto, he will not add to that list. his baby brother smiles these days, nothing big like his green-haired friend, but quiet, lovely, ones all the same. shouto talks more these days. they have dinner together when natsuo is home. his baby brother laughs now. it's a miracle like nothing else in this world.

shouto is the best thing to come out of their house and natsuo will die before he ever hurts his little brother. so instead, he curls an arm around shouto's shoulders and pulls him into a loose side-hug.

"of course!" he lies cheerfully, ignoring the ache in his chest, "touya-nii would've loved you. you're his — and our —precious little brother after all. there is no universe in which he wouldn't have loved you."

the tips of his baby brother's ears go red and his pleased little answering smile makes the ache of lie go away. natsuo will tell a thousand more lies if it means shouto never stops smiling like that.

#PLEASE THEY MAKE ME INSANE!!!! #and the thing is natsuo's not wrong. touya really would've loved shouto in literally any other universe #also natsuo who fucking /adores/ his baby brother so much #shouto laughs and natsu's like: the second coming of jesus christ could not compare to this #100% natsu is shouto's overprotective brother #it's the like 15 years of suppressed older sibling instincts coming out #someone fucking looks are shou wrong and natsu's all up in their face like: what's your fuckin issue with my bro dude?? #natsuo for once being thankful that he got endeavor's height and build #fuyu: i thought you said you didn't like looking like dad? #natsu: that was before i found out i could use it to intimidate people that looked a shouto wrong #fuyu: natsu you think every1 looks at shou wrong. you tried to fistfight a baby yesterday #natsu: yeah well it shouldn't have cried when shou held it. did you see how sad shou looked???? #fuyu: never pegged you for a brocon to be honest #natsu: you take that back rn #todoroki shouto #todoroki natsuo #todoroki touya #todoroki fuyumi #todoroki family #bnha

[pearlsephoni]

Spiking Heartbeats: A Day in the Life

Can also be read on AO3!

Rating: T

Fandom: Haikyuu!!

Relationships: Platonic Karasuno First Years, pre-relationship Tsukkiyama (Tsukishima/Yamaguchi), pre-relationship Kagehina (Kageyama/Hinata)

Characters: Shoyo Hinata, Hitoka Yachi, Tadashi Yamaguchi, Kei Tsukishima, Tobio Kageyama, Original Child Character (Hinata's niece), Minor Original Characters, Asahi Azumane (cameo), Daichi Sawamura (cameo), Natsu Hinata (cameo)

Word Count: 4.8k

Summary: Some years later, the five unlikely friends are respected professors in their fields, known for their dedication to their patients and the learning opportunities they provide to the residents and interns in the hospital. But no matter how busy they get, they still find time to bring some teasing, bickering, and comfort to each other.

A/N: Written as part of a collaborative series with @/r0mantic-era of Haikyuu Hospital Playlist AU fics, featuring the Karasuno first years as the 99s! Originally published on AO3 on April 1st. Further author's notes can be found there.

🩺

Mornings like these are rare for Hitoka. She could wake up and get ready for work at the same time as her boyfriend, get dropped off by him, and have time to spare to get a coffee before her first appointment of the day. Even rarer is the chance to walk into the hospital cafe and see—

"Tobio?"

She's used to the sight of his eyes jerking up from his phone with a look of panic, before he recognizes her and relaxes right back into his blank, accidentally-intimidating expression. "Oh, Yacchan."

"You can't keep looking so scared to talk to people," she laughs as she sits at his little table. "You're going to hurt someone's feelings."

"It's just my face," he mumbles, shoving a bite of omelette into his mouth. "You're here early."

"Mm-hm! Takuto wanted to drop me off today, since we had to get up at the same time!" She begins to take a sip of coffee, only to lower her cup when she notices Kageyama's brows furrowing. "Hey, be nice."

"I didn't say anything!"

"You don't need to!"

With that, Kageyama's features settle into the frown Hitoka knew they'd been resisting. "...I still don't like him."

"Well, I'm glad you and Kei finally have something to agree on," she sighs. "When's your next appointment?"

"Not for a while. I just finished a delivery. What about you?"

Hitoka hums as she looks at her watch. "Oh, shoot! Soon, I should go! See you!"

"Shee yo," Kageyama mumbles around another bite of omelette.

She only gets to the elevator before she hears someone call out, "Yacchan!"

"Hey, Tadashi!" Yamaguchi looks unusually harried, still combing his hair down from its usual tufts. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah! I lost track of time while prepping my lecture, and now I'm almost late for my first appointment."

"Oh, no," Hitoka sighs in sympathy. The elevator arrives, and they slip to the back together, letting nurses and residents fill in the rest of the car. "Would you like some coffee?"

Yamaguchi seamlessly takes her proffered cup, sips at the coffee, and returns it to her hand in the middle of straightening out his lab coat and making sure everything is in the correct pockets. "Oh, by the way, I wanted to talk to you about something I'm working on," he mutters in the quiet of the elevator. "Let me know when you get a free moment."

"Okay!"

The elevator dings at the second floor, and with one more smile, Yamaguchi weaves his way through the slower doctors and jogs down the hallway to his appointment room.

Something about seeing Kageyama be at his leisure while Yamaguchi is blustering around brings a smile to Hitoka's lips. Her smile lingers when she reaches her floor and makes her way to the neurology outpatient hall. "Hello, Mrs. Sakurai! Please, come in with me."

🩺

"Ren-kun, don't you want to feel better? Let's get your shirt up, okay?"

The three-year-old lets out a long whine as he cringes away from the nurse's touch and pins his mother and Tadashi with a pout.

"Goodness," the mother sighs, adjusting her son's big teddy bear in her arms, "I don't know what's gotten into him today."

Tadashi is quiet for a moment, watching the toddler glower at him and biting back a smile, before an idea occurs to him. "Ohhhh, Mr. Bear!" he gasps theatrically. "What's wrong?"

He glances up from the bear to raise his brows at the mother, who thankfully catches on quickly. "Ohhhh, Doctor," she groans in a cartoonishly low voice, "my stomach's been hurting terribly! Can you help?"

"Hmmm, let's see!" Tadashi presses his stethoscope to the teddy's fuzzy belly and declares, "Oh dear, how do you feel now?"

"Oh, Doctor, I feel much better!"

"Wonderful! And what about you, ma'am?" He settles the stethoscope on the back of her hand where she's holding the teddy.

"Doctor! I feel great now!" she gasps in her regular voice.

"Good, good! Now whooooo's next, hm?" Tadashi dramatically looks over at Ren, who beams at him and raises his hand. "It's Ren-kun! C'mere, kiddo, can you lift your shirt for me?"

Once upon a time, Tadashi could barely make it through an appointment without his cheeks burning at the silly things he had to do to get his little patients to cooperate. Now it's just another part of the job, a simple way to make going to the hospital a little less stressful for their young minds.

By the time he's done with appointments, his throat is a touch sore from not only giving lengthy explanations to nervous parents, but also doing a series of silly, exaggerated voices to keep his patients distracted from the severity of their prognoses.

"Goodness, Doctor," the nurse, Sawamura, says with a soft laugh. "No wonder you always need tea after seeing outpatients."

Tadashi shoots him a sheepish grin around his mug of tea. "A small price to pay to make any part of this easier for them."

There aren't many outpatients in pediatrics today, giving him a rare chance to duck upstairs to his office and maybe even have a snack. If Tsukki is feeling generous, he might even have a chance to enjoy some of his expansive collection of sweets, kept secret within their group (though he bemoaned the possibility of Hinata, notorious swiper, helping himself to the sweets drawer).

As though summoned by his wandering thoughts, the elevator doors open to reveal Tsukishima himself, alone and slouched against the back wall with his head leaned back. "Tsukki!"

Tsukishima's eyes flash open, and with a jolt, he pushes himself upright, cheeks just barely rosy in the harsh elevator lighting. "Hey. You done with outpatients already?"

"Yep!" Tadashi can feel a wide, childlike smile pushing at his cheeks as he joins Tsukishima at the back of the car. "What're you doing here? I thought you had the day off?"

Tsukishima groans, eyes sliding shut and head knocking against the wall again. "I had to chew out some interns and make sure the patient could bounce back from their mistake."

Tadashi gives a low whistle. "That bad?"

"Mm." Eyes still closed, Tsukishima tilts towards Tadashi, leaning the slightest bit of weight against him. Tadashi's cheeks immediately tingle with warmth, even though he should be used to it by now. For as long as they've felt physically comfortable in their friendship, this has been Tsukishima's favorite way of silently seeking comfort from Tadashi, and Tadashi only: a silent lean that lets their sides press flush against each other.

The only thing that's changed is Tadashi's feelings towards Tsukishima. Not that Tsukki knows anything about that.

"Are you going home now?" he asks as he leans some weight back, fighting valiantly to keep his voice steady.

"No." Tsukishima slouches even more into Tadashi, until a laugh bursts from him and a tiny smile tugs at Tsukki's lips. "I've got another patient to check on. Then I might go home."

"Well…since you're here…"

Goldenrod eyes blink open over a small, knowing frown. "Yes, you can have some cookies, you little thief. D'you still have the extra key?"

"Yep! Thanks, Tsukki!"

The elevator slides to a stop with a cheery ding, but Tsukishima doesn't say anything until Tadashi has already stepped off and the doors begin shutting. "Don't let Hinata in!"

"He's not in today, relax!" Tadashi wouldn't have let him into Tsukki's office, anyway. Unsupervised snack drawer access was a privilege he enjoyed all on his own. And sometimes with Yachi. But mostly on his own.

🩺

"What's going on?" Kei asks the moment he stepped into the ward, smearing on some hand cleanser.

The resident hurries up, already speaking by the time he reaches Kei’s side. “Doctor, the patient was hooked up to the ECMO, but she developed a pulmonary edema, so we had to intubate her. Her heart was barely beating when we checked her echo.”

Shit. Shiho’s been steadily improving, to the point that they were planning on getting her off of the ECMO and into a general ward. But if she’s regressed this badly… “Does her family know?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.” That will make explaining the next steps a little easier.

When they approach Shiho’s bed, her mother is hovering over her, carefully tucking blankets around the sleeping 7-year-old. The sight makes Kei’s heart squeeze. It doesn’t matter how many years he works and how thick his skin is—the sight of little bodies dwarfed in hospital beds never gets easier.

He doesn’t know how Yamaguchi does it.

“Excuse me, ma’am. May I have a word?”

Shiho’s mother jolts upright and whirls around to face Kei. “Oh, hello, Doctor! Yes, of course.” The shadows under her eyes have gotten deeper since yesterday, and she seems unsteady on her feet as she follows Kei and the two interns to a quiet corner away from Shiho’s bed. Kei is almost tempted to set a steadying hand under her elbow, but he doesn’t dare.

“Shiho’s heart has worsened, Mrs. Suzui, to the point that she’s developed pulmonary edema,” he says once they come to a stop, never one to beat around the bush. He’s been on the other side of these interactions. He knows all any family member wants is to know how their loved one is doing. “She won’t be able to depend on the ECMO for much longer. An artificial heart would be better, especially in reducing the pressure on her left ventricle. She will need surgery either later today or tomorrow.”

"Oh, god," the mother gasps, eyes wide and wavering with tears. "Doctor, I…I really can't afford to pay for a surgery right now. Could we wait a week? I can get the money in a week! Please, please save her, I don’t…I don’t know what else to do…"

Anger sparks in Kei's chest—not at Shiho's mother, of course not, but at the injustice of it all, the choice between death and bankruptcy. "We really can't wait to operate," he sighs, trying to school his face into a gentler, if not fully reassuring, expression. "But don't worry about the costs, ma'am. The hospital has several welfare programs—we can inform them about your daughter's case, and they will provide you with whatever financial assistance they can." Over his shoulder, he tells Azumane Asahi, one of the interns shadowing him that morning, “You go look into it.”

Shiho’s mother’s face crumples into the tears she's been fighting against so valiantly. "Thank you, Doctor! Thank you so much!" she weeps, dipping into bows with her hands clasped over her chest.

"We're just doing our job, ma'am." He bends into a bow of his own, before looking over his shoulder and frowning at the sight of Azumane still lingering there. "What're you doing? Go call them!"

Azumane jolts, giving a hasty bow and stammering, "R-right!"

Kei keeps an eye on him as he hurries out of the ward while digging his phone out of his pocket. Yeah…that kid has no idea who to call.

Sure enough, when Kei finishes explaining the needed surgery to the patient's mother, he leaves the ward and sees Azumane frantically typing on his phone. He’s a tall, sturdy guy, with long brown hair pulled into a bun and a neatly-trimmed goatee. But he never looks as intimidating as he could, because he’s almost always curled in on himself with doubt and anxiety. He looks positively hunchbacked now.

Kei feels for him. He does. He remembers when Yamaguchi and Yachi were always ten seconds away from a panic attack as interns. But there isn’t time for nerves in this field. The sooner Azumane learns that, the better.

With a sigh, Kei dials the number to the social services office and approaches Azumane. "I'm doing the operation tomorrow, and now I have to call social services. What exactly do you do around here?"

While Azumane stammers an apology, the line connects, and Kei's voice takes on a well-practiced tone of polite pleasantry. "Hello, this is Tsukishima Kei from Cardiothoracic Surgery. We have a pediatric case that needs financial aid, would assistance from the Fly High Fund be possible? Yes, just a moment."

Sharp eye contact is all the warning Kei gives Azumane before he tosses the phone at him and walks away. In his wake, he can hear Azumane beginning explaining the details of the surgery, voice finally steady and sure.

Well…at least he made sure to study the case.

Even though he has nothing else scheduled for the day, he decides to get lunch at the hospital cafe, just in case something else comes up. Better to be a few floors away than have to turn back around on the drive home.

The path from his regular elevator to the cafe takes him past the ER waiting room, an area he usually disregards if he hasn't been specifically called. Today, though, he stumbles mid-step, eyes catching on a terribly familiar mop of ginger hair.

"Shrimp?"

🩺

Shoyo loves his niece. Really, he does. Sure, when Natsu first announced her pregnancy, he was mostly relieved to no longer bear the pressure of providing their mother with a grandchild. But the little girl showed signs of that special Hinata charm from her first burbles, and now, at four years old, she already knows how to best wield her words in a way that even Shoyo has a hard time saying no to.

Sometimes, he wishes he could actually say no. Even if he is the cool, fun uncle, Kasumi really needs to learn how to take no as an answer. Maybe then they wouldn't play tea party every time Shoyo babysat her, costumes and all. And maybe then he wouldn't be standing in the ER waiting room of the hospital he works at with a plastic silver tiara superglued to his head.

“Uncle…Uncle Shoooooo…” He looks down at his pulled hand, and sees Kasumi gazing up at him with big, dark eyes. Her black hair is pulled into pigtails, and she’s still wearing her own gold tiara with gaudy pink jewels. “I’m really sorry!”

“It’s okay, Sumi-chan,” Shoyo sighs with a tired smile. They’ve been through this conversation ten times in the past hour, because the poor thing inherited the trademark Hinata anxiety along with their charisma. “You wanted to help keep the tiara on. Just…there’s a reason Mommy doesn’t let you use that glue.”

“I know.” She pouts and leans into him, her cheek squishing into his arm. “I’m sorry.”

He strokes his free hand over her head as he looks around the dwindling patients in the ER waiting room. It’s not that he thinks he deserves special privileges just because he works here, but really now…how long does it take to find someone to get this tiara off? The superglue will be tricky, especially where the tiara is stuck to his forehead, but it’s nothing this hospital hasn’t handled before.

“Alright, that’s it!” he declares after five more minutes. “C’mon, Sumi-chan, we’re going to find someone to help us!”

His niece brightens immediately, always eager to follow through on a grand plan. Her little legs somehow manage to keep up with his marching steps to the ER, hurrying along with a momentum that nearly flings her forward when Shoyo suddenly stops. “Ow!”

“Sorry, sorry!” Shoyo gasps, gathering her up and pressing a kiss to her cheek. “I just, uh…changed my mind, let’s go back to waiting—”

“Shrimp?”

Shit.

With a wince, Shoyo slowly turns to face the last person he wanted to see like this. “Ah…hey, Four-Eyes. Kasumi, say hello. He’s a friend of mine, but you shouldn’t make friends like him! He’s big and mean!”

Kasumi’s eyes are wide with fear and intrigue as she does a little bow in Shoyo’s arms, missing the sneer Tsukishima sends him. “I’ve met Kasumi before.”

“Kasumi, do you remember Uncle Tsukki?”

Eyes still wide, Kasumi ever-so-slightly shakes her head. Tsukishima can’t do much more than sigh and offer the little girl a bad attempt at a reassuring smile, which immediately slides off his face when his focus shifts back to Shoyo. Jerk. “What’re you doing here? And what’s with the crown? Have you spent too much time with the King?”

“Haha.” He quickly presses another kiss to Kasumi’s cheek when he sees her little face start to crumple with guilt again. “We just had a little…mishap.”

“...Okay?”

Tsukishima’s steady eyes tell Shoyo that he’s not getting away without a proper explanation. “I told Kasumi that her tea-time tiaras don’t fit well on me, so she decided to help…with superglue.”

Pure, unadulterated delight melts across Tsukishima's face. “Holy shi— I mean, oh wow! That was a good idea, Kasumi!”

Kasumi’s guilt is replaced by confusion. “No no no, it wasn’t a good idea, but we know that now, and Sumi-chan won’t do it again, right?” He didn’t speak a moment too soon—her confusion gives way to determination as she gives a hefty nod. “Good girl!”

“Do you want me to call Yacchan?” Tsukishima asks, suppressed laughter clear in his voice. “Maybe she can give you a free psych evaluation after the tiara’s off.”

“Fu—uhhh, don’t be mean, Tsukishima! I’m just going to find someone to get this off quickly, and I’m going to go and enjoy the rest of my precious day off with Sumi! Right?”

“Right!” Shoyo can’t resist it—he simply has to press another kiss to Kasumi’s cheeks when they’re all round from her bright smile.

“Good luck with that,” Tsukishima snorts. His voice only gentles when he addresses Kasumi. “It was nice seeing you again, Kasumi. Make sure you keep your uncle out of trouble.”

It’s a rare sight to see Kasumi nervous to the point of a silent nod. Shoyo knew she had good instincts. Only when Tsukishima walks away does she mumble, “He’s scary.”

“Nah, he just looks like that,” Shoyo laughs. “He’s like Uncle Tobio—a big scary meanie at first, then all sweet when you’re friends!” That…doesn’t apply to Shoyo, but Kasumi doesn’t need to know that.

Her face creases with some confusion. “Uncle Tobio isn’t scary.”

Never mind. Her instincts aren’t that good.

The dreaded run-in with Tsukishima isn’t enough to distract Shoyo from his mission. What does distract him is the sight of Yachi wide-eyed and pointing straight at him. She’s standing next to a hospital bed with an older gentleman laying in it, arm in a sling and bandage on his head. It takes Shoyo a moment to recognize him as a prolific general surgeon who works in a hospital that’s clear across the city. What’s he doing here?

Never mind. “Um. Hi, Yacchan!” Maybe she really can help get the tiara off. Neurosurgery should apply to stuff on the outside of the brain, right?

“Shoyo! Oh my gosh, you’re exactly who I needed to see, can you come here?”

Unfortunately for Shoyo, Yachi is another person he can rarely say no to.

The explanations go by in a blur, something about a liver donor finally coming through for a young man who needs a complex operation, one that only one doctor in the city can reliably carry out. Said doctor had the misfortune of getting into an accident on his way to the hospital, and now they’re left with a liver and a patient and no doctor.

“We can’t wait, otherwise a different hospital will take the liver. Please, Shoyo, we really wouldn’t ask if we had any other choice!”

And now he’s here, in surgical scrubs, washing his hands and trying his best to ignore the itch of the tiara that is still on his head, now covered by a hair net.

“This is ridiculous,” he grumbles to Iwaizumi, the one and only general surgery resident in the entire hospital. “What’s the director going to say? This kind of last-minute change is serious!”

“Dr. Yachi said she already spoke to him and got it approved,” Iwaizumi easily answers.

“What about the patient’s mother? Does she know what’s happening? Someone needs to explain what’s going on and get her consent!”

“Dr. Yachi already knows the mother from a different case and was able to get her to sign the consent form within a few minutes.”

“And the original doctor? I know he’s injured, but still, he must be upset at being switched out so easily.”

“Dr. Yachi got him on board when they saw you in the ER.”

“Will Kasumi be okay? What if Natsu can’t come pick her up on such short notice?”

“Dr. Yachi let her know what happened, she’ll be here in a few hours. Dr. Kageyama offered to keep an eye on her until then.”

Shoyo drops his head back with a prolonged whine, forgetting about the light on his forehead until he hears a soft grunt and looks down to see Iwaizumi shielding his eyes with his clipboard. “God…she got all that done, and still couldn’t get anyone to get this thing off my head. Alright, fine. Let’s do this.”

🩺

Tobio likes Kasumi. Really, he does. She’s the only child who didn’t cringe away from him the first time they met.

That might’ve been because she was practically a newborn when he first saw her, but still. It was nice. She likes volleyball, and as an only child, she already knows how to keep herself somewhat entertained. She even knows how to be quiet while staying occupied, something her uncle still doesn’t know how to do at his big age.

None of that changes the fact that the office of an OB/GYN is not…the ideal place for a four-year-old.

“Um.” He stares at her, and she stares back from where she’s sitting on the office couch, little legs sticking straight out in front of her. Cute. “Do you want some cookies?”

Her solemn face brightens at that as she eagerly nods. “Can I pick?”

“I don’t have a lot, but sure.” He opens his snack drawer and lets her peruse the collection of Oreos and strawberry Meiji and regular Marie. He’s not surprised when she picks the strawberry Meiji, no doubt drawn to their pink packaging. She looks so excited about the cookies that he can’t resist offering, “...Want some milk?”

Some cookies, a Gun Gun yogurt, two pieces of scrap paper, and some markers that Yamaguchi blessedly dropped off between appointments keep Kasumi perfectly happy at the little office coffee table. “Uncle,” she calls after a few minutes of humming.

His chest warms at the familial term. It’s been a while since such a young voice called him that. He’s missed it. “Yeah?”

“What’s your favorite color?”

“Orange,” he answers without thinking. “...Why?”

“It’s a surprise!” she giggles, covering her paper with her arms when Tobio peers over at her. “What’s your favorite animal?”

“A wolf.” A tiny smile tugs at his lips when his answers earns him a serious nod. “Are you…going to draw me an orange wolf?”

“No!” she squeals, laughing as though that’s the funniest thing she’s heard all day. Not likely, considering she’s been with Hinata. “It’s a surprise!”

“Alright, alright.”

It’s surprisingly easy to work with her in the office. Sure, he’s forced to pause his work a few times to listen to a prolonged story about something that happened at school, or a toy she really wants her mom to buy, or a joke that her bestest friend in the whole wide world told her. But it’s impossible to feel very annoyed by her bright voice and brighter smile, especially when it gives him an excuse to pause his paperwork.

He doesn’t notice the time passing until he looks up from his work and sees Kasumi passed out on top of her drawing, orange marker still clutched in her hand.

Tobio doesn’t want kids. He doesn’t, at least not now, especially when he doesn’t have a partner he’d want to raise a kid with. But he’s never felt as tempted as he does when he spends time with Kasumi. The sight of her sweet face squished on her artwork makes his heart feel too big for his chest, and when he carefully slides the marker out of her fist and gathers her up in his arms, the feeling of her nuzzling into his shoulder nearly makes him burst into tears on the spot.

God…he has got to get more sleep.

He gets her settled on the couch, his sweatshirt tucked under her head and his coat draped over her. She’s small enough to fit completely beneath his coat, especially when she lets out a soft huff and curls up even more. He glances at his closed office door to make sure no one will see him, then bends over to press a kiss to her temple and brush her pigtail out of her face.

“...Tobio?”

He jumps and nearly bites his tongue in choking back a curse. There, standing at his door that somehow opened silently, is Yachi, watching him with an amused but kind smile. “...Don’t tell Hinata.”

She laughs at that, careful to not wake up Kasumi. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Natsu will be here soon, do you want me to take Kasumi down to the entrance?”

Tobio stares at the tiny sleeping form almost covered by his coat. “...No, I’ll do it.”

“Okay.” When he looks at her again, Yachi’s smile has mellowed into a terribly sweet and warm little curve. “Are you sure you don’t want me to tell Shoyo?”

“You…can tell him I made sure Natsu picked her up. Not…anything else.” If that tangerine finds out Tobio gave Kasumi a kiss, he will never hear the end about how sweet he is to Kasumi and how mean he still is to Shoyo, and “geez Yama, I thought we had something special!”

He has no idea how true that really is.

Natsu is effusive in her thanks when Tobio hands her off, holding her daughter close as she bows and asks him how she can ever thank him. “It’s nothing,” he reassures her. “Hinata was pulled into an emergency surgery, but Kasumi was great. Made me a drawing and everything.”

That finally makes a smile relax Natsu’s worried features. “Ah, another one for your collection.”

“Yeah. Is there anything else you need?”

“No, we’re all set. Thank you, Tobio-nii, seriously!”

“You don’t have to thank me. I should be thanking you—she wouldn’t have been so easy to look after if you weren’t doing such a great job raising her.”

The praise is a little corny, especially coming from him, but it’s the truth. Tobio could never work in pediatrics like Yamaguchi, but he really does enjoy the times when he gets to hang out with Kasumi, even if it is a little awkward at first. Like her uncle, it never takes her long to make any room warm and comfortable, even at age four.

By the time he returns to his office, it’s about time for him to grab some dinner. But before he leaves, he makes sure to hang his new piece of artwork—a picture of him and a wolf in the woods, which is somehow all orange trees—next to the other three drawings he’s been lucky enough to receive and the few photos he has hung up.

The photos are a small collection of memories—his high school volleyball team, he and the group in their first year of university, and again at their graduation from med school, him as a child with his grandfather, and another photo from graduation, this one with Miwa pulling him down and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

The photo his eyes catch on is the only candid in the bunch: by some stroke of luck and photographic genius, Yachi managed to snap a photo of them playing volleyball. They’re in their work pants and shoes, their sleeves are rolled up, and Hinata’s shirt has one too many buttons undone. It’s clear they got distracted by a volleyball court after a night of work drinks, but besides what they’re wearing, the shot could have been of a V.League match. A ragged volleyball is leaving Tobio’s fingertips mid-jump, and Hinata…he’s flying, body suspended in the perfect spiking posture and hand already swinging for the ball that still hasn’t reached him.

It does reach him. Tobio can remember that much, just like he can remember the slam of the ball on the other side of the court, and the way Hinata leapt into his arms for a victory hug and cheer.

He misses volleyball. He misses the two-on-two matches that they forced Yamaguchi and Tsukishima to agree to, the impromptu lessons he gave to Yachi, the sting of his fingers after a good long game. But most of all, he misses that, the way playing on a team with Hinata makes him feel invincible in a way that is so rare in the medical field.

He wonders if Hinata misses it, too.

#spiking heartbeats #spiking heartbeats part 2 #haikyuu!! #fics #fanfics #pearl writes #pearl's stuff #karasuno first years #kagehina #tsukkiyama #shoyo hinata #tobio kageyama #hitoka yachi #tadashi yamaguchi #kei tsukishima #asahi azumane #daichi sawamura #natsu hinata #original characters #original child character #yachi hitoka #yamaguchi tadashi #tsukishima kei #hinata shouyou #kageyama tobio #azumane asahi #sawamura daichi #hinata natsu #haikyu!! #hq!!

[ignitedbynatsu]

It’s Okay Pt. 1

word count: 1,9k

Warnings: swearing, betrayal, spoilers

Genre: Angst

summary: You had always cherished your friendship with Laxus above anything else, but when he came back from a job with a certain mission on his mind, you were determined to stop him. You wanted to man you love back, no, you needed to. After all, if you couldn’t stop him, who else could?

Previous ~ Next

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“I heard Laxus is back in town,” Mira-Jane said as the two mages carried some boxes that contained decorations

(Y/N) placed the crate on the stage before turning her full attention towards her friend “Really? That’s weird. He hasn’t tried to contact me yet” 

The two Fairy Tale wizards have been friends from the moment (Y/N) joined the guild. Makarov had found the little girl collapsed in an ally with nothing but a thin layer of shredded clothes covering her skinny posture. He couldn’t find it in his heart to leave the underfed girl there so he brought her to the guild where Porlyusica took care of the small child.

The moment (Y/N) opened her eyes, she came face to face with an intrigued Laxus. She was the first child, other than himself, to be in this guild. The small boy curiously took in every feature of the girl's face and gave her a small smile, but that soon faded as he saw tears starting to form in her eyes and not long after the girl was full-on wailing. Laxus, alarmed by the sudden outburst, did the only thing he knew when he ended up in an unknown situation and that was to get his grandfather. 

“What did you do” The old man grunted as he and Porlyusica hurried to the room they left (Y/N) in. The small mage waited anxiously by the door, he didn’t know what he did wrong but he felt guilty. He wanted nothing more than making a good first impression, but that backfired massively “Laxus!”

The said boy jumped at the sound of his grandfather calling his name. He hesitantly opened the door and saw the big brown eyes he was observing a minute ago, staring back at him. “I’m sorry for reacting that way. I didn’t know where I was and I thought I was abducted” The small voice that matched the petite girl’s body rung in Laxus’s ears. A weight visibly left his shoulders, he hadn’t made a bad first impression after all. “That’s fine, I’m Laxus” “(Y/N)”

After that faithful day, the two were basically inseparable. Laxus may have only been a year older than (Y/N), but he still felt like he needed to protect her from all the bad things in the world. He never wanted to see those two beautiful brown eyes that held so much innocence in them cry again, especially if he would be the reason why. 

“I wonder if he’d be part of the parade this year” Mira-Jane wondered, making her friend snort at the absurd theory “Do you really believe that, Mira?”

The two girls carelessly chatted away until they had to get ready for the Miss Fairy Tail contest. It was one of the highlights of the festival and almost every girl in the guild participated. The girls went on one after the other, showing off their body and their talents. Lucy was up next and (Y/N) would be the one to finish it off. 

“My, my, it sure has been a while” (Y/N) head whipped at the familiar voice, “Evergreen…”

Laxus ordered Evergreen to put on a little show before he revealed himself, while in reality he just wanted a moment to himself. He looked at the girl he had known so long and sighed. He didn’t want to do this to her, but it was for the best, at least, that’s what he kept telling himself. 

The battle of Fairy Tail started soon after. Laxus knew (Y/N)  wouldn’t agree with how he handled things, but he also knew she wouldn’t agree with his vision from the start. He felt like he had no other choice but petrify her as well. At least that way he knew she was safe. His plan, however, took a whole other turn when Erza broke free from Evergreen’s curse and even defeated the said girl. Once the girls were turned back to normal, Makarov filled them in on the situation. “(Y/N), I know what you’re thinking but don’t go do something irrational. Laxus isn’t himself right now”

“If I don’t do it, who will stop him? Gajeel and Natsu are stuck in here, Gray and Elfman are defeated. Not even Erza would be able to take on Laxus on her own. This is going way too far, I’m sorry master, but I have to try. I’ll use my magic to dodge Freed’s spells and head straight to Laxus. Please, heave faith in me” (Y/N) said with so much determination you’d nearly forget she was once this small child that would cry for even the smallest things.

Makarov's silence spoke a thousand words in (Y/N)’s mind as she gave her master a small nod before enchanting her light magic on herself “Please be careful”

(Y/N)’s light magic could be used on a being to make that human or animal faster than light. Because of this trait, Freed’s enchantments were of no use on her as they were slower than light.

As the girl ran through the town, she saw her guild members laying defeated on the ground. She wondered why Laxus would go this far all because he didn’t agree with Makarov on something. She shook the thought away and focused back on the mission at hand. She had to stop Laxus as she was maybe their only hope.

Within mere seconds (Y/N) stood in front of her long time friend. Laxus towering over her could easily intimidate someone, but not her. She was convinced he’d never hurt her, not even if his life depended on it. (Y/N) was about to speak up but Laxus beat her to it “if you’re going to try to change my mind don’t bother. Fairy Tail has been a mockery for long enough, it’s time for someone to change that. Join me, (Y/N), nobody knows Fairy Tail as good as us. Let’s make Fairy Tail strong again. Let’s show people that we're not some pathetic guild they can spot with”

“Laxus…” (Y/N) trailed off he looked at her with hope in his eyes. The two had never disagreed on something this big before and even if they did, they would always have each other’s back “What happened to you? You used to be so proud to be a part of this guild, a part of this family. How could you look down on us like that? This is not you, this is not the Laxus I know. What happened on those missions?”

“Nothing happened, the Laxus you’re thinking of was merely a child. A naive, stupid child that knew nothing of the real world. I’ve grown up now, it’s time for you to do the same” He said as he looked at the big brown eyes that still had so much innocence. He always wanted to protect that innocence, but right now it disgusted him.

(Y/N) had always been able to read Laxus like a book so she easily recognized the look of disgust in his eyes. It’s the same look he had when he was a kid and he had to learn to eat brussels sprouts “I won’t help you. You need to stop this, Laxus. Our friends are getting seriously injured. Just call everything off, it’s not too late. Just… stop this before things end up for the worst”

“Friends? I don’t have friends that are that weak.” Laxus spat those vile words that shocked (Y/N) deeply. Had he really changed that much and was she really just too blind to see it? “You’re going too far Laxus, stop this”

“The only way to stop this is if you defeat me” He challenged her “prove to me that you belong in the new Fairy Tail”

“I won’t fight you” (Y/N) stood her ground as the man in front her grew annoyed “you’re not going to pursue me with your words if that’s what you hope to do”

“The Laxus I know-“ the girl started but got immediately cut off “The Laxus you claim to know is gone. He has been for quite a while now. When are you going to open your eyes and fucking see that we’re not children anymore? Fight me!”

The girl stayed put as she declined the challenge again. “I said, fight me, (Y/N)” Laxus made lightning crash right next to her but she didn’t even flinch. He would never hurt me she thought over and over again.

“Fine if you won’t fight me, I’ll force you,” The male said as he once again let lightning come raining down only this time he didn’t plan on missing her and hit her with full force. To say she was shocked was putting it mildly. She fell to one knee, but other than that she didn’t budge “Why are you not dodging or fighting back? You could’ve easily dodged that attack”

He was right, with her light speed she could’ve dodged that without even breaking a sweat. “Because” (Y/N) shakingly took a deep breath as she registered what just happened “I refuse to fight you”

Something in Laxus snapped at that moment, all he could think about was Gajeel a few days earlier and how he refused to fight him as well. “You’re just as weak as all the others. You don’t deserve to be in Fairy Tail. You don’t even deserve to be my friend. Be gone” 

(Y/N) didn’t know what hurt more, those vicious words that left Laxus’s lips or the lightning attack that hit her one after the other. All she could think of was that she just had to endure it. Maybe he’d cool down after he took all his anger out on her, but the lightning kept coming and she didn’t know how much longer she would be able to take it. “It’s alright, just let it all out” she kept whispering, unknowingly to her this only made him more livid.

Laxus was so engulfed in his wrath that he only stopped when he felt the presence of Mystogan. Even though only Mystogan’s eyes were visible, (Y/N) could clearly see the shocked state he was in as he looked down at the badly hurt girl. He was even more shocked when she gave him a small smile “It’s okay, please save Laxus” those were the last words before the girl completely crumbled down.

Mystogan’s attention turned back towards Laxus who wasn’t even showing a hint of remorse. The mysterious man knew at that point that he had to handle this as quickly as possible and get you the medical help you needed as soon as possible.

The fight between the two top mages of Fairy Tail was cut short once Natsu and Erza showed up. He hated that they interfered but he was also thankful for it because he knew he could finally get (Y/N) the help she needed while also knowing that the fight could be handled by those two. “I’ll leave it to you guys”

Mystogan hurried his way back to the guild while carefully holding onto (Y/N)'s limp body. He hoped he wasn’t too late because he knew that once Laxus came back to his senses and realized what he had done, he’d spin even more out of control. He ran into the guild and didn’t even hesitate twice to go to the medical room “Master…”

“Mystogan” Porlyusica said surprised as her eyes slowly fell onto the lifeless (Y/N) that was laying in his arms “Quickly bring her over to the bed”

The younger wizard did as told. “You should go, I’ll need all the space I can get” Mystogan obeyed once again and disappearing from the room. “Don’t you dare to go up just yet, (Y/N)”

#laxus #laxus dreyar #laxus x reader #laxus fairy tail #fairy tail #fairy tail imagine #fairy tail imagines #laxus imagine #laxus imagines #laxus dreyar imagine #laxus dreyar imagines #fairy tail x reader #natsu #natsu dragneel #laxus dragon slayer #gray fullbuster #lucy heartfilia #erza scarlette #sting eucliffe #Rogue Cheney #freed justine #bixlow #evergreen #fairy tail rogue #fairy tail sting #fairy tail natsu #fairy tail gray #fairy tail laxus

[nepenthendline]

Aone developing a crush on Hinata’s older sister (part 2)

watch me make a series out of this

so many of you guys wanted a part two of these headcanons where Aone starts crushing on Hinata’s sister so I shall deliver! This is more where you start crushing on Aone too. This is so long omg 💞💞

OK so I accidentally posted this so I guess you guys can have it now lol I cba to take it down and re post it another day

The two of spoke together occasionally for the rest of Date Tech’s time at Karasuno; small exchanges like “are you enjoying the food?” and “who do you think is the best player at Karasuno?”. You learned that he didn’t speak much, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t expressive. He would nod with vigor at things that excited him, his face would scrunch up in deep thought at your questions almost as if he were in pain or how his eyebrows would raise as his eyes opened wider when Hinata talked about various other intimidating players. It was interesting to see the contrast between someone as loud and bubbly as your brother, to someone so quiet and intimidating - although he wasn’t as intimidating as he looked. 

Their coach called all the Date Tech students to get ready to leave, starting an onslaught of whines and goodbyes from both teams. Aone approached you after saying goodbye to Hinata, 

“Have a safe journey back Aone, hopefully you guys will come back again soon,” you smiled up at him with a parting wave.

“It’s been a pleasure to be here, goodbye Y/N,” his deep voice rumbled in his chest as he bowed towards you, before speeding off towards the team bus.

A couple of weeks later you were out travelling to a cafe in a town nearby, apparently they had the cutest animal theme that you had been seeing all over the internet. The original plan was to go with your brother, but he decided to ditch you last minute to practice extra spikes with Kageyama, and your little sister, Natsu, was out with your mother for the day. You didn’t want to miss out though, so you went alone.

The train station was busy for a sunday, but the weather was a perfect temperature so you imagined everyone was out to enjoy the sun. The train pulled up and you hopped in, looking around for a seat. Your carriage was packed with people, particularly little children, so you walked into the next connecting carriage in the hopes of finding at least some space to stand. You saw a large group of girls around your age standing near to the carriage entrance which didn’t fill you with hope. ‘Just one seat, please just one seat’ you chanted in your head as if it would make a difference. To your surprise, there was actually 2 seats free further down the carriage, one either side of a man that occupied the middle seat with his head hung low.

You hastily sat down next to him at the train jolted and continued to its destination. You noticed some shifting next to you, as the man sitting down moved his legs away from you slightly. He seemed to be tucking himself in, as if to make him seem smaller, although even after the brief look at him, you could tell he was a larger than average man. Looking over you got to see a glimpse of the man’s face for the first time.

“...Aone?”

His face shot upwards, his eyes wide with surprise, he hadn’t noticed it was you. He gave you a hesitant nod before adjusting his eyes to look in front of him.

“um...how are you?” he seemed a little nervous so you did your best to break the ice a little. He took a few seconds to reply,

“I’m well, how are you?” 

“I’m good thank you! I’m glad I found a seat though, it’s way too hot to stand in a crowd of people today,” fanning yourself with your statement, you laughed, “I’m actually on my way to check out that new animal cafe that opened up, what are you doing out?” His eyes seemed to light up slightly when you mentioned the cafe,

“I was heading there as well.”

“Really? I was actually supposed to come with Shouyou today but he dumped me for volleyball,” you crossed your arms as you grumbled about your brother, Aone nodding along. “Well since Shou isn’t coming, maybe you can come with me instead?” you offered.

Aone’s cheeks turned pink, he had no idea what to do. You wanted to go to a cafe, with him? the first girl that ever sat next to him on a train wanted to go to a cafe with him, and she was a cute one at that. His brain was going a million miles an hour.

“Aone?” he snapped out of his glazed thoughts and gave a firm nod.

When the two of you reached the cafe, all that came out of your mouth was a mess of squeals and ‘aww’s as you scanned over the pastel interior. The cafe had some animals that guests could interact with, such as cats that roamed freely, as well as turtles towards the back in their terrariums and birds hung from the ceiling in large cages. You two were sat towards the back near the reptile section, however there were still a couple cats that perched in the area. As soon as Aone sat down, a pure white cat sitting opposite caught his attention. It seemed to give him a death stare, eyes fixated on him, its mouth turning up to show his sharp teeth and its back arched ready to fight or run. You noticed Aone’s attention was drawn to something and, by tense look on his face, you half expected there to be a criminal standing behind you. Turning around, you were greeted by the sight of the white cat that held its staring competition. You looked back and forth between the two of them before you realised the issue. Giggling, you held your hand out to the cat, who gave it a couple sniffs before nuzzling its head into it.

“He’s just like you Aone,” his head tilted in confusion as you continued to chuckle, “he looks so mean and scary at first but he’s really just a cutie, plus the white hair” you picked up the cat and popped him in your lap, running your hands through his fur. Aone was shocked, did you just call him...cute? He has never, ever once been described as cute. He watched as you carefully handled the animal, ruffling its fur and giggling as it purred loudly at your touch. Aone wanted to touch the cat too, but he held back, partly because he was scared the cat was going to try and intimidate him again, but partly because he didn’t want to take his eyes of the sight in front of him. You looked adorable, no, beautiful with the afternoon sun shining behind you and the permanent smile etched on your face. The two of you locked eyes when you looked up, Aone instantly looking away in embarrassment of being caught.

You got up from your seat, holding the white cat in your arms and took a seat next to Aone on the beach he was using. Settling the cat back into your lap, you grabbed hold of Aone’s hand and held it up towards its nose.

“Let him sniff you and get used to you a little first, when he knows you’re not a danger he’ll let you stroke him too,” you instructed in a calm tone. Your fingers were so warm against the back of his hand, so soft compared to his from years the last few years of volleyball. He could feel his hand shaking slightly as the cat surveyed him, but his nervousness certainly wasn’t directed at the feline.

“It’s ok, he won’t hurt you, I think he’s starting to like you,” ah, so you had noticed his uneasiness. You, then, guided his hand over the cat’s back, holding it firmly while brushing both of your fingers through it’s fur. The cat purred even louder than before, rested its head on Aone’s lap and closed its eyes. You both continued to stroke the cat through its slumber and enjoyed the tranquility of the moment. With your hand still on his, you realised how much bigger his were than yours - your fingers barely expanded over the back of his hand. There were a couple bruises are callouses, you guessed from training, and subconsciously brushed your thumb across them. 

“Seems we make quite the good team.”

Tagging those who requested a part 2: @kara-grayson04 @youstydiaa @donica95 @unpostofelice @polarbearaone @galagcica @sunaswife

#AONEAONEAONEAONE #aone loving hours #wow i love him #haikyuu #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu!! #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu fanfiction #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu scenarios #aone takanobu x reader #aone x reader #aone takanobu #aone fluff #aone drabble #aone imagine

[petri808]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33-Epilogue

Neither Lucy nor Natsu sat through the closing arguments, but according to Gajeel the defense stood firmly on their case for insanity. Touka’s attorney argued that his client suffered from a disorder that should put her in a hospital for treatment, not a jail cell, and not only that, but the so-called victims in the case drove her to do what she did. It was a very risky move to blame the victims. Of course, the prosecution countered that not only did Touka not suffer from any condition but that this was a simple case of jealousy gone wrong. Natsu and Lucy were innocent victims of a selfish woman who tried to kill them. Period, and for that she should go to prison for the maximum sentence allowed.

The prosecutor implored to the jurors heartstrings. “You saw the effects that Ms. Shiromajyo caused to her victims. The tears shed on the stand and the genuine fear in Ms. Heartfilia’s testimony as she recounted the events in question. Ladies and gentlemen, this young woman stared death in the face and watched her boyfriend almost get killed by the defendant. They had to fight to survive! Ms. Heartfilia and Mr. Dragneel have experienced something that no one should ever go through.” He gestured at the timeline board facing them. “Ms. Shiromajyo stalked multiple people over the course of several years to reach her goal, intimidating people that really had nothing to do with her. Ms. Shiromajyo paid a person to kill Ms. Strauss, threatening and intimidating her. And most of all, ultimately took this whole situation into her own hands when all of her efforts didn’t work out. She is a danger to society. I urge you, the jury to give her victims the peace of mind that she’ll be off the streets in a cell getting the treatment that she needs, and the punishment she deserves.”

It was a nerve wracking time for the victims as they waited outside of the court room for the jury to deliberate. Lucy and Natsu stayed in a side room with the prosecutor along with their closest friends and family there to support them. The prosecutor assured them that they’d done their best and the odds were in their favor. But of course, it only took one hold out to cause a mistrial, and Lucy didn’t know if she could go through this again. She was already unhappy that even if convicted, Japan’s sentencing structures were not as stringent as other countries.

The jury deliberated for four hours before reaching a verdict pronouncing Touka guilty of all charges. Upon hearing the guilty decision, Lucy and Natsu slipped back into the court room to hear the final disposition.

“Rise Ms. Shiromajyo.” The judge then read the decision to the standing defendant. “You have been found guilty by this court of two counts of attempted murder that caused injury. One count of kidnapping for profit. And three counts of intimidation. Do you have any last statement to make to the court before I render sentencing?”

Touka hung her head as if resigned to her fate. “Yes...” Surprisingly, to all those in the courtroom, she apologized for her actions. “I see now how much pain I caused to everyone because I couldn’t control myself and I hope one day they’ll forgive me for it.”

But her words of contrition were too little, too late. The judge sentenced Touka to the maximum of the highest offense, which was 15 years with work, but instead of the work condition, imposed a special circumstance that Touka be ordered to undergo mandatory psychological treatment while in custody and to adhere to any treatments and medications prescribed for her own good.

“Ms. Shiromajyo,” the judge spoke directly to the woman. “You’ve apologized at the end, but I hope you truly feel that way. Based on all of the evidence presented in court, your actions were clearly towards a one-sided love affair with a man who wanted nothing to do with you, and for that you tried to punish an innocent woman who got in your way. I do not believe, and the jury agreed, that you do not suffer from a legal defense of mental defect, however you should spend the time in prison to get your mind right again, so that when you re-enter society in the future, you’ll no longer suffer from whatever emotional problems brought you here in the first place. You are very lucky that I cannot under the law sentence you to concurrent sentences for every single charge. Bailiff, take custody of the prisoner. This case is adjourned.”

As the final gavel bang echoed in the court room, Natsu and Lucy who’d made it in time to hear it all, broke down in tears and elation as the court room erupted in cheers around them. A rarity for the poised population. This case was certainly anything but common for Japan, especially because the perpetrator was a woman and journalists had kept the public up to date with its progress. A lot of people were affected by this case personally, but the fear of what Touka had done rang cold for onlookers too. For the public, the idea that someone you may know could harbor ill will and do something this heinous was a scary proposition.

While the case was now over, Lucy knew her own struggles with anxiety were not, despite the tiny relief she’d felt in hearing the words guilty. She’d made it through the trial by sheer determination, but the experience had set her back in her progress. Reliving all the worst events and being grilled by the defense had re-traumatized her. Not all the way regressed, but the nightmares were back anew, starting immediately after her recall testimony.

It wasn’t just the old memories that haunted Lucy, but a new, troubling thought brought out during that testimony. When the defense attorney tried to make her think she was just as bad as Touka, there was a point when she thought... was it true? And the more she pondered, the worst the correlation became despite her loved ones conviction that she was nothing like the woman. Because... why not? If Touka’s deluded mind really believed she was protecting what was hers, well isn’t that the same logic Lucy used to defend herself and Natsu? Then there was the rage she’d felt. Was the attorney, right? If Natsu hadn’t stopped her from beating the woman, would she have killed Touka? Did that mean she had a killer instinct too?

All the publicity surrounding the trial didn’t help one bit. Just trying to get out of the court room after the verdict had been a complete circus of cameras flashing and microphones being shoved in the couples faces wanting their opinions of the verdict. Oh, how Lucy wanted to scream in their faces! How do they think they’d feel?! Yes, it felt great to be vindicated, but 15 years for almost killing them? Where were their assurances that when Touka was released, she wouldn’t pick right back up where she’d left off and hunt them down?

All these irrational thoughts fueling the new regression were different from before. Lucy didn’t feel as anxious. She was a little depressed, but now she was also— angry.

When she arrived at her therapy session without Natsu, Lucy sat on the couch facing the woman with her arms crossed. The therapist was quick to note the way in which she was holding her poise because it wasn’t a comforting arm cross, but a firm one. The muscles in her forearms were tense along with the tight lipped and brows furrowed expression gracing Lucy’s face.

“Well, this is certainly new,” the woman put her notebook down as she spoke. “Something has changed, shall we talk about it?”

Lucy’s hands clenched firmly as her eyes look away slightly. “I had a small argument with Natsu this morning.”

“I get the impression it wasn’t small.”

“Okay! It was a big fight! Happy?!” Lucy’s arms unfurled and gesticulated. “I don’t even know why it got out of hand, but it did.”

“Tell me what happened and let’s figure it out together.”

“Tch,” Lucy crossed her arms again and looked away. “I woke up from a nightmare. He started comforting me like he al—ways does, and I told him to stop. But he didn’t.”

“Why’d you tell him to stop?”

“I don’t know... I was just, irritated.”

“With him?”

“Yes... No— both, I don’t fucking know! Just pissed off, okay?! I was just angry and didn’t wanna be bothered!”

“I see... and how did Natsu react?”

“He, well, um,” Lucy’s shoulders dropped a bit. “He just said okay, I’ll give you space if you want it and left the bedroom. And we haven’t spoken since then.”

“It sounds like Natsu respected your wishes to back off. But why is that making you so angry?”

The therapists question brought instant tears pooling in Lucy’s eyes. She knew why, but she didn’t know why, and holding it in was tearing her apart. But she also didn’t know how to articulate all of the random thoughts plaguing her in a way that made sense. So, at that moment she just broke. Through fitful sobs the cacophony of broken, fragmented thoughts spewed out in no logical manner. Lucy just spoke every word and sentence that came to mind as the therapist sat quietly listening.

This was her first session since the trial had ended, so all of the wounds were painfully fresh. Shouldn’t she be happy it was over? They were free for now and it was time to move forward but all she could think about were the things the attorney had said. And that made her angry with herself. Lucy’s always thought she was so much stronger, yet this experience or rather the effects left her feeling lost and broken, and weak. Even more infuriating for her, she knew these thoughts were completely irrational! It’s one thing to not understand, it’s another to know how stupid it sounded and not be able to fight back against it. Weak. That’s what it made her feel. Stupid and weak for losing herself. They may have won against Touka, but Touka had taken something away and Lucy feared she’d lost it forever.

Who she was.

The therapist moved over to the couch and hugged tightly to a sobbing Lucy, stroking her hair and cradling her head. Comforting in silence allowed the blonde to just cry, as hard as she needed to and release everything that had been held inside where it shouldn’t stay. When the tears slowed, and Lucy’s breathing had the normalized, the therapist spoke softly.

“You’re not broken, Lucy, and you’re not dumb. You’re rightfully in pain after everything you’ve experienced, and that’s okay too.”

“How is that okay?” Lucy sniffled. “It shouldn’t be okay!”

“It’s not fair what you had to endure but being upset and feeling pain because of it means you’re human. Even the anger is a good feeling right now.”

Lucy snorts an annoyed laugh at such a ridiculous sounding statement. Anger being, okay?!

“There are positives we can take from this.”

Again, Lucy huffs. “Yeah, right. That makes a lot of sense.”

The therapist pulls back and settles into a more professional pose to continue. “Your anger means you care. Think about it, if you didn’t care, you wouldn’t get angry, right?”

“I guess...”

“In all these months, this is the first time I am seeing a deep passion coming from you. Lucy you aren’t really lost, and this anger are those feelings screaming ‘I’m still here!’ You can use that same energy to push forward.”

“But what about Natsu?” Lucy’s eyes cloud up. “I think I really made him mad a-and I don’t want to lose him.”

“Did he come with you today?”

“Yeah, he’s in the waiting room.” Lucy mumbled through a frown. “But I think he just came cause he felt obligated.”

The therapists eyes softened along with her tone. “I have a feeling that’s not the case. He might feel hurt and confused right now, but I’m sure he still loves you deeply. Maybe we should bring him in here and talk things over? That way I can help you through it.”

Lucy paused for a moment before nodding weakly. “I’d like that.”

The therapist brought Natsu into the room and as soon as he saw the puffy red eyes and Lucy’s disheveled appearance immediately stumbled over and hugged onto her with tears of his own flowing down, apologizing over and over for upsetting her that morning.

Although Lucy stiffened up at first when he’d hugged her in fear of what he might say, his words instead stunned her. All along she’d felt the fight was her fault, not his. She’d been the bitch to him and now his pain brought her tears back along with a loss of her anger. “It’s not your fault,” she hugged him back. “I was angry with myself and took it out on you. That wasn’t fair.”

“But I shouldn’t have walked away like I did.”

“No,” Lucy exhaled, “you did the right thing. I... I needed something to wake me up.”

Natsu pulled back in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Lucy smiled weakly. “Coming here mad, I couldn’t hide it so she made me talk about it. Now I see how that needed that to happen and I feel a lot better because of it. I was just worried you’d hate me for the way I acted.”

“I could never hate you,” Natsu smiled and cupped Lucy’s cheeks. “I told you, you’re stuck with me.”

By that point, the therapist had gone back to her own chair and with the session almost over for that day, addressed the couple together. “Lucy right now I think you are at a very good point in your progress. Your anxiety had gotten better, the depression is still there, but it’s not as debilitating as it was before, so now it’s time to take the next step in the healing process. You’d mentioned wanting going back to school and the next semester starts in a month. Perhaps it’s time to consider going back?”

“I-I don’t know if I could handle full time...”

“Maybe reach out to the school and see if they’ll work with you on a modified schedule?”

“I guess I could...”

“And I’ll help you,” Natsu added on as he squeezed Lucy’s hand. “They’ve been really supportive so far.”

Lucy let out a long exhale. “Okay. I’ll give it a shot.”

“I’ve got another suggestion too,” Natsu added. “If you get angry, you could take it out with a physical sport or something.”

“That’s actually a good outlet,” the therapist agreed. “Is there anything you’re interested in?”

“Um...” Lucy thought about for a couple minutes. “I thought about taking self-defense classes.”

“That would be cool! Maybe we can go together?”

“I’d really, really like that.” And first time in a long time, Lucy truly meant it.

#nalu #nalu au #nalu fan fic #nalu fan fiction #Natsu dragneel #Lucy heartfilia #Natsu x lucy #stangers on a train #ch 31

[be-dazzled]

Gray’s Greatest Possession

Writer’s Corner: Just something random because my brain is tiiiiired. And I just miss them being dorky.

---

Jason came over to a rowdy afternoon at the Fairy Tail Guild. While others found it intimidating, the Sorcerer Weekly reporter felt it was rather fitting. Fairy Tail, after all was the strongest guild in the Kingdom of Fiore. Those bunch ought to be energetic. He interviewed a few guys from Fairy Tail who were nominated and named in this year’s “Most Handsome Faces” rankings.

It was Gray Fullbuster’s turn, who tied with Natsu Dragneel at No. 10, to answer a few questions the ladies, and maybe a few of the guys too because Sorcerer Weekly was inclusive of all, would love to have an answer to. The ice-make mage wasn’t really up for it. If Natsu wasn’t such a d-bag who would rather play around than help out Jason, he wouldn’t even spare him his time. But he was working on a better image than Natsu so he’d rank higher next year or kick him off the list, especially out of his spot.

So, there he was, seated at the bar while Jason scrabbled on his notes and threw him questions.

One question, however, caught him off-guard.

“What’s your cool, cool, coolest possession?” Jason asked, prepared to jot down the answer.

Gray blinked at him. He practiced his answers the night before but he wasn’t prepared for this one. Greatest possession?

Well, one person came in mind. He threw a glance behind him, at the water-mage who was sulking while complaining at the head waitress and her sister at one of the tables. He heard something about other girls fawning over his precious Gray-sama.

“Heh.”

“Is it that cool?”

Gray didn’t even notice he was already grinning at the thought until Jason pointed it out, asking if that possession was really that cool. Once again, he was in a ditch. Was he even allowed to say it? But hundreds of people would be reading that article! Gray could feel the heat rise up his face and if he wasn’t too careful, Jason would notice the sudden fluster. Gray coughed into his fist and cleared his throat.

“I just remembered something. “ Gray made a face, masking his fluster with his usual scowl.  “What was the question again?” And asked the reporter to repeat the question hoping Jason would change it.

“Your greatest possession.”

Hearing the word again, his eyes were drafting back to where the water-mage was, who bewailed her assumed misfortune. He stopped himself from smiling before he embarrassed himself again in front of the reporter.

“You know, that thing that’s most precious to you. Like a very special mug. Or a book? Or, I don’t know what guys like you are into. Cool, cool, cool!”

What guys like him was into? His eyes grew in horror. Of all the things his stupid brain could remember it was that thing he kept hidden at the farthest, darkest part of his closet, hidden by a mountain of his discarded coats, shirts and pants he seldom even use. Discreetly, he cooled himself down with his ice magic. Something he had learned and mastered being around Juvia all the time, pouncing on him any chance she got. And also lately, when she kept popping up in his head once in a while. Like this one when he was asked about possession...

“P-pwoow.” He mumbled. Suddenly, the confident Gray was deduced into muttering under his breath.

“I’m sorry?” Jason leaned closer to hear Gray’s mumblings.

“P-piwow”

“You really have to speak up, Gray. I’m not a mind-read–”

“–I said Pillow!” He barked, startling everyone inside the guild, especially the reporter who had his pen hanging in the hair in surprise. “I-i-if that’s all. I should really... hey, flame-brain!” He escaped from everyone’s startled but still watchful eyes, mixing himself into that usual riot, clothes flying everywhere.

“That must be a very cool, cool, cool pillow!” He declared, before jotting the answer into his notepad like crazy.

Gray heard it, despite the ruckus, and couldn’t help the grin because Jason, the reporter, had no idea how erm… cool.

#gray x juvia #gruvia #gray fullbuster #juvia lockser #be-dazzled #fairy tail #fairytail #juvia body pillow #gruvia drabble #random gruvia #be-dazzled the writer

[nalu4emily]

The Blood You Bleed

‘Her mind drifted back to Natsu. She desperately wished she had been more honest with him, had told him why she had been feeling so awful recently, why she declined his job offer in the first place.' - This story contains subjects that people may find upsetting. Nalu.

Contains Trigger Warnings!

She couldn’t find the strength to stand. She had used every last ounce of her magic power and now she could barely move. She felt helpless, one more blow and that would be it. She was on her knees, hunched over gasping for air. She could feel the dirt and grit embedding itself into the hand holding her up. Her exhausted body was covered in fresh cuts and bruises.

The mage that she had gone up against was proving more formidable than she had first thought. Her free hand was clutching at her stomach that had been causing her some discomfort. What was she going to do? She was at a loss; she was in so much pain and just the thought of going any further was making her feel physically sick. The defeated blonde could only hope that Natsu wasn’t having as much trouble as she was and would soon show his face.

It was early that morning Natsu had approached Lucy about the job request, as flattered as she was, had been quick to decline his offer at first. The young blonde hadn’t been feeling well for a little while now, stomach cramps and headaches, nausea and vomiting. The poor girl was sure that fighting a group of wizards was not going to solve her ailments. But after seeing the deflated look on Natsu’s face and Happy’s relentless taunting about her being too lazy, she decided to tag along. What’s the worst that could happen? She’d have been lying if she said she wasn’t excited about going on a mission with just Natsu and Happy, like old times.

But she couldn’t shake the uneasiness she had felt in her stomach, was this her being irresponsible? Should she be going on such a mission in her state? Probably not, but she also didn’t want to pass up on some quality alone time with her partner – and Happy of course!

It had been a recent development, but, Lucy had finally come to accept the change in her and Natsu’s relationship. They had made massive steps and finally crossed the line from friends to something more. Not that there had ever been a moment where she or Natsu had confessed their love for one another, because they hadn’t. They hadn’t even spoken about it between themselves, it simply happened.

The pair had always been close, but now they had become even closer, intimate even. She had noticed that Natsu had been unwilling to leave her side, whether that be out on missions, at the guild or even in her own apartment. He had become so overprotective and wanted to be with her even more than before.

He didn’t make a point of it in front of others, but he would make sure she knew of his presence, through subtle touches or hand holding. Even how he spoke to her had changed, the way he said her name gave her goose bumps all over her skin. Oh, and that smile. That mesmerising grin, the one that would slowly turn into a knowing smirk every time he caught her staring at him.

And yet, she couldn’t find herself to be angry at the constant bombardment, she relished in it. He had matured, there was no doubt about that. She was so grateful to have him in her life and that’s why she couldn’t find it in herself to truly refuse an offer of just the three of them on a mission.

Not long after arriving at the little village that had posted the mission, Natsu, Lucy and Happy had been ambushed by a group of mages whilst searching for an Inn to stay at. Lucy had recognised them from the job advert they had just accepted. It seemed like a simple job, stop some delinquent mages from terrorising the locals. They had been on countless missions that involved such a menial request. Usually chosen by Natsu to test his strength, however, they never lived up to much. Against the dragon slayer, none of them ever stood a chance.

There were three of them, they had come out of nowhere. Natsu and Lucy had agreed to split up and take on one each, while Happy stayed out of the way, then reconvene when done, and take down the strongest looking one together.

Natsu had managed to defeat one of the mages by himself, without even breaking a sweat. With slight disappointment of how easy the mage had gone down and his typical cockiness brimming out of him, they agreed to change up the plan. Natsu was eager to take down the strongest looking one of the remaining two, dying for a decent fight. Lucy had looked warily at Natsu, unsure of his decision. But to put her at ease, in true Natsu style, he’d given her the biggest shit-eating grin and Lucy decided not to argue. She simply rolled her eyes and chuckled at his playfulness. They split up, ready to end this quickly, get paid and relax for a little while.

Now, on the battlefield, with barely any energy to hold herself up, she was starting to rethink her decision. Maybe she should have waited a few days until she had felt better, more normal. She sighed, really though, who was she kidding? Lucy knew that it was unlikely that she would be feeling better any time soon and if Natsu had found out what was going on, who knows how he would have reacted.

Oh god, if Natsu had found out… If only she hadn’t been such a coward.

But it was too late to dwell on such things now. Here she was, wounded, desperate and in need of rescuing. Pride thoroughly shattered, and yet, she just couldn’t bring herself to care. She just hoped that Natsu was alright, that maybe he would be able to smell her despair? If that were possible…

The opposing mage had made his way over to the fearful spirit wielder and stood before her. He was clad in a black cloak that covered the clothes he wore underneath. It was worn and tattered from the fighting, but still managed to make him look intimidating.

As Lucy looked up at him, grimacing from the sharp pain she felt from moving. She was stunned into silence when looking upon his face. Pure hatred was swirling menacingly in his eyes. He was going to kill. The blonde suddenly felt herself tremble uncontrollably under his gaze. She didn’t want to die, she still had so much she wanted to do, so much to live for.

Her mind drifted back to Natsu. She desperately wished she had been more honest with him, had told him why she had been feeling so awful recently, why she declined his job offer in the first place. The dragon slayer had thought initially it was because she didn’t want to go with him, that he had done something to upset her, but that was so far from the truth.

His distraught face when she turned him down kept plaguing her mind. She felt ashamed of herself for being too scared of the repercussions to tell him the reality of the situation, too worried to face up to the fear of him not accepting what would be a life changing event for the both of them. And now, there was a chance she would never see him again. He had a right to know the truth, it involved him as much as it did her, it was a part of him too.

The dark mage lifted his fist and concentrated his magic into it and snarled at her, “You’ll pay for ever trying to challenge me! Your friend would have put up a better fight than whatever pathetic excuse of wizard you are!” and aimed it towards her head.

Lucy could feel the tears spilling down her aching cheeks, her body quaked in fear, panic settled in her chest and she did the only thing she could. At the top of her breathless lungs, she cried, “NATSU!” for as long as her dry, raw throat would allow. Closing her eyes to shield them from the blinding light of the magic beam that would soon connect with her head. She heard a thunderous bang and then nothing. Complete silence.

After what seemed an age, she grudgingly opened her eyes, she could barely see. Her head was throbbing, hardly able to think. Her body felt foreign, like it didn’t belong to her and her ears were whistling. As she tried to focus on what was in front of her she noticed the mage she was fighting was nowhere to be seen.

She could make out a dark figure kneeling beside her, but she was struggling to concentrate. Lucy opened and closed her eyes to try and clear them, she squinted until she recognised that the dark figure had pink spiky hair and pure relief washed over her.

She couldn’t quite make out what he was saying, but she could hear his voice, she could see the outline of his mouth moving. “Lucy? Lucy, please can you hear me? I need you to wake up. Come on Luce, answer me!” He sounded frantic, had something gone wrong? Where was the other mage? Had something happened to Natsu? And with that worrying thought Lucy jolted her herself upright; rippling pain oozed through her very being.

With a loud groan from her lips, she turned her head slightly towards Natsu. He had such a panicked expression on his face. His hair had fallen into his eyes, but still wild as ever, his clothes were torn, and his exposed skin was also covered in small cuts and bruises. Although not nearly as much as her, it looked like he’d had a hard time too.

“Natsu…? What happened? I don’t remember you being here” She whispered, observing his facial expression. Natsu, with a look of relief, tilted his head curiously at her question, as if the answer was obvious, “I heard you scream. I had just managed to take down the guy I was fighting, so I followed my nose to find you.” He paused to take a breath and look around him to make sure they were alone, remaining on guard, “I saw that bastard about to strike you so I ran as fast as I could to get you out of the way.” With a slight smirk, he continued, “I managed to negate his attack, but it caused a massive explosion and destroyed everything around us. I held on to you, but we all went flying and ended up crashing into some nearby trees.” His face turned into a scowl, “Who knows where that asshole ended up?” He almost spat the last sentence. Lucy felt herself relax a little, thank god it’s over!

“You look pretty beat up Luce, can you move?” Natsu asked. As Lucy attempted to move her body froze, not because of how stiff she was, but right there, behind where Natsu was kneeling, she saw a blinding white light heading straight for them.

Without hesitation, she shoved Natsu out of the way, not giving him time to react before the light struck her straight in the stomach. It lifted her off the ground with tremendous force, and threw her back against some rubble from the earlier explosion. As her body connected with the rocks, she gave out an ear-piercing cry and clenched her stomach with her hands, stooped over slightly and panting, the air had been knocked right out of her. It was unbearable, her head wouldn’t stop spinning. She felt so nauseous, mind unable to concentrate on anything but the sheer agony pulsating through her body.

Natsu saw the entire thing unfold before him as he was forced to the ground. He saw the beam of light strike Lucy and just like that time with future Rogue, he was too slow to stop it. Shock turned to anger as it boiled beneath his skin. He snapped his head towards the now injured mage. The fire breather could only see red as he used his ‘Fire Dragon Roar’ to finally put an end to that piece of shit. He watched as the guy shouted out when the burning hot flames licked at his skin before falling to the floor. With the anger still bubbling, Natsu couldn’t bring himself to care whether the man had survived the attack or not, Lucy needed him. He could hear her strained sobs in the distance, and so he turned and bolted straight for her.

He caught sight of her distressed body and fell to his knees, eyes wide and mouth agape, he reached out for her, “Luce! Please talk to me, Lucy?” He was frantic, anguish evident in his voice, unsure of how to help her, but knew he had to do something.

She didn’t respond, her body unable. She retched, crying out as her insides felt like they were going to explode from the motion of leaning forwards. She dragged her legs up to her chest to try and ease the intense cramps coming from her lower stomach. Her desperate attempt was in vain, it hadn’t helped in the slightest.

Natsu held her in his arms and stroked her head and cheeks with his warm hands, trying to calm her, to comfort her in some way. Not knowing what else to do, he whispered reassuring words into her ear, telling her that she was going to be okay, that he was going to stay with her until the pain subsided and they could leave. He tried his best to remain calm for her sake, but on the inside, it felt like a volcano was about to erupt. Where was Wendy when you needed her?

Happy appeared out of nowhere and gasped at what he saw. Natsu turned and saw his little blue Exceed hovering in the air. In all the commotion, Natsu had forgotten that Happy had been hiding, too occupied with Lucy, it had all become a bit blurry.

Happy came over and sat beside Natsu, “Lucy, are you okay? I’ve been looking everywhere for you guys.” He started, voice quivering and full of worry, he put his paw on her thigh and looked up at his friend’s face, “Why is she in so much pain Natsu?” Natsu looked back at Lucy, who’s breathing had become heavy and laboured and her face was now covered in sweat. “She was struck by the mage she was fighting trying to protect me.” He said gravely, feeling that this had been his fault.

Lucy, without warning, let out another ear-splitting cry and started shuddering violently in Natsu’s arms. What the hell was going on? “Lucy, what’s wrong? Is it your stomach? Is that what’s hurting you?” He asked, frustrated with himself for being so useless. He did a quick scan of her body, trying to see if he could find the cause of her distress.

That’s when he saw it…blood. Blood everywhere pooling in between her legs. What the? Where had that come from? Shocked at what he was witnessing, but knew there was only one way to find out what was happening.

He sat her up gently against the rubble, “Hang on Luce. Happy sit with her, I need to check something.” He stated calmly, whilst moving himself down so he was facing her directly, her shaky, blood stained legs in front of him. His heart had started beating in his ears, anxious to what he might find. Blowing out a puff of smoke to try and steady himself, he slowly pulled up her skirt and ever so softly, opened her legs wide so that he could get a good look, gauging her reaction the entire time as not to hurt her further. She would have freaked in any other situation, but now was the time for maturity and this, he felt, was the only way he could know where the blood was coming from.

When he noticed her blood soaked under wear, he felt the air leave his lungs with such vigour, he almost fell backwards. “Oh, Lucy…” Was all he could muster as he tried to piece things together. She had said she hadn’t been feeling well recently, did that have something to do with this?

There were only a few conclusions he could come to as to why there was so much blood coming from that area. He looked at Happy, who had been trying to comfort Lucy by stroking her arms, and then back up at Lucy’s face, which was still covered in thick sweat and her bangs were sticking to her forehead. He did notice, however, that her breathing had calmed a little since the bleeding had slowed, and she had started to open her eyes.

When Lucy mustered the courage to finally look down at her legs and caught sight of the state she was in, her only reaction was to look straight into Natsu’s eyes and shriek in agony. Although this time it wasn’t just from the physical pain wracking her body, no, this was so much worse. This felt like her heart had been torn from her chest and shattered into millions of pieces. Happy stood back out of the way, unsure, as he watched Natsu quickly dart back up to her to hold her tight against him.

“Natsu…” She finally managed to wrangle out. “I’m so sorry” Her face was so red and blotchy and her voice hoarse, she just couldn’t stop sobbing. Natsu looked at her confused, what was she sorry about?

“It’s alright Luce, you don’t need to apologise for anything, but I do need you to explain what’s going on?” Amazed with how calm he sounded, even though he felt like he was about to burst. “I should have told you before, but I didn’t know how you would take it. I was in such shock myself; I just couldn’t believe it.” The beaten blonde wept. Now this caught him off guard, what could be so awful that he would react badly to it?

He had to know, with a reassuring nod and a small smile he stroked her head, silently encouraging her to carry on. “The baby Natsu, we were going to have a baby.” And that’s when the flood gates opened and didn’t stop, she grabbed hold of his jacket with both fists and wailed into it.

Everything suddenly stopped, with wide eyes he stared at her, breath caught in his throat. A baby? Lucy was carrying a baby. No…wait, that wasn’t right, she had said ‘we’. Lucy was carrying his baby. He couldn’t wrap his head around it; how did this happen? Obviously, he knew how it had happened, but why hadn’t she told him? He would never have asked her to come on a mission like this if he’d known. He would never have put her in such danger had he been aware that she was pregnant, with his child.

He realised that he had been silent for a bit too long and held Lucy close to his chest to try and comfort her. “Why didn’t you tell me Luce?” His voice breaking, barely able to get the words out, unsure if he really wanted to know the answer. She looked up from his jacket and deep into his worried eyes, “I-I was scared, afraid I’d have to go it alone.” Her words soft like a whisper but full of sadness and regret.

He put his forehead to hers and held her cheeks in his hands, he took a minute to collect his thoughts before responding, “Lucy, don’t ever think you would have had to do this on your own. I would have been there every step of the way; it takes two if I’m not mistaken. And that’s not just during the fun parts.” He smirked slightly, glad when he felt her nod against him with the beginnings of a smile on her swollen face, even if it was brief and full of hurt.

However, the situation suddenly dawned on him, he looked down at the blood puddled beneath her legs. Lucy was carrying his baby – past tense. He was currently staring at what could have been a brand-new life, a life that he and Lucy had created together during a night of passion and love. He pressed his free hand lightly onto her stomach and caressed it softly, their baby had been growing in there, safe and sound, not moments before.  

An innocent life that had been taken from them so prematurely. He had not known about it just minutes ago and now it felt like his whole world had crashed around him. Tears sprung to his eyes and he did the only thing he felt he could. He brought Lucy’s puffy face up to his and pressed his lips urgently against hers. He kissed her with such raw emotion. He was desperate to convey every single drop of grief into it and was glad when Lucy responded and kissed him back with just as much intensity. He wanted to show her that she wasn’t alone in this. They had both suffered a loss and that they would slowly but surely, as always, get through it together.

I know this was quite dark, but I hope you enjoyed reading it!

#Nalu #nalu fanfiction #nalu fanfic #fairy tail nalu #nalu baby #fairy tail fanfiction #fanfiction #natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #happy (fairy tail) #Natsu and Lucy

[shelbyshoe]

Fairies After Dark

Chapter 4

Natsu, a Horde vampire, desires nothing more than to find his father and leave his brother behind. Lucy, an immortal Valkyrie, just needs to get this Horde bounty off her head. Doesn’t help the assassin after her is a gorgeous vampire with cherry pink hair.

Rated: M (sexual content, violence, and harsh language)

Words: 10118

FF.net link here.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

NALU set in the Immortals After Dark universe by Kresley Cole. I highly recommend the book series. Check out the wiki for more information. Not required to understand the story, but recommended as the universe is fantastic. Hope you enjoy!

I'm trying to help you find our family! What was that in the basement about trusting me with your life? I want to help him help us!

-Lucy Heartfilia (AKA Lucy the Celestial Valkyrie)

I'm under the firm belief that I'm in charge of my own destiny.

-Natsu Dragneel (AKA Natsu the Salamander)

    “Okay, I may have deserved that.” Natsu’s hand pressed against his bleeding nose. Gray’s eyes were dark with rage. He had his hands around his waistband as if he wanted to remove his pants. If Natsu didn’t know that Gray stripped before a fight as an unconscious habit, the action would have appeared lewd. “Just keep your pants on, please.”

    “You deserve more than that, but I need you. You’ll live for now.”

    “How soft hearted of you,” Natsu said. Gray sneered and moved forward. The snow had piled up and made it hard to trudge through. The old pale castle stood proud surrounded by the vast white blanket.

    “What’s the deal with you and that blond Valkyrie?” Gray’s curiosity slipped in his tone.

    “I know you’re anxious to get your hands on me, Gray. But alas, I am loyal to one.” Natsu squashed down the nerves that rose at Lucy’s absence, but she was safe with the other Valkyrie. Gray paused in the snow.

    “You found your bride?” Gray threw the words at him like an accusation.

    “Don’t be jealous. I’m sure there’s a great woman or man out there for you too. Until then, why not snuggle up with that little witch you had your eyes on?” Natsu wiped the blood above his lips. Snuggling was all an un-blooded vampire could do anyway. Gray’s eyes widened at Natsu’s suggestion. Bullseye. He knew there was interest in the witch. He’d save that information for another time.

    “I hate you.” Gray continued forward and refused to speak to him until they reached the castle doors. The snow had piled in front of the large entry. Instead of knocking, Gray moved to the far side of the door to a black panel. He pressed a finger against a button and waited.

    “State your name and business,” a voice said from the speaker.

    “That’s some tech for such an old place. I’m sure it was a bitch to install electricity,” Natsu said. Gray narrowed his eyes at Natsu.

    “This is General Fullbuster. I need to speak to Master Fernandes,” Gray said into the com.

    “Master? Wow,” Natsu mouthed.

    “Who is with you?” the voice asked.

    “A recruit,” Gray said. Natsu followed his gaze up to a camera above the panel. He waved at it and posed for the gatekeeper— to Gray’s dismay. A loud click came from the door in reply. Gray pushed past him and entered the front room lit with electric wall fixtures. Natsu whistled low at the grandeur of the interior. The Forebearer castle just as ancient and boring as the Horde’s dark fortress.

    “Does Jellal own all this? Rich man. We could make a financial agreement for information. How about that for a plan?”  Natsu nudged Gray with his shoulder. “Take the money and run am I right?”

    “At least show a little respect. Aren’t you afraid since you’re in the castle of your enemy?” Gray asked.

    “The Forebearers aren’t my enemy. That’s all the Horde’s business,” Natsu said.

    “You have no sense of loyalty.” Gray led Natsu up the grand staircase, because of course there was one of those, and to an ornate door. He knocked lightly on the filigree that swirled across the wood surface.

    “Come in,” a man’s voice called from inside. The room was a spacious study. Books lined the walls that came to a point at a grandiose wooden desk. Bears and wolves carved into the rich brown oak. A man stood behind it wearing a white jacket like the one Gray discarded in the snow. His back turned to them and he stared down a tall window that overlooked the grounds.

    “We shouldn’t punch our guests, Gray.” His dark blue hair stuck out at different angles. When he turned, Natsu noticed a crimson tattoo stretched down his cheek. Muscles in Gray’s jaw contracted, but he only nodded to his commander.

    “Wow, you give me snide comebacks all the time. As soon as master chews you out, you’re silent?” Natsu said.

    “Welcome, Natsu Dragneel.” The man regarded them with a smile. There was power behind that cool voice— a similar sense of power he’d felt when speaking to Zeref. “I’m Jellal Fernandes. What brings you here?”

    “Tell him.” Gray gestured toward Jellal with impatience.

    “Long story short, I need to find a Valkyrie named Mavis the Fairy Tactician.” Natsu flopped into one of the many leather armchairs. His body bounced on the plush cushion. Jellal’s gaze trailed Natsu. If the name was any significance to him, he didn’t show it on his face. The man was a true diplomat.

    “Why does a Horde vampire want to know where a Valkyrie is?” Jellal sat at the desk and leaned back into his own leather chair. His eyes pierced through Natsu. How much did he feel like revealing? Gray stood like a statue with his arms crossed. Natsu was on his own. The first time he’d felt intimidated in enemy territory.

    “The Valkyrie sent me and Gray here to ask you that question. They suspect the Black Wizard has her.” Natsu picked at some chipped gold paint on the armrest. When Jellal regarded Gray, he nodded in confirmation.

    “Wouldn’t you know better than any of us? He is your brother.” Jellal didn’t sound accusing, in fact, he sat back in his chair with his elbow upon the armrest and cheek resting in his palm. His demeanor was as calm as it was when they first entered the study. Natsu suspected it was all for show.

    “Zeref and I aren’t exactly close.”

    “In that case, I think we can help each other.”

    “My thoughts exactly.” Natsu leaned forward in the chair.

    “You’re not seriously going to help him,” Gray said. Jellal shot him a sharp look.

    “I happen to know that we have a common enemy. I’m willing to work with the enemy of my enemy.”

    “You were in the last Accession war,” Natsu said.

    “I was.”

    “You must know what happened to the Valkyrie.”

    “You can’t just ask for information without coming to some deal!” Gray’s entire body rippled with tension and eyes darkened. His composure, that he worked so hard to keep up, fell apart in front of them.

    “Leave us, Gray.” Jellal’s voice was a silky threat.

    “I can’t leave you with—”

    “That will be all, Fullbuster.” Jellal pointed to the door. Gray clenched his fists at his sides and traced from the room. “I met her on the battlefield, but we didn’t fight. What the Fairy Tactician lacked in fighting ability she made up for in intelligence.”

    “Did you kill her?”

    “No, Zeref took her.” And there was the truth that he already knew.

    “What happened, Jellal?” Natsu asked. Jellal raised a brow.

    “Few people address me by my first name.”

    “What happened?” Natsu’s body went still. He had no time for word circles and pleasantries. He was no politician.

    “I was in the middle of destroying Horde vampires and a few of their demon allies. The Black Wizard traced to the Valkyrie’s camp there. We Forebearers weren’t exactly allies with the Valkyrie, but we weren’t enemies either. Made sure to steer clear.”

    “Did he kill her?”

    “You believe a mere vampire could kill a Valkyrie so easily? Even Zeref would have had a time with the task. No, I believe he took her with him. They argued on the battlefield. He overpowered her and took her under his arm. Never saw her again.”

    “What would they have to argue about?” None of it made sense to Natsu. If Zeref wanted to kill his enemy, he would have. Why go through the trouble to abduct her, and then never say anything to anyone about it? Something was off.

    “You ask the same questions I have. I can’t allow Zeref to have what he wants. As his brother, you know better than I do that the Horde king wants to see the world burn.” That’s where Natsu disagreed with him. Zeref appeared a vampire on a mission, a mission that was slowly eating away at him, physically and mentally. He felt purpose, not a blind animalistic need to kill. “I have told you all I know about the Fairy Tactician. I hope it is some help to the Valkyrie. Now, it is my turn to ask questions.” Jellal lay his hands flat on the desktop. His eyes bore into him like blades. This was what the Forebearer leader wanted— an audience with him. “Why stay with the Horde if you have no allegiances to them?���

    “Gray didn’t fill you in?”

    “He says you’re a fool.”

    “What do you think?”

    “I think you have more intelligence than you allow others to see. I think you have some greater plan.”

    “I’ll always take a compliment, but I have to admit I don’t have an agenda.” Natsu stretched in the chair and pulled his legs over one armrest. “We don’t have to straddle the fence here, Jellal. You’ve had Gray hound me for years. You want me in your ranks.”

    “The Accession is upon us. These are dangerous times, Salamander. We must all pick sides in the end. Why stand by the side of someone, who will fall, who you have no allegiance to?”

    “We all know the Forebearers are weak without a full-blooded vampire in their ranks. That’s the only reason you want me. Are you suggesting I show allegiance to you?”

    “Allegiance to the cause, the collective, not just me. We want you because I believe you’re stronger than Zeref.” His words hung in the air like a thick fog. Natsu sat straight in his armchair. Jellal’s gaze remained unwavering.

    “What makes you think that?” Natsu asked. Jellal’s words, not something he expected to hear, nor did he agree.

    “You have empathy for others, even if you’d like Gray to believe otherwise.” Jellal pointed to his own frozen heart. “I also happen to know you’ve been blooded, and it adds to your strength.” Natsu’s blood ran cold in his rejuvenated veins. Every blooded vampire had one weakness, and Jellal knew his. Would he use that to his advantage? Take what was Natsu’s to ensure his loyalty?

    “Are you threatening me?” When he and Gray had entered the study, he’d discovered two exits counting the secret one behind one of the bookshelves. He scented the dusty air from the next room. He could tear out Jellal’s heart and jump out the fucking window if he had to. No one would lay a hand on him or his bride. If he died here, she’d be in danger. That outcome was unacceptable.

    “So, it’s true what they say about blooded vampires. I can feel your power from here, but don’t fear. I don’t plan on hurting you or your new bride.” Jellal held his hands up in front of him. “In fact, you’d both be an asset.”

    “If I don’t want a part of your forbearing, then you’d do what? Leave me be?” The possible threat he was under made it hard to concentrate on anything but cutting Jellal’s throat out. He was sure his eyes were as dark as Gray’s were upon leaving the room.

    “All I ask is that we help each other to stop Zeref from getting whatever it is he’s looking for. I’m not threatening you, Natsu.”

    “You know he’s looking for something?” Natsu had barely figured it out himself, and he was around Zeref a considerable amount compared to the Forebearers.

    “I have friends in low places to keep an eye on him. So, what will it be?” Jellal sat with his hands clasped on the desktop. Taking advantage of expedient situations was what Jellal was all about. Not a bad way to live.

    “On two conditions. My bride and I have full protection from the Forebearers, and you tell me everything you know about that lead on Igneel’s whereabouts.”

    “Now we’re negotiating.” Jellal grinned and stood to walk around his desk. Natsu stood as well, ready to take him on if necessary. “It’s a deal.”

    “What?” Having everything fall into his lap so easily was not how Natsu expected this conversation to go. Had he missed something?

    “If you work with us, you will have your protection and information.”

    “I will have the freedom to come and go, to make my own decisions, and you’ll tell me about Igneel? All that just for helping you with whatever it is Zeref is planning?”

    “Correct.”

    “Swear on it,” Natsu said. Jellal raised a brow but nodded. Swearing to the Lore was the only true way to keep your promises. Whoever breaks a vow to the Lore, is at the mercy of the merciless gods. Some die a brutal death. Others found their fates toyed with, touched by deities. He’d heard whispers of curses and plague. Whatever happened when one broke a vow to the Lore, it wasn’t good, and everyone knew it.

    “I swear to the Lore that the Forebearers will protect you and your bride, and we will divulge all that we know about Igneel, so long as you aid us in finding what Zeref is looking for.” Jellal’s voice firm in his vow.

    “Are you not powerful enough to find what Zeref wants yourself?”

    “You’re just asking that now?” Jellal said. “Gray, you can come in. I know you’ve been listening at the door.” The door to the study pushed open. Gray stood before Jellal and ignored Natsu’s presence.

    “Don’t be sad, Gray. Now we’ll be able to spend more time together.” Natsu patted him on the back and felt his muscles bunch beneath his touch.

    “We are done here. I hope to see you soon, Natsu.” Jellal bowed and traced from the room. Gray grabbed the front of Natsu’s shirt roughly and traced them away.

♥♥♥

    “Go away, Cana.” The last woman in the world Lucy wanted a discussion with knocked at the door to Levy’s abandoned room. One of the witches had conjured it to look like a guest room. The walls were a dusty gray, the furniture was light wood, and the bedspread and adornments throughout the room were a trendy Himalayan pink. The room aesthetically unlike any other part of the house. After going through Levy’s dungeon, she guessed there would be no rooms alike after the witch got her hands on them. She lay on the bed with her hair fanned out beneath her. One of her arms draped over her face, which muffled her voice.

    “I have no idea what you just said.” Cana closed the door behind her and sat at the chair to a dainty vanity. “Wow, this room looks different.”

    “What do you want?” Now that Cana let herself into the room, there was no removing her.

    “You’re really hard on the poor vampire.” There was a clatter of perfumes falling over on the vanity surface. Lucy sat up and leaned on her elbows.

    “The poor vampire? Do you hear yourself?” Cana didn’t even attempt to right the little glass bottles and opened the drawer to fiddle with the makeup inside.

    “He’s not so bad. Different than those other vampires we’ve seen. Isn’t raving mad with bloodlust and such.” This conversation was the most lucid Lucy had ever heard from Cana.

    “Do you like him or something?” Lucy couldn’t stop the feelings that bubbled at the pit of her stomach. The image of Cana’s hands all over him invaded like a virus. She squashed the reaction down and attempted a passive attitude about anything to do with Natsu.

    “And what if I did?” Cana grinned and locked eyes with Lucy.

    “Then you can have him.” Even to her own ears, her voice sounded uncertain of that. Cana laughed and uncapped a tube of lipstick. The dark bullet twisted to the top in a lethal deep red. She leaned against the vanity to look closer into the mirror and applied the shade. The color matched her skin tone perfectly. Her long wavy brown hair brushed against the surface of the vanity. At that moment, Cana was a painting from the renaissance. Was this the type of woman Natsu liked? Now, the sickening jealously simmered at the surface. Cana flashed her a knowing look through the mirror and tilted it so that Lucy could see her own face. Her once warm gaze was a turbulent swirling silver.

    “I don’t think you believe that.” Cana stood from the vanity, kept the mirror facing Lucy, and chucked the closed tube of lipstick into her pocket. A new lipstick appeared where Cana had taken the other. “And no, Lucy, I don’t. He’s all yours.” She left the room with the door closed behind her. Lucy couldn’t take her eyes off herself. She really did care for the damn vampire. How, in such a brief time, had she formed any kind of attachment to him? Was fate forcing her hand? She knew her body responded to him. He was highly attractive and anything but boring. One thing she knew, she didn’t love him. Their relationship never passed physical. Lucy left the room and entered Levy’s library. Was she hiding away from the mirror? She sat at Levy’s plush armchair and opened a book that had draped across the armrest. Diverting her thoughts with its pages didn’t have the effect she searched for, but it did occupy her time.

    The once stillness of the coven house burst into a chaotic sound that flowed up from downstairs. Erza’s was the loudest voice. The vampires had returned, and Cana’s words replayed in her head. Lucy slumped in the chair and stared aimlessly at the ceiling. Her heart slowed in her chest from the peak of envy that Cana elicited from her. She couldn’t show her face when she looked as crazy as she did in that mirror. Damn you, Cana. She stood anyway and placed the book where she had found it. Her feet took her down the stairs toward the noise.

    “What do you mean he wants to help us?” Erza had her hands in fists against her shapely hips. Both men stood in the summoning circle. Gray appeared just as peeved as Erza and wore his ever-present scowl. Natsu had fingers pressed against the bridge of his nose.

    “I thought you’d be happy to have more support,” Natsu said. Their aggression made their voices rise.

    “Can we not yell? The energy in here is going to make me nauseous.” Lucy stood at the end of the stairs leaning against the newel. Natsu’s hand dropped as soon as he heard her voice. This time, she didn’t attempt to shut out her heart jumping at his attention. There was a streak of blood wiped from his upper lip, his hair dripped against his shoulder, and snow melted against his wet boots. He was a mess yet remained as gorgeous as the first time she had seen him.

    “I can’t just believe him,” Erza said.

    “Are you calling him a liar?” Gray asked.

    “Aw I didn’t know you trusted me, Gray,” Natsu said.

    “I didn’t mean you, asshole. I meant Jellal.” The grin on Natsu’s face suggested he already knew.

    “I need confirmation from Zeref himself.” The room stilled at Erza’s words.

    “No.” Natsu shook off the rest of the snow, which flung on Gray, who protested. A slow hiss of steam came off his unnaturally heated skin.

    “Excuse me?” Erza said.

    “You want me to risk Zeref knowing about Lucy.” Natsu ran his fingers through his hair to fluff it up. “I can’t do that.”

    “How else are you supposed to find out if Jellal is telling the truth?” Erza asked.

    “Jellal isn’t a liar,” Gray said.

    “I actually agree with icicle butt.” Natsu pointed his thumb in Gray’s direction. “And I hate agreeing with him.”

    “What makes you so sure?” Lucy asked.

    “The Forebearers have wanted me on their side since I joined the Horde,” Natsu said.

    “There would be a better balance of power,” Erza agreed. She had a finger pressed against her lips in thought. “That doesn’t change that you need to speak to Zeref to find out what he has done with her.”

    “What makes you think the Forebearers are so weak that we need him?” Gray asked. His temper appearing to rise with each comment.

    “Forebearers are nothing but mortals playing with immortality.” Erza’s eyes flashed wicked silver. Gray stepped toward Erza with malice in his gaze and a hand at his waistband.

    “What would you know about—” Gray began.

    “If I have to go to Zeref, at least let me go alone.” Natsu’s eyes were firmly on Lucy as if asking for her permission to risk his life against the Horde king.

    “There is no way I can trust you to go alone.” Erza manifested a dagger, her eyes challenging Gray. Lucy tried to see things from Natsu’s point of view. Arguing would interfere in gaining a single thing from this conversation. He knew it. If he went alone, he could avoid bringing Lucy up. He could ask his questions and return with information as he did with the Forebearer leader. Zeref wouldn’t question him alone but accompanied by a Forebearer or Valkyrie would peak his suspicion. She knew his resolve as soon as she met his gaze, yet she felt uncertain with herself. As repulsed as she was by the idea that this vampire wanted to protect her, she still felt the pang in her heart over his prodigious concern.

    “I’m not going with him,” Gray protested, “Unlike the Forebearers, who see reason, the Horde wouldn’t hesitate to kill me on sight. Animals.”

    “Just say yes and I’ll be gone.” Natsu remained where he was with eyes on her. He ignored the other comments. The only person in this room who could tell him what to do was Lucy. He gave her this power. The control she felt she had lost down in the dungeons came rushing back. He said he’d prove to her he was different. So far, she could say he kept that promise. He returned with information from Jellal, as he said he would, and continued to help the Valkyrie look for Mavis—for nothing but her hand.

    “Go then and don’t die,” she said. The grin he gave her could light up a city. He saluted the rest of the room and traced out of existence. Everyone stood silenced.

    “Well, that was entertaining,” Cana said from the couch.

♥♥♥

    Natsu stood in the darkened study of the Horde castle. The fireplace no longer lit, and the chairs moved from the hearth. The door stood ajar to the long dark hallway. The old-world embellishments lined the hall as much as the study room. Paintings of monsters framed in gold. Bust statues of Horde throughout time. The only sounds in the castle halls were the windows, which took a beating from the harsh wind outside. Where was everybody? Not even a servant rushed down the desolate halls. No lamps lit the space. He relied on his keen vision in the dark, a useful vampire trait. He trotted down the grand staircase as silent and cold as the rest of the rooms. There was a sound from the door beneath the stairs. The same door that made its way to the massive catacombs that winded beneath the castle. When Natsu lived here, he avoided these lower rooms as much as possible. A layer of magic surrounded them and set his nerves on edge. He much preferred the higher places as it was. He was happy to be here alone. Gray would have traced out immediately, and he hoped Lucy never had to see this part of his life. The pure-blood vampires did not share his taste of life and color. He was out to prove to her that he was different from them.

    The lower he went down the stairs to the catacombs, the colder the air became. The floors here were a matted layer of dust except the path made by recent shoes. He shivered. The hall widened out to more crumbling stone. The dark cast eerie shadows against the walls. Natsu almost tripped over some debris that had come loose from the ancient ceiling. He passed empty alcoves carved out of the stone walls that once held tombs. The witch would love it here. The whole place reminded Natsu of the dungeons below the coven house. He heard a faint dripping from farther down the tunnels. The shuffling of feet followed, but he couldn’t tell from where the sound came from. Natsu turned to see if someone followed him down, but he sensed no one else with him. They said the dead walked the Horde catacombs, enemies, and allies, but Natsu never believed these stories. A muffled voice arose from down a tunnel at his right. He couldn’t make out what they said, but a small voice replied. He followed the sound and came to a door with soft light emanating from where the door lifted off the ground. The entrance opened a crack and a small face peered out at him. The girl was short with long vibrant blue hair. Her large eyes studied him from the room.

    “Let him in.” Zeref’s voice was weaker than Natsu remembered. The door opened wider to allow Natsu in and revealed a small room lit by a torch on the wall. The girl sat at a round wooden table where Zeref sat. The warm light lit her face and cast sinister shadows across her delicate features.

    “Are we summoning the devil in here?” Natsu asked, “Maybe turn on a light?” Zeref glared at him but didn’t remark.

    “Continue.” Zeref swept his hand over her pile of sticks, stones, and bones scattered across the aged wooden surface. As much as the environment, the creepy girl, and Zeref’s ever crumbling composure put Natsu on edge, it was the deep sigh that passed through Zeref’s lips that chilled him the most.

    “You’re blooded,” Natsu said. How long had he been so? Who blooded him? His eyes snapped to the girl in front of him. Too young.

    “You finally noticed. Sit down please, Natsu.” Natsu followed his orders, as he felt too disturbed to argue. From his angle, the shadows made out Zeref’s sallow cheeks and dark rimmed eyes. Was he still wearing the same clothes as yesterday?

    “Don’t look at me like that.” Zeref hadn’t turned his head. He leaned into the palm of his hand with his elbow propped up on the table. The exhaustion settled into his features and creases in his wrinkled clothes. Natsu glanced at the girl who gazed at her pile of bones. “This is Wendy the Wind Seer, my oracle.” She gazed in Natsu’s direction, but her mind was far away. She didn’t reply right away. In the silence, Natsu heard the dripping water again.

    “We’ve met before.” Wendy’s voice was light and feminine. Her frame was small in the wooden chair she sat in. How old was she?

    “I highly doubt that. No offense, but I would have remembered you.” Natsu pushed his chair back and kicked his feet up on the table. Zeref shot him another glare. “What’s going on, Zeref? Where is everyone and why are we in the catacombs?” Wendy picked up the items from the table and threw them back down, so they rolled and rattled across the wood.

    “I thought you would have already figured it out by now.” Zeref lifted one of the bones that had rolled next to his hand.

    “All I know is that you’re looking for something.” Natsu laid his hands against his chest as he leaned back in his chair. Zeref’s hair had grown so long that when a dark strand fell into his eyes, he tucked it behind his ear. He observed him for a minute and eyed Wendy.

    “I still can’t see you with my sight, Natsu,” she said.

    “What does that even mean?” Natsu asked.

    “Could mean many things.” Wendy pointed to two stones that had landed next to each other. “Your destiny is changing too rapidly to track, or you will die by mystical circumstances that block my sight.”

    “Probably the former. I’m under the firm belief that I’m in charge of my destiny.” Natsu rocked back in the chair so that it balanced on its two back legs.

    “I’m thinking it’s the latter,” Zeref said. His eyes wearily took in the objects on the table.

    “Glass half empty much?” Natsu retorted.

    “Why are you here, Natsu?” Zeref asked. Natsu observed as Wendy did another toss of her stones. Each one carved and painted with runes. The same pair as last time came together in front of them.

    “Interesting,” Wendy said.

    “Let’s get to the point. Where is Mavis the Fairy Tactician?” Natsu kept his posture casual, but his muscles tensed.

    “I told you that you’d figure it out.” If Zeref felt bothered by this question, he didn’t allow it to show. “She’s in Dacia.” The chair creaked when its legs met the ground again. Natsu glanced between the two of them and laughed. What a joke. Dacia was a fairy tale told to young vampires as bedtime stories. A land ever moving and shrouded in mist. Dacian vampires lived there in peace. No wars reached its walls and no sun cast through the misty clouds during the day. A vampire paradise. The tales spoke of a mystical castle and fountains that ran red with blood. Zeref might as well have told Natsu that Mavis was in Narnia.

    “That’s funny. But really, where is she?” Natsu didn’t miss the way Zeref’s jaw tensed and his hands gripped into fists.

    “You think I would joke about where my bride is?” Zeref glared at Natsu with eyes glowing red.

    “Your what?”

    “Mavis is my bride.” He appeared irritated talking about this. “Dacia, as you know, is constantly moving. Once you enter its barrier, you can’t leave without the cloak of mist. If one were to escape from its city walls, an assassin would dispatch. Because no one is to know the true location of the kingdom, all must die if they leave.”

    “Huh, so you are serious.” Natsu had to believe so since Zeref didn’t show discomfort from a lie. His mouth would burn as if the sun had scorched his skin. Yet, the only discomfort appeared in his impatience with the conversation.

    “Sometimes, Natsu, I wonder how we are related at all.”

    “Same actually.” Hearing Zeref this frazzled and speaking so frankly to Natsu put him on edge. Had he fallen into a bizarre dimension where he and Zeref could be this casual around each other?

    “I had originally sent the Minstrel out to search for a lead, but you already know how that ended,” Zeref said. His words explained what Gajeel knew. Natsu held back the question at the tip of his tongue. What did Zeref think to find out from Ultear the Queen of Time? If he brought her up, Zeref would know he was looking into him behind his back. Natsu would keep some information to himself. For Lucy’s safety.

    “So, what does the oracle have to do with it?” he asked instead.

    “My name is Wendy, not oracle, and I’m sitting right here.”

    “Tomato, potato, doesn’t matter as long as you answer to both.” Natsu shrugged and eyed the stones that came together again. “What’s going on there?” He pointed to them.

    “Another is linked to your destiny.” He regretted asking as soon as the words left her mouth. He feared to see Zeref’s reaction. Would he know he found his bride?

    “I need you to help me find her, Natsu.” Zeref eyed him like a jungle cat. A chill ran up Natsu’s spine. Was he not going to ask him?

    “Why would I?” Gods, was he going to ask him about Lucy?

    “Whoever has her is planning to use her for something that could destroy us all.”

    “Dacia is moving again,” Wendy said. Her eyes glowed as she stared down at one of the bones. Her head tilted to one side, eyeing it like prey. The dripping down the tunnels was louder in his ears. Or was that his heart? He hadn’t had enough time with it to tell the difference.

    “Where?” Zeref’s attention snapped to Wendy as if he revered her. Her words leading to his salvation, his bride. What would it be like so far away from his bride? What would he do if the Valkyrie did not protect Lucy? If someone had taken her from him? His blood seared at the thought. He took in Zeref’s posture again. He leaned into the table, both palms placed on the cracking wood, his claws digging into the grain. His eyes a crazed obsidian in the dim catacombs. He was losing his mind looking for her. For once since their first meeting, Natsu felt a pang of sympathy for his brother.

    “The image is fractured between dimensions,” Wendy said.

    “Which ones?” Zeref’s tone rose.

    “Gaia and—” She cut off her own words. Her mouth shut in a grim line. Natsu realized the glow in her eyes was a turbulent smoke that swirled within.

    “What dimension?” Zeref had come to his feet. The craze in his voice forced Natsu to still. Power emanated off him in waves.

    “Pandemonia.” Wendy trembled in her chair and didn’t raise her eyes to meet Zeref. His jaw clenched; a vein protruded from his skin. What little thread of his sanity he had held on to had snapped. He took the table in his grasp. Wood splintered and tore beneath his grip, and he flipped the table over with a roar. The objects the oracle had used to search for Mavis flew into the air and smashed to the ground. A few of the bones fractured against the ancient stone walls. He breathed heavily with hands at his temples. Natsu’s heart raced, but he worked to keep his breathing even enough that no one would notice that air left his lips.

    “Nice, brother, now we have to buy a new table.” Natsu slouched in his chair trying to appear calm. Zeref allowed his hands to fall to his sides.

    “These emotions are so tiresome.”

    “Look, you now have two leads to where she is. Just check both?” Natsu said. Zeref tilted his head back and closed his eyes. A long unsteady breath left his mouth.

    “Pandemonia is a hell dimension, Natsu.”

    “So?”

    “Hell dimensions move faster than Gaia. If done incorrectly, one could be torn to shreds trying to get there,” Wendy said. “None of us have been there before. It’s untraceable.”

    “We don’t have the time to look in both places anyway,” Zeref added.

    “Not to mention, leaving a hell dimension is harder than entering one,” Wendy continued. Zeref groaned.

    “Bummer. Well, I guess I’ll be going.” Natsu didn’t want to spend any more time here than he had to. He got all the information he needed, and as sorry as he felt for Zeref, his bride came first now. He stood and brushed off the wood shavings that had clung to his clothes.

    “Natsu.” Zeref’s eyes were a clear deep green and compelling. The green that confirmed their relation. The green of their family line, their blood bond. “Please.” The sound that came out of the man before him was pitiful. Zeref had never been this vulnerable in front of him.

    “Why is there no one in the castle?” Natsu hadn’t pushed for the answer before but it gnawed at him now.

    “The Dacians know I’m looking for her. They’ve been sending mist assassins. I couldn’t allow Horde deaths over this.” The raw truth struck Natsu.

    “Why do you care?”

    “I care.” Zeref held his hand clenched to his chest, his clothes creasing beneath his grasp. “I care so much it’s eating away at me.” His brows came together in what looked like pain. From a lie? No. He wasn’t lying. He was simply hurting. Natsu’s own fresh emotions rose to the forefront. After centuries of a desolate existence. No emotion. No pain. He’d been hollow before her. This was a gift, but now it was a curse. He pained for his brother, whether he wanted to or not. His heart gave him away. What had Jellal said? You have empathy for others. He thought this before Natsu’s blooding, and before he could feel. Really feel. It burned worse than the scorching pain of a lie on his tongue.

    “I’ll find her,” Natsu said. Zeref’s face softened in benevolence he’d never seen from his brother. “I can get to Pandemonia.”

    “How?”

    “I’ve walked dimensions before.” Is that your tagline? She’d asked him. Natsu the Dimension Walker. Just as he’d told her. Igneel posed it as a challenge, and Natsu always stepped up to challenges.

    “There’s no guarantee you’ll be able to get back, even if you wanted to.” He wasn’t wrong, but Natsu would find a way. The Valkyrie would do anything to get their sister back, and Zeref would do anything for his bride. They would find a way to get him out if they had to. What was he going to do if he did find Mavis there? Would he hand her over to her family, or the brother who would tear the world down for her? A problem for later.

    “I’ll find a way.” How much he missed Lucy hit him like a wall. “For now, I have to go.” Zeref nodded and eyed the crumbled table on the floor. Wendy sat with her legs pulled up in her chair. The king of the Horde held out a hand to her.

    “I apologize for my outburst.” Her eyes widened at his apology. The vampire before him, the vicious king who had committed so many atrocities, showed a kindness that surprised Natsu. He took that moment to turn to the door to leave the catacombs and trace back to Lucy. “Before I forget, have you found the Minstrel’s killer?” Zeref asked. Natsu’s hand hovered over the door.

    “I had someone look into it.” Natsu’s gaze remained on the exit. It wasn’t a lie. Gajeel was the one who discovered Lucy was the killer, not him. This answer satisfied Zeref.

    “For now, focus on Pandemonia. We will find the murderer in time. No one can kill one of our own and live.”

    “Whatever you say. Just one less thing for me to worry about.” Natsu worked to keep his voice steady. Zeref didn’t know who killed the Minstrel. For now, that was good enough.

    “Oh, and Natsu, tell your bride I wish her well.” His fingers shook against the doorknob. Of course, Zeref knew he had a bride. His heart quickened, too loud to have hidden, too full to have fooled his own brother. His emotions laid bare even before the Forebearer leader. He turned the knob and closed the door behind him. He prayed Zeref would never find out that his bride and the murderer was the same.

♥♥♥

    Lucy sat on the last step of the coven’s staircase with her legs pulled to her chest, and her forehead pressed against her knees. Erza hadn’t spoken to her since she’d ordered Natsu to go. She spent her time waiting for him to return on the porch. Cana merely patted her on the back and said she had to go. Lucy supposed that was her way of comforting her. Gray sat inside the summoning circle that he found he physically couldn’t leave. The room was silent with only the two of them.

    “You shouldn’t trust him,” Gray said. She turned her head, so she leaned on her cheek, sure there was a red mark on her forehead.

    “What makes you think I can trust you?” she asked. This vampire was the opposite of Natsu in every way. From his dark hair to his righteous attitude.

    “What reasons do I have to lie to you?”

    “You hate Natsu.”

    “What do you really know about him?”

    “I know he’s kept his word so far.”

    “Ah, but how long will that last? He’s never been known to stay anywhere. Always about no commitments and looking for his father.” His father? Was that who he was looking for? He’d said he was looking for someone important to him. Whatever reaction she had; Gray noticed. “Oh, he didn’t tell you about his father. Not surprised.”

    “What do you know?” Lucy sat up at attention. What did he know about Natsu? The image from the book of Lore flashed through her mind. Gray shrugged and glanced out the window to Erza’s back.

    “He wasn’t lying then,” she said. Gray raised a brow. “About the Forebearers wanting him on their side. You were using this information against him. That’s why you won’t tell me.”

    “He’d do anything for his father. He’d dump you in the nearest ditch if it meant he would see his father again.”

    “How do you even know—”

    “He told me he was looking for someone. I investigated it myself after he joined the Horde. His father abandoned him. Poor bastard. Looked for him like a lost puppy before I found him.”

    “He has no other family?”

    “Other than Zeref? No. I don’t blame him for not caring about the Black Wizard.” Gray spit into the fireplace at the sound of his tagline on his lips. His face scrunched in disgust. “Bastard is responsible for a lot of Forebearer deaths.”

    “Doesn’t Zeref care that their father is missing?” Lucy asked. Gray laughed darkly.

    “Igneel is not Natsu’s birth father. He adopted him.” Gray’s tone made it sound like Natsu’s adoption was a dirty secret, but Lucy didn’t feel that way. It was no different from her relationship with her own sisters. Other than the gods, they didn’t share the same mothers. Yet they still called each other family. Now she knew his father’s name was Igneel. The name sounded familiar to her, but she couldn’t place where she’d heard it before.

    “Well, he’s working for the Forebearer’s now. Aren’t you going to tell him what you know?”

    “He has to complete his end of the deal.”

    “What deal?” The door to the basement opened and shut. Levy couldn’t be alone as there were too many footsteps. Gray stood, his eyes turned a pitch-black, his fangs sharpened, and their conversation left forgotten.

    “What the fuck is he doing here?” Gray said. An edge to his voice that wasn’t there before.

    “He’s with Natsu. Chill, leech,” Levy said at the threshold between the living room and the stairs. Behind her was the vampire who traveled with Natsu.

    “Natsu would travel with another murderer.” Gray stood with hands pressed to the invisible barrier around the circle. “You’re lucky this barrier is here, witch.”

    “That a threat?” Gajeel said. Lucy couldn’t see his face from where she sat, but she could hear the anger in his voice. He was protecting Levy. What went on in the basement? Levy turned her gaze to Lucy. Her eyes lit with excitement. She left Gajeel where he stood and sat beside her.

    “You okay, Lu?” she asked. The cheerful note gave her away.

    “You were that thirsty, huh?” Lucy said. Levy laughed and took her hand in her smaller ones. She trailed the creases of her palm with her index finger absent-mindedly.

    “If you’re thinking of a specific murder, I probably won’t remember,” Gajeel said.

    “Lyon Vastia, you bastard. You killed a Forebearer!” Gray seethed in the circle, pacing as much as the space allowed. His hand gripping his pants. What was that about?

    “Name doesn’t ring a bell,” Gajeel said.

    “During the last Accession!”

    “Nope, still nothing.” Gajeel and Gray barked at each other loud enough to gather Erza’s attention. She marched into the living room in full armor.

    “Explain, witch!” Erza pointed her spear at Gajeel’s throat. Levy waved her hand in nonchalance.

    “He’s under my protection, Valkyrie. He won’t do anything, I promise,” Levy said. She did a double take to Lucy’s palm. Erza remained deathly still. The continued tension in the house wore Lucy down. She just wanted to go back to Val Hall and hide in her bed for a few days.

    “Lucy, when was the last time I read your palm?” Levy asked.

    “I don’t know. A year ago?”

    “Your lifeline forks and breaks here.” Levy lifted her other hand and stared down at it. Gajeel, as if feeling her absence came to stand behind her and leaned over to see Lucy’s palm too. “They both do.”

    “Levy, in plain words, please?” Lucy said.

    “Your destiny splits, changes, and in a horrible way.”

    “How is it different from the last time you read it?”

    “Anatomy doesn’t just change randomly, shrimp,” Gajeel said. He peered at Lucy’s hand with interest.

    “Is anyone listening to me?” Erza sounded as though a blood vessel was about to pop. Lucy leaned to look around Gajeel’s frame that obstructed her view.

    “I’m listening, Erza,” Lucy offered.

    “Being ignored doesn’t feel good does it?” Gray said.

    “I wouldn’t test her, Gray,” Lucy said.

    “I feel like everyone has tested me today,” Erza grumbled.

    “You want tea or something? Take a seat on the couch. Loosen up, Erza,” Levy said drawing in the air with her fingers. The words cup and tea appeared and transformed into their meanings. The levitating steaming cup of tea floated over to Erza, which she took with a shocked expression. To Lucy’s surprise, the fierce Valkyrie took the cup and sat on the couch. “You’re in the house of the witches, which favors us. If you wish to destroy something, or kill someone, you might as well leave.” She stood with hands on her hips. “That goes for every one of you.”

    “I like a witch in charge,” Gajeel said. His shark grin spread across his face. The little witch looked up at him with a bigger smirk.

    “I’m going to hurl,” Gray said. Levy glared at him but chose to sit beside Lucy again.

    “Immortals are special,” Levy said, taking Lucy’s hand. “Why can’t their palm readings change?”

    “Stop struggling, you fool.” Erza watched Gray fight to break free and sipped her tea. Who knew, all she needed was a firm hand to tell her to calm down for her to do so. Lucy gathered Erza didn’t want to break the relationship they had with the house of witches.

    “Where’s Natsu?” Gajeel peered around the room. “I’m used to his loudmouth. And I hate to admit it, but I’d rather hear him than this creep.” He pointed to Gray.

    “I sent him to speak to Zeref,” she said. Gajeel’s face fell.

    “You did what? Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” His voice like a blade against her own restless heart.

    “Gajeel, do you need a cup of tea too?” Levy gave him a sharp look and held Lucy’s hand tighter.

    “It was the only way to get Erza to trust him. He knew that. We have to know where Mavis is, and the only one who knows that is Zeref.” Lucy could rationalize it out loud for herself all she wanted, but the tightness in her chest would stay. Where was he? As if she summoned him, he appeared in front of her. The room went still. Natsu took in everyone’s startled faces.

    “What? Do I have something on my face?” His tone was light and playful, but she knew something wasn’t right. His eyes traveled along her face and down the rest of her body, inspecting her. Did he think something happened to her?

    “Yeah, it’s called ugly,” Gajeel said. Levy hit him with the back of her hand.

    “Your face is fine, Natsu,” Levy assured.

    “I know it is.” Natsu placed his hands beneath his chin playfully.

    “I hate all of you,” Gray said.

    “I see you’re as cheerful as ever, Gray,” Natsu said.

    “Where is she?” Erza had moved without anyone’s notice. The teacup sat abandoned on the side table. She stood beside Gajeel with arms crossed over her chest.

    “I’m not sure,” Natsu said. When Erza moved to lunge at his throat, he held a hand up. “She could be in two places.”

    “Zeref doesn’t know?” Lucy asked. How could he not know? Didn’t he take her himself?

    “Someone took her from him. He says they want to use her for something,” Natsu said. Erza’s face paled.

    “Where is she, Natsu?” Lucy asked. At the sound of her voice, Natsu’s shoulders loosened. He spoke directly to her.

    “Either she is somewhere on Gaia or Pandemonia,” Natsu said. Erza laughed. The sound started slow and worked up to a full howl. She turned and sat down on the couch.

    “Pandemonia?” Lucy had never heard of the place. “Where is that?” Natsu gave her a sympathetic frown.

    “It’s another dimension,” Natsu said.

    “Don’t play coy now, Natsu Dragneel. Tell her what kind of dimension she’s in.” Erza’s voice was like fire in her throat. Lucy stared up at Natsu, imploring him forward.

    “It’s a hell dimension,” he said.

    “Excuse me?” Lucy didn’t hear him right.

    “Pandemonia is a hell dimension!” Erza spat the words at Natsu. He stood grounded and focused on Lucy’s face. “Lava, fire, dead earth, and lots of dragons. The land is so desolate that only winged demons call it home, and they fight among each other.” Lucy pictured Mavis in a place like that. What would winged demons do to a Valkyrie so far from power, from her family?

    “How are we going to get to her?” Lucy asked.

    “The question is how are you going to get back?” Levy held fast to Lucy’s hands. There was genuine concern on her face. “You think you can travel there. Don’t you, Natsu?” For once, Natsu had nothing to say.

    “Have you been there before?” Erza asked. “Are you thinking to trace there? That’s dangerous.” A vampire could only trace to a place if they’d traveled there before.

    “I’d have to walk dimensions to get to it. I haven’t been there to trace.”

    “Haven’t you walked dimensions before?” Lucy asked. She hated how hopeful her voice sounded. But at least there was a lead on Mavis, and there was no guarantee that she was in hell. He said she could be on Gaia.

    “I have.” Natsu squatted in front of Lucy so they were eye-to-eye, his hands at her knees. His presence was so close that she could feel his heat on her skin. What was he doing to her? She held back from reaching out for him. “But it’s dangerous. If I go, I go alone.” This again? The anxiety she felt when he went to Zeref was nothing compared to what she’d feel when he left for a hell dimension. She shook her head. She would prove that she could take care of herself. Not just for Natsu, or Erza, but for herself.

    “If you go, I go with you.”

    “Lucy, I don’t think—” Levy began.

    “No one is changing my mind.” Lucy pushed as much power into her voice as she could. Natsu sighed loud enough to get everyone’s attention. It wasn’t everyday one heard a vampire sigh. The sound reminded all and sundry that she blooded him, that she was his bride.

    “Well, if you’re up for it.” Natsu shook his head, but a smirk pulled up the corners of his lips. She was up for it.

    “Lucy, I can’t have you—” Erza said.

    “No, Erza. We need to split up. Someone has to look for her here on Gaia.” Lucy took Natsu’s hand when he offered to lift her to her feet. Levy allowed her hands to slip through her fingers.

    “Did he say where on Gaia?” Erza asked. Natsu shook his head.

    “But, there’s one more thing.” Natsu glanced up at Gajeel, who quirked a brow. “She’s been taken to Dacia.” Gajeel gave a sharp laugh through his nose.

    “You’re a riot, Salamander.” Gajeel’s smile faded when Natsu shook his head. He was serious.

    “What’s Dacia?” Lucy asked.

    “You can’t be serious,” Erza said.

    “That’s some made up shit. You can’t believe she’s there,” Gajeel added.

    “Natsu, what is Dacia?” Lucy asked.

    “Dacia is a vampiric dimension that moves within other dimensions. It’s cloaked in mist, and no one is to leave once they’ve entered,” Natsu said. While everyone continued to believe what he said was a lie, his appearance was grave.

    “How can you find it then?” Lucy asked.

    “Lucy, Dacia is a fairy tale,” Erza said. She pointed to Natsu—her voice sharper than before. “You better not be pulling us around to help Zeref.”

    “I’m telling the truth.”

    “Born vampires can’t lie,” Lucy said.

    “Finally, someone remembers.” Gajeel nodded in approval.

    “You believe Zeref?” Erza asked.

    “Yes.” Natsu stood resolute. “If he could just trace to her, he wouldn’t have tried to contact Ultear the Queen of Time to help him.”

    “Sorceri, huh?” Erza shook her head. “You lot are the worst.”

    “Look, you can find her and ask her.” Natsu shrugged. “I’m the only one in this room who can travel dimensions. Unless anyone would like to try?” The room stilled.

    “Yeah, let him go. He’ll be torn to bits,” Gray added from his spot in the living room.

    “Lucy, you can’t go,” Erza said as if Gray’s words were a reminder.

    “Go find Ultear, Erza,” Lucy said. “If he goes, I go.”

    “You’re putting him over your family?”

    “I’m trying to help you find our family!” Lucy’s frustration hit the breaking point. Erza constantly questioned her resolve. “What was that in the basement about trusting me with your life? I want to help him help us! I want to make sure he doesn’t just run off with her.” Natsu opened his mouth to retort, but Lucy pressed her hand to his lips to stop him. “I don’t need anything from you too.”

    “Then it’s decided,” Levy said. “I can tweak the summoning circle to grab Ultear.”

    “Can I go now?” Gray asked.

    “No, we need you.” Erza pointed to him. “Go to Jellal. If he wants to help Natsu, then he wants to help us. I need to speak with him. If he can help us in any way to find her, I need to know.” Gray eyed Levy.

    “Fine, I’ll let you out.” The witch stood in a huff.

    “Then we best be going.” Natsu grinned with cheer in his voice.

    “You’re awfully chipper,” Lucy said.

    “Bunny, he’s just happy he’s been offered a challenge,” Gajeel said.

    “Bunny?” Lucy said.

    “Be careful, Lucy,” Erza said. She nodded to her older sister with understanding. The voices in the living room came to a pitch as they all discussed their missing sister. Just as quickly all their voices ceased as she took Natsu’s hand and traced to Pandemonia.

    Or what she thought was Pandemonia. The air was thick with humidity. A flock of birds darted out from the immense number of trees that surrounded them. The sound of chirping bugs almost deafening. The whole place smelt of damp earth. They were still on Gaia.

    “Where are we?” she asked. Natsu turned her to face him and placed both hands on her face. His lips pressed against hers. She took in a sharp breath with how right they felt. He released her and stepped back.

    “I’ve been wanting to do that all day,” he said. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him in again. He groaned when she deepened the kiss. His arms wrapped around her to pull their hips together.

    “That was for helping me,” she said, “and keeping your word.” His eyes had blown out in black. The sight of them just made her need rise.

    “I like when your eyes do that,” he said.

    “Do what?”

    “Go all silver.” A bird cawed in the distance, and a prehistoric looking bush rustled behind her. She grabbed his arms and kept him close in a start.

    “I’ll ask again. Where are we?” Lucy glanced around her feet for possible giant jungle bugs.

    “The Amazon,” he said.

    “Why are we not in Pandemonia?” She took a step out of his grasp. Were Erza’s accusations true? Was he pulling them around to help Zeref?

    “There’s a portal here.” Natsu pointed up above the tree line. To an ancient structure shrouded in foliage.

    “And where is there?”

    “A place I came across the last time I went to a different hell dimension.” He stepped forward and began to push through the brush toward it.

    “What were you doing in a hell dimension before?” She followed behind him wishing she had brought a knife instead of her whip.

    “I was looking for someone there,” he said. Was he talking about his father? It clawed at her that he hadn’t told her about him. She didn’t know why. If she didn’t trust him, why should he trust her?

    “Must be someone important to go that far. How does dimension walking work anyway?” she asked. Natsu made a steady stream of fire with his hand to cleanly cut through the brush in front of him without starting an inferno.

    “This teleporter travels down a ley line that is parallel to another. The one we need is the other one.”

    “So, we’re just going to walk from one to the other?”

    “Kind of.” She had no idea what he was talking about, but she surmised it wouldn’t be as simple as that. The structure loomed into view. The dark stone covered in lengthy vines. There was a clearing around the monument where trees didn’t dare to grow. The sight of it had her instincts on high alert. They shouldn’t be here.

    “You sure you’re ready for this?” Natsu turned with his back to the entrance— opened wide to lure them in. Was she ready for this? Her reply silenced by the sound of the earth opening beneath their feet.

    “Lucy!” Natsu grabbed her to him and held her as their bodies plummeted into darkness. She guessed her reply didn’t matter, as she was in this adventure, whether she liked it or not.

#nalu #fairy tail #nalu fan fiction #fairy tail fan fiction #ft fan fiction #fairies after dark #fad ch 4 #reblogging tomorrow as well

[mdelpin]

Fire & Iron Week 2k19 Prompt: Past AO3 | FF.Net

Let Me Walk With You

Summary: As Natsu prepares to go search for Igneel, his friends try to get him to deal with his feelings instead.

"I said I was going alone and that's final!" Natsu screeched at Erza, the action bringing the entire guild to a halt as everyone glanced at Erza nervously, not sure how she would react to Natsu's defiance.

"Natsu, get back here!" Erza yelled after him as he turned and left the guild, slamming the door behind him.

"I told you it was a bad idea to push like that," Gray pointed out, "He's done this every year since we've known him. It's just something he has to do."

"Letting him go searching for Igneel on his own is not safe, not with everything that's been happening."

"I offered to go with him," Gray informed her, "Heck even Lucy did, he turned us both down, besides he's not going on his own, Happy's going with him."

"That doesn't really make me feel any better," Erza frowned as she stared at the closed door.

"Do you want me to try talking to him again?" Gray offered, although he didn't look very enthused by the prospect.

"What's the point, you're just going to end up fighting, and you know it."

"Mhmm, " Gray agreed with a smirk, "We have some of our best conversations that way."

Erza rolled her eyes at her friend, but his reply had made her relax a little.

"How long do these trips usually last?" Lucy asked curiously. While it was true that she had met Natsu on one of these trips he hadn't gone on another since she'd joined the guild.

"As long as he needs them to," Gray shrugged, trying not to look hurt at the fact that his boyfriend consistently excluded him from something so important to him, "At this point, I don't think it's just about searching for Igneel, it's about dealing with his grief. I've been trying to get him to share some of it with me, but he always says I won't be able to understand."

"Do the other Dragon Slayers do something similar?" Lucy looked at the table where Gajeel and Wendy were sitting, speaking quietly amongst themselves.

"I don't really know, they've been in the guild for less time than you," Erza reminded her, also looking at the other dragon slayers curiously.

To her surprise, she saw Gajeel and Wendy do some sort of gesture that reminded her of Rock, Paper, Scissors which resulted in Gajeel scowling but getting up from the table and walking past them without even a glance. He left the guild, also slamming the door behind him.

"I wonder what that was about," Gray muttered under his breath.

Wendy came to stand near them, "He's going to go talk to Natsu-san about his trip."

"Well, I hope he can get through to him," Erza grumbled worriedly, knowing that whenever those two were involved, it could go either way. After Gray, Gajeel was the person Natsu enjoyed fighting with the most.

"He promised he'd be on his best behavior," Wendy assured her, "He might not seem like it most of the time, but he cares about Natsu-san."

Gray seemed put out by the development and decided to go home early. The rest of the team settled down to wait.

xxx

Gajeel had to smile at how easy it had been to outsmart Wendy. He knew that she'd wanted to be the one to go talk to Natsu, but he also knew the Salamander well enough to know it would have been useless. As much as the Fire Dragon Slayer adored Wendy, this was not something she could help him with. He started the long walk towards the small house in the woods that the Fire Dragon Slayer shared with his Exceed.

When they had first met, Gajeel had been surprised to learn that the Salamander was still so attached to his dragon after all this time. A long time ago he'd turned any longing he might have had for his foster father into rage at being left behind. That same rage had led him into a life full of darkness and bad decisions. Some of which he was still trying to make amends for, but thanks to Juvia and Makarov he was in a better place now both physically and emotionally, and maybe his desire to help Natsu was just his way of paying it forward.

But he supposed the Salamander was a very different person, he'd bought into the whole magic of friendship bullshit hook, line and sinker. And while Gajeel thought that in general, it was a nice outlook to have, for something like this it was dangerous. Salamander was setting himself up for a world of hurt, and it sounded like he'd been doing the same thing for the last seven years.

The dragons were gone, and no matter how determined Salamander was to find them, it wouldn't change a damn thing. Salamander was pushing his friends away at a time when he should be surrounding himself with them and that worried Gajeel, especially when he'd overheard the Ice Freak complain that Natsu was even pushing him away.

As much as he hated their meddling natures, Salamander's teammates were just what the idiot needed to help him get through this, but since he was a stubborn jackass, Gajeel supposed he would have to do instead.

He'd arrived faster than he'd anticipated and found himself staring at the front door of the small house. He knocked on the door as loudly as he could manage, grinning to himself at how much that would annoy the other dragon slayer.

He was not disappointed as a somewhat irritated Natsu opened his door, ready for a fight.

"What do you want?" Natsu's eyes narrowed as he took in his unexpected visitor.

"Let's go for a walk," Gajeel ordered in a voice that would typically not invite argument, but this was Natsu after all.

"I'm not in the mood to play games, say what you gotta say and get the hell out."

Others might be intimidated by the animosity but not Gajeel, this was a language he understood well. He chuckled to himself.

"You in some kind of hurry?" Gajeel asked, grabbing Natsu's arm and pulling him outside, dragging him behind him as he began to walk. He smirked when Natsu dug in his heels and stopped their forward momentum.

"Fine, if it's so damn important to you I'll go, at least let me close the damn door first," He grumbled.

Natsu stomped towards his front door, and Gajeel could almost pinpoint the moment when he considered just running inside and closing the door behind him, but to his credit, he slumped his shoulders in a gesture of resignation right before slamming his door shut and returning to Gajeel.

"What the hell do you want, Metalhead?" Natsu was doing his best to start something, but Gajeel only began to whistle as he walked.

When he thought that Natsu was just about ready to explode, he asked, "What do you expect to find when you go on this little trip of yours? Are you even following a lead this time?"

"Is that what this is about?" Natsu stopped in his tracks, "Why is everyone so worked up about this? They've never cared before."

"I can't imagine you've found anything on any of these trips, so why do you keep going?"

"I won't give up on Igneel," Natsu replied firmly.

"You mean like he gave up on you?"

"You take that back you no good rusty bucket of bolts!" Natsu snarled, his fists lighting up in bright flames, "Igneel would never give up on me!"

"Natsu, we've all done this, it's a dead end," Gajeel decided to use the dragon slayer's name, something he seldom did, to try to get him to rein his temper in. "All of our dragons left on the same day, they clearly had something they had to do that was too dangerous to take us with them."

"You're not going to find him on this trip or any other," Gajeel announced bluntly.

"You think I don't know that?!" All the fight went out of Natsu as he muttered, "I found our cave."

"What?! When?!" Gajeel sputtered, he found himself getting excited despite his attempts to appear otherwise. To have found Igneel's cave was the first solid proof that they hadn't imagined everything as people often told them.

"A couple of years ago, I was lost in some mountains, and there was a storm coming, so I looked for shelter," Natsu shrugged.

"Are you sure?" Gajeel couldn't believe it, Salamander who couldn't keep his mouth shut about anything had been holding on to something as big as this!

"Yeah, our stuff was still in it."

"Did it seem like he'd been back?" Gajeel asked urgently, even as he reminded himself that just a few moments ago he'd been warning Natsu about the folly in this type of thinking.

Natsu shook his head, and Gajeel could see the pain flickering in the dragon slayer's olive eyes, "It looked and smelled like no one had set foot in there in a long time." He stared at a point past Gajeel, willing his eyes not to betray him, "That's when I finally accepted he was never coming back."

"I don't understand. If you know that, then why go back?"

"Because it's the closest I'm ever going to get," Natsu responded simply, and Gajeel could almost feel the emotions that Natsu was trying to keep contained.

Gajeel stared at the dragon slayer for a few minutes trying to determine if this new information changed what he had set out to do, and with a heavy heart, he realized it didn't. Perhaps even more so, it was time for Natsu to face his feelings and finally let go. He had been walking them back to the guild, but now he knew that wasn't the right place to take the Fire Dragon Slayer.

He changed direction and headed towards another part of town using his senses to make sure that person was home.

"You still shouldn't go alone," Gajeel pressed, surprising Natsu by how sincere he sounded.

"Don't tell me you want to come with me?" Natsu scoffed, although he thought someday he might like to take the other dragon slayers there, he was far from ready to share that much of himself with them.

Gajeel dissolved into laughs before replying, "Hell no."

"Then, who?" Natsu asked in genuine confusion.

"For someone as annoying as you, you've somehow managed to find a group of people that care about you more than you deserve." Gajeel pointed out, "You need to stop isolating this part of yourself from them and let them in for once, starting with the most important one."

Natsu looked puzzled by his words until he noticed where they had ended up. He immediately turned to leave when he heard Gajeel rap loudly on the door. He hissed, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"What kind of idiot doesn't talk to his mate when something this big is bothering him?" Gajeel grinned, waving and running away as fast as he could, leaving only a trail of gihis in his wake.

Natsu was caught, having already heard the ice mage approaching the door. It soon opened showing a scantily clad Gray gaping at him in surprise, "Natsu? What are you doing here?"

Natsu's first impulse was to flee as he always did when anything remotely serious or dealing with emotions came up between them. He'd never really been able to overcome the fear of being left, so he constructed walls to keep himself safe from heartache. He thought Gray at least understood that part of it.

Gajeel's words stayed with him though, and he knew the obnoxious Iron Dragon Slayer had been right. It was about time he stopped hiding such an essential part of himself from his mate. He decided he would not only talk to Gray about Igneel, but he would also let him in on his secret, and maybe even invite him to come along.

"Can we talk?" Natsu responded with a sheepish grin, and when he saw Gray tense visibly, he quickly added. "It's about Igneel."

Gray smiled and wrapped his arms around him in an embrace. "I've been waiting for a long time to hear you say that," Gray's smile never faltered as he moved out of the way, letting Natsu inside his apartment.

Gajeel smirked from his hiding spot, having decided to stay nearby so he could make sure the Salamander didn’t try to weasel out of the conversation. When he saw Gray let Natsu into his apartment he began the short walk back to the guild. He hummed to himself, the recent events already inspiring him to start work on a new song.

@fuckyeahgajeelxnatsu​

.

A/N: I had fun writing Gajeel, I don't get to do it often so thanks for giving me the opportunity! I hope you enjoy this :)

#fairy tail #fire&ironweek2k19 #ftlgbtales #gajeel & natsu #gratsu #fanfiction #ftfanfics #mild hurt/comfort #friendship #dragon slayers #my edits

[manjimelody]

Rebel the Status Quo

Pairing: NaLu  Soulmate AU *This fic follows the American school system. 

Natsu never cared for soulmates. He found it ridiculous that so many people obsessed over finding out who their soulmate was. There was so much more to life than just romance. There was no point in searching since people meet their soulmate when they are destined to. Some people meet their soulmate as early as middle school like his friends Erza and Jellal did. Others might not meet their soulmate until they are almost 30 years old. There were many different ways to meet your soulmate in this world. Some people could not see color until they met their soulmate or others meet their soulmate in their dreams until they meet in person. Natsu was born with a red tattoo of a fairy with a tail on his upper arm. He had met a few others who have the same tattoo except they were located on another area of their body and were a different color. He figured that was a sign to find his soulmate.  

Natsu never cared for soulmates. Until he met her.

***

The irritating shrill of the school bell woke the pink-haired boy from his slumber. Natsu yawned and rubbed his sleepy eyes as he tried to process his surroundings. He closed the textbook he propped up on his desk to shield him from his teacher’s view, and stuffed his notebook into his backpack. Natsu didn’t hate English class, but the book they started to read was boring so he dozed off.  

“Wow. First week into our junior year of high school, and you’re already sleeping in class.”

Natsu raised his eyebrow and glared at his dark-haired friend. “Shut up Gray. I saw your eyes closing too!”

Gray smirked. “Yeah but I didn’t fall asleep.”

“Yeah yeah. Whatever,” Natsu muttered as he stretched his arms and got up from his seat. Natsu’s friendship with Gray mostly consisted of the two of them roasting each other. However, they were both fiercely loyal to each other.  

“I’ll see you at lunch,” Natsu waved as he walked out of the classroom.

“Later.”  

Natsu dragged himself to his next class, feeling groggy from his nap. His next class was AP Chemistry. He enjoyed the subject, but he wished that one of his friends shared that class with him. Most of his friends opted to take Psychology or Economics instead. Gray was his only friend who also took Chemistry, but he was in a different class. When he reached the classroom, Natsu threw his backpack on the ground and slumped in his seat. He rested his head in his arms and closed his eyes to relax for a bit until class started. The second bell rang, signaling that class has started. The other students stopped chatting with their friends when the teacher began to speak. Natsu raised his head and leaned back in his seat.

“Okay! Today you are all going to pair up to work on this lab together,” Mr. Conbolt began to explain as he handed out the lab worksheets. Natsu scanned the instructions on his worksheet. It didn’t look very difficult to complete. Natsu’s thoughts were interrupted when he felt a light poke on his shoulder. He turned his head to meet warm brown eyes.

A girl with long straight blonde hair smiled at him. She was very pretty. “Uh..hi! If you don’t mind, can you be my partner for this lab. I’m new here, so I don’t really know anyone.”

“Yeah that’s fine! I don’t have any friends in this class anyway,” Natsu agreed, grinning at the blonde.

“Thank you! I’m Lucy Heartfilia,” she introduced herself.

Natsu held up a peace sign. “I’m Natsu Dragneel. Nice to meet ya!”

“Likewise!”

Natsu was about to return his attention to the teacher until he noticed the tattoo on Lucy’s right hand. She had the same tattoo of as him. A fairy with a tail. However, he noted that the color of it was pink unlike his red one. Natsu released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He almost thought that he met his soulmate, but he figured that the tattoo would have to match in color as well.

Lucy raised her eyebrow in confusion, snapping Natsu out of his thoughts. He smiled awkwardly at her and turned around to face Mr. Conbolt in order to listen to him clarify any questions about the lab. After Mr. Conbolt answered all the questions, the class got up and shifted to the back of the classroom to the lab stations. Natsu grabbed a pair of goggles for himself and Lucy as she tied up her hair into a ponytail.

“Thank you!” Lucy smiled as he handed the goggles to her.

Natsu returned the smile. “No problem!”

Lucy glanced at the worksheet. “So how do you want to divide this?”

“I can set up the bunsen burner while you grab the equipment and chemicals we need,” Natsu suggested. Lucy nodded and walked to the back table to grab the materials they needed. When she returned, they started working immediately.

“Sooo...you’re new here?” Natsu asked in order to break the ice.

“Yeah. I used to be homeschooled, but my dad allowed me to attend public school this year,” she explained. Natsu noticed the hint of sadness in the tone of her voice when she mentioned her father.

“How are you liking public school so far?”

“It’s nice so far, but I’m not used to being around so many people my age. Thankfully, I was able to become friends with a girl named Levy.”

Natsu’s eyes lit up at the sound of the familiar name. “I know her! She hangs out with my group of friends sometimes.”

“Really?! That’s cool!” Lucy exclaimed. Natsu could tell that she starting to become more comfortable around him.

“Do you have lunch next period?” Natsu asked, and Lucy nodded in response.

“You can sit with me and my friends if you want,” Natsu suggested.

Lucy grinned. “I would love to! I’ve been sitting alone these first few days.”  

“They can be crazy, but I think you’ll like them,” Natsu chuckled.  

Natsu and Lucy chatted away for the rest of the class, talking about their favorite tv shows or games they liked to play. After they finished their lab, they cleaned up, answered the questions on their worksheet, and turned it in. When the bell rang, Natsu waited for Lucy to pack up her stuff so they could walk to the cafeteria together.  

When they got closer to the cafeteria, Natsu noticed that Lucy started to slow down. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just worried. What if they don’t like me?” Lucy admitted.

“Nah! They’ll love ya. You’re pretty cool,” Natsu assured her.

As he expected, Lucy was able to fit in right away. She didn’t talk a lot in the beginning. He figured she was intimidated by the energy of his friends at first. However, she gradually opened up and it felt as if she was always part of his friend group by the end of the lunch period.

***

As the months passed by, Lucy grew closer to Natsu and his friends. He was able to see different sides to her personality. She was a sweet girl, but she was also scary when she was angry. She was also very intelligent and talented. Natsu wasn’t the biggest fan of reading, but he enjoyed reading all the stories she wrote. Lucy aspired to be an author one day, and he was confident that she would be successful since even a guy like him enjoyed reading her stories.

Natsu was friends with a lot of girls, but his relationship with Lucy was not the same as the others. They had their differences, but they also had their similarities, which allowed them to work well together. There was this pleasant feeling Natsu couldn’t identify whenever he spent time with Lucy. He never felt it with anyone else.

He didn’t understand what he was feeling until it came crashing down on him that day.

***

Natsu leaned back against the tree, sighing in satisfaction. He had just stuffed his face at a buffet with Lucy as a way to celebrate AP exams being over, and they decided to stop by a local park before heading home. Natsu closed his eyes and relished in the feeling of the cool spring breeze. After a few seconds, his eyes fluttered open and he was captivated by the sight in front of him. Lucy was standing a few feet in front of him, sniffing a rose. Her long blonde hair flowed with the wind while her soft pink lips were pulled into a sweet smile. The sun’s rays made her look radiant and serene. Natsu always thought that Lucy was pretty but in that moment, she looked absolutely gorgeous.

He wanted that image to be ingrained in his memory forever.

The sound of his name snapped him out of his trance. He noticed that Lucy was looking at him with a confused expression on his face. He turned his head to the side to hide the blush forming on his cheeks.

“Natsu, what’s wrong? You seem to have zoned out,” Lucy asked as she sat right next to him against the tree.

“N-nothing. I thought saw something weird behind you. That’s all,” Natsu lied.

“Hmm if you say so,” Lucy said, stretching out her legs.

“So what do you want to do afterwards? We could go over to my house and play Smash Bros,” Natsu suggested in order to change the topic.

“Sure! That would be fun. I’m not in a rush to go home anyway,” Lucy agreed.

Even though they’ve known each other for a while now, Natsu knew very little about her family. Lucy never spoke much about them besides a few stories from her childhood. He was curious.

“So Lucy...you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I noticed that you never seem to talk about your family. I’ve never been to your home either,” Natsu asked, letting his curiosity get the best of him.  

The blonde stiffened at his question, causing Natsu to immediately fill with regret until she relaxed and let out a melancholic sigh. “I don’t really like to talk about it, but I trust you.”  

Lucy turned her head to face him, tears poking at the corner of her eyes. “My mom had been ill for a while. Last summer, she succumbed to it. I knew that she did not have that much time left to live, but it was still so sudden. My dad couldn’t handle the pain. He closed himself off to everyone. Even me. He hardly ever talks to me anymore. I don’t have any siblings, so I f-feel r-really lonely whenever I’m at home.”

Lucy sniffled as she wiped the tears that cascaded down her cheeks. Natsu felt his heartbreak at the sight. He had an inkling that her home life wasn’t very happy, but he had no idea she went through all of that.

“I’m so sorry to hear that..” Natsu whispered. He slowly lifted his hand off the ground and placed it on top of hers, squeezing it. Natsu was bad at responding to these kind of situations with words, so he hoped he could convey how he felt through his actions.

“Not a lot of people know this, but Igneel isn’t my biological father. My parents died in an accident when I was 4 years old. I barely remember them. Igneel adopted my brother Zeref and I afterwards,” Natsu shared. He was very happy that Lucy trusted him enough to open up about her family, so he felt that she deserved to know about his.

Lucy looked at him in shock. “Wow, I never would have guessed. You guys are so similar.”

Natsu smiled wistfully. “I’ve never thought of him as a step-father though. He will always be a father to me.”  

Lucy returned the smile before she leaned her head against his shoulder and turned her hand, so she could lock her fingers with his. “Thank you Natsu. I’ve always kept this to myself. Telling this to someone else is so satisfying. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest.”  

Natsu rested his head against the top of hers. “I’m glad. Remember that I’m always here for you.”

The two of them remained in that position for a while. Natsu didn’t want to let her go. He finally understood the pleasant feeling he felt whenever he was around Lucy.

I get it now. I’m in love with Lucy.

***

Is it possible to fall in love with someone who is not your soulmate?

Natsu found himself asking that question everyday ever since he realized that he was in love with Lucy. He heard that some people would hook up with people they find attractive prior to finding their soulmate, but dating someone who wasn’t their soulmate was rare. Lucy had the same tattoo as him on her body but hers was a different color. Normally, people would have the exact same tattoo or birthmark on their body.  

Natsu covered his face with his arm to muffle his groan, earning a weird look from his neighbor. He didn’t care though. He felt frustrated with his newfound feelings. He never really cared about love and meeting his soulmate before, but now he is in love with a girl who is most likely not his soulmate. He wondered if Lucy already met her soulmate but hadn’t told him. However, he knew she would have definitely told him if she did.

The sound of the dismissal bell ringing snapped Natsu out of his thoughts. All of the students rushed out of the classroom, eager to go home or go to their after school clubs. Natsu grabbed his backpack and walked to the library. He planned to meet Lucy at the library, so she could help him write his final essay for English. When he walked in there, he saw her standing by the bookshelf closest to the door. Natsu was about to call out her name until he noticed that she wasn’t alone. Lucy was talking to a dark-haired boy who wore glasses. Her cheeks were tinted red and she was avoiding eye contact.

“So do you wanna grab a coffee later?” He heard the boy ask.

“Sorry I can’t. I promised a friend that I would help him write his essay,” Lucy replied.

“That’s okay. Maybe another time,” the boy smiled before he took out his phone from his pocket. “Can I get your number?”

Lucy took out her phone from her pocket. “Sure.”  

They exchanged their phone numbers while Natsu stared in shock, trying to process the scene that just occurred. Natsu quickly hid behind the other shelf when the dark-haired boy turned towards his direction. He watched him leave the library before he took a deep breathe and decided to approach Lucy. She was staring at the pink tattoo on her hand as if she was in a trance.  

“Hey Lucy!” Natsu greeted, causing her to flinch.

Natsu saw a gleam of sadness flash through her eyes before she regained her composure. “Dammit Natsu! You scared me. I told you not to sneak up on me like that!”

“You were zoned out. Not my fault,” he retorted, crossing his arms. “So...who was that guy you were talking to?”

Lucy’s eyes widened briefly before she turned her gaze away from him. “His name is George. I bumped into him while I was looking for a new book to read. I-I g-guess he’s my soulmate since we have matching tattoos.”

Natsu felt his heart sink. He knew that she was most likely not his soulmate, but the confirmation hurt more than he expected. He pushed away his feelings and mustered a wide fake grin. “That’s awesome Lucy! Why waste time on me? Go spend time with him.”

Lucy stared at him with wide eyes for a second before she finally spoke. “O-oh. I see. Are you sure?”

Why does she sound so disappointed?

Natsu turned his head away from her, pretending to look for a book. “Yeah I’ll be fine. I’ll just ask Erza to help me instead or figure it out on my own. Go have fun.”  

“Um alright. I guess I’ll see you later,” Lucy waved before exiting the library so she could call him.  

Natsu groaned and staggered to the nearest table, so he could sit down. He placed his backpack on the table, so he could rest his head against it. He wished he had never developed feelings for Lucy. Life was easier when he did not care about love.

I guess Lucy and I were just meant to be friends.

“Natsu?”

The pink-haired boy raised his head at the sound of his name. He saw Erza looking back at him with a worried expression. “Hi Erza.”

Erza grabbed the chair next to his, so she could sit down. “What’s wrong? You look upset.”

Natsu contemplated on whether he should tell Erza or not before finally speaking up. “Erza...did you ever like anyone else before you met Jellal?”

Erza raised her eyebrow. “No. I thought some boys were cute, but I never had feelings for them. What’s up?”

“Is it possible...to fall in love with someone who is not your soulmate?”  

“Hmm I think it’s possible. Most people don’t fall in love with people other than their soulmate, but there has been some rare cases,” she explained.

Natsu frowned. “I see.”

Erza placed her hand on his shoulder. “Natsu...I’ve been wondering. Are you in love with Lucy?”

Natsu jumped in his seat. How did she know?

“I’ll take that as a yes,” she said in response to his reaction.  

“Is it obvious?” he whispered.

“I don’t know about that. I understand how it feels to be in love, so it’s probably easier for me to notice compared to others.”

Natsu nodded. That made sense. Erza was the first one to find her soulmate in his group of friends after all.

“Well I just found out that she met her soulmate, so I guess this is one of the rare cases,” Natsu lamented.

“Honestly.. I think she feels the same way,” Erza admitted, causing Natsu to stare at her in shock.

“Please don’t be saying that to make me feel better. She met her soulmate,” Natsu pleaded.

“I’m not. I don’t want to give you false hope.. I’ve been observing you two, and I think Lucy is in love with you as well,” Erza reassured.

“Even if she is, she’ll probably fall in love with her soulmate now.”

Erza rubbed his back. “Was she happy to find out he’s her soulmate?”

Natsu crossed his arms as he recalled the events that just occurred. “She was blushing, but she seemed disappointed when I told her to spend time with him.”

Erza smiled. “See!”

Natsu felt his mood lift. It was highly possible that Lucy returned his feelings.

“You love her, right?”

“I do!”

“Tell her! If she’s in love with you too, there’s got to be a reason behind all of this,” Erza encouraged.

Natsu grinned in determination. “I will!”

***

Natsu waited by the tree in the park. That tree has become special to him since that is where Lucy and him opened up about their families. That is where he realized that he loved her.   

He was anxious and the feeling got worse when he saw the blonde approach him. However, he knew he needed to reveal his feelings. He had to know.

“Hey Natsu! What’s up?” Lucy greeted while flashing a peace sign.

“Lucy…how are things with George?”

“We got coffee yesterday. He’s pretty cool. He likes reading and writing as well! He gave me advice on how to improve my writing,” Lucy responded.

Wow he sounds perfect for her. Maybe I shouldn’t do this.

“Is everything alright?” Lucy asked, smiling sweetly. Natsu felt his heart skip a beat at the sight.

Screw it. I need to know!

“Lucy…”

“Yes?”

Natsu tried to speak, but the words would just not come out.

“I’m sorry, but I have to know,” he apologized before he cupped her cheek and wrapped his other arm around her waist.

Natsu closed his eyes and pressed his lips on top of hers. He felt her stiffen for a moment before she wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Her lips felt soft and warm against his own. He slowly moved back, pressing his back against the tree. She prevaded all of his senses. All he could think was Lucy, Lucy, and Lucy.

He slowly let go of her, and his eyes fluttered open to meet hers. She was smiling widely with tears poking at the corner of her eyes. She cupped his face with her hands and rested her forehead against his. “Natsu. I can’t believe this. I’ve been dreaming of this for a while now.”

Natsu closed his eyes, relishing in the warmth of her body. “Really?”

Lucy pulled away but she didn’t remove her hands from his cheeks. “Yes! Oh my god. Yes! I love you so much!”

Natsu grinned and and placed his hand on top of hers. “Lucy, I love you so much! I’m so happy that you feel the same way.”

Lucy sighed in happiness before she kissed him once again. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest. Natsu returned the gesture and rested his chin on top of her head.  

“What about George?” Natsu spoke up, breaking the silence.

“I don’t care. He’s nice, but I want to be with you!” Lucy exclaimed.

Natsu kissed her forehead. “I do too, and I’m not planning on letting you go.”

After a few moments of basking in each other’s warmth, Natsu reluctantly let her go. However, he froze when he noticed something was missing.

“What’s wrong?” Lucy questioned.

Natsu pointed at her hand. “Lucy your tattoo is gone!” He rolled up the sleeve of his shirt to find that his own tattoo disappeared as well.

Lucy gasped. “You’re right. It’s gone.”

Natsu gazed at her in confusion. “What does this mean?”

“I checked out a book about soulmates from the library recently. I read that there has been cases in which some people’s sign to find their soulmate is a red herring. That they had to rebel against the norms of society to be with their actual soulmate,” Lucy explained.  

Lucy laughed in joy. “Natsu. You were my soulmate all along. These tattoos were a red herring!”

Natsu grinned from ear to ear before lifting her off the ground and spinning her around. “I’m so happy that it’s always been you. I love you!”

Lucy giggled and rested her forehead against his again. “I love you too, and I will never let you go!”

#fairy tail #nalu #natsu x lucy #nalu ff #soulmate au

[whereisthefood123]

And you are...?

A/N: Hey everyone! this was a request made a long time ago by @bianww and seemed very fitting for this year's gajevy day ❤ hope you enjoy it! haha sorry Bian for taking forever to do it! As usual huge shout out to @ranunculusfox for beta reading this! thank you dear!

Modern AU

Request: Gajevy blind date

Word count: 3.7k

FFnet

Gajeel hated his current situation. More so, he hated Natsu the most. It wasn't enough that his pink haired cousin decided to finally propose to his girlfriend, but Natsu had gone full groomzilla mode, much to everyone's surprise and dismay, bugging all his cousins to have someone decent as their partners for the wedding.

And of course, the only one fucked by that demand was Gajeel.

Sting and Rogue had their respective partners for a long time now. Everyone was surprised that Natsu jumped the boat first than them but no one was really pressuring the two brothers as they were the younger from the cousins after Wendy. Laxus dared to make a joke that he was going to take one or two of his one night stands to the wedding for fun. Natsu about chewed his head off until he promised he would take Mira, his oldest friend. Then there was Wendy but she could have avoided the bullet as she's the favorite out of all the cousins. Nonetheless, she pleased Natsu by telling him she would take Romeo to the wedding. The poor boy swore on his life that he had no ill intentions with Wendy and that he would be the best gentleman he could be after all the cousins rounded on him one afternoon after classes. And finally, Cobra had surprised everyone when he revealed he had been dating this nice girl for about 3 years already and that he would take her to the wedding.

So, all the cousins were set with their partners but Gajeel. He tried to escape Natsu's wrath by saying Lily would go with him but the groom-to-be had already gotten the confirmation from Lily that he would go to the wedding with a plus one.

Fucking traitor.

So, to ease Natsu, because he was honestly driving everyone crazy at the home and at work, Gajeel agreed to the stupidest shit he had ever done in his life.

A blind date.

The fuckard didn't even show him a picture of the girl he was supposed to meet in 10 min at the coffee shop. He said something about Gajeel being too eager to judge people based on their looks. Da fuck. He didn't judge others, Gajeel was just really good at reading people. It was a gift when it came to dealing with stupid customers at the mechanic shop, but truthfully, it had made Gajeel more wary when dating someone.

Too prude.

Too crazy.

She'll call the cops once she sees me.

Gajeel knew he was just using any excuse to avoid dating, but who could blame him. It was just so boresome to pretend you're interested in someone you just met, and the stupid relationship drama seem greatly unappealing to him.

But now, there was no escape for him. Natsu had set this date up and the girl would be waiting for him at the coffee shop. And even when Gajeel was an asshole, he wasn't the type to stand up a girl on a date.

No, he had manners. He would order his coffee to go and approach the girl at the table. If she even asked about his cup, he would brush it off saying that the barista fucked up his order. He would then give the date 10 min or so, so it wouldn't be too obvious when his alarm would go off and he will pick his phone up pretending that it was an important call from work. If she made a scene it would be more than obvious that the girl was not for him. Who the fuck would make a scene after someone tells you they have an emergency at work, right? Either way, Gajeel would go out the door to never see the girl again.

He would still need a plan to ease Natsu's wrath, but he was dealing with one step at a time.

Gajeel entered the coffee shop and went straight to the counter to order his black coffee to go. As he waited, he tried to remember the little details Natsu had revealed about the girl he was supposed to meet.

"Her hair is a unique color."

"She's short."

"I think she likes books."

Natsu wasn't the most brilliant person when describing other people. Mavis bless the woman that had agreed to marry his idiot cousin. Besides, he did mention that this girl was a friend of a friend, so he might had gotten some of the details wrong or forgotten other ones.

Gajeel sighed. He just hoped there were not a lot of girls sitting by themselves, so he wouldn't made a fool of himself multiple times. Or get kicked out of the coffee shop by the police for acting like a creep. Not like it hadn't happened before.

Gajeel looked around the coffee shop and spotted a group of friends sitting at a table to his right, some other customers were seated at the counter next to the window. He saw a girl with hair a less ridiculous shade of pink than Natsu's and scoffed thinking that it might be getting popular to dye your hair pink. She was by herself but didn't really looked like she was short or that she was waiting on anyone, so he decided to let her be. He kept surveying around until his eyes landed on the far-left corner of the shop.

By the window, a girl sat curled in one of the love seats, enjoying the sun rays that filtered through the crystal framing her heart shaped face and kissed her pearly skin. On the coffee table in front of her lay a pile of books and a grey mug with pink lipstick on the rim of the cup that matched the one on her plump lips. Her hazel eyes trailed over the words on the book she held close to her and Gajeel swore he saw an infinite number of emotions dance behind those beautiful orbs. She flipped to the next page and fixed one sky-blue strand of her curly hair that had escaped her yellow bandanna behind her ear. She bit her bottom lip and a tiny smile tilted the corner of her mouth. She was gorgeous and Gajeel forgot how to breathe or think. His mind was completely consumed by the blue haired woman and he wondered if maybe he was so fucking lucky that she might be his date.

Something stirred in his gut. Gajeel started feeling embarrassed and so fucking nervous. This is why he never liked dating, because he would more often than not be stupidly rude to the girl or make a fool of himself. He swallowed hard and played with the coins in his pocket.

As she bit her lip again, Gajeel groaned inwardly. He wondered how those lips would taste, he wondered how beautifully she would moan as he would lavish those plump lips of her as his hands would roam over her curves-

"Here's your order sir. Black coffee to go." Gajeel was startled out of his daydream by the barista who not so subtly snickered at the obvious blush on the man's face.

"Thanks," Gajeel grumbled quietly and his gaze returned to the blue haired woman. She matched all the vague descriptions that Natsu had given him and for Mavis Gajeel really wished that she was the girl set up in a date with him. She was by herself too and the empty love seat across the coffee table from her was the only indication that she might be waiting on someone.

Gajeel found himself moving to stand next to her before he even had anything in mind to say to introduce himself without looking like a creep. Nonetheless, she didn't seem to notice him as she continued with her book. Gajeel shifted on his feet and cleared his throat loudly to catch her attention. She blinked rapidly like a spell had been lifted from her and then she noticed for the first time the tall broad man that stood next to her.

Her eyes widened as she tilted her head as far back as she could to see the man's face. How freaking tall is this guy?!

Gajeel sure expected the woman to freak out or at least get startled once her eyes reached his face. With his red eyes, his unruly black hair that he had tried to tame for today's date and all the piercings that adorned his face, he was sure fear would cross through those hazel eyes that hid no emotion to the spectator. He braced himself for the high-pitched shrill that would surely escape from her, but when her eyes met his she remained silent, her mouth forming a small "o" that lacked all the fear he was expecting and displayed all the surprise of a small kid that had discovered something new and intriguing. There was no fear in her eyes either. She seemed surprisingly... curious.

That was definitely a first for Gajeel as he tried to hold his gaze on hers, feeling like he wanted to shrink on himself at her curious scrutiny. Her hazel eyes seemed to bore into his soul and Gajeel had never felt so bare to anyone else in his life than to this woman. She was intriguing to say the least and all this silence was driving Gajeel mad. So, he blurted the first words that crossed his mind.

"Quit with the staring, Shortstuff." Ah, it seemed that today was the stupidly rude attitude on Gajeel's part and he wanted to slap himself as the woman almost flinched from his gruff voice. But then…

"I'm not that short you know!" She stood up and he realized that she was indeed quite short. But he found her to be more adorable then. She got into Gajeel's space and he took a step back from the intimidating woman that blazed like sunfire. Her blue curls bounced when she lifted her chin high up and poked him in the chest. "You just happen to be stupidly tall!"

Her eyes shone with a raging fire he had never encountered before and Gajeel wanted nothing more than to kiss her in that moment. She was definitely feisty and didn't care at all about Gajeel's intimidating looks as she stood her ground, crossing her arms over her chest to make herself bigger. And Mavis, she had become the biggest thing in Gajeel's mind in that moment.

So, her height was a sensitive topic for her, eh? Gajeel stood up straighter then, puffing out his chest and he adored how a blush that had nothing to do with her anger dusted her cheeks. But as she "hmpf" and lifted her chin higher as if grasping at every single inch of height she could Gajeel couldn't help but laugh. Loudly.

"Gihihihi!" He clutched his sides as he bent over from laughter. His coffee had been abandoned at the coffee table as a precaution to not spill it all over himself as he roared with his laughter and his body shook in amusement. The other customers turned to look at the scene of a pouting blue-haired woman and a tough guy laughing like a maniac. Some curious glances lingered longer on them, but the couple didn't seem to care at all.

Gajeel took a deep breath, trying to reign control on his mirth. Geez, how long had it been since he had laughed this way? The girl tried to grasp at her anger a little bit more, but the weird laugh of this guy was oddly contagious that she couldn't help the small smile that betrayed her fury.

Gajeel wiped away the tears at the corner of his eye and chuckled one last time before his gaze returned to the girl. She huffed, pretending to be annoyed again but having some trouble to keep mad at this stranger.

"You're mean, you know?" The mirth that hid at the corner of her eyes told him it was not an insult thrown his way.

"Heh, I've been called worse." He shrugged, and a tiny almost invisible smile tilted his lips. She caught it before it was gone and spiked her intrigue even more. "Is this seat taken?" Gajeel pointed to the empty love seat across her and swallowed hard, hoping she wouldn't notice the eager note in his voice.

"Uhm, actually." She bit her lip and her brows creased in apology, "I'm waiting on someone, sorry."

"Ah." Gajeel hid his hurt by sipping on his coffee. Somehow, the bitter taste of the beverage tasted sweet compared to the feeling that settled heavy on his tongue. "That's alright. I'm actually looking for someone. Stupid as it is, I'm here on a blind date."

Gajeel was never one to talk much, and less to people he had just met, but the words almost blurted out of his mouth before his mind could registered it happening. Her eyes widened in response and she chuckled as her gaze softened on him. "A blind date, eh? Me too. I-I'm waiting on the guy now."

"Ah." Hope bloomed in his rib cage leaving him lightheaded. For once Natsu had done something right in his goddamn life. "My idiot cousin wouldn't show me a pic of the girl, but you fit the description he gave me. Short, unique hair and book lover." He looked over the table and just noticed the additional pile of books that were underneath it. Holy shit, this girl really likes to read!

Her gaze hardened, and she was about to chew him off for mocking her height again when recognition flashed over her eyes. "Wait." She drew back and looked him over once again, the gears in her mind connecting the dots. "My friend didn't show me a photo of the guy either." A soft smile settled on her lips and she visibly relaxed. "I'm guessing you're the tall, vibrant-eyes, peculiar-face guy then?"

"Peculiar face?" He quirked a pierced eyebrow. The fuck was that kinda description?

"Well, not everyone has their face heavily pierced like you." Gajeel felt self-conscious then. Did she not like his piercings? "But," she continued, "I think they suit you just fine." And then she smiled at him and Gajeel swore to kiss Natsu's feet for arranging this date with the most gorgeous woman in this whole damn universe.

He let go of a breath he didn't notice he was holding and pointed to the empty seat again. "So?" She giggled and nodded her head for him to take the seat. Gajeel had never heard a laugh so beautiful and sweet and something deep within him wanted to hear that laugh for the rest of his life.

"I'm Levy, by the way."

Levy. The name tasted sweet as he repeated it in his mind.

"Ah. Gajeel." He smirked.

She extended her hand and he wrapped his around hers, marveling at the size difference. Her skin was so soft in his calloused touch. She was so delicate and beautiful that he had the strongest urge to protect her, to wrap her in his arms and horde her away from the world so no one could harm her. And yet, she was a force to be reckoned, a little spitfire with a quick tongue and blazing eyes. She was an enigma to him and Gajeel wanted to spend his life figuring her out.

As he took his seat he wondered if there had been any other moment in his life where he had felt such peace. It was so strange. Less than 30 minutes ago he had been dreading this date and now he felt like his life had suddenly shifted. It was stupid to think that after talking with this tiny woman for 10 minutes his life had brightened, but there was no other way Gajeel could wrap his head around this odd but pleasing feeling. He wanted to know her more, to make her happy.

"So Gajeel, you-" A shrill interrupted her question. Gajeel cursed under his breath for forgetting his phone alarm that was going to get him out of this date. He wanted nothing more that stay as long as he could. He quickly took out his phone and dismissed the alarm.

"Sorry, I-"

"Work emergency?" she questioned and something sad pulled at the corner of her eyes.

"What? No! No," he corrected quickly, panicking over upsetting Levy. "I just fucked up with my alarms that's all."

Her eyes narrowed in disbelief but settled back into her seat as she shrugged. "It was a solid plan though."

"Uh?"

"Well, the coffee to go and then the alarm? You were planning on ditching the date, right?" His red eyes widened in shock. Is this girl psychic?!

She giggled at his shocked expression and continued, "I'm not sure why, but you don't come off like the type of guy who dates a lot." She gave him a sheepish smile. "I usually do something similar but use the family emergency card instead." She giggled again.

"Heh? Is that so?" He smiled softly at her and enjoyed how she blushed at the gesture. "So shortstuff, is there going to be a family emergency today?"

Her gaze darkened at the nickname and he enjoyed how easily it was to push her buttons. Then she smiled and tucked her legs under her. "I don't think so. And you?" There was a hopeful note in her voice and tension settled subtly on her shoulders as the question hung between them.

"Not a chance." He smirked, and his red eyes shone with emotions he was trying to figure out. The smile she gave him in return was dazzling and Gajeel looked aside to cover the blush that spread over his face. "Uhm, I'm gonna grab a muffin or something cuz I'm starving. Want something?"

"A black coffee would be nice, thank you."

He grunted in response as he stood up to order his food and her coffee. As he waited in line he sneaked a glance at Levy. She was in the same position as he saw her before introducing himself. The light framed her breathtaking features as her hazel gaze got lost in the pages of her book. Gajeel felt his insides flutter in an indescribable way that had him almost clenching his hand over his heart at the rapid beating in his chest. She made him feel so much and he felt a tad bit uncomfortable with such strange reactions he was getting from his body, but he welcomed all these feelings, because something about her made him feel whole, made him feel at peace and Mavis he had never felt this way with anyone before.

As Levy felt Gajeel's gaze on her, her eyes sought for him at the line by the counter. When she met his red irises, she smiled sweetly. He returned it with his own gentle smile. When he turned back to pay for their order, Levy took out her phone and quickly sent a text to Mira.

Thank you so much for this. He's great! ❤  talk to you later!

She put away her phone and missed Mira's reply.

! You got this Levy! Tell me all the juicy details later~

Bickslow hurriedly entered the coffee shop. He was beyond fucked! He was incredibly late to the stupid blind date Mira had set for him. He just hoped that Mira's friend was still there and that she wouldn't be pissed at him for being so late.

He checked his phone and started looking around for the blue haired girl that was supposed to be his date. Laughter caught his attention and he saw the girl he was looking for at the far left of the coffee shop. There he found the Mira's friend, but she seemed to be having a really good time with the black haired man sitting in front of her. His date seemed to have gotten herself her own date and she was enjoying it to the fullest.

Bickslow smiled. He was fine with that but just worried about Mira's rage for ruining her matchmaking plan. Well, she wouldn't be so mad if he got her some new gossip, right?

He took out his cellphone and took a quick picture of the couple. He looked at it and he had to admit that they looked really cute and happy together. The girl was smiling a mile a minute and the guy had that soft look you only get to see a handful of time.

Bickslow wrote a text to Mira and sent the picture with it.

I just arrived at the coffee shop but seems that your baby blue already got herself her man.

He put away his phone and ordered a sandwich. As he looked for a place to sit, he spotted a girl with pink hair over the counter by the window and luckily for him the seat next to her was empty. He tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention and she took off her headphones and turned her gaze to the man.

"Hey darling, is this seat taken?"

She turned her eyes to the black-haired man that roared in laughter at something the blue-haired girl just said. Her eyes softened and looked back at Bickslow, shaking her head no. "Not anymore, go ahead." She smiled sweetly and Bickslow returned the gesture with a grin.

"Heh, just my luck that my date got herself someone else." He laughed starting a random conversation with the pink-haired girl who giggled in return.

"Same happened to me actually." She turned to look at the couple at the far left before giggling again.

"Really? You and that guy?" He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Blind date set up by some friends. But they warned me he didn't know what I looked like."

"Heh! Lots of coincidence then. Baby blue over there was supposed to be my blind date too." He laughed. This girl was very easy to get along with and she had such a nice vibe to her that Bickslow wondered if they had indeed been very lucky to mix up the set-up dates.

"I'm Meredy." She extended her hand and he gladly took it.

"Bickslow." He said between bites of his sandwich.

A/N: Thank you everyone for reading! Please let me know your thoughts on this ❤  it was really fun and cute to write it :D I still got some WIPs from fallfest and the last chapter for Posibilidad but now I'm done with uni for the meantime so I can focus a bit more on writing :D

#gajevy #gajevy day #gajeel redfox #levy mcgarden #ficsforvera #ftfanfics #fanfic #fairy tail #with a backstage appearance of merelow #meredy #bickslow #blind date #where's the food fanfiction

[kaychawrites]

By The Light Of The Moon

Fairy Tail Fanfic AU

Characters: Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster, Fuyumi Dragneel (OC), Jellal Fernandez, Erza Scarlet, etc

Genre: Supernatural, Romance

Rating: Mature

Tag List: @cobblepottantrum

Chapter 1

The forest is quiet as the moon filters through the trees. He can feel his blood pumping through his veins as he runs quietly along the forest floor, the moonlight turning his coat silver. Behind him he can hear her keeping up with his pace. The night air is fresh and he inhales, giving his body the oxygen it needs to run faster. Soon, the trees break along a ridge and he slows to take in the sight.  Magnolia… its beauty cast in the light of the moon.

She comes and sits next to him looking out at the town. “Natsu, we should head down now. I don’t smell any patrols in the area. We need to make use of this chance while we can.”

He looks down the path, breathing deep through his nose. She is right; he doesn’t smell any patrols either. He stands, shaking himself before taking off down the mountain with her hot on his heels.

%%%%%

In town, a young woman stands on the porch of a grand house, her blonde hair glowing in the moonlight. The house behind her is bustling with her father’s guests. She would much rather sit out on the porch and enjoy the full moon then be at her father’s side, being seen but not heard. Just a pretty little prize for him to show off.  

She hears the door open behind her. “Princess?” Her maid calls out into the night.

“I’m here Virgo,” she replies. The pink haired woman walks up beside her charge. “Your father wants you to come meet the heirs to the Shepherd clans.”

The young woman sighs. “I will be right there.” She turns toward the house, taking one last look at the large forest with longing. She heads inside, her face becoming a mask with a fake sweet smile for all the Shifters inside.

Shifters; beings or creatures with the ability to change their physical form or shape. Little did the humans know but there were many different kinds of shifters living all across Fiore. Magnolia just happened to be the base for the Retriever clan, a branch of the canine Shifters. All the clan heads had come for a meeting of leaders to discuss issues among them.

As she walks back into the dining hall, she spots her father talking with a couple of the other clan leaders.

“Come here Lucy,” he orders, beckoning her over. Her father is a tall man with graying sandy hair and a well-groomed mustache. He became clan leader after her mother died when she was young.

Her mother had been the true leader of the clan and her death was a huge loss for them all. Lucy was expected to step into the role when she finally found a mate worthy of ruling by her side, and thus why her father was introducing her to all the available, potential alphas.

She noticed the four men standing next to her father. “Hello, Lucy, my name is Siegrain,” said a tall man with dark blue hair as he held his hand out for her to shake. He then introduced his son, Jellal, who was a young replica of his father except for the flashy red tattoo that adorned his face around his right eye.

Next, was she was introduced to a man with dark hair and intimidating scar running down his forehead from his hairline. Silver was his name and he introduced his son, Gray, who looked board out of his mind.

Within the canine shifters there were different clans Retriever, Shepherd, Collie, Terrier and so forth and in those clans were different branches of families.

“Siegrain is the head of the German Shepherd family,” Lucy’s father Jude said. “And Silver heads the Australian Shepherd family.” Lucy nodded respectfully to each man.

“Well, we should let these youngsters get to know one another,” Silver said as he clapped his son on the back. “You don’t need a bunch of old dogs like us getting in your way.”

“Indeed, I need to speak with a few people I haven’t seen in a while before the meeting starts,” Siegrain told them while looking around the room.

“Lucy, show these young men to the refreshment table,” Jude told his daughter.

“Yes, Sir,” Lucy replied, as he turned back to the other leaders. “This way please,” she said and the two heirs followed after her.

It was obvious to her that their fathers were hoping that the youths would hit it off in more ways than one. As future clan leaders, they would be working together to insure the peace of the canine Shifters in their clans. Having leaders from different clans marry only helped solidify bonds and expand territories. It wasn’t unheard of for marriage to be arranged just for that purpose.

When they reached the drink table Lucy offered to pour them a drink. “Thank you, Lucy, but I think we can manage,” Jellal told her.

“Yeah, those old farts aren’t here breathing down our necks right now, so you don’t have to be so formal with us,” Gray said as he reached for a glass.

Lucy smiled, glad that the boys seemed to realize what their fathers were up to and felt the same as she did about it. She looked at her new companions, relieved that her dad at least had her interests in mind enough to not stick her with the runts of the litter.

Gray was a head taller than herself with a medium build. His hair was dark and Lucy suspected that in the sunlight it might even have a blue tint to it. His dark blue eyes shown with intelligence that betrayed his uninterested attitude and she could tell he was sizing her up just as she was him. Over all he was stunningly handsome and Lucy could see girls falling at his feet, if he would only smile. She would bet that his canine form would be some kind of blue merle but it was impolite to ask.

Jellal was taller but maybe more slight in his build. His dark blue hair contrasted well with his dark green eyes. He had a kind smile and was very polite. Lucy would bet that he was one that if you backed him into a corner, you would have your hands full. He was very handsome as well but easier to approach than expected being a German Shephard, his canine form was probably less friendly looking and more intimidating.

Lucy sat and talked to her guests as they waited for the meeting to start. As it turned out they both had a good sense of humor and were pretty smart too. Their clans both bordered the Retriever territory so they didn’t have far to travel. Gray was 21 years old, just a year older than Lucy herself, and Jellal was 23.

Jude walked into the dining hall announcing that the meeting would be starting and all should take their seats. All of the leaders, and their heirs that were old enough, filed into the conference room. Lucy took her seat next to her father and was pleased to find both Jellal and Gray not far to her right.

Jude cleared his throat starting the meeting. The leaders took turns informing the others of how things were going in their territory. After all the leaders had their say, Lucy’s dad stood up and addressed the room. “Now, it is time to discuss the biggest problem our clans are facing. Yes, I’m talking about the Lycans.”

%%%%%

Natsu slowed as they neared the edge of town. It was late, but many of the businesses were still open. It was risky but the pack needed medicine, and Magnolia was the closest town that had it. Magnolia was on the edge of their territory but the majority of it was within the Shifter territory and they weren’t what you would call Lycan friendly.

Checking to see if the coast was clear, he nodded to the female Lycan a few feet to his left. Seeing his signal they both started to phase. Natsu felt his skin tingle and his bones twist and reform as he took his human form, and stepped out of the trees. He turned again and nodded to his companion as they set off in different directions. Divide and conquer was their plan, to get in and get out as fast as they could before a patrol could pick up on their scent.

The feud between the Shifters and Lycans had been going on for centuries. Arguments over borders and territory were most of the problem, that and the fact that the two races seemed to hate one another. Shifters were originally humans that gained the power to change into animals and Lycans were wolves that transformed into humans. Lycans tended to rely more on instinct and their behavior was more like the wolves they phased into. Unfortunately, the real cause of the feud was lost in history.

Natsu walked into the corner store, finding the items on his list as quick as he could. They only had a half an hour before the regular patrols made their rounds. He paid for his purchases and stowed them in his bag.  

Heading into shifter territory was even worse for Natsu because he was a half breed, half Lycan and half Shifter, an outcast in both worlds. Shifters had killed both of his parents and almost killed him and his sister. Only sheer luck had spared them. However, one of the Alpha leaders of the Lycans found them and decided to adopt them into the pack. Most Lycans still look down on them but as long as they could contribute to the pack they were allowed to stay. That’s why he found himself on a mission into Shifter territory. Not that he minded it too much. It was exciting and he was always up for a challenge.

As he headed to the meeting spot he checked his watch, it was five minutes till next patrol. The one on this mission with him was in fact his sister and she was always early. Natsu couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Quietly, he melted into the shadows and headed to the store where his sister went to pick up the medicine.

As the store came in sight, the scent hit him. Shifters, three of them, and it smelled like they were in the very store his sister had to get the medicine from. Creeping up to the window, he peeked in. Sure enough, there were three Retrievers in the store and from the look of it they were off duty. Natsu could see his sister at the back of the store looking over the shelves. Shifters didn’t have a sharp sense of smell like the Lycans did. Natsu figured that that coupled with the smells in the shop and his sister’s mixed blood was what kept them from noticing her.

The three retrievers stood at the checkout desk, talking to the clerk. This kept his sister from being able to pay for the medicine and leave. After another five minutes, the three left. He watched her make her way over to check out. Unfortunately, one of the shifters came back, having left his wallet lying on the counter. As soon as he stepped through the door, he froze. At that distance, there was no way he would miss the scent of a Lycan.

His sister grabbed the medicine and threw the money down on the counter before bolting past the Shifter. Once outside, Natsu called out to her. “Fuyumi! Over here!” Seeing him, she quickly took off in his direction sprinting for the meeting place at the edge of the trees. As they turned around the next block, they ran straight into the patrol they had been trying to avoid.

“Shit, this way,” Fuyumi said to Natsu as they turned away from the Shifters. Even though it was late, the streets were still busy, and they couldn’t phase into their wolf forms without causing a panic. Not to mention they would have to ditch the supplies they just worked so hard to procure. Even with the extra weight the two half breeds were fast and kept ahead of the Shifters.

To the humans, it looked like the cops were chasing two young robbers. So naturally some of the bystanders tried to slow the pair down. The siblings dodged and jumped over people and obstacles trying to get to the forest but finding it just out of reach. They ran out of the shopping district and into the residential areas with the shifters still hot on their heels.

%%%%%

“These Lycans are a menace!” one of the leaders shouted. “We should just end them once and for all!”

“Their land would be a big increase for our own territory,” another added to the discussion.

“Now, all of you please listen,” Siegrain interjected. “War with the Lycans would be catastrophic to our numbers. I don’t believe it is worth the risk of losing more Shifters.”

Arguments broke out among the table both for and against war with the Lycans. Lucy sat quietly at her father’s side wondering why they have to be at war at all. If there was only someway they could live in peace with the Lycans that would be beneficial to all. She then noticed Virgo slipping into the room and hurrying to her father’s side. The maid whispered something about Lycans and Jude stood up. “Well here is our chance to do something now! Two Lycans have been spotted in town and are headed into the residential districts. Everyone is to fan out and search for the two intruders!” After that all the leaders started to organize, dividing up the blocks between the Shifters present.

Jude turned to his daughter. “Lucy, I want you to stay here in the house and don’t come out,” he ordered.

“Why, I want to help search too?” Lucy argued back.

“No, I won’t have you putting yourself in danger out there. You will stay in this house and not come out until the issue is resolved,” Jude ended the argument.

Lucy huffed as Jude and the other leaders walked out of the room. Gray stopped and put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Lucy. Jellal and I are headed out to help with the search.”

“We have plenty of shifters. We will catch them,” Jellal nodded in agreement.

Lucy followed the boys outside to see them off. She then headed up to her room to change out of the stuffy dress her dad made her wear for the meeting. Not pleased at all about having to stay home.

%%%%%

Natsu ducked behind a hedge when he smelled another patrol of shifters headed his way. He and Fuyumi had gotten separated from each other a few blocks back and now he was completely lost. He took off running through yards and leaping over fences hoping to throw off his pursuers. He couldn’t help but notice that the houses were getting bigger and the yards more extravagant as he ran. Turning a corner, he was assaulted with the smell of many shifters headed down both sides of the street towards him.

Standing in front of a tall privacy fence, he did the only thing he could think of and jumped it. He wasn’t prepared for the rose bushes on the other side and yelped as the thorns tore at his skin on the way down. Holding his breath, he listened to see if he had attracted any unwanted attention. He could hear the Shifters coming down the street towards his hiding place until a shout drew the shifters away from him.

Natsu let out a sigh of relief and looked around him. The yard was huge and the house that it belonged to looked like someone important lived there. It also reeked of shifters. “Great,” he mumbled. “I had to go jump into a shifters yard.” As he continued to look around, he could see the forest on the other side of the back fence. “I have to find Fuyumi,” he said out loud. He definitely couldn’t risk going out to find her while carrying around his heavy bag. Looking around the yard once more he noticed a small garden shed along the back fence with its door already open. He decided to hide his bag in there so he could go find his sister.

He opened the door and stowed his bag in a corner where no one would notice it. With that done he decided to phase. He dropped to all fours, as his hands and feet turned into paws. Fur blossomed over his skin and his bones stretched as he took his wolf form. Shaking himself, he padded out of the shed.

When he emerged from the small building he breathed deep, scenting for anyone near. The smell of honey and vanilla came to him and he couldn’t help but breath even deeper. It was a comforting smell and he felt himself relax despite his situation. Until, he heard someone gasp.

Ch 1| Ch 2| Ch 3 | Ch 4| Ch 5|

#fairy tail #ft #natsu dragneel #lucy #natsu x lucy #nalu #gray fullbuster #gray x OC #jellal fernandes #erza scarlet #jellal x erza #jerza #romance #supernatural #gajeel redfox #levy mcgarden #gajeel x levy #gajevy #fanfic #au #mature #OC #BTLM #fuyumi dragneel #@kaychawrites

[impracticaldemon]

That’s the Spirit! - Part II

A/Note: This was supposed to be published on Halloween, not just a tiny bit too far into November 1. I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless, especially since it's more than twice the length I originally planned!  Also, this is still for Naluween Week 2018, Prompt: Cemetery

~ 4050 words Read also on:  AO3 | FFN  See Part I HERE

That's the Spirit—Part II

It had taken longer to find a suitable graveyard than Natsu had expected. He'd been looking for something old and at least a little spooky, and the modern, neatly-trimmed local cemetery hadn't had the right feel to it. He'd also wanted to keep their destination a surprise from Lucy, who'd been strangely reluctant to abandon the guild's big Halloween party in favour of a 'short' trip out of town with Natsu to who-knew-where.

In desperation, Natsu had been forced to practically kidnap Lucy from her apartment, and he'd almost gotten Lucy-kicked when he'd pointed out that the stiletto-heeled boots she was wearing with her witch's costume wouldn't be very practical to hike around in. Still, Lucy was Lucy, which meant that in the end she'd given in, grabbed slightly more practical boots, and stomped out of the apartment after him.

"Are we almost there yet?"

"Yeah, just about! This'll be awesome, Lucy, you'll see. Way better than going to some dumb party."

"I helped organize that dumb party."

"Yeah? Cool. But don't worry, I'll bet you'll like this better anyway—I researched it and everything!"

Lucy frowned at that and stopped walking. "Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"I ditched my own party—well guild party."

"Yeah?"

"And Mirajane and Erza—I hope you understand this—are going to be mad at me."

"Right, right—er, could we keep moving? I want you to get the full effect, and there's supposed to be rain later on."

Lucy drew a deep breath, but she started walking again, though slowly.

"You said it was a short trip, but we had to take a train, walk a couple of miles, cut through a small—and points to you, very spooky—village, and now we're back on a dirt path and I'm not sure the trees have been cut back in years."

"I know right?! I told you, I did some major research to find a place this perfect!"

"It's cold, dark, and foggy. That village back there was definitely odd, and the people in the bar looked like they'd rather rob our corpses than help us out of trouble. Honestly, why do I always agree to these plans of yours?!"

Natsu reached out and grabbed her hand, smiling widely. Then he remembered what he was supposed to do and found himself swallowing nervously. He still didn't quite believe that things needed to change between them, but this was for Lucy. Among other things, she did always agree to plans—eventually. A little pro forma complaining was only to be expected.

"Um, Lucy?"

"Yes, Natsu?"

"Your writing's really important to you, right?"

"Yes?" She was looking at him curiously, but the wariness from before was there as well.

"And you kind of like the romance parts in the books you an' Levy read, right?"

"Ye—well, I guess so? Natsu what on earth—"

"So I thought, what better place?"

With a wide gesture of his free hand, Natsu indicated the worn stone wall ahead of them. The gate was black wrought-iron with rusty patches, and the lettering above made the nature of their destination especially clear. Happy hadn't been too sure about the stone skulls on the gateposts, but Natsu had been sold.

"You didn't. No, what am I saying? Of course you did." Lucy stood staring up at the words over the gate. Her hand tightened on Natsu's, which he decided to take as a good sign, despite other, less promising signs. No point in being pessimistic.

"Yep, this is a first-class, totally authentic, ancient-graves-only cemetery! Took some doing, but it's all yours to explore and enjoy—well, not enjoy, but just think of the ambience! With any luck, we'll get to see all sorts of amazing stuff—and don't worry, I'll protect you if things get too spooky."

"Natsu, 'Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here' is not a typical slogan for a cemetery!"

"Seemed kinda odd to me too, but extra-weird isn't bad if you're looking for ghosts and ghoulies."

"And why are we here?"

Natsu's dark gray-green eyes became serious. He took Lucy's other hand, and although he suddenly understood why some guys might find this intimidating, he also discovered that it was something he wanted to do.

"Lucy…" Uncharacteristically, he had to moisten his lips before continuing. "Um. Right. Would-you-go-on-a-date-with-me?"

"Would I wha—Natsu!" Lucy's voice squeaked in surprise. "You're asking me out?!"

"Yes! Oh man, you understood!" Natsu was relieved. He hadn't been absolutely certain how this part would go. He'd worried that Erza had been wrong (possible), or that Gray's brain cells had malfunctioned (very possible), or that Gajeel—iron-headed punk—had been mocking him (probable). But as long as Lucy knew what he was talking about, she wasn't totally unaware of the whole girlfriend issue.

Lucy was staring at him; apparently, he needed to say something else. "So will you go out with me?"

"I…" Lucy looked freaked out. "I didn't think you'd ever ask."

"Oh, right, sure—totally understandable. I was biding my time."

"Biding your time? Wait, does that mean—were you reading my book again?!"

"What—why do you ask?"

"Biding your time? Seriously?"

"Yes, I was biding my time—if your Count Ugolino can bide his time, then I—"

"So you were reading my book!"

"Lucy, can we focus on the real question here?" Natsu assumed a dignified expression.

"That's just avoiding—no, wait, okay. Are you sure you're serious?"

It occurred to Natsu that Lucy looked a little teary-eyed. His nose told him that she was happy-excited, though. Now that he was looking for it, he had to admit that his friends had been right. He decided to just say what he felt.

"I realized that I didn't want anybody else asking you out. And also, you're a really great friend, an awesome mage, and I always feel best when we're together."

"You…" Unaccountably, Lucy burst into tears and hit feebly at his chest. "You dummy… saying stuff like that, and never understanding…"

"Was that 'dummy' meant in a good way?" But Natsu found himself holding her tightly against his chest, and stroking her pretty blonde hair. It was confusing, but it felt good.

"Natsu?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you asking me out in a cemetery?" Her voice was muffled, but he could make out the words without difficulty.

"Right! Well, assuming that you're saying yes to going out with me—"

"Yes."

"—Then this is our first date! A place I picked just for you. And me. For us, I mean." He felt warmed by the new, still unexplored meaning of 'us'.

"You wanted to go to a cemetery on Halloween for our first date. To—I think—to help me research All Hallows Eve and so on?"

"Exactly. And also because I'm kind of curious about seeing ghosts or whatever. So—shall we go in?"

Lucy leaned back far enough to peer into his face. She looked cute, even with the tear streaks. Of course, Lucy always looked cute; he'd known that for ages.

"You didn't pick a cemetery because I might get scared and jump into your arms or something?"

Natsu blinked. "No?" Once again, he tried to puzzle out the question. This going out thing was complicated. His mind somehow supplied the right answer—probably from listening to one of the girls or guys back at the guild. "But you can, if you want. Jump into my arms. You're more likely to beat on things, though, aren't you? But anyway, let's go!"

Keeping Lucy's hand firmly in his, Natsu opened the gate and forged ahead with his plan. After they'd gone about thirty feet, he stopped and gestured proudly, as he had earlier.

"Come on, is this great or what?"

Lucy seemed to still be struggling with her emotions, but she gripped her underlip in her teeth and looked around. To Natsu's delight, she broke into a genuine grin just a few moments later.

"Oh wow! Natsu—this is amazing! Talk about authentically creepy!"

Natsu beamed at her. "You're the best, Lucy. I knew you'd see the advantages."

"Okay, but—a cemetery, really? Ooooh, look at that small mausoleum over there! That angel hovering over the top looks deadly—not comforting at all, is it?"

"That's the resting place of Sir Nicholas Bottom. He used to be a big deal around here four hundred years ago. Probably died of embarrassment over all the dumb name jokes."

"You looked that up? Not the last part, obviously."

"Yeah, of course! That's why I'm surprised those guys back at the bar were so unfriendly. Last time—couple of days ago—they were fine."

A fine, misting rain started to drizzle down, and Lucy shivered. She pulled her witch's cloak more tightly about her, then edged closer to Natsu.

"Oh hey, yeah! Since this is a date, I can totally keep you warm, right? No calling me a pervert, or anything, right? I've got this!" Pleased to show off a new skill, Natsu gathered magical energy and created—

"A flaming umbrella?"

"Stylish and practical!" With a look that could have been shyness, Natsu let go of Lucy's hand in order to put his arm around her and pull her closer. He guided their steps toward the decrepit, moss-ridden marble of Sir Nicholas' tomb.

Lucy murmured her appreciation, and then they started making their slow way around the rest of the cemetery. The umbrella was warm and bright overhead.

"You know, Lucy—"

"You know, Natsu—"

"We're not going to see anything at this rate," finished Natsu with a chuckle.

Lucy nodded. "Exactly. We've got drizzling rain, a suitable fog, old weathered gravestones… and a glowing umbrella."

Natsu turned off the umbrella—as it were—and suggested finding a quiet place to wait for whatever was going to happen.

Lucy indicated that a heavily decorated gravestone (with full pediment and two cherubs), raised in honour of the tragic Lady Ophelia appealed to her and would be comfortable to lean against. "Though it's very sad—didn't you say she drowned?" Lucy found herself walking as close to Natsu as possible—just to keep warm, of course. And he was very warm, after all.

"I guess. Those cherubs are kinda un-atmospheric if you ask me." Lucy laughed at the disdain in Natsu's voice.

Was it possible to snuggle against a marble pediment adorned with trailing seaweed and smarmy cherubs? Yes it was. Lucy still looked rather dazed, though. Natsu wavered between triumph and not knowing what to do next. You couldn't order hot chocolate in a graveyard. Just as he reached this thought, the sound of conversation came to his ears. Lucy felt him straighten, and glanced up inquiringly.

"People coming."

Lucy nodded. She took Natsu's incredible hearing pretty much for granted now. Natsu frowned.

"They're saying they'll need to get the stuff from the prince's lady tonight. And maybe even open up 'tailor nick'."

Lucy's eyes widened. "They're coming here?" Natsu nodded, eyes narrowed.

"What a drag. They'll ruin our perfectly good ghost-hunt!"

"Well you know…" Lucy suddenly drew out a key. "Halloween's a night for pranks, after all."

"I could just—"

"No, Natsu. But how about lighting up a few things—without burning everything down, I mean!"

The gate opened with a wild screech of rusty iron, and then two werewolves, one zombie, and two vampires, stalked, lurched, and drifted, respectively, into the graveyard. Their costumes were surprisingly authentic; the fabric even smelled of must, and earth, and traces of blood, according to Natsu's nose. He felt Lucy tense.

"They can't be real, they just can't be," she muttered. Natsu took the opportunity to pull her closer, and wondered if she was considering leaping into his arms. Unlikely, but you never knew. He allowed fire to limn one hand, careful not to scorch Lucy, who had complained of such things in the past.

The next thing he knew—which was crazy—a tendril of icy cold flicked against his neck, and a chilly voice hissed: "Ssstay out of thisss, draggon chiiild."

Naturally, Natsu knew who to blame. He shoved Lucy away—gently—and spun around, fire burning on both fists. "Gray, you bastard—"

"It's not Gray," squeaked Lucy, who was staggering to her feet nearby. "And I think the atmosphere's gotten very, uh, atmospheric."

She had a point. The irritated, green-eyed spirit looming over Natsu did not have any of Gray's familiar touches. It—possibly she—was mostly translucent, but dark, wet-looking seaweed seemed to crawl over its body. Meanwhile, the werewolves, zombie, and vampires were closing the distance with ridiculous speed.

"You're a zombie," he heard Lucy yell. "You can't be moving that fast!"

"Actually, he's a ghoul, pretty girl. They move quite quickly." A cold hand caressed Lucy's neck, and she yelped.

"And vampires don't exist!" The hand was slapped away with force.

"She's got you there, Count." The guy-who-definitely-couldn't-be-a-werewolf was lounging near Lucy's feet, leering at her.

"Ha. Ha." The nonexistent vampire bowed gracefully in mid-air. "Don't be fooled, my dear. I'm not a count, I'm a marquis. You know how it is—the aristocracy always did get the best tombs. You smell lovely, by the way."

The next instant, the marquis found himself engulfed in flames and rocketing up into the air.

"Don't you dare touch Lucy! Or smell her, either!" The leering werewolf was sent rolling across the tangled grass into a gravestone, its shaggy hair ablaze.

At the same moment, Loke the Lion stepped out of nowhere to Lucy's side. He seemed as calm as ever, but Natsu had the impression that his fur was suddenly standing on end.

"Interesting place for a date, Natsu."

"Stuff it, Loke."

"No, I mean it. You must have found the only graveyard in the country being contested by"—he paused to count—"at least one of the greater Fae, two vampires, a ghoul, and two lesser Fae. Well done."

Natsu eyed him warily. "Thanks. Now I'm gonna take them out. Feel free to help, just don't get in my way."

"Natsu, they're snickering." Lucy had another key out, and looked nervous, but Natsu could tell that part of her was genuinely impressed. "Let's try talking first, okay?"

"No way, isn't there some rule about not talking to creatures of the night or something?"

Loke shot Natsu a surprised look. "You actually know something about faerie creatures? And the undead? Though I've heard speculation that vampires are actually undead Fae."

The whispering and giggling among the creatures surrounding them grew in intensity. Except that the giant ghost-seaweed lady was now looming over all of them, and there were definitely fangs showing over her lips.

"Leo the Lion. Hmmm. I did not know that you were aware of usss."

"It pays to be informed, Lady." Loke bowed carefully, not meeting the Fae's eyes. Natsu figured that if anyone here were a 'greater' something, it was the seaweed not-quite-a-ghost.

"I sssugessst that you young onesss leave."

"An interesting decision, Lady," said the marquis. "But surely unwise? We don't want any future interlopers in our, ah, private interests? Besides, the young lady is most—shall we say—enchanting?"

Natsu was fed up. He sent another blast of fire at the vampire—or whatever it was—just because it was the most annoying, and took Lucy's hand.

"Just to be clear," he said, in the ominous growl that he rarely used, "you are interrupting our private interests. And if you lay another hand on Lucy, then I don't care what you are, you're going down."

"He's actually more powerful than he appears," Loke put in helpfully, although he was still giving a good impression of a simultaneously wary and angry cat to Natsu's senses.

"Perhapsss it isss sssso," said the Lady. She didn't look intimidated in the slightest, but she wasn't attacking either.

"Oh, for goodness' sake"—Lucy was interrupted by another whisper of edged laughter—"okay, for heavens sake—no—OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! Shut up, all of you! This is my FIRST. DATE. EVER. So quit it!"

"I'm beginning to see why it's her first date, mind you," commented the heretofore silent vampire.

Natsu immediately realized that there was now somebody more likely to get the fighting started than he was, and that thought made him clamp down on his temper and tighten his hold on Lucy.

"I sssugessst you find a different sssemetery," murmured the Lady in Natsu's ear, quietly enough that even he barely heard her. This time, the chill, definitely ghostlike sensation traveled the length of his body, and he had to work to hold onto his flames. He glanced at Loke, who gave him the tiniest of shrugs. Loke would stay with Lucy either way, but he didn't like this fight.

Natsu gave the assembled Fae, ghost-vampires, and ghoulies a bright grin that didn't hide any teeth. He then dropped an unmistakable kiss on Lucy's cheek, which distracted Lucy from deciding how she was going to destroy Silent Vampire and Marquis Vampire.

"Lucy, I thought this place was perfect—and it was—but the locals are getting to me. Let's find ourselves a more"—he side-eyed the vampires—"uninfested graveyard, yeah?"

Lucy now appeared to be torn between curiosity and amusement, but she nodded her agreement, and twined her fingers more tightly in his. It was a really… nice… feeling. Not quite like the way they'd held hands in the past.

"The themetery about two mileth northwetht hath a nithe ambianthe," said the ghoul, rather unexpectedly.

"Thanks, bro," Natsu replied. "Good luck tonight. Happy All Hallows Eve, eh?" He started for the gate, his path taking him straight through the still-smoking werewolf-fae. It didn't move. He allowed the flame on his free hand to burn hotter and brighter. It rose to its full height, and got… bigger.

"Virgo!"

"Yes, princess?"

Natsu glanced at Lucy. He had no idea what she was thinking, which was weird, but he knew enough to let her do this her way.

"This one's all yours. Just get him out of my way."

"Yes, princess. Since Loke-sama is here, there will be no difficulty. However—"

Natsu felt the onrushing cold, and instinctively threw his arms around Lucy. Something like a contained gale whipped by them with inches to spare, and then he couldn't smell the obnoxious were-creature any more.

Virgo was waist-deep in the ground, but unconcerned. "As I was saying, princess, I believe he has annoyed the Lady. Also, Natsu-san, you are lying in a most undignified way on Lucy-hime. Do you want to be punished?"

Natsu was abruptly more aware of how he'd landed than in the past, and he hurried to his feet. "No thanks, Virgo, I'm fine." He helped Lucy up, and realized that she was blushing. It was time to go.

"Don't turn back, don't say thank you—again—just leave." That was Loke.

"Yeah, that's what I'm doing—right, Lucy?"

"Um, yes, absolutely. But what do you mean—"

"Rumour, and a certain amount of purely vicarious experience, says that if you thank one of the faerie kind then they take it as an acknowledgement of a debt and, well, they tend to be persistent about claiming debts."

They were almost at the gate. Whether despite, or forgetful of, Loke's advice, Natsu glanced back. The graveyard was dancing with eerie lights, and dark shapes moved within. I definitely picked the right graveyard. Then his eyes somehow met those of the one called the Lady, and for a moment he couldn't move.

You are fortunate that I have a soft spot for young lovers, whispered a cold voice inside his head. The extravagant sibilance was gone. Do not come back. And by the way—Igneel Firelord is closer than you think, but you will find him only when you need him most. Goodbye, dragon-child.

They ended up back at Lucy's place, minus spooky Fae and celestial spirits. For the first time in their entire relationship, Natsu hesitated at the door.

"Natsu?" Lucy sounded a little tired, but she was smiling at him. "I'll make us tea, okay? And snacks?"

A few minutes later, they were seated together on the couch, tea and snacks untasted. Natsu was annoyed to find that he'd lost his easy comfort with Lucy. Was it really worth it?

"Um, are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah—you? Are you disappointed that our first date was a bit, you know, bizarre?"

Lucy's lips twitched, and then she was grinning madly.

"I think I'd be disappointed if it wasn't. Did you really mean it—about going out together?"

"Yeah, of course." Instinctively, Natsu reached out to touch her cheek. He hadn't been sure, a moment before, but now that they were more relaxed, it seemed completely right—inevitable, even. He leaned forward to rest his forehead against Lucy's, but that still didn't feel close enough, so he pulled her into his lap. Her breath caught, but she only tensed for an instant before snuggling against him as if they'd been doing this forever. Maybe they had, in their own way.

"Natsu…"

"Just tell me if I make mistakes, okay? I'm kind of new at this."

"Me too."

She sat back and looked up at him, and his hands shifted to gently cup her cheeks. Had he ever seen Lucy blush like this? He wasn't sure. It hadn't been the kind of thing he'd analyzed, before. Tracing her jaw made him almost uncomfortably warm, which shouldn't really be possible, but shortly afterwards he found one hand caressing the back of her head, and his mouth on hers. She was amazingly sweet to his senses, and now his fingers were tangling in her hair, and her lips were parting to murmur something incoherent and somehow arousing.

"…Natsu…" It wasn't a request to stop, he could tell, but he did anyway.

"Yes?"

"Thank you." Her lips trailed up his cheek, and he felt her teeth nip his ear. For a moment he couldn't hear anything over the rush of the blood in his veins and the pounding of his heart. He only caught the tail-end of what she said next. "—was a wonderful cemetery. Lots of great touches of authenticity."

For some reason, Natsu couldn't deal with the way her breath blew gently across his ear as she spoke; his senses were reeling. He pulled back from her, but only to kiss her almost savagely on the lips, and to explore her mouth with his tongue. Time passed, and each increasingly breathy moan from Lucy drove him closer to some longed-for conclusion.

"Lucy… sorry… I didn't—I swear I didn't realize!" He pushed himself upright in something like shock when he realized that she was pinned under him on the couch, dishevelled and heavy-lidded. He could see the round swell of her breasts even more than usual, and the way they jutted up against the stretchy fabric of her rumpled black shirt was actually making him sweat. Despite how hot he felt, and the aching, too-tight feeling between his legs, he rolled onto his knees on the floor, and looked down at her in concern.

"Natsu?" Lucy lifted her head and used one hand to pull his lips back to hers. "This is good. Don't worry, I know you won't hurt me, or rush things."

Her best friend—her boyfriend? the word still felt strange to Natsu—thought that he might have a tough time not rushing things, but he'd managed tough things before.

"Yeah, I know. I mean, no, I won't rush things. But you know… I really didn't understand what it felt like, and I'm kinda crazy about you, so you've got to smack me or something if I ever—"

"You know me—I will. Stop overthinking things." Lucy let her head fall back with a laugh. "I can't believe I just said that!"

"Neither can I."

"Too bad the ghosts and ghoulies chased us out of our perfect cemetery." She was pressing kisses against his chest now—when had he lost his shirt? Not long after, he dragged her down onto the carpet with him, and went back to kissing her with unreserved passion, on the lips, and ears, and neck, and shoulders. Her hands roamed the curves and planes of his torso, and his low hum of longing sounded loud in his own ears.

"The gh-ghosts and ghoulies weren't so b-bad. B-but maybe next year you can find us somewhere a little quieter."

"Mmm? Oh, yeah, I will. Definitely."

It was an excellent first date, and a very happy Halloween.

[END]

A/Note: I don't know where these stories come from, or why they always end up too long, but I'm glad to have something new and fun out there for the Fairy Tail fandom! Your comments and reviews are always greatly appreciated, whether on tumblr, FFN, or AO3. And yes, I do read tags :)

Tags:

@nalufever @shell-senji @petri808 @eliz1369 @writer-appreciation

#fairy tail #naluweenweek #nalu #ft fanfiction #impracticaldemon #imp writes #thats the spirit #naluween day 4 #prompt cemetery

[mizutsurugi-natsuxlaito-sakamaki]

1. Awake (Natsu x Laito)

Word Count:  1646

Natsu winced again as the car hit a small bump. Her head still hurt so much and any shock made it feel even worse. If only she had known what had happened to her. The last thing she remembered before waking up was getting into the backseat of her friend’s father’s car.

“How did that car even hit me?” she asked herself as she rubbed the wound lightly. It was still scabbed over and large, despite staying in the hospital for a month regaining use of her limbs again.

But even those injuries weren’t fully healed either. Natsu’s neck was still very sore and hard to move. Her arm still rested in a sling as it still couldn’t fully extend down. And dark blue and violet bruises covered her right collarbone.

She had no memories. Everything from the accident was black in her mind. From entering the car to waking up surrounded by glass, it’s all she knew about the situation.

The car came to a halt and Natsu made her way out to get her items. Even with one hand she was able to pull her luggage and slip the smaller bag onto her good shoulder. She proceeded to the front door and released the luggage to knock. The door opened as she rapped on it once.

“Weird…” Natsu felt the uneasiness grow in her but brushed it off as she entered the large home.

It was a lot warmer upon entering the home especially when the door closed behind her. Natsu looked at her surroundings in detail, taking in all the intricate parts of the home’s architecture. She started walking again, toward the stairs, as she continued to study the exquisite details the entrance alone held.

Natsu sat down on the stairs and admired all of what she saw. “This place is beautiful.”

“You shouldn’t give a home more attention than to Yours Truly,” said a voice from behind her.

Natsu turned her head in alarm. “Excuse me?” Her expression was firm as the redhead’s comment was very egotistical, something she couldn’t stand.

Ayato smirked and appeared before her, pushing her into the railings. A loud cry came from Natsu as pain radiated throughout her bruised muscles from Ayato’s harsh movements.

“See? You’ll be punished if you defy me.” Ayato smirked and leaned in close. He was stopped short as Natsu put one of her feet against his chest to hold him a ways away. He grabbed her leg and smirked as he went to yank it away. “Do you reall…”

“Ayato, stop it this instant,” Reiji commented.

The redhead’s advances stopped as her looked at his elder brother in irritation. “How about you stop butting in?”

Instead of answering Ayato, Reiji spoke to Natsu. “You’re the new one?”

“The new what?” Natsu asked. She let her leg relax back down as Ayato had now backed off. “I was just told this place would be a new home for me.”

“By whom?” Reiji questioned.

Natsu paused for a moment. “Some man… Sakamaki was his last name, I know that.”

Reiji sighed and muttered something to himself. It was then after that when he requested both Natsu and Ayato to follow him to a different room.

“What about my…” Natsu cut herself off as she saw a butler appear out of nowhere and pick up her two pieces of luggage. Now she didn’t have to ask about that.

They soon entered another room, this being a large and open living room. Just like the entryway, Natsu admired the beautiful art etched into the room. The moulding, furniture, carpet, and even the fireplace were observed as she looked around the big room.

“Hey, shouldn’t you sit down? You look like you’re so tired.”

The voice was right in Natsu’s ear and made her jump away from whoever had said it. She turned around to see a male with a fedora on. Unlike the other two she had met, he seemed more friendly with his stature. He walked up to her again and rested his hands on her shoulders.

“You should sit you know. It is easier not to be surrounded that way too,” he spoke.

“I can sit on my own,” Natsu said. She removed his hands and went to sit down on the couch and wedged herself into the corner spot.

Soon others arrived. One being a blond who Natsu found more tolerable. The next was a male just about her height who seemed a bit whiny, it was easy to see he had woken up from a nap. The final was a white haired boy who also seemed pretty calm to Natsu. Discussion began once everyone was settled.

But the amount of boys here made the place slightly intimidating. Natsu definitely felt outnumbered.

“Why did that person have to send another?” Subaru questioned in irritation.

“Maybe because Kanato lost it, again.” Ayato replied in irritation.

“Excuse me?” Kanato asked with a shrill. “Teddy and I were having a tea party with doll and you wrecked it!”

Natsu closed her eyes and attempted to block out the noise of the purple-haired boy as it made a small headache form. This discussion was becoming an argument.

She began scratching at a spot on her face that had began to itch. It was close to the wound she had, but she knew how to avoid the area. She was growing bored of this trivial discussion.

Kanato had cut himself off as he picked up on a sent. “What smells sweet?”

Laito, who was sitting next to Natsu, looked at her as he saw a little bit of dried and fresh blood under one of her nails. “It looks like the Little Bitch here is bleeding. I never expected such a delicious scent from you.”

The others looked at Natsu but few showed to have almost no interest in what had happened. It was mainly the triplets who now started to stalk the girl.

“What’s so important about blood? It was just an old acne spot ripped open on acci…” She cut herself off and tensed up as Kanato was now in her face and close to where the small bloody spot was.

“You smell very sweet. Do you taste sweet as well?”

“Do I…? The heck is wrong with you people?!” Natsu tried to hold her ground.

A small glow seemed to appear in Kanato’s eyes, making Natsu look away. Her eyes picked up Laito and then Ayato, those two also sporting eyes that seemed to shimmer as well. Natsu then looked to see the other boys, all their eyes acting the same way.

“What…?”

“Are you foolish enough to not notice we are vampires, Miss Mizutsurugi?” Reiji questioned.

“Now that you know, are you going to run and entertain Teddy and I before we have a treat?” Kanato asked as he leaned forward again.

Natsu backed herself deeper into the couch but didn’t show any outward fear, even if she felt nervous on the inside. “Vampire or not, you are annoying,” she said to Kanato.

Anger formed in his face right away as he stood upright. “How dare you…!” He went to throw a swing at her but hit the couch instead.

Natsu was sat in Laito’s lap, not realizing she had been moved until she was looking at where she had been at. While the vampire thing did shock her, she was more surprised at how fast she avoided death.

“Now, now, Kanato, we don’t want to hurt her do we?” Laito asked.

“You don’t damage Yours Truly’s property,” Ayato spoke.

Reiji fixed his glasses. “None of you get to decide who has her.” He looked at Natsu with a look of irritation. “If you could, pick one of us out of the six. That person will help you accommodate to your new lifestyle here.”

Natsu was taken aback by the comment and was about to speak before a fight between Kanato and Ayato started, Subaru joining in not much long after.

“See how they are fighting? Ridiculous isn’t it?” Laito spoke into Natsu’s ear. He was too close, so close that shivers ran down Natsu’s spine every time he whispered to her.

“All of them will just treat you like an object that feeds them. If you pick me, know you will be treated as the person you are and not as an object. I, Laito, will be your protector~” He left a peck on her ear and watched as Subaru only became more violent throughout the argument.

It took a moment for Natsu to gather her thoughts before speaking. “I’ve decided.”

The three who were arguing stopped and watched Natsu as they waited for her answer. Reiji too listened in as he was interested as well.

“I’d like it to be Laito.” She kept it short.

All of their expressions turned to ones of shock and then disappointment.

“You’re truly a fool…” Reiji muttered as he walked off.

“Another one fell for it? Tch…” Ayato stood up abruptly from his seat and walked off.

“Truly disappointing. Let’s go, Teddy.” Kanato himself recomposed himself and left.

Subaru and Shu didn’t say anything as they also left. Both seemed to hold no interest as Natsu observed.

Once the final brother had left the room, Laito immediately pulled Natsu as close as he could to himself. “It’s nice they gave us the room, isn’t it?”

“I guess,” Natsu spoke. “But the vampire thing… I have to be dreaming and still in the limo.”

Soft skin touched Natsu’s neck and made her flinch. While Laito’s lips were pressing a bit on her flesh, Natsu didn’t feel any pressure of it hurting her still sore neck. His lips trailed down to her left shoulder where it was bare.

“You’re plenty awake,” Laito responded.

And before she could respond to his statement, Laito took the plunge into her flesh.

#natsu mizutsurugi #diabolik lovers oc #Laito x Natsu #laitsu #drabble #story #canon x oc #oc x canon #natsu story

[luchemunechika]

REALIZATION OF A WATER MAGE

Title: Unrequited Love, Realization, Letting go

Fandom: Fairy Tail

Pairing: Gratsu, Gruvia

PART 1  PART 2

Summary:

Natsu though he is secretive.

The unexpected person realized.

Author: Luche Munechika

AO3  Fanfiction

~Realization Of A Water Mage~

Of all the people that she thought that could be her love rival, Natsu Dragneel is the last person she would expect to be.

Her Gray-sama. Even though she and Gray-sama have been an official thing for a while (though they keep it a secret), that does not stop from getting jealous over anyone that talks to him, less alone shows interest in her Gray-sama! Not because Natsu-san is a man, but because of the fact that it is Natsu-san who is in love with Gray-sama.

Is this what people call the attraction of polar opposite?

After all, Natsu-san is fire and Gray-sama is ice. They always fight. That is how they communicate. For Natsu-san to be in love with Gray-sama, she has to admit she did not see that coming. At first, she has reacted like how she would always react to all of her potential love rivals: Being intimidating and scaring the crap out of them. Gray-sama is hers. She would not let anyone take him away from her after she has fought for his love for so long. That was what she has thought when she found out. But then, she saw it. The look in Natsu-san's eyes when he looked at Gray-sama.

There was something in those eyes made her stop.

The eyes that tell more stories than the mouth ever could. She saw them, that one time. They stopped the jealousy she felt but also haunted her for many nights. There was just something about those eyes that bothered her. So she decided to pay attention to Natsu-san every time she saw him.

It was not a one-time thing. Every time Gray-sama is near, Natsu-san's eyes would lit up. When he turns away, those eyes soften. The way Natsu-san's hands linger longer than necessary on Gray-sama when they are fighting, how his eyes would always tell her how he truly feels when Gray-sama is near,...There is no way for her to be mistaken.

Natsu-san is truly in love with Gray-sama, just like Juvia is.

But the love Natsu-san has, it is not like hers, she realizes.

For someone who is usually so loud, Natsu-san loves so quietly. He does not express his love boldly like her. She expresses herself like a wave of Tsunami: strong, bold and over the top. Natsu-san, however, loves with the gestures. Those lingering touches whenever they fight each other, that soften gaze whenever Gray-sama is not looking,...The small little things that are hard to see and yet so clearly displayed. Natsu-san loves like a small fire on a winter day. Small flickering light, but it is gentle and warm.

For the longest time, she wonders why he has not made a move if he loves Gray-sama so much. Why has he not said anything? Is it because of her? She loves Gray-sama too, after all. Or it is because he knows? She is not sure why. But when you love, you should confess. What the point of being in love but not expressing yourself?

The day Gray-sama and her finally announced their relationship in the guild, Juvia has her answers when she heard Natsu-san asked Gray-sama. For a moment Juvia would have thought Natsu-san would confess right there and then. That he would take Gray-sama away from her in this very moment. She felt anxiety, waiting for his response. And he once again surprised her.

"Are you happy?" - She heard him ask suddenly. It seemed that Gray-sama was taken by the sudden question, for it took him a moment to answer.

"...I am."

There was a short silence between them. And then-

Natsu-san smiled.

A smile was so sincere, so bright, like the fact that she has everything he has ever wanted did not, does not hurt him. It stunned her. The smile that is so beautiful, so sincere, so bright that no one would have thought beneath it is a heart breaking in two.

"Congratulation."

Just like that, the Fire Dragon Slayer gave them his blessing before disappeared in the crowd. She looked after that pink hair in the crowd, feeling a mixture of emotions.

Has he...given up?

For her?

His actions confused her to no end.

It was the last time she has seen Natsu-san. It has been three weeks since the Salamander took jobs after jobs so that he has excused to be away and not had to pretend he is okay. Former Love Rival, Erza-san and Gray-sama are worried. They barely see him anymore. Gray-sama is so worried that there is barely time for the two of them. Not that she can blame him. It also gave her time to think about everything. She even went to Gajeel for advice. The Iron Dragon Slayer is like a brother to her after all. Their conversation has her thinking.

"You ask me about your relationship?"

"Yes."

"So...be me or play nice?"

"Gajeel does not play nice. Juvia trusts you. So Juvia wants an honest truth."

"Okay. Just don't cry. You are like a sister to me and if you tell anyone I say that I will murder you. All I can say about your relationship is that I am very surprised the Ice Bastard even agreed to be in a relationship with you after all the craps you pulled."

"What do you mean?"

"Sit back, and think Juvia. What have been you doing ever since Phantom Lord attacked Fairy Tail?"

She was surprised by the tone Gajeel used. It was gentle...probably the most gentle she has ever seen him given to anyone else but his mate, Levy. Juvia did what he told her. She thought about it. What she has been doing after that event was-

...

...

Oh.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"I thought...it was..."

"It was not love, Juvia. It was obsession. You obsessed with Gray because he spared you, showed you kindness when no one else did. You obsessed with the fact he saved you. And you wanted to have him. You fucking follow him anywhere he goes. You steal his clothes. You have dolls with his shapes, there probably are more which I don't know about but honestly, I don't want to know. You get mad with literately anyone that is so much as breathing near him. You literately forced him to choose you. Without any regarding of his feelings. When he tells you no you convince yourself that he was playing "hard to get" and kept on pursuing him. His no literately means no and you discarded that, many times. "

"..."

"..."

The silence between them was heavy as what he said sunk into her. Her blue eyes looked intensely at her shaking hands. The last part hit her more than she has thought. Without regarding of Gray-sama's feeling. Has she truly been that selfish? She has never noticed before-

No. She realized. She has always noticed, always known. Deep down from her very consciousness, she has always known that she is a selfish person. Love is something that is foreign to her, after all. She is water, she is rain. Her power has brought her misery. She desperately yearned for love. For acceptance. She has...she has wanted to feel okay. To love and to be loved. Gray-sama came in and saved her like a prince. And she has thought he was the one for her. She has wanted her savior to be her prince. She needs that. The love and care and acceptance that he has. She wanted that. She strove for it. She has changed herself many times after all. To be worthy in his eyes. To be accepted by him. To be chosen as his. But...has she been so blinded by her own want and need that she has forgotten about his?

Natsu-san...

Realization hit her so hard that it was almost suffocating.

"Juvia?"

Now she understands. The looks she has seen, why she has hesitated when she saw them. Because it was a look of someone that loves so sincerely.

"Are you happy?"

Those words and the action from that time became clear as well.

"...I am."

Because Gray-sama has told him, Gray-sama is happy. Gray-sama told him he is happy with Juvia. Small simple words. But it is all that mattered to Natsu-san.

"Congratulation!"

Natsu-san has back down.

He has given up.

But it was not for her.

It was never for her.

Juvia can never compete with a person that is willing to sacrifice everything for the man he loves when her own reason is so selfish.

Because above everything, Natsu-san's ultimate wish is for Gray-sama's happiness, even at the cost of his own.

And then the sky weeps.

#fairy tail #juvia loxar #gray fullbuster #gajeel redfox #natsu dragneel #gratsu #gruvia #ftlgbtales #ftlgbtfics

[entomjinx]

Who is in Control

Prompt: It's all your fault!

Gray loved his guild mates. Maybe not all in the same way, and maybe not at certain times, but he loved them. That included Juvia, despite all of her stalker-like tendencies and obsession with him.

However, right now, he's an inch away from punching her in the face and being done with it.

The water mage was clinging on to his arm as if she'd die the second she let go, and if her voice could got any louder, he'd be deaf. "Gray-sama! Juvia missed you!" She was tugging and pulling him in the direction of her table.

"Yeah, I got that when you almost knocked me over," Gray muttered. He began to push her off of him, using all of his willpower to be pleasant about it. "Let go, Juvia." He started pushing harder, but she clung on like a one of the finger trap toys he saw his pinkette give to Asuka. While it had been hilarious to see Asuka stubbornly refuse help for three hours, this was not. All he wanted to do was give Jii-chan his mission report and go home, but nothing was going his way today.

"But Gray-sama-"

He didn't let her finish, "Get off." He shoved her one finial time, and the sudden harsh action caused her to fall to the floor with a thud. "I am not in the mood to deal with you right now." The bluenette burst into tears as she ran out out of the guild, and many of his guild mates thew him dirty looks.

Gray didn't care. He walked over to their master and shoved the report into his hands. "You didn't need to be so rude, Gray," Makarov's voice was gentle, but it still made Gray angrier.

"I don't care. I'm tired of dealing with her shit!" His voice echoed across the guild hall, and anyone who wasn't paying attention before was now. "I've told her several times that I'm not interested, and she. Just. Won't. Drop it." The ice mage pushed his way through the surrounding crowd and stormed all the way back to his house. "Hopefully there will be a warm dragon slayer for me to cuddle."

It wasn't common knowledge that he and Natsu were an item. He could count the number of people who knew on one hand. It wasn't something they wanted to share with their nosy guild mates. He couldn't just blurt such a thing to get Juvia to leave them alone. It wasn't fair to either of them, and even with how annoyed he was with her shit, he still wanted to let her down easy.

Juvia had ended up in the park. Of course she wasn't actually Juvia, but that meant nothing to her master. The small corner she'd tucked herself in was conveniently tucked away from the rest of the park, and she planned to take advantage of it. "Juvia" pulled out a small lacrima, sending a quick message to Phantom Lord's X-master, Jose Porla.

"Your plan is back firing," it read.

"Then fix it."

"How, Master?"

"Like this-"

"I honestly don't know what's causing her to do that." The whispered words cut through Levy's concentration, and she sent a questioning glance at Fairy Tail's newest Dragon Slayer. "Somethin's off."

The solid script mage allowed herself to be curious, as at the very least, it would start a conversation. "What makes you say that?"

Gajeel hummed lowly, thinking about how to word his answer. "Juvia is the only person I considered a friend back in Phantom Lord." Levy poked him, prompting him to continue. "I know she swings both ways, but more of the people she's ended up with have been girls. The obsession is new, too. It's like she's trying to get in his head."

"Well, she might just be trying to figure out his feelings towards her," Levy prompted.

"No," The firm tone nearly made the smaller mage jump. She was still wary of the iron dragon slayer , "Juvia's not like that. That's the think that's off."

Levy hummed slightly and closed her book. "Then how does she normally act when she likes someone?"

"She's patient, calm even," The image didn't match anything that she knew about the water mage. "She always waits for them to come to her after she drops a couple of hints, and the second she'd rejected, she has the tendency to apologize. This is just... Weird."

A loud slam captured the guild's attention for the second time that day, "WE'RE BACK!" Natsu's joy filled shout brightened the mood almost instantly, and most were grateful for the relief. However, Natsu had always been observant when it dealt with someone's well being. The smile dropped slightly, and he snapped his head towards Gajeel. "What happened?"

"Later, pinky," He responded, "I actually want your opinion on it." The pinkette raised an eyebrow, and Gajeel caved, continuing in a language even Makarov didn't recognize, "Something's off with Juvia, and I don't think it actually has anything to do with that stripper of yours." The light melodic words sounded odd from the intimidating slayer, but Natsu took it in stride.

"Well, she smells like Jose's magic did, so I'm going to assume it has something to do with that." The words sounded far more natural from form Natsu, but it didn't offset the shock factor from the guild.

"How did you even-" Gajeel had reverted back to Fiori, "You know what? don't tell me. Just help me fix this mess." The iron dragon slayer headed to the back of the guild, ignoring the flabbergasted looks plastered across everyone's faces.

"Why?" Natsu countered, "You're perfectly capable of doing so yourself."

"Oh for the- Stop being difficult!" Gajeel shouted across the guild, "Your as bad as you were when we were kids."

"No," The pinkette began as he headed to meet the pissed off slayer, "I'm worse." The slight upturn of his lips was promising something, but his guild mates couldn't pin point it.

Gajeel snorted, a small bark of laughter escaping his lips. "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"

"The outcome was never in doubt."

"Did you seriously just-"

"Yep," Natsu made sure to pop the 'p', and something about the noise brought the guild out of their thoughts. "The second you let me know you could speak Collo, you doomed yourself. If I don't have to speak Fiori, then I'm not going to, so get used to it. Besides, bad pop culture references, puns, and the language itself are the least of your worries. Let's help your friend, yeah?"

Juvia hated Jose. She could say that without a single inkling of doubt. She had refused to attack Fairy Tail, and of all things he could have done, he knocks her out and locks her in his basement? She was going to kick his ass when she got out of here. The anti-magic chains dug into her skin, restricting all of her movement.

"What is he even doing?" Jose hadn't been down here in days, and she was starting to worry. Maybe the guild was gone. Maybe they'd lost, which wasn't all that unlikely, considering their opponents. Maybe they'd lost, and now none of them knew where she was or how to free her. "Maybe... No. I won't die down here. I'll find a way out before that. I've gone longer without food."

It wasn't common knowledge, but Natsu was more that capable of being stealthy. Really stealthy, actually. He had to force himself to makes noise as he walked so as not to scare people.

In this case though, it was a good thing that no one knew about it. He watched the screen over Juvia's shoulder, gradually growing angrier as he read. A wisp of dark colored magic cured around the water mage, catching the pinkette's attention. "It looks just like Jose's shade magic. Can he use it to create illusions?" The question went unanswered as Juvia forced an angry look on her face and began walking to her home. "I don't think that's right. She still smells like a person, too. There has to be another answer." Natsu didn't hesitate. He started running back to the guild in hopes that Lucy and Levy were still there. "I have to have an answer before I can ask the real questions."

When the pinkette burst through the door, several people startled. He swung his head around frantically, and smiled when he found who he was looking for. He shouted a phrase in the odd language he was speaking earlier, and then headed to his team's table, which currently only hosted Lucy and Erza.

Gajeel followed him, an irate Levy in toe. "The hell did you want me to bring Levy for?" The iron dragon slayer seemed to be beyond annoyed.

"What do you know about shade magic," Natsu blurted. "Like, what are all of the things you could do with it, probable or not?"

The question caused a few eyebrows to be raised, but Levy answered none the less, "I believe it can only take people's magic from them and act as a barrier. I'm not sure it can do anything else."

"Natsu," Lucy asked, "Where is this going?"

He ignored her. "If that person isn't using magic when the shade touches them, then wouldn't the magic have to be-" he paused, glancing at Gajeel, "siphoned-uh, what even is that in Fiori?"

Gajeel looked like he was going to strangle the pinkette, "How the fuck should I know? You've been speaking this dumb language longer that I have."

"Fair enough, It would have to be- um," Natsu paused for a moment, "taken directly from their magic container, right?" The three girls gaped at him, "No? Okay, well that's a bust. I have no idea what's up with Juvia, then. Sorry, Gajeel."

Natsu turned to leave, eyes down to the floor in shame, but Erza reached out to pull him back. "No, no, that makes sense, but what does that have to do with Juvia? What does any of this have to do with Juvia?"

The pinkette turned to Gajeel, "You didn't tell them?" Gajeel shook his head, "You're useless.” So long story short, Gajeel noticed something was off about Juvia and was talking about it to Levy. When I interrupted, I mentioned that what I thought was just the residue from Jose's magic hadn't left from her smell, and coupled with the fact that she wasn't acting anything like Gajeel remembered her to act, we figured something was off. I followed her, and I needed an answer to that question before I could explain what I think."

"Do all dragon slayers care this much for their friends?" Lucy teased, and both of their faces went bright red. "So what's this theory of yours?"

"Well, based off the rules of basic magic, if it has to be taken directly from the magic container, then couldn't it get inside the container, and then the body and the mind? What if Jose's using one of his shade's to control Juvia? I mean, they never caught him, so it's possible."

"Did you come up with that by yourself?"

"Fuck off."

It had taken a few hours to do, but they came up with a safe way to get the shade out of Juvia's body, after telling Master, of course. "I'm so tired." Natsu pushed open Gray's front door while rubbing his eyes. "Snowflake, you here?" He left his sandals by the door, opting to walk around barefoot instead. A small giggle escaped his lips, "I'm going to scare the shit out of him if he isn't paying attention."

Turns out, the pinkette didn't have to worry about startling his partner. Gray was passed out asleep in the arm chair with the TV on at low volume. Natsu smiled and leaned over the back of the old chair. He pressed a kiss to Gray's forehead, following it with a few to his cheeks. Eventually he ended up in the ice-mage's lap, and Gray, who was semiconscious, was returning the kisses. "If you sleep in the chair you'll complain about crick in your neck all day," Natsu whispered.

Gray huffed and kissed Natsu's forehead, "You gonna stay?"

"Yeah. Happy's staying with Wendy and Carla tonight." Natsu stood up and helped Gray out of the chair.

"I don't plan on moving for couple of days," Gray muttered.

Natsu sighed quietly, "I wish I could let you." Gray nearly fell off the stairs as he faced the pinkette. "It's a long story, but basically, Juvia's acting the way she is because she's being mind controlled by Jose. We think. I'll tell you when we're both functional."

The ice mage was gaping at him. "You can just drop a bomb like that and not expect me to ask," he muttered.

Natsu glared at him, "I've explained this at least three different times today. Let me sleep." He pushed his way passed the raven headed boy and into the bedroom. He flopped onto the bed, rolling the covers around him as he curled up.

Gray followed him and wrapped his arms around the pinkette as he snuggled into him. "Fine, but you're telling me first thing in the morning." Natsu only hummed in affirmation.

This morning was going to be hectic. When Natsu explained to him what he and their team had planned out, his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. "I'm sorry, we're doing what today?"

"You heard me. It's the fasted way to get a reaction strong enough from her to activate the spell we created," even Natsu sounded unsure of himself.

"It's insane! It's a brand new spell that's never been tested! What if it kills her?"

"It won't. Master helped us with it, and I can count on one hand the people who actually know. Everyone else will just assume it's a part of the plan."

Natsu was shaking. "He doesn't want to do this either." He captured the smaller male in a hug.

"It actually might make the idea of us being even more unbelievable. They'd think it even more impossible. Maybe they'd even-" He was mumbling now, but Gray didn't have the super hearing it would take to understand it. Instead he just held onto him.

This was going to be nerve racking for both of them. "Hey."

"Hm?"

He didn't know much of the language, but he knew enough to make the slayer smile. "I love you."

"Love you, too." They'd be okay.

Everyone was gaping at them. Natsu had plopped down into Gray's lap without hesitation, and the ice mage hadn't done anything about it. He'd been sitting there for at least fifteen minutes, yet Gray had done nothing. The only one's who seemed to know what was going on were Erza, Lucy, Gajeel, Levy, and Master.

They'd put together that something was going on, but they hadn't figured out just what it was yet.

Once Natsu had caught a group of them staring, he'd mouthed the words "Act surprised," and Juvia burst through the door.

That when all hell broke loose.

Juvia had frozen in place. The person she's seen as Gray-sama's rival was cuddling him like a lover, and Juvia was pissed. "It's all your fault!" she screamed, "It's all your fault that Gray-sama doesn't love Juvia! She kept seeing Lucy-san and Erza-san and all the girls that follow him around as love-rivals, but you. It's you."

The second the bluenette lunged for Natsu, a rune cage appeared around her. Natsu hopped off Gray's lap and walked over to it. "You're sure this will work, Jii-chan?"

Their short master had climbed down from the second floor with a grimace plastered across his face. "I hope so, brat."

"That's great and all, but what the hell is going on?" Mirajane had made her way over there from the bar, and she looked just as angry as Juvia, who was suspended in the air.

Lucy, Erza, Levy, Gajeel, and Gray all looked at Natsu, "No. Screw all of you. I'm not explaining this again."

"You're the one who actually figured it out," Levy reasoned, and Natsu glared at her.

"Jii-chan can do it," The pinkette didn't wait for a response before he bolted out the door, leaving a gaggle of gaping guild mates in his wake.

The old man looked a bit off put by the stares that were directed at him now, but he had a job to do. "Well, uh, I'm not exactly sure of all the details myself, but I'll do my best to reiterate what I was told yesterday..."

Juvia didn't know what to think anymore. The basement she was in was dissolving around her, and with a start she realized that it wasn't even Phantom Lord's basement. It was the one her parents used to lock her in when she misbehaved. "Where am I really?" The area around her was darkening, and she felt like she was floating. "Or maybe... No, Juvia. This isn't like the other times you've almost died. This is different."

The darkness was surrounding her and squeezing her insides.

Everything felt cold.

Juvia hated the cold.

It reminded her too much of the rain.

Fairy Tail watched on amazed as dark magic was slowly being pulled from Juvia's body. The black tendrils were being torn apart by their master's light magic, but about halfway through, she began to spasm.

Gray had to freeze her in place.

After about an hour, no other black magic escaped her body, and they too Juvia to the infirmary.

Now it was just a matter of waiting.

"So, Gray," Cana asked quietly, "You want to tell me why Natsu was sitting in your lap earlier?" The sly card mage was smirking at him, and it took most of his will power not to blush.

"We needed to get the most violent reaction possible out of Juvia the second she saw us." It was the excuse they'd agreed on, and Gray had to admit that it was a pretty damn good one, "By doing that, she didn't notice the spell, and it brought all of the darkness to the forefront to be pulled out."

Cana raised an eyebrow, but she didn't bother to comment again. In fact, everyone seemed to just accept it how it was.

He still wasn't telling them the truth.

After Natsu and Gray had both left the guild, conversation exploded:

"How do you think he got Natsu to agree to sitting in his lap in public?"

"What do they mean 'Natsu's the one who figured it out.' He's dumber than a box of rocks!"

"Do you think they're actually going to tell us instead of being secretive?"

"How'd they figure out what was going on with Juvia?"

"What did the girls have to do with this?"

"How'd they drag Gajeel into it?"

Most of the conversations overlapped, making it difficult to tell them apart, and others, that were being discussed by the louder members, were prominent. No one knew what to think about what was going on, but their master had made it clear that he wasn't explaining the rest until Juvia was awake, which could be anytime.

Before they realized, an entire week had passed, and Juvia was still completely unconscious. Natsu and Gray had taken a a mission with their team, so asking them was out of the question, and Levy had gone on a mission with team Shadow Gear. Gajeel was the only person left they could ask, and no one wanted to poke the bear, or rather, dragon.

They could wait.

When the water mage finally awoke, it was early in the morning a week and a half after she fallen unconscious. She had stumbled down the stairs to the ground floor, nearly knocking herself back unconscious. Gajeel ended up helping her to a table in the back, and everyone else was told to stay away for the time being.

"How are you feeling, Juv?" he asked quietly. She just shook her head and took another sip of water, "Do you know what happened or do I need to explain it?" She made a vague motion with her hands, and Gajeel took it as a go ahead. "Jose got to you at some point. We're not entirely sure how, but it has something to do with his shade magic. He was controlling you somehow, and you were basically acting like a stalker towards one of Fairy Tail's guild members."

She looked at him appalled, "Ju- Fuck- I need to apologize." She zoned out partially, murmuring under her breath, "I thought I dropped that dumb habit?"

"You did, Gajeel affirmed, "but Jose used it while he was controlling you. I thought you had just hit a rough patch again, so I didn't mention it. I'm glad you're okay Juv." He leaned forward and ruffled her dirty hair affectionately. The blunette was practically his sister, and he be damned if he let some messed up, power hungry freak destroy that. "You can go take a shower in the back room. I'll bring you some clothes, yeah?"

She got up sluggishly, but a firm hand steadied her. Cana had made her way over to their table, a pile of what looked like her own clothes in her hand. "I don't know how stable you are, Juvia, so I'm going to stand outside the door. I brought some of my looser clothing for you to wear until you get back in your own." Cana pulled her away gently, and Gajeel sent a reassuring smile to his blue haired friend.

It wasn't until after she was clean that Juvia bothered to ask. "Juvia h- shit- I have a Fairy Tail mark. Did... Did I join while I was being controlled?"

Cana nodded, "I guess you don't know then," she muttered. "Phantom Lord's been destroyed, and Jose is on the run. You and Gajeel were accepted in to Fairy Tail afterwards, because Master didn't want to leave you on your own."

Juvia felt like she was going to cry, "That... was kind of Makarov-san." The water mage's voice was quivering, so she willed it to stop. "He didn't have to-"

Cana cut her off, "Yes he did. He's the master of Fairy Tail, and one of our rules is not to leave anyone on their own unless it's truly what they want."

"But I caused so much trouble?"

Cana came up behind her and pulled the bluenette into a hug. "You're one of us now. That means you're family, so even if you find a new path, you'll always be one of us." She didn't bother to stop the tears anymore.

"Have I really found a family?"

Natsu's team got back later that day, and Gray immediately moved to other side of their group at the sight of the blue haired mage. He eyed her carefully as she approached, but she stayed a few feet away. "You're, Gray, right?" She asked, and the rest of his team went elsewhere. The blue haired mage bowed deeply, "I sincerely apologize for what I did while under Jose's control."

"She can't remember any of it?" Makarov had anticipated a much, as Gray hadn't. "It's... No, it isn't okay, but it wasn't you doing it. You have no reason to apologize. Just forget about it, Juvia." He pushed past her, and over to the rest of his team, "Just so you know, You're explaining this mess Natsu."

The pinkette spat out a phrase in his odd language far too fast for even Gajeel to catch before switching back, "Why me?"

"Because you figured it out."

"You understood the explanation."

"It was your plan that fixed it."

"It was your problem I fixed."

They had gradually gotten closer and closer until they were forehead to forehead, and Gajeel decided to do the unthinkable. "Just kiss already. Literally every one here knows anyways." They shot apart as if a bomb had gone off between them, and neither one of them would look at each other. "You're gayer than Sting and Rogue." Several guild members, namely a certain group of girls with a shipping problem, nodded or admitted to it.

Natsu gave Gajeel the flattest look possible, "I thought we promised not to bring up those two assholes. Like, ever."

"You're ignoring what I said," Gajeel responded.

In almost perfect unison, Natsu and Gray responded, "That's because you're being an ass."

After a round of giggling from them and the guild, they finally got back on track, "Okay, so I'll explain the whole thing this time, and only once, so listen. Ga-"

Gajeel decided to push the last button,"You're still ignoring it-"

"Fucking hell." Natsu grabbed a butter knife from Erza's plate and jammed it between Gajeel's fingers. It sunk through the wood like quicksand, the thunk resonating throughout the room,"YES, okay? Gray and I have been a thing for a long time, now piss off. As I was saying,"

They all decided it was probably a bad idea to interrupt Natsu again, so they waited until after to embarrass them.

Needless to say it ended up with half of them frozen, and the other half burned in some way.

Words: 4,416

#gratsu #natray #Gray x Natsu #Natsu x Gray #natsu dragneel #gray fullbuster #Cana Alberona #juvia loxar #juvianna #if you squint #same with gajevy #Erza Titania #lucy heartfilia #makarov dreyar #jose porla #Gajeel Redfox #mind control #secret relationship #sassy natsu #Dragon language #bad refrences #fluff #fluff and angst #humor #Fairy Tail is bad with secrets #sadness #mentions of past trauma