#constellunaa

[fainttwinkling]

Feels like long time no see. 

These were a collaboration work with Constellunaa, who somehow disappeared while I wasn’t looking (I really hope that she is fine, but I didn’t manage to get in touch with her :( ) 

This is the same scene from Berserk, which is a really well written and huge fic by @rivendell101. It’s not finished, as I know, but life is life I guess, and it’s still worth reading anyway. It’s hard to put in words properly, but we wanted to draw Natsu and Lucy in some unusual circumstances rather than as a lovely pairing and that was this dangerous situation.. the first meeting.

So we each drew a piece, but the colouring here is mine on both of them due to what I wrote up there. Also a good thing to finish a long-term project, though I’d be glad if we did it the way it was planned.

[kurokoros]

In the Bones: Part One

Title: In the Bones

Rated: M (for violence and later chapters)

Words: 10K+

Summary:  Natsu and Lucy are from warring clans, each acting as a powerful warrior for their people. Natsu’s clan consists of skilled blacksmiths, crafting weapons from the earth and enchanting them with lost elemental magic. Lucy’s people are Spiritwalkers, powerful seers who can make contracts with ancient spirits from the bones they leave behind. (enemies to lovers AU)

AN: New AU for @constellunaa‘s birthday! Happy birthday Shana! Have a lovely day <3 This one is based on her warring clans AU which is AMAZING.

*also on FF, so please be sure to drop a review there and follow the story if you want to!

Lucy bends low over the bowl before her, cupping her hands to trap the gust from her lungs as she breathes life into the broken, forgotten splinters of bone. Cracked ribs lay before her, as well as the remains of a smashed skull, barely the size of her palm, small enough to cradle. They rattle when she blows warm air against them, shifting slightly, and she grins. Excitement sweeps through her, her hands trembling, and she has to steady herself before trying again.

She takes a deep breath, golden eyes slipping shut as she pushes passed her nerves, readying herself. Her eyes snap open once more, a faint shimmer of blue in her irises, and this time when she breathes into them, a pale, ghostly blue glow pulls from her lungs. It fans across the bones, and they quiver, clacking together wildly as she leans back, waiting for the creature to form, long forgotten pieces of itself finally becoming one.

Her eyes slam shut, her heart stuttering in her chest, and she bites her lip. Lucy’s lungs go still, the oxygen leaving her in a rush, and she reminds herself not to panic, her mind used to the loss of breath, though her body constantly rejects the feeling. Her lungs scream for air, her spirit flickering as she continues to breathe against the bones she found days earlier while out in the woods.

Eventually, she runs out of air, the blue glow leaving her and washing across the rattling bones, the sound growing so loud she can barely think. Lucy gasps for breath, coughing slightly, and winces as her chest aches, her life-force growing thin for a moment before coming back to her.

The consequences of walking with spirits were the first things Lucy was taught as a child, her mother making her promise never to spread herself too thin. There’s only so much a Spiritwalker can take, their lives much more fragile than others.

The bones fall silent a moment later. The rattling stops suddenly, and her eyes snap open, gold flickering in the early morning light spilling in through the open window. The wool rug beneath Lucy tickles at her skin, and the bones are quiet, as if nothing happened. For a moment, she frowns, eyes narrowing as she stares down at them, but then they shift again, though not because of her.

A low whining sound reaches her ears, so soft she almost doesn’t notice it, and Lucy grins as a pair of furry ears twitch behind the ribcage. Another whine reaches her ears, and she laughs as the creature lifts its head, a wolf cub peeking at her, more alive than the fractured skull at her feet.

It yawns, shaking itself, and stands on trembling legs, wobbling as it takes the first step of its second life. Peering up at her, blue eyes lock with Lucy’s, the same ghostly flicker of her breath. It takes a step towards her, slipping slightly, and she laughs, the wolf’s body flickering at the edges, almost smudging, not entirely there.

Lucy giggles and reaches out with one hand, allowing the cub to sniff at her fingers. “Hello, little one,” she coos, scratching it behind its grey ears when it noses at her, waddling on too big feet to flop down before her, rolling onto one side and allowing her to scratch at its belly. Lucy winds her fingers through the soft fur of its stomach, feeling its chest rise with borrowed breath, alive but also not.

It saddens her for a moment, her smile slipping away as she remembers that though it breathes and she can touch it, the wolf is only half alive.

She glances behind it, staring at its bones, and winces, wishing there was something more she could do. The life of a Spiritwalker is not an easy one, Lucy’s come to learn in her twenty years. It’s bittersweet, Lucy constantly wishing she could do more, but knowing that bad things happen to those who try.

Shaking herself, Lucy scoops the wolf cub into her arms. It yelps, not expecting the sudden shift in position, but settles against her, tail wagging as it noses at her chin, teeth latching onto one of the bones on her necklace, long and thin, carved from the ribs of a lion spirit, lost long ago. He comes when she calls, eyes ghastly blue and fangs sharper than anything she’s ever seen.

She does not call upon them often. Walking with powerful spirits can be dangerous, most do not like to be controlled. Lucy’s called upon the lion only three times since the necklace was passed from her mother to her, all of them in battle. He’s saved her life several times, and Lucy would call him a friend if she thought she could believe it. She’s been told that the older the bones the more tricky the spirit. They can be liars, saying what they want, making promises they cannot keep, anything to be summoned.

New bones, like those of the pup in her arms, are harmless, not tainted and bitter from their long sleep. She’s loath to trust the ancient spirits, no matter how helpful they can be. There was one she trusted years ago, she muses, sighing as she feels the empty weight around her throat, no choker where one once was.

Lucy doesn’t dwell on it, pushing herself to her feet and wiping the dirt from her legs. The cool air tickles her bare thighs, and her long braid thumps against her back, the rest of her hair loose and tumbling down in great waves. She brushes her bangs aside, fingers skimming across the crystals dangling from her ears. Rolling one between her finger and thumb, Lucy shifts the spirit into her left arm, cradling it to her as the wind whips through the room.

Her necklaces clink together as she turns towards the door, tensing when she notices a familiar figure watching her.

The taller man glares down at her, lips twisted into a disapproving sneer as he eyes the cub tucked into her elbow, still gnawing at the bones hanging around her neck. He says nothing, only stares, and Lucy shifts in place, gaze darting away from his as she stiffens, flinching under his gaze. “Father,” she murmurs, golden eyes flickering up to meet a pair darker than her own, so deep they near black.

For a long moment he says nothing, simply glances between her and the wolf in disgust. His hands clench into tight fists, and he releases a slow breath, head shaking slightly. “Lucy,” he greets her in return, no warmth to his tone as his gaze flicks to the bowl of bones resting in the dirt.

She shifts, waiting for him to say something, and her shoes scuff against the ground, wet dirt matting the white fur lining her boots. He observes her silently, and Lucy busies herself with straightening the long cloth around her hips, a deep red and lined with soft dragon scales, some of the only remnants of the long forgotten beasts. It tickles at her skin, the thin belts around her hips keeping it snug against her, and Lucy finds herself tracing the edge of the fabric absentmindedly.

The cool air winds around her bare midriff, the red cloth wrapping around her chest doing little to keep away the North wind coming from the winter woods. It has been growing colder lately, and while she’d like to believe it’s merely the changing seasons, she knows deep in her soul that they’ve come for her clan.

They were foolish to run.

“Have you thought about what we discussed?” he asks her, not looking at her as he glances around the small space she’s created for herself, nothing but a low wooden building, large enough for her and perhaps another. It isn’t as glamorous as his own home, she knows, the one she used to live in.

Lucy would rather sleep where people live.

“What is there to discuss?” she asks him, laughing bitterly and twisting to her right, walking away from him and ignoring his glare as she lifts her long knife from where it rests above the fire, the flames casting twitch shadows against the ivory weapon. Expertly carved, Lucy was gifted it on her sixteenth birthday. The blade is a symbol of her age but also a weapon of power, given to her for her fighting spirit.

Her fingers skim the bone lovingly and Lucy hears him curse behind her, practically snarling.

“Lucy,” he calls to her, sighing and she can feel his gaze burn against her back, can practically taste his anger in the air. She considers ignoring him, but knows better.

Instead, she turns to face him, eyes narrowing as her lips press into a thin line. Her chin tilts upwards, her back straightening, and she twirls the weapon between her fingers, feeling its familiar weight in her palm. The wolf cub whines, burrowing into her shoulder, and she hushes it gently.

“You want to start a war that you cannot win,” she hisses, glaring back at her father, eyes narrowed as something like contempt winds through her. The bones around her throat shift, rattling as they feed off her distress. Her father takes a step towards her, and Lucy’s rage flares in her chest, fingers curling around her blade defensively.

Jude stares at her, long robes flowing around him, rich garnets and royal blues curling around his frame. He sighs, staring down at her, something like pity in his gaze. He reaches out slowly, crossing the small distance between them and placing a hand on her shoulder. She flinches away, but he doesn’t release her, only grips her tighter. “You underestimate us,” he hisses in her ear, nails digging into her bare skin and making her cringe.

The wolf cub snarls at her father, barring its small teeth threateningly, hackles raises, and she quiets it with a gentle touch, shaking her head softly. It whines, but does as she asks, wet nose pressing against her neck and soft fur warming against her skin. Its lungs move with a phantom breath, heart beating rhythmically, and Lucy shudders as she thinks about her father demanding she release its soul back to the earth.

“And you underestimate them,” she counters, yanking out of his grip. Lucy shakes her head, suddenly furious at her father’s refusal to listen to her. She’s been telling him for days what a mistake it would be to attack so blindly. Their Spiritwalkers are few compared to the Dragonborne warriors. And while her people are strong, their numbers dwindle with every passing year.

They cannot handle a war, not so soon after the last.

Jude snorts, shaking his head, and backs her against the wall. “You managed to hold them off once,” he reminds her, and Lucy sneers, wondering if he’s forgotten the price she and every other Spiritwalker paid for that fight. It wasn’t a win for them, only a momentary gain of ground. They did little more than push back their enemies for a short time.

“Yes,” she drawls, sending him a cool look offset by the fire burning in her gaze, gold sparking with rage. “And it cost me dearly,” Lucy reminds him, shifting the cub to graze her fingers across her throat, wincing as she feels the empty space where her mother’s necklace once rested, a small, thin scar resting in its place. “We cannot start a war we are unable to finish.” She locks eyes with him, daring her father to challenge her.

“We have spirits,” Jude snaps, leaning into her space, and Lucy’s skin crawls as his eyes pin her. She shakes her head, disgusted, and ducks beneath his arm, stepping around him and heading for the door. She’s given him her answer, and she isn’t about to change her mind, not when she know how many people will be lost.

If the fighting doesn’t kill them, the Skinwalkers certainly will.

“And they have men,” Lucy counters, scoffing. She turns back to him, stopping just inside the entrance to her home. Lucy sighs, shaking her head and wishing there was some way to get through to him, knowing he’ll never listen. “There are so few of us left,” she reminds her father softly, pleading with her eyes for his to understand. He’s never been one to walk with the spirits. He doesn’t know what it means. “Do not sacrifice us in vain,” Lucy warns him.

Again, Jude shakes his head, taking a step forward as his expression darkens, twisting into something unfamiliar that makes her wince. She’s always been grateful her feather could never walk with the spirits, fearing what he would become. The power to bring things back, to control them, if only for a moment, it does things to people. That power drives some of them mad.

“If you would simply raise—”

Lucy whirls on him, baring her teeth and daring him to come closer. “The dead do not like to be awakened,” she hisses, voice low. He takes a step back, and she groans, wishing again that he would just listen to her for once. Laughing incredulously, Lucy turns towards the door once again, tucking the cub safely against her chest, tightening her grip on her weapon as she storms out of the room, abandoning him to the silence and empty space.

He follows after her, not letting her go far, but Lucy simply ignores him, padding across the stone paths and ignoring him as he shouts her name, demanding she come back. A few turn to stare at them, but Lucy pays them no mind, not wanting to deal with conversation at the moment.

Jellal catches her eye, half-hidden in the shadow of a building, and sends her the briefest of nods, so slight she almost misses it. He watches as her father chases after her, hand going to his weapon as the older man closes in on her, but Lucy shakes her head, calming the warrior. He blinks, frowning, and doesn’t relax, and Lucy knows Gray is near as well. Both men have served their clan well, and though neither are Spiritwalkers themselves, they’ve always trusted her lead.

“Where are you going?” her father demands, stopping as Lucy edges towards the woods, not daring to follow. His eyes widen, and behind him Lucy sees Gray, his expression paling as he sees her heading straight for the forest.

Walker Woods, they call it, and not named for those that dance with spirits. Monsters hide there, having followed them from the Icelands. Most don’t dare enter the trees, terrified of what they might find, but Spiritwalkers do not have that option. The forest may be cursed, but it’s the only definite place to find what they need.

“To dig up more bones,” she calls over her shoulder, not bothering to glance back as she steps into the dark woods.

The hammer comes down hard on the piece of warped iron, Natsu’s brow furrowing when the metal doesn’t twist the way he wants it to. He’s always had a knack for metalwork, but sometimes he wishes it would bend to him the way it always has for Gajeel, his older cousin. He’s always been the better blacksmith of the two of them, but Natsu can’t begrudge him for it. The iron may respond to Gajeel easier than it does him, but Natsu can call himself the better fighter of the two of them.

Gajeel is good, but not nearly as fast.

Natsu continues to pound at the sheet of iron, slowly working it into a curved blade, similar to the old one he’s worn on his arm since he was younger. He’s been needing to make a new one for months, his old one chipped and broken after the long summer, a price he paid during the fighting. He meant to fix it, but between the rest of his work, he simply hasn’t found the time. He could have requested one from Gajeel, but Natsu has always felt better using weapons he’s crafted with his own hands.

He trusts Gajeel with his life, more than he trusts anyone else, but Natsu thinks iron is different. It can be unpredictable even in skilled hands, and for that Natsu only trusts his own.

He stares down at the piece, shaping it into a shallow bend, enough to follow the curve of his arm, and decides that this one will be his. He’s waited months to make one for himself, and he’s completed enough orders to keep this one. If anyone has an issue with that, he thinks they can shove it.

Natsu sneers as he thinks about Erza, a warrior only a few years older than himself. She’s more particular about her weapons than most, and wants them done twice as fast, but has no skill for the craft herself. He figures she won’t be happy about her newest sword coming in late, but if she has an issue, he won’t feel particularly bad about sending her Gajeel’s way.

While he respects Erza more than most, the girl has been a thorn in his side for ages, practically since he started his apprenticeship. She never seemed to learn that good quality takes a longer time to craft, much to his constant annoyance.

Natsu huffs, paying little attention to his craft, and slips slightly, arm coming too close to the fire. He hisses at the heat, jerking away from the flames, but the fire doesn’t touch him, warded away by the metal in his ring.

The plain, silver band glows red, pulsing with the heat from the fire until he has to look away from the light. He glances back as the light dims, catching sight of a small flame as it dances across the back of his hand, warm, but not but not burning him. It flickers for several seconds, Natsu lifting his hand to get a better look, but when he raises the flame level with his eyes it disappears entirely, quelled by the ring’s magic.

He smiles down at the ring fondly, shaking his head and runs his finger across the smooth band, silently thanking it for protecting him once again. He’s always marveled at their ability to utilize magic. It’s something his clan has done for years, even before he was born. He grew up hearing the stories and legends about how it the magic was harnessed, about how the great hero Yuri stole the power of lightning from the Gods and vanquished the demon Zeref.

He doesn’t understand how it all works, but they’ve managed to enchant their weapons and the other metal they decorate themselves with. It’s something they’re taught when they’re young. Natsu learned it through hours of watching Igneel work, the process more delicate than crafting the iron itself. Embedding weapons with elemental magic can take hours, sometimes days depending on the amount.

Simply spells like those in his ring, merely meant to ward away the fire and keep him from being burned while he works, are rather quick to embed compared to those in a fully formed sword, taking little more than a few seconds to cast, though it can take some time for them to fully settle. With jewelry they always cast the spells while the metal is soft, pliant and easily crafted, letting the magic settle as the iron or silver hardens.

It’s a difficult skill to master, but Natsu prides himself in how much he’s managed to accomplish at such a young age, even surpassing his father in skill some time ago. Igneel has always been one of the best, working with the metal for over twenty years at this point, but he also taught Natsu everything he knew before eventually retiring, handing over his shop to Natsu and Gajeel, though he often comes by to oversee their word, still a master in his own right.

Natsu trusts Igneel’s judgment more than he trusts his own at times, always relying on his father’s second opinion.

Shaking his head, Natsu settles his palm atop the curved blade, feeling it crackle with heat beneath his touch, warm but not scalding like it would be without his magic. Leaning over the iron, Natsu bends at the waist until he’s nearly kissing it. The heat fans across his face, but his piercings keep the fire from burning him, one in his lower lip and four in his left ear, three in his right.

The flames lick at his skin, and Natsu takes a deep breath before murmuring an enchantment, smoothing his palm along the blade, fire dancing beneath his fingers. The blade glows for a moment, a red haze surrounding the iron before fading just as suddenly as it was there, seeping deep into the metal.

He grins as he pulls away, fingers skimming across the metal one last time before he leaves it completely. Natsu glances over his work with a critical eye, humming to himself as he looks for any imperfections in the metal, pleased when he sees none.

Natsu finishes quickly, leaving the sword to cool and stepping aside. He finally notices the heat clinging to him, sweat sticking to his skin and rolling down his back. Cringing at the feeling, Natsu grabs at the old rag he keeps at his work station, swiping it up with a curse and wiping it across his brow to remove the sweat dripping into his eyes. He runs it along the side of his neck, stilling briefly when it comes in contact with the pale, raised scar on his throat.

He lets his hand linger, tracing the silver scar with a frown. It’s only a few years old, still relatively new to him, a brand he’s carried ever since their first battle with the Bone Witches. Sneering, Natsu swipes across the damaged skin, growling to himself as he thinks about that day. He was careless and it cost him. He won’t make that mistake again.

She caught him from behind, fast and silent as she lunged for him. He didn’t have a moment to think or move as she closed in on him, lashing out with her weapon made of bone. It caught him across the neck, ripping open the side of his throat. Natsu’s lucky to have lived that day, her blade just missing the artery on his neck, though she drew blood.

He made sure to return the favor, striking for her neck when she leaned in close to him, checking to see if he was dead. She was faster than him, Natsu only able to knick her, barely drawing a thin line of blood before she was dancing away, disappearing into the battle. He would have followed, tracked her down and forced her into a fair fight, but something stopped him.

Natsu glances down at the spare knife he keeps at his hip, hand drifting down to trace the smooth, carved pendant hanging off the hilt: bone. He doesn’t know why he kept it. He should have just let it be, left it laying on the ground, but something told him to take it, to keep it. Something about it makes him feel safe, somehow. He doesn’t understand it, and he doesn’t think he wants to. The bones have always made him nervous, Natsu knowing that the spirits of the dead cling to them.

It’s unnerving, and not something he likes to dwell upon.

Natsu drops the pendant back in its place, shaking his head. It’s not worth thinking about. Silently, he shoves the thoughts away, sighing through his nose and wiping another line of sweat from his chest, not liking the feeling of it sticking to him. Natsu hums under his breath, glancing around at his work for the day, pleased to see several orders completed, more than he was hoping to finish at that.

He tenses suddenly, feeling someone come up behind him, only relaxing when he recognizes the familiar presence.

“You’ve been busy,” his cousin comments, giving a low whistle as he steps into the room, glancing at the rows of weapons lining the walls. Gajeel ambles over to a row of axes, reaching out slowly and dragging a finger along the flat of the blade. He raises an impressed brow, leaning in to inspect the filigree along the edge, delicate with its thin lines, but holding a raw power as well. Gajeel nods, seemingly awed, and glances back at Natsu over his shoulder, a smirk pulling at his lips.

Natsu grins, peering into the next room over, unsurprised to see the empty walls, nothing more than a handful of unimpressive knives resting in one corner, no less than five of them. “And you haven’t,” Natsu jokes in return, snorting. He isn’t surprised, Gajeel hasn’t been in his workroom for the last three days. His requests have been piling up, and Natsu thinks that if he isn’t careful, he’s going to lose several customers very soon.

As much as Natsu loves his cousin, he isn’t above taking his customers. Gajeel may be the better craftsman, if only by a hair, but Natsu has the far better reputation for being on time. Gajeel’s been too busy chasing around girls all week to get any of his work done. A pity, really, but Natsu can’t say it isn’t amusing.

Gajeel shoots him a nasty look, whirling on his heel to lock eyes with Natsu. His gaze narrows, Gajeel crossing his arms over his chest defensively, unpleased with all the teasing. “I’ve been busy,” he defends himself, practically hissing, and Natsu has to bite back his laughter, knowing how temperamental Gajeel can be.

“Yes,” Natsu agrees dryly, turning back to the blade he was working on, “chasing Levy must be very time consuming.” He allows himself to laugh, hearing Gajeel grumble something nasty behind him. Any other day Natsu might have gotten mad over Gajeel insulting him, but he’s in a surprisingly good mood, given how long he’s been awake.

Behind them, someone clears their through, causing Natsu and Gajeel to tense upon recognition.

“Yes,” an equally dry voice agrees with Natsu, their tone disapproving. Natsu glances to the side, seeing his cousin cringe slightly. “Gajeel, running after the McGarden girl must be very difficult.” Gajeel has the decency to flush as he turns around staring guiltily at his feet. Natsu does the same, staring up into the smiling face of his father. Igneel quirks a brow at the two of them, glancing into Gajeel work space. “Considering how little work you’ve done this week, I’d imagine she’s quite the catch.”

Gajeel blanches, but doesn’t argue, and Igneel laughs, throwing his head back as he crosses his arms. The golden bands around his upper arms glint in the light from Natsu’s fire, and Igneel’s green eyes go bright when he sees what Natsu has been working on all morning. He reaches out, patting Natsu on the shoulder before turning to cuff Gajeel, gently reprimanding him for ignoring his work.

“Igneel,” Gajeel greets, pouting slightly.

Natsu snickers at his cousin. “Hey, Dad,” he replies, grinning up at him.

Igneel’s smile slips nearly as soon as it appears, a darkness cutting across his eyes, exhaustion clouding his features. Natsu and Gajeel exchange a look, confused, and Igneel sighs when he sees the silent question in their eyes. He takes a step forward, towering over them both, and dips his chin to whisper in their ears, a low growl to his words. “Acnologia called a meeting,” he warns them, placing a hand on each of their shoulders and squeezing.

Natsu scoffs, shaking his head. “A war council,” he corrects, spitting the words. They leave a bad taste on his tongue, Natsu’s nose wrinkling as he thinks about it. While their meetings were once simply that, they’ve become something far darker. Acnologia took control not three years ago, forcing their former leader Makarov to either step down or die in combat, the two men disagreeing heavily on what to do with the Bone Witches coming from the north.

Natsu has no love for the witches himself, but Acnologia speaks of what would have been considered war crimes years ago, treating them as less than human. He doesn’t trust the Bone Witches, but disagrees with Acnologia’s methods, the man relying on nothing but cruelty to drive them out. Natsu will never understand senseless slaughter. He’ll give them a war, if it comes to that, but he refuses to slip into their homes at night and cut their throats while they sleep.

There’s no honor in killing children.

Gajeel elbows him in the ribs, gaining his attention, and Natsu’s head snaps up, his gaze locking on Igneel’s as his father squeezes his shoulder. “He wants to see everyone immediately,” Igneel tells them lowly, a hint mischief in his gaze as he rolls his eyes, Igneel holding no fondness for their clan leader.

The position was meant to be Igneel’s once. Makarov was grooming him to be his successor, set to hand down his position to Igneel come the full moon in the midst of summer near three years back. Acnologia took the position first, demanding it while Igneel was off scouting in the east.

Igneel could have demanded a trial by combat, denouncing Acnologia and claiming the title of leader for himself, though he didn’t dare. Acnologia has always been cruel, and Igneel could never be sure what the man would do to his children if he lost.

Wendy was only thirteen at the time, too young to defend herself from someone of Acnologia’s skill.

“But,” Igneel continues before either of them can speak, giving them both a little wink, “I don’t think he’ll mind if you two are already busy.” It’s a joke more than anything, Igneel sending Gajeel a pointed look, jerking his head towards his nephews workspace. Gajeel flushes slightly, sending Igneel a sour look, but eventually sighs and heads off to continue his work from earlier in the week.

Igneel squeezes his shoulder once in a silent goodbye before disappearing, and Natsu watches him leave for a moment before glancing towards the Wilder Woods in the north, frowning slightly as he stares across the village at the dark forest.

Natsu grabs his scarf before setting off.

Fallen branches crackle beneath her boots as she creeps through the trees, following the wolf spirit as it weaves through the tall grass, disappearing from her sight for a moment before racing back to her, yipping happily. Lucy smiles down at the cub, though her nerves begin to prickle every time he makes a noise, aware that she is not the only thing in this forest, and certainly not the most dangerous.

She hushes him softly, crouching down to tickle beneath his chin and let his wet tongue lap at her cheek. He whines softly, seeming to understand her hesitance to go further into the woods. Lucy's already lost track of how long she's been walking, unsure if she's strayed outside the boundaries of her own territory.

Most of their Spiritwalkers have picked their own land clean of bones, finding all they could in the surrounding forest. Her wolves were a lucky find, near a stream on the very edge of their lands. It was a pair of them, strewn across the bank, bodies still warm and sticky with blood, their pelts missing and their bodies half-eaten. Lucy didn't stay there long, just enough to pick a bone from each of them before running back the way she came, aware that the Skinwalkers could still be close, never satisfied with their first steal.

Lucy spent days carving the bones into pieces for her hair, etching the symbol of her clan onto each of the bones and decorating them with paint. They could never be considered the nicest of her carvings, done when Lucy was barely sixteen, her craft still sloppy.

Neither of the wolves appeared to mind her poor craft, simply happy to run again, no longer bound to their bones beside the stream, left on the bank to rot and sink back into the soil. While she would never call the spirits tame, there is something special about them.

Sharsa and Fen have been beside her for several years now, one of Lucy's more common summons. They come when she alls most days, others when she does not, and though they are not nearly as cuddly as the cub she found, Lucy finds herself to have a kind of mutual respect with them. They recognize her strength and power, accepting her for it, but she thinks they also fear her.

Most spirits with violent deaths always do.

A branch snaps off to her right, and Lucy jerks around hand going to her knife, but it is only Fen, the black wolf trotting through the trees higher up on the hill, alert and watching for the Walkers. Sharsa is farther ahead, sniffing at a tree, her muddled, grey coat hiding her among the forest. The cub glances at Fen, tail wagging, and darts from her side without a second glance, running over to inspect the older spirit. She watches him bob through the grass, keeping a watchful eye on him until he reaches Fen's side.

She knows her spirits would never abandon each other.

Lucy watches the cub for a moment more musing over a name for him. She has names for all of her spirits, believing that the names give them a purpose, a reason not to wander and become lost in the forest. While their bones are bound to her, Lucy always allows them to wander for a time, give them a choice between walking beside her or returning to where they lie, bodies slowly being consumed by the worms and buzzards, flowers growing from their ribs and the roots of trees winding around their bones.

Sometimes she thinks about her own bones, wondering where they might end up, and if anyone would ever call upon her after death. She wonders if they might be thrown onto the grass to be found by some wanderer, her body rotting slowly, left in the fields to freeze at night and to thaw again during the day, the sun and frost not biting at her flesh as it once would.

She wonders if she might be there so long that she becomes a part of the land, flowers scattered across her empty chest cavity until she sinks beneath the earth.

Sighing, she continues onward, keeping an eye on her wolves as they run through the forest, barely making a sound that she can hear. Lucy wonders if the Skinwalkers can hear them, if they can smell her spirits or not. The legends never say, and those who come across them rarely come out from the woods.

When they lived in the north it was easier. They took less, stole less because the ice slowed the rotting of their flesh, and kept the carcasses they did steal fresher for longer. As sick as it seemed, it was a better life than they live now, war wagged against them in the south, myth and monster coming for them from all around. She hardly knows what to do anymore. They used to ward off the flesh stealers, but there are simply too many now, an entire colony fallowing them from the north.

They thought running would save them, but now they have nowhere else to go.

Off to her right Fen suddenly growls, ears pinned back as he crouches low to the ground. The cub follows him, whining softly, and Sharsa appears at her side, amber eyes locking with Lucy's briefly. The wolf urges her to stand, and Lucy rises from her crouch, casting a wary glance towards her spirits standing atop the hill.

She purses her lips, but follows after them, padding across the forest floor silently as she races up the crest of the hill, something urging her to look. The wolves are behaving oddly, acting more curious than afraid, something they would certainly be if they came across a Skinwalker.

Lucy knows her wolves, and they would not lead her astray like this.

Lucy breaches the crest, peering through a scattering of branches and leaves to look down into the valley below, a small lake resting on the other side. Her eyes snap open wide as she sees something unexpected.

Natsu's fingers skim the surface of the water gently, watching ripples form and then disappear as they drift farther away. His green eyes flick across the lake, something moving out of the corner of his eye, but Natsu finds nothing, only trees and the deep blue of the lake. Wetting his lips, Natsu casts a quick, wary glance around him, lips pressed into a thin line as he tenses.

He's never been quite so deep into the woods before, always turning back before he passed the Sola tree close to the border. Igneel always told them not to venture too deep into the forest, knowing it's where the Bone Witches go. The darkness always scared him as a child, but he's no longer young, always hiding behind Igneel. When the Bone Witches claimed the territory to the north of the Summerlands, miles off, but close enough for the Dragonborne to be wary, people say they brought something dark with them, something evil that lurks in the woods.

A myth, he's been told, nothing more than a silly legend meant to keep children from running off. They think their monsters will become the Dragonborne's, think their legends with come to swallow them all whole. He sneers at the thought, knowing the truth. The Bone Witches ran from the north because of the cold, nothing else. They came to the Summerlands on their own will, not because of some face stealing monsters.

He takes a deep breath, sighing to himself, and skims the lake's surface once again, dragging a lazy finger through the water. The sunlight glints off the blade strapped to his right arm, chipped and worn in places, many years old. He should have been taking better care of it, but Natsu never was careful with anything. The blade has saved his life more than once, and that was enough for Natsu.

Absentmindedly, he plays with the beads and feathers hanging from the lowest strap, debating if he should remove it for now, the air around him peaceful and quiet. Natsu decides against it, tugging at his scarf, a soft material made from old dragon scales, before reaching for his left wrist, straightening his bracer and letting his fingers run along the teeth sewn into the leather, counting each of them as he goes.

Dragon teeth have always been important to his clan, though the beasts no longer walk among them. The fangs are sewn into clothes, added to weapons, and are popular accessories in jewelry, making necklaces and earrings. They're also popular in betrothal necklaces, the teeth or bones of dragons being carved and paired with precious gems.

He's never made one himself, but Grandine still wears the one Igneel gave her over twenty years ago, never taking it off that Natsu's known. Most are fiercely defensive of the carvings, treasuring them more than most things.

A snarling sound comes from off to his left, and Natsu freezes, tensing as his gaze snaps around. His breath catches in his throat, eyes widening when he sees a large, black wolf snarling at him from the rocks bank, lips curved back over its teeth, blue eyes ghostly as it glares at him, teeth flashing.

There's something wrong with it though, Natsu notices. It looks strange, almost faded at the edges, not all there. Frowning, Natsu shifts, raising his arm defensively as he readies himself for an attack. The wolf snaps and snarls, taking a step closer, and Natsu hears another growl coming from his other side, his stomach twisting as he realizes they have him surrounded.

He swears under his breath, lips curling back over his teeth, and considers making a run for it. His legs tense, Natsu ready to spring upwards in only a moment.

Something sharp is pressed to the side of his throat suddenly, and Natsu stills, his eyes widening when he feels the flat of a blade slide against his skin, almost teasing. Someone moves behind him, human, and he winces as he realizes what's happened. He should have been able to tell by the wolves eyes, how faded them seem at the edges, as if they're becoming dust. Of the his left the wolf snarls, teeth bared and dripping with saliva, and he flinches back as it takes a step forward, moving right into the blade pressed to his neck.

The wolves bark, closing in, and someone murmurs a quiet word to them, calling them off. The black one cocks its ears in her direction, but stops growling almost immediately, dropping back to sit on its hunches, still staring with its glowing eyes. "You should not be here," a familiar voice whispers behind him, almost teasing, and Natsu feels bare skin brush against his back, the knife pressing against him firmly, daring him to cross her.

"Bone Witch," he hisses back, a bite to his words. She snorts, the knife pricking at his skin, though she's careful not to draw blood. Natsu growls in annoyance, angry with himself for not hearing her coming. She always has had a way of sneaking up on him, something that bothers him to no end. It isn't the first time she's crept up behind him, and he knows it certainly won't be the last.

She laughs, hardly taking offense to his mocking tone, and nudges him with her foot, urging him to stand. Natsu does so slowly, aware that she could kill him before he could lift his arm in defense. The wolves are still watching him as well, and Natsu knows better than to think they wouldn't get to him first. "And we call you monsters," she breathes against his ear, making him shiver.

Natsu snorts, hiding a smirk, and casts a lazy look in her direction, something like mischief dancing in her gaze, both of them knowing she has the upper hand. "What do you know of monsters?" he asks her, a low rumble to his words, but none of the bite from earlier, his eyes tracing the curve of her jaw with interest.

She merely grins.

His focus shifts, gaze sliding along her weapon appraisingly, though he tries to hide it. "Dragon bone," he muses, nothing short of impressed with its craftsmanship. The Bone Witches are skilled in their own right, he's come to notice with time. Though their metalwork is nothing compared to the Dragonborne, their skill with carving bone is something to marvel at. "Did you carve it yourself?"

Admiration pools in his gut as he eyes the knife pressed tight to his skin. While they may have bad blood between them, Natsu would never deny his respect for her, both as a warrior and

Natsu's gaze locks with her familiar golden eyes, her lips twisted into a pretty smile as she holds the knife to his throat. Her hair tumbles around her shoulders, tickling at her skin, and Natsu can't help but take in the sight of her. She's always been beautiful. It was something he couldn't help but notice, even as she slit open the side of his neck.

His eyes slip lower on her frame, greedily taking in the sight of her bare skin before snapping back up, realizing he shouldn't be looking while she has a knife pressed to his neck with every intention of using it. Her skills are nothing to scoff at either. He underestimated her once and it nearly cost him his life. It's a mistake he won't make a second time.

"You like it?" she asks him, leaning the bone slightly away from his skin, allowing him to relax for only a moment as she suddenly twists it in her hands, the sharp edge brushing against his skin. She grins, eyes sparking with humor and he knows she's only toying with him. "You may be the better crafter," she tells him, slowly lowering the blade and stepping in close enough to whisper in his ear, "but we have our ways."

His throat bobs with a swallow, and Natsu tenses. She jerks back a moment later, aware that while she might not be looking for a fight, it doesn't mean he isn't. Natsu watches her warily as she steps away from him, lowering her dragon bone knife to her side. "Do not be afraid," she tells him, lips pulled into a small smile. "There is no honor in your death outside of battle," she murmurs.

"And why should I believe that?" he questions, gaze flicking from her eyes to her knife, recalling the feel of it ripping through his skin. "We've fought before, Lucy," Natsu reminds her, though not unkindly.

She hums in agreement, head tilting to one side as her gaze slips down to his neck, eyeing his skin behind his scarf. "Your scar healed nicely," she informs him. He sneers at her, but Lucy merely grins as she shoved her blade into the dirt, letting it sink into the wet soil before releasing it. She stares for a long moment, almost imploring him to do the same.

He raises a brow as she gestures with her empty hands, showing him she's unarmed. "And what's to stop me from killing you?" he hisses, practically snarling at her. Hesitating for only a moment, Natsu sighs and shakes his head, silently cursing himself. His hand snaps to the blade on his arm, Natsu tugging at the leather straps viciously, hearing them unbuckle.

"Honor among thieves," Lucy tells him, watching with interest as his weapon falls to the ground at his feet, clanking against the rocks loudly.

The wolves calm as soon as he's unarmed, turning away from him in sudden disinterest. Natsu eyes them, frowning, and hears a quiet yip come from near his feet. His eyes snap down, Natsu tensing, but he stills when he sees the wolf cub batting at the buckles on his boots. He blinks at it for a moment, confused, and frowns when he hears Lucy's quiet laughter.

"Plue, what are you doing?" she asks the cub, shaking her head when it flops onto its back, tail wagging and paws batting at his shoes. The wolf ignores her, leaning in to chew at the leather and growl playfully. Natsu snorts, hiding a smile as she chides the cub, quirking a brow at the ridiculous name.

"Plue?" he repeats, swallowing down a laugh when she sends him a nasty look, offense flashing in her eyes. He's not trying to be rude, really, it's surprising, given most of the names she chooses.

Lucy frowns at him, eyes narrowing just the slightest. "Yes, Plue." She crosses her, shifting her weight onto her right hip, sending him a challenging look. "Is there something wrong with that?" Her gaze goes cold, almost daring, and Natsu finds himself grinning back at her.

"No," he admits, shrugging slightly gaze flicking between her and the wolf cub. "I just thought your ability to name things was better than that." Lucy frowns, but he continues before she can speak. "Sharsa is the name of a goddess," he notes, recalling her saying the name earlier, though he can't be sure which wolf is which. "The controller of winds. And Fen was one of two guardians of Asha, the primordial night." She raises a brow, appraising him, but changes the subject quickly.

"You are awfully deep in the woods," she murmurs, leaving her weapon in the dirt as she steps towards him. Natsu tenses, waiting for her to lunge for him, but Lucy merely grins, more wolf than sheep. She circles him slowly, coming around behind him, and his head snaps around to look at her.

He snorts, shifting on his feet when her hair tickles his back, and his gaze slips lower than it should, tracing across the lines painted across her bare torso. There are four on each side wrapping around her ribs, looking more like fingers come to cradle her than war paint. "I could say the same for you," he whispers back, softer than he intends to, and he hates himself for that.

She comes back around to stand in front of him and Natsu stares at the small, silver scar on her neck, little more than sliver. Not for the first time he thinks about giving that necklace back to her, but he doesn't dare act upon those thoughts. He shouldn't care to begin with, but he also doubts she would take it from him, figuring it a trick.

Natsu wouldn't blame her for that.

"What brings a blacksmith so far out?" Lucy regards him coldly for a moment, then drops into a crouch, calling out to the wolf cub still gnawing at his leather boots. Lucy's lips twitch at the edges, but she manages to smother her grin. The cub looks up when she calls him, tail wagging as he bounds back over to her, allowing Lucy to scoop him up in an embrace.

Something in his chest twists sickly when he realizes that cub must have died somewhere in these woods.

Natsu sneers at her, not missing the flash of fear in her eyes. "These aren't your woods, Witch," he hisses. The cub whines, curling tight against Lucy, and the larger wolves both shift, baring their teeth and daring him to try something.

"You should not be here," she repeats her first words to him, yanking her knife from the dirt and taking a step closer to him. Natsu stills, but feels no animosity coming from her, only raw fear that creeps from her voice into his bones, rattling him to his core.

He opens his mouth to snap at her, but something makes him stop. There's an honesty in her gaze, something that he simply can't ignore, and though he wants to laugh and mock her for her fears, all he can manage is a small, incredulous, "because of your myths?" It doesn't come out nearly as strong or mocking as he intended, but Lucy winces all the same.

"Natsu, please," she whispers, saying his name for the first time. Something about it makes him pause, his eyes locking with hers as she comes to rest just in front of him, so close he taste her skin if he wanted to. Her wolves begin to whine, tails tucking between their legs, and Natsu swallows, green eyes locking with hers. "You cannot be here," she whispers, speaking faster now. "It is not—"

A loud, shrill sound pierces the air, cutting Lucy off, and she pales, horror creeping across her features. The wolves yelp, leaping to their feet, and trot towards the Bone Witch, tucking themselves close beside her and crying, trembling. Natsu's hair stands on end as a second cry joins the first, then a third and a forth seconds later. He frowns, and Lucy makes a low sound, raising her knife defensively as she whirls around, eyes scanning the trees as the cries rise up around them, growing louder—closer.

For a moment he thinks it's simply an elk, knowing them to walk the forests from time to time, but something in his gut tells him that's wrong. The wolves lower themselves to the ground, whimpering, and he's never known spirits to fear the living. Lucy as well seems terrified, and he doubts that something like an elk would scare her so badly.

More than that, something about the sound is off, too high pitched, held for too long, and inhuman. It sounds monstrous, something not right about it, and Natsu is about to ask Lucy what it is when her fingers suddenly curl through his, jerking him forward.

Natsu starts to ask what's wrong, confused, but Lucy cuts him off, hissing at him that they need to leave and dragging him forward by the hand. He lets her pull him along, the sound unnerving him, his chest constricting as it grows louder, coming at them from all sides.

The wolves suddenly bolt into the woods, Lucy chasing after them, yanking him along with her. Natsu glances back at the lake over his shoulder, realizing he's left his blade, but he doesn't dare stop, not knowing what's happening, but something urging him to keep running.

Something catches his eyes from across the lake as they disappear into the trees, a pair of large, silver eyes staring back at him, empty and glowing through the trees. His breath catches, Natsu unable to look away from them, and stumbles, Lucy yanking him back upright without pause. Natsu's gaze snaps back to the tree line, but the eyes are gone, nothing but shadows pooling beneath the trees.

He doesn't know how long they run, the wolves at their heels and Lucy guiding him through the trees, weaving between them easily. He manages to keep pace with her, grip tightening on her fingers when that same shrill, eerie cry starts up again, ringing through his ears and making something inside him twist sickly.

The forest goes quiet suddenly, no sound but their heavy breathing and branches snapping beneath their feet, unnerving him. Far off, something cracks, different from the sound of branches, sharper, like bone, and an icy hand wraps around his heart, squeezing and stealing his breath.

Natsu doesn't know how long they've been running, only that the sky suddenly goes dark, clouding over as a low rumble tears through the air, thunder in the distance. Lucy murmurs something he can't hear over the sounds of rain and the shrill sound that seems unending, and stops suddenly, shoving him down into a thicket, bushes of thorns tearing at his skin. He hisses, wincing as his head hits the ground, but doesn't have a moment to think before Lucy's dropping down beside him, her body half covering him as she hides within the brambles.

He inhales sharply, feeling her soft curves blanket his torso, Lucy's legs on either side of him, her face hovering over his, hair falling around them like a curtain. Natsu flounders for a moment, unsure where to put his hands, but finally settles them on her hips, yanking her down against them despite thinking better of it. Her bare skin burns against him, Natsu feeling her everywhere, not a hint of space between them, and it causes his mouth to go dry.

The wolves settle in around them, Plue curling beside Lucy's thigh and the larger wolves tucking themselves into the brambles, uncaring as the thorns rip at their hair.

"Lucy," he gasps, choking slightly as he feels her breath fan across his throat, her nose nearly touching his. "What's—" She hushes him before he can ask what she's doing, breath mingling with his, and Natsu's about to snap back at her when he hears a crackling sound from nearby.

He goes still, dragging Lucy down tighter against him, and she does her best to keep Plue quiet, stroking his head as he whimpers. Natsu's fingers bite into her hips, sure to leave bruises, and he momentarily feels a flash of guilt, not meaning to hurt her. His grip loosens, hands sliding higher on her waist, his head falling to the side as he peers through the tangled mess of thorns, barely able to see anything.

A snapping sound splits through the air, followed by a short cry from whatever's appeared to follow them. Natsu grits his teeth, trying to see through the slight drizzle pouring down around them, making the forest dark and hazy. One of his arms loops around Lucy's back, tugging her against him, and he stills as he sees something moving through the trees, too far away for him to make it out.

Squinting, he leans in closer to the thorns, trying to get a better look.

Far off, the tree branches move. No, not the branches, he realizes a moment later, antlers. He frowns, thinking they truly have run from an elk, but than the creature shifts, and Natsu realizes it's too tall and hunched unnaturally, an odd curve to its spine. His breath comes out shaky, and though he can't get a good look at the animal, he knows something's wrong. It stands on two legs, though its front limbs drag on the ground, a putrid smell curling through the air, like something rotten.

It turns towards them hiding in the bramble, and Lucy makes a soft sound in the back of her throat. The creature's eyes flash silver in the darkness, antlers shaking above its skull as it rocks back and forth. Natsu pulls Lucy tighter against him, fingers fisting in her hair, and then the creature tilts its head back and bellows, that same, piercing cry stealing his breath.

Others take up the call, several dozen from somewhere farther off, and Natsu doesn't know how much times passes before they stop, the creature ambling away from them slowly, creeping back into the trees.

What must be hours later, Lucy finally crawls away from him, shifting until her back is pressed against the side of her black wolf, the animal curling around her protectively. Plue crawls into her lap, and the larger grey wolf settles by her legs. Natsu follows her, not daring to speak louder than a whisper. His thigh presses to hers, Lucy glancing up at him, face ashen and pupils blown wide.

"What was that?" he breathes against her ear, aware that his hands are shaking. He glances through the bramble, squinting to see if it's come back, but sees nothing, only the trees and rain. Natsu's hand settles against the spare knife at his side, playing with the hilt as he waits for Lucy to regain her bearings, the woman seemingly lost in thought.

Eventually she laughs, soft and bitter, and shoots him a look that cuts through his skin, making him feel much smaller than he is. "Our myths," she hisses at him, mocking his words from earlier. She glares at him for a moment longer, then sighs, pulling her knees against her chest and wrapping her arms around herself. "We didn't choose to come to the Summerlands," she murmurs, Natsu almost missing her words, "we were chased from the north…" Lucy trails off, wincing, and for a moment he doesn't recognize her as the warrior that nearly took off his head. "They've been hunting us for generations."

He swallows, throat constricting with sudden understanding, and he winces as he thinks of Acnologia's plans, of the terrible things he's been rallying for. He shoves the thoughts back, leaning into Lucy until her side is pressed against his, letting her leech some of his warmth, but needing the contact himself, unable to process what it is he saw. "What are they?"

"Monsters," she whispers, voice cracking, and Natsu stares down at the side of her face, watching her stumble to find the right words, her lips trembling. "Face Stealers," Lucy tells him, turning to face him directly, wincing. "They have many names." She cringes with each one she says, and Natsu remembers that names have a power to them, as if speaking them might draw them in.

They drift into silence for several minutes, Lucy shivering beside him, her thin top doing little to keep away the chill of the rain, and her scaled skirt is drenched, clinging to her hips and sticking to her thighs.

"It sounded like elk," he tells her, not knowing what else to say. He feels foolish for speaking his thoughts, but it drags a very small smile from Lucy, and his chest lightens momentarily, until a darkness clouds her features, Lucy curling in on herself.

She nods, wetting her lips. "But you know it wasn't," she states, barely loud enough for him to hear her. Her fingers drum against her thigh, painted nails looking like blood against her milky skin.

"They take the form of a man," she continues, frowning across the thicket, looking through the bramble similar to him. "But… not a man," she corrects herself, shaking her head and sighing. "They're taller," she notes, "covered in hair, and having the face of an elk, the muzzle of a wolf." Her eyes squeeze shut, her fingers digging into her skin until she leaves little crescent shaped marks in her wake. "A punishment from the Gods for consuming human flesh," she finishes, barely loud enough for him to hear.

"Cannibals," he spits, skin crawling as he thinks about it. The Dragonborne have their own stories about those who eat flesh, but never have the monsters of legends been brought to life.

Lucy nods, playing with Plue's ears, the wolf seeming even more faint now than before, as if Natsu could reach straight through him. "Because of their hunger," she continues softly, "their own flesh begins to rot, clinging to their corpses." He flinches, nose wrinkling in disgust, but Lucy doesn't stop there. "They steal more flesh to keep their form. Stripping the skin from anything that wonders into the woods." Her larger wolves both whimper, and Natsu tries not to imagine how Lucy found their bones. "They hide in the trees, afraid of the light."

Natsu doesn't know how to respond, so he stays quiet, sitting with Lucy until the rain clears, the sun spilling through the trees once again. Still, he doesn't move, wanting to say something, but unable to find the right words.

Lucy beats him to it.

"We never wanted a war," she murmurs, sighing to herself as she leans back against the spirit behind her. It whines, nosing at her hand, but she doesn't appear to notice, gaze unfocused as she stares through the brambles, watching, waiting.

He doesn't know to respond.

[yannasunflower]

Blood and Magic - Ch. 2

here it is, chapter 2!!! second chapters terrify me tbh! but i did it! again, this story is inspired by @constellunaa amazing artwork, please check it out, you won’t regret it! please reblog and review and all that good stuff. let me know what you think!

Summary: Life at a school for young witches and wizards is exciting enough; toss in some assassinations, a distant king, and a cryptic prophecy, and things get interesting. Mix carefully. Blend in a little romance. And try to avoid blowing up the world as they know it.

Chapter 2

The mess hall, Lucy was not shocked to discover, was indeed, a mess. The room was enormous, enough to house a hundred people at least. It was also, at the moment, wild, uncontrolled chaos and as she munched steadily on her grilled cheese, she was amazed it hadn't evolved into a full-scale food war. There were at least two tables upturned, food was smeared on the floor and walls, and bursts of brightly colored magic were soaring over their heads. Students were laughing and shouting in turn, their eyes bright as they called out spells and taunts. Natsu and the boys had joined the fray immediately with worryingly large grins on their faces. Natsu was now hurling insults at whatever studnets passed him from behind an upended table and Gajeel was leering up at a massive man that couldn't possibly be their age.

Lucy sighed, taking a sip of her water. Levy was reading beside her, Juvia completely focused on ogling Gray, who had somehow lost his shirt in the process of tackling a boy with startling yellow hair. Lucy observed the chaos, finding herself laughing as Natsu was knocked to the ground by Gray, who had apparently changed his target in the span of ten seconds. A girl with wild, scarlet hair intervened, smashing the both of them into a wall effortlessly. Lucy flinched, startled by the violence of the act. Both boys appeared unhurt but Lucy barely stopped herself from sending the girl a nasty look nonetheless. It was funny. She'd barely known the boys an hour and already, she wanted to spill blood for them.

She'd heard about the bonds created at the school. Something about the magic infused in the building, the soil, even the air. Dorm mates often forged lifelong, iron strong bonds with each other. Lucy had thought it a bit dramatic, whenever anyone talked about it. Families to this day held alliances formed at the school between some distant relative or another. She didn't understand how just living in close quarters for four years could bond people so much. But she was beginning to see, already. She could feel it in her bones and blood, the way her body stirred when they went flying through the air, or when Natsu turned and she saw the bruise on his cheek. She would bloody her knuckles in a heartbeat for her dorm mates, break bones and shatter walls. She glanced over at Levy, who continued to read intently, paying no mind to the chaos surrounding them. The blue haired girl had been the first to not completely lose it over Lucy's family name and she was grateful. She would always be grateful.

Lucy felt a familiar tug in her chest. It was Plue letting her know he had eaten and was looking for her. She frowned as she paused her eating, homing in on Plue's signature and sending out a whining call through their link. It was almost like a beacon; he flashed his signal and she flashed hers, waiting for him to catch her scent. She missed her familiar; if he was gone for too long, it felt like missing a couple fingers, or her foot. She needed him there or her entire world was off balance.

Moments later, she felt more than saw him slip through the door of the mess hall. He skillfully evaded the food being flung and the people throwing punches and tackling others. He nudged her with his cold nose and she patted him gently, slipping him a bite of her sandwich.

"Did you eat well?" she asked him, laughing as he wagged his tail in response. A demon with such an animal-like nature was funny to her, considering the not so pleasant ones she had met in the past during her training. Plue certainly acted the part in his dog form and he sat there panting at her as she finished her meal.

"Is that your familiar?" Levy asked, looking up from her book for the first time the entire meal.

Lucy nodded, stroking Plue's silky ears fondly.

"Yes, this is Plue," she said. "I summoned him when I was eight, but I'm sure you know all about that."

Levy laughed in response, waving her book in the air. In the short time Lucy had known her, it was already extremely apparent that Levy loved books more than most things in the world. She wouldn't be surprised if she became first in their class. Competition, Lucy noted. Her father wouldn't accept anything less than number one for her, especially if it was because of a witch not even born to magical parents. But she found it difficult to resent Levy for it.

"Surprisingly, not really. There's very little details on your family's familiar rituals. It's all very hush hush I guess," Levy answered.

Lucy wasn't surprised; their familiars were like no others she knew of, bonded for life. The contract only expired with death. It was a bond no other could touch, not even family ties or marriage. No magic could break it but the death of one of them. Plue rest his head on her lap, sensing the melancholy turn of her thoughts, and Lucy stroked him absently, thinking of the massive portrait at home of her mother with Nara, her familiar. Her mother's hand rest in Nara's fur, both of them looking straight ahead, a gentle power etched into her mother's face framed by golden hair and sunlight. The day her mother died, Nara had been beside her till her last breath. When her chest had still, Nara had released the most heartbreaking sound Lucy had ever heard in her life. She had cried at the sound of it, cried as Nara continued to cry, the wails sound more like songs than anything. Songs of grief. Of mourning. The look Nara had given her had been so full of pain. And for the first time in her life, Lucy heard Nara speak.

Layla, she had wailed before finally fading away, returning to the world she had come from.

Lucy had tried to summon her a thousand times since, to no avail. She wanted to hear her speak once more, wanted to know everything her mother had told the demon. Nara refused the summons every time. It had been years since Lucy had tried again. She knew the previous familiar probably still mourned her partner's death and she realized as she grew older and more attached to Plue, that losing a bond like that required more healing than she could possibly imagine. Lucy couldn't even bear the idea of Plue dying and leaving her alone. Once a familiar returned to the Shadow Lands, it could never return as her familiar.

Lucy focused in on Levy again, realizing belatedly the girl was waiting for a response.

"It's very old magic," she replied honestly. She gazed down at Plue, who whined as he glanced up at her.

"Plue is a different sort of name for a demon," Levy said thoughtfully.

Lucy shrugged, downing the rest of her water and standing.

"I suppose –"

She was interrupted by a body flying over their heads and into the wall.

Levy and Juvia shrieked while Lucy whirled, mouth open. Natsu slid to the ground, sitting up a few seconds later, a sheepish smile on his face. His cheek was bruised and his lip was bleeding but he waved at them cheerfully, laughing as he scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry to startle ya'," he called. He stood, shaking the dust off of him and taking a seat on the other side of Lucy. Juvia was staring at him, brow furrowed, and Levy just sighed, picking up her book once again.

"You're going to get hurt," Lucy chided halfheartedly. She had a feeling it took a lot to actually hurt Natsu. His father's magic and family were said to be descended from dragons, wielding elemental magic that was deeply rooted in both the earth and legend. Either way, it was known for supernatural fast healing abilities and strength. Lucy swore she could already see the bruise healing on his cheek and the cut on his lip had stopped bleeding already.

"So Luigi," Natsu began, ignoring her feeble attempts to control his violently energetic behavior.

Lucy blinked, mouth open once more. Levy snorted and Juvia hid her titters behind her hand. Gajeel dropped into the seat beside Levy, roaring with laughter.

"Luigi," he choked out, taking Levy's water and downing it. The small girl glared at him and he merely flashed her a grin. "You've always sucked at names, Natsu."

"Wait, what's your name then?" Natsu asked, completely nonplussed.

"Lucy," she growled through gritted teeth. Plue growled low in his chest, ears falling backward.

"Oh!" Natsu exclaimed, fingers snapping. "Lucy, that's right. What's up with the dog?"

Plue bared his teeth in a snarl and Natsu backed away from her a few inches, hands raised in a way to make him appear less formidable.

"Plue is a familiar," she explained patiently. She stroked his ears, soothing him for the time being, though he still threw Natsu dirty looks. She could sense his displeasure through her link and she smiled. Plue didn't like being mistaken for a dog, despite the extremely close resemblance in this form.

"His true form is a little more intimidating," she said with a laugh.

"He's plenty intimidating in this form," Natsu mumbled. He smiled nonetheless though. "He's really cool!"

He grinned at her, big and bright despite the bruise on his face, and Lucy was taken back. His joy was like the sun, scorching, but not entirely unpleasant. He radiated a sort of heat and happiness that was impossible to imitate or fake. He was genuinely happy. He reminded her of a puppy, young and always ready for the next adventure. Lucy thought of her home, of the empty hallways and cold rooms and the even colder eyes of her father. She had met Igneel only once but she remembered his eyes as he had greeted her. Warm, filled with fire. He had never treated her like a stupid child, like most of her father's friends did. She wondered what it would have been like to be raised by him. To roam the Draconia lands freely, tussling with his cousins and playing pranks on Gray when he visited, for it was clear they were old friends. She imagined sun-soaked days and warm, humid nights spent counting stars and catching fireflies. She saw, in his smile, the sort of childhood she had always yearned for. She couldn't hate him for it; it was impossible to hate Natsu, with his pink hair and dark eyes and wide smile. But it made her chest ache. Plue whined next to her, nuzzling her hand. Natsu frowned as he sensed her mood change, the sunshine suddenly sucked from his expression. She mourned it, hating herself for being the reason anything other than happiness was etched across his face.

"Luigi?" he asked. She didn't even twitch at the new nickname, trying to urge her mouth into some semblance of a smile. "What's wrong?"

"Just tired," she said softly. She stood, wrapping her arms around her. "I'm going to head up and finish getting settled in. I'll see you guys later."

They called their various goodbyes. She tried to ignore Natsu's concerned gaze as she walked away, Plue trotting faithfully at her heels.

He didn't need to be burdened by her imaginary troubles.

He reminds me of your favorite flowers, Mama. Tall and reaching toward the light always. Hard to cut. Their color impossible to dim or diminish in any way.

He makes me miss you even more. It hurts to see him smile sometimes.

I wish you could meet him, Mama. You would like him.

With love,

Your Star Lucy

After years of conditioning by her strict tutors and father, Lucy woke up naturally at an ungodly hour of the morning. At six her eyes snapped open and she sighed, deeply. How she longed for the ability to sleep in like a normal teenager. What was it like to wake up with everyone else, around ten in the morning, the sun already up? The light streaming through the blinds on her balcony door was faint, blue and quiet. The birds were barely starting to sing. She groaned as she sat up, stretching her legs and rolling her neck. One day, she vowed, one day she would sleep in past seven in the morning. As it were, she rose, slipping on her thin pink robe and bunny slippers before carefully stepping over a soundly sleeping Plue and shuffling out to the small kitchenette she shared with her dorm. Even my demon sleeps in, she grumbled silently, starting up the coffee machine that had been provided for them. Her mug, a pale blue with a white egg on it, was set beside it and she hummed under her breath as she waited for the coffee to pour into it.

The previous night had been a late one, her dormmates all getting to know each other with a rousing game of twenty one questions. It seemed slightly childish to Lucy but it had been fun and she had laughed at some of the outrageous questions the boys had asked.

Besides the three she had met already, there was also Sting and Rogue, the pair members of yet another branch of the Draconia family. Lucy was surprised so many of the Draconia members had been placed together in the same dorm. But it made the introductions slightly less awkward, as they already knew each other and the boys were comfortable, roaring with laughter the whole night. Lucy had tried to avoid Natsu's eyes, the expression in them reminding her of her mother, paining her. She could tell he was hurt by her behavior toward him but she didn't have it in her to remedy it.

They had also met her other girl roommates, Minerva and Yukino. She recognized Yukino's family name vaguely, knowing only that their magic was similar to her mother's. But they were a small, inconsequential family. Minerva, however, was daughter to a rather powerful Lord. Many rumors circulated about his rather nasty personality, but also his even more powerful magic. It was rare, the ability to manipulate space. Lucy nearly felt chills go down her spine as Minerva introduced herself, eyes zeroing in on Lucy at once.

"A Heartfilia?" she had hummed, the sound somehow sinister despite how calm it was.

"We are blessed, aren't we," she sneered. Lucy had felt mocked and Plue had growled low in his throat, a warning. Minerva backed off, though her eyes continued to flit to Lucy throughout the whole game, lips curved into an unfriendly snarl. Yukino seemed to follow her lead, her attitude towards Lucy more cold than outwardly malicious like Minerva's.

Lucy didn't like her very much. No, not very much at all.

If anyone else had picked up on the weird energy, they had not commented, and she was grateful for it.

Lucy was brought out of her thoughts by the soft ding of the coffee machine, letting her know that her coffee was done. Nearly singing with anticipation, she stirred in her sugar, the lovely aroma of the coffee washing over her as she did so. In her peace, she didn't hear someone behind her and thus, nearly screamed when a hand touched her shoulder. She felt Plue startle awake and knew he'd be at her side in five seconds.

"What," she gasped, spinning. A sleepy Gajeel stood there, yawning and towering over her.

"What the hell," she whisper-yelled, "are you doing? I think I just had a stroke!" She calmed her racing heart, sucking in deep breaths and letting Plue know she was okay with a shaky smile. He hovered in the hallway, unsure, before settling right at the entrance.

Gajeel opened his mouth to reply, eyes falling to her feet. He suddenly doubled over, body shaking with laughter he was desperately trying to cover. She could tell he was trying not to wake anyone up but was also about to explode with mirth. Plue bristled at the sudden movement while Lucy frowned, not quite sure what he was laughing at so much. Was her hair sticking up weird? She'd only just woken up after all, what did he expect?

"What?" she finally asked, exasperated. Gajeel could hardly speak, breathless as he was. He looked up at her, exploding once more into silent laughter. Lucy nearly smiled with him.

"B-b-bunnies," he stuttered, face red with exertion.

The beginnings of her smile vanished and Lucy glared at him, hands on her hips. The ears of her bunny slippers wobbled as she shifted her weight to her left leg. They were cute and soft and they kept her feet perfectly warm. She didn't see the issue with them.

"What about them?" she snapped.

He was still shaking, snickering quietly.

"Nothing, Bunny Girl," he snorted, waving her aside so he could get to the coffee machine. "Nothing at all. They're cute, really."

"Oh, shove it," Lucy muttered mutinously and he grinned at her.

"Nice to know Miss Prim and Proper can be a little foul mouthed sometimes," he leered.

She grabbed her mug, sticking her tongue out at him and sending him into another fit of quiet laughter. It was really too early for his antics and she didn't have any coffee in her system, which meant she wasn't equipped to deal with it. She stalked away and Plue followed her, his true irritation at having been woken up for virtually nothing finally leaking through the bond.

"Sorry, boy," she muttered apologetically.

Once back in their room, Plue hopped up to her bed and settled down, ignoring her protests as he shut his eyes and fell back asleep. Demons technically did not need sleep but Lucy knew Plue loved it almost as much as she did. And as a Defense familiar in peaceful times, there was little more for him to do when she wasn't training with him.

She opened the door to her small balcony, reveling in the fresh air that swept over her face, brushing the stray stands of loose hair away from her face. She stepped out, steaming mug in hand. She leaned her forearms against the balcony and her hair spilled over her shoulders, sipping at her hot coffee, watching as the sun rose steadily in the distance. A little to her left she could see the Capital. She was surprised, having forgotten just how close the school was to it. Invisible to Everydays' eyes, Lucy looked at it with interest, tracing the silver outline of the palace as the sun glinted off of it. She had only been to the Capital a few times in her life; the crowded, noisy streets had always frightened her a little. The smells were all so new, assaulting her nose and the people always seemed to busy, rushing everywhere. Now, only a couple miles of forest separated her from it, from the King and all of his stuffy nobles and intimidating knights.

The King was getting old, or so she'd heard. Whispers flew that he was mad, hardly intelligible anymore, and had been attempting to make harsher laws forbidding any sort of interaction with Everday's and magicians. He'd always been a little prejudiced but it seemed in his old age, he was growing more stubborn in his beliefs. People also feared he had completely cut ties with their neighboring kingdoms and that diplomatic alliances were wavering dangerously close to deteriorating. While their largest neighbor, Pergrande, was across the sea, their other neighbors Dragof and Victoria were close, sharing borders with Fiore. The King must truly be mad if he was antagonizing them, and she prayed he wasn't. Lucy had never met his son, who was rumored to be as handsome as he was cold. The thought reminded her of Gray and she snorted softly at the thought of the icy boy sitting on the throne. She sipped more at her coffee, turning her eyes more to her right, where the village was beginning to wake up. If the King declared war on Everydays, the little village beside her school would be decimated. And he would command the students to do it…

She shook the suddenly violent thoughts away. The possibility of war with three other kingdoms was extremely slim, and if the king grew too fragile and weak, his son would take over. There was no point in fretting over it, so she released the thoughts, swallowing the rest of her coffee.

She walked into her room, leaving the door open for the sake of the fresh air. She opened her journal to its most recent page, fingers brushing over the words she wrote to her mother without fail every night. Her entry last night had been full of details about her school, her new friends, Natsu. She wished she had her mother there, to actually talk to about the pink-haired boy. Why he made her feel the way she did. Lucy didn't know if her mother could see her or not. Didn't know if she could read the words her daughter poured onto the pages every night. But she hoped so. She flipped to a new page and dated it, opening her pen and chewing on her lip for a moment before she began to write.

Dear Mama,

The kingdom is restless…

There was a gentle knock at her door a little while later and she called for the person to enter, rising from her chair and closing the door to her balcony. There were enchantments barring the boys from entering the girls' hall without an invitation and vice versa, so she wasn't worried about Natsu or anyone else seeing her like this, hair down and tangled from sleep, face fresh, teeth not yet brushed. Plue didn't stir from his place on her bed, so she knew she wasn't in any kind of danger. She checked the time as the door opened, surprised to see it was already ten thirty. So much time had slipped away as she daydreamed at the balcony and wrote to her mother.

Levy peered around the door, smiling as she caught sight of Lucy.

"Hey, Juvia and I were going to go get our textbooks from the library before everyone starts waking up and making a ruckus. Wanna join?"

Lucy grinned. "Let me get changed."

It turned out, their books were not only huge, there were seven of them. The bag containing her uniform dangled from her wrist and she was glad she had managed to get both in the same trip; she wasn't keen on traipsing up those stairs again any time soon.

Lucy panted at the entry to their dorm, her arms shaking under the weight.

"I'm not built for this," she huffed. Levy, who looked comical struggling under the weight of the stack that was practically nearly as tall as her, agreed wholeheartedly.

"Be nice," Levy grunted, shifting the books in her arms, "if we knew a spell to make these lighter."

Juvia groaned, muttering the password in a strained voice. They hurried through the opening and Lucy threw her books on the couch with a heavy sigh of relief, collapsing beside them. Levy fell into the armchair while Juvia tripped down the hall, making a beeline for her room instead of taking a break. Lucy admired her perseverance; she felt like she couldn't life so much as a paper cup for a day at least. The trip had taken an hour, mostly because her and Levy had been in awe of the giant, magnificent library and had taken a good thirty minutes to explore it. Even then, they'd only seen maybe a quarter of it it. It was absolutely wondrous, with bookshelves reaching the ceiling, stacked with books. Books sat in piles all around, some sorting themselves while others' pages flipped on their own, like someone was reading them. The magic in the air made Lucy's fingers tingle and she had nearly laughed aloud at the joy of it all. Levy was awestruck and breathless and Juvia watched them in amusement, not quite understanding their thrill.

"They're just books," Juvia had said.

"They're beautiful," Lucy had murmured, Levy nodding her head enthusiastically beside her.

Now, she glared at her textbooks, not ready to touch them again just yet.

"Oi, what's up with all the books?" Natsu asked, coming in through the magical doorway. He was shirtless and his skin was beaded with water so Lucy guessed he had come straight from the showers.

"Textbooks," Levy sighed, rolling her head back. "I'm going to have to carry them to my room one by one, they're just too heavy."

Lucy grunted her agreement, pointedly avoiding looking at Natsu. She didn't like the way her stomach coiled at the sight of him, or the way his smile made her want to follow him wherever he went. The boy was just that, a boy, harmless as anything. But looking at him made her think of bright days she'd never have.

"They don't look too heavy," Natsu replied. He crossed the room, bending lifting all of Lucy's textbooks one at a time, looking at her when he had all of them stacked in his arms, bewildered. Her and Levy gaped at him. He stood in front of her, looking at the books curiously.

"This is nothing?"

This close, Lucy could smell his body wash. The heat that radiated off of his body warmed her as well. She exhaled shakily, trying not to inhale his scent once more. He turned to look at her, eyes startlingly close. She could see that they were actually a dark green, flecked with gold in some places. They looked normal but there was something animalistic about them. She knew his magic enhanced all of his senses, so he could probably hear her rapid heartbeats and smell her anxiety. He smiled at her, however, one of those blinding, full mouthed, bared teeth ones. Lucy's body calmed down of its own accord and she stared at him in confusion. How could even the simplest of his expressions drive her emotions into hyper drive so easily?

"I'll carry these to your room if you want, Luigi," he offered.

She mumbled her thanks, once again not responding to the nickname aside from a halfhearted glare before standing and leading him to her room. She grabbed the bag containing her uniform, making a mental note to hang it up in her closet so it wouldn't wrinkle. The magic allowed him to enter, since she had technically invited him in, and he followed her, showing no strain under the weight of the books. Lucy opened the door to her room, gesturing to her neatly made bed.

"You can put them there," she said.

Plue was gone, eating again with the other familiars in the building. She could feel his contentment through their bond; she was guessing the school had good food for him.

Natsu gaped at her room and she looked at him in confusion. Her room should be exactly like his in size, color, and furniture. She didn't understand why he was looking at it like it was a palace.

"It's so clean," he whispered reverently and she paled. How messy could his room be on the second day of their being there? She didn't even want to imagine it if he thought her moderately clean room was so wonderful. Vaguely, she wondered if he was capable of doing his own laundry.

She shifted uncomfortably the longer he stood there, mouth open, the silence stretching awkwardly. He suddenly shook his head, like a dog shaking water, and dumped the books on her bed before promptly falling into it himself. He snuggled into her comforter, humming happily, reminding her of a cat purring.

"So comfortable," he sighed into her pillow. Her pillow.

She gaped, mouth opening and closing like a fish. "What're you doing?" she finally managed to stutter out, watching as he stretched like a cat on her bed, legs flung over her precious textbooks.

"I could use a nap," he yawned, arms tucked beneath his head.

She spluttered, completely taken aback by his utter lack of manners. Who just lay down in a virtual stranger's bed and decided to take a nap? She stared at the boy stretched languidly out on her bed, still shirtless she noted, eyes closed and a blissful smile on his young face. Resigning herself to defeat, she gently moved his legs and began moving the books to her desk, where she placed them on the bookshelf just above it. She ordered them alphabetically, tracing the gold lettering on their old covers. Some of the texts were very old, ancient histories of wars and spells made, kingdoms that rose and fell during the centuries. She paid no attention to Natsu, not noticing his eyes on her, watching as she worked. When she had placed them all, she stared at them, hand still resting on one of their spines. She was ready to learn, hungry for the knowledge her tutors hadn't taught her, too busy teaching her how to curtesy properly and play three different instruments and who had married who precisely 55 years ago.

"Did you get the uniform yet?" Natsu asked, breaking into her thoughts. Withdrawing her hand, she nodded without looking at him, pointing to the bag on her desk chair.

"They give it to you when you pick up your books," she murmured. She took the clothes out of her bag, grabbing a few hangers to hang up the white button ups and red-blue plaid skirts. The socks she had gotten were thrown into her drawers and she lay out the necktie and hair ties on night stand. She imagined the boys would have their pick of red pants or blue pants. She wondered, idly, what color Natsu would pick. He seemed like a red person. She heard him suck in a breath as she thought that and she flinched, preparing herself for the question that was no doubt on his mind.

Why do you treat me so differently?

She didn't have an answer for him, honestly. She didn't know how to tell him what she saw in his face or how his voice made her want to run both toward him and away from him. Gajeel and Gray made her laugh, and so did he, but she allowed them to bump into her and joke with her. She fell silent when he spoke, skittered away from him when he drew too close to her. She didn't understand it either, this feeling in her chest at the mere thought of him. How close he was, now, was sending her body slowly into shock it seemed. The smell and feel of him so close was intoxicating somehow and she wanted him out of here, in his own room, in another kingdom preferably. Far away from her, any way.

"Hey, Lucy," he said, softly. She braced herself.

"Have you seen the gardens?"

She blinked at him, in confusion. He gave her one of those stomach-wrenching smiles.

"Follow me."

The gardens were beautiful. Lucy didn't have words as she walked along the paths. They weren't too far from the main building really, close to the edge of the forest and surrounded by a high wall. They entered easily enough and Lucy was taken back by the sheer amount of color. Everything was green and blue and purple and red, everything so alive it almost hurt her head to see and smell. Trees towered over them and some trailed down, the edges of their branches brushing her head and shoulders. Lucy gazed at the bees humming around in wonder, at the flowers that shouldn't be blooming this time of year but were, open and vibrant. She followed Natsu down the winding trails. The gravel path beneath her boots was smooth and there were no sounds but their steps, birds, and bugs buzzing.

After walking for what seemed like an eternity and winding so deep into the underbrush she was almost worried they'd get lost, Natsu stopped, turning to grin at her.

"I found this place yesterday," he told her in a hushed, reverant voice.

He brushed aside some vines and thick flower stalks and gesture for her to go through. She did, smiling at the scene before her.

A stone bench sat in the grass covered clearing, just in front of a small fountain. The bushes lining the small clearing were overgrown and dotted with vibrant yellow flowers. Some towered over the bushes and Lucy realized what they were. Sunflowers. Her mother's favorite flower, though Natsu had no way of knowing that. The statue of an angel with raised arms spouted water with a quiet gurgling sound. Lucy could see the ripples of fish in the water and wondered distantly who took care of them, or the garden in general. She walked to the fountain, fingers tracing the stone carefully. The fountain was clearly old but the statue was in good shape, the elegant curves of it not yet worn by time. It was small, nothing like the huge one in the main courtyard at her father's own mansion. The angel was sculpted with skill, however, and Lucy traced the tears on the angel's cheeks. Angel tears were sacred, she knew. Or so the stories said they had been. Nobody had seen an angel in centuries, if they did actually ever exist in the first place. Personally, Lucy thought it was too good to be true. That breathtakingly beautiful creatures like that existed, born of and filled with such pure magic it could eradicate all evil and darkness in the world.

Wouldn't it be wonderful? She thought wistfully, gazing at the angel statue longingly. Her heart skipped beats at the thought.

She turned to see Natsu smiling at her, drenched in the afternoon sunlight. Her breath stopped for a moment. Time seemed to stop, for just a moment. She wondered if there was a way to preserve this second, forever. His exact smile, the breeze playing with their hair, the way he looked at her with all the softness in the world in those animal eyes of his.

"I like this place," he told her, so quietly the wind nearly took his words away. He walked over to sit on the bench, still grinning at her, probably enjoying her expression as she took in the beautiful little clearing.

"Me too," she answered softly, moving so she was sitting beside him. They were separated by just a few inches and she breathed in his scent mixed with that of the wind and the flowers and the afternoon. She stopped herself from leaning against him and closing her eyes to take a nap, although she could. The clearing was just peaceful enough for it. One of these days she would have to bring a blanket and have a picnic and take a nap. Alone, though. For some reason, she couldn't bear the thought of telling someone else about this place. It felt sacred, like a secret between her and Natsu.

His energy hummed contentedly beside her and she relaxed, gradually.

"I like this school," he said thoughtfully.

She smiled.

"Yes, me too," she agreed once more.

There was a few minutes of silence, the both of them enjoying the quiet of the afternoon in their little spot.

"Hey, Luce," he said tentatively.

She smiled at the nickname, chest aching at the new nickname he had for her. Nobody had ever given her a nickname, let alone two. She liked the sound of it, she thought. Luce. Especially coming from him, where it sounded so affectionate and gentle.

She hummed to let him know she was listening.

"Did I do something wrong? Because you seem kinda skittish around me," he mumbled, scratching at his head awkwardly.

Lucy watched him. All at once, her shoulders slumped and the tension left her body. She took in his nervous face, the way his fingers twitched and he avoided her eyes. He was desperately trying to be her friend, she realized. Here he was, offering her this oasis in case he had something wrong. She wondered if he felt the same confusion as her when he looked at her. The same coiling of his gut and clench of his heart. What had she been so scared of again? she wondered distantly. The afternoon light warmed her and she closed her eyes, lifting her face to it, inhaling the scent of all the flowers. The breeze danced across her forehead.

"No," she said finally, opening her eyes once more, decision made.

"You didn't do anything wrong at all."

His smile was blinding and for the first time, she didn't shy away from it. She returned it.

[lcydragneel]

Happy birthday, @constellunaa ! I wanted to be unique and create an edit for you yay  ≧◡≦ 

I hope you like NaLu this much cause I’ll feel stupid if I messed up lmao

[ctrlzuzu]

I decided I felt the need to draw @constellunaa s witch Lucy before bed because reasons.

[lineffability]

❤ You're amazing and beautiful!! (Send this to ten other blogs, let's keep the game going) ❤

but if im amazing and beautiful and youre amazing and beautiful…are we all

[unashamed-shipper]

*pops in* You're an amazing writer! *flees*

Aaaah thank you Shana! I appreciate it 😘

[loveandlucky]

hey girl hey, green tea ice cream and tapioca pudding :D

Who was your first crush?

I MADE A POST ABOUT HER ONCE OML She was my best friend in middle school~ Super pretty

Favorite animated characters?

LUCY MY GIRL~ But also Dory from Finding Nemo/Dory, Simba from The Lion King, Maka from Soul Eater, Rick from Rick and Morty, SO MANY MORE AGH 

Thank you for the ask!

[whisplion]

Well this might as well be goodbye

With the whole net neutrality happening tomorrow who knows what will happen. It’s sad to say this might be the end to a amazing ride for some one of the best memories I’ve had. I joined Tumblr in 2012, when Legend of Korra was airing. Since than I’ve been active in several fandoms, One Direction still being the longest to date.

I’ve had a wild ride through them all especially with Fairy tail it’s made me cry, life, love, and appreciate flawed characters a lot more. I have made a lot of amazing people while here and I love you all❤️.

To my followers new and old I love you with everything I have, even if you never talked to me 😩. To my mutuals you are freaking amazing for following this crazy potato. To my few real life friends who found this blog I love you so much.

If you only followed me for my edits or my occasional writing i love you all for it makes me so happy that I can pull emotions out of people with my craft.

Don’t worry I shall still post Eclipse of the heart on my fanfiction account (StarDress) even if I have to fight the Internet it shall happen!! 👊

Well I guess that is it. Until next time my friends. - Madasyn/Madi

Tagging my beautiful friends and mutuals

@zeraheart @proudtobeaginger @lucielhyung @mushi0131 @smile-lifegoeson @doginshoe @ichiyas @chikkachu @brokenangelwings83 @unashamed-shipper @inconsistent-igloo @not-just-any-fangirl @rivendell101 @ayumichi-me @constellunaa @nothingbutwordsstuff

Sorry if I forgot anyone you know I love you all

[kurokoros]

i'll definitely always remember you for lip ring punk natsu. you've ruined me from seeing him any other way so THANKS FOR THAT. hope you're happy.

Oh, that makes me very happy ;D He looks hot with piercings! YOU’RE WELCOME!

[yannasunflower]

Blood and Magic - Ch. 1

not quite sure why I’m doing this but the idea really wouldn’t leave me alone. inspired by @constellunaa​ and her incredible artwork. please check it out! Pairings: NaLu, Gajevy, Gruvia Rating: T for future violence and mature content ~can be found on ffnet~

{it is by suffering that human beings become angels - Victor Hugo}

The sound of her heels were muffled by the carpet underfoot. She glanced out the large windows lining the long hallway, smiling briefly at the beautiful day outside. Cloudless, blue sky and the smallest of breezes rustling the leaves, which were just barely beginning to change color.

She stood before the large door for a few moments more, sucking in a deep breath and ignoring the pinch of the corset as she did so. She cleared her throat slightly, and then raised her hand to knock a couple of times. She waited for her father to call her in before pushing the door open; it swung in silently on its oiled hinges.

The room was large and extravagantly decorated. A beautiful, massive oak desk sat in the center and giant bookshelves, crowded with books on finances and business, lined the walls. Some of the tomes were bigger than her head, while others were flimsy paperbacks. No pictures adorned any of the shelves or the desk. Instead, seated at the desk was a large man in an expensive suit, who barely glanced up as his daughter entered the room.

"You leave tomorrow," he said, a statement. Her father rarely asked questions. He, instead, stated what he wanted as if they were already facts, and so they became. He was the kind of man who was particularly skilled in bending wills. Not surprising, considering his family and their magics.

Lucy shifted uneasily, the stuffy dress her maid insisted she wear poking into her ribs. Really, it was ridiculous her father insisted she dress in gowns when she "presented" herself to him. Were they in Victorian England? Or the twenty first century?

He finally looked up from his paperwork, staring her in the eye until she felt the need to check to see if she had something in her teeth.

"You'll stay there for all vacations. Your teachers will send me weekly reports of your progress," he continued. "The school has an excellent reputation and I expect you to return in four years' time an esteemed, accomplished young woman."

He paused, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin on them. Lucy didn't dare to nod or move or breathe too loudly. Instead, she waited. She had learned when his pauses meant he was waiting a response, and when he was merely gathering his thoughts.

"You'll make me proud."

If it were any other man, there may have been some kind of warmth to the statement. A hint of sentimentality as their only child left the house for a school that was miles and cities away. But he merely watched her with cold eyes for a moment before waving his hand, a blatant dismissal. That was it. There would be no good-bye or parting gift. It wasn't a question, it was a fact; she would excel and make him proud. A shiver shot down her spine at the thought of what would happen if her grades were unsatisfactory or she got into any kind of trouble. Both scenarios were highly unlikely, but still. It would be ugly.

She turned and exited without a word, letting the door fall shut behind her. Heaving a deep sigh, she kicked her shoes off and started back for her room to finish the last of her packing.

Lucy bid a tearful farewell to her maid early the next morning, who wiped at her tears not-so-subtly and reminded her a thousand and one times to write.

"I wish Master would permit us cellphones, they're so much faster for communication. But please write letters, Miss, and write many. Don't forget us over at that fancy school of yours. We'll miss you," Virgo sniffled.

Lucy smiled sadly. The sun was just barely peeking over the horizon but she had a long train ride ahead of her.

"Of course, I could never forget you," she assured her maid. She took the steaming coffee and muffin from the housekeeper gratefully, was squeezed into many final farewell hugs, and started off down the long gravel driveway to where the car awaited to take her to the train station. Plue trotted faithfully at her heels, though he seemed more than a little tired and put off by the early hour. Though he looked like a normal, albeit albino, German Shepherd, Lucy knew her familiar was capable of much more than playing fetch.

Lucy continued waving until she got into the car. She glanced up at the large windows, wondering if her father was watching her go. She thought she caught just the barest glimpse of a silhouette in his office window. But as quickly as she spotted it, it was gone, and she was left to the long journey. She watched the large mansion and its lands disappear in the rear window, feeling no tug at her heart when the building disappeared. It hadn't felt like a home in a very long time after all.

Lucy bid farewell to the driver half an hour later and stepped onto the train platform, finally feeling the beginnings of excitement in her stomach. She fiddled with the crystal hung around her neck, reaching an absent hand down to stroke Plue's head as she waited for her train.

It was tradition in her mother's family that when a witch turned eight, they summoned a familiar and formed a contract. The type of familiar that responded to the summons was often indicative of the times. For example, her mother had summoned her own in a relatively peaceful period, and so she had received Nara, a familiar that could pass off as a common housecat. Nara had specialized in Seeing, capable of seeing through most objects and adept at spying and stealth.

But there had been tales of the witches in her family summoning familiars that specialized in healing during war. And when Lucy had summoned Plue, a familiar adept at battle and defense, there had been nervous murmurs. She was, to her relatives' knowledge, the first in the family to do so.

"There is no war, why a Hound?"

"It must be a sign…"

"I'm telling you, my cousin told me the King is slipping more into madness every day…"

Her father had approved, in his own distant way.

"At least it's good for something," was all he had said about the matter. Lucy had desperately wished for her mother that day; her grandmother had guided her through the ritual, though traditionally it was a ceremony overseen by mothers. The magic in her mother's family descended through the women, a rare matriarchal bloodline that wasn't seen often. They were an old family, with old magic.

But all Lucy knew was that when Plue rose in that circle, in his full, true form, she'd first felt fear, then rough, unbridled joy. He had looked at her for one long moment before he had leaned forward and touched his wet nose to her forehead.

Plue, he had rumbled, for her ears only (for the words exchanged between witch and familiar were sacred), and she had tried not to giggle at the rather silly name for a demon.

Her grandmother had overseen the ceremony, a job normally reserved for the mothers. But Lucy's mother had been gone by then.

"I wish your mother had been here to see it," she had murmured, stroking Lucy's hair with a trembling, wrinkled hand.

Now, she patted his head, feeling the content hum of his energy in her chest as he napped at her feet. She pulled out her phone, a new smartphone she had only been given after several, carefully worded requests to her father. The man was rather stubborn in his refusal of technology.

But she had reasoned that a phone would make forming the necessary connections at school much easier, and would also help her blend in to the outside world much easier.

Humming, she plugged in her headphones and started some of the music she had downloaded onto it. She wasn't allowed much contact with the outside world, and was probably pretty behind as far as music trends went, but she nodded her head along anyway, enjoying the rough words and beat. It was a far cry from the usual classical music she was required to listen to.

Their train arrived about fifteen minutes later and she was glad she had no trouble getting Plue on board. She wasn't keen on casting spells on Everydays; that is, people with no magic. Normal people, with what were probably blissfully normal lives. She watched her fellow passengers choose seats around her, some toting newspapers, others typing away at laptops and phones. They chattered among themselves, talking about weddings and new jobs and new houses. She leaned her head back and let her eyes fall shut just as the train began moving.

Her chest ached at the thought of a life with no magic.

They arrived in the late afternoon. Lucy stumbled off the train in what was probably the least graceful manner, yawning as she stretched. Plue also yawned beside her, casting her a resentful look for cooping him up on a train for so long.

"Hey, where we're going, you'll be able to roam free all day," she said with an eye roll. He merely sniffed and began padding towards the exit and she had no choice but to follow.

The town where the school had been built wasn't the largest city she'd ever been to. She made her way through it and to the edge easily enough. There, on a hill in the distance, was the school. A large, intimidating stone building. The local Everydays thought it was merely a school for "troubled" kids and were glad to keep their distance from it. Lucy trudged towards it, half regretting she hadn't just Portaled there like every other sane student.

Why had she wanted to experience so much of the outside world again?

She got to the front door flecked in mud from the previous night's rain and a howling, empty stomach. Plue looked absolutely miserable and she could feel his energy getting restless in her chest as he shot her more and more glares.

"We'll get some food into you soon," she murmured guiltily. Plue growled quietly in response.

She hovered for a few moments, unsure as to whether she should knock or just enter. The problem was solved for her when the doors swung open, revealing a comically short old man wearing an even funnier outfit. It was an eccentric clash of yellows and blues, and Lucy was reminded of the images Everyday's used to denote wizards. She suppressed a giggle.

"Ms. Heartfilia, I assume?" he asked politely, hands folded behind him.

She smiled tiredly and nodded, not too eager to exchange meaningless pleasantries at the moment.

"You're the last to arrive," the man chuckled cheerfully. "You must be tired and in need of a hot shower. Follow me, I'll take you to your dormitory."

She flushed at the fact she was the last student to arrive. Knew I should have Portaled, she chided herself.

"Oh!" the man suddenly cried, halting in his steps. Lucy startled, arms raising in a half-defensive pose.

She relaxed a few moments later as he continued, "If your familiar would like a meal, he can make his way to the kitchens."

She glanced at Plue, who huffed and took off, no doubt following the scent of food. He would follow her scent later to find her. The school made everything accessible for familiars, since her family wasn't the only one who summoned them. And if he couldn't find her, Lucy could always summon him. But he'd never failed to find her in all of their years together.

They began walking again, Lucy lugging her suitcase after her, adjusting the straps of her backpack uncomfortably. They were beginning to hurt after her long trek up the hill.

"By the way, I am Makarov, the headmaster," the man introduced himself.

Lucy nearly choked, embarrassed at both not guessing he was actually the headmaster and also meeting such a distinguished wizard looking like such a mess. Her hair had been thrown back into a messy pony tail and there was mud all over her legs. She hadn't been expecting to meet the headmaster so her outfit wasn't exactly suited for the occasion. Shorts and a simple t-shirt with a jacket she had tied around her waist. She didn't even want to think about the state her favorite boots were in; she'd have to use a cleaning spell later.

"Nice to meet you, headmaster," she stuttered out, completely off guard. Why had he come to greet her at the door herself?

"I try to greet all of the first years as they arrive," he continued, clearing up that question for her. "And a Heartfilia's arrival is usually considered a special occasion."

His eyes twinkled as he glanced up at her and she smiled, sensing he was lightly teasing.

"Thank you, Headmaster" she replied honestly. He had greeted her with little fanfare and she appreciated it. Most witches and wizards held deep respect for her family name and thus treated her with a certain degree of awe that was both tiresome and embarrassing.

"Oh, and call me Makarov," he told her with a wave of his hand. "Being too formal makes things awkward."

She giggled and he smiled at her, chuckling himself. They walked together quietly and Lucy took the chance to observe the building while also making note of their path. She didn't plan on getting lost like most first-years did.

While the outside, made of dark stone and wood, was intimidating, the inside was decorated much like other schools. At least, those Lucy had seen in her books; she had been homeschooled, her life a series of tutors and haughty professors who insisted she not eat until she had perfected a series of problems or finally memorized all the capitals in Fiore. She shook away the memories, turning her attention back to the building which had no memories associated with it just yet.

Her feet echoed on the stone steps as she climbed, despite the red carpet covering them. The wood was lighter than that outside and the main colors seemed to be red and gold. Lucy smiled at the framed paintings of past headmasters, imagining Makarov grumbling as he sat for his. Painted portraits cost a fortune and were an absolute pain to sit for. They often took hours. Lucy's own had taken six hours for the distinguished painter her father had chosen.

When Makarov finally told her they had reached the dormitories, she was surprised to find they weren't on the grounds somewhere or attached to the main building. The entire school seemed to be much larger on the inside than it appeared.

"You're on the second floor. I'm sure the girls will be able to direct you to your room. Orientation and classes start on Monday, as you know, and you'll receive your uniform tomorrow. I would recommend taking the day to get your books and explore as well."

"Thank you," she murmured again as she placed her hand on the door, suddenly hesitant to push it open.

Makarov sighed gently, glancing up at her with a kind smile.

"Things will be different here than you're used to," he hummed with the sort of knowing smile adults sometimes wore. But he didn't seem patronizing, just…nice.

Lucy started before she realized what he meant. Things will be better.

She smiled and nodded silently in understanding. He gave her one last wave before he vanished. Lucy jumped, not expecting the sudden use of magic. She hadn't even heard him say any sort of spell.

She shrugged and pushed the door open, climbing the two flights of stairs until she reached her door. Or wall, really. All the dorms were enchanted; where a door would normally be, there was a blank expanse of stone. It required magic blood to open. Inhaling deeply, she pressed her hand to it, muttering the password Makarov had told her. She watched as the stones parted silently, stepping through and watching again in wonder as they closed behind her.

Magic, she thought with a small smile. She turned to see that she had stepped into a good sized room, decorated with couches and numerous pillows, as well as a fireplace and a few tables. A girl was seated on one of the armchairs, legs thrown lazily over one arm while her head rest against the back. A large book was in her small hands and her eyes scanned the pages rapidly, only blinking when she adjusted her glasses. She glanced up as Lucy stepped through, flashing her a beaming smile.

"You must be the straggler!" she declared, closing the book and placing it on the table before she stood up, walking forward to greet Lucy. The blonde was surprised by how short the girl actually was; she was absolutely tiny, with short blue hair and wide eyes. Her smile was sweet and genuine and Lucy relaxed a bit under the warmth of it.

"I'm Levy McGarden," the blue haired girl continued. "Welcome to Fairy Tail!"

Lucy smiled in return, suddenly keenly aware of the mud on her legs and the uncomfortable way her shirt was sticking to her. Her backpack seemed to weigh tons.

"Hi," she answered. "The Headmaster said you could direct me to my room?"

"Of course," Levy said cheerily, turning on her heel and gesturing for the girl to follow her. There were only two corridors, Levy leading her down the right hand one.

"These are all the girls' rooms; you'll see that there's five rooms, ten of us total. The boys are in the other corridor but we haven't seen much of them. I'm guessing they all went out exploring as soon as they put their bags down."

Lucy half-listened as Levy babbled away, suddenly realizing she had never heard her family name before. McGarden wasn't in any of the historical books she had studied, nor in any of the family trees.

"You said your name was McGarden?" she asked, interrupting Levy. She smiled in apology, too tired to really care for formalities.

"Yes," Levy hummed. "My parents are Everyday's and our distant relations that have magic blood are a very small family; their line is disappearing. Hence why you probably aren't familiar with my family name."

Lucy nodded, both surprised and not. While magical children born to Everyday's weren't common, it made sense that Levy's family name wasn't well known. In their world, bloodline was everything. It was, however, refreshing. Lucy was glad there was someone who wouldn't ooh and ahh over her own family name.

"How did your parents take it, when you guys found out?" Lucy asked. She had never met someone born to Everyday's. She knew other magical people looked down on them, turned their noses up at their "impure blood". But in Lucy's book, anyone who could cast a spell was one of them, no matter their family.

"Very well, actually. They always knew about my cousins and I'd been having a lot of 'accidents', so when my aunt came to visit and told them, it wasn't a huge shock. My mom had already suspected it for a while, I'm sure."

"What's your name again? I didn't catch it," Levy said, tilting her head to the side. They had stopped in front of the third door down. Lucy fumbled with the key she'd been sent in the mail, turning it jerkily before opening the door.

"Sorry, I'm a little tired. Long day," she apologized. Levy merely giggled, waving away her apology. She shoved her way in, dropping her backpack on her bed with a relieved sigh. The room was simple enough; a bed, desk, closet, small nightstand, a dresser and a large glass door leading to a small balcony. Golden light streamed through the door and Lucy realized distantly just how late it was.

"I'm Lucy," she said finally, turning to face Levy. "Lucy Heartfilia."

Levy's eyes widened and Lucy cursed inwardly. She really didn't want to deal with it just then.

"Oh wow, now that's a big name," Levy replied. There was a beat of silence before another smile spread across the smaller girl's face.

"So tell me," she started, leaning forward conspiratorially. "Are you really descended from angels?"

Lucy was surprised by the laugh that burst from her. Levy laughed with her.

"Really, there's so many stories circulating about your family, it's hard to separate the myth from the truth," Levy chuckled honestly.

"Well, it's an old myth in my family too, but personally I think it's just that, a myth. I mean, do I look like I'd be descended from angels?" she asked, gesturing to the mess on her legs and body.

Levy giggled again, hiding her mouth behind her hand.

"You do look a little rough. Do you want to unpack a bit or do you want me to show you to the showers right now?"

"Showers, please," Lucy answered immediately. The thought of hot water washing the dirt and muck away, streaming down her shoulders and soothing the aches, it was enough to make the train ride worth it.

Ten minutes later she was practically singing for joy as she scrubbed her body and lathered her hair in shampoo. She wasn't exactly sure how she'd managed to get dirt in her hair, but so it was. As she washed, she hummed along to a song she'd listened to on her way there, in a much better mood after meeting Levy and talking to her a bit. The girl had proven to be rather cheerful but not exactly the prying type. Lucy appreciated it.

After rubbing some lotion on her skin and delighting at the fact she now smelled like a girl rather than a puddle of mud, she made her way back to the dorm, practically skipping the whole way there.

Levy looked up from her book once more, grinning.

"You look much better," she remarked.

"I feel much better," Lucy sighed. Her eyes shifted to the girl beside her, her hair a darker shade of blue than Levy's.

"Hello," she introduced herself. "I'm Lucy."

The girl smiled, a little shakily, and dipped her head.

"J-Juvia," she stuttered out, cheeks flushing. Lucy smiled encouragingly, moving to settle on the couch beside her.

"Lockser, right?" she asked. Juvia flashed her a surprised glance and Lucy shrugged.

"I remember a lot from my lessons. Your family makes the most beautiful art."

Juvia smiled then, a real smile, a little stronger, a little more confident.

"Thank you," she murmured, finally making eye contact, wide blue eyes meeting brown.

"No problem," Lucy waved away the gratitude, standing once more. "I'm going to unpack my stuff. When is dinner?"

"Headma – er, Makarov said it'd be around six-thirty," Levy informed her distractedly, eyes focused on her book once more. That gave Lucy about an hour to unpack.

"We'll c-come and get you," Juvia said.

Lucy flashed her a smile.

"Thanks."

Lucy didn't meet the boys until she was just about to leave for dinner. Levy was telling her about the story she was reading, a tale of knights and dragons that Lucy was tempted to ask to borrow. She had just been about to tell Levy of a novel she had finished over the summer, the wall opening in front of her, when what seemed like a wall of muscle stumbled right into her.

With a rather unladylike yelp, she lost her balance, and in the most ungraceful way, crumbled to the floor.

"Shit! Sorry!" the wall of mass stammered, hands suddenly on her shoulders and waist, lifting her back up like she weighed no more than a paper doll.

"Idiot," a different voice growled, deeper than the first. "If you weren't in such a damn hurry."

"Are you okay?" the first voice asked, voice panicked. Lucy looked up into a pair of green eyes, which were frantically scanning her for injuries. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No," Lucy muttered, stepping back. His hands were warm and heat radiated from his body, which she realized was pressed against her own. He was holding her against his chest, staring down at her concernedly. She shivered when his touch left her body. "I'm fine."

"Way to make friends, dumbass," yet another voice snorted disdainfully.

'Dumbass' snarled back at the boy, who had black hair and cold grey eyes, before turning back to her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked again and Lucy smiled this time, now that she was away from him and his intoxicating warmth.

"I'm okay," she reassured him, gesturing to herself. "No blood, so I'll live."

"I'm Natsu," the boy told her with a sharp, charming grin. Lucy's eyes roamed over his pink, unruly hair and tanned skin, the way white fangs poked from beneath his upper lip, his toned arms. His red t-shirt did a poor job at hiding his physique. She swallowed, hard.

"Dragneel?" she said, guessing from her vague memories of a rumor she'd overheard years ago. The stuffy nobles gossiping had been disdainful of the leader of such a distinguished family name adopting an orphan from nowhere, with no apparent magical abilities. Lucy had thought it was sweet. And if he was here, at this school, she was also guessing his magical abilities had surfaced at some point.

His green eyes widened, lips turning downward in a frown. She briefly mourned the smile on his face.

"How'd you - ?"

"Lucky guess," she interrupted him, smiling at the other boys as she introduced herself.

"I'm Lucy."

"Gajeel," the other boy grunted. Lucy struggled to keep from craning her neck to look up at him. He wasn't just tall, he was muscled and massive compared to Levy, who stood right beside him. Next to him, she looked positively puny. Piercings marked his brow, nose, and ears, and Lucy struggled to suppress the instinctive fear that rose in her stomach as his red eyes met her own. Plue's energy growled in her chest, sensing her discomfort. She soothed him quietly, smiling up at Gajeel.

"Redfox, I think," she hummed, tapping a finger to her chin. It was hard to mistake those eyes. His father was just as, if not more, intimidating than his son.

Gajeel grinned, dipping his head.

"You know your families," he acknowledged. She laughed lightly, ignoring the churn of her stomach.

"I've got a brain for it."

"And tutors, I'm guessing," the other boy interrupted, face cool and stony. Lucy turned to him, dreading what was coming. Because now, looking fully into his chiseled face, she recognized him. And she had no doubt he recognized her from the balls they had both attended. She cursed her lack of preparedness; she should have guessed the son of another large magic family would be attending Fairy Tail.

"She's a Heartfilia," he clarified. Gajeel's jaw dropped, while Natsu just looked confused and Levy looked irritated.

"I don't get it," Natsu said, looking around.

"That wasn't your information to share, Gray," Levy chastised.

Gray shrugged, an elegant yet careless gesture at the same time.

"I'm not sure why you'd try to hide a name like that," he said, yawning. "If it were me, I'd be throwing it around and cashing in."

"Your name is nothing to sneer at," Lucy shot back. "Fullbuster carries its fair share of weight."

Gray shrugged again, waving her comment away.

"Nothing compared to Heartfilia."

"I'm a McGarden, in case anyone cared," Levy piped up, hand raised like she was in class, earning a glare from Gray, a soft giggle from Lucy, and a snort of laughter from Gajeel.

"I still don't get it," Natsu said, stretching an arm to scratch the back of his head. He squinted at Lucy, who shifted uncomfortably beneath the openness of his gaze. Lucy softened at the clear confusion on his face.

"The Heartfilia family is rich, idiot," Gajeel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "I'm not talking our family rich, I'm talking dirty, stinking rich. You'd know this if you ever paid attention in class."

"And? That's just money." Natsu said, still just as perplexed. Lucy poured fervent blessings upon him in her mind.

"And nothing," she cut off Gray's next comment shortly, sending him a glare. "Gray recognizes me from the numerous balls we were both forced to attend."

"They still throw balls?" Natsu gawked.

"Unfortunately," Lucy muttered, brushing past the group to leave the dorm and start down the stairs. Levy followed her, sticking by her side and throwing her a reassuring smile of solidarity. Lucy's steps faltered a bit as she realized she had no idea where the mess hall was, before Levy began to lead the way confidently.

"I've never heard the McGarden name," Gajeel commented in what he probably thought was a nonchalant way.

"It's nonexistent," Levy replied tersely. Lucy smirked, silently agreeing to not spill Levy's own blood secret. It wasn't her business to tell.

"Enough of this family nonsense," Natsu declared loudly. "What's for dinner?"

Gray groaned. "All you ever think about is food."

Lucy laughed and Levy giggled alongside her. The blonde had no doubt that was true.

Gajeel snorted. "If you concentrated on your magic as much as you did your food, you'd be the greatest wizard in Fiore."

"I am the grea-" He was silence by what sounded like a pretty heavy smack.

"Shut up," Gray sighed.

Natsu growled and Lucy glanced behind her just in time to catch him swiping at Gray, who dodged the blow and reared his hand back for a real punch.

"Try it, Ice Princess," Natsu roared and Gajeel groaned.

"Not again," he muttered.

"Are they always like this?" Lucy asked Levy quietly.

"From what little I've seen, yes," Levy answered tiredly.

Lucy sighed. It was going to be a long year. Yet somehow, as she glanced back again to see Natsu shoving Gray and Gray trying to trip him, she couldn't imagine it any other way.

[not-just-any-fangirl]

Of Piercings And Dreams

A/N: Based on my lovely convo with @constellunaa and @rivendell101! I’d write more but Tumblr is being a piece of shit and I’m one more lag from throwing my laptop out the window <3

A late night text from Natsu sends Lucy's mind down a oneway track to more-than-friendly places.

Pairing: Nalu, Fairy Tail

Word Count: 9707

Rating: M

Part: Part One, Part Two

Lucy jerked as she was torn from her laptop screen by her phone buzzing on her nightstand, eyes losing focus for a second as they left the brightness. Her screen read 3:14 AM and Lucy balked at the time, looking back at her screen to see she was on the eightieth chapter of a fanfic she had found at midnight and had decided to start against Levy’s warnings.  

She looked back at her screen, still slightly shaken at having lost track of time so easily. It wasn’t her own fault though! The fic she had been reading was fixing all the plot holes and made the characters even more in character and Lucy’s fingers twitched to hit ‘next chapter’ before a second loud and grating buzz jarred her attention back to her phone.

She picked it up, confused and also a little pleased to see it was Natsu texting her.

Then she opened the message.

An image popped up, sending their previous conversation about whether or not animals were truly fit to rule the world scrolling upwards. Lucy blinked twice before typing her response.

Me - 3:16 AM: Natsu why did you send me a picture of a penis

Me - 3:17 AM: I don’t know if I WANT that to be your penis or not either but I’ll deal with that thought later

Lucy scrolled up again, eyeing the picture like one would a horrific car accident. Curious, but also hating yourself for being curious. It was a nice penis, considering the very few Lucy had experienced and could compare it to. It wasn’t discoloured or nightmare-fuel-looking, and the most prominent thing about the unexpected dick in front of her eyes was the small silver dumbbell through the underside of the head of it.

Natsu (red heart) - 3:17 AM: how sick would it be if I got my dick pierced like that???

Lucy sighed at her phone.

Me - 3:18 AM: Why are you looking at piercings at three in the morning

Lucy’s gaze flicked back up to the bottom half of the picture where the piercing was still visible, imaging Natsu grinning down at her as she ran her tongue over the bar and-

Bzz

Lucy squeaked loudly as she was torn from her impromptu fantasy, shame creeping up her face at imagining her best friend in such a non-best-friend way. She groaned loudly when she saw Natsu was trying to call her. Lucy hit answer, leveling Natsu her most unimpressed glare as his face popped onto her screen.

“Lushi!” Natsu cheered, eyes much too bright for someone that was awake at the same time as students either procrastinating or crying over their homework. Lucy had opted for the former. “So I was looking for a new tongue ring ‘cus my ball is boring now and then I got kinda distracted and stumbled on a thread about piercings and then saw this and it looks so fucking cool! Don’t you think it’d suit me, Luce?” Natsu rambled, grinning at Lucy. Lucy swallowed thickly, forbidding her tongue to let slip how much she thought it’d suit him.

“Don’t you think it’d be a bit painful? I mean, that is a pretty sensitive place to... you know...” Lucy trailed off and looking away from her screen.

“That’s why you’re coming with me, duh.” Natsu rolled his eyes at her apparent obliviousness.

“Uh, no I’m not,” Lucy said flatly. She smothered a grin at Natsu’s high whine, the screen in front of her blurring as Natsu flopped onto his back before focusing again. His bright pink hair splayed on the pillow in rosy spikes, the hint of black roots peeking out through the stark colour. A gold lip ring sat in the right corner of his mouth, metal slightly digging into his lower and drawing attention to how plump it was. Two single jewel piercings sat above his left eyebrow, one topaz and the other garnet, his right eyebrow unpierced but with a slight break two-thirds of the way outwards, a thin scar darker than his tawny brown skin breaking through the also pink-dyed hair. A second large scar stood out on the right side of his face, Lucy’s heart clenching slightly as it always did when she focused too much on the jagged burn scar stretching from his jaw diagonally up to just under the middle of his eye.

Lucy was grateful he never lost his smile after the accident on his final training run of his firefighting course, as selfish as it seemed considering his life had been on the line. Natsu without his smile just wouldn’t be Natsu though, and Lucy didn’t know what she would do if she lost any part of him.

“Please Lushi, I need you there with me!” He pressed, blinking his stupid big green eyes at her. Lucy pressed her lips together, determined not to give him and allow him to carry through with a frankly stupid late night -early morning?- idea. “You’ll be my bestfriend.”

“I am your bestfriend,” Lucy scoffed.

“Nu uh, Happy is! But if you go with me to Gajeel’s then you’ll definitely be my best bestfriend!” Natsu sang, wagging his eyebrows as if he was offering Lucy a years rent.

“If you think telling me I rank lower on your list than your cat is going to make me go with you more then you need sleep more than I do.” Lucy sniffed. Natsu pouted, narrowing his eyes at her through the screen.

“We both know we love Happy more than one another so don’t try and get out of this by bullshittin’ me,” he accused. Lucy blushed sharply at the talk of love, Natsu taking it as proof of his winning. Lucy mentally chastised herself, cursing her heart for jumping at the thought of him loving her. They were best friends, and in all five of the years that they had known each other he had never shown any interest in her or what she did romantically. At most he loved her like a sister, and Lucy had to bite her lip to stop herself from crying at that frankly depressing thought.

“Fine,” Lucy mumbled, unable to help her weary grin at Natsu’s loud whoop of victory.

“You’re a goddess Lucy!” Natsu said, Lucy blushing harder at his awed tone. She eyed her image in the top corner of the screen. Her hair was on it’s third day of not being washed and thrown up in a lazy bun, her pale skin makeup free and bags under her eyes from staring at a screen for several hours straight leaving her feeling spotty and gross. Goddess, ha.

“Yeah, yeah,” Lucy waved off. She was stopped from bargaining to get back rubs out of him by Natsu sobering and speaking unexpectedly.

“I’m serious, Lucy. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Lucy blinked at him, shocked slightly at the almost confession. Natsu looked like he wanted to say more, but decided against it. “So how come you’re up anyway?” he asked, smile breaking across his face and dispelling the unexpected tension as quickly as it had come.

Lucy launched into a detailed description of the story she had been reading, eager to gush to Natsu about it. She rolled over, nestling her head into her pillow as she talked to Natsu. She smiled up at him when he asked questions despite having no clue what she was talking about, and Lucy’s heart sang as she looked at him. She waved her hand as she talked, distracted from Natsu’s face and the ungodly time just by simply talking with him, content for the moment with what she had, and convincing herself in the back of her head that she would always be content with just that.

Lucy blinked, panting as she looked up at Natsu.

“Just like that Luce, c’mon, keep doing it just like that.”

Lucy nodded, dragging her tongue along his shaft, holding his cock with one hand and resting her other on his bare thigh. His skin seemed to ripple under her touch, smooth and powerful and hers. She ran her tongue over the golden metal that pierced just under his head, mewling when Natsu tightened his grip on her hair, jerking against her tongue and lips as she played with his most sensitive areas.

“Fuck, you’re so amazing Lucy,” Natsu groaned, head tipping back and fingers biting into her scalp. Lucy hummed, swirling her tongue around his head with teasing laps. She grinned up at him, feeling the heat from his cock amplified by the metal resting against the flat of her tongue. His head throbbed lewdly in her mouth when she took him deeper, Natsu’s raspy groan making heat and wetness pool between her thighs.

He tasted of salt and musk, bitter on her tongue and almost searing as she took him further into her mouth. Heavy on her tongue, Lucy reveled in the feeling of him filling her mouth, piercing rubbing along her wet muscle as she massaged it and hollowed her cheeks on his thickness. Natsu groaned her name again, rocking up into her mouth. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, lifting her off his cock and guiding her by two fingers on her chin to him. His lips slated over hers hungrily, Lucy whimpering against him as she climbed into his lap, straddling him. She ground into his hips, burning pressure making her sigh with wanton pleasure as his cock pressed firmly against her mound and core.

“Natsu, I-” Lucy breathed against his lip, his piercing rubbing on her lip and sending shivers along her spine, fingers twisting in his hair at the base of his neck.

“Lucy, I’m gonna fuck you so hard,” Natsu groaned, hands slipping low and dragging over her skin, his fingers biting into her hips as he guided her grinding motions on his cock, throbbing against her lips and making Lucy cry out at the friction that made her toes curl. “I want you Lucy. You’re so perfect. Perfect for me in every way. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Lucy clawed at his back, sighing his name again as Natsu spoke against her neck, biting roughly at her skin afterwards. He kissed the mark in apology before sucking on it, ensuring a bruise to mare her skin. Claim her. Make her his.

Lucy raked her nails down his shoulder blades when he dragged one finger along her spine, teasing her and making her arch into him, mouth latched to her pulse as he tasted her again. He left trails from her neck to her jaw, a sensitive place just under her ear that made Lucy keen in his hold.

The taste of sea spray hung in the air, floating in from the open balcony doors overlooking the ocean, white curtains blowing in the breeze. Early morning light danced across the sheets behind them and made Natsu glow.

“Now Lucy,” Natsu growled, holding the back of her neck tightly as he ground her down on his hips roughly. Lucy sucked on his piercing on his lip, switching to the ball on his tongue when he thrust it into her mouth. The feeling of the scorching metal pressing on her tongue made lust flare through her bones, fire in her veins stealing thought from her mind as Natsu turned them over. Lucy laid out on the bed, arms thrown above her head as she panted and looked up at Natsu. He loomed over her, danger flashing in his dark and wolfish gaze, tongue swiping along his lower lip as he drew his eyes over her body, slow and greedy. Lucy felt his gaze as though he were touching her, arching into him and lifting her arms to him as she offered herself to him.

“Natsu, please,” Lucy begged, “I lo-”

“Lucy,” Natsu snarled, “I need you. Can’t you feel what your body does to me? When you make those slutty faces and sounds just by me touching you, I need to know what else I can take from you.”

Lucy saw stars from his words, desire catching in her throat and choking back her whine. She was pliant in his hands as he flipped her over, calloused pads of his fingers running along her shoulder as he gathered her hair to one side, revealing the side of her face to him.

“You’re so beautiful, Lucy. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you.” He sighed, breath coating her ear. He lifted her hips, Lucy’s hands tangling in her white sheets under her. “Fuck, Lucy, tell me you want me.”

“I want you,” Lucy breathed, “God, Natsu, I want you.”

“Tell me you want my cock,” Natsu growled, fisting at her hair. He gripped her ass with one hand, separating her curves so she was exposed more fully to him, his cock sliding along her soaked lips and between her ass in deep grinds.

“I want your cock inside me, please Natsu,” Lucy sobbed. She hugged his pillow to her, Natsu’s thick blanket soft against her skin. She loved his bed and how familiar everything about it was, how his smokey and spicy scent permeated everything and intoxicated her senses.

“Natsu!” Lucy cried, feeling blinding pressure push on her entrance, his head thick and his piercing rubbing on her clit sharply. He pushed in, slow as he stretched and filled her. “Natsu I love you!” she screamed, squeezing hard on his cock as she felt his piercing tease her inside, rubbing on her and creating extra friction and pleasure that made Lucy see fireworks behind her eyelids.

He thrust into her, hips slamming against hers like he hated her. He released her hair, gripping her hips with both hands, raising her higher and forcing her face into the sheets. The fabric swallowed her cries, body rubbing along the bed with each powerful movement of Natsu carving his cock into her core.

“You feel so good on my dick Lucy. So amazing, you take my dick like you were made for it. You were made for me Lucy. We were made for each other.”

Lucy wailed as Natsu’s cock ran over a spot deep inside her, his piercing massaging her like she’d never known, not from her hand or past boyfriends or even any toys she had played with. He was right, they were made for each other, Natsu everything Lucy had ever wanted and driving her wild as he fucked her hard into the pale cream silk sheets, flower petals scattered around her and low sensual music the backdrop floating through her head, over written by the sound of skin slapping skin and lewd grunts and groans and wails of sex.

“Natsu, kiss me, please, Natsu!” Lucy cried, forcing her eye open to look up at Natsu. He swore, voice so deep and hoarse it was no more than a rumble. He reached his hand under her head, thumb swiping across her lip as he pushed his palm between her cheek and the bed and lifted her face to claim her lips in an upside down kiss. Lucy’s back arched, Natsu cupping her jaw with one hand, thumb gentle as it stroked her cheekbone, his other hand softly caressing the front of her throat. His fingertips dug into her pulse when she groaned at the feeling of his hands on her skin, Natsu’s lips swallowing her sounds. His tongue pushed into her mouth easily, Lucy’s breath forced from her lungs with each rough thrust of his cock into her heat.

“Lucy,” Natsu snarled, Lucy’s hands tangling in the thin cotton sheets as he ravished her mouth and body with his own. Her breasts ached to be touched by him and her clit throbbed from neglect, but her body also begged her to keep his hands where they were. “Lucy, I’m gonna cum. You’re gonna make me cum, Lucy, fuck yes, so fucking good,” he breathed, kissing her again before she could respond. His tongue rubbed along hers, piercing addicting as it ran along the roof of her and clacked against her teeth as he tasted her, her nose brushing his chin.

Lucy lifted her arms, sobbing into Natsu as she tangled her hands in his hair and pulled harshly. Her hips rolled against his as best as they could in her awkward position, carpet digging into her knees almost painfully, large building blocks and stuffed animals shoved in the corner and leaving them with room to play themselves.

Lucy felt herself unravelling, his cock thick and filling her so full Lucy almost couldn’t breath. The stretch was delicious, her body only craving more with each rock and grind into her. His cock rubbed intoxicatingly on her walls, piercing sending jolts of pleasure each time she felt it press into her. The string pulled tight inside her was reaching the breaking point, Lucy’s eyes fluttering open as Natsu pulled back, his own emerald gaze piercing her through his heavy lashes.

Sunlight filtered through his hair, the scent of grass and pollen dancing around them making Lucy’s head spin at how lucky she was to have him as he took her in the middle of the clearing, camping gear forgotten by the stream.

“Make me cum, Lucy,” Natsu commanded. Lucy whined, Natsu’s grip tightening reflexively as her sound vibrated against his palm. She squeezed on him as tightly as she could, nails raking along his scalp as her body moved of it’s own violation. “Fuck, Lucy, cum with me. I wanna feel you cum on my dick, need to feel how good I fuck you. Show me how good I fuck your tight pussy, Lucy.”

Lucy unwound instantly, breath falling from her in a stuttering scream until her mouth was frozen open in a soundless cry, intense and overwhelming pleasure crashing over her as Natsu continued to pound his hips into hers. He stilled, snarling a single thing as he filled her with his cock and cum.

“Lucy, I love you!”

Lucy opened her eyes, rolling over and screaming into her pillow.

She was the worst. The absolute, most disgusting, worst person in the world. Her skin felt sweaty from her dream, slick heat pooled embarrassingly between her thighs, proof that her dream had actually happened. Or, well, that she had actually dreamed her dream. Either way, that wasn’t the part Lucy should be focusing on.

No, the part she should be focusing on would be that she had just had the most intense and wild sex dream of her life, and it had starred none other than her best friend.

She opened her eyes, glaring balefully at the clock beside her head, its red numbers mocking her. Her first day off in two weeks and now she had to sit around and contemplate what layer of hell she was going to be sent to when she finally died. Her body still ached at the phantom memory of Natsu inside her, fingers twitching as the stray thought to trail her fingers lower crossed her mind.

Nope.

Not happening.

Lucy could exercise some control, dammit .

She refused to sink to the level of masturbating to her best friend. Her stupid, sexy, model-hot, firefighting and animal shelter volunteering best friend. Who wanted a dick piercing.

Lucy’s libido was really fucking close to winning the longer she thought about Natsu.

Lucy knotted her hands in her hair and screamed into her pillow again.

She pushed herself from her bed, deciding a nice cold shower was what she needed, and then a cup of black coffee. She rubbed her face as she passed through her living room, flashes of Natsu’s sex flushed face and dark eyes and impish grin assaulting her closed eyes.

“Stupid Natsu,” Lucy growled to herself.

“Oi, what I’d do?”

Lucy screamed, tripping over the edge of her carpet as Natsu’s voice sounded from inside her apartment. She scrambled up, glaring at him and making him go pale from where he sat lounging on her couch. “Uh, yo?” he asked, hand still partially up in a meek wave.

“Why are you in here?” Lucy whined, trying to go for intimidating but her knee was kind of throbbing from where she fell and she hadn’t had any coffee yet and her hair could put a bird’s best to shame. The fear melted from Natsu’s gaze as he grinned at her, bright and innocent as if he hadn’t broken into her apartment at... Lucy didn’t actually know the time but she knew it was too early for this.

“I haven’t seen you for a week, Weirdo!” Natsu scoffed. He splayed out on her couch, swallowing hard as he looked away. “I’m allowed to miss my best friend.”

“While that is incredibly sweet we literally talked less than twelve hours ago,” Lucy chastised gently, her heart thumping fondly at how silly he was.

“Not in person, ” Natsu whined. His cheeks were slightly red as his gaze flicked to her before looking away. Lucy cocked her head at his strange behavior before looking down at herself.

And saw her tiny black thong peeking out from under her white sleep tank.

Lucy blushed hard, squeaking as she grabbed at the blanket under Natsu’s ass and dragged him to the floor as she yanked it out from under him.

“Why are you here?” Lucy whined again, part horrified and part annoyed. “And stop looking!”

“Not my fault you sleep in skimpy shit like that!” Natsu defended. He glared up at her from the floor, eyes trailing along her still bare legs before snapping up to her face in large circles. He seemed contrite enough at his wandering gaze so Lucy only made a high noise in the back of her throat and hit him in the face with a pillow. He fell to the floor with a low groan as Lucy huffed and marched towards her bathroom.

“I’m taking a shower and you better have my coffee ready when I’m out!”

She tightened the half-folded blanket on her hips, glowering as she slammed the bathroom door shut.

“Mraw.”

“Hello Happy,” Lucy sighed, banging her head on the door lightly. She looked down, smiling softly at the blue cat winding around her ankles. He headbutted her, meowing again. She sighed, stripping and leaving her clothes piled in the corner with her blanket. Lucy stepped into the shower and turned it on, biting her tongue as the cold water hit the top of her spine.

She ran her hands through her hair, allowing the water to trail down her body. She became aware of how close Natsu was to her, naked in the shower. Memories of her dream surfaced, Natsu's hot hands replacing the cool streams of water running along her skin. Between her breasts, along her stomach, dipping between her thighs...

“Mrooow.”

Lucy absolutely refused to get off in the shower thinking about Natsu when not only was he in her kitchen hopefully not burning her coffee but she also had his cat in the room with her.

She turned the knob as far left as she could, gritting her teeth as water that was one degree above ice washed over her. She could do this. No thinking bad fantasies. Lucy finished the rest of her shower quickly, focusing her thoughts on reading the back of her conditioner bottle rather than allowing them to wander.

She stepped out, grabbing towels and wrapping her body and hair in one each. Lucy smiled when she noticed Happy curled up on her clothes and blanket, content despite the threat of water so close to him. Lucy peeked her head out of the shower, glaring at Natsu's back as he fiddled in her kitchen as if she could mentally threaten to kill him if he thought of peeking. Not that Lucy had much of a leg to stand on, but details. Walking as quickly as she could without running, Lucy made her way back to her bedroom. She gathered her clothes, pausing as she tugged her jean shorts up when the bright blue fabric of her blanket caught her eye.

Her fists twisted in the fabric, teeth clenched around the pillow as she screamed his name. Natsu slammed into her, hand heavy on the back of her neck as he pushed her down into the sheets, skin burning against hers.

Lucy felt need build between her thighs at the dream-memory, quickly turning away and doing up the couple buttons left. Nope. Nuh uh. Lucy threw on her favourite top, the blue and white fabric tight and soft against her skin, ending just under her ribs. And well, if she forgot to put a bra on, who was she to be judged for rushing to make sure Natsu didn't burn her apartment down?

She hurried out of the room after ripping off her sheets and putting them in her dirty laundry pile, throwing her hair into a high ponytail as she made her way down the hall. The remnants of her unease drifted away with the smell of coffee and hazelnuts, Natsu waiting in her kitchen with two large cups in his hand and a bright smile on his face. Plue was jumping at him, paws pushing on his thigh as he yapped at Natsu. Happy called out as well from where he sat perched on top of her fridge.

“You always make it just how I love it,” Lucy smiled, taking the pink mug from him and inhaling deeply. Lucy took a sip, careful of the burning liquid but desperate for a caffeine fix. She moaned happily, basking in the nutty and sweet flavour on her tongue and the warmth travelling through her body. Looking up at Natsu, a different shiver of warmth trailed her spine at how close he was to her, Natsu’s grin fond as he looked at her over his own cup of black coffee with an almost lethal amount of sugar in it.

Deciding to take advantage of how oblivious Natsu could be, Lucy leaned into him. Her head tucked nicely under his chin, body pressed loosely to his as she rested her weight on him. “Whatcha doing, Weirdo?” Natsu asked, laughter in his voice. He held his coffee a safe distance away from both Lucy and Happy, his other hand resting on her head gently.

“Tired,” Lucy groaned into his shirt, nuzzling closer to him. She rested her coffee on the counter, uncaring of Happy sticking his muzzle or paw into her drink if it meant an excuse to get closer to Natsu. Natsu chuckled, wrapping his other arm around her as he continued to pet her head.

“So lazy. Lazy Lushi,” he teased, breath hot on her ear when he spoke. Lucy pouted, stepping on his toe slightly in retaliation. Natsu chuckled again, burrowing his nose into the hair by her temple. “Good thing today is Couch Day.”

Lucy cheered against his chest. She left her coffee on the counter, slinging both arms around Natsu’s neck. His chest shook against her as he scooped her up, walking back to the couch with Plue and Happy weaving between his steps. Lucy could sense his easy grin, toes curling in her thick socks as she took the few seconds to indulge herself in Natsu’s spiced hickory scent and the feel of his strong arms and torso against her body.

They fell onto the couch in a jumble, Lucy firmly on his lap as Natsu settled into the plush furniture with a grunt. “Our coffees,” Lucy whined, looking over Natsu’s shoulder at the pink and black mugs left on the counter. With a groan she pushed off Natsu. He moved to follow, falling back down with a sly grin when she leaned over him and pressed back his shoulder. She stuck her tongue out at him, padding back into the kitchen. Lucy returned quickly with their cups, stopping to grab her light cream blanket to throw over them. She handed Natsu his coffee, climbing back into his lap and cuddling against him, leaving Natsu to pull the blanket over them with a wry grin snuck at Lucy. She ignored how the way his eyebrow rose shifted the piercings in his skin, and how kissable his lip ring looked in the gentle mid-morning light that filtered in through Lucy’s thin curtains.

“One of your drama’s or that new wizard series?” Natsu asked, grabbing her remote from her coffee table and turning on her TV. Lucy shrugged, nuzzling deeper into Natsu and burying her nose in his neck. A shiver rolled through her as the thought of straddling and kissing his neck occurred to her, actions easy even if the fallout wouldn't be. Stupid Natsu and putting his dick in the forefront of her mind at three AM, now she was hyper aware of how close she was, sitting on his lap and a wiggle away from grinding down on him.

“You’ve wanted to watch that wizard show,” she mumbled. Natsu shivered slightly, and Lucy frowned. She knew she kept her apartment cold but she didn’t think it was that bad, especially because Natsu generally ran hot.

“Wizards and dragons!” Natsu sang, clicking play on the first episode of the series. Lucy giggled softly to herself at how eager Natsu was. She sighed, content again as she sat in Natsu’s lap and determined to stay that way, Happy and Plue curled around her feet on her couch.

Couch Days with Natsu were her favourite part of having days off. It was their own little pocket of the world, a place where Lucy and Natsu could just be Lucy and Natsu, and Lucy didn’t think she would trade that for anything .

Lucy groaned as she shouldered open her door, dropping her purse and laundry hamper beside her. Lucy was going to kill her stupid neighbour and their gackle of ten kids. Did Lucy look like she wanted to climb eight flights of stairs because there was no room in their dumb little community elevator? Honestly, what kind of person wanted that many children? Lucy could understand if she had been a foster home, but nope , her hoard of blond over blue children could all pass as fucking clones . And if Lucy had to have one more forced conversation about how the family was being forced to live in their vacation apartment while their home was under renovation Lucy was going to shove her last laundry packet into that stuck-up woman’s fat stupid gaping mo-

“Yo!”

“Natsu would you please either announce yourself when you break into my apartment or at least send me a text?”

Lucy lifted her head from where she had been banging it lightly on the door. Natsu was perched on her counter, legs swinging as he grinned at her.

“If you didn’t want me to come in then why’d you give me a key?” he asked. Lucy rolled her eyes at his smug eyebrow lift. Jackass.

“For emergencies .” Lucy complained. She shuffled her things into the entrance before closing the door, confusion making her tilt her head as she took in Natsu’s clothes. He still had his leather jacket and white pillowed scarf on, pale grey fabric of the sleeves and hood making his skin seem even richer and the colour of his hair more obvious. Usually he was the first to strip all unnecessary clothes and leave them scattered around Lucy’s apartment, and the sight of Natsu fully dressed to go out sent off warning alarms in Lucy’s head. “Why are you still wearing your shoes and jacket?” she asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Natsu beamed at her as he hopped off her counter, walking towards her. “My appointment at Blue Iron is in half an hour!” he said, grabbing Lucy’s laundry and placing it on the chair by her entrance closet.

“Wha- oh my God you were serious?” Lucy gaped. Natsu eyed her over critically, as if she might have a fever or had run head first into a telephone pole -which she had sadly seen Natsu do more than once.

“Duh, Weirdo. Did you snort some of that laundry powder again like when Happy knocked you over a year ago?” Natsu asked, resting a hand on her forehead. Lucy glared up at him, huffing as she rested her hands on her hips.

“Natsu as your best friend and apparently your damn brain I refuse to allow you to get your dick pierced.”

“But Lushi ,” Natsu whined, wrapping his arms around her waist and hugging her to his chest. He blinked large puppy-dog eyes at her, lower lip pushed out. “You said you would .”

Lucy held her resolve for all of two minutes before caving. She knew her face betrayed her by the way Natsu crowed in victory, crushing her and swinging her in a bear hug. Lucy groaned, limp in his arms as her feet swung a foot above the ground. “Okay, but when Gajeel starts laughing at you for crying I’m not stopping him.”

“Psh,” Natsu scoffed, looking down at her in offence, still holding her above the ground, “I ain’t gonna cry .”

“Natsu Dragneel you are having a needle put through your penis and then having a metal bar put into that hole. If you aren’t going to cry then my favourite colour is black.” Lucy said dryly. She couldn’t help but smile at Natsu’s pout, sighing heavily and pointedly until he put her down. “C’mon you dumb dragon, if we’re going to make your appointment then we should get going.”

Natsu cheered up instantly, grabbing her purse and hand as he dragged her out the door. “You’re the best Luce!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lucy rolled her eyes, grinning at her flip-flop clad feet as she allowed Natsu to lead her back to the damn stairs. The walk down to Gajeel’s piercing and tattoo shop took about twenty minutes, Natsu filling the evening silence with idle chatter. About Happy, his and Gray’s -Natsu’s other best friend, even though Lucy knew he’d rather be pinned under a beam than admit- latest wrestling matches during down time at the station, his own random thoughts on what they saw as they passed. Lucy laughed along, arm slung through Natsu’s as they walked beside each other and throwing in her own stories or opinions. Natsu laughed loudly at her comment on a tree stump that looked less like foliage and more phallic, stopping in front of Gajeel’s shop. “You ready?” she asked.

Lucy grinned smugly at Natsu’s less than enthusiastic gulp, leading him into the shop and shaking her head at his sudden bravado when the tinkling bell chimed above their heads. Honestly, Lucy wouldn’t be surprised if he was going through with this just because Gray or his cousin had scoffed when Natsu mentioned it to them.

“So ya actually showed up, eh?” Gajeel rumbled, wiping his hands as he walked from behind the counter, markers and ink wells scattered on the glass top where Gajeel had been doodling designs.

Lucy smiled to herself, pleased at being right.

Natsu scoffed, puffing out his chest and walking with more of a cocky leen, Lucy completely unfooled as his arm tightened around hers. “I see ya brought Bunny Girl for emotional support,” Gajeel continued to drawl. Lucy rolled her eyes at the nickname. She gets drunk and gets one measly cute little bunny outline tattooed on her ribcage and suddenly it’s a nickname for life. “Wha’dya do, drag her out of her apartment?” Lucy pouted, looking down at her clothing. She thought it was cute and casual, an over sized t-shirt she had stolen from Natsu a couple years ago as payment for doing his laundry, black fabric soft and worn and red hockey team design faded with age, the front tucked into her high waisted shorts while the back trailed to just below the cuff of them. Her shoulders were exposed as the shirt hung loose, left one lower than the right.

“I’m here now and that’s what matters. So who’s doing Natsu’s piercing? I know Jet’s gotten pretty good-” Lucy brushed off, curious about who would be handling Natsu’s piercing.

“You crazy? Like I’d make any of my staff suffer by dealing with Strawberry’s junk here. Nah, I’m the one who’s handling Natsu’s appointment today.” Gajeel grunted, turning on his heel and walking to the back of the shop where the curtained off rooms offered some semblance of privacy. Lucy grinned at Gajeel’s back as they followed him. She knew him well by now, both from him being Levy’s fiance and being friends in their own right. He could bluff all he wanted, but Lucy knew Gajeel was doing this because he didn’t trust anyone else with his little cousin’s piercing. Why he had to be such a stubborn bastard about it was a thing that had eluded Lucy for years.

“You ready?” Lucy asked Natsu, pausing outside the curtain. His lips were pressed in a thin line, fingers tangling and playing with Lucy’s nervously where they held hands. He nodded, eyes pinched as he exhaled heavily through his nose. “Hey, just think about how cool it’ll look when it’s done,” Lucy said softly. Natsu’s gaze flicked to her, thankful as he gave her a tiny grin.

“You think it’ll look good on me?” he asked, voice a little higher than usual. Lucy gulped loudly, thoughts once more forced back to what Natsu’s dick would look like with a piercing, expanding to him naked and looming above her with a wicked grin, all danger and pink hair and dark skin and piercings and scars.

“Yeah,” Lucy rasped, throat suddenly dry. “I think it’ll look really good on you.”

Natsu flushed at her words, head ducking so his chin was tucked into his scarf slightly. “O-okay.”

Lucy nodded numbly, ushering Natsu into the room at Gajeel’s rough bark asking if Natsu was pussy-ing out.

“Remember, I’m right here,” Lucy whispered into his ear, squeezing his hand. Natsu gave her another small smile, more confident as he squeezed her back and settled into the black leather chair. Lucy perched on the stool beside his head, her knees just below his shoulders.

“Drop the pants, dipshit,” Gajeel grunted, fiddling with his plastic gloves and a sharp, thick looking needle. Lucy felt anxiety well in her throat for Natsu, no longer caring about the chance to sneak a completely platonic look at his dick -circumcised, Lucy’s subconscious was pleased to note- when faced with the reality that she was about to watch Gajeel put a fucking needle through it. Natsu made a low noise in his throat that reminded Lucy of a whine, doing as Gajeel said -if a little reluctantly and shaky. Natsu rapped his fingers on the chairs of the arm, tilted back slightly as his jeans and boxers were undone and open to reveal his length. Gajeel’s face twisted as he was forced to look at Natsu’s dick, but made no comment.

Lucy blinked when Natsu reached for her hand, giving him a gentle squeeze as they interlaced fingers. Natsu kept his gaze on his soon to be pierced dick, and Lucy rested a hand on the back of his neck, giving him a soft squeeze as she rubbed her thumb along his slightly clammy skin. She looked back at his limp length, Gajeel placing a pale blue piece of paper like on a bench of a doctors’ office on Natsu’s lap and swabbing the underside of his head with a q-tip .

“Oi,” Natsu called, flexing his grip on Lucy’s hand as he looked to Gajeel. “You have a fuck ton of these things- shut up I’ve overheard Luce’s convos with Levy I know way more ‘bout your dick than either of us are comfortable with but now you’re ‘bout to shove a fucking piece of metal through mine so fuck the pretenses is this gonna hurt like a bitch?”

Gajeel eyed him before snorting, gathering the needle and a clamp beside him. “The clamp’s gonna be more than a pinch and the actual needle’s gonna be a little bitch.”

Natsu grinned, a little forced but a little thankful, at Gajeel, letting out his breath through his nose before nodding. Gajeel grinned back, shifting his dick so Gajeel had better access to the underside of his head and began to gather the skin on either side of where the piercing would be. Natsu bared his teeth when the Gajeel clamped his skin but otherwise remained unaffected. Lucy continued to rub his neck with her thumb, biting her lip as she watched Gajeel gather the needle and place it beside his skin.

“Okay, Strawberry, three, two, o-”

Natsu whined as Gajeel punched the needle through him, skipping the last number. Natsu buried his head in Lucy’s lap, grip tight on her hand as he kept his lower body from moving. “Just breathe in and out and don’t pass out on me,” Gajeel grunted, less harsh and almost soothing. Natsu nodded his head, movement so small even Lucy almost missed it. She carded her hand through his hair, trying her best to soothe him and herself as she watched Gajeel line up the piercing with the end of the needle, pushing both metallic pieces through the hole until a little node was against Natsu’s skin, gold like the rest in his face.

“Just... one more... thing...” Gajeel mumbled to himself, focused as he wound the other ball onto the dumbbell and sealed off Natsu's piercing. He cleaned it with a fresh q-tip, the most professional Lucy had seen him all through the appointment. “There ya go, all pierced like a big boy. And ya didn't even cry in front of Bunny Girl!”

Natsu bared his teeth at Gajeel from where he twisted his head in Lucy's lap, either an attempt at a snarl or smile Lucy didn't think Natsu knew himself. She took the opportunity to check out Natsu’s new body jewelry. He was laid so the underside was to the ceiling, gold metal more obvious against his slightly reddened skin, but the hint of danger that his piercing gave his entire aura made Lucy bite her lip. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help but stare at it, her thighs clenching together as her body became more and more desperate to know what it felt like. In her hand, her mouth, her clit, her body...

“Oi Lucy, you want one for yourself?” Gajeel called, snapping Lucy from her highly inappropriate train of thought. She blushed under Gajeel’s knowing leer, lips pulled into an amused grin and his snakebites and centre lip ring making him seem more like a devil than his almost-red eyes and thick, black, mane of hair.

“What?” Natsu rasped, looking at Lucy. His eyes looked slightly glazed, distant as his gaze trained on her heated face.

“You ain't the only one to overhear their conversations, numbnuts,” Gajeel grinned, gloves thrown in the garbage and his body leaned back in his leather chair with his arms crossed over his broad chest smugly. “And I know how much Bunny Girl likes piercings .”

Lucy squeaked, playing with her earrings in her left ear, a dangly star and a crescent moon stud. She looked away, catching Natsu’s intense gaze, still far away as he looked at her direction. Lucy bit her tongue when he swallowed heavily, hand slipping from hers and resting on her thigh, palm on the inside and his thumb brushing the side of her knee. “Didn't know you liked that.”

Lucy inhaled, nodding. Natsu's grip tightened on her, hand creeping up so slowly Lucy was certain Natsu wasn't aware he was doing it. Time slowed around Lucy, something hot growing behind his fog that made Lucy feel like she was back in her dream.

“Fun little note, you can't have sex for a year.”

“ What?” Natsu snarled, whipping to face Gajeel.

Gajeel broke into gut-splitting laughter, almost falling out his seat. “Your fucking face!” Gajeel guwaffed, snorting as he continued to laugh. “Fucking shoulda caught that on camera! Nah, I'm just shittin’ on ya. But it's probably best if you keep Bunny Girl off your dick for four to six weeks, and ya won't be fully healed until four or six months so for fuck sakes wear a condom.”

Lucy squwaked, twisting away from Natsu and pouting when Gajeel grinned at her again. He lobbed a roll of gauze at Natsu, standing and stretching as he spoke. “Now wrap that shit so I'm not being forced to see it. You're gonna treat me to a steak sandwich for doing this, and I haven't had shit to eat today.”

Natsu grunted and rolled his eyes at his cousin, wrapping his new piercing with delicate hands. Once it was secured Natsu tucked it back into his jeans, pushing himself off the chair with a second grunt. Lucy followed after, steps faltering when she heard Natsu hiss in Gajeel's ear. “We ain't like that and you know it so stop it with that stupid shit.”

Lucy's heart sank to her stomach, but she forced the reality check down for a later time to cry about. She knew it, but she couldn't help the hurt at hearing Natsu confirm it. All her dreams were simply that, and the sooner she stopped whatever delusions like the one by the piercing chair had been the better their relationship would be.

“And you're buying me a milkshake for dragging me out of my apartment in my lazy clothes,” Lucy chimed, brushing past them with a forced grin and bounce in her step. She walked backwards for a bit, sticking her tongue out at Natsu's exasperated look.

Lucy had been raised on Jude’s ‘fake it until you make it’ approach to high society social interaction, and it was one of the only few things Lucy was grateful to her father for passing down to her. That and her ageless skin.

Not that she thought Natsu really cared about either of those things when faced with emptying his bank account for his cousin.

“Luce, come back to bed.”

Lucy looked up from her laptop, smiling as she let her gaze drag over Natsu, splayed in their bed and backlit from their tiny lamp that was still on. She stood up, closing her laptop before walking the three steps from her desk to their bed. Natsu shuffled over, leaving room for Lucy to fall into the sheets and snuggle into him. Their kiss was soft and slow, drawn out as though to reinforce that they had all the time in the world to be with one another.

“There's my girl,” Natsu sighed, lips warm as they brushed Lucy's. The kiss deepened, Lucy sighing happily as Natsu tucked her under him, holding himself above her on his forearms.

“I love you,” Lucy whispered, holding his face in her hands as she tangled her legs with his. She giggled at his bright grin, eyes soft and crinkled at the edges, piercings glinting in the light of the lamp.

“What brought that on, Weirdo?” Natsu hummed, peppering Lucy’s face with kisses and nuzzling any skin he could find but her lips. Lucy ran her hands through his hair, black roots longer now, a couple inches she would guess, which meant that she would have to dye his hair again on the weekend.

“I dunno. Just wanted to say it.” Lucy smiled, happiness sitting light in her chest and wiping all exhaustion the day had brought on her. “Because I can.”

“Yes you can,” Natsu chuckled. He caught her mouth in another sweet kiss, the weight of his body comforting as he settled further over her, the fingers on his right hand gently tracing her temple and brushing away golden strands of hair. “I love you too, Lucy.”

Lucy smiled as Natsu pressed another kiss to her, this one deeper and longer but still just as tender. She knew it was silly that she was so euphoric just from chaste kisses and cuddles under the blanket of night, but Lucy couldn’t find it in herself to banish the bubbly tingles that went from the tips of her toes and made her head light. Her nail raked along his scalp, rougher than before as the light feelings condensed into a low simmer in her gut, heat burning in her blood. Natsu remained silent, his wandering hands and the pressure of his tongue running along her lower lip and prodding at the seam of her mouth communicating his understanding of what Lucy wanted. His touch was burning and addictive as it slid under her shirt, fingers greedy and teasing as he cupped her breast and felt the weight of the large globe, no barrier between their skin as Lucy had discarded her bra hours ago.

Lucy hummed his name as he began to kiss along her neck, cool metal of his piercings a relief to her burning skin as they brushed against her. Natsu’s teeth drew a high noise from her throat as they dragged along her pulse, his touch rougher as he pinched one already stiff nipple, other hand cradling the back of her neck as he guided her to how he wanted her. Lucy’s arms snaked around his shoulders, holding onto him as he tasted her skin. Lucy dragged a thigh along the side of his body, moving upwards with slow and purposeful movements before sliding back down, her pointed foot teasing the inside of his own leg as she wrapped herself around him.

“And you call me the pervert,” Natsu chuckled darkly. He settled between her open thighs, Lucy chirping happily at the familiar weight and Natsu’s compliance to her silent wishes, both knowing the other so well words often were no longer needed.

“Because you are,” Lucy hummed happily, brushing the hair from his eyes. She loved how bright they were, his emotions always on his sleeve around her, even if his thoughts weren’t. Now was not one of those times, though, amused heat simmering in his heavy gaze, lips quirked as he looked down at Lucy’s own lightly flushed expression. “But so am I.”

Lucy tugged him down to a kiss sharply, demanding as she thrust her tongue into his mouth and along his, tasting him eagerly. She was done with slow and sweet, Lucy wanted to taste Natsu’s fire, burning and overwhelming and everything she craved. Words were nothing between them, Lucy and Natsu communicating through a trailed hand here and a catch of breath there, their clothes lost as easily as the passage of time around them.

A twinge of pressure and then Lucy’s breath was stolen at the sensation of being filled, Natsu thick and burning and focusing all of Lucy’s thoughts on him as his cock pressed into her. As slow as he kissed her he pushed in, Lucy moaning softly at the lights behind her eyes as his piercing rubbed at her favourite places, Natsu knowing her body better than he knew his own. They moved together, pieces of a puzzle that were always meant to fit in one seamless picture, neither fully complete without the other beside them.

Natsu kept his pace slow and deep as he rocked into her, new waves of pleasure washing over Lucy each time she lifted her hips to meet his, nails clawing at his back and leaving wakes of red behind.

“Fuck Lucy,” Natsu hissed, her hand fisting in his hair making his back arch in pleasure and his thrusts into her roughening at his own fog of lust. She tugged harder, desperate to hear more of his sounds. Lucy followed as he rolled on his side, dragging her with him, her leg curled over his hip and his grip biting into the flesh of her thigh.His other arm fit under her side, hand flat on her back and Lucy arching into his touch and crushing her chest to his. The agony of his touch was beautiful in that Lucy found herself craving more with every brush of his skin against hers and her mind driven wild with the one desperate need.

“Natsu,” Lucy whined against his lips, breath catching before another ‘I love you’ could fall from them, Natsu sealing her mouth with his in a forceful and demanding kiss. Lucy accepted his way of telling her that he felt all that she felt in the moment.

Lucy’s cries grew louder as Natsu’s grunts turned feral, teeth gentle as they latched at the sensitive skin just below her ear on her neck, soft tongue soon lavishing her neck with soothing and lewd licks, the feel of his metal piercing on his tongue making her toes curl as it pushed against her. Lucy tugged Natsu away from her neck, nibbling along his own pulse once it was revealed to her, tracing the way from his collarbone to his ear. Lucy gently tugged on his own double piercing, her lips curling in a soft smile at his low sound of pleasure.

“Do you know what you do to me Luce?” Natsu growled, his voice vibrating in his throat against Lucy’s lips as she trailed wet kisses along his dark skin. They rolled over again, Lucy beneath Natsu as he pinned her arms above her head, hands gentle but firm as they held her wrists to the pillows. Lucy panted up at Natsu, crashing his hips to hers as she tightened her legs around him, desperate to keep any part of their bodies touching that she could. “Fuckin’ drive me wild, Luce,” Natsu said, voice rough with lust and low, but he was so close to Lucy that she heard every word he was saying clearly. “You’re so perfect, Luce, so fuckin’ perfect.”

“I love you,” Lucy gasped, rolling her hips up to his and matching his fast and hard pace.

“God, I love you too Lucy. I love you so fucking much.” Natsu grunted, breath hot over her face and the heat was intoxicating as it consumed her fully. His grip tightened on her wrists, Lucy sighing in erotic pleasure at the tightness and the knowledge of the barely there bruises that would be leftover on her pale and creamy skin tomorrow and the tender kisses that Natsu would lavish her with when he saw them, a sly smirk and a dangerous twinkle in his eyes as he brushed his dry lips over the inside of her wrist.

Lucy’s words were lost in sobs and breathless screams as Natsu drove himself as deep and hard as he could, piercing massaging her spot inside that made her lose all grip on reality, body moving above hers hypnotic as his muscles contracted and stretched under taunt and sweat glistened skin. As he kissed her again Lucy broke, pushed too far to the edge for too long as she watched the man she loved move above her and return the burning passion with his emerald gaze that she knew was in her own.

“Lucy!” Natsu cried, burying his face in her shoulder and grip harsh on her wrists as he came, Lucy shuddering in pleasure as his cock throbbed and pulsed inside her. She felt him fill and coat her inside, inner muscles fluttering in the aftershocks of her orgams around his spent length. He dropped beside her, hands gentle as they released her wrists, tickling her own sticky and sweaty skin as they trailed from her wrists to rest on her ribs.

Lucy giggled again, meeting Natsu’s worn and dopey grin with a bright one of her own. She leaned towards him, brushing his nose with hers and drawing a scratchy chuckle from him at the motion. “I love you,” Natsu rumbled, and Lucy smiled again, unable or wanting to hold back her happiness at her place in their bed and his arms. She slung her leg over his hip as she pushed him onto his back, cuddling into his chest and leaving him stuffed inside her in a lazy desire of staying connected in a way that only he could be with her.

“I love you so much, Natsu,” Lucy mouthed against where his heartbeat thudded against her cheek. Natsu mumbled something that was lost to sleep, his arm snaking around her shoulder and pulling her tight to him, thumbs brushing her skin in soothing circles. Lucy smiled again as she drifted off, catching the final thing Natsu mumbled against her temple before she was lost to her dreams.

“I love you more, Weirdo.”

Lucy opened her eyes, staring up at the black ceiling above her. They drifted from the nothing above her to the clock beside her, desperate to stave off the rush of emotions swelling in her throat for a few seconds longer.

2:12 AM.

Tears broke the glaze that had stolen her vision and Lucy could only curl into herself, sobbing as pain crashed over her. The dream had been perfect , but that’s all it would ever be. A dream. Natsu would never love her or want her like that, she knew she would never mean that to him and the sooner she accepted it the sooner she would stop hurting. Lucy knew that she was important to Natsu, that she would never doubt, but she also needed to get it through her stupid, thick skull that she would never be his everything.

Not like he was to her.

All Lucy would do was ruin what she had with him if she kept allowing herself to want him like that, if she kept allowing herself to be in love with him rather than just loving him. Natsu was too important to lose, and Lucy would be damned if she let something as stupid as her own desires take him from her.

But in that moment, Lucy allowed herself to cry over things she knew would never be hers, and she mourned the loss of things that had only ever been a whisper of hope in the first place. The clock read a red, glaring 3:36 by the time Lucy cried herself to sleep again, still as far away from crushing out her feelings as she had been when she woke up.

[ayumichi-me]

Hello, do you have a list of artists who does fairy tail art of nalu, lolu or any other ? A List would be ideal, including the artists who creates doujins? I'm getting back into the fandom after I left, months. If you know any of them, I'll check them all out, thank you

hmmmmmm.... I know about a little xD

I will try to remember it Here it is tho:

@anush-arts @leons-7 @kagomenesan @karoart @karokitten-chan @s-a-r-a-r-a @shandisworld @shadoouge @sabizac @zeraheart @naby-chan @giushia @rchella @zippi44 @koromechan @charuzu2712 @arikafd @ccrispy @constellunaa @elviradreaminess

I don’t know about the others tho XD

But you guys can add though! :))))))

[ctrlzuzu]

Yes friend of course, @constellunaa sorry it took so long, I think I spent way too much time overthinking that I’m shit at making up outfits lmao

Have a bonus crappy gif because I didn’t merge layers for once

[unashamed-shipper]

Happy birthday :)

AAAAH Shana thank you so much! You’re one of my fav artists so this means a lot to me ❤️

Hope your day is great! 😊

[lineffability]

Help me please! I read the first chapter in a nail fanfic about Lucy being a spirit walker and using bones of animals and she had wolves and it was awesome. And natsu was a warrior and his clan smith and I cannot CANNOT remember what it’s called or who was writing it but I saw chapter two posted the other day but mobile updates and swept it away forever. DO YOU KNOW WHAT ITS CALLED?!?! It was so good. Halp. Ples.

Wasn't that a fic @rivendell101 wrote for one of @constellunaa s arts?