#heartfilia goes with dragneel

[captainuranium543]

You wanna see natsu go crazy when Lucy almost dies.

I wanna see Lucy go crazy when natsu almost dies.

We are not the same.

[celestialulu]

i actually think this is so funny

[allnalufraxus]

Nalu and Fraxus already got a bonus point since the very beginning because it's [best] friends to lovers 🙏 This never gets old, I adore it so much. I adore THEM.

[alien-slushie]

Lucy: I've done the math, and the answer is mass genocide.

Natsu: ...Welp, you heard the lady!

[happilychee]

how good I think fairy tail characters are at traveling pt. 1

♡ gray fullbuster -> he's calm and reliable; he'll check the route before the trip and always have a map on hand to make sure you're going the right way. overall a 9/10 experience. -1 point because he doesn't make time to stop and look at trinkets >:(

*this is if you're traveling just with him though. if you add basically anyone else, including natsu, cana, loke, or lucy, gray will become completely distracted and you might never get to your destination.

♡ erza scarlet -> she'll get you to your destination. you might obtain life-altering trauma, bury a body, and become a local eldtritch legend, but you will get to your destination. 8/10 if you don't mind coming out of the experience Changed.

♡ mirajane strauss -> this can go one of two ways. if you're with other people, mira goes into Big Sister Mode, and you will get to your destination with minimal shenanigans. she does factor in Trinket Time, so overall a 10/10 experience. if it's just mira, though, prepare to go on a spiritual rollercoaster. no plans, no tickets, no maps, just vibes. mira likes to explore new towns and cities without worrying about a schedule or keeping track of other people. she has disappeared for a week straight to just wander around fiore. it's about the journey, not the destination, y'know?

♡ lucy heartfilia -> this poor girl isn't directionally challenged but she is financially challenged. will accidentally spend your train money on a cute necklace in whatever town you're stopping in. she's a good travel companion, willing to socialize with the locals and find out the best sight-seeing and restaurant spots. allocates a bit too much time for Trinkets. you'll probably arrive at your destination with empty pockets but full hearts (and shopping bags.) a 7.5/10, could be higher or lower depending on how much you value your wallet.

♡ natsu dragneel -> just give up. if he doesn't scoop you up in his arms as happy flies the two of you in the completely wrong direction, natsu's probably wandering off without you. gets distracted by everything: food, shiny objects, bickering people. you're working double time to get to your destination in one piece AND not lose natsu in the process. a 4/10 that can be upgraded to a 6 or 7 if you buy him a fire-resistant leash backpack.

♡ sting eucliffe -> surprisingly, he's the one coordinating your trip. all cheery smiles and lighthearted jokes, he makes it look easy. you don't even know what train you're getting on or how long the ride is, you just trust sting. he's charming everyone: the train conductor, the old ladies at the market stalls, the young ticket seller at the station. all of that completely disappears once you get on the train and sting is reduced to a nauseous puddle of dragon slayer. 10/10 experience as long as he doesn't throw up on you <2

♡ gajeel levy and pantherlily -> where's gajeel? you don't know. he was supposed to be at the station half an hour ago, he won't answer his lacrima, he's gone off the map. don't worry, though, levy and pantherlily will keep you company. 2/10 for gajeel. the worst part is, he shows up at your destination before you! he didn't even take the train or fly with lily! he's just... there somehow.

[tokkias]

the things we do under the blanket of nightfall ship: natsu dragneel x lucy heartfilia summary: Natsu grapples with his feelings of the aftermath of the war in the only way he knows how—between the sheets in tangled limbs with the only one who can bring him true comfort. ao3

based on this ask from @bearandbirdfan and a reply from @dontpercieveme13

The sound of someone fiddling with the front door lock should have sent Lucy into a panic. She should have been scared of what was on the other side of that door and what their intentions were. Perhaps not too long ago she would have been, but the struggle with the lock, the subsequent squeak of the door hinge, and the sound of the door being locked behind them had become all too familiar to Lucy in recent days, so she knows there’s little to fear.

It comes at around the same time every night, right after she goes to sleep—or, at least, when her intruder thinks she’s asleep. Sleep hadn’t come too easily to her in recent days, and how could it? There's a lot on her mind in the aftermath of the war, and she finds it difficult to turn off at the end of the night. On some nights where she does find herself falling into sleep, it doesn't last long before she's gripped by the night terrors and haunting memories of the threat of losing the very person who finds himself walking through that door, night after night, when he thinks she doesn’t know any better.

“Hey Lucy,” he murmurs.

Natsu’s voice is soft when he speaks to her, in a way she isn’t sure she's ever heard outside of his gentle break-ins.

She doesn’t reply to him—never does—it’s all part of this little routine they have. He lets himself in with the key Lucy pretends to not know he has, and she fakes being asleep. There isn’t a real reason why she does this, mostly just a stream of half-baked excuses. Maybe part of her fears that if he knew she knew what he was doing, he would stop—that he wouldn’t come by every night, that he wouldn’t talk to her when he thought she wasn’t listening, that he wouldn’t crawl into the spot of the bed that she has mentally designated as his.

“Sorry,” he continues in a mumble, but Lucy isn’t quite sure what for.

Natsu doesn’t apologise for the things he should be sorry for, and right now there's nothing she feels warranting it. Still, she stays quiet, letting her thoughts stay just as they were—thoughts—and hoping that perhaps he might choose to elaborate.

“I know you don’t like it when I get in bed with you, but…” He trails off for a moment, and Lucy has to hold herself back from correcting him. Maybe in years gone by she was vocal about her distaste for it, but now it brings with it a sense of comfort that is completely unparalleled by anything she’s felt before. “I dunno; I missed you, I guess.”

I missed you too, is what she wants to say, but instead she simply squeezes her hands together by her chest to mimic the way his words make her heart feel.

It isn’t exactly rational on either end. They had seen each other mere hours ago; there was no reason to be missing one another when they’d only just parted, but feelings like this are never rational, she supposes.

“Sometimes I just get all in my head, and I just gotta make sure that you’re still okay,” he breathes.

Somewhere in his voice, there hides a sense of apprehension, as though this isn’t something he felt comfortable saying to her face. It makes her feel a little guilty for deceiving him like this. She never truly knew if he believed she was asleep or not—she wonders if he has come to memorise the way her breathing patterns differ between when she's awake and when she's asleep. She can’t put it past him. Despite what people might think, Natsu is observant, and he’d certainly spent enough time laying in bed next to her to have picked up the change.

Whether he does or doesn’t, the thought dies in her mind when he speaks up again.

“I’m really glad that you’re safe, Lucy.”

There isn’t any reason she wouldn’t be, but she knows that he doesn’t need a reason to worry. All the trauma, the loss, the heartache—that is all reason enough.

He thought she had died. He had held what he had assumed to be her lifeless body in his arms, and she isn’t sure she could even fathom what that must have been like to him.

They’d never talked about it—not directly, at least. He’d mentioned it to her on another night, just like this one, and he’d never brought it up with her again. She had never mentioned it out of fear that he would stop their little routine, so it simply stayed an open secret between them.

The newly familiar sound of him shedding his jacket, his scarf, his shoes, rings out, filling the otherwise silent room around them. He would place his jacket over the seat of her desk chair and his scarf over the headboard of her bed. Though she had never seen him do it, and they were often gone by the time she rose in the morning, she had caught a glimpse of it on nights she had to worm her way out of his grasp to totter to the bathroom.

The cool air of her room hits her exposed shoulders as Natsu pulls up the sheets to let himself crawl in with her. Any grievances she may have had about the cold are quickly dashed when she feels Natsu’s heat emanating from his body. His arm slips around her, and he pulls himself closer. Her back rests against his strong, hard chest, and she can practically hear the vibrations of his thumping heart beat through their proximity. He presses his nose into the back of her neck and nuzzles in close, making himself comfortable in proximity to her.

Though she knows it’s best to play into the ruse that they had kept up all those weeks, Lucy doesn’t stop herself when she feels her hands trailing down to rest atop his. As if by instinct, their fingers lace together, sitting comfortably against her stomach, slotting perfectly together as though their hands are made to hold one another.

If he notices she’s awake, he doesn’t mention it. It doesn’t change anything—he had already said what he said, and he had already wormed his way into his side of the bed, making himself comfortable with his Lucy in his arms. She’s always had an inkling that he knew—he can probably hear it in her breathing pattern, but like many things between them, it had gone unspoken in favour of letting things stay the way they were.

His nose brushes against the back of her neck, and the feeling of his warm breath against her skin made her shudder slightly before his words graze over her again.

“Goodnight, Lucy.”

A beat of silence befalls them as Lucy lay in quiet contemplation, her mind abuzz with all the things she wants to say but isn’t sure how to articulate, or better yet, if she even should. Her mind begins to calm as she feels his arms squeeze her tighter to his chest, just for a moment, and a wave of security washes over her.

Anything else can be addressed in the morning, should they choose to, but tonight she feels as though a little change in routine can’t hurt as she breathes out her response.

“Goodnight, Natsu.”

[minkyungseokie]

Anime

No Game No Life

Sora and Shiro are two hikikomori stepsiblings who are known in the online gaming world as Blank, an undefeated group of gamers. One day, they are challenged to a game of chess by Tet, a god from another reality. The two are victorious and are offered to live in a world that centers around games.

Blue Exorcist

After discovering that he's the son of Satan, a young man must join the True Cross Academy in order to master his abilities and defeat Satan himself

Naruto

It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village.

One Piece

In a seafaring world, a young pirate captain sets out with his crew to attain the title of Pirate King, and to discover the mythical treasure known as 'One Piece.'

Twin Star Exorcist

The story revolves around Rokuro Enmado and Benio Adashino, a pair of young and talented exorcists, who (according to a prophecy) are destined to marry and have a child that will be the ultimate exorcist.

Jujustu Kaisen

Yuji Itadori, a kind-hearted teenager, joins his school's Occult Club for fun, but discovers that its members are actual sorcerers who can manipulate the energy between beings for their own use. He hears about a cursed talisman - the finger of Sukuna, a demon - and its being targeted by other cursed beings.

Fairy Tail

The series follows the adventures of Natsu Dragneel, a member of the Fairy Tail wizards' guild who is searching for the dragon Igneel, and partners with Lucy Heartfilia, a celestial wizard. 

Play it cool, Guys

A look into the daily lives of four guys who walk the line between unapproachably cool and undeniably clumsy on a regular basis.

Black Butler

Ciel has formed a contract with demon Sebastian Michaelis, who disguises himself as his butler, to seek revenge on those who tortured him and murdered his parents. In exchange for his services, Sebastian will be allowed to consume Ciel's soul.

Uramichi Oniisan

Being an adult is hard. For 31-year-old Uramichi Omota, that depressing truth weighs on him. While on TV, he's an upbeat exercise instructor for a children's show, but sometimes he can't keep his sardonic comments to himself.

Overtake

Freelance photographer Kôya Madoka finds himself in a slump due to a certain reason. He goes to Fuji International Speedway to work on a story, and he meets the highschool F4 racer Haruka Asahina. He suddenly finds his heart racing after not feeling much for a long time.

March Comes in Like a Lion

 It features the life of Rei Kiriyama, an introvert and professional shogi player, who gradually develops both his play and his relationship with others.

The Devil is a Part-Timer

 Hilarity and fun ensues when Satan ends up in modern day Japan without any magic to return, and starts working part time in a fast food joint.

Yowamushi Pedal

Onoda is a cheerful otaku looking to join his new school's anime club, eager to finally make some friends. Unfortunately, the club has been disbanded and somehow he stumbled into the bicycle club.

Tokyo Revengers

Hanagaki Takemichi lives an unsatisfying life right up until his death. Waking up 12 years in the past, he reckons with the eventual fate of his friends and tries to prevent an unfortunate future.

Ouran High School Host Club

One day, Haruhi, a scholarship student at exclusive Ouran High School, breaks an $80,000 vase that belongs to the "Host Club," a mysterious campus group consisting of six super-rich (and gorgeous) guys. To pay back the damages, she is forced to work for the club, and it's there that she discovers just how wealthy the boys are and how different they are from everybody else.

Mashle: Magic and Muscles

The story follows Mash Burnedead, a magic-less kid who enrolls at Easton and aims to fool everyone into thinking he's top of the class

IDOLiSH7

An idol group is named "Idolish7," and consists of seven male singers, each with their own unique personality and background. Tsumugi must train and turn all of them into the famous idols, all the while struggling against the hardships of the entertainment industry

Tokyo Ghoul

Set in a world where humans live in constant fear of ghouls - superpowered humanoid beings who feed on human flesh to survive, a shy college student named Kaneki Ken, who is nearly killed in an attack by one of these monsters, becomes a half-ghoul himself after receiving an organ transplant from the ghoul.

Obey Me

The main character is transported to Devildom by a summoning ritual to attend Devildom Academy as a exchange student for one year. The main character will be greeted by seven gorgeous men that are avatars of the deadly sins.

Buddy Daddies

Kazuki Kurusu and Rei Suwa, assassins who live under one roof; and Miri, the daughter of Kazuki and Rei's assassination target who ended up being picked up by Kazuki, who she thinks is her biological father.

SpyxFamily

The story follows a spy who has to "build a family" to execute a mission, not realizing that his adopted daughter is a telepath, and the woman he agrees to marry is a skilled assassin

Haikyuu

Junior high school student, Shoyo Hinata, becomes obsessed with volleyball after catching a glimpse of Karasuno High School playing in the Nationals on TV.

Food Wars

Teenager Soma Yukihira aspires to become a full-time chef in his father Joichiro's family restaurant, "Restaurant Yukihira", and to surpass his father's culinary skills.

My Hero Academia

Born without special powers in a world where 80% of the population has them, Izuku Midoriya still dreams of becoming a hero.

Black Clover

The story follows Asta, a young boy born without any magic power who is given a rare grimoire that grants him anti-magic abilities. With his fellow mages from the Black Bulls, Asta plans to become the next Wizard King.

The Daily Life of the Immortal King

A boy with extraordinary magical powers tries to pass for average at his new high school, where the students learn to cultivate their spiritual force.

Demon Slayer

 A family is attacked by demons and only two members survive - Tanjiro and his sister Nezuko, who is turning into a demon slowly. 

[atthestarlite]

ch.5 of one more, one more

in which natsu has a very bad day

rating: E

relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia

summary: When Lucy’s lead actress drops her directorial debut show less than two weeks before it goes up, Lucy must step in to replace her. In the process, Natsu -- the lead opposite her -- and Lucy must grapple with their intense chemistry and what it means for their longtime friendship. -- college theatre!au. nalu.

---

In the university’s costume shop, Lucy stood with Mira’s costume half on her and Aries playing with the lace ribbons tying her corset around her. Already, she knew the clothes wouldn’t fit, what with Mira being four or five sizes smaller than her, but Aries and Cancer needed to figure out how much to pull out the stitches on the corset, as well as whether or not Mira’s skirts were salvageable or if they’d need to make or buy a whole new one. At least, Lucy still had some costumes from a production of Measure for Measure she acted in her first year, which gave Aries and Cancer, her two co-costume designers and co-hair stylists, more to work with.

When Lucy grabbed her phone, messages from Levy and Natsu popped up:

levy mcgarden 💕 [10:07a]

Hey, I don’t know what Natsu’s told you, but we should grant him some leniency over the next couple days with rehearsal times & behavior – I know you’re stressed, but he’s solid already. We can have a longer discussion about this, but there’s been a family emergency on his end. I don’t want to share more because it’s not my place, but it’s something to be aware of.

natsuuu dragneel [10:14a]

im not getting my haircut today, something came up. i’ll get it done b4 the show tho, dw

natsuuu dragneel [10:14a]

i’ll b at rehearsal tn

natsuuu dragneel [10:23a]

pls dw i’m ok

This sounds bad, she thought. Before the nerves could overtake her, Aries said: “Can you step to the platform?”

---

to read this chapter: ao3 ff.net

to read from the beginning: ao3 ff.net

[fairytalk]

Team Natsu

Natsu dragneel-The team leader and optimistic character of the group. Fire user

good qualities- Natsu Always tries to defend his family when he believes something is unjustified. And often times is there to be the uplifting presence when the people around him loose hope. His admirable trait is that his strength stems from his loyalty to his family and friends.

bad qualities-He goes into situations recklessly without thinking them through first. He is hare-brained about his emotional feelings towards the people he has become closest to and refuses to acknowledge that he may have caused distress. He breaks personal boundaries with his teammate Lucy heartfilia by breaking into her house and touching her body inappropriately without her permission. He has little mental character growth from what we have seen of him from the beginning of the series.

Happy- charismatic counterpart to Natsu and the group. Exceed

good qualities- He is thoughtful and makes good decision a decent amount of the time. He’s aesthetically pleasing to look at. bad qualities- lets be honest he’s a talking flying cat so the most bad he has done is stole some fish or break into lucys apartment with Natsu. besides that I almost didn’t want to add him because he is nearly irrelevant to the development of the series and mostly there as a companion to Natsu.

Erza scarlet-The mother figure / strong physical character of the group. Requip mage

Good qualities- Erza can be a really wise character when talking about her experiences, weather it be with friends or even enemies. She is able to quickly recognize what her next plan of action is. She is open about her feelings on matters during tense situations. She’s always there to offer comfort or advice.

bad qualities- To confident in the power of friendship always pulling through. When she apologizes it’s either too genuine or not genuine enough. I.e when Miliana was upset with her for forgiving Jellal so easily, she didn’t really take any of that to heart and has had a hard time showing her authentic understanding that she did something wrong that has effected her relationship with both people. This sort of happens again during the avatar arc when she offers Gray the position to go undercover in a cult. She tells him not to tell juvia, not thinking that it would screw up her state of emotions. It indeed did and when it was all over she apologized in a half insensitive tone as if she wasn’t all that guilty and would do it again if given the chance. She forgave Jellal to quickly because even though he was mind controlled by Ultear, it doesn’t change all the horrible things he has done to her and her friends. Some character growth but she has blatant issues that are not resolved.

Lucy heartfilia - The book smart / persistent main character of the group. Celestial mage

good qualities- Relatively known for being friendly and forgiving. She doesn’t back down in extensive situations even when her life is on the line. She cares a lot for her celestial spirits and if you come to her with an issue, she is open to talk about it. She’s useful in problem solving even if it falls through a little bit the first time, she masters it pretty quickly afterwards. She’s got extensive knowledge in literature and calligraphy. Power wise she has grown immensely, mentally, she is a wip but she definitely isn’t the same person from the beginning of the series. bad qualities-Thinks to little of her abilities as a mage but then contradicts herself by flaunting her powers to her enemy. Is a bit like erza in that she is ignorant to feelings sometimes i.e she was upset that natsu had left her behind with just a note, but she mostly thought about her losses and didn’t take into account that he had also lost his dad. In turn his runaway quest caused her to isolate herself from the rest of the guild. Keeping track of them only through letters, which she eventually stopped sending because everyone was doing different things. But her insecurities because of the note must of kept her from joining the rest, otherwise she wouldn’t be in a lonesome grieving state. Not that what Natsu did was right but she was definitely blaming him for all of there shared issues. Not to mention when she saw Juvia in a similar depression state she didn’t reflect on it as being similar to her own. When in reality they were both left behind in a different context but shared the same grief. I didn’t appreciate that Lucy didn’t defend Juvia during this time. It was brought back to just her and her friendship with Gray (she slapped him but it wasn’t for juvia.) She never mentioned Juvia at all In that situation even after she had seen the state she was in and knew Juvia had been sick because of it. Why couldn’t she have told him off just like natsu?. Infact she got all blushy when he apologized, it felt selfish. (Further proving that Mashimas statement about writing female characters bad was certainly true. It should also imply male characters as well.)

Wendy marvel - The young healing mage/ younger sister of the group. Air user

Good qualities- Wendy is really useful in dire situations and easily makes amends with a few of her past enemies. She is empathetic and has gained quite a bit of character growth unlike many of the other characters in fairy tail. Once she was timid and felt not useful but now she has some confidence from her experience in battle. She still has a little bit of doubts but she gets back her confidence with a little help from her friends.

bad qualities-She doesn’t really have bad qualities. But in a future post I will talk about her being a child and Mashima really being incredibly gross about it. (Yes she’s over 500 years old but he presents her still as if she is much much younger.)

Carla- The attentive counterpart to Wendy.Exceed

good qualities- she takes up for Wendy that’s it that’s the good qualities.

bad qualities-Grumpy and rude for what. Actually I get it a little bit. But she’s right in that category next to happy.

Gray fullbuster - The quick learning visual expressionist of the group. Ice make mage.

good qualities- Has strong relationships with a lot of people I.e Lyon, Erza, plus team natsu. Reliable, if you ask him to do something, he will try his hardest to get it done. Stays ‘cool’ in most situations. I need help with filling out the rest of his good traits, he’s got to have more*** help.

bad qualities-Back to being reliable, it’s a half and half trait being one of his best qualities and one of his worst. You see when he gets to being obsessed with something he will not stop going after it. It started with Deliora or however tf you spell his name, Gray wanted to be great (Gray-t) enough to surpass him for killing his family and also to surpass Ur his former master. Ok so spoiler alert Deliora is dead and melts away along with the iced shell of UR. Gray’s upset and Deliora still continues to haunt his mind until recently where he is forgotten and is comforted by Ur in an illusion state and his father acting as Deliora to get over his fear. This obsession with something new is created when Silver(his father) tells him to go after the book of E.n.d . Turns out Grays thirst for vengeance never went away, and so with his new devil slaying powers from Silver Gray starts obsessing over finding this book that produced Deliora. Of course Gray becomes a bit of a douche bag in this process, he tries to kill Natsu because he finds out his best friend is attached to the book that caused all his suffering that Natsu knew diddle about. He fiddles with Juvia saying he’ll treat her better or that he’ll give her an answer and runs off to try to get better but really is just holding off on his answer. Much like Natsu he was written with musty traits like, sexually harassing Lucy by asking her for her underwear or commenting on her outfits or her underwear. Stalking Lucy to her home, breaking into her house in an undressed state, trying to spy on women in the hot spring, groping an alchemy of Juvia without consent, putting Juvia in his mouth in her state of undress, this list is unnecessarily long. Next to zero character growth because he hasn’t changed any of his behavior. Please get them all therapy especially Gray.

[fics-n-stuff-n-stuff]

Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia

Gray Fullbuster/Juvia Lockser

Levy McGarden/Gajeel Redfox

Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic Follows Fairy tail but with my own twists set in modern day Fluff and Angst Romance Friendship developing feelings Lucy has new spirits I checked constellations and gave her ones I thought were cool I am going to go all the way to Tartaros and hopefully Alvarez arc but we will see how it goes I Will Go Down With This Ship I will add tags as I go Out of Character probably because it is an AU

———

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

———

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

You can also read it here

————————————————

Chapter 23

Waking up Lucy felt heavy, disoriented, and cold down to her very bones.

Accompanying all of that was a pounding in her head that was worse than the one time Cana got to her at one of the Fairy Tail pre-Christmas parties and shoved a whole barrel of wine down her throat.

Her memory was hazy as she slowly woke up, barely able to recall anything, and everything felt distant in a way, she couldn't remember what happened, where she was, or the reason behind feeling like someone ran her over and then locked her in a freezer.

There were almost too many sensations surrounding her, but three stood out the most and so she tried focusing on them in an attempt to ground herself.

Her magic tingling in her veins and her chest was the first, fainter than it's been since the seal placed on it blew up on her in the middle of the guild, leaving her feeling almost empty and cold, the second was accompanying her magic, it was a curious bubbling sensation spreading through her body, somehow soft and cozy.

It was like a gentle kernel of flames that reminded her of Natsu and how she always felt safe with him close.

The third was the warmth enveloping her right hand, the wonderful feeling climbing halfway up her arm and making her even more aware of how cold the rest of her was.

Lucy tried to move, to open her eyes and move closer to the source of warmth but her limbs felt so incredibly heavy and in the end, the simple task was harder than it should've been.

It took a few struggled tries, and one twitched jerk before she was blinking away the heaviness behind her eyes.

The pounding in her head was worse now that her eyes were open, and her memory was still so hazy and disoriented, and if she tried to think her head would feel like it was going to explode.

Blinking through the haze Lucy noted that the room she was in was dark, thankfully, and she noticed immediately that it wasn't her own.

As she looked around slowly she could barely register that she was in a spare guild room. Turning her head towards the source of the warmth, Lucy spotted Natsu folded awkwardly in a chair next to the bed.

Fast asleep holding her right hand tightly.

Lucy smiled softly at Natsu's sleeping form before scrunching her eyes closed for a moment, hoping it would help with her growing migraine.

It seems that just moving her head triggered more pain.

She unconsciously squeezed the hand holding hers and let out a small groan as a wave of pain assaulted her and it caused Natsu to jerk awake at the sudden sound.

"Huh?" His eyes were glazed as he blinked at her in shock, he was half asleep making Lucy giggle softly as she opened her eyes so she could look at him.

The world was fuzzy as she blinked rapidly and tried to focus on the pink-haired man.

Lucy felt like she would slip back into sleep at any moment but the sight of the front piece of his hair sticking up at an odd angle making him look just a little ridiculous made her feel light and warm in a strange way.

"Luce." The word was breathed out somewhere between a sigh of relief and a prayer and he stared at her for several moments without saying anything, scanning her face intently as if in disbelief, and then suddenly he was letting go of her hand as he stood up and moved out of her reach.

The loss of contact made Lucy want to protest, the words getting stuck in her throat, and before she could rein herself to say anything Natsu was speaking as he moved almost frantically around the room. "I need to go tell Wendy you're awake, we need to call the old witch or Mira, she could make some food if you're hungry or maybe some water would be better, shit why didn't I have that ready? What time is it anyway?"

He started rambling and moving through the room heading towards the door intent on going out and getting someone, but Lucy paid no attention to his words, the moment he let go of her hand it was like her only source of warmth left, and with every step he took to leave she was left shaking like a leaf from the cold.

"No."

The word came out a little rattled and it made Natsu stop in his tracks. "Don't go, please." He turned his head from where he was making his way to the door, stance rigid and stiff as he looked at her with a pinched expression that any other time she would've found cute, but right now she just wanted him next to her. "It's, I'm..." Lucy stammered for a moment not really sure how to phrase her thoughts in this exhausted state.

Could one feel dizzy while lying down?

"The room is freezing cold, so get your ass back here."

She tried to sound stern and confident as she spoke, hoping it would lighten the somber mood that seemed to have taken over her usually sunny partner for some reason, but it came out a little shaky and through clanking teeth despite her best efforts.

Natsu's whole demeanor shifted for a second shoulders tightening and fists clenching at his sides, and if she wasn't concentrating on him she would have missed it, she watched as he faltered for half a second more before turning his body a full 180 degrees, and walking his way back to her bed, sitting down in the chair, shoulders slumped and head bowed.

He didn't say a word as he sat, didn't even look at her or reach to hold her hand again, and it was a little odd, Lucy thought through her haze.

He was acting odd.

Not like himself at all. Where was her silly fire drakon? And what has brought up this forlorn state?

"That's not really helping. I don't know why but I feel like it's below zero in here." Lucy said instead of prodding into his strange behavior feeling like he wasn't going to share anything with her at the moment but not knowing how she could possibly feel such a thing. So she focused on shifting in the bed as she spoke, trying to make room in the queen-sized bed.

Usually when she was cold, being anywhere 5 meters around him would solve the issue quickly, especially if the present drakon was aware that she was cold. Natsu always increases his heat when she's cold, Lucy could feel him doing it now, as well, but this time it wasn't enough.

Not like his touch had been.

It's like a numbing chill had settled into her bones in a way that left her feeling like she'll never be warm again.

Lucy was still very new to this whole magic thing, but it felt like this was a magical kind of cold she was feeling. Did she accidentally get hit by one of Gray's attacks? Or did someone else attack her with a freeze spell of some kind?

That would explain so much.

Her memory was too muddled and out of focus, and the more she tried to think, the worse her migraine got.

The snap of his neck as he turned to look at her sounded painful, but the look on Natsu's face at her words would have been almost comical if she wasn't so worried and tired, he looked perplexed, despondent, and stressed at the same time and she wondered what could've happened to put him in such a state.

Did Fairy Tail get attacked again?

Because this wasn't the first time she had been injured since they met.

Hell, that was how they met, but there was something different about his demeanor this time around. Even half dazed and out of it Lucy could tell something was really bothering him, and maybe Gray really did hit her with an attack, if it's got him acting all broody and silent.

And she'd never known him to be this quiet.

Not around her.

Not since the day she opened her eyes in a room similar to this one, to him sitting in a chair next to her bed as he is now.

The scene was so similar,

yet so painfully different at the same time.

"Will you just come here?" Lucy said with a huff as he continued to just stare wordlessly at her.

She shuffled even more, somewhat awkwardly, to the other side of the bed with her heavy limbs and this time unfurled the blanket as she did, making her intention clear and indicating for him to join her.

Natsu sat still as stone in the chair, gaze fixed on the empty spot on the bed where she was lying just moments before. His eyes moved to look back at her and the empty spot a few times, the expression in them made her feel even more confused.

He looked dejected and exhausted.

When she pushed herself to focus closer, she noticed the dark circles under his eyes and remembered the way his brow was furrowed with worry even in his sleep.

This won't do.

With her newfound observation, Lucy felt even more determined to give the both of them a good night's rest, so she cleared her throat to get his attention and shot Natsu her best 'Don't test me' look.

He was quite familiar with it. In fact, Lucy likes to give him credit for creating it. Because she doesn't think she's ever needed one before meeting him.

"I'm turning into a popsicle over here. If I wanted to be cold all the time, I would've partnered up with Gray instead." She joked, her words coming out slower and maybe a little slurred as she talked, but if she knew one thing about Natsu Dragneel, he always takes the bait.

"Gaah, don't even say stuff like that. Like ice breath could ever keep you safe." He huffed the words out with no real bite to them as he slowly stood from the chair and moved to settle on the bed.

That eliminated her theory about Gray being the culprit to her magical cold.

He hesitated as he stood in the small space between the chair and the mattress, looking between the empty space on the bed and her.

"Are you sure?" His voice was quiet and uncertain, and her chest tightened at the expression on his face.

His movements were a little awkward and unsure as he hovered halfway on the bed and Lucy decided to take pity on him and reached to tug at his hand so she could pull him fully into the bed.

He let out a huff as he tumbled, not expecting the tug, and fell on the mattress with a small bounce.

Lucy watched him as he settled into the bed and it was painfully obvious from his almost rigid posture that someone (probably all the women in Fairy Tail) drilled into him the importance of being mindful and respectful of women and their space, especially in bed.

But this is something that Natsu doesn't usually care about at the best of times, even more particularly when it comes to Lucy's personal space.

Most of the time Natsu liked Lucy's personal space more than his own.

So instead of waiting for him to do something Lucy moved into his space the moment he settled, still half rigidly under the covers, determined to be as far away from her as the mattress would allow.

It was a queen-sized bed and not entirely a tight fit, but she was determined not to have any space between them, so tough luck to him.

She was cold and tired and gods be damned she will be cuddled by Natsu.

So Lucy moved to latch onto Natsu's arm, lifting it so she could shimmy closer and wrapped it around her shoulder so that her whole body was pressed against his, with her head resting on his chest, leg thrown over his and she was practically half sprawled on top of him.

The rhythm of his heart picked up at the contact and the steady rise and fall of his chest accompanied by the instant warmth that enveloped her the moment his arms wrapped instinctively around her lulled Lucy back into sleep before either one of them could utter a word.

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

The next time Lucy woke up the room was still dark, or dark again, who knows how much time passed?

The warmth she was enveloped in was nice, comfortable, and safe and she never wanted to move from it.

She laid peacefully like that for maybe about ten seconds before her mind caught up with her, and Lucy would've bolted upright in bed if not for the arms wound protectively around her.

The fake job in the Museum.

Leo's key, broken.

The possessed Demon Lady.

Finding a nearly dead Leo in the forest.

Repairing a Spirit Key.

Meeting The King of the Spirit World.

Her mom.

So many emotions and memories hit her at once that she almost wished she hadn't woken up.

Lucy still felt a little weak and heavy-limbed but much better than before, she wasn't as cold or as hazy, and with a quick assessment, she realized that her magic was not as faint as the last time she woke up, but not as nearly present as it usually was.

The kernel of fire was still there too. Settled nicely around her magic, and was interacting almost playfully with her own.

How strange.

It felt so much like Natsu.

What had happened in the clearing after she fainted? The last thing her mind could conjure was the Spirit King telling Leo he could serve out the rest of his punishment as her spirit, and calling her an old friend, before leaving with an ominous message for her and Natsu.

Why were they in the guild, surely he would have taken her back to the inn they booked till she woke up.

How did they end up back in Fairy Tail?

How long has she been unconscious?

And then Lucy recalls Natsu, and his reaction to her waking up.

The relief in his tone and body language, the way he was on his feet in seconds and ready to get Wendy, Porlyusica, and Mirajane no matter the time.

The sadness and worry that seemed to have practically engulfed him.

It must have been bad for him to react like that. She groaned inwardly at the thought. He was going to be even more possessive now, and he was just starting to loosen up on being her shadow.

Her shuffling around must've made him slowly stir awake because the next thing Lucy knew the hands on her waist tightened and she was being pulled even more into his embrace.

"Mmm, you always smell so good." His voice was rough and deep as he spoke, half nuzzling her hair and it made Lucy blush all the way down to her chest at his words and the velvety notes in his tone.

There was a pause after that, where they laid entwined together, his face nuzzled into her hair, and then it seemed like he noticed what he said, and the position they were in because he was scrambling to untangle their limbs and Lucy wanted to laugh at the fear on his face when she looked up at him.

She moved to stop his motions with a hand on his chest pressing down as firmly as she could, not wanting to be left cold and without his touch again.

"I'm glad you think I smell nice even after being unconscious for who knows how long." Lucy mused teasingly, her voice she noticed as she settled her head on his chest was even more rough and a little dry and she still felt drained, and for a split second, she wondered if it would be a good idea to succumb to the desire to fall asleep.

'Probably not.' She thinks faintly as her eyes close on their own accord.

"A week." Natsu's voice was small and there were so many emotions behind it that Lucy didn't know where to start, but the words made her head shoot up to look at him, eyes wide and all traces of sleep gone.

A week?

She'd been unconscious for seven whole days?

"Wendy and Mira gave you baths, that's why you don't stink." He added as if an afterthought, but Lucy was too busy staring at him in shock, and she would laugh at him for the absurdity of his statement if she wasn't at a complete loss of words.

"A week? What the hell? What happened?" She asked as she moved so her elbow was on his chest and she could look at him better.

And it seems something in those questions made him snap. Suddenly, there was a surge of anger and despair coursing through her, and Lucy knew it wasn't her own.

The feeling was stronger than ever. And she noticed, faintly that every part of them that is touching is accompanied by a pleasant burning sensation, like that one time he covered her in his flames to protect her.

Only this time, there were no actual flames.

Just the fire in his gaze as he glared at her.

Which was a look that wasn't unknown to Lucy, but it had never been thrown in her direction until now.

Shit.

It must have been pretty bad.

'Duh you idiot, if it wasn't bad you wouldn't have been unconscious for a week!' She thought to herself and cringed at her stupidity.

"What happened?" His voice came out as a growl, half accusing and half in disbelief as he moved swiftly to sit up in bed, and Lucy followed suit a little slower, settling against the headboard with a pinched brow and wide eyes as she stared at him, a little shocked by his reaction.

Natsu took several deep breaths, hands fisting the bed sheets as he tried to calm himself.

"What Happened?" He repeated the question after several seconds of silence, the words quieter this time, almost getting caught in his throat as his eyes unfocused and all the anger and fight seemed to leave his body as he slumped slightly, shoulders folding into himself.

And Lucy's heart dropped at the sight, this was wrong. He looked wretched, and that was not something she ever wanted to see.

Natsu should be brassy, boisterous, loud, cocky, fun, and full of life. Not this almost dispirited and troubled man next to her.

And it made Lucy scared to think what could have resulted after her passing out to put him in such a state.

There was a beat of silence, where all she could feel was the fury of emotions flowing from her partner and she couldn't make sense of any of it.

"You almost fucking died in my arms, is what happened Lucy." He was shaking as he spoke, and Lucy felt her heart drop into her stomach, heart pounding in her ears at his words. She noticed, faintly, that his voice was thick with emotion, and he couldn't look her in the eyes as he said them.

"I- I-..." Was the only response Lucy could conjure with her head spinning from his revelation, but Natsu kept talking before she could get a coherent sentence out, or process his words.

'I almost died?' Was seemingly the only she could think of, the words echoing inside her head.

"I had to watch and feel as your magic and life slowly faded away, and it was the worst fucking thing I have ever had to witness." He looked at her then, and she saw the tears and despair in his eyes and it left her speechless.

Gods, no wonder he looks and feels so unsettled.

"What? I mean how? What?" It seemed as if her brain stopped working completely and Lucy didn't know what to think, what to say to such a proclamation, and she definitely didn't know how to process the information.

How did it come to that? She remembers feeling drained and tired after fixing Leo's key, and then everything went black.

But almost dying? Besides a hell of a headache, the fact that she felt a little lethargic and her magic being fainter than usual she felt fine.

She might need a few days to sleep it off, but the look on Natsu's face, the intensity of his gaze, and the despair that seemed to be pouring out of him tell Lucy that he is in no way pulling her leg on this.

Not that she thinks he would ever pull such a cruel joke on her, still, it would be better than facing the fact that she almost joined her mother.

"After Stache face went back and time picked up again you collapsed in my arms and I co- I could feel it..." He trailed off as his voice choked at the end, avoiding her eyes once more and all Lucy could do was stare in disbelief as he spoke.

She'd never seen him like this.

"Natsu-" she started shuffling closer to him in an attempt to comfort him, her hand reaching out to squeeze his, not really knowing what to say but knowing she had to say something when suddenly the door flew open and Mira walked in with a tray of food.

"I didn't want to wake you earlier, you looked dead on your feet last night, but it's almost past noon, so I thought to bring you something to eat at least-" Her sentence was cut off and she almost dropped her tray as she saw Lucy awake.

Natsu and Lucy didn't comically jump to move away from each other at her arrival, but she did pull her hand back with another soft squeeze to his before letting go.

"Lucy!" Mira exclaimed as she quickly moved closer to the bed, placing the tray on the bedside table with a clank and moving so she could pull Lucy into a tight hug.

"You're awake." The white-haired mage mumbled into her hair as she squeezed her tighter and Lucy let out a small huff of breath.

"Oi! Careful with her, she can't breathe with ya squeezing her like that." Natsu's voice carried from behind her and she felt the warmth as he took her shoulders in his arms and pulled her back into his chest.

Mira pulled away from the bed, looking like she was going to say something before she analyzed the scene in front of her and the position they were in, the fact that they were in bed together she raised a brow at them, lips curling up into one of her deadly smirks as she looked between.

"Sorry, I'm just happy to see her finally awake." Mira said as she moved to hand Lucy a glass of water. "You gave us quite a scare, we were all so worried."

"Thanks." Lucy said to the older mage as she took the glass from her and drank half the glass in one gulp.

To say she felt dehydrated would be an understatement.

"I'm gonna leave the food here there's more than enough for you to share, I went a bit overboard this morning. I have to go tell everyone you're awake, and call Porlyusica." She said as she moved around the room, opening the curtains to let the light in before making her way towards the door in a hurry.

"Mira," Lucy called out before the mage could leave. "Please tell them I'm not feeling up to talking or seeing anyone yet, my head is killing me but besides that I'm good! So there's really no need to call Porlyusica! I feel fine." She said with a smile aimed at the older girl and Mira in return frowned at her words, gaze flickering to Natsu for a split second before settling on her with a hard look.

"You are not 'fine' Lucy, you almost died!" She felt Natsu flinch at the older mages words and moved to squeeze his hand.

And as she did, the curious burning sensation was back, creeping wonderfully up her arm.

"And the old witch said to call her the moment you woke up, so that's what I'm going to do, no arguments." She turned around to exit not giving her a chance to get a word in, and Lucy could tell she was a bit pissed and a lot worried.

"But I won't let anyone else come in."

"Happy can come." She called out seconds before the door closed because she wanted to see the blue fur ball he was probably worried, and she knew he would bring Natsu comfort as well.

Lucy turned to look back at the pink-haired man next to her, he was staring at the door with a small furrow to his brow, shoulders tight and fists clenched as he turned to look at her.

Not glaring this time, or filled with sadness. Just determination and intensity.

"We need to talk." He said before she could get a word out and ask about his sudden change in mood, her heart thundered in her chest at his words.

"About what?" She asked cautiously, not knowing where the conversation could go at this point.

Is there something worse than finding out you almost died?

"About what?" He chuckled as he repeated her question and turned his gaze around the room before settling back on her.

"About whatever the hell connection we seem to share, Luce. About how in the hell I can feel you whenever you're near, or in danger, or falling off a goddamned tower!" He rattled out, sounding frazzled, and maybe a little scared and Lucy felt her heart stop as he spoke.

"You, you can feel it too?" She questioned quietly, not entirely shocked he could, but they'd never talked about it, so she never knew for sure if he could feel it, or if it was just her. Lucy couldn't believe they were actually acknowledging this unspoken bond that had been building since they met.

Why was he choosing to talk about it now? Or better yet, why hadn't she tried to before? It is something that she has cherished, something that has saved her and plagued her since they met.

In truth, Lucy knew that it was because she was scared. Scared that he would laugh it off and tell her she was crazy, and no he doesn't feel any weird bond. Or that he would say that he could, and she didn't know which one scared her more.

What did he say earlier about feeling her dying? It was unimaginable for her, incomprehensible. The weight of that statement shook her to her core, the implication that something like that was a possibility between them was frightening.

She never wanted to experience such a thing.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the humorless chuckle that escaped her partner.

It sounded strange coming from him, and she didn't like it, he should never sound like that.

His laughs should always be boisterous and carefree, not whatever this is.

"Yes. I feel it too. I felt it the day I found you in that alley as you almost got drained by that Leithfold, and it's only great when you're on your own with your own stronger with every fucking day we spend together. And then-" He cut off, breathing hard and eyes wild as he looked at her, and Lucy was assaulted by an array of emotions that seemed to be pouring out of him it made her head spin.

"And then I had to feel it fading, feel you fading in my arms in that god's forsaken clearing and I thought I might just fade with it. It was, it was horrible Lucy. You were so pale, so cold, and, and I didn't know what to do." He was shaking again, his fists clenching and unclenching methodically on top of the covers, his voice was quiet and hitched every so often as he talked and Lucy almost started crying as he spoke.

She could imagine him in those moments, what were almost her final moments, breathing hard and panicking, worse than he is now, calling her name and trying to wake her.

Lucy watched him as he tried to control his breathing and fail, and she pushed her tears away so she could move and catch one of his hands, bringing it to her chest so he could feel her breathing pattern. "Match my breath." She said as she took deep steadying breaths, hoping it would help center him.

She had time to cry and process everything later, she also had a feeling there was more to the story and it left her wondering how bad her migraine was gonna be by the end of it.

Noticing how her chest pleasantly burned where he touched, she wondered what prompted this new sensation between them. She didn't mind it, but it was curious and unknown.

Natsu's eyes were wide and full of unshed tears, probably mirroring her own as he worked on calming his breathing, his chest slowly following the rise and fall of her own.

"I did something stupid." He said after he got his breath to steady, head turned to the side as he moved his hand away from her and scooted to the right so that they weren't pressed against each other. He was avoiding her eyes again.

His words surprised her and left her feeling slightly uneasy.

There was something in the tone of his voice as he said it, and it made her wonder what more he was about to tell her. Natsu never minded doing stupid things, so what the hell was this about?

"How stupid?" Lucy asked, softly and half cautiously as she waited for him to turn and look at her. "I'm not sure yet. That's what we need the old whitch for. Even she was shocked by it."

His explanation was vague, to say the least, and Lucy knew she would need to pry it out of him.

"What did you do?" She decided to ask directly, trying to keep her tone even, if not a little curious and nonaccusatory, and the question made him turn to look at her, eyes unsure and posture tense.

"I, I don't know how to describe it. It all happened so fast and like it was in slow motion at the same time. I was panicking, trying and failing to think of something, anything I could do to help as I watched and felt your magic, your life fade away from you." There was a twist to his lips as he spoke and Lucy felt her heart breaking at his words, as she tried and failed to imagine his panic and desperation in those moments. "I'm no healer, Luce, you know destruction is more my thing." He shook his head and moved a hand to ruffle his hair as he took a deep steading breath.

And all Lucy wanted was to wrap herself around him and not let go for at least a week. He had been living in a suspended state of sorrow for the past seven days and all she wanted to do was comfort him.

But she found herself hesitating, they needed to have this conversation first.

"I somehow managed to give you a little part of my magic, or at least that's what I wanted to do, like a kickstart to stop yours from fading away until I could get you to Wendy. But something else happened, or something weird happened. And I somehow created a bridge I guess? between our magic..." He trailed off. "And now, now I can feel your magic flowing through me, and the bond or whatever, it feels different. Stronger."

There was a moment of silence and Lucy's brows were furrowed and head pounding as she watched him, shocked and with a rapidly growing migraine.

It was all too much for her at the moment.

Was this the reason behind the new and playful kernel of fire inside her? It really was Natsu, that's why it felt like him, and the warm sensation whenever they touched, like an extension of his power.

"What does that mean?" Her voice was small as she spoke and Natsu took a ragged breath before answering.

"You were going to die." He said quietly, as if saying it louder would make it happen all over again. "The same way your mom did, from exhausting your magic." The words were almost choked out of him and Lucy felt herself gasp at the admission, chest tightening and her hands were shaking slightly at the words.

Leo said her mom only survived for those few years because he was there to help her with the spell.

So that would mean, does that mean she was going to die too? Will she be forced to watch herself fade away slowly and painfully the way Layla did?

"Leo was furious, and I was scared out of my mind, desperate to do something. So I tried to concentrate my magic and somehow give a little bit of it to you, to help replenish yours. I don't even know what I wanted to do, give it like a kick start or something, so I could keep you alive until I could get back to the guild and get you proper help."

Lucy watched him as he spoke, his hands fidgeting and moving to run through his hair every few seconds, there was still a slight shaking to them. His voice was strained and his shoulders slumped.

She wondered idly how many times he had to retell this.

Wondered how the guild reacted to the news and hoped that no one was hard on him because of what happened.

"And it worked, and I got you back to the guild, where that cranky witch said we need to wait for you to wake up before she can tell us what the hell happened. And now.." He trailed off and turned to look at her, expression tight and desperate. "Can you feel it?" Natsu asked quietly.

"Can you feel my magic? I can feel yours, it feels tingly and bright, just like you." Lucy watched him as he touched his chest, squeezing his shirt over his heart as he looked at her.

"I-" She started, going to say that she could always feel him in one way or another. That she knew he was going to be there that day she threw herself out of the tower, that she could always tell what kind of mood he was in without even looking at him, and that yes, she could feel his magic flowing through her.

Warm, soft, and playful, making her feel safe, but her sentence was cut off by the door opening and a blue fur ball launching itself into her chest yelling. "Lushiiiiiiii!"

"Oof." Lucy breathed out as she caught Happy in her arms and hugged him. "You're awake!! You scared us Lushii, you've been sleeping forever, and Natsu was so mopey without you, and a little scary. Don't ever sleep so long ever again."

Lucy let out a small laugh at the exceeds cries, turning her head so she could look at Natsu, who was still a bit tense but was looking at the pair with a small, soft smile on his face.

"I promise, I'm sorry for scaring you both." She said as she kept her gaze on her pink-haired partner before turning back to the exceed. "But I'm feeling much better, and don't worry we'll be going out on jobs before you know it." Lucy said with a smile as she scratched between his head.

"Maybe we can all go fishing when the weather gets warmer." Happy chirps out as he moves from Lucy's arms to sit between her and Natsu's knees.

"Sure, maybe you'll even catch something while I'm there." She said cheekily, making the exceed laugh. "Natsu's the one who can't wait for the fishies to come to us!" Happy mocked the fire drakon and managed to get a slight huff of laughter from him.

The tension in the room was still there, but Lucy didn't need to glance at Natsu to know that he felt at peace for the first time in a week with her and Happy in the room and it made her heart ache.

Lucy didn't know how to process what he'd told her and still didn't know the whole of it. Waiting for Porlyusica to come so they could have the full picture seemed like the only option, but Lucy was a little scared at what more they would find out. Sneaking a glance at Natsu from the corner of her eye she thought of what he went through by seeing her like that, she couldn't imagine what seeing, and feeling something like that would be like.

The way Mira looked at him earlier, and Happy's comments on his behavior while she was unconscious it was more than obvious how affected he was by it.

She would've been wrecked if the roles were reversed, and she never wants to be in a position like that.

Lucy knows that they will need to continue their conversation as soon as possible, she had so many questions and still had this overwhelming desire to embrace him that she kept pushing down. It was not the moment for such a thing.

There still seemed to be a hesitance in him when it came to her and her touch, something that was unnatural for the duo but she didn't want to push him or make him uncomfortable.

Shaking those thoughts away Lucy turned to take the tray off the table and moved so she could place it between her and Natsu. "Did Mira call the old witch yet?" The drakon asked Happy.

"She did, Wendy's waiting for her so they can come together." The exceed answered as he moved to try and steal a piece of bacon from the tray which reminded Lucy of how hungry she was so she moved the tray of food on her lap and elbowed Natsu.

"Let's eat before they get here." She says with a smile and gestures to the food.

It was a testament to how shaken he was by all of this, that he didn't immediately devour it the moment Mira walked in with the tray.

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

In the end, they didn't have to wait long, by the time they managed to finish their breakfast and for Lucy to freshen up, Mira was back in the room with pink and blue heads following closely behind her.

"Took you long enough to wake up, you foolish girl." The old witch said in greeting and Lucy smiled awkwardly at her from the couch they moved on after eating, not really knowing what to say at the accusation.

It's not like she wanted to be unconscious for a week.

"Child, why don't you check over the drakon, look for what I described last time. I'll take the star child." The pink-haired witch said to Wendy, moving towards Lucy without wasting any more time with pleasantries.

There was a hum of magic as her hands made contact with Lucy's cheeks. She could feel the probing and assessing of Porlyusica's magic around her own as she watched the old witch's face.

There was a furrow in her brow as she concentrated on whatever she was doing, but it wasn't the usual one she had on, filled with annoyance, no this one was different. Lucy couldn't quite read the old woman, she was a bit of an enigma, but if she had to guess it was somewhere between wonder and maybe a touch of concern.

It was hard to tell.

They spent almost an hour just fussing over them, poking and prodding their magic, muttering spells under their breath, that usually ended with scowling more often than not.

Lucy tried to free her mind and think of something else, but the only thing she could concentrate on was Natsu, the room was silent as the two healers did their job and all Lucy could focus on was the heat that was radiating from next to her, the way the kernel in her chest seemed to glow brighter when she focused on it, how her own magic reacted to it.

It was a strange feeling, but absolutely thrilling and wonderful. Natsu's magic was playful and wast, warm and all-encompassing. The more she explored this new connection, the stronger her magic seemed to feel.

As if the way it was interacting with his made it strengthen.

The silence was broken by a sudden gasp from the bluenette in front of Natsu, causing Lucy to open her eyes and turn her head so she could look at the pair, only to find Wendy looking back at her, hands still on Natsu's face.

Porlyusica made a sound as she let go of Lucy's face and clicked her tongue as she looked between the pair before turning her gaze to Wendy. "You felt it, then?" She asked the younger mage and Wendy nodded her head in response, but her gaze was still focused on her and Natsu.

Lucy watched them as they talked, hoping one of them would start explaining what they knew, but they seemed content to just stare at them as if they were a puzzle waiting to be put together. So Lucy decided to speak up.

"So, what did Natsu do when he tried to save me?" She asked, voicing the question on most people's minds, because besides Porlyusica, and maybe Wendy, no one knew what the hell happened.

"This thing that you have done, reckless drakon, saved her life. But has also put the both of you at risk." Porlyusica said sternly, half glaring at Natsu as she spoke.

"What do you mean by that? Does that mean that my magic will return in full? I won't die like," Lucy's sentence started half frantic, but her voice wavered at the end of it as she remembered the image of her mother, pale and sickly lying on the bed smiling at her. It was a genuine smile, but it looked like the small action itself hurt Layla.

"I won't slowly die from magic deprivation?" She finished instead of her original thought, casting a quick look at Natsu, who slowly moved so he could slink his hand over the back of the couch, and over her shoulder.

Lucy let out a small breath as her nerves settled with the newfound warmth that followed his touch.

"No child, it seems that his original goal to help replenish your magic worked, it just worked a little too well, and such a thing wasn't even supposed to be possible to accomplish, but here we are..."

She trailed off for a moment as she looked between them, gaze calculating. "The connection you now share has linked your magic together in a way that's almost unheard of, they have weaved together and are sealed so tightly that I'm not sure we could unfurl it even if there was a way."

"So, how? Why? What?" Lucy's head was spinning with the news. Relief washed over her as Porlyusica confirmed that she wasn't going to suffer in the same way her mother did. And more importantly, her friends wouldn't have to watch as she slowly faded.

"How, I'm not entirely certain on that, but I have my theories. Why, I'm not sure I understand the question, and as for what, as I've said it's unlike anything I've ever seen before. Something that's only been written as a part of our history and I believe it's only happened once before." The older mage answered the questions in order and Lucy was more than a little frustrated with a lack of answers, why was she giving vague statements and explanations when she clearly knew what was going on?

"So, someone else in history tried to do something similar? And as for the why, it was a why did it work?" Lucy decided to avoid confrontation, for now, not wanting to antagonize the scary old witch when she was helping them.

"Not exactly, but it was quite similar. And as for why it worked, well that question goes hand in hand with the how. I have my theories on that as well." The pink-haired witch sighed as she ran a hand through her bangs.

"Are you going to share these theories with us?" Lucy asked, not hiding the annoyance she felt at the older mage and the way she seemed to be vehemently avoiding giving them concrete answers.

"Not yet, I think some more research is in order. This is quite a peculiar situation, you can never know what to expect from Makarov's brat's." There was an almost fond look in her eyes as she said that.

"I- I could feel it." Natsu said suddenly, voice quiet and tight, he had been silent this entire time and the sound of his hoarse voice cut through the air, almost startling everyone in the room with his addition to the conversation. "Feel what?" The pink-haired healer inquired as she turned her gaze from Lucy to Natsu, who in turn lifted his head so he could glare at her.

"I could feel her dying. Like I could little feel a pain growing in my gut as she was fucking fading in my arms." He managed through grit teeth, the hand next to her shoulder was gripping the back of the couch tightly and Lucy's head was pounding again, the migraine making itself known.

"Why could I feel it?" His voice hitched as he asked the question and Lucy moved to hug him like she'd wanted since they started talking after Mira left the room this afternoon. All the reservations she had evaporated and the way he sagged in her hold made her feel a bit relieved, Natsu dropped his head in the crook of her elbow as she held him against her side.

Turning to look at the older pink-haired mage Lucy found the expression on her was slightly bewildered but ignored it. "Why is this happening to us, and not just now, even before Natsu did this, there was something between us." Lucy pushed, not caring about revealing such a thing to more than just the witch.

There was a gasp from what she was sure was Wendy, but everyone else stayed silent.

"You know something, and it's more than just a 'theory'. It's about us, it will be affecting us. We need to know." Lucy almost pleaded with the older woman, hoping she could see how much this whole situation had wrecked them already.

The pink-haired woman's brow furrowed at the question and she let out a tired sigh as she brought two fingers to pinch the bridge of her nose, before answering with two simple words that tilted Lucy's world on its axis.

"Soul mates"

Lucy stiffened at her words, and suddenly she was hyperaware of every point of her body that was touching Natsu. It felt like her body was on fire and she didn't know how to react.

He stiffened as well, and their heads shot to look at each other at the same time, eyes wide and disbelieving as their gazes met.  Their faces were close to each other, due to their side embrace and they just stared at each other for a moment. Brown on Green.

The room was silent and filled with an awkward air as the pink-haired witch said those words.

Soul mates?

Lucy could feel the onslaught of emotions coming from her partner in addition to her own. Jumbled and tangled together and so hard to distinguish which was whose. And she didn't know which one of them moved (Both of them did) but suddenly there were at least twenty cemeteries from each other.

Which may not be a lot. But by their standards, they might as well be on the opposite sides of the room. Lucy could feel both Mira and Wendy looking at them, the former with a skeptical frown and a look in her eyes that resembled glee, and the latter slightly shocked and blushing.

"Soul mates?" Natsu managed to mutter out in question as he turned to glance at Lucy for a split second.

"The concept of soul mates goes back to the very first traces of magic in our world. Some even go far as to theorize that the first mages to ever practice the craft were soul mates. But having one, meeting them... The records of it happening have been few and far between. There is not much known in truth." The witch explained, sounding almost somber as she paced the room.

"The most well-known fact about them is that if a pair were to meet and form a close relationship, whether romantic or otherwise if one dies, the other is left changed, broken, and forever forced to feel the loss of half of their soul. Which is what I'm guessing you were feeling when Lucy started to fade."

The mood of the room shifted from dreary to downright depressing at that revelation, and Lucy dared a glance at Natsu, whose gaze was focused on the floor, hands clenching and unclenching on his knees.

"But the type of bond that the two of you have managed to form. What Natsu has done in his desperate attempt to save your life..." the woman trailed off with a sigh. "I fear that with the connection you share now if one of you were to die, the other would soon follow. For it is as I said, your magic has entwined so profoundly that I'm not sure anything could sever it, not even death."

[celestialulu]

the coca-cola omake is my fave next to natsu and asuka like its just such a cute little story (sorry this might be a bit of a long post its just me being silly over nalu as per usual)

shes literally ranting so hard shes so cute shes so excited

gray and erzas faces are so funny here everytime i see it i laugh so hard

i really love the framing here its so good even without dialogue to show whats happening

the way they reach for her im sooooo </3333333 

natsu and happy care for lucy so much even from early on i mean look at them ???? they searched so hard to find the book for lucy so they could make her happy again

Lucy looks really cute in this panel i love her outfit her little bracelet and i love being able to see her guildmark <333 :)

I love how it looks like everyone gave them so much space for themselves also they look so tiny here their faces are so funny

I really love when lucy brings up her mother because i feel like she has influenced lucy as a person so much so i love it when shes mentioned by lucy because of the impact she has had on lucy as a person

and also lucy was so excited that natsu and happy wanted to read the book she wrote influenced by her mother bc it didnt sell IM SO SAD

happy is so... LMAO and natsu just saying to please not cry and to just punch him is so :( also idk if the translation is right but natsu saying to kill him?? hello??? LMAO hes literally that meme thats like “my girls mad at me i hope i die” and lucy just being the sweetest im going to sob

their sad faces i cant theyre so </333 :,)))) 

their faces are so cute (natsus smile?? <333) but i cant ignore the big ass product placement with the tagline its so funny LMAO i love this so much but yeah sorry i just needed to rant (i think ive literally ranted about this before but idc idc i’ll do it AGAIN)

[bumblebeehug]

Bittersweet

Ship: Natsu Dragneel x Lucy Heartfilia Summary: When time rolls around a certain anniversary, Lucy tries to deal with her sorrows and learn how to cope. Day 3 of Nalu Week 2023 - prompt: fears Ao3

***

Whenever Lucy struggles to get out of bed, she allows herself five minutes of reflection. Those five minutes usually lead to her falling asleep again, waking up 30 minutes later that intended to – that’s however never a big problem. Other times she spends those five minutes taking a deep breath, swallowing twice or slowly wiggling different parts of her body to see if she’s feeling alright, because some missions bring colds or fevers, and some just makes her so sore that she decides to take her time and spend the day in the apartment. Sometimes the five minutes just gives her more time to finish up a dream she was dreaming, and sometimes she just takes them to properly wake up so she can step out of bed and prepare herself to spend the day as usual.

Every year in late September, she finds herself waking up with a heavy heart. She knows it’s time to properly wake up and make breakfast and get on with her day, because unless she spends her five minutes in the ways mentioned above, she’s supposed to be able to go on with her day. But the skies are grey, the air in her apartment is cold, and her heart lies heavy in her chest, and she knows that the next days will be just as slow and unpleasant, because she remembers that it is late in September and her life will always feel like this during this time of the year. So, she allows herself to lay there for a while. Sometimes she manages to force herself out of bed in just under ten minutes, but most often she lays there for another hour or two before she can even attempt stepping out. Those hours feel like days, and as she feels her body tossing and turning, her mind roams the endless corridors in the Heartfilia mansion. During these hours she relives the first turning point in her life – the death of her beloved mother Layla. It would be fruitless to go into detail about this event, seeing as death has been part of life since the beginning of time; every living organism has witnessed and/or experienced family members dying, leaves falling off trees to rot on the ground during winter, animals taking their last breath as they suffer the consequences of the curse and blessing called life. Lucy is certainly not the first nor the last person who must deal with this phenomenon, so she allows this week to happen.

She wakes up and suffers for a few hours, because that is the punishment of loving the ones who once lived, and then she strains her body as she moves around, forcing it to eat for fuel, to laugh in front of her friends, because she knows that when the month of the anniversary of their dead loved ones comes around, they will do the same and that is how people live. Everyone she knows does this. Natsu goes into the woods for a few days whenever Igneel’s death anniversary comes around, Gray acts similarly to Lucy, spending some days or weeks quietly for himself as he’s reminded of Ur’s unfair fate, Erza spends more time quietly watching the sunset when her past revisits, and Wendy cries by herself in the guild bathroom whenever time rolls around to when her old guild proved to be a lie, a made up fantasy to compensate for not being able to provide it from the beginning. Lucy knows that they need those moments, and therefore she treats herself with the same compassion, because she too was once a child who lost someone important, and though her life changed for the better as she grew up, she’ll always carry that small child, who had to witness her own father become nothing short of a monster in the aftermath of her mother’s death.

For a long time, she managed to deal with this on her own. She took the time she needed, both to be sad and to build up her happiness again. It was never easy, and never would be, but she did it, alone, because that was what she knew. When she was a child, she had done everything on her own, and when it came down to it as an adult, she knew that she would have to get used to living that way. Sure, she had the guild now – it was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and she loved being able to curb the lonely feeling whenever she felt like it, but it didn’t work when she felt her past loneliness take over. She wasn’t alone now, sure enough, but she was then and that would never change. Little Lucy was still dealing with the death of her mother, reliving it every second of her life, and though Big Lucy could try to drown it in the loud sounds of brawls and laughter of the guild, it was never enough to save her from having to deal with Little Lucy’s loss at the end of the day.

When Lucy finally managed to move her heavy limbs, this morning, late in September, she once again wished that she would find strength to live another week. Not because she needed it to deal with this anniversary, or because she wouldn’t be able to live without that strength she wished for, but because she found that that was the only thing she could do. She could wish, and she could hope, and she could tell herself that surviving would be the same as living, even when she knew they were as different as living and dying. So, she wished, and then she stood up and put on the kettle, to somehow drown her morning blues in a hot cup of tea. Then she wished again, as she scooped oats into a bowl, to measure her breakfast. And she wished for a third time, when she accidentally cried into her oatmeal and made it salty, and that is when the Gods must have heard her wishes, echoing in all timelines, beginning when she was still a child, crying loudly in the empty halls of the Heartfilia mansion, because that is when the door flew up in Lucy’s hallway on Strawberry Street. The man she trusted at every other point in her life had entered, not expecting to see his gold haired companion wipe her tears and swallow hard as he hung his raincoat and slipped out of his slippers – an odd combination, but one none of his friends weren’t used to nowadays. Natsu was indeed surprised to hear sobbing this ordinary morning, but Lucy on the other hand just sent a thanks up to the Gods, along with a last wish. The wish that he would be there with her, every other time she had to deal with this phenomenon called death.

“What’s the matter, Lucy?” Natsu asked as he made his way over to the table.

“Oh,” she began, “nothing much, really.” She took a deep breath, knowing he must be startled by this odd scene. As she gathered some courage, she looked up and met his worried eyes, and then she let go of this responsibility she made up, that for so long had forced her to carry this loneliness and sadness all by herself. “Mom’s anniversary is coming up. I just tend to feel down whenever it comes around, as I said, it’s really nothing much.”

Natsu, who had sat down in front of her, had a difficult expression plastered all over his face. It was soft and kind, sympathetic even, but also something else that she couldn’t put her finger on.

“I’ll probably be like this for a few days, but it’ll pass, so no need to worry, Natsu.” She said after a while, not knowing how else to fill the silence between them.

“Do you wanna talk about her?” Natsu asked to Lucy’s surprise. She didn’t expect him to take a roll to support her during this – after all, he had never been good at comforting people, especially not when it came to death and such. He was known for running away from these things, and she couldn’t blame him, since she’d do the same if she had the energy to.

“I don’t know what you want to hear. There’s not much to say other than the things you already know,” Lucy told him with a faint smile. She truly appreciated his attempt to comfort her. Natsu was awkward about these things, even if he didn’t look it at the moment. While he took his time to formulate a sentence (she suspected he didn’t want to say anything to accidentally upset her – also something she really appreciated) she took a sip from her tea, that now had cooled down slightly.

“Well, I don’t know a lot about her as a person,” Natsu admitted, “other than that the two of you are similar. What were her hobbies? How was she before she met Jude?” The faint smile Lucy had carried grew stronger.

“Our hobbies were quite similar as well actually. She loved to read and write, though the only writing she did was in her diary, and that was buried with her, as per her request. You already know she was a strong mage, but I bet you didn’t know that she actually disliked the concept of guilds. She thought that it was putting normal people out of jobs, and she once compared it to a cult.” Lucy couldn’t stop a giggle as she saw the shocked look on Natsu’s face. “I promise she would think differently of it now, the business is cleaner now. Mom was actually a profound debater, she was great with her words, but she could never make a living out of it since she was too open minded to continue arguing about the same thing. If she argued against guild for example, and then heard a good enough argument as to why they actually are good for socioeconomic reasons et cetera, then she would just fall flat and admit being wrong. Great for making friends, but kind of bad if you want to make a living out of it,” she laughed. It felt nice, being able to talk about her mother as if she was alive. It was rare, which was sad in itself since she was so much more than just another dead mother.

Lucy’s laughter lacked the energy it usually had, but Natsu couldn’t blame her. Even his fondest memories of Igneel made him sad sometimes, just because he knew he’d never get to experience anything like it again.

“Mom was a really happy and positive person, both before and after she knew dad. She knew how to turn every bad situation around; you can say she was a master at seeing the golden edge when life felt grey and cloudy. Though, from what Aquarius told me, mom was fiercer before she met dad. Apparently, she had been taking care of the Heartfilia Konzern ever since she was in her late teens, and business was said to be in its golden age when she took care of it all. I can’t imagine mother being a bossy person, but maybe Aquarius got her temper from her, or the other way around.” She let out another chuckle before looking up at Natsu again. His face was serious, but he didn’t wear the frown she knew he usually got with his serious face. His eyebrows had a soft tilt, as if telling her to continue, and confirming her that he’s listening.

“Do you know what made her fall for Jude?”

“Well, other than the fact that dad had a lot more hair when the two of them met, apparently, he had spent months trying to get her attention by sending her flowers and love letters. They were all kind of bland, just repeating the same principle of ‘I fell in love at first sight, please let me introduce myself’ and a whole lot of stolen quotes by famous poets. She finally gave him a chance one day, and I’m pretty sure she fell for how devoted he was to her. She wrote in her diary once, in the very early entrances, that she hoped he would stay as devoted if she ever birthed him a child. It’s scary how people can change when they’re heartbroken.” Lucy’s voice only barely carried through her last sentence. Scary it was indeed, because there was no way any of the three of them could have predicted how sorrow would look in their mansion. She knew her father must have been extremely depressed, and after her history with him, she became surprised to learn that he never attempted to harm himself in any way. Instead, his sorrow became unrecognisable as it turned into rage and emotional detachment, and he harmed people around him whether he intended to or not.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, and though Lucy felt the same heavy air from this morning return, it returned lighter. Natsu’s presence alone helped tremendously.

“How do you deal with it?” She finally managed to ask, her voice waving. “How does anyone get through it?”

Natsu swallowed, and Lucy could see his eyes flicker around the room, as if his brain was working hard as he carefully chose his words. She allowed him to take his time and brewed him a cup of tea so he wouldn’t sit empty handed while she ate breakfast. She still had her back turned when he answered.

“I don’t think anyone really deals with it. Ya’ know I’m already bad at dealin’ with emotions as is, so whenever Igneel’s anniversary comes up I kinda prefer being alone until I can function normally again. I’m sure you’ve already noticed I go away sometimes.” She turned around, now with a cup of hot water and a teabag in her hands. Natsu didn’t look up from a certain spot on the table, but she placed them down beside him anyways and let him continue. “But I know it makes me happiest when I can talk about him, and all the things we did together. That way he’s still remembered, and even if it’s sad and frustrating that those moments won’t happen again, it makes it a little easier, if just for a while.”

“Remembering them is bittersweet,” Lucy said, moving her own breakfast to the seat beside him so she could sit closer. “I can’t say I mind bittersweet things, because they help me feel things again, when everything just becomes overwhelmingly numb.”

“That’s the word, yeah.” Natsu looked up at her again. Her eyes looked tired, and her skin was pale, so he put his arm around her shoulder and gave her arm a squeeze. “What more are you thinkin’ about?”

Lucy pressed her lips together firmly, in an attempt to hold back her new flow of sadness.

“It’s just… Sometimes I feel so scared. Mom left me with dad, and it was supposed to be okay, because she expected him to continue loving me, even after his death. But it she didn’t know that dad wouldn’t be strong enough for us both, so she accidentally left me all alone, just leaving the empty shell of who was once my loving father. And then, when I finally reconciled with him, he died, leaving me all alone again. I’m just afraid I’ll end up losing someone again, and it’s stupid because I know none of my friends would purposely abandon me, but it has just happened too many times for the fear to feel irrational.” Lucy realised that she had started crying as she talked.

“I know how you feel,” Natsu whispered, pulling her into his embrace in an attempt to stop her shivering.

“The scariest part of this is that all my nightmares already have come true once,” she let out with a shaky voice. “I had already lost Aquarius, and then you had to deal with your stuff, which was totally understandable, but then the guild disbanded, and in less than a week my entire life had just crumbled down. All that was left was me and this stupid fear of abandonment, and even if you came back and brought the guild together again, and I was supposed to heal, this terrifying feeling stayed. You know, the ‘if it happened once, what stops it from happening again?’ type of feeling?”

“Yeah, I know it,” Natsu said again. “But I promise you that it will never, ever, in your entire life, happen ever again. I promise on everything I own and love. No matter what, I promise I’ll be with you, alright?”

Lucy burrowed closer into his shoulder, turning the half-hug into a proper one by wrapping her arms around him tightly. A few sobs slipped out, and it was unclear if they were from sadness, exhaustion, or gratefulness.

“Yeah, I know you will.” She rested her chin on top of his shoulder, practically bathing in the heat he radiated. “Which is why the fear is stupid.”

“I also feel scared of getting abandoned sometimes.” Natsu rarely spoke about his own traumas, especially ones that were this old, but as he rubbed faint patterns onto Lucy’s back, he felt like he could tell her. “It’s a really old fear, and even if it hasn’t resurfaced in ages, it still shakes me. It’s mostly remnants of when Igneel disappeared – and though I know now that he was with me all along, I still thought he’d left me there in the woods.”

They stayed in that position for a while, only changing to get closer. Holding him near like this was partly to ensure she’d never lose him again, but also partly to use him as an anchor. She believed his promises, and she trusted that he would never break the same promise twice.

When she spoke up again the tea had already gone cold.

“Natsu?”

“Mhm.”

“Can we stay inside like this today?”

“Yeah, ‘course.”

“Natsu?”

“Hm?”

“Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

[fantasyandromancelover]

Titanic AU

In 1996, Shiki Granbell and his team search the wreck of the RMS Titanic and they recover a safe that contains the drawing of a young nude woman The sketch is dated April 14, 1912, the same day the Titanic struck the iceberg that caused it to sink. The discovery is televised by the news and witnessed by Rebecca Bluegarden and her grandmother Lucy. Lucy recognizes the drawing and calls Shiki, revealing that she is the woman in the picture.

Now according to many rumors, countless treasures had vanished the night that the ship sank and Shiki and his team have searching the titanic remains for them. These treasures include a gold pocket watch that had belonged to the shipbuilder, a blue diamond necklace known as The Heart of the Ocean, and a 15-karat rose gold and silver bracelet with the name Wendy encrusted in diamonds.

Wanting to locate these treasures and sell them for profit, Shiki invites Rebecca and Lucy on board their vessel in hopes that the old woman knows where the missing valuables are. At first, Lucy isn’t too eager to share due to the trauma and tragedy of the event, but upon seeing Rebecca and Shiki fall in love at first sight, her happy memories of the event are rekindled and she recounts her experiences aboard the Titanic.

In 1912, young English heiress Lucy Heartfilia is boarding first class on the Titanic with her widower father Jude Heartfilia, her trusted Norwegian maid Levy, and her wealthy fiancé Dan Straight. Also boarding first class is American writer Gray Fullbuster, two newly weds, English shipbuilder Jellal Fernandes and his American bride, nouveau riche socialite Erza. And Scottish designer Mirajane Dreyar and her husband, the captain’s grandson, Laxus Dreyar.

Meanwhile Natsu Dragneel, a poor young, Italian artist wins a third class ticket in a poker game and excitedly boards it along with many other third class passengers eager for new opportunities in America. Among them are Irish siblings Juvia and Gajeel, Jewish widower Gildarts and his daughter Cana, and Wendy a French orphan girl who stowed away on board.

But despite being called the ship of dreams, many of the passengers have terrible misfortunes in their lives. Lucy’s engagement to Dan is one of connvience rather than love, arranged by her father who is in debt and is constantly pressuring her to go through with the marriage even though Dan is snobby, arrogant, and Lucy cannot stand him. Juvia is under the abusive care of her embittered and insanely jealous stepmother Selene, a former stage actress who was forced to retire because she had gotten older but blames it on her marriage to her now deceased husband and her stepchildren. Gajeel is in a secret relationship with Levy and the two both desire to elope, but he can’t bring himself to leave his sister with their stepmother. Jellal and Erza are madly in love and wish to start a family but Erza cannot get pregnant which deeply hurts her. 

On the first day, Natsu befriends Gray and Gajeel, and the three discuss their plans for when they arrive in New York. Natsu plans to become a famous artist, Gray hopes to become a self-made man through writing instead of relying on his late father’s inheritance, and Gajeel dreams of becoming a famous musician. As the three young men are goofing off around the front of the ship, Natsu spots Lucy on the first class level, looking over the horizon and it’s love at first sight. 

Later that night, Lucy goes to dinner with her father and Dan, and as the two men discuss their plans for her, she becomes distraught over nit having any control of her own life. She leaves the dining room, climbs over the stern railing, and intends to commit suicide by jumping overboard. Luckily though Natsu sees her and coaxes her back onto the deck. As he is pulling her back up, she slips, screams, and falls while pulling Natsu on top of her. Her screams alert the crew who assume that Natsu had assaulted her but she corrects them in that he saved her life and decides to reward him by inviting him to dinner in the first class dining room. He accepts and later as Lucy is getting ready for bed, Dan gives her a gaudy but expensive engagement ring to wear. 

That same night, Gray is exploring the ship, keeping a journal of everything he experiences. He is suddenly lured to the third class level by a lovely voice and observes Juvia singing an Irish folk song while her brother plays his flute. He is smitten by her beauty and song but is startled into fleeing when Gajeel spots him. However in his haste, he drops his journal which Juvia finds. She goes to the first class level to return it to him but is stopped by two crew members who harass her. Gray sees this and defends her, making her quite bashful with his chivalry. He thanks her for returning his journal and also invites her to dinner in the first class dining room to make amends for all the trouble he’s caused. 

Meanwhile Wendy who has been hiding in the boiler room becomes terribly hungry and sneaks into the first class dining hall for something to eat. She is caught stealing food and is about to be severely punished but Erza kindly pays for the stolen food and allows the child to dine with her and her husband. Both she and Jellal grow fond of Wendy and become sympathetic upon learning she is an orphan with no one to look after her. Unable to let her starve or spend the night cold, they decide to let her stay with them in their suite until they reach New York, then they’ll decide what should be done with her.

The next day both Natsu and Lucy, and Gray and Juvia stroll aboard the ship, getting to know each other. A tentative friendship develops between each couple. At the same time Erza and Jellal take Wendy on an outing, bonding almost like a real family. Jellal even gifts Wendy with a silver and golden, diamond bracelet that belonged to his late grandmother who happens to have the same name as the child. As the day ends, Natsu and Juvia are introduced to Erza who decides to loan Natsu one of Jellal’s suits and her friend Mirajane loans Juvia one of her designer gowns. 

Before the dinner, Jellal and Laxus discuss the voyage with Captain Makarov Dreyar and Owner of the White Star Line Precht Gaeblog. Precht insists that Makarov push the ship to go faster for better publicity but Jellal recommends not doing so, claiming that they still are not sure how much the ship can take. Makarov believes Jellal is right but Laxus convinces him to rule in Precht’s favor. The ship’s speed is doubled that evening.

At dinner, Natsu is dressed so handsome like and Juvia is dressed so beautifully that the first class guests are amazed while Lucy and Gray are left speechless. Gray then presents Juvia with a necklace to wear for the evening, a family heirloom, The Heart of the Ocean. They all dine together with Dan being very rude to Natsu and Juvia, much to Lucy’s disgust, but Erza eventually shuts him up by throwing a subtle insult back at him. After dinner, Gray escorts Juvia back to her cabin but she asks him to stay for the third class party which Natsu invites Lucy to as well. The night is spent laughing, dancing, singing, and drinking as Gajeel leads the band in a grand jig and later serenading Levy with an Irish love ballad. 

When the party ends, Gray and Juvia say goodbye, and having fallen in love with her, he allows her to keep the blue diamond necklace. She returns his love and accepts his gift. This is witnessed by Gajeel and Selene, but while Gajeel is pleased to see his sister truly happy for once, Selene is jealous of her stepdaughter gaining the attention of a wealthy young man. When Gray leaves, she drags Juvia into the cabin and locks Gajeel out so he can’t stop her from ruthlessly beating the girl. With each beating, she tells Juvia that she’s worthless and that she’ll never be anything but a poor wretch and that she doesn’t deserve to be loved by anyone, let alone a man like Gray. When the beating is over Gajeel furiously tries to kill Selene but she screams alerting the others and whispers a threat that she’ll tell a lie about Gajeel assaulting her which will end with him getting arrested. Juvia then pleads with her brother not do anything for his sake and he reluctantly agrees. Left alone, the siblings comfort each other.

Up above, Natsu escorts Lucy back to first class and he confesses that he loves her. She laughs and calls him crazy, he agrees with her but says he can’t help how his heart feels and calls her the most amazing girl in the world. At that moment, Lucy realizes that she has fallen in love with Natsu. This is witnessed by Dan who becomes jealous and in the morning he orders Lucy to never see Natsu again. When she argues that he has no right to say who she can and cannot associate with, he viciously reminds her that they are to be married which means (In his twisted mind) that he owns her and that she will do as he says without complaint. Adding to her fear and confusion is her father also forbidding her to have contact with Natsu and calling her selfish for not wanting to marry Dan which would pay all his debts. Scared, she tells Natsu that they can’t see each other anymore when he comes to visit her in secret.

On the other side of the ship, Gray looks for Juvia and finds her still crying over last night. He takes her to his room where he tends to her wounds (his late father was a surgeon) and gently asks what happened. She tells him the whole story of how she and her brother have been abused and mistreated by their stepmother since their father passed when they were children. She wants to leave but she has no where to go because she has no education and she doesn’t want to be a burden on her brother, whom she believes should just leave and live his own life. Unable to bear the thought of Juvia living such a life any longer, Gray asks her to come live with him and to let him take care of her. She declines his offer, saying that she appreciates his pity but cannot accept. He then tells her that it’s not out of pity and confesses his love for her. They kiss, she agrees to go with him, but insists that he ask Gajeel for his blessing first.

Meanwhile in her suite, Erza is teaching Wendy how to read and the girl stops her for a moment to thank the woman for her kindness, saying that if she had a family, she would want them to be just like Erza and Jellal. This touches Erza so much and she realizes that she and her husband have developed parental love for Wendy. She then proposes to Jellal that they adopt her. He hesitates at first but quickly agrees with the idea.

As for Lucy, she is so confused about her feelings for Natsu and is not sure what to do. She goes to Levy for advice and the maid assures her that if she follows her heart then she won’t regret it, telling her of her own love story with Gajeel. Inspired, Lucy runs to Natsu and tells him that she loves him too. She then invites him back to her room where he sketches her nude form, they have sex, and she declares that when the ship docks she’s getting off with him. They sneak off to the forward deck leaving behind her picture, the engagement ring, and an insulting note for Dan. When Dan finds these three things, he is furious and refuses to let Lucy go.

In third class, Gray and Juvia tell Gajeel their plan and he gives his blessing, glad that he’s found someone willing to love and look after her, giving her the happiness she deserves. And he can now elope with Levy without fear of leaving Juvia unloved and unprotected. They rush to tell Levy the good news but Gray is stopped by Selene who tries to seduce him. Repulsed, he rejects her. Enraged, she screams and falsely accuses Gray of raping her. Gray and Juvia flee from the crew members who pursue them and hide in the boiler room until the panic dies down. Gray pleads his innocence to Juvia but she assures him that she knows her stepmother is lying.

Suddenly the ship collides with an iceberg which Natsu and Lucy witness. They separate to warn the others but promise to meet back later. Unfortunately Natsu runs into Dan who frames him for theft by slipping the engagement ring into his coat pocket. His manservant Bloodman drags Natsu off and leaves him handcuffed in the lower decks. 

With the ship sinking, panic starts to ensue. The frightened crowds cause Wendy to be separated from Jellal and Erza as they hurry to the lifeboats. Jellal decides to go back and look for Wendy and forces Erza on to the lifeboat, giving her his beloved pocket watch as a promise that he’ll come back to her. Lucy flees Dan and her father, who has boarded a lifeboat and finds Natsu, freeing him but almost drowning in the process. In the third class level, the gates are closed off trapping everyone down there including Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Juvia, Gajeel, and Levy. Gajeel uses his strength to break down the gates so they all have a chance to live but one of the officers accidentally shoot him in his spinal cord, rendering him unable to walk. Juvia tries to pull him along but he knows he’s a goner and makes Gray promise to love and protect Juvia in his place. Gray makes the promise and has to carry a tearful Juvia away. Gajeel urges Levy to go with them but she chooses to die with him, biding a tearful farewell to Lucy. Hand in hand, the couple sings one last love song as they wait for the inevitable.

Makarov and Laxus are both wracked with guilt over what’s happened and have decided to go down with the ship while doing everything in their power to save the passengers. Mirajane begs Laxus to let her stay with him but he refuses to let her die for his mistake. Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Juvia barely make it back to the boat deck and they urge the women to board the lifeboat. Juvia doesn’t want to go having just lost her brother and she tearfully pleads with Gray not leave her too, but he assures her that he has no intention of dying and swears to find someway to survive. Selene is among the group of women boarding and the sight of their love drives her so mad with envy that she pushes Juvia right off the boat. Selene is shot and killed, Gray immediately jumps after Juvia, and they manage to hold each other above water long enough for Erza to pull them on to her lifeboat. 

Dan convinces Lucy to board a lifeboat by falsely claiming that he can get Natsu off the ship but has actually just arranged to save himself.  As her lifeboat is lowered, Lucy, unable to abandon Natsu, jumps back on board. Furious, Dan tries to shoot the lovers, chasing them into the flooding first-class dining saloon. They get away, and he has no choice but to accept defeat. 

Jellal finally finds Wendy and gets her safely on to the lifeboat but gives up his spot for Gildarts, so he can go with Cana. Believing he won’t survive and that the sinking is his fault for not building a stronger vessel, Jellal gets drunk and chooses to go down with the ship as well. 

The lifeboats have departed and the ship's stern is rising as the flooded bow sinks. As passengers fall to their deaths, Natsu and Lucy desperately cling to the stern rail. The upended ship breaks in half and the bow section dives downward. The remaining stern slams back onto the ocean, then upends again before it, too, sinks. In the freezing water, Natsu helps Lucy onto a wooden panel buoyant, she tries to get him on too but it only has enough for one person. Natsu makes her promise to survive before tragically dying of hypothermia much to Lucy’s heartbreak.

Erza and Cana quickly take control of the lifeboats and go back for survivors. They rescue Lucy, Jellal who survived the cold due to the extreme amount of alcohol in his blood, and any other survivors. They are then picked up by the RMS Carpathia where the Fernades couple are reunited with Wendy, and Lucy hides from Dan and Jude, changing her name to Lucy Dragneel, in order to finally be free.

The elderly Lucy ends her story by revealing what happened to the other survivors. Jellal and Erza adopted Wendy, Gray published a book about the Titanic then married Juvia who made her brother’s songs famous by singing them and they later had two children, Mirajane never remarried and lived out her days with her sister, Dan committed suicide after losing his fortune, and Lucy herself later discovered that she had become pregnant by Natsu (Making him Rebecca’s grandfather), and raised their daughter alone while living a life of freedom and adventure. She then unlocks a safe in her room which contains the watch, the necklace, the bracelet and many other treasures such as photographs, letters, notes, and keepsakes. As the last living member of that group, she had been trusted to keep these treasures safe so no one would forget the stories behind them.

Touched by her story, Shiki decides not to sell the valuable items but donate everything in the safe to a museum so the memory of all those people would live on forever. Later that night, as Shiki and Rebecca get to know each other, Lucy dies peacefully in her sleep and as a young woman again, she enters an afterlife where she’s reunited with the souls of everyone she knew from her story including those who died on the ship. She is met by Natsu who kisses her and they are applauded by everyone.

[missdeepend]

Lucy Heartfilia and Compassion

So while casually thinking about my favorite anime, Fairy Tail, I realized something. This isn’t abnormal as I tend to notice things every once in a while whether or not they are intentional. This time around I noticed that, considering what she goes through in every single arc (this girl cannot catch a single break), Lucy Heartfilia still retains her compassion and kindness for strangers and enemies.

You could chalk this up to bad writing on Mashima’s part, which I would not complain about. I do adore Mashima’s writing but it isn’t perfect. However, I would like to suggest that it fits well with the themes of Fairy Tail. The importance of friendship and family weigh heavily through the series with the main focus being the Guild Hall and the bond of the people within the guild.

The extent of this theme goes even to the villains, where we see countless times either they care for each other, are neutral but are after a similar objective, or they actively do not work well and are injuring each other. Of course the first and last work the best when in a story such as this but I am getting ahead of myself. To get back on track... Through the entire anime we learn the backstory to each of the main characters and some others a part of Fairy Tail. If we focus on the main five; Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster, and Wendy Marvell (sorry Happy and Carla) we can see that each have had personal obstacles that range in emotional impact on their character. Apart from Natsu and Wendy, who have tame back stories (that they remember) compared to the rest, Lucy is definitely the more tame. She was never against some giant demon and was never a slave, both of which ended up hurting and killing others by their actions. Lucy ended up having a peaceful beginning and was a high class girl with a big future ahead of her if all had gone according to plan. Since this is Fairy Tail, and a Shonen manga, nothing comes easy. Her mother died young and thus Lucy was left with an abusive father who and no care for her after her mother’s passing. She had no friends other than the spirits that her mother passed to her when she was on her deathbed. When Lucy was finally able to escape at roughly sixteen, she was able to find Fairy Tail who became her replacement family. In the meantime, Lucy also had been abused in some way in each arc (whether its fighting someone she cares about, sexual harassment and public humiliation, or quite literally being tortured), lost her father that she finally started to build a relationship to once again, lost her doll that was another connection to her mother, lost Aquarius, and even her guild. Yet the biggest thing that sticks with Lucy through all of this is her compassion, the main topic of this post that took oh so long to get to the point of. Lucy still has compassion for enemies and those that hurt her the most. She never has grudges that last long, apart from her father with understandable reasons. However, she even began building that bond again in her last moments and seemed to still have a heart for him. This is shown, of course, when he makes her way to Love & Lucky to protect her father when she believes he is a victim in a hostage situation. This isn’t the case and he is safe, but she still had the heart to put aside her feelings and do what was right. Minerva, who tortured Lucy and put her through immense humiliation and almost killed her if it wasn’t for Chelia and Wendy, was also forgiven by her actions. Lucy passes it as water under a bridge and they were trying to do right for their guild, but this is still a big moment to show Lucy’s kindness. Lucy is shown on more than one occasion to protect the guild, even from the very start, and how big her heart truly is. She could have absorbed it all and became a person similar to her counter in Edolas, but even more cold hearted. She had every right to be angry at Natsu for abandoning her and hardly put any pressure when it was shown she was genuinely upset. She never even let anyone know that Aquarius was gone. In my eyes, Lucy Heartfilia is one of the best characters in Fairy Tail. Once a character seen as purely for sexualization, which still is the case in a few instances, Lucy showcases some of the most important themes of Fairy Tail in her actions and how she continues forward. She is one of the most deserving of the Fairy Tail guild mark. Oh boy that was a long post but I hope I got my point across. As I said in the beginning, I think of these concepts all the time and I am really interested to make more posts about Fair Tail and why it is so great in many aspects. Let me know your opinions and go ahead and post any suggestions for me to cover in the future!

See you later in the Deep End!

[found-family-tournament]

Found Family Tournament Round 1 Part 11 Group 51

Propaganda and further pictures under the cut

Team Natsu: Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, Happy, Wendy Marvell, Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster & Carla

Submissions are still open!

Team Natsu:

GIRL!!! THEY ARE SO SUPPORTIVE OF EACH OTHER!!! BEST BATTLE TEAM!!! THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH TOGETHER!!

Yutaka, Minoru & Tane:

Listen! Listen! I have not read the manga. But they have enthralled me within the first episode of the show. They are so fucking adorable! Yutaka had a bad childhood, that makes it hard for him to eat around other people. Which especially sucks, because he's a pretty good cook. One day a kid goes up to him and gets a taste of his rice-ball. And the kid loves it so much. So much that he can't stop talking about it. And his older brother (who is Yutaka's age) ends up inviting Yutaka over to teach them how to make rice-balls. And then Yutaka coming over and teaching them cooking becomes a weekly thing. Please just look at them! I love them so much!

[ao3feed-gratsu-brotp]

As It Was

by Eli_Tries_Their_Best

You're used to surviving. You're used to bearing the weight of the world on your shoulders, struggling through each day as your body betrays you. Before you realize it, you've escaped, and you're on the run. Taken in by a group of oddballs, you struggle to believe in safety, in the trustworthiness of the people around you. It won't take long for you to stumble into stolen moments of life, discovering that you don't need to survive, you need to learn to live. And this wayward group of wizards is the best place to do that.

Something dark looms on the horizon, and soon, the story of your life will come to a head with the new reality you're forging. Can you trust your team, or will you find yourself lost to the otherness inside of you?

Words: 2346, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Fairy Tail

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/F, F/M

Characters: Happy (Fairy Tail), Gray Fullbuster, Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, Erza Scarlet, Makarov Dreyar, Mirajane Strauss

Relationships: Gray Fullbuster/Reader, Natsu Dragneel & Gray Fullbuster & Lucy Heartfilia & Erza Scarlet, Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia, Jellal Fernandes/Erza Scarlet, Natsu Dragneel & Gray Fullbuster, Gray Fullbuster & Erza Scarlet

Additional Tags: i dont know what this is, but im doing my best, well see how it goes, multi chapter fic, no beta we die like men, x Reader, Fluff, Angst, everyone has a tragic backstory, probably will be darker than source material, fairy tail - Freeform, gray fullbuster x reader, this is out of boredom, Female Reader, even though im trans, whatever, Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, uh, Dont read if its not your thing, im just trying to enjoy myself, Will add tags as I go, Hurt/Comfort

Source: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52794544