#i can feel team natsu leaving and its so upsetting

[mousecracker]

I can feel my fairy tail hyperfixation leaving, i wouldn't be upset about it except now it's being replaced by aot and that's a problem

[heyitsyn]

Manager!Seijoh OIKS ROUTE

a/n: this,,,, is probably the angstiest out of the routes and i seem to only write angst for oikawa and i think its a problem

this is for @what-a-creative-username​ bc oikawa is their favorite seijoh boy so this is for you 🥺

and actually buckle your seatbelts bc this is my longest work and its the biggest mess ever :’) also, this is kinda all over the place soooo

anon:

- May we have an x Oikawa ending to the Manager AU?

- okaayyyy so this is a request for the manager series. please pleASE PLEASEEEEE- make a oikawa ending! 🥺 cuz he’s my favorite and all those times with him in the story feel like more than just friends

OMG IM SORRY BUT MY INNER OIKAWA SIMP THAT I NEVER KNEW WAS EVEN THERE STARTED TO PEAK THROUGH

so basically yea

as seen in a lot of the parts,

oikawa is very,,,, loving towards you

like his entire demeanor was just so different and so,,, authentic,,,, than the ones he shows to other females

maybe it was because you didnt want him in the beginning?

the moment he saw you, he did his first antics and he expected you to turn red and fluster and cutely shy away from him 

yanno the works

yet you gave him a stony stare and denied him

ofc he was hurt and a little offended bc were you rejecting him?

hes never been rejected before and he prides himself for that but you just did and continued to do that

so he made it his mission to make you at least feel something for him

like the period part or his random proclamations of his love for you

he did it all

it didnt matter if it would bite him in the ass later because he was impulsive and he wanted you to show yourself being affected with his charms

because he was the FREAKING OIKAWA TOORU

ong this is like his validation that he is still a ladies man and has a charm that couldnt be resisted by anyone

he constantly told you that he loved you to see a reaction from you and he always was touching you whether it was just the shoulder or your hand

oikawa wanted to see you as his own personal cheerleader and you reacting to his affections would really bring him over the moon

this brings us here in the gym today

‘y/n-chan, do you want to go-’

‘oikawa-san, i dont trust you wanting to go on an innocent outing without any hidden intentions’

the team snickered and he pouted, eyes watering and curling at your side

‘y/n-chan, please? oikawa-san really wants to spend time with you~’

he begged and you finally looked up from the notebook and stared at him

god hes been much more annoying lately but you knew it was his way of letting out his anxiousness and nervousness for the incoming interhigh

so you decided to indulge him just this once and made a deal with him

‘the moment you try anything, even remotely romantic or flirty, i will leave’

you bargained but he gasped

‘what?! then what’s the point of-’

‘so you DO have hidden intentions, oikawa-san?’

you raised your eyebrow causing oikawa to quickly shake his head and detach from you

‘fine. none of that stuff, just hanging out, okay?’

he was still fussy but he accepted it

oikawa had a plan to take you to a cafe that just opened up and take you shopping and basically spoil you because girls like that, right?

they fall for boys who give them everything, right?

nope

so i read a study that surprisingly most girls arent into shopping apparently and they prefer to buy something themselves because apparently they feel indebt and dependent on men if they let them spoil them like that

idk about you but i would let oikawa spoil me tho

his plans were completely crushed when you argued with him for nearly 15 minutes to take half of your tab with the food

‘y/n-chan! i invited you out so i should pay! and boys have to pay!’

he complained, holding the other end of the tab envelope thingy but you pulled it back towards you

‘oikawa-san. you should never listen to societal normalities and instead listen and respect my wishes of paying for my half rather than going by the rules of males paying for females’

im sensing a bit of a bokuto and akaashi typa relationship between you two

oikawa shook his head and slightly stood up to lean over the table, his face approaching yours and you were slightly surprised by the sudden closeness causing you to lean back and be focused on getting away so your grip on the tab loosened

he grinned as he snatched it away from your grasp and quickly placed his card into the slot before running up to the cashier

your mouth was slacked and surprise was still written on your face even when he returned and oikawa held up a peace sign to try and lighten up

but your shock morphed into being upset

‘oikawa-san, listen here. you had-’

but he waved you off with a smile

‘no, you listen here, y/n-chan. oikawa-san loves you therefore he will give you everything in the world and all you have to do is sit there and point at whatever you want because my love will bring it to you~!’

you rolled your eyes

‘please stop being like that, oikawa-san. im not your girlfriend so dont act like my boyfriend’

he lightly scoffed, disguising it with a cough

‘y/n-chan, i dont think you understand. oikawa-san is telling you to be his good little girl and sit down. i dont understand why youre being so stubborn’

he growled softly

wHAT iS hE sAYinG

you shook your head in disbelief and stood up collecting your things making the brunette to also stand up in curiosity

‘y/n-chan? youre leaving already? i wanted to go see other places with you! i wanted to take you shopping!’

you halted and looked up at him through your long eyelashes

‘oikawa-san, i’d rather you save your money and rest your injuries instead’

you reasoned but he raised his hands in front of him to signify his wish for you to stop

‘but i want to be with you, y/n-chan’

he whispered and you blinked

‘i dont want you to spend a single dime for me after this. just you and me, oikawa-san, no money, just us’

he nodded eagerly

‘we can go anywhere you want! just,,, stay with me’

then he found himself in a bookstore with you

it was a quaint hole in the wall bookstore that you both found as you walked down the street and you excitedly dragged him inside, hand still laced together

the rows of shelves that contained different worlds in the pages were your serotonin

he watched you excitedly run to the fiction section and browsed through the different spines for anything special to check out

‘y/n-chan, i’ll go use the bathroom really quickly’

you nodded and oikawa kissed your temple before he left towards the restroom

your eyes flitted across the different titles and you snatched a book of poetry

oikawa hurriedly walked over back to you but he didnt find you at the place you were before

so he continued sifting through the mini hallways of shelves and then he stopped

it was so,,, domestic 

seeing your bright eyes looking down at the book  on your hands and the way your mouth slightly moved with the words

it was such a simple sight yet why did you look so beautiful?

the shimmering eyes that flittered when you came across a sentence you liked 

the soft lips that kinda jutted out making his desire to feel it increase that he would give anything to feel on his own

you were so focused that you didnt notice him moving behind you and wrapping his arms around your waist, only noticing his head resting on your shoulder

‘’come, my darling, it is never too late to begin our love again’’

he mumbled to your ear and you released one hand from the book to grasp his arms that were around your middle

‘you read poetry?’

you whispered and oikawa chuckled

‘of course. a man as romantic as I am ought to be a poet’

he reasoned and you laughed

‘yet you fail to sway me, oikawa-san’

‘no, there is a difference. you dont want my love but i know you want to be loved by me, i can assure you!’

you swiftly placed the book back on its former place and you turned around to swing your arms around his neck

‘hmm,,,, love was never something for me. especially with you boys around’

oikawa looked down to see your shorter height and he caressed your hip

‘i love you, y/n, so let me love you the way you deserve to be’

he whispered not understanding the weight of his words and you looked down to hide the growing blush on your face before burying your face into his sweater-clad chest

‘so not fair oikawa-san’

you mumbled against the fabric but he heard it and he bursted into giggles

‘ehh~~ youre not being the fair one, y/n-chan! youre make it so hard to not fall for you when youre so beautiful~!’

he whines and you rested your chin on him so you could look up at him and your pout made him squeeze you tighter

‘hah?! that doesnt make sense! im nothing but a mess of-!’

you started but was cut off when he kissed your nose and whispered:

‘but what a beautiful mess you are’

okay so i know this is the saddest one out of the routes but ive just been serving fluff so the angst is coming soon!!!!!!

once you both were finished in the bookstore, you suggested going to this hill that allowed you to see the stars clearer

‘hmm, oikawa-san, there’s this place that natsu used to take me to whenever he wanted to see the stars so i think you’d like it’

you mentioned while walking on the sidewalk

oikawa’s hand was clutching yours and you were swinging it back and forth while lightly skipping and kicking the rocks

he watched you, amused, at how child-like you were acting right now but he was also touched, knowing your knowledge of his love for space

‘sure!’

the night sky allowed the stars to light up and you both shared giggles and laughs as the two of you stumbled over your feet with no light except from above

however once you made it to the top of the hill, oikawa pulled you close to him as you huddled on a seated position

‘how’d you know i would like this, y/n-chan?’

he asked and you gave him an obvious look

‘hah? its so obvious! you keep drawing the cancer constellation on your skin and you had an astrology book in your bag that you were also reading in the bus’

your answer brought warmth inside him and he never thought you were so perceptive of him

you noticed every little thing he does and hes,,,, never had someone do that before

except for iwa and his family and team, no one knows of his little ticks and the way he becomes obsessive of a topic once he gets interested in it

you noticed it all

‘that right there, its the big dipper!’

you pointed and he followed the direction of your finger before nodding

‘yep! waaahhh its much prettier seeing it higher up than my roof!’

he exclaimed and your gaze left the constellation towards the boy beside you

‘really,, pretty’

you absentmindedly muttered yet he was sharp and heard you

‘but its different to look at something much more beautiful’

this caused you to quickly go back to looking at the stars so you missed his love-filled eyes

‘i want to name my children by constellations. so that they can keep the oikawa legacy going forever like constellations being at the sky for all eternity. or naming it after the sky! then i can make sure theyre never going away’

he said and you nodded

you kept pointing out different shapes and laughing at his funky claims of what some stars connected to and created

‘oikawa-san, lets go to the star festival later’

you offered and he in turn looked away from you, turning red at the way the small lights illuminated your face and somehow making it more,,,, angelic

so he covered it up with his own teasing 

‘oh? the meeting of the two lovers?’

you dont know why but your cheeks burned at the mention of the ‘L’ word and oikawa noticed, quickly poking fun of your cheeks

‘oh, y/n-chan, dont be so shy!’

you pouted and turned away

‘never mind’

oikawa’s laugh rang throughout the space and he pulled you closer, practically sitting on his lap, while pointing out the stars and him pressing kisses to your cheeks

the intertwining of your fingers combined with the kisses made you feel as if you were floating with how free you felt

and you loved every moment of it

after that outing with your captain, you were conflicted

it wasnt the first time he’s openly said he loved you and his shower of affections have been there since the very beginning

yet how come you were just now feeling,,,,, different??

you were sure you felt an odd feeling inside you when he said your name with no usual suffix and it wasnt just the food that didnt agree with you

whenever his lips came in contact with your skin, it left blazing trails of red that spread out as far as it could

the heartbeat that quickened once he kissed your forehead at your doorstep and the grin you last saw when you closed the door

or the unknown smile that you didnt know you had on until natsu, who was visiting, pointed it out

‘darling, why are you just standing there? and why are you smiling like that? its weird, stop it’

you didnt even have the attitude to scold him and you giggled before twirling and holding his hand

‘oh, natsu~ i want to dance! and sing!’

you shouted, taking him with you and dancing around the living room

tbh natsu was very worried but he remembered you mentioning that you were meeting some guy today and it might be the reason as to why you were acting like this

he was happy

you deserved to be loved as you are and you were finally getting that love

but,,,,,,,,,

it didnt last long

albeit having a lot of fun, oikawa seemed,,,, off to you

it was,,, awkward

maybe it was because you were now aware of some type of growing attraction inside of you or every little thing he does to you could send you into shapeshifting and channeling your inner tomato

forget potato, youre now a tomato

but even his touches and affections were now limited

restricted

like the the next time you both saw each other, you shyly but happily bounded up to him and greeted him good morning

but his eyes widened, taking a step back before laughing awkwardly

‘ah ha ha, hey y/n-chan’

oikawa greeted then side-stepped to enter the gym

god you felt like you were slapped in the face

you remained frozen, staring at the spot he previously occupied and your mind was running quickly

was it because your senses were now heightened that everything made you extra sensitive?

usually, oikawa would squeal at the fact you were even greeting him this morning but he literally just walked away from you

no, you were just,,,,

overreacting

right?

yea, just,,,

overreacting

iwa noticed your downcast expression and he had a feeling it had something to do with oikawa’s off expression

you hurriedly placed your bag down and took out your notebook to start taking notes for their practice

big boy ace went up to you and placed a hand on your arm which caused you to flinch

he immediately backed off, letting go and stepping back

‘wh-hey? y/n? you okay? did something happen?’

he worriedly asked but you shook your head, not even bothering to meet his eyes

‘uh-yea. mhm, perfectly fine’

you lied and he wanted to press further but mattsun and makki called you over to check out their blocks so you ran to them

but he had a feeling you were just taking every opportunity to not answer his questions

while you were pre-occupied with the meme team, iwa marched up to oiks and tugged him around to fully talk to him

oikawa watched your interaction and he knew iwa would immediately start questioning him too

‘oi, what the hell did you do’

there was an underlying tone in his best friend’s voice that he didnt particularly like

oikawa did what he does best and plastered a smile on his face

‘hm? what do you mean, iwa-chan?’

‘what the hell do you mean what do i mean? you speak japanese dont you? so tell me what the hell happened during your date because it seems like shit happened and now youre both acting weird’

oikawa flinched at the blunt words but it was the truth

he was acting weird and this caused you to probably act weird too

god hes so dumb

but he,,, was going through stuff right now

it was a situation that he didnt want to involve you in 

and,,, seeing you dancing with natsu with the biggest smile on your face through the window of your house

okay guys dont think this is weird or stalker-ish bc i actually saw this in a kdrama ages ago and i thought it was just so sweet and cute and dont take it the weird and stalker creepy way :(

it certainly brought him pain

this was what he wanted though, right?

he wanted to see a reaction from you with his antics and he wanted to see you flustered and giggling like one of his lovestruck girls

but dear god that was when he became aware of your growing feelings

oikawa even saw it before you did with the way you gave him those longing stares and small smiles and the small squeezes of his hand when he would laugh

initially, he wouldve teased you for it but then he kept quiet

this entire time he knew you, he felt,,, love,,, for you

and by god, he was so scared

he wanted to run away

because he was well aware of his personality and him as a person 

he could make you smile the biggest and the happiest but he was also the type to make you feel the most pain and cause the deepest wounds on your already fragile heart

he didnt want that responsibility and burden

it was too risky

oikawa knew he was a ticking time bomb and he was afraid if you got even just a centimeter closer

you would be the one hit with the blast the most

maybe it was that sight that made him want to distance himself

it was a sight that made him realize that you deserved someone much better and that someone couldn’t be him

the happiness that danced in your eyes and the smile that decorate your beautiful face

can you imagine the irony?

the moment you notice of your growing feelings, the moment he decides to withdraw and pull away

.......

practice was,,, suffocating? 

the team knew of the tension these past few days and you both def were not the same

oikawa has not said he loved you or even pestered you once and as much as the guys hated seeing it, they were getting worried

did you both fight?

what happened?

when oikawa was talking with the coach and you were grabbing something from the storage room, they immediately took this chance to pounce on iwaizumi since he was the closest to the both of you

‘oi, iwaizumi, the hell happened?’

makki asked and the others nodded, wondering the same thing

but they were surprised when he shrugged

‘dont know. stupidkawa refuses to talk and i dont want to bother y/n bc she seems,,, weird about it’

if iwaizumi didnt know, then something serious did happen

you and oikawa continued this weird eggshell walking and you even gave up after trying to ask so many times on what was wrong and only to be answered with,

‘nothing~! y/n-chan should never have to worry her pretty little head about old me~!’

that answer didnt bother you

it was his smile

the genuine smile that you were so happy to receive as it was only for you

now seems gone and replaced with his fake one as if you now became one of his fangirls

what took the cake was his appearance to practice with a girl in his arm

they were both laughing and seemed trapped in their own little bubble to even notice the team’s wide eyes and concerned looks to you

you didnt even notice your teary eyes until mattsun quite literally picked you up and shouted he wanted to help you fill up the water bottles

he placed you outside, sitting on a bench by the gym

you were biting your lip and staring at the ground while he was leaning back and looking at the sky

‘the sky is very pretty today’

he complimented but it wasnt heard by you

you only came back to reality when he nudged you gently and you shot him a crooked smile but he sighed at the look of hurt written all over your face

‘oh, y/n, i am getting increasingly worried for our generation. theres so many sad eyes on happy faces’

he tutted and returned to gazing back up to the clouds

you scrunched your nose and scoffed

‘i dont understand you, mattsun-san’

you mumbled and fiddled with your fingers

mattsukawa issei shook his head and pointed above

‘y/n-chan, our eyes enables us to identify beauty and we have the urge to immediately capture it to remember that we did find something beautiful. yet, we feel hopeless as we cant to put the beauty on paper because we are only given one crayon to draw the sunset’

it felt all muddled

there was no sense in his words and you were sniffed, trying to understand

‘mattsun-san, did you eat any more of those candy makki-san bought from that one guy?’

he bursted into laughter and you couldnt help but quirk your lip at the sound of his joy

‘who knows? taka is my boy and i trust him so if he gave it to me, then,,,, it cant be that bad, right?’

you blanched

‘mattsun-san! im not about to go pick you up from the er again just because makki-san dared you to do something!’

mattsun finally wandered his eyes over to you and he tucked a stray piece of hair behind your ear

‘thats the thing with you, y/n-chan. youre quick to love others but you lose pieces of yourself in the process. i have no right to tell you who deserves it but please ask yourself, is that sacrifice worth it?’

you knew he wasnt talking about your love for the team

but for the love for a certain setter that didnt go unnoticed by the middle blocker

leave it to mattsun to make you laugh and you were letting out your last giggles as you stepped into the gym

oikawa stopped talking and focused on the two of you, 

more specifically,

you

he watched as you laughed and swatted mattsun’s elbow as he jokingly made fun of your height by resting his arm on top of your head

yes this was what it was supposed to be

you deserved someone who could make you smile and only smile

he doesnt even hesitate but even imagine the tears that would fill those beautiful eyes and he knows it would all be his fault

no

he will stop that from happening way before it would occur

he will do anything to make sure you will never cry because of him so he will distance himself and now, he gives up

it could just be his stress and insecurities talking but he knows right now,

he wants you away from him

oikawa tooru, the boy who could get anyone he wants, couldn’t get the girl he wishes for the most

dear god was it laughable

after practice was finished,

you quietly and quickly packed up the nets and picked up the balls to get yourself out of there

these past few days made you feel so much confusion that it hurts

if there was anything worse than him not talking to you,

it was not knowing why 

that curiosity and desperate need for answers creates wild and self-destructive theories 

did you chew too loudly when you ate?

were you boring and not as fun as the others?

was he angry and humiliated of his pride as a man when you scolded him for paying for you?

has he gotten tired of you now that he knows who you really are?

that last question suddenly created a new set of tears to appear

throughout the day, you were so composed and distracted yourself with the lectures of your teachers and not anything of why this certain brunette was avoiding you

but a single insecure question made that wall crumble and you hurriedly shoved the trolley of balls into the storage room and grabbed your bag before rushing out of there

you sniffled and hurriedly walked home so you could go and cry on your bed in peace

but ofc 

hiroshi natsu exists so ofc he distracted you when you entered the house with a red puffy face

quietly, he led you to the couch and he wordlessly grabbed a tissue box from the coffee table to dab away the tears

you sniffled and clenched your fists to will yourself to stop these dumb salty water drops

‘i cant tell you its going to be okay because i dont want you to cling on to false hope. but i know it hurts. its worse that of all people, oikawa tooru had to be your first ever crush’

he chuckled

you took a shaky breath and wiped your face

‘this was why i shouldnt have liked him. god! all we did was eat dinner and look at the stupid fcking sky! thats it! so why-! why do i suddenly like him?! AM I THAT DESPERATE?!’

you wailed and blew your nose while natsu patted your back

‘i mean,,, to others it sounds like youre easy to sway’

you looked up from the tissue to glare at him but he continued

‘but to me,,,, it sounds like it was just the last push you needed to finally see oikawa tooru in that way’

you nodded, laughing weakly

‘i dont know why im acting like a lunatic like this. hes just a crush anyway so it’ll probably fade in a day or two so bear with me until then, kay?’

but his grim shake of his head gave you no hope

‘rather than fade, it will grow. and i might have to bear with this for the rest of our lives. now you be a bad bitch and sit there and look fine as hell while i go order 10 boxes of pizza and load up teen moms’

the impromptu movie night distracted you a little bit from it all but you still couldn’t help but think about it

GOD WHY WAS NATSU SO DRAMATIC?!

BECAUSE OF THAT IDIOT YOU ARE NOW SITTING IN CLASS, BAGS UNDER YOUR EYES, AND BREAKING YOUR PENCILS IN HALF

all you have to do is make sure you think of oikawa doing something disgusting to make that attraction fade away

oikawa licking his toes

oikawa licking his toes

oikawa licking his toes

oikawa licking his-

‘y/n?’

you snapped out of your daydream when kunimi reached out to you

kindaichi, who came over for lunch, and him were staring at you in concern and they shared a look

‘y/n, something must’ve happened that day with captain’

kunimi started but kindaichi snapped

‘see?! this is why we shouldve never let you go! the first time you go with him and now youre a mess! tell us! did he force himself on you?! did he-?!’

you stopped the onion top boy with a forced smile and a squeeze on the arm

‘o-oikawa-san would never do that, kindaichi. hes better than that’

‘but clearly not because look at you!’

he shouted and you flinched 

kunimi hurriedly knocked him to the floor

‘get ahold of yourself, kindaichi’

he mumbled and you stood up and walked to the bathroom at the west wing that nobody uses so you could freely cry without any suspicion

was it obvious?

was it clear that you have been a mess after a week of being ignored by oikawa?

nah, youre just being a dramatic little shit

youre sticking to your word of quickly forgetting about the whole ordeal

but you definitely cant if your nightmare was happening before your eyes

as you approached the bathroom from the end of the hallway, 

you saw an unknown girl but an all too familiar boy giggling and rushing to get inside the bathroom

and for good measure, oikawa looked around to make sure no one was there but then he saw you

despite the distance between you, he could see your glistening eyes from the sunlight that seeped in from the big windows

he saw the way your hand trembled and your eyes twitched when haruna poked her head out to see why he was still outside

‘oikawa-senpai~~’

she drawled out and reached a manicured nail to his wrist 

your eyes followed her touch and then you and the boy shared eye contact

through the watery eyes, he could clearly make out your silent plead

please dont go to her

please

stay with me

dont go

but he went in anyways

------

that was the moment you forced yourself to not think about him anymore

as if you werent even working your hardest lately, you will work your hardest now

everything between you and him was now strictly professional as practice that day signified the very first day of your moving on stage

you couldnt believe these past 2 weeks has been a real nightmare yet you were slowly waking up from it

there was nothing you could do about it bc oikawa obviously didnt mean anything he said to you and maybe thats what ticked you off the most

you were easily led on

he blindly tugged you along the moment you saw his smile

he definitely thought of you as just as a game and when he finally got tired and bored, he dropped you and went to another

kunimi and kindaichi noticed the coldness of your eyes and the stoic expression on your face and they were genuinely terrified of you so they didnt want to ask any questions

even with packing up, you aggeressively shoved everything in your bag and the blep boy finally gained the courage and nervously tapped his finger on your desk to gain your attention

you swiftly dropped in your pencil case and looked at him

‘what’

he flinched at the cold tone and his eyes showed concern

‘uh-i-are you okay?’

he slowly asked and you visibly clenched your jaw but you nodded anyways

‘never better’

you didnt bother waiting for him to finish packing up and even passed kindaichi by the door as you were walking towards the girl’s locker room to change into your manager outfit

your entrance to the gym made the noise die down and you noticed the third years with glares on and aggressively practicing

‘whats wrong with all of you’

you asked and iwa scoffed before shaking his head and opening his arm

‘cmere. i missed you’

he said and ngl you were a little confused bc this wasnt something iwa usually did but you still stuck to his side

‘why-’

‘he told me what happened’

iwa whispered and you stiffened in his arms

‘w-what?’

iwaizumi flung the boy to his own bedroom wall

he huffed, panting at both the weight of oikawa tooru and the intense anger that burned through his veins

‘you-you are a piece of shit!’

he shouted and he moved to grab oikawa’s collar and lifted him so the brunette could see the fire and disgust present in his olive eyes

‘you think i didnt see what the hell you did? fcking leaving y/n sobbing as you-you-! AGH!’

iwaizumi couldnt even finish his sentence as he was so angry that he harshly sent oikawa flying back down to his floor

oikawa was crying

not from the beating

but from his regrets

god he knew he messed up

he shouldnt have done it

but he did

iwa ran his hands through his hair and angrily sat on his best friend’s bed, eyes shooting daggers at oikawa

‘right now. tell me the truth right fcking now or so help me god’

he hissed 

oikawa tooru shuffled closer to the wall and brought his knees up to his chest

‘im so scared’

he sobbed

‘im so scared, iwa-chan’

his tears were pouring down and he brought a hand to muffle his cries

‘i-i just w-wanted to-to see something out of her. li-like a reaction! because she wasnt like th-the others! but instead i fell in love! me! and she did too!’

he pointed and quickly stood up, pacing and gripping his hair

‘it was all just for fun! she-she knows im like that! yet she still fell in love with me!’

‘how could you tell she-’

‘BECAUSE OF HER EYES!’

even iwa flinched

‘HER EYES SHOWED ME LOVE! HAPPINESS! AN-AND YOU KNOW WHAT SHE DID?! WHEN SHE GOT HOME?! THROUGH HER WINDOW, I SAW HER DANCING! SO HAPPY SHE WAS DRAGGING THAT BASTARD COUSIN OF HERS AROUND! I DID THAT! I CAUSED THAT!’

there was so much confusion in this poor spiky haired boy bc he knew oikawa was in love with their manager so why is he avoiding her now even though she reciprocates those feelings?

‘im missing something here, oikawa. youre telling me, she loves you, but youre here regretting that?’

his tone of disbelief made oikawa shut his eyes in frustration

‘DONT YOU UNDERSTAND?! YOU CALL ME A PIECE OF SHIT EVERYDAY AND I KNOW THAT! I FCKING KNOW THAT IM A PIECE OF SHIT AND A FCKING BASTARD!’

he shrieked

thankfully, his family wasnt home currently to see him breakdown

‘SO WHY THE HELL DO I DESERVE A LITERAL ANGEL?! A GODDESS?! A BEAUTIFUL PERSON FOR ME?! A FCKED UP NARCISSIST EGOTISTICAL IDIOT?! AN IDIOT WHO’S TOO PRIDEFUL TO GET THE HELP HE NEEDS?! I COULD HURT HER! I COULD DESTROY HER IN A SINGLE SNAP! THE SCARIEST FACT IS I COULD DO IT WITHOUT THINKING! I COULD SAY THE WORST THINGS TO HER AND IM SO SCARED THAT I WILL HURT HER! I DONT DESERVE HER, IWA! SHE DESERVES SOME-SOMEONE LIKE YOU! AND IT HURTS TO THINK THAT BUT I DONT CARE! A-AND WHAT IF WE GET TOGETHER?! HM?! HOW LONG DO YOU THINK IT WOULD TAKE HER TILL SHE FINDS SOMEONE BETTER?! HOW MUCH CAN SHE TAKE OF GOING THROUGH EPISODES OF SOME DEPRESSED, INSECURE, PRIDEFUL ASHOLE LIKE ME?! HOW LONG DO YOU THINK SHE WOULD REALIZE HER SELF-WORTH AND KNOW HOW MUCH OF A SHITTY PERSON I AM?! I CANT-!’

iwaizumi pushed himself up from the bed and rushed to grab his best friend before forcing the brown haired boy to his chest

oikawa tooru was having a panic attack

he heaved and wheezed and loudly let out his cries and iwa made them sit on the floor where he could comfortably cry

‘youre such an idiot, tooru. but she knows that, doesn’t she? she knows who you are, what you are, how you are, your flaws, everything- she knows all that. yet she still fell for you, doesnt that tell you something? for once in your life, consider other people’s feelings before yours. y/n is one hell of a girl and i wont allow you to let her slip past you just like that. i know- we all know- how much of a broken person you are, oikawa, and it hurts us all to know that no matter what we do, we can never fix you. but y/n-gosh, y/n is the only person to even have a chance to do that. and you admitted that youre depressed and you have a problem? well,, get some help for that, oikawa. the first step to be better is by accepting the only person who can accept you for you’

iwaizumi didnt reveal to the other third years of what happened but just said that oikawa did a really terrible thing to you and hes currently repenting for it

however mattsun and makki pretended they didnt hear oikawa regretting it and focused on the fact that the captain even had the NERVE to hurt you

iwa squeezed you tightly and you returned the hug

but he whispered something in your ear

‘everyone makes mistakes, y/n. the only thing we can do is to repent for them’

you pulled away, about to ask him what hes talking about but one look from his eyes made you realize what he was talking about

he mustve known what happened but hes defending him

you clenched your jaw and looked away

‘i destroyed myself for a stupid reason and its one of my regrets. im not going to make the same mistake twice’

you quietly hissed and moved to your station by the bench to begin taking your notes

you noticed that oikawa was late for practice today and although you kinda hate him, you are still a manager first and he was one of your responsibilities

you were about to go to the coach and tell him you’d look for the setter when the gym door slid and in came the devil himself

but there was a large bruise on his cheek and a cut on his lip

your feet moved quicker than the rest of you that you were in front of him in a second

‘what happened to you’

you worriedly asked and oikawa just stared at you

his eyes shook and watered at the sight of you

this was the first time you talked to him without any coldness in your tone and he missed it

he missed hearing you

his silence made you roll your eyes and you roughly grabbed his arm before throwing him on the bench you were sitting on

the team watched, on edge of whats happening, but was put back to practice when you gave them a side-eye

your fingers opened the ointment and your kit to treat the bleeding lip and the swollen side of his face

‘youre the captain. its not wise to fight before practice and be late. youre hindering everyone else’

you coldly scolded and oikawa shrank back

‘it was iwa-chan’

he mumbled and you stopped and quirked an eyebrow

‘what? why did he-’

then you froze

iwa knew

and he beat oikawa up for it

he fought his best friend for it

and iwa didnt look fazed at all

despite being a muscle freak, iwa was very soft and his iron defiency made him prone to bruising

yet why was he so clean

it was like iwa hit oikawa but in turn, the other didnt fight back

no

you must stop

youre overthinking again and youre over analyzing it and youll end up at the place you were before

however

oikawa noticed the dawn of realization on your face and he shakily reached out to touch your hand

‘i,,, didnt. because i deserved it. i-’

he sniffed and you knew he would start crying right now

the last thing he wanted would be to cry in front of the others so you immediately stood up and went to the coach

‘coach, oikawa-san needs treatment that i dont currently have with me. i would need to take him to the infirmary’

he nodded and waved you off so you had the clear

oikawa flinched when you harshly grabbed his arm and pulled him up so he could follow you out the door

it was such an awkward silence between you both but you bit your lip, focusing on the fact that you were just doing this bc he was your obligation

it was like you threw him to one of the cots then you rummaged through the medicine cabinet for an extra cotton ball and a better ointment

‘i fcked up, y/n’

your movements halted and your eyes drifted down, looking at the tiled floor

‘i messed up so bad’

he hoarsely said and you could tell how much pain he was going through by the way he let out a shaky breath

‘oika-’

you made a move to turn around but he stopped you

‘no! dont look at me! just-just dont,,, i cant-i wont be able to say it if i look at you’

he cried and you nodded

oikawa leaned his forehead on his intertwined hands with his eyes on the floor before starting

‘i want to say im sorry. because everything, all of this, it all started as a game to me’

you closed your eyes tightly, tears welling up in your eyes

‘you,,, you didnt bat a single eyelash at me. you didnt try to please me, you didnt chase after me, no, you didnt see me like that. it made me,,, i dont know,,, confused,,, that girls like you even existed. it,,, not gonna lie, ticked me off and i was offended that you brushed me away so easily like i was some,, some bug on your shoulder. so,,, i wanted to see,,, and try,,, if i could make you,,, like me. and i know! i know its messed up but god y/n i swear i didnt want to hurt you. i just,,, i wanted to see if i could ever make you look at me like the way they did but it backfired. i wanted you to chase me but in the end, i ended up chasing after you. i chased and i ran without knowing that you were slowing down for me so i could catch you. that,,, that date made me realize of how,,, how perfect and beautiful you are a-and how unworthy i am to even receive anything from you. i saw how happy you were after that, dancing, twirling that poor idiot around. at first,, it made me so so proud. and so happy that i made you do that. i put those stars from the sky into your eyes and somehow you made them shine much brighter. then,,,, i got scared. i started thinking about,,, about me. and how i am. ive been trying so hard to please other people that ive lost sight of the real me and how terrible i am. and y-you! i just- y/n its so hard for me to explain all this right now- my current mental state, the pain on my face- i cant,,, but at that moment i realized that you,,, you were better off without me. youre so kind, so beautiful, so smart, you could go do so many good things in life. and im just going to hold you back. i didnt want to hurt you so i,,, chose to just cut the string now and,, we wont get hurt later. but,,, i regret it. i regret it so much, y/n. all my life,,, everyone cooed and awed at this child just because of how he looked like and,,, he got used to it. everyone wanted me because i am oikawa tooru but they didnt want the entire oikawa tooru. iwa,,, iwa hit it into my head that,,, you,, were the only one who bothered to even see that side of me’

when he finished, he looked up but gasped at the sight of you standing in front of him

fat tears were rolling down your face and you wore the angriest expression

‘i-,,,i hate you so much, oikawa tooru’

you seethed

your eyebrows were scrunched up together and your nostrils flared as you cried harder and you let out a cry

‘i hate you, i hate you, i hate you’

you chanted and oikawa saw his vision cracking

his world was now falling apart

he did the last thing he would ever do and you were now at your most pained moment

‘youre so selfish, impulsive, and terrible’

you whined and punched his shoulder at each word

‘but i love you so much. i hate you because you made me cry and made me feel so hurt but i still love you. why-why cant you stop playing your games, tooru? stop playing with me now! stop it! stop-!’

you didnt get to say anything else because he grabbed your waist and held you in his arms

it was like you didnt even weigh a thing by the way he lifted you to sit on his lap and he gently led your face to his neck

‘im so sorry’

he repeated constantly while brushing your hair and rubbing your waist

you and oikawa tooru spent an hour sitting on that bed just crying 

after a while, you stopped and resulted to just hiccuping

‘youre selfish, tooru. you listened to yourself and did whatever you wanted rather than talking to me. i hate you but i,,, i love you, oikawa-san. i shouldnt say that but if i dont, im afraid you’ll go ahead and do something stupid again’

he chuckled but he squeezed you tighter

‘i dont,,, want to let you go, y/n-chan. let me be selfish a little longer and love you all to myself’

and by god did he become selfish

it took you a while to get over your defensive and guarded actions from him but you were slowly finding yourself forgiving him

YO IM SORRY BUT I WOULDVE DROPPED HIM LIKE PLEASE WHAT THE HECK Y/N REALLY REALLY LOVES THIS GUY

natsu absolutely despises him still and whenever oikawa even comes over, hes always glaring at him and oikawa would shift uncomfortably but accept it bc he deserved it

‘i didnt realize how badly i hurt you, y/n. i could never imagine you accepting me still. ill spend the rest of my life making it up to you’

he promised and you laughed

you were both lounging on your bedroom floor, mean girls playing in the background, while just staring at the ceiling

you brought your clasped hands up so you could look at it

then a goofy smile settled on your face and you turned to look at him

‘just continue loving me, oikawa-san. thats all i ask for’

then graduation came

of course the boys were all teary but oikawa seemed even more sad and he refused to look at you the whole day

you figured it could just be him being mopey over not seeing you everyday like he was able to before

then you both were walking home and he still hasnt looked at you

the silence was killing you but you just kept a tight grip on his hand and he would smile at you and kiss your hands

it still didnt wash away the odd feeling in your stomach but you would talk to him later after you gave him present

for the weekend, you were able to convince your parents to go on a beach trip at okinawa while you made natsu go over to tokyo and stay with katsuki

oikawa didnt know your family was out so he stood by your door, waiting for you to enter

you both stood there, staring at the floor, not knowing what to say

until you softly grabbed his hand

‘come in. i want,,, to talk’

you mumbled and oikawa’s eyes widened, silently panicking that you possibly found out

it was a secret not even iwaizumi knew so you couldnt have known

right?

you led him up to your room and pushed him down to sit on your bed

FLKDSJFLKDJ WHY AM I DOING THIS WHAT IS HAPPENING SOSOSOSOSOSOSOS

ALSO Y/N IS NOW 17 ON THIS YOU GUYS LIKE BLS SHES ONE OF THE OLDEST IN HER CLASS BC HER BIRTHDAY SITUATION SO SHES BEYOND THE AGE OF CONSENT IN JAPAN, RIGHT?

oikawa was confused and he watched you bite your lip and look off to the side

‘y/n-chan? why are you nervous? you said you wanted to talk?’

he asked

but you unzipped your skirt and let it drop on the floor

‘for graduating,,, and working hard for these years,,, im giving you this’

you finally met his eyes

then he knew

oikawa blanched and he quickly stood up and placed his hands on your shoulder

‘y-y/n! uh-i-are you sure? a-arent you-’

‘accept it, tooru. youre,,, my first love,,, so,,,, ill give you my other first’

KSDLFJSDKFJSDLK OKAY YALL LETS STOP THERE FOR NOW AND GO TO THE TIMESKIP OKAY?

OKAY

-----

oikawa was running in the airport

despite the shouts of civilians he accidentally pushed, he made no sign of stopping and if anything, ran faster till he reached outside

the rush of his sudden trip home was clear as he was only carrying a duffel bag full of clothing he hurriedly stuffed inside 

when he met the orange ninja boy in brazil, he quickly caught up with his underclassman and got drinks to talk about japan the last 2 years of his career

they both got simple beers and some appetizer to share as they reminisced the past

hinata was excitedly talking about the reconciliation of kindaichi and kageyama and how they were still enemies on court but were now friends

‘eh~? tobio-chan making up with kin-chan? what’s next? flying sushi?’

he joked and hinata laughed

‘it was partly of your manager, oikawa-san! she helped them make up!’

the previous smile on oikawa’s face slipped at the mention of you 

‘hmm,,,, she always made the impossible happen’

he mumbled and hinata nodded

‘l/n-chan became close to kageyama through kindaichi and kunimi and she would bring us food and stuff too! but only on times she wasn’t busy’

the ninja said and dipped his chip into the salsa while oikawa stared at the liquid

‘you guys must be special for her to go all the way to karasuno’

then hinata said something that caused the brunette’s ears to fall deaf to the loudness of the bar

‘it wasn’t a problem since coach ukai took care of her son’

oikawa didnt even give hinata another word when he rushed out of that bar after overcoming his shock and straight into his apartment

there were tears that blurred his vision as he shoved in shirts and pants and other necessities for a trip to japan

he argued with the front desk lady to give him a ticket to the earliest flight to japan despite her saying that it was hard to give him a seat when the plane was full

but luck seemed to pity this baby daddy as someone pulled their ticket out and he was able to take it for himself

it was the longest journey of his life and his hour long layover gave him an opportunity to call the only person he thought would even know where you were

iwaizumi

oikawa paced at the waiting lobby with his phone pressed to his ear as he listened to the ringing of his call

he bit his lip in anticipation and ran his fingers through his hair for the upteenth time until finally it was picked up

‘damn you, shittykawa, do you understand what time-’

‘iwaizumi, is y/n still in japan?’

of course his best friend was startled with the question as the setter hasnt asked him any question related to you in a few years

‘wha-how the hell am i supposed to know that? im in california, oikawa’

‘dont lie to me. she still talks to you since youre probably the godfather of my son’

he hissed and iwaizumi was now fully awake and his heartbeat was beating quite quickly 

how did he figure out

‘oi, oikawa, listen to me she-’

‘please! dont!’

he shouted and didnt care if he startled anyone else around him

‘dont lie to me! of all people! you dont lie to me!’

‘why should i tell you when you were the one who up and ran? huh?’

oikawa fell silent and iwaizumi could hear his sobs through the phone

iwa sat up on his bed, leaning against the wall as he contemplated revealing this secret you begged him to keep since his best friend sounded like he was on the verge of breaking apart

poor oikawa tooru already suffered so much

‘i swear youre going to make me regret this. but y/n is in,,,, tokyo and,,,,, she,,,,,, didnt want you to know about,,,, about everything. well-she did want to tell you but she had her own reasons not to and,,, and its perfectly valid for her to choose whatever she wanted. and yes, i knew and yes, i am his godfather but please, oikawa, whatever you do, dont go to japan, you understand? shes still hurt by it, idiot, and shes angry and you sound angry and-’

but of course,

oikawa didnt listen and he hung up but continued his pacing but this time, tears blurring his vision

the taxi driver noticed his frazzled expression and quickly stopped in front of him

oikawa gratefully hopped in and quickly told the driver the address he forced out of iwaizumi (with great reluctance)

‘this is the last time, understand me, tooru? youve already hurt her so many times and i cant bear to see it all over again so you need to fix it. but you mess this up again, not only will you lose her, you’ll lose me too’

the old man felt sorry for the young lad and stepped on the pedal to get him to his destination in the quickest time 

the apartment building was several stories tall yet the elevator ride felt like a snap when he finally arrived at the floor your apartment was supposedly on

what the real kicker was when he stood outside your door and he hesitated

would you let him in?

would you even want to see him?

would you punch him?

would you cry?

he was so worried but didnt realize that he already pushed the doorbell and a faint shout from inside made his heart jump

‘UNCLE KYOOoooo,,,,,’

the door opened and the boy’s voice went quiet, knowing this wasnt the man he was expecting and he quickly and harshly slammed the door shut to his face

oikawa was stunned

was this the right apartment?

did iwaizumi trick him?

but those thoughts were wiped away when the door opened again and a girl was softly chiding the boy before turning around with a smile to greet the person but then it fell

similar to her son, she slammed the door shut and oikawa panicked

‘y-y/n? h-hey!’

he exclaimed and with a clenched fist, he stood there

you were hyperventilating inside

how did he find you?

why is he here?

does he know?

‘mama? who’s that oji?’

the bright eyes of yozora looked up at you and you blinked, briefly seeing the man behind the door at the face of your son

you sucked in a deep breath before smiling lightly

‘yoyo-kun, can you go play with dino-kun while mama and oji talk?’

yozora blinked back up at you before shrugging and nodding and running off to your shared room

once he was gone, you quickly composed yourself and opened the door again, shocked to see oikawa already half-way down the hallway to the elevator

‘would you like some tea before you go?’

you called out and he stopped, almost giving himself whiplash at how fast he turned his head

it was like his instincts took over when your voice started speaking to him

as if he was 18 again, oikawa found himself trailing after your voice and you nervously led him inside

his eyes were moving really fast as if he wanted to quickly soak it all in before it would disappear

this was where you lived

with your son

who was his son too

there was a picture by the door of you and the little boy from earlier

it was at the planetarium nearby and tooru’s heart bloomed at the sparkle in that child’s eyes

jesus, he was beautiful

‘yozora. thats his name’

you said, noticing him staring at the picture

KDFLJSDKFSD PRINCE NOCTIS LUCIS CAELUM BABIESSS!!!

‘night sky’

oikawa whispered

the teapot was still hot and you were able to pour him a cup so you both sat on the dining table where he sat across from you

‘n-nice place’

he stuttered out

you nodded, tracing the rim of your own cup

‘its natsu’s and katsuki’s actually. my parents kicked me out so they offered to let me stay with them’

you reasoned, not meaning to sound cold but it came out as if you were being passive agressive

‘o-oh? ho-how is he-’

‘oikawa-san, what are you doing here?’

he visibly flinched

calling him by his last name stung since you called him ‘tooru’ the whole relationship so returning to his surname is your way of cutting off the whole thing

‘i,,, i found out. a few days ago. from shoyo. he told me their coach looked after yozora and,,, i knew he is,,, mine’

you let out a humorless chuckle

a scoff

then you looked up to meet his gaze, oikawa gulping at the hardness in your eyes

‘what makes you think so? what makes you think that i wasnt angry and spiteful enough to give myself to someone else so they could have what the great oikawa tooru had? what makes you think that i would remain loyal to you despite you just running off to the other side of the fcking world without a word? hm? oikawa-san? what.makes.you.think.so?’

out of guilt, he broke the stare to his own steaming cup of green tea

‘nothing’

you whispered

he shakingly sighed and you could tell he was about to cry

but you rolled your eyes and crossed your arms

‘go ahead and cry, oikawa-san. im used to temper tantrums. i have a son for god’s sake’

‘you would never do that to me, y/n. you promised that you would always love me and only me and i know you take promises to your grave’

he reasoned but it sounded like it was him convincing himself

the dry laugh you let out made him fidget

‘and you promised that you would always talk to me and communicate. yours is a much lighter and easier promise than mine yet you get to break it and i can’t? no, oikawa-san. to me, its like that year never even happened’

you were now just trying to rile him up due to your anger towards him

you shouldve let him walk to the elevator and leave and never come back

but you still invited him in anyways

oikawa snapped his head up

‘you cant say that or mean it, y/n. that boy over there, hes a reminder of me. he looks exactly like me so you cant ever forget what we have’

‘what he had. it was simply the past, years ago, and everything has changed since then. dont you dare try to dig up buried secrets, oikawa’

‘but why did you keep him from me?’

he pleaded, desperate for any answer as to why

‘i had every right. the moment you boarded that plane, he no longer was yours. you left, i stayed, and you cant just come back here and-’

‘mama?’

a small voice from the corner halted your loud voice and you and tooru looked at him

oikawa yozora was exactly like his father

from his loud and obnoxious personality to even the brown hair and brown eyes

KFDSLJFKDS REMEMBER THAT KID FROM OLD UKAI’S VOLLEYBALL CLUB?! THATS WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE!!

he looked absolutely nothing like you and people even get confused when you say hes your son

um maam i think hes my son since he came out of me

so oikawa was right

yozora was your daily reminder of the mistakes of your youth but he was anything but that as he is the greatest thing to ever happen to you

yozora became your light when you fell into depression after oikawa ran away

sure, your parents absolutely loathed poor child as he is a child of a child

but you kept him because he means the world to you

and the world he holds are in his eyes

‘i,, i heard yelling,,, and,,, thought mama and oji were sad,,, so,,, i bring my,,, star book because,,, it makes me happy,,, and i think,,, mama and oji will,,, be happy too’

he mumbled out and you smiled at him before moving to go to him but oikawa stopped you

his eyes begged you and you glared at him, deciding to withdraw

if he decides to do anything, you could always knee him between the legs

he slowly approached yozo and kneeled down to reach eye-level

‘hello, my name is oikawa tooru’

he softly introduced himself and yozora just stared at him

‘you oikawa too? but i oikawa! mama is he me?!’

yozora shouted and you giggled, running to take him into your arms

‘oh, darling, how curious you are. oji isnt you, baby. he just,,, has the same last name as you. like mama has hers but you have,,, oji’s’

your eyes drifted to oikawa but he remained on the floor, staring at the spot where yozo stood on

you kept his last name

you listened to him from that night at the hill by naming his son after the night sky

my god, you are so,,, 

‘--the book. oji? do you?’

he was brought back to reality when your son was now back on the floor and poking his shoulder

tooru blinked and looked at him

‘huh?’

‘i ask if you want to read my book with me, oji. mama say she happy but you still sad so my book make you happy’

not even an hour of meeting him, oikawa tooru already loves him

the volleyball player nodded and yozora offered a tiny hand to which he accepted

‘this way. mama say to read so she make food. i like food, do you like food, oji? i like food. i like milk bread. mama say papa like it so i like what papa like. i want papa to come home. sit there’

tooru’s heart beat faster every word his child uttered and it even went faster when he saw yozo struggle to get up on the couch

the pair of big hands that brought him on the cushion made him happily sigh then uttered a small ‘thank you’

‘my mama say that my papa give me my book and say to take care of it until he come back. and she say he come back when im a master of space! so i study and read my book every day and know all so papa can hurry home!’

tooru didnt even notice tears falling down his face until yozo blinked up at him with his small hands grasping his cheeks to wipe it off

‘why you cry, oji? no sad! no sad! here! i read my book so you not cry’

he babbled and quickly pried the book open and read out the words on the page, not realizing he was saying most of it wrong

that book was oikawa’s

the book that he read all the time in the bus and now, it was passed on to his son

you leaned against the wall and gasped at the sight of yozo just babbling and oikawa crying

‘yoyo-kun? what did you do to tooru?’

you fussed and sat down next to oikawa

yozo worriedly looked at him and now his own eyes were watering and soon enough, you have 2 boys crying in your living room

GURL IM SORRY BUT I WOULDA KICKED OUT OIKAWA LIKE NOT EVEN OFFER HIM TEA OR ANYTHING IM SORRY IM TIRED AND IDK WHATS GOING ON

‘a-ah, y-yozo! yozo-kun! oji is,,, just,,, uh,, sad because,, because pluto isnt a planet anymore!’

yozo sniffled and he went closer to oikawa

‘me too, oji. yoyo sad too because pluto is just small. other planet are onii-chan and onee-chan but pluto is baby so they not like him’

he rambled and oikawa pulled him closer

‘mama, can we keep oji? nana-san and katsu-san will like him! promise!’

you couldnt even believe what was going on right now

not only did your baby daddy ex-boyfriend suddenly pop up, your son was now wanting to keep him

you made a move to of course deny his request but oikawa opened his mouth first

‘yozora-kun, of course you could keep me. im your papa, after all’

OKAY THAT WAS IT

YOU DID NOT WANT HIM TO SAY THAT TO YOZORA

out of shock, you slapped him across the face

causing yanno what happened

oikawa screamed

a/n: yoooooo SO LIKE THIS IS RIDICULOUS LIKE THIS IS BOOTY IM SORRY BUT THIS IS ALSO IN MY GOING TO EDIT LIST AND I CHOSE THIS OUT OF MY 10 OTHER VERSIONS OF THIS ROUTE AND I MAY OR MAY NOT RELEASE ANOTHER ONE JUST TO MAKE UP FOR IT. but try not to let this flop 🥺 👉👈

ALSO CHI THAT K+Y AND THE T+Y IS ON THE WORKS RN AND IM LIKE HALF WAY DONE SO I MIGHT RELEASE THEM BOTH AT THE SAME TIME

[kiliinstinct]

Closure - Nalu One-Shot for Cutest-Celestial-Princess

Currently Not Accepting Commissions Until My Current List Is Completed! New Post/Prices Coming Soon!

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Prompt: Nalu - Set After the Alvarez War, but before Lucy finishes her book- she and Natsu have an unspoken issue still simmering beneath the surface. Series: Fairy Tail Rated: General/Teen Commissioner: @cutest-celestial-princess Word Count: 5239

-----

It wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

It opened the path to dreams and fears Natsu thought he had shoved deep inside to rot and be forgotten. 

“There’s this really good job, and it’s out farther than I’ve traveled before; I think it’s a good chance to find Aquarius!”

How could something sound so positive and be so horrible all at once?

“Awesome! Let’s get Happy and go already!”

“Uhmm… about that…”

The fire in his belly was drenched to soaking embers with the fewest of words. 

“You’re not coming with me.”

Just a few months after the war. A few months of tepid peace, rebuilding and settling down into a pattern many hadn’t enjoyed in what felt like years. The Alvarez War was not a long one. It would not go down in the history books as a 100 years war, but the survivors certainly felt aged. Time slowly crawled away, eroding the burdens and worries with tiny chips from a well-worn chisel. Many Guild Members fell back to their routine as if nothing had changed. 

Others… looked upon the rest of their life with a newfound goal. Lucy had been hiding away in her apartment, diligently writing every chance she could. When she wasn’t, Lucy was at the guild, staring at the newly added Job postings with an intensified interest. Many times Natsu offered for them to head out, leave Magnolia for a few jobs- revert back to a pattern they could be comfortable with. 

She denied them each time. At one point, Happy even claimed she was ‘avoiding’ them, and while that thought forced a frown from Natsu, Lucy had denied it fervently.  However, seeing her eyes gleam, excitement pulling just beneath the surface, threatening to explode while fingers all but pinched and crinkled the request in her hands, Natsu realized the truth. 

Lucy wasn’t avoiding- she was planning. 

“Hah- good one Lucy,” He forced out, laughing at what he hoped to be a joke, “But we’re always a team, and teams go together!”

Her silence screamed volumes. Shoulders tensed under the weight of his own arm as Natsu leaned on her, desperately trying to find the lie in her words. There was none.  Sheepishly, she pulled away from his proximity, guilt suffusing her features now that he could look at her better. Folding the request, Lucy stuffed it in her purse, bottom lip pulling beneath her teeth as she nibbled worriedly against it. 

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. They were a team, now more than ever! Even if Erza, Gray or Wendy didn’t come along (but of course they should if available-), they were supposed to do all their jobs together! Isn’t that what things were culminating to for all these years? Didn’t Lucy used to wait for him to be ready for jobs so they could go together? Didn’t he and Happy always find the ones with rewards that would best help her with her rent? That was how things went, and how he had always expected them to go. 

“I’m not kidding.” Her tercid tone froze him better than Gray’s ice ever could, smile dropping as he stared.  Natsu could hear the tapping of her foot against the hardwood, echoing above the den of chatter in the hall. If he hadn’t been distracted by the strange words falling from her mouth, he would have noticed all present were creening their heads over, desperately trying to listen in. 

“I want to do this for me.” Lucy pressed on, sighing as if all her earlier willpower had drained. “I’ve already talked to my landlady about it and she’s willing to put a stop to my rent payments. Just as long as I do a downpayment before leaving. I can do that. And then I won’t have to worry for months!”

Months? She was talking as if- Natsu’s mouth felt dry and a low whine escaped him, “You’re talkin’ like this job is gonna take ya’ forever, Lucy-”

“It is!” Lucy snapped, pointing a finger at him, “No offense, Natsu, but my world does NOT revolve around you. I have goals, plans! And I intend to see them through. This job isn’t supposed to take a long time, but it’s in a good place to search for Aquarius and that’s exactly what I intend to do! Alone.”

The icy tone in her voice was throwing him off. Why did she sound so bitter, so angry? There were many reasons Natsu could come up with (all revolving around the separation she suffered from breaking her key), but not a single one explained the treatment he was currently getting. Had he… done something to upset her?

Eyes glanced to the telltale marks of an old corruption spidering up her arm and Natsu’s stomach churned. Though Gray had protected her from the Book of E.N.D. the slight hints of damage were still there. While he didn’t want to consider how his own weakness could have caused those damages, Natsu was realizing that maybe he had more to own up to. 

“Look, Lucy, I-” how could he even explain this uncomfortable feeling in his chest? She was strong enough to take care of herself, that he knew, but leaving for months? Where he couldn’t be there in case she needed him? Where they couldn’t laugh and tease or just enjoy the life they had now that the biggest threat in their lives was over?

“I don’t get why ya think ya can just leave me alone like that.”

Those were not the right words to say and Natsu was unprepared for the bitter dam he’d broke loose.

Lucy had gone silent, jaw open- looking as if she’d been slapped. Blinking her eyes rapidly, she struggled to form words, Natsu’s own had fallen from his lips without truly thinking about it and he crossed his arms stubbornly. Since they helped bring the Guild back together, after all they fought and struggled for, she was wanting to just… run off on her own? He didn’t like it. He didn’t have a way to explain why it left a bad taste in his mouth, but it did- and he saw no reason why he shouldn’t say so. 

“.... You,” She seethed, voice gutterral, rising in volume as she took a step forward, right into his space, poking a digit into his chest with so much force, he almost stepped back. Pink brows rose under the fringe of his hair as Natsu stared in shock,  not expecting the absolute rage in Lucy’s eyes, “-Inconsiderate. JERK!”

He stepped back then- forced to by her hand shoving him, advancing against him as he realized, too late, what he had done. Tears were glistening in the corner of her eyes. From sadness? Anger?  Natsu couldn’t get a read on the fluctuating emotions as her pointed nail dug briefly into his skin through the fabric of his jacket.  “Oi- Lucy! Hold up there- “

She interrupted, “Don’t you TRY and calm me down!” She finally backed off, dark gaze turning towards the rest of the guild, many of the eavesdroppers glanced away sheepishly- whistling to themselves. Others (Like Mirajane and Erza) goggled from their locations with wide, disappointed eyes. Lucy didn’t seem to notice. Not then. And she wouldn’t for awhile. “Don’t you remember what I told you back in Amefurashi Village? How I felt during the entire YEAR you had left?!” Her voice was shaky and it lost its loud tempo with every word, cracking when she released the explosion bubbling at the tip of her tongue. “You don’t get to tell me if I can leave you alone or not. I don’t care what’s happened since then. You don’t get to say that. Not now. Not. ever.”

Natsu felt his mouth run dry, his blood cold. It wasn’t a feeling he was used to, but the wind had been knocked from him by Lucy’s words as his eyes darted back and forth between her and the guild around them, unsure of what he could say. Yes, he remembered Amefurashi Village. The bitterness in her tone when she had snapped at him for his unthinking words against Gray. Juvia had interrupted their moment of tension, but that didn’t overlap his memory. The look on Lucy’s face was all he needed to cement it into his mind. 

Not only that, but the memory of her forlorn expression as she slept, finally relieved to see him and Happy again, with only a wall of all her attempts for contact to keep her company. Those memories came hand in hand and Lucy’s reminder stole all words from him. In that moment he realized just how far he had overstepped. “- Lucy, I didn’t mean that-”

She cut him off with a finger pointing to his nose, practically hissing in her rage. “You know what? I don’t want to hear it!” 

The click-clack of her heels echoed through the hall. Lucy turned from him in one fluid motion, her words stabbing him like tiny knives with each stomp against the wood floor. The silence in the Guild was palpable, interrupted only by the slam of the doors, as she made her exit. The walls shook and every interloper took in a breath, their gazes falling on Natsu in bafflement.

“You really stuck your foot in a pile of it now.” Macao mumbled, scratching his neck awkwardly. 

“Ehh, you shouldn’t worry too much about it,” Wakaba joined in, “Girl’s like to blow up, but they get over it quickly enough. Even my wife- “ He was silenced by a sharp elbow to his ribs from Macao. 

Natsu barely heard either of them. His head was buzzing from Lucy’s words. It wasn’t her anger that floored him. Oh no, he could handle that- he could accept her frustration.  This wasn’t just anger or a bomb exploding to calm down later. He had seen what no one else had, the glitter of pain in her narrowed eyes. The hint of water shining in the irises before she forcefully blinked them back as she turned away. She hadn’t stomped off from her anger. Lucy had left to hide her tears. 

He had hurt her. Natsu had hurt Lucy. He felt like vomiting. 

At first, Natsu considered chasing after her, already stepping forward to start his pursuit- but a quick snap of his name from Erza, froze him in place, jaw clenching tight as his teeth ground together. It was hard not to continue, his clenched fists were testament to the inner struggle to rush after his best team mate and make everything right again, but how?

“While I absolutely believe she deserves an apology,” Erza said, moving to his side , her voice was harsh, angry and Natsu didn’t blame her, “I don’t agree with you charging after her like this. Give her the space she obviously wants and think for a change, won’t you?”

Natsu didn’t have it in him to argue the jab. His energy deflated, eyes meeting Happy’s from the nearest counter. The blue Exceed had barely begun eating the fish he’d been given, worry and hurt distracting him. With a noncommittal shrug, he moved to sit by his flying partner, shoulders sagging as a puff of steam blew from his lips. It would have been so easy to turn around and challenge Erza just then, but the idea was an old one, something he’d done often in the past to release emotions he dared not speak out loud. 

Often he would release his anger, sadness, inner fears and loss of hope, into the brawls he instigated and joined. It was a quick release that refreshed him and reminded Natsu that his heart was still beating, that he and those around him were still alive. He could shovel his concerns and what had bothered him and others under a thick rug in his mind after a good fight- finding other ways to bring smiles to his and everyone's faces. 

How often had he been kicked from Lucy’s apartment, suffered a loss or grew angry at some random enemy mistreating her, only to turn around and fight Gray and Gajeel to calm down- ? How often did he return to Lucy with a goofy grin, jokes and crazy antics to distract her and reassure her that everything would be okay? Too often. He couldn’t count the times on his fingers. (Not even his toes for that matter.)

“Way to go, Flame Brain,” Gray said from behind, voice cold and taunting. “I’d have punched you if I were Lucy. How stupid can you get?”

Natsu knew what Gray was doing. The insult was well-deserved, but also done with purpose. It was the very invitation Natsu often took and needed, but rather than stride through the wide open door of Gray’s challenge, he merely tilted his head to glance at his fellow mage and frowned. He didn’t have the energy. Not now. It had seeped through his bones the very moment Lucy had slammed the door. 

“Gray,” Erza snapped, causing the other mage to freeze in place, “Not.now.”

“Uh- yeah, right. Sorry!” 

Natsu’s answer was to slam his head against the counter and groan. 

-

The day had looked to be a good one. With a bright sun, hardly any clouds and perfect wind to keep a person cool. With the sun just below the horizon and stars starting to blink out in the sky, the mood was a complete one-eighty.  Erza hadn’t allowed Natsu to leave until she was certain Natsu knew what he wanted to. (“There will be NO bothering Lucy if you’re going to speak thoughtlessly again!”)  It was hard to be patient, and while he craved the distraction of a good brawl, Natsu had listlessly sulked at the bar instead. 

Now, he wondered if he needed a few more hours to sulk before he ventured into Lucy’s apartment. Coming up to the building he could recognize blindfolded, he readjusted his scarf and grimaced. 

“You know you can just try in the morning, Natsu.” Happy said. He stood at Natsu’s feet, his own frown on his face while he glanced towards Lucy’s window. “I’m sure she’ll be willing to forgive you then! Oh, we can even bring her a gift!”

That could possibly work, but Natsu had a feeling he knew exactly what sort of gift Happy had in mind.

“A big fish!”

Yup.

 Despite the low mood, Natsu grinned. Count on Happy to help even just a little. Kneeling down to pat the Exceed on his blue head, he shook his head and tilted his gaze towards the window he often climbed through. “I don’t think that’s gonna work this time, buddy.  And I think I’ve avoided this long enough.”

“What do you mean?” Happy blinked owlishly, but Natsu didn’t give an explanation. The two had been through so much and stayed by each other the year he had traveled. Above everyone, Happy knew and understood his fears and intentions, but that understanding could only go so far. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Stretching, he rolled his shoulders and pointed towards his goal. “Think you can get me up there? Probably best you don’t stay for this just in case, but I’ll send ya’ a signal when the coast is clear!” “Aye, sir!” The rustling of magic to unfurl his wings was swift, and with well-timed practice, the two were in the air and elevated to the window of Lucy’s bedroom. So many times she had told him to use the door and there had been a few times he had actually listened - when he got there first. 

Most of his window attempts were done just to tease her after her initial complaints, at some point, his blonde partner had stopped complaining and often expected his entrances. Today, he hoped for similar. Natsu had never feared she would lock the windows on him before, but the worry niggled into the back of his brain. It would be far too easy to bust it open if he’d been out for more reasons to anger his partner, but this was a mission to clear the air, not exacerbate their issues. 

Natsu felt relief surge through him as the window clicked open. She hadn’t locked it after all! Exhaling, he lifted his thumb to happy and waved him off. With a whispered ‘good luck!’, his partner flew  off in the direction of the guild and Natsu steeled himself for the true challenge of the night. He slid the frame upward and quickly moved in, careful not to rustle the mattress or knock items over. 

He was surprised not to find her at her desk. Even more so stunned at the amount of papers littering the floor, some crumpled and others torn. Lucy had never been one to be messy. (That was his job!)  Natsu’s stomach churned at the realization that his actions caused such a change in her own routine and he quickly examined the rest of the room, trying to pinpoint his teammate’s location.  The lights had yet to be lit, casting dark shadows over the furniture and he clicked his tongue.  “ - Lucy? Are, are ya’ here?”

He could smell her, but figured he’d ask. The sudden sniffle from the front of her couch caught his attention and slowly, a disheveled blonde peered up from the cushions, eyeing him with narrowed eyes.  “Go away, Natsu.”

He almost stepped back through the window, but closed it behind him as he began his trek across the room. She told him to go away, and many times in the past he had ignored such orders until she’d thrown him out. Age had told him to take her words into account more often, but the fact that she hadn’t barred his entrance was all the communication he needed.  Lucy would be willing to talk.. If he only had the right words.

“I wanted to-” He began, fumbling over his words, “I just wanted to say that…. Uh- I didn’t mean to, that is-” Where had this rambling come from? Snorting, he took another step towards her and muttered, “I wanted t’say sorry.”

A heavy silence filled the air. Lucy’s eyes stayed focus on him as she kept her face pressed against the back of her seat. The low-light had made features hard to distinguish at first, but now Natsu could see the puffiness and redness in her gaze. She wasn’t at present, but he knew tears had stained those cheeks some time ago. It doubled the tumultuous sickness in his stomach and he struggled to swallow.  

Finally, Lucy moved, turning her back to him to settle herself into the cushion. She didn’t repeat her earlier order and her fingers drummed along her arms impatiently. With a huff, Lucy said, `` - do you even know what you’re apologizing for?”

Oh he knew, but it made his throat thicken all over again- as if a ball had been lodged into his throat, suffocating the five inside, smothering him. Why were emotions and words so difficult to say? 

“You don’t do you?” Lucy’s voice cracked, he couldn’t see her face, but Natsu could picture it as if she were standing before him. Her words came out in waves, full of emotion- anger, sadness, just at the cusp of spilling out. “You just think, you can waltz right in here, apologizing and things are going to go back to normal so you can tease me again and have a grand ole time, but you’re wrong! Not this time. We can’t ALWAYS pretend things aren’t upsetting us, you know!”

She was rambling, giving Natsu the answer to his earlier thoughts. Lucy had always rambled when upset, embarrassed even, but Natsu could hear the rise of tone and knew everything he intended would be kicked out the window if he didn’t act fast, but what could he do? What would he do?  What… what would Lucy do?

Natsu had always been better with actions than words and he crossed the floor in a few steps, hearing Lucy’s words, but not processing them as he moved. In a flurry of movement that sent the tassels of his scarf swooping over her blonde head. His arms encircling her shoulders from behind, cut off all complaints as she choked on her words. Her scent was overpowering, with his nose pressed against the back of her ear, feeling the softness of her hair. 

“I- .. Natsu-” Lucy swallowed, tried to find more words as her face slowly began to turn a few shades red, “What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry.” He said. His tone absolute. It wasn’t enough. He knew it wasn’t, but the firmness, the fact he wasn’t crawling on the floor in an attempt to make it funny, deviate with humor,  this was him: serious. 

“Y-you can’t just h-hug me and make it all go away,” She hiccupped and Natsu realized the emotions were spilling over again, but he chose not to notice. Lucy was embarrassed and confused enough, without his teasing. His grip only tightened, a gentle squeeze as he lowered his voice. 

“I know.” He said. “It ain’t like I think this is enough, I just… I really suck at this, Lucy, and I’m not sure if there’s anything I can say t’make it better.” He was sure going to try despite his doubts. “I remember everything ya’ said back then. Ya’ looked so,” Bitter, hurt, annoyed, “I HAD to leave then. At least I thought I did.”

There were many nights he wondered if he had made a mistake. It wasn’t often that Natsu questioned his decisions, usually trusting his gut decisions to lead him down the right track, but after his return? Guilt ate at him like a virus, but he had shoved it away the same as he had done for every negative feeling he had felt for years. How could he be strong if he let things get to him? How could he be dependable? The one Lucy and everyone else could always count on? Back then, he felt there was no other way and even now, breaking through his own inadequacies made his words jumble over themselves. 

“No.” Lucy answered, she sniffled and wiped her eyes. “You didn’t. You could have stayed. You could have been honest or- or… did more than leave me a note! You have no idea how long I looked for you that day! How much I WANTED to go too and you- !!!” 

She fell silent, biting back her words as she untangled herself from his arms. It left a strange sensation of emptiness within him, but he didn’t try to pull her back. Lucy was turning to face him, the extent of her emotions plain on her face. Red cheeks from tears and embarrassment he first noticed, but her bottom lip was quivering, constantly being gnawed between her teeth. It took everything in his body not to lean further to pull her lip down, saving it from the assault. Now wasn’t the time. 

“You already know I lost Aquarius,” She stated, arms crossing while her shoulders quivered. “You know how important she is to me, Natsu. What ALL my spirits mean to me. And I.. I- … “ Her tears dribbled down, dripping off her chin and an almost frantic, tragic whine issued with her next words, “I broke her to save you! To save Everyone!” 

That was it, the dam of strength, the final resolve. It bashed against the hammer of her words and she sobbed, covering her face from the force of her tears. “I wasn’t strong enough and had to-to… do that to her, and you just.. You .. left and I was so.. So…”

Natsu knew without her having to finish: Alone. 

He licked his lips, attempting to dislodge the words on the tip of his tongue. Her words were like blows striking against him, but with a fierce glare, he jumped over the couch, grasping her shoulders to regain her focus as he hissed, “Lucy! You’re not weak. You took on Tartaros by yourself and saved all our asses! I wasn’t there for it, but I knew it when I came to. I just knew it. Don’t blame yourself for that!”

Accuse me. I’m the one to blame. I’m the one who left. I’m the one who ran. “I’m the one who wasn’t strong, I couldn’t protect you. I couldn’t protect anyone- I couldn’t save my Dad!” When did his own tears start to fall? They stung his eyes, burned like his fire, but he forced his gaze on her, refused to blink. 

He couldn’t save Igneel. That was the truth. He had to stand there and watch as Acnologia ripped his father in half. Even after the death of the Dragon King, the pain and the memory stung like a thousand knives, it took his breath away. Inhaling sharply, his fingers lost their grip, falling loosely to his side. Natsu could hardly see the look on Lucy’s face through his blurred eyes. “What… what good was I t’anyone like that Lucy? I keep.. I keep goin’ through it over and over again, but there was nothing I could do. And if I took ya’ with me? Then I’d want to go home so much more, want to goof off, not take things seriously, I couldn’t.. I… I didn’t think I was good enough to be anyone’s partner then Lucy. I-”

I made a mistake. I know I did.  “I didn’t realize how stupid I was until I came back- I still don’t know if I’d do anything different, but I know I messed up, I know I did- but…”

A softness of slim digits interrupted him, reaching out to straight his scarf before Lucy’s face crashed against his chest, fingers digging into the fabric like a lifeline. She was in his arms again and he wasted no time in holding her close. This was a comfort. This was something they both needed, and he sucked in more air, matching Lucy sniffle for sniffle. He hated crying. Hated showing emotion. He hated seeing her cry even more. 

“We’re both stupid.” She mumbled, but no explanation came. Not then. Emotions spilled between them then. No words, only the comfort of each other as their bodies slid to the couch- grips tight around the other as they released the pent of feelings they had buried inside their hearts for over a year.  It was a new experience for Natsu- having only unloaded his full emotions to Happy during their times away from the Guild, but with Lucy? Somehow, the release felt somehow… cathartic. Like a rubber band snapping back into place after being strung tight for too long. 

When their tears dried, sobs settled and breaths grew even, Natsu and Lucy were tangled together on her couch. Partially laying atop him, Lucy breathed into his neck, and his legs felt stiff from the awkward angle, but he kept his hold against her. The room had grown darker, bringing the silence of night down upon the room, but he could light the room later. 

Absentmindedly, his fingers ran through her golden locks. It was a soothing sensation, one that calmed him. Lucy’s body relaxed at the movements and she sucked in air she couldn’t claim through her earlier sobs. With the well of their emotions now emptied, the explosion changed to a weariness that threatened to put the two to sleep. 

“Lucy?” Natsu broke the silence, fingers pausing in their movement as he stared at the ceiling so his eyes could adjust to the light. 

It took her a moment before she answered, as if the edges of sleep were fighting to keep her quiet. She didn’t bother moving her head, certain he’d hear regardless. “Mmm, what is it?”

“Please take me and Happy with you.”

She stiffened and the room grew tense again. Natsu bit his tongue, suddenly anxious. Instead of snapping as he expected, she pushed up to look him in the eye, tired eyes waiting. “Why?”

More words, but he’d already emptied himself out. What more could he say? He wet his lips, eyes flicked to the wall and back again as he wiped his palms on the cushion beneath him. “It hurt being away from you.” He admitted, cheeks heating up against his will, “and you were upset too. I just… think-” words she had spoken years ago sprang to his mind and he jumped on them, “I think it’s better when we’re together.”

Was it unfair? Perhaps, but he meant it. Meant it as much as she on the day she had spoke those words. He didn’t doubt she felt the same. He was positive she did, and the way her lips finally curved into a small smile assured him of that. 

“You know, I wanted to go alone so I could try and get stronger and finish my book,” She said, blowing a strand of hair from her face. It fell back a moment later and she frowned. “I don’t know if I’ll find Aquarius when I go, but I want to believe I will. I didn’t just decide to go on my own to spite you or anything.”

“I know.”  Natsu said. He reached up to tuck the strand behind her ear, gaze faltering. “If you’re sure you don’t want me and Happy with you, fine. I’ll accept it. I just…”

Like her, he didn’t want to feel alone. With the guild, the rest of their team, he was never truly alone, he knew that. Just as Lucy had her spirits, but somehow things felt duller, less bright, when the three of them were apart. He felt it, but did she?

She flopped against him, the tips of her ears bright red, but the sudden movement took the breath out of him. Natsu tilted his head and waited, wondering if this lack of response was her way of denying him again. He would relent, if that was the case, but he wasn’t the greatest at reading her, especially in moments like these. Just when he was about to accept the silence as an ‘I’ll answer in the morning’ and close his eyes, Lucy gave her answer. 

“Okay.”

“What?” Even with great hearing, that didn’t mean he could always trust what he heard. 

Lucy huffed, a soft giggle breathing against his ear. “You both can come. - but I lead, got it?”

Exhilaration filled him and he laughed- relief echoing into the room like a heated balm. His chest heaved from his boisterous cackle and his arms settled around her once again. Later, she might struggle away from him in embarrassment. Morning would come and they’d be just as they were before- best friends, with maybe a hint of more, maybe not. 

For now, they just were- and Natsu couldn’t be happier. 

“You’re the boss.”

Both dozing off, emotions and energy spent- Natsu took one last glance towards Lucy as her breathing grew even, face tilted to reveal the flushed, puffy cheeks. He readjusted them both for his legs to fit over the armrest and yawned. Unfortunately, just as sleep was about to take him, he peeked one eye open towards the window and realized he hadn’t signaled Happy as he said he would. Natsu was sure his partner would chew him out for the transgression come morning. 

He spared another, tired glance at Lucy and figured it was worth it.

[twomanyideas]

The Search for the Supreme Scent - Chapter 2

A Collaboration by @mdelpin and @oryu404 with @x-thekid

AO3 | Prev: Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Next: Ch 3

Chapter 2

Worth Woodsea - a large forest region located in the north-eastern part of Fiore

“A lost pet?” Sting whined as they walked out of the large house nestled within acres of farmland and forest. “That’s not even a challenge.”

A month earlier, the first (and third) generation dragon slayers had agreed to form a team, hoping that by training together, they’d become strong enough to one day defeat Acnologia. That was the reason they’d been taking so many missions together lately, not really caring what they were, so that their friends wouldn't ask too many questions about what they were up to, which had led them here...searching for a lost pet of all things.

“I’m sorry, Sting-san,” Wendy murmured, “I just couldn’t help myself.”

“It was Wendy’s turn to pick,” Rogue reminded his partner, glaring at him to get him to stop complaining. “I think this will be a nice change of pace. Besides, it’s not like we’re not going to train after.”

That seemed to cheer Sting up a little, although he still appeared grumpy. “Don’t worry about it, Wendy. You were right to pick that job; it’s very important, you know? Some people get terribly upset when their pets go missing.”

“Frosch is not a pet!”

“Why don’t you take the lead on this one, Wendy?” Natsu suggested, ignoring the Twin Dragons’ bickering. “You can think of it as part of your training.”

“I don’t think I could do that,” Wendy said shyly, “You all have more experience than me.”

“Of course you can,” Gajeel asserted, “You’re one of us, aren’t you?”

Wendy nodded unsurely, peering down at the job request she was holding. She looked up to find four dragons slayers flashing her reassuring smiles.

“Yes!” she responded, sounding more confident.

Rogue squeezed her shoulder gently, “We’ll be right behind you if you need us.”

Wendy set off at a quick pace, sniffing the air around the client’s house, trying to pick up the missing pet rabbit’s scent while the dragon slayers walked behind her.

Once she was far enough ahead, Sting turned to Natsu and commented, “So that was an interesting reaction Gray had earlier.”

Natsu visibly tensed at the words, “Not this again.”

“Oh come on, he’s obviously pissed you’re not spending time with him,” Sting pointed out eagerly.

“No, he’s pissed because I haven’t been on as many team jobs,” Natsu corrected.

“Natsu,” Sting laughed at him, “he challenged me to a duel and everything.”

“Because you pretty much said the stupidest thing you could have come up with,” Rogue facepalmed, “We’re pushing each other to get stronger? What the hell were you thinking?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Sting asked, confused, “It’s kind of true, isn’t it? Besides, would it have been better if I’d told him the real truth?”

“It sure as hell would have pissed him off less,” Gajeel smirked. When Sting still seemed not to understand, he attempted to explain, “Salamander and the Ice Prick have spent years beating the crap out of each other to get stronger, you basically told him we were replacing him.”

“And I was supposed to know this?”

“You were supposed to keep your mouth shut,” Rogue rolled his eyes, immediately teasing, “It’s okay. I know it’s hard for you.”

“It is hard,” Sting acknowledged, sighing like he was the victim, but he soon perked up as he addressed his friend. “Still, I think there was more to it than that.”

“You just see what you want to see,” Natsu pointed out, dismissing his friend’s remark.

"He doesn’t-" Rogue shook his head, “anything remotely subtle flies right over his head.”

“Surely even you can’t still believe he’s into Juvia after this morning’s outburst,” Gajeel frowned in consternation.

“I-,” For once, the Fire Dragon Slayer was at a loss for words, “I don’t know,” he finished weakly.

Rogue crossed his arms and frowned, “Why are you so determined to give up before you even try? He's important to you, right?”

“Of course he is!” Natsu exclaimed, “It’s not that I’m giving up. I just have no idea where to even begin.”

“Just talk to him,” Rogue advised, “tell him how you feel.”

Gajeel snickered, “Those two blockheads don’t do the talking thing unless it includes their fists.”

“Perhaps you should just come up with some grand gesture- something he can’t possibly ignore.” Sting thought for a few moments before snapping his fingers excitedly. “Oh! Remember how you wrote Fairy Tail in fire at the castle in Crocus? How about you do something like that, but like at Kardia Cathedral. He’s sure to notice that!”

“Sting, no!” Rogue scolded, “If you’re going to give him stupid ideas, at least come up with one that doesn’t include destroying a monument or getting both of them arrested.”

“Besides,” Gajeel chimed in, “the Icicle is too much of a priss to like something like that. If you want my opinion, you should do something more personal. Write him a song or something.”

“You want me to write him a song?” Natsu gaped at his friend, “What makes you think I have any idea how to do something like that?”

“You confess your love through songs? Man, I pity whoever you end up falling for,” Sting laughed, having heard Gajeel sing a few times during their jobs.

“Shut up, Glowstick,” Gajeel growled, “Like you’d do any better, you wouldn’t know love if it was standing right in front of you.”

"Anyway," Rogue coughed, "I think it's safe to say that none of us have any decent advice to give you, and the truth is, it doesn't matter. Just do something before you end up regretting the fact that you haven’t."

“What are you guys talking about?” Wendy’s voice made them all jump, unexpected as it was.

“Oh, Wendy,” Natsu laughed nervously, “finished already?

“Yeah, the rabbit was hiding in that bush over there,” Wendy pointed to a row of bushes at the far end of the property before holding the rabbit up for them to see, “Isn’t it cute?”

Rogue reached out to pet the rabbit. “That didn’t take you long at all,” he praised the younger girl proudly.

Wendy seemed embarrassed by the praise and quickly changed the subject, “ So what were you talking about just now?”

“Oh, we were just giving Natsu some ideas about how to confess his love for Gray!” Sting was happy to fill her in.

“Oh!” Wendy bounced excitedly, rabbit dangling precariously from her hand. “How about flowers? Everyone loves getting those.”

“I don’t know, Wendy,” Natsu hedged, not wanting to sound ungrateful, “Boys don’t like stuff like that.”

“That’s not true, Gray likes pretty things,” Wendy reminded him.

“You mean like Natsu?” Sting teased, getting a kick out of embarrassing his friend.

With a face that matched his hair color, Natsu shoved Sting out of the way, getting more annoyed the louder he laughed, which only encouraged Sting more. Rogue pressed his lips together, turning around and heading back to their client’s house. “Come on, Wendy, you should return the rabbit to its owner and collect your reward,” he flashed her a weak smile over his shoulder.

Gajeel watched Rogue walk away with Wendy and immediately grabbed Sting and Natsu and knocked their heads together.

“Ow!” Sting complained, “What did I do?”

“Could everyone stop hitting me on the head?” Natsu complained, “What was that for, anyway?”

“You’re both idiots!” Gajeel snapped but explained no further, leaving the two other dragon slayers to stare at each other in confusion and ultimately shrug. It wasn’t like they hadn’t heard that before from plenty of others.

Once Wendy and Rogue returned, it was time to get started on their training. They made their way further into the forest, which they knew was teeming with a type of monster they had come to call Satan due to its demonic appearance.

And despite knowing that he should be focusing on honing his tracking skills, Natsu couldn’t help but think of Rogue’s words and wonder if he were right. He didn’t want to have any more regrets. 0-0 The job Gray had picked for that day had been a simple one: cooling 8-Island's stock while they replaced their freezers. It wasn’t anything like the jobs he usually took, but It had been a very long day, starting with Juvia’s incessant attempts to get him to go on yet another job with her. He hadn’t been in the mood to take on a partnered job after that, so he’d settled for a quick and easy one that would at least get him out of the guild. Something to help distract him from his frustrations. When he’d finished and returned to the guild to report, it was relatively quiet, so he’d sat down at the bar, thinking he could really use a drink, and Cana was always good company. “Extra ice, just for you,” Cana winked as she handed him his order. “You alright? You look grumpier than usual.”

“I’m just thinking about what Gramps said earlier.”

“Everyone was pretty excited, you thinking of doing it?” Cana smirked, already knowing the answer.

“Are you?”

“I don’t know. It used to be really important to me. I thought I had to get at least that far to tell Gildarts he was my dad, but now that he knows, I’m not sure if it’s what I want anymore.”

“What about if he was your partner?” Gray suggested with a smile, knowing how much Cana enjoyed spending time with her dad, and with him on her team, she was sure to pass.

Cana’s eyes widened, “I hadn’t considered that. What about you? Who’s on your list? Are you going to partner up with Loke again?”

Gray shook his head, “I wouldn’t want to take him away from Lucy. He’s one of her strongest spirits. Besides, if we don’t have to compete against each other, then there’s someone else I’m considering.”

“Oh?” Cana’s eyes were full of curiosity.

“Nevermind, it’s stupid.”

Cana studied him intently, curling a strand of hair around her finger as she thought about who he might mean. Her mouth curved into a warm smile as she told him, “I don’t know, I think it’s fitting.”

“I doubt he’ll agree to do it.”

“When has that ever stopped you?” she teased, stepping away for a moment to take a drink order.

Gray chuckled, knowing she was right. Still, that was then; everything felt different now. These days it seemed like the friendship he’d taken for granted for most of his life was getting further and further away, which was one reason he wanted to try to do something before it could slip through his fingers.

He was saved from that gloomy thought by the sound of the guild doors opening as the dragon slayers returned from their mission. Gajeel and Wendy supported an almost breathless Natsu between them.

Although he seemed to be in the worst shape, Gajeel and Wendy also looked beat up. The Sky Dragon Slayer kept apologizing to Natsu, who only smiled and told her she should get some rest.

Happy, Carla and Pantherlily rushed over to their dragon slayers, their panicked voices making it so that Gray couldn’t distinguish anything they said.

“What happened to you guys?” Cana asked with concern, saving Gray from having to ask. Instead, he examined Natsu’s body to get an idea of what had happened. There were deep gashes on his chest and stomach that made it seem like a wild animal had attacked him, and Gray could see the beginning of bruising around his ribs.

“Natsu, Natsu!” Happy cried out, his eyes widening in fear as he took in his partner’s injuries.

"It’s nothing,” Natsu’s words came out in short pants as he tried to soothe Happy, and dismiss Cana’s concern.

“Nothing, my ass!” Gray winced in sympathy, now convinced that Natsu had at least one broken rib. He peered at the youngest dragon slayer, confused as to why Natsu would still be in such a state if she had been there with him. “Did you already heal him, Wendy?”

Wendy’s eyes filled with tears, and Gray could have kicked himself for asking such a stupid question. Of course she’d healed him, but then how bad had this been? What the hell had happened?

“Can’t you see she’s upset?” Carla huffed, giving Gray one of her angriest glares for his question.

“He wasn’t the worst off,” Gajeel explained gruffly, leaving the two slayers at the bar as he and Pantherlily went off in search of Mira, talking in hushed voices.

“I’m seriously fine,” Natsu assured them, although he didn’t look it. He smiled at Wendy once again, “My regeneration will kick in soon.”

Gajeel and Pantherlily soon returned with Erza and Mira, who immediately fussed over Natsu, much to his irritation.

“Gray, could you bring him to the infirmary?” Mira asked sweetly, but there was no mistaking the fact that it was a command.

He wanted to fight it on principle. After all, it’s what he would have always done, but he held back, reasoning that this way, he might be able to find out what happened as he doubted Erza would be satisfied without an explanation. Gajeel’s words worried him. What had he meant Natsu hadn’t been the worst off?

“Happy, maybe you should stay down here,” Cana suggested, “you won’t be able to help up there.”

“But-,” Happy protested, his little face scrunched up in outrage.

“She’s right, Buddy,” Natsu interrupted, “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Maybe Cana can make you a drink?”

“Sure,” Cana agreed, giving Happy a conspiratorial wink, “ I think I heard Elfman say they bought some fish earlier. Maybe we can go liberate one?”

Happy seemed unsure, but when Natsu smiled at him, he flew up to the bar counter and sat down looking dejected. “Okay, I’ll wait for you right here.”

“Make sure you don’t drop me, Droopy Eyes, ” Natsu taunted, and Gray couldn’t believe that the moron would attempt to pick a fight with him even in this state. But he had to admit it calmed him down a bit.

He picked Natsu up carefully, being mindful of his ribs as he held him against his chest, but even so, he felt the dragon slayer flinch in his arms. Leading the way to the infirmary with Mira and Erza following close behind, Gray couldn’t voice any of the words he wanted to say. It was the closest they had been to each other in a long time, and it felt surprisingly good. He knew that any words that came out of his mouth would only ruin it.

Once they’d reached the infirmary, Gray gently placed Natsu on one of the beds while Mira started collecting the stuff she’d need.

“What happened?” Erza asked, her eyes trailing Natsu’s injuries as Mira removed his vest carefully. “Why is Wendy so upset?”

Natsu’s eyes remained on Gray even as Erza continued to ask her questions, her voice growing more shrill as she received no response.

“Gray, why don’t you go see if you can get anything out of Wendy?”

He wanted to protest, but the truth was Natsu’s almost empty stare was freaking him out. Maybe Erza was right, maybe Wendy would be able to give him a better idea of what was going on.

He nodded and spared one last look at his friend before leaving in search of Wendy, but when he came downstairs and scanned the guildhall, she was nowhere to be found.

"Where’s Wendy?” he asked Cana, going back to where he’d been sitting earlier.

“She just left. Gajeel and Lily walked her and Carla home,” Cana informed him, “I’m kind of worried about her, she seemed really upset. Did Natsu say anything to you?”

“Nope.” Both wizards shared a worried look. Natsu had always loved to brag about his jobs to anyone who would listen. “You think maybe we should have Gramps call Sabertooth?”

“Why? You worried about your little rival?” Cana teased, but when Gray didn’t respond to the taunt, she changed her tone. “Whatever happened, I’m sure they’ll tell us when they’re ready.”

Gray hoped she was right, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something had gone terribly wrong. The look he'd seen in Natsu’s eyes still haunted him. The only other time he'd seen it was after Tartaros.

After Igneel had died.

The infirmary door opened, and Mira came out, the annoyed expression on her face giving testament to how things were going inside. The sound of Erza and Natsu arguing reverberated around the guildhall.

Mira walked over to them and, with an exasperated sigh, reported, “He refused to say anything until Erza demanded he stay in the infirmary overnight. He’s determined to go home.”

“I can take him,” Gray offered, but before he had a chance to even get up from his stool Happy had already flown past him and up the stairs. He returned a few minutes later, carrying a smug looking Natsu and leaving an infuriated Erza behind.

Erza joined them a few minutes later, looking as irritated as only Natsu could make people. Her eyes fell on Gray, and after gazing at him thoughtfully for a few moments, she finally spoke.

“Gray, I’d like a word with you.”

[gruviafan-forever]

DAY VII:- EUPHORIA

A/N: Finally Gruvia week comes to an end. This was my very first participation in this awesome week. I have been a fan of this favourite ship for ten years. And in these years, my favourite couple have come a long way. Hope to see them get together officially.

Hope everyone liked my works for this gruvia week. Hope this awesome event continues every year. Thank you everyone..enjoy.

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When asked about the best moment in their life, for an individual person it might be the moment they have achieved some goal or an important thing they have longed for.

But if you ask a parent, they will say anything done by their children is their euphoric moment.

Mika Ul Fullbuster, 9, youngest child of Gray and Juvia was a very special child. Of course, every child is special for parents but what made her even more special is that; she was born prematurely around two months before the due date which greatly affected her development and immune system.

On top of that, the little girl developed magic sickness, a condition where a high amount of magic power was in her system much similar to Ultear's childhood condition which Ur had mentioned as Gray remembered.

But Porlyusica and Wendy made sure to treat and completely heal their little girl with the magic portion due to advancement in magic and medical facilities.

Due to this sickness, Mika had always been a slow and dull child. She would easily be exhausted as compared to children of her age.

There was not even a day where Gray and Juvia never stopped worrying about their daughter's condition but made sure to be optimistic in front of her so that the little girl doesn't lose hope and keep fighting.

It was just a year back Wendy had informed them after Mika's monthly check-up that by age of ten, she would be alright as there was improvement over the years and also her magic level was stabilizing.

Even though Mika was slow and dull most of the time, she never forgot to smile and be friendly with her friends and uncles and aunts at the guild.

She was very fond of her elder brother, Ur Silver Fullbuster, 15, who also felt the same for his sister. He took it upon his shoulder to protect his little sister in their parents' absence.

When it was time to start education for Mika, by that time, Magnolia had its own magic school where it taught the children of mages and others skills and combat style related to the type of magic they specialized in.

It was due to Queen Hisui's ordinance to teach the younger generation the art and glory of magic, she had set up this magic academy at every major town and offered a three years course on the same.

Most of the children of Fairy Tail studied and graduated from this academy. So when it was time to enrol their little girl, both Gray and Juvia were reluctant in sending her adhering to her health condition.

But once Master Makarov, Porlyusica, Wendy and their friends convinced them that it would be a new atmosphere for the little girl and would aid in her recovery, the parents finally agreed.

Their friends made sure to teach their kids to be helpful and protective of their friend if any other kids teases or harasses Mika.

As truth to the words, once she started school things with her began to have a positive change as she didn't show much exhaustion and tiredness as compared before, all thanks to schools and medical aids.

Her friends, Igneel Dragneel, 10, youngest of Natsu and Lucy, Eva Redfox, 10, youngest of Gajeel and Levy, Rob Fernandez, 10, middle child of Erza and Jellal and finally, Wenma Conbolt, 9, eldest of Wendy and Romeo were her friends.

Even though Mika was actually good in academics, she didn't flare much in practical and sports class which disheartened her very much.

Gray and Juvia will always encourage her every time when she loses her hope just like now.

The Fullbusters were currently having dinner while Juvia served them happily and made sure they had taken much to fill their tummy.

As Ur told his father about his recent mission which he had taken with his friends enthusiastically which made the Gray feel proud of his son as he was the main reason his team could complete the assigned mission.

As soon as Ur finished telling Gray his tales, Mika butted in, "Papa, do you know in two days time, our school is going to conduct 'Sports Day'. So I'm thinking of taking part in it."

Mika said gleefully but the parents began to frown, "Oh that's great dear, so what all events are to you taking part in? Can we also come?" 

Juvia butted in before Gray could say something which the little girl wasn't expecting her father to tell.

Gray looked at his wife but she smiled and handled the situation. Mika happily told her parents the list of events she wanted to take part.

"Okay dear, so from tomorrow let's practice and make you fully prepared for the event." Gray encouraged her and showed his fist which his daughter bumped in agreement. Even Juvia and Ur did the same.

Later at night, when Gray asked Juvia, "Why didn't you stop her from taking part? I know she's excited but I don't want to see her to be depressed like last time and fall sick." He said and looked sad at the memories of last year. 

It took nearly a week to convince the little girl which greatly hurt the parents to see their child being upset and fell sick which took another week to fully heal. For them, if their kids are happy and healthy that meant everything to them.

But for Mika, winning a prize seemed way more important and didn't give a care about her health condition.

"I know Gray-sama but she's excited and this time she believes she will win at least one event and make us feel proud. That's what she told me now." Juvia told her husband and placed her hands to his cheeks.

"Juvia, the way she's now itself makes me feel proud about her. She doesn't need to prove anything else. I don't want my baby to fall sick even more. You know right, we still have a year until her condition stabilizes, so why to add unwanted  pressure and stress and make all the treatment futile." Gray gave his reasons as he still can't forget those moments where he saw his little girl suffer.

"Even I can't forget those memories. I also want Mika-chan to get well soon. That's what, I have been waiting for these many years, Gray-sama. But we can't discourage her and break her hopes right. Let's make sure she doesn't stress out much." Juvia tried to convince her husband which she succeeded finally.

Then for the next two days, the Fullbuster men trained Mika in such a way that she didn't exhaust her completely.

But her water magic was still of low power, even though her sickness was pertaining to high levels of magic in the system but she couldn't yield much out and that's what made her sickness difficult.

"Papa, why come my magic's not powerful? See it couldn't even break that log of wood." Mika began to cry. She looks clearly defeated and lost hopes in winning this particular event.

Gray knelt down to her height and patted her head, "Dear, it will take time as you are drinking these magic portions to control your instability of power. See next year, once your problem gets sorted out you will become so stronger than us. So dear, tomorrow just try your best and know one thing we are proud of you no matter what because you are our Mika."

He hugged her and held her in his arms like a baby even if she was a bit old for that.

The next day, Mika's friends had come to fetch their friend so that everyone could go together.

"Good morning kids" Juvia greeted them happily.

"Good morning, Aunty. Is Mika-chan ready?" They asked in unison.

"She just finished eating her breakfast. Come inside while she gets ready." Juvia invited the kids to the living room and went to the kitchen to prepare some sandwiches for her son who would be up in half an hour.

Mika came down and went out of the house along with her friends after shouting bye to her mother which Juvia said back.

But after sometime, that's when she realized that her baby didn't drink her portion.

Soon she went to wake her Gray-sama's and urged him to get ready so that they could go for the sports day together just a few minutes before so that Mika could drink up her healing potion.

"What? Juvia, how can you be careless? Just wait, let me get ready. We will leave soon so get the things ready. Is Ur coming with us?" Gray asked as he kept yawning.

Juvia informed that Ur was going with his friends and left the room so that her husband could get ready.

Once they reached the academy and went to the playground where the event was going to take place. As they searched for a place to sit, they spotted their friends calling them out and showed them the empty spaces.

"Gray, Juvia, what made you guys run late? Event has already begun. Luckily, you guys just missed the torch lighting ceremony." Lucy exclaimed.

"Yeah!! You should have seen my boy. He looked so manly, my Iggy." Natsu exclaimed proudly.

"Oh shut up! My boy was the one to pass that torch to your son Natsu. Even my Rob looked so gallant." Erza reasoned out but Jellal stopped her and adjusted his 5 year old daughter, Rose, on his laps also.

Juvia worried and hoped to find a small gap so that she could give her daughter the potion before the events.

Soon the main events began to take place, as said in the inaugural speech by the principal.

Firstly, it was a 200m race for boys. Then Gray spotted his daughter near the stage who looked serious but he smiled as she looked quite adorable thinking about something.

Then, he saw her turning and talking to one boy whom he didn't recognize but from the looks it looked like that little guy was making fun of his daughter as he saw her tongue and went to get part in the race.

Gray clenched his fist and made sure to talk to his parents about this later. But the race was won by him not only but most of the events were won by that boy in either of the three positions.

When it was time for the girl's event to commence, Gray and Juvia were shocked to see that their girl's name was almost there in every game which made the parents worry.

Sensing their discomfort, Lucy and others asked for their reason and slowly they disclosed everything to them. 

Juvia got up and went to meet her daughter so that at least, she could drink that medicine but the teachers didn't allow her stating it might cause hindrance to her during the games.

Juvia then went to meet her daughter and convinced Mika to not take part in every competition but her daughter was so determined and consoled her mother not to worry about her.

Once Juvia reached her place next to Gray, she couldn't stop tearing up and watched her baby struggle in a way to finish every game.

Till now, she had competed in almost every game but she couldn't secure even one small victory and ended up coming last which earned laughter from her classmates especially the bullies.

Mika's friends warned those bullies but they didn't stop and kept on teasing her with words like 'weak', 'pathetic' and 'loser'.

The parents could see Mika was literally on the verge of breaking down and was also physically exhausted.

Gray couldn't take it anymore and went to the teacher to retrieve his daughter back before her condition became worse.

"Mika dear, come. It's enough. You are exhausted, baby. Please don't stress yourself much. Enough please come with us." Gray called out to his daughter and his voice began to crack as it hurt him to see his child being in pain and suffering.

Mika almost agreed to her dad's advice and began to move towards him until the boy who bullied her in the morning spoke," Yeah! You are a baby weirdo. You are not fit to be a mage. You are just an eye sore, that's why your parents don't want you to perform." He began to laugh.

Gray dashed to beat the shit out that little punk for speaking bad about his daughter but luckily Mika stopped her dad and wiped those tears.

"Papa, let me just take part in this one game. I'm sure. I will win this. Please!" Mika pleaded with him, clearly tiredness laced in her voice.

But her friends told her she doesn't need to prove anything to the bully who left before he got beaten by Gray.

Gray knelt down, "Dear, you look tired. If things keep happening, you will fall sick which will affect your health adversely. Please try to understand,dear." He patted her shoulders.

But Mika didn't budge and was determined to finish this last game called MPF.

All the kids of her class were part of it. This was basically to count out there magic power levels.

Mika was made to stand at last so that she could rest a bit before the match. Juvia was crying to see her baby struggling to prove herself even if her condition was not proper.

Till now, it was Igneel and Eva who held first and second place respectively. Then Rob took over Eva's spot. And the third place was held by that bullying punk.

When it was Mika's turn finally, Gray and Juvia just prayed to God that nothing serious should happen to their daughter at the end.

But the little girl was determined and concentrated her water magic before blasting the MPF with her full power.

"Water Hurricane"

Juvia's eyes widened in surprise and got up, "Gray-sama, that move requires more power. This will cause her immense damage to her body." She kept on crying and soon moved towards the ground after excusing herself.

Once the MPF registered the attack, Mika fell unconscious. Soon her friends, teacher and parents came to her aid.

After an hour, at the guild's infirmary, when Mika woke up, she felt her body beaten up and slowly turned around to spot her mother crying while her dad consoling her mother.

"Mama"

"Oh my God!! You are finally awake, dear" Juvia hugged her daughter and kept sobbing while the little girl patted her mother's back.

"Dear, are you feeling alright?" Gray asked and sat next to them.

Once Juvia broke the hug, Mika began to cry, "I'm sorry, mama, papa. I couldn't make you guys proud. I'm such a loser. I will never achieve anything in my life"

Both the parents hugged her simultaneously and teared up a bit and patted her little body, "You know what dear, you made us proud. We were in euphoric state right now because you not only won second place in that MPF game but also your sickness got completely cured. We are elated dear. Finally, our prayers had been answered. We are proud of you, Mika-chan"

Juvia smiled and disclosed the happy news.

Mika's blue eyes widened due to shock, "Mama and papa, I'm happy that finally I made you both feel proud of me."

"Yes dear, you are our precious child. We were beyond the world to see you accomplish something this great. As your parents, we are extremely happy and proud." Gray said gleefully.

Of course, as a parent they were extremely happy and joyful to see their child who not only accomplished something she worked hard upon when she had an disadvantage.

And they were sure for the rest of their life, this moment will always bring euphoria to them whenever they think about it.

[lemoncakepanda]

Top 50 NaLu Anime Moments {Pt 1}

And thus we get back to me fangirling over my favorite NaLu moments once again, only this time we do it based on the anime-only moments, which covers: canon, filler, movies and ovas. 100 year quest is not included bc it hasn’t been animated (yet) and it’s still fairly early in the story to start listing my fave moments, so we’ll just cover these I mentioned. If you’re not up to date with the anime, I recommend you skip this list.

Originally, I was just going to do 30 moments, but the list kept getting bigger and so on, and here we are. So I’ll post from least favorite to, well, most favorite, and will divide the list in 5 posts. In this first one, I’ll list my fave moments from 50 till 41.

Warning: lots of gushing and fangirling over a beautiful ship. also, a few moments will be differently placed on this list contrary to where they ranked before (some may be higher and some may be lower) and that’s due to the fact that some of them were better in the manga, whereas some were better in the anime, and some of them are lower simply bc dragon cry exists. so, here we go,

50. “Hang out with me a little longer.” (Ep 125).

We starting off with a filler moment, and you may wonder why it’s so low, since it’s such a cute moment. One, it’s filler. Two, it made into the list, which is already saying something. There’s many great NaLu moments, and they have a lot of scenes together, so choosing only 50 moments was hard enough, so no judging the rankings, kay? It’s the only scene ever where Natsu and Lucy are dancing, so I couldn’t leave it out. It’s such a great moment because, especially at first, Lucy hardly initiated the NaLu moments, and this was post Tenrou, which is known for its NaLu amazing-ness and where the ship truly start to develop, so to see Lucy grab Natsu’s hands even though he “ruined” what she thought would be a romantic moment, and just pull him in for dancing, was actually really sweet, especially at the sound of “Glitter” which is a great song. Also, it’s easy to miss, but Natsu is blushing when she pulls him to her so they can dance, which made the scene extra cute. Let’s ignore the fact that he probably puked on her next, lol.

49. Lucy stops Natsu in Edolas. (Ep 82).

Does anyone else find amazing the fact that Lucy can calm down Natsu and talk him out of so many fights? Natsu Dragneel, the guy who storms into fighting without a second thought? Because I do. And this moment here is no different. Back when I was watching this, I had no idea where we were going with NaLu as a ship, esp bc I knew Lisanna was coming back this arc, so it was nice to see them having moments like this, where you can see Lucy’s affect on Natsu, the way she calms him down, even when she’s upset too, like you can see on the photo. Also, a back hug, which is a total NaLu thing, so it’s a must on this list.

48. “That was dangerous. Thanks, Lucy.” (Ep 59).

BLUSHING LUCY IS SO CUTE! Srsly, though, I love seeing her blush over Natsu, especially so early in the series. I headcanon that she had a little crush on him around this time, but didn’t know how to deal with it, so she just buried it, but moments like these would happen, and it would slip out. Also, the matching outfits are a plus! I don’t have much to say about this moment, other than it’s hard to show this photo to someone and have them explain how could this be platonic in any way. I mean, they’re friends, ain’t nobody denying it, but it’s not just that.

47. Original Team Natsu is formed. (Ep 3).

Time to travel a bit back in time, back to when I didn’t even ship NaLu, and they certainly did not have romantic feelings for one another, but it’s still a pretty special moment, and that’s when Original Team Natsu, which consisted of Natsu, Lucy and Happy, was formed. I love how in sync they were with each other since the beginning; they certainly had immediate chemistry with one another, even when they were still getting to know each other. Gotta add this one, bc, where would we be if the Everlue mission never came in about? If they never needed a blonde? I mean, Natsu would probably choose Lucy anyway, but this was very essential to the building of their friendship, as it also opened the door for them to start spending time together.

46. Natsu saves Lucy from Zash. (Fairy Tail: Dragon Cry).

And from one jump in time, to something more recent, and where Natsu and Lucy are 100% the ship we love, which would usually not be so low on the list, but God, there are so many moments that weight more, especially on the emotional side, for me. This moment I feel it’s important to point out bc we all know nothing good was about to happen to Lucy, and Natsu once again comes through to save her, to make up for the fact that he almost hurt her, and he just burts in yelling “Give Lucy back!” and just wrecking in everything and punching that creep in the face. And he still picks Lucy up in his arms and is all flirty with her and starts sniffing her. Also, for someone who complains about Lucy’s weight, he sure doesn’t mind holding her like this, does he?

45. Lucy and Natsu falling from the waterfall. (Ep 59).

For those of you who don’t know, I feel it’s fair to point out Orácion Seis is my least favorite FT arc (yes, I know Alvarez exists, but at least it’s entertaining), and the only thing I really liked about it was Jerza, Wendy’s introduction, and, well, the moments with Natsu and Lucy, individually and together. I wanted to bring this moment in because it’s always nice to see Lucy being the one to save Natsu, but also because it shows how their relationship is slowly but surely progressing; before, every time he got motion sickness, she’d tell him to snap out of it or just call him pathetic. And then, somewhere along the way, she stopped finding it ridiculous. As we can see on this moment, I think for the first time, she’s so worried about him and goes on to save him even when she’s all banged up too, and she risks her life to protect him, even when he’s about to be sick right at her chest. She doesn’t ridiculize him, she doesn’t roll her eyes at him, nor ignores him, she steps in to save him because she already cares about him so much. It was a nice development in their relationship, and I’m very grateful for this moment. It’s always nice to see NaLu being reckless together.

44. End of the Starry Sky arc. (Ep 150).

And whereas in one we had Lucy jumping from a waterfall grabbing onto Natsu for dear life to protect him, here we have Natsu straight up jumping at the sky to save Lucy from falling to her death (again), with a beautiful scenery, with all the stars falling, nice background music, and, after the long roller-coaster arc we had, ending it this way, with Lucy giving Natsu one of her sweetest smiles after he catches her and then throws himself on the ground as they fall so she doesn’t get hurt, gave such a warm feeling to my heart. The nice reminder that although Lucy had lost all of her family (Layla, Jude and Michelle), she still had a family right there in him, in everyone else at Fairy Tail, and they would always be there to catch her. 

43. The “almost kiss”. (Ep 219).

While I’m sure we all knew there was no way Lucy and Natsu would be kissing in the middle of the anime, and certainly not in an omake, it was very entertaning to see how they both would react to the suggestion of doing so, which resulted in: Natsu was all okay going for it, and Lucy became a flustered mess. I like how the anime added her heart speeding up when Natsu came closer, right before she pulled Happy to the middle. And can we talk about how Natsu just went for that kiss, though? He didn’t seem bothered by it in the slightest. Oh, if only Lucy wasn’t so shy! But it’s okay, I’m sure it’ll be even better when it actually happens in the actual story. Also, kudos to little Asuka, the mvp, speaking for us NaLus and trying to make dreams come true right there, lol.

42. “We can’t let it end here.” (Ep 122).

A small addition the anime made for the scene where they’re all getting ready to defend themselves from Acnologia, during Tenrou Island, which was very much appreciated. To see once again how Natsu knows exactly how to comfort Lucy, how he gives her hope, how they become stronger together, and have so much trust between them. Also, holding hands, which is always welcomed. They could have shown Natsu comforting anyone else, literally, it could have been anyone else from the guild who felt hopeless, just like they could have had anyone else comfort Lucy and give her hope. But, for this situation, who better than these two? They do so much for each other. Moments like these, filler or not, showcase how important they are for one another and the affect they have on each other. It could be their very last moments of their lives, and they were spending it with one another. Simply amazing and very touching.

41. Last moments before the war. (Ep 291).

Yup, I love this moment. I love how Natsu knows war’s gonna break out the next day (it happens on the same night but only bc Zeref is extra like that), and he goes to spend his last peaceful night at his favorite place, with his two favorite people, Lucy and Happy. I also like the talk they had and how Natsu explained himself to her, about how he loved fighting, but he didn’t like hurting/killing, and he only wanted to protect his guild. In moments like this, you can see Lucy look at him like that, like she’s thinking, yup, that’s why I love him so much. And when he says stuff like that, I think she can’t help admiring him even more. And this is the moment that opens the “let’s talk of the future” thing between NaLu, which has a nice conclusion by the end of this arc, which I’m sure you all know what is, and I’ll bring this moment back, but we’re still far from it. Anyways, a great moment because, even though it’s little, you can see how close they are with one another, and after spending one year apart, they’re more than happy to stay with each other for their last peaceful night too bad it gets interrupted huh.

Part 2 will be posted tomorrow!

[petri808]

Natsu finding out about Aquarius's key. Nice big fight leading to them breaking down and, finally overcoming the horrors they kept inside. Lucy x Natsu please please I love your work. Big fan!

I realized this would work for day 3 of Nalu Week too.  Here you go, hope you like it :).   *Um, let’s just say this takes place between the 1 year gap and Alvarez Arc*

Beneath the Surface

@nalu-week Day 3 Lost prompt

Natsu dodges another attack from the leviathan, but its massive teeth nicks his side.  He rolls onto the sand clutching at the small wound, sealing it shut for now as the creature sinks below the waters of the bay.

The slayer grits his teeth against the pain.  “Lucy call Aquarius!  If we can get the monster onto land it’ll be easier to handle.”

“I—I… No, there’s gotta be another way.”  Lucy mumbles as she scrambles to think of another plan.  

She rushes over to where Wendy was coming to and helps the girl to stand.  “Are you okay Wendy?”

“Yeah,” the poor girl rubs the side of her head.  She’d taken a pretty good hit that knocked her out cold.  “Did we get it?”

The celestial mage shakes her head.  “Just went back under.”

After helping Gray back to his feet too, Natsu and he hobble over to the two women along with Erza. “Lucy,” Natsu places his hand on her shoulder.  “Why can’t you just call Aquarius?  You keep avoiding...”  

Three sets of eyes look away.  This wasn’t the first time they’d watched Lucy avoid the topic, but they knew the reason, Natsu didn’t.    

“Don’t worry, we don’t need her help,” Gray steps in to change the focus away from the girl who was clearly in pain.  “It’s okay man,” he pulls Natsu back, “I got a plan.”  

Natsu’s brows furrow, but he nods and backs off for now.  This conversation may be over for now, but he was going to get to the bottom of it.  Could the celestial mage and the spirit have had a real falling out?  Aquarius could be temperamental and often fussy about being called, but he knew they were close because of the connection with Lucy’s mother and it made no sense for Lucy to be completely avoiding the spirit.  

Two days later when the team had arrived back home in Magnolia, he decides this matter couldn’t wait any longer.  What if the next time they were in a bind, they couldn’t rely on Aquarius.  Lucy had gone straight home without speaking to him and it didn’t take a genius to figure out she was still upset over the mission.  Part of him felt like an ass for pushing, but hey, he needed to know if there was something wrong!  And based on their reaction on that beach, it made him angry to feel like their friends knew some that he didn’t about her.

When he reaches her apartment, Natsu notices that Lucy’s window is closed.  Since when does she close her window in the summer time?  So, he knocks on her door instead.  “Lucy, it’s me, Natsu.  Can we talk?”  He hears her feet shuffling along the floor, coming to a stop on the other side.  

“I don’t really feel like talking Natsu.”  Her voice is quiet but serious in nature.  She exhales, “maybe some other time.”

“I’m not gonna drop this Lucy.  I know your upset so please, just let me in so we can talk…”

“I said I don’t wanna talk about it!!”

Whoa!  Such a severe reaction coming from her was unexpected, but he was just as determined to get an answer!  He lowers his tone.  “Lucy. If you don’t open this door right now, I will break it down!”

“You wouldn’t!”

“I will!”

“Damn it Natsu, my landlady will kill me if you do!”

“Then I suggest you unlock the door!”

After a moment’s pause, Natsu can hear the exasperated sigh she lets out, followed by the click of the lock. He tests the knob and when he finds it unlocked, makes his way inside.  Where the hell is, she now?!  Lucy wasn’t in the living room or kitchen, but the bedroom door was closed.  Are they really going to do this again?  He tries that door’s knob and surprise, surprise, it’s locked.

“I warned you Lucy.”  He gives her no time to respond, simply melting the handle off and flying the door open.

Lucy jumps off the bed and beelines it towards Natsu.  “What the hell is wrong with you?!”  She punches his chest a few times unleashing a whole lot of pent up anger that she didn’t even realize she’d been harboring.  “I’m not ready to talk about Aquarius!”

“But why?!”  Natsu grabs her wrists to stop her from swinging, shaking her a bit to snap her out of it.  “What the hell is going on?  Are you two fighting or something?  Just tell me! I can’t help you if…”

“Her key’s gone Natsu, that’s what the hell is going on!!  Okay! Are you happy now!”        

That stops him cold.  “Wait, what do you mean gone?  When did this happen?”  He lets go of her wrists and Lucy stumbles back to her bed.  Natsu follows and kneels down in front of her, but she’s buried her face in her hands and refuses to look at him.  “Lucy, please just talk to me!”

“I lost her…. During the Tartaros fight.  Had to sacrifice her key to summon the Celestial King.”  Lucy reaches into her pocket and pulls out the remnant of Aquarius’ key. She briefly shows him the piece before palming and gripping to it tightly.  “I miss her so much.  It kills me Every. Single. Time, I think about it.”

Natsu sits back on his haunches, completely shocked by this revelation.  All this time…. “How didn’t I know…. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Sooner?!”  Lucy glares at the slayer.  “You fucking left right after we fought Tartaros Natsu!  Without even saying good bye!”  Her fists clench even harder and it takes every ounce of willpower not slap him.  “I’d lost my oldest friend.  I lost my best friend.  I lost the guild that I love.  Everything fell apart at the same time!”  Tears pour down Lucy’s cheeks, but she makes no effort to stem or wipe them away.  She didn’t care at that point.  Her body and mind grew numb as she relived one of the most painful of all her memories.  “I felt so alone.”  Her head hangs low, eyes squeezing shut.  “It took me a while to find the strength to go on…. To find a reason to keep going and you know what?  No matter how angry I was for you leaving…. I used that to push me past it all.  Fine, if you went away to get stronger, then that was what I did too.  But the pain never left me.”

A palpable silence falls between them, but after a few minutes, Lucy finally gains the courage to look at Natsu again.  His head is lowered so far down that she can’t even see his eyes, shoulders are slumped, and his hands are clenched beside him.  “Well,” she prompts, “now you know why I was so angry with you.  Do you have anything to say?”

It was a lone droplet hitting the ground, that made Lucy realize the slayer had heard her loud and clear.  

Another droplet…. And another, but he continued to sit there unmoving.  All the sorry’s in the world would still be meaningless.  Natsu had no idea that he’d hurt his best friend so badly and it killed him inside.  He didn’t even believe he had the right to ask for forgiveness.  

“I don’t know what else to say, except…  I’m sorry Lucy... for everything.  I-I didn’t realize…” he exhales.  “I wasn’t there for you when you needed me the most and I just hope that one day we’ll be able to move past this because I don’t want to lose my best friend either.” Natsu stands up and turns to leave. “So, I-I’ll just leave you alone now.”

Lucy stands up and before Natsu reaches the door, grabs him, wrapping her arms around his waist without saying a word.  Yes, she was still angry… but that didn’t mean she wanted to lose him too.  “Don’t go,” she murmurs against his back.  “We’ve both lost someone we love, and while I’m still upset, I—I need you Natsu.”

Natsu squeezes his eyes shut, fighting back another wave of tears.  He places a hand on hers.  “I promise you Lucy, I will never leave you alone again.”

[vannahfanfics]

One for the Memories

Category: Friendship Fluff, Comedy, Mild Romantic Fluff

Fandom: Fairy Tail

Characters: Lucy Heartfilia, Gray Fullbuster, Juvia Lockser, and Lyon Vastia

Requested By: Ella (Ao3)

To be honest, Lucy was quite unsure what to think as she stood beside Gray and Juvia in the secluded office where the Master had requested to speak privately with them. It wouldn’t have been out of the ordinary if it were Natsu and Gray, maybe Erza too, considering how destructive the lot of them were and Lucy usually normally ended up being dragged into the scolding after their latest escapade, but she had to admit that the ice mage and the water mage were an odd pair. The two of them seemed not to have the same considerations; Juvia was purring with delight as she hung on the muscle of Gray’s upper arm and whispering sweet nothings with the occasional intense glare in Lucy’s direction, while the object of her affections was attempting to pry her cheek from his arm and grimacing in embarrassment. When the Master appeared with a slight cough, the attention of the three was captured, eager to learn what the old man had summoned them together for.

“A very nice opportunity for the guild has presented itself. The nationally-renowned Sorcerer Magazine has requested a photoshoot of the three of you that will be the main feature of the next issue,” he explained, and Lucy’s eyes widened in shock. Model-quality beauties like Mirajane were featured in the magazine quite often, but this was the first time Lucy had been afforded the opportunity; for a brief second she swelled with pride with the thought of It’s about time! before her heart slammed into her ribcage as it came to a screeching halt; Lucy had never modeled before, and that unnerved her. Juvia and Gray seemed unperturbed; Gray was his usual indifferent self, even deigning to groan about what a useless venture it was, while Juvia squealed and hearts beat in her eyes at the thought of being in a photoshoot with her darling ice mage. When she realized that Lucy was also to be featured though, she peered around his front with a low grumble.

“Stay away from my darling Gray, love rival.” Lucy had gotten quite used to Juvia’s accusations and her teeter-totter attitude; when it came down to it, Juvia would back her up in tough situations, and that’s all that mattered. Still, it was a bit tiring to constantly be accused of harboring feelings for the man when she had nothing of the sort.

“You don’t have to tell me twice, Juvia.”

“What?! How dare you insult Gray! Take it back!” Lucy just rolled her eyes as steam poured from the water-woman’s ears, and focused on what the hell she was going to do about the modeling shoot.

They met the photographer the next day at the train station. They had been informed that a member from another guild would be also part of the modeling shoot, and while Gray ran around with a lovestruck Juvia chasing him around in circles leaving little hearts in her wake, Lucy wondered who it could be. There were a number of heartthrobs, both male and female, in the guild world, many of whom she had met during the Grand Magic Games just a few weeks before. As her mind flew through the many possibilities, she did not notice the train arrive and the last member of their quartet arrive until the photographer gleefully shouted, “Cool, cool, now everyone is here!”

“What?!” Gray and the newly-arrived Lyon shouted in unison and pointed at each other with the color draining from their faces. Gray continued to stare with his mouth agape and eye twitching, while his rival in ice magic quickly regained his composure and sidled over to Juvia with ice swirling in his hand to form a fluttering dove.

“My darling Juvia, how lovely it is to see you again~”

“Ugh, I’m going to spend all day trapped in some twisted love triangle,” Lucy muttered under her breath as Juvia proceeded to jump behind Gray and peer at Lyon with waves of refusal rolling off her; Lyon deflated with a defeated sigh, the dove fluttering off as if it did not witness the crushing rejection before dissolving into sparkling ice. The photographer was blissfully unaware of the love being thrown around the train station; with another gleeful, “Cool, cool!” he jumped between the troop of wizards and announced that they would soon board the train for their photoshoot destination.

Once they were settled into their booth and trying to ignore the messy love tangle that was still unfolding around her, Lucy decided to approach the photographer with the questions that had been burning on her tongue all the while.

“Where will the photoshoot be held?”

“Oh, yes, yes! We’ll be visiting a town nearby called Crystalwake! It’s one of the most famous vacation spots in the entire country, known for its crystalline shores and crystal-clear waters!” he announced with almost too much enthusiasm. Lucy couldn’t help but mirror it, clasping her hands together with an excited squeal while her brown eyes sparkled like the diamond lights playing across the famous waters of the aforementioned beach town.

“Really?! Crystalwake? Oh, I’ve always wanted to go there!” she trilled as she squirmed excitedly in her seat, a scowl gradually deepening on both Gray and Juvia’s faces as her body rubbed up against his. She distinctly heard Gray mumble, “What’s the big deal?” while Lyon was once again trying to shoot his shot at Juvia and falling utterly short. The venue had been featured multiple times across many magazines in all sorts of contexts, and Lucy thought it was simply the perfect spot for a photoshoot because it was so incredibly romantic. Once that word sprouted in her brain, however, her blissful train of thought came to a screeching halt in its tracks and she looked at the photographer with acute confusion and a slightly perceptible level of fear. “Wait, what kind of photoshoot is this?”

“I am so glad you asked! Last issue, Sorcerer Magazine polled its readers concerning their favorite couples or potential couples within Fairy Tail with the caveat that they would be featured in a special photoshoot, and there were two that were overwhelmingly popular!” Instantly, Lucy was even more perplexed; people pinning Gray and Juvia as a couple wasn’t exactly surprising, but the fact that people could see her with Lyon, whom she had only had limited contact with, was quite exceptional. She would have thought for sure that she would be paired with Natsu, her actual team partner! “The top votes were Lucy and Gray, and Lyon and Juvia!” If her train of thought had come to a screeching halt before, it totally derailed this time. The entire train car became a symphony of their deranged screeches of disbelief; the mildly puzzled photographer just sat there blinking with the smile still on his lips as they all jumped to their feet and began screaming together in one frightening harmony.

“What? There’s no way that I can let my love rival be in a photoshoot with my Gray! Cancel it! And I want to know what crazy people even consider Lucy and Gray a couple!” Juvia shrieked, actually becoming fluid around the edges as she worked herself up to a near-boiling point.

“Juvia’s right! There must be some mistake! Me and Gray? I mean, who would think that up?” Lucy cried, mostly out of fear of retaliation if she expressed the fact that she was actually relieved to be paired with the ice mage that she actually knew.

“What the hell does that mean, Lucy?” Gray frowned and leaned down over her to peer into her face with his eyebrows narrowed accusingly. Lucy flushed red, both out of his proximity and the fact that she had upset him with her hasty comment.

“I-I mean, of course I like you, Gray-“

“Love rival!” Juvia shrieked, her curling blue hair nearly whipping about like snakes as she dissolved further into fluid form, and the Celestial wizard hurriedly whipped around to laugh nervously and wave her hands in a dismissive gesture.  

“No, Juvia, that isn’t what I meant-“

“So you do want to do a photoshoot with me?” Gray asked with a devilish grin and his chin tilted up in a challenging gesture. Lucy deflated like a balloon as she took the assault on two sides. This is turning out to be a much bigger pain than I thought!

“I get to be in a photoshoot with Juvia! <3” Lyon howled as he clapped his hands giddily together, obviously the only one happy with the way that things had turned out. The photographer somehow managed to convince the fiery water wizard that the pairing would have to stay so as not to disappoint the readers, but it had been Gray quipping that Juvia needed to make her fans happy to finally get her to agree with the fact; still, the entire train ride to the beach, she was obviously seething with displeasure beside Lyon, who was giving off a bright aura of one who had achieved enlightenment and ascended to the astral plane.

Needless to say, Lucy’s head was hammering with headache by the time they stepped off the train.

Despite the twist of events, Lucy could not help but be cheered by the vacation spot’s atmosphere. The train station was open to the elements, allowing the salty breeze to waft in and kiss the soft skin of her bare arms and legs and leave and aftertaste on her lips as she strolled with the photoshoot party across the wooden planks that made up the boardwalk-like structure. The roof was simply a cloth pavilion made of thick fabric that flapped in the ever-present winds rolling off the waves she could hear crashing in the near distance. As they walked out from beneath the shade, the sun was there to greet her, offering her an embrace of its warm rays. Her headache was all but erased as she ran down the boardwalk to behold the famous shore, and as she leaned over the wooden railings with a hand to her eyes to take in the majesty of the beach, no magazine picture could have ever prepared her for its brilliance. It took her breath away.

The white sands stretched on in either direction for miles and miles, each individual grain sparkling like a shard of crystal as the sun’s bright rays struck its prism-like surface. The water was a shimmering cerulean, fading into sapphire as the depth increased towards the horizon; above the gently lapping waves, the sky was cloudless and brilliantly blue, the sun hovering at its highest point to bathe the beachgoers in its tanning streams. Gray and Lyon even seemed captivated by its majesty, and Juvia was able to forgo her ire to stand beside Lucy with her breath caught in her throat and her eyes drinking in every detail, watching the sailboats stream across the water leaving frothing wake behind. It’s so beautiful…

The photographer wasted no time in preparing them for the shoot. Soon after arriving, Lucy was standing with her toes in the surprisingly soft sand clad in a white bikini patterned with golden stars and a crescent moon curling across the left side of her chest, as an ode to her Celestial magic. Lyon and Gray were both in swim trunks that were inversions of each other, two-toned blues, while Juvia wore a stylish one-piece of misty blue-white with plunging sides filled in with tied strings and wave-like patterns trawling across the front. They were quite a tastefully clothed bunch, and though a large section of the beach had been partitioned off for the photoshoot, they were still attracting a large amount of attention from passersby. Lucy wanted to bask in the praise, maybe strike a suave pose or two, but her mind had returned to the fact that she had never done anything to the sort and worrying over that fact. She wanted to look beautiful, not like an awkward fool, after all. She silently fretted as the photographer began to give directions.

“All right! First, we’ll shoot some scenes in the water. We’ll start with Lucy and Gray. Will you two go about knee-deep in the water, please?”

“This is a pain,” Gray grunted as he accompanied Lucy out into the surf. She wasn’t sure why, because she was painfully used to seeing Gray half-naked running around in his boxers at this point, but her eyes navigated to his sculpted abs and his defined arm muscles; her words became a hard lump in her throat, preventing her from replying. It was undeniable that Gray was an eye-catching guy; how had she not noticed before now? He definitely noticed her lack of response and looked at her with a frown, making her jump violently and send water droplets skittering about as she reflexively slapped her hands against the water. “You’re acting weird.”

“Am not!” she refuted with red cheeks, which didn’t really make her argument all that strong. She blushed darker as he went to get in her face again, but thankfully that was interrupted by the photographer.

“Okay, cool, cool, that’s a good distance!” Lucy crossed her arms uncomfortably and turned away from Gray, but she didn’t want to necessarily look at the shore either because Juvia was currently trying to melt Lucy with her mere eyeballs. She focused instead at the water swirling around her upper calves; she could see straight through to the bottom like she was staring at liquid glass. Some seashells were half-buried in the sand around her, scallops and cats’ eyes and swirling drills and murexes; one of them was currently occupied by a little hermit crab who was doing his best to scuttle against the current. “A-ha! I’ve got it! Gray, take Lucy in your arms!”

“What?” Lucy gasped and looked at him incredulously, then screamed as her feet were suddenly swept out from under her. Within an instant she was being held securely in Gray’s arms; he looked blankly at the photographer.

“Like this?”

“Perfect! Cool, cool! Now, Lucy, put your arms around his neck.” Uncertainly, Lucy circled his neck with her arms, feeling highly uncomfortable with the entire thing. I probably look like an idiot… she lamented silently as she felt her face burning, but tried to convince herself it was the intensity of the sun’s rays. “Great! Now, try to seem like a loving couple, please~” he twittered like a gull as he flapped about on the shoreline, the shutter of his camera already clicking wildly. Gray turned his pointed gaze on her, a hint of a smile on his lips and all manner of sexy; Lucy was highly certain she looked like a fish gasping for breath. “Lucy, dear, please try to look a little more relaxed!”

“Easier said than done,” she huffed, not realizing she had done so out loud.

“Come on, Lucy, lighten up. You said you wanted to come to this place, right? Forget about the camera and just pretend we’re having fun,” he smiled at her. Lucy puffed out her cheeks defiantly at him, but honestly forgot the camera in that instant because she was too focused on refuting him.

“Come on, Gray! I’m not Mirajane! This stuff doesn’t just come naturally to me!”

“Why not? You’re as beautiful as Mirajane.” Lucy’s previously derailed train of thought shot off into the sky, breaking through the atmosphere at the words that had just so easily slipped from Gray’s lips. He was smirking up at her, but she could not tell if he was serious or teasing; all the same, she could not keep the blissful smile from gracing her own mouth.

“You mean that?” The photographer’s cheers of “Cool, cool!” were lost on her as she bathed in the sun and Gray’s compliment. He nodded, and she could feel his fingers twirling through her long tresses of blonde hair, which she had decided to let fly free for the modeling gig. Lucy’s smile grew bright enough to rival the sun above, and the hint of pink that graced her cheeks was now a tint of joy. “Thanks, Gray.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” he suddenly grinned wildly, and her scream was swallowed by the seawater as he abruptly dunked her into the ocean. She landed on her butt against the bottom, startling the hermit crab and sending him feverishly scurrying out towards deeper, safer water; as the current swirled in her ears, she could faintly hear Gray’s raucous howls of laughter. She came up spitting the foul salt water and glaring at him through stinging red eyes. “You should have seen the look on your face!” he cackled while holding his belly.

“You jerk!” she shouted and jumped up to push him roughly in his chest. She successfully disbalanced him and sent him down in a similar fashion; water streamed through his dark hair as he came up coughing, but before he could launch another attack on her, she splashed him in the face and started scampering back to shore.

“Come back here! I’m not through with you!” he growled and yanked her back by the ankle. She belly-flopped into the surf with a surprised yelp, and was dragged across the bottom before she was pulled up so Gray could put her in a headlock and started roughly ruffling her hair.

“Ow! Ow! Gray!” she cried, but the laughter made its way into her voice. Her limbs flapped about wildly as she tried to escape his grasp, and managed to loosen it just enough to turn around in his grip to start beating him in the side of the head. In that effort, though, they became disbalanced together and she ended up on top of him, legs on either side of his waist with his hands wrapped around her waist, water streaming off their bodies like one hundred waterfalls.

“Perfect! Cool, cool! You two are naturals!” the photographer was screeching in near mania, the shutter clicking as fast as his finger would allow without falling off. Lucy was panting with exertion as she sat atop Gray, and when she finally realized what she was doing and how borderline erotic of a position she was in, she squeaked and hastily scrambled off him. It was too late, though; she had already earned Juvia’s wrath, and no sooner than the water mage had stomped into the surf Lucy was blasted with a torrent of swirling water that sent her screeching into the deep blue. She came up several yards out, her hair plastered to her face and soaked from head to toe.

“Take that, love rival!”

Sighing in resignation, Lucy paddled back to the point to where she could walk and began waded back through the surf. Gray came to the edge of the sandbar to help her, which the photographer eagerly recorded much to Juvia’s disappointment; as Lucy reached out to take his hand she stumbled in the thick, mud-like sand and instinctively looked down, and came upon the terrifying realization that by some bizarre incidence Gray had lost his shorts. She screamed and snapped her hands to her eyes, seeing far too much by the grace of the famous crystalline water, while Gray freaked out and began looking around for his swim trunks and a very unamused photographer informed him that this was not that kind of photoshoot. Juvia had fainted and Lyon was trying to revive her with far too much joy at having the unconscious woman in his arms.

After Gray found his shorts it was time for Juvia and Lyon’s shoot, which mainly consisted of Lyon chasing a very unwilling Juvia through the surf that ironically looked like they were playing a consensual game of tag. After several more rounds of general poses and acts, it came time for the final photoset of Gray and Lucy’s. By then her mind had eased and she was putting little thought into how she looked; Gray had done a good job of boosting her confidence. This time they were directed to a setup of props- two towels that matched their outfits beneath a shady umbrella, with all the beachgoing amenities scattered about. They took a few benign ones at first, like on of Lucy on her belly with her legs pulled up and ankles crossed while she read a book, one of Gray staring out at the ocean waves with a popsicle hanging out of his mouth, one that the photographer happened to catch by chance when it fell out of his mouth into his lap and made Lucy laugh like a maniac next to him. Gray was still shaking the icy-cold popsicle drops off his legs when the photographer informed them that it was time to resume the couple act- and that’s how Lucy ended up underneath Gray, nose-to-nose and trying not to freak out. She could hear Lyon struggling to hold Juvia back from killing the photographer, but the Lucy was fixated on the man looming over her.

“Well, this is cozy,” he joked effortlessly, like he was unperturbed.

“Gray, how can you be so calm about this? People are going to see these photos, you know.” Though she was fine with the actual modeling now, it was still a little weird to be featured as one half of an item.

“Yeah, and? People are gonna talk regardless. Might as well give ‘em something to talk about.” Lucy rolled her eyes; he was much to dense to get it, apparently. Lucy had no care to be the topic of gossip, at least not in the sense that she was Gray’s potential lover. Gray shifted above her, and she sat up a little to help him get comfortable. She went suddenly stiff as he accidentally caught his finger in the loop of her bikini and nearly pulled the thing off, and she hastily flopped back against the towel as the flimsy fabric barely covered her modesty. It was only at this point that Gray blushed and sheepishly smiled, which totally would make it look like they were about to be getting up to some very naughty things in the photograph. Lucy’s face was afire and her eyes wide, which didn’t help the image. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

“Like hell you didn’t. You’re just teasing me at this point!” she accused. He ran a hand through his hair with a dour expression, and Lucy heard the shutter clicking frantically. We’re gonna be the talk of the whole country for years after this, she thought with a groan.

“Lucy, come on, I- oh shit!” As he was once again trying to shift on top of her, his hand slipped in the loose sand and he completely lost his leverage. The breath was knocked from Lucy’s body as he landed on top of her, which was a bad enough image in itself, but the divinities were seemingly having a ball at Lucy’s expense; Gray’s mouth landed right against hers; there was no mistaking the feeling of his lips. Worse, she had somehow grabbed the back of his head as he fell, making it look all the more convincing. Gray and I are-!

“Wow! You guys sure do take this seriously, going so far for the fans! This’ll be a great piece!” the photographer sighed dreamily. It was overtaken by Juvia’s deranged screeching.

“Love rival love rival love rival-!”

“Juvia, will you let me kiss you? Just for the shoot, of course,” Lyon crooned as he wiggled up to Juvia, but the water mage was in no mood to entertain; his wails were lost in the rushing of water as she sent him spiraling down the beach. He landed face-first and butt in the air, and when he came up he was spitting the fine grains out of his mouth and looking downright dejected. “Gray gets to kiss Lucy but I don’t get to kiss Juvia,” he moped as he tromped back over to them with slumped shoulders and the sand raining from his spiky hair. By this time, Gray and Lucy had sprung apart and placed several feet between them, both as red as tomatoes and wiping their mouths with the backs of their hands.

~~~~~~~~~~

Needless to say, that little photograph made the front page.

Lucy ducked out of the guild after a raucous round of teasing, clutching the copy of the magazine to her chest. Though it featured the embarrassing array of her and Gray’s spicy photos together, it was still her one and only modeling gig, and despite the context she was quite proud of it and wanted to hang onto a copy as a memento. Plus, looking back on it, she had had a lot of fun with Gray; he had so effortlessly calmed her nerves, and, antics aside, tromping around the beach with him had become a fond memory. Standing outside the guild with the roaring laughter and buzz of conversation fading into the background, she flipped open the magazine to the featurette, all the pictures of their own laughing faces under the blazing sun. While their relationship was not nearly of the nature their fans envisioned, Lucy definitely could admit that it was a good one.

“Bah, you had enough of those guys too?”

The Celestial wizard glanced up when the exact man in the photos beside her slipped out of the guild doors, looking irritated. He actually had his clothes on, with his hands stuffed into his overcoat pockets; his dark eyes were looking down at her, with that same intensity yet softness they always carried. “They were so busy passing it around and making fun of it, I didn’t even get to see the feature. You mind?” Lucy nodded and stepped closer to him, holding out the magazine so that they could both peruse the contents; though he was standing so close that their arms brushed, his breath puffing against her ear as he leaned down over her shoulder, Lucy felt nothing along the sort of nervousness or anxiety. Outside the context of the modeling shoot, gray really was just Gray; personal space really wasn’t a thing between them. That made her smile slightly. “What’s that grin for?”

“I was just thinking that we look pretty good together.”

“Oh, so you’ve finally fallen for my bewitching good looks, have you?” he smirked at her with his hand on his chin, and she laughed loudly. He joined her, and their shoulders shook in unison as they descended into a hysterical fit of snickers and giggles. By the time they settled down, Lucy was holding the magazine against her belly and tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. Gray exhaled deeply as he ran a hand through his midnight-colored hair, smiling in bemusement. “As much as a pain it was, I can’t say that I didn’t have fun. I definitely don’t wanna do it again, though, I’m tired of all the jokes.”

“Well, at least you have the reassurance that if you fail at being a wizard, you’ve got a modeling career ahead of you,” she grinned at him, and because the comment was unwarranted, he pinched her cheek and began tugging on it.

“You’re pretty cheeky tonight, aren’t you?”

“Ow! Gray! Cut it out, I’m sorry!” she whined while trying to swat his hand away. He sniffed in mock disdain before releasing her, and she tenderly rubbed her reddening skin while he grinned in that devilish way of his. “You’re right, though. I’m afraid Juvia’s gonna murder me in my sleep, and all the girls keep pestering me about going on a date with you!” she laughed lightly.

“Yeah, as if. We’ll both end up in a grave for that,” he snorted, then cast his gaze up at the night sky. The clouds were drifting lazily by the full moon and the stars twinkled like the light playing across the waves they had played in. “Still… I wouldn’t mind going back. To Crystalwake, I mean. Under normal circumstances.”

“Yeah. I had a good time. Just no pulling off my bikini top this time. You may like to lose your clothes, but I don’t.”

“Asshole,” he smirked and shoved her in the side of her head. Lucy grabbed her head, but was smiling; she knew that Gray’s gestures and teasing, though rough, were just his way of showing affection. He chortled too, then put his hands behind his head. “So, now I gotta walk you home, right? Isn’t that the rule after you kiss a girl?”

“Technically, you did it wrong. You’re supposed to kiss her on her doorstep,” Lucy quipped as she tucked the magazine into her bag and clasped her hands behind her back, whirling on her heel to skip a few paces down the cobblestoned street. “Still, I guess I’ll cut you some slack and let you walk me home, but don’t try anything funny, mister.”

“Yes, ma’am,” she heard him chuckle behind her, and his boots made light clicking noises as they struck the stone walking after her. Lucy hopped up onto the rock wall overlooking the harbor as she always did, her arms held out on either side of her for balance as she strode along, silhouetted by the starry night and the glittering ocean as Gray walked alongside her.

Crystalwake is beautiful, but I don’t need to go to some fancy beach to have fun with you. She kept that thought to herself, as Gray would likely make some smart-aleck jibe about it. Lucy didn’t know if what she had with Gray would one day develop into anything more or not; she wasn’t really in a state that wondered, either. She was content with their playful friendship for what it was, and that brought her enough joy in itself.

Enjoy this oneshot? Feel free to peruse my Table of Contents!

[thenatzabastard]

Not so jolly Christmas

There are many days that natsu would consider bad, but today would have to be the worst of them all.Its Christmas time and many people would have the time of their lives...except him. He was walking down the the streets of magnolia and he saw that almost all other guilds had come to fairy tail to spend time with one another and spend time with friends from other guilds. He watched as his friends spent time with eachother. For some reason juvia wasn't there stalking grey so she must have gone somewhere to buy him a present.

Then he saw the one person that made him feel the way he is now...Erza.

She was sitting at the table wearing her santa outfit she would wear every christmas. Natsu always kept it to himself but she always did look beautiful and sexy in that outfit he even blushed as he remembered the wet dream he had about her in that suit but that was something he would keep to himself.

Then his mood changed to anger when he saw...him. the man that hurt erza for so long and yet somehow earned erza's forgiveness. He was there talking to her and putting a smile on her face and making her blush. That was something natsu would happen to him with erza. He always dreamed of having her as his love and having her as his girlfriend. But with the way things are that would most likely not happen. So he left with a broken heart knowing that this would be the one thing that could break him.

"Ah this is the best time of the year!" Lucy said as she looked at all her friends and smiled they looked like they are having fun even others from other guilds.

"Yeah, its nice to know that after all the stuff we've been through we have a time of peace and to enjoy others company" he said smiling

"I just can't help but feel like there's something missing, i just can't put my finger on it" lucy said frowning

"It's probably juvia i haven't seen her in a while" gray said tring to figure it out

"I think so but there's something else" Lucy said trying to think but was interrupted

"Lu!" Levy called "come over here i want to talk about that new book you're writing about" she said excitedly

Lucy smiled and forgot about whatever she was thinking about. "Alright im coming".

Erza to felt like something was off but she to couldn't figure it out. As she tried jellal brought her back to reality by putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright" he asked

She smiled at him forgetting about what she was thinking of, "yes im fine" then went back to talk to him but still had that feeling deep down.

...................................

Juvia was walking down the street with a box in her hand wrapped in grey wrapping (how convenient). She was smiling to herself and was excited about the kind of gift she had got grey and couldn't wait to see his reaction to what she got him.

As she was walking she spotted someone by a tree just sitting with his head down. As she took a closer look she saw that this person had pink hair. 'Pink hair? Could it be?' She thought. She then walked toward the person and saw that he had tears coming out of his eyes. Juvia noticed and looked shocked as she saw who it was, "natsu?" She called.

This startled natsu a little and looked at her with wide eyes before quickly wiping his tears. "Juvia? What are you doing here?" He asked normally juvia wouldn't interact with natsu that much its not that she hated him but they never had a close friendship like he did with the others so her being here shocked him.

"I was at the shop buying grey a gift, i was coming back to the guild when i saw you...natsu why are tou crying?" She asked

".......well i dont want to keep you from grey so you better show him that cool gift you got him" natsu said dodging the question and giving a fake smile but juvia didn't want to just let this go.

"Natsu don't try to dodge the question...what is the matter"? She asked in concern

"Nothing why would something be the matter" he said smiling a fake smile again but juvia wasn't buying it and she frowned.

"Natsu" she said in a caring manner "what is it let me help you" she said in a caring voice

Natsu stared at her before he dropped his smile and had tears stain his eyes as he silently let them out.

"I can't go back to the guild" he said in a sad voice

"Why?" She said confused "did someone hurt you natsu?" She asked not knowing that she will find out something that will shock her.

".....she's there" he said

"She?" 'Who is she' she thought did he mean lucy but why would natsu be crying about Lucy then natsu spoke again.

"Erza" he said in a cracked voice

"Erza?" 'What does erza have to do with this?' She thought did erza beat him so badly that he doesn't want to come to the guild? Then natsu spoke again.

"She's there with him" he said in sadness and anger and jealousy which shocked juvia

'Him? Does he mean jellal? But why would' then juvia remembered all the times that narsu would talk about erza with lucy or with gray everytime she stalked him. When he talked about erza it was more than just a friend. He was in love with her. The way natsu challenged her to fight the way he protects her from danger. It all fell into place.

"Natsu" she looked at him shocked "are you in love with erza?" she asked and he froze a little before slowly nodding his head making juvia's eyes widen

"Yeah, i didn't know what i was feeling at the time but later i figured out what it was. I even asked gildarts for advice but...it didn't work out." He said sadly.

"I knew that she was going through a tough time but i didn't want to tell her because i didn't want ro ruin her happiness. But then she started spending time with him and everything changed." He said as tears stund his eyes again.

"She was more distant and i tried whatever i could but it wasn't enough for her to see how i feel because...the reason i never catch up to her, was because she was running towards him" he said shocking juvia and saw how much pain he was in.

He slowly got up and walked away until juvia called

"Natsu wait! If this is how you feel then why don't you tell her already? She asked shicked that he felt this way about erza

".....because i dont think i can handle what comes after" he said making her eyes widen when she realized what that meant

"Im sorry juvia i shouldn't have told you this to ruin your happy mood." He said to her apologizing

"Go back to the guild and have fun alright". He said

"But what about you?" She asked with a sad voice

"I guess i just want to be alone, it's better than watching people have what you can never have" he said before walking away.

Juvia then looked at gis retreating figure then she walked back to the guild hall only this time her smile was gone and replaced with a frown. She she opened the doors she saw everyone having the time of their life and she made her way over to team natsu.

"Hey juvia" grey said then noticed that she wasn't going all gaga over him and that made him confused

"Is something wrong juvia?" He asked with some concern

Juvia waved it off "no it's nothing, juvia was talking to natsu for a bit"

At that the entire team went silent as they all finally realized what was missing...especially erza.

"That's right natsu's not here where is he?" Lucy asked trying to look for natsu

"Yeah natsu would never miss a time like this i hope he's ok" wendy said with concern

"Yeah that flamebrain would never miss this, you said you talked to him to him where is he?" Then everyone looked a juvia for an answer but erza needed that answer because she knew to that there was something bothering natsu but she hasn't had the time to talk to him and feels guilty about that.

"Im sorry, but i dont know he left then i came here" she said sadly not giving them the answer they wanted

Then erza got up from her seat and went to the exit

"Then i will go lool for him and bring him back by force" she said with authority until juvia blocked her way. "Juvia?" She asked confused "what are you doing?"

"Erza listen to me, it's best if you leave natsu alone for now" she said shocking everyone including erza the most why would she say that?

"Why would i do that?" She said narrowing her eyes "if something is bothering then i can help" she said with determination

"Im sorry but this is the one thing you can't help out with" she said stunning her then erza forcefully moved juvia out of the way made her way out the exit.

Juvia looked at her shocked but she tried to stop her but now erza will have to find out the hard way of what is going on.

As erza made her way to natsu's home she thought about how he has been acting lately. He seemed so distant and not how he used to be back then. Everytime erza would want to tale a mission with the team he would back out and take a mission on his own. Erza frowned as she thought back to those memories and began to wonder 'have i done something to upset him?' She didn't know but the way he's been avoiding her lately that was definitely the case. She missed him and felt guilty about forgetting him and made sure to maje up for lost time.

Erza approached natsu's home and knocked on the door "natsu, it's erza open the door" no answer then she knocked more forcefully this time "natsu, open this door now" she practically growled.

After not receiving an answer the second time she kicked the door open. And began to search for him but he was no where to be found. She then flund a note on the table that said 'went on a mission be back whenever i fell like coming back' erza looked hurt after she read there was something about the note that seemed when natsu wrote he was angry.

'He went on a mission?' She thought 'but why? This time is supposed to be about family and friends...natsu what's going on with you?' She thought sadly the answer will come but it's an answer that will leave her shocked and guilty.

[butterflyblaze69]

gratsu :you own my heart   (59)

Gray walking in with the book of E.N.D in his hand ready to destroy it but known to him Zeref was chasing him.

"Hey guys look what I found, " Gray said looking for his team  and to his surprise, Natsu was not there 'look like I will not get to tease him about I got it first ' Gray thought  as he turned to leave the guild someone stop him and that someone was Zeref  "what  are you doing here" Gray  shouted getting everyone attention  "is that the black wizard Zeref " whisper thought the guild hall  "yes I am oh and Gray can I please have that book " Zeref ask knowing what the response he was going to get  but it was worth it as it meant he could play with Gray mind  as well as the  hole of fairy tail  

Zeref's point of view

"so I let you all in on a little secret of mine, " I said leading them one like lost sheep Gray look annoyed but 'oh well ' "you see E.N.D is initial of the name, "I uttered " what that supposed to mean " Gray and Cana both shouted at the same time. "also you mint need to know that my last name is Dragneel by the way " I was almost at the point of laughter  "Natsu and you related no chance " lucy call out I could see she was second-guessing her self  "we are and it time you knew mine and Natsu past " I said look around till I spotted Mavis she look upset "I sorry Mavis but it needs to be done "I call out "but Zeref there now need at least tell him when he back " mavis cry out "who him Zeref " Gray shouted   'I told Natsu  but I don't think he believes me ' I though "oh Charla could you go find them"I ask hoping she would "why should i " Charla shouted in discusted  but then got a small smille from wendy  "look it ok charla you can go I will stay here but hurry " wendy wisper to her Exceed "that grate " i said  as charla  flew reluctantly

"as for now, we will just wait till Natsu returns "I uttered I could her the muddling of the guild it was great

Charla point of view  

"where would they be, " said thinking out loud looking for any sine of the tomcat and his partner. after an hour of looking she found the two sat by a lake looking like he was in a small fight. "what are you two arguing about now "I ask "don't worry Charla " Natsu said  in a small voice "Charla, Its not fair Zeref said...." happy was cut by Natsu shouting "quite it happy " I wanted to help but I knew what must be done "you need to go to the guild "I let out. I could tell Natsu could pick up my fear but "why I don't feel like going " Natsu wisped I could see the tear that he was fighting to protect his little bubby "oh Natsu why "I ask thinking back to the guild and Zeref  " I just can't " Natsu said with a plaining voice I knew I was going to breaking by telling him where Zeref was but it needed to be done. "Zeref at the guild hall " I let out only for Natsu fascicle exception to change to one of shock "we need to go now happy " he shouted as if his life depended on it.

as we all neared the guIld I could tell that Natsu was getting more nervous  he looks like was going to tear up any minute "Natsu what wrong "I ask but did not get a reply as I ask his Exceed "happy is Natsu ok" happy look at me for help 'happy know but can't tell me why Natsu must you do this to him ' "Natsu and Zeref are brothers " he let out "and Natsu is  E.N...  " was all happy could say before he was cut off by Natsuu again "happy I said drop it "I knew what happy was trying to say and what Zeref was leading us on about  

we landed at the guild and not a thing had change I ran back to wendy I needed to know if she was ok. but as we opened the door happy flew off again Natsu opened his mouth to call him back but shut it again  an contued walking in to the guild

Zeref point of view

yes everyone is here "glad you could join us Natsu" I uttered he looks like he would kill me which was part of the plan but still "or should I as E."I was cut off by Natsu saying "it not true and you know it " he looks like he was going to cry  "why are you doing this to " a new voice cry out if the form of the ice mage  "have you still not work it out "I let out   "I will spell it out to you " I continued  "Etherious is the first word Gray" I shouted the guild look more puzzled by the minute "and I said me and Nastu are both  Dragneel did I  not"I laugh  Natsu walk up to me and punch me but I hurt but I deserve it after humiliating him in front of his friends but oh well " wait the 'N' is for Natsu then "  Ezer said this last line must of tip both Natsu and Gray off "is it true Natsu " gray ask trasproming in to his devle slaing mode "not it not i or igneel could of kill me"  natsu look scareed and he should be for what I have palned but before I could stert I was cut off by

natsu pint of view

"Gray don't hate me for this but I love you Gray "I shouted  with tear filling falling I knew the truth but I wanted to die as Natsu of fairy tail, not as some  demons  that was created over some bereavement going too far I looked up to see Gray and Zeref fighting over the book   but as Gray got hold of the book Zeref shot an arrow through the book  as it did I felt my heart skip a beat "he.." was all I could say before falling to the fall all my strength  was gone I look up to see Gray drop the book and run over to me pulling me up and supporting me "Gray if you doing this just to kill me " i wisped the guild look on in shock as Gray held is his so call enemy "look I said I would kill E.N.D but I can't kill you Natsu not now  " his voice gave me hope

Gray point of view

we must have stood there for no longer than a minute before I notice that Natsu breathing was now irregular 'oh Natsu why does this have to be you ' I places my and on Natsu chest where his heart was it was beating  way to fast to point it not being safe  "Natsu you need to stay calm or you will die "I wisped  he screed face was too much for me  to take  "he will die Gray I know you what you was thinking " Zeref mock . "why would you do this " Gray shouted  but  I hard Natsu winces in pain "levy move Natsu life force on to me " i shouted she looked confused on what I was asking her to do but the only way Natsu could ever live a normal life was by being connected to some and I know he loves me just I never told him that I had him as a crush for almost all my life so it works out and at the same time E.N.D power where still sealed in the book so there for no e.n.d  i could feel natsu hart getting weeker to the point I lower him to the floor. I keep my hand monitoring  Natsu hart  "fight Natsu fight " I wisped as levy prepared a book enchantment at the same time freed lock Zeref in an enchantment so he could only spectate what was happening  

natsu was going very pale but I knew it was just an effect of the spell I hoped "i.. don't think I can stay awake much longer " Natus wispier slipping into an unconscious state I look over at Wendy and Charla "hay Charla is happy ok " she looks at me with a sad look on her face "honestly I am not sure Natsu and happy was fighting when I found them " she let out "Wendy will you help me look for him" Charla asked Wendy nodded and they both flew out the guild

3 hours later

not much has changed, the magic council now have Zeref which is good. but Natsu well he not woken up they said he could be out of a few more hours wendy and Charla found happy asleep so they took him back to fairy hill to rest and carm down.

I was beginning to feel sleepy wan I heard a grown for the boy "hay Natsu" I wisped "don't rush take it easy " I continued but I knew Natsu would not listen to the last part of my sentence he opened his eye feel with onyx the should have been feel with.  "Gray " Natsu said he looking  screed at first but that change to one of happiness "is Zeref dead and how am I still alive " he    question "don't worry it sorted just get some rested, "I said   "but if I am supposed to be dead I would like to know " Natsu argued back "fine if you must know your life  force is part of mine ok Natsu " I told him out straight "hu?"  Natsu question "as long as I am alive  your alive ok flame brain "  at this point I was shouting.  "oh so my heart belong to you now " he wisped

flashback

"I am sorry Gray I love you  "

flashback ended

"Natsu it sure doses" I wisped Natsu look at me with a sad eye " I never gave you my answer to your question  " I whisper Natsu look more confused "yes I do love you that why I saved you "I pull Natsu into an embraces "thank you Gary  " Natsu whisper "can we cuddle " he asks looking  shy like I nodded and climbed liting Natsu on top of me and place his head on my neck " I will not let anyone try and hurt you again " I wisped as we fell asleep I continued rubbing his arm to converting

the end   

by butterflyblaze 

will be on wattpad

[nalufever]

A Solidly Constructed Kiss

Many, many thanks to @fic-writer-appreciation for organizing the summer gift fic exchange. My fic is for @tuxiedjabberwock ~ I hope you enjoy! 

Summary: High School AU ~ Erza strong-arms Lucy and Natsu into working the Kissing Booth to raise funds for a school trip. Lucy's never been kissed and Natsu acts like he's never entertained even the idea of kissing another person. Things naturally come to a head when Lucy and Natsu are given the task to build the actual booth. Will they fight over construction or build themselves some kind of relationship? Read and find out ;P Rated:  teen. (2770 words)

Erza smiled sweetly and held onto Lucy's hand with an iron grip. "The student council already agreed you would be one of the female additions to our fundraising activity."

"Why me? I have too many other obligations." Lucy shook her head and failed to remove herself from Erza's hold. "I'm practicing for the debate team that night!"

"You can practice before or after. Just show up at the kissing booth."

"I wouldn't be good at it, I haven't had my first real kiss!" Lucy looked down and away, unwilling to meet the student council's president's eyes. "…you were talking about debating, weren't you?"

"Excellent! We can add novice kisser to the posters to drum up interest." Erza grinned and released Lucy's hand. "I wonder if Natsu is any better equipped to man the kissing booth?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Of course not. You've never had a boyfriend, never dated, not ever had one chance to kiss." Erza ticked off each point on her fingers and continued mortifying her friend. "You're pretty but your dad's reputation scares off all interest in you, doesn't it?"

"…"

"Well, it's only a two-hour shift and after that, you and your tested lips will be free to go." Erza rummaged in her book bag, withdrew a ledger and scribbled notes. "Remember, it's for a good cause."

Some of her smarts making a comeback, Lucy looked perplexed at the student council president. "We're raising money for our class trip, not for charity."

"You must be magic at the debates." Erza nodded with a wide smile on her face. "Thanks for proving my point; our class trip is the greatest of causes. Three days and two nights of semi-supervised fun in the big city!"

"Fine." Lucy rubbed her forehead. "I never had a choice anyway, did I?"

"Excellent! I also put you down for construction. I'll send Natsu over to you with the schematics of the booth and you two can get building it straight away." Erza nodded, pivoted and strode with confidence, away from Lucy's mumbled complaints.

><><><><

Natsu found Lucy hunched over a book in the library. He tapped her shoulder twice and failing to get a response, he cleared his throat. "You ready?"

"How'd Erza rope you into this?" Lucy sighed, bookmarking her place. "She could have gotten any of the woodworking students to make the structure. Laki loves that sort of thing! Why would she need us to do this?"

"I volunteered!" Natsu grinned affably. "And all the woodworking students are already busy with fixing the old booths and working on projects. Laki is super busy - so I told Erza we could do it together."

Distracted by her own special thoughts of 'doing it together,' Lucy stared blankly at Natsu.

"Eyes up here!" Natsu waved the work instructions. "We can pick up what we need from Shop class and get most of it done tonight."

"Wha? Okay." Lucy shook her head and blinked rapidly. "This is going to be more fun than working the booth."

"Oh, I don't know. You haven't seen how handy-challenged I am. And at least during the festival we get to people watch." Natsu admitted his less than stellar workman abilities with a giant smile. "It's only two hours and like Erza says, it's for a worthy cause."

"Not you too! The whole point of the booth is to raise money for the class trip, not charity." Lucy shuffled her homework papers, took her book and stuffed both of them into her satchel.

"Having fun is a pretty good cause," Natsu spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "But would it make you feel better if we donated any extra over our goal to an actual charity? I bet more people would shell out the big bucks if they knew they were supporting both."

"I don't want to get Erza upset."

”Heh! Only someone suicidal would, but it must be important to you, so we should at least try. I'll mention the idea to Gray and he can bring it up at the next student council meeting." Natsu led the way out of the library and towards the Wood Shop classroom. After a few minutes of Lucy struggling to carry her heavy satchel, he tugged her sleeve to make her stop. "Do you need all that stuff? Can't you dump it in your locker?"

"Um, no." Lucy bit her lip and shifted her weight from foot to foot. "I finished my homework, but I need to study every night. If I don't get straight As my father …" She trailed off, breaking eye contact with Natsu. "Anyways, he wouldn't be happy."

"Give it to me then." Natsu didn't wait for Lucy to answer, taking the school bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "I'm good at carrying things at least." He started walking again, cheerfully whistling.

Bemused, Lucy scurried to follow. Even if Natsu had never been romantically linked with anyone in school, it seemed he was capable of gentlemanly behaviour. "Tell me why you agreed to help make the booth when by your own admission you're not that good with construction." Lucy flinched. Way to sound like a controlling harpy. "I mean, I'm curious about that."

"Easy answer! Cana told me I'd learn a thing or two if I did."

"I'm not that experienced with hammer, saw and wood either." Lucy scratched her head. "But I'm excellent at reading and following directions. Maybe this won't be so hard."

Natsu agreed, "Ya, we can figure it out together."

Lucy got lost in a small personal fantasy - Natsu had such a nice smile. She pressed her lips into a straight line. Time to focus! No time to daydream.

Inside the Wood Shop classroom, they found a beehive of activity. Elfman, Lahar, Mest, and Vjeter worked on with various projects while Laki ran back and forth helping each of them in turn.

Carefully Lucy and Natsu made a pile of the framing lumber and plywood, checking and re-checking the instructions. The regular shop students worked, shouting at one another casually. An alarm sounded from Laki's wristwatch. As one, all the students stopped working. They turned off their equipment and cleaned their messes - exiting one after the other.

Surprised, Lucy jogged over to Laki who was evidently also leaving. "Hey! Is anyone staying who could help me and Natsu?"

"Ooh, shouldn't think so. We've got time during class for this, today was just a bit of extra time before my date with Max." Laki grinned, tugging Lucy closer to the door, further from Natsu. "You dating Natsu?"

Lucy sputtered, "W-what, what, what? Why would you even think that?"

"My bad." Laki did not look sorry. "All you have to do is lock the door behind you once you guys finish whatever you can. I'll have a few students work on the rest of it tomorrow."

"Erza seemed to want us to do all the work."

Laki shrugged. "If you want, but are you really prepared to stay for hours and hours?" Another softer alarm sounded. Laki smiled and silenced it. "I'm leaving. Work safe!"

Lucy turned around, the whole room was empty save for her and Natsu.

"C'mon Luce!" Natsu waved the instructions. "I need you! We gotta measure and cut the frame first."

"Coming!" The imp inside of Lucy's brain giggled. 'That's what she said.'

The shop room echoed without extra voices and the noise of saws.

Lucy giggled. She couldn't help it. Natsu had managed to tangle the measuring tape - again. Holding out her hand she requested its return. "I'm gonna have to demote you." Shaking her head, Lucy held the end hook securely against the end of the two by four that was their first planned cut - and then grabbed Natsu's hand and moved it into place. "You get to be the anchor." Lucy extended the tape measure and marked off four spots. "We'll check it twice and then cut."

"Won't that take longer?"

"Yes and no." Lucy explained, "If both marks are at the same point, I've got them in the right spot - but if they aren't, then we look to see where we made a mistake. It's all about checking and double checking before we do something we can't fix."

"Y'mean kinda like, 'least said, soonest mended'?" Natsu gave Lucy an earnest look. "Or if I'm punching Gray as hard as he deserves, but if Erza is about to show up, we pretend I wasn't kicking his ass?"

"More like the first example, but yeah." Lucy nodded. "Or like how a pound of 'cure' is worth the ounce of 'prevention.' If we don't make mistakes, we don't have to rip apart our work."

"Hmm." Natsu shrugged and held the end of the measure against the end of the board. "Then let's double-check our work."

"Okay!"

Lucy and Natsu measured all the cuts listed in the instructions twice and then began cutting. Never one to shrink away from new tasks, Lucy took command of the saw. Without complaint, Natsu held the other end still and encouraged Lucy. Alternating chores, they finished sawing quicker than anticipated.

"What's next?"

Lucy flexed her hands, they were a little sore. Picking up the blueprints, she scanned the information. "We can cut the plywood next."

"Ugh. Measuring and cutting is boring. What about starting to assemble?"

"We can't put together pieces that aren't ready."

Natsu looked at the much larger than expected pile of cut pieces. "But we're not gonna make any progress if we don't start assembling."

Blueprints still within her grasp, Lucy settled her hands on her hips and tapped her foot. "You may have a point. This isn't a puzzle, so, sure, let's get the frame done and then do the rest of the cuts."

"Huh. Cana was wrong about you." Natsu confided, "She said you wouldn't be open to changing plans."

"…" Lucy nodded jerkily. A lot of the fun of this experience had gone out for her right there. Most of her schoolmates didn't really know her, so it was easy to shrug off the popular misconceptions. But - in this short work project, it had felt like she and Natsu had started to become friends.

"She says a lot of dumb stuff, things that only make sense way later, but I think this time she was wrong." Natsu continued speaking, all without noticing how stiff Lucy had become. "You're a good student, I knew that from the posted grades - but you're an even harder worker than I guessed. I bet I could learn a lot from you." Finally noticing Lucy's rigidness, Natsu put down his hammer and the nails he'd been holding ready. "What?"

"…" Lucy looked down and away. This was her standard response to every awkward situation. She flinched as Natsu tentatively touched her shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

Lucy bit her lip and steeled herself. She could face him. Not everything he'd said had been hurtful. Matter of fact, after the first bits, Natsu had sounded like he admired her - which was weird. "More than what we both have time to deal with." Forcing a laugh, Lucy looked into Natsu's eyes. That was a mistake. They were concerned, not condemning. "At first I thought you were saying I was stuck-up."

Natsu frowned and shook his head.

His confusion egged Lucy into saying more. "I've heard that time and time again. People think that I think I'm too smart and won't follow anyone else's advice."

"D'uh! Of course, you're smart! We all can see the posted grades!" Natsu smiled - and it was his smile that convinced Lucy he wasn't being cruel.

"I'm sorry. I'm used to most people getting defensive. I don't know how to react when people are sharing honestly." Lucy picked up a hammer and then a nail. "Why don't we start putting this together like you suggested?"

"That's a good plan, even if it's mine." Natsu laughed and Lucy relaxed.

An hour later, very pleased with their accomplishments, Natsu and Lucy tidied their mess. They swept and dumped the sawdust into the dustbin, hung the hammers and saw back onto the peg-board, and put the nails away.

"This was … an experience." Lucy smiled at Natsu. "I’m glad we got to work with each other."

"I had fun," said Natsu, "and I think you did too."

"Fun isn't usually one of my goals," Lucy admitted, "I have to keep my grades up so my father doesn't freak. Fun doesn't rate high on his list of things to do."

"Pity." Natsu picked up Lucy's schoolbag. "I understand about keeping a parental figure quiet, but y'know we're only young once. Fun shouldn't be forgotten."

"I have some fun. I take dance lessons every Thursday."

”Oh, ya got me there." Natsu's tone did not agree with his words. His voice picked up some pep as he continued speaking. "Pfft. I'm talkin' stuff your dad doesn't approve of kind of fun! The fun that is spur of the moment - somethin' you can't believe you had the nerve to do right after ya do it!"

Hardly able to wrap her brain around calling her father, 'dad,' Lucy stood lost in thought. Natsu had made a lot of good points. Fun was a commodity she hadn't experienced enough. "Will you be mad if I take your advice?"

"Naw, I'd be proud. I bet people wouldn't believe me if I told them the Lucy Heartfilia had taken advice from me." Natsu smiled.

"Remember, you can't get mad." Lucy bit her lip and giggled softly. "I suppose I could apologize ahead of time. You sure?"

"You look like you need fun."

Taking all Natsu's words to heart, Lucy gathered her courage. Heart beating wildly, she moved in front of Natsu. "May I kiss you?"

"Are you joking?"

"Even though your words made me think I could steal a kiss - I respect you too much to do that." Lucy knew her cheeks were climbing way past pink and into tomato red territory, but she wanted to explain herself. "The fun I want is a mutual experience. If I take without your consent, then I'm not respecting your rights. I wouldn't want that for myself so I will not do that to you. I like you. I like you because you're nice to me."

"You're not joking." Natsu blushed. "You're not that good at jumping into fun, but you are so not joking."

"Nope." Lucy swallowed hard. She cursed herself for not thinking harder about how awkward it was going to be after Natsu refused her request because she was too weird. Dammit!

"Okay." Natsu dropped Lucy's books and held her gaze. "You can kiss me - and then… can I kiss you?"

Lucy blinked, knowing her mouth had dropped open. "Huh?"

"I like you too," Natsu spoke in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You like me?"

"Yeah." Natsu smiled. "For a long time now, not just on account of today. You didn't treat me like a dummy while we worked on the booth. I know my reputation. Most people think I'm dumber than a box of bricks."

"You sure?" Lucy inched closer to Natsu.

"I'm sure." Natsu inched closer to Lucy. "Everyone in school thinks I'm stupid."

"You know that's not what I meant." Fire flashed in Lucy's eyes. "You like me? The girl everyone in school thinks is stuck-up? Too smart for her own good and so rich she can't understand anyone else?"

"Yeah. The thing is, I know you’re not like that. Not one bit.”

Lucy nodded, an anxious smile on her lips. They'd reached an agreement of sorts - mutual respect with a side of pining. She could do this - it was just a kiss, right? Well, she had permission and the time was ripe. Lucy leaned forward, angled her head slightly, closed her eyes and captured Natsu's lips against her own. Seconds later she pulled back, heart racing like she'd been running a marathon.

Natsu licked his lips, his fingers tracing where Lucy had touched him. This made the sudden experience more real. He slowly reached out; caressing Lucy's jawline, then cupped her chin as he kissed her. It lasted perhaps half a minute and felt like an eternity at the same time.

"Wow." Lucy was aware her response was inane, but Natsu still held her in his arms and the warmth of his body distracted her. "That…was…fun."

"You sound like you need more convincing." Natsu squeezed Lucy and then relaxed his hold. "May I kiss you again?"

"I'd like that." Lucy set her hands on Natsu's shoulders and locked eyes with him. "And then maybe I could kiss you again too?"

"Hells yes."

[ship-ambrosia]

Gruvia Week, Day 3

Give it up for Day 3! Wow, I’m surprising even myself with the motivation I’ve gotten to write!

This one is posted off my laptop. It doesn’t fit the prompt exactly, but I couldn’t think of anything else and it works well enough. My submission today is a piece of a longer fanfiction that I’ve been working on, and debating if I actually want to do the entire thing - so today’s also kind of a test run for me? It’s also way longer than my Day 1 and Day 2 posts lol

As always, please consider checking out my first Gruvia fanfiction on AO3, Four Degrees!

 "Would you stop moping around, ice princess? You're gonna give us all a damn cold!"   "Natsu, don't be mean! That's totally unnecessary!"   "I'll do whatever I want, especially if he isn't going to fight back! Hehe."   "Salamander, you know I don't like the iceman as much as I don't like you, but even I'm starting to get pissed off for him."   "Gajeel, please don't make this worse."   "If you want to go, I'm ready to go!"   "I'm always ready to go, you pink-haired loser!"   "Call me that again to my face, metal freak!"   "I just did!"   Gray glanced up just in time to watch the two of them, mid-brawl, escape out the front doors of the guild.   Across the table from him, Levy let out a sigh. "I'll go make sure they don't destroy anything. Be back in a second, Lu."   Lucy nodded, turning back from her friend to face him. Mentally, Gray braced himself. He knew Lucy at the very least was concerned, but he didn't exactly like to have all his feelings out in the open for others to scrutinize.   "She'll be back, Gray."   He looked up to Lucy's eyes, her smile and her gaze twinkling with hope. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting her to say, but that wasn't it. And honestly, it still hurt. Anything that anyone said about Juvia would hurt, unless they were telling him where he could find her.   "Why did she only tell Gramps where she was going?" He croaked. "Why wouldn't she let me come with her?"   Lucy pursed her lips. "Juvia is strong, Gray. She can handle herself. You might want to protect her, but you picked a girl who knows how to be independent. She wants to figure out what happened to her family on her own. You have to respect that."   "What if she finds out something terrible happened to them? Or that they abandoned her? Wouldn't she want me- or at least someone else to be there to comfort her?"   He wasn't telling Lucy the whole truth. Gray had a bad feeling. He couldn't give a reason or proof, but he felt that Juvia was being tricked. By who, or why, he didn't have a clue. But it had him on edge, and that was why he was trying to get Master Makarov to tell him where Juvia had gone.   "I can't tell you that I understand exactly what she's thinking," Lucy sighed. She glanced up when she heard Natsu and Gajeel yelling from outside the guild hall. She got to her feet. "I'm gonna go help Levy. But have faith in Juvia, Gray. She'll be home soon enough."   As Lucy walked away to deal with the two dragon slayers, his thoughts drifted dark again. Juvia was a powerful wizard. She could have enemies from her Phantom Lord days. He had a lot of enemies. Fairy Tail had a lot of enemies. There were so many reasons that someone might want to hurt her. But to convince her through a letter that they had information about her parents? It either had to be real, or someone very sophisticated in their plan to catch her.

  Juvia stared out the window of the train as it left the station of a small mountain town. Though deep within her heart she was rather lonely on this journey thus far, there was certainly something to be said about riding the train in peace and quiet, without the usual dragon slayer dry heaving on the floor of the car. She usually took jobs that included Gajeel, and occasionally she would join Team Natsu, so she was used to dealing with their motion sickness. But being by herself gave her lots of time to think. To reflect on her life in Fairy Tail as the train rattled along to its final destination, and Juvia's home.   She had not been to Foxglove in over ten years, having only her earliest memories to remind her of her childhood in the orphanage before her mother's estranged brother discovered his niece was still alive and taken her in. This life of hers before she had joined Phantom Lord was not filled with happy memories. It was in the orphanage that she became alienated from the other children because her rain curse began. That was also where her habit of creating teru-teru bozu dolls came from, the nuns who ran the orphanage having taught her how to make them to drive the rain away. Her uncle had been a mean and nasty man who hated the rain and treated Juvia like dirt. He didn't know anything about her parents, either, never informed of how they died and never mentioning a thing about them; she only knew her mother's name. Juvia ran away from him when she was sixteen. Not long after that would she come across Phantom Lord, and Jose, seeing the vast magical potential in the fledgling water mage, offered her a position within his guild.   Juvia sighed. It wasn't as if her life in Phantom Lord was as bad as her life before it, but it certainly wasn't happy compared to how she felt now. Phantom Lord was a cold and lonely guild, with relationships built on strength and the guild itself fixated on remaining the most powerful in Fiore. Still, she had made friends there, including Gajeel, so she couldn't say she was never happy; but it was clear to her that Jose was only interested in her for her power. Behind Aria, she had been the second strongest member of the Element Four.   Her life had changed so much, starting the moment the rain parted and she saw the sun for the first time since she was a little girl. Of course, thinking of that event in time only brought her thoughts to the one who had driven the clouds away; her beloved Gray. Relationship being considered or not, it was hard to argue that anyone else had a more significant impact on her as a person than him. She counted her blessings every day that he was in her life, as she had seen what losing him felt like once and Juvia never wanted to feel that pain ever again. Despite Gray forcing her to promise to never do something like what she did during his fight with Invel again, there was not a bone in her body that wouldn't make that sacrifice if he was in danger and it was their only option. She truly had resolved to heed her own words and live for love however, to live for him, as he had done the same for her. Oh how she missed him.   There were not many trains that made the journey up the mountain to rainy, secluded Foxglove, and she was grateful that this one did. Juvia leaned against the window in an attempt to get the imaginary Gray sitting in the seat across from her out of her mind, and mentally re-read the letter she had received. We have some records here in your name that have never been unsealed. If you would like, you should come to Foxglove and collect them.  We would love to see your sweet face one last time, and the beautiful woman you've grown into!   The instant Juvia had opened the letter, she knew what she had to do and that she had to do it by herself. When Gray begged her to take him along, concerned for her wellbeing, her heart had fluttered so rapidly she thought it might burst from her chest; but truthfully, Juvia didn't know what she might discover about her parents, and that was why she had refused any assistance and only told Master Makarov where exactly she was going. She didn't want anyone following her, though she couldn't remember if she had mentioned Foxglove to Gajeel or not. Juvia giggled a bit at the thought; for someone who feigned disinterest in nearly everything, that big oaf had a really good memory. He was actually just a big softie, but with metal screws.   Juvia didn't even notice she had fallen asleep until the train's horn went off as it pulled into Foxglove Station. She blinked sleep out of her eyes and collected her small bag of things before quickly making her way off the train. In the pit of her stomach, she could already feel the nerves gathering at the thought of what was going to transpire. Juvia had booked a room at the town's inn, planning to pick up the records immediately from the orphanage and then retire to her suite to mull them over. She had enough money set aside for about a week's stay, so if she needed to be alone and mull over any particularly upsetting information that she might learn. Part of her was angry at herself for not taking anyone along, that she might crave company in the aftermath that learning about her family and her past might leave. But she took a deep breath and reminded herself that this was the correct action - to go alone.   Whispers of recognition fled past her as she made her way to the orphanage in the center of the purple-hued town, but not because of her origins there. She felt herself swell with pride as the people around her buzzed excitedly of her more recent merits. Isn't that the famous wizard Juvia, of Fairy Tail? The one who uses water magic and declared her love for her guildmate Gray to everyone at the first Grand Magic Games that Fairy Tail won? She's amazing! She was part of the last day's group that year! I heard she's incredibly kind and resourceful as well! She's even more beautiful in person than in the magazines! Well, what else do you expect of Fairy Tail?   Juvia was filled with a happy warmth as she climbed the steps to the orphanage door and reached up to knock. Juvia of Fairy Tail. That certainly was a title she liked much more than her previous Phantom Lord one. Her life in Fairy Tail was everything to her; it had all her friends, and especially Gray, and so many happy memories waiting for her to return. She would never let anything take her away from that. Her memories would be what comforted her if she found sadness in the records.   When the double doors opened, she immediately recognized the nun who answered. Her smiling face brightened upon recognition of the little Juvia that had once been growing up in the building she stood before now. Juvia was hastily invited in, and brought through the courtyard past smiling children who also recognized her. The courtyard was not a happy place for Juvia, as it reminded her of how no one ever got to play outside because of the rain she brought. She politely asked to continue through.   "I see the rain has stopped," her guide said cheerfully.   "Yes it has, thanks to a wonderful man in my life."   "Oh well, isn't that sweet? You deserve someone who cares for you so. What can we thank for your visit, Miss Lockser?" The nun asked sweetly as she poured Juvia a cup of tea.   She took the cup gratefully and was about to explain when she paused. They had sent the letter, hadn't they? So they knew she would travel to Foxglove, they would be expecting her visit.   "I received a letter, that said you found unsealed records in my name," Juvia spoke with a suspicious edge to her voice. "So I was hoping I could come to collect them."   The nun blinked at her. "Miss Lockser... there were never records of your past here. You were brought here by strangers who found you wandering on your own; we were never even sure if you were from Fiore. That's why it took so long for your uncle to be approved as caregiver. We had nothing to compare to. The only thing we took was that he knew your name, honestly."   Juvia felt a sinking feeling in her chest, all previous happiness gone. Suddenly she wished she had taken Gray up on his offer to come with her. That he might hold her while she cried the tears that threatened her now. This was even worse news than any information that she could have learned.   "I understand. Perhaps there was a mix up and I received the letter meant for someone else."   "I'm so very sorry. If you'd like, you can stay in town for a few days and I can let you check anyway," the nun answered. "Maybe you can spend some with the children here as well. They'd love you, I'm sure."   Juvia wiped her eyes. There was no hiding the tears now as they fell. She insisted she was fine, however, and politely chatted with the nun for a bit before excusing herself so that she might check into the inn she had reserved for herself. On her way down the steps of the orphanage, she pulled out the small communication lacrima that Master Makarov had insisted she bring with her; now she was grateful for it, because she was lonely and a bit suspicious. She decided to call the guild hall itself and ask whoever answered if she could talk to Gray. Juvia resolved to tell him she was in Foxglove, because she desperately wanted him here with her now.   Just as the lacrima connected to the one back at Fairy Tail, Juvia felt a sudden chill rush through her body. Goosebumps bristled her skin, and she felt her pace quicken. She looked around wildly, but no one around her seemed as panicked.   "Hey, sweetheart!" Someone called to her. She kept her head down, focused on the lacrima in her hands.   "Beauty with the blue hair, I'm talking to you!" The voice seemed to be following her.   "Juvia Lockser!"   The sound of her name reverberated through her ears. They only knew her name... because she was a well-known member of Fairy Tail...   "Ame Onna!"   She stopped dead in her tracks. Hearing her Phantom Lord name brought up emotions in her that she had kept down for so long. It had been one thing for the nun at the orphanage to mention the rain surrounding her was gone - because that had reminded her of the man who changed her life, and who loved her. But to call her that accursed name, was to remind her of a life she never wanted to go back to. I am not the Rain Woman!   With her Water Body beginning to boil as her anger rose, in preparation for the use of her Sierra spell, Juvia turned around to angrily face the man calling to her. "You better have a good reason to call me-"   Juvia stopped speaking immediately, cutting herself off when she recognized the man who stood before her. "You-"   And she was cut off again, but this time by the man himself. Because he had shouted "Raging Thunder!" and caught Juvia off guard by a powerful lightning spell that electrocuted her Water Body - more painful than when she had struck Laxus's Thunder Palace to save Cana - and eliciting a bloodcurdling scream from her mouth. One that a certain Mirajane Strauss heard before Juvia dropped and shattered the lacrima that had been in her hands.   Juvia dropped to the ground when the spell stopped, all of her strength sapped from her immediately. As she lay barely holding on to consciousness, she wondered vaguely if she didn't have such a strong magic core, whether or not that attack would have killed her.   The man stepped forward and lifted Juvia's limp body from the ground, bringing her closer to his face and allowing her to indeed confirm that he was the man she recognized, a man from her past that she had not seen in years. Another set of feet were suddenly heard coming up to her, and Juvia wondered for a split second if someone was coming to her rescue. When the newcomer spoke however, a horrified expression appeared on Juvia's face. Her worst nightmare come to life.   "I knew one day you would return to me, Juvia Lockser. My Ame Onna."

  Mirajane wasted no time in informing Master Makarov what she had just witnessed, and he in turn wasted no time in rushing across the guild hall to where Team Natsu sat, along with Gajeel and Levy. He went right to Gray's side, knowing he was the one who most deserved to know.   "I fear that Gray's hunch was correct," he told the table, causing the young man to sit up. "His instinct to travel with Juvia was correct, but both Juvia and I were fooled. One of our own is in grave danger."   "What's happened to her?" Erza asked sharply, when Gray only clenched his fist in response.   "We aren't actually sure," Mira admitted. "She called on a lacrima, and when I picked up I saw her being electrocuted and all I heard was her scream. I think she dropped the lacrima because only a moment later the line went dead."   "Oh no!" Lucy gasped, covering her mouth with her hands in shock.   "Where is she?" Gray asked coldly, getting to his feet. "Tell me where she went."   "I'd bet she went to Foxglove," Gajeel crossed his arms and looked to their guild master. "Didn't she?"   "You knew?!" Gray turned his fury to the iron dragon slayer when the master nodded. "You knew and you didn't tell me?"   "If Juvia turned away your offer to come with her, it was clear to me she wanted to go alone. I wanted to respect her wishes," Gajeel turned his face away from him. "Foxglove is a small mountain village in the north, and Juvia grew up for a couple years in the orphanage there. Only one train heads up there. If we're gonna go after her, we better head out soon."   "Of course we're going after her," he gritted his teeth. "I won't let anything else happen to her."   Gray left the table and headed for the door without waiting for anyone else to follow. Everyone still present at the table looked between each other. An air of fear for the safety of their friend hung heavy between them until Gajeel stood up.   "C'mon Lily," he called to his Exceed. "Stripper ain't the only one concerned about Juvia. We're going too."   At his side, Levy also got to her feet. "I’d better go too, to make sure things don't get too heated between the two of them."   "We'll stay here at the guild just in case something else comes up," Erza offered her. "Perhaps Lucy and I can try and figure out who would attack Juvia?"   The celestial wizard nodded. "Be safe, Levy. And bring Juvia back, please."   Levy bit her lip. "We will. We have to... for her sake and Gray's."

[okmeamithinknow]

The Sauced Snake Chapter 4

Chapter Four: The Hungover Hognose Part 2

Previous Chapter

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 

A.N.: If I were going to give this chapter a title besides the Hungover Hognose pt 2, I would definitely call “The one with the run on sentences” or “The one that just kept getting bigger until I debated about whether or not I should break it into two pieces.”

The Hungover Hognose Part 2

Cobra’s just finished pulling on a shirt, the fabric sticking to the skin still damp from the shower when there’s a knock at the door. He groans, not needing his magic to know who’s standing on the other side. Even if Lucy hadn’t warned him ahead of time, Cobra—and probably the rest of Magnolia— would be able to hear her team coming. Specifically Gray and Natsu’s bickering.

He’d hoped to sneak in a short catnap after his shower, but the pounding beat of water on his back was too much of a temptation to abandon straight away. Mira’s miracle cure and the scalding temperature of his shower have worked wonders to improve his mood. As it stands he’s more likely to maim someone on the team than kill them outright.

Pausing in the doorway of their bedroom, he leans against the doorjamb to watch his fiancé let her team in. Lucy pulls open the front door to find, in classic fashion, Natsu and Gray in a heated argument, with an irate Erza standing behind them. A cackling Happy sits on her shoulder and it’s obvious that he’s laughing at the boys’ antics. Both men—if you could call either one of the juvenile mages men— are somehow simultaneously locked in a headlock with Gray yanking on a handful of pink hair and Natsu digging his knuckles into Gray’s skull.

Cobra doesn’t need to see Lucy’s face to see the roll of her eyes at her team’s antics as she invites them in.

All at once the pounding in his head is back, and when Erza fixes him with an icy stare he catches a fleeting feeling of panic from Lucy. Its barely a flicker of a thought, that he might just run when faced with this complication, and he scowls. He’s no coward and running is the last thing on his mind.

Making his way over to where Lucy’s standing next to the sofa, he flops down and pulls her into his lap. The message clear enough to her and the rest of her family. He’s not going anywhere. He buries his nose in her hair, closing his eye and taking in the calming scent of her.

Lucy’s team filters in and takes seats around the living room without another word, Natsu pulling the front door closed behind him.

It’s awkward and a tense silence permeates the air, one that pulls at her heart, squeezing it in a vice. Cobra pulls her closer, arms wrapping around her middle and a low soothing rumble fills her ear. The sound gives her the courage to look up.

Natsu meets her eyes with a bright sunny smile on his face. He’d always been their staunchest supporter. When Lucy first started dating the former criminal, Natsu had been the first to welcome him into the fold. That he’d pulled Cobra aside soon after their announcement and clearly explained, in graphic detail nonetheless, what would happen if the Poison Dragonslayer ever chose to hurt his best friend, was no surprise to any of them.  

Lucy’s gaze skitters over Erza— who’s situated herself between the two men to keep them from coming to blows again, a position she places herself in quite frequently— to Gray.

Arms folded across his chest, wan smile fixed on his face, Gray seems more uncomfortable about being dragged here in the first place.  His approval came shortly after Natsu’s, the mage offering to spar with Cobra one afternoon where he not so subtly echoed Natsu’s warning. The two of them have struck up an odd sort of friendship, the foundation of which is built on mutual self-deprecation.

Overall though, both boys agree, if Lucy’s happy, then there’s no problem, and Cobra has proved over the last few years that he’s more than willing to make their friend happy.

Erza’s the lone hold out, and everyone knows it.

The silence grows thicker, the ticking of the clock and the nervous swishing of Happy’s tail the only sounds in the room. No one seems to quite know where to begin.

All at once the damn breaks, and the boys declare their heartfelt congratulations at the exact same time that Erza tries to explain her concerns. Right as Lucy launches into a rehearsed speech about how much the two of them are in love and how they might not have planned it, but the baby and their marriage are both good things and are exactly what Lucy wants and if Erza’s not ready to deal with that then she’s going to have to suck it up.

It lasts for all of a minute before Cobra tells them all to shut the fuck up.

“You’ve had three and half years to make your ‘concerns’ known. We’ve been more than candid about our relationship from the beginning,” he says, fixing a knowing eye on Erza. “And don’t even give me that whole ‘sullied her honor’ sanctimonious bullshit, when Flames for Brains and I can both smell that Blueberry all over you. Did you even make it back to Fairy Hills before you fucked him?”

Erza sputters and blushes a glowing red as deep as her name, but Cobra ignores it, continuing on. “Now, you can fucking fight me in the training ring as soon as my fucking head stop pounding like an illegal rave, which will be completely useless because you won’t be changing my mind, or you can say yes when Lucy asks you to be one of her bridesmaids and leave it at that.”

He glares at the red head who gapes open-mouthed at him over Lucy’s shoulder. Blush still firmly in place, Erza nods dumbly.

“Maid of Honor,” Lucy blurts out suddenly. “I was going to ask Levy, but she's already married and she’s been so busy with the twins and she said she’d be fine with just the matron of honor, even though we’re the same age and we were going to tell you guys about everything, but we wanted to tell you all at once and we…” Lucy turns in Cobra’s lap, peering up to look at him. “Well I wanted to make sure we made it past that window where there’s a bigger risk of losing him or her…”

“You’re babbling, Bright Eyes,” Cobra chuckles, and Lucy blushes, pink staining her cheeks. She turns back to Erza, expectant smile plastered on her face.

She’s so focused on Erza and her reaction that she misses Natsu’s uncomfortable shifting. His foot taps nervously against the hardwood floor as Erza launches into a series of questions about the wedding, all of her previous unease obliterated. The motion isn’t lost on Cobra, who watches the other slayer from the corner of his eye, magic focusing in on the edgy dragonslayer.

As an hour or two passes and the girls’ discussion grows more in depth with the occasional interjection from Gray, Natsu’s fidgeting becomes more and more pronounced. The nervous energy finally spilling over when Cobra asks Gray to be one of his groomsmen, and Natsu stands to leave, rushing out of the apartment.

Lucy clambers after him, stopping at the doorway to look back at Cobra.

“Go after him,” Cobra says, knowing that Lucy’s sensed Natsu’s growing unease as well. She hadn’t been able to distract Erza long enough to catch Natsu’s attention, the red head’s series of questioning growing more meticulous as time went by.

She rushes down the steps and out into the fading twilight. It’s much later than she realizes. The street lamps are just starting to flicker on when Lucy stops, checking both ways for the telltale shock of pink hair. She barely catches a glimpse before she takes off running down the street after him. Lucy calls his name, but he doesn't respond, either not hearing her voice or blatantly ignoring her. He rounds a corner, one that Lucy’s entirely unfamiliar with and she picks up her speed, legs pushing her forward.

Rounding the corner, she trips, stumbling over a loose cobblestone. Scream lodging in her throat, she braces herself for impact, but instead a pair of sturdy and altogether too familiar arms catch her around the waist before she can hit the ground.

“Careful,” Natsu chuckles, though his smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “You’ve got precious cargo in there.”

Lucy huffs a breath, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. A half formed grumble about Erik’s doting already turning to smothering on her lips. Natsu’s concern rings true though, even if the worst she probably would have gotten were a few scrapes and bruises. She straightens, extracting herself from his arms. He lingers nearby unable to look her in the eye as Lucy brushes invisible dirt from her skirt. There’s a certain tightness to his brow that combined with the defeated slump of his shoulders makes Lucy want to cry.

“Will you…” she clears her throat, “Will you take a walk with me?”

Natsu nods and Lucy holds out her hand. When he takes it, she offers him a tentative smile and laces her fingers with his. They walk for a while, no destination in mind, until they reach South Gate Park. Lucy leads him to a bench. Night has fallen in full force, the crickets chirping in the background. Lucy shivers, from both the chill in the air and the stress. Natsu scoots closer, and Lucy, the heat leech that she’s always been, leans in until he reaches an arm around her. They’re both quiet, letting the peace of the evening wash over them.

“You were so quiet back there…” Lucy says finally. Voice barely above a whisper, the unspoken ‘What’s wrong?’ hovering between them.

She honestly has no clue. Natsu’s had no problem with any of the members of Crime Sorcière since they joined Fairy Tail, and even if he’d been a little jealous of the Poison Dragonslayer monopolizing Lucy’s time in the beginning of their relationship, he’d understood. Especially once he’d started seeing Mira. Double dates had become quite the interesting affair after that. That was also when the quest to figure out how to get Cobra drunk started.

“I just thought…” he trails off, shifting uncomfortably.

“Thought what?” Lucy grabs the hand closest to her and pulls it into her lap.

“It’s dumb,” he says.

“It’s not dumb if it upsets you,” Lucy says, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb. “We’re best friends. You can tell me.”

“Best friends… Right,” he says with a shake of his head, and then heaves a sigh, running his free hand through his hair. “I know you’re a girl and all, but I really thought I’d be like… I don’t know… your best man. Or whatever.”

“Like a Man of Honor?” she asks with a giggle.

He nods, blush dappling his nose. Lucy releases his hand, bring both of hers to cup his cheeks.

“Oh Natsu,” she says, and there's something in her tone that almost breaks his heart. Natsu looks away, unable to look her in the eye.

“I should have talked to you first,” she says. “Erik and I, well we talked about it… and he said it just makes sense… He’s the one that gave us the chance to be together… Once Crime Sorcière was absorbed into Fairy Tail after they got pardoned… We’re not even sure if he can do it anymore, since Laxus took over as master, but Erik insists that because he’s still a Wizard Saint that it shouldn’t be a problem and if not then we’ll still have Makarov perform the ceremony and we’ll just have Laxus sign everything like he did it. And with my mother and father gone, it just kind of makes sense.”

“What makes sense?” he asks, interrupting her.

“Would you…” she asks, blush staining her cheeks, “Would you walk me down the aisle and give me away?”

Natsu is speechless. The slack-jawed look on his face has Lucy panicking for a second before he lets out a whoop of mirth. He jumps to his feet, dragging Lucy along with him. He spins her in a circle, laughing. Natsu sets her down, pressing his forehead to hers. His eyes are bright, unshed tears sparkling in the light of the street lamps.

“I take it that’s a yes?” she asks, barely containing a laugh.

“Of course I will,” he says. “After all, what are best friends for?”

Read, review, reblog to save a life. 

[r3almellow]

Nothing More Chapter 10

A/N: I’d like to thank everyone who has reviewed and those who have stuck around for so long. This is the first time I have written a fanfic that has made it to 10 chapters! Your support motivates me to keep pushing forward with my story! Thank you so much!

Rating: M

Ship: NaLu

Series: Fairy Tail

Chapter 9

xxx

The car ride was filled with silence that almost felt suffocating. Why did Natsu have to go and say that?! Dan was probably ready to press charges if her impulsive best friend decided to carry out his “promise.” Then she would have to bail him out, scold him, and threaten to never talk to him again. Lucy knew he’d probably beg for her forgiveness, but would commit attempted murder all over again.

That was Natsu in a nutshell.

Dan broke the silence. “It seems Dragneel hasn’t changed much.”

She laughed and gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry about that. He’s just a little overprotective.” Overprotective might have been an understatement. Gray and Erza were overprotective, but Natsu? There was always a hint of jealousy radiating out of him when it came to Dan.

Natsu was in a happy relationship, so maybe jealousy wasn’t the word for it. Was the idea of someone else taking up her time, something that he couldn’t handle?

Dan chuckled, his eyes still focused on the road. “Nothing wrong with that. It shows just how much he cares for you.”

While that was true, Natsu still carried some sort of grudge against the man.

It was then her mind ran back to just moments before Dan showed up at her apartment. Natsu was trying to tell her something, but in all honesty Lucy was too caught up in her own fears to listen. She knew it was something serious and she could feel it in her heart that what he had to say would change the dynamics of their relationship.

Lucy wasn’t ready to deal with that.

“Are you okay?” She heard Dan ask.

She caught him stealing a few worried glances in her direction.

Lucy only smiled and nodded. “Yeah, its just been a while since I’ve been to one of these.”  

“A party?” He questioned.

Lucy shook her head. “No, a party is meant to be a place of fun, friends, and laughter.  This event is meant to be nothing more than a competition to see who has the most money and who can get the most dirt on a person.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to such an event, but I don’t remember them being that unbearable.”

“Trust me when I say it’s a nightmare. I remember when my parents were called unfit because they decided to let me go to school in the city instead of being home schooled. All because nosey people wanted to know how “little Lucy” was doing.” She sighed heavily at the memory.

“Yikes.”

“It’s part of the reason why my family and I took ourselves out of that lifestyle,” she said flatly.

“Well, you won’t have to worry about that tonight. Anyone who tries something will have to deal with yours truly.”

Lucy smiled softly.  “Thanks.”

He smiled back at her as they pulled up in front of a brightly lit mansion.

Getting inside the Orland home was easier than getting valet parking. Once inside Lucy was complete awe of the place. She had forgotten how much money the Orland’s put into their annual event. From a live band to the detailed ice sculpture of Magnolia’s famous Sakura tree in the middle of the room.

The Orlands really knew how to go all out.

“Legion Corps Vice-Captain and Heartfilia Heiress an item?” On most days Lucy would be ready to chew out the person who dared make any sort of accusation about her, but she was all smiles when she was met with her co-worker Jason.

She waved at him. “Hey, Jason! I didn’t know you were working the event tonight.”

“You think I’d miss the Orland’s try to bounce back after what happened? I’m lucky enough to get the opportunity.” He was right. The press were outside in droves, but only a select few were allowed inside.

Probably to minimize any false news circling the air.

Jason holds up his camera. “Mind if I get a picture of you and your date?”

Lucy and Dan happily obliged as Jason began to take a few pictures. He wasn’t the only one as a few others managed to follow his lead. No doubt these pictures would make it online articles and magazines. She can already feel a call from her father coming in within the next few hours.

Lucy could hear a few murmurs from press and guests alike as they stared at her and Dan. Let the rumors begin…

Just as Lucy was ready to glare daggers at the people an announcement of the hostess’ presence towards the stairs.

At the top of the staircase stood Minerva clad in a blue tight fitting dress. Next to her stood a tall man with blonde long hair. Lucy quickly deduced that, that was fashion designer Rufus Lore. He was known as the youngest designers, getting his start with Sabertooth Collections as a teenager. Lucy remembered his early years were filled with other designers claiming he stole his work. Claims that were never proven.

Minerva looked out into the crowd and cleared her throat. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for attending our annual charity event. As you all know, my father could not be here tonight to grace you with his presence.”

‘Because he’s a drug dealer.’ Lucy thought.

“While he may not be here, I hope to represent the company to the best of my abilities. Do not forget that we will taking donations for various orphanages such as “The Rosemary Children’s Association.” Sabertooth Collections as well as the Orland family, hope to give the children of Fiore a bright future and we need your help to make that happen. Aside from that, the night is young and all the champagne won’t stay chilled for much longer. Please enjoy the festivities.”

The crowd clapped as Minerva was escorted down the flight of stairs by Rufus. It didn’t the woman long to spot Lucy and Dan in the sea of people. She broke apart from Rufus who disappeared into the crowd and with a few graceful strides, Minerva was at their side.

Lucy sensed a few of the press snapping photos near them. Yep, she was definitely getting a call from her father.

“Mr. Straight, I’m so glad you could make it!” Minerva says offering him a handshake.

Dan shook her hand with a charming smile. “I was honored when you sent me the invitation, Ms. Orland.”

Minerva glanced at Lucy as if she was just now noticing her. She was scanning Lucy from head to toe as if she was trying to find a way to make some backhanded comment about her appearance.

While she’d like to comfortable shorts and a t-shirt any day of the week, fashion was something Lucy never played around with when it was time to get serious.

Minerva pulled Lucy in gave her a cheek to cheek kiss. “I’m so glad you were able to make it, Lucy. Tell me, how is your mother’s health?” Oh, right. That lie was still a thing.

“She’s better, thanks.” She needed to change the subject.

Lucy looked at Minerva then at Dan. “I didn’t realize you two actually knew each other.”

“Mr. Straight has been working closely with us to create the Legion Corps’ new line of tactical uniform. We have yet to really discuss the details with the public, but I believe within the next few weeks an announcement should be made.” Minerva said proudly.

Dan chimed in. “Our collaboration was part of the reason I came back to Magnolia. You’d be surprised to see the ideas we came up with within a week. I’m almost sad I have to leave. I would have loved to dive deeper into that beautiful brain of yours just a little longer, Ms. Orland.”

Was that flirting Lucy sensed? It was easy to forget Dan had a tendency of being a smooth talker, but one would think that after all these years he would turn it down.

Minerva waved him off. “You’re far too kind. The companies research team deserves all of the credit.”

The conversation was cut short when Rufus came in and informed Minerva that other people requested her presence. She politely excused herself from the two and disappeared into the crowd.  

“How about we start off this night with a dance?” Dan offered as he bowed with a stretched-out hand.

Lucy giggled and took his hand in hers. “Of course.”

The sounds of jazz music echoed from live band as Dan gently pulled Lucy onto the floor. It took no time for Lucy to find herself in his embrace as they slowly moved with the music.

“Reminds me of our first dance.” He says in a quiet tone.

Lucy looked up at him confused. “Our first dance?”

“Back in college. You were so upset that night and all I wanted to do was make you smile again. Do you remember?”

How could she forget?

Xxx

Lucy had just finished working on a big assignment for her Multimedia Reporting class. She had spent the last few hours analyzing the same audio files of the big Second Trade war.  Lucy had listened to those files so many times that when she heard the loud music blasting from the fraternity house as she made her way inside, it almost sounded foreign.

Lucy had no intentions of going to any sort of party after the busy week she had. On a good day, she would have no problem partying with her friends, but there came a time when a girl needed to be alone. She was ready to hit the sheets and read her favorite novel “A Cursed Love.” A book she never knew she needed until Levy presented it to her as a gift.

Surprisingly, it was Levy that had been the one to finally drag the blonde out of her dorm after countless hours of pleading and promising to help her study for her Spanish exam that was to come in the next few days. That girl was lucky Lucy loved her dearly or her butt would have stayed home.

Lucy threw on whatever she could find in her closet and wrapped her hair into a bun. It wasn’t her best look, but there was no reason to get dolled up for her current location.

Stepping into the frat house she spotted Natsu through the crowd of people and smiled. Suddenly the tiredness she felt seemed to melt away. He always had that effect on her. He was like a ball of energy that selflessly shared its power with others.

Natsu had offered her a drink and teased her about her low tolerance when she declined. She huffed and attempted to bite him. What else could one do in her situation? Let him slide? Nope! Natsu liked seeing her flustered and she wasn’t having any of it.

Lucy suddenly felt someone wrap and arm around her waist which startled her. She was relieved to see it was Cana who began to pull her away.

Natsu called out for her over the loud music asking to save him a dance and she accepted. A small blush crept up to Lucy’s face and she hoped it went unnoticed as the sight of him disappeared.

It wasn’t the first time the two had danced.

Natsu reluctantly became her test subject once she joined the dance team. Any moves or tricks she wanted to try out, he was her guinea pig. He wasn’t bad at dancing like she believed him to be. He wasn’t perfect, but he was good at following instructions when he wanted to.

This time, however, was different.

He wasn’t helping her with a new routine, he genuinely wanted to dance with her at a party. What if he wanted to dance to a slow song? That meant they’d be close. Really close. He’d have his hands around her waist while hers would be wrapped around his neck. She’d be able to get lost in his eyes as they swayed to the sounds of the music. She’d want to lean up and kiss him before any second thoughts cloud her mind.

The desire to ask him to go back to her dorm with her with hopes he’d comply, would have lingered as she slowly pulled away from him.

The idea of what could transpire between the two caused the pink blush surrounding her cheeks changed to red.

Maybe reading nothing but romance novels was bad for your health.

“Having naughty thoughts?”

Lucy was brought out from her thoughts and was met with a devious smirk from Cana.

“N-no!”

“Right and I’m not tipsy.” Cana mused.

If she was, it was hard to tell. Cana could fake being sober if she wanted. She was a master drinker and could drink anyone under the table. Many have tried and failed miserably to beat the brunette.

A habit that Lucy sometimes envied yet disliked at the same time.

“Did you need me for something?” Lucy asked quickly changing the subject.

“As a matter a fact I did!” Cana pulls out her phone and grins.

“I want you to take pictures with me so that asshole of an ex-boyfriend I have can see how much fun I’m having without him.”

“Trying to make him jealous?” Lucy asked.

Cana scrunched up her face in disgust. “Hell no! If he sees me having the time of my life with someone else and gets jealous then that’s his problem. I just want to prove that I don’t need his dick to be happy.”

“Wouldn’t a guy be better suited for that? Gray, maybe? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.” Juvia on the other hand…

“You’re much cuter than Gray and it gives me an excuse to do this!” Without a moment’s notice, Cana pounces on Lucy earning her a small squeak from the young Heartfilia. A second later Lucy heard the small click of a camera and evil laugh from Cana.

“Don’t we look so cute together!” Cana exclaimed as she waved her phone in Lucy’s face. Lucy looked at the phone screen and smiled. Cana had an arm wrapped around Lucy, who was in mid smile as her friend leaned in for kiss.

“You tried to kiss my cheek?” Lucy questioned.

“I was aiming for your lips, but I guess I’ll have to try harder next time.” Cana winks.

Lucy rolled her eyes at her friend’s teasing. Cana was never one to hide her sexuality and she was rather bold. No matter who you are, if she found you sexually attractive you were going to know about it.

Cana snickered. “I’m only teasing! Besides, I know a certain soccer player who would kill for a kiss from you!”

Lucy laughed nervously and waved off her friend’s accusations. “Natsu doesn’t like me in that way.”

There was no use in denying her feelings for Natsu. Most of her friends knew long before she even came to terms with it. However, there was no way Natsu would ever think of her as anything more than a friend. In the years that she has known him, there was no indication that he was remotely attracted to her the way she was to him.

Cana’s eyes widened and looked as if someone took the last bottle of beer. “Are you kidding me? He’s Lucysexual!”

Lucy’s looked at the brunette quizzically. “Lucysexual?”

Cana looked at her friend with a smug expression. “Erza and I made it up! He’s attracted to hot blondes, with big boobs and have the name Lucy Heartfilia.”

“Th-that’s not true!” She yelled.

Lucy would have expected Cana to come up with such a ridiculous word, but Erza?

Levy soon appeared with Juvia following close behind. “Are we trying to convince Lucy that Natsu likes her, because I’m all for that.”

Lucy made no effort to hide the betrayal she felt. “You’re supposed to back me up here!”

Levy shrugged as she took another sip of her drink. “I’m not going to lie. The two of you were always joined at the hip. He’s possessive of you and will probably kill the next guy who looks in your direction.”

Lucy wasn’t sure why she was looking sympathy from Levy. She would join forces with the pink haired man when it came to teasing Lucy. High school was all fun and games until her two close friends found a common interest and that was poking fun at her.

“I wouldn’t say possessive and Gray would do the same!  I don’t see you guys throwing him on me!” Lucy eyed Juvia, hoping that the woman would agree with her comparison.

“Juvia used to think of Lucy as a love rival, but it is clear who her heart belongs to.” Ah, yes, the wonderful “Love Rival” phase that started at the beginning of their friendship. It took a while for Lucy to convince Juvia there was nothing going on between her and Gray.

Lucy rolled her eyes. “Why do I even bother?”

Cana thought to herself for a moment and then her devious smirk returned. That was never a good sign. “Why don’t we test this theory?”

Levy raised an eyebrow. “What are you proposing?”

“Natsu asked Lucy to dance. If a slow song comes on and he shows up that means our lovable pink haired friend totally has the hots for her.”

“I don’t thin-“ Lucy began, but was immediately interrupted by Levy.

Levy clapped her hands together and smiled brightly. “That sounds perfect!”

“How are we sure a slow song will play?” Juvia asked.

Cana looked at the DJ and grinned. “You leave that to me. I just need you two to be good little distractions and get those two away from Natsu.” She pointed behind the women.

The women looked over to find Gajeel, Gray and the man of the hour drinking.

“Piece of cake!” Levy said.

Lucy seemed to be the only one against the plan. “Hold on! Don’t I have a say in this?”

“Nope.” Cana said simply.

Lucy gave Juvia one last look, hoping to get through to her friend. “Juvia, you’re not going to go along with this?

“If this is a plan that involves Juvia getting close to her darling Gray then she is ready.” There was determination in Juvia’s eyes as she responded.

Lucy didn’t know what she expected.

“I’m going to go talk to the DJ. You guys get in position.” Cana orderd.

The three women broke away from Lucy to commence their plan. It didn’t long for Levy to drag Gajeel off and Gray was so busy with Juvia clinging on to him that Natsu was left on his own. Lucy looked over at Cana who was flirting with the DJ and whispering who knew what into her ear. The DJ blushed and nodded at Cana.

In no time, Cana made her way back over to Lucy.

“You’re up after this song. Go find him and make sure he asks you to dance.”

Find him? Wasn’t he…?

When Lucy turned her attention back to Natsu, all she found the space he had occupied filled by another person.

Lucy looked around. “Where did he go?”

“I saw him heading outside. Better hope he doesn’t leave.”

Lucy sighed. If her friends went through all this trouble just for her, she might as well go through with the plan, right?

Cana gave her a thumbs up as Lucy walked away.

What was the worst that could happen? It wasn’t like she was going to confess right then and there. He was just going to dance with her to a song…a slow song…possibly a love song.

Lucy’s legs started to shake and her confident stride across the room didn’t feel so confident.

This might have been a mistake.

Before Lucy could back out, she found herself opening the door and suddenly she wished she backed out of this sooner.

Her heart sank to the pit of her stomach at the scene that unfolded before her. Natsu was there with his lips pressed against Lisanna Strauss, who seemed to be really into the kiss.

Lucy was aware of Lisanna’s crush on Natsu. She was subtle about it, but if you paid attention Lisanna’s interactions with him, figuring out her feelings for him was a no brainer.

There was always a small pang of jealousy Lucy felt whenever Lisanna and Natsu were together. Whether if it was for a project or them casually hanging out, the sight of the two left a bitter taste in Lucy’s mouth.

Lucy begun to slowly understood Juvia’s jealousy earlier on her friendship.

To say Lucy was shocked wasn’t the best word. Heartbroken? Upset? There were so many words that could describe how she felt.

Natsu has never shown any interest in Lisanna, that Lucy could notice, so why in the world was this happening?

Maybe there was a spark between the two she was just too blind to see. An attraction that was so strong that Lucy could never begin to understand.

Not wanting to be spotted she closed the door gently and leaned up against it to keep herself steady.

Lucy felt the urge to cry. Her eyes burned as the tears formed and it took everything within her to choke back a sob.

She knew she was fool for believing that Cana’s plan would work. She was even more foolish for thinking he was interested in her in the slightest.

Her internal meltdown was interrupted when she heard her name being called.

She quickly wiped away a stray tear before looking up at the person. It was Dan Straight. “H-hey, Dan. I didn’t see you there.” Lucy blinked back the tears a little confused. She half expected Cana to be in front of her ready to eavesdrop, but the sight of Dan threw her off guard completely.  

They had crossed paths a few times, but not enough for her to know him that well.

“Are you okay?” He seemed genuinely worried.

“Yes, I’m just a bit stressed. I was hoping coming here would relieve that, but I guess I was wrong.” Dan looked at her for moment. Lucy knew he could sense there was more to her story and whatever it was, was happening right outside that door.

“Dance with me.”

For the second time that night, he caught her off guard. “No, I-“

He puts up a hand to stop her.

“I will have none of that. Let me take your mind off of whatever it is. I’m not the most skilled dancer, but I can at least try to make you smile.” He held out his hand.

He was sweet, she had to give him that.

Lucy contemplated for a second.

She could decline, go home and possibly cry herself to sleep. The idea was tempting, but then she’d have to devise an escape plan because going out the front door was not an option.

That was too much work for an already emotionally tired mind.

The other option was to accept Dan’s offer. There was nothing wrong with dancing with him. From what she’s heard Dan was a nice guy and didn’t seem like a complete creep compared to most of the drunk partygoers.

Lucy smiled halfheartedly and took the young man’s hand.

Dan pulled her onto the dance floor pushing through the crowd of people.

Cana was the first to spot Lucy and her expression mirrored that of her other friend’s as she passed them. Confusion.

They didn’t know what had transpired moments before this moment. They didn’t know how hurt she was, but she would tell them and they’d understand.

At least, she hoped they would.

When the song started, Dan pulled her close and gently swayed to the sound of a guitar emitting from the speakers.

She closed her eyes in hopes to block out the stares she received, but the feeling of holes boring into her wouldn’t go away.

She tried to take her mind off it by listening to the music and listening to the rhythm of Dan’s heartbeat as she rested her head against his chest.  It worked for a few seconds until she heard the faint sound of Gray’s voice. She could have sworn she heard him call out for the young man that currently plagued her thoughts.

When the song ended she politely thanked Dan and walked away. Not even a second later Cana pulled her over to the side still in complete shock. Levy and Juvia soon joined her their expressions unchanging. Lucy told them what she had seen and their faces forming into a mix of sadness and sympathy.

Lucy decided to head home after that. She didn’t see Natsu or Lisanna for that matter, but it was probably for the best.

As the days went by Lucy spent most of her time working towards getting an internship with Sorcerer Weekly, her dream job.

Lucy knew that this was an excuse to avoid Natsu which was the hardest thing to do. Being a part of extracurricular activities that sometimes-crossed paths with the soccer player and sharing the same circle of friends made things very difficult.

Natsu was the first to give up the charade and did all he could to move forward with their friendship. Even when she insisted she was busy, he would want to be “busy” with her.  It took Lucy some time, a day and a half to be exact, until she started feeling comfortable around him again.

The image of him kissing Lisanna, never left her, however. That was something that would take her a while to get over.

Whenever Natsu wasn’t around Dan seemed to make his presence known to Lucy quite frequently. He would visit her after practice and walked her from class to class every chance he got.

Shortly after he asked her out on a date. Her friends thought it was a bad idea, but what was the harm?

Lucy thought that by agreeing to be his girlfriend would rid her of any feelings she might have had for Natsu.

Oh how wrong she was.

When senior year rolled in, Lucy had gotten accepting as intern for Sorcerer Weekly and got herself an apartment that was close to her new job. Dan had left for about a month and a half to start his military training, which left Lucy alone. Well, not completely alone.

She always managed to find Natsu either rummaging through her kitchen or passed out with Happy on her bed. The first few times she would scold him and wonder how he managed to get in without a key, but she quickly got used to him being there.

She got to see more of him, so she couldn’t complain too much.

Lucy would never admit it, but she loved coming home to Natsu.

She loved scolding him for leaving a mess or for breaking into her apartment. She loved being able to cook for him and Happy. She loved seeing a smile on his face when he asleep and wrapped up in her sheets. She loved how he always looked as if he had the best sleeps  in her bed.

She loved him.

The time Natsu spent at her place caused the feelings she had for him to make its way back to the forefront. It was as if her efforts to push away her feelings and be happy with Dan went down the drain.

Lucy would be lying if she said she was excited when Dan returned. Natsu grew busy with his firefighter training and didn’t come over as much. Dan was still the charming prince that showered her with compliments, affection, and so much more, but it wasn’t enough.

Not long after, Natsu announced that he and Lisanna were dating. It made her blood boil.

Lucy couldn’t understand why.

She was in a good place with her boyfriend and yet the thought of Natsu being with someone else still managed to make her feel envious.

There was a huge part of her that couldn’t bring herself to feel anything but jealousy. The feelings she had weren’t fair. It wasn’t fair to Dan, Natsu or Lisanna and yet she still had them.

By the time Lucy was ready to put her jealousy behind her, Dan decided it was best for them to part ways. In a way, Lucy was hurt, but she was more relieved than anything. She didn’t want to continue to hurt Dan without him even knowing.

Now here she was a few years later, still alone and still in love with the same man she’s tried so hard to get over.

Xxx

Dan chuckled causing Lucy to look up at him. “Same old Lucy. You always had your head in the clouds.”

She must have been out of it because they had stopped dancing at some point.

She laughed nervously. “Sorry, I was…trying to figure out what your other reason was for coming back was. Did you have something else to do?”

Dan thought for a moment. “If I’m being completely honest with you, Lucy, I was more eager to see you again.”

Lucy looked at him shocked. “Y-you were?”

“I was afraid that you had moved on and I’d lost any chance I had of seeing your gorgeous face again.” Lucy blinked blankly for a moment to register what he was saying. She could feel her face grow warm.

Dan leaned in to get a good look at her. “You okay? Your face is looking a little red.”

Taking a step back Lucy nodded quickly. “Y-yeah! It just got really hot all of sudden.”

“I’ll get you some water.” Dan escorted Lucy off to the side and ventured into the crowded room in search for a suitable beverage.

Lucy sighed once Dan left. To think one of Dan’s reasons for coming was to see her again. As sweet as it was the thought alone turned her into a bundle of nerves.

“Is that who I think it is?” Lucy immediately perked up at the familiar voice behind her.

“Oh my gosh! Mira?!” Lucy pulled her friend in for tight hug and received one from Mira in return.

“I had no idea you would be here tonight!” Mira exclaimed.

“With what’s been going on with Minerva’s family I thought she could use a friendly face!” Lucy replied. Laxus then appeared behind the two with two glasses in hand. He greeted Lucy with a small nod in her direction and handed her the clear liquid that looked more like water than any form of wine.

“You’re only having water?” Mira wasn’t a lush like Cana, but it just seemed odd that she chose water as her drink of choices. It was then the realization hit Lucy. Her eyes widened as a blush appeared on Mira’s face and Laxus looked away awkwardly.

“Three weeks.” Was all Mira said.

Happiness couldn’t even begin to describe how she felt for Mira and Laxus. She contained her squeals by bringing her hands up to her mouth. “Congratulation!”

Mira’s smile widened. “Thank you! We’re hoping to announce it right after the wedding or at least before I start showing.”

“Your secret is safe with me! Not even my date wi-” Mira interrupted her.

“Date? You have a date? Is it with someone I know?” Mira always enjoyed learning about Lucy’s poor excuse of a love life. Lucy never understood why.

There were times when Mira would joke that Lucy and Natsu looked good together. A thought Lucy already considered.

She started ignoring the woman’s comments right after she suggested that Gray might have a thing for her. Good thing Juvia was nowhere near them at the time.

“You’ve crossed paths with him a few times.” Lucy said.

Mira’s eyes lit up and she eagerly looked around. “Finally! Where’s Natsu?”

Lucy frowned at the question. Why would she think Natsu was here? More importantly, why would she think he was here with her?  “Why would I be he-“

“If it isn’t the dazzling Mirajane Strauss and her husband to be.” Dan’s voice sounded behind Lucy as as she felt his arm wrap around her waist.

Mira’s eyes widened in complete shock. Even Laxus looked surprised to see the man “D-Dan, I didn’t know you were back!”

“Not for much longer. Although, if given the right reasons, I might change my mind.” He looked over at Lucy with a warm smile causing her to blush. She heard a faint snort coming from Laxus and turned just in time to see Mira lightly elbow her fiancé in the stomach.

Mira brought a hand up to her mouth and she urgently looked at Laxus. “I’m not feeling too well. Laxus, would you mind escorting me to the restroom?” She gave Lucy a quick hug before pulling Laxus off.

That was weird to say the least.

Dan was the first to speak after the couple’s departure. “I hope she’s alright.”

“I’m sure she is…” Lucy’s words trailed off when her eyes were met with Minerva from across the ballroom floor. She was talking with a group of people when Rufus walked over and whispered in her ear. Minerva’s thoughtful smile she held for most of the night fell.

Minerva gave the guests an apologetic look and if Lucy looked hard enough there was some irritation as well. With a handshake, she walked away from the group of people with Rufus in tow, disappearing around a corner.

Something was up. Minerva was never one to leave a party. In fact, she lived and breathed opportunities that would put her family on the front page. What could possibly pull her away?

Lucy quickly turned to Dan ready to give the good old “I need to powder my nose” excuse, but he beat her to it. He was staring at his phone with annoyance dancing in his eyes.

“I have to make a quick phone call, beautiful. Excuse me.” He didn’t even give her time to answer before he briskly walked off.

‘It must have been important.’ She thought to herself.

Lucy didn’t dwell too much on his abrupt exit as it gave her the chance to figure out what was going on with Minerva.  

Just as Lucy was ready to follow the raven-haired woman two men stepped in front of her.

Lucy had forgotten the type of people events like this attracted. Rich people, yes, but most of the guests were questionable, creepy, and snobbish. The two men before her fit all three categories.

Jose Porla and Duke Everlue were a part of one of the richest families in Fiore.  One was a billionaire entrepreneur and the other was part of a lineage of authors.

Lucy had only met them a few times through their business with her family. Jose was the one that used to creep her out the most. When her mother was present he made no effort to hide his attraction her. He tried very hard to be the charming stud he wishes he was, but he just came off as pushy.  “I never thought I would see the day when a Heartfilia would grace us with their presence again.”

Lucy put on her best smile. “Mr. Porla, it’s been a long time.”

He takes Lucy’s hand, leaning down to gently kiss it. “Please, call me Jose.”

The feeling of the man’s wet kiss and mustache brushing against her skin made Lucy’s skin crawl.

She pulled her hand away with a polite smile. “R-right…”

Jose looked Lucy over and as flattering as it was supposed to be Lucy felt like she was on display. “You have grown up to become quite a sight, my dear. You definitely are Layla Heartfilia’s daughter. Don’t you agree, Everlue?”

Everlue shrugged his shoulders clearly unimpressed by the blonde before him.

“I’ve seen better.” Was the short man’s reply.

Lucy didn’t let his words get to her. The man had weird taste and would call the most beautiful women ugly. Her mother was one of those women who received his harsh critiques.

Lucy smiled to show his words did nothing to her self-esteem. “You’re just as direct as ever Mr. Everlue. I would like to send out my sympathies for the loss of your old library. As a person who avidly visited the facility, it pains me to see the building be tarnished in such a way.”

The man shifted uneasily as if the topic made him uncomfortable. He glanced at Jose for a moment, who seemed to be too distracted by Lucy to even notice. “It doesn’t really matter to me. The building was old and set to be taken down anyway. Someone did me a favor,” he said with trying to show his disinterest.  

A pretty indifferent statement for someone who almost had his building burned to the ground. Whether it was going to be torn down or not, that building was what put the Everlue family name on the map. It’s one thing to tear down the building on their own accord, but it’s another when someone else deliberately does it. It should have been unsettling.

Making note of his response, Lucy held her smile. “Of course. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be on my way.” Far away from them was very ideal. “Wait!” She felt Jose grab her arm with long, clammy fingers. She flinched at the sudden contact and quickly pulled away.

Jose smiled one of those creepy smiles, as if Lucy wasn’t already weirded out. “I was hoping I could ask you for a dance.”

Not even on his best day would she consider him as a dance partner. “I would love to but I can’t because…because…”

Where the heck was Dan when she needed him? Her eyes darted around the room in hopes to find the missing man, but there wasn’t a trace of him.

Lucy felt a warm hand gently grasp her shoulder and she sighed with relief.

“Because she promised me a dance.” Lucy’s heart leaped out of her chest at the voice.

That didn’t sound anything like Dan. Not even close.

That voice was something she spent years listening to and could point out without having to second guess herself. There was still a sense of hope within her that she was wrong.

Lucy slowly turned her head to the person who now stood by her side and her heart stopped.

This could not be happening.

Next to her stood a tall man wearing a black suit which revealed his white partially unbuttoned shirt. On most people, such an attire would be deemed sloppy or unkempt, but the look was working for him. The next thing Lucy noticed was his jet black spiky hair. It was as normal as any other hair color, but on him it looked so unnatural.  

Jose glared and looked the man up and down, as if he was sizing up his competition. “And who might you be, boy?”

The man in question gives Lucy a quick wink and holds out his hand towards Jose.

“Zeref Vermillion at your service.”

Only one thing came to Lucy’s mind.

‘You have got to be kidding me…’

xxx

A/N: Has a new challenger appeared?! Mwahahaha! I hope you guys enjoyed Lucy’s side of the story! I apologize for not coming out with this much sooner! Both my beta and I have become super busy, so please forgive the lateness! As always, please review and stay tuned!

[remnantoforario]

Toasted Pages

“What are you reading?” One little question. It seems simple enough, but it sets up a chain events that bloom into something quite wonderful.

Pairing: Natsu/Levy

It was a crisp autumn morning. The gentle breeze danced through the streets of Magnolia, caressing the faces of the town's denizens as they joyfully strolled down the stone paved streets.

Making its way through South Gate Park, the air also tickled the leaves in the tree that stood tall in the middle of the park. It also gently moved the leaves on the ground that were no longer attached to branches.

At the root of this huge tree sat Levy McGarden, Fairy Tail's resident solid script wizard  - as well as it’s most avid reader - flipping through the pages of her latest literary escapade. As the azure haired young woman read through each page, she couldn't help but smile.

Whether they history books, maps, or full length novels, Levy always found a certain satisfaction about learning and exploring worlds inside books. To her books offered an insight into how different people saw the world, this in turn helped her gain new perspectives on how she viewed it as well.

Having finished the book she had started just last night, she placed it in her satchel and stood up, stretching her arms over her head with a satisfied smile painted on her face. She looked around, taking in all the sights and sounds of the morning. From the chirping birds flying above her, to the rustle of the leaves beneath her feet. All of it echoed the beauty of nature. 

"It’s really nice out today, but that’s enough sight-seeing. Time to head to the guild." 

She set off.

It was just like any other day inside the Fairy Tail guild hall. Nearly everyone lounged around discussing various topics that ranged from normal guild gossip, to recent job requests, and in some cases who in the guild was dating - though those particular fires were usually stoked by Mirajane.

"I'm so bored!" Natsu whined loudly as he sunk into the bench. "I wanna go on a job already!"

"Can't." Gray denied, sipping the juice in his mug. "We gotta wait until Lucy and Erza get here."

"Why?"

"Erza said she wanted us to do a job together. We haven't been on one as a team since we came back from Tenrou Island." Happy interjected. He was seated on the table that separated the two.

"So? Wendy doesn't have to go." Natsu retorted. "I shouldn't have to either."

"But Wendy and Carla went on a job with Gajeel and Pantherlily a hour ago." Happy reminded.

"If you wanna tell Erza you don't wanna go then be my guest." Gray said.

Natsu thought about this for a moment. After running the scenarios in his head about refusing a request from Erza - most of them ending with him being beaten to a pulp - he quickly backed down from that course of action. 

"Fine." He huffed. “I’ll wait, but I'm sooo bored!"

"Then go bother someone else!" Gray snapped. "Go talk to Mira or something."

"Ok." Natsu lazily agreed. Slinking out from the table, he trudged over to the bar. His boredom still peaked, he let out a pained groan as his head rested on the bar top.

"Something bothering you, Natsu?" Mirajane teased.

"I'm bored."

"Why not go on a job?"

"Can't." Natsu pouted. "Gray said we have to wait on Erza and Lucy."

"Oh yes, Erza did tell me about that." Mirajane remembered. "Did you tell her you didn't want to go?"

Natsu shook his head. "I didn't wanna upset her. She might hit me."

Mirajane laughed. "That certainly is a possibility. How about I bring you something to eat? Grilled meat sound good?"

"Ok." Natsu nodded, his cheeks still puffed out; though he was smiling on the inside. His mood always elevated when food was mentioned.

"Coming right up."

As Mirajane went to prepare his meal Natsu sat patiently on the stool, his arms on the bar top to support his drooping head. He huffed and puffed as he watched the clock on the support beam ahead of him tick away. Erza and Lucy still had yet to arrive. Not paying attention he dropped his head, his forehead slamming the bar top with a loud thud.

"Ow~." 

"Natsu, knock off all that racket!" Macao shouted.

"If you're gonna be noisy then go on a job." Wakaba added.

"I can't!" Natsu fired back. “I have to wait on Erza and Lucy!”

“Then wait quieter!” They both replied. Natsu rolled his eyes and turned around.

“How much longer, Mira?”

“About thirty minutes. Be patient.”

“Patient.” Natsu always heated that word. 

Looking for something to entertain himself for half an hour, his eyes soon fell on Levy. She sat two stools down from him, a small smile on her lips as she turned a page in the book she was holding. 

Curious, Natsu approached her. He slowly leaned in, peeking over her shoulder at the medium sized text she was so giddy about.

Levy was fully engrossed in the story until she felt a warm breath brush past and lightly rufflle her pages. Confused, she pulled back and looked over her shoulder to see a head of pink hair.

"Natsu!" She yelped. "W-what are you doing?!"

"I was trying to read." He replied, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"You know reading over someone's shoulder is rude, right?"

"Really? I don't really read so I didn't know." Natsu said. "Although that does explain why Lucy gets mad when I look at her book." He mumbled under his breath. "What are you reading anyway?"

"Oh this? It's a book I bought in Hargeon a couple of days ago." Levy answered with a small hint of pride. "It's about a boy who goes on a journey to look for his father after his mother dies of an illness. Only 50 copies were published. It's a really rare book."

"Does it have dragons in it?"

Levy was taken aback at the sudden question. "Um n-no. I don’t think so." 

"Does it have explosions?"

"Not that I know of."

"Does it have fighting at least?" Natsu’s interest was rapidly fading.

"Sort of." Levy answered. "But it's more internal than external."

Natsu gave her a quizzical stare.

"It means he fights himself." She elaborated.

"Really?!" Natsu piped up. "Like he has a lookalike or a clone or something?"

"No, I mean he fights with his emotions and growth as a person."

"Oh." Natsu replied deadpan. "That sounds boring."

Levy was slightly offended by the dismissal. “I guess that’s one way to look at it.”

"Natsu!" Mirajane called. "The food is done!"

"Finally! See ya later, Levy." Natsu returned to his stool, his mouth hanging open as Mirajane presented him his meal.

Levy returned to her book, but found herself unable to focus. She knew Natsu didn't mean anything by his comment, but she couldn't help but take it a tad personal. Despite seeing everyone in Fairy Tail as a friend, Levy did at times feel ostracized by being one of the few who regularly read books, as well as being the only one who spent any extended time in the guild's library.

She knew Erza read, but romance books weren't really Levy's preference, especially not the ones Erza was partial to. Mirajane was another well-read wizard, but her literary resources mostly stretched to either cook books, or the same books Erza read. Juvia mostly flipped through books containing what she dubbed "boys-love". Cana dove mostly into drink recipes and - surprisingly - horror novels. Laki's tastes were more into art books and classic literature, the latter of which Levy dabbled in from time to time as well. Bisca tickled her literary fancies with gun catalogs and animal magazines. 

Jet and Droy tried to read one of Levy's books before but were quickly turned off by the dense metaphors and meanings, and that was from the easiest book in her collection. Mostly the only people she talked to about books were Lucy and Freed since they had similar tastes as her, but even that tended to grow stale from time to time.

"So what are you going to do?" Levy's ears caught the cadence of a familiar voice.

"I don't know." Another familiar voice sighed. "He seems like a nice guy, and I don't wanna hurt his feelings."

Sure enough in walked Lucy and Erza.

"Dere you aw!" Natsu shouted, his mouth full of meat.

"Natsu, don't talk with your mouth full." Erza scolded.

"So-"Natsu swallowed. "Sorry. But you guys are finally here. Now we can go on a job!"

"Yeah and Natsu will stop whining like a baby." Gray smirked.

"You tryna pick a fight?" Natsu challenged, his meal having refueled his energy.

"Not really, but since you're offering." Gray walked towards the dragon slayer. The two pressed their foreheads together.

"Now, now you two." Mirajane said trying to calm them.

"Stop now." Erza ordered.

"Hey, Levy." Lucy greeted. During the commotion she decided it was best not to get involved.

"Hey, Lu." Levy replied. "How are you?"

"I'm doing alright. Just another day."

"Really? I couldn't help but hear your conversation when you came in." Levy smirked mischievously. “Sounds like something happened.

"No not really." Lucy looked away with an embarrassed blush.

"Who is he?" Levy prodded, poking Lucy's arm.

"This guy who lives in the building next to me." Lucy sighed, she knew hiding anything from Levy was a waste of time. "We shop at the same market."

"Oh, did he ask you out on a date?"

"Yeah."

"So~?"

"So what?"

"Are you going to go?"

"What?!" Lucy shrieked, her cheeks flushed red. "No, I mean yeah he's kinda cute but I barely know him."

"That's what dates are for right?"

Lucy looked down, her face growing redder. "Yeah but still…" she looked at Levy's hand, seeing the clutched book as an opportunity to change the subject. "Hey, is that the book you bought in Hargeon?"

"This?" Levy raised her hand to look at the book and smiled. "It is." 

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief, her gamble paid off.

"You wanna read it when I finish?" Levy asked.

"Sure."

"So how's your novel coming along?"

"Fine, but I keep getting stuck at the climax…" Lucy began.

"You wanna say that again, frosty?" Natsu challenged Gray.

"Sure, clearly you have too much stupid in your ears." Gray retorted. "I said you whine like a baby. Which when you think about it is an insult to babies."

"That does it!" Natsu pulled back his fist.

"Bring it, dorkmander!" Gray followed suit.

"I said stop!" Erza commanded, but it was too late, the brawl had already begun.

Natsu and Gray struck one another hard on the cheek before resorting to magic. Bursts of fire and ice shot in all directions, quickly flaring and melting away as the two exchanged blows. After a minute or so Erza grabbed Gray by the underwear - the ice wizard having predictably stripped - and pulled him back. 

Natsu smirked at his rival and created a fireball in his hand. "Now you can't move."

"Natsu, don't you dare." Erza’s glare did little to deter the dragon slayer and he threw the ball at them.

Erza and Gray ducked, but to their horror the ball was now headed towards Levy.

"Oh crap!" Natsu shouted.

Mirajane gasped. "Levy, look out!"

Lucy and Levy looked head on at the fireball, both of them screaming in fear. Without thinking Levy held up her book, using it as a shield. As soon as the fire made contact, Levy instantly dropped the book to the floor. She watched in shock as her book turned to ashes before her eyes.

"Levy!" Lucy shouted. "Are you alright?!"

Levy gave no response.

"Levy!" Lucy shook her this time.

"Huh? Lu?" Levy muttered, finally looking at her friend.

"Are you ok?" Mirajane asked.

"Y-yeah." Levy answered. "I'm fine."

"Look at your hands." Lucy said grabbing them. There were slight burn marks on Levy's fingers and palms.

"Thankfully it's not too serious." Mirajane sighed in relief. "Kinana, can you bring the first aid kit?"

"Ok." The purple haired barmaid went to the back.

"Do you see what happens when you fool around in the guild hall?!" Erza roared at an unconscious Natsu. She had captured right after he let go of his fireball and promptly knocked him out. 

"Don't worry, Erza. I'm fine." Levy reassured with a smile. "I know Natsu didn't mean to do it."

"Yeah, but he should still feel bad." Lucy said.

"We can worry about that when he wakes up." Mirajane smiled. "For now let's treat those burns."

"Here you go." Kinana said, having brought the kit.

"Thank you, Kinana." Mirajane graciously accepted it. "Let me see your hands, Levy."

Levy placed them on the bar top and Mirajane quickly treated the wounds. While Levy felt her hands stinging, her real pain lie on the floor in a pile of black ash. Her rare book was gone, scorched at the hands of a careless Natsu Dragneel. While she was angry at what happened, she couldn't bring herself to be angry at him.

"There." Mirajane said after having finished wrapping Levy's hands. "That's all for now. We can ask Wendy to fully heal them when she returns from her job. Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." Levy smiled softly. "Really."

"I'm sorry about your book, Levy." Lucy apologized.

"It's ok. 'll just go back to Hargeon and see if they have another copy."

"By yourself?"

"I'm sure Jet and Droy will tag along."

"Actually." Erza interjected, holding up Natsu’s body. "I have a better idea." 

Natsu walked to the guild hall with a throbbing pain in his head. He remembered nothing after throwing his fireball at Gray yesterday, but he somehow woke up at home this morning. 

Happy told him Erza brought him home, but the exceed refused to give details about everything in between. The only extraneous info Natsu was given was come to the guild hall prepared to work.

Upon opening the doors of the guild he was surprised - and frightened - to see Erza standing in the doorway. Apparently she was waiting for him.

"Good, you're finally here." Erza grinned. "Come, we're just about to leave."

"We're finally going on a job today?!" Natsu exclaimed. “Alright!" 

He eagerly walked to the table where the rest of his friends were. "So what's the job?"

"We're going to stop a dark guild from robbing a wealthy business man in Oak Town." Erza answered. "The dark guild is really strong, so it's been labeled an S-Class quest."

"Really?! S-Class?! That sounds awesome!"

"Indeed." Erza nodded. "The four of us should be able to handle it without  toomuch trouble."

"Yeah." Natsu agreed. "That-wait, four?"

“That is what I said. Yes.”

"We're leaving Lucy behind?" Natsu pointed at the blonde.

"Why did you single me out?!" 

"No." Erza shook her head.

"Gray?" 

Again Erza shook her head in refusal. "Nope, not Gray."

Natsu thought hard about who was staying behind, and came to a realization. "You're going let us go on an S-Class quest alone, Erza?!" 

The redhead sighed roughly.

"You're the one being left behind, idiot." Gray finally said.

"What?" Natsu looked to Erza in disbelief, his eyes hoping his rival wasn’t telling the truth. That wasn’t the case.

"What Gray says is true, Natsu. You're not coming with us." 

Natsu's heart sank into his feet. "But why?"

"Did you already forget yesterday's incident?"

"But Gray started it." Natsu blamed.

"Gray has already been punished for his part in yesterday’s scuffle. You on the other hand still have sins to atone for."

"But…"

"Don't worry." Erza sxmiled. "Just because you're staying here, that doesn't mean you'll be doing nothing."

As if on cue, Levy approached Natsu and the others with a smile on her face.

“Hi.” she greeted.

"You're going on a job with Levy." Erza revealed to the dejected Dragon Slayer.

"What kind of job?" Natsu asked, he was still hopeful that he’d get to fight some bad guys.

"You're going to Hargeon with her to purchase a book. The book you callously destroyed yesterday."

"What?" Natsu whined. "That's so lame! I don't get to fight anyone!"

"It isn't about fighting." Erza said. "It's about taking responsibility for your actions. You burned her book, you help buy her a new one."

"Yeah, but-" 

"Natsu." Erza’s thunderous tone and glare, promptly silenced him. "You're going. Is that understood?"

Natsu gulped loudly and nodded. "Y-yes ma'am."

"Good." Erza smiled. "We'll be on our way now. We will see you once we return." With that Erza, Lucy, Happy, and Gray walked out of the guild.

"See ya, Natsu!" Happy waved. "Make sure you protect Levy."

"Bye, Levy." Lucy added. "Have a safe trip."

"Try and keep Natsu out of trouble." Gray smirked, much to Natsu's annoyance.

"Be on your best behavior, Natsu." Erza said, but it sounded more like a warning. "We should be back in a couple of days."

Natsu and Levy stood in the middle of the guild hall with very different expressions on their faces. Levy was calm about the whole affair, she would have went  to Hargeon no matter her companion so the arrangement really didn’t bother her all that much. 

Natsu on the other hand was crest fallen. It was nothing against Levy, but he would much rather fight a dark guild or even sit around bored than go book shopping.

"Well then, shall we get going?" Levy offered with a smile.

"Yeah." Natsu sighed. "Let's go."

Levy waited on Natsu inside of his home, apparently he had to get a couple of things before they set out. As she sat on his worn couch, she anxiously wished for the clock on the wall to stop ticking. They were going to miss the train if they waited any longer.

“Are you done yet?”

“Almost. Just give me a second.”

When Natsu finally finished his search for a fish of all things, they jogged to the station. Natsu nearly broke into a full run but slowed down for Levy's sake.

They headed straight for the ticket booth upon entering the station.

"T-two tickets for the train to Hargeon…please." Natsu said hesitantly, his stomach started turning knots before they even boarded.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Natsu." The attendant said. "That train left five minutes ago."

"What?!" Levy exclaimed. She forced herself in front of Natsu. "When does the next one arrive?"

"Not until tomorrow I'm afraid. I'm sorry."

"No, it's ok.” Levy sulked.”It's not your fault." 

"Yeah, no sweat.” Natsu smiled. “We'll just walk there, right, Levy?"

"S-sure." Levy nervously smiled back.

"Are you sure?" the attendant asked. "It takes about a day and a half to get to Hargeon on foot."

"Yeah, we're sure." Natsu answered. "Trains suck anyway. Come on, Levy." 

Levy reluctantly followed behind her guildmate as they left the station. As they reached the outskirts of town she felt herself getting irritated.

First he burns my book without apologizing and now he makes us miss the train. What’s next?  

As they came upon East Forest, Levy noticed something was off. They were going the wrong way.

"Natsu." Levy spoke up.

"Yeah?"

“Where are we?”

“East Forest.”

“I know that.”

“Then why did you ask?”

“I-Ok. Stop walking, please.”

Natsu did as he was told. He then turned and faced Levy. “What’s up? I thought you wanted to get to Hargeon before nightfall.”

“I do, but not this way. Tell me something. Do you know how to get to Hargeon from Magnolia?” 

Natsu smiled wide. "Nope, not a clue."

Levy sighed. "Of course you don't." she muttered. 

“I just figured if we kept walking we’d make it there eventually.”

“That’s no way to travel. Just hold on a minute, ok?”

“Alright.” Natsu watched as Levy started fumbling around in her bag. "What're you looking for?"

"This." She pulled out a map.

"Whoa you sure come prepared, Levy." Natsu complimented.

"Well it helps to always know where you're going." She pointed out Magnolia to Natsu on the map. "We’re here, give or take a couple of miles. Hargeon…" she moved her finger left across the map until she found the city marker. "Is here. If we cut through this forest here-"she circled the landmark with her finger. "We should be able to cut a few hours off our time. Although we'll end up pretty far from the market district where the shop is located."

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" Natsu ran off in the new direction Levy provided.

"Wait up, Natsu! You’ll get lost again!" Levy quickly putting the map back into her bag and ran after him.

Erza and the others disembarked the train in Oak Town. All of them were somewhat anxious about the job, but not for the reason they were supposed to be.

"I hope Natsu's doing ok." Happy worried.

"I'm more worried about Levy." Gray said. "Who knows what kind of trouble that guy will get her in?"

"I know." Lucy fretted. "Why did you send Natsu with her, Erza? Why not Gray or better yet me?"

"This will be an enlightening experience for Natsu." Erza said as the group ventured through town. "Not only will he learn a lesson in responsibility, as far as I know he and Levy have never worked together before. It will be good for him to go on a job with someone of Levy's skill. I also thought that it would give Levy a chance to loosen up some, she's been so rigid since Tenrou Island."

"In that case, maybe you should have sent her with Gajeel instead." Lucy suggested.

"Really?" Erza questioned. "Why is that?"

Does she really not know? Lucy, Gray, and Happy thought at once.

"The client's home is just around this corner." Erza pointed.

"Hurry up, Levy! We're losing daylight!"

Levy huffed as she trudged up the steep hill to meet Natsu. "Not all of us are as nature savvy as you."

"Savvy?" Natsu tilted his head at the unfamiliar word.

"It means to know, or be well versed in something."

"Oh. Thanks.” He didn’t quite understand, but he took it as a compliment anyway. “Here." He offered his hand with a smile. "You gotta see this."

Levy grabbed Natsu’s hand and he pulled her up to her feet until she was level on the hill. 

"What did you want me to see…?" her voice trailed off when she looked out from on high.

Laid before her was the entire forest she and Natsu were walking through for the past few hours. It was breathtaking.

The treetops stood bathed in a golden brown light due to the orange glow of the setting sun. The birds sang as they flew majestically through the air. She felt like she was on top of the world. It was the one of the most beautiful sights she had ever seen.

"Come on." Natsu scooped Levy into his arms. "We should find a place to set up camp."

"What are you doing? Let me go." she started to move around.

“If you keep fidgeting I might drop you.” he said. 

“What are you talking about? Just-” 

Suddenly everything started to click. Levy looked down the hill, her heart racing in terror as she looked back to Natsu’s smiling face.

"No, Natsu.” she pleaded. “Don’t-"

"Hold on tight!" 

"Natsu!" Levy shrieked as the dragon slayer took a step, sending them racing down the hill. She gripped his vest tightly, burying her face in his chest as she screamed in terror.

Natsu on the other hand was smiling as wide as he could, yelling and laughing as he snaked through the trees and bushes on his way down. He took a few steps to slow his momentum when he made it to the bottom, finally coming to a complete stop. 

"That was awesome!" He looked down at a frightened Levy, her body still shaking as he held her in his arms. "It's over." He told her.

"What? We're alive." Levy said as she slowly opened her eyes. She looked up to see Natsu smiling at her. Realizing her hand's position on his body she quickly jumped out of his arms and turned away from him. 

"Fun, right?" Natsu asked, his adrenaline still high.

Levy's heart was still racing, but not for the same reason Natsu's was. She turned around, her eyes narrowed in anger. "Fun?!" she shouted. "You could have killed us! Are you crazy?!"

"Sorry about that." Natsu grinned apologetically.

“What is wrong with you?! First you start a fight, then you set my book on fire and burn my hands, you caused us to miss the train, and now you almost go us killed coming down a hill because you wanted to have ‘fun’! Don’t you have any self-control?!”

Natsu’s smile started to fade. It was clear that Levy was in no mood. She had finally gotten fed up.

“Sorry.” He said again, this time with much more sincerity. 

Levy noticed his change in demeanor and turned her back to him. She was still annoyed, but also felt bad herself for blowing up at him. 

"I-It’s fine. Let's just hurry and find a place to stop before it gets dark."

"Ok." 

The unlikely pair found a small clearing to settle down for the night after about an hour or so. 

Levy, always prepared, set up a small tent to sleep in while Natsu started a fire to cook the food he had in his bag. In fact it was the food was pretty much the only thing he had in his bag.

"Is that all you brought?" Levy asked, watching him turn a pig's leg over the fire.

"Yeah."

That short reply was all Levy needed to see how the night was going to go. The entire trip to the clearing was a silent one, with only the occasional question of how far into the forest they were.

Levy expected as much. She had never really blown up at someone like that before. So she had no idea how to speak normally after it.

“Want one?”

Levy was brought out of her head when Natsu offered her a piece of meat. She graciously accepted it if only to appease her growling stomach.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah.” 

The two sat in silence as they ate. Neither one of them had any idea what to say after Levy’s outburst earlier. Natsu was surprised at how much her words affected him. He had been told similar things by Lucy, Erza, and Lisanna for years but something about Levy saying it made it sting all the more.

Perhaps it was because before this job they hadn’t really talked during their entire time in the guild. He always thought of her as quiet, and kind of passive. So seeing her just react the way she did was a huge shock.

He couldn’t help but look at Levy's hands as she ate. They were still wrapped with gauze, although not as much as yesterday thanks to Wendy's healing magic. He felt a tightness in his gut. Guilt.

"I'm sorry." he finally apologized.

"Hmm?" 

Levy looked up, unsure of what he had said.

“I’m sorry for burning you. You were right I don’t have any self-control.”

“It’s ok.” Levy reassured. “I know you didn't mean to hurt me. I’m sorry for lashing out at you earlier. That wasn’t very nice."

"It’s fine. I deserved it anyway. Lucy and Erza are always getting on me about that type of stuff, but I never listened. Because of that I ended up burning you and destroying your book too."

“It was an accident. I forgive you, but try to be more careful in future, please?"

"You got it." Natsu smiled. “Thanks, Levy.”

"You're welcome.” she reteurned.

The awkward tension between them started to melt away, and they smiled at one another.

“So…" Levy began. "I've been meaning to ask for a while now. What's the deal with you and Lu?"

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked, his mouth still full.

"You know what I mean." Levy prompted.

"Not really."

Levy sighed. I forgot how clueless he is. "I mean do you like her?"

"Yeah." Natsu answered plainly.

"Really?" Levy gasped with widened eyes.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I? We're friends and we're on the same team."

Levy's excitement slowly petered out. Wait. "Do you like, Erza?" she asked in an attempt to confirm her suspicions.

"Yeah."

"Happy?"

"Of course."

"Gray?"

"I don't hate him…much."

Levy sighed heavily as her shoulders dropped in disappointment. I should have known he meant as a friend. 

Just then a light bulb went off in her head. She smirked mischievously. Let's try this one. 

"Do you like Lisanna?"

Natsu nearly choked on his food. "W-what?!” he spat “Where did that come from?!"

"You two have been joined at the hip since we were kids. It only makes sense that you would like one another." 

"That doesn't mean anything." Natsu looked away a blush on his cheeks. "She just followed me all the time. It was annoying."

"That's what all boys say about the girl they like." Levy teased.

"Oh yeah? What about you and Gajeel?" Natsu countered.

"What about me and Gajeel?" It was now Levy's turn to blush.

"You two hang around each other every day at the guild. What's up with that?"

"Nothing's 'up with that'." Levy retorted. "Gajeel doesn't have many friends at the guild. I'm just being nice."

"That's not what Mira says." 

"What did she say?!"

"She said you guys hang around each other because you're in love."

"We are not!" Levy shot up from her seat on the log, her cheeks growing redder by the second. 

Natsu started laughing. This only agitated her more.

“What’s so funny?”

"I've never seen you so fired up before.” he chuckled. “It's kinda nice."

"Nice?" Levy was confused.

"Yeah. It's kinda cool to see you like this. I always thought you were kinda shy and timid, but I was wrong. You’re pretty cool, Levy"

"Thank you...I guess" She sat back down. "No one's ever really said that about me before. I always though you were just a hot head that picked fights and got into trouble just for fun. I was actually a little afraid of you."

"Oh.” Natsu was slightly offended by this. “I mean yeah I like to fight, but I don’t like getting in trouble. You were afraid of me?”

“I wasn’t terrified or anything, I just didn’t think I could approach you. We really don’t have anything in common other than being in the same guild.”

“Is that not enough?” Natsu asked genuinely. 

Levy thought for a moment. Just because they were in the same guild doesn’t mean they had to have the same hobbies. Fairy Tail was a place where people from all over could come together and be welcomed as a family. The reason it was such a good place to be was because everyone was so different, besides it wasn’t like she hated talking to Natsu. If anything she enjoyed the conversation they’d had a few minutes ago. 

She smiled. “I guess it is.”

Levy followed after Natsu, the pair passing through numerous trees and shrubs as they inched closer to the edge of the forest.

The longer they walked and talked the more comfortable they found themselves around each other. The initial awkwardness had worn off, allowing a more comfortable atmosphere to rise between them. 

He had his own way of seeing and doing things Levy noticed. His philosophy on life was much more free spirited than the solid script wizard's more controlled one. She likened it to Gajeel's in a sense, but Natsu's personality was much more open and inviting than the mostly moody Iron Dragon's.

"Hey, Levy, why do you like books so much?"

"I’m not really sure." Levy answered. No one had ever asked her that question before. 

"I suppose it’s because books let you explore all kinds of worlds and meet all kinds of different people just by telling stories. Do you not like books?"

"It's not that I don't like them." Natsu said as he moved a branch from in front of his face. "I just kind of find them boring. I mean I like to see stuff and meet people on my own. If I look at a book too long, I get sleepy."

"Igneel taught you to how read, right?"

"Yeah, but he only taught me basic stuff like names of people, places, and foods. Erza taught me everything else."

"I bet that was an interesting lesson." Levy joked.

"Yeah." Natsu grinned. "She was really strict and really scary."

"I can imagine." the scribe laughed.

"Achoo!" 

Erza sneezed after dodging a beam of fire. She dashed ahead in her flight armor, taking out a group of dark wizards standing in her path. 

"I hope I’m not coming down with a cold." she sniffed.

"So, do you really not like Lisanna anymore?"

"I don't know." Natsu blushed. He was obviously still embarrassed about the subject. "Things got weird when she came back from Edolas."

"Weird how?" Levy prodded.

"Things just feel different. I mean we're still friends, but not like we used to be. I can't explain it."

"I see. I'm sorry for bringing it up again."

"It's fine. What about you and Gajeel?"

"Well to be honest." Levy looked down with a sad smile. "I don't know either. I think I like him, but I don't think he notices me most of the time. Even when he does I feel like I just annoy him."

"That guy can be pretty annoying too."

"Tell me about it." Levy giggled. "I guess you and I are kindred spirits when it comes to this stuff."

"You use a lot of big words."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Levy apologized again.

"Don't worry about it." Natsu waved. "Erza keeps telling me to learn new things anyway."

"Well then, if you need a lesson. Just let me know."

"Will do." Natsu said. He stepped out of the forest, the sun shining in his face as he looked upon the outskirts of Hargeon. "We finally made it!" 

"It looks like we ended up downtown." Levy observed as she and Natsu walked into the city. "I think the marketplace is down this road." She pointed to a road on the left.

"Lead the way." Natsu said.

The pair continued on into the marketplace, eventually coming upon a small book shop tucked away at the edge of the street corner. One would have missed it easily if they weren't looking for it.

"This place is so small." Natsu said.

"Yeah, but it has a ton of books." Levy smiled. "Come on, let's go in." 

Natsu was amazed when he stepped inside the store. It was much bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. Bookshelves lined the wall as far as the eye could see.

"Whoa." He muttered as he walked down the aisles.

It wasn't as big as the guild's library by a long shot, but the dragon slayer still found himself oddly captivated by the number of tomes. Big books. Small books. All were categorized by their genre. He ventured to the back of the store and soon found himself in the history section. He scanned through all the titles on the spines, his eyes widening when he saw something he didn't even know what he was looking for. He took it and sprinted to the front counter.

"Levy!" 

"Keep your voice down, Natsu." She hissed, the book she came for was already in her arms. "We're not the only people in here."

He looked around, seeing the glares of all of the other patrons in the store. He scratched the back of his head, letting out a nervous laugh. “Sorry.”

"Now what were you yelling about?"

"I found this book. I think I want it." He held the tome up so Levy could see it.

"Dragons: The Miracles in the Skies. That looks like a book you would be interested in. Ok then.” She took it from him and put it on the counter along with hers. "We'll take these two." She said to the cashier.

"Alright that'll be 7500 jewel." 

"Wait, Levy, you don't have to-"

Levy ignored him and handed the cashier the money. "Here you go." 

"Out of 8000." He gave Levy her change and her books with a smile. "And here you are. Come and see us again."

"Thank you. I will." Levy smiled. "Come on, Natsu." 

"Right." 

The two left the store and entered the street.

"I got lucky." Levy said as she looked at her book. "This was the last one they had in stock." She then handed Natsu his book. "Here you go." 

"You know you didn't have to buy this for me."

"Yeah, but think of it as a thank you gift for coming with me."

"Oh, ok." Natsu acknowledged with a smile. “Thanks, Levy.”

“Don’t mention it.” 

Things went back to normal almost as soon as the pair returned home. Natsu went on jobs with his team and being rambunctious, while Levy resumed her normal time reading her books and going on occasional jobs with Shadow Gear. 

Levy expected this to happen, but couldn’t help feel a little saddened about the situation. Nonetheless she carried on as she normally, though she did notice that Natsu wasn’t as willing to start fights anymore. 

Lost inside another book, Levy barely noticed as a shadow slowly began looming over her. A small grin pulled at her lips as she looked up. 

"Hi, Natsu."

"Hey, Levy." Natsu smiled. "Reading another new book?"

"Yeah." 

"What happened with that other one?"

"I didn't really like it." She answered. "It got a bit too full of itself near the end."

"Oh." 

Levy knew he had no idea what she was talking about, but she chose not to call him out on it. "Did you like the book you picked out?"

"No." Natsu sighed, taking a seat next to her. 

Surprisingly she was ok with this, though their close proximity to one another caused the azure haired maiden to blush slightly. 

"I don't think that guy who wrote that book has ever seen a dragon before." Natsu complained. "Igneel never did half of that stuff that book said."

"Well Igneel's not the only dragon out there, right?" Levy chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess you're right.” He leaned in to Levy, causing her to blush even harder. "What you readin’?"

"A-a book about a man and his journey to catch a supposed legendary fish." Levy said.

"I bet Happy would like this book. What's that word say?" He pointed at the page Levy was currently on.

"Translucent." Levy answered.

"What does that mean?"

"It means-"Levy stopped speaking when she turned her head. Natsu was staring directly at her, his eyes wide with curiosity and wonder as he waited on her answer. It unnerved her a bit, but not in a bad way. "It means clear."

"Then why didn't they just write that instead of the hard word?"

Levy smiled softly at his innocence. "Because that would be too simple, I think. They're trying to create an atmosphere. It's supposed to intrigue you and challenge you into reading more."

"That might be a tough challenge for me then." Natsu admitted.

"Oh? Giving up already?" Levy teased.

"Never." Natsu declared proudly. "I can beat this guy."

"You can't fight a book, Natsu." Levy giggled. "Do you want to read this with me?"

“Can I?” His eyes widened.

“I don’t see why not. Books are better whn you share them anyway.”

“Awesome. Let’s read then.”

“Alright.”

When they started it was clear Levy read through the pages much faster than Natsu did, but she decided to slow down just a bit and hold the pages until he was done. Even though he struggled with most of the words, Levy found Natsu's commitment and determination endearing. So she had no qualms with helping him pronounce and define them as he asked.

"Hey, Levy…"

"Yeah?" Levy answered as she flipped the next page.

"Can you take me to that book shop again? I want to buy another book."

Levy's eyes widened in surprise, but when she saw Natsu looking over the page they were on she settled into a warm smile.. 

"Sure. Just tell me when."

This is essentially a reworked version of the same story I wrote on FF.Net a couple of years ago. If you want you can check it out here

[lovelylunarwriting]

Hufflepuff!Joshua and Slytherin!Jihoon Hogwarts Headcanons

HUFFLEPUFF!JOSHUA:

Literally the sweetest boi, I cri

When he was put in Hufflepuff no one was surprised because he spent the whole train ride there being his gentlemanly self

Helping people with their luggage if he saw them struggling or having a hard time carrying their things

Holding doors for everyone- the ladies and  gentlemen

Because let’s be real- Joshua Hong don’t care about your gender he just wants you to be happy and comfortable

The lady with the snack cart rolls around to his section of the train and asks if he wants to buy anything

And he’s like “oh no thank you, but hi what’s your name”

Cue Joshua befriending the lady and learning her life story and the names of her 6 kids

The lady is like “can I give an award to your parents for raising you to be this way”

And Joshua is like !!! “My parents are great I’ll tell you why!”

He tells the lady everything about his family and is so happy and  enthusiastic and the woman is almost in tears she’s so touched

She’s all “if you need anYTHinG don’t hesitate to find me”

She low key leaves him a bunch of snacks without charging him

And he’s like “oh she must’ve left these, how nice” and shares with the other students around him and adfghjk  can you tell I love Joshua Hong because I do like who doesn’t

I stg it’s impossible not to love him

BUT ANYWAY

FLASH TF FORWARD

You know he’s one of the Prefects for Hufflepuff because like who else is more qualified? Soonyoung? No ma'am. Not unless we want a dance party every time people are trying to study in the commons room. 

Is really helpful and caring over the younger students and if he sees they’re getting frustrated/sad/homesick, he’ll just go full out dorky and get them to laugh

Student: *is sad*

Joshua: “Wanna see how high I can sing?” *SCREAMS*

Student: *not breathing enough because of how hard they’re laughing* 

If anyone questions his prefect method of handling things (which is usually in a casual and memey way) he’s just responds like “well it’s a good thing they didn’t make you prefect, you obviously have no idea what you’re doing”

*air horn noise x1000* KILL EM JOSH

if he’s really worn out or just generally feeling down after a long day, he’ll go to his bed and slide his guitar out from the space under his bed frame and play really relaxing and beautiful melodies and sing along

And EVERYONE KNOWS JOSHUA DOES THIS BC IF YOU HEARD THIS ANGEL DO MUSIC THINGS WOULD YOU KEEP QUIET? nope

So if someone hears Joshua playing in his dorm room from the commons room it’ll be a chorus of shuffling and whispers of “he’s playing again! Everyone hush and listen!” Until everyone literally stops what they’re doing to listen to his beautiful voice and rhythmic guitar playing. 

Joshua wonders why he finds most of the Hufflepuff kids asleep in the commons room the next morning like “how did you all manage to fall asleep here?? Why wouldn’t you go to bed?”

And Seungkwan and Hoshi are all “wELL yOU know these couches are so comfy ahaha”

And Joshua is just like “ …k good to know”

Everyone knows that if Joshua is ever up late playing pretty music it’s because he’s feeling down so they make like an organized system so that the next day, everyone is nice to him and only good things happen. 

Someone’s clumsy owl is flying straight for Joshua? Hoshi jumps and grabs it out of the air and then runs tf away so Joshua doesn’t notice anything happened. 

Some jerk looks like they’re about to start a fight with him? Seungkwan “accidentally” drops a vial of newts urine on the jerk. 

Seungkwan: *hair flips* “hmm… sorry bout that” *walks away*

Joshua: “??? Are you okay? Let me help you”

Joshua would literally help the guy clean himself up OBLIVIOUS TO THE GUY’S ILL INTENTIONS TOWARDS HIM and the guy would be like “WHY DID I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THIS ANGEL, I MUST PROTECT HIM” 

And this is how everyone comes to love Joshua

Because how can you not?

ALSO

Joshua was talking with some random Hufflepuff kiddo about Naruto and a pureblood Hufflepuff walked by and was like “wtf is a naruto”

And joshua was like “bro its an anime how do you not know this”

And then the pureblood kid was like “wait what is anime?”

Joshua immediately calls for a Hufflepuff house meeting

“Okay guys it’s come to my attention that some of us aren’t aware of a certain reALLY awESoME thing called anime so we’re gonna have a marathon of a handful of them. I chose Fairytail, One Piece, and Haikyuu for tonight, let’s do it!”

Half the kids are like “hECK YES”, and the other half are like “??? If it makes Joshua happy then sure I’ll stay”

Some kid: “what about Yuri On Ice??”

Joshua: “what ABOUT Yuri On Ice?”

Another kid: “wait doesn’t Jeonghan kind of look like Victor?”

Joshua: “omg, you’re right. no one tell him about it but let’s Photoshop his face onto Victor and fill his dorm with copies of it”

The kids: “Joshua aren’t you supposed to be nice”

Joshua: “I’m nice to you now hush Natsu is about to breathe fire”

A couple of days later Ravenclaw!Jeonghan (at this point in time his hair is dyed silver and is longer like in the Mansae era) storms up to the Hufflepuff dorms with hands full of crumpled Victor posters, demanding to see Joshua

Joshua is just like “oh it must’ve been one of your ravenclaw kids, us Hufflepuffs know not to start trouble”

Jeonghan: “what do you mean you don’t start trouble, you have Seungkwan and Soonyoung in your house”

Seungkwan: “LISTEN VICTOR GO BACK TO YOUR DORM”

Jeonghan dyed his hair black and cut it shorter the next day

All the Hufflepuffs were snickering and Joshua was like “doN’t make fun of him”

Joshua: “hey Jeonghan nice hair” *knowing smirk*

Moral of the story, everyone just wants this memey boy to be happy and loved, and he definitely is. Even by Jeonghan.

SLYTHERIN!JIHOON

Don’t make fun of his height unless you want to be hexed. 

Literally the other Slytherins call him “Prince of Hexing”

He really likes hexes the best because they’re worse than jinxes but not at bad as curses

They’re just the right amount of “don’t fuck with me, I dare you”

Is also a prefect like Joshua,  but more because he’s really smart and good at handling situations that require leadership (like who could be the leader of a subunit with memes like Seungkwan and DK and not be a good leader smh)

The other houses are like “woah this guy is hardcore”

But his Slytherin kids know he’s a softie :)))

Jihoon: “hey quit running in the hallway, who do you think you are”

Actual translation of his emotions: “don’t run in the hall because someone’s gonna get hurt and I’ll be upset if you guys are in pain”

He’s soft. But disguises it well. 

NO ONE TELLS HIM THAT HE’S SOFT UNLESS THEY WANNA BE HEXED THOUGH

Unless you’re like already good friends with him and just picking fun at each other and are like “aww you’re a cutie, ya know”

Jihoon’s cheeks will flush brighter than a tomato

Also the sleeves of his robes are a lil too long for his arms so he has constant sweater paws and it’s the cutest thing

I’m not saying that he has a prank war with Gryffindor!Seungcheol but that’s exactly what I’m saying

All the stereotypical negativity between Slytherins and Gryffindors has been channeled into pranking each other. 

For the most part it’s Slytherins Jihoon, Jun, Minghao, and Chan vs. Gryffindors Seungcheol, Vernon, and Mingyu.

This war was initiated in the dining hall on one fine day *ba dum tss*

Seungcheol may or may not have slipped a love potion into Jihoon’s drink (literally just for shits and giggles like he had no real reason to, he just wanted to see what would happen)

the next person to go talk to Jihoon was Hufflepuff!Soonyoung

Let’s just say that after a very accidentally romantic conversation between the two, that Soonyoung still has a crush on him lol (who wouldn’t)

Soonyoung: “SEUNGCHEOL THANK YOU”

Seungcheol: “??? You’re welcome?”

Meanwhile Jun, Minghao, and Chan who were at the Slytherin table at the time never let Jihoon live it down

So Jihoon is like “alright revenge time”

So he plans to hex Seungcheol because like. that’s just what he does, he’s Prince of Hexes. 

He goes to the stadium one day because he left his bag behind when he was leaving quidditch practice (his position on the team is beater) and was like “oh God my homework is in there, what if it rains???”

What a cute studious boy

But yeah he’s getting his bag from the stands and thought that no one else was in the stadium but there he is. Choi Seungcheol. Out on his broom practicing (He’s the captain of the Griffindor quidditch team). 

Jihoon is like “welp it’s now or never”

But he finds himself hesitating.

he realizes that if he hexes Seungcheol, the role model for the Gryffindor kids, how is that going to reflect on their opinion of Slytherin kids?

And Jihoon does NOT want anyone fucking around with his kids. 

So instead of putting a painful hex on Seungcheol, he turns Seungcheol’s originally black hair, very very pink. 

And he just leaves the stadium. 

Seungcheol meanwhile has no idea that this has happened, because he’s intensely practicing and there’s no mirrors around because it’s a stadium

He only finds out when he walks into the Gryffindor commons room, vry tired from practice, and goes up to his dorm which he shares with Mingyu. 

Mingyu sees him and loSES IT

He can’t even say why he’s laughing because he’s laughing so hard

Seungcheol is literally about to throw hands when Mingyu just shoves a hand-held mirror in his face

Seungcheol stops moving and just thinks really hard. 

And he knows that it was Jihoon. he knows in his sOUL that it was Jihoon. 

Mingyu is like “its okay man do you want me to fix it?”

But Seungcheol is like “no. let’s have the rest of the school see what he did”

Mingyu: “pffft okay, princess bubblegum”

Seungcheol: “right back at you, Cheeto”

Mingyu: :/

ANYWAY BACK TO JIHOON

The next day in the dining hall (because yes this is a high school, it’s just for magic and stuff, so like all high school dramas/movies, shit is gonna go down in the caf)

Seungcheol walks right up the Jihoon who’s sitting at the Slytherin table and is like “like my hair? ;)))”

Jihoon is like “yeah, it really suits you”

And Seungcheol

My boy, Seungcheol

We know how he gets a lil reckless when he’s competitive

So Seungcheol says “I’m surprised you could even see the color from all the way down there”

Before Jihoon can stand up or react or do anything, Seungcheol’s pink hair is covered in an apple pie

An apple pie that Slytherin!Minghao just happened to be taking to Jun who was sat further down the table

Jun: *yelling at Minghao in Chinese* “omg my freaking pie!!”

Minghao: *yelling back in Chinese* “it was fOR A GOOD CAUSE”

Seungcheol is just standing there. And on the inside he’s thinking “fair move, Slytherin”

And he just turns and gives Mingyu and Vernon a certain look full of determination and a lil bit of craziness tbh

They know what Seungcheol wants them to do

Cue Mingyu’s look of horror and Vernon’s biggest smile

Vernon stands on the Gryffindor table and yells loud enough for everyone to hear:

"FOOD FIGHT!!”

And metaphorically speaking, shit hits the fan. Literally speaking, Minghao is immediately pied in the face by Jun.

Minghao: *still yelling in Chinese* “WE’RE ON THE SAME SIDE”

No but for real everyone in Gryffindor and Slytherin are throwing food across the cafeteria at each other. 

And you know how in the dining hall there’s just four really long tables, one for each house? Well the Slytherin and Gryffindor tables are the outside tables. 

Which means they are throwing food OVER the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables. and a lot of food begins to hit these two houses too

Jeonghan and Joshua just make eye contact and nod and then everyone is in this fight

It lasts for about fifteen minutes until the professors can get it under control

When the professors ask who started it, everyone knows about Seungcheol and Jihoon’s feud, so the finger is pointed at them. 

While sitting in Dumbledore’s study, its dead silent but Jihoon and Seungcheol are shooting glances at each other every couple of seconds

Until they finally make eye contact and bust out laughing

“did you see Seungkwan get knocked out of his chair because Vernon threw a whole chicken at him?”

“Of course but did you see the look on Jeonghan’s face when Wonwoo smeared peanut butter into his hair?”

Dumbledore walks in and is like “I see you don’t regret your actions, but you’ve made a special bond with one another, so I’ll let you off the hook this time around”

Seungcheol: “wow, really?”

Dumbledore: “lol no, you two get to clean up the whole dining hall, without using magic. But that’ll give you two more time to get to know one another and realize you’re more similar than you think”

So Jihoon and Seungcheol spend the whole night cleaning, but they also talk the whole time, too. 

By the end of the night it’s like they’ve know each other their entire lives. 

The next day, Jihoon sees Seungcheol in the dining hall and smiles at him and everyone is like “…what. Jihoon just smiled at someone. and it was seuNGCHeoL. Are they friends now?”

But everyone just goes along with it and no one holds any grudges. 

Except for Minghao @Jun lmao