#this is what the past three weeks felt loke

[sstargoldens]

First Crush? Love? Day 2 Nalu week 2024

Hi! I swear some day i will finish this nalu week

*English isn't my first language, i'm sorry if something is bad written.

Summary:

There were few questions in the world that made Lucy Heartfilia nervous.

Day 2: First

There were few questions in the world that made Lucy Heartfilia nervous. After all, she had lived through a lot of situations both as a mage and as an heiress, whether it was a battle or a political conflict, which caused her to lose most of her nerves in the face of stressful situations. But there was one question that made her extremely nervous, which had not so opportunely manifested itself in an unexpected day and in the middle of a drinking game.

Obviously, the game had been devised by Cana and it was perfect for a Friday night in the middle of Fairy Tail's peak celebration after a great week of missions. The brunette managed to convince most of the attendees to play "truth or shot." Perfect dynamics for gossiping, telling anecdotes and getting drunk. The game had been set up differently than they normally would, since for each turn the assigned person asked a single question to a group of people who had something in common, for example, it could be to all the people whose name ended with the letter "a" or to all the men present, but it was necessary that it was more than one person at a time. This was so that it was not so individualized, and it was much faster than asking one by one, so everyone could answer several times.

And it was when Lisanna asked all the girls about their first romantic interest in the guild that Lucy felt tremendously nervous after a very long time in her life and regretted playing. Mirajane, Cana and Lisanna gave their own versions of the definition when the celestial mage pointed out that she didn’t exactly understand the question. Mirajane on the right of the blonde was the first to talk about her first love but decided to take a shot before revealing the name, following to the right Cana talked about her first physical attraction which turned out to be Laxus and then Lisanna about her first crush which turned out to be Erza, although everyone thought it would be Natsu. The game continued with the person on the right, but Lucy didn't notice the others, she was too busy thinking about her own answer. What the three previous magicians had defined superficially seemed the same, but it wasn't like that for the celestial mage. If she based it on her friends' answers, she had different answers to give.

Regarding her first physical attraction, the first thing she thought of was models she saw in magazines when she still lived in the Heartfilia mansion, but she didn't think it was an appropriate answer, anyway, she didn't remember exactly who her first physical attraction was in the guild. Maybe it had been Natsu, Gray, Loke or Laxus? Regarding her first crush and her first love, it was very different for the blonde, she knew who they were and although she would like to say that they were the same person, this was not true. If she revealed who her first crush had been, it would create a disaster, not only was it her first crush in the guild but in her life since she had not met many people her age before coming to Fairy Tail. The truth was that even though the person who brought her to the guild and with whom she spent the most time was a dragon slayer, her first crush was none other than Gray Fullbuster, ice mage and rival of a certain fire dragon slayer. If one thought about it seriously it was something to be expected, she was just a teenager who read a lot of romance novels and with a partner who was handsome, had a good body, black hair, with a mysterious appearance, a tragic past and a smug smile, it was obvious that she would be interested in him. Gray was the typical man that appeared in romance books, the boy with a tragic past, relaxed, reserved with his feelings and with a beautiful and powerful magic.

Also, by teaming up with him she managed to get to know him better and recognize several of his qualities and the blonde would be lying if she said there wasn't a certain connection between them, currently that connection was like two good friends more than something romantic, purely platonic. But the young Lucy who had never been outside the walls of her mansion had initially interpreted it as something romantic. Above all, when facing Gemini at the same time they confirmed that Gray had a little crush on her, which flattered her beyond measure and made her feel confident about herself.

But the truth is that it was never love, because if she were asked who her first love was, the answer was totally different.

Her first and only love (and she hoped it would stay that way forever) was Natsu. Who could win the love of the celestial mage over the dragon slayer? He was the one who brought her to FT, who defends her tooth and claw and makes her smile every day. Her first love was her teammate, she didn't realize how it happened, it was so gradual and natural that one day she realized she loved him, and it felt like it was a fact of life, like it had always been like this, something as natural as breathing and something as true as the fact that Happy was blue, grass is green and FT would always have destructive fights.

So when in the game of truth or shot, they asked her who her first romantic interest was, she quickly decided to take the shot, after all she didn't know if she should answer her first crush or her first love. She didn’t want Juvia to kill her or get crazy ideas by mentioning the ice mage, neither her nor the dragon slayer. And confessing her love in front of the entire guild wasn't an option, when she did, she wanted it to be something intimate, something of them, something that felt right for them.

However, just before taking the shot she made the mistake of briefly and unconsciously looking at the ice mage with whom she made eye contact, both blushing slightly from embarrassment, and immediately her eyes went to the dragon slayer to see if he noticed that small and awkward interaction and unfortunately for her, Natsu was staring at her. Making eye contact with the pink haired man she blushed even more and looked away quickly. Taking the shot she felt an intense gaze on her, she knew who it was, she hoped everyone believed her blush was just because of the alcohol. She really hoped the dragon slayer wouldn't believe anything about the situation, but that escaped her mind as quickly as it came, the pink haired man was too dense for a situation like this or so she thought.

As she continued to watch how the game unfolded, she promised herself that another day she would be braver and confess, but that day wasn't the right one and even less with so much alcohol in her system.

Little did she know that in less than an hour when the game ended and she arrived at her sweet home, she would be confronted by an upset pink haired man demanding to know who her first crush was and why the hell she would look at her rival. And Lucy, with her head a little clouded by alcohol, would confess that she was Gray, but before even letting the dragon slayer react, she would let slip in somewhat clumsy words that none of that mattered because she only had one first love and that was Natsu, which was much more important than a silly crush from when she first joined the guild. To which the pink-haired man would smile and tell her that he would never let anyone else be his love and that it would be both the first and the last. Of course, at that very moment the blonde would faint and think that it was all a dream when she woke up, but Natsu would make sure to convince her otherwise.

[braveclementine]

Chapter 3

Warnings: Angst, Main Character Death

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own a few OCs like Elizabeth, Katherine, Stacy, and Jessie. I do not condone any copying of this.

A week went by without song. You wondered where Elizabeth was. A guard had come in a few days after that, handing you the little girl.

She was wearing a pink bodysuit to keep her warm. Her eyes were closed, little lashes framing against her cheeks. Her hair was a dark black colour and when she opened her eyes, they were the same shade as Hogun's. Her skin was light, her eyes slightly oval shaped just like her father.

When she cried, you sang one of the two songs that Elizabeth had sung to her. It calmed her down just enough for her to go to sleep.

Your fed her from your nub and you felt somewhat content taking care of her. At least she was safe.

But where was her mother?

By the third month you were showing. You were pregnant. And as you hadn't been with anyone since the bombs had gone off, you could only assume it was one of your soulmates.

Fury's butterfly was no longer flickering and had settled back into red. You were glad he was safe, though you were wondering where your soulmates were. You wondered why it was taking them so long to find you.

Suddenly, your peaceful afternoon was interrupted by blazing guns and shouts.

You stayed sitting where you were, holding the baby girl close to your chest. You heard whooshing sounds and mechanical sounds.

Very slowly, you created a glowing green knife to hover in the air, pointed at the door. You were not going to let anything happen to the precious child in your arms. You had to reunite her with her mother.

Suddenly, the door fell open. You sent the knife flying before you even saw who it was. Luckily, Loki dodged out of the way, landing in front of you in a crouch.

"My Queen." He whispered, breaking the chains off of you.

"Lokes." You whispered, tears building up in your eyes.

"Come here my Queen." He said, opening his arms. You leaned forward, letting him hug you tightly before you got to your feet. He took your hand, "Stay close to me."

He led you out of the room, running down the hallway. It was awkward running without your arms, one hand holding the little girl, the other holding Loki's hand tightly.

The three of you found yourselves back where the fighting was thick. Loki sent knives into the back of HYDRA agents. You could see all of your soulmates fighting except for Fury. Good, you were glad he had stayed home.

"Doll!" Bucky shouted, shooting another agent through his head. Loki handed you off to him. Bucky wrapped his metal arm around your waist, dragging you past everyone.

"Where's Elizabeth?" You gasped between breaths as he shot more agents, getting you out of the compound.

"I don't know. Pietro and Hogun are looking for her right now." Bucky called over all of the shooting.

You glanced around, noticing just how many people were in the hallways. A definite mixture of HYDRA and what was left of SHIELD. Your soulmates were busy getting SHIELD to back up and retreat now that you were safe.

"We have it set so that the whole place will blow in five minutes." Tony said through his Iron Man suit as you all grouped outside. He stepped out of the suit, pulling you into a hug which you awkwardly returned as you still hadn't put her daughter down. "Fuck I missed you so much gorgeous."

"I missed all of you too." you mumbled, clinging to Tony, tears falling down your face.

"Get her somewhere safe." Tony commanded and you looked up to see that Stephen had come over. Stephen pulled you into a tight hug.

"But where's Elizabeth?" You asked, wiping tears away as Stephen got ready to make a portal.

"We're thinking. . . maybe the freezers." Stephen said softly. "Unless they buried her."

You just stared at him. "The freezers?"

Stephen's face fell, "Y/N. . . Elizabeth. . . she died two weeks ago."

You just stared at him, the orange portal flickering out of the corner of your eye. The baby girl started to move in your arms, blinking up at a blue sky that she had never seen before. And the next thing you knew, your eyes were rolling back into your head and you passed out.

***

"Give her time." Stephen's voice commanded as you came to. You could sense that you were in a more open room with bright lights. There was air-conditioning as well.

You felt clean. Your skin felt washed and shaved. Your hair felt light and fluffy.

"Do we know who the child is?" Steve asked, worry in his voice.

"Thor is still back at the compound cleaning up with Loki and T'Challa." Clint answered. "He'll tell us when he gets back I'm sure."

"You don't think they raped her, right?" Clint sounded worried.

"Anythings possible with HYDRA." Bucky sounded disgusted.

"No." you mumbled, still feeling tired, "No, it's definitely one of yours. They never touched me. I just sat in that cell and ate food. That's it."

"Hey." Stephen's voice was soft, "How are you feeling."

Blinking your eyes open, you found they were already filled with tears. "E-Elizabeth? S-She's gone?"

"Yes." Steve said softly, coming over to sit on the edge of the bed, taking your hand. He had dark circles under his eyes, his blond hair was a mess. He was still in his Captain America uniform which was splattered with blood stains. His shield was laying on the chair, blood spatter all across the outer rim. "I'm sorry."

"What about her daughter?" You asked, sitting up, "Where is she?"

"Hogun's with her right now." Steve answered. "He wanted to know if she ever named her."

You choked back another sob, wishing you knew more about her time there. "If she did, I don't know her name. She wasn't even allowed to see her daughter for a week after. . . and then they gave her to me to take care of. I never called her anything, I always thought Elizabeth would. . . get to name her."

You broke back down into tears.

Sam put his arms around you, hugging you tightly.

You quickly wiped your face, trying to be strong, "Where are Lucy, Marcel, and Vincent?"

"They're fast asleep." Steve said, "Do you want us to go and get them?"

"Let them sleep. I'll see them when they're awake." You said. "How are they?"

"They've missed you." Sam mumbled into your ear. "Stacy kept them fed since they refused formula."

"But how are you feeling?" Stephen asked urgently, "Are you hungry? Thirsty? What happened there?"

"I'm okay." You said. "Nothing happened. They said they only wanted Elizabeth and they'd let me go after. . . well they never said what the after was. They only wanted her. . ."

There was a knock at the door and you looked over. You were in the hospital wing, the same one as when you had been kidnapped what felt like years ago by TYPHON and your wrist sliced open.

Hogun stepped in, along with Pietro, Vision, and Wanda. He was holding the baby in his arms, "Can we have a private word with Elizabeth?" He asked thickly, his brown-black eyes rimmed red. You had never seen Hogun look so destroyed.

"Not private." Steve said. "I'll stay." He nodded to the others who slowly filed out of the room.

"Did she. . . did she name her?" Hogun asked thickly, motioning to the baby girl in his arms.

You shook your head, "I don't know. I'm sorry."

Hogun just nodded.

Wanda stepped forward, "May I hold her, please?"

Hogun looked at her and then rather reluctantly handed her over. Wanda closed her eyes, hands glowing red slightly. Wanda opened her eyes as the redness faded. "Elizabeth was deciding between Luna and Minerva. She wanted to wait though for you to help her choose a name." Wanda said softly, handing the baby girl over to Hogun again.

Hogun's eyes teared up again and he took in a shuddering breath. "Was there anything you could've done?"

You blinked, "I-"

"Tell me." Hogun pleaded and Pietro quickly took the baby from his arms. "You got all of these traits from your soulmates, there had to be something you could've done! So you could've saved her!"

Thor and Loki entered the room at that moment, pausing in the doorway upon seeing Hogun by your bedside.

"That's enough." Steve commanded, moving to the other side of the bed.

"I'm sorry." You said. "She was one of my best friends. I'm sorry. I wish I could've saved her. I had no idea. . . I didn't even know she was dead until Stephen told me after I was saved. I didn't know. . . I'm sorry."

Hogun's expression fell again, his face going into his hands. Thor strode forward, putting a kind hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry friend. Come, you need sleep."

"I waited a thousand and seventy-three years for her." Hogun choked out. "And after one and a half fleeting years, she is gone. Why? What did I-"

"Come." Thor said gently, leading Hogun out of the room as your eyes teared up again.

Wanda kissed your forehead, "I'm sorry. Rest. Heal. We will take care of everyone from here."

You just nodded. Wanda carefully took the baby girl who was wide awake and looking rather upset into her arms.

Your bottom lip trembled as you were left in the room with Steve and Loki. You looked at Steve. "I could've gotten us out. I could've gotten us out after she had the baby. I could've. . . I could've used Loki's gift. I could've created a key to our doors. I could've gotten us out! It's my fault! Fuck why-"

"Shh." Steve said, wrapping his arms around you, pulling you into a much needed hug on both ends. "It's not your fault cookie."

You had missed that nickname so much. You sobbed into his shoulder.

Loki put a soft hand on your shoulder and after a few moments, you finally managed to lean back to look at him.

"It is not your fault my Queen. We are the ones that were unable to find you for so long." Loki admitted this with shame and Steve looked away, knowing it was hard enough for Loki to admit this with him there.

"How did you?" You asked.

Loki was silent for a long time before he said, "Two months after you were taken, Buster found a chip in the backyard. He brought it in and it was going to get thrown away, thinking it was junk. Luckily, Tony recognized it as a HYDRA chip. What I understood from his lengthy scientific monologue was that it was like an address chip. Unfortunately, there was quite a bit of damage to it along with dog slobber and rain. Tony worked day and night on it until he finally got it working two weeks later. Of course, he crashed for three whole days afterwards before he woke up to tell us how it worked. And then. . . and then Elizabeth. . ."

Loki actually choked on his words there, pausing, swallowing hard.

Elizabeth had been such a big part of your lives and you hadn't even realized it till now. She had affected everyone, living here.

Steve finished, "We managed to track down where you were a week ago. Unfortunately, there were so many defenses and. . . well we had to take them down one by one. It was a lengthy process and I'm sorry. I wish we could have. . . I wish we had. . . I'm sorry Y/N."

You shook your head, "I'm here. I'm safe. We're all-"

You choked on that. No, you were not all safe. "W-what happened to Fury?"

"He was in a coma for a while." Loki answered. "He's fine now. He'll want to see you soon, I'm sure."

"An- And Rhodey?" You whispered. "James."

"We buried him a week after." Steve whispered, squeezing your hand, "I'm sorry you couldn't be there. If you feel up to it, Tony and you can go to visit his grave tomorrow."

You nodded, tears coming to your eyes for what felt like the millionth time. "I wish I could've told him I loved him. But he- he died alone!"

Steve and Loki hugged you at the same time and you clung to them pathetically. You sobbed into their shoulders, wishing you could forget all of your pain. Wishing that you could be stronger for them, the way that you had promised James that you would in your cell at HYDRA.

One day. Maybe if you just had one proper day to mourn, things would be better after that.

Your time in the cells had been like time stopping. Nothing was real. Nothing continued. Now, you were continuing. One proper day to mourn and you would be alright.

"How was F.R.I.D.A.Y. compromised in the first place?" You sniffled, wiping your eyes and running nose.

Loki's face hardened, "The damn trash rat."

Steve sighed, "It was harmless, in hindsight. Rocket. . . he got into Tony's lab and messed with some equipment. It was just supposed to be a prank, see how long it took for the brilliant genius to realize all his passwords had been changed. . . but because of it, F.R.I.D.A.Y. was down so. . ."

"Tony did try to kill the thing." Loki said thoughtfully.

Steve glared at Loki, "Rocket feels terrible about it. More than terrible. He's absolutely appalled by what happened. It was just. . . "

"A freak accident." You finished in a whisper.

There was silence in the room.

"C-Can everyone come back in? And then um, Thor can tell us who the baby's father is?" You whispered.

"Sure." Steve said, hugging you tightly before kissing you again on the forehead. He moved out of the room, coming back with everyone.

Everyone sat around your bed, making sure they were touching you in someway. A hand on your shin, holding your hand. Sam was hugging you from behind again.

"They're twins." Thor said softly. His light was gone, a depressing gloom settled around him. You knew he was hurting for his friend of centuries. "Fraternal. One is Tony's. The others is Rhodey's."

You dissolved right back into tears.

[popquizhot-shot]

The Avenger and The Crow-5

A/n: sorry for keeping all of you waiting!

Warnings: tw-graphic depictions of death, assault, nightmares, ooc Kaz, mind control, language

I don’t know how i feel about this chapter tbh

Taglist: @aleksanderwh0r3 @cleverzonkwombatsludge @dark-night-sky-99 @nightlovesyou @fangirl-with-a-shippers-heart  @kazscrow @mrs-brekker15 @thatfangirl42​ @confuscita​ 

“Please..please...please stop!” a young girl, about age twelve begs. Her head bent, her eyes puffy and throat hoarse from screaming.

The ‘doctors’ don’t listen, instead signaling to the others to start the procedure all over again.

“ Don’t worry, little one. You will be the Terror. Everyone will fear you ad they will know your name. Hydra will rise from the ashes, and you will be the reason for it.” The short man nods to someone and it starts again.

The dreaded bits of metal arriving over her cheekbones and the mouth-guard being forced into her mouth.

They press the button-

and that’s when the screams begin.

And day by day, you became more and more immune.

Immune to the pain,

Immune to nights, when the guards came into your cell,

Immune to the cold,

and you lost all sense of who you were.

Day by day, when the metal and the shock came, you didn’t feel anything, yes you felt the pain. But the pain didn’t mean anything.

“She is ready.” .

Blood, there was blood everywhere. On you, on the ground, the stench of it hung in the air. You looked around.

Around you were corpses, bodies of men, women, children, babies. All of whom you killed.

You screamed.

~~

You jolted awake, almost screaming. Forehead covered in sweat, shirt soaked.

 “ Shit, I need water.” you stumble out of bed and slowly make your way down to the kitchen.

For once, there’s silence and no one is awake.

You filled a glassful of cool water and drank it all in one go, breathing heavily.

The nightmares had returned. After being captured by Hydra, your min was never the same, you had mostly healed but you still had nightmares from your time there.

You drank another glass, spilling some of it on yourself.

Click click click

The sound was coming from the staircase, accompanied by cursing.

“ Kaz?” you said, in a low voice.

Kaz looked at you, taking in your disheveled appearance and raised an eyebrow.

“ Is there a reason you’re awake at three in the morning?” he asked you.

“ I was thirsty.” you fiddle with the glass.

“ Next time, try not to make so much noise, half the Slat is probably awake,” he turned around to leave, “ oh and another thing, there’s a box of herbal tea in the top shelf, make yourself a cup if you have trouble sleeping. Works for me.” 

He left, limping up the stairs.

He opened the door to his room, and went straight to his desk, he had some paperwork to complete and now was the perfect time to finish it.

If only his stupid mind would focus on the numbers instead of you.

Out of all the things he expected to find in the kitchen at three in the morning, a disheveled, shivering Y/n wasn’t one of them.

He knew straight away that you had a nightmare, the sweaty forehead, colorless skin, shaking hands and the clumsiness.

He was just glad the darkness in the kitchen had shielded his worry and concern for you.

 For Ghezen’s sake, stop thinking about her you idiot!

He looked at the page lying in front him, right there, in his handwriting, was your name.

Instead of crumpling it and throwing it away like he normally would, he took the paper and traced his fingers over your name, and then folded the paper neatly and shoved into one of his desk drawers.

That’s it, I’m going mad.

~~

“ Wait, so they just disappear?” Bucky asks, confused.

“ Looks like it Barnes.” Tony said, “ It’s been three weeks since Y/n and Loki have gone missing and the only information we have is that they touch this weird blue smoke around the tesseract and immediately vanished. None of this is helpful.”

“ We need more information. Loki is the only one who knows what the blue smoke might be, and he’s not here.” Steve added.

“ Well, there is one more person who knows the Tesseract well, she’s an agent currently undercover in Delhi as a reporter for the Deccan Chronicle, and she was present during the experimentation of the Tesseract, she might be able to help us.” Nat said.

“ Who Natasha?” Bucky asked, looking at her intently.

“ Her name is Arrow, she’s a friend of Y/n’s,” Nat replied

“ Let’s call her, now.”

~~

It was late, eleven minutes past eleven (hehehe) to be precise.

So why the hell, were you still in bed?

Normally, either Jesper would bang on your door at seven, or Loki would use his magic to wake you up.

However, today, neither came. As you trudged down the stairs you heard Nina and Loki laugh.

“G’morning guys.” you said as you walked past them to make a cup of coffee.

“ Morning Brekker.” you greeted Kaz, who was making his third? or was it fourth? probably fourth cup of coffee.

“ Morning. You’re coffee’s on the table, somebody made it for you.” he replied.

“ Oh, ok, and hey, thanks for telling me about the tea, it helped.” you thanked him.

“ You’re welcome.” he said and left abruptly.

“Whoever made my coffee for me, I love you so much.” you declared, taking the cup and sitting next to Loki. Missing the smirk between him and Nina.

“ Y/n/n.” Loki began.

“ What Lokes?”

“ Kaz made the coffee.”

[furidojasutin]

Title: Buddy talk

Pairing: Grayke (Gray x Loke)

Universe: Modern AU

Rating: K+

a/n: This is my entry for the Fairy Tail Reverse Big Bang hosted by @ftguildevents​ ! I was super happy to get to work with the beautiful @rougearts who also made me see the appeal in this ship, actually! You can find her art piece over here --> https://rougearts.tumblr.com/post/628531912470937601/i-am-not-against-shoving-you-off-this-bed-loke  . Make sure to give her work lots of love and follow her on all her blogs, too!! Her writing is amazing and so is her art. 💓 This event was such an amazing idea tbh, so thanks to everyone who helped hosting it and everyone who participated <3

“Ta-da!”

“Wow.” Even if Gray ignored Loke's smugly shimmering eyes, there was a lot to take in. The modern dining table was completely laid. Despite the comparably small surface of the table, there was plenty of different stuff to eat and he'd also spotted the various kinds of bottles near the kitchen counter. The kitchen counter itself? It wasn't as much of a mess as Gray had assumed it would be. After all this time of being friends with Loke, he was still unable to tell if that ginger was more of a clean person or a messy person. Perhaps it depended on the exact situation, really.

“Wow? That's your only reaction? I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this.”

“Sounds kinda gross, if you ask me,” Gray deadpanned but couldn't help but smile a little when he saw his friend's play-acted offended face.

“Well,” Loke countered, “I've always known that you never had keen eye for things that deserve true appreciation, so I can only feel bad for you I guess.” With a slightly dramatic gesture he left Gray's side to fetch them both a glass from the cupboard.

“Sure, whatever you say, man.” He watched Loke with a shrug, the tiniest curve still not disappeared on his face. Of course he appreciated the effort, he really did. Perhaps he wasn't the best at showing his gratitude most of the time, so he was glad that Loke understood him without him having to say much.

His gaze swerved over the full display of food bowls and the... Wait.

“You prepared all of this yourself?”

Loke froze in his movement for a second and Gray almost missed the hesitation. Almost. When his friend turned around with a glass in each of his hands, he shot a lopsided grin towards Gray. “Weeeell..... Not all of it.”

Gray knew exactly where this was going. “What did you prepare yourself?”

With a roll of his shoulders Loke smoothly turned his back on him to pour them both a glass of wine. “This and that... I toasted the bread and cooked the eggs and-”

“You ordered the rest of the meal.”

“Got me there.”

Even so, starting off the evening with a meal and wine was a very good idea. It was pretty decent wine, too. Before Gray knew it he had already emptied two glasses. They hadn't planned on getting drunk but then again, they hadn't planned out anything really so this night could go anywhere.

Or, almost anywhere.

After they cleaned up they decided to move over to Loke's couch and watch some shitty night tv channel. This channel seriously never disappointed them – there was always something dumb to comment on and make fun about and Gray caught himself laughing at more of Loke's stupid jokes than he wanted to admit. It had always been this way.

The night progressed very fast and it was an absolutely good time. Everything was so easy when he was around Loke. Silly and chill. Gray felt relaxed.

And perhaps it was the bottle of wine that they had killed together (though Gray felt a very tiny buzz at most), but there was something so warm and good about Loke and him just chilling on his bed together and talking about random stuff before sleep would get to them. There was nothing weird about them sharing this bed, nothing weird about two half-naked guys right next to each other and sharing their thoughts.

Until Loke thought that it was a good idea to bring that topic into focus.

“Why again are we talking about this?” Gray averted his eyes and stared at the ceiling instead. He made an effort to sound annoyed but something told him that it wouldn't be so easy to distract Loke from his intention. Ugh... He really didn't like talking about this kinda stuff. And perhaps one of the reasons for this circumstance was right beside him...

“Because you're one of my best friends. And because I'm very curious.” Loke rolled onto his side. “I know all about Cana's love life and-”

“It's not like she has ever tried to make a secret out of it. She's a very blunt person. She loves telling us juicy new information involving her newest crush and so on,” Gray tried to counter.

Without much success.

“I want to know more about your love life, though. We've been buddies for so long and I know that you're not much of a talker, but c'mon. There's got to be somebody, right?”

Something about Loke's tone of voice had changed, but he wasn't able to pinpoint what exactly it was. Maybe there was a tad bit less amusement in it, or perhaps he just sounded more serious.

Gray frowned. He still didn't really feel like talking about this. Yea, he'd much rather change the subject. Besides, there wasn't much to tell anyway...

“Okay.” Loke tried again after a moment of silence. Did he realize that he wasn't gonna say much, even if he begged him to? “If you don't want to tell me any stories yourself, how about I ask what I'm curious about and you answer?” A short pause. “Or not-,” Loke added quickly. “If you don't want to.”

So he still wanted to hold onto this topic. And Gray really wondered why. Perhaps it was the wine that they both had consumed and the fact that they were chilling on Loke's bed, comfortable with blanket and pillows and a crappy reality tv series playing in the background still.

With a sigh, Gray decided that he would agree. For as long as he could bear it. “Alright, fine.”

How could he mentally prepare himself for the questions that might come for him? He probably couldn't.

“Okaaay...,” Loke shifted to lie on his back as well and focused on the ceiling, just like Gray. “I know that your relationship with Juvia didn't work out. But I never actually asked if it was you breaking up with her or the other way round. So what was up with that? She's a sweet woman.”

Gray frowned at that. He should have expected Juvia to be the first person to be brought up but he still felt unprepared. On the other hand, it wasn't too hard talking about her, because... “We kinda both did it? It was weird. I think we both just got carried away and didn't realize from the start that we had different feelings for each other that weren't romantic love, you know? We care for each other a lot, just not... in that kinda way. And we're fine with that.” He couldn't believe that the words were just spouting from his mouth like that and that, actually, it wasn't too difficult to talk about it either.

For so long he had always just lived with the perception that he had to hide away his true feelings from anybody. As time went by and he made his true friends, he learned to let go of this perception step by step, but romantic love was a topic that he had barely ever approached up until now. At least when he himself was involved.

“Huh, alright. Totally get that. I mean, you guys are still good friends, right? I haven't seen her in a while.”

“Yea. She's got a new job and it's pretty busy. Didn't Cana meet her last week?” Gray mused loudly.

“No idea,” Loke shrugged before a small grin appeared on his face. “Talking about Cana... Did you ever have the hots for her?”

Now, that was a question Gray had to grimace it. It wasn't because Cana wasn't an amazing woman or didn't look great, but... Their relationship had really turned out to be one between a brother and a sister. They had fun together, she was game for anything and sometimes they annoyed each other just to hang out again not long after.

Of course he knew why Loke was asking. All three of them were pretty close after all. Loke had even been Cana's boyfriend for a short while before they cut it off again, all without any hard feelings. Gray had always admired this casualty a bit.

And Cana and himself? She had been his first kiss... Ah, yea.

“No, not really, I guess...,” he ended up muttering and scratched his nose in a sense of awkwardness. “She's really been more like a sister all this time and I don't think that's gonna change.”

“And that kiss?”

Yea, yea, yea... “That was... just curiosity. We were kids, kids are curious.” Gray still couldn't say it without feeling even more awkward.

Luckily, Loke seemed content enough with this answer and when Gray dared to turn his head so he could catch a glimpse of Loke's face, he spotted the small smile. Was it amusement? Was it happiness? He was unable to figure it out. Maybe it wasn't important.

“Fact is, she's amazing. And we'd definitely miss her in our squad, right?”

Now that was something Gray could agree with without hesitating a single second. “For sure.”

“Okay, so what about Natsu?”

Loke was facing him again now and he actually had to laugh out loud at the face Gray pulled once the question had slipped past his lips. The sound of it made Gray's heart jump but the absurdity of the suggestion was in the forefront of his mind. Natsu? Never in a million years! “Do you still need an answer?” He asked, mumbling and still with a grimace. “Besides, he's with Lucy. Lucy can deal with his hot-tempered ass. Sometimes I feel really sorry for her.”

His best friend had a hard time suppressing his chuckles. “I mean, you two act like an old married couple sometimes. It would be cute as well – if it wasn't for you wanting to bash each other's head in on a regular basis.”

“Go fuck yourself!”

“Oh, kinky Fullbuster is here.”

“Shut up!”

It was over, Loke was laughing and rolled around on the bed until he almost pushed Gray off the edge. He could be worked up about Loke asking if he had a thing for Natsu, or he could let himself get infected by his friend's laughter, ignoring the soft warmth in his cheeks. He didn't hate Natsu and Natsu didn't hate him. Honestly, they'd probably help each other out of the biggest problems and be there for each other but the bond they had was still more like a... love-hate thing? It was hard to imagine a life without Natsu in it but sometimes he just wanted to throw him into the nearest trash can.

Oh well... The second option won out anyway. At this point it was impossible not to give a laughter of his own and with a quiet, playful curse on his lips he pushed Loke away again so he wouldn't end up falling off the bed after all.

“Calm down man, it wasn't that funny,” he argued and huffed, a not so secret smile on his face, though.

It took another moment for Loke to calm down but eventually he just wiped a single tear off his face and then he was ready to proceed.

Gray had hoped that he was done.

“Okay, okay, okay...” The ginger placed a finger on his lips, looking as though he was thinking hard. Gray didn't trust any of it. How was he still not done? “What about Erza?”

“She's just a good friend.” Although, and that was something he had never told anybody really, he's had a small crush on her years ago. Years ago, really.

“Fine. She's a very impressive woman, though, damn. If she wasn't part of our friendship group I'd be so intimidated.”

“Yea.”

Gray knew that they still were pretty intimidated by her sometimes, though. They just didn't like to admit it.

“Mirajane?”

“Dude, she's a lesbian.”

“The women of this world are very lucky.” Loke sighed and placed the hands behind his head, looking at the ceiling again. “Levy? No wait, she's taken, too. No surprise, she's cute and smart.”

“So don't ask me about Gajeel.” He was almost getting used to these casual suggestions now.

“Right, right. Freed?”

“He's engaged with Laxus, remember?”

“Sure, sure. Two more attractive dudes off the market.” Loke waved him off, but the grin had returned. “Maybe I'm just trying to be nosy and find out what kinda guys you like... And girls. But I'm more curious about the guys.”

And Gray hated how fast this false feeling of casualty disappeared again. It flew right out of the window. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw his friend grinning at him and he couldn't handle it right now. He just hoped that his reaction wasn't too obvious and that the warmth tingling in his body was to blame on the remains of the wine (even though they really hadn't drunken much). Harrumphing quietly, he decided to fake-stretch himself and then roll onto his side. “I don't have a type. Are you done, then? I'm kinda tired, seriously.”

Gray wanted to hit himself because of this obvious sounding lie. How more obvious could he be?! Still, the tiny, naive spark of hope that Loke would buy it and just leave it be was there and he felt tense when he awaited his friend's response. It was really late, so that was no lie at least. Late, early? It was starting to get light again outside anyway.

Wow, had they really been talking for so long?! The tv was still on, too, but he hadn't been paying attention to it anymore at all.

“No type?”

He felt Loke shifting and so he decided to fake a yawn. “No, I don't think I have one.”

“Huh, okay, I get it.” Loke was looking over Gray's shoulder, he could see it out of the corner of his eyes. Intently he averted his eyes and just stared at Loke's wardrobe, still lying on his side. For a second he thought that Loke was done, but then- “Except that I don't get it. I mean, you only have to take a look at this charming face of mine and you'll be sold.”

More heat seeped into Gray's cheeks immediately and he really, really wanted to blame it on the alcohol again. Was Loke trying to flirt? Was he just being Loke? He could never be too sure about it... There was no way that Loke was seriously having any interest in him like... that, right? Fuck.

He knew that he shouldn't turn his head and look, because that was exactly what his friend wanted him to do. He knew he would be doomed and his heart would make that kind of jump again and make him feel stupid, but...

Turning, with Loke half-hovering above him, he looked straight at him and Loke immediately intensified his stupidly charming grin.

“See? Hooked yet? Nobody can resist this beautiful face.”

There was so much Gray wanted to do, but would never dare to. There were so many thoughts in his head that he wasn't anywhere near ready to voice yet. Loke's illegally suave grin, the colored light of the sunrise beginning to stream through the window, their closeness, the flirty atmosphere...

But it was just them being bros. It had always been this way.

Or had it not?

When had his stupid heart begun to make such a ruckus about Loke? And was there the smallest chance of Loke feeling the same?

Fuck. He hated the conflict this man threw him into and yet, at the same time, he wouldn't want to miss these evenings. Not a single one of them.

And before he even took note of it, he was having a lopsided grin of his own, with the most stupid little hope somewhere in his heart. “Pfft, sure. Try again, man.”

“Oh you know I'm an enthusiastic pursuer of my goals,” Loke countered and adjusted his non-existent tie in a silly way.

“I don't mind', Gray thought to himself and when catching this thought of his he just waved his friend off again and huffed before turning his back on the ginger. With a smile sneaking its way onto his face, he muttered.

“Night, you idiot.”

“Hey, I wasn't done yet,” came the silly complaint from behind him and before Gray knew it, Loke had flopped on top of him. How could he have been so naive to think that a simple 'good night' would shut his friend up? It wasn't like he had a huge issue with Loke flopping onto him, but part of him had and... it wasn't exactly helping his case and all the thoughts he's had around it.

“You can't just turn your back on me like that. What point are you trying to prove? I'm irresistable. And if you're really going to try and escape this simple reality, you've got to try harder than that! Worshiping the beauty that is me is inevitable, Gray.”

Gray knew all too well that Loke could just go on like this forever. At least it hadn't reached the point of him becoming ridiculously poetic about himself yet, although the thought made him want to shake his head and roll his eyes in fondness. Still, he really wanted to sleep. Or perhaps calm down and shut off his brain for now.

So he just tried to shrug Loke off with a huff and grumbled. “I swear, I'll throw you off this bed if I have to.”

“You would yeet me off my own bed?!” A surprise gasp.

“Yea. Yea, I would.”

It was definitely worth it because he finally seemed to get through to his friend and, perhaps more importantly, he got more of Loke's warm laughter before he felt how said man retreated and made himself comfortable without sprawling across him.

“Fine, fine. I don't wanna get yeeted anywhere today, so sleep well, have sweet dreams and all that.”

The chuckle in Loke's voice faded away with his words and then it was quiet.

In this silence and while closing his eyes, Gray decided that Loke's laughter and the sound of his voice definitely weren't the worst things to hear last before falling asleep and that the knowledge of him beside him and the warmth radiating from his body were a kind of comfort that he would like to get used to, like to have and to keep.

[ft-dads-au]

Turn the Tide

Gratsu Summer Solstice 2020 - Prompt: Fun in the Sun Gratsu Week 2020 - Prompt: “What’s with all the noise? I’m sleepy” Pairing: Gray x Natsu

A Collaboration by @mdelpin​ and @oryu404​

AO3 | FF.Net

Summary:  Natsu has hated his birthday for years. It served only as a a painful reminder of the day his father abandoned him and Erza. All he wants is to get through the day with the least amount of fuss possible, but Gray has other plans. 0-0

July 7th, 2021

What’s with all the damn noise? I’m still sleepy…

Natsu groaned as the annoying beeping noise that had woken him up refused to stop, and he soon realized it was coming from his phone. He glared at the device, but as expected, it did nothing, the beeps continued as text after text came in.

What the hell is going on?

He stretched his arm and grabbed his phone from his nightstand, fighting the urge to throw it across the room...

Happy Birthday, Bro! 🎈🎉✨🎁 Where the party at? 👀🧁🎂 Gotta do rounds, but I’ll call you later!

Happy Birthday, Natsu!

cat_birthday.gif

Another year older, Firefly! I’ll stop by Sorciere and buy you a drink tonight...

Happy Birthday, dude! Get Gray to blow your 🕯️!!! 😂😏

Natsu scrolled through the texts that kept coming in from his friends and family, rolling his eyes at the last one, not even having to look at the sender info to know it was Loke’s contribution.

As nice as it was to receive well wishes, rather than cheer him up, all they accomplished was to envelop him in a cloud of gloom that was very familiar. Still, he replied to all the messages and got up to start his day.

At least it was a Wednesday, which meant that Gray would soon arrive with Aki for one of their study sessions. It was the first time in a while that he was impatient for Gray to visit, not because he wanted to see him, but because of the distraction that studying for the GED would provide.

What he really wanted was to get out of the house. To escape the memories that refused to let go.

The previous year he’d been too numb from everything else that had happened in his life for it to sink in that he was back in his childhood home, sleeping in the very room his father used to call his. The last place he’d seen him before he’d disappeared from his life, leaving him and Erza behind without any warning or explanation. For so long, he’d held on to the belief that his father was coming back, but no matter how many nights he’d waited for him, he never did. And so his birthday became a day Natsu resented, a painful reminder of his abandonment.

The doorbell rang, startling Natsu out of his gloomy thoughts. Atlas raced towards the door at the noise, chanting the name Aki over and over in joyful anticipation.

Natsu ran down the stairs to head him off, knowing from experience Atlas would open the door regardless of who might be on the other side. It was much too early for Gray to arrive for their study session, and given that it was his birthday, the idea of an unexpected visitor set him on edge.

He got to the door just as Atlas opened it and was surprised to see his boyfriend was indeed standing on the other side of the door.

“Hey,” he greeted, feeling slightly puzzled but no less pleased, “Are we starting early today?”

“Nope,” Gray smirked, “You’ve been working pretty hard for the past few weeks. Today you get the day off. We’re going to the beach!”

“Beach!” Aki repeated, and now that Natsu looked at him, he noticed he was dressed in a swimsuit and holding a colorful bucket and shovel like the ones sold at the grocery store.

“Beach?” Natsu parroted in disbelief, “With three kids? Are you insane?”

“Four, you forgot to count yourself,” Gray teased, entering the house and closing the door behind him. He pulled Natsu to him for a quick kiss, “Hey.”

“I don’t know, I’d have to pack stuff for the kids and get them ready,” Natsu hedged, not feeling up to such an involved outing.

“Nice try, Sunshine,” Gray turned him around and nudged him towards the stairs. “All you have to do is get yourself ready; Erza already took care of the rest.” Gray walked over to the small closet that sat at the foot of the stairs and opened it to show that indeed there were two bags packed along with Atlas’ car seat.

“We’re going to the beach?!” Hana squealed behind them, and at that point, Natsu realized he’d already lost. Hana had always loved the beach even though her skin was so fair she had to be slathered in sunblock constantly, but she hadn’t voiced any interest in it since her mother had died. Knowing that, he didn’t want to disappoint her.

“Looks like it,” he replied with as much enthusiasm as he could muster at the idea. It might even be a good thing. If he were chasing after the kids, he wouldn't have time to think about anything else.

“That’s the spirit,” Gray remarked, his words dripping with sarcasm, “Go get ready, and I’ll start putting stuff in the car.”

Now that the decision had been made, Natsu went along with it. He’d wanted to get out of the house, after all. Changing into swim trunks and a t-shirt, he quickly tossed a change of clothes and a towel into a bag. He searched around for his sunglasses and sunblock, and when he heard Gray yelling for him, he hurried down the stairs to find everything had already been packed up, including the kids.

“Why today?” he asked, gazing at his boyfriend with suspicion.

“Because it’s going to get super hot, and you’re too cheap to install an air conditioner.” Gray retorted, “Since nothing’s getting into your little brain today, we might as well have fun. Now come on.”

He grabbed the bag from Natsu’s hand and led him to his car, making no mention of Natsu’s mood. Natsu relaxed, he’d never told Gray when his birthday was, and he hadn’t gotten a text from Lyon, so it was possible he didn’t know. The people in his life always wanted to make a big deal about his birthday, but all Natsu wanted was to forget it, let it pass quickly and quietly. And who knew? A day of fun in the sun might just do the trick.

0-0

“Beach!” Hana ran off towards the sand the moment they stepped outside the air-conditioned train station and into the summer heat.

“Hana, wait!” Natsu ran after her, terrified of losing her in the crowd of people. He glanced back to see Gray trying to handle the boys and the remaining bags, and he flashed him an apologetic smile.

Gray hadn’t been exaggerating. It was a hot day. Thankfully the beach wasn’t too packed yet, and once he’d gotten Hana to stop, he rented a large umbrella for them to sit under, knowing the heat was going to be too much for the younger kids and for Gray, who was as fair as Hana.

He was already applying sunblock on Hana when Gray finally arrived with Atlas and Aki, dumping all their bags on the sand. “A little help would have been nice,” he grumbled.

Natsu glanced up to see his boyfriend was already flushed. “Go sit,” he ordered, pointing towards the shade the umbrella provided and handing him a bottle of water from one of the bags Erza had packed. He managed to get all three kids ready and sent them off to play in the area in front of them.

Natsu grabbed a new bottle of sunblock and knelt behind his boyfriend, who had already taken off his shirt, “Are you feeling better?” he asked as he spurted some of the contents of the bottle into his hand and began to apply it on Gray’s shoulders.

“Mhmm,” Gray groaned in appreciation, “That feels nice. Thanks for getting the umbrella, that was a good idea.”

“Well then, it seems my little brain is good for something after all,” Natsu retorted.

“Your hands aren’t bad either,” Gray observed, leaning forward so that Natsu could apply sunblock on his back. “Hana really likes the beach, huh?”

“Yeah, back when we lived in Edolas, Lis used to take her to the beach all the time,” he explained, watching as Hana examined some seashells she’d found. “It’s nice to see her excited about it again.”

“What on Earth is Atlas doing?”

Natsu turned his attention to his son and had to laugh, “He’s digging a hole, obviously.” One that only seemed to get bigger by the minute now that Aki had caught on to what his friend was doing and had begun to help.

“Shouldn’t we stop them?” Gray asked worriedly.

“Why? They’re not hurting anything,” Natsu shrugged, “or are you worried they’ll end up upside down on the other side of the world?”

“Smart and funny, how lucky am I?” Gray answered drily.

“I used to like to do that too,” Natsu muttered, ignoring the barb as he remembered beach trips with his own family.

He used to dig holes deep enough that he could hide in them and startle his mom as she walked by. Sometimes Igneel would even help him, laughing just as hard as Natsu when his wife squealed in fright as Natsu grabbed her leg. He hadn’t thought about that in years. A lump lodged in his throat at the thought of his mom, and he couldn’t help but reflect on how much Erza resembled her these days.

“Here, let me put some on you,” Natsu felt Gray’s hands on his back as he rubbed the cooling lotion on his warm skin, interrupting his train of thought. He closed his eyes briefly, enjoying the glorious sensation of those fingers kneading his muscles.

It was much better to focus on what he had. There was no reclaiming what he’d already lost.

“You know,” Gray declared as he continued to cover Natsu in sunblock, “there wasn’t an amusement park the last time I came here, it’s too bad the kids are too little. That could’ve been fun.”

“Well, maybe we can come back another time,” Natsu suggested, shading his eyes with his hand as he tried to locate Hana amidst the growing crowd.

“You mean like on a date?”

“Why not? I bet Sting and Rogue would love to come too.” He found his daughter talking to another little girl, not too far from where they were sitting and relaxed.

“Maybe,” Gray wrapped his arms around Natsu’s waist and pulled him closer to his chest, “I don’t get you to myself often enough, though.”

Natsu rested his hands on Gray’s and smiled, “You, my love, get most of my spare time. You’re just greedy.”

Gray chuckled, “True enough. Want to go check out the water? The kids look like they’re getting restless.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Natsu agreed, stealing a quick kiss before grabbing Atlas under one arm and racing towards Hana at full speed as Atlas yelled her name out joyfully. She squealed at their approach, running away from them and towards the water.

He could hear Gray grumbling behind him and grinned.

“Daddy, no!” Hana shrieked as he put Atlas down so he could join the chase and continued to charge after her.

“Don’t worry, Hana, I’ll get him for you,” was all he heard before being picked up from behind and tossed over Gray’s shoulder.

“What are you gonna do now, Sunshine?” Gray snickered, holding on tighter as Natsu did his best to get loose, “What do you think, Hana? Should I throw him in?”

“Yeah!” Hana giggled, “Throw Daddy in the ocean!”

“You heard the lady; you’re going down!” Gray turned them around, and Natsu could see that Hana looked positively gleeful at his predicament. All three kids cheered as they egged Gray on.

“Traitors!” He called out in mock dismay, as he flailed around, trying to mess up Gray’s balance. His efforts proved pointless, however, as the next thing he knew, he was falling, but only for a short second until he landed face-first into the cold water. Moving quickly, he turned himself around, snaking his arms out and grabbing Gray’s legs while he was busy laughing at him.

Using Gray’s distraction to his advantage, Natsu pulled, taking Gray down with him.

“Come on in, the water’s fine!” Natsu couldn’t help but cackle at the surprised expression on his boyfriend’s face.

“That’s it, Dragneel, you asked for it,” Gray announced before splashing water at Natsu’s face.

They wrestled in the water, both laughing too hard to be able to gain any advantage over the other. Soon they were joined by the kids who were more than happy to enter the fray.

After a few minutes, they each grabbed one of the boys and placed them on their shoulders so they could wade deeper while keeping an eye on Hana, who swam beside them. Both boys were overjoyed to be up so high. They eagerly called out every wave that rushed towards them.

Natsu was having such a great time that he completely forgot to keep track of Hana’s skin, and when he noticed the telltale redness on her nose and the back of her neck, he decided it was time to get back to their umbrella. Gray wasn’t doing much better, which made Natsu smile. The guy might be thirty, but he was still young in all the best ways.

Gray treated them to lunch, and they all sat together under the umbrella munching happily on pizza and chicken nuggets.

“Are you having fun?” Gray asked while helping Aki eat a slice of cheese pizza.

“Yeah,” Natsu answered honestly, “I have to admit, you had a good idea for once.”

Gray rolled his eyes at his response but chose not to protest. They shared a fun afternoon building sandcastles with the kids, collecting shells, and helping Atlas dig ever deeper holes, which Natsu made sure to refill once his son had moved on to the next one. Much too soon, it was time to get on a train as Natsu had to return to Magnolia in time for his evening shift at Crime Sorciere.

Natsu sat on the train, feeling content as Hana leaned against him, and Atlas snored in his lap. On the opposite bench, Aki was also K.O. in Gray’s arms, while Gray gazed out the window with a serene smile. Natsu watched him for a while, mesmerized by how breathtaking Gray looked when he was at peace. It didn’t happen nearly often enough for his liking, and that always saddened him. Gray deserved the world, and Natsu was determined to get it for him. Someday.

They made it home with enough time for Natsu to take a shower before leaving for work. He noticed a notification on his phone as he was getting dressed, and seeing that it was a text from Gray, he scanned it immediately.

Happy Birthday, Natsu! 😉

Natsu realized then that he hadn’t thought about his birthday once since they’d arrived at the beach. He was touched to learn that Gray had been aware all along, choosing not to treat the day any differently because he’d remembered how Natsu felt about it.

Just like that, Gray had understood what he’d needed, something Erza and Lisanna had struggled with for years.

For the first time since Natsu was nine years old, he’d had a birthday he could look back on with a smile. And that was the best present he could have ever asked for.

A/N: We had started this one for Summer Solstice but ran out of time, luckily Gratsu Week gave us the motivation to finish it! This fic marks 200K words in our AU!

[ohmygoodnessgraciouss]

Loki request please? Where the reader was one of his personal servants back in Asgard, or loked was the palace librarian idk butthey were super close and now that she is in new Asgard Endgame Loki finds her but its not her Loki because at thw point in time where Endgame Loki was from they weren't close yet or idk sipet angsty toboo love and stuff lol

I’m so sorry it took so long for me to get to this!  So much has been happening in my life currently that I had to put this on hold.  I also apologize because I feel like this was not my best writing lol!  Please forgive me for that much.  Thank you so much for requesting though, and I hope you enjoy this

Masterlist

“You’re lucky your mother is allowing me to come down here to deliver the books. No one else is willing to do it without throwing a few remarks at you,” You said while walking into the cell. Frigga had distracted the guards so you could easily sneak through the dungeon.

“She’s not my mother.” You rolled your eyes at his statement. Every time you referred to her as his mother he snapped at you.

“You can keep saying that Loki but she still sees you as her son. I can’t imagine she would encourage this little relationship we have going on if she saw you as only a child that the Allfather brought back to Asgard.”

“Or perhaps she’s doing this so that she can torture me. I would not mind this sentence one bit if you didn’t have to come here to see me all the time. You’re here almost every day. I want you to be able to go on adventures. You shouldn’t have to worry about me,” He quietly said. You almost couldn’t hear him.

“No, I shouldn’t. But I do anyway.”

There was a shared silence between the two of you for a moment. Loki knew that you could’ve left him a long time ago, but you didn’t. You stuck through all of the shared meetings in the dark, where no one could see. You stuck by him for the small-time he had before his sentencing.  You were there as he was thrown into the cell as well.  You were always there.

~

It had only been a few short years since you two met.  You accepted a job in the castle as the librarian, making sure every book was in its proper place.  You usually made your way through the hundreds of shelves alone, counting each book.  Even the slightest mistake would throw off the pattern.  

It was a mere coincidence that the prince had gone into the library searching for a book on a specific culture to read.  He couldn’t remember why he needed it, but he knew his mother would continue to remind him to do so until he had the book in his hands.  Perhaps it was to read up on what he was supposed to do around a potential wife for Thor at a gala.  It didn’t really phase him though.

At least it didn’t phase him as much as you did.  He went down an aisle unknowing that he would actually spot someone.  The room was so large that it would be easier to lift Mjolnir after Odin enchanted it than find a person.

“I don’t believe we have met before,” Loki quietly spoke.  He didn’t want to surprise you, but that was a little hard.

Your eyes widened as you turned to meet his gaze.  He looked intrigued by your presence as if you were the first person he had ever seen.

“I am so sorry, my prince.  I was supposed to be tending to a different area by now, but it seems like I lost track of time.” You spoke softly in fear of your voice trembling.  It’s not every day that you see Asgardian royalty, especially in this kind of intimacy.

“I don’t mind at all,” He chuckled, “In fact, I quite like seeing another person around.  It can get lonely in here.”

You laughed lightly at the comment.  You knew that all too well.  "I agree completely.  I spend most of my time here and there are some days where I go mad from the silence.“

He smiled slyly.  He forgot completely why he was in there in the first place.  "How long have you been in here?”

“About eight hours, I’d say.  Why?”

“How about we go on an adventure?” He asked, holding his hand out for you to take.

You hesitated for a single moment, knowing that an adventure could never mean something good with the mischievous brother of Thor.  Either way, it didn’t stop you from placing your hand in his.

~

In the end, it did cause you to get into a lot of trouble.  Loki could get away with it because everyone who lived on Asgard knew what he was like.  You, however, weren’t so lucky.  They reported you to the Allfather in the end.  Loki felt guilty about it though and spoke to his mother about it before your court date.  Frigga was able to convince Odin to throw the report away in court.  You couldn’t thank all three of them enough for it.

You and Loki didn’t talk all that much after that adventure.  Every few months you two would share a small conversation on current events, but your friendship never grew more than that.  Frigga could see you were good for him though.

She didn’t interfere until Loki returned to Asgard after attacking Midgard.  You were present for that time because everyone waited in anticipation by the bridge to catch a glimpse of the brothers.  You followed them into the castle because you had to return to your duties.    Loki watched you rush towards the library as Thor pushed him through the hall.

After he was placed in a cell, Frigga constantly asked you to bring him things.  Eventually, the two of you grew close and started exchanging kisses when the guards weren’t looking.  Frigga knew it was going on because she caught you two once.  It was exactly what she wanted.  She never told anyone that she knew of what was going on, but you could see the occasional wink she gave you.  She knew that you were getting through his shield.  You were helping him be like himself.

~

“Do you ever regret doing this?” Loki asked, catching your attention while breaking the silence.  You looked up to meet his gaze.

“No, I don’t think I do.  Some days I wonder what I could be doing instead, but I don’t regret it.” You were quiet, barely speaking above a whisper.  He could hear every word clear as day though.

“Perhaps you should be doing that.  Find someone who isn’t in a jail cell serving time for the rest of their life.  Or, until Odin has a mysterious accident.” He winked at you mischievously.

“You haven’t changed a bit, have you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re trying to plan something to get out of here.”

“Why wouldn’t I, love?  It could secure my position as the rightful king and I could make sure that we could be together.”

“That’s all that matters to you.  Being the king.”  Tears had started welling up in your eyes and you didn’t realize it until you could barely see him.  "All I’ve wanted was to be with you and all you’ve wanted was a throne.  I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that I’m a part of this plan.  Someone who you’ll use just to have your way.“

"Love, that’s not what I meant at all-”

“Sure it’s not.  It’s not what you meant only because I could see the hidden meaning.”  You had left the cell quickly before he could see any tears fall down your cheeks.  The guards sealed the barriers shut once more.  Loki watched your disappearing figure, disappointed in himself.

~

Unfortunately, that was all ten years ago and in your past.  Thor had brought you to a new place on Midgard that he called New Asgard.  You settled with the other Asgardians, but Loki never made it here with you.  Your heart yearned for him whenever the anniversary of his death approached.  

Yes, you read that right.  Somehow, someway, the two of you reconnected.  He spent day after day trying to woo you after he became king.  You didn’t accept any of the gifts or letters for a long time until he finally met with you face-to-face.  A night of talking and two pots of tea later and it felt like you could see him for who he was again.  You could see his shields down and look at the man who just wanted love in his heart.  

It didn’t last for long, however.  After fleeing Asgard after Hela took control of it, he died by the hands of Thanos when the titan came to gather stones for the gauntlet.  You couldn’t do anything but watch as the love of your life died.  No one else could see, but you noticed him mouth his final words to you.  "I’ll come back to you.  I promise.“

Considering that was five years ago, you abandoned all hope of that.  Even Thor, who believed his brother could come back from anything, abandoned hope long ago.  You learned to accept it, but it didn’t mean that you liked it.  To this day, every now and then, you can see him mouthing those words to you in a dream.

~

A few weeks after the great battle to stop Thanos once and for all, you were back to normal.  Doctor Strange and Valkyrie had recruited all of the Asgardians as soldiers for battle only minutes before it all began.  You were a part of it, of course.  You barely saw Thanos during the battle, but you didn’t mind one bit.  If you had the chance to face off against him you were sure you’d put in as much damage as Scarlet Witch had.

After that battle, Thor talked to you one last time before he deemed Valkyrie as king of New Asgard.  He told you of his plans to head off with the Guardians.  You said your final goodbyes and went back to your peaceful job of sorting through the books in the library.  The Asgardians built it back when you first landed.  

The best part about having a new library was that it meant new books.  A new planet also meant a lot of new books.  From Shakespeare to Kurt Vonnegut to Suzanne Collins, you had read books that were old and new from this world.  It fascinated you to see all of the interesting stories Midgardians had created over time.  You slowly sorted them in the beautiful order that you sorted Asgardian books into.  Every now and then Asgardians would walk in to borrow a book for a few weeks.  Your favorite part was watching their eyes lit up at the idea of reading something new.

One day, everything changed though.  You were dusting off a book and placing it on a high shelf when you heard the door open and shut.  You were surprised by this considering it was a beautiful day outside.  Most Asgardians were playing games or celebrating parties in the warm, sunny weather.  

You paid no attention to it and continued to sort the books.  Just as you turned the aisle, you saw who had walked in.  A man with jet black hair, emerald green eyes, and carrying a blue cube with him.  You froze as soon as you saw him, knowing exactly who it was.

"Loki?” You called out to him.

He turned to look at you, confusing in his eyes.  "Do I know you?“

Your heart shattered at the thought of him not recognizing you.  You noticed what he was wearing though.  He had his Asgardian armor on and the blue cube could easily be identified as the Tesseract, something that shouldn’t exist at this time.  He wasn’t your Loki, but he was certainly from another time.  It would only make sense for him to not know who you are.  You had changed a lot in the past few years.

"I don’t know if you would know who I am.  How did you get here?” You tilted your head slightly, trying to ignore the choking feeling in your throat.  

“I used the Tesseract as a way to escape.  Thor was about to take me back to Odin when that green beast of theirs helped kick it over to me.  Those fools didn’t even notice I disappeared,” He rolled his eyes.

“What year are you from?” You asked him urgently.

“2012 in Midgardian years.  Why?”

“Loki, it’s been eleven years since then.”

“What?  How is that even possible?  I meant for it to only take me somewhere else.”  

“Well, clearly, you have a lot to catch up on then.  And to answer your previous question, you barely know me at all.   I was the librarian on Asgard.”

“The librarian?”  His eyes fogged over as if he was about to faint.  "I don’t know who you are at all.“  

You couldn’t stop your eyes from tearing up at the thought.  You knew there was only one being responsible for this though.  Loki told you about how Thanos had taken control of him, and how he had practically changed his memories completely for a long time.  He must’ve wiped some of the memories for a while as well.

You were going to fix this though.  You’d help this Loki adjust to this world since he was here already.  Perhaps this was his second chance.  Perhaps it was your second chance.  Perhaps it was just how it was all meant to be.  You didn’t care all that much.  He was here, and he needed someone to help guide him.  

"I’ll come back to you.  I promise.”

“Well, then it looks like we have a lot to catch up on.”

[dresupi]

So Hard to Bear

For: @gyoroandururun​ Ship: Darcy Lewis/Loki Word Count: 1279 Rating: T Sweetheart Prompt: Heat Wave Other Tags: Hot Weather, Crash Landing, Airplane Crashes, Desert Island Fic, Desert Island, What is the opposite of huddling for warmth, huddling for cool down, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Cuddling & Snuggling, Flirting

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

Darcy’s arms flopped out to the side, her knees falling open as she stared up into the makeshift ceiling of the hut she had made out of the only piece of the fuselage that wasn’t incinerated in the crash.

It kept out rain, but it was hot as hell in here. Hot as fuck.

Hell. Fuck. Neither of those things was technically happening.  Nothing was happening.  It had been two days and she’d eaten more coconut and unseasoned fish than she ever cared to again. And if anyone was thinking that they could season the fish with the coconut somehow, they were dead wrong, because it just didn’t work.

Loki had promised her they’d be rescued by now. What the hell was keeping everyone?

They should have landed two days ago in Sydney to meet up with Jane. But instead… here they were. By her count, it was Valentine’s Day and her date was probably missing her.

Scratch that, her date was probably thrilled as tits that he didn’t have to take her out on Singles’ Awareness Day.

But everyone else, though… did they just not know they were missing? Or maybe they didn’t know where? She and Loki had tried to find the radio but had come up empty-handed. Not to mention that the plane was one of those auto-piloted deals SHIELD had for ease of travel. So there was no pilot to help them either.

Whatever the reason, Darcy Lewis was approaching day three of being stuck on an uncharted tropical island with Thor’s brother and she was going insane.

Loki refused to bed down with her, preferring instead to keep an ever constant vigil for wild animals or whatever else there was on this island. Even though Darcy had only seen some turtles and seagulls so far. And the expanse of the island itself wasn’t super wide. She could see all around it from where they were sitting. So she figured he was just using that as an excuse not to have to deal with her.

And she honestly couldn’t complain about that either.  Considering the heat, she didn’t want anyone surprise spooning her in the middle of the night. Even if it was Loki.

He was easy on the eyes, but she was stuck on an island. She didn’t have time for ogling the Asgardians. Who was she kidding? She’d always have time for that. And she did ogle that ass while he was spearing fish in the ocean.

Thank whoever for Loki’s ass and his ability to fish without a pole.

But what if the others never found them? What if she was stuck here with Loki until those sea turtles got tired of her and started turning carnivorous?

She sighed again, flopping out further and wondering how many days was a sufficient amount of time to drop her duds and go nude. Because as much fun as stumbling around the sand in a ripped pencil skirt and the matching blouse was, it was much too humid for propriety.

But given how Loki had been averting his eyes practically the entire time they’d been out here, she was pretty sure she’d break his brain if she let the ladies loose.

“Darcy?” A soft voice sounded at the ‘door’ of her hut. It was really just a torn tarp that she’d tossed over the open end of the fuselage.

“Yes?” she asked. “Who is it?”  That last part was meant to be a joke, and it must have landed because she could practically hear Loki rolling his eyes as he ignored it.

“I could help you with your… overheating issue.”

“I could help me too. By stripping buck ass nude and getting an all-over tan,” she quipped.

He was silent for a moment. “As tempting as that sounds, will you allow me to try something first?”

In all the weeks she’d known him, he was many things. An asshole. Snarky to a fault. Manipulative. But all of that she encountered on a daily basis from multiple other sources. What she wasn’t prepared for was how disinterested in her he was.

Why it took the two of them crash-landing on an island together to even begin to dialogue past ‘good morning’ and ‘hmm’.

And this? This was practically a proposal of marriage as far as Darcy was concerned. Because if he could help her overheating problem? She’d hella marry him.

“Please. If you don’t mind.”

He pulled back the tarp and stepped inside the fuselage. The hut. Calling it a fuselage made her a little queasy. He wasn’t in his usual regalia. But from what she could understand, he magicked his clothes on and changed them at will. Right now, he was wearing a linen shirt and matching trousers that hung loosely from his hips.  As he moved closer, the shirt disappeared and he paused at the end of her bedroll. He stood there, craning forward because the space was shorter than he was, but still looking majestic as fuck. All lean muscle and pale skin in the moonlight. Artists depicted this kind of thing on romance novel covers. “Do you mind if I join you?” he asked.

Darcy swallowed thickly. “No. Not at all.”

He bent and crawled, angling himself so he could slide in behind her.

“No offense, Lokes, but cooling off doesn’t involve cuddling. That’s kind of the opposite, actually.”

He chuckled softly. “With me, it’s different.  Now roll away from me and face that wall.”

She did as he instructed, tensing as he slid his arm around her waist and slotted himself against her back, his knees pressing against hers while his head rested on the seat cushion she was resting hers on.

His skin felt cool to the touch. Something she’d noticed before and hadn’t really thought anything of.  But now it was nice.

“Keep looking that way,” he murmured.  Darcy cheated and cut her eyes down, watching as his arm changed. Starting presumably at his shoulder and moving down, it darkened to what she couldn’t really make out in the low light, but she presumed was dark blue.

His skin went icy and she inhaled, the sound sharp and pointed in the relative silence. “What--”

“My true form,” he explained. “I am Jotun, not Asgardian. A frost giant.”

“You’re not so giant, though…” Darcy whispered dumbly as she snuggled back against him. “But you feel amazing.”

He huffed out another chuckle. “I’m pleased you think so.”

“It’s Valentine’s Day,” she said, unsure of why she was still talking, but probably because she was starved for interaction.

“That’s a Midgardian custom I’m not aware of…” he trailed off.

“There’s lots of history behind it, but it’s basically a day where people spend too much money on crap to try and trick people into thinking they care.”

“You have a lot of holidays involving that sort of thing, don’t you?” he asked with a laugh.

Darcy joined in on that one. “Yeah, now that you mention it…”

“I take it you had plans?” he asked.

“Yeah. With this guy in accounting. He was going to take me to a bar.”

“Sounds charming,” he deadpanned.

“Yeah, but it beat staying at home alone like a loser.”

“I’m sure this pales in comparison,” he ventured.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Darcy replied. “This is the most action I’ve gotten in months.”

His laugh was a little louder this time. “Actually… the same could be said for me. It’s the most action I’ve gotten since coming to Midgard.”

“I’m pleased to be able to show you my moves of just laying there,” Darcy said. “I hope you’re enjoying yourself.

“Immensely,” he replied. And it sounded the most genuine out of everything else they’d just said.

“Yeah. Me too,” she whispered. Barely loud enough to hear, but his arm tightened around her waist anyway.

[moeruhoshi]

I haven’t written the end of this yet bc idk which way I want to go but yeah tell me what you think so far

She loved him so much, but couldn’t remember his face anymore. What could this painful feeling be classified as? She had everyone she’d ever known, her father, her friends, the face of her mother was well imprinted into her memory. And of course, she saw it every morning when she looked in the mirror.

But he…who was he?

An ex-boyfriend? He couldn’t be, she knew all of them, unfortunately. And was reminded of them at least once a year when they tried attempting to rekindle their old sparks, but the flames of her heart had gone out for each and every one of them.

Maybe an old friend? No, she knew all of them too, and their group had always been closer than ever. It was only so often that a group of friends were so lucky to graduate all three prep schools together before deciding on and getting into the same college. Graduating together was another amazing feat. They all worked relatively near each other and felt no real need to leave their amazingly huge town, even meeting up every week to have dinner and go out together.

 Her life, in other words, was beyond perfect. She was a teacher and used her summers to work on her novels, one already published and stamped with a best-sellers award.

Nothing was wrong, how could it be? She had everything she ever wanted, plus her father had no say in the way she lived anymore.

So why did she feel so painfully empty? When she looked at Erza and her husband, Jellal, she wasn’t jealous, but longed for a love just as beautiful. The same went for Juvia and Gray, not forgetting to mention Gajeel and Levy. Even Cana had Bacchus and their more than twisted relationship, but really, she wasn’t jealous of the love that surrounded her.

A childhood friend to fall in love with, that would’ve been nice.

Maybe she wasn’t the best at choosing guys to date…Loke, Dan, and Sting…they’d all lasted quite long, but they weren’t him. Whoever he was.

And he…well he knew who she was. The love of his life, how could anyone forget their first love?

She was beautiful, with hair that shone like the sun, a smile sweeter than candy, and whenever she said his name, fuck. He was done for the day he set his eyes on her. Preschool was a wild time.

He was fortunate enough to grow up with his first love, to see her go from being an idiot and then a weirdo, the prettiest weirdo.

She was too good for anyone, even him. So he refused to be anything more than her best friend. And when he knew he couldn’t be forever, after the night they finally shared their first kiss…

Oh wow, what a kiss. Her lips were softer than marshmallows, and her body in his hold felt smaller than ever. She moaned softly against him and tied her hands around his neck, fingers softly curled in his hair. The hazy-eyed look she gave him after they parted; he’d give anything to see that again. But as she whispered her confession of love to him as the two stood in front of her door that night, he had to say goodbye.

He manipulated himself out of everyone’s memory and forced her to think she just hadn’t met the right guy yet. He knew she would, she was amazing, it wouldn’t be long before she was taken.

There was no way he was going to let her be dragged down by his being; demons…they never did deserve a happy ending.

No matter how much leaving her side killed him, an angel such as she couldn’t be poisoned by his darkness.

Lucy wasn’t tired, but she woke up feeling tired; when didn’t she? Coffee didn’t remedy the lagging feeling that weighed her down, but surely she hadn’t always felt this way. Something felt like it was missing, a part of her day that would just get her blood racing and smile spreading, a feeling that instantly reared her to take on the day. 

She would lean against her counter and sip from her mug, staring blankly at her empty kitchen island. A faint scent of breakfast wafted under her nose as if trying to coax a memory.

Mornings filled with cooking and light baking, food spread across every inch of the counter space. She faced the stove and fiddled with something in a pan, smiling as warm arms found their way around her midsection.

“Smells good, Luc...”

The blonde snapped from her distant thoughts, lifting a brow as she wondered to herself what she had just been thinking about.

Shrugging off the forgotten thought, Lucy continued with her day and went back into her room to get dressed for work.

The days where Lucy didn’t have any plans after work, time seemed to go by slower than it usually did. This was another thing about her life that consistently followed her around, as she had nothing much to look forward to after the workday. Even when she was dating Sting and he’d be waiting in the lobby for when she came out of the elevator...the elation of knowing the two had plans together never able to make her unbearably giddy.

She was an author who wrote about love. It wasn’t uncommon for a young female author to be popular for their detailed description of two lost souls finding one another amid various dramatic occasions.

Her most famous book, The Adventures of Iris, told tale of a girl and her best friend traveling the mythical world of Edolas. They fought monsters, villains, and whoever decided to get in their way. It was a classic adventure story where everyone was zoned in on the love between her main characters. Their friendship was sweet and loving, the two went over and beyond to take care of one another. And when they finally confessed with a kiss...millions of readers felt they could die happily.

It was a love that mimicked the love around her; strong, hot, and warm; the love Lucy so desperately wanted. Sting, as kind as he was, could not give her the love she unconsciously searched for.

Her apartment building wasn’t far from her office, making it a simple enough walk to take alone when the workday had finally finished. The streets were always relatively empty, the sound of the cars on the road beside her honking and filling the air as after-work traffic picked up. 

Jamming her key into her door, Lucy’s mind wandered again, fooling her into a sense of excitement that pretended to bubble in her stomach. The smell of the food coming from her kitchen wasn’t real, nor was the faint image of a smile...a smile? And not one she could place with the face of anyone she knew.

Just as quickly as the thought flashed before her, her mind was equally quick to move on, reminding her to continue the usual routine she performed before bed.

Dinner was lonely and quiet, her eyes staring through the ghost across the table. The local news filled the silence and drowned out the distant laughs of the past that unknowingly followed her around.

Once the lights were out and she laid alone in bed, Lucy said a goodnight for her mother up in the heavens and another for the friends she had hidden in the stars.

Another strange sensation would make its appearance at some point before she fell asleep. A kiss to her forehead, warm arms securing their position around her waist, and the nuzzle of someone’s nose against the nape of her neck. She couldn’t help but tear up, reaching for a pillow to hold close to her chest as she shut her eyes tight. A rush of endorphins would slide through her, the want to look up into the eyes of the one she truly loved her most demanding feeling. 

“Goodnight, N…” Sleep would overtake her form before the name of her cursed mentality could surface.

Morning would come, and again Lucy’s life continued bleakly, lacking the excitement and warmth she was unable to source.

Today was Saturday, and every Saturday, Lucy would get dressed despite not having any plans and take a walk around the city. 

She took the same route; going from her house to a breakfast nook two blocks away, then to the farmers market where she would pick up ingredients for a light picnic to have alone underneath the rainbow sakura in the park.

It was a relaxing ritual that Lucy very much enjoyed. Sitting underneath the trees even if they weren’t in bloom always had a way of taking the stress from her overworked body. 

She would read with her back pressed against the wide berth of a tree, her hand stroking the air in her lap. Not that she ever noticed, being too focused on the book she was reading. The light touch of someone’s nose against her stomach went unnoticed, arms that held her waist dearly disappearing in the slow blow of the wind.

Lucy stood up to begin her walk home just as the sun was setting, stifling a shriek when she felt something warm and fuzzy against her ankle. 

“A cat? Oh goodness, you really scared me, little one!” Lucy let out the breath she had unknowingly held in, smiling down at the blue cat that looked up at her. “Blue? Did you get into some paint...Happy?”

The blonde had knelt down to pet the suspiciously friendly feline, reading the name on his tag that thankfully listed his home address.

“Hargeon? How’d you make it all the way to Magnolia?” She giggled and picked Happy up, unable to hide her smile as the kitten instinctively cozied up to her chest. “I guess I’ll make the trip to take you home tomorrow, I’m glad they won’t need me working on Monday so I can do some sightseeing too! Do you think you’ll be able to show me around town for a bit?”

Lucy laughed as the cat meowed in response, their conversation continuing as she walked them home. 

She never thought of herself as a cat person but this cat, in particular, made her want to do nothing but open her heart, to explain her hopes and her dreams, that she was weirdly close to a cat she’d just met and was afraid of how far the depths of her loneliness reached. 

As the moon rose above them and the two laid in bed, Happy watched as Lucy fell asleep, caught up in the fatal memories that haunted her every night. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes as he watched his adoptive parent suffer so greatly with the absence of her greatest love.

He pawed away the trail of tears left on her face as she slept, cursing his idiot owner for leaving her all alone like this.

[crystaljins]

"finding christmas again" was so good!! the oc was so well fleshed-out, and all of the moments with her family felt real and raw. the theme of loneliness and being left behind was bittersweet--both oc and tae have sadness in their pasts that they can't erase, but at the same time it's what brought them together. the christmas party felt so warm and nice, and I love jin!! I was not expecting the twist(s?) at the end!! (cont.)

Ahhh thank you!! I worked really hard to understnad why OC acted the way she did and i thought long and hard about why a character who has the background she does might not enjoy christmas. I think, as we get older that christmas sometimes loses the shine it has when we’re children and even I myself have been through a Christmas or two where life seemed miserable, and so I wanted to capture that feeling of recognising Christmas but just not being able to connect with it.

Jin was a twist I had planned from before I started writing the fic- in my head there had to be some sort of way for OC to come across this mystical weird Christmas Scarecrow. And I feel that Jin soreads Christmas cheer in his own way, like forcing OC to help with decorating his store every year. And I feel that he looks for other lost Christmas Spirits and tries to find them homes, and a tacky dollar store is the best way for him to do that! Thwre’s definitelt a community of Christmas Spirits- even Tae mentions he has connections and don’t forget there’s a good two or three weeks in the story where we have no idea who he’s mixing with or what he’s doinf while OC is at work!!

And i’m glad the ending was sweet- i was worried it would be contrived but honestly in the wnd I was loke “u know what, let it be contrived. People who wanna be sad can go read other fics” 😂😂

[mwub]

Hmmm, thought I had posted this but evidently I didn’t, it was supposed to be a multichapter but I couldn't figure out how to continue it.

Toward Tomorrow

”Hey Lucy, what do I look like?” Came to a playful snicker from Lucy’s now open window as a young man with vibrant spiked pink hair that seemed like it hadn’t met a hairbrush in weeks pulled himself into the windowsill. Although the guild liked to joke otherwise, Natsu was quite handsome, not classically like Gray or princely like Loke but he held a certain spark that drew one's eye.

“What do you mean?” Lucy absently hummed as she sorted through clothes, holding up a powder blue sweater with an inquisitive look before tossing the sweater to the side with a derisive shrug.

“I mean, what do I look like?” Natsu responded with a slightly impatient edge to his naturally husky voice. At his tone, Lucy glanced his way to take his appearance in. The sunlight seemed to dance on his hair in knots and waves, one moment a soothing salmon color the next a bright Sakura pink, almost as if it couldn’t decide what color it wanted to be and changes from moment to moment. Oddly enough it perfectly suited his tan skin and his sharp dark olive green eyes that often sparkled with mischief. The mischief that wasn’t absent now as Natsu rocked back on his heels in order to gain a more comfortable balance on the window, a bright fanged smirk gently pulling on his lips as he studied the blonde.

Lucy was supposed to be packing for the 100-year quest that Natsu claimed they were going on, they just were now awaiting Makarov’s permission to do so which they surely would receive. Of course, Lucy was taking forever to pack, choosing each outfit carefully despite knowing it probably wouldn’t matter anyway when it came down to a fight. Natsu thought she looked beautiful always, even though he wouldn’t say it aloud with her in earshot, the only one he had openly admitted his feelings to was Happy and he was tied and bound in secrecy under the threat of no fish for a month.

Lucy looked especially beautiful to him right now, a millennial pink knit sweater suited her pearly skin, bringing out a natural blush under her skin that’s not ordinarily seen unless you were looking for it. Her hair was tied back in a curled ponytail with a simple white ribbon and white ruffled skirt that ended mid-thigh accentuated her legs that seemed to go on for days before ending in a pair of delicate sandals. Natsu felt a warm glow of pride when he saw a pair of gold flash from Lucy’s ears as she bent to scrutinize a pair of dark jeans. A pair of red ruby eyes glared back at him in the form of two small dragon shaped dangly earrings, they were a gift for Lucy’s birthday a month before and it amused Natsu to no end to see her wear them so often.

Natsu knew he didn’t own Lucy, that he had no claim over her, she was her own person and couldn’t possibly ever be owned. But the fact that he had managed to give her a that she appreciated so much gave him a warm feeling in his heart.

Lucy quirked her eyebrow as she saw his eyes falter and glaze over slightly as he asked that question again, “Like the same Natsu I’ve always known, am I supposed to notice something different today,” Placing a hand on her hip, smoothing down her skirt, “did you get new clothes, cause most of them look the same to me.”

“No… nevermind,” Natsu grumbled, breaking his gaze before flopping forward onto his back, landing with a soft thud on Lucy’s pink comforter before grabbing her pillow and burying his face from view. “Just hurry up already, we are leaving in a few days, we don’t know when we’ll be back so you’ll need you’re more travel-ready clothes anyway. I don’t see why ya wanna pack those daggers you call heels.”

“I know that I still think we should go on one more job before we leave, the more rent money I give to my landlady ahead of time the longer I can help you guys finish whatever this quest is. It doesn’t have to be a big one, just another months worth of rent should be enough.” Lucy finished with a pleading look, her pink lip poking ever so slightly out in an adorable pout.

“...Alright fine, we’ll take that one job in Hakobe forest clearing out some were-rabbits. Shouldn’t be too dangerous as long as we catch them by surprise.” Natsu reluctantly agreed finally, “Pays 200,000 Jewel, that sound like enough to you, we’ll stay two days and be back in 4 days.”

“Thank you! You’re the best, a little extra cash never hurt anybody right?” Squealed the excited blonde as she rushed over and squeezed him into a tight hug, Natsu struggling to hide a slight blush as he was painfully aware of how soft her rather large bust was pressed against his own toned muscles. How she didn’t notice how tight her sweater was he didn’t know but he wasn’t gonna complain if it meant he got the occasional sneak peek that other the other guys in the guild drooled after. Just because he respected her as a person doesn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate her gorgeous looks and all its assets.

“I’ll be here tomorrow morning to pick you up and we can walk there.”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN WALK THERE, IT’LL TAKE TWICE AS LONG TO WALK THERE AND BACK!”

“Fine, walk there and train back, unless you want me to have my insides become outsides the entire trip.” Natsu quipped slyly, knowing he won by the way the girl in front of his eye twitched at the prospect of playing nurse the entire trip.

“Fine.”

~~~~~~

“You complain about wasted time and yet you insist we stop at a Hot Spring.”

“Give it a rest Natsu, it was a great deal, two nights and three days for the price of one and there’s a to die for Sauna along with a open bar.” The blond finished with a prideful smirk.

“It’s only a great deal cause they are closing it to be renovated soon and desperately need customers. Probably no one there except a few stragglers and old people” Natsu said dismissively, shuddering slightly at the thought of seeing old crotchety men fight over sauna rights.

Would there be unisex saunas and baths? I hope so, these types of things are better with Luce’s company anyway. Natsu thought, getting slightly excited at the idea of teasing Lucy again for being so embarrassed wearing such a small towel. She was so weird sometimes, at least Happy was staying with Wendy and Carla, the idea of Happy teasing Lucy into a rage was not a pleasing thought even if Happy was his best friend.

“We’re here”

Before them stood the Gin No Taki hot springs, a rather large old Edo-era style building several stories tall with gorgeous paned windows reflecting like mirrors silhouetted by overarching maple trees, their leaves beginning to shift color from green to red in some places, leaves rustling with the gentle breeze and the buzz of nearby cicadas harmonizing with the distant trickling sound of running water. It looked heavenly.

“Let’s go inside!” Lucy squeaked in excitement, grabbing Natsu’s hand and dragging him along in her wake.

After being greeted by the staff and selecting a room, being fitted into their respective yukatas, they finally settled down for a late lunch consisting of a wide variety of local fish and vegetarian delicacies. Not enough protein for Natsu’s taste but it would whatever it takes to keep the tank full.

After choosing a piece of grilled fish with a side of steamed rice and pickled plums, Natsu couldn’t help glancing at the woman beside him. His jaw slightly going slack at the vision before him, a almost shimmering periwinkle robe hugged her curves, accentuating every crevice. Clouds and cranes dances across the fabric, almost luring him into finding out where they lead, where the clouds and birds chase on the river's breeze adorning the blonds skin. Her hair was pinned into a loosely braided bun held together with a set of pins adorned with silver crescent moon and stars, her hair almost seemed to shimmer pure gold in the afternoon light.

Being caught in a daze Natsu didn't immediately catch what Lucy said until she repeated herself with a slight laugh.

“You look nice Natsu” She giggled, hiding her smile behind her hands in amusement, having noticed his ogling a moment before.

“Thanks” Replied Natsu stupidly, staring down at his own chest. His was a lot more barbaric than hers, black with fire breathing dragons spiraling across it, he felt a certain pride while wearing it as the mere decorations injected him a with a new boldness he didn’t know he needed before. Interesting.

“Have you checked out the saunas yet, I heard there's a communal one… if you want to join me? I-I mean you don’t have to, just don't want to be separated from my partner is all haha” Lucy finished nervously letting loose a shaky chuckle, unconsciously nudging the shoulder of her robe off, displaying more lush cleavage.

Gulping and trying to hide his own blush, Natsu replied as nonchalantly as possible so as to avoid suspicion, “ Yeah, I’ve seen it, we can go if you want, doesn’t really matter to me” Yes it does “ And probably shouldn’t be apart for too long in case something happens to ya”

“Y-Yeah, well, my back is feeling a little stiff carrying that backpack all day, let’s meet there in an hour, ‘kay?

“Fine”

~~~~~~

“You’ve got to be kidding me”

The sauna was packed with at least half the members of SaberTooth. Apparently, Sting had thought it would be a good idea to have a guild-wide excursion to this exact hot spring to celebrate a recent unspecified victory of theirs. Which meant there was almost no room in the damn sauna, not with everyone filling it to the brim. Lucy’s eyes searched over the crowd of heads spying a pink head conversing loudly with Sting.

Picking through the crowd, squeezing her way past a gossiping Minerva, Lucy finally made her way over to Natsu, only come to find out it was just as crowded. Natsu put the man in man-spreading, Mavis does he have no shame? Sting was no better, if not worse.

“Lucy, It’s been a while, how you been? Come sit with us” Called Sting, beckoning her over, oblivious to the seating situation.

“ Yeah come sit” Natsu joined in, ignoring her indignant sputtering; “ I was just telling him about that time we went Celestial spirits realm thing. It was wild man, even if they are so weird. I’ll never understand how Lucy deals with them.”

“Maybe cause they listen when I’m talking to them, if you haven’t noticed there’s nowhere for me to sit peabrain.” Lucy groaned in exasperation.

“Yes there is, right here” Natsu smirked, smacking his thigh, “If ya wanted a seat you should’ve just asked.”

“No way, I’ll just wait until someone moves”

“Suit yourself” Chirped Natsu, eyes glimmering with amusement at the flustered girl. “By the way, met someone on the way in here. Apparently, they had the same idea on going to a cheap hot spring”

“Aye sir!” Came a high pitched voice, “Carla said she wanted to take a bath, kinda weird for a cat to want that but whatever she wants I guess.”

A familiar blue cat came floating lazily into view only to stop to sit on the bench next to Natsu’s right leg, “You’re all sweaty Lushi”.

“Uh, that’s the point dummy.”

“NATSU, LUCY IS BEING MEAN AGAIN.”

“AM NOT!”

Natsu could only double over in laughter as his Nakama argued over what the point of a sauna was. That amusement only doubled as Lucy, who had not been paying attention to her surroundings, was bumped from behind and toppled over.

Well, almost toppled over, if it weren’t for the fact that Natsu caught her just in time, pulling her firmly into his lap between his spread legs. A rosy blush soon bloomed across the girls pretty cheeks in a heated flush, quickly becoming aware of the precariousness of the situation she has now found herself in.

Natsu’s warmed calloused hand spanned across her flat stomach, fingertips peeking just under her thin white towel and ever so slightly squeezing the underside of her full breasts under his firm grip, holding her close to him.

Heart racing at this sudden action, Lucy couldn’t help but glance at the man for only to find that he was now engaged in a rather one-sided conversation with Rogue, who seemed rather disinterested sauna as a whole.

Relaxing slightly, Lucy leaned back into his well-toned chest, feeling the ripple and flex of his pectorals and abs after each laugh, after each breath. Lucy took note of the water and steam collecting in the laugh lines of his face and dusted his hair like diamonds. He was exquisite, he was exotic, he was might she dare say enticing. He looked like a god.

Feeling a bit bolder, she pressed even firmer back against him, wiggling her butt to fit more snugly against his shoulder and lean her head on his collarbone. Only to stop when she felt him stiffen slightly at the motion and relax again.

Lip quirking slightly, Lucy repeated the motion again, a bit firmer this time. Making sure to push the softness of her rear to the apex of his thighs, daring him to respond. And he did.

Fingers tightened around her waist, slipping even farther under the fold of her towel. A low, rough growl rumbled from the chest next to her ear, exciting her, and challenging a deeper part of herself.

“What do you think you are doing”

~~~~~~~

If you guys think I should rewrite and continue the next 2 chapters let me know, I had written a second one but I didn't like how it turned out😅

[magnolopsida]

To protect you (part 3)

Infos :

Connor x fem!reader

words : 2,3k 

Summary :

After the visit of Gavin at your home, you decided to explain your past about androids to Connor. He helps you to feel better and you finally go to sleep - a new day start, and you will have to find the drug dealer who still want to kill you. 

Notes : This third part is done ! :D Thanks again for all the lovely messages, I hope you will all like this new part ! (As usual, tell me if you see some mistakes, if you want me to correct them :))

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Part 1

Part 2

Part 4

Part 5

Part 3

The next morning, you woke up with the rising sun on your face - with your usual insomnia, you didn't think to close shutters often and it woke you up early. Getting up from the bed to sit on the edge, you noticed Connor, who was behind the window, his eyes fixing the outside. Without a word, you got up and joined him, ignoring his gaze as you started to look at the buildings out there.

"How was your sleep, (Y/n) ?" he finally asked after a moment of silence.

"It was as great as it could be, thanks for you concern, Connor." you replied with a lazy smile - even if it was really early in the morning, the presence of the android made it feel like a sunday morning, with hot chocolate and sweet words.  

"Was it always so hard for you to sleep ?"

"As long as I can remember, yes."

You observed the buildings and the gray sky for some minutes before going back to Connor - he looked so peaceful like this, like everything was ok, like a drug dealer wasn't after you to kill you.

"Your voice is very lovely when you sing, you know."

"As an android, it wasn't really difficult, actually." he replied.

You bit your lip and put your hand on his arm, looking right at him. You hated to hear androids, to hear him talking like he was nothing, like everything he could do was something normal - and, okay, maybe it was, but...

"You're so much more than jut an android, Connor." you assured. "Don't let humans tell you otherwise."

You couldn't take your eyes off him, his LED shining in a bright yellow for some seconds. Finally you stepped back, scared to make him uncomfortable with your touch - you weren't used to any contact, and especially with an android, and you didn't know how he could react.

"Why..."

He stopped his sentence, and his brows furrowed - it looked like he couldn't comprehend the situation, unable to even ask the question, like he was scared of the answer he could get.

"Yes ?"

"Why are you always so... kind with everyone, regardless of what they are ? Other humans, they are... scared, if not hateful."

"I already told you about Noah, Connor..."

"I know ! But...I just..."

He looked so lost like this, his hands restless with nervous tics, that you wanted to grab his arm again, but you didn't do anything, still unsure. You still felt the ache in your heart when you saw the confused sparkle in his eyes, and it made you wonder how CyberLife could make them like this, so human but with no emotions, when it was obvious that they felt something deep inside them - humans thought they could play gods, and Connor was the sad result of this. You wanted to say how sorry you were, but he couldn't understand, because none of this was really your fault, after all.

"We should go, now, we have a lot of work to do." you said finally - it was better than feeling sorry for himself, and for your life definitely too lonely.

You smiled again at him and you decided to go take a shower, trying to ignore the weight on your heart and shoulders.

__________

"So, is there something new about this Gilford guy ?" you asked at Hank, looking at all the evidence pinned on a cork board.  

The office was noisy this morning, and a lot of police officers were here with coffees and reports to finish, speaking too loud for you. You frowned a little, trying to forget about all of them, and especially Gavin at his desk to focus on Hank and Connor.

"Nothing." the lieutenant Anderson replied - he looked really annoyed at this - after all, this Red ice dealer wanted his partner dead, and he wasn't really happy about this.

"Maybe we should visit his old stash to see if he decided to have some rest there ?" you proposed.

"I don't think he is this stupid."

"Mmh... but we don't have a lot of other options... and-"

"(Y/n)." Hank called suddenly, making you turn to him.

"Yes ?"

"Connor told me about Reed, yesterday. Are you okay ?"

You glanced at the android without a word - why did he have to talk about it to the lieutenant ? You would have preferred to forget this meeting at the foot of your door.

"Obviously, I'm fine. He was just as annoying as usual, nothing I couldn't handle."

"But Connor told me he had to use force to make him leave. And that he knew... personal stuff about you."

You refused to look at him, totally focused on the cork board. You knew that Connor didn't share any personal information but you didn't want Hank to know about this conflict because he was so worried about you - he should focus on himself instead.

"I'm fine. Let's go back to work."

Even if the lieutenant didn't look really satisfied with your answer, he didn't say anything and started to look at old reports about the case of Gilford, the drug dealer.

"So, as I said, we should return to the place Gilford used to live before we capture him. After all, I finished this case months ago, and Connor wasn't with us at this moment - his android habilities could be useful to see something we haven't at the first visit.

"I didn't think about this... you're right, we should give it a try." Hank accepted. "Let's go".

___________

The place where the drug dealer Gilford used to meet his "customers" was really miserable. It was on the other side of Detroit, and the streets were disgusting, gray and dirty, used water giving a foul smell around. Frowning at the smell coming from bins that hadn't been picked up for weeks, you headed to a small door hidden in a little street. Putting a finger on your mouth, you pointed the padlock placed by the police months ago, who was now on the ground, cut by a really big tool, like a pliers.

"It seems that we aren't the only ones with the idea to come here." you whispered, before grabbing your gun.

Hank and Connor did the same and the lieutenant decided to enter first, pushing the door with a frown when she began to squeak. You followed them without a word, looking everywhere, waiting for something or someone like Gilford to jump on you to kill you, but the nasty appartment was quiet - too quiet for you.

The three of you explored each room to find someone, but there was nothing, only the old yellow police strips on the ground. Pointing the stairs, you headed to them in first this time, your hand tightening too much on your gun - it was always like that in this sort of situations, always scared to find someone who will try to kill you or your partners, and it stressed the fuck out of you.

Just arrived on the first floor, you heard a muffled sound behind a door and you froze, before looking at Hank and Connor. The lieutenant sneaked in front of you, counted to three and opened the door with a big noise, and you all slipped inside. A gunshot made you jump and you stared at Hank who just missed someone escaping through the window. Connor was already heading to the window to followGilford but Hank stopped him with an arm on his shoulder.

"Don't. If you follow him, he's going to wait for you in a alley and kill you."

"But I don't really die, I can-"

"You would lose too much informations and data for this case, we can not afford it. And you know... how seeing you dead makes us feel. So, yeah, just... don't. Not this time."

Connor looked at the lieutenant, his LED a bright yellow while he tried to process this words - even though he can be replaced and he couldn't feel physical pain, it seemed that the two humans he worked with couldn't handle to see him die - he couldn't understand and in the same time, it was... incredibly kind of them.

Going back to you, they noticed that you weren't listening at all, entirely focused on something in the corner of the disgusting bedroom.

"What the- " Hank started with wide eyes, taking a step towards you.

"Stop ! You scare her !" you said without loking at him.

Hank and Connor looked in awe the curled form in a dark corner behind the only bed of the room. They could see a LED, a bright blue glowing and the next second, the RK 800 got his gun in hand and was ready to shot the obviously deviant.

"What the hell are you doing ?!" you screamed back at him when you saw the one in the corner starting to shake.

"It's a deviant !" he said. "My mission is to destroy them!"

"You're not going to do anything to her, dammit ! What is wrong with you?!"

The question made him froze and he finally lowered his gun, trying to understand why the betrayed tone of your voice made him feel like - like he fucked up. He didn't want to hear this from you - he wanted you to smile to him, not...not this.

Going back to the deviant, you smiled and you put your hand toward her, waiting for her to catch it.

"It's fine." you assured with a reassuring smile. "You're safe now, I promise."

"Is...is he going to come back again ?" a really low voice asked.

"I won't let that happen."

After what seemed like hours, the deviant decided to grab your hand, and you gently attracted her to you - it was an android child, a girl with big green eyes and wild brown hair, and god, you could definitely guess what the bastard was doing to her minutes before.

"Oh my-... Connor, give me your jacket, please."

The android slid the fabric in your hand and you wrapped the child in it immediately.

"I'm going to carry you now, is that okay?" you asked.

Without a word, she nodded and you grabbed her behind her knees, lifting her without any effort to place her in your arms.

"What's your name, dear ?"

"Nina."

"Okay Nina, I’m (Y/n). You're going to come with me at home and-"

"Wait, (Y/n)." Hank cut, a slight frown on his face. "You can't- you know you can't bring her to your home like this, we have to go to the station and ask her questions about Gilford."

You grinned you teeth, and stopped yourself before telling Hank how bad he was at parenting - it was the last thing to say to him, really, especially after his son Cole - and replied instead :

"Look at her for a minute, Hank. Do you thing she can really help us like this ? I will let her take a shower, and be safe at home. We will ask questions tomorrow and I will handle the captain later, ok ? We aren't- I'm not a monster. This girl need some rest."

"She don't. She is-" the RK800 started.

"Don't finish this sentence Connor, please. How can you say something like this ?! You two are the same !"

"We're not ! I'm not a deviant !"

"So what ? You want me to act like any other human ? To hit her ? To act like you're nothing ?!"

Hank looked at you and Connor - he hated to see you being angry like this, and especially at the apparently no-emotions-android who seemed hurt, his LED a bright yellow, his hands trembling slightly, almost unnoticeable. And sadly you didn't, too upset at him, who was on the verge of becoming a deviant, right here.

Finally, a sigh escaped your lips and you tightened your grip on Tina wrapped in Connor's jacket, and at this view, the android seemed to relax a little bit, his eyes bending down to the floor.

"You're right. I'm- I'm sorry."

'I'm sorry to be like this.' That was what Hank heard deep inside him, and he can't help but hide a smile. Their Connor was screaming that he wasn't a deviant, but... at this point, it was probably just a matter of time, you two just had to realize it.

"Alright Nina, you're going to go home with me, ok ?"

The little girl nodded and you smiled at her fondly. Connor totally noticed, bringing back memories of this morning - he was the one you smiled at like this some hours ago, and he wanted to have this again. More than everything else.

"I'm coming with you."

"Are you sure ?" you asked with a raised brow.

"I still need to protect you, (Y/n). Ad maybe you will need help with the devi- with Nina." he corrected.

You can't help but smile at this and looked at Hank.

"I will handle the chief, okay ? You should go home now."

Your smile widened at this and you approached him to place a light kiss on his cheek, making him mumble in his beard.

"Thank you!"

With a last look at the appartment, you all decided to go back to the car and at your home - you needed to take care of Nina. 

______________

This third part is done ! :) I hope y’all liked it, see you soon for the fourth part ! (with more fluff with Connor, more annoying Gavin and some cute stuff with nina :))

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tag list : (if I forget someone, please PM me :))

@pfannkuchen07 @edgy-alex @imchrisevanshoe @odd-otter @xrumkugelx @wellshitgoddamnit @veryweirdandinsanefangirl @maciesparkles2020 @panthenia @maellem @roseval221 @an1m3fr34k6 @mrstaekim @christian-bor-al @kawaiispacepriincess @katgladiator @snooper1 @marveltrashaddict @guardianoftheunderratedthings @bookworrm1999 @sentiments-contraires @2sung @lokilover-39 @galierofgondor @wont-you @sugarcoatedsoul @dpslover4life-blog 

[thewritingstar]

Little Notes: Lucy and Aquarius Oneshot (Friendship)

Enjoy :)

————

“Thanks Virgo!” Lucy cheered. She had been training by herself for months now, her spirits were the only ones left to keep her company.

“Anytime Princess” a golden glow signaled that Virgo’s gate had closed and it had been a very successful session. Lucy was now able to summon three spirits for quite a while and her magic only grew stronger.

“I’ll be on my way as well Lucy.” Loke winked but before he could disappear, Lucy grabbed his arm. He noticed the sad look in her eyes and after all that she’s been through, it made sense.

“Wait” Her mood had shifted and her heart felt heavy. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Your wish is my command Lucy” Loke flashed his legendary lady killer smile, the one that didn’t work on the celestial mage.

“Here.” In the palm of his hands was an envelope. It was pure white but when he turned it over, blue ink swirled the name Aquarius.

Nothing needed to be said. He nodded and hugged her before he returned to the celestial world.

His gate closed and suddenly he found himself in his natural realm. Virgo was already chatting with Aries about Lucy and further away he saw Scorpio talking to Aquarius,

“Aquarius” Loke called. The beautiful mermaid turned around and rolled her eyes. “What do you want.” Even after her key, her bad attitude only soften a little.

“It’s from Lucy.” He handed her the letter and he was almost jealous but then he remembered why it was so important for her to receive it.

“Uh thanks” the Mermiad spirit returned to her own home and scoffed.

“The little twerp. Thinking she can send me a letter whenever she wants.” But without hesitation, she opened it.

“Dear Aquarius, how are you? I hope you are doing well, for me not so much. Fairy Tail was disbanded and the only place that I called home was lost. I miss you terribly.

I’m sorry. Not only for breaking your key, but not being able to be the mage my mother was. Being apart from everyone I love has made me reflect on my past.

I understand why you were never the kindest and I don’t blame you. You always wondered why I summoned you, not just because I didn’t have friends but because of my mother. You were her spirit and friend and the last thing I had of her, and now I’ve lost you too.

Ive have shed so many tears but I’m doing okay now, well I’m trying. All the other spirits are doing their best but I would give up my life to see you again, even just for a moment.

I’m striving to become the best celestial spirit there is, for you. To push myself and make you proud and show you how great I can be.

That’s enough sadness for one letter, and whether you like them or not I’ll be sending you more, because I want you to know that I won’t forget you, even if you forget me. I know you are probably doing well because you aren’t being summoned all the time, but I just wanted to thank you for being there for me.

I hope that one day we will meet again and this time we decide when our gate closes.

With love, Lucy”

Tears steamed down the stern spirits face. Her heart felt like it was being broken over again. After her gate closed, she cried for days on end and even flooded her home.

“Lucy, you stupid girl,” Her sobs slipped from her mouth and she would be damned if anyone saw but she gripped the letter tightly. “I miss you.”

The next day, Lucy was in a better mood and she was ready to train harder but today was her off day, she only summoned them a few times a week.

She heard the fimilar chime of the gate opening, specifically Loke. Lucy turned and greeted her lion friend.

“Loke, what are you doing here? Today isnt training.” She wondered and she got her answer when a little blue letter was handed to her.

“She wrote me back?” Honestly Lucy didn’t know if she would respond, she knew the spirit cared for her even if she didn’t show it but a part of her felt that she resented her for not being her mother.

“Lucy.” Loke started, he knew it was none of his business but the mage deserved to know. “You shouldn’t be surprised. After the incident, she cried for days and cursed herself for not being the best friend to you. We all care about you and trust me she doesn’t hate you and won’t even blame you for her key.”

Lucy thanked him before he left and brought the note to her bedroom.

She sat on her bed and carefully peeled it open.

“Lucy,

Don’t ever compare yourself to your mother, even though you are her daughter, you are not her.

And that is okay. Because even though you aren’t her, you are your own person. Someone who is so selfless but has lost so much.

Do not apologize for my key, I would sacrifice myself a thousand times again just to know you are safe because I know you would do the same without hesitation.

And no I am not okay. Sure it could get annoying when you summoned me when I was busy but not hearing my gate being opened constantly saddens me.

And don’t be stupid enough to think I’d forget you. How could I? Even though you were a brat as a kid, you were my favorite person.

Your letter will have to do since I can’t see you anymore but don’t think the other spirits deserve them, this is between us.

I know you will be the greatest celestial wizard because if you aren’t I will find away to strangle you.

One of these days our gates will connect again.

-Aquarius “

For the first time in a long time, Lucy smiled brightly. She finally had her friend back even if it was through ink but she cherished it.

Soon her desk was piled with letters from Aquarius and the other spirits because they wanted to join in too even though Aquarius yelled at them.

Aquarius was the same. She placed all of Lucy’s letters and even the pictures and drawings on her wall and Lucy sent her snips of her book to read.

Aquarius would tell her stories about her mother and the pranks they used to pull on Capricorn.

Lucy would write about all the star dresses and new fighting moves as well as all of her travels through small town. She would sent her diffrent gifts like charms and figures that she had found.

Together they shared their own private life’s through the delivery of messages and even though they were separated, they were closer than ever.

They had created a new gate just for themselves, one that no one could close.

[rayhneatess]

Growing Up

Summary: When they were younger, Lucy was taller than Natsu, and they made a bet for when they were older. Lucy goes through a hard time after Natsu moves away, and he tries to help her through it, completely forgetting about the bet until he's standing in front of her once again. Inspired by Ayumichi-me's comic on tumblr - Quick little one-shot (NaLu)

Rating: T for themes

Genre: Romance

So, this was inspired by this comic by @ayumichi-me:

"Hey Lucy. If I get to be this tall," Natsu held his hand over Lucy's head, but she cut in.

"You mean taller than me?"

Natsu nodded, "When we're older, will you marry me?"

Lucy laughed at her partner, a hand covering her mouth. "I don't think you'll get that tall, Natsu."

"What?" Natsu was red-faced and had his hands in fists at his sides, his cheeks puffing out. "I can be taller than you, you'll see."

Lucy pursed her lips. "Okay then."

Natsu turned around, completely unaware of the implications in his previous statements. Well, he knew what the words meant, what the acts were, but he didn't know his younger friend would take it seriously. He didn't know she would hold onto it until they were older. The taller girl had laughed at him. She had claimed him to have determined an unreachable feat, and he hadn't thought about it in years.

Now, here the girl was, finally shorter than him, even in the two or three inch heels she was wearing. He had moved away when they were still young, to the town of Magnolia. His partner stayed in their hometown. They still talked every day over the phone, at least, they did until her mother died. Then he was lucky to get to talk to her once a week, and she was always sounding very quiet.

Natsu remembered one night, he had been on the phone with her; they were seventeen then. "Hey, Luce, how are things there?" He missed seeing her, and even though they had met up once in the past nine years, he had still been shorter than her. He also remembered seeing her hollowed out eyes, not showing the joy she used to have.

"They're great!" He could hear the false joy in her voice before hearing a quieter voice in the background.

"Lucy!" Natsu could immediately tell it was her father. "Either stop talking to that pink-haired idiot or be quieter! You know I'm in a business meeting."

Lucy's voice was a hushed reply, one Natsu could only just make out. "He's not an idiot, but I'll be more quiet, sorry father." At this, footsteps were heard and Natsu decided it was safe to speak up again.

"You always call me an idiot though."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean it's okay for him to call you an idiot." Natsu had smiled at her declaration, and their conversation from then on was a bit more hushed.

By the time Lucy had reached nineteen, and Natsu twenty, they hadn't seen each other again, but Lucy called him maybe once a month. However, she always answered when he called. There was one particular night, when Natsu had gotten drunk, and called her. He wasn't so terribly drunk that he didn't remember their conversation. No, it was worse. He had just enough of the so-called liquid courage that he made the call, but he remembered the entire conversation perfectly.

Normally she called him on a specific day every month, but she had missed it that month. The dial tone rang twice before she picked up with a high pitched, "Natsu?"

"Luce. You missed our call date."

She sounded tense when she replied. "Yeah, sorry about-" She was interrupted by another voice on her end of the call.

"Who the hell is calling you at this hour? Come back to bed." For one second, Natsu thought it was her father, but quickly realized it wasn't.

"Luce," Natsu seemed to sober up pretty quickly after that. "Who's that?”

Natsu couldn't tell whether she replied to him or the guy on her end. "My friend." With her next sentence she knew it was to him. "Just a sec Natsu." He put the phone on speaker as he wandered around his room, looking for something specific he had bought a few weeks ago. The real reason he had called her.

"Look," she began, talking to whoever was on her side, "it isn't even that late. Besides, he's my best friend, I will always answer when he calls and he knows that. Now drop it Loke, and go back to bed."

"No Lucy," the guy, whom Natsu assumed to be Loke, replied. "I'm not going back to bed until you go too." Natsu bristled at the tone the other guy was using with her.

"I'm not going to bed until I know Natsu is okay, now go away. It's not like I don't get up in the middle of the night anyway."

"Yeah, screaming for someone who isn't even here!" Now Natsu was intrigued, but he said nothing, still looking for the object.

"Because he is the only one who can comfort me!" Natsu paused for a second, concerned. "He may live a while away, but even just talking on the phone helps."

Natsu completely stopped when the guy spoke back to her. "Then why are you trying to cut him off? Huh?" He could hear Lucy huff, and leaned closer to the phone. "When you were younger, it was every day-"

"Yeah when mom was alive!"

The other guy continued as though he hadn't been interrupted. "Then every week at least, then once a month, but now- Why are you hurting yourself Lucy? You wake up screaming for him, begging for him to comfort you in your darkest hours, and yet you won't make a single phone call?"

Lucy's voice wavered when she spoke next. "It's just- I don't want to burden him. Levy's been telling me what he's been doing lately. If he has someone, then I shouldn't get in the way. Anyway, if he really wanted to talk to me more then he would call me more often." Natsu recognized a name in there. Levy, who was the girlfriend of one of his friends. She had met Lucy when she had come to see Natsu and the two had instantly hit it off.

Now, Natsu wondered what the little blue-haired girl was telling his partner. What had his blonde haired friend meant when she said 'if he has someone'?

"Yeah, whatever Lucy. Just go back to bed soon, you have a big day tomorrow."

"Yeah, fine." Natsu could hear her clearly again and assumed she put the phone back to her ear.

"So, Luce... Who were you guys talking about?"

"Don't worry about it Natsu." He heard her take in a deep breath, "so, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Oh, right!" He continued searching for the box he knew had to be around his room somewhere. "Well, it's been awhile since we've seen each other, I was hoping you could come over here soon."

"Yeah." She sounded like she was contemplating something and Natsu laughed.

"If your father allows you right?"

"Oh," Lucy sucked in a sharp breath of air. "Did your mother not tell you? She must have forgot."

"What?"

"I called you a few days before our scheduled time. You didn't answer so I called your mother. She wasn't with you at the time, and she had explained to me that your phone was trashed and you were getting a new one. But, my father-" She paused, her voice shaky and choked when she began again. "He passed away a few days ago. The funeral is tomorrow. I thought your mother would have told you."

"Oh, she's been on a business trip for a week and won't be back until later in the morning." Natsu felt horrible. He should have known something was wrong. "Hey Lucy, how long does it normally take for you to get here?"

"Well, by train about thirty minutes. Walking, about five or six hours why?"

"I'll be there in thirty minutes." With that Natsu hung up, and ran as fast as he could to the train station. He had barely made it in time, paid for his ticket and jumped on the train. He felt his motion sickness come out, but couldn't be too bothered, because Lucy needed him so he needed to focus.

He had showed up at her door and she had opened it looking like she was in pain. Natsu had immediately swept her up in a breathtaking hug. "I should've been here sooner. I'm so sorry."

Lucy gave him a quiet laugh, that quickly turned into sobs as he picked her up, burying her head on his shoulder. Natsu carried her all the way to her room, closing the door behind them and laying her on her bed, him following closely behind. They didn't say anything to one another, Lucy still sobbing into his chest, and Natsu just content to hold her. Soon enough, Lucy had cried herself to sleep, Natsu stroking her hair.

What the two woke up to was a shocked Virgo, and a choking Loke. Virgo was pointedly staring at his hand, which had been on Lucy's bare stomach under her shirt. He slowly removed it, Lucy slowly groaning awake. Natsu's other hand was underneath her head and he couldn't extract it because the blonde was using it as a cuddling toy. "Hey Luce, if you want to cuddle I'm right here."

At this Lucy sat up with wide eyes. Virgo quickly got back on track. "Glad to see you're awake princess. Breakfast is on the table for the two of you, and I assume master Natsu doesn't have a suit with him, so I shall go and fetch one."

That trip had been an emotional one, and neither cared about the other's height status. However, it had been six years since then, and Natsu stood, waiting for the blonde to get off the train. When she did Natsu saw her look around confused.

Originally she had suggested he come to her, after all, it was her birthday. But, for one, he had a bad case of motion sickness and she would hate if he showed up sick. And two, he had an adventure planned out for them. "Hey, Lucy!" When she looked over his way, Natsu raised a hand and waved. "Yo, what's up?" She smiled and walked over to him, letting out an adorable squeal of his name when he swept her off her feet and spun her around, laughing. Her arms hung around his neck as he held her up and the two laughed, light coloring coming into their cheeks.

It wasn't until later that night, that in all Natsu fashion, he had her backed against a wall. He smirked at her, holding her birthday present over her head. "So, about that marriage thing," he watched her eyes widen as he opened the box he held, "am I qualified now, Princess?"

[rainteaanddragons]

Smoke & Mirrors: Twenty-Four - Finally

Prologue |  Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch3 | Ch4 | Ch 5 | Ch 6 | Ch 7 | Ch 8 | Ch 9 | Ch10 | Ch 11 | Ch 12 | Ch 13 | Ch 14 | Ch 15 | Ch 16 | Ch 17 | Ch 18 | Ch 19 | Ch 20 | Ch 21 | Ch 22 | Ch 23 | Ch 24 |

Read on ff.net and ao3

"So take a chance on me, and I'll take a chance on you before we're just what was. Oh, this could be love, it feels like it's something more than temporary." - More Than Temporary, Tom Goss

When Natsu woke the next morning he felt an odd sense of calm. Slithers of light fell through the parted curtains, illuminating Gray's bare shoulders. Gray's bare shoulders…Gray? Natsu felt his breath catch in his throat as he remembered the night before. Gray had needed him, and for what felt like the first time in a while, he had been there for him and able to help. He felt a blush creep up his neck and onto his cheeks as he realised the conclusion he'd come to while lying next to Gray that night. Natsu knew Gray felt the same but there was so much history between them, and so much set in place for their future – both good and bad – Natsu wondered if this was a good idea at all. He didn't have much more time to dwell on his dilemma though, as Gray rolled over to face Natsu, blinking slowly to wake himself up.

"Natsu?" His voice was barely a whisper, but it wasn't long before he remembered what he'd asked his friend to do the night before. No wonder I slept well. "Th- thank you." He offered Natsu a lopsided smile.

"Morning Snowflake." The two words were out of his mouth before Natsu even had time to think. He wasn't sure what made him say it in the first place. Yet now, in this moment, they didn't feel wrong, it was as if he'd been waking up next to Gray for weeks. It wasn't like them sharing a bed was anything out of the ordinary, Natsu knew that, but something felt different now. Natsu liked it.

"Morning." Gray smiled. The nickname didn't sound so strange to him now. That first time he'd heard it in the hospital he'd been already so confused it had almost annoyed him. It had made Gray ache for a time he didn't even know existed. Hearing it now, lying in bed next to Natsu, it was almost the best thing he'd heard in days.

Natsu rolled over to rest on his back. "Are you going training with Lyon today?"

"Uh huh."

"We better get going then, right? It's already nine o'clock."

Gray chuckled, "You have a point. Though you don't need to go anywhere."

"True." Natsu chuckled, "I'll walk over with you anyway."

With some degree of difficulty on account of his bandages Gray rolled back over to the other side of the bed. This, because of his friend's pride, Natsu made a conscious effort to ignore. It wasn't long though before Gray was out of bed and dressed. Natsu joined him in the kitchen a little while later to find Gray making coffee. A messy, hand written note sitting on the bench told them that Happy had already headed over to the guild.

"Coffee?"

"No thanks." Natsu grinned, "Coffee doesn't seem to work well with me at all. My fire gets all messy."

Noted. "Fair enough." Gray sat at the kitchen bench. He studied Natsu over the rim of his coffee mug, unable to keep the fondness from his gaze. They sat in companionable silence for a while longer before Gray spoke again. "I wanted to thank you, Natsu, for last night… I just, I probably had the best sleep I'd had in a while."

Natsu smiled. "You don't need to thank me. Honestly Gray, I had the best night sleep too."

"Yeah, cause I wasn't waking you up." Gray chuckled.

"No need to put it like that," Natsu tried to counter Gray's comment but the look his friend gave him was enough to make him laugh too. "I did want to ask you though, was it you who got me back to the couch the past couple of nights? I just don't remember going back myself."

"Huh?" Gray frowned, "Back to… Oh, of course it was me dumbass! Who else would it have been?"

"But you- You're not that strong right now…"

"I am going to pretend you didn't just say that to me." A grin broke the look of mock offence on Gray's face as he glanced at Natsu next to him.

Natsu snorted.

"Seriously though, Natsu, I'm stronger than you think. It's just my mind which is still a complete mess."

"Fine, fine!" Natsu raised his hands in defeat. He paused for a moment before speaking again. When he did so, though, Natsu wasn't entirely sure what had made him say it. "You really are amazing though, surviving all that. You're doing so well, I-" Natsu faltered, not entirely sure how to finish.

"You've changed your tone."

"I'm serious, Gray, I was so scared of losing you that when you first disappeared, I drove myself mad looking. Then when we found you, there was so little I could do. I just- I'm glad I can help you now."

"Oh Natsu," Gray bumped his shoulder gently to his. "You've done more than you can ever imagine. You are the reason I managed to stay alive, I know now that it was you. Don't ever think you haven't done anything for me. It was you who kept me alive."

"Then, I need to tell you something Gray. Back then, I think I did know why they had taken you, it had just been so long that I thought everything to do with E.N.D. was over now, all of that. So for you to disappear so suddenly I didn't make the connection, I thought you'd been taken because of my failure to stop it happening, not because of something I was. In that moment then, I thought it was only guilt which had made me so angry. Now though, I know it wasn't just guilt, I was scared. Scared that I had just lost the person I cared about the most."

Natsu slipped down from the seat at the bench, and without realising, he began to pace. Gray watched him carefully, not entirely sure how to react.

"You, Gray, you are the only person I have ever felt this way about, but when it mattered, to you, to both of us, I was blind. I realise it now, just how long it must have been for you. Galuna Island, that wall of ice you put between me and Racer, what you did for me during the fight with Mard Geer, and everything else in between… You loved me from the beginning didn't you?" Natsu stopped mid pace. "I was so oblivious to your feelings I let you slip through my fingers… You almost died to protect me then, and I feel this isn't the first time. I have been so stupid, Gray. I'm sorry."

"But you-" Gray stared at Natsu, mouth slightly parted, eyes wide. Though his true memories were still not back, he could remember all of what Natsu referred to, if not slightly altered. "You ran. When I told you how I thought He had felt for you, how I felt, you ran."

"Of course I did." Natsu replied quietly, guilt twisting his stomach. "When have I not?"

Gray stood from his chair, walking over so he stood opposite Natsu. "You're here now, Natsu, that's what matters."

"Gray I-" Natsu's breath caught in his throat, he held his friends dark blue gaze, his heart beating somewhere in his throat.

"I know."

With a nervous smile Gray gently pulled Natsu closer to him. He paused, glancing down at Natsu's lips, as if asking for permission. In answer, Natsu closed the gap between them, pressing his lips to Gray's in a tentative kiss. Once Gray knew for sure that this was what Natsu wanted, he deepened the kiss, pulling Natsu closer. As they finally broke apart, Gray couldn't help but smile. He pressed his forehead to Natsu's, letting the hand which had rested on Natsu's cheek drop to clasp his hand.

"It really is about time we left, Lyon will be getting impatient."

Gray chuckled in response, "He can wait, patience would improve his character greatly." With a small shrug, he did what Natsu said anyway. With a slight reluctance Gray lead the way out of his apartment. He couldn't help the warm feeling in his chest as Natsu kept his hand in his as they walked towards the guild.

As they set foot in the guild hall a scream of delight shook Gray and Natsu from their happy daze. They both jumped in shock before instinctively trying to stand protectively in front of the other, resulting in Natsu shouldering Gray while the latter managed to trip over Natsu's feet. They ended up tumbling to the ground, limbs tangled.

All the while Erza was almost doubled over with laughter, Lucy, and Cana joining her as they gazed on Natsu and Gray on the floor.

"The hell!?" Natsu spluttered. He still sat on the ground, his fingers – somehow – still locked with Gray's.

"Finally!"

"How long has it been, do you think Cana?"

"Ten years at least." Cana grinned at Erza, "cough up!"

"You bet on us?" Gray frowned.

"Are you even surprised?" Loke stepped forward having overheard the commotion. "Good to see you two have finally got there." He offered Gray a hand up, then Natsu.

Lucy looked like she was almost in tears she was so happy. "I can't believe it. Now of all times too."

"What did you expect?" Erza looked smug, "They've been sharing an apartment for a week, and according to Happy, Natsu slept in Gray's room last night."

Happy looked sheepish as he flew over to the group huddled in the doorway of the guild.

"We don't mind, Happy," Gray smiled, "it was going to get out anyway with these three on the loose."

Lyon wandered over, his gaze rested on where his adoptive brother's hand was clasped in Natsu's before he glanced back up. "You're late." There was a beat of silence before his pursed lips spread into a wide grin and he clapped Gray on the shoulder. "Congrats mate, it's about time!"

Gray couldn't help the blush which had begun to creep up his neck. "We better get going huh?"

"Yeah," Lyon replied, "I'd feel guilty about snatching you away but every minute counts at this point."

"I'll see you later, okay?" Gray pressed a tender kiss on Natsu's lips, smiled warmly, then followed Lyon out of the guild hall.

Natsu was left it somewhat of a daze as Gray left the room, the door clunking shut behind him. Lucy steered him into a seat. They waited until Mira had placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of him before everyone started talking at once.

"Since when!?"

"You slept in his bed last night!"

"I can't believe it!"

"How did it happen?"

"Did you ask him?"

Natsu let the questions flow over his head as he took a long drink from the hot chocolate in front of him. I kissed Gray. He kissed me. A smile crept its way onto Natsu's lips as he remembered the feeling of Gray's soft lips on his own.

"Natsu!"

"Huh?"

"Please," Wendy gazed at him intently, "You can't just not tell us anything. That's just plain mean."

Natsu sighed, "fine..." Then with a grin, he recounted the mornings events to an audience much more enthralled than he'd expected them to be.

"I still can't believe it." Lucy repeated for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"I can't believe that you can't believe it." Erza sat back, arms crossed. "I knew this would happen from the beginning."

"I doubt it," Natsu chuckled, "but I'll let it slide." He paused, "If I'm honest though, I can't quite believe it either. Gray. It's always been, Gray, but I just didn't realise it."

"I'm sorry to break up the moment Flame Breath," Gajeel sauntered over from the bar, "but there is something I think we need to bring up with you. It can't wait."

"Oh," Natsu felt like he'd been kicked in the gut, he could hear the concern in Gajeel's tone, "sure…"

"I just think we should be wary. I have a feeling the guild who took Gray might be close, and the closer they are, the closer we are to everything going wrong."

"Don't be so down Gajeel…" Levy trailed off.

"Don't say I didn't warn you, but I did have my fair share of time in a dark guild, and I can tell something's up. Plus I don't trust that Matt guy. Call it a gut feeling."

"He's not wrong." Erza chimed in, "I got a funny feeling when Matt was here last, I just thought it was safer to let him think he still had the upper hand."

"Matt?" Natsu frowned, "You mean, Nurse Matt, Matt who looked after Gray for a year, Matt who came back to check on Gray at the guild? You've got to be kidding me."

"Think about it Natsu," Loke reasoned, "How easy would it be for those responsible for Gray's abduction to monitor him than by posing as staff at a hospital? Then all they'd have to do is follow him back to his home town and wait."

"Wait for what though?"

"For their failsafe that you told us about to play out." Lucy continued, "They don't know we worked it out, so they'll think we're still trying to recover Gray's memories. In that case they'd be thinking that E.N.D. will be dead within the next few days and are waiting to confirm it."

"Ohh, I see." Natsu frowned, "That bastard! Gray is gonna be crushed. He trusted him with so much."

"Gray will be fine, Natsu," Wendy rested a hand on Natsu's, "he's got you now."

"Do you really think this is the best time to strike?" Fae voiced the thoughts of her fellow guild mates.

"We've been planning this for days now." Matt answered with a cocky finality, "Nothing could go wrong."

"Lexer, your brother is right. Fairy Tail have had the time to try and fix Fullbuster the best they can, but if they fix him too much, make him too strong, then we won't be able to take them if our failsafe hasn't already been triggered." Kain folded his arms against his chest, "They've had enough time."

"We'll storm the guild tomorrow." Matt grinned, they won't know what hit them.

"Finally, finally I can avenge my brother." Kain growled. You take my brother from me…Fairy Tail, Zeref, Fullbuster: I'll take one of your own.

[coleymari-blog]

Where’s Lucy?

Submission for @nalu-week 2017 Masks; where one of our lovebirds goes on a small quest of their own.

“What do ya mean there’s gonna be a Ball?”

Natsu groaned as he swung casually in his hammock, rolling his eyes at his flying feline friend. Happy had gone down to the Guild Hall at his buddy’s request to see if Lucy was there. She hadn’t been but the cat had watched Mirajane plaster the flyers announcing Fairy Tail’s impending Masquerade Guild Ball all over the place.

“Just what I said, Natsu!” Happy exclaimed, floating up and perching himself inside of Natsu’s salmon locks. “Mira told me to tell you. It’s been a long time since the last one.”

The fire mage scratched his pet behind the ears and sighed. The last Guild Ball had been right before they’d lost Lisanna. He remembered her asking him only for Natsu to get caught up on a job, causing him to miss the party all together. Of course she understood but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel bad about it for years after her “death”. Though this time around, he figured there was someone else she had her sights set on, if they were able to find suits for all his ‘babies’ of course.

It didn’t take long for Natsu’s mental picture to shift to that of a certain blonde teammate. Would Lucy want to go? He gulped at the thought of her on some guy’s arm like eye candy, all dolled up and twirling around with the brightest smile painted on her lips. Gods how he wanted to be that guy. He always wanted to be the guy that made her smile and reminded her how to laugh. His thoughts were quickly interrupted by his cerulean partner-in-crime.

“You know, Gray was trying to find Lucy too, Natsu…” Happy cooed with a smirk, knowing full well what it would do to his best friend. There was no need to tell the jealous pinket that Gray had only wanted to ask Lucy’s opinion on a present for Juvia. He purred when he received just the reaction he’d been seeking.

“WHAAAAAT?!” Natsu bellowed, flames consuming his fists. No way was the Ice Princess asking Lucy to the Ball. No way in Hell. Without even thinking about it, he took off like a blur toward town in order to find his partner.

His first stop was Lucy’s apartment. Crawling through her window, they both landed on her already made bed and quickly sniffed the air around them. Yes, Lucy had definitely been there earlier but it had to have been a few hours since then. Nothing in the apartment was on, and even her novel pages that were usually strewn about her desk were neatly piled in the corner of her workspace. Her kitchen was neater than normal and her laundry wasn’t overflowing.

Part of the Dragon Slayer was ashamed to admit that he missed the overwhelming presence of her scent. Lately it had been like a drug for him, making his blood run hot underneath his skin. Sometimes when he was laying in bed with her at night (after he’d crawled in and she had yet to notice) it felt like he was boiling from the inside out. And when she accidentally rolled over in her sleep and draped her arm over his scar-ridden chest, snuggling up to him? It all made him feel like he was on top of the world, even better than when he won a bout against Gray.

Thinking about the Ice Dick roughly dragged Natsu from his daydreaming. If Lucy wasn’t at home, or the Guild Hall, where else could she be? The wizard sat on her bed and thought carefully, sifting through his options. Finally picking a location, he took off for the Book Store hoping to find Lucy there. He knew her favorite shop was only a few blocks away, so he popped back out the window and made for the shop.

Natsu entered the quaint, quiet bookshop and was immediately greeted by its owner. The two Fairy Tail mages had done various odd jobs for the elderly man over the past few years so he was always kind to his ‘two favorite youngsters’.

“Good afternoon, Natsu,” the merchant said warmly, placing a tattered book down on top of one of the many stacks of books beside him. “What brings you in today? Especially without Lady Lucy’s… supervision?” He liked Natsu plenty but that didn’t change how destructive the young wizard could be.

Natsu looked around wildly, simply listening to the old man. “Has Lucy been here today?” he questioned, briefly catching the familiar scent of vanilla and lavender drifting among the tomes.

The shopkeeper frowned and shook his head gently. “No, I’m sorry, but I don't believe she's stopped by today.” He put his forefinger up in the air, asking for a moment as he shuffled to the back room. Checking the small cubby he kept for Lucy’s orders and purchases, he saw that the book she’d been waiting nearly a month for was still there, meaning she definitely hadn’t come in. Returning to the front counter, the elderly man shook his head once more. “Sorry Natsu, but if she comes in, I’ll tell her you’re looking for her.”

Natsu respectfully took his leave and burst out the shop door onto the street. He was running out of options. Picking the next location off his mental checklist, the pinket rocketed toward South Gate Park. Lucy loved sitting beneath the giant Sakura tree, book in her lap for hours on end. Half of him expected her to find her napping in the tree’s expansive shade liked he'd done in the past. He loved when she’d let him accompany her, usually lying in the grass and dropping his head into her lap. Her fingers would normally card through his salmon locks absentmindedly as she read aloud to him and Happy. The exceed never understood why the Celestial Wizard would rather pet Natsu than him, he was way softer anyway.

Running up to the center of the park, Natsu craned his neck and tried to surveil the area. He was looking for golden hair when he was met by one of the other guild members. Levy, shockingly unguarded by her puppies Jet and Droy, was sitting at a park table surrounded by at least three stacks of books. The pinket made his way over to her and asked if she’d seen Lucy.

“Sorry, but I haven’t seen Lu since this morning,” she replied quickly, eyes never leaving the tome she was racing though. Leaning over, Natsu could see it was written in some language that only the Gods (and Levy) could understand.

Growling, Natsu’s fists flamed up as he grew even more impatient. Where the Hell could Lucy be? He could barely smell her, everywhere he went carrying faint wisps of vanilla and lavender in the air. No one had seen her. His baser instincts told him something was wrong but he always knew when something happened to his partner, like a sixth sense that had evolved over the course of their friendship. She was somewhere, so he just had to wait until she found him. 

The sullen Dragon Slayer trudged up the hill back to his shack and had just arrived at the door when he smelled it. Lucy. Throwing open the door, he was even more upset to find that the house was empty, sans for a box with a note attached. The crate was covered in her scent, meaning she had to have just left before he arrived. Grumpily, he opened the box to find a suit from the Celestial Realm, a black and red silk Mask, and a note in Lucy’s handwriting: 

Natsu, 

I figured with all the running around you’ve been doing today, that you could use some help. I picked this out with Loke’s help so I hope you like it. 

Meet you at the Guild Hall? 

Love, Lucy

Noticing the time, Natsu hurriedly threw on the gifted outfit, tied the scrap of silk around his eyes, and took off for the Ball. The closer he got, the more he could lock onto her, vanilla and lavender wafting through the town like a path back to her side. 

After the quickest run of his life, Natsu skidded to a halt once he finally laid eyes on her. Lucy’s gown was heavenly. It complemented his perfectly, down to the golden flecks of tiny stars shining near the hems. The dress itself was black, but the mask was what caught his attention most. The red lace had this luminescent quality to it, making it look like flames when hit just right by the torchlight. Pair that with her honey hair falling loosely over her shoulders the way he loved? His poor racing heart didn’t stand a chance. 

“Heard you were looking for me?” Lucy teased, her voice light and playful as the rest of their guildmates filed through the doors around them. She smiled brightly before extending her hand and gesturing back toward the gathering crowd. It was in that moment that Natsu knew that he would follow her anywhere, be it into battle, the ends of Earthland, or even a dancefloor.  

[siriusly-random]

Land Next to Me

A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY @natsusluce !! I thought I’d post the first chapter here for your bday because I have decided on the final pairing ;) plus we’re angst sisters so you’ll enjoy this *cackles*

So this is a cross over with the 100! I hope to do this justice, and this chapter is pretty similar to ep 1 but after this it’s going to get quite different. Notice- I changed 97 years to 300.

Huge shout out to @cupcakecana and @x-benihime for editing for me! <3

Enjoy! Chapter 2 will be posted next week!

Fandom: Fairy Tail/the 100

Rated: T

Words: 2743

Characters: Lucy, Levy, Loke, Jellal, Cana, Jet and Droy

Summary: Three hundred years since the human race has set foot on Earth, one hundred teen prisoners are sent down with nothing but their wits. Even though she’s just as scared as everyone else, Lucy Heartfilia will do anything she can to make sure they survive. 

next>>

Chapter 1: Whatever The Hell We Want

I say, screw fear. I’m telling my own damn story. {Bellamy Blake}

The ground was rough and uneven beneath her feet as she took her first few cautious steps, weary of her new surroundings. Her new home. She relished in the sounds of the leaves crunching with each step, and the feel of the wind on her face.

They were alive.

When the door to the drop ship opened, she didn’t know what they were going to face; whether or not they would be hit with radiation and burn and die. She was scared.

But that wasn’t the case and she, despite everything, was happy. For the moment at least. They still needed to figure out food, water, shelter, and everything else. For now she would take in the earth—a place she never thought she would get to.

She looked around with wide eyes. Trees loomed above, mesmerizing, with thick branches full of colourful leaves falling every now and then. The sounds of the other prisoners echoed through the forest, so utterly entranced by this new world. A smile quirked the corner of her mouth, slowly breaking into a grin as she took in a deep breath. Fresh air filled her lungs. Fresh air.

It was heavenly.

“What are we going to do, Lucy?” The sound of her best friend's voice brought her out of her trance, drawing her back into reality. Lucy bit her lip, looking to Levy uncertainly. She fumbled with her bracelet, toying with the keys attached to it.

“I’m not sure, Lev.” She looked around at everyone laughing and exploring the ground in excitement, but still staying close to the ship. She figured they were just as scared as she was, even if they weren’t showing it.

She spotted Jellal and Wendy—the sister locked up for being born, and the brother who watched as his mother got floated. She pitied them. Her eyes softened as he pulled the young blue-haired girl in for a side hug. At least they were together now.

“Whatever the hell we want,” a voice stated confidently from behind Lucy. Turning around, she saw Cana, the girl who had been imprisoned for stealing alcohol.

There were worse things to go down for, she mused. Lucy rolled her eyes and looked up to the grinning brunette.

“We’re free from the Ark now, with no one to tell us what we can and can’t do, so I say we do whatever the hell we want.” Cana emphasized at the end, smirking with her hands coming to rest on her hips.

“Cana,” Lucy stated forcefully, crossing her arms, “there are one hundred people here, most of us under the age of eighteen.” She glanced briefly at Jellal, wondering how he was here. It didn’t make sense. “And we don’t have enough food or clean water to last a week, let alone months, if we survive that long. Plus, where is everyone going to sleep?” Lucy narrowed her eyes, daring Cana to go against her logic. “It’s been over three hundred years since anyone has been to Earth. We can’t just do whatever the hell we want. We need order.”

“Order?” Cana laughed, though it wasn’t a happy sound. “Fuck order. We’re finally free and able to live. Don’t you want to live, Lucy?”

“Yes. Which is exactly why we need to have a game plan. To establish some basic rules.” Cana shook her head, sighing as she turned her back on Lucy.

“That’s not living, princess. That’s surviving.”

Scowling at the nickname, Lucy stomped back to the drop ship to search through what little the Ark had supplied them with. The Chancellor said there was a bunker close by with supplies to last them a few years, they just had to find it with the map that was given to them.

“She’s right you know.”

Turning, Lucy spotted blue hair and recognized Jellal almost immediately. Licking her lips, she narrowed her eyes before going back to one of the bins and continuing to search through the contents. She already found the map, she just needed to be prepared for the journey. “Why are you even down here Jellal? You’re twenty-one. You aren’t a guard.” Canteen. Protein bars. Knife. They didn’t give them much.

And with a cold revelation, Lucy’s resolve only hardened. They didn’t expect them to survive.

She would make sure they did.

Ignoring her questions, Jellal carried on. “We finally have freedom, don’t you want to know what that’s like?” He came closer, looming over her as she glanced at him over her shoulder, eyes hiding something she couldn’t quite figure out.

“First we survive. Then we live,” she said. Adamantly, she grabbed her pack and the few others she put together before storming out of the drop ship.

“Whatever the hell you want.”

Lucy paused at the entrance, looking back to him, gaze steeled. “Whatever the hell you want, Jellal.” She hiked up the packs on her shoulder, leaving him in the drop ship as she went to find Levy again. She felt irritated, his expression burned into her mind, refusing to leave. She still wanted to know how he got onto the drop ship since the why was pretty obvious. The way he and Wendy smiled at each other warmed her heart and gave her something good to focus on for a little bit.

“Here you go, Lev,” Lucy tossed her one of the packs and set the others by her feet. “Couldn’t find much, but it’s better than nothing. There’s just the matter of not knowing what’s out there and nothing to really protect us.” Which was the biggest thing and, in hindsight, Lucy should have tried to cooperate with Jellal a bit more since she saw he had a gun. But he grated her nerves in the worst way, and she wasn’t having that. “Here, you’re the better navigator. Probably,” Lucy grinned as she gave Levy the map, the blue-haired girl giving an airy laugh. What good were tests and scores when it really came down to it. They were here now and who knew what would happen.

“So, who else is coming?” Levy asked, already studying the map. It wouldn’t take her long to decide the best route to take.

“Good question.” That was the next step—finding people to go with them. She knew Levy could easily get Jet and Droy, since they were both basically in love with her, but they weren’t enough and they needed more people they could trust.

She scanned the area and a grin broke out on her face.

Loke.

They’d had their differences in the past—mostly involving his refusal to knock off his overdramatic ‘lovey’ talk to anything walking on two legs—but quickly got over them.

Lucy looked to Levy, “You go get Jet and Droy, I’ll get Loke.” Levy nodded and took off with a smile she knew would get the pair in an instant.

Making her way to Loke, Lucy smirked, wrapped her arm around his waist, and poked his cheek. He looked down at her, eye twitching as he glared at her finger. He hated it when people touched his face- a fact she knew and took full advantage of- and the irritation on his face was purposefully undisguised.

It quickly changed, however, to a flirty smile. “Why hello, princess, what sparked this lovely visit?” He wrapped an arm around her and adjusted his sunglasses with his free hand. Flirtatious banter was something that had quickly become a part of their friendship, but there was never any serious intent behind it. If anything, Loke was like her brother. He was someone she would do anything for, and she knew that whatever he said, he felt the same.    

“Want to go on an adventure?” she asked, letting her arm drop and offering one of the packs.

He dipped into a small bow, accepting the pack as graciously as he could, “Anything for my darling Lucy.” Rolling her eyes, Lucy gave him a playful nudge before gesturing for them to make their way back to Levy.

“Ready to go?” Levy gave Lucy and Loke a quick once-over. Jet and Droy flanked her on either side with their packs slung over their shoulders, equal expressions of adoration fixed on her.

Poor things.

“Yeah, let's go.” Lucy couldn’t deny that she was extremely excited. To be able to see Earth and explore it—it was a dream come true. She never thought she’d get to see it.

With smiles and a thirst for adventure they set off into the woods, excitement coursing through their veins in anticipation of a new adventure.

Xxx

“So, it should be about five miles east from here.”

The lake had been the perfect place to take a break and bask in the beauty of the sun. Birds chirped in the trees, leaves rustled in the wind, there was a river close enough to hear that they couldn’t see where they were sitting. Levy was mapping out the rest of their course, being careful to leave marks on the trees with chalk from the dropship so they could easily find their way back.

“Five more miles?” Loke groaned, plopping down onto a log with exhaustion. “Haven’t we walked twenty by now?”

“We’ve walked about four, Loke.” Levy deadpanned, eyes not leaving the map in front of her. Grumbling in response, Loke rested his chin on his hand and kicked at the dirt with his heels.

Lucy snickered and shook her head with a smile. Loke was such a child sometimes.

She stretched her arms high behind her to pull at the knots in her back and looked back out at the lake in front of them. It was a beautiful sight. Rocks and trees surrounded the shore, the sun’s rays sparkled off the shallow ripples—this was something she promised to keep in her memory forever.

You would love it here, mom.

“Oh no.”

Turning at the sound, Lucy looked at Levy with concern. The blue haired girl stared at the map with wide eyes and a hand covering her mouth.

“Levy?” Lucy stood and walked over to her friend, knowing that it could be nothing good. The rest of their group crowded the small girl as she pointed to a patch of green.

“I should’ve noticed this sooner. But there isn’t supposed to be a lake here.”

One beat.

“We’re on the wrong damn side of the mountain.”

Two beats.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Loke growled, snatching the map from her to get a look himself.

“Loke…” Lucy didn’t know what to say. It was her fault for dragging him along without really thinking about the consequences, and she didn’t know what to do. It made sense though. Their map was three hundred years old, it was bound to have some discrepancies, but that only meant that there was most likely a lot more wrong with it. They might not even be heading in the right direction.

“Well I guess that only means one thing!” Levy stood, grabbed the map back from Loke, and stuffed it back in her bag. With hands on her hips, she stared them all down. “We’ve got to cross the water and go as far as we think is safe before nightfall. We won’t get anything done if we don’t try!”

Levy’s enthusiasm had Jet and Droy cheering her on, and Lucy chuckling at their chanting. She couldn’t help her smile as she grabbed her pack and walked over to Loke, resting a hand on his shoulder. His gaze was firmly fixed on the ground, both sad and deep in thought. Lucy frowned. It was a shitty situation. The whole thing was. None of them agreed to go to Earth, and none of them were ready for it.

“Hey,” she started, giving his shoulder a squeeze. “Cheer up, yeah? We’ll get through this. I know we will.”

He glanced at her before he looked back at the lake and tilted his head to the sun. “It really is beautiful, isn’t it?”

With a smile and nod, she grabbed his hand and led him over to the others. “Yeah, it is.”

They joined Levy, Jet and Droy by one of the larger rocks along the shore. Levy smiled and hooked a thumb over her shoulder, the three of them had found the river.

Water from upstream shimmered a foot or two over a thick, submerged rock-face. “Found an old bridge, I think,” Levy prodded at the rocks in the water with the tip of her boot.

“Think it’s safe to cross?” Lucy swallowed at Levy’s movements, suddenly overly cautious of their new environment. She didn’t know what was in the water, or hell, whether the water itself was even safe.

“It’s pretty shallow here and the rocks seem to go all the way across from what I can see.” Levy took a tentative step forward, water coming up to her ankles. The rubber of her heel shifted under her weight and Lucy’s heart leapt into her throat. This was dangerous. She shouldn’t be doing this alone.

But by the time Lucy looked up from Levy’s boots to tell her just that, she was already halfway across the river.

Panic quickly took hold of her, and Lucy scrambled toward the riverside, feet moving of their own accord. Levy was getting farther and farther away, Jet and Droy lazily following behind her. If she didn’t do anything...if she kept going—

No.

Come back.

Lucy felt a hand on her arm tugging her back, but she ripped herself away. She needed to get to her friend. It wasn’t safe. It wasn’t safe.

“Levy!” Lucy yelled—making her way across the lake—eyes catching those of her friend, safe and sound, and for a moment she thought it would be okay.

A high-pitched whirr in the air had her stomach dropping.

And then there was a spear in Levy’s chest.

Blood rushed in her ears, running cold, and almost in slow motion Levy crumpled to the ground.

And then she was screaming.

“Levy!”

She tore toward the other side of the river, struggling against arms now encasing her, trying to get to her friend who was dying, if not already dead.

Another whirr. Another spear just narrowly missing her nose.

“Lucy, we can’t go over there!” She barely heard Loke’s yell over the adrenaline even though he was wrapped around her. She heard him calling to Jet and Droy, but they either couldn’t hear him, or weren’t responding. They stood halfway from the shore, paralyzed at the sight of their best friend on the ground, impaled, and probably bleeding to death.

A strong shake pulled her from shock.

“We need to get out of here!” Loke’s voice was both urgent and comforting. How did he even manage that? A hand stroked through her hair to calm her down as he pulled her back toward the shore as quickly and safely as he could. “We’ll come back. We’ll come back and get her. I promise. Breathe, Lucy. Breathe for me.”

Her breathing started evening out, shallow breaths turning into long, stuttering gulps through her nose and out her mouth. In and out, in and out. Her fingers ached, curled into his shirt, and eyes cleared of tears. She looked over her shoulder to Levy and bit her lip.

We’ll come back, Levy. Hang on.

With one last deep exhale, she gave Loke a slight nod, telling him she was okay now.

Loke helped her to the shore, picked her up as soon as she was out of the water, and carried her as fast as he could back to the woods. The sound of Jet and Droy’s feet hitting the water and thumping behind them calmed her nerves, so she concentrated on that.

Loke sat her down against a tree and shoved his pack inside hers before slinging it back over his shoulder. He looked at her, concern and anxiety all over his face as he pulled her to her feet.

An arrow bit into the bark of the tree where she’d just been sitting.

They didn’t have time to look back. Twigs cracked beneath their feet, large branches snapped in the trees around them. Lucy hastily wiped away new tears as she kept pace with Loke. She could hear Jet and Droy’s muffled cries behind her as they picked up the pace, finding each tree Levy had marked on their way.

Her voice barely carried over the sound of their heavy breathing.

“We’re not alone.”