#fynalu

[chikkachu]

[ultears]

Darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh, stand by me, oh, stand now, stand by me Stand by me, whenever you're in trouble, won't you stand by me?

Happy birthday to my fandom twin and gif sister, the lovely @natsusluce  ♡ I know you love both nalu and this song Sara, so have them combined! (31.05.17)

[whisplion]

“One last time, I need to be the one who take’s you home.” - Ariana Grande

[killiansbutt]

31, 37, or 60 for nalu? (From the new Drabble prompt)❤️

31: “You may be an idiot, but you’re my idiot.”37: “I tried my best to not feel anything for you. Guess what? I failed.”60: “You are my sunshine.”

I couldn’t pick one so I picked all of them. :’)                (prompt from here) 

They are eating takeout on their couch the day everything changes. He’s got his feet propped up on the table, shoveling bites of chow mein so quickly that she gives up trying to count. Lucy flicks a piece of her chicken at him, garnering a smirk when he catches it in his mouth without missing a beat. It’s nothing unusual, most weekends are spent watching crappy movies and hanging out in her apartment, pretending that they don’t have a bunch of tests the following week. 

Or at least, that’s what she thinks till Natsu sets his unfinished fortune cookie aside and drops his feet onto the floor, bending one leg underneath himself to watch her. She chokes on her chicken, pounding her chest to dislodge the food as her cheeks heat up in embarrassment, but he doesn’t flinch. Which is good because she had once seen him choke on a chip and had to punch his back for a good five minutes so he can hardly lecture her on things like manners. But she’s still blushing because his eyes are a dark green now, far more so than they have ever been, and he’s watching her far more closely than usual. 

She sets her food aside as well, fixing him with a look. “What? Do I have something on my face?” With a napkin, she brushes off her face, trying to feel for crumbs or smeared sauce, but it comes back blank save for the remnants of her lip gloss. She stares blankly at him, waiting, and he doesn’t fail to lean in close, their noses nearly brushing, and she tries not to go cross-eyed or let her breath falter with minimal success. 

“Lucy, you’re a weirdo.” She sighs, leaning back and lightly flicking his nose. Natsu scrunches his face at her before a grin settles on his face and he continues without complaint, “But you’re my weirdo.” His words end on a soft note, one that is as uncharacteristic as it is serious. 

She stares at him with an open mouth, trying to decipher the meaning, because he doesn’t say things out of the blue. Not ones whose meanings could be something entirely different. She knows where they stand usually, there’s a line in the sand that she drew a while back when his lips became fascinating and his touches drew shivers and she vowed never to cross it for fear of what would change. 

He was Natsu. She was Lucy. There wasn’t a them in that sense. 

“You’re weirdo,” she affirms because she’s pretty sure he means his weirdo, his friend and not his weirdo, his Lucy. He doesn’t need to know how she feels, she can’t stand the thought of earnest, honest Natsu having to let her down.

She expects him to nod and continue with his food, the same thing he always does when questions about their friendship surface. She blames some of their friends for planting that doubt in his head with their jokes. 

But he doesn’t. He huffs instead, sitting cross-legged on her pink sofa. “No, I mean.” Natsu wrinkles his nose, fighting for words and she tilts her head, brushing hair behind her ear in a movement that he follows with his darkening eyes. 

“What do you mean then?” She asks softly, hardly daring to breath. Hardly daring to hope. 

“You know how Gray disappears with Juvia for a few days to visit family and then they came back all lovey-dovey with that stupid grin on their face? She practically had an umbrella saying ‘engaged’ when she came back,” he says suddenly, tapping his fingers on his knee. His head tilts back, eyes on the ceiling as though it would help him find the words and she tries not to make it obvious that she wants to kiss his throat even though it’s painfully obvious. She blinks, nodding slowly, heart stuttering at the build up. It’s unlike Natsu to beat around the bush and she holds her breath, waiting for it. “I want something like that. Just don’t tell the Stripper that, he’d be more annoying than usual.”

“Okay,” she says faintly, now frowning and a little cold. The hope is dwindling, dying by the second, and she tries not to show confusion on her face because that will lead to questions and confessions and words that can’t ever be taken back. He wants advice, she thinks, preparing herself because she wants Natsu happy, even if it’s not with her, and she knows how to mend a broken heart. She’s done it before, after all, even if this Natsu shaped one seems insurmountable. 

“Thing is, I want that with somebody and I want that somebody to be you.” 

Her head jerks up to face him, but he’s still looking at the ceiling, a tinge on his cheeks that she’s never seen before. It’s oddly endearing, she thinks, her heart stopping then threatening to beat straight out of her chest and into his hands.

Silly heart, trying to go somewhere it had always been. 

He doesn’t notice the way her face changes as he talks, from the uncertain hope to the certain heartbreak to the unabashed happiness, and he keeps going, like the words had built up and he’s finally given up on holding them back. And she wonders, for the first time, if maybe she’s been a little blind. “I tried really hard not to feel anything for you.” How rude, she thinks, lips twitching because she had done the same. “But guess what? I failed. Probably the best failure of my life, really. Except maybe that time I failed making those cupcakes and made the exploding lava cakes, because those are–”

“Natsu?” She cuts him off, leaning closer to him. 

Finally he looks at her; there’s no blush on his face, just pure relief and she figures he’s stronger than she thinks when it comes to feelings. He throws himself into the storm without hesitation, taking the consequences of them alongside the victories, and she’s definitely never been more in love with him than when he looks at her with eyes dark with love. “Yeah?”

“Shut up.” She kisses him, surprised to find that their roles have spun. She’s generally the one with words and he’s the one with actions, yet here they are, facing something different. Her hands hold his face, stroking over his jaw and his cheeks and every bit of him she can touch without disconnecting their lips. She’s got fire dancing beneath her skin with every brush of his chapped lips and his hands are squeezing her waist, trying to hold her in place. It’s sloppy, messy, and a beautiful first. The beginning of many, she knows. 

She draws back for air, heart racing worse than ever, but steadying and when he shifts back, she already misses the contact. He fixes it instantly, dragging her with him to the other end of the sofa, propping his feet up on the table once more while she sits sideways in his lap, her back supported by the arm rest and one of his hands holding hers. 

It’s not so different than usual, except that she can cuddle closer to his warmth and she drops her cheek on his shoulder, content.

“What brought this up?”

“Fortune cookie,” he replies, playing with her fingers. 

“… Fortune cookie?” He points and she reaches for a broken cookie, a thin piece of paper fluttering into their lap. She reads aloud: “’Someone is your sunshine, let them know.’ You confessed to me because a fortune cookie told you to? That’s so lame.” 

Then – he stares at her and she stares at him – both of them laugh.

[unashamed-shipper]

Living With You

read on ff.net and ao3

one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight / nine / ten / eleven / twelve / thirteen / fourteen / fifteen / sixteen / seventeen

rating: t+ for sexual joking, swear words, and violence

pairings in this chapter: nalu, gruvia

characters in this chapter: natsu, lucy, juvia, gray

reblogs are appreciated <3

Waking up early for once, Lucy was excited to find that Natsu was not in her bed. The twerp had finally decided to respect her space after he had both slept next to her and ran into her while she wore a towel.

Not that she minded him sleeping next to her, of course.

She enjoyed having him next to her while she slept, and although it wasn’t a familiar feeling, she liked the idea of having someone sleep next to her while she was in her most vulnerable state. Someone to protect her and be ready to fight whatever came her way. And that definitely described Natsu.

Smiling as she got out of bed, she wandered slightly down the hall to take a shower and ready herself for the day of work. Although she had the day off from actual work, she had a lot of things to get done that day. Washing the dishes from last night and the morning’s breakfast, calling the psychiatrist she was referred to, going grocery shopping, paying the bills that were her responsibility, and going home to write were just a few of the things that she needed to accomplish. Who knew that living with three other people would be so exhausting?

After washing up and pulling on her clothes and applying makeup, Lucy walked down the hall to see Gray watching TV while eating his usual breakfast of cereal and toast.

“Good morning,” Lucy greeted cheerfully, and Gray mumbled something in response.

“You could at least say hello,” Lucy eyed Gray warily, and Gray turned to say something to his roommate and friend that she would have never thought would ever come out of his mouth.

“I’m gonna ask Juvia out on a date today,” he said, scratching his neck nervously.

Lucy covered her mouth before running over and plopping down on the couch next to him. “Gray, that’s great! Where are you going to ask her to go with you?”

“I thought I’d ask her to go to a movie and dinner. Something simple,” Gray chuckled awkwardly, a soft flush covering his face.

Lucy thought back to the first time she met Gray. There was a used condom on the floor, an obvious sign of his shameless conquests. Then he brought home Olivia and Alicia, who both were not the girl for him. Lucy realized that she wasn’t sure what other girls he could have dated or had sex with at the time that she was moved in, but obviously they didn’t last.

But then he met Juvia. Although odd in her pursuits to woo Gray, she was kind and intelligent and a good friend. Maybe she knew about the other girls that he was dating at the moment, but Juvia stood by her vow to have Gray as her own once and for all.

And slowly, Gray started changing. He became less gruff and kinder, and even though the change was tedious and nothing like they’d thought it would be, Gray finally decided to ask Juvia out.

“How are you going to ask her?” Lucy asked, getting up and heading to the refrigerator to make herself some cereal of her own.

Gray’s pleased expression dropped. “I-I didn’t think about that,” he said sheepishly.

Beginning to eat her cereal, Lucy chewed and swallowed before answering him with her own idea. “Why don’t you go to her work and bring her some flowers? It would make her day to have something to brighten up the shop.”

Gray nodded with a soft smile before finishing his cereal, thanking Lucy on the way to the kitchen to put his bowl in the sink. He completed his routine before heading out, saying goodbye to Lucy on his way to the car. Watching Gray leave, she opened the window and gave him a thumbs-up as a good luck charm. He would need it if he was going to have the strength to ask Juvia on a date.

Closing the window gently, Lucy began to tidy up the house. With four people living in the small apartment, there was a lot of cleaning to get done--and not just because three of them were men. Lucy could make quite a mess of her own when she made dinner or decided to write, and she hated that her messes were almost as big as the guys’.

Lucy began to clean up the coffee table and saw Natsu’s technology magazine laying there. A smile slowly began to make its way from one end of her mouth to the other, and suddenly she was shaking her head and grinning at the way he would drink his decaffeinated coffee and read his magazine every “morning” and then go to sleep. He had a wonky schedule: go to sleep at 2 PM while everyone was at work after drinking his regular coffee and leaving a ring on the glass coffee table no matter how many times he wiped it down, wake up at 10 PM and be at work at 11. Then he would go to work for eight hours, sometimes nine if he had to work on an old lady’s computer and the task became more tedious. Natsu would then take his medication and plop himself down in bed when he got tired of playing video games, and then wake up and do the same thing over again.

Lucy walked to Natsu’s room, smiling when she saw his door thrown open like normal. He didn’t really spend much time in his room other than sleeping and reading comics, but he always left the door open as if he had just sped out of the place like his life depended on it. Stepping in quietly, Lucy sat down on Natsu’s bed, hearing it creak under her weight. Looking to the bedside table, she spotted a bottle of pills that Natsu had been prescribed by his psychiatrist. Interest nipped at her as she picked it up, wondering if maybe the medication he took would be good for her to suggest to her psychiatrist.

Of course, Lucy’s anxiety was worse than Natsu’s, and Natsu’s depression was harder to deal with than Lucy’s. She and her psychiatrist who she had just been set up with over the phone would have to find a good balance for her and her disorders. Shaking the pill bottle and setting it back down, Lucy noticed that it was completely empty. Curious, she grasped the bottle in her hand and read to find how many refills there were left.

Zero, it read. There were zero refills left.

Lucy clapped a hand to her mouth, knowing that Natsu would have to see a psychiatrist or some sort of doctor in order to get his medication refilled. Withdrawals were not pretty, especially with antidepressants. Lucy had never experienced this horror herself, but she knew that Natsu would be in a funk for a while before he got them back.

Picking up her phone, Lucy decided to call Natsu. It would be nice to hear his voice after not seeing him for a while, and she needed to tell him that he needed to get to a doctor immediately.

After a few rings, Natsu picked up. “Hey, Luce!”

“Hi, Natsu. How are you doing?” she asked, pressing a soothing tone into her voice.

Natsu waited for a few beats before answering. “How are you doing? You sound weirder than normal,” he said, concerned.

“I’m fine, but you haven’t answered my question,” Lucy responded.

“Since when do I answer your questions? Especially since you ask such weird ones,” Natsu replied, a grin on his face. He knew it would elicit a reaction from her.

“Don’t change the subject!” Lucy growled, irritation pulsing in her temple. Sighing, she went straight to the point. “Did you know that you’re out of pills?”

Lucy could practically hear his confused look over the phone. “Yeah, why?”

“You also don’t have any refills,” she pointed out, and she heard a sharp inhale.

“Shit. Thanks for reminding me, Luce,” Natsu said, and Lucy shook her head. How could someone not know information that vital?

“No problem. Just go to the doctor as soon as you can, okay?” Lucy said before saying her goodbyes and hanging up. Getting up from Natsu’s bed, she meandered her way into the kitchen to make herself a quick snack before going out to do the rest of her chores for the day. She wanted to be home in enough time to see Natsu before he went to bed.

With a jolt, Lucy remembered that she had to mail the letter to her father soon. She was not looking forward to that. Her father would surely spit back a reply that if she didn’t get her behind over to his estate by next week that there would be a limo waiting for her to come home.

Home. It wasn’t really a calming, soothing word for her. It brought up feelings of abandonment, pain, abuse, and not anything like what her father wanted to paint a picture of it being now. She sure as hell didn’t want to go back.

So why the hell did she want to mail that letter so badly? In its pages it demonstrated a firm need to stay at the apartment, and exactly how Lucy felt. In a firm tone she had written that she had no desire to go to the place she would never call a home, and she had pretty much given her father the written equivalent of the middle finger.

Maybe it was because she finally wanted to tell her father that she had a place to call home.

Looking around her apartment, she realized that it was more home than her father’s estate would ever be. The three men she lived with were more family than her own father could ever hope to become. And that was the saddest awareness that Lucy had come to in quite a while.

Pushing back her feelings of anxiety and tears, she made her snack and coffee to bring along with her and stepped out into the gorgeous autumn scene, hoping that this one would be different than the last.

Swinging the door open after coming home from grocery shopping and grabbing the bills from the mail, Lucy held the grocery bags in her arms like they were precious cargo. To Gajeel maybe they were, but to Lucy they were just regular ingredients to regular meals. Chuckling, she noted that maybe she had been spoiled since she started living here. Whipped cream not coming from a can and fresh basil had made Lucy gain some extra weight in her hips and butt, but she didn’t see anyone complaining.

Natsu definitely wasn’t complaining as he watched Lucy put away the groceries. She wore a pair of green cargo shorts with a bow in the center that looked like the fabric of the bubble skirts she wore often, and she wore a coral lace tank top which highlighted the pink tones in her skin and the blonde in her hair. Her golden locks, though usually tied up in a ponytail, were now tied up in a cute bun style that Natsu particularly liked. Although, he would enjoy it more if her hair was down and he could push it out of her face and kiss he--

“See something you like?” Lucy mused from where she reached to put the bottle of black olives away. Natsu turned away and flushed, pretending to be interested in his comic book that he was reading before Lucy walked in. Lucy stared at him with a knowing smile, watching his green eyes scan the comic a little too intently.

“That food looks good, Luce,” Natsu replied, sipping his decaf like he hadn’t just seen his roommate look like a goddess who fell to earth only to tempt him.

“Yeah. I thought I’d make some chicken and pasta tonight. Sound good?” Lucy said, flopping down on the couch with a sigh. She looked exhausted, Natsu noted, and he smiled at her through his headache that had only seemed to get worse throughout the day.

“As long as you don’t make the crepe and gravy thing again, I’ll eat it,” Natsu said with a cheeky grin, and Lucy swatted him on the arm.

“That was one time! Gray said it was good!” Lucy protested. Natsu took a sip of his coffee, remembering that Gray had only said it was good because both Gajeel and Natsu had glared at him behind Lucy’s head until he lied for all three of them.

There was silence for a few moments before Lucy piped up. “So how are you feeling?”

Natsu chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his neck. Looking up at Lucy, he began to fumble over his words. “I’m doing pretty girl--pretty good! I am doing pretty good, Luce.”

Lucy flushed slightly before letting out a giggle. Did Natsu just call her pretty? “That’s good, Natsu.”

He grinned, liking watching her giggle. The sound was bubbly and cute, and her smile that went along with the noise only added to the adorable effect.

Lucy was one of the best things to happen to him. Yes, he knew it sounded cliche, but she honestly was. She had brightened up his world of darkness with her positive outlook on life and kindness, and he knew that he could never repay her for that. She brought out the best in him. She showed him happiness in life that he didn’t even know himself. Her smile made him smile. Her laugh made him laugh. And he truly wanted to spend every moment with Lucy.

He knew he was falling hard and fast, and that was the reason he had a question to ask.

“Lucy,” Natsu said after a moment of silence, fighting to keep his nerves and voice even. Grasping her hand in his, he looked into her eyes deeply.

“Would you go on a date with me?”

>>Chapter 18>>

[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.”

[ultears]

— As If “Fight Like A Girl" Was An Insult | Flora 

Haps to the Wendy to my Chelia and my lovely kouhai, @natsudragfeels ♡ Have Wendy being a badass Mel, she’s awesome and cute like you! (21.05.17)

[whisplion]

“Have you heard how the Moon feel in love with the Sun?” “He was her protector, he believed in her while all others doubted her. It was because of his warming words that she, became to trust the world once again.”