The Monster
Rated 18+ for Hurt/Comfort/Friendship/Abuse/Language/Spicy Adult themes I don’t own rights to Fairy Tail
A pair, one of the caretakers and a doctor, softly chatted as they walked down the pristine white hallway, the conversation as light as their mundane scrubs but not comparable to the bland walls surrounding them. The muffled sounds of their footsteps echoed slightly around them when they fell into comfortable silence or when one took a moment to check on a patient in passing while the other patiently waited while holding onto the tray they carried. Down the seemingly endless line of doors they went, the fading sunlight coming in from the skylights above their heads signaling that their evening rounds would be finished soon, earned a quickening of their paces at the thought of their shifts ending for the day. They had left their favorite patient for last. It wasn’t a display of disrespect, by any means it was their way of helping to pass the time faster, and many of the staff members exhibited the same favor of the patient when they could.
“Think she’ll like the treats?” The young man of twenty-two years asked his companion, lips rising into a hopeful smile as he balanced the tray with one arm to reveal the tops of a few snacks that he’d brought for the patient. Romeo Conbolt grinned widely when her hand playfully smacked his own when one of the doctors passed, quickly hiding them once more as they took the right turn at the fork that had come up in the hall. He was a quick one and had caught on to quick of the esteemed doctors would be stingy. Though he was the youngest of all the aids, the young man had become a favorite amongst the patients. “I couldn’t remember if she liked the sweet and sour gummies or the cinnamon bears.”
“She likes anything sweet, silly, but it’s her monster that likes the spicy treats.” The young woman of twenty-six years gently scolded as they came to a stop in front of the last door on their round. Her platinum white hair glistened in the fading sunlight, nearly throwing tiny rainbows on the nearby surfaces when she moved, but it was her wide crystalline blue eyes that snagged each person’s heart who met her gaze. Doctor Mirajane Strauss adjusted the lab coat she wore so that the snacks she herself was carrying could be seen by Romeo and earned a narrowed gaze. “She is my patient, after all, her wellbeing is my upmost priority which includes her mentality and physical stability.” The button up underneath was a bit on the tight side, causing her curvy chest to appear more pronounced than normal, but when combined with the coat and navy A-line skirt was the outfit she had went with today. Normally she donned less flashy clothes but this outfit was a certain patient’s top pick. “It is a special day for her today, so I thought I would dress up just a little bit.”
The young man’s head tilted slightly, a small smile lifting the left corner of his mouth. “Jeesh, you’re going to spoil her if you aren’t careful.”
Mirajane’s only response was a bright smile as her knuckles lightly rapped against he metal doorframe. “Hello, in there!”
A shuffling sounded on the other side, signaling that her call had been heard, and the pair couldn’t help but suppress their laughs when a voice asked for the password. “All ye who enter here, abandon all hope for the fearsome dragon shall slay all who dare oppose the princess!”
“Oh, my goodness, it is a good thing that we have brought our offerings for both her highness and the beast.” The fair haired doctor called, the smile never leaving her face as the door was practically thrown open and eagerly accepted the young woman who appeared from the room.
Due to safety precaution, it was heavily monitored when a patient would be physical against another but the nearby witnesses who had been ready to leap to the doctor’s aid quickly fell back when they realized just who it was in her embrace. If it wasn’t the golden hair that cascaded over a pair of shoulders in gentle waves it was the large honey hued eyes with lashes long enough to brush her cheek when she blinked. Despite being dressed in the plain white tee and gray sweatpants, the lovely young woman with bright gold hair looked beautiful. “It’s so good to see you, Doctor Strauss, I hope your day was good!” A smile brighter than the sun itself raised her lips when the older woman fondly embraced her with vigor, a giggle rising up her throat when she caught sight of who was with the doctor. “Romeo, hi! How was your recent exam? I hope our study session the other day helped!”
His head bobbed in a nod, faint heat dusting his cheeks as the women released their hold on the other so as to enter the room. “Y-yeah it did. I missed a few of those trick questions but I got a B.” The tray he was carrying was placed within a spare chair so that he could bend at the waist slightly for the blonde to reach the top of his head for a pet. Indigo violet tresses were strange anywhere but here, in this facility, it had earned him lots of positive attention from the female population but he didn’t mind it one bit since it gave him an edge over the other caretakers. There were times where his different hued tresses would be called upon to help one out of their fear filled reverie or when an especially fragile patient was borderline dangerous that would deescalate any sort of situation.
The room was lined with slightly padded walls, as was the facility’s protocol, but the cushiony slabs were well hidden by rose hued curtains that had been provided by the family when the girl had been admitted. A bed with matching sheets, desk, laptop, and a few other personal belongings were scattered across the room that helped the small space feel a bit less cold. Each of the staff members tried their best to help each patient feel as if they were at home but they had gone above and beyond for the blonde not because of their dislike of the other patients but because of who she was.
There were many patients in this facility but Lucy Heartfilia was the well loved for good reason. She had the knack of learning names and facts about the people she met but it was her selfless golden heart that drew patients and doctors to her alike. The young heiress always went out of her way to ensure those around her were taken care of. “That’s great! I was so worried that I had only hindered you!” The twilight hour sunlight coming in through the window seemed pale and lackluster compared to her genuine concern as she began to ruffle around the desk. A sound of victory sounded from her throat as whatever she was looking for was located and proudly held it out towards the young caretaker with a smile. “I wrote this during quiet time earlier! I hope you’ll read it!”
He quickly accepted the offered piece of paper. “Of course I will, Lucy, thank you!”
“I can’t wait to hear what you think!” She winked then turned her attention to the doctor. “And how are you doing today, Dr.Strauss? Hopefully those heels aren’t hurting you too much with how much walking you do in a day.” Lucy gasped, bouncing on her heels as a mischievous glint entered the platinum haired woman’s eye. “And that outfit! It’s so pretty on you!”
“Of course I had to wear it since today is a special day after all.” Azure eyes drifted across the small pile of gifts that other patients and staff members had given before they came to rest upon the blonde. “I do hope your birthday was pleasant, Lucy.”
The smile raising her lips wavered for a split second but it was reinforced before either could question it. “Sure was! They even let me go out for a walk in the garden after lunch!” A gasp slipped from between her lips as a slightly step backwards caused the pile of cards from the day was knocked off the desk’s corner to fall across the floor. “Clumsy me!”
There, the card on the very top of the pile that was the first she picked up, was the most rugged of them all; it was the last one she’d received from her family that had submitted her to the facility four years ago. Even now, after all of this time, she still treated it with care as she placed it within one of the drawers away from the rest of the cards she’d received today. Romeo’s hands clenched into fists at his sides but he was quick to hide them within the pockets of his scrubs. So her family hadn’t reached out to her today even though it was her birthday? He was familiar with how cruel or absentminded some of the patients’s families were but to hear that Lucy’s hadn’t even bothered to call to express birthday wishes was angering. It was clear that the doctor was also upset despite the sweet smile she still wore by the twitch in her slender neck. The sadness within those large eyes of hers was almost too much for them to take as she placed the fallen cards back upon the desk. “Lucy, I brought you a gift.”
She’d instantly perked, eyes shining like twin stars when the doctor also voiced that she came barring gifts. Her jaw dropped when they both procured several bags of treats and snacks from within their pockets until a healthy sized mountain had formed on the bed. “Oh my- What is all this?!”
“Consider these gifts from us and some of the other staff members!” They chorused, each wrapping an arm around her shoulder when she embraced them tightly. “Just be careful to not let certain people see you with these though, okay?”
“They’ll never be able to find them because I’ll eat them all before they have a chance to look.” Lucy perked while releasing them, quickly singling out the cinnamon and spicy flared snacks to place them upon the bedside table. “He’s going to love these!”
The doctor took a seat, crossing her legs as she pulled out a smart tablet from within the confines of her coat while placing a pair of white spectacles upon her face. Her slender fingers darted across its surface for a few seconds then raised her gaze to meet honey. “How is he doing, Lucy?”
A fond smile lifted the blonde’s lips as she fondly glanced towards the pile of red packaged food. “It’s been a while since I last saw him but I wouldn’t be surprised if he popped up out of the blue.”
Mirajane’s gaze returned to the tablet. “Four years ago, when you were admitted to Fairy Tail Care, was that when you last saw the pink haired individual?”
“Don’t let him hear you say that,” she giggled, despite seriously narrowing her gaze for a moment as her arms crossed over her large bosom. “He gets upset when someone mistakes it like that when it’s salmon.”
“What’s the difference?” Romeo chuckled lowly, holding up his hands when the doctor shot him a sideways glance; it wasn’t wise in their line of work to encourage behaviors like this.
Lucy shrugged, eyeing the nearby tray with distaste. Today was the last day she would have to take them though. The paperwork had been signed and she would have her freedom once more come morning. Then she could leave this facility behind her.
It wasn’t missed by either staff member and they became stone faced when they took note of the time. With their supervision and aid, the young woman took the prescribed medication and was settled against the pillows as they took their leave, the door closing with a soft click behind them as the pupils in her eyes dilated. Though she sent them off with smiles and heartfelt thanks for their gifts, neither caretaker or doctor bought the façade that she had taken up. They knew Lucy hated those drugs but she hated the so called family that had put her there in the first place more. How long were they going to keep her there?
Tremors wracked her being as the sound of scratching came from beneath the bed, tears bigger than any she’d shed before falling like waterfalls down her cheeks as something collided with the underside of the bed. No matter how much she had shouted or wailed for her father he had yet to appear. Even if she found her voice again tonight, the eighth one this month where she’d woken to the sound, she knew the man who helped give her life would never appear to save her. Whimpers rose up her throat when a tug came on the blanket courtesy of a clawed hand that had appeared from beneath the bed. “Please don’t eat me, Mister Monster,” she croaked around the lump in her throat, “I wouldn’t taste very good.”
A head of spiky hair popped up, large slanted eyes blinking up at her in shock. “I ain’t no monster, I’m a dragon. See?” He withered slightly when she recoiled as a pair of horns, leathery wings, and lashing tail appeared alongside with him as he rose to stand. “Would you stop cryin’? I ain’t gonna hurt you or nothin’.”
“B-but you came out from under my bed…” she whispered, clutching the sheets around her being tighter when he came closer. Eyes clenched shut as he reached for her, the blazing infernos that were his eyes threatening to burn her when she looked into them for too long, and released a shrill scream as heat erupted across her being.
She sat upright with a gasp, hand flying to rest upon her chest to feel the hammering heart underneath. The room was dark without a source of light that wasn’t coming from the cracks of the doorframe. A glance at the window and cock revealed that it was only an hour after she’d taken the medications that were supposed to help her sleep but breathed a sigh of relief when she took a quick glance at her reflection. Though the nap had only been an hour long it was enough to help ease the heavy shadows and bags beneath her eyes. Neither the doctor or caretaker had said a thing about them but she knew they had noticed. One of her hands rose to comb through her golden locks as she turned the light on the desk with a flip of its switch, settling in the chair and picking up a feather pen from the nearby inkwell.
Her eyes cracked open when the heat dissipated, gasping when she found the strange boy watching her intently from the foot of the bed with his tail lightly thumping against the duvet cover as the flames in his eyes extinguished to reveal onyx. “Y-you’re not going to eat me?”
“Why would I do that when you aren’t food?”
Hesitancy filled her as his lips lifted into a wide grin. Was he toying with her? “W-what were you doing under my bed, Mister Monster?”
“I told you I ain’t no monster! I’m a dragon!” The grin fell into a pout as he crossed his arms, bringing to her attention his surprisingly normal clothing and odd appearance. A black tee with torn sleeves, revealing arms covered with ruby-like scales up to his elbows that gave way to olive skin, loose fitting shorts that reached his knees that were beige, a denim vest lined with gold, pure white scarf that looked to be made of dragon scales that were different than his own, two little horns peeking out of his wild pink hair- “Stop right there! You were just thinking my hair was pink, weren’t you?!”
She blinked, hurrying to shake her head, and eeped when he suddenly scurried across the bed so that his head was inches from her face.
“Take a good long look! Does this look pink to you?!” He grunted when she whimpered at his tone, taking a deep inhale through his nose as he forced his anger down. “Sorry, it’s a common misconception. I can’t help but get fired up when someone mistakes it.”
Her eyes combed every strand of hair that was before her, starting at the roots in the scalp all the way to the ends, and gaped. It was his natural hair color! One of her hands curious rose from the bed to brush against a few of the tresses and the fear she felt all but vanished when she found them incredibly soft. “Oh, wow,” she whispered, a small smile lifting her lips as they tickled her fingers when she ran them through. The lighting in her room was horrible, the only source coming from a cheesy rainbow nightlight in the farthest corner of the bed, but it was enough to give her a decent look at the color. “Salmon, like the fish, did I get it right?”
His head tilted, nearly startling her when she found him grinning so widely that sharp teeth were visible, their gazes meeting. “Yup!”
Little Lucy’s hands retracted with a flinch when his grin fell into a frown, his nostrils flaring for a few seconds, and despite her best attempts to deter him he pulled up the sleeve of her left arm where a fresh angry bruise was revealed. “Please don’t look!” Her hands shoved him away, arms wrapping tightly around herself as she began to rock back and forth when his eyes filled with mixed emotions. The same expression crossed his face as those who had discovered the rest: pity, sympathy, disappointment. “No, don’t look at me like that!”
“Was it him?”
Writing was one of the best ways that she found of coping with the anger she held for the man who had put her within this facility. The million dollar tycoon who had lost his wife shortly after their baby girl turned ten was solely responsible for the anguish she was currently in. Behind her smiles and kindness lay a ferocious beast that roared for justice to be served. She was not the one who belonged here. He was the one who had fallen into depression and alcoholism; his hands were responsible of the bruises and fractured bones of her younger self’s body; the poisonous words he’d shouted into her face were what caused her lacking self esteem and wounded mind…this was all his fault. A gasp slipped between her lips as large droplets of salt water landed with splatters across the page she had yet to write a single word upon its white surface. She had every right to hate the man who had laid his hands on his own daughter, the man who had put her here, but Lucy knew he had been in just as much pain as she had been.
“I won’t say!”
“It was him, wasn’t it?”
“Why do you care?! It’s not like you know me!”
He flinched at her words. “I know more than you think I do, Lucy. Don’t take it weird but I’ve been here ever since I was old enough to have my own portal.” A hand rose to rake through his tresses when she glared at him. “That didn’t come out right. When we get old enough, seven years by human standard but for us that’s eleven, we are assigned a portal or passage that we are responsible to watch over so that no one accidentally passes through to our world. I’m a bit of a big deal myself so they let me pick my own.” His little chest puffed out, wisps of smoke appearing from his flared nostrils. “And I picked yours.”
She farther withdrew from him, pressing her back against the headboard. “Pervert dragon boy.”
“Hey, you actually got it right that time!” His lips quirked into a small smile before it fell into a frown. “I couldn’t ignore what I saw.”
The lump in her throat grew as his eyes darkened. She didn’t have to ask. Somehow, without she or her father knowing, this dragon-boy had witnessed the first moment when Jude Heartfilia had raised a fist against his own daughter. How much did he know? How much had he seen?
“I’m breaking every rule by showing myself to you but I couldn’t just sit back and watch anymore.”
Panic rose in her as he scooted closer. “W-what are you doing?!”
His eyes had darkened, those flames flickering within their depths as his voice deepened, his hands gently taking her own. “You haven’t been sleeping, which is actually making my job much harder, but I don’t want you to suffer because of it. You’ll burn out if you aren’t careful so I’m going to make you a promise to watch out for you if you swear that you’ll sleep.”
Her head shook fervently. “I can’t! He’ll-” The protest was lost as he suddenly pulled her forward against his being that earned her newfound panic and terror.
He kept a gentle but firm hold on her even as she thrashed against him. “I’ll keep watch over you, Luigi,” he whispered lowly into her ear, the heat of his body and breath seeping into her own as the scent of cinnamon filled her nose that caused the lids of her eyes to lower against her will. “You can rest easy knowing that I’m here and gonna keep ya safe.”
“It’s…Lucy…” she mumbled as he settled her beneath the covers, the exhaustion she’d been fighting off for over a week crashing over her in a tidal wave.
“Whatever you say,” he chuckled, resting the palm of his hand against her eyes as darkness rose to claim her. “Sweet dreams.”
“We grew close as time went by and before I knew it a year had passed,” she whimpered, arms rising to wrap around herself as the delicate writing utensil fell from her grasp to land upon the floor as the tears streaming down her face increased. “But just as I was thinking my father had changed…”
A hand was holding her against the wall, his breath heavy with the stink of alcohol and bourbon as it filled her senses. “L-Lucy, I hear you’ve been a n-naughty girl ignoring your grades,” Jude slurred, the bright red in his cheeks brightly contrasting against his blonde beard and disheveled hair. “And w-what’s all this talk of some imaginary f-f-friend you have now?”
“Please, daddy, let me go,” she cried, her large tears wetting his fingers that were around her small throat as she struggled, “you’re hurting me!”
“Y-you’ve been an annoying little pest, L-L-Lucy, distracting everyone from doing their work and making me look like a fool with all of this talk of m-monsters living in portals under people’s beds,” he growled, unfocused eyes narrowing and darkening with anger while he cutoff one of her sobs by tightening his hold on her neck. “You’re made your papa l-look like an incompetent fool in front of his colleagues when you started talking about a boy with wings and horns at the business luncheon. Why would you do that, Lucy?”
She shook her head, choking and desperately clawing at his hand. “I-I-I didn’t mean to! The lone hope that she’d been nursing during the past few months that were result to her finally capable of sleeping soundly thanks to a certain someone’s close watch was about to shatter. Her father had come home earlier than usual and had cornered her in his office, much different than in her bedroom where he normally unleashed his anger upon her. “Daddy, please, I can’t breathe!”
“There’s no such thing as monsters under your bed, so stop going around and speaking about that pink haired freak as if he were real! You’re embarrassing this family!”
“He’s a dragon, not a monster, and his hair is salmon-”
The hand holding her vanished, which would have sent her to the floor, if the hand hadn’t taken hold of her fine golden hair. “That’s enough, Lucy! No more talk of this is going to be voiced ever again! Do you understand?!” A telltale crack sounded as his other hand took firm hold of her wrist that was followed by a searing pain up her arm that resulted in her eyes opening wide to gaze listlessly up at the man who towered over her with rage filled eyes and voice. “I don’t ever want to hear you speak of such childish things ever again!” The hallway passed her in blurs as he left the office, the pounding of his heavy footfalls and stumbles causing her smaller form to hit the wall several times along the way, until she was tossed onto the floor of her bedroom and the door slammed shut.
Not a second later a pair of shaking hands gathered her into a tight embrace, the scents of cinnamon and campfire filled her senses as she limply lolled without support. He was shaking as he quickly adjusted his hold so that her head rested against his chest. She could feel his gaze leaving burning trails as it drifted across her being but the pain and broken heart in her chest prevented her from mustering the strength to assure him she would be fine; the lie and persona she’d adopted so that none could see just what kind of darkness lurked within the Heartfilia home behind closed doors. “L…Lucy?…” his voice cracked, the tear slipping down her cheek quickening its descent across the bruise that was growing when fingers brushed against the broken wrist that was cradled against her chest. “S-say something! Lucy!”
“It…it hurts…” she whimpered, the swelling of her throat preventing any other noise from coming between chapped lips. The broken heart in her chest fell apart a little more when the sound of hissing filled the air before a much larger drop met her forehead, her breath catching when she found that the dragon boy who lived under her bed was shedding tears as he gently rocked her back and forth.
Fingers wiped away her tears, her shoulders that had been haunched straightening as she picked up the quill and placed it back on its holder as she turned towards the bed, resting her chin up the fold of her arms that rested on the desk. Longing filled her chest that had been growing with each passing day when no figure appeared from within the shadow of her bed. Four long years, one thousand four hundred and sixty days, thirty-five thousand and forty hours… But who was counting or keeping track of the time between the present and when she’d last seen him?
It was shortly after that she had begun to spend nearly every moment starting at sunset in her room. Her father was a busy man, never home during the day, so she would venture out if necessary but would refuse once the clock read past seven. She’d checked under her bed in hopes to see the portal or any sign of her strange friend, but all she found were dust bunnies. The books she’d lose herself in would help time to pass by faster for her and before she realized it he was sitting beside her chair with eyes honed on the bedroom door as if he were a guardian ready to defend her from anyone or anything who threatened her. Lucy was appreciative of him keeping his promise every night but is was his company and smile that she was thankful for most. He’d been able to make her smile, often resorting to her laughing so hard she’d almost tumble out of whatever piece of furniture she was sitting on or in, but even when she did he was always there to catch her.
Her days that had been full of school and friends were fun yet the home that she’d once avoided at all cost had become the highlight of her life. Grade Nine turned to Grade Ten before she’d even noticed. Teachers and students alike had noticed the strange occurrence over the reserved but always smiling blonde but they’d simply dismissed it until one day she didn’t appear for class. Little did they know that Lucy Heartfilia had been admitted to the emergency room with critical injuries…
The tween dragon boy grinned as she used her foot to stop his advance. “Aw, c‘mon, quit being stingy! I can smell it on you!”
“Your nose is scary sometimes,” she giggled, revealing a bag of cinnamon gummies from her pocket that she’d picked up on the way home. “Here you go, you greedy dragon, just try not to-” Her brows furrowed as he ripped it open and dumped the half pound bag’s contents into his waiting mouth. “-eat it all at once.”
“Woo-hoo! The snacks on this side are soooo much better!” He whistled, licking his lips once the small mound that was the gummies slid down his throat in a visible lump had disappeared downwards.
She couldn’t help herself as he laid spreadeagled across the floor, marking the page she had been close to finishing so that she could return to it later, and placed it off to the side. “You know what I just realized?”
“That you’re a weirdo?”
Her brow twitched. “Pretty sure you’re the weirdest one in the room, dragon-boy, but that leads me to answer my own question.” Sliding from the chair she’d been siting in to tuck her legs beneath her, she reached out a hand and earned a wag of his tail as her fingers combed through his salmon locks. “You’ve told me so much about how your kind can’t venture out of the room your portal is in and about how there are rules that hinder you all from affecting anything here on this side. You never told me your name even after all the time we’ve spent together.”
He blinked up at her. “Really?”
“Yup.”
“Huh.”
Fair lips fell into a pout when he made no indication he was going to satisfy her curiosity. “Hey, come on, it’s no fair if you know my name but I don’t know yours!” She nudged him with her hand, earning the appearance of his tongue from between smirking lips. “Tease.” Lucy grew somber. “Is it one of the rules you have to follow?”
Ruby scales darkened, a sign that she’d grown to recognize as his rise of emotion, as he sat up with a huff. “Like I care.”
“Then why won’t you tell me?” The oxygen in her lungs was stolen as he turned so that they were facing, an expression of gentleness that seemed almost alien across his features as he scooted to sit closer.
The seriousness and sincerity within his gaze was so different than what she was used to that she had to remind herself to breathe when he leaned forward. “You really want to know?”
Her head bobbed in a nod.
“Like really really want to know?”
She swallowed the lump of anticipation that was threatening to rise in her throat. “Yeah.”
“Okay, I’ll tell you…”
Her breath caught.
“…when you bring me more snacks.” He grinned as her fist met the center of his chest; it was a light impact, nothing compared to the fists that had once pummeled her childhood self, but he was a built person who was more than capable of taking such a soft display of her anger. “What do you expect when you didn’t say the magic word?”
“Come on, it’s my birthday. It could be your gift to me.” It was a low blow but she was grasping at straws here. She took a firm hold of his face, bringing it inches from her own that earned both of their cheeks to tint pink as their noses brushed. “Fine. Please tell me your name.”
He could feel her conviction and need to know it, it was practically written across her features, but it wasn’t until he made her swear that she would only say it if she really needed him to appear that he relented. The dragon hadn’t meant for her to suffer or agonize over not knowing his name but his kind had to be careful. If not the portals, they could be summoned by just saying their names aloud by someone on this side. He’d known of her attempting to find the portal during the daytime but he hadn’t revealed the fact that it was only when the sun went down that it would open to allow entrance or exit. It was one of the ancient rules of their world that couldn’t be changed yet he couldn’t find the strength to deny her.
This was Lucy, the closest being to have ever grown close to his very soul. Even in his world where monsters and hybrids alike roamed they often recoiled from him in fear of his flames or features. Not her though. Sure she’d been startled when he’d first appeared all those years ago, being as the humans in this world often believed monsters weren’t real, it she had quickly overcome the shock and welcomed him as a whole without much objection. There had been several nights where she was patiently waiting for him to poke his head out, others he would follow the scent of her tears to the nearby wardrobe where he found her sobbing and nursing fresh wounds. No matter what way that he found her, the dragon-boy would always manage to rock her to sleep once her tears had been dried by his gentle whispers. Night by night, as time went by, the once lonely and disheartened dragon found his very soul attaching itself to this girl who lived on the other side of the portal.
Rules be damned. He would never be capable of denying a request from her. Not now, not ever.
She thought he was going to pull away, or worse disappear back under the bed, but Lucy was not at all prepared for the soft press of his lips against her own. The soft squeak of surprise was quieted by his head tilting slightly to the right, those onyx eyes of his darkening a few shades when they refused to waver from her own, and earned a widening of her own as something scorching hot that tasted of the cinnamon candies snuck between her lips. A resulting gasp earned his tongue more room to maneuver, his hands rising to cup her face to prevent her from escaping as he led hers in a tantalizing dance.
Blood was pounding in his ears, the softness of her lips threatening to cause the blood in his veins to boil, but he forced down the screaming instinct and emotions that rose in his core as he put everything into this strange display. His sharp teeth were fearsome, as were his claws that could tear through steel, but he was careful in moving her lips and tongue safety without fear of causing her harm. Though he couldn’t say his own name aloud or write it down on a piece of paper for her, that didn’t mean he couldn’t spell it out for her another way.
Honey hued eyes never wavered from his onyx, despite her shock and awe. This had come out of the blue with no warning. The several romance novels that she’d read spoke of sparks and chemistry but in this moment she felt nothing but searing heat and saw flickering golden flames within the depths of the dragon’s eyes. Some parts of them were green, others were brown, but there were the hints of garnets and obsidian hidden within their depths. The calloused palms of his hands met the sensitive skin of her biceps, her head forced to tilt in the opposite direction as his brows furrowed in concentration while the tongue invading her mouth forced hers to move in strange ways. Whatever it was the he was trying to convey, whether it words or emotion, she couldn’t help but gasp for breath when he finally released her.
His scales tingled as her hooded gaze that had darkened remained upon his own as he withdrew slightly, her sweet breath wafting his face that earned skin and scales alike to heat. Maybe it had been too much? Then again they had never done something like this before. The sight of her kneeling before him, the fairness of her skin tinted pink either from his ministrations or something else entirely. She was breathtaking every day of the week but right now it was as if he’d died and gone to heaven. If he had the power to stop time, this would be one of those moments he would want to treasure for the rest of his life.
“Not that I’m complaining or anything, but-” She blinked as he suddenly tensed, the nostrils of his nose flaring, growing serious as his upper lip twitched. “What?”
“Lucy-”
The bizarre yet beautiful moment was shattered as a sound came from under the bed, the pair leaping apart as a large beast-like hand lashed out to snatch up the young dragon and despite her best efforts he had been yanked backwards to disappear from sight. No matter how much she sobbed or called out for him, he didn’t appear even as she desperately tossed away everything that was under the bed that might impede the portal from opening. Her sobs were cutoff as multiple pairs of hands appeared from behind that pinned her to the floor as a familiar figure appeared within the doorway who looked down on her with cold emotionless eyes.
She’s been here ever since. That was her fourteenth birthday and tomorrow was her eighteenth. She had to hold on at least until morning and then she could leave this place behind. Lucy Heartfilia would forever be thankful for the staff who took such great care of her but she couldn’t last another minute in this depressing place. No matter what some of the doctors and other patients said, she knew the dragon-boy who had appeared from under her bed was real.
The breath she was in the middle of taking stalled, fingers rising to press against her lips as she shakily rose from the chair. An idea, possibly a crazy one, flooded her mind and being with infectious hope as she bent over the paper with the quill in hand. Letters appeared across the white surface as she glanced towards the nearby mirror, noting how her lips moved in the way he had forced them to, and fell to the floor on her knees as the honey hued eyes staring back at her filled with tears.
How had it taken her this long to realize that he had been spelling it out for her?!
His tongue, his lips, had helped her own to move in the way they needed to be if she was to learn his name!
It was a different bed and a different room, but she’d been doing her research this whole time in this captivity. She’d read and learned everything there was to know about the other world that was rumored to be connected to this plane by means of portals beneath people’s beds. Many had ridiculed her, several others had agrees with her father’s decision to admit her at Fairy Tail Care, but she’d never felt more sane in her life as she gathered as much of the spicy flavored snacks she could carry and leaned against the wall that had the window behind her so that she was facing the bed. Taking a deep breath through her nose, opening the first bag so that the air filled the scents of sugar and artificial cinnamon, she steeled herself while fixing her gaze on the shadow beneath the bed.
“Na…” Hesitation filled her, the part of her mind that had begun to side with those who doubted the information she’d read loud in her ears that said it would never work, but it subsided as the heart in her chest soared when a wave of heat radiated from underneath the bed. “…tsu.” Another wave of heat filled the room. That was all the sign she needed. Hope had taken root in her chest as she took a sharp inhale as a breeze that smelled of campfire filled her nose. “Natsu!” The young woman jumped as a clawed hand appeared with a loud impact, the floor tiles beneath its palm darkening a few shades as a wave of heat exploded from the glittering ruby scales.
Inch by inch a figure appeared from the shadow; first a another scale covered arm with built muscles that moved like water beneath the gemstone covered skin, a head of shocking salmon hair with a pair of impressive horns, white scaled scarf, then a pair of shoulders that looked wide enough to carry the weight of the world if needed, a bare torso that was scar covered that was muscular than what should be possible, defined V that disappeared from sight beneath the waistband of familiar beige shorts, incredibly built legs that ended in more scales and claws. The head of salmon hair and horns rose, slanted onyx eyes with reptilian pupils locking upon her own as the rest of him emerged, a pair of large wings unfurling to the point where the rest of the room was blocked out by the deep mahogany hue of stretched skin. Smoke erupted from between his lips as they parted in a low rumbling growl that rose up from the core of his being that revealed sharp teeth that looked as though they could shred anything to tiny pieces.
Did he not recognize her? A brief moment of panic filled her at the thought he might attack her. Would he? The contradicting emotions of terror and fascination at the sight of him swirled in a mesmerizing concoction as he stalked forward, like the predator he was, the light clicks of his claws against the tiled floor filling the air as she waited with bated breath when his face came to a halt inches from her own, the growling falling silent as he came to a stop.
“Lucy.”
A resounding heartbeat was her only warning and she found herself sobbing as a pair of lean scale covered arms wrapped around her, pulling the young blonde woman away from the cold wall and into his embrace as the scent of the open snacks was overruled by campfire as near unbearable heat surrounded her. He had grown so much that she almost didn’t recognize him at first when she cast a glance to the mirror; wings had become large enough to enclose around them, his tail now a foot or two longer, his stubby horns now an impressive crown atop of his head. A shiver slipped down her spine at his deepened voice, quickly becoming her most favorite sound and word as he called her name over and over again while burying his face within her shoulder.
“L-look at you, you’re taller than me finally.” She gasped, pulling away from him as alarm filled her when she realized he was shaking.
Before she could ask him any questions though, his head snapped upwards and their lips met in a scorching and passionate kiss that caused their tears to intermix. What had once been pointed fingernails were now full grown claws that were gentle as one of his hands rose to cradle the back of her head, the other finding the side of her neck where it massaged the tight tendons it found with calloused fingers. Her legs that had somehow found themselves on either side of his hips grew taunt around his being as a familiar spiked tail rose to press along her spine that caused their torsos to meet. The heat from his body, the tingling sensations that his touches were earning, the racing blood in her veins was causing her fair skin to sweat but she didn’t care in the slightest as her dragon farther poured out his heart upon her lips.
A faint pop sounded when their lips finally parted, their heaving chests and breaths meeting when they rested their foreheads against the other’s. “I missed you,” he gasped, onyx eyes still spilling with tears that bore into honey hued ones as his hands found her own and entwined their fingers. Her skin was so fair now compared to his tanned own that she almost looked as if she were glowing. She was a beauty when they were kids, he wasn’t blind so obviously he had noticed immediately, but now he was almost rendered speechless as he took in her beauty. Gone was the baby fat from her face and frame, womanly assets and perfect curves had taken their places. Had she become a model, an angel, or possibly one of the ancient goddesses their world once worshipped? Even though he had speculated them he dismissed them just as quickly; none of the above would do her justice. His fingers eased from her own down her arms, to her shoulders, then earned a squeak as he gave into the urge to explore her chest. “Yo, Luce, check out your boobs! They’re huge!”
Her lips lifted into a sheepish smile, the tears of relief becoming ones of unadulterated joy. His appearance had changed from the little spunky dragon-boy to a handsome dragon-man-devil who would probably be the death of her but she couldn’t care less! “Leave it to you to ruin our reunion.” She stuck out her tongue slightly but dissolved into a fit of giggles as his hands wandered across her figure. “S-stop! That tickles!”
“Not just your boobs but your cushiony all over! Especially these legs of yours!”
The fine hairs across her body rose as his palms found the flesh of her thighs. “Natsu-” Every thought of protesting was dismissed as his lips met the sensitive skin of her throat, her words dissipating into a breathless groan as they traveled down to her shoulder then back up where something sharp snagged on the lobe of her ear, her vast vocabulary now limited to one word: his name. “N-Natsu…”
His hold on the young woman tightened when she shivered violently, pupils shrinking with suppressed desire that slowly returned to normal while forcing himself to withdraw from her sweet skin so that their gazes could meet as he apologetically smiled. “Sorry, Luce, couldn’t resist.” It was his turn to find himself speechless as her eyes darkened and became lidded, as if she were debating on exacting revenge on him, which he would willingly accept in a second if she chose to do so. Alarm filled him when the blood in his veins roared as the scent of vanilla and starflower tickled his sensitive nose. Distraction…find a distraction before something happened… He blinked as a bright red gummy appeared against his lips, quickly opening his mouth to accept the offering when he found her expression full of relief. “You have no idea how much I missed these!” It disappeared down his throat with a swallow as he gently wiped her tears with gentle strokes of his fingers when she choked. “Hey, c’mon, don’t cry. What’s the matter?”
“I didn’t think it would work and I can’t believe I was so stupid to not figure it out sooner but I’m so glad it did,” she sobbed, newfound tears falling to stain her cheeks. “I missed you so much, Natsu, please don’t ever leave me like that again!”
The dragon collected her in another embrace, cursing a certain father who had been responsible for his absence away from her side, and fondly nuzzled her temple. “We have plenty of time now to make up for it but first things first: you don’t belong here.” He pulled back for a moment, to allow their eyes to meet. “Say the word and I’ll take you away from here.”
“W-where would we go?”
“My world.”
She gasped but there was no hesitation as she firmly wrapped her arms around his neck. “Let’s go.” Lucy cutoff his soft spoken words for her to carefully consider the fact that she may not ever see the people here ever again with a searing kiss, earning a growl that rumbled deep within his chest, and wiped her face clean of tears on the simple white tee that the facility required the patients to wear for safety. “The timing couldn’t be better.” A giggle slipped between her lips as his head tilted to the side.
His eyes widened after a split second. “Oh, crap, it’s your birthday and I didn’t bring you anything!” The scales that now framed his face tinted gold when she blinked up at him with shock. “As if I would forget the day of my best friend’s birth.” He rubbed his nose against hers. The lids of his eyes falling slightly when she returned the gesture. “Then again, maybe I should use a different word choice.”
“What do you mean?”
Heat filled his cheeks as her head tilted cutely to the left. Ah, crap, why did he have to go and say that last bit?! “I-I mean, c’mon, a weirdo like you-” The tease was forgotten as her feather soft lips brushed against his own, her hands falling to rest their palms upon each side of his bare chest that earned a rumbling purr from within his core. He couldn’t do it anymore, he couldn’t deny the emotions that had been filling his every cell since their separation. “Ah, to hell with it.”
A soft hum rose up her throat as his lips met hers again, this time in a slow sensual way that spoke volumes without words; he had missed her just as much. Something hot and moist brushed against the flesh of her bottom lip, as if testing or searching for something, and earned a deep throated growl when her tongue peeked out to shyly trail its tip against the length of his. The hand that had fallen from her hair returned with a fierce but gentle hold to better tilt her head so that his tongue could better dance with her own. What she thought as a growl of her name became incoherent noise as he pressed her more firmly against the planes of his chest with vigor, hips brushing against her own that earned a gasp from both girl and dragon. Her eyes that had drifted closed in bliss fluttered open when he broke the kiss to press his forehead against her shoulder, the heat of his breaths ghosting her skin that was hidden beneath the thin cotton shirt. The nearby digital clock nearly burned the time into her mind as she patted his shoulder: it was midnight. “Natsu, I have one birthday wish to make that only you can grant me.”
“Name it, Lucy,” he said lowly, nuzzling the crook of her neck, “It’s the least I can do for the four long years you had to spend here all by yourself.”
She pulled away so that their gazes could meet, her hands resting against his bare chest planes once more as she straightened her spine. “Dragon who came from the portal beyond mine bed, I beg thee to take me away to thy world. Let this place which has caused this soul nothing but pain and tears be left behind as upon your wings we soar to the new horizon.”
“Pfft.” His cheeks puffed slightly as she giggled but despite his outward amusement Lucy’s words had stoked the inner fires of his being. The dragon heart within his chest responded to her by emitting a wave of warmth that earned a sigh from the blonde that was followed by a press of her being against his. All humor left him as he bent his head so that the steam rising up his now scorching and parched throat could tickle her face as the lids of his eyes lowered slightly. “Glad to see that your dreams of being an author are paying off a little bit though in some way.” His nose brushed against hers in a nuzzle. “So the princess has decided to place her bet on a dragon, huh?”
“No shining knight is necessary when I have a dragon such as yourself for a guardian, Natsu.” She purred softly, relishing as the skin beneath her hands grew moist from sweat that caused his tanned skin to glisten slightly when his head bent to rest upon the beginnings of the valley of her chest. “I say we should get going now before the night guards make their rounds.”
As if to prove her point, a sound came from beyond the only entrance of the room.
“I had the paperwork done so that I could leave in the morning. I’m eighteen now, a legal adult who now has the power to chose what to do with her life.”
He raised his head so that their gazes could meet once more, finding her eyes shining with resolve as his fingers brushed along her jawline. “I want nothing more than to steal you away from here, Lucy, but you have family here, friends, I couldn’t be so selfish as to take you away from them. Sure this place reeks of-”
“Natsu, my father put me in here and no one has visited me since that night.”
Anger and horror filled him in that moment, causing his scales to darken as his tail lashed against the nearby bed that left deep scratches in the sheets and frame. “They turned their backs on you?!” Sharp teeth flashed as if they wanted to bury themselves within something but they were not near as successful as the claws on his hands that caused the wall behind her to crumble as they buried themselves within the sheet rock.
Though his display of strength would frighten most, she found comfort within it. He was angry not at her but at those who were supposed to love and protect her when they instead chose to abandon her in this forsaken place. Her choice that had been made the moment he appeared before her was strengthened as he took a moment to calm himself and sighed as the hand hand had been been in her hair shifted to cup her chin leaving a trail of tingles in its wake. “So what do you say, fearsome dragon? Will you steal away the princess from her lonely captivity?”
“Aye, sir!” He rested backwards until his bare back met the cold floor, shivering slightly and earning a giggle from the young woman in his arms as he swiped the nearby pile of spicy treats she had been holding earlier, and with a thrust of his clawed feet against the wall they disappeared within the shadow of the bed.
There is a second part but I’ll wait to post until later so keep an eye out!
