My internet’s really slow, otherwise I’d post links to the other ones.
“It's weird doing jobs without you,” Natsu whispered. The dragon slayer had been silent up until that moment, so his voice surprised Lucy.
“Is that what you've been thinking about?” She asked. They were sitting close, on one of the balconies at the guildhall, but they weren't touching. Natsu had fallen into thoughtful silence when they first sat down, and Lucy had followed suit. The guild had decided to throw them what Lucy could only describe as a Fairy-Tail-style baby shower. Most everyone had some sort of little thoughtful gift to offer them. Now, Lucy was flipping through the storybook that had been a gift from Levy.
“Yeah,” Natsu said. He was staring out at the sun as it drifted closer and closer to the horizon. It was casting colors of gold and orange across the clouds. “I miss you, Lu.” Lucy was quiet. She set the storybook aside and looked down at her swollen abdomen, where two new lives were growing—lives that she and Natsu had created themselves. They had created life.
“I'll be able to go on jobs again... once the twins are old enough,” Lucy said, leaning over to entwine her fingers with her husband's. Natsu beamed, leaning in for a chaste kiss.
“You never know. Maybe they take after me. I bet they could take on really tough guys, like Gildarts, when they're still small!”
“You could never take on Gildarts, dear,” Lucy grinned. “Besides, they're half me, and so I think they'll have a little of the good sense not to try to take on Gildarts.” Natsu was quiet for a long moment again before asking,
“Do you think I'll be a good dad?” Lucy frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“I know you're going to be a good mom, Lu. You're brilliant, and beautiful, and kind, and... I just... I don't know how to be a dad, I never... I mean, I had Igneel. He was like my dad, but... I... I don't know, Lucy...”
“I know you,” Lucy whispered, cupping his chin with her hand and turning his head so he would look in her eyes. “I know you, Natsu.”
“Better than anyone else,” Natsu smiled, but Lucy could see fear and worry in his eyes.
“I've seen you with Asuka. I've seen you with Galena,” Lucy whispered, “I know you're going to be an amazing dad.”
“But what if--?”
“Stop,” Lucy shook her head. “You're going to be an amazing father, Natsu Dragneel.” She leaned in to kiss him again, framed by the sunset and brushed by a light breeze.
“I love you,” Natsu murmured, a smile touching his lips. Lucy beamed, reaching up to tousle his hair.
“I love you too, fireboy,” she grinned.
“Tsk,” Natsu rolled his eyes, “You're going to start sounding like Gray.” A steady wave of pain rolled over her again, and she clenched her teeth. Another false contraction. She'd been having a lot lately.
“Are you alright?” Natsu frowned, feeling her hand tighten on his.
“Yeah, I'm fine.” The sun was just below the horizon, and stars were appearing above them in the dim light of twilight. It was starting to get cold.
“Hey, lets head inside,” Natsu hopped up from his seat and held out his hand to his wife. “I bet everyone's making bets about when Gray and Juvia's kid will arrive without us.”
“What a shame it would be to miss that,” Lucy rolled her eyes.
“Hey, I could make good money. I bet you they'll be born on the coldest day in winter.”
“What about late fall? It rains a lot late fall. They could be born anytime in between too,” Lucy suggested. Natsu looked torn.
“Hmm...”
Lucy took one last glance at the sky as she took her husband's hand. The gold and orange had dwindled away to purple, and then to a majestic midnight blue. A few stars already shone brightly in the sky. Another false contraction. She bit her lip through it and made a wish. Come soon, darlings.
Nalu commission for @roxychild94! Thank you so much, Jess! <3
rating: t for implications, swearing, and drinking (let me know if you need me to tag anything)
pairing: nalu with mention of gruvia
characters: natsu, lucy, gray, gajeel, loke. mention of juvia.
word count: 1823
inspired by ‘shape of you’ by ed sheeran
“I’d like to make a toast,” Gray said as he lifted his bottle, grinning from ear to ear. “To the bastard who I thought would never get married. To Natsu!”
“To Natsu!” everyone echoed, downing a swig of their beer or throwing back their shot. Laughter ricocheted off the walls of the bar, and Natsu grinned and raised his bottle up in thanks.
“I never woulda thought you’d find someone either.” Natsu clinked his bottle against Gray’s, silently thanking him. He would thank his best friend later when he was good and drunk and his inhibitions were gone.
“Until I met Juvia, I didn’t even think about getting hitched. The right girl can change your life,” Gray said, and Natsu grimaced. Ever since Ice Princess and Juvia had gotten married and had their son, they had been more lovey dovey than even Natsu and his fiancee. It was a little weird seeing him be so sappy, but Natsu smiled at the thought. Years ago Gray wouldn’t have said anything like that about someone, no matter what their relationship was.
“She’s certainly changed Natsu’s life, that’s fer sure!” Gajeel let out a laugh as he drank the rest of his beer and called to the bartender for another one.
Natsu grinned as he thought of his fiance. She was as gorgeous and she was smart, and he was lucky as hell to have her. They had met in college and he became smitten sooner than he ever had in a relationship, causing him to fall head over heels for her within weeks. He knew he wanted to marry her, so he popped the question after a year of dating. To his excitement, she had said yes.
“Yeah, she’s one of a kind,” Natsu said as he tipped his beer back to finish it. His eyes looked around the bar lazily for a moment, counting all the couples that were spending time together that night. It was only a Saturday, but there were people out on the small dance floor swaying to the beat of a popular song. Natsu didn’t pay much attention to any of the people until his eyes locked on a gorgeous blonde in the shortest shorts he’d ever seen and a babydoll top.
Her hair whipped around her as her hips snapped with every movement, and Natsu dragged his gaze up and down her body. Everything about her was toned, even her ass which tempted him with every shimmy. How she could even dance in those heels was beyond him, and he raised his eyebrows when she turned toward him and gazed into his eyes.
He pointed at himself, and she nodded. She wiggled her upper body at him then, and Natsu felt quite faint at just the sight of her cleavage. Tugging at his collar, Natsu turned toward his friends, who were all staring at him.
“I wasn’t gonna go over there!” he protested, and everyone chuckled.
“C’mon, you gotta go over there now! You’ve only got one more night to do whatever you want before you get hitched. One dance isn’t gonna hurt anything, Natsu,” Loke told him, eyes wandering over the blonde as well.
“But I’m…!”
“If you don’t go over there,” Loke said with a catlike grin, “I will.”
Natsu growled at the man, cursing his protective instincts. He knew that Loke would be bad for the girl. The man had a player streak of being a woman eater where he would chew one up and then spit her out, leaving her in the dust. He didn’t want that to happen to her.
“Alright, fine. But don’t tell my fiancee about this, okay?” Natsu turned to leave, raising his hand in the Fairy Tail sign they used when they were kids.
“Sure thing, boss,” Gajeel yelled back with a smirk, but Natsu didn’t mind.
The woman was now holding onto his tie, pulling him onto the dance floor. She looked even more gorgeous close up.
“What’s your name?” she asked with a toothy grin, wrapping her arms around his neck. With her heels, Natsu was only just a bit taller than her, which was perfect for the close dancing they were doing.
“Natsu Dragneel. Yours?” he replied with a grin of his own. The woman’s cheeks dusted with a pink, and he knew he charmed her instantly.
“Lucy Heartfilia. Pleasure to meet you,” she said, pulling herself slightly closer to him.
“No, the pleasure’s all mine, Luce,” Natsu responded before making a confused face. “Do you mind if I call you Luce? Cause if you do–”
“Not at all,” Lucy said, pressing her hand in a swooping motion across his chest, further and further down until she reached his abs. All the blood in his body rushed south, and Natsu fought not to think of her pushing her hand further down. He was engaged. What the hell was he doing thinking of another woman?
“Alright then. You want me to pick the next song?” Natsu asked, desperately wanting to move away from the situation. Lucy was so beautiful that he knew he wouldn’t be able to help himself if she did want to sleep with him.
“Sure!” Lucy grinned again. Her smile was so gorgeous that he wanted to see it forever.
The sad part was that he couldn’t.
“I’ll be right back,” he told her before moving toward the DJ and requesting a special song.
When he came back, Lucy pressed herself firmly against Natsu’s body with movements that he knew was to be his demise. Letting out a breath, he secured his fate when he began to sing to her.
“I’m in love with the shape of you, you push and pull like a magnet too. Although my heart is fallin’ too, I’m in love with your body,” his rough voice growled as she thrust her hips against his, shimmying down slowly and back up. Natsu huffed as he felt her against himself, and he liked the fact that she was so trusting of him.
“I think I’m falling in love with you too, Natsu,” Lucy said, turning around and grinding her behind against him, and Natsu had to bite his tongue to not let out a large moan. How could she be so damn tempting? He could even see her thong now!
Natsu bent over her as he wrapped his arms around her waist, dipping down to whisper in ear. “Let’s get outta here, Luce.”
Lucy cupped his face and kissed him fiercely before whispering in his ear. “I think you’ll like what you see once you take these clothes off me,” she sing songed, and Natsu whimpered softly.
Both of them stood up and danced for a few more seconds toward the exit, and Natsu looked over her shoulder to secure the fact that his friends were now gone. It had been about an hour since they started dancing, and it had gone by so quickly that he hadn’t realized time had gone by.
Once in the car, Natsu started it and asked what hotel Lucy would want to go to. He wanted to be polite, but he could practically smell her wetness underneath her shorts and it was killing him.
“Magnolia Hotel, please,” she said with a smile, and Natsu started the car and backed out faster than he ever had in his life. He was about to do something really stupid, but he didn’t regret it one bit.
Natsu woke up around 6 AM with no alarm as the light shone in from the window in the hotel. Lucy was still asleep, which gave him tons of time to get to the wedding. As he made coffee, he sighed as he sat down on the couch next to the bed and stared out the window.
Today was the day he was to get married.
“Good morning, Mr. Sunshine,” Lucy teased with a grin, stretching herself awake. Natsu smiled, jumping on her with a huge smile of his own.
“Good morning. How are you?” he asked, cupping her face in his hand. Her hair was like a halo around her head, and even though she had makeup under her eyes she looked like an angel. She was so damn beautiful.
“Well, I didn’t sleep much last night. I had to go find my future husband and see what he was up to at his bachelor party. Thankfully I found him and he was doing more than alright. How about you?” she asked, a smirk rising on her face.
“I slept like crap. I was at my bachelor party and this gorgeous woman pulled me onto the dance floor and practically fucked me with my clothes on. My fiancee is going to be so pissed,” Natsu replied, and Lucy chuckled.
“Oh yeah, I’m sure she’s real angry right now that you had sex with another woman,” Lucy said, barely containing her giggles.
“Especially in the room that we reserved for our wedding night! She’s gonna rip my head off, Luce!” Natsu lamented, beginning to cry fake tears into his hands. After a few moments of faux crying, he looked into his fiancee’s eyes with a goofy smile. The two burst into peals of laughter, falling onto the bed.
After the laughter died down, Natsu put his arm around Lucy’s shoulders and looked at her intensely. Lucy’s eyes widened as he gazed into her eyes, coming closer and closer and finally knocking foreheads with her.
“Luce,” Natsu said, his voice a low whisper, “I would never cheat on you. Not in a million years. And today, you’re gonna be my wife. So I want you to know that.”
“I know, Natsu.” Lucy closed her eyes with a soft smile, reveling in the moment she had with her future husband. There weren’t going to be many moments like this that they were unmarried, so she knew that she better take it for what it was worth right now.
Sighing softly and stared into his eyes gently, she told him the same. “I will never cheat on you, Natsu Dragneel. You are my love, my life, and everything that I have ever wanted in a life partner. I would never abandon you like that for anything.”
Natsu kissed Lucy then; their last kiss before the wedding. Their teeth clacked against each other’s as Lucy deepened the kiss, rolling her tongue across Natsu’s. He wove his hand through her hair as she reached up and rubbed her thumb across his jaw in desire.
When the kiss was broken, Lucy and Natsu smiled at each other for a few moments before falling back asleep together for a few more hours before their wedding. Lucy laid her head on Natsu’s chest and fell asleep with Natsu following soon afterwards with the trust in both of their hearts and minds that they would never cheat on one another.
After all, it was always more fun when they were together.
hehehe, Natsu would never cheat on his fiancee! Sorry if anyone thought that lol. I don’t write “cheating” in stories very often, so please let me know if I need to tag anything. Thank you!
Commissions are open, btw ;) Message me for details!
one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight / nine / ten / eleven / twelve / thirteen / fourteen / fifteen / sixteen / seventeen / eighteen / nineteen
rating: t+ for sexual joking, swear words, and violence
pairings in this chapter: nalu, with mentions of gajevy and gruvia
characters in this chapter: natsu, lucy, gray, gajeel.
Lucy sighed, smoothing her outfit in front of her mirror one more time. She didn’t know where they were going, but she dressed up in a cranberry off the shoulder dress topped with a silver necklace and black heels. She hoped that she wouldn’t be taller than Natsu, but knew that even if she was it wouldn’t be a blow to his ego. He was a confident guy that wouldn’t be shaken by something as small as his girl being taller than him.
His girl, Lucy thought with a smile. That was finally her. After months of pining and flirtation, they were finally going on their first date today.
Anxiety ripped through her as she applied her makeup and she felt the cold press into the back of her skull. What if he didn’t like her? What if he decided not to go on another date?
Lucy curled her hands into a fist at herself, realizing that this was ridiculous. Natsu would never leave her, no matter the trial or problem. He would always be by her side.
Exhaling, she unfurled her fists and turned the doorknob to exit her room with a shaking hand. Opening the door, she exited her room to find Gray and Gajeel sitting on the couch with cups of coffee between them.
Black coffee.
They only drank that when it was a serious problem, like the time that Lucy almost got a black eye at work. They were so mad then that Natsu stomped to her work with Gray and Gajeel in tow only to find that the man had already been arrested by police–and punched by Juvia, who was also detained for the night. Thankfully, Gray was able to convince the officers to let her go and succeeded, leading Juvia to vow never to leave his side.
The two men turned to face Lucy, but when she saw the looks on their faces she was shocked. Their eyes were gentle, but firm; by the look in their eyes, it seemed that they were talking about something of importance.
“Hey, Lucy,” Gray said with a soft smile, patting the couch cushion next to him and motioning her over. Confused, Lucy let him continue before she finally complied, sitting down next to him with her hands folded in her lap.
“Salamander has it in his head that he has a date with you tonight,” Gajeel interjected after a few moments of silence, smirking like the thought of it was a joke.
“He does,” Lucy replied with a smile of her own. The men’s eyes grew slowly as they shared a look. Something was going on, she just knew it.
“Natsu is our friend,” Gray began slowly, crossing his arms over his chest, “but we won’t hesitate to smack him around if needed.”
Gajeel barked out a laugh in response, covering his mouth when Lucy glared at the both of them.
“Listen, guys. I know you’re worried about me and all, but I’ve got this. Natsu’s sweet, and kind, and he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me,” Lucy said with a sigh, running her hand through her hair. Was violence the only way to solve things for these guys?
“He’s a guy,” Gajeel replied with a chuckle.
“So?”
“So,” Gray said, putting a hand on Lucy’s shoulder, “men are dogs. Even ones like Natsu who are too stupid to have their brains in their di–”
The doorbell rang, signifying the end of their conversation. Someone was at the door and neither Gajeel or Gray moved to answer it. Lucy scowled, annoyed that the men couldn’t get themselves out of their comfy seats.
Levy wasn’t due to be here for another three hours for her date with Gajeel. And Juvia was working today. So was Cana. And none of the other girls knew her address. Lucy became confused, but answered the door anyway.
“Natsu?” Lucy asked when she opened it, her brows furrowing in confusion.
“Hey, Luce! Ready for our date?” Natsu lifted up a bouquet of pink roses.
“Why’d you bring pink?” Lucy asked with a smile, accepting her roses as if she were on the Bachelor. “Not that I dislike them at all! They’re beautiful.”
“Red means love, so I’m guessing he didn’t wanna jump the fence too soon,” Gray filled in for Natsu just as he began to open his mouth.
“O-Oh. I see,” Lucy said, her anxiety beginning to rise. Concerned at the emotion on her face, Natsu rushed to her side and sat her down on the couch and handing her the blanket that had been there since the beginning. Lucy grinned when she felt its softness and warmth, and thanked Natsu once her need for stimulation was fulfilled.
“Ready to go?” he asked a moment later, holding out a hand for her to grasp. Lucy smiled at him before telling him that she was ready and they began to walk to the door.
Gray and Gajeel let out threats to Natsu as they left and Natsu grinned when he practically slammed the door in the men’s faces.
“So where are we going?” Lucy asked, and Natsu tapped a finger to his chin. He had to pretend to contemplate what he already had planned.
“You wanna go get some scones from that cafe to hold us over until dinner?” Natsu looked into her eyes, knowing that it was the right answer when they lit up.
“Sounds perfect.”
“Ah, Lucy! And Natsu! So nice to see you both!” Kinana said with a wave from behind the espresso machine where she made a drink for a customer. Once she handed it to them, she rushed to the counter with a smile. “So what can I get you both?”
Lucy stared at the menu before ordering a hot green tea with lemon and a hint of raspberry syrup. Natsu ordered a chili mocha. He had been to the shop enough times before having to bring Lucy her lunch or whatever else she needed for the day, so he had his order perfected.
“I want two raspberry scones too.” Natsu held up two fingers. Kinana walked over to where the food was being held and popped two scones in bags, handing them to Natsu.
“It’s on the house,” Kinana said, waving her hand when Natsu held out his card. “I want to make sure you both have a lovely first date!”
“Thank you, Kinana! You’re so sweet,” Lucy said with a smile, biting into her soft raspberry treat. Hopefully it really would hold her over until dinner–she could only imagine how long the wait time would be wherever they went!
Natsu put a tip in the jar that was out on the counter and Laki’s eyes nearly bulged out of her head once she joined her co-worker and saw that he had tipped twenty dollars. He had always tipped 20% or over when the service was good and since he was going to have leftover money from dinner, why not treat he and Lucy’s friends to some food of their own.
“Thank you so much, Natsu! Please take another scone for the road,” Kinana urged, pressing another confection into his hand before he could say no. Lucy giggled at Natsu’s expression when the two women practically pushed them out of the coffee shop, shouting to go have fun on their date.
“I guess they really wanted us out of there,” Lucy joked as she sipped her drink, waiting for Natsu to start drinking his. He seemed really excited about the chili mocha and had even asked for ‘extra chili’.
When he just stared into his mocha, unblinking, Lucy knew something was wrong. “Uh, Natsu?”
“Luce, is this a good date?” Natsu asked, finally blinking. Lucy sighed in relief that he wasn’t having an anxiety attack on their date.
“Of course it is! No one’s ever taken me to my favorite coffee shop before going to dinner. It’s always been going to dinner first and then a movie,” Lucy replied with a smile, taking a small bite of her scone.
“I thought since you didn’t watch movies a lot this would be better,” Natsu revealed, and little by little Lucy was seeing what a thoughtful guy he was. She already knew this, of course, but she had never been shown this much consideration on a date. Most of the time the guy picked out something that the girl had little to no interest in and Lucy was left on the sidelines while the guy laughed at stupid jokes the entire movie and ate his favorite food.
But Natsu was not like that and she was forever thankful for him being much different than anyone else she’d ever dated. Especially Dan.
Shaking her head, she remembered that she had told herself to not think about Dan while she was on her date with Natsu. Lucy was on an outing with the most handsome guy she had ever laid eyes on and to top it all off he was kind and generous and wouldn’t try to get in her pants on the first date.
Well, she thought to herself, I wouldn’t mind if it was our fifth or sixth.
Lucy reddened, shoving those thoughts away from her mind. She needed to focus on Natsu, not perverted wonderings! Taking a bite of her scone to ease her problem, she chewed until she felt a force on the back of her throat, preventing her from eating any more.
“Luce?” Natsu asked, eyes widening in concern. Worries of the date not being enough quickly abandoned, he wrapped his arms around Lucy’s stomach and pushed. Lucy coughed a few times until the food unlodged from her throat and she threw it up onto the table.
“Thanks Natsu,” Lucy said, her voice still broken and her eyes watering.
“No problem, Luce,” Natsu said, his eyes intense. Lucy’s gaze locked on his and she became increasingly reminded of his warm hands wrapping around her waist. His lips looked tantalizing as she drew closer to him, licking her own and puckering slightly. Lucy’s eyes fluttered shut and she hoped that her makeup look was alluring enough to draw him in.
Natsu’s eyes widened, but he focused on only Lucy’s beautiful face coming ever nearer. Wrapping his fingertips around her jaw, he took the plunge and ran his tongue over his mouth and closed his eyes.
Then, when the moment was at it’s peak Natsu’s phone rang.
“Ignore it,” he whispered, wanting to have her lips on his instead of talking on the phone to whoever was calling.
“I think you should answer it, Natsu,” Lucy chided, her eyes still soft but her tone firm.
“But Luce! I wanna kiss y–” Natsu began, but the ringtone became increasingly louder until he picked it up and answered it with his voice flat.
“Oh. Yeah, we’ll be there in a few minutes. Thanks,” he said sheepishly, saying goodbye before ending the call.
“Who was that?” Lucy asked and Natsu hung his head low.
“That was the restaurant. Our reservations were for seven, not seven-thirty.”
“Well what are we waiting for then? Let’s go!”
Natsu perked up a little at the adventurous look in Lucy’s eyes. She seemed to think that this was a slight change in plans rather than a mess up on his part and he was more excited to go to dinner with her than he was before.
Grinning, he took her hand in his and walked her to his car, opening the door for her like a gentleman. Lucy slid in as she thanked him with a smile. Natsu went around the car, getting in and backing out of the parking lot like he was late to a very important date.
They were silent on the way to the restaurant, dodging each other’s eyes like their lives depended on it. They had almost kissed. And Natsu had admitted that he wanted to kiss Lucy. It was a big step in their relationship, almost one that was too big for them just being roommates before.
Lucy bit her lip, her anxiety starting to pulse at the back of her neck. What if Natsu didn’t want to kiss her again after she was firm with him? What if he didn’t want to go on another date with her after this one? Was there really something there that wasn’t there before?
“Luce? You alright?” Natsu asked, using his blinker to turn left. Lucy was glad that he was a safe driver, otherwise her anxiety would have been through the roof.
She let out a sigh, grasping onto her fidget cube in her purse and rubbing the smooth side that was to help with anxiety. “Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”
Natsu looked at Lucy in concern. She was a lot of things–smart, kind, beautiful, brave, intelligent–but she certainly was not fine. Her face was scrunched up and she was using her fidget cube, which she almost never did unless it was a major anxiety problem. Natsu didn’t have much time to react before they got to the restaurant, but he did something that he wouldn’t have thought was okay before.
He placed his hand on her thigh, slowly moving his thumb on it to give her stimulation. Lucy gasped and dropped the fidget cube back into her purse, mesmerized by Natsu’s warm touch on her leg. His eyes locked on hers once he parked and they stared at each other once more.
“Let’s go inside,” Lucy proposed, her voice thick. It seemed that the almost kiss from before had left her wanting more.
“Y-Yeah,” Natsu replied, looking away. Her eyes were enchanting like a summer’s night and he knew that if he followed that gaze he would be pulled in to kissing her.
But he wanted to treat her like she was special. He didn’t want her to feel like some conquest or a prize to be won. He enjoyed her company more than any of the other girls he’d dated without a doubt and he wanted to make sure that she was treated like a princess. Natsu wanted to wine and dine her and give her only the best. Lucy was a precious jewel that needed to be respected and cherished, and he knew that. But she could also kick ass and had a bunch of people that surrounded her that would not hesitate to kick his if he messed up.
That was why he was so worried about tonight. He had researched quite a few restaurants to find one that was worthy of his princess and he found Emillio’s through a quick search through the internet. Gajeel had taken Levy there for their first date and it had went over well–at least that’s what Gajeel told him. He wasn’t sure how well, but their snogging at the front door of the apartment signified that it at least went better than expected.
Brushing his fears aside, Natsu opened the door and gave himself a pep talk in his head before going over to Lucy’s side and opening the door for her. She grinned at him before she jumped out of her seat, almost paralyzing him in the process. Her smile was one of those things that made him attracted to her just a bit more.
Little by little, he was beginning to understand what love truly meant.
“Hmm…give me that one!” Natsu said to the waiter, pointing at the wine menu.
“Certainly. And for the lady?” the man asked with a smile.
“I’ll just go with what my…friend is having,” Lucy responded, her face flushing slightly.
“Absolutely. I will be right out with your beverages,” the waiter replied before leaving the duo to their appetizers.
Lucy stabbed at her salad, bringing up a crouton with her fork and eating it right away with the flush that was there before still on her face.
Natsu blushed himself, smiling softly as he watched her eat. She seemed so happy that it wasn’t because she didn’t have to do dishes later that night either. Maybe it was he that put her in such a good mood.
“What’s that look for?” Lucy questioned, skewering another crouton and placing it into her mouth lightly. It was obvious that she was trying to make herself look a little more dainty for him, but Natsu knew the truth. He had seen her fart the alphabet with Gray more than once.
But that didn’t change his opinion of her. He thought that she was beautiful even if she wasn’t in charge of the kingdom of Genovia.
“Nothing,” he said with a smirk, beginning to eat his own salad. He wasn’t going to let this awesome meal go to waste!
“C’mon, it has to mean something! What’s going on?” Lucy bent forward, revealing a bit of her generous cleavage to Natsu. He turned his head away, hoping that he didn’t see too much. He had seen her naked, obviously, but he wanted the second time he did to be special.
If he did get a second time, that is.
“You’re cute,” Natsu said and Lucy’s face burned in the glow of the candles that were lit at their table.
“W-What? You think I’m cute?” Lucy asked, and Natsu nodded as he shoved another bite of salad into his mouth. Lucy’s face darkened and she fought not to fan her face when he bent back in his chair to stretch. His suit lifted up a little and she saw a sliver of his abs and choked back a gasp. His skin was a beautiful light olive tone because he had tanned during the summer, but she definitely didn’t know he worked out that much. She thought he was behind a computer most of the day, not working on his abs all day!
“See something you like?” Natsu teased, which brought Lucy back to reality.
“Hey! That’s my line!” Lucy giggled, thankful that the date was going way more smoothly than she thought it would. She had dreamed up in her head that it would be awkward going out with someone that she technically lived with, but she was glad that everything had worked out in their favor instead.
As their wine made its way to their table, the night became a little more serene. Lucy didn’t like getting crazy drunk with her friends anymore as it lead to anxiety and fainting, so she sipped on a glass of wine and then stopped there.
Natsu had two glasses, but greatly preferred the taste of beer to the fruity wine he ordered for he and Lucy. He did not voice this, however, because he wanted to make sure she was having a good time and complaining would only make the night have more tension than it already held.
After their meal and a dessert of blueberry cheesecake, Lucy held onto Natsu’s arm as he escorted her out. Natsu enjoyed the feel of her small hands wrapped around his bicep and he made a mental note to remember exactly what this felt like for future reference when his depression hit him.
He wanted to remember this night for the rest of his life. It was the best date he had ever been on and he hoped Lucy could say the same. As he drove them both home, Natsu looked over at Lucy with his signature grin and gazed into her eyes with a softness while they were at a stoplight.
Lucy stopped for a moment to remember what he looked like with happiness in his eyes. When his depression knocked him down, his eyes often seemed that they lost their light and all of their joy. She liked staring into his eyes when he was happy; it made her feel as if she had done something right.
Placing her hand on top of his that was on the gearshift, Natsu’s grin turned into a toothy smile that was infectious. Lucy’s lips twitched when she watched him accidentally hit on the gas a little too hard and then press on the brake once he saw there was a cop nearby.
Once he slowed to a stop at the apartment, Lucy took her hand off his leg to relieve some tension in the car. Natsu was staring at her like he was when they almost kissed and she was getting worried that he expected something from her.
“Luce?” he asked, his eyebrows raised as he gazed into her eyes.
“Yes?” she answered, falling silent when his face drew closer to hers. She puckered her lips and closed her eyes like before with the hope that this time Natsu’s would finally meet hers.
But at the last second he turned her face gently with his fingers and whispered into her ear. “Thanks for a great night.”
“O-Oh,” she replied, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “Of course. Thank you, Natsu. I had a wonderful evening.”
As they entered the apartment, Lucy felt her stomach drop. She had a great evening. That was not to be debated.
But maybe…maybe she really did want a kiss after all.
Hours later, Lucy laid on her bed unable to sleep. The constant thoughts of those two almost kisses left her tossing and turning, and she hated that feeling. It had been a fantastic evening. It really had. But when push came to shove, Lucy really did want him to kiss her. Was that so wrong?
A knock at the door startled her out of her thoughts and she grumpily got out of bed to find Natsu standing at the door wearing his pajamas. He propped himself on his elbow on her door frame and wore a smile along with his boxers and white t-shirt that Lucy thought was too see-through for her own good. Clearing her throat, she stared into his eyes and began to scold him for being up this late.
“Natsu,” she chided, “it’s the middle of the night. Don’t you have to get ready for wo–”
Her words were interrupted by Natsu’s mouth on hers, rough and firm with no room for talk. She melted into his kiss, trying to keep it short and sweet, but becoming drawn in by how passionate it was. His fingertips were soft on her jaw and his other hand encircled her waist as he kissed her like it was the last one he’d ever have.
Lucy sure hoped it wasn’t the last one she’d ever have.
Natsu deepened the kiss as he grasped her bottom lip with his teeth and Lucy groaned. Exhaling through her nose, she craned her neck to entwine her hands in his hair. After a few seconds of pure snogging and holding onto each other like they were kiss-starved, Natsu broke the embrace and looked deep into her eyes.
“Have a good night, Luce,” he said, his voice a low but gentle growl.
one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight / nine / ten / eleven / twelve / thirteen / fourteen / fifteen / sixteen / seventeen / eighteen
rating: t+ for sexual joking, swear words, and violence
pairings in this chapter: nalu, gruvia
characters in this chapter: natsu, lucy, gray, juvia, cana
Natsu’s words swam in Lucy’s head as if they were a dream. He couldn’t have just asked her on a date. No. That wasn’t possible. They had only known each other for a few months!
But yet, it felt too good to be a dream. She had a feeling that he was closer than a roommate to her, but that feeling also seemed unreal. A lot of things felt fake to Lucy, especially someone liking her. Not being cherished as a child really took a toll on her self-esteem, and sometimes she felt like no one would want to be in her romantic company.
But Natsu did.
By the way he looked at her, it was obvious to her now that he had possibly liked her for a while. His body language was serious but his eyes soft, and his hand was holding hers as if he had never held another’s. Natsu had taken a little more care of his appearance that afternoon, having changed into a button down after work was finished. His jeans were clean, unlike the rest of the pile in his hamper that he needed to wash. His hair was smoothed down just a tad more than usual, and Lucy smelled a woodsy aftershave on his skin. He looked more handsome than normal, which was dangerous for Lucy herself. Sometimes she just wanted to grab him by his shirt and kiss the living daylights out of him.
But the kissing would have to wait. At least, until after their first of hopefully many dates.
Natsu tilted his head as if concerned by the dazed look in her eyes, and Lucy noticed this a moment later. Shaking her head softly with a smile, she was determined to give him her answer.
“Yes. Of course I’ll go on a date with you!” she said, her grin growing. Natsu’s eyes widened, and he squeezed her hand gently but excitedly, and he jumped up in the air and fist pumped. Lucy giggled at his silly reaction and then stood up from the couch to hug him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she embraced him for what seemed like the longest time. It felt calming and satisfying, like coming home at the end of a long work day and taking your shoes off.
Natsu held Lucy like she was the most precious thing in the world to him. And she was. Even starting to date his ex-fiancee didn’t compare to the feelings he held for Lucy. She was soft and different and new. And all of those things were good, of course, but he knew they would not last. In time, this like would hopefully blossom into a love that would last for a very long time.
And, Natsu hoped happily, maybe an entire lifetime. He certainly wouldn’t mind that.
Pulling her closer to smell her hair, he found that she had used a lavender shampoo that morning that he quite liked. Most men did not enjoy the smell of lavender; it was too flowery for them to like. But Natsu was the exception to that rule. Lavender had always helped him sleep at night, and he remembered that sometimes his ex would put a drop of it on his forehead before he slept at night to keep his anxiety attacks away.
Natsu felt a jolt up his spine as he remembered her screams, and Lucy held him firmly as he almost felt himself sink to his knees.
“Natsu! Are you okay?” Lucy asked, beginning to become worried about her roommate.
“I-I didn’t want to hurt her. I promise,” he mumbled quietly, and then his ex’s screams became increasingly louder as he fought the anxiety. His jaw clenched on its own, and he fell to the floor as his weight pressed on Lucy. The ice curled around the back of his neck, and he felt like he was being held up only by a wire.
He was her puppet, and she was forever destined to be the puppeteer.
“Natsu?” Lucy questioned before starting to become alarmed. Something was definitely off. “Natsu! Stay with me!”
She flipped him over onto his back and began to scratch circles into his shoulder blades and lower back. Surely this would help at least a small amount. Stimulation was important to people that had many various mental illnesses, anxiety being one of them. Natsu’s breath slowed slightly as she drew circles and figure eights into his back, and his eyes became a little less glazed over and wild.
Still, Lucy knew that she needed to help him more. She knew that anxiety attacks were horrible, and she had experienced firsthand how awful they could actually be. Anxiety was a beast, and to conquer it there were a lot of things that it could be attacked with.
Suddenly, Lucy remembered the first morning she was at the apartment. Natsu had told her to identify three things in the room. All she had to do now was flip him back over and sit him up, which was a small feat on its own. Kneeling down, she flipped him over and pressed her palm into the small of his back to push him up. Natsu’s eyes still appeared as if he were looking into somewhere far away, but Lucy knew that she had to persevere.
Natsu saw Lucy waving her hand in his face, and even though she was slightly blurry he could still make out her pretty face and golden hair which had drawn him to her in the first place. He smiled weakly, and Lucy grinned softly back.
“Okay, Natsu. I want you to hold this and describe it for me,” Lucy told him, grasping his hand and opening his clenched fingers. Pressing a blanket into his palm, she looked into his eyes gently to not overwhelm him.
“It’s--It’s soft,” Natsu said as he opened and closed his palms, feeling the texture between his hands.
“Yes! Now, what color is it?”
“It’s blue. Same color as your shoes,” he said, tilting his head toward her feet.
“Great! Now what does it smell like?” she asked, and when he made no movement after a moment she reached over and very slowly placed his hand holding the blanket by his nose.
“It smells...like you,” he said after sniffing it, his eyes focusing on Lucy. A shuddered sigh ran through his body, and he smelled the blanket one more time. Rubbing the texture between his fingers, he grinned that same grin that made her like him in the first place.
“Yeah, it does. That’s the same blanket you covered me with when I first came here. Remember?” she asked, and he nodded, looking into her eyes with clarity.
“Yeah, of course I do! You were soaking wet and I had to change you,” he recalled, trying quite hard to push the form of her naked body out of his mind. He wanted to be careful not to think of that too much--it could come with some repercussions sooner rather than later. He already knew what Lucy’s body did to him when she was clothed, but without fabric on her smooth curves would be way too much for him to deal with.
“I thankfully don’t remember any of that,” Lucy deadpanned with a sly grin, and Natsu flushed softly.
Staring into each other’s eyes, they embraced again. This time, however, it was like Lucy fell into Natsu’s arms. She wanted the comfort and support but also to make sure he was okay.
“I’m so glad you asked me on a date,” she said, her breath tickling his ear. Natsu smiled out of reflex. It always made him happy when she was excited about something. Some of that excitement seemed to transfer through to him, and it caused him to smile more often.
His depression seemed non-existent when she was around. Although it still cropped up for a week every month and he still took his anti-depressants every morning, Lucy provided that shining light that he needed so desperately. She was so full of life and happiness through her anxiety and mild depression that it was contagious, and he couldn’t help but feel a little more balanced than before. It wasn’t to say that his depression was gone completely. Having even the best person in one’s life didn’t get rid of the imbalance in one’s brain. It just meant that they were always there and ready to support their person.
Natsu believed that everyone had a certain person in their life that made them happier than anyone else. He didn’t believe in soulmates, no, but he believed that people could choose who to be with for the rest of their lives. But every once in a while, they would meet that specific person that would just...glow. It was cheesy to say so, but Natsu truly did believe in staying with each other for life.
And Lucy was his person.
He just didn’t know how to tell her yet.
After they sorrowfully parted ways with Natsu going to bed and hoping that his headache would subside and Lucy going to work, the rest of the day seemed uneventful compared to the afternoon. Lucy bounced around work the rest of the day, and even the rudest customers couldn’t get in her way. Someone gave her the middle finger because the prices of the crystals were still too high as always, and Lucy just wished them a nice day on their way out with a cheerful grin and a wave.
“What happened to Lucy?” Juvia asked from her place on a smaller ladder, this time dusting the top of the lower shelves and tables that held the travel sized items such as the shampoo with essential oils and pocket-sized crystals and incenses.
Lucy turned to Juvia with a smile. “Well,” she began, rocking on the balls of her feet with her hands behind her back as if holding a secret, “Natsu may or may not have asked me out on a date this afternoon.”
Juvia and Cana were at Lucy’s side faster than she could blink. Overwhelmed by the sudden attention, Lucy backed up a few steps to give herself some breathing room. She didn’t like being crowded by people because of the anxious thoughts that came with it.
“Guess Natsu grew some balls and finally fessed up,” Cana said with a smug smile, and Lucy gave her a look.
“How did Natsu ask Lucy out on a date? Juvia wishes Gray-sama would ask her!” Juvia looked off into the distance dreamily, and Lucy kept her mouth shut about Gray’s comment. He apparently hadn’t asked her yet. If he did Juvia would come in bouncing off the walls.
“He just took my hand in his and asked me if I would go on a date with him. Nothing too crazy,” Lucy said, smiling as she thought of Natsu’s soft tone.
“Sounds like Natsu--straight to the point,” Cana answered, her eyes looking directly into Lucy’s. “We better go shopping for you for some cute panties!”
Cana chuckled as Lucy flushed. Lucy would never have sex on the first date, even if her date was her roommate and one of her close friends!
“Juvia wants to go with. She needs something to seduce Gray-sama,” Juvia said, rubbing her hands together as if she were planning something. Lucy once again kept her mouth shut for the sake of her friends--she didn’t want to ruin the surprise.
“You guys, we can’t just leave the shop,” Lucy reasoned, gesturing to the shop with a swooping hand.
“Sure ya can! You and Juvs can go, and I’ll stay here. Have fun!” Cana said, all but pushing her boss and coworker out the door. “And don’t forget to get a push-up bra along with your panties!”
Lucy scowled at Cana as the smirking woman slammed the door. She barely even knew her way around the other side of town, and she was expected to clock out of work to go get lingerie for her date? Inconceivable!
“Juvia will make sure you get paid for the rest of today. Cana slammed and locked the door, so Juvia is unable to punch you out. And she wants to go shopping anyway,” Juvia said with a soft giggle, one that was quite uncharacteristic of her. Lucy’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. What the hell had happened to her boss?
“That’s nice of you, Juvia, but you don’t have to do that. I am leaving work, and that means that I need to be clocked out. Thank you for thinking of me, though,” Lucy smiled, hoping that her friend would get back to normal soon.
On their way to the shops, Juvia began to blast some of her music. Lucy was shocked to find that Juvia liked gangsta rap. She would have thought that the mostly quiet woman would have liked something like classical or, hell, even Britney, but here Lucy was listening to the most interesting music she had heard in quite a while.
“Juvia,” Lucy yelled over the music, “do you think you could turn it down just a little?”
Juvia was too busy rapping to respond. The sight was interesting enough that Lucy chuckled a little bit and then tried to enjoy herself on the way.
Finally they made it to the strip mall and Juvia turned off her car and exited, waiting for Lucy to climb out. The little red Honda was low to the floor, which almost made Lucy trip, but thankfully she caught herself before she could barrel into the car next to them.
They had just stepped into the shop when Lucy’s face was confronted by a mannequin’s butt, and she turned away in disgust. It was nice to see how the underwear was modeled, but not when the mannequin was standing kind of like the girl on the Coppertone sunscreen bottle with her finger at her lips as if saying, ‘oops!’
Juvia stepped right in and grabbed a few items before barrelling into the fitting rooms to try them on, leaving Lucy all by herself. It was bad enough that she had never been in the store before, but now that she was all alone by herself she felt her anxiety begin to creep up her sides. It was harder to breathe than before, and a few of the associates around her were starting to give her strange looks.
The ice curled around her ribcage like a belt and worked it’s way up until Lucy was fighting to make her way to Juvia’s fitting room. Every step felt like her feet weighed a hundred pounds each, and it was a battle that Lucy wouldn’t give up on. Once at the fitting rooms, she knocked on the door labeled with Juvia’s name and her friend opened it, thankfully still clothed.
“Juvia,” she said, her voice raspy, “I’m having an attack.”
Not another word was uttered from her lips before she passed out.
Natsu grumbled, picking up his ringing phone. He had chosen the most annoying ringtone in the world so it would wake him up in case of emergencies. But now he regretted that decision as he had been having a dream about beating up Gray and taking Lucy for his own.
Speaking of Lucy, she was the one who was calling. Suddenly he wasn’t so irritated after all as he pressed the answer button, hoping to hear her gorgeous voice over the phone.
“Hello?” he answered groggily, pressing a little more awakeness into his voice in hopes that she would reply that she was ready for their date now.
“Juvia is sorry to call Natsu so early,” Juvia said, remembering that it was about 4 AM for Natsu, “but Lucy has fainted.”
“What?” Natsu replied, ripping his bedcovers off of himself in shock. “How the hell did she faint?”
“Well, Lucy and Juvia are at a lingerie store,” Juvia responded, suddenly embarrassed. “And Juvia knew that Lucy’s anxiety sometimes makes her faint if she is in an unknown place. But Juvia forgot because she was so excited to get something for her and Gray-sama.”
Natsu groaned, forcing that mental image out of his head. There was silence for a few moments before Juvia piped up.
“Can Natsu come pick up Lucy? Juvia is unsure of what to do.”
“Yeah. I’ll be there in fifteen,” Natsu answered, and Juvia thanked him profusely and said her goodbyes before hanging up. Natsu sighed and changed out of his pajamas into his work clothes. It was only a few hours before he had to go to work, and maybe Lucy wouldn’t mind seeing him in his uniform. Thankfully he had no need to take a shower since he had just taken one before he slept, and he had kept warm throughout the ‘night’ and didn’t sweat at all.
Getting into his car, he felt a sense of deja vu. He had done this once before for Lucy on his day off, but today would be a bit different. But he was thankful that she was going to be alright, at least. Juvia told him she would give Lucy some water when she awakened, and all Natsu had to do was make sure that she got home safely.
Natsu pushed his key into the ignition and started the car, backing out of his apartment slowly and yawning as he made his way out of the parking lot and onto the highway over to where Lucy was. He could only hope that she would be alright. Even though Juvia had given him her word, he couldn’t help but wonder if her anxiety attacks were getting worse. He thought they had been getting better, but now that she had fainted in public maybe it was more terrible than he originally thought.
About fifteen minutes later, Natsu parked at the strip mall and headed into the store. He flushed lightly when he saw the mannequin in a bra and panties that were even a little too risque for his taste, and then snapped back to his senses despite seeing a few lingerie pieces he liked himself. Juvia popped her head out from the fitting room and waved him over before closing the door.
“Lucy!” Natsu shouted, throwing the door open to find her sitting on the chair in Juvia’s fitting room and drinking out of a cup filled with water.
“Natsu!” she yelled, throwing her arms around him and practically jumping into his arms. Natsu held her up with a confused look, hearing all of the employees coo at his cute gesture. Lucy pressed her head up against his chest, muttering that she wanted to go home.
“Juvia is glad Natsu made it! She was worried that Lucy would have to be taken to the hospital again,” Juvia said, sighing in relief.
“Thanks, Juvia. Let’s go home, Natsu. I still feel a little woozy,” Lucy said with a giggle, and Natsu looked at her strangely.
“Did they put anything in your water, Luce?” Natsu asked, and Lucy grinned but said nothing. Her smile was so cute that he didn’t question it.
As they exited the store, Lucy snuggled up closer to him, mumbling something Natsu couldn’t hear. Leaning in closer, he asked her what she said.
“You smell good,” Lucy said, her breath tickling his ear. Natsu flushed softly, hoping in his heart that she would keep speaking. Her voice was like a breath of fresh air after the dream he’d had.
Anxiety started to prick at Natsu as he thought of the dream, but he pushed it away as he buckled Lucy into his car and closed the door. This was not the time to be anxious. This was time to spend with his...friend.
What were they, exactly? Natsu knew he was asking a dangerous question there, but he was worried that she didn’t feel the same way as he did. In his mind, she was already his girlfriend. They were dating. Although they hadn’t gone on an actual first date yet, they were already close enough to be a couple. Everyone had teased him about it since they met, and it had only taken him about two weeks to realize he liked her as more than a friend.
He just didn’t have the courage to act on it before then.
Thankfully, he asked her out before anyone else got a chance to. There was still the problem of her father wanting her to be betrothed to some guy she had never met, but the probability of that coming to fruition was next to none. Once Natsu established something as his own, there wasn’t anything that he would let take that away from him.
And Lucy?
Well, he thought with a smile, watching her look out the window, she was definitely his.
Reblogs and reviews are appreciated, please! This really helps me to grow as a writer and it motivates me to write even more. I would continue to write this story even if I didn’t get any reblogs/reviews... but it really makes me super happy and makes me want to update faster!
Thanks to @siriusly-random for beta reading this monster of a chapter for me! You are awesome <3
one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight / nine / ten / eleven / twelve / thirteen / fourteen / fifteen / sixteen
rating: t+ for sexual joking, swear words, and violence
pairings: nalu, gruvia, gajevy
characters: natsu, lucy, juvia, gray, gajeel, levy
reblogs are appreciated <3
word count: 3437
Lucy awoke the next morning with a tickle of hair in her face. At first, she pushed it away, thinking it was her own. Her bedhead had a mind of its own at times, and often she would find herself buried in a pile of blonde hair when she woke up from a bad dream.
But when she heard a yelp from the other side of the bed after she flicked the hair away, Lucy sat straight up and screamed. Who the hell was in her bed?
Searching her covers for signs of life, she found a familiar piece of fabric lying next to her. A checkered piece of fabric. Growling, she dragged it up and saw that Natsu was sleeping soundly next to her. Apparently he hadn’t woken up when he made that god-awful noise, which was amazing on its own.
“Mornin’ Luce,” Natsu mumbled groggily, and Lucy narrowed her eyes at her roommate.
“What the hell,” she began, her voice becoming angrier by the word, “are you doing in my bed?”
Natsu yawned, sitting up. “You practically pulled me into bed with you last night. I went to check on you to see if you were okay and you grabbed me by the hand and yanked me into bed. You really wanted me to stay, didn’t ya Luce?”
“That doesn’t matter now.” Lucy didn’t like the feeling of her face reddening, so she turned away. “I’m still sleeping. Get out.”
“But you’re not sleeping now,” Natsu said, blinking a few times like he was confused.
“I said, get out,” Lucy hissed, and she kicked Natsu by his back out of her bed. What did he think he was doing, sleeping in the same bed as her? Why did she decide to just wear a big t-shirt to bed? And why did he look so damn cute with his ruffled bedhead?
“Luce,” Natsu began, but Lucy leaped out of bed and shoved him out of her room.
“Natsu, you can’t just barge into a woman’s room in the middle of the night. What I-I slept naked or something?”
“I’ve already seen you naked, Luce, so it wouldn’t be much of a problem,” Natsu said, and Lucy exhaled through her nose angrily.
“Just stay out of my room. Got it?” Lucy slammed the door and flopped onto her bed to fall back asleep again. Huffing, she rolled over to where Natsu slept the night before and closed her eyes. Seconds later, they popped back open again while she sniffed the side of her pillow that Natsu’s head rested on.
It smelled like pine and firewood, and she realized she quite liked the smell. She would have to go into Natsu’s room and figure out what cologne he used. It smelled woodsy and spicy and fiery all at once, which pretty much summed up Natsu himself.
‘Natsu,’ Lucy thought before sinking into a deep sleep, ‘Why do you have to be so moronic yet smell so good?’
Hours later, Lucy woke up from a peaceful slumber, thankful that she slept this time alone. She much preferred to sleep in her own bed herself and only herself as it gave her room to sleep in whatever position she wanted. She could sleep spread-eagled on the bed and no one would have anything to say about it.
Although, she did slightly miss having someone warm next to her. It got awfully cold sometimes at night, and having another body sleeping next to her offered a sense of comfort and warmth. She could also cuddle up to them if she had a bad dream as well, and that soothed her soul.
It was then she realized that the only person she could see herself sleeping next to at night was Natsu. He was more consoling than he realized, and in his own way he could provide comfort like no one else could. Lucy’s mind flashed back to her first night at the apartment when Natsu fed her soup with a spoon and calmed her down from her anxiety attack. He was an interesting guy, that was for sure, but he seemed to enjoy her company.
‘This couldn’t be love,’ Lucy wondered, her eyes widening, ‘could it?’
Shaking her head vigorously, Lucy wondered if a shower would help her brain relax. It wasn’t anything to get stressed about. After all, this was Natsu she was thinking about! The loveable goofball who always seemed to be there for her and was fond of spending time with her. She couldn’t possibly be in love with him!
Could she?
Lucy undressed quickly and jumped in the shower, turning on the water a little warmer than usual to try to get herself to concentrate on the heat rather than her churning stomach and confused mind. She needed to get herself to work, and thinking about this wasn’t going to make anything go any faster.
After her shower and applying her makeup for the day, Lucy wandered into the kitchen to find herself something to eat before she headed out the door. Finding an orange and some bread on the counter, she popped two pieces into the toaster before grabbing some juice. Once her toast was finished she buttered it and ate slowly, hoping not to stress out her stomach even more than it already was. Often times when Lucy was anxiety-ridden, her stomach would screw itself up to the point that she was unable to eat much for a few hours.
Thankful that she ate slowly, Lucy’s stomach settled and she was able to complete the rest of her tasks before going to work. On her way out the door, she found the letter that her father wrote to her and was reminded that she had to reply later. Not that she wanted to. Her father was a complete jerk and she wouldn’t care if he really was dead. Now she could only hope that he wouldn’t actually do anything after she replied.
But that wasn’t exactly possible. She was sure that her father would send one of his men out to give her a talking to when she replied with the written equivalent of the middle finger, and that little chat would not be pretty. Lucy held back tears as she thought of the words that her father used to say to her when she was little. She was fully grown now, but the words still stung harsher than any cut he could ever give her.
Shaking her head, Lucy calmed herself down before heading out the door. She had a job to do. And that was to make Juvia happy and keep the store selling its products. Crystals had been flying off the shelves ever since Lucy started working there, but the dream catchers and moon cycles had a little harder of a time selling. It was up to her to talk up those items and help the little shop do it's very best.
After a few detours because of traffic, Lucy thanked the gods that she was able to make it to work on time. Opening the door, she found Juvia on the ladder again dusting shelves and Cana doing a tarot reading for someone who looked more interested in her chest than the cards. Juvia waved and smiled to Lucy, and Cana held up a peace sign.
“Good Morning, Lucy! Did Lucy sleep well?” Juvia asked, and Lucy smiled weakly.
“Not exactly,” Lucy answered, and Juvia looked to her with concern.
“What’s wrong? Did Lucy have a nightmare?” Juvia put her hand on her hip with the duster in midair, worried about her coworker and friend. Even though Lucy had only worked there for a short time, she was like family to Juvia because they saw each other almost every day.
“Not quite a nightmare, but I did have rather rocky sleep,” Lucy admitted, and Juvia listened as Lucy poured everything out: Dan lying to her about her father’s death, the letter, finding Natsu asleep in her bed and waking up in the early hours of the morning, and the traffic.
“Juvia thinks Lucy should let her father have it! Juvia would never be engaged to a man other than her Gray-sama!” Juvia grinned at her friend, and Lucy sighed.
“I would love to, Juvs, but he would just send out one of his men to yell at me,” Lucy said, and Juvia climbed down the ladder at Lucy’s frowning face and put her hand on her shoulder.
“Lucy is stronger than she thinks. If Lucy tells her father she feels this way, maybe her father will back down. Juvia knows how it feels to be abandoned, and she doesn’t want Lucy to feel the same as Juvia,” Juvia said, looking into Lucy’s eyes with hope.
Lucy took a few deep breaths to calm her spirit and then offered her friend a weak smile. “Thanks, Juvia. You’re right. My father doesn’t have control over what I say or do, and I will write him back tonight and say that I will not be marrying Mr. Eucliffe no matter what he says.”
“Juvia is proud of Lucy for understanding that. Juvia may be Lucy’s boss, but Juvia cares about Lucy’s health and about the work she does,” Juvia replied with a smile, leaning in to hug her employee and friend.
After the hug, Lucy continued dusting the shelves she could reach and once she finished began rearranging the crystals. Juvia had decided the week before that maybe with the new fall season coming into view the store needed a little change, so she set Lucy and Cana on the task to spruce up the store. Their products would stay the same as always but they would be selling leaf wreaths for people to hang on their doors or wherever else needed a little autumn cheer. They would also have candles that were a little more earthy and spicy rather than beachy and sunny, and there would be autumn specific items that they didn’t have year-round.
Lucy grinned as she smelled each of the new candles, noting which ones she liked and wanted to bring home. Maybe a candle would help her ease her mind or at least help her relax a bit while she wrote. She usually reached for lavender, but since that was a spring scent only, Lucy found that bergamot worked just as well and held that earthy, lemon lime scent that she loved so much. She placed a few candles on the center table near the front door and her nose twitched as she inhaled the incense Cana was so fond of burning while the store was open.
Juvia walked over and complimented Lucy on her setup, thanking her for taking the initiative to do so. It seemed like fall was already taking place when Lucy gazed around the room at the wreaths hanging on the outskirts of the shop where the eye immediately went to when one walked in. All of her senses were engaged, and she finally felt like she was at peace.
Maybe things really were looking up. She just had to look for the good in everything and hope for the best.
When Lucy got home, she eyed the letter still on the table and decided to respond to her father. The first step in standing up for herself was to tell him exactly what was wrong, and hopefully Jude would take it well. But knowing who he was, he probably wouldn’t.
Lucy sighed and sat down at her desk, pulling out one of the pieces of parchment paper she had bought from Juvia’s shop. She liked practicing calligraphy every once in a while for kicks, and sometimes it came in handy when she needed to send out thank you notes for something. Picking up a nice black quill, she dipped it in ink and began to write.
‘Father,’ she began, ‘I am delighted to tell you that I will not be marrying Mr. Eucliffe. You can find some other way to unify the Eucliffe-Heartfilia reign, you complete and utter dic-’
Lucy crumpled up the paper, knowing if she called her father a rude name then it would for sure give her a slap on the wrist--or worse. Groaning, she pressed the quill to her parchment once more and tried again, this time a little more respectful.
‘Dearest Father, I regret to inform you that I will not be married off to Mr. Eucliffe. That last name is completely idiotic and I would never take the name of someone who sounds like a sneeze.’
So much for respectful, Lucy sighed as she pushed the paper off to the side in order to put her brain to work. What would actually make her father mad, but not mad enough to send one of his men to shout at her?
“Need help?” a voice asked from behind her, and she saw Gray pulling up a chair next to her. Lucy exhaled in relief at a familiar face to aid her in this time.
“That would be great, thanks. So, you know about the letter my father sent me yesterday, right?” she asked, and Gray nodded.
“Yeah. What about it?” Gray tilted his head slightly in confusion, and Lucy ran a hand through her hair a few times before answering.
“Well, I want to make him angry, but not angry enough that he’ll send a crony of his out to slap me on the wrist. I want to respond, but I don’t know what to say,” Lucy said, biting her lip nervously.
“Simple. Just don’t respond at all,” Gray said, leaning back in his chair and beginning to unbutton his shirt. He only stopped when Lucy cleared her throat loudly, and he quickly fixed the problem.
A few beats passed before Lucy replied. “What do you mean, don’t reply? I can’t do that!”
“Believe me, you can. That will make him mad, but not mad enough to pay someone to do the dirty work for him,” Gray said, waiting for Lucy to realize his plan.
Slowly, Lucy’s lips turned up at the corners. “You know, you might be right. Thanks, Gray!”
“No problem,” was his only reply as he began to walk away to grab a beverage from the refrigerator and watch TV. Lucy decided to take a quick nap before dinner as she was beginning to get sleepy once again. Lack of rest could really take a toll on a person, and Lucy was starting to realize that the more she stayed up late. She headed to her bedroom and smiled as she slept, thanking the gods once again for having such great friends.
Awakening from her nap, Lucy finally felt rested. Of course, it was almost dinnertime which meant she would be asleep in a few hours again. But she really did need the rest; customers at Juvia’s shop had her body begging for rejuvenation and writing at night before she crashed left dark circles underneath her eyes. Changing into a pair of cute matching sweats to lounge around the house in, she exited her bedroom to find Natsu and Gray fighting again.
Natsu conked Gray on the head before turning toward Lucy and grinning. Natsu flushed slightly when he saw how cute she looked in her baby blue clothes but acted natural anyway. He had to mask his feelings for her.
After all, she didn’t feel the same.
“Hey, Luce! Have a nice nap?” Natsu asked with a grin, and Lucy laughed.
“Yes, it was refreshing. Thank you for asking!” Lucy smiled, which only lit the flame in his heart even further. Damn, she was so cute!
Lucy walked over to the kitchen and began preparing the ingredients for dinner. Gajeel would be home soon, and he would want everything set out and the kitchen clean before he rolled up his sleeves and began to make the dish. He was quite picky with the ingredients he chose, and he liked having the kitchen tidy most of the time. Dishes was the one exception to the rule, and they all rotated cleaning them since they lacked a dishwasher.
After that was finished, Lucy plunked down at her chair and began to read the letter again. She knew Gray had told her not to reply, but something didn’t feel quite right. Her brain was telling her not to send back a letter at all to spite him, but her heart felt uneasy still. It seemed wrong to not write back, and it seemed worse to give into his schemes.
What was she going to do?
Setting her head down on her desk with a sigh, Lucy was starting to feel like she couldn’t do anything right with her father. She was unable to do anything right as a child even though she tried so hard to impress him, but now she felt even worse because she didn’t want to respond. Everything felt like an endless cycle with him: she tried her best, he snubbed her, she felt worse and retreated into herself.
“What’s wrong, Luce?” Natsu’s voice scared her, and she turned and realized he was standing behind her, craning his neck at the letter.
“Nothing, Natsu. Just trying to figure out how to write this letter to my father,” she replied honestly, and Natsu looked into her eyes.
“That’s easy, just go with your gut!” Natsu said with his signature grin, and Lucy brightened up a little. Was it really that easy?
Lucy began to laugh moments later, which Natsu was confused by. Had he said something funny? Cocking his head to the side, he watched her laugh. The melodic noise lifted his own spirits a little and he chuckled in response. Her laugh was so infectious that it almost made him laugh as well. Her eyes twinkled as she laughed, and he noticed that the corners of her eyes crinkled when she found something particularly funny.
Little by little, he was falling more in love with her.
“Thank you, Natsu. That was just what I needed,” she said after she stopped laughing, and Natsu was happy that he could bring that realization to her. All he wanted was to make her happy.
Lucy turned toward her desk once more and began to write, the words flowing out of her faster than they would have with her hesitation. Half a page of calligraphy later, she folded and pushed the letter into an envelope and stamped it with the seal her father gave her for her sixteenth birthday. She was quite fond of the gift and used it often despite the person who gave it to her.
Gajeel walked in the door, hanging up his coat and greeting his roommates. Grunting a reply at the kitchen’s tidiness and the ingredients set out on the counter, he began to make the meal. Ingredients were flying everywhere as he chopped, and Lucy rolled up her sleeves and helped out.
Once again, she was thankful for her roommates’ dedication to her life and happiness. It blessed her more than she could ever say, and as they ate the meal that the two prepared she was reminded of this even more.
Her anxiety was at an all-time low for the week, and she could count the anxiety attacks she had on one hand. Gray was happier with Juvia than he ever had been with another woman, and even though he had yet to ask her out officially they were pretty much an item. Gajeel was still his grumpy self, but you could see love in his eyes when he looked at Levy. The woman was coming over more often now, and it wasn’t just to bring baked treats over.
And Natsu…
Lucy looked at her roommate and crush, blushing when he complimented her on the meal she and Gajeel made. Natsu had become someone she could see herself dating, if at all possible. She hoped that he felt the same way for her, but she still wanted to become better friends with him first before testing the waters. His advice was the best that she had heard, and even though people had labeled him as an idiot, she knew that he was quite smart.
Living with three men wasn’t something that she could see herself doing years ago, but it was something that turned out to be quite a great help to her. They were there for her in the midst of all of her anxiety attacks and everything that happened, and she was there for them as well.
Things were looking up. And Lucy couldn’t be more grateful.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I apologize that it took so long. I just got a new job and they are scheduling me lots of hours--yay! Please be patient with me.
Nalu with "You're important too" or "You can tell me anything." Thanks!
*finger guns* you got it!
Requests are now closed <3
~
“Aw, c’mon, Luce! You can tell me anything,” Natsu coaxed, and Lucy turned away.
“No, Natsu,” Lucy said evenly, fighting to keep both her facial expressions and tone neutral. This was something that she had wanted to tell him for a long time and had told Juvia about in secret to never tell anyone.
Thankfully, Gray was smart enough not to tell Natsu exactly what Lucy had said. He just beat around the bush a little, and fortunately Natsu was still slightly dense not to figure it out.
“Please?” Natsu asked, and to her chagrin she turned to face him once more. His eyes were big and bright, and he wore that grin that was one of her only weaknesses.
Lucy sighed, running a hand through her hair. “Fine.”
Leaning down to where Natsu knelt, Lucy whispered in his ear after taking a deep breath for courage. “I have liked you since we met.”
Natsu’s ears rang with her words, and he stood in shock for a moment. Lucy–Lucy liked him?
Slowly his mouth twitched at the corners, and he began to laugh. Lucy growled, narrowing her eyes for a moment before beginning to stomp away. Idiot! She should have never told him.
“Sorry, Luce,” Natsu said after a moment, wiping his eyes and watching Lucy storm off. “I thought ya didn’t know I knew.”
Lucy snapped back to look at him, her eyes wide. “You–You knew?”
“Yeah. And I like you too,” he said, looking into her eyes with a smirk.
Lucy couldn’t say anything out of shock before Natsu bent down and kissed her, closing the gap between them that had been open for so long.
(in combat) anyways, here is an jerza piece to my avatar au.
yeah, yeah, i love listening to music while writing so i suggest you listen to this while reading!
now without further delay.
jerza (+gruvia) — avatar au — rated t for trash and mild language
He was impressed. He was thoroughly impressed. This headstrong, red-headed girl that had caught his eye from the moment the group of three—himself, Juvia and Gray—had ran into her own ragtag team, was evenly matching him in the art of hand to hand combat. It was something that make his heart bounce around inside his chest with major excitement. No one he’d ever come across was able to do the things this girl was doing as of now. Jellal stood only feet in front of his opponent, a dumbfounded look on his face while the others watched them spar. He kept put while she came at him with yet another blow to his forearms, which was just enough lack of force for Jellal to keep his balance as his attention quickly came back to the fight at hand instead of fluttering over every move she made. In all truth, he couldn’t say he would’ve made a different one. It was a match of blocking and striking, back and forth quickly between the two, Jellal’s aggressive stance matching Erza’s own. It was like fighting your reflection in the mirror, each making the same move as the other and then doing the same to counter. A loud thud had claimed Erza as the victor, Jellal’s head too far in the clouds to continue paying attention to her while she had definitely side sweep kicked his ass.
She stood over him with her hands on her hips, a humble grin the only thing he could make out with the moon glaring in his eyes behind her. There was also a loud cheer from the group that had claimed camp a generous amount of yards away. Erza had asked him to spar and he had agreed, with a silent agreement on doing it to where it wouldn’t be obvious that they were sparring. Not that it mattered to Jellal, he just wanted to be able to focus.
Regardless of the fact that his wandering attention was the cause for his loss.
He was in awe at the fluidity of his sparring partner’s movements, knowing damn well that she could’ve easily matched or even surpassed the infamous smooth way Gray would connect his bending with his body. She had gone and skipped ahead, Jellal lagging behind due to his ideas of the girl. Could she be doing this her whole life? He was bigger than her in size and he should’ve had an advantage, but he didn’t. She was evenly matched in stamina, strength, speed. It was very possible that she was even better in all of those areas as well. It baffled him, and it was clear Gray was absolutely past the point of astonishment once he had sit down on the blanket where his second-in-command kept to himself, quickly watching from afar.
“Jellal, I-” Gray started, his eyes wide with disbelief.
“Gray,” Jellal cut him off with a warmhearted laugh, “It was just a spar.”
“Y-Yeah, but, you’ve never lost?”
Jellal inhaled deeply, his eyes shifting from Gray to his sister whom was getting along quite nicely with the others and roasting game that they had caught over the fire. The sight pulled a grin to his lips. It was nice to see his sister out and making friends, instead of clinging to him and Gray’s side. No matter how hard it was for Jellal to accept that he couldn’t keep her fully protected forever, it wasn’t much of his choice.
“How come it surprises you? There’s always bound to be someone bigger, better than you, somewhere. No amount of training could change that, experience is what counts, and it’s clear that she has a bit more experience than I do.” He nodded towards Erza before his eyes flickered back to Juvia laughing with the rest of the group.
“I just didn’t expect it, you’re the chief.”
“Even the chief isn’t invincible.”
He might’ve had the tribal mark as Jellal’s second in command, but that meant little to his experience in actually holding a high status within village. How to properly serve and protect his people, how to serve and protect her, if she’d ever come. Shaking his head slightly, Jellal followed his friend’s line of sight to his sister although decided against it with a slight, humored grunt. It was too late in the night for him to start a fuss, unwilling to put any more unnecessary energy into the last few hours he was up.
A few minutes of silence with Gray sitting next to him, Juvia had gotten up from the campfire to bring two cups of stale hot chocolate over to the boys. They weren’t that far off from a city and earlier in the day Jellal had given those in the group spending money for necessary supplies. Supposedly, they assumed hot chocolate was included. He was grateful for his little sister’s offer, though, taking the cup and sipping at it—only to laugh unbelievably hard when Gray had burnt his tongue.
Sure, he was to be the next chief, he was straddled with such great authority and held a responsibility to everyone in the village. To protect, to serve. There was one tiny detail everyone, even himself, seemed to forget to take into regard. Jellal was still in his mid twenties. His mature facade had been ironed to perfect by the council, the chief and more importantly, his father, to the point where it was no longer a mask but apart of his character. The council had poked and prodded into his personality, teaching him traits of a valuable chief and picking out the characteristics they had distaste for. Away from the tribe, he could genuinely laugh and act childish without being scolded, he could take time to spar and have fun without the intruding eyes of the village.
It was such a nice change, a change he so happily welcomed with open arms—even if it wouldn’t last forever. It was like a breath of fresh air that he so desperately needed to thrive. Experience had always mattered to him, it encouraged knowledge and curiosity. Despite the fact that he would’ve never came until Juvia was so desperate and so eager to see places other than an snow covered land she would forever call home. He didn’t have the heart to do that to her.
The others began to wind down after killing the fire and finishing their watered down hot chocolate, the younger ones climbing on top of the flying bison to sleep while others, such as Gray and the earth bender, had chosen to sleep in the grass on the blankets.
Rolling his eyes over to the familiar water bender, Jellal mumbled under his breath over the fact that ‘he always has to be fuckin’ difficult’ while pressing his back into the mammal. Never had he seen something so big with the ability to fly, at least not down in the south pole. Crossing his arms and snuggling his head to his shoulder, he decided it was best to go ahead and get some sleep—
“Jel.. lal?”
“Mm?” He didn’t open his eyes, but only tried to dictate if he had fallen asleep for a while only to be woken up. It sounded like someone was testing the way his name rolled of their tongue in a hushed tone.
“Were you sleeping? I-I, I didn’t mean to wak-”
He slowly opened his eyes to see the red-head sitting next to him, her face clearly showing how flustered she was, “Ah, no. It’s fine, really.”
“A-Are you sure? I’m really s-”
“I’m sure. What do you need?” Clearly he didn’t sleep long, it was still dark as hell and everyone was still sleeping.
“I just, wanted to say thank you.”
“For?” Jellal raised a brow in mild confusion, regardless if she would’ve been able to see it or not.
“Sparring with me. It’s, been a while.”
“It was an honor.”
Now it was his turn to catch her off guard, his formal way of speaking kicking in to save his ass while he was on the brink of exhaustion. It was just rude to fall asleep while having company.
“..Why?”
“I’ve never gotten beat before. It was refreshing.”
“Then wouldn’t you.. be angry?”
“Absolutely not. It just means that there’s others out there better than me, and that I need to try harder.” He simply put with a shrug, nuzzling the back of his head into the animal that he was using as support. She was silent, so he assumed that she had passed out or lost interest in the conversation. Either way, he was too tired for his formality to hold.
