#big bang Nalu/Gruvia

[day-writingdaydreams]

Who Knew I Was Crossing A Line

Summary: Natsu returns to Magnolia after having left for over a year. He goes to an open mic night and sees that his ex, Lucy, is performing. Songfic, A.U. Fairy Tail and its characters are owned by Hiro Mashima. Who Knew is by P!nk. Crossing a Line is owned by Mike Shinoda.

This was my first fanfic and was written for the #BigBangEvent for @nalugruviaevents. The art is by the amazing @bakugyou with a ton of help from my awesome beta reader @doginshoe. Thanks, you guys! I love ya to bits!

The Magnolia train station was a hub of activity when a rosy haired young man stumbled off of his train. He took a moment to quell the queasiness in his stomach before going in search of a familiar face. Glancing about, he noticed a placard with the words ‘Flame Brain’ being held up by a young man with black hair.

“Hey Popsicle, thanks for being my welcome wagon,” the rosette greeted.

“Nice to have you back, Fire Breath,” The noirette replied, helping him with his luggage. “ you back for good this time?” He asked as he led the boy to his Dodge Avenger.

“Yeah,” Natsu sighed as he settled in the passenger seat after placing a guitar case in the back of the car. “I’m back for good, Gray.” He sighed again before muttering, “I found him.”

Gray’s eyes went wide as he settled behind the wheel, whipping his head to face Natsu. “You did?!” He exclaimed.

“Yeah,” said a somber Natsu, averting his attention to the view out of his window.  “Could we go to Fairy Tail and grab some food? I need ta talk to Gramps, see if I could get a job and a place to stay,” Natsu rambled, keeping his gaze out of his window.

‘Besides, I don’t think she would want me staying at her place’ his heart ached at the errant thought.

“Sure man,” said Gray, giving Natsu a concerned look. He’d never seen the usually boisterous guy in such a state, but he knew better than to question it. “You know, I’d let you stay at my place, but Juvia just moved in.” Casting another glance, Gray started the ignition, and pointed the car to its destination.

“Thanks for the offer, but I really wouldn’t like to butt in anyways,” Natsu said with a small grin. “Besides, I’d like to have my own space again.”

Fairy Tail Bar and Grill was a hole-in-the-wall local watering hole that was a Magnolia institution. There were quite a few regular customers who would stop in, as well as the occasional tourist group or three. People gathered there for the great food, the friendly service, and even for the random chaos that comes about in waves. There was always a friendly brawl going on or a reason to throw a party.

The two boys considered it their second home, as they practically grew up there. The rowdy pub regulars taught them more about life than they had ever wanted to learn, as most of those regulars were perverts.

The drive didn’t take long at all, and soon Gray parked the car and started to get out when he realized something and froze. The sign on the window made him think twice, but Natsu was already halfway out of the vehicle.

“Shit,” Gray muttered, thinking as quickly as he could. “Hey Flame Brain, I don’t think tonight’s a good night for this. It looks really crowded in there.”

Natsu looked at his best friend incredulously “What are talking about? Unless a lot has changed since I left, this looks like a normal crowd!”

‘Man, you have no idea how much has changed,’ Gray thought bitterly. ‘Maybe if you kept in touch better you would have realized that before now.’

Natsu pulled open the heavy wood and glass doors and stepped into the organized chaos that was Fairy Tail. To his chagrin, it was a little more crowded than he remembered. There were also the sounds of instruments being tuned, which was a very uncommon noise for the rowdy bar. Natsu also noticed that the stage in the back of the bar was being set up with more musical instruments by a blonde female with a figure to die for. He felt drawn to her for some reason, but squashed that thought quickly, his heart still longing for the girl he had left behind.

Tearing his gaze from the scene, Natsu glanced around to locate any more familiar faces and was immediately rewarded with the person behind the bar. He walked towards the side of the establishment, a small smile tugging on the corners of his lips.

“Hey Mira, could I get some fire chicken and a cola?” Natsu asked cheekily as he approached the bar.

The white haired barmaid spun around abruptly, catching herself on the bar top to steady herself as her eyes widened with shock and surprise.

“Natsu!” Mirajane squealed, practically throwing herself across the bar top to give him a hard hug. “Where have you been? You up and leave without any warning, and don’t tell anyone! We were so worried about you!” she chastised as she moved away after nearly smothering the male.

“I know. I’m sorry Mira,” Natsu said regretfully. “I had a lead and needed to follow it.”

Mira cupped his face gently in her palm with a soft look in her eyes. “At least you’re here and you’re alive,” she stated. “That’s all that’s really matters.”

She turned to go place his order in the kitchen as Gray walked up to the bar.

“Figured you two would want to catch up,” Gray stated.

Natsu closed his eyes and rubbed his face as he replied, “I really fucked up, didn’t I?”

“Maybe if you had kept in touch better, you wouldn’t’ve,” Gray sighed, struggling to not start an argument. “Why didn’t you?”

“It’s kind of hard to when you’re out of the country with no service, your phone gets stolen and you’re broke as fuck,” retorted the rosy haired man, annoyed. “I had to resort to more than just busking to make enough money for food and to save up to come back.”

“That sounds incredibly harsh,” interjected the snowy haired barmaid as she made her way over to the almost arguing males with Natsu’s order. “You could have written to us, Natsu. We would’ve helped.”

Natsu looked down at his food sheepishly, “I wasn’t really thinking clearly to do that at the time.”

A loud sound followed by a string of curse words came from the stage, drawing attention from the little group at the bar.

“Lucy,” Mira called, “try to keep it clean tonight!”

‘Shit!’ Natsu thought frantically, eyes quickly scanning the area. ‘Lucy’s here?!  

The sexy blonde on the stage looked up as she repositioned a fallen piece of the drum kit and shot a furious glance at the group by the bar. “I make no promises, Mira,” she called back as she finished her setup.

Natsu’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates once he focused his sights on her. ‘Holy shit! She’s even more beautiful than I remembered!’

Mira looked back at the stunned male with a small, sad smile. “Lucy’s started an Open Mic night here once a week with Master’s permission,” she explained.  

“It’s been really popular,” added Gray. “I give real props to her.”

Natsu could only nod dumbly as he continued to stare in awe at his ex-girlfriend, his plate of food forgotten.

Lucy was a vision in her bootcut dark wash jeans, red peasant shirt and brown low heeled clogs. Her long golden tresses were in a loose braid over her shoulder. She slipped on her cedar topped Greg Bennett electric acoustic guitar with her Starry Night guitar strap, making sure that it was tuned and plugged into her amp and pedals as she perched on the barstool on stage.

Her mocha colored eyes scanned the room, landing on a familiar head of pink spiked hair. A gasp left her lips as she nearly fell off her seat.

‘This can’t be real. I’m imagining things. He’s not really here,” Lucy thought, quickly composing herself while closing her eyes and shaking her head with a sad smile. ‘I’ve finally cracked up. Maybe it’s time to finally play that one song.”

With a resolute sigh, she introduced herself and welcomed everyone to the Open Mic. After stating that she had a new song for everyone, she placed her nimble fingers on the strings and began to play the familiar  chords, closing her eyes as she hit her drum pedal and began to sing.

You took my hand You showed me how You promised me you'd be around Uh huh That's right

She slowly opened her eyes, glancing once again to what she believed to be her pink haired delusion. They had so much history together, childhood best friends for years before they became lovers. She hit the loop pedal to keep her chords going.

Natsu felt a piercing pain in his heart. He did make that promise, didn’t he? Yet he had quickly packed his bags and ran out the door, never looking back. Not once. He was such a moron for not keeping it.

I took your words And I believed In everything You said to me Yeah huh That's right

She saw him staring at her, a look of pain and sorrow on his face. That wasn’t right. He always smiled in her visions. His grin being the one he used to give her every day where his dark green eyes would close with how big it was. So why was he sad? She stop this train of thought as she switched up the sound of her guitar with an overdrive pedal to make her guitar sound more like an electric guitar.

If someone said three years from now You'd be long gone I'd stand up and punch them out 'Cause they're all wrong I know better 'Cause you said forever And ever Who knew

She closed her eyes from the pain caused by her memories, feeling her broken heart starting to crack a little once more as she poured herself into the mic. It had been too long since she had felt this strongly about, well, anything. She gave a broken chuckle at the thought.

The ache in his chest continued to spread, causing his breath to catch in his throat. His head spun with thoughts of coulda, woulda, shoulda. He couldn’t believe that this was how he had left her. He shouldn’t have left the way that he did. He felt lower than slime.

Remember when we were such fools And so convinced and just too cool Oh no No no

Swamped in memory, she could almost feel his touch on her face, his heat as they kissed.  Oh how she missed him! Months spent trying to block this feeling nearly killed her, but what could she do? He left without saying a word, without saying goodbye.

Without saying he loved her.

And that destroyed her soul.

I wish I could touch you again I wish I could still call you friend I'd give anything

‘Oh Luce, I’d give anything for that as well,’ the heartbroken pink haired idiot just stared at the love of his life, his mouth left agape. He had been a complete and utter fool. The whole time he was gone all he could think of was her, but she wouldn’t forgive him - how could she?

She opened her eyes once again, believing this to be her strongest delusion yet. He was still there! And he looked as just heartbroken as she felt.

It took everything she had to keep her voice steady and strong. She couldn’t let it break just yet.

When someone said count your blessings now For they're long gone I guess I just didn't know how I was all wrong They knew better Still you said forever And ever Who knew Yeah yeah

Her gaze shifted to her fretboard, making certain that she hit all the right chords.

I'll keep you locked in my head Until we meet again

Her gaze shifted once more back to him. It was always back to him.

He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. He was a magnet, and she was true North.

Until we Until we meet again And I won't forget you my friend What happened

She started to sing with her whole heart, trying to exorcise her demons with her voice, pouring her feelings into every word. Who cares if the whole world knows now? She had always loved him, and now she was singing to a figment of her imagination.

If someone said three years from now You'd be long gone I'd stand up and punch them out 'Cause they're all wrong and

She roared in tune and melody, sounding like an avenging angel. Her guitar strings echoing strongly with her emotions, her heartbreak, her grief.

That last kiss I'll cherish Until we meet again And time makes It harder I wish I could remember But I keep Your memory You visit me in my sleep My darling Who knew

She took gasping breaths, trying to reel in her raging emotions once again, and switched off her overdrive pedal and loop pedal.

My darling My darling Who knew

Her voice came out as a breathy whisper; a little broken sounding as her tears threatened to fall. She closed her eyes against them and forced her voice to become stronger as she almost effortlessly picked up her beginning chords once more.

Natsu was starting to feel confused. He understood that the song was about them, but did she think that he was dead? This was way worse than he thought. He really did screw up this time.

How the hell was he going to fix this?!

My darling I miss you My darling Who knew

Memories of pink hair, kind eyes, and a wide fanged grin assaulted her. She opened her mahogany orbs and locked eyes with his olivine gaze.

Who knew

‘Natsu,” she thought as she stopped her drum pedal and ended the song with a final dampened chord.

“Lucy,” Natsu whispered reverently under his breath, calloused fingers itching to reach out to her. To hold her in his arms to comfort her from her pain he caused her, to breathe in her addictive scent of sweet almonds and honey.

A pregnant pause followed by a deafening sound broke her concentration as the bar patrons applauded Lucy’s performance. She had honestly forgotten where she was and who was listening. She blushed and stood to make her bow, relinquishing the stage for the next performer

Mira turned to Natsu, noting the heartbreak plain on his face. “You know,” she started slowly, “Lucy missed you the most out of all of us. I don’t think that she realizes that you’re actually even here.”

Dumbfounded, Natsu turned back to the barmaid with a quizzical look. “What do you mean?”

“She means,” interrupted a sour looking Gray, “that Lucy had such a hard time about you leaving that she thinks you’re a figment of her imagination! She’s been to therapy and everything because you couldn’t have bothered to tell her that you were going or if you’d be back!” The boy seethed quietly.

“Gray!” Mira hissed, giving him a deadly glare as he cowered from her in fear. “That’s not our truth to share! How dare you!”

Ignoring the seething barmaid and the cowering dark haired idiot, Natsu became lost in thought. He needed to fix this, he needed her to know. After some time, he came up with a plan.

“Hey Mira, do you think you can get me a performance spot for tonight?” Natsu asked quite suddenly, wiping his palms nervously on the thighs of his work worn jeans. “I have an idea…”

He got up from the barstool as Mira gave a hesitant nod and threw Gray a pointed look.

“Ice breath, I need to get some stuff from the car,” he growled.

As they left arguing for the car, Lucy approached the bar.

“Hey Mira, can I get an iced strawberry mint tea with honey?” the blonde requested as she wearily slid onto the barstool, leaning her elbows onto the bar and propping her jaw with the palm of her hand

With a smile, the barmaid answered as she picked up the forgotten food to place it someplace safe, “Sure thing Lucy! By the way, your performance tonight was amazing!”

“Thank you,” Lucy replied tiredly, coming down from her performance high. That song always drained her both physically and emotionally, even in practice.

‘I guess that’s what exorcising your demons does to you.’ she thought derisively.

“It sounded like you were singing that song for a certain someone…” Mira teased as she quickly served the younger girl.

“More like to a ghost than anyone, Mira,” the blonde answered sadly as she closed her eyes. “The person I was singing to wasn’t even here.”

“Oh? Are you sure about that?” The older female inquired with a twinkle in her eye.

“I haven’t seen or heard from him in over a year,” Lucy said despondently, opening her eyes to focused on her drink, not noticing the pair of boys walking back into the bar, or the pink haired boy focusing all of his attention on her. “I highly doubt that he’s going to just waltz into Fairy Tail just in time to hear my song… and if I did happen to see him, it’s probably all in my head anyways. Stupid dragon,” she pouted, her attention still on her beverage.

Glancing at the stunned Natsu while grabbing a glass to clean, Mira exclaimed, “Oh, that reminds me! Someone requested a spot for tonight, if possible. It’s someone who hasn’t played here before.” She said that last part with a secretive smile.

This request piqued the blonde’s interest. Raising a brow, Lucy lifted her gaze to the barmaid in question.

“I’ll double check with Levy,” she said slowly. “She’s got my clipboard with the available spots, but I think I saw one open.”

“That’s great!” Mira beamed. “I’ll let them know once you confirm.”

Lucy smiled as she got off of the barstool, turning and spotting Gray and her supposed pink haired apparition as she did. She greeted Gray, trying her best to ignore who she believed to be the figment of her imagination that was standing right next to him as she asked after Juvia. Even though her skin had tingled from being so near to him as she passed by him on her way back to the stage, she still did her best to not acknowledge him.

She felt as if she were crazy enough as it was.

Natsu scowled slightly as he watched her leave. He kept quiet during the exchange, hoping that she’d notice him, but it seemed that Grays words rang true. She really didn’t believe that he was actually in front of her.

‘This is gonna be harder than I thought…’

He set down his guitar case gingerly on the floor, and turned to face Mira with a pensive look. “She really doesn’t think that I’m here,” he said quietly, pushing a hand through his hair to rub at the back of his neck. “How am I supposed to win her back if she still thinks that I’m gone?”

Giving him a look of understanding, Mira said, “Don’t give up just yet, Natsu. I’m sure you can do it.” She brought back out his food and made a gesture to it. “In the meantime, eat up. You’ll need the energy to perform.”

He quirked his lips in a small smile and settled down onto the barstool to eat. “You got it, Mira,” he said as he dug in.

“Hey Mira!” a blue haired fairy called as she came up to the bar a little while later. “Lucy mentioned that you had someone asking for a performance spot?”

Mira turned to her direction, “Levy! Yes, I had someone ask for a spot. It’s for a very good cause,” she emphasized as she directed the girl’s attention to the pink haired man chowing down in front of her.

Levy’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Natsu?! What the hell are you doing here?” she asked in disbelief, moving in to give him a warm hug. “Where the hell have you been?  Has Lucy seen you yet? It’s so great that you’re back! Are you back for -”

“Whoa Levy! Slow down! You’re firing off those questions faster than I can form an answer!” He chuckled as he awkwardly returned her hug. “I was in Alvarez following a lead. I’m back for good. As for Lucy…” he trailed off as he let go of her, unable to formulate an answer.

Levy looked at him quizzically for a moment before it dawned on her. “She doesn’t believe that you’re physically here, does she?” she asked quietly.

Natsu eyed her sadly before answering. “No, I don’t think that she does,” he said in a breath. “That’s why I need the spot. I think it’s the only way to convince her.”

She looked at him in kindness, patting his hand. “You may be right,” she conceded as she tucked a loose strand of her blue hair behind her ear. “There’s a spot open after Gajeel. He’s the guitar player in the suit who’s got the long black hair and multiple piercings.” She turned to the stage as she pointed out the man in a white suit and fedora to the pink haired boy. “He’s about to go on next, so you better get ready. I gotta get back to help Lucy. Break a leg, Natsu!”

“Thanks Levy!” He said with a smile as she got up to leave, watching her interact with Lucy and helping the intimidatingly pierced male with his setup.

As he finished his meal, Gray made himself comfortable on the barstool beside him.

“You should watch this Fire Breath,” he said whilst pointing to the stage where Gajeel was strumming his Fender Custom Stratocaster electric guitar. “He’s the Iron Dragon of Fairy Tail, and for good reason.”

Natsu lifted a brow at that, as he was once well known as Fairy Tail’s Fire Dragon. “What has he done to earn that title?”

“You’ll see,” Gray smirked with a laugh.

The man onstage let out his grizzly voice in a greeting to the audience, tilting his white fedora in salute. “This is… Shoo Bee Doo Da.”

As his gravelly bass voice begun his song a few notes offkey and several decibels too high, Natsu turned his wide disbelieving eyes onto a smirking Gray before the pair doubled over in silent laughter

“Oh man! He’s the absolute worst!” Natsu chuckled as he tried to regain his breath. He desperately wanted to cover his ears, as Gajeel’s voice really did sound like iron nails on a chalkboard when he hit yet another wrong note.

“I know, right?” Gray snickered.

“Is that supposed to be jazz? Or rockabilly blues?” Natsu asked incredulously, laughter still ringing in his voice.

“Who cares? Either way, it sounds like something dying!” Gray howled quietly, trying not to disturb the other bar patrons.

After their laughter died down, Natsu started to get off of his seat with a sigh. “I better start getting ready before they boo Bolts for Brains off of the stage,” he said as he grabbed his guitar case and backpack.

Gray grunted in agreement before turning to the pink haired male. “Hey man,” he began, running his finger through his hair, “I might not have agreed with how you had handled everything before, but I hope that you straighten your shit out soon. You deserve it … and so does Lucy.”

Natsu looked up wide eyed from pulling his laptop and cords from his backpack to the dark haired male before him. He stared at him before a smile creeped up on his face.

“Thanks Gray.”

“You better not fuck this up,” Gray’s dark eyes turned icy as he scowled at his childhood friend. Natsu’s own eyes narrowed, all vestiges of their former camaraderie gone. “I hate seeing Lucy get hurt. She’s like my sister, and if I find out that you did something on this level again…”

“I get the point,” he growled as he stuffed his tech back into his backpack in annoyance. “It ain’t gonna happen again. I swear my life on it, Ice Prick, so back the fuck off!”

Before the raven haired male could get out another word, Natsu was already off, dragging his gear to the stage. He shook off his negative energy as quickly as he could, knowing that it would affect his performance if he didn’t. ‘God, I hope this works,’ he thought desperately as he threw a quick grin to an encouraging Levy on his way. He noticed Lucy heading back to the bar and taking his vacated seat, ordering herself another drink. ‘For both of our sakes.’

Natsu quickly unpacked his Apple MacBook Air and hooked it up to the bar’s sound system, logged in and opened up his GarageBand app. Selecting the right file, he quickly tuned his Paul Reed Smith A15AL SE Angelus acoustic/electric guitar and plugged it into the amp as he waited for the file to load.

Slinging his guitar on his shoulder, the rose haired man walked over to the microphone, took it off of the mic stand and cleared his throat. “Hello, my name is Natsu,” he started as he walked back to the MacBook. “I’m going to do an unconventional song for you today. It’s unconventional in the way it’s performed, and it’s dedicated to the girl I loved whom I left behind.” He said this while directing his gaze to Lucy.

Lucy’s breath caught as her attention was drawn to him. ‘It couldn’t be…’ she thought as she blinked owlishly. ‘Since when do my delusions get up on stage and perform?!’ Her mind whirled as she watched him move lithely on the stage, completely missing his song dedication.

Pressing play on his laptop, Natsu let the opening of the song wash over him with his eyes half closed as he made his way back to the microphone stand to secure the mic, his guitar swinging from his back.

He took a deep breath after singing the opening line and dug deep to find his courage, pushing aside his nerves. He looked up to see his friends staring at him in awe. Especially Lucy.

With that, Natsu was ready to set aside his reservations and lay his heart bare.

They'll tell you I don’t care anymore

And I hope you'll know that's a lie

'Cause I've found what I have been waiting for But to get there means crossing a line

He set his eyes downcast, almost lost in thought as the words clawed their way out of his throat.

I don't know how to warn you For what I'm gonna say

The drum line started, a beat that instantly caught on with the audience. Heads and shoulders bopping, all the signs telling Natsu that he’s got them hooked, if he had looked up to see.

'Cause you're holding so tight to What I'm taking away I got demons inside me So I'm faced with a choice

He smirked sadly at that last last line. Oh how true that felt.

Either try to ignore them Or I give them a voice

At that, Natsu lifted his gaze. Lucy was already staring up at him, however, her doe eyes wide as she tried to process what was happening. Natsu was gone… wasn’t he?

‘Is he really here?’ she thought as she made a move to pinch herself. Feeling the slight sting of her nails against her flesh, her eyes widened even further. ‘Holy sh-!’

And it's keeping me up at night Worried it's not alright Holding back things you don't know

His husky baritone voice interrupted her thoughts, the lyrics forcing her focus back to him.

Natsu glanced at Gray, Mira, Levy and Lucy in turn. He couldn’t help but linger his stare at Lucy. He yearned for her to understand that though he had hurt her by leaving, he had to find out the truth.

He had to find where his father was, and what happened to him.

And it's keeping me up at night Worried it's not alright You're not gonna like where this goes

He shook his head and closed his eyes at that line. He adjusted his guitar, securing the flame embroidered strap firmly onto his shoulder and gripping the neck, curling his fingers over the fretboard as he poured himself into the chorus.

And they'll tell you I don't care anymore And I hope you'll know that's a lie

Natsu resolved that he would tell her everything later, after he convinced her of his presence.

'Cause I've found what I have been waiting for But to get there means crossing a line So I'm crossing a line

He played a riff on his guitar, the look on his face showing that he was clearly enjoying losing himself in the music while he directed his next verse to the blonde.

Lucy couldn’t help but stare, watching Natsu’s powerful biceps bunch and flow under the rolled up sleeves of his black button down shirt, his fingers flying as he played the stringed instrument.

It's not about status We know it never was

He let go of the guitar’s neck at this point, but slid his malachite eyes to his girl, noticing her stunned mocha stare.

‘So, it looks like she’s starting to believe that I’m real,” he thought with a smirk.

'Cause what good is the kingdom When you're missing the love?

Lucy covered her mouth with her right hand as her coffee colored eyes went wide at those words. ‘Is that supposed to mean… ? Does he still love me?’ Her heart started to beat a little faster, making her chest feel warm with sensation.

She ignored the small squeak that came from Mirajane.

This is not a goodbye now I'm not going away

He smiled at her as he sang that line, putting a hand to his heart, a not so silent vow.

No, I don't have the answers But I do have the faith

Oh, and it's keeping me up at night Worried it's not alright Holding back things you don't know

Natsu ran a hand through his now slightly dampened hair, in a vain attempt to keep his sweaty bangs out of his eyes.

Lucy thought it was the hottest thing she’d ever seen.

And it's keeping me up at night Worried it's not alright You're not gonna like where this goes, no

His voice rang out as the chorus came to a head.

And they'll tell you I don't care anymore

He sent a glare to Gray, full of fire and fury. A silent challenge to the man who held what couldn’t be understood against him.

And I hope you'll know that's a lie

He softened his gaze as he shifted to Mirajane, letting the fire die down and dropping the fury completely.

She sent him a smile back with a subtle thumbs up, letting him know that his plan was working.

'Cause I've found what I have been waiting for

He slow blinked as he moved on to Lucy, the love and longing he felt for her piercing into her soul as she stared back at him. Her lower lip trembled behind her hand, tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. He really was… He was...

But to get there means crossing a line So I'm crossing a line

The drum line died down and Natsu started to clap his hands to the beat, encouraging the audience to do so as well, never once taking his eyes off of Lucy. Once that beat was established, he once more readjusted his grip on the guitar, readying himself in anticipation for what came next with a grin.

Lucy waited with baited breath, eyes shimmering as she desperately tried to blink them back into focus.

She was not about to lose sight of him again, tears be damned!

And they'll tell you I don't care anymore And I hope you'll know that's a lie

The drum line kicked in full force once again, with an electronic echo of the last few words, shocking the audience and picking up the energy Natsu was giving off with his riff.

Laughing behind her hand, she allowed one happy tear escape. It was such a Natsu thing for him to do.

And God she loved him for that.

'Cause I've found what I have been waiting for

Natsu sent a heartfelt smile to Lucy, once again hoping that she understood that he loved her, and that he was back for good.

But to get there means crossing a line So I'm crossing a line

He picked up his riff again, eyes never leaving his favorite blonde.

Lucy lowered her hand to smile back with no more tears in her eyes. She understood, and felt the shattered pieces of her heart start to come back together. He was home.

So I’m crossing a line

‘I love you Luce. I’m home.’ Smiling even wider, fangs showing, Natsu ended his song.

So I’m crossing a line

The audience went wild with their cheers, causing the pink haired male to tear his attention away from his intended target for a moment to take his bow. But when he turned his focus back to her, he realized that she was no longer in her seat.

Lucy met him halfway between the stage and the bar, arms crossed over her generous bosom and a passive expression on her angelic face.

Natsu knew he was in trouble. Deep trouble.

“Hey,” Natsu greeted, scratching the back of his head nervously.

“Hi,” she answered

“I guess we have a lot to talk about.”

“We most certainly do,” she said as she motioned for him to join her in a private booth.

After settling in, with eyes downcast, Natsu said with a sigh, “I am so sorry. I-I should’ve told you everything from the start.” His breath hitched just a little, tear gathering in the corners of his eyes. “I should’ve found a way to get in touch with you. I should’ve -”

She reached across the distance between them and placed her fingertips to his lips, effectively cutting him off from his babbling. He finally brought his gaze to hers, his wet jade getting lost in the deep brown of her eyes.

It was the first time that Lucy had actually physically touched him since this whole misunderstanding began. The feel of his lips against her skin set fire to her veins, causing her breath to catch as the intense heat raced up her arm to pool in her chest.

“Don’t,” she said with a shuddering breath, desperate to keep her emotions in check. “...d-did you find him?” She asked gently as she moved her fingers from his lips to his cheek.

With a wince that drew his eyes away from hers once more, he nodded, nuzzling against her fingers and swallowing harshly.

“I did,” he said in an almost broken whisper as he grabbed at the hand that she still held to his cheek and pressed it closer to his skin.

Sensing his pain, she drew him in close, resting her forehead to his with her eyes closed, holding onto her tears. His pain now becoming hers as understanding filtered through her.

She loved his father as her own, after all.

Natsu’s eyes went wide at the gesture, his words lost in utter disbelief. He never imagined being able to touch her this intimately again. A few moments later, he lowered his own dark eyelashes to his cheekbones and let out a quiet sigh, taking the moment for what it was.

It was a moment of grief for what had happened in the past; of the level of trust that they still had in each other.

A moment for the love that they both still shared.

“I missed you,” he spoke softly, his breath fluttering gently across her face. “I thought of you every single day that I was gone.”

“I missed y-you too,” she choked out, tears beginning to fall from her closed eyelids, dusting her eyelashes like diamonds. “I-I thought I was going crazy. I kept seeing you everywhere I went, even when I knew…”

“There were times when I thought I saw you too,” he confided as he slowly opened his eyes.

Lucy opened her eyes in awe. “Really?” She asked, amazed that the boy in front of her might just still reciprocate her feelings.

“Really,” Natsu answered as he caressed her cheekbone with his thumb, wiping away her tears. His love shone brilliantly from his eyes, nearly illuminating them. “And after all of this, I’ve finally found what I have been waiting for,” he said as he leaned in close.

Lucy smirked. “And that is…?” she asked coyly.

“You,” he said simply, taking her breath away as he edged in even closer.

“Natsu …” her voice was lost as he finally, finally closed the distance between them. The feel of his slightly chapped lips against her glossed ones soothed her soul as it simultaneously heated her core. His hand slipped from her face to her golden strands, tangling his fingers in the base of her braid. Her hand had similar ideas, engulfing itself in the pink hairs on the back of his neck.

It was like the missing piece to the puzzle of their hearts.

It felt like finally coming home.

When they finally breathlessly pulled apart, Natsu grinned sheepishly. “So….does this mean I can crash at your place now?”

Lucy laughed lightly, a bubbly feeling in her chest that hadn’t been felt for so long. “Don’t you think that you’re crossing a line?”

“Aren’t I always?” he grinned as he crashed his lips onto hers again

[adoranymph]

Meet Me By the Orange Tree - Nalu/Gruvia Big Bang

Story by adoranymph

Art by brielle

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Z-sPH5uj7Ehp0KrZRFvR65RPdVCOTjA6N-3XvB8e63s/edit?usp=sharing

[thewritingstar]

A Royal Heart

This is my fic for the big bang event sponsored by the wonderful @nalugruviaevents ! 

My amazing partner was @goldenmorpho who made a gorgeous piece of art to go along with my fic and big thanks to @rieriebee for being our lovely mod for our group. 

This is a Gruvia princess Au and ive been working on this bad boi for a few months now. So I hope you all enjoy!!!

It was a dark day on the kingdom. The clouds turned foggy and the sky cried viciously as Juvia watched her mother's casket lowered into the earth. Juvia clenched her fists until her knuckles turned a ghostly white as the worms squirmed on top of the carved wood. Even though her burial was filled with all of the people who adored her, it wasn’t good enough. The smile that shone brightly on the princesses face was locked away under her icy heart as she said her final goodbye to her mother and this lands queen. 

In that moment Juvia struggled to hold a smile and her heart was filled with a dark cloud. Every step she took, every breath gasped was held underneath a burden of sorrow that couldn't be shook. Her life became trapped under her mask and eternal rain swarmed inside her. 

-Two Years Later- 

“Juvia my dear.” The door opened to reveal her father. “I have a question for you.” His eyes were trained on his pride and joy. He leaned against the opening to her room and watched as she brushed her hair, a sigh escaped his lips. She looked so much like her mother that he began to question if she was even gone sometimes, but then Juvia turned and mustered up a small smile. His eyes soften and he walked behind her and picked up her tiara. 

“Juvia is listening.” She stated and watched through the mirror as her father placed the silver crown on her head, something he would do since she was a little girl. A simple act, but nonetheless comforting 

“You will be 18 soon my dear.” She knew where this conversation was headed and nodded accordingly. “And that means-”

“Juvia is to be wedded, I understand.” She sighed and slipped on her ring and stood to walk towards her balcony. “Juvia knows her duties as a princess.”

King Loxar followed her. Guilt fled through him knowing how unfair life could be. Since the death of her mother, Juvia refused to be courted, and he couldn’t blame her. However the kingdom needed their next queen and Juvia’s time for match making was coming to an end. 

“His name?” she asked as she picked a flower blooming from the tree. The petals fell onto the marbled balcony as her dainty fingers plucked each petal, a silent wish destined to each. 

“Well, you get to choose.” At these words the princess turned her head. Perfectly plucked eyebrows arched and furrowed as confusion crossed her face. 

“Juvia believed that courting was over, my husband is to be determined already.” 

“Yes but I decided that if you were to be married, it would be for happiness and love. Juvia-” He placed his hand on her shoulder and tilted her chin up. Sapphire orbs glistening in the light, a reflection of emptiness came from the depths of her pupils and he begged for the day that her heart could be free from grief but that possibility would take years and years, maybe even centuries. “I want you to be happy. Marrying your mother was my greatest moment right after your birth. Being a royal means sacrificing your happiness for the sake of the kingdom, but I want you to be able to have a marriage that you are happy with, even if it's just for a moment.” he said. 

A small nod came from the princess. “Thank you father, but Juvia is confused. How will Juvia decide?” 

“I have devised a competition. The rules are simple, the first man to make you laugh shall win your hand.” He smiled brightly and his response was a crooked head and a raise of eyebrows. “It shall start in two months.”  

“Juvia thinks that is a silly way to determine a marriage.” She smiled softly at the thought of her father's plan. 

“Maybe” He kissed the top of her head and turned to leave her room. “But you will be happy.”

Juvia turned her eyes towards the giant willow tree that sat outside her balcony. 

“Happy.” She whispered. The word seemed foreign to her but she wondered if someone could actually bring her joy to her surface. 

--

“Princess Loxar, dinner is ready in the grand dining room.” 

“Thank you Levy.” Juvia spoke. 

She walked down the hallway that was plastered with murals and paintings of past relatives and leaders. The iconic blue hair was traced back for many generations, a true symbol of her family's crest. 

Her eyes were trained to the walls when she bumped into something hard, or someone. Instantly she fell back on her bottom, her plush skirt providing a pillow as the other person let out a groan and a basket filled with rags was tumbled to the ground. Her head was a mess before she came back to her senses and realized what had happened. 

“Ehh, Your majesty my apologies.” The foreign voice spoke as he rushed to her side to help her up. She hadn't seen his face yet but the moment their fingers met, a spark ran through her body. She squeaked as she was toppled onto her feet. 

Her eyes finally met the man who had overthrown her balance and she let out a quiet gasp. 

In the servants clothes was a boy. Dark raven hair that swept across his face and eyes that captured her in a way no one's had. Her was about her age and she didn’t recognize him at all.

He stuttered another apology and it took Juvia a few moments to realize she had been staring at him for far too long. 

“Please it's alright, it was an accident, Juvia wasn’t looking where she was going, my apologies uh?” 

“Oh Gray, Gray Fullbuster, at your service.” His demeanor changed when he did an over the top bow and picked up his basket. 

“Are you new? Juvia doesn’t believe we have met before.” 

“Oh um yeah. I was taken in as a new stable and servant, plus anything else that needs to get done.” His eyes went to the floor, a sense of embarrassment washed over him. “I shouldn't keep you waiting for dinner Princess-”

“Juvia. Just Juvia is fine.” She corrected him and a dust of blush filled his cheeks as he nodded slightly. 

“Oh okay, Juvia. Sorry again for bumping into you.” He bowed slightly and awkwardly for that matter and quickly left the hallway leaving Juvia feeling flustered. 

She took a step forward before turning her head to see him leave, something about him intriguing her but she shook her thoughts away and found her way to her dinner chair. 

As she sat and quietly ate her soup, Juvia’s mind kept bouncing back towards the raven haired boy. 

There was feeling deep in her gut, one she didn’t know how to handle and her thoughts became consumed with him. 

“Juvia? Are you alright? You have been zoned out all through the meal.” The father asked and her eyes widened and she felt a small blush as if she had been caught doing something wrong. 

“Juvia is sorry, she seems a little preoccupied is all with...the competition.” She managed to stutter out. 

“Oh. Yes of course.” He father gave her a nod. 

She set her spoon against her bowl and looked back to her dad that sat across from her. 

“Father? What was like when you first met mom?” She asked. His eyes looked to hers and he was almost in disbelief. The queen was hardly a topic they discussed unless it was for public purposes. 

A soft look arrived on the king's face. “Well it was a slow start. I was quite a stubborn suitor and when I began to court your mother, I really didn’t care all that much about marriage. But then there was the ball and the last dance of the night went to her and I. Under those lights, she glowed like an angel, her smile was breathtaking and then it clicked for us. It’s all a matter of time but you will know when it happens my dear.” He stood and walked to kiss the top of her head before leaving the dining room to attend to his duties. 

Juvia sat in silence with her thoughts, wondering if she would ever feel that moment. 

--

After dinner, Juvia resigned to her bedroom. Her held a glass in one hand and was humming a simple tune before tripping. 

“Ahh” She screeched and saw the glass of water spilled on the carpet, yet her body was inches from the floor. 

“Are you alright Princess?” The voice came and when she stood she was met with the brown eyes of Gray. 

“Oh, um, yes, thank you Gray.” She squirmed and dusted off her dress. She looked down at the mess she had made but Gray was already on the floor cleaning it up. 

“I’ll go fetch you another glass Princess.” 

“Juvia. Please call me Juvia.” 

“Oh right. Sorry Princ-Juvia, still not used to it.” 

“That's alright. Sometimes Juvia gets frustrated at this massive castle,always making her trip and such.” she grumbled. 

“Yeah, I like it. Nice and roomy. Beats my shack any day.” He commented. 

“Y-you live in a shack?” She asked and he nodded. 

“By the rivers edge nice view...I can bring you if you would like?” 

Juvia stopped to think and knew she probably wouldn't be allowed without an escort to go. “Tonight? Juvia could sneak out to see?” 

“Sneak out?” A smile crept to his face. “Sure tonight sounds good. Warning, it's a little small.” 

“Small is perfectly fine.” 

“Then I guess tonight it is” he smiled and walked towards the kitchen. A blush spread onto his face as he realized that the Princess was coming to his see where he lived. 

--

As night fell over the kingdom, the only sound was the click of the princesses balcony double door where she silently slipped out with a simply black cloak covering her body. The giant tree helped guide her way down until her feet felt the earth and the cold air of the night filled her lungs.

A small lantern softly lit her way as she walked through the back gardens and towards the stables. The creak of the wooden door to the horses private stalls let the boy know she had arrived.

“G-Gray?” She softly called and nuzzled her horses nose as she passed by. Her voice let out a speak and she was picked up and the top of her hood fell to reveal her blue locks.

The familiar hands that helped her off the floor during their first encounter held her tightly as she turned in his arms.

“Princess.” He whispered and even in the darkness, she could sense how close they were. His nose brushing against hers before pulling back slightly. “I was afraid you weren’t going to come.”

Her hand brushed his cheek and she gazed at him silently. “Juvia would never break her promise.”

He nodded and guided her out the back door and to his own private quarters. A small wooden shack that was meant for one, or two if you tried, it was small and looked desperate but he assured her that it was more than enough.

They sat on his bed, her back against the wall and him on the other side. The night was filled with conversations.

“And that’s how Juvia will get married.” She sighed. His eyes trailed her face and knew that it must suck to have to be wed to a person you don’t really know.

“Well look on the bright side, you’ll be married to someone who can possibly bring you joy. And since it’s your kingdom, you’ll always have me.” He shrugged and turned his face.

“Yes, Juvia will.” She whispered and they fell into a quiet moment. Her gaze found the window and she looked down. “Juvia must be getting back.” Her voice held sadness and she didn’t want this moment to end but Gray nodded and guided her towards the back gardens.

“Did you climb the tree?” He asked amazed and she simply nodded and began to walk forward. Her feet stopped and she turned back towards Gray who had a look of dread hinted on his face. Quickly her lips pressed against his cheek and left just as fast.

“Thank you Gray for listening to Juvia, she knows it’s a lot to process but she feels much better.” Her legs climbed the tree and she left his with a blush on his face and a heartbeat that was going way too fast.

“Anything for you Juvia.” 

---

The routine of her slipping away into the night became common and they had mastered each others schedules, bumping into each other or her personally asking to go fetch something. They had become closer than ever, a true friendship had blossomed and Juvia felt safe and happy when she saw the familiar face. As the end of the two months were nearing, Juvia's fondness for the servant had grown and he seemed to be returning the favor.

The other servants had noticed the connection and banter and teasing arose from Grays side but he shrugged and folded the silk napkin. 

“I don’t know what you’re getting out of this?” Levy said. She dropped another pile of napkins on his table and he turned to look at her. 

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“The competition starts next week, she’s going to be married.” 

“Yeah and?”

“Gray.” Levy sighed. “Once she becomes queen do you really think she’s going to leave her nightly quarters to come see a poor servant boy in a run down stable?” 

“Well its not-”

“Face it. Once that crown is placed on her head, small glances and chit chat are all you are getting.”

“Why do you care so much Levy?” He scoffed but deep down he knew she had a point and a feeling of dread washed over him.

She sighed once more and looked at him sadly. “Because I don’t want you to get disappointed. I know what it's like to grow close to someone you can’t have. It's one of the worst feelings.” 

Gray watched Levy walk out the door with a tray of folded napkins. Her words played over and over in his mind and he wished he had more time before the stupid love fest started. 

That night when Juvia entered the quiet stable, Gray wasted no time.

“Juvia, when you are married, is this going to end?” He asked and stretched his hand to rub the back of his head.

The princess returned her tea cup to the sauer in her hand and looked at him with confusion. “What do you mean Gray?” 

“It’s just that...you’re going to be married soon and have the duties as the queen. You won’t have time for a poor stable boy like me.” He gazed fixated on the window and he lowered his head in shame. That's all he was, a poor stable boy. A boy whose parents were killed and he was shipped to the castle in order to survive. He was sitting with the princess yet when he looked around, all he saw was a damp shack and a lonely place to call home. 

“T-thats not true. Gray, you are one of Juvia's friends, I would never-” But she stopped because she understood what he was saying. “Juvia doesn’t see you as a servant and she never will. Juvia might become queen and sure her responsibilities may take over more of her time but she doesn’t undervalue you at all. You are very important to Juvia.” 

“Thanks Juv.” He smiled. 

“It’s getting late, Juvia should go.” She left quietly as she came, dreading the fact that this might be one of the last times she would have with Gray. 

—-

“Let the completion start!” The guard said and sounded the horns. Juvia watched as many princes from across the lands had shown up to claim her hand.

Her eyes wandered to each man. She knew some faces such as Prince Natsu. There was Prince Loke and she would rather choke to death before marrying a playboy like him. Prince Lyon who was always hot on her tail and didn’t know that her eye rolls meant not interested.

Many other men were there too, some nobles from high class families and just plain rich boys with too much time on their hands.

She sat above the ballroom in the watching throne and her eyes found the dark hair boy dressed in the waiting uniform with a silver tray in his hand. He looked up and noticed her stare and gave her a small smile as he handed one of the suitors a glass of champagne. 

Her attention went back to the announcer and the competition was in full swing. She was lead down to the row of boys and dreaded each moment. 

Juvia moved down the line, each man was to introduce himself and that meant her hand was being kissed more times than she wanted and jokes were being cracked. No one made a lasting impression except for when she turned her head and noticed that Gray looked exceptionally well in his attire. A small blush formed from the thoughts but quickly vanished when Prince Lyon placed his lips to her hand and she suppressed a gag. 

Her usual frown made its way to her face as the group was taken to the back landscape to ride horses and play some sports. Juvia shot a small glare at her father who only offered a thumbs up and a smile. 

“Juvia is not looking forward to this.” She huffed under her breath. 

--

The days passed by and the routine began to wear on the princess. Everyday she would spend countless hours with different men, slightly chatting and trying her best not to let her mind wander. The only thing keeping her going was the thought of her leaving her bedroom door and finding Gray at the stables where she pours her heart out and even makes fun of the suitors as they share a slice of cake she had snuck away from the table. 

The week was coming to a close and her mind felt exhausted. No one, not a single boy had even brought a simple smile to her lips, a few got close but that was because one of them fell. Tonight was the last event, the gala and the most important. Tonight would be the night she would choose a suitor and by the looks of it, she wouldn’t be marrying a man for love but instead one she could tolerate. 

Everyone would show up in their best suits and dresses and dance the night away. Juvia hoped that maybe tonight, she would dance with someone and know they are the one, but she knew not to get her hopes up. 

There were only a few more hours before she had to greet the insane amount of people, and only a few days before she was engaged to someone. 

Her eyes were lost in the mirror as she waited for her corset to be tightened. 

“Princess you look lovely.” Levy stated as she places her silver crown on top of the princesses royal blue locks. Levy was right. Juvia stood draped in a royal blue ball gown with silver linings. Long lace sleeves framed her fingers and her mothers ring proudly shined on her hand. 

“Thank you.” Juvia gave a small smile and stepped off the dressing stand and followed a guard towards the ballroom. 

She entered and all heads turned towards her. Gasps were sent across as she walked with grace and elegant towards the top of the staircase where her thrown and father stood. 

“My dear you look marvelous!”

“Thank you father.”

“Just remember have fun tonight.” 

Juvia tried to smile and turned towards her throne. As she went to sit down, a hand was already in her face and she peered up at the figure. 

“Princess, may I give you the honor of having the first dance with me?” Prince Lyon said and it took every muscle in her body to not scoff at his arrogant ways, but her gloved hand found his and she was lead to the dance floor. 

As she placed herself in the proper dancing position, her eyes found Gray. He hadn’t spotted her yet as he was busy serving food and wine to people much more important to him. 

“Yeah know our children would have magnificent hair and be extremely beautiful.” Lyon said and captured back Juvia’s attention. 

Her face fell flat and she rolled her eyes and finished the dance and left right as the beat stopped. Every time she walked away from a dance, another suitor was in her face and she had no choice but to curtsy and engage in three minutes of pure torture while the boys talked about their future children and how they were the best, Juvia's eyes kept going back to the raven haired boy. 

An hour or two had passed and she finally escaped to the back of the room near the trays of desserts. Picking up a small slice of cake, a gasp escaped her lips as Gray whispered a ‘hi’ in her ears. 

“Oh Gray, it's just you.” For the first time that night Juvia had smiled and Gray returned the gesture. 

“Yep just me.” He smirked and placed his tray down. “How's it going?”

Juvia rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Juvia is having the time of her life.”

“I bet.”

She looked around and quickly took his hand and guided him down the hall. She pulled them into the living room and sat them on the couch.

“Aren’t you going to get in trouble if you are caught?”

Juvia shrugged and for once she didn't care. “Juvia needed to escape from there. If one more man came up to me I was going to scream.”  

“I can understand that.” 

His gaze went past her blue locks and to the mass amount of picture on the fireplace mantle. He quickly stood and picked up one of a baby Juvia. She was in a blue frilly dress and was smothered in chocolate cake. He noticed her bright smile in the photo and was thankful that he was lucky enough to see her smile now. 

“Juvia thinks those pictures are embarrassing.” Her face was heated up and embarrassment made her hands to cover her face. 

Laughing Gray sat down and took her hand in his. He looked around and brought her face closer. 

“I had a bad stripping habit as a child. My parents would chase me down until they managed to get my clothes back on, even happened in public.”

Juvia’s eyes widened and her cheeks filled with air until she let out a laugh. A true laugh. One that filled the depths of her tummy and sent tears out of her eyes. Gray watched her face get redder as she let to laughs escape. 

“Beautiful.” He whispered to himself and he couldn't help but join. 

After seconds of feeling completely free, her giggles died down and she covered her mouth slightly. 

“Your laugh is amazing.” he commented and she paused. “I’m really glad I heard it.”

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Then I guess you’d be glad to know you’re the first.” Her eyes were still locked with his and their nose brushed against each other. 

“Can I be the first to kiss-” but before he finished she had grabbed him by the collar and pressed her lips against his. 

In that moment she felt her armor fall, her iced heart melt more than it had and a warmth fill her. He kissed her back with such passion that she was afraid to pull away and let the moment end. 

In the need for air the pair pulled apart. His lips became tainted with a slight pink and her crown had fallen to the floor but all she cared about was him. 

She let out a small giggle and his lips found her cheek. “I love your laugh.” 

“I love you.” She felt him tense. “I mean I-Juvia-”

“I love you too.” He kissed her once more.

--

The king looked around the ballroom for his daughter. Panicking he excused himself from the place and wandered down the halls knowing she had probably left for a drink in the kitchen. He passed the living room and stopped. Backing up, he carefully peered into the room. 

Sitting on the couch was Juvia. Her knees to her chest and her dress draped over the velvet seating. Next to her was the servant boy, Gray. sat looking at each other and a tear came to the kings eye as he heard it. 

He heard the melody of her laugh. Saw the blush spread to her cheeks as she covered her mouth and playfully slapped him on the arm. Gray continued until she was holding her stomach and wiping a tear from her eye. 

The king left before being spot and smiled brightly. 

--

The pair slipped back into the grand ballroom, each taking their place on the other side of the room. The warm feeling in her stomach didn’t die down as she stole a glance of him before returning to her throne up above. She sat next to her father and didn’t realize her smile was still in motion. 

She turned to look at her father and saw the misty look in his eyes. 

“Father? Are you alright?” She asked and placed the top of her hand on his. 

“Im perfect Raindrop.” He placed his other hand on hers and she smiled at the fact that he used her childhood nickname. 

“It's time to announce the final dance.” He said which made her smile drop a little. 

“Oh, yes of course. However none of them had done what you requested, Juvia is sorry.” 

He kissed the top of her hand and stood. “I know Raindrop.” 

He cleared his throat and was handed a microphone. “Attention everyone! Thank you so much to all the fine men who participated in the challenge for my daughters lovely hand and our kingdoms future. I have decided on the final dance and there has been a clear winner. Juvia my daughter, will you take your position in the center of the floor?” 

She nodded and with each step, her heart grew heavy and heavy until she felt empty standing in the middle. She could hear the whispers of everyone wondering who was the lucky winner but she knew that her father must have chosen a random one. She could feel the intense gaze of Gray and knew that her heart belonged to him but now she would be wed to another man. 

“The only man who is fit and well enough to earn my daughters hand is Gray Fullbuster.” 

Juvia's eyes snapped up and she locked eyes with the raven haired boy who stood with the silver plate to his chest. 

“What?” Both of them whispered but Juvia's heart swelled as Gray was pushed towards her. 

“This is an outrage!” 

“He's a poor boy” 

“A true disgrace” 

People kept yelling and Gray looked down, ready to leave the dance floor until his wrist was grabbed lightly. 

“Juvia I-”

“You did it.” She smiled. 

“What?”

“You made me laugh.” She giggled. “You make me happy. Happier than I have been in a long time.” Her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she pulled his face close to hers. 

“Thank you.” She said before kissing him.

Gray shut his eyes as he leaned into the kiss. All eyes were on them and in the moment, Juvia felt happy. A pure and subtle emotion that she had been craving and it was worth the wait. 

They pulled away from their kiss and she heard the final song play. Smiling, she took Grays hand and lead him in the dance. 

Everyone watched as they spun around on the floor, her dress glided along the ballroom floor and small giggles left her mouth. 

Gray thought she looked radiant and he was in awe that he was in love with a girl like her. A part of him fell as the song came to an end but the look on his princesses face told him that she enjoyed it. 

“What now?” He asked as he looked around the room. 

“Now Juvia and Gray live happily ever after.” She smiled. 

“I like that plan.” He smirked and he grabbed her waist and planted another fairy tail kiss on her lips. 

---

[jfangirld]

Promise - A Gruvia story for Big Bang Nalu Gruvia Event ----------------------------------------------

Promise - A Gruvia story

So this story is for the Nalu, Gruvia Big Bang Event. Thanks for this event ! I was in collaboration with @anime-top-arts, go and check her contribution ! ^^

Playlist: 

RM - forever rain

If Gray hated anything, it was to make a woman cry. Even more so when it was the one he loved. He had never seen Juvia in this state before. It was heartbreaking to see the girl he was in love with, devastated because of his behavior. 

“How can you leave Juvia alone?” she said sobbing. “Am I not good enough for you?!” 

Maybe he should have prepared her mentally. No, he was certain of his choice to not say anything until this moment. She would have begged him to go with him. He knew her too well. She was determined and brave, and that’s a reason why he loves her.

“Juvia, I can’t let you come with me. It’s dangerous... too dangerous.” Gray said looking at her while she winced.

“So, Juvia is not strong enough to go with you. Not strong enough to do a 100 years quest!?” She was not sad anymore, but rather she was… upset?

Seeing an upset Juvia was also brand new to him. How could she think horrible things like that?

“Juvia was an S class mage before, you know. She knows what it is, she is not dumb.” The girl added. 

This argument was going too far; way too far.

“I’m not saying that, Juvia,” He took her hand in his while he was looking at her. She was so beautiful. “I lost you once, I can’t lose you again. It’s too difficult. I prefer to know that you are safe with Gajeel and the others at the guild.”

Juvia blushed. Gray was never romantic like that. She loved this new side. 

“Maybe I seem selfish, but when it comes to you, I’m the most selfish man in the world.”

It was the first time that Gray said something like that, so he hoped that Juvia would notice it.

“When are you leaving?” She asked. 

“Tomorrow at 2pm because we have to wait for Natsu and Lucy to wake up.” He answered, not understanding why she was asking that.

From the way her lips pressed together to make a fine line, Juvia seemed to think about what to say next. 

“We will talk about it tomorrow morning…” She turned to go home, but he took her hand not understanding what she was doing. 

“What are you doing? I leave for the 100 years quest soon, so I want to stay with you until tomorrow.” 

“Juvia waited for you for more than 9 years during which you paid no attention to her feelings. And you think that the day you decide to notice her, Juvia must accept without complaining,” she paused as if she were surprised by her own words. “She is not a doll that you can manipulate when you want to; she is a woman. A woman with a lot of feelings and a lot of fear. Juvia thinks you should understand that!”

And before Gray could say anything, she was gone. What just happened?! He couldn’t lose her again.

                                                                        *****

A few hours later, Gray was at the guild, a drink in his hand while he thought of her. He was so stupid and stubborn. He only thought about him in the relationship. Two lovers are supposed to work together, and he hoped that Juvia would forgive him. The man spent his time brooding and crying over how stupid he was. A few hours later, the barmaid came to talk to him.

“Gray, you need to leave now. I have to close the bar and the guild. Can you turn around?” Mira asked from behind him, not noticing the tears rolling down his cheeks.

Gray turned around to look at her, his eyes red from crying. The woman was surprised by the unusual expression on his face. “Is everything all right?”

He took a little time to answer, he didn’t even know how to reply.

“I’m not the one to whom you should ask,” Gray answered taking a sip of his glass. 

The satanic soul mage didn’t understand what he meant by that. Just what was the problem?

“Don’t worry Mira, I don’t plan on leaving the guild until tomorrow morning. You can go home and sleep now.”

She was worried about him, but sometimes people need time to talk. She knew that Gray was this type of person. With that in mind, Mira left the guild, still worried about her friend.

 Gray stayed at the guild wondering what Juvia would do when he left for the 100 years quest. A series of questions ran through this mind. Would she cry and hate him? Would she not want to hear or see him ever again? He was afraid about tomorrow, because he may never know how she really felt about this. Would they ever finish their conversation from earlier?

A few minutes later, Gray could hear the door open.

“Mira I told you I’m fine, don’t worry about me,” He said but when he looked at the person who was in front of him, it was none other than Gajeel Redfox. “Oi! Ice Boy!” Gajeel answered. “Are you okay?”

The ice mage could understand the irony. “Do you know if she is okay?” Gajeel didn’t even have to ask who Gray was referring to.

“So, you care about her now, do you?” 

Gray hated his tone. He already felt bad enough; he did not need that. He stood up and looked at him.

“Listen, I care about her. I can’t live without her… I,” He stopped, unable to utter words from his mouth.

“You what?” encouraged Gajeel.

“I love her.”

A mischievous smile appeared on Gajeel's face while he looked at him.

“Gihee. Therefore, you see that you have to say it to her. She needs to hear that, Gray. She waited years to be with you, so you should understand that she was disappointed about the 100 years quest.”

It was the first time in his life that Gray heard Gajeel speak this way so freely. “You are right, I have to tell her that. She deserves it; she deserves everything. And it’s my role to do that. She needs to feel loved.”

“Oh my Mavis! That’s what I wanted to hear!” Gajeel exclaimed with a smile.

“Thank you Gajeel,” Gray said. “I feel better about myself now. I have to tell her tomorrow before I leave.”

They both finished the night at the bar, drinking and chatting about their love lives. Gray never had a conversation like that with Gajeel before. It was very pleasant and weird at the same time. But thanks to that, he was less stressed.

 *****

Regarding of the conversation with Gajeel, Gray was still stressed like he had never been the next day. The pain in his stomach was strong. The things we do for love, huh? Gajeel was still sleeping at the bar. Last night made Gray realize how much the dragon slayer loved Juvia. He hoped that he would take care of Juvia when the ice mage left.

He hated himself.

A few hours later, the guild was crowded but he did not see Juvia. At Erza's request, he climbed onto the table as it was the moment he dreaded the most. 

Goodbyes. “We are here to make an announcement,” Erza began “Gray will explain to you in detail.”

They all knew the sister figure hated to talk in front of people, thus he started to explain the situation.

Then, a beautiful blue haired woman held his attention. Juvia. She was there after all.

After he finished explaining, he went to the water mage, determined to explain himself. 

“Juvia we need to talk.” Gray started.

“Yes, we have to,” She answered; her monotonous tone made him more stressed than before.

They left the guild to go outside, they started to walk. She was very quiet, showing that their separation was going to be heartbreaking.

They stopped to walk when Gray took Juvia’s hand, urging her to look in his eyes. 

“Juvia... you know how important you are to me, but you also know that I am stupid and immature when it comes to feelings,” 

While blushing, she started to look at him, and Gray was content to see a good reaction. “I love you Juvia. I will always will. You are the most patient, beautiful, and understanding girl in the world, and I want to stay with you forever. No quests will be able to separate us; no love rivals. Nothing, and nobody.”

“Gray-sama, Juvia is so glad that you have understood her feelings.” 

It was the best moment to show her his surprise. He brought his hands together and began to say, “Ice make ring.” 

That’s when a stunning, ice ring appeared in his hand. He took Juvia’s finger and let the ring slide on.

“What is that Gray-sama?” Juvia asked peering the ring which fit her well. 

“It’s a promise,” He started “I promise to come back to you. I promise to make you my wife, and I promise to love you for eternity.” 

Then, Juvia started to cry and threw herself in his arms. Only tears of joy were shed. All was well. 

@nalugruviaevents check @anime-top-arts art : https://anime-top-arts.tumblr.com/post/186001109101/today-its-the-day-that-me-and-jfangirld-will

[nalugruviaevents]

All sign ups are closed!

The Big Bang has begun and we patiently wait for those who have signed up to start creating Nalu and Gruvia content!

[wannabeficwriter]

Another spoiler for my Nalu/Gruvia Big Bang event submission. I’m having a lot of fun writing this story, even when there are parts that are just kicking my arse (like this one transition, and this other one, and let’s not even mention my ending!)

I seriously can’t wait for you guys to read it!

[fairytail-incorrectquotes]

Hey, first I ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤 YOU! Second, if all of the famous FT couples got sucked into a fairy tale book, what stories do you think they’d be in? (I’ve seen many a fic with different ideas.)

hmmm... famous? I'll assume you mean the Big Four + fraxus, yes?

this is a very interesting one. it could mean "what story fits their plot best" or "which characters are they the most like" or even "which traditional fairy tales do you think they'd like the most" - all of which are wonderful questions, glorious-san!

i think the way i shall answer this... hmm. I'm  answering this as "if you were rewriting a fairy tale with these ships as the characters, what would you write?"

i do apologise for this, though, because most of my knowledge of fairy tales comes from general knowledge and disney films

well, for nalu, I'd do cinderella. lucy can relate rather a lot to cinders, I'd imagine - lost her mother young, never had a particularly good relationship with her father, dreams of love and freedom she couldn't have (she can now, of course, but not originally). lucy is beautiful, blonde, whose good looks are subtle but certainly overwhelmingly stunning. natsu is charming, handsome - maybe not the most romantic or rich or a good dancer, but he is certainly loyal, and that's what prince charming is primarily known for. prince charming may not have remembered cinder's face all that well, but he roamed the whole land to look for her, never tiring until he found his princess. natsu would definitely do that for lucy - whether you ship nalu or not, it's true that he is truly devoted to her, and would run all over fiore with a glass slipper to find her. and lucy would definitely be covered in cinders by the end of the tale - and that's what cinderella was named for, after all! 😉

gruvia is a harder one. beauty and the beast comes to mind, although perhaps a role-reversal would be more accurate. gray is handsome, this is true, and when he first met juvia - well, she wasnt exactly the kindest. they were enemies, but like the beast, juvia fell for gray almost instantaneously. she changed herself for him, so he would love her - she stopped harming his friends, she joined the light, she wasnt so full of old traumas and misery. she is obsessive, like the beast, and like beauty and the beast, their relationship... wasnt always healthy, exactly. but she changed for the better, and gray fell for her. i think theyd fit the role rather well - not to mention, bickslow would have a great time making the crockery sing.

gajevy also reminds me of beauty and the beast - levy is clever and beautiful and gajeel... well, isn't - but I've already used that, so I'm thinking something else instead. i could maybe say disney's rapunzel, because tangled is a banging film and gajeel is a little like flynn ryder. we could have them be kristoff and anna, from frozen, or maybe westley and buttercup from the princess bride. frankly, a lot of fairy tales fit their dynamic - elegant young lady falls for dastardly-villain-turned-hero. i want to think of princess and the frog - almost there is a bop - although im going to settle on mulan. mulan is a badass warrior, beautiful, clumsy and clever. she's ambitious, cunning, works hard and fights harder. at first, shang dislikes mulan, similar to the way gajeel dislikes levy. however, during the story, levy makes gajeel sip Respect Women Juice, and gajeel continued to chug it for breakfast for the rest of his life. gajeel loves and fears his badass, cute-ass wife - something i refer to as The Moominpappa Complex - and levy is kinda gender-nonconforming too!

jerza reminds me of the film enchanted - have you seen it? it's very good! - because both of them canonically have feelings for eachother, but both reject those feelings and tell themselves they don't deserve the other. also erza is like snow white because she lives with several funny little men (except we call them the fairy tail guild)

fraxus is .... uh, princess and the frog? laxus is cocky, a little smug, kinda selfish, but hard-working, no-nonsense freed helps him realise the errorof his ways, and teaches him to be less arrogant, less high-and-mighty, and to value his friends. also i REALLY wanna see laxus as a frog and bickslow as a crocodile with a trumpet.

I'm sorry this took so long but i hope the wait was worth it!! its a wonderful question that so many fantastic ideas can come from, so many fics can be prompted by and so many people would answer differently!! are there more ships you'd like me to do it for? perhaps you'd like me to do ships as different ancient myths, or something similar? itd be my pleasure!!!

and finally, glorious-san, i ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤 you too! 💕💕💕

have a lovely day!

[doginshoe]

Burning Up, Burnt Out

This is my work for the Nalu and Gruvia big bang @nalugruviaevents! I worked alongside @yaushie, who made the beautiful art to go with the fan fiction I wrote. Thanks to @celestial-fire-writer for being beta once again. Summary:  Set in the year after Alvarez and before Lucy's book signing. The team is on a mission to help a native village on a island, but the celebrations afterwards leave Natsu to do some deep thinking about a certain celestial wizard that won’t seem to leave his mind. 

ART BY @yaushie

The fire roared as cinders rose up in the night much like fireflies, stars gleamed in the night sky and the air tasted of smoked meat as the villagers threw their offerings into the large pit of wicked flames. The people cried out as they rejoiced, clapping their hands to the beats played by the drums. The women with sultry eyes moved around the flames like conspiring Wiccans, rising the spirits from the curling fire as they swayed their bodies in erotic and enticing ways. They stretched their arms high and grinded their hips, flicking their legs high in the air as they jumped to then push down and again use their footwork to circle around the fire.

The men sitting at the edge of the cluster of celebration hollered at the women as their skirts sashayed with their sensuous movements. Their tight bandeau leaving the skin of their midriffs exposed and subject to their hungry gazes of wonder and amazement. Many of them would stray just enough from their tight knit group of dancers to caress the cheek of a surrounding watcher, enticing and drawing them in with their deep gazes until they would lean forward in their daze. Then the women would skip back to join the large burning fire - leaving the crowd breathless and entranced. It was a game of cat and mouse and they were teasing minxes.

Natsu, like many others of the audience, watched on. His dark eyes were drawn into the soft exposed skin covered in a soft sheen of sweat, the strong and long legs that kicked up and the way their breasts were barely concealed in an orange fabric that was lined with gold trim. However, it wasn’t all the dancers that grabbed hold of his gaze. It was the billowing blonde hair that caught his breath, the deep brown eyes that occasionally glanced his way. Lucy, who was twisting and turning amongst the other women, had called him in. Her body stirred something in the pit of his stomach as she seemed to move with the fire, embodying the way the flames flickered and curled behind her.

He was completely enraptured. The thrum of the drums and strum of strings reverberating through his body, cutting off the noise of villagers who joined in the festival. Natsu couldn’t tear his gaze from her being, and he knew she had noticed his unwavering stare on her. Lucy grinded her hips more to the music, arched her back just a little bit further to uncover the view of the delicious skin of her neck, but it was her eyes - the way she peered up at him through thick lashes with flushed cheeks - that made him swallow hard and realise that he had been caught.

She knew he was captivated. Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she spun on her feet in rhythm, the deep brown hue making him their victim once again as he was locked in her gaze. He couldn’t count on both his hands and feet how many times her eyes had persuaded him and made his knees weak, lungs breathless - the way they shone when she smiled, crinkling slightly at the side, and sparkling like the stars she beckoned to her side in battle. It was especially painful when they would break in front of him, becoming watery and fragile. Those were times Natsu was lost, when he felt smaller and more vulnerable than when Igneel had disappeared. He couldn’t fight away her sadness. It made him… confused. His heart would feel like stone in his chest as if it had stopped beating and would tumble from its bone cage, a feeling in his throat that threatened to choke him.

She grinned at him. The smile was large as it accompanied her bright eyes, glinting gold from the fire. It pulled Natsu from the thoughts he always found himself puzzled when he looked at the celestial wizard for too long. Her hands clapped above her head before she skipped and flew through the air, her feet coming down to land gracefully before she dipped her body low.

The long blonde locks that had been tied loosely into twin ponytails danced behind her. They shined, illuminated by the flames as they whipped in the fresh night air. The glow reminded him of a far off time, a November sunset - her smile just as wide that day when they had come back from rescuing Macao at Mount Hakobe.

The sun was shining its last rays before it would sink below the horizon. Their shoes scuffing along the cobblestone street as they left the grinning father and son after they successfully brought Macao home to Romeo. The young boy’s shout of thanks echoed in their ears and a small smile still played on the blonde’s lips as they walked beside each other in a comfortable silence. Natsu peered at her from the side. She was strange - that, he was sure of. The newly joined member throwing herself into his business and then complaining every step of the way. Natsu didn’t like people like that. She acted like every other sucker who thought being a mage was a walk in the park and some sort of title that could be thrown around. However, her blind bravery to face the Vulcan alone surprised him; as did her tending to Macao’s wounds and the way she smiled. Natsu had faulted when she had looked back at the snot-nosed kid. He had nearly fallen flat on his face, but he only shook his head slightly, eyes leaving the weirdo to focus back on the path. He hoped Mirajane had something special to eat when he got back.

Natsu tore his gaze from Lucy. The feast before him had been half picked at, which had been extremely unlike him, yet he couldn’t bring himself to pick up another mouthful. Gray was still being patched up by the giggling old crones of the village, much to his dismay, and Erza was at the Chief’s table. He noticed Wendy had been dressed in the same outfit that Lucy was wearing, but she stayed far from the show that transpired in the middle of the village. His dark eyes flicked back up to the blonde as his thoughts drifted back to her. That had been happening a lot lately.

A sigh left his lips, the sound giving life to the muddled thoughts that plagued his mind. The mission had meant to be something for them all to unwind and to let them come back down to reality - to make the war a distant memory. However, the fire dragon slayer had only become more tense. His fists clenched at his side and his chest puffed out as he gritted his teeth. It was his instincts gearing him up for a fight. Yet, he couldn’t beat this down. What was he meant to do?

He gulped as the vulnerable feeling clogged his throat. He had learned, he had grown stronger. Fear didn’t stop him anymore. It was welcomed and used strategically against his opponent. Enemies that seemed impossible were always overcome. Natsu was ready to defeat anything in his way to protect his friends - to make sure their smiles kept true.

Lucy remained a puzzle.

He couldn’t get past it. Her eyes led to his lungs dysfunctioning. Her smiles made his palms sweaty with a heart that just wouldn’t stop pounding. The way she smelled, sweet and like the books she spent so much time with; it pulled him to her.

It made Natsu want to tug at his hair. When he had set out alone he spent most of his nights frustrated as he looked up to the stars, his thoughts drifting to the blonde that he left behind. She always said that they guided her, but Natsu only saw the vast midnight sky. The glinting lights seemed to taunt him rather than to offer solace for his troubles.

The celestial wizard wasn’t in danger and he certainly didn’t consider her to be an enemy. She was much more to him. Lucy was Lucy. Yet, she plagued his mind. It felt like he was missing something. The feeling built in his stomach, a nervousness he didn’t quite understand, and it was wrong. How was he meant to protect her from that? Something that was unknown to him?

Natsu felt the drums pick up speed, the vibrations humming in his veins, as the dance was coming to a close. Lucy clapped her hands as she moved her hips along with the other villagers - the movements absolutely tantalising. And Natsu watched her. His eyes filling with longing as they glazed over. She seemed like a friend to the fire as it bathed her in its light - the flames nearly consuming her as she pushed and pulled her body alongside it.

He could always ignore it. Feign ignorance so he could be welcomed into the bliss that he had lived in before he met her. Things would go back to normal. The simple life. It would be as easy as felling the tree that had begun to bind itself in his ribcage - the centre suffocating his heart. The branches would shrivel and slowly fall, the roots no longer embedding themselves in his bones and he would be free.

A thought he had believed foolishly. Even in the beginning he had tried to ignore her. She was a friend… and that was all. He’d asked her to be his partner because her heart was true. There was nothing else. However. it was the small spark, the tiny little wonder that ebbed at his mind that he should have listened to. Even when he thought he had overcome it, she always made sure to relight it. Always putting herself in harm's way for him, and yet he was meant to be the idiot. Natsu always thought the blonde did stupid things; like when she tried to stop the raft when they were battling the Oracion Seis. The girl had no clue what she was doing, yet she held onto him even as they plummeted down a waterfall.

He could still remember the sick feeling that swam in his stomach as he was swept up in the white rapids - Lucy by his side, her arms wrapped tight around him. No one had ever really cared about his motion sickness. It was always something considered a joke in the guild, a running gag people used to get under his skin. At other times it was an annoyance. If it had been anyone else they would have let the river take him. It was his own fault his stomach couldn’t beat the nauseating waves that rocked his mind. But, she was different. Natsu had never had someone care like she did. Running after him in his weakest moments no matter how pathetic they seemed. He would often think about when they fell from the waterfall. The sound of crashing water filling his ears, blocking out every other noise except his pounding heartbeat until they hit the river below. She’d made him fault again. His mind short circuiting when he looked at her until he could push out an earnest thank you.

The fire called to him as it burned, the flames being his own as he started off the celebration in the village with a mighty fire dragon roar. If all the way back then he had acknowledged the growth then maybe it wouldn’t be a mass of vines and prickly branches that threatened to suffocate him nearly every moment. Instead it had to be crushed into him, literally. Being stuck underneath boulders and watching as she refused to run. The same determination would always flicker in her eyes when he saw her in a fight, always reminding him of the time he could’ve lost her.

“Run for it, Lucy! He’s way stronger than he looks!! I’ll figure something out. Just get out of here!” He shouted, his fingers digging into the dirt as he desperately tried to claw his way out. If she had no magic power then-

“I won’t.”

Natsu stilled as her voice cut through the air, his throat going dry as Kain’s foot came down on her body a moment later, crushing her into the ground. He could barely breathe as she screamed out in agony. He could only watch as she was beaten down. Why wouldn’t she run?

Kain kicked her forward, the blonde gasping for breath as he walked over to her limp and bruised body before gripping onto her hair, the tresses spilling through his fingers as he lifted her up to her knees.

“I don’t want… to run away by myself…” she choked as she began to force a smile through the pain, blood dripping down her chin. Those brown eyes shining before they closed, her smile picking up into a grin. “Because…”

Natsu could only remained frozen in place as Kain pulled her higher into the air, his mind screaming at him to do something, anything, but his body wouldn’t listen. It couldn’t. Even with the weight of the rocks crushing him, her words had left him stiff with shock. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her as her grin stretched wider and wider, a small blush rising on her cheeks.

“It’s always more fun when we’re together!”

Those words echoed in his heart for a long time after she had said them. It was as if his mind put them on repeat, always bringing him back to that moment at some of the strangest of times. He supposed that was when he really did begin to notice that there was something more with his partner. That moment shattered a wall he didn’t know he had built. He treated everyone at Fairy Tail like family, the people who made the guild a home, and Lucy was the same.

Except…. Lucy herself had become a home. He always found himself coming back to her at the end of a long day. She was comforting, she was strong and she was kind. His partner always managed to find the good in everything. Lucy had become a safe place and he just couldn’t stop himself from always being by her side, or noticing just how small her hands were. Or that little buzz of warmth that would linger when their skin would brush against one another, which seemed to be more often than not.

Natsu sighed as he finally leaned back, he seemed to be the only person not in the spirit of the festivities. He just couldn’t seem to enjoy the celebration even as more people began to join in with the women in the center. Even Wendy was coaxed into joining, Lucy grabbing her hands and pulling her into the group. Their smiles growing brighter as she twirled the younger girl. Everyone was cheering, the beat beginning to shake the table as it grew louder and louder.

After that day he could never stray from her side for too long. Coming back from Tenrou after seven years, he would try and protect her, be someone to rely on like he did with her. Except they were thrown into the Grand Magic Games only a few weeks later where he had to watch her fight and he couldn’t step in. Seeing Minerva torture her as she was defenceless. His hands bled as he had to sit back, nails digging into his palms as he shook with anger.

But, even when he was standing right next to her in front of future Rogue… He had come close to losing her so many times, even when he vowed to be there, just like with all his family. He could never save Lucy. That time would always haunt him. Watching as she fell to the ground, the hand where she had her guild mark... He couldn’t protect her! In two different strands of time he was useless. Lucy’s future was destroyed. She couldn’t be happy.

The tips of his fingers just barely grazed the darkness that took her away. Natsu could barely move as he watched her fall. He was too late. Even if it wasn’t Lucy from his age, from his time. He could’ve saved her. He could’ve fixed everything. It was all too real. If his Lucy wasn’t kneeling beside her he would’ve thought she was actually gone, that the only way he could’ve saved her had slipped right past him.

He knew he had to become stronger. She had dug herself too far into his heart. He would be enough to protect her future. That burned into his resolution when Lucy thanked him, the warmth of her hug still burning where her arms wrapped around him. It was then that he knew she’d always be by his side… because he had a future to protect. He had her future to keep fighting for.

Natsu loved her.

When her body laid limp in his arms, Natsu felt nothing but pain until a snap pulled him into a rage. She was stuck in Dimaria’s suspended time. He knew it now, but seeing her like that - he couldn’t even hear a heartbeat. It was all too much. The future he had promised to fight for, to live for and protect was now lifeless in his arms. That thought alone sent a blinding shock through his system, the feeling taking over his senses as he lost control. It was pathetic, but Natsu let himself to succumb to it. He would have fought the demon that was taking over, the END seed that was planted within him slowly sprouting as it filled him with poison, the whispers sometimes still echoing in his mind. He could only be thankful that Gray, and then Erza, had stepped in his way. They stalled his maniacal mission just long enough for him to collapse into her arms. He was home again and the anger washed away.

No matter what they went through they would always be together. Side by side. It didn’t matter whether they were battling some petty dark guild or stopping the end of the world. Today and everyday would always be an adventure. He knew it when he was falling out of the sky. His body battered from fighting with Acnologia, but a giant grin on his face as he knew who gave him the strength so he could do it.

He could barely contain the grin that pulled on his lips as he bared his teeth. Her eyes were blown wide as she stared at him in shock, Happy was in her arms beaming at him. When she smiled back up at him, tears filling her eyes, he knew that he was home. Lucy was home. The three of them would always be a family. A team.

“I’m home!” He chuckled, his smile beaming even wider.

She opened her mouth, a stray tear dribbling down her cheek as she managed to find her voice. Knowing they had finally won. That they had saved the world. She knew that if anyone could do it, it would be Natsu.

“Welcome home!” She cried and he felt the warmth spread through his chest.

In that moment Natsu knew that he could accomplish anything because he always had someone to return to - his guild, his best friend and a particular blonde that managed to start a fire in his heart.

His eyes were glued to Lucy as the dance came to an end. She kicked her leg into the air, following the rest of the group as they finished the song. The drums were intense as she twisted and moved around the fire, a sheen of sweat making her body shine in the fire light. With every spin and dip the flames seemed to copy her. His flames. Natsu couldn’t stop himself from staring. She had never looked more ethereal than in this moment. Her hair spun like gold thread as she turned with the fire behind her. Her hips drawing him in and alighting the embers in his chest, burning him up from the inside. The way she seemed to almost glow had him captivated - it was as if she was a goddess teasing him. Her long legs making his blood pump as they pulled down before leaping into the air. He had been in love with her since long ago.

The last hit on the drum resounded out in the village as all the dancers raised their hands, their chests rising and falling as their lungs struggled to heave in a breath from the movements of the dance. Her eyes burned into his as she grinned before being engulfed with the crowd. The people’s joyous cries replacing the beat that once hummed throughout the village.

She had been swept away from him as he sat in front of his meal. Natsu clenched his fist, offering his gaze back up to the heavens that could only mock him. The twinkling lights glinting down at him like all those nights before. Natsu cursed as he stood from his spot, glancing back at the blonde to find her and Wendy raised up by the village, the younger girl looking more sick than anything whilst Lucy laughed.

He smiled softly before he walked away. He had spent too much time caught up with the celestial spirit mage. Though he knew that he couldn’t help the pull that she had over him. It was as if Lucy was fire itself - a fire he couldn’t control. Ironic, considering the fact that fire was his to wield and command.

A sigh left his lips as his feet kept him walking to the edge of the village, where he could get away from the noise and away from her. He hoped it would ease the unwanted feelings. Yet, it never did. Natsu knew it, but he still walked - his eyes coming back to the stars as he breathed in the crisp air. When he exhaled the puff of air, it came out as smoke.

Tonight, seeing Lucy move that way, was almost earth shattering. She’d stirred up the heat in his chest once again, setting him alight and raising the flames higher and higher with every movement she made alongside the bonfire behind her. It was completely mesmerising. The heat seemed to lick at her skin and embody her very being. It only made the feelings harder to ignore as the embers rose into a wildfire.

Natsu wanted her. Lucy was just… Lucy. She was so good to him, so tantalisingly good that it made him feel weak at the knees. That vulnerable feeling that ate him up was because she made him feel like he was going to lose control. He wanted to hold her close, feel her soft flesh against his and breathe in that sent that made his mind go blank. She was everything to him. The blonde that had treated him to a meal all those years ago becoming someone he didn’t want to live without - someone he couldn't.

Natsu had to steady himself against a tree on the outskirts of the village, his heart rate becoming erratic when he thought of everything he wanted with Lucy. He wanted them to spend every moment together, each day planned with Lucy and leading her off to one mission then the next. However, as time passed he soon noticed that his plans with the blonde took at different turn. The thought of her soft pink lips and smooth skin playing on his mind. That was what had control of him now. The idea of her wrapped in his flames as he took her hard. The blush on her cheeks and how her mouth would part in a soft moan - it all made him feverish.

He was caught in a mess, Natsu shaking his head as he tried to collect his thoughts with a deep breath. He wanted Lucy, no, needed her. She had lit a fire that couldn’t be put out and he couldn’t wait to pull her into his chest and crash his lips onto her own. He loved her and by gods it was time she knew.

He had to tell her, his feet pushing him forward to where the team took rest. This feeling - the jitters that spun webs in his gut - only ushered him to continue forward and quickened his pace. He knew that Lucy was different, he had known from the very start. It had scared him. Igneel never mentioned anything to do with love. Even Makarov had only taught him one important lesson that he kept for the rest of his life, to love your family and to keep them safe.

The torches lit his way as he stumbled past people who had gotten too ahead of themselves in the festivities. Except as he rounded a corner and heard her laugh - his steps picked up into a sprint. The time was now, this is what he needed to do.

“Luc-”

Yet in all his resolve, he found himself pausing. There she was. His partner, but she wasn’t alone. He watched as she laughed, the sweet sound resonating in his ears, while waving away Happy. His best friend breezed up in the air as he yelled at the blonde. The faint traces of their conversation tell him that she’d insulted his chances of ever being the right man for Charla.

Now was his chance, but Natsu couldn't bring himself to take another step. Maybe it was the jittery nerves finally freezing up his muscles, or that she had made him falter again. All he knew was that as he watched his team, no - his family - he felt complete in a way that he hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

Lucy was softly smiling as she patted Happy on the back. Her outfit from the dance was gone. It was just her. It was Lucy. Her hair had been taken back up into her pony tail that she had started wearing when he had left her for a year. Her keys were placed on the right side of her hip, the usual brown belt holding them in place. Although she had grown over the years, the blonde hair now reaching past her shoulders and her outfits always being swapped, she was still the same. Her brown eyes were still kind. Their depths drawing him in every time he stared in them for too long, Just like everyone else, she would fight till her last breath for their guild - for him. Lucy was home.

As he watched them, the fire that had been burning so fiercely only blazed brighter. For so long he had been fighting it, thinking the roots that nearly suffocated him would form a forest and leave him in the dark. Now he felt as if he could breathe easier than ever before. This was his team, his family.

Natsu barely registered what was happening before he slipped his arms around both their shoulders, pulling his partners to him in a crushing side hug. His words left his lips as naturally as all the other times before.

“Whatcha guys doing?”

Happy cried out, “Natsu!” but he barely heard his partner as he felt a familiar pair of brown eyes staring at his face. It was Lucy, peering up at him with that concerned look she always wore. 

“Where have you been? I was looking all over for you after the dance, but you were gone.”

She blinked and when Natsu turned he felt that familiar sensation, the second where his brain stopped functioning for just a moment. Those eyes would really be the death of him.

A wide grin crept up on his face, his canines flashing at her as he pulled them along forward. “I’ve been here weirdo. Don’t tell me you’re going blind now too,” he spoke before his gaze turned forward, “Come on! I heard there’s leftovers.”

“Aye!” Happy cheered as he flew from Natsu’s grip into the air, leaving him with just his arm around the blonde that nearly gave him heart palpitations. He felt the nervousness begin to swim in his gut, he knew she’d keep asking questions. The blonde blinked and to his surprise a soft laugh left her lips, her hand coming up to hide her face before she smiled.

“Yeah, I am still a bit hungry,” she breathed as she wiped her brow, “That dancing was really hard.”

Natu’s grin stretched even wider, if it was possible, as he raised his hand into the air. “To the leftovers!” he shouted, and his partners echoed his words before they dashed off. The task becoming a race in a few short moments that was soon joined in by Gray. Though, they didn’t get to destroy anything before Erza had stepped in with a giggling Wendy in tow. He grumbled as he rubbed the beginnings of what was soon to become an egg on his head, but a sweet melody lifted him from his troubles. He stared up to the smiling blonde and the grin came up on his face again.

This was his family, and he could still love Lucy. He didn’t need to change anything.

We’ll be together forever from now on

[animezing-fandoms]

The Baby Race Chapter 3: The Guy’s Protective Sides

Masterlist (Click on the link for Parts 1 and 2)

Relationships: Mainly Gruvia and Nalu, but also Gajevy and brief Jerza.

Warnings: Mentions of smut and nudity.

Summary: Now that that the guys have confessed and shown their love to the girls, they start to get a little protective when something threatens the ones they love.

A/N: So I stayed up until 3:30 am writing this because inspiration struck and I got comments asking for a part three, so I figured hey why not crank this thing out tonight so when I'm studying for my exam today I'll have your comments on this new chapter to look forward too! So please read and comment what you think to brighten my day while I study for my super hard test tomorrow! I'm also planning on writing a part four but I'll only do it if you guys comment on this part! Enjoy chapter 3!

"Oh Gray-sama." Juvia moans as Gray's hands roam all over her body as he left love-bites on her neck.

His touch was as cold as ice, and it sent shivers down Juvia's spine, and ironically it also sent heat down to her core as well as his hands moved along her torso. She didn't know when or how he stripped down to his boxer-briefs, but she didn't quite care about the mechanics of his stripping habit at the moment. Not when her core throbbed at the sight of the prominent tent in his boxers and his strong, calloused hands hooked into the sides of her panties and began to pull them off while her legs rested over his shoulder.

"You know, now I appreciate the fact that you never wear pants." Gray says.

Juvia looks confused until Gray smirks.

"It makes it a lot quicker for me to get these out of the way so I can fuck you." He explains before pulling her panties off her feet and tossing them across the room.

"Oh Gray-sama you're so vulgar!" Juvia exclaims.

Gray smiles at her and settles himself between her legs.

But little did they know that Gajeel had reached their door and had opened it just in time for Juvia's panties to hit him in the face. He pulled his head back into the hallway, and pulled the fabric off of his face which turned bright red once he saw that they were Juvia's panties and then he went to try to open the door again but the chain stopped him from getting in all the way.

"Hey ice dick! Get off of Juvia right now and come out here and explain yourself!" Gajeel shouted at him.

Gray and Juvia immediately halted their activities and blushed.

"Gajeel!" They both exclaim.

They heard him banging against the door so they quickly scrambled to fix their clothes and make themselves look decent. However, Juvia was unable to find her panties.

Gajeel broke the door down and walked right up to Gray who had just finished pulling up his pants and was now frowning at the dragon slayer in front of him.

"You listen here ice prick." Gajeel says and presses his finger on Gray's chest.

"I know what you're doing here and it ain't good for her! You break her heart, I'll break your face."

"Gajeel-kun, Juvia will beat you to a pulp if you damage Gray-sama's face!" Juvia shouts at Gajeel.

Gray smirked as the dragon slayer's stern face softened and his cheeks reddened. Then he doubled over in pain as Gajeel turned his fist into iron and punched him in the gut.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia exclaims and rushes to his side.

She knelt down and held his arm, looking over him with concern.

"I'm fine Juvia." Gray says weakly with his hand over his stomach.

"What was that for Gajeel!" Levy shouts, now cross with Gajeel.

"That was for him taking advantage of Juvia!" Gajeel answers.

"Gray-sama would never take advantage of Juvia!" Juvia retorts and stands up to face Gajeel.

"He asked Juvia to marry him!"

Gajeel looked at the ring on Juvia's finger and gulped.

"Juvia's going to be his wife! We're going to spend the rest of our lives together and have children and live happily ever after!" Juvia explains.

"Oh..." He says softly.

He rushed to conclusions and made a big mistake. He held out his hand to Gray and helped him stand up.

"I'm sorry about that Gray. I just didn't want to think of you taking advantage of Juvia. I was just a little surprised to see you up here bein' all lovey dovey when you barely gave her a lick of attention until today. Made me assume some stuff about the two of ya. And I still don't think you guys are really that great together but as long as she's happy I guess I can live with it." Gajeel explains.

"I understand." Gray says and gives him a fake smile.

"Thanks for the blessing, even though I don't think I needed it."

"Juvia, I'm having the girls over at Gajeel and I's tomorrow. Would you like to come join us?" Levy quickly interjects before Gajeel can start a fight with Gray.

"Yes that sounds great!" Juvia exclaims.

"It'll be the perfect chance for Juvia to show off her ring and tell everyone the good news!"

Once Gajeel and Levy left, Gray shut the door and stayed there, facing away from Juvia.

"Gray-sama..." Juvia says worriedly when she notices Gray lost in thought.

Gray stood up with a frown on his face.

"Maybe Gajeel's right. Maybe us being together isn't a good idea." He says.

Juvia felt like a dagger went right through her heart.

"What are you talking about? You just said you loved me!" Juvia exclaims.

Gray looks away from her so he doesn't have to see the tears in her eyes.

"And I do, but..." He starts then trails off.

"Then tell Juvia why right now!" Juvia exclaims and runs in front of him.

Gray looks at her and his jaw sets as he sits back down on the bed.

"It's because Gajeel hit me..." Gray says.

"So it's his fault you want to break up with Juvia! Oh Juvia's going to kill him now-" Juvia growls.

"No Juvia it's not him it's me. I want to break up because I couldn't stop Gajeel from hitting me." Gray explains.

"Juvia doesn't understand." Juvia says.

Gray looks down in-between his legs before explaining.

"I swore that before I got together with you that I would become a man who can protect you. If I couldn't stop Gajeel from hitting me out of nowhere like that, then how could I stop someone who would try to hit you without warning. Or worse. Juvia, when I was a kid I saw my father die and it was one of the worst things I ever saw in my entire life. It still haunts me to this day. I don't want our kids to go through that too because their father wasn't strong enough to protect them or himself." Gray says.

Juvia came and knelt in-between his legs before holding Gray's hands.

"Gray-sama, you don't have to protect us on your own, we're partners now, we'll protect our children together as a mother and father should." Juvia says.

"But what if we get attacked while you're pregnant?" Gray asks.

"It'll be too dangerous for the baby for you to fight too, I'll have to protect you both and if I can't and something happened to the two of you I'd never move on from it!" Gray exclaims before Juvia cuts him off with a kiss.

"You're stronger than you think you are Gray-sama. Juvia believes you can protect her and the baby you'll put inside her." Juvia says and places his hand over her womb.

"I love you Juvia." Gray says.

"So much more than I've ever told you."

"Juvia loves you too, much more than she can express with words Gray-sama." Juvia says and they kiss again.

-------------

The fire crackled as Lucy laid on her side in Natsu's hammock, completely naked and trying to catch her breath as was he, as he laid next to her, equally naked, and looking at her like she was the most precious thing in the world to him, which she was.

Lucy's cheeks were still flushed and she shyly held the blanket up over her chest, feeling shy about him seeing her breasts, despite the fact that he had just seen all of her a few minutes ago, bare and shamelessly spread out for him on the carpet in front of the fireplace as they lost their virginities together.

"Are you okay Lucy?" Natsu asks her softly after a few moments.

"I wasn't too rough with you was I?" He asks.

"No you were fine Natsu." Lucy says.

She smiles and cups his cheek in her hand.

"You didn't hurt me, if that's what you were worried about." Lucy says.

"I was a bit worried about that." Natsu says then smirks.

"But now I'm happy because now I know that all of that screamin' was because you liked it."

Lucy yelped in surprise and hid her face under her blanket even more to hide the furious blush on her cheeks. Natsu laughed and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him.

"Why do you seem so shy Lucy?" He asks her.

"Did I upset you somehow?"

"No, Natsu you haven't done anything wrong tonight, you were perfect as surprising as that may be." Lucy says and smiles at him.

Natsu snickers before looking at her lustfully.

"You've forgotten that I grew up in a bar Luce. You know how pervy the older guys are. Even before I hit puberty they told me all sorts of things about what they do to women and where they like to be touched." Natsu explains.

Lucy gasps as Natsu grabs one of her breasts under the blanket and begins to squeeze it. She moans as he fondles it in just the way she liked before letting out an airy sigh of pleasure as he attached his mouth to her neck and began to suck a hickey onto it.

"I wasn't expecting you to know so much more about this than I was." Lucy explains in an airy voice as Natsu's touches made her head feel lighter.

"It makes me worried that I might not be enough for you though." She continues and Natsu halts his actions and looks up at her worried expression.

"If you know more about sex than me, then I must have bored you tonight. Perhaps you'd be more compatible with a girl whose got more experience than I do." Lucy says sadly.

"Lucy." He says softly and brings his head up to face hers.

"I never get bored when I'm with you, and I certainly wasn't bored tonight. I mean look at you, who would get bored while they're making love to the sexiest woman in Fiore." Natsu compliments and Lucy blushes as he kisses her cheek.

"And honestly, I was worried that you'd get bored with me, seeing as how I don't know anything about a romantic relationship and I always seem to upset you somehow if I say or do anything nice for ya'." Natsu admits and looks away from her.

"Then I guess we can both learn from each other then." Lucy says and snuggles closer to Natsu.

"We'll fill the gaps for each other to make our relationship whole."

"You're the perfect girl for me Lucy. I mean it. I'll never love anyone else like I love you." Natsu says.

"And you're the dragon that turned out to be my Prince Charming. I love you Natsu, now and always." Lucy says.

Their faces were close enough that their noses crossed, and as they looked into each other's eyes there was nothing but love and longing in their gaze. Then they both brought their lips together and began to kiss again.

-------------

Lucy hummed a little tune with herself and Plue as they walked along a cobblestone path in the woods that led to Levy and Gajeel's house. When they entered the clearing it was in, the first thing Lucy saw was Gajeel and Lily doing some sort of construction work.

"Hey bunny girl!" Gajeel calls to her.

"What are ya doin' here? Salamander didn't come with ya did he?"

"No it's just me and Plue." Lucy says with a smile.

"Puun-puun!" Plue says and waves.

"We came by to drop off some berries that grow by Natsu and Happy's house. I thought you and Levy would like some fresh fruit." Lucy explains and hands him the basket.

"These berries aren't poisonous are they?" Gajeel asks.

"What! No! Of course not, why would I want to poison my best friend and her boyfriend?" Lucy asks.

"So that you and Salamander can have kids before us and have them start training because they'll be older so they'll be the strongest in the guild!" Gajeel explains.

"If you think I really care about that dumb baby race you boys started out of your own delusions then you've lost your mind. Besides, I'm not even pregnant anyway!" Lucy reminds him.

She gasps when Gajeel leans in close to her and sniffs her.

"Nope. Yer not pregnant." He says and leans back.

"But even if ya were, I wouldn't be able to smell it on you until about two weeks or so anyway." Gajeel says and turns back to what he was working on.

Lucy placed her hand over her womb thoughtfully as she pondered the possibility that Natsu might have gotten her pregnant last night.

"Alright, now the crib's all done!" Gajeel says proudly.

He turned around to show Lucy and she yelped and Plue jumped into her arms in fear when they saw that haphazardly slapped together pieces of shrapnel that looked more like a bed of nails than a baby's bed.

"What do ya think? Ain't it great! The kids'll sleep safe and sound in this thing. It's made entirely out of iron so there's no way they'll be able to fall out or move the bars!" Gajeel says.

And I'm sure the iron from their blood when they poke themselves on all of those jagged edges will only reinforce it. Lucy thought to herself.

"Lu-chan you're here!" Levy exclaims.

Lucy turned to see Levy walk towards her and give her a hug.

"Hey Levy, I'm sorry I'm late." Lucy apologizes.

"Don't worry about it. The girls and I just finished making lunch. Juvia isn't even here yet. I bet she and Gray are still occupied." Levy says.

She giggles when she notices Gajeel tense at the mention of Gray and Juvia's recent development in their relationship.

"What's this?" Levy asks, looking at the crib.

"It's what our babies are gonna sleep in!" Gajeel tells her.

Levy's eyes went wide and she placed both of her hands over her swollen belly as if to protect her children from the death trap that their father had created for them. She looked at Lily and he mouthed:"play along".

"Oh." She says softly and forces a grin.

"Well it's certainly something darling. Let's talk about it later."

She then quickly rushed Lucy inside to avoid having a difficult conversation with Gajeel about saving money by building the household furniture himself.

--------------

Lucy loved spending time with the girls in Fairy Tail. Whether it was in the bath house or at Fairy Hills, it was nice to take a break from the rowdy boys and just enjoy each other's company. And gossip of course. And since Lucy had her first date with Natsu last night, she was the hot topic of today’s brunch conversation.

"What did he do?" Mira asks eagerly.

"He didn't drag you to watch him beat somebody up did he?" Bisca asks.

"No, that's what he wanted to do at first but I told him not to do that." Lucy explains.

"So then what did he do?" Wendy asks.

"Did he do something romantic?"

"Actually, yeah he did. He set up this delicious picnic under the stars in his yard. We ate and he listened to me tell him about the different constellations and then we went back inside and-"

"He proposed!" Juvia exclaims as she bursts through Levy's front door.

"Congratulations Juvia!" All the girls cheer.

Then Carla flew over to a banner on the wall and unfurled it to reveal a sign that said the same thing with wedding themed decorations on it.

Juvia was stunned.

"Levy, did you organize this party for me?" Juvia asks.

"Yep! I wanted to do something to celebrate you and Gray's engagement so I got all the girls together to throw you a party! Congratulations!" Levy says.

"You're all too kind!" Juvia exclaims then starts to cry tears of joy that almost flooded the whole first floor of the house.

-----------

Juvia enjoyed her party a lot. It was a whole hour where she got to gush about her relationship with Gray, and for the first time, it wasn't all just a fantasy in her head. It really happened! Gray proposed to her! She had a ring made out of ice to prove it too.

"It's a beautiful ring." Erza says.

"Thank you Erza. I'm sure Jellal will get you one that's just as beautiful." Juvia says.

At the mention of Jellal possibly proposing to her, Erza's face turned as red as her hair and she delved into a little fantasy of her own.

"You'd better be careful with that ring. If Natsu's flames get too close it could melt off." Lucy warns her.

"And why would Natsu's magic be used to melt the ring that Gray-sama gave to Juvia? Does Juvia's love-rival have some sort of plan to break us up so that she can have Gray-sama andNatsu!" Juvia growls.

"No no no! Juvia for the last time I am not in love with Gray at all I love Natsu! But you know how those two fight, all I'm saying is that maybe don't stand so close to Gray when that's happening or else that beautiful ring will melt." Lucy explains.

"Well all Juvia is saying is that a blonde bimbo like you should at least be able to hold down her man!" Juvia retorts.

"Ha ha! I'm sure she did that when she slept at Natsu's place last night!" Cana says and Wendy covers her ears and ducks her head under the table.

Lucy frowned. She should have known that Cana would say something like that, especially when she's drunk.

"Wait you mean you didn't go home after your date with Natsu last night?" Erza asks, suddenly intrigued.

"Who says I didn't?" Lucy chuckles.

"I did! I stopped by your place last night and slept there until morning and you never came back." Cana explains.

Dammit. Lucy thought.

"Wait so does that mean you and Natsu..." Levy starts.

All of the girls gasped and Lucy blushed. She already knew where this conversation was heading and she didn't like it. If she told them the truth and said yes then she'd be assaulted with inappropriate questions about how she and Natsu lost their virginities together. She wasn't even entirely sure of what to make of what they did last night. It was good, no doubt but, now she was worried that the girls might make fun of her and she'd discover that it actually sucked!

"No! We didn't. I told him I wanted to take things slow and he was fine with that. But I was tired so he offered to let me stay the night at his place." Lucy half-lies.

"Awwww." All the girls say and Lucy exhaled in relief that they bought it.

"Natsu really is such a sweet guy. And he loves you so much. I wouldn't be surprised if the next time you see him he's down on one knee." Lisanna says.

"Oh yeah right." Lucy says sarcastically.

She hears a knock on the door and decides to go answer it to end the ridiculous conversation.

"You girls expect way too much of Natsu, you have no idea what he's really like. I bet you all think that as soon as I open this door I'm gonna find him there on one knee ready to pop the question, well let me tell you, it's gonna take that man years to get his head on straight enough to do that!"

Lucy opens the door, and then screams and jumps back when that's exactly what she sees.

All of the other girls gasp in surprise, a new air of excitement hanging over them when they see Natsu in the doorway, on one knee, smiling at Lucy.

"Hey Lucy, I've got something to ask you." Natsu says.

Lucy's face went pale and her heart pounded. Holy shit is this really happening!? She screams in her head.

The girls behind her all let out little yelps of excitement from the huge milestone they'd all been waiting for.

"Y-you d-do?" Lucy stammers, unsure if she should be overjoyed or terrified of the question Natsu was about to ask her.

I mean, on one hand she should be happy. If he wanted to have and raise kids with her then she would expect that he'd want to put a ring on it but she never thought it would actually happen, nor was she entirely sure that she wanted it to.

Natsu holds something up in his fingers and Lucy stopped breathing when she saw it was shining in the sun and on top of a ring.

Holy crap this is really happening! He's gonna propose to me! He wants me to marry him and become Mrs. Lucy Dragneel! She shouts in her head.

"After I knocked on the door I saw this shiny earring on the ground and I knelt down to pick it up and it looks just like yours, did you lose one?" Natsu asks.

All of the girls fell over in disappointment and Lucy let out a sigh that was both out of disappointment and relief.

Lucy felt both of her ear lobes and smiled.

"Yeah Natsu I did lose an earring, thank you for finding it." Lucy says and takes it from him.

"No problem." Natsu says as she puts it back on.

"So wanna head back to my place or yours to screw around again?"

Lucy stiffened in fear when he asked that question, and all of the girls sat up in surprise.

"WHAT?!" They collectively shouted.

"Did I just hear that right? Did Natsu invite Lucy to have intercourse with him, again?" Juvia asks.

"You know what that means ladies!" Cana shouts and Wendy runs away with Carla to get out of earshot.

"Oh my gosh she did fuck Natsu last night!" Bisca exclaims.

Lucy's face turned bright red as all of the girls freaked out and gave her congratulations on losing her virginity.

"Oh come on we all saw how Lucy reacted when we asked her if she slept with Natsu last night!" Cana slurs while holding her wine bottle.

"I doubt she did anything other than lie there with her legs open while Natsu did all the work!"

All of the girls laughed and Lucy looked away in shame and embarrassment as a few of them agreed with Cana.

Natsu looked to see Lucy's reaction to what Cana said and his heart seized in his chest when he saw how sad Lucy looked, and whenever he saw her look like that, his fire would burn through his veins and a few flames started to flicker on his fist, ready to take down whatever was making the girl he loved so upset. But he wouldn't strike this time, because he grew up with these girls and they were his and Lucy's friends, he'd never use his magic on them or wish to harm them, even though they were about to make Lucy cry, an act that would be unforgivable if it was anyone else other than his guild mates.

"Hey shut up!" Natsu shouts at them.

Their taunting immediately stopped and Lucy looked up at Natsu in surprise, her eyes sparkling with tears that had threatened to fall. Was Natsu defending her?

"That's not funny! Can't you see you're making Lucy upset!" He continues.

The girls look and see how Lucy was looking sad.

"Oh my gosh, Lu-chan did we really make you upset?" Levy asks.

Lucy doesn't say anything but she does nod a bit.

All of the girls gasped and went and hugged her and apologized too.

Natsu smiled once he saw Lucy smiling, he could relax now that he knew that Lucy was happy.

----------

As they walked home from Levy's house Lucy held his hand and pressed herself close to him which confused Natsu.

"Any particular reason you're leanin' on me like this? Are your legs botherin' you or somethin'? Do you want me to carry you?" Natsu offers.

"No I'm fine. I just want to be close to you, that's all." Lucy says and places her hand on his bicep.

Natsu smiled at her and they continued to walk in silence for a bit.

"Thank you." Lucy says, breaking the silence.

"Thank you?" Natsu asks. "For what?"

"For standing up for me back at Levy and Gajeel's." Lucy clarifies.

"Oh that? That was nothing really. I just don't like seeing you sad so I wanted to make them stop. They're our friends, so I knew they'd understand if I pointed out how you felt to 'em." Natsu says.

Suddenly Lucy stepped in front of him and Natsu's eyes widened in surprise as Lucy pulled on his scarf and brought his lips down to hers. He closed his eyes and kissed her back, placing his hands on her hips to pull her closer before they parted.

"What was that for?" He asks.

"For being a good boyfriend. I know I might act like I'm mad at you a lot for the dumb stuff you do but, it's little things like what you did back there that remind me how much you care about me and why I fell in love with you. So thank you, for being such a sweet guy." Lucy explains.

"And thank you, for giving your heart to me. I swear I'll protect it no matter what." Natsu says and they kiss again.

"Wanna go have sex again?" Natsu asks her once they part.

"Again? Where?" Lucy asks.

"How about right here?" Natsu asks and chuckles.

"Right here in the woods! Out in the open? No way! You're outta your mind!" Lucy shouts at him.

"We're not exactly out in the open and there's no one around." Natsu reminds her.

"Well, you do have a point there." Lucy says.

Natsu grins before kissing her and undoing the sash on her skirt.

"Wait! What if one of those creepy Forest Vulcans finds us! They're girl-crazy enough on their own, imagine what one would do if it saw me naked!" Lucy exclaims.

"We'd never find out because I'd burn it's fur off before it could lay eyes on you." Natsu reassures her.

"I've always protected you Lucy, as long as you're with me I won't let anything hurt you I swear." Natsu promises.

"Oh okay then. Let's do this quick." Lucy says and she and Natsu begin to undress each other.

-------------

A/N: I hope you enjoyed! Remember to comment if you want a part 4!

[yuu-draws]

Written by @ikhnyshy (aka Water Lock) and drawn by me. This is our contribution for the Nalu-Gruvia Big-Bang: Enjoy!

@nalugruviaevents

Phantom Lord Girl — Water Lock

Three days had passed since the attack.

All the clues had finally led them to a warehouse located in a dark alley. The building itself was tall and lugubrious. The atmosphere was cold and dismal as he approached the building, it's windows either broken or closed off with wooden slats. The large doors were made of a heavy metal that were difficult to knock down, luckily, they'd already planned an entrance through other openings. Above the doors hung a white sign, large, black letters adorning it forming the words "Phantom Lord."

"Not very subtle, huh?" The Official Fullbuster mumbled sarcastically before sneaking off to the side of the building to access the basement. "Now's not the time to be sarcastic," His partner's voice rang in his hears through the communicator, "We have to make them pay for what they did to Levy and the others," Natsu all but growled the words, fury obvious in his voice. 

They had been called in the early morning, ordered to report urgently at the station. Five criminals had slipped into the building at night. They had swiftly taken out the guards, and vandalized the building to the point where it was almost destroyed. They burned files, exploded the pipes flooding the corridors, lifted all the tiles on the first floor, and somehow blew up the roof on the station. That wasn't what pushed them to their limit, though, the state they found their comrades Jet, Droy, and Levy...that was what angered them to no limit. The three were unconscious when they found them. When they arrived and saw the blood trickling from their wounds down their necks as well as their hands and feet tied to the chairs...they erupted in fury. It was not difficult to guess who had perpetrated the attack. In an act of absolute arrogance, the criminals graffiti the walls with the name of the band "Phantom Lord", painted on the bodies of the officers the symbol of the gang and left a metal plaque that read "Kurogane was Here." Either they were stupid or they wanted to be found. It didn't matter, though, because they will have revenge for what was done to their comrades. 

As Gray approached the building, adrenaline coursed through his body, his muscles tensed as his heart raced. It was a feeling that he enjoyed, being in action, catching criminals and doing justice. This mission was special because he had the responsibility to punish those who had dared to hurt his comrades. Gray felt the anger build in him as he thought of them. No one messes with the Magnolia Police. He would show no mercy with these criminals. 

Gray approached the door only to be met with a lock, good thing they'd prepared for this. He quickly froze the lock, and broke in with a thud. The basement behind the door was dark, the only light coming from the alley through the open door. Gray wiped his forehead, humidity was present in this room, filling it with a penetrating smell. The officer covered his nose with a handkerchief, while keeping his other hand on guard. His blood rushed with anticipation; he was eager to meet one of the members of the band. The spacious underground room was filled with wooden boxes, some covered by sheets and gray with dust. Looking up, he noticed thick black pipes that ran the length of the roof... 

"This humidity really sucks," He murmured to himself, annoyed by the sticky and deep steam that flooded the place as well as his body. "Humidity chases Juvia..." He heard a female voice and turned to see who it was, but there was no one behind him. "It's annoying and sticky," The voice continued. He looked back to the front as he heard the voice only to be met, again, by nothing. He noticed the monotonous and somewhat dull tone of the speaker, as if there was a great pain behind her words. "Nobody wants Juvia..." The voice trailed off, "Because the humidity is always with her..." "I'm Officer Fullbuster," He announced, looking for any hint of the woman, "All members of Phantom Lord are arrested for attacking officers inside the Station," "To arrest Juvia," The woman said, "You would have to catch her first, officer," She said, her monotone voice filling the silence in this basement. Was she making fun of him? He couldn't be sure, but judging by her voice she didn't seem to be kidding. "And to catch her, you would have to be able to see her." The voice said, taunting him as he looked every which way. "Get out now!" He shouted, his voice hoarse, already annoyed that he couldn't find her, "I'll handcuff you and you'll come with me to the station!" "Are you going to handcuff Juvia?" She said, hesitation filling her voice. 

Gray heard this and could almost feel the embarrassment in her voice. Realizing how his previous statement sounded, he immediately felt ashamed at the possible implication. "That's not what I meant," He claimed, making his intentions clear. The humidity was getting deeper and Gray noticed how difficult it was to see once he was away from the source of light, almost completely encompassed in darkness. "I'll put the handcuffs on you," He said, once again clarifying what he said. The response he got was not one that he was hoping for. He heard a high squeal echo throughout the basement, "So bold!" "I'm going to arrest you! That's what I'm saying!" He exclaimed, his cheeks flushed with frustration and embarrassment. Having enough of this, he launched his ice attack to the front, watching as the cold transformed the humidity into fog, a whitish mantle rising from the ground. "You're attacking Juvia," The voice claimed, "Then she-ahh!" Gray looked up just in time to see something falling from the ceiling. He stretched out his arms instinctively and caught her in time before she hit the ground. The low light of the basement let him see a glimpse of bluish long and curly hair...as well as the brightness of her widened eyes. "You saved Juvia..." She mumbled in shock, bringing her hands to her face, "You're like a knight," "A what?" He shook his head, "No. I'm a cop and you're under arrest," It was like his words didn't reach her, because without reason she clung to his neck in an effusive hug. "You're the knight Juvia has been waiting for," She said happily. "Hey," he said, feeling slightly uncomfortable with their current position, "I told you I came to arrest you," he untangled himself from her arms, "Now turn around so I can handcuff you and-," "Oh yes, handcuffs..." She trailed off, stretching her hands out to the front and allowed him to easily slip the handcuffs around her wrists. 

By the light that came in from the outside, he could see her long, dark, leather jacket that covered a blue corset and a skirt of the same color, of a lighter fabric. When he looked up, he noticed how she was staring at him, her cheeks flushed a little as a smile graced her face. Gray didn't understand why she was looking at him like that, he scratched his neck behind his head, finally decided that he should take her to the patrol car. Then he would be able to help his partner capture the other members of Phantom Lord. 

"Walk." He told her firmly, "You will come with me to the station," "Gray," a voice said in his hear that he identified immediately, "We need you to confirm your location," Lucy said to him, her voice ringing through the radio. He felt his prisoner tense in front of him, he could feel her body trembling. "I'm taking a suspect to the patrol car, Lucy," He told her, "Then I'll go back to help Natsu," "Ok," She responded, "Do you need any help with the suspect?" "No, I think-" he started, but before he could say anything else, the girl broke loose from his grip. The handcuffs fell to the ground, much to his shock, he wasn't sure what was happening. "Who is Lucy?" She asked, her voice no longer sounded monotonous or sad, nor did it have that sweetened lull from a moment ago. She seemed angry and annoyed, but why? So Gray did the smartest thing he could think of. "Huh?" He asked intelligently. "Is she...a Love Rival?" The girl asked almost threateningly, a dark aura surrounding her. With her hands at her sides, she summoned a torrent of water and shot it at Gray. He defended himself with an ice shield, though, right before it hit him. "What's going on?" He asked confused, "A moment ago you seemed willing to surrender!" "Juvia will not give herself to a liar like you!" She replied angrily. "Liar? What are you-" He started but was once again interrupted by another torrent of water that broke his shield and threw him against the boxes behind him. "Juvia will not forgive you!" She all but spat, she was furious and the officer had no idea why, "She will not forgive that Lucy either," She said, venom lacing her voice as she said the name. "Why are you mad at Lucy?!" He asked, beyond confused as to what was going on. "You defend her?!" She asked, her eyes blazing, "She is a Rival of Love!" She exclaimed before attacking again, causing Gray to hide behind a pile of boxes, trying to understand what was happening. Water started to accumulate on the ground as attacks followed one after the other, remains of boxes and objects floated around the place. The officer quickly looked for a spot from which to attack so he could immobilize his adversary. He frowned as he rested his hands on the surface of the liquid that covered the ground, concentrating on his ice, freezing the water throughout the basement except where he was hiding. The attacks stopped, finally allowing him to come out of hiding. 

His scanned the area before his eyes focused on her. She was standing, completely frozen up her knees in ice, enclosing her long boots. He allowed himself to observe her a little more before quickly turning his eyes away. Despite her badass attire, she had a rounded, delicate face, her eyes were large and expressive, and her figure... The officer cleared his throat, trying to push those thoughts to the back of his mind. He wasn't supposed to be having these thoughts about his "suspect." It was not the time to think if she was cute, or if the way she inflated her cheeks in annoyance, trying to get away from the ice, was sweet or tender... "You can't escape anymore," He told her, "Do you give up?" He said as he held up his spare handcuffs, showing them to her, a smile of victory on his face. Her response was to look at him, and then blushed again. "Juvia..." She started then trailed off. "So your name is Juvia, huh?" He said as he approached her and placed the handcuffs on her wrists, feeling her gaze follow his movements, "I'm Officer Gray Fullbuster and you're under arrest for vandalism." 

___________________________________________________________

Despite the damage they caused, the members of Phantom Lord didn't have a severe punishment. The maximum penalty went to Gajeel Redfox, who pleaded guilty to beating officers on duty; as a sentence he would have to serve a month in prison and six months of community duties within the Station. The young gang member shouted in the corridors of the court that he preferred more jail time before working with a bunch of cops. The rest of the gang, though, received diverse penalties based off on the damage they caused. Juvia received the least of the punishments, having to remain only three days detained inside the station. Gray understood that flooding the corridors of the building was not a very serious offense, it seemed more mischief than a crime. He couldn't help but feel sorry for the fate of the girl with blue hair. She didn't seem like a bad person, but someone must have influenced her badly...maybe she didn't have any good friends that were there for her... 

___________________________________________________________

Two days had passed since the mission. 

It was also the second day of Juvia's arrest as well as the day Gray decided to visit her in her cell. He found her sitting on the prison cot, hugging her knees to her chest, her head on them watching the raindrops pound against the glass of the only window in the place. "Hey," He said awkwardly as he scratched his neck, unsure of what to say, "I'm sorry you have to be here," He said, attempting to start a conversation. She didn't say anything. She didn't even look at him. She just shrugged and continued staring out the window. But after a moment of silence, she did. "It doesn't matter," She said solemnly, "Juvia has nowhere else to go," "What do you mean?" Gray asked curiously. "Phantom Lord was disbanded," She said, finally turning to look at him, "That was her home," "Did you live there?" He asked and looked down, his hands holding the cold bars of the prison., "I'm sorry," "You are very kind, Gray-sama," She said, her eyes filled with warmth. "Gray-sama?" He was confused as to why she would give him such an endearment. "Juvia is glad she met you,"A small, sad smile made itself known on her face, "She always thought police officers were bad...then she met you," her blues eyes pierced his, "She was wrong," "How are we bad?" He asked, slightly offended, "We're here to take care of people." "Will you take care of Juvia, Gray-sama?". "It's part of my job, isn't it?" Before he could even comprehend what was happening, she jumped up and threw herself towards the bars. The sad expression from before completely gone, now replaced by an immense smile, her fingers brushing his as she clung to the fence, causing the officer to remove his hands in alarm. "Juvia will also take care of Gray-sama!" She exclaimed, her excitement contrasting her previous state. "I don't need you to take care of me," He growled, uncomfortable. Before more could be said a strange grunt rumbled in her cell. Juvia covered her stomach with her hands, her cheeks flushing as she looked down in embarrassment. "You didn't eat?" He asked, only for her to shake her head, "They didn't bring you anything?" He was slightly outraged. She didn't respond. "Those idiots," He groaned, "I'll be right back," He left to get her some food. 

He felt strangely responsible for the girl. He was the one who arrested her, and it wasn't like he hadn't captured someone before, so why? He couldn't explain why all of a sudden he was so interested in a delinquent. His only obligation was to catch her and then turn her over to the justice, however, it was not a part of his job to worry about her let alone to take care of her meals or her general comfort. But Gray couldn't help feeling that the girl was out of place here. She didn't belong in here. The jail was no place for someone like her. She wasn’t evil. She didn't deserve to be behind bars. 

Leaving the station, he made his way outside. The rain had diminished to a simple, copious drizzle. He walked a couple of blocks to find the food store and smiled when he noticed that it wasn't too crowded, so he would be able to get back quickly. 

After getting Juvia some food, Gray returned to work with his torso wet from the drizzle. At some point, he had removed his uniform shirt (and who knows where he threw it). In one of his hands, he was carrying the bag of snacks he had chosen to share. 

"Hey," Natsu said as Gray walked by, standing in front of him, looking at his bag curiously, "What's in there?" Gray rolled his eyes, his companion sniffed the air as if he were a dog. "Oh," Natsu’s eyes lighted up with excitement, "Did you buy Caramade Franks?" Dragneel showed his teeth in a smile that was way too wide. "It's not for you Flame Brain!" He answered annoyed, seeing how his partner's eyes shone with hunger fully focused on the bag. "You can't eat all of that alone, Ice Boy," Natsu said, smirking, "You don't have enough stomach." "Who said I was going to eat them on my own?" He retorted, and then made his way, deciding that he didn't want to discuss this matter with Natsu (or anyone else for that matter, he hoped he didn't cross any of his other partners on the way). However, much to his luck that wasn't the case. Cana was leaning against the bars, one of her typical side smiles planted on her face as she tipped a bottle of wine in front of the bars… 

"C'mon," She said to the detained, "Have a drink with me. It must be horrible to be locked in there, don't you wanna drown your sorrows a little?" "Thanks, but Juvia does not drink alcohol," answered the muffled voice from the other side. Gray approached the girls, a frown adorning his face. "Hey, leave her alone Cana," He said, the brunette responding with an annoyed look. Then, being Cana she bounced right back, giving him a smile, "Oh Gray, you comin' to join the party?" "The only one partying here is you," He pointed out, "Why are you drinking so late anyway?" "Don't be so boring," She groaned, then took off from the cell and made her way down the hall from where he came, "For your information, tomorrow is my day off. I'm celebrating!" She said, throwing a cheeky smile over her shoulder before turning down the hall. 

Once Cana was gone, the officer turned his attention to the girl inside the cell. The ex-Phantom Lord member looked at him with flushed cheeks, her eyes tinted with a glimmer of dreaminess. It was not the first time she had looked at him like that, and he could not help but feel somewhat uncomfortable when he noticed it 

"Here," He said to Juvia, extending the bag with food in it, after taking out his part. "Gray-sama brought Juvia some food?" She asked hesitantly, her eyes shining with something Gray couldn't put his finger on. "The idiots who were guarding you were supposed to take care of that," Grabbing a chair to place it next to the cell, "I don't know what those imbeciles were thinking," He said, feeling frustrated with them. It wasn't until Gray looked up that he noticed she was still standing in her place, watching him surprised and bewildered, "What's wrong?" He asked curiously. "Are you going to eat with Juvia?" She asked, her eyes questioning. Gray thought it was obvious considering he was already opening the wrapper of his food when she asked him. "Well," He said, "Of course," "But..." Juvia started but the noise of her stomach roared once again, Gray looked at her with a sympathetic smile and nodded at the edge of the bed, which was next to the bars. "Let's eat. I think your stomach does not want to keep waiting," He said, his eyes amused. "Gray-sama...?" Juvia asked. "Mhmm," Gray responded. "Why are you shirtless?" She asked, a blush gracing her delicate cheeks. 

___________________________________________________________

Gray forgot that it was his day off, but he remembered that this was the last day of Juvia's sentence. The officer wondered what the girl would do once she was free. Juvia told him that she was alone and had nowhere to go. She had not mentioned it, but Gray worried that she might end up in Phantom Lord or some other gang in the city again 

She told him that the reason she joined the group led by Jose Porla was because they accepted her. That acceptance had a price, Juvia had to participate in the activities of the band even if she didn't like them. Although it was uncomfortable, she got used to doing what they asked without question, and ended up flooding the station. 

Despite being deprived of her freedom, she confessed that she felt very comfortable in the cell. Apparently, he wasn't the only one who had visited her, several of the girls had come and talked to her and had shown her a very warm side of the Police, one that she never expected to feel from other people. That day, his day off, he spent it talking with Juvia. He got to know her and let her know him. They talked until the Chief arrived to finally open the cell, letting her free. Her sentence was fulfilled. 

"Juvia is sorry for all the problems she has caused," She said remorsefully, bowing a little as she held onto her small hand luggage where she carried her few belongings. Her eyes filled with tears as they focused on the smiling faces of the officers. She stopped and looked at everyone, especially him, and smiled broadly before turning around and leaving through the glazed door of the building. 

He was not the only one worried, he could tell from the look on his companions' faces that they were thinking about the fate of the blue-haired woman who was walking down the street. Alone. With no one to turn to and so inclined to get into trouble...But there wasn't much they could do for her, they could only hope they wouldn't find her in the same situation as before. 

When night came, Gray went to his apartment, rejecting his team's offer to go for a drink before heading home. He didn't feel good. For some reason, he was a little down and with a too intense sting that attacked him from the base of the spine to the shoulders. He just wanted to eat something fast, take a shower, and go to bed, maybe even watch some television before giving into precious sleep. 

___________________________________________________________

Gray awoke abruptly to the annoying sound of the alarm clock shrieking next to him on the bedside table. He lazily pulled an arm out from under the sheet and hit it to turn it off. To his half-asleep ears came the strange sound of something frying in the kitchen. His nose began to wake up as a delicious aroma greeted his senses, also coming from his own apartment. Startled at the realization, the officer got up from the bed and left the room totally disconcerted. 

Much to Gray's surprise, when he entered his kitchen he was greeted by Phantom Lord's girl cooking scrambled eggs in his kitchen wearing a pink apron over her leather clothes. "Juvia?!" He exclaimed, "What are you doing here?!" She simply turned and gave him the sweetest of smiles. "Gray-sama!" She exclaimed happily, "You're awake!" She removed the pan from the fire and approached him, immediately engulfing him in a hug, her arms surrounding his neck. "Hey..." He said uncomfortable, gently moving away from her embrace, "What are you doing here." He asked, trying not to sound too harsh. "Juvia had nowhere to go," She looked down, "And Gray-sama said he would take care of her," "This is not what I meant," He answered, scratching the back of his head uncomfortable as he sighed, "Guess it doesn't matter now, though. Since you made breakfast, let's eat," He said, walking over to the coffee pot that steamed with fresh coffee. He poured himself a cup when he noticed that she had prepared a cup of tea for herself. "Juvia was thinking..." She started, her voice coming out slightly nervous as she stirred the infusion slowly, "Gray-sama...do you think Juvia could become a cop?" "Hmmmmm," He finished swallowing what he had in his mouth and looked at her seriously. He could tell that she had been thinking about the subject for a while. It was not something that she had just decided to ask for the heck of it. "You should talk to the chief," He finally answered, thinking carefully of what he should say next as to not offend her, "After all, even if it wasn't for something serious, you were arrested and...you did damaged the police building," 

However, it didn't look like his words affected her at all as she just shrugged her shoulders simply, as if she were a little girl who was being scolded. "But," Gray started again, "We all know you're not a bad person, maybe they will give you a chance," He said, almost cautiously, not wanting her to get her hopes up. "And Juvia will be Gray-sama's partner?" She asked, curiously, again that dreamy expression making itself known in her eyes as well as those flushed cheeks. Gray looked at her, dumbfounded. And once again responded very intelligently. "Huh?" He asked her, confused. "Gray-sama and Juvia will work together!" She squealed happily. 

Gray didn't know what she was imagining, not that he was sure he wanted to know, but surely it had nothing to do with the daily work of the police. She held her face as her eyes stared at absolutely nothing, while her mouth transformed into an immense smile that babbled incoherently about "couples", "love", "destiny", and so many other things that Gray didn't even want to begin to understand. 

"You will have to go to the Academy, study, and pass the exam," He said, wanting to make sure she knew it wouldn't be easy. "Study?" Juvia asked him, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. "Of course," He responded, taking another sip of his coffee, "You are not a police officer from one day to the next," "Oh," She said, looking somewhat disappointed as she drank some of her tea, placing it on a plate and then shrugged her shoulders, "It will take more time than she thought, but Juvia can do it," She said firmly, her eyes filled with determination. "Okay then," Gray said, finishing his coffee, "We will talk to the boss and get you started," "When Juvia graduates, will she be Gray-sama's partner?" She asked, repeating her previous question. Gray smiled and extended his hand, "It's a promise. When you become an Agent, we will make a team." 

Studying, graduating, and being part of the squad seemed like a good fit for someone like her. Things would definitely change for Juvia, in a good way that is, and Officer Fullbuster was relieved to know that she would stay away from troubles if she joined the Fairy Tail Team. 

"Juvia is so happy!" She squealed as she got up from her chair and threw herself at him with open arms, completely disregarding his hand. To say the least, Gray was surprised by the forward action, but he accepted the hug, surrounding her waist with his arms, sharing her happiness, and wishing that she really started a new path in her life. One that he would gladly accompany her on.

[solafsekai]

Hi guys❤️

My entire for The day Nalu/Gruvia Big Bang @nalugruviaevents​ . @i-write-fanfics-to-procrastinate and I decided on a 1940s/50s AU. It has been so wonderful working with you, friend! Your story is lovely and it was a so great to be paired with you for this event.

Also thank to @rieriebee for become our mood !

It was a pleasure to work with you guys 🥰

[day-writingdaydreams]

This is my first fanfic and was written for @nalugruviaevents Big Bang event

I want to thank my artist @bakugyou for the fabulous artwork and the impressive @doginshoe for being my beta reader, I couldn’t have gotten this done in time without you!

[i-write-fanfics-to-procrastinate]

Gruvia Big Bang Event Fic

Finally! The day has come where I get to post my fic for the Nalu/Gruvia Big Bang @nalugruviaevents​ and I’m so excited. @solafhusain​ and I decided on a 1940s/50s AU. It has been so wonderful working with you, friend! Your art is beautiful and it was a so great to be paired with you for this event. I hope we can collaborate some other time as well.

Also, thank you @rieriebee​ for helping us out with this and working with us to figure this all out. I know it was weird because I came in a little late so your patience and your help has been wonderful!

Anyways, everyone! You should go check out @solafhusain​ ‘s beautiful art for this story! She worked so hard on both pieces! I hope you enjoy! :)

New Normal

The house was quiet and dark. Gray pulled off his boots even before shutting the door behind him. Juvia was already halfway up the stairs by the time he managed to reach out and pull the little string to turn on the old side-table lamp.

“Where are you going?”  He asked. Juvia paused at the top of the stairs. He could just see her heels and legs from where he stood, and the edge of her dance skirt—blue, her favorite color.

“To bed,” she mumbled, before continuing down the hall, her heels clacking on the hardwood.

“That’s just swell,” Gray huffed, tossing his military-issued coat across the couch. The last thing he needed was his wife frustrated with him. Pulling the string once more, he plunged the living room into darkness and followed Juvia upstairs to the master bedroom. She was sitting on their bed, her dress already undone. Her satin sleeves were slipped off her shoulders, and she was carefully putting her pearl necklace away in her jewelry drawer. He watched her for a moment, wanting so badly to say something—anything—to break the dreadful silence, but nothing came to mind. When she dabbed away her bright red lipstick, it smeared across her cheek and that feeling in the pit of Gray’s stomach—that twisting, nauseous feeling—returned. Blood. He quickly looked away.

Juvia crawled into bed, but Gray sat on the edge, staring at the old picture on the wall. He, Natsu, Gajeel, Laxus, Jellal, and their Platoon.

***

They had all met that evening. The girls wanted to go dancing. They had a favorite dance club several blocks from Juvia and Gray’s home. They had walked arm-in-arm to the club that night, meeting their friends just outside the familiar wood door. The sound of swing music drifting through the cracks made Juvia’s eyes light up. Though Gray wasn’t exactly a fan of dancing, he was always ready to do something to make her smile.

“Are we ready?” Lucy had asked. Her blonde hair was curled into waves and pinned back to the side. She was wearing her own swing dress, quite like Juvia’s, but a soft pink instead of a satin blue.

“Come on,” Juvia practically dragged Gray into the club, following their friends. “Let’s dance!”

Gray hated drawing attention to himself, but Juvia was laughing, and he couldn’t say no to that sparkle in her blue eyes. He let her lead him out onto the dance floor. A live band was playing a quick jive. Gray spun Juvia once and then pulled her back in, close. For a moment it was just the two of them, but more people were coming into the club now that the work day was over. It was getting loud. Couples were chatting and dancing, and ordering drinks at the bar. The conversation grew into a buzz—noise that Gray still wasn’t used to. It suddenly felt too hot. In the confusion he accidentally bumped in Gajeel, who was dancing with Levy.

“Hey, Ice-brain, watch it,” Gajeel frowned.

“Sorry,” Gray choked, his voice hoarse and his throat dry. Someone was smoking a cigarette, or maybe several people. It was hot, and with each breath of smoke his pounding headache worsened. Suddenly, somewhere behind him, there was a terrible BANG—a sickening crack of shattering glass. Gray ducked, putting a hand over his head, and just like that he was back in the trenches. The blood of dozens of men was soaking into the mud at his ankles, above him the sky was dim. Eardrum-shattering explosions were sounding in the distance. Someone was screaming. Medic. Medic. Behind barbed wire he could make out the faces of friends. There was so much blood, so much blood.

When his head cleared enough for him to remember that he was at a club, all he could think of was that a gun had gone off. Someone was shot. He turned to his wife, grabbing her shoulders. “Juvia! Are you alright?!” His voice was possibly a little louder than necessary, rising above the live band.

“Juvia’s f-fine! Gray, what’s wrong?!” He scanned the room. His friends were all alright, though Natsu, Jellal, and Gajeel looked shaken. Then, he spotted it, in the corner of the room: a man leaning against the back wall—bright red blossoming through his white dress shirt. Still disconcerted, Gray dove towards the man, shoving people aside.

“Move! Move! Medic coming through.” Without pause, or hesitation, Gray got to work. His whole process came to him as naturally as brushing his hair in the morning. First, get the shirt out of the way—

“Hey!” The young man yanked away from Gray, glowering, “Get off me, crumb! What’s wrong with you?” Blood. The red on the man’s shirt was sickening, but it was no longer spreading. That’s when Gray noticed the wine glass in the gentleman’s hand. Gray’s stomach churned watching the red wine slosh in the glass as the man jerked away from Gray.

Air. I need air. He shoved his way out of the smoky room, his hands quivering, and once he was outside under the stars, free at last, he lost his dinner. Heaving against the side of the building his mind swam with only one memory: blood. There’s blood everywhere.

***

Gray shook his head, gripping the dog tags that hung around his neck he whispered, “Juvia… I’m sorry. Are you… angry?” He felt Juvia shift under the quilts behind him.

“Angry? No,” she whispered. “Juvia is worried. Gray… is it the war again?”

He wanted to say something, but it didn’t seem right. How could he bring that mess, all his new baggage, crashing down on top of her? I want to keep you safe, Juvia. Safe from what, he wasn’t sure. Himself? His nightmares? The truth?

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said, squeezing his dog tags one last time before throwing himself back on the bed and wrapping himself in their quilts. Tomorrow will be better.

***

He was back in the trenches. The ground shuddered beneath his feet. Gray leaned over, heaving, choking on his own breath. This is just a dream. It’s just a dream. Lightning lit up the barbed wire above him, and the sound of gunshots was engulfed with the sound of thunder. “Gray!!!” Someone was yelling his name. He turned, his hands clutched his rifle like it was his life line—his knuckles were white, his whole body trembling.

“Natsu?” But before Gray’s friend could reach him, a tidal wave of red rolled over the barbed wire, filling the trench. Blood. It rose quickly, above his waist, to his chest. He was going to drown. He struggled to climb the edge of the trench, but his hand only caught onto barbed wire. Natsu was still surging forward trying to reach them, but with one last splutter of blood over the trench walls, he was engulfed in the flood. Gray screamed, reaching for where his friend had disappeared, reaching for anything, anyone. This is just a dream! It’s just a— His vision went red, he couldn’t breath. Blood, blood—

“Gray!” Gray woke up with a shudder, jerking away from where Juvia was shaking him. He was sweating, his heart was pounding in his chest, he took in deep gulps of air, before he let himself remember that he was in his bedroom, at home, with his wife. Juvia looked terrified, her eyes were wide, her hands were shaking. “G-gray, you were screaming in your sleep.”

Gray shook his head, still trying to catch his breath. “It…” He glanced up at her, the way her curls framed her face… he suddenly just wanted to hold her and let it all out. His chest ached, like it was about to break open, and spill all his worries all his anxieties. “It’s the war.” He whispered, hardly able to get a word out before tears filled his eyes, he glanced away. He didn’t want to see her like this. He had always been the strong one. Always. A warm hand reached out and touched his shoulder. This time he didn’t shove her away. He let her pull him into her embrace. He rested his head against her shoulder, breathing in the faint scent of her perfume, and wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Do you want to talk about it?” She whispered, “Juvia is always here for you.”

Gray held his breath for a moment. Maybe he had been keeping it in for too long. He had avoided talking to her about the war for weeks now, but the nightmares kept getting worse. He pulled her closer, nodding against her neck.

“Yeah. I think I need to talk about it.”

So he told her everything. Everything about the war, about his dreams, about how every time the neighbors worked on their backyard shed—every time someone hammered a nail into that stupid roof—he thought a gun was going off. He told her how sometimes he could only see blood in the color red. The way her lipstick smeared when she wiped it off, the way red wine pooled when it was spilled. He told her how he hated it, he hated himself.

“I thought coming back home would fix things, that everything would go back to normal,” he whispered, still clinging to her, “But nothing has gone back to normal. Nothing.”

“Gray,” Juvia said, pressing a hand to his cheek. “It may not be normal like it used to be, but it’s a new normal. You know that Juvia will always be here for you.” He didn’t answer, not sure how to tell her that even if they did get through this together, there would still be nightmares, there would still be blood in his vision. He didn’t know how to wipe it away. But Juvia pulled away from his embrace to look him in the eyes. “Loud noises? We don’t need to go out—not to a club. We can dance here. Wine? Juvia will only drink water,” she whispered, her smile almost contagious. “Red lipstick? Juvia won’t wear it ever again. Juvia doesn’t need lipstick, and wine, and loud parties to be happy, Gray. Juvia only needs you.” She paused, resting her forehead against his before she spoke again, “Juvia promises to do everything possible to prevent these dreams, to help you smile again.”

Gray let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and then leaned in to kiss her, brushing his hand through her curls and cupping the back of her head. When he pulled away he smiled. “You’re something else,” he whispered, still inches apart from her.

But something was still bothering him. It wasn’t the dream, or the spilled wine, or his shaking hands. He pulled away from her embrace and stood, in his pajamas and held out his hand expectantly. Juvia looked up at him, bewildered.

“Gray?”

“I owe you a dance,” he said. He watched as her lips turned up in a smile and she took his hand. He pulled her up into his arms, her nightgown swishing around her knees, and he led her around the small space of their bedroom. It wasn’t a swing dance, it was slower, but neither of them cared. Gray took comfort in her touch, her soft hands, the way her blues eyes shone with an overwhelming love. He felt his chest swell with warmth, and he paused in their turn about the room to kiss her again.

“Gray?” She murmured against his lips, as they stood together in the middle of their room, “Juvia loves you, more than anything. Please, always remember that.”

There was blood in his vision, blood on his hands, and he was trying to wash it away for good. But everything was okay because of her. Like a Summer rain she would wash away the grime, the dirt, the dust, even if it took years. Juvia is here. He smiled, pressing his forehead against hers once more.

“I love you too.”

[thewritingstar]

Star’s Master Fic Page!

Updated: 11/19/2020

This is where you can find all of my fics!!!

Current Fic Count: 200

Original Content Count: 6

Fandoms: Fairy Tail, My Hero Academia, Miraculous LadyBug, The PowerPuff Girls, The Promised Neverland, Ducktales, Gravity Falls, Original Works

Bold are Chapter fics!

My asks are always open for requests!!

Commissions are open!!

Fairy Tail

1. Lying - Gruvia

2. It Should Have Been Me - Gruvia

3. Of All The Colors: 1 - 2 - Gruvia

4. Blue Skies -Gruvia

5. My Savior - Lucy and Aquarius

6. Little Notes - Lucy and Aquarius

7. Movies - Gruvia

8. Books - Gajevy

9. Candles -Nalu

10. The First Snow -Nalu

11. Letting Go - Gruvia

12. Written In The Stars Au. 1  2-Nalu

13. Fine- Gruvia

14. Reassuring- Gruvia

15. Melt for Me- Nalu (Candles pt 2)

16. Marshmallows- Nalu

17. Book Shelves- Gajevy

18. Flower Crown- Gruvia

19. Sweatshirts and Coffee- Gruvia

20. Bloody Smile- Nalu

21. Water Body- Gruvia

22. Balloons- Gruvia

23. Marriage- Gajevy

24. Can’t help falling in love with you- Nalu

25. The Siren Song- Gruvia AU. 1

26. Mario Kart- Nalu

27. Beating Hearts- Nalu

28. Mint- Gajevy

29. Can you feel the love tonight?- Gruvia

30. Clock- Nalu

31. Show me whats behind your back. -Nalu

32. Just Smile- Gajevy

33. Can we?- Nalu (Adult Content)

34. Broken- Gruvia

35. Immortal- Gruvia

36. Russian Roulette -Gruvia

37. Sit Down -Gruvia

38.Don’t Cry- Gruvia

39. Water Lily Wedding- Gruvia

40. Cycle Of the Rain -Gruvia

41. Lost -Gajevy

42. Forgiveness -Jerza

43. Auto Shop Hearts -Gajevy

44. Valentines Day?? - Gruvia

45. Music- Gajevy

46. Past and Future -Gajevy

47. Leave me alone -Gruvia

48. Valentine Exchange -Nalu

49. Cold Feet -Gruvia

50. Silence -Nalu

51. You’re Hurting Me- Gruvia

52. Magic Trick- Nalu

53. Damp Skin- Gruvia

54. Mall Adventures- Gruvia

55. I prefer blondes- Nalu

56. The Secret Admirer- Gruvia

57. Forgiving- Gruvia

58. Missing You- Gruvia

59. Ill Keep You Warm- Nalu

60. Ive Got You- Gruvia

61. Adventures In Lush- Fairy Tail Girls + Others

62. The Anniversary To Remember - Gruvia

63. A Chance Meeting- Gruvia

64. Do You Have A Ride Home?- Nalu

65. I Can’t Trust You- Gajevy

66. You Could Have Warned Me! -Nalu

67. SnowBalls- Gruvia

68. Stuck In The Elevator- Gruvia

69. Labor- Gruvia

70. Rescued- Gruvia

71. Liquid Locket- Gruvia

72. Very Happy- Gruvia

73. Gruvia Week: Proposal

74. Gruvia Week: Surprise

75. Gruvia Week: Devotion

76. Gruvia Week: Sport

77. Gruvia Week: Heartbreak

78. Lost- Gruvia

79. Mortifying Merch- Gruvia

80. Never Stop- Gajevy

81. Blind Date- Gruvia

82. Fates Desire- Gruvia: Chap 1 Chap 2

83. Stairwell Kisses- Gruvia

84. Stolen Shirts- Nalu

85. “Kiss Me”- Gruvia

86. Happy Birthday- Nalu

87. Enough- Gruvia

88. The Moment- Nalu

89. Are You Safe- Gajevy

90. Bruises- Gruvia

91. The Ex Boyfriend- Gruvia

92. Double Date: Gruvia/Nalu

93. A Royal Heart- Gruvia (Big Bang Event)

94. One More Time: Gruvia

95. Deserving of Love- Gruvia

96. Kiss As a Lie- Gruvia

97. To Ignore the Rain Would Be A Pity: Gruvia Chap 1 Chap 2

98. Go Get Your Happiness- Gruvia

99. Death n Diamonds- Gruvia

100. Drabble- Gruvia

101. Silver Shorelines- Gruvia

102. Gruvia Day 2019

103. Fire n Water- Navia

104. Starsoba Fictober- Candy- Gruvia

105. Chained With Love- Nalu

106. A Years Difference- Gruvia

107. Grains Of Purple- Gruvia

108. Truly Beautiful- Nalu

109. Dress- Nalu

110. Back to those Summer Days- Gruvia

111. The Legend of The Lake- Gruvia

112. Upon the Frozen Lake- Gruvia

113. Waiting in the Rain- Gruvia

114. Only A Fairy tale- Gruvia

115. Learn to Love Again- Gruvia

116. Toxic in Trade: Chap 1 Chap 2- Gruvia

117: Gruvia Week 2020- Day 1

118: Gruvia Week 2020- Day 2

119: Within The Darkness- Gruvia

120: By Your Side- Nalu

121: A Touch of a Hand- Gruvia

122: Scars- Gratsu

123: Promise Me- Gruvia 

124: Ice Ice Baby?- Gruvia 

125: The Melody of Loving You- Gruvia 

126: Holding You Close- Lucy x Juvia 

127: Gruvia Day 2020

128: Beautiful Revelations- Gruvia 

Miraculous Ladybug

1. Why Can’t You Just Love Me Back?- LadyNoir

2. Fallen Heroes -LadyNoir

3. Regret -Adrientte

4. Lights- LadyNoir

5. Not the Time -Adrienette

6. Reason to Live - LadyNoir

7. Indigo Tears -MariChat

My Hero Academia

1. Credit Due -Kiribaku

2. Angry Kiss -Kiribaku

3. Tell me you need me- Kacchako

4. Bath- Kacchako

5. 3 A.M - Kacchako

6. Sick Days- Kiribaku

7. Dance Dance Revolution- Kiribaku

8. A Confession- Kiribaku

9. The Assassin Code- 1

10. No Time To Waste- KiriBaku

11. KiriBaku Week: Dance

12. KiriBaku Week: Scars

13. KiriBaku Week: Support

14. KiriBaku Week: Soulmate

15. My New Dream- KiriBaku

16. 90’s- KiriBaku

17. Best at Boasting -KiriBaku

18. My Everything -Kacchako

19. StarSoba Fictober: Pumpkins-KiriBaku

20. Gift Swap- BakuDeku

21. Gift Swap: ROCKin Around the Christmas Tree- Kiribaku

22. What It Could Be- Kiribaku

23. Sleepover Secrets- Jiroumomo

Powerpuff Girls

1. Own Escape- Blossick

2. Up In The Clouds- Blossick

3. Pretty Sparks- Butchercup

4. Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince: Chap 1 -Blossutch

5. Green Light District- Butchercup

6. Enchanted For a Moment- Chap 1, Chap 2 -Blossick (orphaned)

7. Valuable Possessions- Butchercup

8. Bite my Tongue- Blossutch

9. Tease-Blossick

10. Cute- Butchercup

11. Come Get Me: Butchercup

12. Hair Twirling- Blossutch

13. I’m a Mess- Butchercup

14. Stay- Blossick

15. Fireworks- Butchercup

16. Shields and Sparks- Butchercup

17. The Talk- Butchercup

18. Spa Night- Butch and Bubbles

19. Roomies- Butchercup

20. Desperate Hugs- Butchercup

21. Incinerate- Blossutch

22. Bounce House Blues- Brickercup

23. Bruises- Butchercup 

24. Tender Kisses- Butchercup

25. Like Ashes We Burn- Blossick

26. Little Red Bow- Blossutch

27. More than you Think- Butchercup

28. When The Night is Still Young- Prinbrute

29. Like the Weight of the World- Blossick 

30. Enchanted For A Moment (Revamped) Color Code- Chap 1

31. Falling Back to You- Blossick 

32. The Freedom of Being Yours- Blossick 

33. Until My Heart Stops Racing-Mike x Mitch 

34. Blue With Envy- Boomubbles

35. Drawn That Way- Blossucth 

36. Don’t Panic, I Got You- Boomer and Blossom 

37. In The Depths Of The Deep Sea- Blossutch 

Duck Tales

1. Drive Thru- Fentonald

Poems/ Original Work

1. Red

2. A Fateful Friendship

3. Head Held High

4. Turn Your Back on Me

5. Ashamed

6. Like A Rainbow

The Promised Neverland

1. To See Her Smile- RayEmma

Gravity Falls 

1. Mystery Mom- Wendy’s mom commission 

[grizzly298]

Sooo, since I’m total noob at Tumblr and I’m trying to give my artist partner the credit she deserves...Let’s just assume I’mma do this the cheap way. Recently, I got involved in something called a Big Bang Event hosted by @nalugruviaevents. The event partnered a writer with an artist and together they were challenged to create something new for either NaLu or Gruvia. Most anyone who’s read my stuff knows I’m a diehard NaLu through and through. So yeah, challenge set, I met the artist @grossularia and I laid out the idea for the story. Which you can find here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13342612/1/A-Chosen-s-Heart

Because once again, total Noob. Anyway, I’d like to say she did a fabulous job in highlighting one of the most important scenes of the story in just one instant. If you don’t believe, go see for yourself and while you’re at it, hop on over to her tumblr and tell her Grizz sent y’all.

*grin* Have fun.

Grizzly out for the night.

[nalugruviaevents]

Nalu/Gruvia Big-Bang! The Nalu/Gruvia big-bang is an event hosted by our discord- server Chained in Love and by the @fuck-yeah-nalu and @fuck-yeah-gruvia​  blogs, where writers and artists will collaborate to create a joined piece. FIRST writers will sign up to give a draft idea of their work to the mods - this will include which ship their writing for, a summary of their idea and word count goal (1K -8K words). After writers sign up have closed the artists will then be allowed to choose a fic idea that they like and then the collaboration will begin! If you have any concerns or queries we ask that you join our server for the fastest replies and answers! We hope you enjoy the first Nalu/Gruvia  Big-Bang

You can find the forms, the discord server and more information as well on our page! 

Reblog this post and let your favorite artists and writers know! (You can even tag them)