#the first one was a nalu au. if you were wondering. and i wrote it when i was 12

[flying-cat]

bnha ending so bad that i might start writing my second ever longfic

[fairyqueennerd]

Nalu Week Bonus- AU

“N.A.T.S.U didn’t I tell you we are leaving today, why the hell the ship not ready yet.”

This annoying voice belonged to Erza who was my superior and also my so-called sister. Today we were going to invade the planet ‘Circle’, it’s for research purpose is what I have been told.

“It is ready you have just not boarded yet.” I answered her sarcastically, before she could take any action against me, my saviour Jellal came in.

“Morning Erza, Morning Natsu. All set?”

“Of-course lets go.” I said and Erza smiled sweetly to him.

“You going to leave me behind flame head?”

Gray entered the scene clearly mocking me, though we both are scientists we have burning competitive spirits within us and we can fight without a reason, and at this very moment I wanted to punch him, reason nothing just cuz it’s Gray.

Soon we were in the atmosphere above. Earlier I would have been surprised if some one told me they went to space, but now that our technology has advanced so much and by my recent invention, we can safely be in the space.

“Well we are already sure that planet circle has people so we need to be careful” Jellal said with a serious face but I was having a hard time controlling my laughter seeing Erza’s awed face.

“Yeah this trip is basically to learn their culture.” Gray nodded meaningfully.

I couldn’t hold back any longer and burst out laughing.

“No interaction with other’s unless required. I repeat no interaction.” Erza said to everyone but the last statement was directly pointed towards me.

As if I care about people, my aim for the visit is to examine the food they eat. I have always been wondering how the food there would have been different from us and all I want is a taste of it.

We reached there sometime I didn’t realise when after so many days in space I had forgotten to keep count of it, but it was too dark when we reached and we could easily assume that there were no living soul if there were no houses in sight.

“Let’s divide from here and meet within five days.” Erza announced.

I felt as if they knew we were coming. Like whatever time it might be we were ever ready to note any moment in the sky, at least I was, but here there were none aren’t people coming from another planet a mystery?

We separated and went our own ways, the path was not entirely empty I met few people walking, they didn’t look much unusual they were like us though their clothes were different from us, well we had known about it already hence we were dressed like locals, so I felt there was nothing to search anymore just the food.

I was in my daydream and bumped into somebody. It was a girl; she was quite peculiar she had these captivating caramel eyes with blonde hairs and sexy figure. She said something but I didn’t quite get it, then I realised there was something more important to learn other than food. Language.

Seeing the situation, she might say two things, either it must be she was sorry and if I was okay or it must be if I am blind. Looking at her expression I went with the first one and nodded.

She looked at me questioningly then said something pointing to her mouth but I assumed she must be asking about food so I nodded vigorously. She raised her eyebrows gave me a confusing look nodded lightly and started walking away.

‘Hey where are you going? What about my food?’ I wanted to say these out loud but I just pulled at her hand and pointed at my mouth as if I was eating something and luckily my stomach growled at the exact time.

She gave a look to my stomach, thought for a bit then started walking again, seeing that I was not following she dragged me along with her.

Soon we were at her home, it was small and sweet but at the same time it was cozy, she made be sit at the sofa and went to the kitchen, I could smell something funny and was thinking about not eating anything but changed my mind when the food was served in front of me and I am very glad that I did that it was the most delicious thing I had eaten at circle.

Once I had finished eating I was considering so go back on the streets or have a nap at our ship, but then I noticed that she was looking at me intensely.

Then she pointed at her and said something, I felt she was telling me her name and asking mine?

“Luce?” I repeated instinctively. Wow this name is really pretty. Suddenly she started cheering and jumping up and down, and smiling at me that I felt my heart skip a beat. She pointed towards me.

“Natsu” again I said instinctively, what was going on me, why was I saying things without thinking?

“Natsu.” She said and smiled so brightly, that I felt I was in another universe and to be honest I was, by the way -why did my name suddenly sound so sweet.

I was just looking at her dazed but she went to saying something or the other, suddenly she picked out a notebook and I looked blankly at her, she wrote something and showed it to me, but I just glanced and kept looking at her blankly.

She looked a bit disappointed then started acting something, she opened her arms in reading fashion then made a cross in the air and looked at me.

“Hey I am not illiterate; I just know your language.” I said out loud and immediately regretted as she gave me a startled look and then looked me with those eyes, which I always give Gray whenever he opened his mouth. I knew it well, she thought I was mad.

For a moment I thought she was going to kick me out but luckily; she just sighed and looked at me as if I was a new species. Was I?

Though she thought I was mad I was pretty sure she didn’t think I was dumb as she took some things from her surrounding and was telling me what it was called and I was repeating and every-time I repeated correctly, she cheered for me and I felt like I was on cloud nine, such a good kid I am.

Soon I was well acquainted with all the things present at her house and what it was called. She yawned she continued to speak and without notice fell asleep.

God this woman. I thought to let her just be and sleep as well, but she looked so damn pretty in her sleep that I couldn’t take my eyes off her so without having any other choice I picked her up and placed her on the bed and slept while still watching her.

I regretted watching her sleep for most of the night cuz the very next early morning I was kicked out of the bed along with a series of loud words which I think must be curses.

But to be really honest this was the best sleep I had in years. So, while she was shouting; I just said the words which I thought would describe my feelings right now.

“Best sleep” She instantly fell silent, I thought she was going to kick me again but suddenly the face colour changed from normal to red to crimson. I thought something was wrong with her when I started walking towards her; she threw the pillow at me and ran into the bathroom.

The next five days I was with her only, eating all the things she gave me and learning everything she taught me. By the last day I was pretty good at saying things, reading and writing would be a lot far away but I could speak just fine.

It really didn’t seem that I had been living with her for just few days, it was like I knew her for my entire life time, now that it was time to leave, I really didn’t want to go, leaving Lucy felt so wrong. I just wanted to stay with her forever, look at her while she talk or cook, her beautiful smile, but I had to go, I received Erza’s message, I was a bit curious about what they had found too and the major thing was our ship has been discovered, they were showing on TV apparently I was an Alien, and Lucy was a bit worried about it, saying nasty things she had read about them and I could just laugh.

“Luce, I go home.”

I said once she reached home that night.

“Why?” She answered in a whisper but I could hear her clearly.

“Miss family.” I didn’t want to either, I wanted to tell her, she hadn’t asked me about it after the first day I think but that time I didn’t have to leave either.

“Oh! I understand.” She started laughing a bit and smiled at me, but that smile felt like some one was crushing my heart. She was sad, she didn’t want me to leave. I somehow knew it, though I was feeling happy that she wanted me to stay at the same time I was disheartened as I knew I couldn’t stay.

“You would come to me again?”

She asked shyly and looked at me, But I didn’t know how to answer that, I didn’t know anything about the future, though I wanted to say I would come to her soon I couldn’t say so.

“Oh! Never-mind, got a call from some one of your family? You should go then they would be waiting. I brought burgers today, if you don’t mind-”

She had turned her back to me and was still talking I couldn’t take it anymore and hugged her tight.

“I come for you”

I told her and she smiled at me, but I could see the tears glistening her eyes. I waved at her and went to our ship without looking back as I knew if I saw her again; I won’t be able to leave.

“How was it Natsu?” Gray asked mockingly, I knew he wanted to compare who had achieved more in this trip but I kept mum cuz by this trip I had earned something so priceless yet have lost it.

“I would come here again.” Though I told it to him it was directed towards Luce, hope she would get to know it too that I would come, I would come for her.

[kiliinstinct]

Like a Trojan: Prt 2

Small funny Fairy Tail One-Shot. Modern AU. Pairing: Nalu, Gajevy Rated: T for .. questionable shopping items.

The Little bit of Humor I wanted to get out of my head is getting a little bit expanded. But this time, around- I’m making it interactive! This is part two of the little funny I wrote, but for my next part- I want YOU lovely readers to help me decide what comes next!

If you reblog- please put in the tags, or send me an ask/im the form below. Based on what is submitted will decide what happens next in Prt 3! Sound fun? I hope so!

So, to help be a part of this stories’ fate- just tell me these following things:

Character Perspective: (1st chapter was in Natsu’s and the second in Levy’s- who’s next?)

Event: Describe an idea that you think should happen in this chapter. I.e. Lucy and natsu’s first phone conversation? Natsu runs into Lucy at HER work? Come up with your own!

Yes Or No, should Natsu: and Lucy interact next chapter?:

If answered yes, how?

Other: (if you have any other ideas/requests for this story that wasn’t mentioned above- put here)

There is only one rule for this: No tragic/heavy angst ideas. This story is meant to be a comedy!

Part 1 | Part 3

“The Grocery store? You went and dragged me here?” The voice was agitated, laced with a sense of incredulity and disappointment. “This ain’t what I was expecting when you said you needed my assistance, Shrimp.”

Levy Mcgarden, local known ‘shrimp’ and bookworm, certainly wasn’t having it. Not with that attitude. Eyes scanning her list of items to grab, the blue-haired woman shuffled through her bag for a pen, ready to tick off any item she acquired and swiftly began her trek through the store with cart in both her hands. Her companion, a much taller man with metal studs covering his face, followed with exaggerated stomps in his steps. He may ACT as if he didn’t want to be there, but oh, she knew better. She could ask her boyfriend to take her to an Ice Rink wearing a pink hat and mittens and he’d do it; grumbling all the way.  “The sparkling water I need is always on a high shelf, can you get the raspberry flavor for me?”

“Why would I- “ Gajeel, grunting his agitation while a thick arm moved to do just as asked, lifted a studded brow and stared at her. Was she ignoring his first question? “Whatever, you owe me for this, shortie.”

“Quit calling me names and I’ll buy you a treat!~” Was her answer, fingers tapping a rhythm on the handle as she thanked him. Always eager to help no matter what was said. It was one of the many reasons she enjoyed her time with him.  Gajeel’s actions had always spoke louder than his words, after all. Winking, she continued to push her cart along to find the rest of her list. “And no, I don’t mean whatever you’re perverted mind was thinking of- I’m meaning a snack!”

“Hey! I wasn’t thinkin’ a damn thing!” He barked, sounding offended despite the telltale marks of red crossing his cheeks. Levy sighed, grinning at her tiny win as she crossed a box of tea leaves off her list. “Uh huh-” Levy monotoned, ticking a few more items off, “Then what WERE you thinking when I called you to come meet me at my apartment, hmm? You certainly looked WAY too disappointed by the sight of Lucy answering my door to be expecting anything else you pervert.”

“Oh please, I just thought you dyed your hair and suddenly grew a foot, easy mistake.”

“Ah!” A pause, the cart squealing to a stop as Levy grit her teeth and turned to face the man. Did he seriously just- she couldn’t believe she’d allowed herself to walk into that. Just when she felt she was getting the upper hand too! “Supid, stupid, Gajeel- are you trying to say I magically got HAIR Extensions too?!”

“Stranger things have happened.” The smug smirk was enough to make her stomp her foot in consternation. How dare he!  Fixing him with a stern stare, Levy’s ire only grew when he chuckled, clearly not intimidated.

“You’re impossible.” She grumbled, returning her attention to her grocery list. Focus, focus-  they didn’t need to cause a scene with his brand of flirting right in the middle of the aisle, did they? A squeak of surprise erupted from her when Gajeel’s arm suddenly wrapped around her slender waist, pulling her against his back as he hunched over her.

The smaller woman couldn’t deny how the sudden action had made her heart jump into her throat and cheeks flame as bright as a traffic light. Especially when his annoying laughter lowered a few octaves and rumbled against the shell of her ear.

“Gihee- I might be, but maybe I can show ya’ JUST how impossible I really am once I get your ass home-” A suggestive squeeze along her hip and a nip to her ear put Levy immediately into a mode that certainly wasn’t made for public spaces. Swallowing thickly, she wriggled herself from his arms and lightly tapped his stomach with her elbow.

“Gajeel! Not in public, you jerk!” She hissed, putting space between them.  The roar of his laughter called forth many a stare and Levy was certain her body had warmed up to producing steam.  “B-besides, -” She managed while pulling her crumbled nerves back together again, “Lucy’s staying the night: we can’t.”

The dark-haired man’s laughter died off, jaw dropping as he stared, “What?!  Then what was th’point in bringing me along if you were having one of yer damned girly nights?!”

“Maybe I wanted to spend some time with you, stupid!” “Oh.” His face reverted right back to its earlier bluster and Levy took a mental moment to celebrate. That’s right, big guy- you can make your pervy innuendos all you want, but the moment I say something sweet, you’re PUTTY in my hands so EAT IT.

Obviously, he couldn’t read her mind, but he definitely got the point when she smirked imperiously and began her trek back through the aisles again. Some onlookers might think they were arguing, but the banter was all part of their dynamic. She had fun with it. So did he. It was just how they worked. Though, the offsetting silence that followed only made the both of them all too aware of the elevator type music echoing through the small store.

How do the cashiers not fall asleep here? She wondered to herself, not for the first time. Levy had been coming to this corner store for years, ever since she had moved in the apartment complex a few blocks down. It was nearby and hardly ever packed by other customers. Absolutely perfect for when she needed to just get in and get out with her groceries.

Although, the last time she needed items, her best friend Lucy had gone to get them instead. Quite the questionable material, in fact- and the moment her blonde friend had returned, cheeks bright red and chest heaving from a lack of air, the blonde had quickly informed Levy that she would never, ever, go out and buy a thing for her ever again.

‘Oh, come on Lu, it wasn’t THAT bad was it?’ She had asked- accepting her bag of items with ease. It wasn’t as if she had asked for the condoms for a fun romp with Gajeel, after all-  (No seriously, it hadn’t been!) They were needed for a prank, a PRANK! … .If said prank so happened to be against the very man she often slept with anyway, well- that was merely coincidence.

‘It wasn’t bad, it was HORRIBLE. You can’t make me go there ever again, Levy!’ And still, not three weeks later, the smaller girl hadn’t learned the true story of what happened that day. Save a few, small details.

“So, why’s blondie over at your place again anyway?” Ah, casual conversation- a great way to break through those pesky silences. Levy mentally decided to buy him his favorite cookies for that. (Then again, she already had those on the list.)  Shrugging, she ticked the last of her items and began the process of weaving her way back to the front of the store.

“She’s convinced the police will be knocking on her door any day now.” She replied, nose crunching together as she thought it over. “I keep telling her she’s fine, but she gets oddly paranoid about those things.”

Gajeel’s confusion was clear- as well as completely understood. “Ya’ wanna provide context for that, shortie?”

A huff and a glare was sent his way, only to be met by a smirk and Levy threw a hand into the air to wave his question off. “Something about stealing some woman’s groceries and a stolen twenty? I don’t know, she got all flustered and embarrassed and didn’t give me all the details.”

“Huh, never thought she’d have it in her to steal something…”

She paused, brows scrunching together before her gaze slid back towards her boyfriend, “You’re still at the academy, no threatening to arrest her.”

“Pfft, don’t take my fun away.” It looked like an entirely new banter was about to start, with Levy lifting a finger to prod it into Gajeel’s arm, frowning in mock consternation, but no further words could escape her mouth. Stepping out towards the registers seemed the equivalent to a gate opening and letting forth a whirlwind the two of them had not been expecting.

That whirlwind being in the form of a pink-haired Cashier, fists slamming down his ‘register closed’ sign as he practically leaped over the bagging area and stomped his way straight towards them; the employee apron slipped off in a smooth motion, quickly being flung over his shoulder like an old, forgotten towel.  Levy took an instinctive step back as his intensely focused eyes drilled into hers and barely noticed her boyfriend tense up and immediately move on the defensive.

“Hey, pal, the hell do ya you’re doing-” the cashier ignored him, pointing towards Levy with wide eyes.

“You’re Levy, right?! Blue hair, talking about stolen groceries and a twenty?!” Brown eyes widened and the stunned woman stared, unsure of how to respond. How did he- how did he know her name?!

“Don’t you ignore me, twerp- back off from my girl!”  Muscles bulged as Gajeel moved to step between them- eyes narrowed and voice turning into a dangerous growl. One that meant business, but the boy merely leaned his head over to keep his eyes trained on her with a stubborn curiosity that matched her own when she found a book she adored.

“Are you or are ya’ not the chick who sent a blonde here a coupl���a weeks ago to buy her TROJANS?!”

The whirlwind suddenly turned into a loud echo that left every person in the store turning to look back at the trio and Levy felt her entire body grow still while all her blood focused on her face. Traffic lights paled in comparison. Gajeel, just as stunned, turned his head to look back at her and raised a brow.

“He talkin’ about those condom balloons you filled with glitter all over my apartment?” He asked numbly.

Levy Mcgarden had a realization in that very moment. “W-wait a moment- you can’t just, erm- eh?!”

Lucy was right! I’m never coming here AGAIN!

[caandlle]

the first NALU Christmas AU I tried to write

The snow trickles down slowly, flecks of intricate patterns that Lucy can’t make out. It’s beautiful regardless and it never fails to take her breath away.

The snow was her favourite product of winter as a child, and made it worth the sickness that plagued her during the chilly months. Lucy would press her nose against the icy window pane, eyes alight with pure wonder, until her mother would come and drape a wooly blanket over her shoulders.  

Her love for snow only grew as she aged, much to her mother’s dismay. 

The woman breathed a sigh, watching the hot air vanish before her eyes, and pulled her coat tighter to ward off the permeating chill in the air.  

As much as she liked snow, the gusts of icy wind that came with it was something she would never enjoy.

Lucy huddled down the street, admiring the bright lights flickering and lighting her path. Christmas was three weeks away but the townsfolk preferred to celebrate the festivities earlier as the years passed.

Christmas was a cherished event that occurred only once a year, after all.  

The street was barren except for Lucy trudging through the snowed path. She’d have to get someone to shovel it later. As she passed the local bookstore, her eyes caught on blue hair through the foggy window. The bookstore’s owner, a childhood friend of hers, was organising various stacks that towered over her tiny stature.

Levy, noticing her, gave a brief wave that nearly sent the stack of books in her arms tumbling to the floor. A fond smile tugged at her lips and Lucy shook her head, amused by her friend’s antics.  

Lucy’s hands began to grow numb so with one last wave, she moved on.  

A low, crackly sound of music echoed around the town square, the familiar words and tunes warming her heart despite the gruff voice not suited – to the holiday cheer. Christmas carols.  

Lucy laughed at the familiar voice, eyes locating the source of the music. A tall, burly man with far too many piercings strummed at his guitar, speakers behind him blaring background instruments to accompany him.

“The Christmas spirit has touched you as well, huh?” Lucy grinned as she stopped in front of the singer, holding her hands behind her back.

Now that she was closer, Lucy could see the thick, green sweater he was wearing. Embroidered onto the fabric was a large, deformed reindeer with an extra leg. “I see Levy got you wearing ugly Christmas sweaters already. I told you that she always gets her way.”

Gajeel scowled at her. If she were any other woman, the sight of such an angry expression worn by the intimidating man would’ve frightened her.  

Unfortunately for Gajeel, Lucy knew what a softy he was underneath his rough exterior.  

“Oi. Ya tell anyone and I’ll never fix your old car ever again.”

Lucy rolled her eyes at the empty threat. He took his job as a mechanic too seriously to ever turn her battered, run down car away. “You’re going to freeze out here. If you’re waiting for her, you might as well do it inside. Levy probably needs the help anyway.”

Gajeel only resumed his awful singing, louder than he needed to be as his way of ignoring her. Lucy shook her head at his childish display but moved past the mechanic.

As she turned the corner, she spied a green sweater ducking into the bookstore.

Satisfied by her victory, Lucy hopped up the steps to her apartment. The lights were inside were on even though Lucy she swore she had switched them off as she exited in the morning. Lucy cringed – damn her electricity bill would ramp up – before a cry of pain (through a voice she knew very, very well) came from behind the door.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She seethed, as a startling crash quickly followed. Lucy looked up to the sky and sent a quick prayer before unlocking the door, ready to rest her eyes on the destruction that had just occurred.

Natsu and Gray – of course they were in her house! - were cowering behind her brown couch as Erza yelled at them, hands firmly on her hips.

“What do you have to say for yourselves?” Erza threatened, “You must get this fixed before Lucy returns!”

“Too late.” Lucy muttered, eyeing the broken table in the centre of the room mournfully.

-

hi, this is the unfinished one-shot I first wrote but quickly grew uninterested in. This is not the one-shot I gave a sneak peak for earlier this week. I felt like posting it, even though I gave up on it. My oncoming Christmas one-shot (that’s actually set in their world for once) is coming soon! 

[ship-ambrosia]

A Year in Review for ship-ambrosia - Fanfiction Writers 2018

So I saw a blog I’m a huge fan of do this sort of year reflection of fanfiction writing, and since this was the first year I’ve ever posted my fanfictions, I thought it’d be fun to do!

First off I wanna thank @sweetmemories2606 @allie-and-her-fandoms and @a-fairy-tail44 for constantly encouraging me, being there to bounce ideas off of, also basically being beta readers for me and my hype men... you guys rock. I’m so glad I met all of you.

total number of completed stories

- “Completed” is kind of relative isn’t it? Lol... I have 13 stories posted on AO3, 4 that are on tumblr only, and of those 17 three of them, Heavens Bringer, A Fool Like Him, and Inherit Thunder (previously Heir of Electricity) are unfinished. Three of them are a collection of one-shots from Gruvia, Jerza, and Nalu week, but they’re all so short I’m going to count them as all together.

- There is so much unposted stuff in my backlog that you wouldn’t even believe lol most of it is unfinished though

total word count

- 81000 on AO3. I don’t even want to go and count otherwise

fandoms written in

- Fairy Tail

- My Hero Academia

- RWBY

- Persona 5

- Voltron (behind the scenes)

- Fire Emblem (behind the scenes)

looking back, did you expect to write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expected?

- Let me just say that posting the first two fanfictions, Inherit Thunder (BNHA, kamijirou) and Liberation (RWBY, Blacksun), were totally on a whim. My roommate encouraged me to do it and see what kind of feedback I got on them. Boy am I glad I did. So let me tell you my motivation and progress has been absolutely astounding to me.

what’s your own favorite story of the year?

- This is so hard, because I’ve been in love with all the stories as I posted each of them, like oh yeah this is it this is my best one. Every time lol. I’d have to say though it’s probably The Droplet (FT, Gruvia). Reading my first gruvia fanfiction Four Degrees, and then going to The Droplet, you can really see not only how well my writing has improved, but also how much better I’ve done in understanding Gray and Juvia. Also I happen to find the beginning of it still really sexy lol that was difficult for me, writing a scene that was sexy that was going to be posted for the world to see.

did you take any writing risks this year?

- I think the style that I wrote A Sound Like Thunder (BNHA, iidamei) and Beauty and the Crow (P5, Akeharu) was a different style than um used to, with the story being told in chunks that didn’t quite fit together perfectly but still built off one another. Basically they could have been multi chapter fics but I wrote them like a short story and both of those stories I had to have read over a thousand times because I wanted them to be perfect.

do you have any fanfic or profit goals for the new year?

- One, to finish Heavens Bringer which I think is very plausible since I’ve been working on the last chapter a lot lately. Another is just to get more consistent with finishing and posting works, because right now it’s just like, here from me every so often and going like a month or two without posting any sort of writing. Maybe even to write less ship-focused works. I love ships but I don’t think all my writing has to be only romantic

best story of the year?

- Certainly one of my Fairy Tail fanfictions, though I’m not sure which. Heavens Bringer definitely has the most effort put in, but both The Droplet and A Fool Like Him (Ft, stingyu) have such in-depth, emotional breakdowns of Gray and Sting respectively and how I see them viewing their primary love interest that I think both of those stories have a fascinating draw. Also, I’m extremely proud of my Nalu Angst week prompts, I go back and re read them all the time. I think some of my best work resides in that collection, most notably the story titled “Miles Apart, Two Inches Away” from when Natsu and Lucy reunite after the post-Tartaros timeskip.

most popular story of the year?

- That’s easily Everything was the Same (Except when it wasn’t), my first Nalu story. On AO3 it has 755 Hits and 72 kudos, the most for both of all my stories. Which I find so funny because I wrote that story in under an hour lol.

story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion:

- Heavens Bringer, by far. I like to think it’s amazing, and my friends seem to love it, but it’s gotten very little recognition. I’d love for more people to read it, and it has all the big four ships and I’ve devoted soo much time to it. But the feedback I HAVE gotten has been absolutely wonderful!

most fun story to write:

Beauty and the Crow, A Sound Like Thunder, or Nalu Angst Week. I hurt so much while writing all three, but I loved it. Beauty and the Crow because Akechi and Haru’s relationship would be just as tragic as I’ve written it, A Sound Like Thunder because iidamei is normally such a goofy ship and I literally almost killed Iida and made Mei Hatsume cry, and Nalu Angst Week because well... painful feels. But I enjoyed the dark places that my writing went.

story with the single sexiest moment:

Haven’t written (read: published) a ton of sexy scenes. I think The Droplet wins for the part where Gray almost pulls off Juvia’s underwear with his teeth, only to be interrupted by their baby.

most sweet story:

- Nuclear Fusion. No angst, it’s straight up injecting Nalu parenting fluff into your bloodstream lol

“holy crap, that’s wrong, even for you!” story:

- Nothing yet?? Maybe hurting Iida and Mei in A Sound Like Thunder. I need to write a goofy fic with the two of them, honestly.

story that shifted my own perceptions of the characters:

- I’m going to say Inherit Thunder. I used to think of Kaminari as just a total goofball. Coming up with the idea of his parents as villains gave so many deep possibilities to why Kaminari wants to be the “trendy” popular boy or where he could come from, what his motivation for being a hero could be. I could be totally right, or totally off. But it definitely made me so much more intrigued by what Horikoshi could have planned for him.

most unintentionally telling story:

- When you read Heavens Bringer you see exactly what kind of Fairy Tail fan I am. Lol

hardest story to write:

- Heavens Bringer! Lol. Also worked on Beauty and the Crow for a long time, because I couldn’t decide what direction I exactly wanted to take Haru and Akechi - did I want to follow the plot? Did I want to make Haru and Akechi fall in love, or make it a series of moments? Did I want lots of dialogue, or did I want it to be more narrated? It was a lot of stylistic choices that went into that one but I’m totally happy with how it turned out!

biggest disappointment:

- I worked on a Baccana story for sooo long and then I ended up deleting it because it was turning into very cliche, Gildarts-doesn’t-approve-so-he-challenges-Bacchus-to-a-fight and I didn’t want to write a fic that had already been done 30 times (not that Gildarts and Bacchus fighting because Bacchus likes Cana isn’t great... it’s just that most people who like that ship have already written that).

biggest surprise:

- Uhh, Inherit Thunder being as popular as it was received? I’ve gotten dozens of messages asking for a sequel and it’s really an incredible feeling to know people want more of a story. It was originally gonna just be a one-shot, but now I’m writing a second chapter that will probably come out after Heavens Bringer is done.

some stuff in the works for the new year:

- Obviously, Heavens Bringer part 5 and chapter 2 of Inherit Thunder

- Working on several more chapters to A Fool Like Him, it’s basically just all suffering for Sting lol

- A multi chapter Baccana fic AU-ish in which Cana joins Quatro Cerberus during the Tartaros timeskip after Fairy Tail is disbanded

- Multi chapter Gruvia and Gale fic about Juvia disappearing after leaving to search for answers to her origin, leaving Gray and Gajeel desperate to find her

- Stingyu Cinderella/Princess and the Pauper AU

- A Yang x Ilia piece (FINALLY! LOL)

- May eventually clean up and post an experimental fic where I practiced writing combat with Sun and Neptune vs Mercury

- Ryuji x Ann getting together post-canon

- Future Ryuji x Ann single dad Ryuji AU

- Haru x Akechi Military/sort of Fullmetal Alchemist AU?? Idk it was inspired by fanart

- Maybe post some of my Voltron/Fire Emblem stuff eventually? Idk about those

If you read this entire post seriously thank you!! And thanks to everyone who’s read my fics, sent me messages about them, or just talked to me in general!! I love interacting with the communities!!

[rhaellatully]

Strings’n’Drums Chapter 3 (Fanfiction)

Fanfiction.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12814422/3/Strings-n-Drums

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13991202/chapters/32934984

Summury:AU. In 1969, Lucy runs from home and becomes a journalist for the magazin Strings'n'Drums, this will lead the young shy girl in the world of rock music, to meet the colorfull caracters that populates it. In between running from her father and living new experience Lucy will make friends, gorw into an adult and maybe have some romance. Will include Nalu and mentions of other parings

Beta: Releina Artemis Rockefeller

Chapter 1:https://rhaellatully.tumblr.com/post/170156396003/stringsndrums-fanficition

Chapter 2: https://rhaellatully.tumblr.com/post/171305685258/stringsndrums-chapter-2-fanfiction

Her article about Rust had been a success. Their sales spiked and she won the respect of her boss. She was now, in his eyes, an aspiring journalist like any other. Thanks to Levy’s help, she was managing to get more work done. Having someone to talk to about the new music she listened to helped her find the right words to put in her articles. But where Levy really came in handy was when it came to getting interviews. Sometimes, the record company would ask for the magazine to interview one of their artists, but sometimes, the magazine had to go ask for interview themselves. Lucy had just mentioned to Levy that she’d like to interview John Fool, and she had immediately been given his personal phone number and a recommendation on what to ask for the interview. She hoped one day she’d be able to repay her for all this.

She had still been anxious when passing the call, but the word came out of her mouth correctly, and John Fool acted just like Levy said he would, with great politeness. Lucy wouldn’t have expected this of him, seeing as many of his songs were rather provocative. But Levy had assured her that while he could be very bold and sometimes rude, he was always polite, somehow. Unless, of course, something was done to upset him. Lucy had a hard time believing this, but she trusted Levy.

The interview had been scheduled in a restaurant in the centre of London. It was a nice place; the big window allowed a lot of light in, which reflected on the white floor and walls. The brightness of the room suited the blue tablecloth and the wooden chairs. The few modern paintings on the walls made Lucy feel at ease. She told a waiter she had a reservation, and he guided her to the table where she was surprised to see that she had not arrived first.

John Fool was sitting there quietly, his chin was resting on his hand and his eyes were closed. His black hair hadn’t been brushed and his white shirt looked like it came out a tornado. His face was peaceful and his eyes only half opened when he heard the sound of her chair being pulled. He straightened as she sat and with the best respect of the etiquette saluted her. She returned the politeness and they ordered something to drink.

He introduced himself just as politely as he previously had, if not for the fact that he didn’t gave her his real name, something she could forgive as she was here to interview the artist which made his stage persona more fitting. She introduced herself while taking out her notepad and pen.

She didn’t get to ask the first question. As soon as she was done introducing herself, he asked her, “You’re a friend of Levy?”

“Yes, we met when I interviewed her,” she answered having understood what he was truly asking.

“She must really like you. She wouldn’t have given you my number otherwise.”

Lucy smiled as a way of answering him. She knew that the closeness she had developed with Levy was one others took years to develop. In a way, we could say that it was friendship at first sight.

“May we start the interview?” she asked kindly. He nodded and she read the first question she had planned, “You just came back from your first world tour. How was it?”

“Very interesting, but mostly tiring. I had breaks in between concerts, but it felt like I was performing every night. Still, I really enjoyed meeting that many people and discovering all the cities that were in my tour.” He answered in a rather fast tempo.

“Would you say this experience brought you something?”

“Yes, definitely. Writing new songs in my apartment or a studio, is definitely not the same thing as writing while on tour.” He was still talking faster than normal; she guessed this must be how he always talked.

“How’s that?”

“You don’t sit down and start writing. You have a thousand new experience a day that you want to sing about, so you end up writing at anytime of the day, and in very uncomfortable positions. But you’re fine with it because—” he paused looking for the right word, “—well, you really want to do it.”

“You were having problems writing before the tour started.” It was more of a realisation than a question. But John answered anyway.

“Yeah, I was at a point were I was wondering if music really was the right thing for me. This made it clear: this is my way.”

Lucy felt comprehensive; the more she wrote, the more she felt like this was what she born to do.

“So we can expect a new album soon?”

He gave out a small laugh before saying “Soon enough, I hope.”

Her interview of Rust gave her an idea of what could be the reason behind the retarding of the album, but she wasn’t so sure. She counted to ten backwards in her head before asking in a small voice, “Problem with your producer? “

He let a small, sad smile appear on his face, “When isn’t there any? But it’s not such a bad thing, really.” Lucy was intrigued by this. “The fact that you can’t exactly do what you want pushes you to find other ways to make the feelings you want pass.” He stopped to think a moment, “Take my song ‘Winter Morning Lady’ for example. That song is about a prostitute. Though originally, the lyrics were full of sexual terms and violence, so my producer didn’t appreciate it, saying it was too graphic. So I had to rewrite the whole thing, which led me to think more about subtle ways to talk about the same subject. I also rewrote the music to make the song softer, and now it’s one of my biggest hits.”

Lucy wrote down everything he said with enthusiasm. She was impressed with this different way of facing constraints, finding a workaround, and not giving up on your original idea. She wondered if this could be applied to her everyday life.

She went on to ask him more questions about the process by which he writes songs. He gave her lengthy, elaborate answers that she had difficulty writing on her notepad, especially because all of his sentences were said in rushed way, as if he wanted to stop talking as soon as possible. His answers gave her lots of material to work with when writing her article, but if she ever interviewed him again, she’d have to buy a Dictaphone or else, she’ll never make it. She wanted to ask him why someone who wrote and sang so many slow songs had the need to speak this way, but she felt like it would come out as insulting so she didn’t dare.

After those long questions, she found herself without any transition for what she wanted to ask next. She gathered all the courage in her to ask him, “Can I ask you a few questions about before you started your career as John Fool?”

He looked a bit taken aback by her question. He sighed before saying, “If that’s what you want,” but she could tell that he didn’t want to answer the next questions. This hampered her will to probe further, but the job of a journalist was to ask people questions they didn’t want to be asked, so in a trembling voice she asked, “Why did you change your name?”

“Would you really listen to a guy named Gray Fullbuster?”

Oddly, he had pronounced this sentence at the same speed a normal person would have. The obvious answer was no. The name Gray could work, but Fullbuster? No one would ever listen to that. Still she asked, “Why change all the name?”

“I thought if I was going to change it, might as well change it entirely.”

Once again his talking speed was normal. “Your producer didn’t pressure you at all in that matter?”

“They were glad that they didn’t have to.”

“But you didn’t change it when you were a background musician?” His eyes widened slightly, “The name Gray Fullbuster appears on the back of the album of other artists for whom you’ve played.”

“Well, at that time, it didn’t really matter. It wasn’t my name on the cover.”

“Did you enjoy working for other musicians?”

“Depends on which one,” He paused, “Gildarts was great. Working with him was more like being his apprentice. He taught me a lot.” He went on to talk about how Gildarts Clive was a great man and telling the different ways in which the former had made him the musician he his today.

On one note, Lucy was surprised that this man, who didn’t seem comfortable with opening up, was telling her these personal things. On another note, she was more intrigued by the way he spoke of the other man. His speech wasn’t the one he used to talk about a mentor but more for a family member. If it hadn’t been for the way Gray, or John, had been speaking of such personal things with her, Lucy would never have dared to ask him, “Do you think of Gildarts Clive as a father?”

He immediately frowned but took a minute to think before answering. “No, that’s definitely not it. He’s important to me and we do have a close friendship but he’s not like a father to me. He’s more like an uncle, I think.” He looked down as if he was unsure of something. “I had a father and he was great man. I don’t need another one.”

“Could you tell me more about your father?” The words left her mouth before she could ask herself if saying them were acceptable. The look that appeared on the man’s face told her that they weren’t. A great feeling of guilt and embarrassment swelled within her, and she wished she could erase this instant from reality.

“I don’t think it would interest you or your readers.” He said, but it sounded more like an excuse to keep himself from revealing anything.

And now, the fight between her curiosity and her embarrassment started. Both feelings tried to overcome the other, one emotional wave overlapping with another; an inner argument crashing within her in the form of thoughts. Her eyes swept over the man’s body, trying to read any indication of what she should do, until in a flash, a voice struck her with a challenge. She looked at her drink and told him, “I’ll be the judge of that.”

He sighed heavily; he now had no excuse to protect him and was forced to talk. For an instant, Lucy felt even more guilty about pushing him that way. “My father was a working class man,” his diction was slow, and his tone unsure, “that’s the best way to describe him. He worked all day and all night but never complained. I looked up to him, “ he paused, “I still do. One day, there was an accident at the factory, and that’s it.”

She wrote down slower than he spoke. She could tell those were private information that should never have been heard. While a good part of her guilt came from forcing his hand, another smaller but more intense part of it came from the feeling that she had not only hurt the man in front of her but also the one who wasn’t here. She had never looked up to her father. She had never spoken kindly of him, and sometimes she had even wished he wasn’t her father. It felt like cheating, that someone like her, who could never understand this feeling, was opened a door toward it. She felt like she had stolen the most precious jewel Gray had ever owned.

Only the memory of her mother, Layla, calmed her, as it was the closest experience she had. Maybe in a way, it was same? Of course, losing someone you unconditionally love hurts, but it doesn’t hurt in the same way as losing someone you loved and saw as a role model. Lucy loved and admired her mother, but she had always thought of herself as different, her mother made sure of that. Layla taught Lucy that she was to follow her own path and not to follow the former. Could the pain be the same? Maybe all pains were the same. Maybe when one suffered that kind of pain, one can never tell what was more painful.

Lucy swallowed her thoughts and reminded herself of where she was. “Sorry to force your hand.”

“It’s okay, it’s your job.”

She nodded numbly, and started asking the few questions she had planned but hadn’t come to ask yet. In his now fast and less interesting answers, she found herself capable of forgetting her previous embarrassment.  

The interview ended rather nicely. She thanked Gray for his time and he answered that he wouldn’t mind being interviewed by her again. She accepted the compliment with a serious blush. They shook hands and parted ways.

Once she was back at her apartment, she quickly got to work on her article with more excitement than ever. It was most likely because of the compliment she had received. She hadn’t gotten much lately, aside from the man that would catcall her in the street, but that didn’t really make her feel better about herself.

With a good mood, she went through her notes, thinking of what should be put where, and how she would word some of her thoughts on the musician. Things were adding up nicely; she heard her own voice humming through her work, and a small smile crept on her face. The more she worked, the happier she felt...until she found her notes about Gray’s father.

She stopped what she was doing and leaned back on her chair, her own arm holding her. Her face contorted into a frown and sighed. Her father. She didn't even leave him a note before leaving her childhood home. In the middle of night. Without notifying anyone. She wondered if he was worried. Probably. That’s how any father would be in the same situation. Right?

She thought she should call him. Tell him that she was okay. She had left months ago, and whatever anger he might have felt towards her disappearance must have faded by now. Yes, at this point, he was probably only worried about her. His lack of attention for her didn’t give her the right to worry him any more than she already had.

She picked up the phone and called the house. The line rang. She wondered if they had been anxiously waiting her call. Was leaving truly the right thing to do if it caused this many people pain?

The phone stopped ringing and a voice she knew to be the one of the family butlers answered, “Heartfilia Residence, what can I do for you?”

“Caprico? It’s me Lucy,” she said into the phone.

“Miss Lucy! What a pleasure to finally hear from you. Is everything all right?” Worry could be heard in the man's voice, which saddened her for leaving them.

“Everything is fine, I was just calling to talk to my father.”

Soon a hard voice could be heard into the phone, “Lucy?” said her father.

“Yes Father, how are you?”

“How am I? You left in the middle of night months ago, then you ask me how I am.” His tone wasn’t calm.

“I’m sorry, I know I’ve upset you.”

“Upset me? You think you’ve upset me!?” His voice had become the one he’d always use to scold her, “Do you have any idea what situation you’ve put me?!”

“I’m sorry,” the tears that were forming in her eyes could be heard in her voice as it cracked, “I just—“

“You just what? Thought it would be fun to run off like a hooligan!? I don’t know what you were thinking when you left and I don’t want to know. You will come back home this instant!”

“I—” her voice got caught in her throat, “I can’t.” she managed to say nonetheless.

“You can’t?! Ridiculous. You can and you will! I demand you back in this house by the end of the week, is that clear?”

“But—“

“Lucy, you can either come home your own way or I can send someone to bring you back. Either way, I’ll be waiting for you at home.” He said before hanging up.

Still holding the phone in her hand, Lucy felt like a little girl again. The little girl whose only conversation with her father consisted in him giving her orders or reprimanding her. She had rarely said anything to him because, of the few times she actually did, he didn’t listen and she ended up in tears.

She had tears right now but none falling, just staying at the rims of her eyelids. A couple of swipes from her hand got them out without her needing to cry. She wondered why she called, why she thought he would be worried. Maybe his ruthless demeanour was his way of showing he was.

She lay down in her bed, and for the rest of the day, she didn’t work, she didn’t eat, she didn’t got off her bed. She just laid there, replaying her conversation with her father in her head, thinking of what she could have said that might make him understand her. But deep inside, she felt that no matter what she says, he wouldn’t listen to her. He would have just ordered her around like he always did. But this time, he didn’t just bossed her, he threatened her.

What now?

 AN/ Thanks for reading

[petri808]

20 Questions

We had a power outage on Friday that lasted for like 10 hours, but it inspired a story.  Hope you like it :)   NaLu AU. No smut, just fluff.  Some strong language.

It’s about 9 o’clock in the evening as the budding writer clacks away at her computer desk.  By the time she entered high school, Lucy knew that what she wanted to be when she grew up was a successful fiction novelist.  But the literary world was not a forgiving place, just getting a publishing house to look at your work was difficult enough, and getting it published was even harder; not to mention once you do get that opportunity you now had to prove to the fickle world of readers that you weren’t just a one-hit wonder.    

And that’s where she was.

Two years ago, a small publishing company, Fay House, Inc was intrigued by her fantasy type stories and took a chance on the young woman.  While the book had sold a fair amount of copies in the year it has been on shelves, and some critics deemed her a person to watch in the future, she still had a long way to go before she could quit her day job as a proofreader for the Crocus Gazette and focus all her energy on writing.

By day, she went to her regular job but at night and often through most weekends she spent it huddled over the keyboard hard at work on the second book of her Golden Key Series.  It was due to her agent in 6 months and she had only completed about half of it so far.  If all went to plan tonight, Lucy hoped to finish the chapter she was working on so that maybe, she could take a break and go to a concert this weekend with her best friend.  He’d been bugging her to go ever since their favorite band announced they’d be performing in their hometown.  

Typing away…  ‘…She reached out to the shimmering metal in utter disbelief, could it be that this really was another zodiac key?  The young girl already possessed three, but they were so rare and hard to come by, and more than once it had turned out to be a fake, touted as a reward for a mission completed only to end up being worthless….’

Without warning, the light of her laptop screen dims and blinks out as the blonde is left in total darkness.  “No!” she bangs on the keyboard.  “Ahhh!  Damn it, Damn it, Damn it,” she hits it again, “I didn’t save…”  Lucy slumps in her chair, two hours of work gone in a flash because she forgot to charge up the battery.  Turning on the flashlight app on her phone, she makes her way to her window and that’s when the gravity of the situation reveals itself; the whole city, as far as her eyes can see is completely black.  “Just great!” she throws her hands in the air.  “It’s gonna take them all night to fix this!”  

Two blocks away, Natsu and his roommate Gray are bickering at the TV screen, game controllers in each of their hands when the power goes out.  

“Fuck!” The dark-haired man laments, “And I was winning too!” tossing his controller down in front of him.  

“Yeah, for once!”  

“What they hell bro, I kick your ass most of the time!”

“Tch, only at this game cause you play it more than me!”  Natsu looks over at the window, “Whoa, it’s really dark out there.”

“Of course, it’s dark, idiot, it’s night time and new moon.”

But he stands and walks over to it, “No, moron, like the whole towns gone dark.”

“Seriously?” Gray joins him and seeing it for himself exhales, “Well so much for a rematch tonight.”  His friend drops his controller on the couch and heads towards the front door.  “Hey where are you going?”

“To check on Lucy, I bet she’s screaming at her laptop right now.”  Natsu checks his pockets; keys, phone, ready to go.  “Don’t wait up on me.”

“Right… you’ll be back by midnight.” Laughing.  “You are so pathetic man, how long you gonna stay in the friendzone before you give up and move on.”

“Prick.” Natsu sneers back.  “It’s not like that with her, and you know it.”

“Yeah I know.”  Jesting.  “You two have only been ‘friends’ since Grammar school cause you never had the guts to ask her out.”  

“Whatever,” he raises a finger before shutting the door behind him.

Natsu manages to navigate the two blocks between their apartments despite not being able to see where he was going.  Hell, he’s travelled it so many times he could probably do it blindfolded, even drunk, which has happened on more than one occasion.  A couple of times instead of going home to his apartment from the bar he ended up at her door step.  Maybe it was the wishful thinking of a tipsy man…  Oh, she would whine and complain, ‘not again,’ but always let him in to crash on her couch and sleep off the effects of that night.

But his friend had been right about one thing, Natsu’s had a crush on the pretty blonde since they were children, but he was never very good at admitting his feelings, especially ones that had the potential of becoming embarrassing.  He and Luce, which was his personal nickname for her, had grown so close that at times it was uncanny how one could finish the others sentence or would just know if something was bothering the other.  Like tonight, he would bet money that as soon as the power went out, she had been sitting at her desk writing, screamed and cursed when the screen went blank because she probably hadn’t saved whatever she had been working on, and is now sitting on her couch pouting with the plush dragon doll he won her at a fair clutched in her lap.

Lucy hears a knock at her front door, “Hey Luce, it’s me.”  She stands up from her couch and walks over to open it.

“What bring you here Natsu?” she moves out of the way to let him in before locking the door.  

He kisses her on the cheek and chuckles at what she’s holding in her arms, “Hi to you too.  I just wanted to make sure you were alright…”  grinning, “and didn’t break your computer ranting at it.”

“Tch.” She crosses her arms around her doll.  “No.  But I lost everything I wrote tonight.”  Sigh, she plops back onto her couch.  “I don’t think I’ll have time to go to that concert with you this weekend… and I was looking forward to it too.”  Pouting.

He sits beside her and puts his arm around, prompting her to rest her head on his shoulder.  “I have faith in you Luce, you wrote it once so I’m sure you’ll be able to whip it out easily the second time.”  Looking around her living room, she’s set up a few candles around the room giving it that cozy, perfect to cuddle in, kind of ambience.  He lets out a sigh, “Did you eat dinner?  I know how you sometimes forget to when you start working on that book.”

She shakes her head, “But I’ve got snacks I can break open if I get hungry.”  Cuddling a little closer to him, “Thanks for coming over… it was kinda creepy being alone in the dark.”

Leaning his head against hers, “You’re welcome.  So…  not much to do without power.  Wanna play cards or something?”

“Hmm… not really…”

“Board game?”

“Mmm, no.”

“I could put some music on from my phone.”

“Alright.”  He fishes the device from his pocket and turns on Pandora to a mild volume before setting it on her coffee table.  She sighs, “That’s better than silence.  What were you up to before the power went out?  No wait, let me guess, playing video games.”

“You know me well, Luce.”

“And then you decided to come check on me, just because the power went out?”

“I told you, cause I knew you’d probably be upset.”

It was nicer having him there, although she’d never previously admitted that she wasn’t fond of the dark, somehow, he knew and simply came to her rescue.  “Mmmm…” she hums, settling into the sanctity of his embrace.        

The blonde falls silent, enjoying this little quiet time with her BF.  With most people, Natsu is always goofy and gregarious but when it’s just the two of them, a more modest and subdued man shows up.  She doesn’t mind it, but sometimes wonders why he’s like that, as if he’s hesitant in how to interact with her.  Levy, her best girlfriend, swears it’s because he likes her and is trying to hide it but one would think by now, I mean all these years later, she’d have noticed something that told her if that was a possibility.  Or the other explanation is, she chooses not to get her hopes up because it makes her nervous…  Well nervous in that happy butterflies in your stomach kind of emotion and she doesn’t want it to turn into the sad, I wasted all these years waiting for nothing feeling.  An incident a few days ago made the blonde start thinking about their relationship and what it really meant to him.  Was she just his buddy?  Being stuck without the benefit of distractions could be the perfect opportunity to ferret out the truth, if she was ready.  She shudders at her thoughts.

He feels her tremble, “Luce, are you cold?  I could grab you a blanket…”

“I’m not cold… I was just thinking about something.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“No, it’s okay, really.” Faking a yawn.  “Maybe I’m just tired.”

“Do you, wanna go lie down?  I can just head out.”

She turns to look at him, “Would you stay tonight since the power is still out… I’d feel safer not being alone.”

“Sure, I’ll just crash on the couch.”

Biting her lip, “I meant stay with me in… my room…”

His heart catches in his throat.  The fingers he has resting on his thigh, curl and dig into his skin trying to wake him up from the obvious dream he must be having because Lucy has never asked him to sleep in her bed, with her.  Sure, it won’t be the first time they’ve shared an intimate space but it’s a little different when it’s a camping trip or group vacation with limited room that they must make due, and he has slept-walked in and woke up in her bed before… He blinks his eyes, but nope she’s still there, waiting for his response.  “O-okay.”

She pats his leg, “I’m gonna change for bed.  Would you mind snuffing out the candles before you come in?”

“Y-yeah, I can do that.”

“Thanks.” She kisses his cheek and walks to her bedroom.

Natsu bides his time, slowly moving around the apartment.  ‘I wonder why she’s acting a little weird tonight.  Maybe she was drinking before I got here…  Nah that can’t be it.’  Just once, when Lucy had had too much to drink at a college party she came onto him, but he knew that wasn’t the case tonight.  He checks the front doors lock, makes sure the windows are closed, empties his pockets onto the kitchen counter, turns off the music, and one by one extinguishes the 6 or so candles, Lucy had placed around the space.  Before blowing the last one out, he scans one more time to make sure everything is secure before knocking.  “Can I come in?”

“Yeah.” She calls out from behind the wooden door.

The light from her phone is the only thing illuminating the room as she sits on her bed in a cotton tank top and shorts type of PJ’s.  Lucy pulls back the comforter as he silently breathes a sigh of relief that she’s not in lingerie or something more suggestive; the outfit she has on will be bad enough to be close to but that would have been much worse.  She pats the bed.  “Are you gonna sleep in that?” she points at his jeans.  “Wouldn’t it be uncomfortable.”

He runs his hand nervously through his hair, yes it would be, but the alternative is what, his boxers and just the t-shirt?  He grapples with the decision for a moment.  “I think I’ll take um off.  I-If you don’t mind,”

“I’ve seen you in just boxers before, remember, like that time when Gray yanked your shorts down during a wrestling match.”

“Right…” but that doesn’t make him feel better.  

She turns off the light from her phone to give him a little bit of privacy, as he strips and get into her queen-sized bed.  Pulling the covers up to her chest she lays there on her back staring at the ceiling and he does the same, remaining in that suspended reticence for some time before Lucy sighs loudly, “Are you asleep?”

“No.”

“I wanna… play a game.”

“Now?  But I thought you were tired?”

“I lied.”

Natsu turns to his side and props his head up to look at her, but she continues to stare at the ceiling, “Well, what did you wanna play?”  

She can hear the irritation in his voice knowing that it’s because of the lie.  Sighing again, “I wanna play…  20 questions…”

Now his interest is peeked, but his anxiety also kicks in.  What brought this on so suddenly?  It’s obvious to him that there must have been something on her mind earlier and this ‘game’ is just a ruse to bring it up.  But why go through all the trouble just to ask a few questions unless they are a touchy subject?  He can feel his heartrate pick up and his skin flushing at just the notion, things could become uncomfortable, very, shortly…  He exhales and lays on his back again, “Fire away Luce.”  

“We’ll take turns asking each other questions, no subject off limits, and we have to tell the truth no matter how hard it is.”  He cringes, yet at the same time, if he’s gonna be asked some awkward questions then it’s only fair he could finally get answers that have been burning in him too…  “I’ll start.  What’s my pen name?”

Breathing a sigh of relief, “That’s easy, Lucy Ashley.  My turn, um…”  ‘I think she’s testing how well I know her…’  “…How old was I when I was adopted.”

“6.  When did my father lose his company?”

“You were 16…  I think.”

“Close enough, I was 17.”

“What’s my favorite color.”

“Red, specifically reddish-orange cause it reminds you of fire.”  His eyes light up, ‘Damn she pays close attention!’  “Who’d I go to the Junior prom with.”

“Tch, Loke.”  Hearing the disgust in his voice makes her smile, maybe Levy was right after all…  “But at least I got to take you Senior year…”  

“If it bothered you that much, you should have asked me to go with you.”

“Never mind, can’t change the past.”  exhale  “It’s my turn again, what’s my…  favorite food?”

‘Is he too afraid to ask something harder?’  Lucy starts chuckling, “Is that a trick question?  You’ll eat anything but I guess I’ll say, spicy stuff are your favorites.”

He chuckles too, “Very true, I’m not a picky eater.”

“Alright, my turn,” she takes a deep breath.  “W-why don’t you have a girlfriend?”

‘Ouch!  She went right for the jugular.’ His face paling, “B-because I didn’t…  I-I…” exhale  “…was too afraid to ask you out.”  He feels her turn on her side, senses the stare even in the darkness but he gives her no chance to respond yet.  “Same question Luce.”

Sigh, “Because I was waiting for you to ask me out.  How long have you had a crush on me?”

“5th grade.”  Now her eyes widen, she thought maybe he might say high school but grade school!  “Same question Luce.”

“8th grade, PE class.”

Shocked, “You remember it down to the specific time?!”  

“It’s not your turn to ask a question, but the answer is yes.” He feels the bed shift as she turns to face away from him.  Even though she’s the one who started this, it’s still uncomfortable to say the least…  “I always thought you were cute, and you were already a close friend but…  that was the first time I saw you without a shirt on…”  she’s biting her lip at the memory and he can hear that slight mumble in the way she’s talking even though he can’t see it and his heart is beating as a fast as a hummingbird’s wings to finally know the truth.  “… and I remember thinking wow, you had really started to develop over the summer.”  Exhaling “My turn.  If I asked you to hold me, right now, would you, do it?”

Thrilled by her question, his answer requires no verbal response as he spoons up behind her and puts his arm around her waist breathing out his next question, “What’s your favorite thing about me?”  expecting her to say maybe his personality or even his body which he keeps maintained just for her…

“Your hair and your eyes.”

“Seriously?  ‘Didn’t see that coming…’  My hair?”

“I like the color.  Do you… want a girlfriend Natsu?”  

“Maybe…  If I asked you to be my girlfriend, would you say yes?”  His breathing stops in anticipation.

“Yes.”  Lucy can’t help but giggle when he lets the air back into his lungs.  “Were you that worried I’d say no?”

“Hell yeah, that’s why I’ve never asked you before.”

Taking a deep breath of her own, “Natsu, wanna know why I wanted to play 20 questions?”

“Yeah, kinda.”

“Because this way I could test your reactions…  cause, I was afraid you didn’t like me either…”

“What brought this on anyways?”

“I saw you checking out a girl at the café the other day and…” she bites her lip, “I was worried you were moving on…”

He squeezes her waist and buries his face in her hair.  “That girl just had a cool tattoo on her arm, so you needn’t worry Luce…  no one could ever take your place.”

She yawns and relaxes against him, “Could you give Gray a message?”

“What’s that?”

“Find a new roommate cause you’re moving in with me.”      

Natsu feigns shock, “Hold up, who said I’d agree to that?”

“Oh please, you can’t lie to me.  I know you’re thrilled about that idea.”

“Damn you know me too well…”  she giggles.  “Well if we’re moving so quickly why don’t we just get married too while we’re at it?”

She stops giggling and turns around in his arms.  “Are we still playing 20 questions?”

“Does it matter?  A question is a question.”  

But she punches his chest, “Ugh, you know a girl would prefer something more romantic if their being asked for their hand.”  

“Yeah and what about me made you think that was gonna happen?  I thought you knew me better?”

Lucy does her best to pout but can’t stifle the giggle, “Can’t fault a girl for trying.”

“So, are you gonna answer the question?”

Turning back over quickly, “Nope.”

“What!”  But she starts giggling.  “Ooh you!”  he pulls her onto her back and starts tickling making her laugh harder.  “You’re so mean to me!”

Doing the only thing she can think of to stop his torture she grabs his face and pulls his lips against hers.  It works as he stops to return the kiss.  Smiling, “of course the answer is yes Natsu, though it wouldn’t have killed you to try and be more romantic.”

“Fine.”  He climbs off the bed and starts to put his pants back on.  

“Wait!” Lucy scrambles to a sitting position fearing she pushed him too far.  “Where are you going?”

“I’ll be right back,” kissing her cheek.  “I’m taking your key so I can let myself back in.”

“But where are you going?”

“Don’t worry about it Luce, I just need to grab something from my apartment.”

Natsu leaves his nervous girlfriend hanging as he makes his way out.  ‘How the hell am I supposed to come up with something romantic at 1 in the morning, no one’s open, and hell even if they were there’s no power!’  Flying up the stairs at his building two at a time, he finds Gray talking on his phone to his girlfriend.

“Knew you’d be back!” he calls out as Natsu just bypasses him for his room like a man on a mission.

“I’m not, just came to grab some things.”

“Wait what?”  “Juvy I gotta call you back.”  Hanging up, he walks over to his friend’s room and sees a flustered man searching around in the closet.  “You’re goin back to Lucy’s?”

“Yeah.  Why is it so hard to believe?”  Gray can’t see what Natsu shoved into his pocket but can see him throwing some clothes into an overnight bag.  

“Whoa, you really are spending the night there!”  following Natsu to the bathroom where the man is adding other personal necessities to his bag.  Snickering, “I take it things are going well between you?”

“As a matter of fact, it is.”  Zipping up his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.  “You know, maybe you should move in with Juvia.”

“Why, sick of seeing my face?”

“No, I’ll be moving in with Lucy…”  Grays mouth hangs open.  “…as soon as you find a new roommate or maybe move in with your girlfriend, like I am.” And now his jaw drops.  “Oh, and by the way yes she’s now my girlfriend and we’re engaged.”

Following Natsu to the front door, his friend grabs his arm, “Are you fucking with me?  That’s kinda rushing things, I mean you weren’t even a couple and now you’re moving in and getting married!”  

“Well not this second, but shit.  Even though we weren’t an official couple all these years you gotta admit it’s what we practically were.”

“Yeah but still…”

“Look, I gotta get back to her so can we talk later.”  He leaves his stunned friend behind.

When Natsu returns to her apartment, he finds Lucy in the kitchen making sandwiches.  He chuckles, “got hungry while I was gone?”

“MmHmm.” She mumbles through a bite.  “Want, I made for you too?”

He puts his bag on the couch and joins her.  “Awe, so romantic, deli meats by candle light…”  he grins.   She rolls her eyes as she takes another bite.  “But I’ll eat in a minute.”

“Suit yourself.”  

Walking up behind her he wraps his arms around her waist, “The candles are as romantic as this is gonna get,” and holds something shiny in front of her face, “Lucy Heartfillia, will you marry me?”  Lucy’s hand trembles as it puts down the rest of her sandwich and he lifts her left hand.  “Well?”

So, in shock she manages a fervent nod while he slips the ring onto her finger.  “H-how…  you couldn’t have bought this tonight?”

“I mugged a lady I found on the street.”  She slaps his arm.  Chuckling, “No I saw it, a couple of years ago at a store and thought it would look stunning on you.”

“T-two years ago?”

He turns her to face him.  “Well maybe more like several years ago… just in case this ever happened.”

“You had hoped for a power outage?”

“What?” laughing he tilts her head up, “So smart until those blonde roots get the best of you.  No, if I ever had the chance to be your boyfriend… and eventually your husband.”

“That story… it’s so romantic… you had been thinking about me like that for so long…”

He squeezes her waist again.  “I guess it’s a good thing you caught me checking out another girl…”

“Excuse me!” she tries to push him away, but he holds her firm.  

“Well it’s what prompted the 20 questions game, right?” she stops pushing.  “and led to this.  By the way, Gray thinks it’s crazy that we just hooked up and are gonna get married already.”

“Everyone chalked us up as a couple for years… so it’s not like we just met and rushed into things.”

Laughing, “I said the same thing!”

She tiptoes and kisses his grinning lips, “It’s scary how well we know each other…”

[superfreakerz]

Hello, you have been identified as An Awesome Fic Writer™. Congrats, you rock! So that all of your readers can shower you with some extra love today, please tell us your favourite five stories of yours and why you like them and then send this to another five fic authors you think deserve this title!

AHH THANK YOU SO MUCH! :’)

1.) Fairy Tail (Nalu, Fairy Tail): This one is my absolute fav because I think it’s my most creative story and most organized haha! I also really love the plot with all the Disney characters and reading everyone’s guesses to figure out who is who! There was one arc where nobody guessed right I think haha! I like being vague like that haha! :D

Summary: Lucy Ashley was nothing more than a twenty year old living in the slums of Seattle until she was teleported into another world by a book of fairy tales. Or what she thought were just fairy tales. Now she’s traveling with a dragon slayer and a flying cat to return everyone’s happy endings in order to return home. But by the end of their journey, would she want to? (Rated M for smut.)

2.) New Beginnings (Nalu, Fairy Tail): This was my first ever Nalu AU haha! I really like this one because it’s one of my fluffier works. Friendship is also a VERY strong theme in this story, which is my favorite thing about the Fairy Tail series so yeah! I love this one!

Summary: After transferring to Fairy Tail High School, Lucy Heartfilia finds herself content with her newest and only friends: Erza and Levy. However, with their attempt to bring her out of her shell, she finds herself in a group chat with her two friends, a stripper, a crazy jealous girl, an alcoholic, and a pyro who just so happens to tear down her walls and make her heart race. (Rated T.)

3.) Everyone Can Change (Ulquihime, Bleach): THIS WAS MY FIRST EVER FIC AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH. My writing was complete trash back then but the plot itself was interesting and very unique imo. I also made some OC’s that I liked! I wish I gave it the ending it deserved but I’m content lol.

Summary: After the winter war with Aizen, Orihime tries to transition back into her life, but after a couple of strange dreams, she realizes that her life will never be the way that it used to be, and her “normal” world has been flipped upside down. But who knows, she might like it more this way. (Rated T.)

4.) Sailing with Fire (Nalu, Fairy Tail): This is my most reviewed story per chapter but it’s still just my fourth fav lol. I can’t say this story is unique as I was completely inspired by StrawberryMerry from the ulquihime fandom, but it is unique to the Nalu fandom. I like this story because tbh the reviews I get make me happy which is why I was so determined to finish it lmao. I also love the fake relationship trope and sharing a bed trope lmaooo.

Summary: Lucy is in desperate need of a break from the mage life and embarks on a two week cruise alongside her partner, Natsu. What they don’t know is that it’s a cruise designed specifically for couples. With no other choice than to pretend they are married, the two try to enjoy the cruise the best they can, all the while dealing with uncharted feelings. (Rated M for smut.)

5.) War (Nalu, Gajevy, Jerza, Gruvia, Fairy Tail): I like this story because I went out of my comfort zone writing it and was trying new things. With this story, I realized that I don’t like writing first person stories, but it was a good experience. I also really like the plot! I do think it’s a bit unique haha! I ALSO WROTE OTHER COUPLES FOR ONCE LMAO. EVERY PAIRING OF THE BIG FOR GOT THEIR OWN CHAPTERS AND EVERYTHING. (PS, for those wondering, I’ve been thinking about continuing this story once I completely finish SWF.)

Summary: AU. Battling for the location of the class field trip, the two popular groups at Fairy Tail Academy go head to head in matches with each other. Lucy Heartfilia is determined to win, but going against Natsu Dragneel surely isn’t going to be easy. (Rated T.)

And that’s it! Ahh that was a lot of fun actually! THANK YOU FOR TAGGING ME IN THIS!!! :D

[not-just-any-fangirl]

Days of Summer CH 3

A/N; Gasp! What do you mean this has a constant update schedule? If you like that, go wish @hannah-nobody good luck on her assignments!

Here’s the updated playlist!

Summer has arrived, and with it the start of the two month long music camp; Fairy Tail! Full of new songs, friends, and adventures, the campers learn things they never knew about themselves and one another. And just how easy it is to sneak booze and a full sized karaoke machine out into the middle of the woods.

Camp Rock!AU

Pairing: Nalu, Gajevy, Gruvia, others mentioned; Fairy Tail

Words: 6100

Rating: T

Parts: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven

Chapter Three: All The Boys

Closer now...

And closer still…

Then it’s closer to her

‘Til she knows you’re there

Lucy leaned against the wooden countertop attached to the wall, trying to look around inconspicuously as Cana poured a quarter of a bottle of inappropriate liquid into her half full bottle of orange juice, swirling the contents until she was satisfied. Tucking the thin flask back into the pocket of her brown khakis the brunette gave Lucy a playful wink, Lucy rolling her eyes and shoving away the outstretched bottle Cana offered her. She didn’t feel like risking getting kicked out of camp on the first day. She looked around the room much more relaxed now, taking in the long rows of clear stained wooden tables and high domed ceilings, all designed for excellent acoustics within the large space.

One never knew when or where an impromptu sing-a-long or rap battle could happen at Fairy Tail.

The single door beside the canteen was pulled open suddenly, the unexpected noise drawing Lucy’s attention. Cana had started walking over to where Juvia and Levy sat already, abandoning Lucy as she stared dreamily at the large glass windows on the East and West sides of the building. Lucy’s curiosity was piqued when she watched Gray and Loke enter, both agitated and with a growing tension forming between the two guys. She started to walk towards them to greet them, but her brow furrowed as she noticed the two had stopped walking just inside the door and were talking in a conspiratorial hush. Were they arguing? Loke was the first to notice Lucy’s approach, and immediately ended whatever fight he had been having with Gray, large smile forced and swagger exaggerated as he walked towards Lucy.

“My Sunshine!” he purred as he slung his arm around Lucy’s shoulder, “Seeing you always eases my soul, as though you are the brightest star and I am but a traveler lost at sea.”

Lucy shrugged off his arm with an eyeroll, snorting audibly at Loke’s dramatic declaration. “Why don’t you save that for a girl it might actually work on, that one was pretty good.” Lucy teased, any annoyance she might have felt at his statement smoothed over by her good mood carried over from meeting her cabin mates.

“Not as pretty as you, babe.” Loke shot back, lips curling in a suggestive smile and face leaning in towards hers. Lucy planted a hand firmly on the side of his face, smushing his cheek and lips as she shoved him away.

“Hey Gray.” Lucy greeted as the raven haired boy finally strolled towards where Lucy and Loke stood. He grunted in reply, and Lucy raised an eyebrow as she looked over him. “Forgot something?” she asked innocently, smirking at his annoyed expression. She knew him too well, and she knew that was his I-feel-better-but-don’t-want-to-show-it-because-I-never-showed-I-was-upset-in-the-first-place grimace. Stupid emo boy.

“Ha ha,” he said sarcastically, bumping her shoulder and giving her a small grin as he passed her to walk in the direction that Cana was waving. Lucy’s eyes lit up and she lifted a finger beside her head as she spoke.

“Oh that’s right!” she chirped, “We have some new friends I want you guys to meet!”

She grabbed Loke and Gray’s wrists, dragging them behind her as she walked quickly to the table where her friends sat. Cana was harassing a bright red Juvia, Levy snickering behind her hand as she watched her cabin mates’ antics.

“Guys, meet Juvia and Levy! Girls, this is Loke,” Lucy said, releasing her friend’s wrist and motioning at him with her hand, “and this is Gray.” Lucy yanked on Gray’s wrist so he moved from his half hidden spot behind her shoulder to be in full view of the group of girls.

“Definitely Pete meets Edward.” Levy said as she looked over Gray, sending Cana and Lucy into a loud fit of snorts and laughter, even Juvia tittering behind a pale hand before she collected herself with a delicate cough. Loke shot them an amused glance while Gray was torn between glaring at Lucy and fighting back a light blush.

“I’m sure Juvia wouldn’t mind if Gray got that spread in Rolling Stone.” Cana drawled, sending the others into another round of giggles, although Juvia’s laugh sounded a little confused. A musical fanatic probably wouldn’t understand such a pre-teen ‘bad boy’ reference.

“Pete meets… hey, do you mean Pete Wentz?” Gray asked in confusion before a spark lit behind his eyes, “Wait, are you talking about ‘The Fabulous Life And Secret Torment’ interview? In Rolling Stone?”

“Erm.” Levy gaped, but it was too late. Gray was spiraling back into middle school. His former self was taking over.

“Issue 1012,” Gray continued, eyes wide in wonder as he looked to a fonder past. A past which featured a heavy use of eyeliner. “March 2007. I waited in line for fifteen minutes at the corner store just to buy it. Classic. You know that interview happened like a day before the release of Infinity On High? Man, iconic.”

The group stared at him in stunned silence as Gray signed to himself, nodding as if he’d wrote the article himself.

“Juvia thought it was the MCR Gray yearned to be a part of.” Juvia frowned in confusion.

“Oh sweetie, if their songs titles have more words than the number of years their fans have lived then he’s fantasized about being with them.” Cana soothed, patting Juvia’s head, the girl in turn nodding in serious understanding.

“But sadly it isn’t 2007 anymore, so Gray has to find someone else who understand the consequences of being deeply misunderstood.” Loke smirked before turning his attention to Juvia, “Say, how good are you with eyeliner?“

Gray turned a vibrant shade of pink, gritting his teeth to keep from punching Loke at Lucy’s pointed look.

“I can do my own eyeliner, thank you very much.” He ground out.

The group erupted into laughter. Nearby tables cast them concerned looks.

“Wait! No! That’s not what I-” Gray stammered.

“Juvia thinks it is impressive that Gray is so skilled with make-up,” Juvia’s voice cut through the laughter, “Juvia wishes she had Gray’s skill. She can never get the wings even.”

“Hey, I’m sure he’ll be happy to teach ya Juvy.” Cana snickered as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Juvia’s face brightened suddenly, Lucy following her gaze and looking in the direction she was waving at, her jaw dropping as she realized who their sweet and innocent friend was drawing towards them. A tall boy who looked like he was already in his third year of university stalked towards them, long black hair wild and intimidating. Well, all of him was intimidating. He was well over 6 foot, maybe pushing 6 and a half, and was barely fitting in his tight black tank top, matched with torn and abused jeans and combat boots. His face was littered with eyebrow and nose piercings, his ears glinting silver when his dark hair shifted around them.

Lucy supposed he could be handsome if it weren't for the fact that his scowl could make flowers die.

He stopped at the edge of the table, eyes shooting to Gray and Loke with mild disgust before he looked at Juvia. “Really, your first time makin’ friends and these idiots are the ‘chosen ones’?”

Juvia pouted at his bored voice, Lucy balking at the deepness and smoothness of it. “Juvia thinks Gajie is being too rude to her new friends.” Juvia chastised, standing from her spot on the bench seat and walking towards her friend, her arms looping around his heavily muscled one so it was crushed to her chest. Lucy tensed as she waited for the boy to jerk his arm back from Juvia. Instead he rolled his eyes, his scowl softening to a grimace when he looked down at her.

“How many times do I hafta tell ya not to call me that?” He questioned dryly, something like amusement or fondness growing in his red eyes as Juvia looked up at him, eyebrows knit as she thought.

“Gajie, Juvia was wondering if you still travelled with your emergency eyeliner?” She ignored his previous question, blinking up at him innocently. ‘Gajie’ spit out a sharp squawk, cheeks turning a soft pink and eyes glaring down at Juvia. He left his arm in her hold still, though.

“I haven’t in years, Rain Woman. And the name’s Gajeel.” he grumbled, Juvia sighing deeply and looking down.

“Now Juvia will be unable to learn Gray’s amazing skills.”

“Oi!” Gajeel barked, turning a heated glare on Gray as he shifted his arm -and Juvia- closer to him protectively. “The fuck is Juvia goin’ on about, Stripper?” he asked menacingly, Gray and Loke swallowing sharply under his deathly look before Gray replaced his mask of indifference and sneered at the other boy.

“Nothing, ‘Gajie’.” He mocked, Lucy looking between the two in confusion.

“Call me that again and you’d best be sleepin’ with one eye open for the next two months.” he warned in a low voice. Lucy looked at Cana as she became even more confused, Cana shrugging her shoulders as well.

“Does Gajie know Gray?” Juvia questioned, unaffected by the dangerous aura radiating off of the boy whose arm she was hugging. “Why didn’t he tell Juvia he was friends with the MCR models.” She pouted, her eyes sparking as Gray choked. “Or did you two meet in the ‘pit’ Gajie is always texting Juvia about?”

Gajeel sighed heavily and removed one hand from where it was shoved in his pocket, fingerless studded glove resting on top of Juvia’s head as he patted her hair. “No, Waterworks, I’m sharing a cabin with Dumb and Dumber here, and my idiot cousin.” He explained bluntly.

“You’re Dumber.” Loke interjected, looking at Gray flatly. Gajeel shot Loke a look, who just raised his hands and slipped into a spot beside Cana. Everyone else settled into the benches so Gajeel was left at the front of the table with Juvia clinging to him. He tensed suddenly when he realized everyone was staring at him, Lucy’s skilled eyes -from having to decipher Gray’s basically monotonous facial expressions- picking up on the tightness around his lips and shoulders. She smiled at him comfortingly, Gajeel blinking blankly at her. Lucy’s smile waned until he looked away, the pink tips of his ears showing through his black mane of hair.

“Yer both morons.” Gajeel frowned, recognition flashing in his eyes when Juvia led him to the bench seat beside Levy, who sat at the end of her side of the table. The girl was pointedly stabbing at a piece of lettuce and ignoring the looming boy beside her. Lucy’s eyes widened as she watched Gajeel’s face crack into a large smirk when he leaned into Levy’s personal space. “Almost didn’ see ya there Shrimp.” he teased, Juvia clapping her hands delightedly on the other side of Gajeel.

Levy looked coolly out of the corner of her eye at Gajeel, whose smirk widened more to reveal pointed canines. Until Levy’s fork somehow found it’s way into his hand. “Oops.” Levy said with false apology, Gajeel rubbing his hand with a wry and impressed glint in his eyes.

The group fell into easy chatter, Loke hitting on Levy and Juvia and failing hard, Juvia staring at Gray in awe before looking away just as Gray looked at her with hidden curiosity, Gajeel remarking on Levy’s tiny size just for the blue haired girl to hurt him in some ‘accidental’ fashion. Lucy couldn't help but beam as she watched her friends, new and old blending seamlessly as they picked at the food on the table.

“Decided not to go sulk by the river like a pussy?” Gajeel asked suddenly, grinning over Lucy’s shoulder where an unamused snort sounded.

“Fev’s string broke as I was walking over. Got your text and decided food wouldn't be a shitty substitute.” Lucy looked over her shoulder at the boy who was talking, recognizing him as the stranger from before. His dark beanie still covered his hair, green eyes twinkling with mischievousness as he countered Gajeel’s comment effortlessly.

Lucy looked away as she felt a flutter in her stomach. Maybe camp food didn’t agree with her.

“Who’s this cutie?” Cana interrupted, eyeing the boy behind Lucy as she took a swig from her ‘orange juice’. She smiled coyly, leaning forward and pushing her cleavage together. Lucy rolled her eyes and chased a chickpea around her plate before pushing her fork into it violently. So what if Cana was looking for a new fling this summer, it was none of Lucy’s business that the cute guy behind her had caught her friend's attention. Even though he had talked to her first...

“O-oh umm,” she heard behind her, Lucy lowering her head and glaring at the half of the chickpea that had flown from her fork. So what if his nervous and flustered voice sounded even cuter than his confident one. She looked over her shoulder again, head turning without permission. Her expression lightened considerably when she saw his uncomfortable look, eyes wide and looking at Gajeel for help. Not that Lucy cared that he wasn't interested in Cana. Because that would be petty. And Lucy was a good friend. Yes. And good friends encouraged one another to try and kiss cute people. Wait, kiss?

“Natsu! Juvia is glad to see you again! Are you still hallucinating about your girlfriend in the shower?” Juvia asked brightly, eyebrows pinching in concern as she finished speaking. Natsu made a high noise as his face turned bright red while all three boys at the table burst into loud and raucous laughter. “Gajie was quite concerned for his cousin’s mental health.” She continued, pouting as she looked around the table. “Natsu’s mental illness is no laughing matter.” She mumbled to herself, Lucy looking at Natsu critically and taking pity on him when she noticed his clenched fists and raised shoulders.

She couldn't help the giggle that bubbled in her throat when Natsu looked at her, his eyes bright and clear and captivating Lucy. She didn't think she had ever seen such a pretty green before. He looked away quickly, hands stuffed in the pockets of his open, faded-red hoodie. She smiled when she recognized the band name on the shirt under it, opening her mouth to ask him about it when she was cut off.

“Really? Jimmy Eat World?” Gray sneered, Lucy looking at him in shock. “I bet you just love the song The Middle, don't you?”

Lucy narrowed her eyes at his condescending tone, looking up at Natsu when he made a low ‘tch’ sound. “You think you're so great, I bet you tell everyone you were kissin' the Way brothers asses before Welcome To The Black Parade because everyone hasta know you were ‘tragic’ before it was cool.” Natsu shot back, lip curled up and eyes hard as he looked at Gray. Lucy had to clap a hand over her mouth to stop from snorting, Natsu looking at her in surprise at the sound. His expression softened and he grinned crookedly at her, Lucy struggling to compose herself again.

“Well I like Jimmy Eat World. And The Middle is my favourite song.” Lucy said pointedly, holding Gray’s cold stare until he looked at the table and stole one of Cana’s fries. She held her hand up to Natsu and smiled her most friendly smile. “My name’s Lucy, but you already knew that,” she said teasingly. Natsu blushed and tugged at the white scarf wrapped loosely around his neck before taking her hand and giving it a firm shake, his skin warm and rough against Lucy’s.

“I'm um, Natsu. And I don't have a girlfriend!” Natsu rushed out, eyes widening in horror when he realized what he had said. Lucy giggled again. Natsu relaxed and grinned at her laugh, his look melting and making Lucy blush the longer they stared at one another. Both jumped apart when Cana cleared her throat, Lucy laughing nervously and Natsu scratching the back of his head as they tore their hands from the other’s. Lucy stuck her tongue out at Cana’s raised eyebrow and approving smirk. Gray glared harder at Cana’s fries and Lucy worried they might actually freeze over.

“What happened to your stupid sweater?” Gray asked coldly, Natsu’s mouth twisting as he faced him.

“I fixed the thermostat, so now I don't have to worry about freezin’ my fucking dic-” he grinned victoriously, stuttering as he looked at Lucy again, mouth frozen mid word.

Loke and Gajeel both groaned loudly to themselves, Lucy looking between Natsu and Gray at the obvious inside argument.

“Fucking overgrown lizard.” Gray hissed, Natsu looking away from Lucy once again.

“Ice Princess. You gonna sing Let It Go at karaoke or something?”

Cana burst into loud laughter, thumping Gray on the back as she howled. Gray was thoroughly unimpressed.

“Well at least I don't go garbage diving for all my clothes.” Gray smirked, looking Natsu up and down condescendingly. Natsu tensed again, eyes narrowed as he growled back.

“Like you even wear clothes you perverted stripper.”

“Really, watch who you're calling perverted you fucking mol-”

“Enough.” Gajeel said suddenly, Gray biting his tongue at the warning tone. The table sat in awkward silence for a few seconds before Lucy was reminded of her growing anger at Gray when he made a face at Natsu.

“Well I think his clothes suit him,” she mumbled defensively, looking at her platter and stabbing another innocent chickpea. “There's no need to be so rude.” She looked up at Gray when she heard a dry snort, Lucy’s lips twisting down at his cruel smirk.

“Yeah, ‘cus he’s trash too.”

“Gray Fullbuster that is it. You are acting like such a pretentious asshole right now and I don't care what you two are fighting about but Juvia is our friend and he is Juvia’s friend so you will be nice to our new friend.” Lucy seethed, Gray flinching back and lower lip puffing out by a fraction, looking back at the fries as he stole yet another. Lucy rolled her eyes. Great, now Gray was pouting.

“And you,” She turned to Natsu, who also flinched back under the remainder of her glare. “Stop encouraging him.”

“Aye sir.”

Lucy blinked at his quick reply, shaking her head with a sigh as she looked away. She met Gajeel’s impressed look before looking at Cana, who was tugging on Gray’s ear, pulling him across the table by the ear. He was hunched uncomfortably as Cana whispered something harshly to him that was making Gray pale more than usual. Levy and Juvia wore matching looks of concern. Loke just looked bored.

“Why don’tcha take a seat there Flame Head,” Gajeel offered gruffly, Natsu looking around the table and finally eyeing the only available spot beside Lucy. He looked at Gray, a sort of unspoken conversation happening between the two for some reason before giving a small smile.

“I think I'll just head back to the cabin with a sandwich or something, I don't wanna be any more trouble...” He excused, smile becoming strained as he shoved his hands back into his pockets.

“You're not any trouble Natsu,” Lucy said firmly, speaking over Gray’s unintelligible murmur. Ass.

“Nah, I gotta go check on Lily and Happy anyway.” He took another step back, Lucy looking up at him and ignoring Loke’s comment on ‘devil spawn’.

“Sit.” She ordered, but Natsu remained standing awkwardly, pulling nervously at the sleeves of his hoodie.

“C-Can I erm, go get some food first?” He stammered.

“Oh, of course!” Lucy blushed, realising she may have come across as a little bossy, “Help yourself! We’ll still be here when you come back!”

Natsu looked as though he were doubtful of that fact, but he nodded anyway before shuffling away. Lucy watched him go, shoulders hunched and hands stuffed into the pocket of his ripped jeans as though he were trying not to draw attention to himself.

“Wow Lu, eager much?” Cana’s snicker drew Lucy’s attention back to the table.

“It’s not like that!” Lucy flushed, “I just- he… seems kind of familiar is all.”

Her mind flitted back to earlier, when she’d bumped into him on her way out of the auditorium. The way he’d looked at her… and he said her name like it was a prayer. Even remembering it sent shivers down her spine. She wondered again how he’d known her name before she told it to him.

“Didn’t you do volunteer work with that special needs school last year?” Gray pondered, frowning when he received a slap to the wrist from Cana as he was caught stealing another of her fries, “Maybe he was a student there and that’s where you remember him from.”

“What is your problem?” Lucy hissed, kicking his shin under the table. His answering yelp of pain was grossly exaggerated, “Why do you hate him so much? You’ve only known him for a few hours.”

“Gray’s just a little worried that Natsu’s desired cabin temperature will thaw his frozen heart.” Loke mused as he closely inspected the piece of lettuce impaled on his fork, “Or, y’know, that Natsu is hot enough to do it himself.”

Gray looked more horrified than he had when he and Lucy had watched The Human Centipede on Halloween last year at Loke’s words. Their orange haired friend simply shoved his fork in his mouth, the lettuce having passed his inspection. Loke finally caught Gray’s look and flashed him a green-flecked grin.

“Juvia wishes she could thaw Gray’s frozen heart.” Juvia pouted from beside Gajeel.

“My heart isn’t frozen,” Gray scowled, “And you’re way hotter than Natsu.”

Juvia squeaked as Gray’s face turned as red as the tomatoes in Loke’s salad. Cana and Lucy shared a look of delighted surprise while Gajeel and Levy looked a mix of amused and uncomfortable. Gajeel holding majority of the latter in his expression, as Lucy no doubt suspected he was losing circulation in his arm by now.

Natsu took a deep breath as he walked back to the table, eyebrows knitting as he joined mid sentence.

“Who’s hotter than me?” Natsu questioned, adopting his previous stance of standing awkwardly by the table, this time with a tray stacked with food.

“No one!” Lucy blurted, the same time Gray drawled ‘Everyone’.

Natsu stood there chuckling nervously as he glanced at everyone seated, avoiding Lucy’s eyes for fear his face would literally catch on fire. There was an awkward moment of silence during which Juvia- still attached to Gajeel’s arm- narrowed her eyes at him and hissed something that sounded distinctly like ‘Love Rival’.

When his eyes finally met Lucy’s once more, she smiled at him brightly and patted the space beside her. Natsu gulped, mustering his courage as he sat down.

Don’t be weird, don’t be weird, don’t be weird, rang through his head like a mantra.

He sat in silence, nervously poking at his food. Gajeel always told him he was a monster when he ate. He figured a sweet girl like Lucy wouldn’t want to see something so… uncouth. That’s what Grandine had called it right? Something about no manners. He was too nervous to eat anyway.

He dared a glance at her out the corner of his eye. He couldn’t believe this was real. That he was sitting right next to her. At Fairy Tail. Maybe he’d have the best summer of his life and during the final performance the beat of the song would turn into the steady thrum of one of those hospital machines, and really he’d just been in a coma the whole time. That seemed a whole lot more likely than finding her again and her actually liking him.

He chanced another look, just to make sure she was still there. Green eyes met brown. Natsu quickly looked away.

“Can I ask you a question?” Lucy turned to him, setting her fork down and pushing her plate away.

Natsu sat up straighter, keenly aware of her focus on him. He pushed his own plate away despite having yet to eat one bite.

“Sure.” He offered her a weak smile.

Don’t be weird, don’t be weird, don’t be weird.

This was it. He was going to have an actual conversation with her. Not an imagined one. He hadn’t had the heart to tell her he’d already known her name when she’d offered her hand earlier. She knew he already knew her name. Oh god, what if she thought he was a stalker or something? Girls like her probably had their fair share of stalkers. Oh god oh god oh god, what had that icy bastard told her while he’d been in the lunch line? What if she didn’t even remember bumping into him before. She didn’t remember making out with him, why would she remember him gaping at her? Oh god he didn’t think he could take her forgetting him twice-

“Are you alright?” Lucy frowned at him.

“W-Was that the question?”

“No,” A furrow appeared between her brows as she leaned a little closer to him, “You’ve just gone awfully pale all of a sudden...”

He was dimly aware of Gray and Loke snickering in the background, but for the most part the sound was drowned out by the ringing of his pulse in his ears.

This was it. This was what a heart attack felt like.

“Ah yes,” A skimpily clad brunette sitting two down from Lucy leaned across the table to nod at him in deep understanding, “That was my exact face when I first got a stellar view of the twin peaks.”

Natsu’s mind groped for understanding until the brunette made a honking motion with her hands in front of her own chest. Natsu looked back to Lucy in confusion, then his eyes moved of their own accord.

It was just for a split second, but when his eyes found hers again he knew. He knew that she knew. They both leaned back slightly, cheeks blazing pink. He was dead. His heart attack had killed him and now he was in hell. Pure, mortifying, hell.

Lucy shielded her chest before whirling on her friends.

“Cana!” She screamed, “What have I told you about-”

But Natsu didn’t hear the rest of Lucy’s protests as he felt a jolt go through the table, his tray of food moving away from him with the force. He looked up to find Gray twisting the handle of his fork, working it deeper into the wood of the table as he glared at him.

“You’re dead,” Gray seethed, his words uttered in a quiet but deadly calm. Natsu heard them loud and clear even over Lucy’s shouting, “You so much as look at-”

“Gray please,” Loke sighed from between the still yelling Lucy and Cana, “When they’re that nice you can’t blame a man for peeking.”

“Loke!” Lucy and Gray yelled in unison.

“Juvia knew chivalry wasn’t dead.” Juvia sighed dreamily, “Gray is a true gentleman.”

“How can he be a gentleman when he’s not even wearing a shirt!” Natsu protested.

“You say that like I don’t threaten guys who look at you all the time.” Gajeel frowned at Juvia, who finally let go of his arm to rest her chin in her hands and stare dreamily into the distance.

“Juvia wishes Gray was her protector.”

This spurred another round of protests from Lucy, who insisted Gray was not her protector. Gajeel expressed his disbelief on Juvia’s deaf ears, claiming the girl was ungrateful. Cana and Loke were placing bets on which of Lucy’s assets would distract Natsu next, while Natsu demanded to know why Gray was willing to murder him for glancing- which he stated, many times, was unintentional- at Lucy’s chest while others were freely allowed to discuss it in depth.

The ruckus of their table drew many curious stares, all of which Levy noticed as she watched the mess unfold before her.

“You’re crazy.” She whispered to herself, “All my new friends are crazy.”

Their whole table became so engrossed in their arguing that they didn’t notice the steady rise of their ‘indoor voices’ or the red-head stepping up to the announcer's podium on the other side of the room.

“SILENCE.”

The voice roared over the speaker, stopping not just their table but all the others dead. Lucy’s stomach filled with dread as everyone’s eyes turned to the redhead behind the podium, only to find that she was glaring directly at their table.

“Shit.” Lucy heard Gajeel whisper.

This was promptly followed by Natsu.

“Shit shit shit shit shit.” He whispered to himself.

Lucy turned towards him to find him hurrying out of his seat, his green eyes wide with fear and never leaving the podium. She followed his gaze to find not only the red haired girl making her way towards their table, but Gajeel practically crushing Levy -who was frozen in place in fear- in his attempt to flee his seat.

The moment Gajeel was free he ran, head ducked as he darted through the tables as though that would do anything to hide his bulky six foot and heavily pierced frame. She turned back to find Natsu crouched by the table ready to flee. He seemed to be hesitating.

He held his hand out to her cautiously.

“Come with me if you want to live.” He whispered dramatically.

Lucy barely had time to squint at him in confusion before Natsu squeaked- actually squeaked- in fear and scuttled away.

When she turned back to the table, her friends shared her look of immense confusion. Levy was staring down at the table, avoiding any and all eye contact.

Gray shrugged the expression off with a roll of his eyes.

“Pussies.” He snorted in amusement.

A shadow fell over their table.

“Disgusting.” The red haired girl scowled as she stood at the head of their table. “You. What is your name?”

She pointed a finger at Gray, who swallowed nervously. He was trying not to look scared, but Lucy could see right through him. The poor boy was terrified.

Lucy didn’t blame him. Intimidation was practically rolling off this girl in waves. She seemed a little older than the rest of them. Her stance was powerful, chest sticking out slightly as though to show off the Fairy Tail logo on the breast of her t-shirt off with pride. Lucy gulped as she read the words Camp Enforcer embroidered there.

“G-Gray Fullbuster?” Gray answered in a timid voice.

“You don’t seem very sure about that.” The girl narrowed her eyes at him. Lucy watched her carefully as the girls head shot up and looked around the room. “Natsu! Gajeel! Don’t think I don’t hear you snickering out there. I will find you!”

Lucy heard a distant crash near the back entrance accompanied by shouts of ‘Save your own ass Flame Brains!’ from what she assumed was her new friends mad dash for freedom. She was suddenly very glad she’d stayed as the redhead’s eyes blazed with anger. The consequences seemed worse for running.

“As for you,” She addressed Gray again, “Do you always use such vulgar language when there are children present?”

“Ah- I- Erm-” Gray stammered.

His chest was heaving and he was beginning to sweat. Lucy and Loke shared a worried look. Gray looked like he was on the verge of an asthma attack, even though he hadn’t had one in over eight years. Lucy still carried an inhaler with her, just in case, but it was back in her cabin.

The first call to the Camp Paramedics was postponed however, when Juvia unleashed the full force of her smile.

“Erza!” She beamed, “Juvia is so happy to see you!”

The redhead- Erza- turned her gaze to Juvia. Her anger seemed to dissipate somewhat at the joy in Juvia’s smile.

“Juvia,” Erza greeted with a nod, “I’m glad to see you’ve made some friends. Albeit disrupting ones.”

“We’re very sorry about that ma’am!” Lucy pipped up, seizing the chance to get into the ‘Camp Enforcers’ good books, “It won’t happen again.”

“I can assure you it won’t,” Erza smiled pleasantly, “Not after I catch those two swine. Nice to see you as well Levy.”

Without any further chit-chat, Erza went on her merry way. Lucy could have sworn there was a skip in her step as she went off in the direction Natsu and Gajeel had fled.

“I could have died,” Gray wheezed with a hand to his chest, “I should be dead.”

“You’re so dramatic,” Cana drawled, “Juvia would have given you mouth to mouth, there was never any danger.”

“Would Gray like some CPR?” Juvia questioned the dark haired boy eagerly, shuffling a little closer to him.

“Erm, I can breathe just fine on my own, thank you.” Gray cringed a little as Juvia wrapped her arms around his.

“Juvia can’t.” She sighed as she rested her chin on Gray’s shoulder, “Gray takes Juvia’s breath away.”

The rest of the table made gagging noises, but Loke looked impressed.

“Damn,” The orange haired boy muttered beside Lucy, “That one was smooth.”

A sharp staticky sound filled the room, drawing all eyes back to the podium at the front of the cafeteria. As sudden as the noise had been it was cut off, unintelligible frustrated mutterings and curses coming from the seemingly empty stand. Lucy watched as two bells came into view, attached to the ends of a purple and orange stripped court jesters hat -Lucy assumed that's what it was supposed to be anyway. More agitated murmurs floated through the air until finally the head of the camp director Makarov popped into place.

“Listen up brats,” he began, white moustache twitching in a scowl as he eyed the direction Erza had walked -skipped- off in. His expression softened to a wry smile when he looked around the room and at the expressions of the teenagers around him. “So here we are, yet another start to Camp Fairy Tail.

“I just want to wish everyone an unofficial and Fairy Tail welcome, and I hoped all you youngsters enjoyed our opening ceremony, courtesy of our very own Gildarts Clive.” A small round of applause scattered through the campers, Lucy smiling at Makarov’s warm grin at the sound. “Yes, an amazing force of Fairy Tail when he remembers to come back home from his tours. Oh shut up you know it’s true you walking wrecking ball.” Cana snorted as the hushed sounds of Makarov bickering with her father came through the microphone, giving a small wave when Gildarts beamed over and swung his arm through the air in exaggerated motions.

Makarov released a heavy sigh, muttering under his breath before he forced a large smile on his face and continued speaking.

“As all of our returning family know, the first week is a settling in week. The camp directors and I want to let all you brats get used to the layout and the independence of the camp, as well as to meet some of your fellow campers.

“This year’s week themes will be posted by the end of the day today and the pairings for the first week will be picked by the councilors, both from your submitted bio’s and from our watching you interact. Most pairings will stay within the age groups, but sometimes we like to see one of our older children mentor the younger ones. There will also be a karaoke night one of these evenings, please see our lovely Mira Jane for more details.” Makarov scratched the side of his head, eyes closed and brows knitted in thought. Lucy snuck a glance at Cana and Loke, the only two in the original group who had been here previously -granted it had been years ago. Both were smiling fondly as they looked up at the podium, Makarov still capturing their attention like a grandfather who was telling the same story about walking up the hill both ways before handing out a piece of candy. Or a beer, in Cana’s case.

A loud crash and a high pitched wail came from outside the cafeteria, followed by what Lucy assumed was a war cry. Makarov’s eyes opened tiredly and his shoulders drooped, Lucy thinking she saw the phrase ‘I’m too old for this’ mouthed by the old man.

“And a last reminder. There is no camp enforcer at Fairy Tail. Just a very, very, passionate young woman who could quite possibly kill a bear. Good luck!” And with that note his head disappeared behind the podium again, an eerie silence falling over the campers in the seconds following.

Lucy grinned worriedly as she made eye contact with Juvia. Well, that was one way to start off the summer.

Playlist:

All The Boys - Panic! At The Disco (Not on Spotify)

The Middle - Jimmy Eats World

The Take Over, The Breaks Over - Fall Out Boy

Right Back At It Again - A Day To Remember

Come Alive - Astoria Kings

[soprana-snap]

All of the odd fic questions Chy. All. Of. Them.

U suck @rivendell101. I hope you feel the glare I’m sending you across the timezones

1. What was the first fandom you got involved in?

Either Treasure Planet or Astroboy

3. What is the best fandom you’ve ever been involved in?

The Soul Eater fandom. When I did Resbang, it was so fun and everyone was pretty nice.

5. Which fandoms have your written fanfiction for?

FMA, Soul Eater, Naruto, and Fairy Tail

7. List your NoTPs from each fandom you’ve been in.

Already Answered. I won’t pain myself with listing them again.

9. What are the best things about your current fandom?

The people. Hands down. I’ve got great friends and followers that I love so much.

Ship Questions for your Current Fandom

11. Who is your current OTP?

Nalu

13. Any NoTPs?

Oh yeah. Natza, Mesdy, Incest ships, Zervis

15. Is there an obscure ship which you love?

Cobrana, Lucana

17. Who was your first OTP and are they still your favourite?

Nalu and yeah, they still have me awwing over their moments

19. Is there a ship which you wished you could get behind, but you just don’t feel them? 

Eh, not really. If I don’t like them, why wish I didn’t?

Author Questions

21. What was the first fanfic you ever wrote?

The first published one I wrote was a Naruto fic called The Elements, but I’m debating deleting it. 

23. Name a fic you’ve written that you’re especially fond of & explain why you like it.

I am pretty fond of the ghost rider au, the treasure planet au, and the badboy au. These are all fics inspired while watching the movies that pertained to them. 

25. What’s your most popular fanfic?

Hmmm, I want to say Assassin’s Creed: Bonds, but the Stray series seemed pretty popular too?

27. What do you hate more: Coming up with titles or writing summaries?

Summaries. Like, short and sweet? Vague and dark? Mystery and suspense? How da fuk can I do it in 250 characters or less???

29. Do you have a beta reader? Why/Why not?

I do not have a beta because I am a big chicken. I fear burdening people, especially with something over and over again. Plus, I don’t like bothering people, which is why I hardly talk and share my stuff.

31. What’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing?

I am so fortunate to get messages about my writing, especially from @teamedwardjace2, who always manages to find the time to drop by to discuss fics and FT in general. I always tag these kind messages and keep them archived: in case I need a reminder.

I really have to hand the torch to the teacher that got me into writing and told me she could see my ‘voice’.

where did 33 go???

35. Do you write drabbles? If so, what do you normally write them about?

I do, but I tend to make them either too long or too short, never just right. Plus, they are lil things of angst or fluff

37. First person or third person - what do you write in and why?

I usually use third because it comes naturally. First takes me a while to switch from showing the readers what to know vs the readers learning with the character’s perspective.

39. What is you greatest strength as a writer?

I always have different ways to word sentences parading in my thoughts when planning a fic. Usually the one that sticks, stays.

Fanfiction Questions

41. List and link to 5 fanfics you are currently reading:

A Promise You Just Can’t Keep- starmini (Omg I’ve been obsessed over this one)

Sweet-Rot- FreyjaBee (A Mature fic. It has posted warnings. 1950′s criminal au)

Borrowed Time- Winged Lady Colette (Star Wars time travel, my first toe into SW fics with anidala)

The Golden Keys- D-D Dreamer (I am fascinated by this au. I wonder where the writer will take it?)

Mambo #5?

43. Is there anyone in your fandom who really inspires you?

TONS. I have no hope of listing them all. All the writers out there, doing their thing is just so amazing and I get to be a part of this community! 

I do have my senpai’s @absent-angel  and @madartiste. Their works keep me striving to improve.

45. What is your all time favourite fanfic?

The Fire that Binds Us- PhoenixedDragon. I LOVE this fic, okay?! PhoenixedDragon is like my third senpai. The world built in this fic is just phenomenal. 10/10. But, it’s last update was 4 years ago. Every now and then, I go back and re-read it over and over, savoring the adventure each time.

47. Archive Of Our Own, Fanfiction.net or Tumblr - where do you prefer to post and why?

I use both FF.net for chapter fics and Tumblr for the oneshots and others. Don’t you have to be invited to AO3?

49. Do you care if people comment/reblog your writing? Why/why not?

I go over the moon in excitement. I also snoop the tags.

51. Rant or Gush about one thing you love or hate in the world of fanfiction! Go!

AlRight you butter chips,

I love you guys. When I first started, I was so nervous to post anything of my work. I thought I’d be a nobody, just running my lil corner of the internet.

Then, I kept writing, getting more followers with each piece. Fanfiction helped me enhance my writing. The fellow members of the fanfiction world were there with me.

Thank you. Ya’ll go on with your cute, bad ass selves and keep being that difference!

[superfreakerz]

Roommate Needed

I wrote this for Nalu Day but I never ended up posting it. It's my first oneshot, which I found harder to write than multi-chapter fics. But anyways, here is my first oneshot.

Rated T for language.

Summary: AU. Lucy is in need of a new place to live and stumbles across a sketchy flyer from someone looking for a new roommate. Little did she know at the time that the sketchy flyer just so happened to be one of the greatest things life had given her.

Also on FF.net

Roommate Needed!

Lucy Heartfilia stopped in her tracks and snatched the flyer off of the library's bulletin board. The simple, white piece of paper with those two words and a single phone number at the bottom-right corner was like a gift sent from the gods. The girl had been searching for months for a new place to live that was in her budget- her low budget, mind you.

Her current apartment was in her budget but didn't have enough amenities. The place had no air conditioning, her bedroom was cramped, there was no on-site laundromat, and water, electricity, and trash were not included in the rent. Worse than that, however, was the fact that there was no bathtub. Instead, there was a standup shower.

But worst of all was her roommate. While her roommate, Brandish, was a nice girl that Lucy considered a friend, she was a terrible roommate. Brandish was a tad lazy, saving off chores and forcing Lucy to do all of them herself. She also skimmed out on some of the rent every other month. Too kind to say anything about it, the girl allowed it to continue and picked up extra shifts at the library to be able to pay for everything. But being a junior in college, extra shifts cut into her schoolwork. Having to end working overtime, she was left unable to continue paying for so much.

Which led Lucy to where she was now.

Lucy frowned and flipped the paper to the other side to see if there was any more information. Unfortunately, it was blank. The flyer only contained a phone number, not even the name of the person renting it out. Was it sketchy? Definitely. But hey, she was desperate. It wouldn't hurt to make a call, right?

After clocking out and saying goodbye to her boss, an old man named Crux, Lucy slung the straps of her backpacks over her shoulders and ventured outside. The sky was dark and full of twinkling stars, stars that she had loved staring at. She was able to see her breath as she exhaled due to the chilly air.

Walking home took about twenty minutes for Lucy- had it not been night, it would've been closer to thirty. The walking distance to the school was one of the few good features about her apartment. Admittedly, it did make her question moving. But there was always the bus considering it was free for students enrolled at Magnolia University.

With a heavy sigh, Lucy opened the door to her apartment, ready to see what kind of mess Brandish had made while she was gone. As always, dishes were piled in the sink and food was left on the counter. The scent of weed filled her nostrils, which wasn't surprising. Brandish was an avid stoner. Lucy was offered to take a hit when she first moved in with the green-headed girl but turned her down. She wasn't into all of that stuff.

Brandish, who was lounging only in her underwear and an untied robe, lifted a hand and greeted, "Hey." Her eyes were dull, just like her voice. Though she seemed uninterested, she was actually a curious girl. Nice but strange.

Lucy waved back and smiled. "Hey, Brandi. How was your day?"

"Boring. You?"

Remembering the flyer that she stuffed in her bag, the blonde replied, "Boring so far, but we'll see."

Lucy then excused herself into her room, closing the door behind her. As any other good roommate, she had told Brandish months in advance that she was planning to move. Brandish took it well, saying that she could have another friend of theirs, Cana- a spunky brunette with a love for all things alcoholic- to room with her.

Grabbing the flyer from her bag, Lucy dialed the number into her cellphone. Biting her lower lip anxiously, the blonde listened as the phone rang until finally somebody picked up.

"Hello?" someone called out. It was a boy with a voice that wasn't deep nor too high. In Lucy's opinion, it was just right.

"U-Umm, hi," Lucy stammered. "I am calling about a flyer posted in the library about a needed roommate."

"Oh, that's awesome!" the boy exclaimed. "When do you wanna check the place out?"

"Check the place out? Don't you think you should tell me a bit about it first? Your flyer wasn't too informative."

"Well duh. That's because you're supposed to look at it in person."

Lucy scoffed. "What if your place isn't what I'm looking for? That means I would've driven there for nothing. Just tell me about it first!"

"Alright, alright. It's got four bedrooms. One is mine, one is the Stripper's- pretty much Juvia's too since she's always here- and another is Lug Nuts'. We're looking for a fourth roommate since Erza moved out."

Lucy wondered about the strange names and thought about hanging up right then and there. After all, one of their aliases was Stripper. She wasn't sure she was comfortable living with someone known for stripping. Hell, she wasn't sure she was comfortable living with a guy in the first place.

"Umm, got anything else to tell me about it?" Lucy asked, temporarily pushing those thoughts to the side.

"There's two bathrooms. Stripper and Lug Nuts share one and I would share the other with you if you decide to move in."

"About the bathroom, is there a tub?"

"Huh? Yeah, there's a tub. Why?"

"Nothing. How is the living room? And the kitchen?"

"Living room is pretty big. And the kitchen is alright but none of us really use it much. We usually eat fast food."

"You eat fast food every day?"

"Well none of us know how to cook, so yeah."

Lucy decided not to mention that she was a decent cook. She didn't want to get the boy's hopes up when she wasn't sure she was going to move in. In fact, it wasn't looking too good at the moment. Perhaps if the price was good, she would consider it. But she doubted it would be enough to change her mind about living with a stripper.

"How much is the place anyways?" Lucy inquired, expecting the worst.

"Three hundred," the boy answered.

Lucy choked on her spit and began to sputter like a fool. There was no way she heard that right. "Three hundred?"

"Yep."

"What is that, per week?"

"What? No way! It's per month!"

Lucy nearly fainted from happiness. "I'd love to check it out! Can I come by tomorrow!?"

He gave a boyish chuckle, which sent a faint heat throughout the girl's body for some reason she couldn't explain. "Yeah!" He gave her the address, which she jotted down on the flyer.

"Alright! I'll swing by after my three o'clock class. Sound good?"

"Yosh! I'm all fired up!"

Lucy was about to hang up the phone before his voice called out to her again.

"Wait!" he shouted. "What's your name?"

"I'm Lucy."

"Got a last name to go with that?"

The girl frowned and chomped down and her lower lip. She was hesitant about giving the guy her full name when this whole thing could be a scam. "Nope, just Lucy."

The boy laughed, much to her relief. "Well alright then, Just Lucy. I'm Natsu! See you tomorrow!"

With a wide grin, she replied, "Okay! See you then!"

With that, Lucy squealed to herself and hugged her favorite plush toy, a snowman she named Plue. She couldn't wait to check out the apartment. But for now, she had a lot of homework that needed to get done.

"Do you want to hang out since you don't work today, Lu-chan?"

Lucy frowned apologetically at her best friend and shook her head. "Sorry, Levy-chan. I can't hang out today. I'm checking out an apartment."

Levy was Lucy's first and best friend since she enrolled in college. She was a petite girl with bright, messy blue locks of hair that stood out among the sea of students. Well, it would have if she wasn't hidden due to her short height. She was a junior as well, though she was majoring in Linguistics while Lucy was majoring in Creative Writing. She also happened to be one of the smartest students at Magnolia University and was offered a full-ride scholarship.

"You found a place?" Levy asked, a wide grin forming on her face.

Lucy mirrored the expression and nodded giddily. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out the flyer and handed it to her friend. "I did! Get this, it's only three hundred a month!"

"You're kidding! What's wrong with it?"

"I don't know, that's what I'm going to find out today. The guy that's renting it out made it sound nice though."

Levy stopped and stared at the blonde as if she had grown another head. "Whoa, whoa, wait. The guy?"

Lucy chuckled and rubbed the back of her head. She was hoping Levy wouldn't catch that. "U-Umm, yeah. Guy."

"You're planning on living with a boy!?"

"Don't say it so loud! And I don't know… We would have our own rooms, we would just share the bathroom. And he seemed the least strange of all the people that live there."

"Who else lives there?"

"Someone he calls Stripper and another one called Lug Nuts."

"That is weird. Is that where you're heading to now?"

"Yep."

Levy furrowed her brows and gave her friend a skeptical look. "You're going to a house where a boy and his friends are waiting? The house with the sketchy flyer? By yourself? When you're a cute girl?"

Lucy groaned and dragged a hand over her face. "What is this, twenty questions? Yes to all of them."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? You know what, you don't even have to answer that. I'm coming with you."

"No, Levy-chan. You don't have to do-"

"I'm coming whether you want me to or not, Lu-chan. So we can either argue all the way there or you can accept it now."

Lucy gave a long sigh in defeat. "Well then, let's get going."

The walk was longer than they expected, taking them a little over forty-five minutes. The bus would have to be her method of transportation if she moved there since she didn't have a car and didn't intend on buying one soon.

To Lucy's surprise, Natsu's place wasn't an apartment. It was a white, one-story house in a not-so-decent condition. The paint was chipping in many different spots, there wasn't much of a yard (only a small patch of grass in front of both windows), and worst of all, there was something that looked a lot like dried blood on the front steps.

Lucy and Levy shared a glance and contemplated turning around and never coming back. Yet the cheap rent had the former hesitantly approaching the door. Raising a loosely formed fist, she was about to knock on the green door when it was suddenly thrown open, revealing a boy that appeared around their age.

Lucy admittedly thought the boy was strange looking at first, solely because she had never seen a boy that looked like him. Despite this, her heart still thrashed around her chest at the sight of him because damn was he hot. With tanned skin, the boy stood a head taller than her and peered into her eyes with his own onyx orbs. A wide grin was etched over his face, revealing particularly sharp incisors. His clothes brought a bright red hue to her cheeks as he was adorned in baggy white pants and a weird vest with only one sleeve. He wasn't even wearing anything underneath and was showing off a perfectly chiseled set of abs. The strangest thing about him, however, was his pink hair.

"Yo!" the boy greeted. Lucy was immediately able to recognize his voice as Natsu's. "Is one of you Lucy?"

"U-Umm, that's me," Lucy answered, taking a step forward. "And this is my friend, Levy-chan. You're Natsu, right?"

"That's me! Wanna check the place out now?"

"I have two questions first," she replied. "First, were you looking out the peephole or something, waiting for me?"

"What? Of course not! That's creepy! I just have really good hearing."

"You're telling me that you heard us coming? Are the walls thin?"

"Nah. Metal Mouth and I have good hearing compared to everyone else. Ice Pick never hears it."

Lucy briefly wondered about the new nicknames but decided not to question it. "Okay, fine. Second, is this dried blood on the cement?"

Natsu chuckled and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yeah. But it's nothing weird, I promise! Stripper and I just got into a fight. Happens all the time."

"Yeah, because that's reassuring."

"C'mon, Luigi! It's no big deal, just a couple of brawls!"

"It's Lucy!"

"Ehh, whatever. You guys coming in or not?"

The two girls shared a look before shrugging. They already came this way, they should at least check it out. They followed Natsu inside the house. The design of the home was simple. Upon entering, they were in the living room. Going forward led to the open kitchen and to the left were two doors, which Lucy presumed to be two of the bedrooms. On the right were two other doors, which of course were the last bedrooms.

To Lucy's relief, the house was well-kept. There was no trash lying around, no dirty dishes, and the place didn't smell like weed. Already a huge improvement from her own place.

"You have a nice place," Levy mused, strolling around the home to get a feel of it.

"Thanks," Natsu replied, giving the short girl a grin.

"Where's the nearest laundromat?" Lucy asked.

"There's one on-site so you don't have to drive anywhere."

Lucy wanted to squeal from excitement. Taking the bus to the laundromat was one of her least favorite parts of her week. Carrying a laundry basket on the bus was embarrassing for her and perverts would always unashamedly stare at her undergarments.

"Can we see the room?" Levy asked, her eyes shining with curiosity.

"Sure," Natsu said with a shrug. He led the way towards the door to the right closer to the kitchen.

The room was decent sized, bigger than Lucy's current room. She could picture all of her stuff here. Her bed would go in the corner and her desk would be pushed in front of the window. That way, she could use natural light when she worked on her stories. So far, things were looking good. There was just one thing left to see.

"Can I see the bathroom?" Lucy asked. Upon Natsu nodding, the girl headed for the door that had to lead to the bathroom. Opening it, she found that the bathroom had another door connecting to Natsu's room and was a little cramped, but it didn't matter because there was a clean bathtub to make up for it. She absolutely loved taking long baths. Whether she was happy, sad, angry, or just bored, she would take an hour-long bath filled with bubbles to relax.

"It's perfect!" Lucy exclaimed, clasping her hands together.

"Really?" Natsu asked, arching a brow. "It's just a bathroom. And the paint is chipping off the counter, you know."

"I don't care. There's a bathtub and that's all I need."

Natsu stared quizzically at the girl. "You're weird. I like it!"

"I feel offended even though it was supposed to be a compliment."

The boy laughed, patting her on the shoulder. "C'mon, I'll introduce you to everyone else."

Lucy and Levy followed Natsu back out and watched in horror as he banged loudly on one of the doors, doing the same with the next.

"Open up, losers!" Natsu shouted. "Come meet our new roommate! Oh, and her friend!"

Lucy didn't bother telling him that she hadn't decided yet. She had a feeling it would go in one ear and out the other with him anyways.

Both doors were thrown open, bringing Lucy out of her thoughts and revealing two other boys. One was bulky with long, untamed black hair. His eyes were a deep and somewhat frightening shade of red. He wore all black and his overall image was that of a delinquent, especially with the multiple piercings on his face.

The other boy was leaner rather than bulky and his skin was paler. He had spiky, raven locks of hair and had equally dark eyes. Lucy could faintly see a scar hiding underneath his hair and over one of his eyebrows. A large necklace with a sword pendant hung around his neck. However, the most prominent- and unsettling- thing about the boy was that he was clad in nothing but boxers.

With that, it wasn't hard to tell who was Stripper and who was Lug Nuts.

"Don't bang on my door like that, flame freak," the shirtless boy said, his brows slanted in annoyance.

"What's this about our new roommate?" the other asked, crossing his buff arms over his chest and giving a hard stare to both girls, making them feel uneasy.

Natsu gestured towards Lucy and said, "This is Luigi-"

"Lucy!"

"And this is her friend, Levy. Lucy is thinking 'bout moving in with us. Oh, the Stripper is Gray. And that piece of scrap metal over there is my cousin Gajeel."

Lucy and Levy gave small bows while the boys dipped their heads. The shirtless one, Gray, continued to glance between Lucy and Natsu. The blonde turned to her friend to see how she was holding up only to find her in an intense staring match with Gajeel. Much to her surprise, Levy's cheeks were painted red and her mouth parted slightly. It wasn't hard for Lucy to tell that her friend was smitten.

"So you planning on moving in, Luce?" Natsu asked, bringing Lucy's attention back to him.

The blonde thought about correcting him again but decided she didn't mind her new nickname. It was much better than Luigi, after all. Instead, she focused on the more pressing matter. Should she move in with them?

She didn't know much about them and there was still the possibility that they were murderers or something. On the other hand, the rent was insanely cheap, her bedroom was nice, there was a laundromat, and the place was clean. What else could she possibly need?

"You know what? I'll take it," Lucy said, beaming at the boy.

"Really?" Levy questioned, finally tearing her gaze away from the boy that had her heart beating wildly in her chest. "You aren't even going to take some time to think it over?"

"Nope. I hate my apartment. I like this place. What more is there to think about?"

Levy had plenty in mind but chose not to push her friend. If this was what Lucy wanted to do, who was she to lecture her? Besides, though she found the boys strange, she had a good feeling they weren't evil or anything like that.

"Congratulations then, Lu-chan!" Levy said, wrapping her friend in a tight hug.

"Thanks, Levy-chan!" Lucy replied, her smile growing even wider. "When can I move in?"

"Whenever you want!" Natsu answered with a fanged grin. He went to his room and retrieved the contract for Lucy's lease. It wasn't anything too serious. After all, he made it himself. The main point of the contract was that he reserved the right to kick her out at any time if she didn't pay the rent or was a terrible roommate. But he doubted it would come to that.

Lucy stifled a squeal as she signed her name in neat cursive on her contract. With that, she had finally found her new home.

The next morning, Lucy eagerly got ready for her day. She didn't bother showering, knowing that she was going to work up a sweat that day. Instead, she got dressed into a pair of gym shorts and a loose tank top, slipping her feet into some tennis shoes.

It was time to finally move out.

Everyone decided yesterday that they would come help. Well, Gajeel complained at first but complied once he heard Levy was going to join in. Lucy wanted to tease him, for it was so obvious he was just as smitten for her tiny friend as she was for him.

A knock sounded at the door. Lucy quickly finished tying her hair up into a high pony before rushing to answer the door.

Levy immediately tackled her into a hug and greeted, "Morning, Lu-chan! You ready to move?"

"Yep!" Lucy answered, returning the hug. "The boys aren't here yet though. I barely slept at all last night because I was packing all of my stuff into boxes."

"It's not good to do a lot of manual labor without a good night's sleep!"

"I'll risk it just this once. Do you want to see my room? It looks a lot bigger now that everything is packed!"

Levy nodded eagerly, prompting them to rush into Lucy's room. Just as she had said, her room did look bigger. Her bed was still there along with her desk, but everything else being packed up left more space.

Not only did the place seem bigger, it was also cleaner now. Lucy was a normally tidy girl, never letting her room- or any room in her apartment for that matter- become dirty. She always washed her dishes, she never left clothes on the floor, and she even dusted every other day. But of course, there were some nooks and crannies that went unbothered. But now that she was moving, she cleaned every inch of the place so that she could ensure her security deposit.

"You're lucky Gray has a car," Levy said, situating herself onto the other girl's bed. "Otherwise you would've had to rent a moving truck."

"I know," Lucy replied, leaning against the wall. "And I'm sure Gajeel is going to be a great help. Did you see those arms of his? I'm sure he could lift all of my stuff without any trouble at all!"

"Oh believe me, I saw them," Levy answered, her cheeks turning pink. "What about you? You weren't discreet when you were checking out Natsu's abs!"

"Oh please! I barely even looked at him!"

"Whatever you have to tell yourself, Lu-chan!"

Lucy was about to retort when there was a loud knock at the door. With an eager grin, the blonde rushed out of her room again and opened the door to find her new roommates standing outside, their hands shoved in their pockets.

"Yo, Luce!" Natsu greeted with a fanged grin. "Ready to move out?"

"Yep!" Lucy answered, beaming at him. "I don't have that many boxes. But I do have my bed and my desk. We'll have to disassemble it but I don't have the manuals anymore."

"I'm on it," Gajeel said gruffly, stepping past her and strolling into her room as if it was normal. He stared at Levy, a blush spreading over his cheeks. "Move it, Shrimp. Gotta take apart the bed and I can't do that with you on it."

"Who are you calling Shrimp?" Levy shot back, glaring at him and crossing her arms. If he wasn't so damn cute, she would be yelling her tiny head off for his rudeness.

Lucy chuckled nervously, glad that it didn't escalate any further. With that, the group went to work packing everything. Lucy and Levy handled the lighter boxes while Natsu and Gray carried the heavier ones. Gajeel worked by himself, taking apart her bed and her desk with some tools that he brought over.

It took them three hours, but eventually they had finally finished. Lucy's room was completely empty and spotless after some last minute tidying up. The group of five sat in a circle on Lucy's floor, digging into the sandwiches Lucy had made for them.

Lucy and Levy deadpanned as they watched Natsu and Gajeel stuff sandwich after sandwich into their mouths, chomping into them like animals. Lucy was glad she laid a blanket underneath them in case of one of them making a mess, for food was flying all over the place thanks to their barbaric behavior. Luckily, the supply of sandwiches ran out, putting an end to their eating-spree.

"So why don't you tell us about yourself?" Gray suggested, leaning against the wall as he cracked open his can of soda. Lucy blushed from the attention she received as everyone turned to look at her. And she wasn't blind. Her new roommates were no doubt attractive, all in their own ways.

"Umm, I'm a junior at Magnolia University," Lucy said, her eyes glued to the ceiling as she tried to think of anything interesting to say. "I'm majoring in Creative Writing… That's all I can think about."

Natsu laughed from beside her, gently nudging her side. "What about any hobbies?"

"Well I like to write," Lucy admitted, her face turning red. She was embarrassed about her works and was reluctant telling people that she liked to write mostly because they usually asked to read her stories. And that was terrifying in her opinion.

"I'm going to be her first reader," Levy added with a wide grin.

"What about you, Shrimp?" Gajeel asked. "What are you majoring in?"

"Stop calling me that! But I'm majoring in Linguistics."

"She is fluent in ten different languages," Lucy added with a light laugh. "She's a genius."

"I guess you could say that."

Lucy and Levy shared a quick smile before the former turned her gaze onto Natsu, her stomach tingling just from looking at him. "What about you?"

Natsu gave her a face-splitting grin. "All of us go to Magnolia University, too. We're seniors, though. I'm trying to become a pyrotechnician."

"A pyrotechnician!? Wait, do you do experiments and stuff in your room?"

Gray scoffed. "All the time. Sometimes he does it in the living room too. Why do you think the paint on the door is new but the rest isn't? It's because we had to paint over it thanks to Flame Freak over there leaving scorch marks on it."

"That's not safe!"

"It's fine, Luce!" Natsu said, patting her on the back. "My experiments don't go wrong most of the time!"

"That's not reassuring!"

"Well you signed the lease already, so."

"Oh no," Lucy whined, leaning her head on Levy's shoulder. "I'm going to die, Levy-chan. My body is going to be blown to bits."

"My experiments are the least annoying thing you have to deal with," Natsu muttered. "Gray always keeps the damn place cold so that his stupid ice sculptures don't melt and Gajeel is always working on car parts. So it's always loud and cold thanks to them! I only cause occasional explosions."

"Oh Mavis, what have I done now."

"You'll be fine, Luce! Now c'mon! Let's get your stuff back to our place!"

Moving all of Lucy's stuff to her new home took hours and multiple trips. All of the compartments of her bed took one trip, her desk pieces took another, and her mattress required a trip of its own. Not to mention the trip it took for her boxes. But after a day of nonstop work, she was finally moved into her new home.

"Thanks for all of the work today, Levy-chan," Lucy said, hugging her friend tightly. "Are you sure you're going to be alright?"

Levy nodded. "Gray is going to give me a ride home."

"What about Gajeel?"

"Well… He'll be there too…"

Lucy smirked elbowing her friend lightly. "You're head over heels for that guy."

"Oh hush," Levy replied, glaring at her friend. "I better get going now, I have a lot of studying to do."

"Okay. Goodnight, Levy-chan!"

"Night, Lu-chan!"

With that, Lucy closed the door to her room and headed straight for the bathroom. She made sure to lock both the door to her room and the one to Natsu's as well. With an excited grin, the girl turned on the faucet and let the tub fill with hot water and poured soap into it to create a thick layer of bubbles.

Once the bath was ready, Lucy stripped and submerged herself into the hot water, hissing as it turned her skin red from the heat. Though it stung at first, she preferred her baths to be scalding hot. It helped them last longer.

Natsu paused from tinkering with a new firework he had been working on and turned his gaze to the bathroom door when he heard the faucet turn off. It didn't take a genius to deduce that Lucy was taking a bath. He swallowed thickly as fire coursed through his veins and electricity jolted within him. His new roommate was absolutely gorgeous with her golden locks of hair, chocolate brown eyes, and a curvaceous body. He couldn't help but picture her taking a bath in the bathroom he just so happened to share with her.

Shaking his head, Natsu forced himself to get his mind out of the gutter. So what if Lucy was attractive? All of his female friends were attractive! Besides, he had only known her for barely over twenty four hours. He had no right to be thinking about her in such a way.

His new roommate wasn't just pretty, however. There was so much about her that had him curious to know more. She was funny, kind, and weird. Speaking of weird…

"She's been in the bath for half an hour now," Natsu thought, sporting a frown. "I have to pee."

He waited another thirty minutes until his bladder felt like it was going to explode. He hopped towards the bathroom, his legs crossed while he bit his lower lip in an effort to keep from wetting his pants. He hadn't gone to the bathroom in hours, having worked on his project the moment he helped Lucy getting her things.

Knocking on the door, Natsu called out, "Lucy? You good in there? You didn't drown, did you?"

"Of course I didn't drown!" the girl shouted back.

"Oh. Well you've been in there for an hour and I really gotta pee."

"It's only been an hour! You can wait a bit longer!"

"Only?" Natsu asked in shock. "Wait a minute, is that why you were so curious about the bathroom? Do you usually take hour-long baths!?"

He heard Lucy groan. "Yes, okay? I love taking long baths. My apartment didn't have a tub so this is my first bath in a while!"

"Alright, alright." Natsu returned to his desk and resumed working on his new firework. With a small grin, he wondered, "What kind of a weirdo takes hour-long baths?"

It had been two weeks since Lucy had moved into her new place and in that short time, many things had happened. She grew closer to her roommates, especially Natsu, and learned a lot about them. She had witnessed- and also broke up- many of their brawls, which had always ended in disaster. What was most surprising to find out, however, was that Natsu had a severe problem with boundaries.

Ever since she moved in and the two had gotten closer, Natsu was always inviting himself into her room through their conjoined bathroom. When she locked it, he climbed through her window. If that wasn't bad enough, the boy would even try to sleep in her room despite his room being teen feet away. Some days, Lucy was too tired to bicker with him and even let him sleep on the floor.

Natsu wasn't the only one with quirks, however. Gray stripped just about any chance he got and somehow lost every article of clothing he managed to remove. It was as if they were teleported to another world, never to be seen again. His girlfriend, Juvia, was also a strange one. She talked in third person and seemed obsessed with Gray. She had even referred to Lucy as her 'love rival' when they first met and was hostile towards her in the beginnning. Lucy couldn't figure out what happened to change Juvia's attitude towards her, but one day when she was watching TV with Natsu, Juvia came out of Gray's room and gave them a long look before beaming and saying, "Juvia understands now!"

Gajeel was weird as well. Though he looked like a delinquent, he was surprisingly into all things cute, which explained his crush on Levy. She was the epitome of cute. He also played the guitar and wrote his own songs, which would've been cool had his singing not been terrible.

Lucy had also met their other friends. There was Erza, the Student Council President with a strict ruling but caring heart. She used to be the person living in her room until she moved in with her boyfriend, Jellal. He was the Vice President, shy but kind. Then there was Mira, a girl that belonged in magazines because of how downright gorgeous she was. She was also sweet and a motherly figure towards the group, but also had a match-making problem.

Lucy rubbed her temples as she walked into the library to begin her shift. She had barely slept a wink because Friday nights were reserved for movie nights. To make matters worse, her longest shifts were on Saturdays.

Luckily, the first half hour went by smoothly. Nobody needed anything from her and all she had to do was restock shelves. The quiet atmosphere of the library was a perfect environment for her and she had plenty of time to properly wake up.

Another great feature of working at the library was that Lucy didn't have to do much, especially since she was Crux' favorite employee. She was allowed to read whenever there was nothing to be done or work on homework.

Now was one of those times. Lucy left the front desk where Crux was working and headed towards the fiction area, passing by working students. A head of pink caught her attention and stopped her in her tracks.

Natsu was sitting alone at one of the tables, fisting his hair as he stared at the work in front of him with his brows furrowed and a frown sporting his face. It was clear that he was having a hard time with whatever he was doing.

This was the first time Lucy saw Natsu on campus. Her lips curled upwards into a smile as she approached him. Natsu was easily one of her best friends and she wanted to help him in any way she could. Not to mention that she may or may not have developed a crush for him over the past two weeks.

Lucy knew that having a crush on her roommate wasn't a good idea but she couldn't help it. Natsu was kind, funny, and interesting. There was so much she wanted to learn about him and the best part of her day was returning home and finding him waiting in her room already. She couldn't explain her feelings well, for this was her first time having such feelings.

Lucy shook her head, forcing her crush to the back of her mind as she sat in the seat beside Natsu, who raised his head to look at her. A wide grin immediately graced his face.

"Lucy!" he exclaimed.

"Shh!" Lucy scolded. In a hushed tone, she continued, "We're in a library, Natsu!"

"Sorry, sorry!" he whispered back.

"So what are you doing? You look like you're struggling."

"Because I am. I hate English."

"English?" Lucy repeated, her brows skyrocketing. "Aren't you a senior?"

"Yeah," Natsu answered, rubbing the back of his head. "I know most people take it their first year but I saved all the boring stuff for last."

"You sure are backwards."

"Shut up."

"Why didn't you ask me for help? I'm majoring in Creative Writing, you know."

"Well I didn't wanna bother you."

"You aren't bothering me," Lucy said, giving him a reassuring smile.

"You sure?" Natsu asked skeptically.

"Positive. Now c'mon. Show me what you're working on."

The moment Natsu stepped foot outside the library, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "I'M FINALLY FREE!"

Lucy, who was walking out with him, slapped his arm. "Natsu! Don't yell so loudly!"

The boy only gave her a fanged grin. "C'mon, Luce! Let's go pick up some food before we go home!"

Natsu slid his hand in Lucy's, intertwining their fingers and causing the girl to blush as he dragged her to the dining hall. Natsu was grateful his scarf was thick enough so he could duck his face into it, for his cheeks were equally pink.

Natsu wasn't as dense as everyone made him out to be. In fact, from the first day he met Lucy, he knew there was something different about her. Hell, he figured that out from their phone call alone. Something about her made his heart race and his body warm. Why else would he have stayed in the library for hours pretending to be working on homework after Lucy had helped him? He was just waiting for Lucy to get off.

The two picked up some Chinese food before walking to the bus stop. Usually Natsu would walk home because he had severe motion sickness, but he didn't want Lucy alone at night. So, he sucked it up and suffered for the twenty minute ride.

When they reached their home, the two headed straight for Lucy's room. Gray was out with Juvia and they had no clue where Gajeel went off. Lucy had a feeling he was with a certain friend of hers, however.

Natsu and Lucy sat down on the latter's floor, happily munching on their friend rice and chicken. They placed Natsu's laptop in front of them and watched a new show on Netflix. Lucy leaned into his side with a peaceful hum- she had long ago found out that Natsu had abnormal body heat.

Once they finished eating and their episode ended, the two shut the laptop and leaned with their backs against the bed.

"So what's your deal with the scarf?" Lucy questioned, leaning her head back against her mattress. "I've never seen you without it and it's still technically summer."

Natsu swallowed thickly, playing with the end of his scarf. He knew the question was going to come up eventually. It always did. He glanced towards Lucy, wondering if he should tell her or not. It wasn't like it was a secret or anything, it just wasn't something he chose to talk about.

"It's from my dad," Natsu finally answered. He stared at his scarf and frowned. "It's the last thing I have from my dad. Well, that and this place."

Lucy's eyes nearly bugged out of her sockets as she turned to face him. "Oh, Natsu. I'm sorry, you don't have to tell me about it."

"Ehh, it's fine. Your room used to be my room, actually."

"Really?"

"Yep. My room was Igneel's. Gray's was Igneel's office and Gajeel's was a playroom. That's where I learned to read. My dad and I also played a lot of video games in there."

"He sounds like a great father."

"He was!" Natsu exclaimed, grinning at Lucy. She could see the grief in his eyes, however, as he continued, "He got sick, though. Before he died, he got me emancipated so that I didn't have to go into the foster system and left me this place. The house was already paid off, I just have to pay for utilities every month. Which is when I started renting it out.

"Gray was my closest friend and in a similar situation, so I let him move in with me. Then after high school, Uncle Metalicana, Gajeel's old man, passed too. So then it was just the three of us. Then we met Erza and she moved in." With another smile, he faced Lucy. "And now there's you."

Lucy nodded, blinking back the tears that welled in her eyes. "Now there's me." She placed her hand over his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"What about you?" Natsu asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you aren't the only intuitive one. You are secretive over your last name, even though we've been friends for weeks now. And we live together. Even when you sighed the lease, you gave it back to me so fast that it was obvious you didn't want me to see your last name."

Lucy gulped loudly, tearing her gaze away from him. "I-It's nothing."

"Does it have something to do with your letters?" Natsu implored, pointing to a box that was on her desk. "I didn't read them, I swear! I was just trying to find your story so I could read it but then I found those. Why don't you ever send them?"

Lucy frowned and answered, "Because my mother passed away when I was a little girl. I just write them to feel connected to her. And about my last name, it's only because my father is Jude Heartfilia, owner of the railroad company that dominates Fiore."

"That's it? I thought you were a secret assassin or something!"

"Of course not, idiot! Why the hell would I be an assassin!?"

"Well why else would you hide your name?"

Lucy shrugged, fumbling with her fingers. "Most of the friends I've made that knew about my father were only using me for his money. They didn't know that I cut off all contact with him the moment I moved out and that I don't get any of his money. My first genuine friend was Levy-chan."

"Seriously?" Natsu asked, his brows furrowing. "If I were you, I would've-"

"I know, you would've beaten them up. Not everyone is a fighter like you, you know."

Natsu smirked and ruffled her hair. "You could be if you wanted to. You have one hell of a kick."

Lucy giggled and turned her head to face him again. It was then that she realized how close they were, as their faces were only inches away. Her heart felt like it had pounded up into her throat and jolts of electricity sparked through her veins.

Natsu's eyes darted to the girl's plump lips and he couldn't help but lick his own. Swallowing his fears, he slowly leaned towards Lucy, his eyes beginning to droop closed. Before they did, he saw her start to lean in as well. He could feel her breath fan his face as their lips were just about to graze.

"Oi, Lucy. You got any paper I could borrow?" Gray asked, barging into the said girl's room. His eyes widened as his jaw dropped to the floor when he saw his roommates just seconds away from kissing. "Shit. My bad."

Lucy squeaked and jumped to her feet immediately, her cheeks set ablaze. Her head was a jumbled mess as she walked to her desk, looking for whatever Gray came in for. Which in truth, she didn't know.

Natsu growled, giving Gray the nastiest glare he could muster, baring his teeth. "You're a senior in college, Ice Dick! You don't have your own paper!?"

"I ran out!" the other boy shot back. "I didn't expect you two to be making out in here!"

"Salamander and Bunny Girl were making out?" Gajeel asked, popping into the room. "'Bout time."

"We were not making out!" Lucy denied, about ready to faint. Shoving the paper into Gray's chest, she gritted out, "Knock next time."

"Will do," the boy replied.

"I'm bored," Gajeel said. "Let's play some Call of Duty."

"I'm down," Gray replied, unbuttoning his shirt.

Natsu's eyes lit up and he jumped to his feet seeming to have forgotten about the attempted kiss. "Hey! Now that Lucy is here, we have an even number of players! Let's have a Call of Duty tournament!"

"You're going down!" Gajeel said, cracking his knuckles. "Gray and I will go set it up. Make whatever this is quick, lovebirds."

With that, the two uninvited guests closed the door behind them, leaving Lucy and Natsu alone. Lucy wanted to face-palm. She was just about to have her first kiss but it was ruined. Her eyes widened as she felt Natsu interlock their hands.

"C'mon, Luce!" he said, giving her a heart-stopping grin.

"I-I don't know how to play," she replied. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest and she couldn't help but drown in his dark orbs.

"That's okay. We'll teach you! Let's go!"

Natsu began to drag her out to the living room, never letting go of her hand. Lucy glanced at their joined hands and smiled, her cheeks rosy. So their first kiss didn't happen yet. That was okay. They had plenty of time in the world.

Four years later.

"Natsu! Let's go!" Lucy shouted as she slipped into a pair of black heels to go with her maroon dress.

"Alright, alright!" her husband called back. He left the playroom, hand-in-hand with their two-year-old daughter. He was adorned in a black tuxedo along with his sacred scarf. He left his pink locks the way they were, however, rather than gelling them back.

Nashi, their daughter, sported a pink ruffled dress and had her pink hair tied into pigtails.

It had been a little over three years since Gray and Gajeel moved out, deciding to find their own places with Juvia and Levy. Since then, Lucy and Natsu and tied the knot and got pregnant soon after, eventually giving birth to little Nashi. Lucy took it upon herself to turn their home into one that Natsu had once described when she had first moved in. The house that he had grown in with Igneel.

Gray's room had been turned into an office for Lucy to work on her novels. Gajeel's room was turned into the playroom while Lucy's was turned into Nashi's room. She now shared a bedroom with Natsu. And Natsu got the whole garage to himself to work on his fireworks.

"You two are going to make us late," Lucy muttered.

"Sorry, sorry. I was trying to teach Nashi some Call of Duty terms."

To prove this, their daughter smiled and shouted, "Camper!"

"See!" Natsu exclaimed, hugging Nashi tightly as proud tears streamed down his face. "She's learning so fast!"

Lucy sighed and shook her head. "Gray's going to kill you."

Natsu scoffed. "I'd like to see him try."

"It's Yuki's birthday and we're going to be the last ones there! C'mon!"

Natsu propped Nashi on his hip and led the way out of the house. Just as he was about to pass Lucy, he pressed his lips against her forehead and gave her a grin. With that, he headed to the car and began to buckle Nashi in. Lucy smiled as she stared at her family.

And just as she did every day, she thanked the heavens that she had called the number from the sketchy flyer.

[not-just-any-fangirl]

Days Of Summer

A/N; HELLO AND WELCOME TO THE SHITPOST

jk, but it is on the lighter side! The ever loved rock camp au, insipred by the masterpiece that was Camp Rock. Idk if you have me to blame or @hannah-nobody, but you are all welcome either way. 

This here is the collab her and I have been talking about for forever, and now we’re posting it in an attempt to make ourselves actually fucking finish it, but there is no motivator like disappointment.

Have Hannah’s made up reviews!

a beautiful coming of age story - ny times 

one giant shit post - person

Quick notes - Every chapter will have a set of songs to go along with it, all being added to this spotify playlist with each chapter! All genres are used, and we hope it will be as cringey as possible!

Summer has arrived, and with it the start of the two month long music camp; Fairy Tail! Full of new songs, friends, and adventures, the campers learn things they never knew about themselves and one another. And just how easy it is to sneak booze and a full sized karaoke machine out into the middle of the woods.

Camp Rock!AU

Pairing: Nalu, Gajevy, Gruiva, others mentioned; Fairy Tail

Words: 5631

Rating: T

Parts: Chapter One, Chapter Two, Chapter Three, Chapter Four, Chapter Five, Chapter Six, Chapter Seven

Chapter One: The Start of Something New

Now who’d have ever thought that

we’d both be here tonight?

Oh yeah

And the world looks so much brighter

with you by my side

The music pounded through Natsu’s veins as the last notes of the song faded away and the crowd erupted into a series of screams. The band members on stage smiled as they tossed various mementos to their mud-splattered fans; picks, drumsticks, water bottles. Hands groped desperately at the air, his own among them.

He wasn’t really paying attention. His own voice joined in with the noise as he let go of all the energy the atmosphere of the festival has stirred within him. His head tipped back and he squeezed his eyes shut as he cheered.

When the band finally left the stage, Natsu looked around. He stood on his tip toes, trying to find Gajeel’s unruly mane of black hair in the sea of sweat-soaked festival-goers. When Natsu couldn’t spot him, he decided to head back to the tent.

Still on high from the previous band’s performance, Natsu made his way almost absently through the crowd. Most people lingered, waiting eagerly for the next act to come on, leading him to gently push a few people out of his way. Some people decided to sit during the break, not caring about the mud beneath them. Others remained on the shoulders of their friends, basking in the heat of the sun that had come and gone for most of the weekend.

One of the shoulder-riding music lovers caught his attention.

She was perched on someone a few people in front of him, and she was stunning. He altered his route in order to take in more of her. She was screaming as though the band were still on stage, making rock signs with her fists as she waved her arms in the air. Her blonde hair was tied in a ponytail, but strands fell loosely on her sunburned shoulders.  A pink crop-top exposed her stomach, where someone had painted a peace sign in neon green paint around her belly button.

He grinned as she wobbled on a dark-haired boys shoulders, but the blonde’s own expression turned from laughter to panic as she lost her balance.

Instinctively, Natsu pushed through the crowd and got to her just in time to soften her fall with his own body. The two of them fell to the ground in an ungraceful heap.

“Oooooowwww,” The blonde groaned from on top of him.

She raised her head, and a splotch of mud had somehow made its way onto her cheek. Natsu stared at her in bewilderment as she looked at him, eyes wide, then giggled.

He could feel the heat in his cheeks as he became aware of her body pressed against his. He’d thrown his tattered shirt away long ago, and surprisingly he didn’t feel self-conscious going shirtless among the energetic crowd. Especially not now that the pretty blondes’ hands roamed over his bare chest. Natsu quickly sat up before he became too absorbed with her wandering hands, tightening the scarf around his neck before helping her up and sheepishly apologising.

“No, no, no,” She smiled at him, “Don’t be sorry! It was Gray’s fault. He’s so meeeean.“

The girl pouted and Natsu felt a smirk pulling at his lips. He had no idea who Gray was, but he was very glad that they’d chosen to shrug her off their shoulders, for whatever reason.

Seeing his smirk, the girl’s laughter died off and she bit her lip in thought. She stepped closer, invading his personal space. His breath hitched when she placed a hand back on his chest.

“Thanks,” She told him, her voice low, before leaning up on her tip-toes and placing a light kiss on his cheek.

Her lips were sticky with pink lip gloss, and he found himself wondering what they tasted like when she drew back.

Her hand remained on his chest.

“Y’know, you’re pretty cute,“ She mused aloud.

“Erm…” He had no idea what to reply. He’d never been called cute before.

Before he had chance to formulate a reply, the girl stepped forward once more. Her arms snaked around his neck, and Natsu quickly discovered that her lip gloss was cherry flavoured.

She kissed him deeply, her tongue tracing the seam of his lips before delving into his mouth. He wound his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him as he returned her fervent kisses. The feeling she gave him far excelled that of the music ringing in his ears, or the way bass shook his bones when the band had been on stage. He had no idea who this girl was, but suddenly he felt like this whole weekend had been leading up to meeting her.

The girl twined her fingers in his hair, and just as her nails began to scrape against his scalp in the most teasing way, the kiss ended. The girl was pulled away from him and Natsu was left gasping for air. When he looked up, she was pressed against the bare chest of the dark haired boy whose shoulders she’d been sitting on earlier, an arm wrapped protectively around her waist.

“Geez, Lucy,” The dark haired boy scowled, “Can’t leave you alone for two minutes.”

The girl- Lucy- stuck her tongue out at him, laughing when his frown grew. She removed his arm from her waist, her gaze turning back to Natsu with that dazzling smile as she stumbled back to him.

The boy grabbed her wrist.

“C’mon Lucy, we have to go.“

“Graaaaaaay,” Lucy whined, squirming in his grasp, “You’re acting like my daaaad.”

“Your dad thinks we’re at a budding entrepreneur’s conference,” Gray scowled, “I think I’m showing you a pretty great time in comparison to him.“

Natsu watched with raised eyebrows as Lucy tried to dislodge herself from Gray. He would have intervened, but it was clear other boy was being gentle with her, despite her protests. Natsu wondered at the nature of their relationship, praying he hadn’t just made out with someone else’s girlfriend.

Eventually, Gray grew tired of Lucy’s protests and slung her unceremoniously over his shoulder, much to Natsu’s shock.

“It’s not what it looks like!” Lucy called back to him as Gray carted her away.

He watched her disappear into the crowd, banging her fists against Gray’s back even has her protests died off into laughter.

Natsu’s lips tingled.

The rest of the weekend was spent looking for her between sets, or hoping to catch a glimpse of her in the queue for a hotdog. Her name rang in his mind like a song. He wanted to see her again.

He wanted to thank her for his first kiss.

Natsu shook the memory from his head and returned to the task at hand.

Packing for camp.

God, how long had it been since that kiss? Two months? No, he was sure it was three. Every day for three months, his thoughts had wandered back to that kiss. To that girl. He’d even wrote a few songs about it, much to his own embarrassment. Not that he’d ever shown anyone of course. And he was pretty sure he’d throw himself out of a window if Gajeel ever found out. Mostly because Gajeel believed that Natsu had hallucinated the whole occurrence, despite the fact Natsu repeatedly assured him that he had not been on drugs.

Speaking of the devil…

“You packed all yer shit yet Salamander?” Gajeel asked as he barged into Natsu’s tiny bedroom.

“Almost,” Natsu reassured him before turning to back to his bed to pack his last item.

Tenderly, Natsu plucked it from his bed. His most prized possession. A gleaming red fender squire, with custom artwork of a dragon on the neck. A gift from Igneel on his birthday last month. His precious, his baby. Fervor.

Gajeel said it was dumb- Fervor the fender. But Natsu liked it. Sure, the name sounded funny, but the word itself appealed to him. It meant earnestness of feeling, but it also meant intense heat. The word had instantly caught his attention when he’d first learned it in English class. He wanted his music to make people feel things. Real emotion. And every time he delved deep into his own little world of creation, he felt as though every note burned within him, burning to be realized. Fervor was the perfect name. It was everything he wanted his music to be.

Plus, he called her Fev for short.

He lowered the guitar into her case gently and closed the lid before handing it to Gajeel to go put in Igneel’s trunk. His dad had taken the day off flying to the rescue in his helicopter to see them both off to camp, and Natsu was grateful.

“Careful with her!” Natsu chided Gajeel as he heard the case hit the door on his cousin’s way out.

Chuckling at his cousin’s foul-mouthed reply, Natsu picked up his duffle bag full of clothes before casting one last look around his room. A few posters were hanging limply off the walls, and would no doubt be on the floor when he got back, but everything else seemed to be in order.

From his basket in the corner, Happy let out a curious meow. His blue cat stared at him, as though daring Natsu to even try to leave without him. He didn’t want to leave the little guy, he really didn’t, but…

Natsu bit his lip and groaned. He stormed over to Happy, kneeling in front of him and opening his duffle bag.

“Alright get in you ol’ sour puss,” Natsu helped the feline into the bag, “But keep quiet until we get to camp!“

Once Happy was safely tucked inside his bag, Natsu left his room, slamming the door shut behind him. Making sure to brush any incriminating cat hairs off his black skinny jeans as he headed for the kitchen, where he found Igneel searching for his car keys.

Igneel was an impressive man, Natsu knew. He was “built like a brick shit house”, as Uncle Metalicana so eloquently put it, and his crop of red hair was truly striking to see. Despite being impressively sized, however, Igneel was obviously exhasuted. Natsu’s father worked long hours as a helicopter rescue pilot. Those long hours could prevent them from running into each other for weeks at a time, but Natsu understood. He knew Igneel still loved him.

“Heeeey, what’s this?” Igneel asked, coming towards him with a devilish grin.

Natsu had a brief moment of panic. Had he been caught cat-napping already? His fear was quelled when Igneel merely swiped the grey beanie from Natsu’s head.

“Daaad,” Natsu chuckled as he reached for his hat, “give it back!”

“No!” Igneel laughed as he held the offending item out of his sons reach, “You wear this damn thing all the time. You’re not taking some smelly tea-coasty to camp!“

“Awr, c’mon Pops!” Natsu whined, still reaching for his hat, “You know I hate my hair!”

“And why’s that son?” Igneel asked just as Natsu finally managed to tear the hat from his father’s grasp.

“Because it’s fucking pink,“ Natsu stated as he shoved his hat back over his hair.

Igneel swatted him over the head for his bad language, causing Natsu to straighten his beanie once more. He grinned sheepishly up at his father, nervously fiddling with the studs in his ears as Igneel scowled at him.

“Yo’ old man,” Gajeel’s head popped into the kitchen, “We leaving or what?”

Igneel sighed, shaking his head as he patted himself down, still searching for his keys. Natsu laughed openly before retrieving them from the fruit bowl on the kitchen bench and offering them to his dad.

He’d sure miss Igneel over the summer, but for some reason, he couldn’t wait to get to camp.

“Jesus, Lucy, I’d like to leave for camp today at some point!“

Lucy smiled to herself as the wind carried Gray’s complaints up to her open window. She cast an eye over her neatly packed suitcase, mentally checking things of her list, before zipping it closed and skipping over to the window.

“But my case is so heavy,” She pouted as she hung out of the window.

From the driver’s seat of his beaten up Ford Escort, Gray rolled his eyes. Lucy laughed as she watched her grumpiest friend pull himself out of the stuttering car and slam the door behind him. He stomped up her driveway, muttering as he went. It wasn’t long before she heard the front door open. She waved to Loke who sat in the backseat of Gray’s car before coming away from the window.

Lucy couldn’t help her excited smile as she flung her satchel over her shoulder, swinging open her bedroom door in order to pull her case onto the landing. She met Gray at the top of the stairs.

“Excited?” He grinned at her once he noticed her smile.

“Yes!” She beamed back, “I just want to be on the road already!“

“We would be if someone didn’t take so long getting ready,” Gray joked as he pried her suitcase from her, grunting when he hoisted it up in order to carry it down the stairs.

“Excuse me, but we both know you’re the one that’s running late.“

“Actually, that was Loke’s fault,” Gray informed her, slamming her case down at the bottom of the stairs with little regard for the recently polished hardwood floors. “It took him a good twenty minutes to say goodbye to all those girls at his door.“

Lucy laughed at the thought. She was glad she hadn’t been there to fall victim to Loke’s… entourages’ jealous gazes. She was just about to tell Gray as much when her father walked in.

“Ah, Mr. Fullbuster,” Jude Heartfilia greeted, “I trust you will take good care of my daughter while the two of you are at Business Camp?”

Jude Heartfilia was many things. A wealthy business man, the owner of a rather impressive moustache, unable to properly show emotion. He was a little awkward as a father, like he’d never fully adapted himself to the role, but he was loved by his daughter. And above all, he was incredibly easy to fool.

As the heiress to the Heartfilia fortune, Lucy’s father had set notions as to what her life would be like. He wanted her to blossom into a successful business woman so that when the time came, she was ready to run the family company. Did Lucy want this?

Hell no.

Lucy had felt a deep rooted passion for music since her early days. She’d danced to her mother’s records and begged every birthday for singing lessons. It was all she had ever wanted to do. But Jude, like most parents these days, did not deem the arts a worthy career path for his daughter. Before her mother had died, Lucy had managed to persuade him to allow her to attend piano lessons. He’d only agreed because he believed it showed discipline, something that was encouraged in the world of business. But as she became more skilled on the piano, her unyielding desire to be a musician only grew.

Unfortunately, Lucy’s path to becoming a musician had been halted abruptly. She had joined an orchestra- allowed because it demonstrated the ability to work in sync with others- but had only been part of it for a year when the tragedy struck.

She and Gray had quit orchestra after that. It was what had brought them together, but they had no passion for it anymore. Not after their mothers had died together in a car accident. Gray had abandoned his violin completely. Its case gathering dust in the loft of his shared apartment, untouched in years.

It had been hard, but together, they found new passions.

Gray had taken up the drums while Lucy found herself writing songs. When the words had begun to spill forth onto the page, Lucy had found herself able to return to the piano again. The words were nothing without the music to go with it.

Throw in two new friends and the taste for adventure and where did they all want to go?

Fairy Tail.

The best music orientated summer camp in a hundred mile radius; a place dedicated to helping young people find their sound and hone their talents.

Would Lucy’s father allow her to go to a music orientated summer camp?

Hell no.

Those had been his exact words. And so, Business Camp was born.

“Don’t I take care of her always?” Gray joked to her father. Lucy noticed him trying not to wince when Jude firmly shook his hand.

“Son, in that outfit, you look like you’re about to kidnap her.“

Jude raised a scrutinising eyebrow at Gray, who looked down at his faded Fall Out Boy t-shirt and laughed nervously. Lucy felt sorry for Gray, truly she did. But honestly, after his extreme emo phase a few years back, she wondered how her father could protest to anything Gray wore now.

“You won’t make a very good impression turning up to Business Camp like that,” Jude berated him.

“I know, Sir. This is just for the drive,“ Gray grinned, “Lucy will be changing too.”

Lucy looked down at her own attire. A t-shirt so big on her it hung off one shoulder tucked into denim shorts. She looked back up and echoed Gray’s nervous laughter from before.

“Obviously,“ She smiled at her father.

Jude seem to approve of their decision. After checking his watch, he gestured to Gray to continue hauling Lucy’s case to the car –much to Gray’s annoyance- while he said farewell to his daughter.

“Have a safe trip,” He smiled before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“I will Father,” She waved as she retreated to the door, “Don’t work too hard while I’m gone!“

She heard Jude laugh as she closed the door behind her. She felt bad for lying to him, but her excitement blotted out the feeling. Gray was slamming the trunk closed as she skipped down the stairs.

“Business Camp, here we come!” Gray raised a fist in the air.

Lucy laughed as she opened the passenger door and scooted in. In the back seat, Loke was sprawled out and cradling his guitar as though it were a lover.

“Shouldn’t you make room for Cana?” She suggested as she fastened her seat belt.

“We’re meeting her there. She left early with Gildarts,” Loke explained, “Man, I can’t believe he got us reduced fees because he’s teaching. Cana’s dad is so awesome.“

“He said it was his present for the two of you graduating,” Gray said, his voice muffled by the shirt he was pulling off.

Lucy groaned.

“Gray, must you?“

“C’mon Lucy, you know the AC doesn’t work,” Gray complained as he forced the car to shudder to life, “Would you rather I do it while I was driving?“

“Hey,” Loke interrupted, leaning forward so that his head was between the two front seats, “Does your dad still think the four of us are going to Business Camp?”

“Yup,“ Lucy laughed as Gray pulled away from her house.

She didn’t even look back.

“Man, your old man sure is gullible,” Loke slumped back in his seat, “I mean, really, Business Camp doesn’t even sound real. And if it was, I can guarantee you that Cana wouldn’t go. Not even if you paid double her weight in booze.“

“I can guarantee none of us would go,” Lucy assured him.

As they drove out of town, Lucy retrieved Gray’s iPod from the glove compartment. Loke strummed idly on his guitar while she leafed through the music, looking for the song she knew would fit their mood.

When she found it, she plugged it into the speaker and hit play.

Gray groaned.

“What is this?” He gestured to the speakers as the music flooded through the car, “2009?“

“Graaaaaay,” Lucy whined playfully, “You know you still love it.”

The song continued as she watched Gray trying very hard not to look at her. Behind her Loke was biting his lip to keep from grinning. When the chorus kicked in, just as she’d guessed, none of them could fight it any longer.

No one is as lucky as us

We’re not at the end, oh, but we’ve already won

No, no one is as lucky as us

Is as lucky as us

The three of them screamed the lyrics together through their laughter as they sped down the highway. Lucy knew right there and then, laughing and singing in their incredibly environmentally unfriendly car, that she was lucky. She was spending the summer with her three best friends in a place she’d always dreamed of going to.

Who knew what adventures awaited her?

“Lucy wake up. We’re here.“

Gray kept shaking her until she eventually opened her eyes. His words hadn’t fully registered, so when the car passed under an arch bearing the Fairy Tail symbol, she jumped up so high she almost banged her head.

“We’re here!” She squealed.

“I literally just said that,” Gray scowled.

Lucy was practically hanging out of the passenger side window trying to get a good look at the place. The camp was surrounded by a large lake on one side and trees on the other. The excited chatter of other new arrivals drowned out the sound of the birds flitting through the trees, but Lucy still caught glimpses of them in the afternoon sun light. Gray parked in the gravel parking lot outside of the Reception cabin before she could get a better look at the place.

As the three of them got out of the car, the doors to the reception cabin burst open, drawing everyone in the parking lots attention. Parents of the camps younger attendees stared in shock as an older camp member burst through the doors wearing only a bikini top and cropped jeans. Lucy laughed at their expressions.

“Hey ass-wipes!” Cana called from the top of the steps, “Who’s ready for two months of drinking, partying, drinking, and getting laid!?“

“I thought we were here to learn the true meaning of music?” Loke replied skeptically, ignoring the horrified glances of nearby parents.

“I know I’m here to party and show off my drumming skills,” Cana winked at them. She drew out the ‘s’ on ‘skills’, making Lucy suspect she was a little tipsy already.

“And I’m here to show you what a real drummer looks like,“ Gray called back, gesturing to himself.

Cana stuck both her middle fingers up at him, completely oblivious to the heavy parental presence in the parking lot. Lucy shook her head in exasperation. Cana and Gray’s drumming rivalry was almost as infamous back at school as Cana’s drinking habits. Almost.

The fourth and final member of their notorious clique barrelled down the steps as Lucy stepped forward to properly greet her. Cana tackled her in a bear hug, making Lucy squeal and laugh.

“Me and my girl are gonna get us some nice tail,” Cana muttered to herself as she squeezed Lucy, “Some hotties. What are you into Lucy? Singers? A bassist? Maybe a cello player?”

“Cana,” Lucy whined, “Get off!“

“What?” Cana laughed as Lucy disentangled herself, “I know all the guys at camp are gonna love these.”

Lucy felt her face turn red as Cana groped her boobs. She swatted her friend’s hands away, but it was too late. Parents were already shielding their children’s eyes.

“Aahh, you guys are here!” Another voice called from the reception cabin.

At the top of the stairs stood Cana’s father, Gildarts. Lucy had always liked Cana’s father. Now even more so since he got them reduced entry to Fairy Tail. A part of her wondered if he had taken the job here over the summer because of how much he knew his daughter and her friends wanted to go. It seemed like the sort of thing he would do.

“Hey Mr. Clive,“ Lucy smiled at him as he reached the bottom of the steps.

“Lucy, how many times? Call me Gildarts,” He smiled in return. He then turned his attention to Gray and Loke, who still had yet to unload the car, “You guys unpacked the ladies luggage yet? C’mon, I’ll show ya where you can take her stuff, and then I’ll show you where you guys are at.“

“We do we have to lug around Lucy’s stuff?” Gray frowned, “Have you actually lifted her suitcase? I swear she packed her whole wardrobe!”

“Be a gentleman!” Gildarts scolded him as he opened the trunk, “And put a damn shirt on, you’re giving that girl over there a heart attack!”

Lucy and Cana turned to where Gildarts had gestured to. Sure enough, across the parking lot a delicate looking blue haired girl was staring at Gray’s bare chest, her face completely red. When Cana burst out laughing, the girls blush only deepened.

“C’mon,” Cana beamed when she finally got her laughter in check, “We’ll head over to the auditorium while your chaperone is sorting your shit out-“

“I’m not her chaperone!” Gray called from behind them.

“-My old man says he’s got a heck of a show planned for orientation,” Cana continued, ignoring Gray’s outburst completely, “I wanna get front row seats.”

Lucy let Cana pull her along with a smile on her face. This was it! Once orientation was over, she’d be an official Fairy Tail Camper! Along with a couple hundred other kids. She’d have to make friends in the crowd.

Natsu shuffled awkwardly as more and more people filed into the outdoor auditorium. He was anxious for this to be over. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be here- of course he did, he’d been waiting for this for months- it was just that he was anxious to get to his cabin. They’d been intrusted to leave their bags at reception, to be taken to their cabin during orientation.

Happy was still in the bag.

He’d managed to hold on to one of two of his most prized possessions he’d brought along though. Apparently, instruments didn’t count as luggage. Or the camp managers understood how precious they were to their players. Either way, Fev was strapped safely to Natsu’s back in her padded case.

“Excuse me,” A soft voice tapped his shoulder. “Can you take that off? It’s kinda hard to see.“

Natsu turned to see a small girl with wild blue hair smiling at him brightly. He muttered a few apologies and took his guitar from his shoulders, resting it against his feet instead.

“Thanks!” She grinned, and then gestured to the figure standing beside him, “Anything you can do about that giant?”

Beside him, Gajeel turned and scowled at the girl.

“Ain’t my fault you can’t see, Shrimp.“

The girl pouted at the back of Gajeel’s head as he turned away from her.

“Unfortunately, no,” Natsu sighed. “But if you can find a hack saw, I’ll be willing to make him short for you.”

The girl giggled, the sound turning into a laugh when she noticed Gajeel’s annoyed glance.

“I’m Levy,“ She introduced herself.

“Nice to meet you,” Natsu smiled shyly, “I’m-”

But he never got the chance to introduce himself. The giant speakers by the stage sent a crackling sound out the audience, effectively silencing them. Everyone gathered waited a moment, and then a voice drifted out. A voice Natsu knew quite well.

Is this real life?

Or is this just fantasy?

“Dude,” Gajeel grasped his arm in a death grip, his eyes fixed on the stage. “It’s not.“

Caught in a landslide,

No escape from reality.

“Dude,” Natsu began to grin, “it is.”

Open your eyes,

“Oh my god!” Levy squealed behind them, “I love this song!”

Apparently, everybody else did too. The music drifted out from the speakers, and the longer the song went on, the more people began to sing. By the time the second verse was over, over half the auditorium was singing.

At the third verse, Natsu and Gajeel’s attention was drawn from the stage when Levy began to do her own dramatic rendition.

“Mama, just killed a man,” she sang along dramatically, her arms making wild gun gestures, “Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger, now he’s dead.“

Natsu glanced at Gajeel to see his cousin watching her with a strange mix of horror and fascination. Levy didn’t even notice him staring at her, she was so absorbed in the song.

By now, everyone who knew the song was singing along. Some of them doing so a lot like Levy. The people who weren’t singing along mostly consisted of younger kids who had no idea that they were listening to one of the greatest songs ever made.

His own voice joined the crowd and Natsu couldn’t help the giddy feeling that rose in his chest. This. This was what he lived for. That feeling that music gave you, like you were a part of something. Something very alive.

His fingers twitched as the guitar solo begun. He was concentrating so much on mimicking the notes against his thighs that he almost missed the appearance of a man on stage. He was a pretty big guy, his muscled chest clearly defined by the shirt that clung to him. He was grinning cockily as he brushed back some of the brown hair off his face.

“Are we ready for this kids?” He spoke into the microphone over the last notes of the solo, “Are we ready?”

The air was practically humming with energy and excitement when the guitar stopped. The piano picked up. Natsu grinned as everyone seemed to be bobbing their heads in time with the notes. When the vocals kicked back in, the man on stage waved his arms dramatically and pointed the microphone to the audience.

Everyone screamed the words at him.

I see a little silhouette of a man,

SCARAMOUCHE, SCARAMOUCHE, WILL YOU DO THE FANDANGO?

The man on stage gestured for certain parts of the audience to sing different parts of the song. Everyone became carried away with the music. Natsu forgot all his nervousness about starting camp and just let the music guide him. He was singing dramatically with strangers throughout the whole song. Even Gajeel seemed less intimidating when he was screaming Bohemian Rhapsody at you. Well, Levy seemed to think so at least.

When the song was over, people cheered despite their breathless laughter. The man on stage gave an over exaggerated bow and then laughed into his microphone.

“That was amazing you guys,” He said, and Natsu was included to agree. “My name is Gildarts Clive. Welcome to Fairy Tail!”

This got another cheer, perhaps even louder than before. This Gildarts guy sure knew how to get things going. After introducing himself, he went on to explain that he was the camp’s residence guidance councillor, and that he could likely be found in his office should anyone ever need him. After explaining where his office was, Gildarts then asked them to bid a warm welcome to the man in charge, Makarov Dryer.

Natsu still couldn’t believe it. He’d been to Fairy Tail a few times now, but this was the first time the director had been well enough to personally be there. It was one of the biggest draws for the camp; that Fairy Tail was ran by the infamous Makarov Dryer, the former guitarist to legendary band: The Ten Wizard Saints. But reading about it and actually seeing a living legend in the flesh were to entirely different things.

Reading about him was more impressive.

Somehow, all the photos didn’t manage to translate how tiny Makarov actually was. Natsu could barely see him from this distance away!

“Jeez,” Levy whispered behind him, “He’s shorter than me!”

Natsu bit back a laugh as Makarov welcomed them all and explained how things went down here at Fairy Tail. He wasn’t nearly as interesting as Gildarts had been, and Natsu soon found himself wondering if Happy had suffocated in his bag yet.

The next thing he knew, the show was over and it was time to make their way to the cabins. Natsu and Gajeel had been lucky enough- to use ‘lucky’ as an extremely loose term- to be roomed together, so he simply tried to follow his cousin’s unruly mane of hair through the crowd. Unfortunately, with all the people pushing and shoving, Natsu managed to lose sight of him pretty easily.

He stopped at the open field near the auditorium, standing on his tip toes to look over the crowd for Gajeel. Natsu’s grip was tight on the straps of his guitar case as people jostled to get past him. Where had that bastard run off to?

A weight collided with his back and he stumbled slightly.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” A light voice cried worriedly as slim fingers clasped his arm to steady him.

Natsu turned to tell them it was fine, but his breath stopped short when he realised who had bumped into him. Pale skin, blonde hair, even those damned short shorts.

“Lucy?” He breathed.

This couldn’t be happening. It was a miracle. The girl from the festival. His first kiss. She was here.

Lucy cocked her head to the side slightly, a small furrow appearing between her brows.

“Do I know you?” She asked politely.

His heart sank.

“I-I-” He stuttered.

“God damn it Lucy!” A skimpily clad brunette appeared from the crowd and grabbed her arm, “Hurry up! I want us to be sharing a bunk!”

Lucy laughed and let herself be pulled along, no doubt desperate to get away from his blubbering idiocy.

“See ya around!” She waved at him.

Natsu just stood there in shock.

He couldn’t form the words. He couldn’t even feel satisfied that he could prove to Gajeel that the girl he’d been pining over for months was actually real. The girl he’d written countless songs about was at Fairy Tail. His muse.

But she didn’t remember him.

Playlist:

Start of Something New - HSM

Where The Lines Overlap - Paramore

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

Live While We’re Young - One Direction

Walking Backwards - Sam Tsui