#this is how canas heads win

[okiankeno]

LMAOOO THE GABAPENTIN AND LAMOTRIGINE IM CRYING

AAAAAAAAA HE MADE IT INTO TODAY'S OFFICIAL ILLUSTRATION

HE

I will take this small crumb of hopium uhuhuuuuuuu 😭💜💜💜

[patentedsun]

Rapid fire Fairy Tail rewatch thoughts. May or May not expand upon each point later on.

THIS IS LONG AS HELL BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHEN TO SHUT UP.

for reference, I've reached tartaros so far. I am aware of the canon happenings after that tho.

The female cast is so good idc what anyone says obviously the fanservice is awful BUT I will say, in the earlier arcs, it actually felt decently balanced because of Gray's whole stripping shtick + Natsu's cunty vest wasn't particularly modest either LOL.

Erza is such a wonderful character. I've seen comments that she goes downhill like 100yq onwards but. Um. 100yq characterisation.... that's a whole post of its own.

I never expected to like Lucy so much. idc that it takes her like 200 episodes to win a fight solo because when she FINALLY DOES IT WAS THE BEST MOMENT OF THE SERIES BY FAR. characters who's defining traits r kindness and compassion <33

Interesting how Lucy is the traditional shounen protag (underdog, skills develop overtime) because the rest of team Natsu sans Wendy were all like ... already kinda OP established mages even at the beginning.

I know there are debates ab who really is the protag and imo the narrative skews towards Natsu more BUT. it's bizarre how unexplored he is for a main character. Like yes he is my favourite character other than Lucy but his inner psyche is barely explored it's so weird. He doesn't really have a character arc either??? I'll expand on this more once I finish post tartaros (lolll not looking forward to that) and once again it seems like he's completely regressed from what I've seen of 100yq.

I fucking love all the ships.

I don't agree with comments that Natsu can't be traditionally romantic. Like, I definitely don't think he would ever have the natural inclination to be that way as a part of his character on its own. BUT considering iconic rainbow sakura moment I fully believe he would do whatever it is that would make Lucy happy. And if that includes red roses and candlelit dinners he would absolutely try his best.

Nalu moments r seriously. so good.

I totally see why Juvia stans don't like gruvia. But unfortunately I like them. And I've slightly rewritten them in my head so that juvia doesn't get completely flanderized LOL.

the Natsu Erza Gray sibling relationship goes soooo hard.

Just in general there's something beautiful about the way Fairy Tail handles it's numerous platonic and romantic relationships. Nothing feels secondary yk. Everything is given its due time (except maybe NALU goddammit).

I LOVE THAT FEMALE CHARACTERS HAVE DEEP COMPLEX RELATIONSHIPS IRRELEVANT TO THE MALE CAST. Lucy and Levy, Lucy and Yukino, whatever combination between Erza Lucy Wendy, Lucy Flare, Wendy Shelia, Wendy Carla etc

Even when the relationship involves a man in some kind of way like eg Lucy Cana or Erza Kagura it's still not like... in a bad way. The friendship itself is still there, it's just that the inciting incident tends to involve a dude.

Speaking of Lucy having so many deep female friendships is a big reason why I like Nalu so much lol. Like I literally do not care ab ships in media but fairy tail.... just has that something...

Love how often everyone changes outfits.

This show desperately needed a mini arc somewhere with just Natsu Lucy Happy going on a low stake job, where Natsu actually opens up ab his emotions and his relationship with Igneel.

Needed more Natsu and Igneel flashbacks in general.

Wendy triple combo abandonment issues are not talked ab enough holy shit. Grandeeny, Mystogan and then her entire guild???!

Lucy's relationship with her dad was objectively so well written. I skipped starry skies arc sorry the pacing was destroying me so I can't speak on that. But everything else was just BEAUTIFUL.

The fact that she returns to him just to tell at him. The fact that he comes to her with money problems and she STILL stands her ground. The fact that it's HIM who has to better himself and earn HER forgiveness.

Even after it seems like they're on ok terms, Lucy mentions in tenrou that they don't keep in contact, which is soo... realistic...

and then his death... Shout-out to Natsu who actually is emotionally quite mature (as the author himself seems to have forgotten) and dealt with it wonderfully. He gave Lucy her space, he let her vent, he stopped Happy from interfering too much. + Lucy being conflicted ab it and clearly grieving what could have been instead of what was. sighhh. .

idc ab no deaths but I do wish they didn't do fake out deaths as often. Because when actual loss sticks, it's done super well imo. Ultear, Aquarius, I haven't hit this part yet but Igneel... (yes I'm ignoring 100yq)

the episodic fillers r INCREDIBLE.

Rogue and Frosch are so special to me.

Wish they expanded on Jellal and Meredy's relationship a bit more it seems quite wholesome.

I love Virgo.

Really hate the muted colours Ft2014 onwards, but I do like that Lucy's hair became blonde and not yellow.

Pacing 2014 onwards was GOD AWFUL. I WAS SO SAD because I think the story beats in eclipse arc is actually super good but it was DRAGGED OUT SO MUCH nothing had the impact it should've.

Snow fairy, FT, Masayume chasing you will never be forgotten.

Lucy underutilizes Gemini so much it drives me mad. They were terrifying under Angel so like... cmon...

idc what anyone says GMG and edolas were top tier.

Edolas Natsu X Edolas Lucy... yes

objectively speaking gajeel is a top tier character too

Someone pointed out that Natsu didn't reallyyy hang out with anyone other than Happy pre canon and it changed my life. Every time I notice him and Lucy casually hanging out now I start screaming.

HAPPY IS SUCH A GOOD CHARACTER IDC. His edolas character arc was incredible, his relationship with Lucy is just as (if not more) fleshed out as his one with Natsu and that's part of what makes them such a great trio.

Whenever he goes LUUSSHIEEE . my heart ...

OST top tier no notes

the writing was actually so tight up until GMG part 2

I generally don't care ab the powerscaling issues but laxus v jura... no.

The anime kinda fucks up his face a lot but manga Natsu was genuinely soooo adorable in every single panel (once again IGNORING 100YQ).

Wendy also great character arc.

Sting's whole design is SO GOOD and ten years too early. the fur lined vest, the crop top, the one dangly earring, the scar, the loose fitting pants, good God now that's a Look.

Seriously I love Nalu so much...

That's all for now folks. If you want me to expand upon anything just lmk bec believe it or not all of this is a summary.

[the-dragon-hearted]

Fairy Tail but they're all on bad reality cable shows

Some Reporter Guy: So, Mavis, how do you keep yourself looking so young? The ladies want to know -

Mavis: *smiling at the camera*

Acnologia: what kind of question is that? The ladies?? Young... What - whY would you -

Mavis: Well, first you have to commit a mortal sin against God.

*Question pops up on the board*

*Both Natsu and Gajeel slam their button*

Natsu: 43!!

Gajeel: THEY ASKED FOR A PRESIDENT -

Erza: Now when baking a cake. It is important to utilize the utmost care when stirring your batter.

Jellal: babe. Babe... babe you're killing the batter. BABE! BABE, I THINK YOU DID IT! E R Z A IT'S ON THE CEILING STOP STIRRING

Mira: And on today's episode of "Help, I have a stalker" we have long-time guest Gray Fullbuster. How's the situation been going, Gray?

Gray: Ima be honest, idk how I got here.

Mira: Oh?

Gray: Yeah, Juvia said to hop in the car and I kind of just went with it.

Mira: Juvia... your... stalker?

Gray: Oh yeah she moved in. She kept breaking my locks and it was getting annoying.

Makarov: And now, our largest jackpot yet, but who will win the prize?

Cana: It's obviously me, I'm going to buy so much booze once I'm out of here

Mira: ya know, I could use a bit of extra income, just to stay safe.

Lucy: TAKE THAT MONEY AND I'LL ACTUALLY KILL YOU I NEED TO PAY RENT -

*A new question appears*

*Natsu lunges for the button and slams it*

Natsu: "43!!"

Gajeel *slamming his head": oh my GOD STOP ANSWERING, THEY ASKED FOR A SONG TITLE - WE'RE GONNA LOSE

Happy: So... Gildarts. The tests are in

Gildarts: *Nervously sweating*

Happy: You...

Gildarts: *chewing his nails*

Happy: Are...

Gildarts: *hyperventilating*

Happy: Not. The Father.

Gildarts: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Jet: Hi there everyone, and welcome back to a new episode of "Are They Gay?"

Freed: *direct eye contact with camera* Yes. There we go. Show over.

Droy: No... unless it's Jet. Like I'd kiss Jet, but like in a bro way...

Laxus: *shoves camera away*

Macao: I love woman. I LOVE woman

Jet: *behind the camera* isn't Wakaba co-parenting with you?

Macao: And? A bro can't move in and help raise a kid anymore? Come on Jet, I thought you were more progressive then that -

Natsu: *pressing the button* the answer is 43!!

Gajeel: *leaning over his stand, actively restraining himself* If you press that button and say 43, one more damn time... I will break 43 of your bones - and then eat them.

Charle: And going to rank #3 on the list of People I Hate, we have Loke.

Loke: WHAT!?

Wendy: Charle, NO-

Charle: HE KNOWS WHAT HE DID

Like: I DON'T ACTUALLY -

Charle: YOU TOLD MY CHILD ABOUT ALL OF YOUR LITTLE ONE-NIGHT STANDS YOU LITTLE SHIT-

Wendy: Im not your child! I hatched you out of an egg!

Loke: *Insulted* Whoa whoa whoa, I didn't tell her ALL of them! And I left out all the important details!

Charle: I WILL MOVE YOU TO RANK 2 SO HELP ME-

Porlyusica: *At the judge's stand, reading glasses on, skimming through summaries*

Zeref: *Takes the stand*

Porlyusica: *slamming the gavel* Jail. She was hundreds of years younger than you

Lyon: *Takes the stand*

Porlyusica: *gavel slam* Jail. She is too young for you.

Bora: *Takes the stand*

Porlyusica: *gavel slams twice* Jail. And more Jail just in case that wasn't enough.

Mest: *Taking the stand nervously* "Hi... "

Porlyusica: *stares at the camera* I want this man executed immediately. And if you won't do it I will. Look at Wendy again, and I'll skin you alive.

Natsu: *slamming the button* 43!!

Gajeel: THAT'S IT! I'M KILLING HIM!! I DON'T CARE HOW MANY YEARS I SERVE-

Gameshow host: That is correct! 43 is indeed the answer and with that, you've won the jackpot!

Natsu: *grinning* See! I knew it was gonna work eventually

Gajeel: *rolling his sleeves up* Oh fuck no you're still dying -

Jellal: Erza, maybe we should take on a self defense show instead of a baking show -

Erza: Maybe you should go make a show with your fiance.

[happilychee]

HC for Cana: She is a really good gambler. With her card magic, unique upbringing at the guild, and need for drinking money, she's grown pretty adept at understanding how the games are played and the math involved. She especially likes to run betting pools at the guild and lower people's guard by playing dumb and drunk before she robs them blind. If she likes you, she may take you out gambling, give advice on a winning bet, or have you give her a loan and giving back triple from her winnings.

these are golden, anon

gambling with cana

cw: slightly suggestive because. c'mon it's cana.

♡ I can't decide what's funnier: cana being a math genius and card-counting, calculating probability, assessing her opponents... or winning through dumb luck and tomfoolery. for the sake of these headcanons, let's go with the first one (though I think it would be a combination of the two.)

♡ you've just finished a job with the card mage, and the reward was quite hefty. you split it 50/50, and you manage to put most of it in a safe place before cana's nagging gets to you. you're in a bustling seaside town renowned for its casinos. it would be a waste not to try them out! a "missed opportunity." but when have you ever been able to resist indulging cana?

♡ you have no idea what you're doing. your evening outfit is cute and just shy of sexy, while cana's dress leaves little to the imagination. the blinking lights of the various machines, card tables, and roulette wheels has your head spinning. you let cana lead you around until you reach a table of old men who are definitely not looking at your face. before you can take your own seat, cana pulls you into her lap. your face burns when her hand settles on your thigh, squeezing just slightly.

♡ "don't worry about the game, 'kay? just enjoy it. these geezers won't know what hit them." you can barely breathe with the way cana's looking at you, eyes smoldering. her expression is serious and fiery, a look reserved for you, as she whispers into your ear, "can you do that for me, pretty girl?"

♡ you don't get a chance to respond because suddenly cana's laughing wildly, yelling for the dealer to throw her a hand. "we're gonna be rich, baby!" she yells. you look between her and the complicated card game, and the worry in your voice isn't completely unfounded when you say, "but, honey, you don't know how to play blackjack...?"

♡ your comment causes the other players to start laughing. cana gives your waist a slight pinch, mostly for being cheeky. they're really underestimating the two of you now, because this is certainly not a game of blackjack. not that it matters to cana. with alcohol flowing through her veins and your warm form in her lap, she feels on top of the world. the casino didn't stand a chance.

♡ "drinks on me, babe?" cana wiggles her eyebrows at you over the pile of casino chips in her arms. you laugh, your own haul shaking in your arms. you'd doubled, no- tripled what your reward for the job had been, and you were excited to not have to worry about bills for a while. that, and a small shopping spree with the fairy tail girls.

♡ "I feel a bit bad; I barely did anything!" you protested. "nonsense. I'm very lucky, because..." cana rolled her eyes, shoving the casino chips to a distressed looking employee. you ignored him as he filled one, then two, then three bags with fat wads of jewels. "...you're my good luck charm, aren't you?" cana brought her fingers under your chin, locking you in place as she leaned in. "I am?" you could feel her breath on her lips. "yeah, you are, sweet thing, cuz without you I would have lost that entire bet." you don't get to respond, because cana's pressing against your body and pressing bruising kisses to your lips. as you melt into her arms, you think that between the two of you, you're the lucky one.

[hellonerf]

how do you think ame and canada would go about playing chess?

(guy who barely knows anything about chess) um um um. well okay i don't really associate them with chess like feels but. i know ame is probably crazy about chess in some way because he has complexes about intelligence and pride and he was crazy obsessive with that russia guy for a period of time and not really Just a period of time, so it's definitely something he'd want to sweep the floor with cana too 🤕 i think cana is competitive in some way so he'd care to not just pass the win to ame, that is most of the time... ame's not a good sport and he's sick in the head and neurotic so i think in cana's eyes it can get unpleasant fast. he's competitive but it plays more in things like, sports 🤷‍♂️ and he's not trying to do psychological warfare with his brother LOL he doesn't really want that. you could say he doesn't "match his freak" i guess 🙂 i think cana is more likely to fold in or like give up on something if it gets too sour. especially with ame(who is too stubborn to admit a loss 99% of the time) i don't know chess techniques or playstyles or something or other so i don't know how i'd classify them in those

[forever-found-in-daydreams]

My Cana cosplay experience

Hi there, this is somewhat of an important post for me, because I finally did something that’s been a goal of mine for quite a while now.

As you probably know if you follow me, I struggle with (along with other mental/physical health issues) trichotillomania, which means that every day I fight the uncontrollable urge to pull out my hair, leaving it thinner and patchier than it once was. It seems to finally be growing again after it stopped, but it’s still hard.

Cosplaying Cana Alberona from Fairy Tail in her young form has been something I wanted to do since I started writing my fic, Where the Wild Girls Grow, which is teen Cana centric. When my friend (who is amazingly talented at sowing!) offered to hand-make Cana’s green dress for me after I had given up my search for a look-alike, I was over the moon. Since my hair is the same color as Cana’s, I wouldn’t even have to wear a wig.

That gets hard when you have trich. I felt like I was in a race for time to do the cosplay before it was too late. But I couldn’t win the race against my addiction.

When time had passed, and my friend never got back to me, I decided to give up. It was for the best, I told myself. My dreams had already pretty much been crushed once I started losing so much hair.

Fast forward and I’m still not better, but my friend had finally started working on the dress. I didn’t know how to feel. The cosplay idea still brought up the ugly ways I felt about myself and my hair. But I went along with it anyway.

Still, many panic attacks and one trip to the ER later, I was strangely okay. Still pulling, yet a little bit better. Maybe I just knew I had to accept my addiction, and learn to live with it, because I’m not getting better. Letting it destroy me will only send me to the ER again.

It wasn’t a straightforward journey, and I still don’t quite know how most days, I feel so okay. Maybe I just cried until I couldn’t anymore. It’s no longer worth it. Maybe I am a little bit better with the pulling, too. Maybe.

The first sparks of happiness over my dream came back as I watched my friend work on the dress, and then finally got to try it on. The grief was somehow fading from my feelings surrounding the cosplay plan I’d had. I thanked my friend over and over.

When it was finally finished, and I got to take it home, I was hopeful. I was going to Comic Con like this, hair and all. It was the best I could do.

My hair didn’t look perfect on the big day. I still have three very visible bald patches on the front of my head. But I went anyway.

I put on the dress, and I felt so happy.

I finally got to embody the girl who’s been my best friend through everything I’ve been through, and for that I’m grateful.

Even as Cana, it’s not like I was fixed. All the medicine set out on the kitchen table reminded me I still have a long way to go.

But I went to that Con, and I let myself shine.

I twirled around in the dress, made friends in line, and kicked my sandals against the sidewalk. I let myself be happy. I felt euphoric in that dress, and really, I didn’t care what my hair looked like. I was okay after all.

So you, yes you with the mental health problems, you with physical health issues, you with that trich, that addiction.

Life is tough, but you are tougher.

And I know we’re all gonna get better.

[pencilofawesomeness]

FT x TW: Each NRC boy favorite Fairy Tail mage

This is like, half “favorite” and half “who would gravitate towards each other and end up becoming friends”

(Also limiting this to the FT guild so I don't have to think about Everyone)

Either way, interactions go brr—

Riddle: After witnessing Erza beat some manners into some people, he would probably respect her a great deal. That said, after Erza inevitably is also chaotic (they are the same but Riddle doesn't have that self-awareness yet), I think Riddle and Charle would get along really well. Tea-buddies and why-am-I-surrounded-by-thugs? buddies, and what-not.

Trey: I think Trey and Mirajane would be buds. It's the mutual eldest sibling energy, and also the steadfast dedication towards being supporting (when they are actually crazy op). They will probably bond over cooking.

Deuce: As soon as Deuce figures out that Jet is a speed-mage, they bond over their love of going really fast and Jet would absolutely love the blastcycles, and then neither of them can be stopped.

Ace: Bickslow would actually adopt Ace first, because he thinks the sleight-of-hand tricks are rad, and then probably teaches Ace even more, which Ace in turns thinks is really cool. Plus, Ace would respect how wildly blunt Bickslow can be. (They would be relentless with the teasing. They will not be stopped.)

Cater: He and Cana would be good buds. Just hanging around, sharing gossip, maybe going shopping...empathizing with the existential dread of always being a background support character with no strong connections. (So they think. The idiots /affectionate.)

Leona: Someway, somehow, Leona is going to blink and accidentally adopt Lisanna as a little sister. She's got a good head on her shoulders and doesn't pick fights but Leona sniffs out that latent exasperation and it's now he's invested in letting Lisanna release her inner feral. As a treat. Also the cat naps are real.

Ruggie: One thing leads to another and now he and Gajeel are sharing pick-pocket techniques from their Street Days. Plus Gajeel can face-tank just about anything and Ruggie would be thrilled to use him as a shield. Also Ruggie would be both impressed (and maybe jealous, because eating metal sounds convenient) to find someone with greater jaw strength than him.

Jack: Panther Lily. They would have the bro nod of respect at first, but Jack would also really look up to him, for being so cool-headed and diligent.

Azul: I'm honestly not sure who he would pick as his favorite, per se, because he would be interested in all of their magics and bounce around, but somehow now I cannot get out of my head that he would love Chico. One, making deals with the dead (in addition to the living) would probably fascinate him; two, family-owned-restaurant/diner buddies. That's it. That's all I got. (He's very Blue Pegasus-shaped though, so I bet he would love that guild.)

Jade: Droy. They will talk about terrestrial plants for literal hours, and Jade will probably bamboozle him into free garden labor. (And Droy would be thrilled to have someone interested.) Honestly a win-win all around.

Floyd: Gray—both because Floyd would think the ice magic is really cool, and because Floyd would have waaaay too much fun messing with him.

Kalim: He and Lucy could totally bond over being sheltered rich kids, and being generally hyper beans. Though Lucy would definitely be the voice of reason, lol.

Jamil: resists the urge to swing into htryds and start my Jamil And Erik Would Be Friends agenda I think Jamil and Kinana would be very chill together, hiding in the corner to destress and then just vibing. (Snek friends.) Kinana would bully Jamil into self-care, probably, and she would probably remind him a bit of Najma. (yes these are my own hcs involving Kinana's characterization but let me have this)

Vil: I think Vil would sniff out Juvia's earnest try-hardness and chaotic people-pleasing and then make her a personal project, so to speak, trying to instill as much self-confidence in her as possible. Then mid nail-painting they hardcore bond over being villainized by random bystanders.

Rook: He, Bisca, and Alzack would have a sharp shooting competition and trade good ol' hunting stories, and maybe gush over baby pictures.

Epel: He'll probably unironically think Elfman is very cool. Elfman will probably declare Epel manly. They'll both shed (manly) tears.

Idia: Happy. Both because Happy is an easy-going cat and because I think Happy would be genuinely amused/interested in video games, or just watching video games. (That said, if Idia is able to get past his people-are-scary anxiety for two seconds, he and Levy would be amazing friends. Mutual nerd infodumping grounds right there.)

Ortho: I think Ortho and Wendy would be good friends. Just helpful little guys. They would equally fuel the other's cinnamon roll status and their secret gremlin status—helping kittens out of trees and bulldozing forests when provoked. That kind of thing. Ortho would be super interested in replicating enchantments on himself, I think, and Wendy would def try to help him out.

Malleus: Natsu would 100% challenge him to a (friendly) fight and then eat his fire at least once, and Malleus would be both very fascinated and thrilled to have a) someone not afraid of him and b) and fellow!! dragon!!!! buddy :D

Lilia: I know there's not really a feasible way for them to actually meet, per se, but Lilia and Mavis would be dangerously good friends. Dangerous for everyone else, that is.

Silver: One sparring match later, and Silver and Erza are definitely sharing a braincell. They'll be talking about swordplay for hours. Erza will introduce him to a new type of cake and change his life. (They are simple, straightforward beans and they will vibe so well.)

Sebek: He will probably do his best to antagonize almost everyone, but nevertheless, you know who I think he would get along great with? Evergreen. Whether or not he believes she is a fairy is irrelevant; they will agree that fairies are superior. They bond over having their favorite dragon dude they dote on and find ways to be dramatic. Evergreen will gift him some coat or accessory and Sebek will be so honored.

[matt0044]

Fairy Tail is in a weird place with me on this metric. It is shameless with Hiro Mashima's making Manga whist horny as hell. While I can admire him for being upfront about what gets him all fired up (get it :P), the problem with it rears its ugly head when it involves a moment of sincere gravitas.

A female character is up against the wall in a battle, is suffering a devastating loss or is just happy to the point of crying... all while her T &/or A are on full display in some capacity.

Ultear is facing Zeref in a battle that could be the end of her. Do we need a few shot of her butt as she crouches down?

Flare Corona has returned to the village of giants that took her in and is ashamed after her wrongdoings in Raven Tail. Must we get an undershot of her cleavage as she cries?

Even putting aside the whole "sexualized women hit different than sexualized men for how the former have been historically objectified in real life or in fiction" kerfuffle, the fanservice just... feels way out of place. Professor Oak is often quoted for a reason. Time and place, man.

And yet...

It's also a series where the girls are allowed to take their lumps as much as the guys do and even score a few victories mano-e-mano. No token victory before returning to the background. Lucy often wins by the skin of her teeth. Erza will utterly destroy her foes even if it destroys herself.

Furthermore, the multitude of female character is the ensemble leads to many teaming up together to take out a foe. Tenrou Island shows Lucy and Cana together after the latter had confided in the former about her emotional turmoil.

Like it could've been just Lucy as the useless sidekick to Natsu the meathead hotshot and the only one with the brain cell. It could've just been Juvia, the lovesick one fawning over the spikey black hair emo guy (sound familiar?). But no one female character is the one.

I'm not sure where it would fall on the graph basically.

I had a scientific theory I needed to sketch out.

[nalu-gifs]

Prompt: Lucy comforting Natsu as he explains when he thought DiMaria killed her (maybe with a flashback of Natsu trying to revive Lucy while within DiMaria's stopped time)

Thanks for the ask, anon! I wandered a little off prompt, but it got me thinking about how both Lucy and Natsu had moments where they were convinced that the other was dead. I imagine that's a trauma that would only start to truly set in once the conflict is resolved. I may write another ficlet at some point regarding the second half of your prompt (Natsu trying to revive Lucy).

AO3 link here.

Hope you enjoy!

~~~

You're Alive

Pale morning light spilled over the horizon as a new day dawned in Magnolia, brighter than any morning they had seen for a long time.

The celebrations lasted throughout the night. Everyone was beyond exhausted, to be sure, but the adrenaline and sheer exhilaration of winning the war drove all the members of Fairy Tail, along with their many wizard allies, to drink, dance, and laugh side by side within their half-destroyed guild hall. They had won. Zeref and his empire had been defeated. Acnologia would no longer torment them. And that was surely cause for the boisterous merriment which ensued.

The sunrise met with a good number of slumbering figures, strewn everywhere from the floor of the guild hall to the debris-littered grass outside and the cobblestone streets beyond. At last, fatigue had caught up with them, and most couldn’t muster up the energy to make it home before passing out—though, perhaps they were also reluctant to leave each others’ sides after the perilous battle. When this all began, no one could be sure who would make it out alive.

It was this thought that kept slumber at bay for Lucy as she gazed across the sea of unconscious bodies. She smiled at the peaceful faces of all her friends, bruised and battered, but alive. Juvia rested against Gray’s chest. Erza and Jellal had been sitting with their backs against the wall, an appreciable gap between them, but tipped toward each other in sleep so that their heads and shoulders pinned together. Elfman snored loudly with his two sisters wrapped tightly in each arm. Cana sat bent over a table, Gildarts’ coat draped tenderly over her shoulders. Romeo curled up next to Macao with such boyish affection that Lucy hadn’t seen since before their lost time on Tenrou. All around, signs of deep friendship and family could be found. Lucy was sure there was no greater concentration of love in the world.

Her gaze drifted to the side. She wasn’t surprised to find Natsu staring back at her—well, it wasn’t staring exactly; his eyes were glazed over, eyelids heavy with exhaustion, and his vision seemed unfocused, as if whatever he saw existed in another time and place. Considering all the energy he’d expended in fighting both Zeref and Acnologia, it was a wonder how he remained awake at this point. Not to mention, the dragon slayer had certainly also partied hard throughout the night. However, throughout the overnight revelry, Lucy had noticed the same thing she observed now: he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. More often than not, when she looked at him, he already had eyes locked on her. Even across the room, cackling with Gray or racing Gildarts through a beer, he seemed unwilling to let her out of his sight, as if doing so would allow her to disappear in a wisp of smoke. Though, the only reason Lucy was aware of his unusual behavior was because she, too, felt the irresistible and absurdly frequent urge to confirm his existence. She could still feel the sting of his sudden disappearance on the streets of Magnolia, that horrible moment—among the worst of her life—in which she thought she had failed to rewrite his story. In that moment, she thought she had lost him forever. So now, whenever her eyes started burning at the thought, she needed to look at him, to see him, to know it was only a nightmare. Her Natsu was still here.

Lucy exhaled a soft sigh and smiled at her partner and best friend. “Natsu…you look exhausted. Why don’t you lay down and get some rest?” She spoke softly, careful not to disturb the sea of slumbering guild mates.

“Nngh…” he grunted in reply, eyes still fixed on her.

Her spirit yearned to stay awake, though her body fought against it more and more with each passing second. Lucy knew if she sat here much longer, she would succumb to the sweet allure of rest. And she wasn’t ready for that quite yet. Neither, apparently, was Natsu.

“Do you want to take a walk?”

He nodded.

Once outside, Lucy drew in a deep breath of the cool morning air. The dust had finally settled, although the faint smell of smoke lingered on the breeze. “I can’t believe it’s finally over,” she breathed. “The past few days have been…a complete whirlwind. It’s a lot to process. I can’t wrap my head around everything that’s happened.”

She stopped short when Natsu’s hand shot out from behind and gripped her wrist. Lucy turned to face him and found a renewed attentiveness in his dark eyes, along with an unexpected shine.

“Lucy, I—” he began but cut off.

The celestial wizard thought she might crumble under his sudden direct, intense gaze, but then his brow twitched, and his eyes fell to the ground. His fingers, however, still wrapped tightly—almost painfully—around her wrist. After a moment of silence, Natsu seemed to realize this, then slowly released her and flexed his fingers. “I’m…glad you’re okay,” he said at last. “When I thought Dimaria had…y’know…and I thought I would never…” Natsu struggled to find the words, whether due to exhaustion or hesitation, or a combination of the two, Lucy wasn’t sure. “I haven’t had the chance to explain to you how much that really…made me go crazy.”

“I think I have a pretty good idea,” Lucy replied with a breathy laugh. “I did see Dimaria right afterward. She called you…a…” Lucy then trailed off, not wanting to refer to Natsu as a monster, not even in quoting someone else. “Point is,” she pressed on, “I know you wanted to avenge me.” Behind Natsu, she watched a crow take off from the top of a half-crumbled stone pillar.  “I’m grateful for that.”

Natsu grunted and shook his head. “No, that’s not—it wasn’t about avenging you, or revenge, or anything like that. It was…” He looked back up at her face with such a troubled tilt to his brow that Lucy’s breath caught in her throat. “I held you in my arms, and you were dead. Gone, forever. I failed to protect you. And I just…lost it. Because I couldn’t bear losing you.”

Lucy swallowed, her throat tight. She had spent so much time dwelling on her own pain after thinking she had lost him that she had completely forgotten he, too, thought he had lost her. Her eyes began to burn, and she realized Natsu’s also brimmed with tears. She’d seen him cry before for his friends. For Igneel. He burned with such passion, fought desperately for those that he loved; it was one of her favorite things about him. He had risked his life time and time again defending his Fairy Tail family. But to her knowledge, he had never fallen into a despondent rage…except for her sake.

What did that mean?

“You’re here, and you’re safe, and I know that,” Natsu continued, his voice uncharacteristically quiet and strained, “but for some reason, I can’t shake that feeling. I’m afraid to close my eyes, because I might see ya like that again…just like I saw Igneel after he died.”

Lucy took a minuscule step toward him. She wondered if he would be admitting all of this to her if he wasn’t operating within a state of complete exhaustion. She wondered the same thing about herself as she responded:

“I’m scared, too,” she whispered. “When you went to fight Acnologia, and I didn’t know what happened, I thought…you…” Lucy wiped an escaped tear from her cheek, then she glanced down and saw with shock that Natsu’s hands were trembling. Without a second thought, she reached out and grabbed them, pulling them to her chest where he could feel her pounding heart. “I’m here, Natsu. I’m okay. It’s okay. It’s over.”

Natsu nodded, somewhat numbly, and a few tears spilled from his eyes. After a moment, he withdrew his hands just far enough that he could wrap them around her instead, pulling her into a tight hug. Lucy wrapped her own arms around him in return, grateful for the warm shelter of his embrace.

“I love you, Lucy,” he whispered.

“I love you, too,” she whispered back.

Lucy was not sure exactly what either of them meant by those words, but right now, that mattered little. All that mattered was that they stood here together, in front of their precious guild hall, as the light of a new day spilled over them with the greatest promise of all: a future.

[katsukikitten]

Cana my love, this is all for you, with all my love

Kitten 💋

warnings: branding, one spit, Happy new year! @bakugotrashpanda​

Dabi cannot help himself as he stares at you. You who takes your eight shot of tequila all within the hour that the two of you arrived. You’ve already won three bets that you could out drink these heavy weight guys were thought they were macho as fuck, when really they couldn’t stomach anything more than a flat lager. 

 A ninth one goes down and all Dabi can see is your throat. How you adam’s apple bobs as you swallow, drunken sloppy smile on your lips as you win another fifty dollars while the massive guy rushes to the kitchen sink to wretch. 

It’s only ten o clock, there were still two more hours to go before the new year came ringing in but Dabi isn’t sure he can make it. 

“Think you’ve won enough, doll.” He says sweetly, wrapping his arm around you as he provides you with a stiff drink you’ll want to nurse. You smile up at him, flashing your winnings as he guides you out of the kitchen and into the loud living room. People are dancing, swaying to the music and laughing as the bass shakes the windows. Dabi takes you to the love seat in the corner, setting you on his lap while the two of you look over the party. 

Occasionally you’ll pull him into a searing kiss. Tequila tongue massaging against him as your hands travel his warm muscular body. He’s so hot to the touch and his hands on your bare thighs threaten to leave marks. 

Threaten to brand you as his. 

But that all comes in due time. 

The two hours pass of kissing, dancing and another round of shots before Dabi can’t take it anymore. Shoving you into the hall bathroom just a way from the party as they all start to search for the channel that has the live drop of the ball. 

His hands are as impatient as him as he runs them along your body, kissing you with gnashing teeth and biting at your lips. At your throat as you gasp and moan in the small half bath. He quickly turns you around, roughly shoving you over the vanity. Flipping up your skirt to reveal your dark blue thong. 

The sight has his cock aching, weeping in his pants as he palms himself. His other hot palm sleeping your cheek so hard it rises up in an angry welt. 

Again and again. Until he decides that the welt just isn’t enough. Pushing your thong to the side as he watches a string of slick sticks to it. He groans and watches your thighs twitch at the sound. Quickly he unbuckles his pants and drops his pants and boxers. Rubbing his leaking head in your messy folds catching your fluttering entrance more than once. Keeping your hips from pushing back onto him with a steady and hot hand. Slowly he inches himself in, spreading your asscheeks so he can get a better look at your tight asshole, licking his lips as he debates just how much he wants to ruin you tonight. With every inch he sinks into you his hand on your cheek grows hotter and hotter still.

And by the time his pelvis meets yours a searing burning sensation is radiating from you supple cheek. 

Whimpering as he leans over, kissing and biting at your ears and cheek.

“All mine right, doll?” He purrs,  “Only I can arrange you like this right?”

He gives a few gentle strokes, pushing you harder against the vanity as he locks eyes with you in the mirror. Loves how your brows knit upward as he gives tender thrusts that you both know won’t be for much longer. 

Soon your eyes will be rolling in the back of your head, long lashes fluttering as he fucked you just right. Fucked you into the new year. 

He leans back watching you clench onto him, coating him in a delicious slick. He spits onto your fluttering ass before he shoves his thumb in roughly. The burning sensation feels so fucking good and the pain ebbs into fullness as his cock burries itself deep inside you. 

He swirls his thumb, left hand on your hips as he fucks into you as you bite back your moans. But slowly you can barely hold yourself up, curling into the cool granite sink as pulls those sweet moans from your pretty little lips. You’re loud and it causes his cock to twitch with pride along with the threat that he’s closer than he wants to be. 

You just did that to him. Only you, only you in any outfit of the day singing his praises as his name falls from your lips like a lovely mantra.  

He reaches up with his left hand, clamping it over your mouth tightly, occasionally tight enough he blocks your air flow. He feels you creaming on his cock as he sings soft praises to you. 

“Such a good girl, trying so hard to be so quiet.” Dabi coos and you cum again, shaking beneath him as he quiets your scream, “I know doll, I know. Feels just as good for me…”

He doesn’t do this to make sure you aren’t embarrassed by how good his cock feels and that someone might over hear.

He does it because he’s greedy. 

Your moans are for him and him alone, no one else will ever know what you sound like when you’re close or how your pussy flutters as you call out his name. Moaning it and dragging it out anyway that you can. These moments are for him, its why he’s sure to look into the mirror often, he wants to see your face, wants to see how your brows knit upward when he hits that spongy spot in you just right.

He hears the count down the crowd is counting down from ten as he tries to time it right.

To have you two cumming into the new year just right. 

Together. 

Like you did last year and the year before. And so many before that and he just cannot imagine his life without you. Without the arguments demanding he do a bit better, without the growth you’ve shown him he was capable of. 

Without the love you taught him he had deep inside his heart. 

And it was all only for you. 

He holds your eyes as his thrusts turn sloppy, his thoughts and the booze has his eyes watering as he looks deeply into your own watering eyes. 

Your soul. 

He only wishes he can keep doing this, keep hearing those sweet moans and even sweeter laughs. 

“Cum for me Doll, can’t get to bliss without you.” He heats his palm on your lips but would never burn your face.  You know that and still the dangerous threat of it has you creaming on his cock. Screaming into his hot palm as you try to throw your hips back to prolong your mind numbing orgasm. Cunt clenching him so hard he sees stars himself as his hips stutter. Filling you to the brim with his seed 

The two of you pant, his hand coming down to give your pretty throat an approving squeeze before he leans over you, tilting your face to him to give you this kiss.

The ones that make your heart stutter, your stomach erupt in a flourish of butterflies and  your eyes try to water and what you don’t know is that it's the same type of kiss that does the same to him. 

“Happy new year Doll, glad I get to spend it with you.”

[petri808]

Nalu Yakuza Au *cover art by @jmoart214 💜

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |

The tit for tat game was well known to both of their top confidants and lieutenants because it had been going on ever since Natsu and Lucy broke up. Plus, it was hard to get around such knowledge considering most of them came from the same neighborhoods. These intrigues ebbed and flowed like waves. Months could pass by without any interactions between the two, at other times they’d go back and forth continuously until one of them finally gave up, and on the odd occasion ended in a huge fight that led to another round of ignoring each other. Up until now, it had been kind of amusing to watch them torture each other because it was better than a drama shows on television. But that didn’t mean Natsu, and Lucy’s friends didn’t worry about one or both being truly hurt one day because of it.

“It’s fine,” Natsu rolled his eyes as Gray chastised him after the soapland incident. The two men were at Natsu’s home after work hours and supposed to be relaxing. But clearly his friend didn’t want to drop the subject. “What’s the big deal?”

“Dude, you let yourself be blindfolded in a public space! Have you forgotten what kind of business we’re in? What if it had been an assassin instead?”

“Oh, that’s just ridiculous. We’re talking about Lucy’s company, and I trust their security measures because she has just as much to lose if a hit took place there.”

“Still, you should be more careful, at least take a bodyguard with you…”

Natsu’s eyebrow twitched in irritation. “And what, so they can watch the show? We got any voyeurs on the payroll? Cause I can’t think of anyone here who’d wanna see another guy getting his balls fondled!”

Gray ran a hand down his face. “So not the mental image I wanted. You’re missing the point.” He sighed. “Natsu you are the head of this clan, and your safety is my top priority.”

“I get it, I get it,” Natsu drawled.

“And frankly,” Gray continued, “you’ve become distracted by her lately.”

“Tch! No, I haven’t!”

“Yeah, you are. You think I haven’t noticed? I know you drive by her place sometimes. I know you’ve followed her to that coffee shop she likes to frequent. But ever since her employee was robbed, things have escalated again.”

“You’re imagining things and apparently spying on me. I’m just keeping an eye on the competition.”

“Watching over you is my job! That’s not spying.” Gray crossed his arms. “And oh, it’s no doubt that you’re keeping an eye on her. That’s why you went to Katsunuma’s party and to soapland too. The problem is you’re getting sloppy and sloppy gets people killed.”

Natsu groaned. “Are you done yet? We’re supposed to be enjoying the baseball game, not psychoanalyzing my life.”

“Almost.” Gray placed a hand on his friends’ knee and leaned in. “Natsu, you’ve been chasing that tail since high school, just lock her down and convince her to work together already.”

Natsu snorted a laugh. “Gray we all grew up together, so what in all these years makes you think that’s a possibility? You know damn well Lucy’s not a woman you can control without her consent.” Natsu knew that, and frankly he loved that part of her. In fact, it made him even more fired up whenever he thought about it, just like a treasure you don’t just find but must win at the end of a game. “I’ll find a way, some day.”

“Well until that day arrives, could you promise me you’ll be more cautious?”

“Fine, fine,” Natsu waved his hand. “I’ll back off of Lucy for now.”

“Good.” Gray relaxed back onto his recliner thinking the drama was over.

“However, there is a new guy I want surveillance placed on.”

“Who?”

“The bartender from the party.”

Gray groaned. “Seriously? Why? He’s just a bartender!”

“I don’t trust him.”

“Was he spiking the drinks or something? Dealing drugs at the party?”

“Maybe.”

Gray huffed. “You really gonna try that? Do I look like an idiot? This is just straight jealousy talking.”

“I don’t care! I want someone to dig up what they can on the guy!”

“No, what you wanna know is if he fucked Lucy that night!”

Natsu jumped up with his fists clenched. “Fuck you!”

“Fuck you too!” Gray stood up and matched his boss’s energy. “Unless you give me a damn good reason to check into him, I’m not wasting my guy’s time! You might be the boss, but don’t you fucking forget who you’re talking to! I’m not some punk off the streets!”

Realizing he was taking things too far, Natsu sat back down. “Sorry.”

Gray sighed and plopped back down too. “I only joined because you asked me to and you’re my best friend, then I helped you build this new empire, so I’m just as invested in protecting it as you are. But Natsu, personal emotions have led to the downfall of many in this business, and as a friend, I’ll check you any time I think you’re going to far.”

“You’re right…” Natsu sighed too. “She just gets me so worked up.”

“Don’t I know it,” Gray laughed, but stopped when Natsu glared at him. “Sorry, it slipped out.”

“But I swear, there’s something suspicious about him. When he saw me, I thought he just reacted because he thought I was Lucy’s boyfriend or something, but the more I think about it, he might have recognized me.”

“Well, that wouldn’t necessarily be suspicious either.”

“True. But the look in his eyes just made me wonder.”

“Alright…” Gray groaned, “if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll have someone do some digging. So, you said he has orange hair and glasses, and the name on his tag was Loke?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s an unusual name, shouldn’t be too hard to check on.”

Over the course of a couple of weeks, Gray sent out feelers for any information on this Loke guy. Katsunuma junior gave them their first small lead that the bartender had worked the party through a local food catering company. That catering company was a legitimate business who had both full-time staff as well as independent contractors brought in per event as needed. Loke had been one of the latter. From there Gray obtained a last name, de Lioncourt.

According to his sources at the local precinct, Loke de Lioncourt had no rap sheet, no prior dealings with police, and for all they knew was an average citizen. The man’s Line blog profile listed him as a 28-year-old, Japanese/French American, model and bartender, and it was filled with pictures from events, parties, as well as many gorgeous women— none of which contained Lucy. But as Gray trolled through the man’s feed, he did come across one person he recognized and passed the information along to Natsu.

“Wow, she’s in a bunch of photos,” Natsu mumbled as he scrolled through the blog.

“Well, considering Cana’s reputation are you surprised. Parties and alcohol are the two things that woman lives for.” Gray laughed. “Now see, this makes sense to me. Lucy and him, not so much.”

“Tch… still pisses me off he even tried.”

“Lucy’s a free woman, she can go out with whoever she wants to.”

“We’ll see about that,” Natsu mumbled low.

“What was that?” Gray asked with a raised brow.

“Nothing.”

“Better be nothing, cause this is a dead end. He’s just a flirty bartender. It’s how they make tips.”

“Yeah, yeah, fine.” Natsu sat back in his chair. “So, back to business. What this I heard about some missing stock?”

“Oh, right. One of the warehouse clerks noticed a shortage, but when I checked with Yura, he said the books were fine. I had him show it to me, and it appears the numbers were just inverted by accident. So, instead of 185 kilos, it’s supposed to be 158 kilos.”

“Did you talk to the clerk again? Does he have any history of messing up like this?”

“Nah, he’s one of our better clerks.”

“Just keep an eye on it.”

“Sure thing, boss. By the way, have you seen Gajeel today?” Gray questioned. “I haven’t seen him.”

“He called me this morning said he wasn’t feeling well, thinks he ate something bad for dinner last night.”

“Tch, seriously? Thought he had an iron stomach?”

Natsu shrugged. “Must’a been some bad sushi or something. We ain’t got much happening today, so it’s fine. Anything else? I got some stuff I need to finish.”

Gray tapped his chin. “Just a reminder you have an appointment with our tech guy dropping by later this week to go over some upgrades on the system.”

“Like I’m supposed to know anything about that stuff, it’s what I pay him for.”

“You still gotta approve it,” Gray shrugged and took his leave.

Once the man was completely out of the office, Natsu opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a nondescript box he’d hidden inside. He grinned to himself. It was time to make another special delivery. Even though he’d told Gray he was backing off the whole Lucy and Loke subject, there was no way he was gonna let it slide. Natsu didn’t care if the man seemed legit, and he wasn’t the first nor would probably be the last that he’d eventually scared away. And besides, being a Yakuza boss had a lot of down times too, easily filled with having a little fun.

Today’s little care package was being sent to Lucy by a courier service and Natsu just had to drop it off to the delivery company. Just a normal company like Kuroneko Yamato so it wouldn’t rouse too many suspicions. It was turning into a fun game for him just coming up with ideas of what he could do to rile Lucy up or irritate this Loke guy. Natsu chuckled to himself. So far, his favorite prank was a box of small sized condoms and a bottle of enhancement pills that he’d had delivered to Loke while on the job at another party. He’d even snuck in to watch it delivered, gaining a good laugh when the man took a peek in the box and frowned at its contents.

It was childish, but Natsu didn’t care. Every day for two weeks now, something new was sent to Loke. Random gifts like children’s candy to a toy gun, a big bottle of lubricant wrapped in a bow, a week’s worth of meals sent for lunch one day, even an empty box with rocks inside it just to drive the man crazy wondering who in the world was sending them. Lucy too wasn’t immune to his pranks, though hers had a different feel to them. Flowers with no note attached. Tickets to a canceled show he made up. A supposed dinner invite from Loke that wasn’t real— okay that was to test her, but she didn’t fall for it. And today’s little care package fit right into his prank scheme.

Natsu dropped off the package at a Kuroneko Yamato office with the address instructions already filled out and paid the company’s employee extra to keep their mouths shut. ‘She’s gonna kill me one day,’ he laughed to himself as he rode back to his office. ‘If it’s suffocation by her boobs it wouldn’t be a bad way to go!’

“Anymore stops sir?” The driver asked Natsu.

“Nope. Back to the office.”

He looked at his watch. The package should be arriving at Lucy’s office within the hour. Give or take another to open it, and by 4pm he would be receiving another phone call. Maybe he won’t answer it. Oh, that would piss her off even more! ‘Well, if she’d just take the hint...’

The afternoon was supposed to be mellow at headquarters that day. No shipments, and no appointments. But when Natsu got back, another general in the organization named Jellal Fernandez came to his office to inform him of a problem. One of the new local restaurants in their territory was refusing to cooperate and he wanted to know how Natsu wanted it handled. They were right in the middle of discussing it, when Natsu’s office door flew open with a loud bang!

In stomped Lucy who immediately threw a box at his head, causing Natsu to duck and Jellal to pull his gun.

“Don’t!” Natsu screamed at his general and motioned for him to stand down, to which the man complied. “Do you have a death wish Lucy!”

“Get. Out.” She snapped at the general. “Get out! This is between me and your boss!”

Jellal looked to Natsu, who nodded his head to scram. “I got this, don’t worry.” The man holstered his gun and left, but Natsu could see he’d stayed right outside of the now closed door.

“I take it you didn’t like the gift,” Natsu pretended to stay calm.

“Gee, me throwing it at you give you that impression? I know it’s you sending all these damn deliveries to me and Loke. That needs to stop now!”

He crossed his arms and scoffed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Play dumb all you want. Just stop! Why are you even doing this?!”

“Take a guess,” he sneered back.

“I could’ve sworn we were adults now, but apparently I’m the only one who grew up. Stay out of my love life Natsu!”

“So, you admit you’re sleeping with the guy!”

“That’s none of your damn business! I can fuck whoever I want!”

“Not as long as I’m alive,” Natsu growled back.

Lucy crossed her arms. “That could be arranged.”

“Is that a threat?!”

“Yes! If you don’t stay out of my love life!”

“A woman shouldn’t be sleepi—”

“Don’t you finish that sentence!” Lucy grabbed a stapler that was within reach and chucked it at Natsu’s head. “Stop trying to control me!”

“Are you crazy?!”

At that moment, Gray barged into the room. He’d heard the screaming from the other side of the office, and when he got close enough to see Jellal standing outside the door, he became alarmed. Why would a general leave Natsu vulnerable! The man told him their boss told him to leave, but as the sounds inside escalated, Gray couldn’t wait anymore.

“Stop it!!” Gray got between them. “What are you two doing! Lucy you shouldn’t be here!”

“Then tell your damn boss to leave me the fuck alone!” Lucy spat back. “Ask him how he’s been harassing Loke and me!”

Gray turned to his boss with a groan. “Natsu, we talked about this!”

“Tell Gray what you been doing!” Lucy pressed. “Show him the stupid packages you send!”

“What packages?” Gray looked to Lucy, then repeated the question as he stared at his boss. “What packages?”

“Tch,” Natsu crossed his arms, “it’s not even that bad.”

Lucy stomped over to where the box fell and picked it up, pulling the contents out. “Bullshit!” She snapped as she held up a very racy, red nightie with flame prints, a pair of fluffy handcuffs, and a large dildo. “See this shit?!” Lucy shook the floppy latex toy at Gray before chucking it to the ground again. “He includes messages too,” then handed the man a folded piece of paper.

Gray read it aloud, “to make up for what playboy lacks. Had it custom made to my size wink wink. Ugh, seriously man,” he tossed the letter.

Natsu shrugged. “I was just having fun.”

“This is the yakuza, not a daycare!” Gray snaps. “I’m not here to babysit the boss so he stops harassing the competition! There’s more important business to worry about!”

“That’s right listen to Gray,” Lucy sneered.

Gray turned to her. “Oh, you ain’t innocent either, so don’t even try it. You both do things to purposely rile the other up and get mad when there’s consequences. Stop it!” He looked back and forth between the two. “Just stop it already!”

Natsu and Lucy looked away from the man with scowls on their faces. Neither wanted to admit he was right.

“Jellal,” Gray called out. When the man entered, he instructed him to escort Lucy out of there. “Next time, just call me instead. It’s best you two just stay away from each other. Got it?!”

“Yeah,” Lucy grumped.

“Got it?!” Gray questioned his boss.

“Yeah,” Natsu mumbled.

“Fucking like high school,” Gray ran a hand down his face in irritation. “You two need therapy.”

[isabellafoster13]

This was requested on AO3 by Fairyzilla.

The requester has specified that they want Lucy to have "split personalities." This is a real thing that occurs. It is called Dissociative identity disorder (DID). It is a mental health condition in which two or more distinct personalities, also known as "alters", inhabit one body. It is something that a person develops due to major traumatic events before that person reaches the age of ten. Because this is a severe mental health condition I do not want to give to a character that is not mine, Lucy's split personalities will result from magic in this oneshot. 

As for the ship, I really like it. Though that shouldn't come as a surprise at this point. Freed x Lucy x Bixlow is very amusing to think about and I wish their was even one fic about it. Unfortunatly though, I have yet to find one.

I will also now be accepting Minerva x Lucy requests. If you want me to write a MinLu oneshot, then go right ahead and request one.

One last thing. My dog went into labor a few days ago and delivered three healthy puppies, two girls and one boy, at the vet. I'll be pretty busy with her and the puppies, so once again, updates may slow down a bit.

I hope you enjoy!

Lucy One and Lucy Two (Bixlow x Lucy x Freed ft. Wendy)

Lucy watched as Bixlow and Cana downed bottles of alcohol like their lives depended on it as their guildmates cheered them on. She leaned against the table, her elbow propped on top of it, her head resting in her palm. She smiled at her boyfriend, her eyes locked on him. She wasn't at all a fan of these drinking contests that Cana would get into with other guild members, sometimes even visiting members of other guilds, however, she enjoyed seeing Bixlow have such fun with his friends. It was a nice change from the usual isolating himself from the rest of the guild, like when the original Lucy first came to Fairy Tail. She glanced at the new bottles of alcohol that were set in front of the two mages, scrunching up her nose at the foul smell. 

She knew that Bixlow wouldn't win and that she'd need to take care of her drunk boyfriend, but she didn't mind that. He wasn't a difficult-to-handle drunk. He just had difficulty walking straight and was flirtier than he normally was. 

The celestial wizard watched as the seith mage begin to slow down, meaning that he would soon tap out. As she got ready to catch him if he ended up falling over, she heard a voice inside her head exclaim obnoxiously, 'I want to join! Let me take over so I can show these two how it's done!'

Lucy furrowed her brows in annoyance before she returned her facial expression back to normal. She responded to the voice with her own internal voice, 'you know that we can't step out of character!' She pulled her jacket around her, pretending to be cold. She hated wearing such revealing clothing, but it was important to remain in character and not allow anyone to suspect that something was off. 

The voice whined, "come on! It's been forever since I've taken over!" 

Lucy bit back a scowl. She had no idea how long she'd have to go on with her original personality split in two, but she couldn't wait for her and the other personality to be reunited. She scowled back internally, 'you took over the last three days for a job! It's my turn, Luce!"

The second voice sighed before going quiet again, however, Lucy expected her to speak up again. She looked over at her other boyfriend, Freed, who was waiting by the guildhall doors, ready to help her take Bixlow home. The pair smiled at each other before Lucy heard a thud next to her and looked over at Bixlow, seeing that he had face-planted onto the table. 

Cana cheered about her victory and began challenging other mages. Lucy threw Bixlow's arm around her shoulders and pulled him to his feet while Freed did the same thing on the seith mage's other side. The pair dragged him out of the guild and to the house that the trio shared, Bixlow's babies following behind them. 

Bixlow stumbled along, trying to help his friend and girlfriend, but not doing a job due to his inebriated state. Lucy chuckled good-naturedly at her boyfriend. She was just glad that there wasn't a brawl. She hated those with a passion. 

She peered past Bixlow to look at her other boyfriend when she heard the green-haired man speak, "how is Luce doing? I'm sure that she was dying to join."

Lucy nodded, responding, "yeah. She was begging to take over and attempt to beat Cana. It's frustrating, having a whole personality split in two, but we're managing to get along." 

Freed chuckled before he said, "I'm sure that Wendy will find a cure soon." Lucy hummed in acknowledgment of his words, though she didn't verbally respond. 

Bixlow then decided to speak, "I think that you having two personalities is cool!" He slurred the last word as his babies echoed the same word. 

Lucy rolled her eyes, responding, "well, Luce and I don't like being separate. We can't get along otherwise." She then muttered under her breath, "stupid dark mage that had stupid Lost Magic."

Bixlow, probably having heard her, laughed and exclaimed, "the original Cosplayer can't be beat, though." His babies repeated the word 'Cosplayer' as Lucy smiled before she gave him a kiss on the cheek. 

Freed remarked, "I'm surprised that Bix is so well-spoken despite being drunk." 

Bixlow then exclaimed at his friend, "I'm not that drunk!" He placed emphasis on the word 'that' as his babies echoed the last word he said. 

Lucy laughed. She enjoyed seeing her boyfriends banter, just as the two men liked to banter with each other. She then heard Luce speak up, 'tell Freed that I want to go on a date tomorrow!'

Lucy internally answered, 'why do you prefer Freed over Bixlow?'

Luce replied, 'why do you prefer Bixlow over Freed?'

Lucy rolled her eyes, not bothering to answer. She had to admit, she did lean more toward Bixlow than she did toward Freed, just as Luce leaned more toward Freed than she did toward Bixlow. Neither personality knew why this was the case, however, both of their boyfriends assured them they didn't mind that. It made sense to the two men that each personality would prefer one boyfriend over the other because Lucy and Luce were two halves on one whole personality, split by a dark mage during a job a few months ago. 

Lucy directed her attention to her green-haired boyfriend, telling him, "hey, Freed, Luce wants to go on a date tomorrow. Expect to be woken up by her." 

Freed chuckled before he responded, "I do not doubt that Luce will refuse to plan a date and will just drag me around Magnolia." 

Bixlow laughed once again, bellowing drunkenly, "I feel a bit sorry for you, Freedy! Luce is like Natsu and Cana put together!" His babies repeated the words 'Freedy' and 'together.'

Freed scoffed, "I'm sure I can handle her. I've managed before." 

Lucy listened to the two men bicker lightly with a smile on her face. She hoped that it would be soon that Wendy would find a cure for the curse that had been placed on the original Lucy. 

Luce ran through a market, pulling Freed along behind her. She wasn't searching for anything in particular, just running around and dragging her boyfriend along. She came to a stop in the middle of the rather crowded market, looking around. Her boyfriend tightened his grip on her hand and asked, "is there anything in particular you would like to do, Cherie?"

Luce shook her head, exclaiming her answer, "nope! Come on!"She then continued to weave quickly through the crowd, Freed shouting apologies to anybody that they accidentally bumped into. 

The voice of Lucy scolded her, 'Luce! You should slow down and stop being a hooligan!' 

Luce simply brushed the voice's admonishment away by internally responding, 'I'm taking over right now! I can do what I want! Just be glad we aren't at guild!'

They came to a stop once again and Luce pointed at a stall that was selling alcohol. She turned to her boyfriend and said rather loudly, "let's get some! It's been too long since I've drank alcohol!" She didn't wait for a response before she ran to the alcohol seller. She heard Freed chuckle as he followed her. 

The blonde woman requested several bottles of alcohol and, upon receiving the crate that the bottles were placed in, reached into her back pocket to pay, however, she was gently pushed to the side by her gree-haired boyfriend. The man quickly paid and picked up the crate, walking away as his girlfriend followed. 

Luce exclaimed, "I could pay, you know! I can also carry that thing!"

Freed nodded, responding calmly, "I do not doubt either of those. What's the harm in me being a gentleman? If you're going to take the lead on our date, then you could at least allow me to contribute." 

Luce crossed her arms over her chest as she pouted slightly. Freed chuckled again before he asked, "would you like to continue to walk through the market? Or would you like to go somewhere else?"

Luce hummed as she walked next to her boyfriend, looking around and thinking about what she wanted to do. A cold breeze blew by, but she wasn't bothered by it. She then heard Freed ask, "it seems that the temperature is beginning to drop. Are you cold? Would you like my coat?"

Luce looked back at her boyfriend. She shook her head with a wide smile, exclaiming, "I'm perfectly fine!" 

She watched as Freed looked her up and down, skeptically. Although, he accepted her answer and looked back ahead, shifting the crate of alcohol in his arms to make it easier to carry. Luce, unlike the other personality, was perfectly comfortable with showing off her body. She enjoyed it, in fact. 

As if on cue, Lucy's voice echoed in her head, 'you should cover up! The clothing you chose for today is far too revealing! You're practically wearing a bathing suit!'

Luce internally replied, annoyed, "It's my body! I can decide how it's clothed!" 

Lucy corrected, 'it's our body!'

Luce scoffed, 'yeah, for now. Once Wendy figures out a cure, then we'll be put back together. I don't see the problem in dressing however I want until then.' Lucy simply huffed and didn't respond. 

Luce turned to Freed, intending to tell him that she wanted to take a job with him and Bixlow, however, she was stopped by her other boyfriend's voice calling out to her, "Cosplayer! Hey! Cosplayer!" 

Luce and Freed stopped walking, turning their attention to the seith mage that was running their way. He came to a stop in front of them, breathing heavily and obviously exhausted from running to them all the way from the guild.

Freed asked, "what's wrong Bix?"

Bixlow answered after he managed to catch his breath, "Wendy might have found a cure to the curse!" 

Luce rushed past her boyfriend, running to the guild. She glanced behind her, seeing that Freed had abandoned the crate of bottled alcohol and had joined Bixlow in running after behind, following her to the guild. She turned back, increasing her speed as Lucy yelled at her to get to Fairy Tail immediately. 

Lucy had decided to take over due to Luce being unable to remain calm enough to listen to Wendy. She sat on the edge of a bed in the infirmary, Freed and Bixlow on either side of her and Wendy standing in front of her. 

She asked, "so, what have you found, Wendy?" 

The young dragon slayer explained, "I've found a recipe for a potion that can reverse the effects of the curse that's been cast on the original Lucy. The ingredients will need to be gathered, so it'll still take some time until you and Luce can be reunified."

Lucy cheered, "that's fantastic!" 

Freed said with a smile, "I'll be happy to get the original Lucy back!" After he received a light jab to the side by Lucy, he added, "that's not to say that you and Luce aren't enjoyable to be with."

Bixlow exclaimed, "as long as we get to still keep Cosplayer!" His tongue then rolled out of his mouth and his babies echoed the word 'Cosplayer.'

Wendy added once the older mages finished talking, "I should tell you, though, that the process of reunification is painful, and you'll end up being incredibly sick for a full week."

Lucy grimaced at that, not fond of the idea. However, she then plastered a smile on her face and responded, "that doesn't sound fun, but I guess Luce and I will have to deal with it. We just want to be reunified."

Wendy nodded. She then commented after chuckling a bit nervously, "I'm surprised that a dark mage was able to split the original Lucy's personality in two. I wasn't very confident in myself at first." 

Lucy was about to respond when Natsu's voice spoke from the door, shock evident in his voice, "what?"

The group of four snapped their heads toward the door, seeing, to their horror, that Natsu, Gray, Erza, Evergreen, and Laxus were standing in front of the open doorway. Their eyes widened with shock and confusion. 

Lucy groaned, knowing that what she and her boyfriends had been trying to avoid, had just occurred...their teams found out about what had happened on the first job the rune mage and seith mage took with their girlfriend. 

[faean]

Team Natsu x G. Fluid Reader Headcanons

Rating: G; Just some nice stuff for a rough couple of years

Word Length: 560 words

Title: An Eternal Adventure

Author’s Note: That’s right!!! I. Am! Back!!! Glad to be back, too. Now then, time to get down to business-- I cried writing this. Fairy Tail means *a lot* to me so do expect a ton more works for the fandom. Enjoy!

          -----

Backstory:

·         Being a mage of Fairy Tail was your one and only dream

·         And it soon became a reality after a family trip to Magnolia

·         You were just a teen at the time

·         But by the gods did you train like hell

·         It took some talking with the Master of the Guild—Makarov

·         Not to mention your parents

·         They were super proud!

·         But it’s always difficult to say goodbye

·         Especially after everything they had done

·         You got set up in the dorms at Fairy Hill

·         And quickly got to work as an official Fairy Tail mage!

Time Skip:

·         To think it’s been 7 years since you first joined the guild

·         There have been many ups and downs

·         The birth of Happy

·         The loss of Lisanna

·         Lucy joining

·         And…

·         Well, you.

·         After some self-exploration

·         Aided by your friends in the guild

·         You discovered being one gender didn’t quite fit

·         Like wearing a tailored shirt

·         Sometimes it fit just right

·         Other times it felt loose

·         Or even tight

·         And sometimes, it just felt plain wrong

·         So, you experimented

·         Dresses

·         Suits

·         Cloaks

·         Hell, even a maid outfit

·         Though, that was mostly to win a bet for Cana

·         With Mirajane’s help, you finally had a wardrobe for whatever you felt like presenting

·         Masculine, feminine, neither, both, and everything in between

·         She even taught you some of the basics of transformation magic

·         For those times you were leaning very strongly

·         But the best part was how no one in the guild really questioned it

·         You finally felt like yourself again

·         And just in time, too

·         Because when Erza returned from a mission

·         And began picking members for what be known as Fairy Tail’s strongest team

·         You were amongst them

·         Team Natsu was formed and everything else was history

Present:

·         To say life was boring would be a lie

·         A colossal one

·         Especially as a member of Team Natsu

·         Galuna Island

·         Phantom Lord

·         The Tower of Heaven

·         The list goes on!

·         (And it is a very long list)

·         But truth be told, you would never give it up

·         Arm wrestling with Natsu and Gray and Erza

·         Dressing up with Lucy and Wendy

·         Pulling pranks with Happy

·         Relaxing with Carla

·         Once again, the list goes on!

·         And, of course, having not one

·         Not two

·         But three!

·         Three homes to return to

·         Your parents were a little uncertain when you first told them you were gender fluid

·         But after some talking and awkward jokes

·         They told you they loved you, no matter how you leaned/felt each day

·         Then there was the guild

·         And everyone in it who helped you on your journey

·         Especially Mira and Cana and, curiously, Guildarts

·         And you were welcome to both dorms at Fairy Hills

·         Lastly, Team Natsu

·         Your found family, as cheesy as that is

·         Sure, you would but heads with the guys

·         Were intimidated by Erza (still!)

·         Enabled and participated in Lucy’s “Sexy Scheming”

·         And were maybe a little overprotective of Wendy

·         And Happy (but don’t tell him that!)

·         Carla was like a little sister

·         A furry, interdimensional sister

·         The love you held for them

·         And the love they held for you

·         Was as mysterious as it was never-ending

·         After all, you’re all mages of Fairy Tail

·         And…

“Whether fairies have tails or not, or whether they even exist, nobody knows for sure. So, it’s like an eternal mystery, an eternal adventure.”

-----

P.S.- I do still plan on transferring a lot of my works to AO3 and NewTumbl, so look out for links, soon.

[jemmahazelnut]

Motorcycle flight - Chapter one

Summary: Laxus is a biker, and as soon as he discovers that in the city there's a motorcycle track for enthusiasts where races are organized every month, he decides to go. As soon as he arrives, he will fall in love with that wonderful place, and will meet the handsome green-haired owner. [Freed/Laxus]

Link: AO3

This is my first mini-long of five chapters, I hope someone likes it. If you like let me know what you think with a comment. Enjoy the reading :)

P.S. English is not my first language, so certainly there are many mistakes that I don't even realize. So, I accept constructive criticism on how I can improve.

Chapter one, The motorcycle track

“Go Gajeel, go!” Lucy yelled from the stands of the Raijinshuu track. Cana next to her was drinking a beer and had her gaze was fixed on the competition, but at the name that her friend spoke she looked up confused.

“I thought you bet on Natsu,” she commented.

“No, last time I lost 20,000 jewels because of him. Gajeel will win, I'm sure,” the blonde said with her hands clasped on the railing and her eyes fixed on the competition. Cana didn’t object and turned to the track again, noting how there was a nice stalemate. Damn, that big blonde she had met a few nights before had told her he was going to win, she hoped she wasn't wrong to bet on him.

“Who did you bet on?” asked Mirajane next to her, who wasn't competing because her bike was currently at the mechanic.

“You'll see it,” said the brunette, narrowing her eyes and watching the blue bike pass Gajeel's. It was the last lap, in a few seconds the race would be over. She felt the tension in her arms as she hoped she hadn't lost her money. The bike made the last corner, a moment later straightened up and crossed the line. Cana jumped to her feet in exultation, while Lucy beside her took her head in her hands.

“Yeah! Fuck yeah! Yeahhhh!” Cana exulted, almost breaking the eardrums of the two girls next to her. Mirajane leaned over the railing to see who had won, sure she had never seen that bike there before. And actually, as soon as the other bikes reached the finish line and the race was finally over, the winner took off his helmet revealing a blond-haired man.

“Who is he?” she asked.

“My savior!” Cana shouted enthusiastically “I’ve won 100,000 jewels!” she screamed still excited as never before, she frantically printed a kiss on Mira's lips and then ran down the steps with the bottle of beer still in her hand that spilled everything everywhere. Mirajane watched dazedly as the girl entered the track and ran towards the blonde. “That was great!” she screamed loudly.

Laxus as soon as he heard that voice turned to the girl, still excited for his victory with a grin on his face. He saw Cana running towards him as she passed the other motorcyclists.

“You won!”.

“She’s more excited than me” Laxus thought and the grin widened. Oh yes, he was really satisfied. It was the first time he had competed on that fantastic track, and he had already made it clear to everyone who would be the next top rider for that year. It was thanks to that girl that he had discovered the place, and he really couldn’t but be happier. He didn't even know there was such a club when he moved to Magnolia, and when he went to the Raijinshuu Motorcycle Track for the first time and saw the races as a spectator, he immediately fell in love with that place.

In addition to the fantastic track, there was the nearby bar frequented only by motorcyclists or motorcycle enthusiasts. The beer was good and they made great sandwiches well filled the way he liked it. It would become his second home, he already knew it. In addition, he had also discovered that there was a mechanical workshop not far from there, and even if Laxus had already found a job and an apartment on the other side of the city, he would have been damned if he hadn’t at least taken a look. The ideal would have been to work nearby, but he had time to think about it. Meanwhile, he could enjoy his victories which, he was already sure, would be many.

“I told you to bet on me” was his arrogant reply as he ran a hand through his hair and Cana laughed.

“I'll buy you a beer, you definitely deserve it!” she exclaimed enthusiastically and then waved her arms to attract the attention of the two girls still on the bleachers. As Mirajane looked at her in perplexity, Lucy was about to cry over the money she had just lost.

“Okay,” the blond said as he set off with his bike towards the exit of the track. He certainly wouldn't have turned down a free beer. A few motorcyclists joined him, someone to compliment him, someone to find out who he was, since no one seemed to know him. And indeed, it was, Laxus had been to see the races only twice before deciding to register, so it was logical that no one remembered his face. A pink-haired boy was enthusiastic and kept asking him for life, death and miracles, too bad that Laxus didn't have time to answer because the boy kept talking and laughing like a machine.

“Next time I'll beat you!”.

“You’ve to beat me first,” retorted a biker full of piercings, and Laxus grinned but didn't answer, as a lot of people, boys and girls craned their necks to see who was that blond-haired stranger who had beaten their strongest bikers.

***

Freed kept tapping his pen nervously on the table, while he read the papers that the lawyer had just sent him. He was nervous, especially after his father had called him. Freed regretted having answered him, because hearing him had worsened his mood even more, and he really didn't believe it was possible given how he got up that morning. With bad news and a war on the way. But if his father believed that he would give up and that he would close the Raijinshuu, he was very wrong. He felt the phone vibrate and with pursed lips looked at who it was: his mother. Even more nervous he closed the call without even answering her. Maybe he should have blocked his parents directly so they wouldn't call him again.

A glass was placed in front of his eyes and Freed looked at Evergreen, who had just brought him a beer.

“You know, soon the race will be over and you’ll find yourself surrounded by a lot of people who just want to celebrate. Time to put the papers away,” she said plainly as she pushed the glass of beer towards him. Freed looked down at the reddish liquid and sighed wearily. He knew his friend was right, but he couldn't really feel comfortable.

“I have to finish seeing...”.

“Freed, everything’s in order. Your father can't do anything to get you shut down, you know that better than anyone,” she reminded him. Freed was silent for a moment and then shook his head.

“He’ll find something, he always does” he retorted irritably “And there are a lot of checks next week, tomorrow the ones on food, Thursday those on the safety of the track, then they’ll check the stands, then...”.

“Freed, look, checking those cards won't change anything anyway. And for today you should just relax,” Evergreen insisted and pushed the glass even more towards him. “Come on, now drink and close those files,” she ordered. Freed sighed but didn’t reply, knowing full well that her friend could become really stubborn. He put the papers away and then leaned back in the chair, taking the glass and trying to free himself from the thoughts that were making him nervous.

“Damn, the blondie really won!” Bickslow suddenly exclaimed from behind the counter. More than making beers, however, he was watching the race in progress on the television. Not that it was a problem, at the moment all the customers were out enjoying the race.

“Then he wasn't lying when he said he was going to win,” Evergreen commented in surprise looking up at the TV. Freed kept thinking about his father, those checks and the fact that he should call him back, sooner or later. He couldn't ignore him indefinitely, even though he’d have preferred to do so.

“Listen Freed, how about buying a bigger TV? It's unfair that we’ve to settle for a tiny screen when the people out there can enjoy the race properly,” Bickslow said, rousing him from his thoughts.

“Seems to be just fine to me,” he objected.

“I assure you it doesn't,” the bartender retorted with conviction. “In any case, people are coming. Ever, move your ass. I'm not going to do the work all by myself now that the crowd’s coming,” he said.

“But if I do everything myself” objected the girl going back behind the counter. Freed smiled slightly, thinking it would probably be useful to have another bartender. A little later people started coming in and Freed thanked that he was already seated with his beer so he didn't have to queue among all those people. Not that he should have done it anyway, since he was the boss of that place and at best, he would have taken it on his own.

A couple of guys greeted him and Freed smiled at them with a brief wave of his hand, until an angry blonde came to him. As soon as Lucy was in front of him, she slammed a hand on the table in irritation.

“You must prevent Cana from setting foot in here for the rest of the year,” she snapped. Freed raised an eyebrow, he was about to ask why but it wasn’t necessary, because the girl continued to speak. “It's not fair that she wins every bet, every time. Every most holy time. How is it possible? And why am I always losing? I was hoping to get back what I lost the last few times, but instead I find myself with 20,000 jewels less, and they all went into Cana’s hands!” she exclaimed irritably.

“Have you ever considered the idea of not placing bets anymore?” Freed asked.

“Of course not, it's a matter of principle,” Lucy objected. “And the worst part is that she keeps throwing it at me, you should throw her out. Oh, here she comes,” she moaned.

“Two great beers for the winners!” screamed the brunette as soon as she walked into the club. Freed found himself giggling as Lucy moaned over the lost money.

“I'm sorry Lucy, if it were someone else, I could consider the idea, but Cana makes me earn a lot” he said and the blonde moaned again but resigned she sat down in front of him, taking her head in her hands.

“At least offer me the beer for consolation,” she pleaded. Freed giggled again but took pity on her and stood up. Since Evergreen and Bickslow were already quite busy with all the people who had entered, he went after the counter and got by on his own.

“Lucy lost a bet?” Bickslow guessed as he placed sandwiches to warm.

“Apparently,” Freed replied filling his glass and glancing at the mass of people who had entered. “Who’s the winner?” he asked curiously.

“The blond next to Gajeel,” he replied, nodding his head to the table where the two boys were sitting. Freed followed his gaze and paused a moment longer to observe the handsome boy with broad shoulders and blond hair. He had never seen him there, and he knew all the boys who frequented that place. Well, that meant he'd have one more client, he had nothing to complain about.

As Bickslow walked away to the other side of the counter, Freed turned and took a small saucer filling it with chips. If he was going to console Lucy, he would do it right, and then he was starting to feel a bit hungry. Nobody disturbed him until he heard a low voice behind him.

“Hey, can you make me a beer?”

Freed turned surprised and noticed that it was the blond who had won the race. Now that he was closer, Freed could observe him better, and if already from a distance he had considered him handsome, now he couldn’t help but confirm his initial thoughts and also consider him fascinating. Piercing eyes of intense blue, a dark shirt that fit him perfectly and a smirk on his face. Normally Freed would have called Bickslow or Evergreen to serve him, but ultimately that guy would have been a new customer, better keep him good.

“What you want?” he asked with a slight smile. Laxus scanned the menu on the wall behind Freed and then picked one. Freed hurried to give it to him. “Winner of the day, right?” he asked and the blond smiled broadly, obviously pleased.

“I'll probably be the winner for the next few months,” he commented arrogantly and Freed found himself giggling as he put the glass down on the counter.

“Well, for today the bar offers the winner, but don't get used to it,” he told with an amused smile. The blonde laughed and thanked him, taking the glass and walking away from the counter to sit next to Gajeel. Eh, a new client was still a new client, and if in that case he was handsome, tall and with a nice ass, then Freed just had one more reason to hold him tight.

***

Laxus walked through the doors of what had become his favorite club and walked over to the counter and Bickslow. It had been a while now that he frequented that place, and as he had thought from the first time he had set foot in it, it was becoming his second home. It was normal for someone who loved motorcycles like him to be comfortable in such a place. The people who frequented it were all easygoing, the beer was good, he could ride the track and drool behind bikes that he could never afford.

Not that Laxus complained about his little gem, he loved his bike and if and when he decided to change it, his heart would cry, given how fond he was of it. But every now and then even rich people came to that place just to show off their vehicles and, well, gazing with the eyes was allowed.

He was in a particularly good mood that day. All thanks to a scratch card that he had taken to try his luck and which had made him win 700 jewels. It was little money since he would pay a dinner at most, but it was enough to put Laxus in a good mood. And since luck seemed to be running that day, he hoped to be able to ride a bike even though he knew the track was closing at that time.

“Beer?” Bickslow asked.

“Nah, I want to go for a ride on the track first,” Laxus said. Bickslow glanced at the clock.

“I'm sorry, I just can't leave you at this time,” he replied. Laxus snorted lightly. Well, he tried.

“Don't worry, get me a beer then”.

Bickslow gave it to him and Laxus sat down at the counter. Of all the guys who were there, he got along particularly well with that strange blue-haired bartender, despite the fact that he was a talkative type. Right from the start he had introduced him to the top bikers, and he had gossip about everyone. One of his favorites was Evergreen, the other bartender in the place. Apparently, the girl had some kind of friendly relationship with benefits with one of the bikers. Speaking of which, the aforementioned biker was right there chatting with the brunette while he ate a sandwich. Bickslow grinned amused, glancing at his friend, who in response glared at him.

“When can I sign up for the next race?” Laxus asked as he looked around the bar, but at that time there was hardly anyone. Lucy and Natsu were sitting dining at a small table in the corner, but luckily the pink-haired boy hadn't noticed him. He had this crazy mania to challenge anyone and after a while Laxus was annoyed at hearing his voice.

“Next week registration will be open” replied Bickslow “Are you sure you don't want to eat something?” he then asked. Laxus at that point decided to eat a nice sandwich there and also ordered some French fries. He spent an hour there having dinner and chatting with Bickslow. Since there were not too many customers, the bartender could keep him company. Once he finished Laxus paid and greeted him, nodded to Evergreen who was still arguing with her friend, and left the club.

He walked towards his bike but as he passed in front of the track something caught his attention. A boy was entering, and Laxus had already seen him. He was that long green-haired bartender who had offered him beer on his victory day. Looking at the vehicle he was taking into the track, Laxus noticed that he had a beautiful motorcycle, a lady motorcycle. Damn, he must have been rich. That was a bike that Laxus would jump through hoops, one of the latest releases. He didn't know if the reason he stopped was the handsome bartender, the beautiful bike or the fact that the boy was entering the track when clearly Bickslow had told him it was closed at that time, but Laxus did.

“Hey, is it an employee benefit to enter the track even at these times?” he asked. The boy turned to him clearly surprised and for a moment looked at him in silence blinking confused.

“Excuses me?” he asked. Laxus smiled slightly and took a couple of steps closer.

“Bickslow told me the track is closed at this time. I'd like to take a ride too,” he explained. The boy smiled slightly, finally understanding what he meant.

“Well, Bickslow actually told you right. The track is closed at this time, no one can enter” he said in a calm voice.

“Well, apparently you do,” he replied.

“It would be weird if I couldn't, since I'm the owner,” the boy chuckled and it was Laxus' time to be stunned. He must have had an eloquent expression on his face because the motorcyclist laughed slightly. “Freed, nice to meet you,” he said extending his hand. Laxus held his still a little stunned.

“Laxus,” he just said. He had thought he was just a bartender, on the other hand it was he who served him without batting an eye the first time he had been there. “Are you… really the owner of this place?” he asked still surprised. He was young for having opened such a place, probably a few years younger than him. How the hell had he done it?

“Yeah,” Freed replied simply. “Actually, I thought Bickslow with that wide mouth told you,” he added. Laxus recovered and laughed lightly.

“He told me life, death and miracles of everyone but he didn't say anything about... no, he actually said something, but I didn't know you were Freed,” he recalled at that point, frowning.

“I hope he didn't badmouth about me,” Freed joked.

“Nah,” Laxus replied with a smile. “He just complained that he wants a bigger television,” he said with a shrug. Freed rolled his eyes.

“I had to figure it out,” he commented. Laxus stopped for a moment to look at him, from the first time he had seen him he had found him attractive but he hadn't given it too much weight. There were many attractive men, yet now that he knew he was the boss of that place he felt a little in awe. Which didn't happen often. But knowing that such a young boy had opened such a place was strange, and he honestly didn't know what to think of that boy.

“So, you wanted to ride a motorcycle, right? How about a challenge?” Freed asked suddenly. Laxus frowned.

“Do you want to challenge now?” he asked fearing he hadn't understood correctly. He understood that at that time no one could enter the track. Well, Freed on the other hand was the boss, he could probably do what he wanted there.

“Of course, after how sure you were to win all the races, I really want to see if it was luck or skill” Freed instigated him with a smirk. Laxus partly out of pride, partly because he really wanted to ride the motorcycle, he found his grin again.

“Okay,” he said. Freed smiled in response and entered the track, while Laxus went to get his bike and then join him. Eh, luck that day turned just in favor of him.

***

Laxus stopped with the bike still enthusiastic about the ride he had done. Damn, it had been liberating and even challenging. Even if he had lost. He didn't expect it, but at least he could justify himself by saying it was only thanks to Freed's bike. And so he did when the boy brought up the victory.

“I would have been surprised, given the bike you ride,” he then commented. Freed raised an eyebrow with a pleased and amused grin on his face.

“Are you trying to find justifications for not admitting that you were beaten fairly?” he asked.

“At all. But your bike’s more powerful than mine, there's little to do,” Laxus said with a shrug. Freed shook his head in resignation.

“I should really race with another bike so as to prove otherwise,” he commented in a low voice, more to himself than to Laxus. The blond gave him a curious look, they hadn't talked much, only competed, and he was starting to be really curious to know more about him. Like he had the idea of opening such a place, a real paradise for Laxus. “Would you like to get a beer? Since you lost you owe me one,” Freed said. Laxus looked at him at the same time surprised but also a little amused.

“Really?” he asked him in a half laugh “Are you the boss of this place and Ishould buy you a beer?” he asked. Freed smiled.

“Well, considering that the last time I offered it to you, I'd say it's not that strange. But if you want, we can do another race and I’ll use a bike with the exact same power as yours, and if I win, you’ll offer me the whole dinner” he said.

“Only if you promise to give me a bike when I win,” Laxus said with a grin. Freed raised his eyebrows but smiled.

“Gone,” he replied and Laxus chuckled, following the boy to the bar. The two entered and went to the counter. Bickslow looked at them in surprise.

“Laxus, still here?” he asked.

“Yes, in the end I did the lap around the track as I wanted. He let me,” he said pointing to Freed.

“Don't tell me you made a challenge,” Bickslow commented as if he were expecting it, as if it were normal. Laxus would have lied to say that he was not left in a bit of bad. That meant that Freed often did it with other clients.

“Yes, and I won. Not that I'm surprised,” Freed said as he sat down in the chair. Bickslow rolled his eyes.

“Sooner or later someone will beat you and I'll make you remember it forever,” the bartender said. Freed smiled.

“The person who will beat me on my track has not yet been born,” he retorted arrogantly. Laxus would have smiled at his conceit, but something caught his attention.

“Wait, you’ve never been beaten by anyone?” he asked surprised.

“No,” Freed smiled smugly. “Since I opened this place, I’m the absolute champion, which means that I haven't lost a single race in four years,” he said.

“Yes, and you’re also unbearable,” Evergreen interjected annoyed.

“I agree,” Bickslow said. “And when somebody beats you, I'll throw a huge party and I'll put up posters with a giant picture of your pissed face and place it for all the bleachers.” Freed smiled.

“I doubt that will ever happen, but if you do, I'll make sure I fire you first,” he said. Laxus didn't know if he was joking or not, but Bickslow didn't seem in the least affected by the threat.

“I hoped you beat him,” the bartender told Laxus.

“Well, we still have to have a fair competition,” the blond pointed out. Freed nodded.

“Right. I just want to see how you justify yourself when I beat you,” he said.

“It won't be necessary, because you won't win.”

“We all cheer for you, Laxus,” Bickslow said and Evergreen nodded vigorously.

“If you win, we will offer you beer for a whole week,” said the serious girl.

“What great friends,” Freed said sarcastically. “So, can we have two beers or do we have to stay here and talk with nothing to drink?” he asked. Bickslow turned and prepared both glasses while Freed asked Ever for a toast to eat. In a short time Laxus found himself again with a glass under his nose and in the company of three boys who dragged him into a pleasant and fun conversation.

[fictumlibrary]

i hope that the midori x romeo wedding is either Extremely fancy or with like 5 people in attendance theres no in between JSSKKSKS 👁👄👁

send me a ship of mine and i’ll talk about their wedding

OKAY BUT. what about both kinda ok hear me out. this got even longer than the other ones so i'm putting most of it under a read more

romeo gets to a point where he really wants to ask midori to marry him and midori is thinking about marrying him as well but doesn't know if she should ask or not.

this all comes to a head when, under some wild magic-driven circumstances, they have to magically bind their souls together in order to get out of a situation. midori has no real problem with it but romeo is hesitant. they do it in the end because there's no other way, but it sort of makes things a bit tense.

midori asks if it's so bad for their souls to be intertwined, considering they're already dating and love each other. romeo tries to come up with an excuse but gives up pretty quickly and tells her that he's worried about "when you find someone better"

she is, understandably, very confused. "boi wtf" and all that. he says that since she's a princess she should probably end up with a prince or nobility or someone worthy of her. she gets mad about this of course and i won't describe the whole argument here because i'd be here for ages but in the end it comes down to midori asking if he'll just never want to marry her and he says "of course i want to marry you" and she goes "prove it."

he asks what she means and she says, "marry me. if you want to marry me, then do it."

i need to actually write this i'm going iNSANE

ANYWAY, they're already magically married but now they getting married for real for real and they tell team asteromeo first and while they're all excited they are very confused on how this happened. romeo and midori are sheepishly all "well we're already sort of married" and have to explain what happened (without mentioning the argument)

and then they go back to the guild and have to tell everyone else and romeo tells macao first and macao is ECSTATIC okay even though he lost the bet with wakaba and cana over when it was going to happen that doesn't matter because his boy is getting married

midori tells hisui the moment she's home and hisui is overjoyed and helps her tell their father, who pretends to be protective for like three seconds before giving her a big hug

then the rest of the guild finds out and all hell breaks loose. fairy tail don't do anything by halves okay this is going to be a MASSIVE celebration everyone is getting involved. lucy asks cancer to do everyone's hair, mirajane and kinana start planning the menu immediately, droy is already talking about the best flowers to choose.

and of course you have toma e. fiore who can't keep his excitement to himself and soon everyone in the palace is getting ready to come down for the wedding this is going to be a massive event folks

team asteromeo are the main members of the wedding party though midori and romeo play rock paper scissors to decide who gets asteria. midori ends up winning but asteria promises she'll be helping both of them out. hisui is also part of the wedding party because of course she is and romeo grabs wendy to be in his because i really love the idea of romeo and wendy as a brotp ok

the ceremony is at kardia cathedral and the reception is at the guild hall because where else would it be

the cathedral is PACKED and toma walks midori down the aisle as petals and shimmering dust fall from the sky (thanks droy and evergreen) and she's wearing this because it's what she deserves

the ceremony is absolutely beautiful except for when toma and macao are hugging each other and sobbing their eyes out

the reception is where things get fun because everyone knows all bets are off. the ceremony was classy now everyone gets to go batshit, though they make sure to calm everything down for the speeches. asteria's speech is the favourite because half of it is just her complaining about how stupid midori and romeo were before getting together and then the rest is her tearing up about her best friend getting married

then right after speeches are over a brawl breaks out and natsu, gray, gajeel, and elfman all go tumbling into the cake which was strawberry flavoured and erza is PISSED

so a typical day at fairy tail, really

midori and romeo are so happy though like it's all worth it

[superfreakerz]

Book Club

Hello! Been a while. Here is my story for the Fairy Tail Reverse bang held by @ftguildevents :) I am out of practice, as you could probably tell from this story, but it was fun trying to get back into writing. My partner was the amazing @crackheadart42 :) Pls go check out the awesome art that inspired this story! :D

https://crackheadart42.tumblr.com/post/628962021230166016/hey-guys-this-was-one-of-my-two-entries-for-the

Book Club

"Sorry, I can't go on a job with you guys today. I've got book club with Levy-chan and Freed," Lucy said as she tied her hair into her typical side pony.

Natsu crossed his arms with a huff. "Book club? Since when were you guys in some sort of club?"

"I told you about it last week! We can go on a job tomorrow!"

"But Luuucy!" Happy whined. "We found the perfect job for you! If we don't go today, we'll have to let someone else take it and it'll be gone by tomorrow!"

"Then so be it," Lucy said with a shrug. "Listen, I've gotta go meet them at the coffee shop now. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Or later tonight if you want to come over. Bye!"

Natsu pouted, watching as the blonde skipped out the door, an eager grin plastered on her face.

"What's she so excited for?" he wondered. "It's just book club, right? What can be so fun about that?"

"What do you wanna do now, Natsu?" Happy's voice rang out.

"Hmm… Wanna go to the guild?"

"Sure! Today will be the day I win Charle's heart!"

Natsu grinned. "Good luck, buddy!"

Arriving at the guild, a gloomy aura immediately suffocated him. Expecting it to be a recently rejected Juvia, per usual, he searched the room for the water mage in suspect only to find her latched onto Gray's arm, happy grin glued to her face. Sitting across from the pair, however, were Gajeel and Lily, the former resting his head on the table. The negative energy that surrounded the dragon slayer was practically tangible.

"What's wrong with you, Metal Mouth?" Natsu asked, plopping beside the other dragon slayer while Happy flew off to flirt with Charle.

"None of your business, Salamander," Gajeel replied, his voice gruff as usual.

"Oh, right. Levy is at book club."

Gajeel lifted his head to glare at him. "Whatever."

"Yeah, Lucy's there too, even though we found the perfect job for her. I don't see what's so special about some stupid book club!"

Gray studied Natsu. It was clear the boy was aggravated without Lucy around, if his scrunched up face and crossed arms were anything to go by. Just like that, an opportunity was found.

"Maybe it's not so much about the books, but more about the company," Gray said, all the while trying to hold back laughter.

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked.

"What if she just wants to hang out with Freed?"

"Freed? Those two rarely talk."

"Yeah, but you can't deny that they seem to work well together. Hell, he's a lot like the Prince Charming she used to always talk about when she first joined the guild. He's smart, reads a lot, he's more refined. Who knows, maybe she's into him. Maybe they're on a date." Hook, line, and sinker.

Natsu's eyes widened. "N-No way! Levy's there too!"

Cana, having heard their conversation and wanting to join in on the fun, chimed in, "Well duh. Lucy's too inexperienced. She's probably too nervous about being out on her first date, so she brought Levy along to make it less awkward."

Natsu stood up, slamming his hands on the table. Heat radiated off of him as he tried to control his temper.

"I'm going home," he said, eyebrows scrunched in annoyance. With hands shoved in his pockets, he was out the door without another word.

Gajeel scoffed. "How pathetic."

Gray and Cana immediately set their eyes on their new target.

"You know," Cana began, "I think Levy and Freed would make a really cute couple too though. Blue and green compliment each other."

"I think you're right," Gray replied. "Who's to say that Levy and Freed won't hit it off instead?"

And in the blink of an eye, Gajeel was out the door. With that, the entire guild bursted into laughter.

"Gray-sama, that was too mean!" Juvia said between laughs.

"I just can't help myself! They make it too easy!" the ice mage replied.

"I see this going one of two ways," Cana chimed in. "Either they're going to go batshit crazy on their book club, or they're going to sit around all day listening to sad love songs. Either way, I'd say that was a success!"

While the guild all laughed about Natsu and Gajeel's jealousy, they failed to see another dragon slayer sneak out the door.

"Oi, Salamander," Gajeel's voice rang out.

Natsu didn't bother glancing over his shoulder. "What do you want?"

"Where do you think you're going?"

"None of your business."

"You spying on Bunny Girl?"

Natsu blushed, his brows slanting in annoyance. "No! I'm just going on a walk!"

"Oh really?" Gajeel replied with a skeptical grin. "Because you're going the same way that Lucy's scent leads."

"Oh yeah? Then where are you going? Because Levy's scent leads this way too."

"D-Does it? I was just getting some coffee."

"You don't drink coffee."

"I'm trying something new!"

"Psh, yeah. Sure you are."

With that said, the two brooding dragon slayers walked in silence the rest of the way to the coffee shop, where the girls they pined over every day just so happened to be at.

Reaching the coffee shop, Natsu reached for the door handle when Gajeel grabbed him by the wrist.

"Idiot! They're gonna be pissed if we go in there and ruin their book club!" he barked.

Natsu furrowed his brows. "I wasn't gonna do anything!"

"Bullshit! If I let you in there now, this place will probably be burned to the ground!"

"Just let go already!"

"No way!"

"Will you two just shut up already?" a new voice rang out.

Natsu and Gajeel jumped before turning around to find Laxus peering at them with his usual expressionless face.

"Laxus? What are you doing here?" Natsu asked.

The blonde's eyes darted up to the sky before replying, "Just making sure you two numbskulls don't make a mess that Gramps has to pay for later. So, you guys are spying on Levy and Lucy, right?"

The two boys blushed and shouted in unison, "No way!"

"Yeah, whatever. There's a window over there. If you really wanna go spy on them, use that instead of going inside."

Natsu and Gajeel shared a quick glance before rushing towards the window. The two slowly peeked their heads high enough to see Lucy, Levy, and Freed sharing a table. Levy was skimming through her book while Lucy and Freed chatted with huge smiles on their faces.

Gajeel heaved a sigh of relief. "Okay, good. Levy's not interested in him at all, she only cares about the book."

Natsu huffed, watching as Lucy's smile grew while she wiped tears from her eyes, which were produced by laughing too hard. His stomach churned. He thought only he was able to make her laugh like that.

As he watched the two talk, his bad feeling only got worse. Gray's words from before haunted him. He was right, they did seem to hit it off. Freed liked everything Lucy did; reading, writing, just about everything that Natsu wasn't interested in. Maybe they were a better pair.

He thought back to the moments he shared with Lucy. All of the times she had scolded him for breaking into her apartment but never kicked him out, all the times they had hugged, and all the times that they were each other's point of comfort. He shook his head. There was no way that Freed could be better for Lucy than he was.

Meanwhile, Laxus stood behind the other two dragon slayers, watching Freed talk to Lucy. Even though he knew he was being irrational, he couldn't help feeling uneasy. Even though Freed made his feelings for him apparent, he never made any real attempts to reciprocate those feelings. What if Freed had gotten tired of waiting? What if Lucy, the girl who so clearly shared so many of his interests, was the new person he was pining for?

"This is stupid," Laxus muttered under his breath.

"You're telling me," Natsu replied.

"Sucks for you, my girlfriend is really just interested in the book, so ha!"

"You sure about that?"

"What do you- Wait, no! Don't talk to him, Levy! Pick up the book! Go back to being a bookworm!"

As the three watched from outside, the air around them became thicker and thicker. Just about anything could've sent them over the edge. And finally, it happened.

It was an innocent gesture, really. Freed had said something funny, to which both girls laughed at. After, he placed his hands on their shoulders. And just like that, the door had been blown open while three sour dragon slayers marched over to them.

Lucy was the first to turn around after hearing the door slam open.

"Natsu? What are you doing here?" she asked, glancing around to notice the whole coffee shop staring at them.

The boy stopped in front of her, glaring at the hand that for some reason was still propped upon her shoulder. Meanwhile, Gajeel took a more direct approach by simply picking Levy up and throwing her over his shoulder.

"Later!" he said, all the while carrying her out.

Lucy deadpanned. "What the hell is going on?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Natsu muttered. It was taking every bit of patience in him not to burn Freed's hand to a crisp.

Luckily, Freed had caught on to Natsu's foul mood. However, instead of removing his hand, he smiled at the angry dragon slayer as if taunting him.

"Hello, Natsu. What are you doing here?" he asked. He then turned to face Laxus, a bright blush overcoming his face. "Laxus! You're here to see me!"

The blonde blushed and looked away. "No I'm not. I'm just here to make sure this one doesn't do anything stupid."

Natsu crossed his arms. "Freed, you've got three seconds."

Freed sighed before finally removing his hand from Lucy's shoulder.

Lucy glanced between the two of them, totally oblivious as to what was going on. One minute she was having a good time in book club, the next Levy was being taken away while Natsu was threatening Freed.

"Can't I just have one normal day without your crazy antics?" she said, slapping a hand to her forehead. Grabbing her book, she stood up. "Let's go. Levy-chan is gone now anyways. Sorry, Freed. We'll do this again some other time."

Freed nodded. "Alright. I'll see you next time."

With that, Lucy grabbed Natsu by the ear and dragged him out of the shop, leaving Freed and Laxus.

Laxus heaved a sigh of relief before sitting across from his partner.

"I'm so happy!" the other boy's voice rang out.

"Huh? For what?"

"You came because you were jealous! If that isn't the most romantic thing-"

"Oi, who said I was jealous?"

"Oh, Laxus. It's written all over your face!"

Laxus scoffed, covering his mouth with his hand before a smile broke out over his face.

"Yeah, yeah. So, do you want to tell me about your book since we messed up your club?"

Freed's grin grew even wider, which Laxus thought was impossible.

"Okay!"

"Put me down, Gajeel!" Levy shouted, banging on his back.

Townspeople ignored them, having been used to Fairy Tail's crazy antics. It wasn't the first time they had seen Gajeel carrying Levy over his back through town, and it wouldn't be their last either.

"Not until we're back at your place," the scruffy boy replied.

Having had enough, she yanked on his hair, causing him to yelp before finally letting her go.

"The hell do you think you're doing?" Gajeel barked, rubbing his head.

"That's my line, idiot!" Levy replied. "What are you getting so jealous about? It's just book club!"

"J-Jealous? I'm not jealous!"

"You think I don't know you enough by now to know when you're jealous? Seriously, Gajeel! Sometimes you can be so annoying!"

With slanted brows, he rubbed the back of his head while turning away from her. She went on and on about how immature he was, each word a slap in the face, making him realize how dumb he was being.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Say it again," Levy demanded, crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry."

"Look at me while you say it!"

"Jeez, I'm sorry, okay! Need me to get on my hands and knees?"

Levy let out a giggle. "No, that won't be necessary this time. But I'm warning you, next time you interrupt book club, I won't be so forgiving. I was really looking forward to gushing about the characters of the book we just read!"

"Yeah, I know. It's not my fault, though. Gray and Cana were talking about how you and Freed would make a cute couple and I guess I just lost it."

Levy smiled, holding her hand out to the boy. Lacing her fingers with his, they began their walk back to her apartment. Her smile widened as she rested her hand over her belly.

"Well, you don't have to worry about anything like that ever again, okay?" she said, her cheeks burning red.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gajeel asked, tilting his head.

"Oh nothing." Before he could question her any further, she continued, "I wonder how Natsu and Lu-chan are right now."

"Uhh, Lucy? How long are you gonna be dragging me by the ear?" Natsu asked, eyes squinted in pain.

"Until you realize how much of an idiot you're being," the blonde answered with a huff. "I mean seriously, Natsu. Was the job that important that you had to barge in on book club?"

The boy scrunched his face in annoyance. "Not really."

"Then what was it? Because I can't have you keep pushing my boundaries!"

Lucy was about to go off on a rant when a warm hand gripped her wrist, pulling her hand away from Natsu's ear. He quickly spun her around. His face was serious, much different than his usual carefree grin. Something was bothering him.

"Do you really not know?" he asked, voice low. He kept his hand latched to her wrist.

Lucy tried to ignore the warmth that spread from the simple contact. "Know what?"

"C'mon, Luce. You're one of the smartest people I know. You're telling me you can't figure out what this is about?"

She looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do," Natsu said, his features growing soft. His hold on her wrist was gentle as he pulled her closer to him. "I don't wanna keep beatin' around the bush with you."

"N-Natsu," Lucy whispered, her heart threatening to beat out her chest. "W-What are you…"

The boy slowly leaned forward, his breath fanning her face. Her mind was short circuiting, unable to comprehend what was going on until his lips brushed against hers. At first, she was unable to move. All she could think about was how surprisingly soft his lips were. Then, she felt him begin to pull away. Her arms moved on their own, wrapping around his neck and pulling him closer to her, deepening the kiss.

As the two pulled away, they gazed into each other's eyes. Both of their faces were flushed with heat, their lips swelled from the passionate kiss.

Hearing whispers, Lucy remembered that they were in public. Squealing, she pushed Natsu away and covered her mortified face. She never imagined her first kiss would've been in front of a group of strangers. Instead of being offended, Natsu only laughed.

"What're you getting so embarrassed for?" he teased.

"It's embarrassing kissing in front of people!" Lucy replied, finally moving her hands away from her face so that she could glare at him. "And don't think that k-kissing me is going to make me forget that you ruined book club!"

"Shit," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "Look, I'm sorry about that, okay? Gray was being an asshole, telling me that you and Freed might've been on a date and that you two coulda been hitting it off. I guess I got kinda jealous since I kinda like you."

"You kinda like me?"

"I like you a lot, okay? Kinda more than like, actually…"

Lucy's heart skipped a beat. "W-Well, that doesn't mean that you can barge in on book club."

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, Lucy."

"It's okay. I'll forgive you this time since I sorta kinda like you too."

Natsu's eyes widened. He ducked his face in his scarf. "You kinda like me too?"

"Well, more than like."

The two looked away from each other, their hearts beating miles per second. Finally, their feelings for each other were out in the open. They didn't know what life had in store for them now, but they were eager, albeit a bit nervous, to find out.

Lucy, feeling the need to break the silence, asked, "Why Freed though?"

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked.

"Freed? You're telling me you don't know?"

"Don't know what?"

"Natsu, Freed is gay. How did you not know that? The only person I can think of who makes their love more apparent than Juvia is Freed."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Hello, Freed is in love with Laxus!"

Natsu's jaw dropped to the ground. "Wait, what!?"

"Duh! That's why it's so silly you got jealous over Freed!"

Natsu thought back to all the interactions he witnessed between Freed and Laxus. It hit him like a brick.

"Holy shit, how did I not notice?"

"Because you're dense," Lucy teased with a grin.

"Oi, I don't wanna hear that from you! Do you know how long I've been flirting with you and it took you this long to figure it out? Actually, you didn't even figure it out! I kissed you!"

"Since when is breaking into my apartment and making a mess flirting!?"

"Since forever!"

And just like that, their nerves had calmed. They were back to their usual selves, bickering playfully and having fun. They were friends first, and always would be. Only now, they'd be even closer.

"Should we get revenge on Gray?" Lucy suggested, sliding her hand into Natsu's.

"Hell yeah! Cana, too!" Natsu replied.

As they headed back to the guild, carefully concocting a plan for revenge, they couldn't help but think about how it was thanks to Gray and Cana's prank that they were being open with each other. And it wasn't just them either. Gajeel and Levy, Freed and Laxus. All of their relationships were going to change for the better after today.