#this is mostly about nalu

[cieliossun]

if there is one thing i love writing its a male perspective talking about beautiful the girl he loves is.

its like crack to me.

[bumblebeehug]

That's a very good point! Although I guess you could argue that we already had Natsu thinking Lucy was dead in the Alvarez arc? (And in GMG he literally watches a version of Lucy die.) I suppose the responsibility part would be different as you mentioned (especially if it's Ignia. Or! Lucy could die in the process of saving Natsu). But I also wonder if the 'one wish' is a fakeout plot. And if we can truly trust Elefseria. I mean who is powerful enough to grant a wish? Any wish? That's some karmic justice Genie shit type beat. (Thank you btw, for answering these asks)

(In regards to this https://www.tumblr.com/bumblebeehug/763935002780172288/ive-been-thinking-about-that-too-or?source=share )

I'm a firm believer of the fact that natsu needed all the different stages of Lucy dying. First time around it was a "fake" Lucy, the one from the future. It's the fist time we reallsery see Natsu in that broken anger, but he doesn't go insane. He's still very Natsu, no END-mode or anything, because there's still hope in his mind that he can save his Lucy (plus another bunch of factors that makes it so he doesn't activate demon mode).

The second time is during their war against Alvarez. This time he's quite involved with the whole END thing, he knows he's riding a fragile wave and that he can succumb to the demon stuff soon, so losing Lucy tips him over. At the time, he's ready to die (see shiiro's suicidal-natsu post https://www.tumblr.com/shiiro-arts/764022215033389056/is-natsu-sucdal?source=share for better insight) and he doesn't really consider a life without Lucy. He didn't think he'd make it out of that war alive, because Lucy (in his mind) wouldn't.

He naturally didn't expect her to be alive, or for him to snap out of the demon-mode, so when they all somehow made it out the other side, I think a small, thin string of hope deveoped in Natsu's heart. The bad thing is that it completely relies on Lucy's life. He can't afford to lose her again, because as far as he's concerned, he can't blame his next strike of insanity on being a demon. But he'll go completely insane if Lucy dies. He'll turn into a demon, or at least a monster, stopping at nothing until he's burned everything. An earth where Lucy dies isn't an earth worth existing.

The one wish being a fakeout plot is absolutely something I could see being true. Maybe it isn't even on purpose, Elefseria could have a scewed idea of what he's capable of, hence the reward that should be amazing in theory. It's also possible that Elefseria won't make it out alive of the 100yq. Mashima is sadly not above taking the easy way out of the corners he writes himself into. I just hope that isn't the case, cus I also know that if Mashima puts some effort into his plots, they can end up as masterpieces (Tartarus for example)

[azriaann]

thinking about how nalu’s early dynamic was mostly focused on natsu helping lucy to find her place in the guild/the world…. wouldn’t it have been REALLY GOOD COHESIVE AND STORY TELLING if they reversed that trope during the finale/hyq and had natsu struggle with his position as a demon and question his place in the guild/friendships/society, with lucy being able to help him to see that “[he’s] still the same natsu [she’s] always known” …

[moxiepoxart]

Hi I’ve been relooking your artwork and I still love your version of the Nalu kids !! I was wondering you mentioned Eleanor being uncomfortable being compared to Zeref cause of the comparison (you also mentioned if Natsu hears any of the comments it’s on sight ) I love to hear more about this ; I find this idea really cool/interesting

Zeref was like the boogey man in FT for a long time and launched a full invasion of the continent so I imagine people are very aware of Zeref’s appearance. I also imagine lots of FT guild members know of Natsu and Zeref being brothers and that means rumours would float around Magnolia. In my AU where Zeref isn’t treated with the baby gloves the narrative seems to (as a reader I am aware he’s sympathetic but in the context of the universe he’s quite evil) there are consequences that treacle down.

Eleanor gets bullied by kids who are just repeating what their parents say. It’s mostly whispering but sometimes physical. This is one of the reasons Eleanor is very withdrawn and has few she is close to.

Since we know Natsu and Lucy are sympathetic I think Eleanor would feel uncomfortable bringing it up to them. Nasty and Lucy would definitely acknowledge Zeref’s wrongs but they’re both people with oozing kindness if you get me. So Natsu with his incredible hearing will take out anyone. He won’t beat up kids but he’s not above sending out his own troops to do his dirty work.

I really appreciate your interest in the fan kids! I love them so much but was worried it was just me haha

[shiiro-arts]

Question: How can we say Natsu treats Lucy differently compared to the rest of his nakama? We have seen him being angry emotional during Erza "funeral" (in the first season) and his reaction when topic of Lisanna's death comes up. He even blushed when Lisanna used to talk about marriage and all (just before she passed away when Happy and Natsu have another fight). He never really expressed any physical interest in Lucy EVER and is mostly lukewarm in his reactions unless she is in danger or hurt. He didn't even hesitate when he was asked to kiss Lucy.

So how can we say that Lucy is different from all these people? I hope you understood my question.

(PS I am a huge NaLu shipper but I hate how they handle serious moments)

Well, I think that we have to clear something up, and its that Lucy and Natsu are more than Lucy and Natsu.

Natsu's world doesn't revolve around Lucy, and Lucy's world doesn't revolve around Natsu. They are their own persons with their own dreams and goals (and this is completely fine)

Natsu is a very passionate person, who loves his friends and family, he has known Erza and Lisanna since they were children, it is obvious that he will be emotional about their "deaths". Just like he was with future Lucy's.

Why do I think Natsu treats Lucy differently? Well, because he does. Literally. Not only does Natsu avoid any kind of (serious) fight with Lucy, but he is emotionally vulnerable with her, he becomes soft. I'm going to focus on Erza and Lucy because we don't have enough interactions with Lisanna.

Natsu is an extremely violent person, even when Erza was distressed his solution was punching her (even if it was for her own good or not),

Now, we have never seen Natsu use violence to console Lucy (or in general), they are always soft, comforting moments

He just can't hurt her, at least not willingly, it's beyond him.

Just like when he had to fight snake lucy and completely stopped thinking she was back

I want to pinpoint his reactions to different deaths, because even those are different

When Lissana, erza or even Igneel died, Natsu felt helpless and sad

Lucy? He wanted to burn the world down, kill his best friend out of grieve and then kill himself in the process just because he thought he had lost her forever. (I talk about this here)

-.-.-.-

About the physical interest, I kind of disagree, It is true that he doesn't show as much physical desire like other men in FT but he does in his own way. We have seen natsu fantasize over Lucy

be jealous of other men for her attention

and become possessive of her

He is not responsive because almost every time they have a physical moment he sees it coming, is mentally prepared for it or he initiates them.

NOW, what happens when Lucy initiates or he doesn't see it coming?

My man becomes a blushing mess (this is mainly shown in official art tho)

but he never shows jealousy or possessiveness towards erza, because Erza is not Lucy

[mothmags]

how nalu got together headcannons because I have them on my mind and its 1am

They would be the couple who have been dating for like 3 years they just dont know it yet

they've been "together" since the whole thing at tenrou island

natsu couldn't sleep without her near, so he and happy practically moved in with lucy (more than they already had)

hed sneak into her bed and shed just huff and cuddle into him, pretending she's asleep (mf is a human space heater, i would too)

in emotionally heavy moments, they'd share a kiss and hold each other, but nothing more.

they also wouldn't talk about it after. they either didn't want to lose the other or the dynamic to change (lucy) or just didn't think talking about it was needed (natsu)

they dont "officially" get together until after gajevys wedding

actually lucy admits that she loves natsu and askes what their relationship is, and what he thinks of her to his face while she's black out drunk at the wedding and he brings her home and takes care of her until the morning (and through her hangover)

he didn't bring it up until a whole week later while he was walking her to her their apartment after a job (happy fast asleep)

he knew she didn't remember, but didn't know how to bring it up, so he just avoided it as much as he could untill he couldnt take it anymore

he always knew that she loved him ofc, but hearing her say it did something to him in ways he didn't expect

lucy knew sm was up, tho. everyone noticed, actually

that whole week, his gaze twards her was softer than it was before, his touches would linger, he was in thought a lot more than usual etc

and boy, was he doing a lot of thinking

in private, he'd pull her close and just hold her for a second, kiss her cheek softly, or run his fingers through her long hair - usually, this type of behavior only comes out after a hard job not after a lazy week

on the walk, she asked him if he was ok, and he just kinda blurted out that he loved her.

"Lucy, you know I love you, right? You know I'd do anything for you? Do you know you're the smartest person I know? That your beautiful? That you're an incredibly valuable member of our team? That I'd be nowhere without you? That I'm so proud of how far you've come since joining Fairy Tail?"

she responds with a "yeah obviously" while also getting incredibly flustered

ofc she knew it. he tells her she's great all the time but barely ever like this.

they stop walking and just stare at each other for a solid minute before lucy laughs

natsu gets confused and almost offended for a second before lucy says that they should talk more.

she walks into her apartment and puts happy to bed

they fucking finally have an actual conversation about how they feel about eachother

It's by no means a smooth conversation. its mostly them smiling, giggling, and (mainly lucy) finding it ridiculous that they waited this long to actually talk about it. and, god, it sure does feel good to actually hear the other say it.

after a while, they head to bed. lucy pressed a soft kiss to his cheek and pulled him close. she gives him a quiet "i love you," and he responds with a simple "i love you too" and a gentle kiss to her forhead, and they nod off to sleep together

[princeash28]

❤️ Happy Belated Valentine's Day ❤️

I didn't get to post a fic for it, so here's a sweet treat from me instead 🫶

A WIP from an excerpt of some NaLu spice 🔥 that may or may not be coming up in one of my fics 😊. Could scrap it entirely but I jotted it down on the notes app of my phone, so it's not polished. Workshopping this, so any feedback is appreciated.

Enjoy!

Context: Natsu is stuck in a dragon-force-like state. Scales, a tail, the whole shebang. Something more is happening to him. His instincts are getting harder and harder to ignore... and so are his desires.

NSFW warning just in case? Mostly just kissing tho. And some angst sprinkled in. ✨ Because I have to. 😘

"Luce," Natsu's breaths came out desperate, hot on Lucy's lips. "I-... Is this... Do you want—?"

"Yes," Lucy breathes, her mouth a whisper on his own. She pulls back enough to meet his eyes properly, looking up through her lashes. "...Do you?"

Natsu nodded even as his heart thrums with a million uncertainties. His searing lips caressed hers again, something between a purr and a hum rolling from his throat.

His hands touched her and yet they weren't full enough. His body brushed against her clothes and yet he wanted to feel more.

Wanted to be more.

His lips left hers, tracing her jaw, under her ear and finding the pulse of her neck. Her heartbeat was in his ears, growing faster, growing more excited. His tongue darted to taste her skin--sweet and soft as silk--and he was rewarded with a small hitch of her breath and her hands pulling him closer.

"Ah, Natsu." Her voice lilted into a moan he had never heard before, plucking cords in his gut and sending molten blood away from his brain to wander to more exciting places.

He kissed her neck harder, needing the warmth of her skin like he had never known anything but the cold. His lips went down, down, down, earning him trembling gasps and a small buck of her hips that made him ache with a need he had never felt before.

His tongue darted out again, tasting that soft spot between her shoulder and neck. Lucy pulled him closer, her hair falling to the side as she tilted her head to open herself up to him. Exposed. Inviting. 

His.

A growl rumbled from deep in his chest, a warning, a wanting—

His teeth grazed her skin, and he nipped her gently—so gently—just to test this strange instinct that had come over him—

Lucy gasped and curled back into him, her hips bucking into his—igniting a fire he'd never known was burning for her until recently. She hooked a leg around his waist, pressing them together—

Natsu's teeth grew hot, and his lips curled into a snarl. Suddenly he had a wrist pinned above her head, his other hand pulling her shoulder down so that he could claim what was his—

His eyes darted to hers, and he froze.

Her cheeks were flushed, her bottom lip fat and a little bloody.

Bloody.

When had that happened?

He looked back to her shoulder, the patch of red and the little bruise already forming from his tiny nip—maybe harder than he's intended.

But her eyes weren't shimmering with pain or fear. They were full of trust--full of desire reflecting right back into his own. 

But her lip was bloody, and only now he realized the sweetness on his lips was turning acrid—metallic.

"I—" He pulled away, the heat and want in his gut trying to anchor him back down to Lucy.

Her flushed face pinched in worry, and like a blot of stray ink on a masterpiece, the pleasure Natsu had been steeped in was ruined.

"Are you okay?" Lucy whispered. Her breath tickled his chest as she looked up at him, prone as a lamb.

Gods, she was beautiful.

He spoke past the dryness in his throat choking him, past the cloying taste of blood on his tongue.

"Lucy, I..." he panted, his hand hovering near her cheek, seeing his talons about to graze her fair skin, and pulled back. He lowered his head in shame. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't—"

"Lucy." He met her eyes again, his face hard-set, shoving down the desire that had taken him to a place he was reluctant to leave. " ...I can't."

Her lips parted, and the tiniest "oh," of realization was the only sound between them. Her eyes, flecked with golden stars, searched his pitch black depths of ink. He waited for her to nod and scoot away, to unlock them both from the quivering tension threatening to snap between them into something they would never be able to put back together.

But Lucy cupped his scale-freckled cheeks, and leaned up to kiss him. It was deep, and warm, and sweet; less fevered and more solid. Solid like a promise between them both.

"You won't," Lucy whispered. She kissed him again. "I trust you, Natsu. So trust me."

And then her lips left his to explore his neck, his bare chest. His rigid frame shuddered, his body fighting with his mind that was ready to shut this all down at a moment's notice.

"L-luce—"

"Shh," her breath was hot on his scaled abdomen. She kissed his crimson and inky scales, which parted for her like the sea, revealing his skin underneath so that she could kiss there again, igniting him in ways he had never thought possible.

Natsu swallowed down whatever words his brain had tried to come up with, and a deep groan rushed to take its place. His eyes fluttered and closed.

Her hands found the hem of his pants, and her fingers trailed just above the fabric.

His hips bucked—a primal, involuntary thing—and he gasped softly.

His voice took on a new desperation, a plea and a final warning all at once. "Lucy..."

"Natsu." 

He opened his eyes, his chest heaving, his core burning, aching—

"Is this... something you really want?" Lucy asked. She began to nudge the shoulder of her sleeve down, her other hand resting like a branding iron on his abs.

Gods.

"Yes," he breathed.

"Me too," she smiled, red faced and kind. "So let's figure it out together, okay? Just like we always do."

And just like that, the ball of nerves and fear in his chest unknotted somewhat.

He managed a small smile back, and the tip of his pointed tail—the damn nuisance that it was—wiggled.

Lucy failed to stifle her giggle, and she leaned in to kiss him again.

[beargyufairy]

First of all, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THE NEW 100 YQ CHAPTER!! It was so good!! Can’t wait for the next one

Secondly, NaLu (yes it’s all I ever think about) in this chapter was peak!!

Lucy is always losing those she cares for and Natsu is always there (mostly we will ignore his 1 year gap) to help her through it. But in the midst of a fight against a dragon god they can’t pause and console themselves. Instead he knows they can’t win without her bc she is smart and strong. He literally tells her she needs to fight with them. In a way, he’s helping her by getting out of her emotional trance.

And as soon as she is all ready to fight again, she comes with a plan and Natsu is all fired up!!

I love NaLu and I love how it is displayed here beyond physical touches. This shows their true dynamic. Pure trust in each other. Natsu trusts Lucy to aid them and win. He knows she can’t do that without becoming aware of the situation.

Lucy is more than just a beautiful face, she has amazing tactics!! Without her FT would’ve lost so much more than they did. In this case, I love how her brains is displayed with common knowledge that no one else thought of.

I knows it’s very far fetched but Natsu had the help of everyone else but he specifically asked Lucy to be there to fight with them. He needs her by his side. Every single villain they fought, she was there with him. She is his true strength and I love it!!

Thank you for listening to my podcast 🤭

[natsubeatsrock]

"Nalu is already a couple. They just don't know it yet."

Let's get something out of the way before I start. Characters being placed in awkward sexual situations or accidentally molesting others isn't proof that they're going to be a couple. I've been saying this for nearly a decade, but fandom hasn't gotten the memo yet.

Knock it off.

You've seen the title. Nalu fans make this argument for the ship. Lucy doesn't see themselves in a romantic relationship and is uneasy about confessing to her. Natsu, on the other hand, already believes they're dating. Therefore, it's only a matter of time before they realize how they feel about each other.

Do I need to talk about this one? You know I'm against this idea. I mentioned this idea years ago.

Here's the thing. This idea isn't just a possible path Nalu fans see for their ship. This idea is the most popular path Nalu fans see. I've seen iterations of this argument in every circle of Fairy Tail fandom I've interacted with recently. People make it here on Tumblr, Reddit, and the site formerly known as Twitter. It's the inspiration behind much of Nalu's current art and stories. It's not unfair to call this the default fanon route for Nalu to happen.

Do I care about hating Nalu enough to tear the idea down again?

Surprisingly, no.

However, I've seen some things that are worth talking about now. Mostly, I want to explain what I've meant all these years by saying I don't see Nalu as having meaningful development.

Let's review two issues with this line of reasoning.

First, Mashima hasn't written Nalu romantically in the main series. Technically, this shouldn't apply to this argument. Something might have changed in the sequel. However, this will be important later.

Second, it feels cheap to consider this as Mashima's plan for Nalu. Everything we've gotten over close to two decades, and Mashima can't show they already like each other? Do we have to deal with this miscommunication nonsense before they're official? How could Nalu fans be happy that this is how the ship will happen? I don't even like Nalu, but I'd be pissed off for their fandom. (That might be too far.)

Now, let's consider the following. How can you prove this?

How do you prove Natsu thinks they're already a couple and not just good friends? How can you prove Lucy wants them to be something more?

Anime fans have recently seen something like this. In My Dress-Up Darling, Marin falls for Gojo after their first cosplay event. We see her struggle with her feelings for the rest of the show. Meanwhile, Gojo is shown to be (*cough*) attracted to her. He doesn't want to embarrass himself or violate her boundaries. Unfortunately, the anime ends before we get a resolution, so I can't say anything else. (Announce another season already!)

That show followed a technique recently developed by writers. We see this divide in the show. I'd be shocked if anyone who's seen the show would disagree with what I said in the last paragraph.

What have we seen in the way of Nalu?

It's the same nonsense we've seen before.

We've seen stuff that isn't overtly romantic from these two. There's no lovey-dovey nonsense. Natsu and Lucy are not an official couple. They don't flirt with each other. They work together, but we don't see them agonize over their feelings. Despite this, fans still believe they'll be a couple any moment now.

"Wait a minute, what about-"

I'm going to stop you right there. Here's a simple checklist I want you to follow. The answer to all three questions should be yes.

Is this a canon moment about Natsu and Lucy's relationship?

Does it reveal their feelings about their relationship?

Does it clearly show Natsu or Lucy want to be a couple or believe they are already a couple?

I don't want to hear any moment that doesn't pass this checklist.

I don't care that Natsu thought about what his and Lucy's kid would look like.

I don't care about what Lucy said when she heard about Touka.

I don't care about whatever dumb fanservice moment you want to mention.

If the best proof you have can't pass this check, there's no reason to believe this ship will happen.

Let's try this with Jerza, another ship fandom generally agrees on.

I've made much of Jellal's invitation to join Fairy Tail. Let's use this checklist to explain why.

A big issue with Jerza has been proximity. According to Jellal, he's been on the path of the dark, whereas Erza's been on the path of the light. It's been a long path of self-acceptance and legal troubles. However, Jellal seems to be going on the right path.

Then we get to Erza's invitation. Erza puts the ball into Jellal's hands. They've certainly grown closer since his return. However, does he want to be that close to her? The answer seems to be yes.

Let's review. These are canon events showing that Jellal and Erza want to be closer. Much of the moments imply romance as a motivation.

What have we gotten from Nalu that is similar? Ever?

Fair is fair. Nothing happened in the main series because Mashima wasn't writing them to be a couple. I'm not going to hold that against fans or Nalu.

What's the reason now? They're already a couple? What sense does that make?

If anything, it makes more sense that Mashima hasn't changed his approach to writing them. He still isn't writing Nalu to be romantic. They're certainly not a couple now. Very little seems to suggest that's genuinely changing soon.

Is there anything that could change this?

It is still possible that we'll get some flashbacks to a moment when Natsu and Lucy became somewhat of a couple. I'd argue this can't work with the rest of the series timeline. However, Mashima has been flexible with Gajevy's timeline. We could get something that shows they've been doing the quasi-romantic dance people think they're in.

However, I have a theory for how Nalu would become canon.

We get to see the final battle. Natsu beats Ignia with the power of his friends. Everything ends fine, and the crew goes back to the guild hall. Hard cut to the future. We see Natsu and Lucy have become a couple.

There's no lead-up or explanation behind it. Natsu and Lucy are a couple. Roll credits.

Again, I've shared my feelings about this possibility. However, I want to answer a simple question: why? Why would Mashima do this?

Mashima's not an idiot. He knows that (most) fans want Nalu to happen. He wouldn't make so much art of them on Twitter if he didn't. We got the Edolas kids because fans asked him to draw them on his second NYCC trip.

However, he didn't mean to write the ship as romantic from the jump. Mashima wrote the Special Request chapter because he didn't plan to make them a couple. He's been content to write the series without a romance between his two leads.

If he decides to make Nalu happen, I wouldn't be shocked if we jump to Nalu after it happens. If Nalu developed throughout the series, I'll talk about it. If fandom's losing their minds over anything that can't pass the simple check I've established, it's not worth my time.

"Oh, you're just hedging your bets because you're insecure about Nalu."

Why would I do that?

I've said this more than once. I don't care about the ships in the sequel. It's not going to affect my stories. It won't change the decisions I make in my rewrite. I'll continue to write about the ship and its fandom as I have. Nothing will change about my writing.

I highly doubt Mashima will change my mind over the last few arcs. Do you know what's more likely to happen? I'll hate the ship more because of how poorly it sailed. I've been ripping into Gruvia and Juvia's death for years. You'd better believe that I'd do the same for canon Nalu.

Of course, I don't think I'll have to worry about that for some time. I've had this post in my drafts for months. I wanted to wait until I was caught up with the sequel before I posted this. Here it is.

[captainuranium543]

sorry i've reblogged a ton of your stuff it's just too goddamn funny not to

what's one thing you think should happen before FT HYQ ends? (don't say Nalu becoming canon)

I do not mind reblog away I like it when people like what I say and say something in return it's like "omg we are sooo correct"

Also I firmly believe erza is dying HEAR ME OUT. They all get one wish right? If someone dies they can come back via wish. Red flag 1.

Erza hasn't had a lot of development throughout the manga mostly she's just been there to punch people and be really fucking funny, however she has had one moment in particular where jellal made her promise to come back safe. Red flag 2.

Erza is the only character who didn't say what she would have wished for besides natsu in the beginning and tbh the only thing I can see her wishing for is for simon to be alive again which can't happen because mashima already said he wasnt coming back. Red flag 3.

Finally erza's whole relationship with death is very strongly tied to jellal and natsu, natsu was the one to teach her to live for your friends instead of dying for them and she in turn convinced jellal to live and redeem his guilt rather than dying for nothing. Natsu is another character who hasn't gotten a lot of development so having erza die AFTER SHE EXPLICITLY PROMISED HIM SHE WOULDENT DO THIS AGAIN. would be gutwrenching. Jellal on the other hand has gotten much more development in 100 year then ever before and erza dying would be the gutpunch and gut unpunch(when she comes back cuz she's def not dead forever) that he needs to finally A) join fairy tail and B) make jerza cannon if you wanna be optimistic.

Oh and obviously aquarius is coming back I don't think mashima is ending 100yr without Lucy getting her key fixed

Sorry for eranting but I think about it a lot

[dootznbootz]

Hi there! Can call me "Mads" or "Dootz". I don't mind either way! :D

I am a Trashcat, member of the Worm family, and the god of cheese.

I'm into so many goddamn fandoms and I'll even slap-up things I just simply find pretty/interesting but probably the main ones as of now are:

Greek Mythology (Mostly Odyssey) MAJOR hyperfixation now. I am in love with Penelope.

Fairy Tail

Legend of Zelda

My main ships are OdyPen (OFC), Helen x Menelaus, nalu, gruvia, gajevy, jerza, and zelink (all)

Those are the main ones you'll find BUT like I said, search for something and you'll find it.

Avatar (both Last Airbender and Legend of Korra)

Fullmetal Alchemist

Pokemon

Gravity Falls

BTW, I get not wanting to follow me if you don't want random shit on your dashboard. You don't have to follow me to say hi and have conversations though! I'm on Tumblr to make friends, not followers!

Just don't be a piece of shit and we'll get along fine!

AO3 account:

(currently writing an Odypen fic (first chap is up), there's 1 Odypen snippet up. 3 Nalu fics (one isn't finished 🫣someday not anytime soon)

Always feel free to say hi! :D

Even if you're shy or don't always know what to say, I like to chatter and am always open to making new friends! If I become too much or something then let me know! (or give a one word message! I'll get it! :D )

My big ass essay I want people to see:

Fuzzy worm above was done by the lovely iroissleepdeprived !

Tag guide:

#Mad rambles : My posts or posts that I chatter in

#Mad writes : My writing/fanfiction

#Water Wife : My silly 3/4th Naiad version of Penelope who I love so very much

#shot by odysseus : My tag for my own Tagamemnon posts in general. The joke is that I love Penelope so much that Odysseus is shooting me like he would a suitor.

#my headcanons : ...My headcanons

#waiting for proteus : Seal tag for Menelaus! From book 4 of the Odyssey! :D

#save me morally gray circe : tag for anything talking about Circe and how she's cool as her fucked up potion making, terrifying, goddess self.

#essay : ... ya know

#Mad memes : most of my memes :P

#Mad character design : exactly that.

#GIFT : lovely gifts by lovely people 🥹

#___ Dork: my unique weird tag for fairy tail characters

[bumblebeehug]

Since talking about characters we used to hate.

As I said before. I'm new to the show and fandom. And There's some characters i wholeheartedly expected to hate before I watched it. (Mostly because of hearing others talk about it)

Including, happy. I had heard he was very annoying. But like what the hell. He's great.

Lisanna, Wendy,

HAPPYYYY he's the star of every show, the reason for me to live. He has never done anything wrong ever and I love him to death. I don't care if he's "annoying" or has "no character development" (yes he does, first of all, and second - he doesn't owe anyone character development. It's not illegal to keep being him, faults and all, because he's fine as he is!).

Lisanna was one of those poor characters that I hated in the beginning because she "got in the way" of nalu. Silly, but I was 12 so what can you expect, yk? But since then I've felt nothing but compassion for her. Her story was heartbreaking, how terrifying must it have been to find yourself in an alternative dimention where nothing's like it should be?

I actually didn't like Wendy at first either, but that's because we were the same age and they made her so childish (I hated being seen as childish, despite being a child) so it was mostly just internalised stuff. I quickly got over that, she's an amazing character, so sweet and unwavering. (Carla however is a different story - she aint my style, never has been, but I don't hate her either. She's just different!)

While I'm at it I might as well add that I hated Gray the first time I watched Fairy Tail. Mostly as a counter because my friend loved him and she had bad taste in guys, so there was nothing more to it. "She loves him so I GOTTA hate him or I've lost all my moras" type shi

[xxnashiraxx]

24, 37, 53, 56 and 63 for the writer ask game! 🥰❣️

Thank you for asking, lovely friend! You can find the original post here!

24. Worst Writing Advice Anyone Ever Gave You? I don't have too many instances where I'd specifically reached out and asked, honestly I was trying to hide it as much as possible, haha. But I think the one that sticks out the most, through no particular source, would be to write all the time, constantly. That doesn't help you, it drains you and takes a horrible mental toll on you if you don't regulate yourself and take a break from time to time. I struggle with feeling like I should always be doing something, always be productive, but trust me- taking a nice step back from time to time can actually help waaaay more. 🖤🖤

37. How Do You Choose Where to End a Chapter? This is such a good question- I like to make a slight impact with my chapter endings and I guess, though it really isn't this complicated in my head when I'm doing it, is to play on an emotion. For romance, I could end on angst or longing, for complicated feelings and emotions I like to end on a realization or the struggle of further confusion and its resulting aggravation. I also like to pepper in little crumbs regarding an ongoing plot that hasn't been fully unraveled yet, mostly so the readers feel like they're wrapping their heads around the mysteries along with me. It's fun! But not always super clear cut. 💕

53. How Do You Spend Your Time When it Comes to Fanfiction? Are You Primarily a Fic Reader, Writer, or a Perfect 50/50 Split of Both?

I have alternated and balanced this ratio out as time has gone on! Back when I first started in high school, I was primarily 50/50. Over the years I kind of lost my muse, or I'd write for myself very sparingly (maybe once a year or so, and less than 10k during that period) with things that I found interesting, but I didn't really delve back into the hobby until last July. I was a reader, consuming literally everything Nalu (Fairy Tail) until resuming a long fic I'd planned out 4 years ago and never finished. Unfortunately, or in other words, fortunately for me, I discovered Baldur's Gate, and after Astarion, there was no going back (rip my Alvarez Arc rewrite, may she rest in peace). Now I tend to lean more towards the writer portion since I'm writing my current long fic (With Stars to Fill My Dream) and doing some Astarion Kinktober prompts, but once this month ends and I'm on my longer post schedule, I am hoping to catch up on all the fics I haven't been able to read that are sitting in my browser (I have 30+ tabs open, it's ridiculous...)

56. What's Something About Your Writing That You Pride Yourself On?

Oh boy... I don't say this as a fish for compliments, but I'm not really sure I do anything too different from other people! I have heard a kind of general consensus on my horror aspects, and while I personally think they're extremely tame for my own standards and I know I'm my worst critic and think they can always be improved upon, that's something that really sticks with me. I have never published in the excess that I have now, and it literally means the world to me when anyone comments on anything they think sticks out when they read my fics. If I had to go with anything else, I'd say that my little details have really improved during the time I've been a writer. I've done many little links back to earlier conversations and imagery with callbacks in WSTFMD that I'm very proud of. I just hope it's not too obscure that people miss it!

63. Something You Hate to See in Smut.

Look, I'm really open-minded, and if anything isn't my cup of tea of course I wouldn't seek it out. That should always be established. Glaringly obvious things would be anything illegal, but going into the real bones, I'd probably have to say some "terms" for "areas" on the body being overused or out of place kind of bother me. I really don't have too many crazy ones here, I'm guilty of using some anatomically incorrect situations simply for the sake that it pleases me and I find it hot- nothing more, lol. It doesn't have to be 100% factual, it's fun and that's all that really matters! Unless you're hurting someone or doing something shitty, I really don't have a lot of issues. 😊

Again, tysm!!! 💖💖💖

[fairydares]

Reminiscing on the Hard Road (A Gruvia Fic)

Rating: M

Summary: While on his way to a mission, Gray reflects on the hardships, tears, battles, and triumphs which led to him and Juvia finding their happiness together. (Or: the story of how they finally, officially got together told through memories).

AO3 Link ; FFNet Link

Words: ~8,000

Warnings: Please read with caution as this contains adult themes & situations (though nothing explicit). Also swearing and allusions to mental illness, dissociation and depression symptoms especially. Man this feels like the end of a drug commercial. Enjoy!

AN: I realized how long it'd been since I updated Chasing Tails and was feeling really bad about it. I'm so sorry, guys! I've just been really busy! I don't have time to get Chapter 5 up tonight, but I do have the time to share this Gruvia piece I wrote a while ago as a karmic sort of apology.

With that in mind, this is a bit of a rough, long one-shot. It comes from a chapter in a larger, mostly Nalu-focused fic which I may or may not ever actually finish writing. Sooo it's not even really a one-shot so much as it's, like, a segment of a chapter from one. I also barely had time to clean it up ever so slightly.

However, I thought Gruvia fans would appreciate anyway. Maybe one day, I'll write the whole thing because I honestly think it could be a story, or maybe a series of drabbles? This is all you kids get for now, though, lol. no fucks given (just kidding this will keep me up nights.)

o(O)o

Ignoring Natsu's whining about still being motion sick from beside him, Gray buried his hands in his pockets and let his eyes engage in their favorite past-time: roaming the curves of the blue-haired woman walking in front of him.

Him and Juvia had officially been together for over half a year, but his eyes still snagged on the same places they always had. The sway of her blue hair, now long enough to partly obscure the pinch of her waist and flare of her hips with each swish. The pretty, cute flush that lived on her cheeks as she listened attentively to Erza, who was chattering about a famous desert shop in the area. The way shadow and light shifted over the curve of her rear. And—forever his most favorite—the exposed skin of her legs. Long, toned, moon white...and fucking perfect.

Gray felt his cheeks heat, but couldn't find it in himself to drag his eyes away. The solidness and length of their relationship did absolutely nothing to diminish the novelty of her beauty, like he might once have feared it would. Instead, it hypnotized him more surely than ever. Noticing all the men drooling over her figure as they walked past, Gray was aware of the sting of possessiveness and annoyance which rose in his chest, but was also easily able to ignore it.

He was as comfortable as any guy with a stunning girlfriend could be in his own jealousy, these days. More shockingly, so was Juvia, a fact that was plain from the way she shot only perfunctory glares at the women eyeing him and whispering to each other as they passed.

As he stared at her back, his lips quirked ever so slightly. It had taken time, tears, and work—more work than he could ever have anticipated—to get to this point in their relationship. But work had never been more worth it.

His mind wandered to reminiscence. To where it had all started, when they had started, after the 100-Year Quest had ended and he'd finally—with Lucy, Levy, and Erza's help—managed to ask Juvia to be his girlfriend.

"Not just 'yours'," Levy had insisted, explaining that phrasing would confuse her. "Your girlfriend."

He'd actually fought them on it. Not really because he had a problem with commitment anymore (okay, it was a little embarrassing, but not too much) but because the words "girlfriend" and "boyfriend" felt ridiculous, considering everything they'd been through. How deeply he cared about her. For crying out loud, they'd tried to kill themselves for each other. He'd kill for her, die for her, and—most importantly—he would live for her. Beyond making his ears feel like they were going to melt off, the word "girlfriend" felt trite.

But when Lucy and Levy demanded to know if that meant he was going to propose, he'd balked. Actually, having the m-word shoved right up against his nose kind of made his soul flee his body. As ready as he was for a romantic relationship, he wanted to go through the actual experience of having one. Like, with all the steps involved. In order. He was at the point in his life that he wanted it more than anything.

More importantly, he wanted to give Juvia that experience. He was determined to do right by her.

With the girls' reality check, and the point they'd made that ambiguity might make Juvia jump to the wrong conclusion or even hurt her, they'd convinced him. He'd been committed to making his long-awaited confession as special for Juvia as possible, complete with saying any embarrassing words she wanted to hear.

Gray still hadn't felt worthy of the love she gave him. He still struggled to believe he was a man who could protect her. But after everything he'd been through during the 100-Year-Quest, seeing how much she'd missed him the whole time, and his talk with Juvina-sama, he'd understood it was completely unfair to ask Juvia to wait for him to decide he was worthy enough to love her openly. He also wasn't above admitting that Juvina-sama's suggestion that she wouldn't wait forever had disquieted some irrational part of him enough to make him antsy, impatient to make absolutely sure they were exclusive.

He'd been completely flustered throughout his confession, but known it had gone as right as it could. Lucy, Levy, and Erza—who thought they'd been slick, hiding in a nearby bush to watch him confess—had agreed. (Lucy had annoyed him to no end by teasing him over how "adorable" he'd been.)

And yet...Juvia's response hadn't been quite what Gray hoped. Lucy hadn't noticed it, but he had. He didn't know exactly when it had happened, but at some point, he'd learned to read the Water Mage like an open book. For how sincere a person she was—a trait he was all too familiar with—Juvia could also be surprising, even mysterious. As transient as water, with hidden depths you'd never know a thing about unless you were willing to dive beneath the surface.

When Gray confessed, he'd braced himself for joyous screaming. He'd planned to freeze a literal flood of tears before it could wash them both away. He'd been prepared to get a concussion from how hard she'd glomp him in the street. But while she had said yes, demurely accepted the roses, and hugged him plenty tight...her response had been subdued. In hindsight, he could see the pattern her reaction fit: the way her gaze had dropped to the street despite her happy flush, the hesitant, nervous gleam in her eyes, the limited verbal response.

The only times she'd ever acted that way had been when he actually reciprocated some of her affection. When he'd promised to give her a straight answer, after he defeated END. When he'd given her a one-armed hug and said he was glad her "body" was safe, after he'd saved her from that wood bastard.

Something had been wrong. But when the girls who'd spied on him only gushed afterwards, not seeming to have noticed anything off, he'd shrugged off his concerns, assuming it was his own lack of romantic literacy. He'd been nervous, but also really excited to learn.

But as their relationship officially began...it quickly became obvious that there was a problem, and that a one-sided approach to fixing it just wasn't going to cut it.

Juvia had always been prone to mood swings severe enough to make Gray's head spin, but as soon as they started dating, her mood seemed to sink. He'd try to ask her about it only for her to put on an obviously fake, cheery front and insist she was fine.

At first, he was sure it must be his fault. He'd had no idea what he was doing wrong. At that point, the guilt he felt for not taking Juvia's feelings seriously for so long, for abandoning her in Amefurashi Village, and for nearly letting her die in an attempt to save him had been taking a serious toll on him. The guilt had sometimes left him ragged. Every time she seemed down, he beat himself up and tried to do better. Talking, dates, spending time together (even when it meant ditching missions he really wanted to go on with the team), accepting her gifts and acting happy about them (no matter how much they creeped him out).

But the more he'd tried to make up for everything, the worse it seemed to get. He watched her frustration rise as he tried to be more openly affectionate, her denials that she was frustrated getting louder. More and more, she gave, but when he gave back, she'd look ready to explode or burst into tears.

What had made everything come to a head was the sex. A surprise in itself. For all the ways their relationship had suffered, sex had never been one of them. It'd started back in the cabin they shared in Amefurashi Village. From the first night they'd moved in together, Juvia had not-so-surprisingly tried to edge her way into Gray's bed constantly. She'd use excuses of cold weather, make puppy eyes, and sew nauseatingly pink coupley bed sheets to try to lure him (when, he still had no idea).

Meanwhile, he struggled more and more to pretend he didn't find (most of) her antics adorable. Not to mention incredibly tempting. Things escalated to where he'd feel his excitement rising towards the end of their daily training sessions, to the point his body became conditioned to react when he saw the damn sun set.

He also felt increasing dread at the notion of having to turn Juvia down—and for having to sneak out in the middle of every night to "take care" of the problem she always left him with (cold showers didn't exactly work for an Ice Wizard).

Finally, one night, she'd pouted and whined that she was sore from training and begged for a massage. Gray didn't know if it was the fact she was asking him for something instead of offering; the unbelievably cute, sparkly-eyed, hopeful glances she kept sneaking at him; or the fact he could tell she actually was sore from the way her face would pinch as she attempted to stretch provocatively in front of him, but his resolve had shattered.

Before he could think and without a word, he'd lifted his covers and held her gaze, not bothering to hide the dark promise in his eyes.

Her reaction had been priceless. He'd never forget it.

His acceptance seemed to knock the breath straight out of her. Her eyes had gone round as saucers, staring into his eyes like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her cheeks had darkened. She'd stood stunned for so long that he'd started to get nervous, wondering if she'd only been being playful all this time, not really meaning to come on to him or maybe not expecting him to ever accept. But just as he'd been trying to field the disappointment sinking his heart and trying to think of how to promise he wouldn't do anything she didn't want, she'd hesitantly approached the bed, trembling.

After giving her the massage she'd asked for, he'd rewarded her bravery three times over.

After that, for the very first time, the dynamic of their relationship shifted in one, important way—the one which would force him to finally confront his own heart:

In terms of their physical relationship, he became the more dominant one. In this one aspect of their shared life, he chased. Gray flustered Juvia. He hadn't been able to get enough. What had once been a relentless, one-sided pursuit (one where she had, admittedly, been gaining on him without his notice) became a dance which had addicted him before he knew it.

The notion of reciprocating her feelings had once had him running for the hills. So it had been a huge shock to learn just how much he liked it.

She was so obviously happy and disbelieving that first time he slipped her clothes off in the moonlit dark, cursing over her beauty. Utterly awestruck when he'd seen to her pleasure (twice, he still liked to remember proudly) before even considering his own. Sex was the first time he heard her speak in the first-person, the first time she said his name without adding "-sama" (since that battle in the rain, anyway.)

It was when he lost himself in her soft skin, her passion, and her pleasure that some part of him was able to accept the truth she'd had the grace to surrender to from the very beginning.

The shift in their sex life was also when he'd started to twig something wasn't right between them. After Alvarez was when he'd started it back up. His plan had been to wait until he was able to reciprocate her feelings verbally, like he'd promised, but almost losing her had broken him in a way some part of him would never truly recover from. Between that and his final, full acceptance of his own feelings, there'd been no restraining himself. He'd come onto her with all the subtlety of a freight train the second they were alone.

Even then, something hadn't been quite right. She hadn't been herself, quiet enough that—even as...compromised as his critical thinking skills had been, at the time, and even in his heightened emotional state—he'd noticed. He'd pulled back and asked if she was okay, but when her response had simply been to drag him back in for a kiss that made his knees weak, he'd taken it as a yes and matched her passion enthusiastically.

She kept staying quiet in bed. It bothered the hell out of him, and he badgered her about it more than once, but would ultimately let it go when she insisted she was fine. In his defense, there had been a lot of reasons she could've become subdued. They had just fought a war. They were all exhausted from fixing the town and working to build peace in Fiore.

But after the 100-Year Quest and after his confession, she got even weirder. He noticed it all the time, in every aspect of their relationship, but it was especially noticeable in bed, when they were so close to each other, both completely vulnerable.

When they'd cohabitated, he'd almost always been the one to start something. He'd enjoyed that. He'd even (hell, especially) enjoyed the way she'd flirt, pretend to be oblivious to his advances, pout and blush and make him impress her, coax him to the brink of losing his mind before finally caving to both of their desires. Those times where he went from prey to predator had balanced their entire relationship, satisfying both of them.

Gray wasn't some slimeball who needed sex, but he did need some balance in their dynamic. The private, physical side of their relationship was just where it'd happened to play out. It could've played out anywhere in their relationship, if they were off sex for a while for whatever reason.

But as soon as they became official, it became clear she'd fight tooth and nail to make sure that never happened.

She came onto him. Every. Single. Time. He'd been a little surprised, but happy enough. At first. But as he pushed her to talk to him harder and she denied louder, he'd started to guess that something was genuinely, really wrong.

She didn't speak in the first-person when they were intimate, any more. She didn't drop the "-sama." Even worse, he started to suspect she was seducing him even when she wasn't really in the mood. Almost like she felt like she had to.

It had been one such time when he finally flipped his shit. Even now, walking behind her and appreciating her curves, the memory made his mood falter a little.

He regretted how he'd handled things. It shamed him to remember how he'd all but shoved her off him and refused to do anything else with her until she was ready to tell him whatever the hell was going on inside that crazy, watery head of hers. It was an ultimatum. A cruelly-put one, at that. He hadn't realized just how hurt and angry he was until the words flew out of his mouth.

Juvia had opened up, alright.

In fact, she'd exploded.

They'd screamed at each other, horrible things Gray could hardly stand to repeat even in his own head. She'd demanded that he quit wasting both their time and leave her again, like they both knew he would. He'd asked how stupid she could be to think he'd do that, when he was obviously dedicated enough to put up with her psycho stalker gifts. She'd retorted that her "psycho stalker gifts" didn't seem to have any affect on his libido. He'd yelled that she was the one jumping his bones, ever since he'd asked her out. She'd said that was because she actually cared about his happiness, implying that was something he'd never understand.

She'd ended the black, ugly fight with four hoarse words that ripped his heart out of his chest: "This is over, Gray-sama!"

His apartment door had slammed behind her.

He'd been too shocked and devastated to do anything but watch her go, not even managing to stagger to the door and chase after her until she was long-gone. Black curse power had swirled across his skin as he pelted to the guild, growling in frustration when he didn't find her there. Then he'd run all the way to the female dorms at Fairy Hills only to be deterred by Erza, who met him at the gate. She hadn't known anything about his and Juvia's fight, but she'd been drawn by his yelling.

His older sister figure had knocked him out "for his own good."

The next afternoon, Gray had woken up in his own bed. Not bothering to see if he was dressed (it would turn out he wasn't) he'd booked straight to the guild only to be devastated by the news that Juvia had taken a long-term S-class quest just that morning, news which was delivered by a sympathetic Mira.

Sure that it was over, that he'd ruined everything, he'd drunk himself sick—then kept drinking, swinging fists at anyone and everyone who tried to console him until, finally, in the wee hours of the next morning, Gajeel managed to knock him out of it.

The hostility, Gray had expected. Gajeel was Juvia's best friend; of course he was angry to learn that Gray had done something to upset her so much, she'd left for a Quest that could take months or even years to finish without so much as a word to Gajeel or any of their other comrades.

What did surprise Gray was the understanding Gajeel eventually showed.

Gray got his ass knocked flat by the Iron Dragon Slayer. From his back on the ground, he started to spit out what happened. With each word, the larger man had visibly calmed. After enough had come out, he'd awkwardly helped Gray to his feet (his own, gruff brand of apology.) He'd helped Gray sober up, then he'd given him a pep talk.

He'd refused to explain his own guesses as to what was going on with Juvia, insisting "who knows what goes on in that water witch's head." But he'd also insisted that whatever was going on, it for damn sure wasn't what Gray thought, which was that he'd hurt her too badly for her to love him anymore.

"She's obsessed with you," the man had said, scowling in disgust. "She's always been obsessed with you. She's way too stubborn to let it go that easy. It's annoying."

By six AM, Gajeel Redfox—of all people—had talked Gray into chasing after the love of his life. He'd even used his Iron Magic to create a lockpick which got them into the archive room, where they'd found Mira's records...and Juvia's location.

He'd barely had the time to register the irony of her quest's location before he was gone, shooting Gajeel a gruff "thanks" over his shoulder and running home to pack.

It'd been raining when he finally walked into Amefurashi Village.

He hadn't consciously known where to start looking when he arrived, but his feet—following some combination of muscle memory and the fate he'd fought for so long—had carried him to the place where the word "home" had changed for him: the cabin he and Juvia had shared. Where they'd grown together. Taken care of each other.

Where he'd left her. Hurt her. Even if most of the reason to do so was because he wanted to protect her, he couldn't stop hating himself for that.

She was standing outside the place, drenched and shivering, when he got there. As if sensing his arrival as surely as he'd known where to find her, Juvia had turned to look at Gray with eyes that were glassy above flushed cheeks. She'd wavered on her feet.

As soon as she'd whispered his name, she'd toppled. Gray's bag had landed in a puddle with a splashy thunk. He'd lunged to catch her like his life depended on it.

Shouting her name had earned him no response, but pressing the back of his hand to her forehead had been enough to convince him that she had a seriously high fever.

Strangely, as worried as he'd been about her, he hadn't even thought to bring her back to Wendy or seek a nearer healer. In hindsight, he was sure that deep down, he'd realized it would do no good; she wasn't physically ill, but heartsick, just as he was. He'd felt lower than the mud gathering around his boots.

He'd been surprised to discover that he had to break into their old home, and rapidly deduced that Juvia hadn't been staying at their old cabin even though she'd been standing outside of it, both from that fact and the fact that none of her stuff was there.

As soon as he lay her in the bed which had once been his before becoming theirs, she'd begun shivering. For the first time in his life, Gray cursed that he was an Ice Wizard instead of a Fire Wizard.

He'd run outside, grabbed his bag, then come back in—only to curse again when he unclasped the bag only to discover that all its contents were soaked. Thinking quickly, he'd stripped his wet clothes, then hers. He'd climbed into bed with her.

"'M sorry, Gray-sama..." she'd slurred her sleep. "Juvia's so sorry...Juvia had to...I just had to..."

He'd shushed her, rubbing her arms to try to warm her up. "It's okay, Juvia. I know, my love. It's okay..."

He'd kept holding her and whispering soft comfort to her until she'd finally stopped shivering, at which point his frantic worry had abated enough that he could fully admit to himself how good it felt to have her in his arms, her skin against his. How warm she was. How perfectly she fit against him. How much he missed her. She was right there, as close as another person could ever be to him. Yet with how things had been between them lately and how lost she was to fever, he'd never felt further away.

Apparently, he'd fallen asleep at some point, because when he awoke, it was to the rising sun blazing at him from the center of the cabin window. Ignoring his body's reaction to waking up in the arms of the very naked, beautiful woman he happened to be in love with, Gray had instantly dropped his hand to Juvia's forehead, sighing in relief when it became clear her fever had reduced. She wasn't better, but she was getting there.

Quickly figuring out what needed done, he'd dropped a tender kiss to her warm forehead, murmuring a threat against her sweaty hairline: "You'd better not even think of running away again, crazy woman. We are going to talk when I get back."

Gray had dressed, glanced back, and left. He'd met up with he client—a rich and unfortunately good-looking asshole about Gray's age who was way too disappointed Juvia, herself, wasn't the one who'd shown up. Through gritted teeth, Gray informed the bastard it would be a couple days before he and his partner (he was sure to emphasize those words several times) would be able to begin investigating the dark guild threatening the area, as she'd fallen ill.

It annoyed him to no end that the creep seemed genuinely concerned about this, trying to insert himself, demand to see her, and attempting to coax Gray into revealing her location (Gray couldn't help the pleasure and hope which rose in his chest, when he learned she hadn't told this guy wherever it was she was staying; obviously, she'd had no interest in sharing that information.)

The client had thrown a rich boy tantrum when Gray refused to tell him anything, but ultimately let him go when Gray promised Juvia would be there in a couple days (not bothering to mention that he would absolutely be there, too.)

He'd gone to pick up medicine and food. He'd grabbed all the ingredients he could remember for something hearty, mild, and delicious she used to make him when they lived together, a chicken stew that tasted like something he could remember from childhood. Those ingredients, medicine, ginger tea...anything he could think of that might help her feel better, he purchased, barely noting price.

Juvia had been waiting on the porch wrapped only in a blanket when he returned, flushed with both fever and anger.

They'd both been pissed at each other. While Gray locked horns with Juvia's amorous creep of a client, she had apparently been discovered by the landlord who owned their old cabin and only barely managed to talk him out of his anger, ultimately having to pay double their old monthly rent to keep him from calling the authorities—all while wrapped only in a blanket.

A brief yelling match had ensued. It ended when Juvia began coughing rather violently, Gray dropping his groceries in the mud to run to her. Even as she insisted she was fine, he'd ushered her into the cabin, forcing her to sit before he went back out to grab the food he'd bought.

Her face had gone funny when he began grouchily unloading chicken, rice, broth, veggies, and herbs. When he (somewhat defensively) asked what the hell she was staring at, she'd haltingly asked if he'd bought all of that for her. Exasperated, he'd told her of course he had, she'd had him worried sick.

The groceries had been abandoned when she burst into tears.

It had taken several minutes of heart-wrenching sobs on Juvia's part and coaxing on Gray's for the conversation to actually begin.

During their ugly fight in his apartment, she'd exploded.

Here, in the lonely home they'd once shared, she imploded.

While the groceries thawed and dripped on the kitchen counter, Juvia sobbed the whole, messy, painful truth into his chest. She told him everything. She told him how, deep down, she'd always known she wasn't worthy of having her love reciprocated by him. It had been true from the moment they'd met, when she'd been part of Phantom Lord, but remained true no matter how long she'd been at Fairy Tail. That was how she'd put it: "I always knew I wasn't worthy of Gray-sama's love." Not only because of her past, but because of how annoying she was. How gloomy. How creepy and obnoxious.

Gray hadn't even had time to express his horror at the fact she thought those things before she'd been plowing on, her tears only getting thicker and her words only making his heart sink lower.

She said knowing she didn't deserve his love had turned to knowing she didn't deserve to love him at all, when she'd killed Keyes to free Gray's father from his undead life. But even though "Gray-sama had been wonderful enough to forgive Juvia," she'd continued to hate herself, deep down.

She told him that sharing a life in the cabin they were currently in had, for her, been the sweetest kind of torture. That she'd never been so happy—and never felt more undeserving. For the first time, she told him that she'd only had one lover before Gray, some piece of shit named "Bora" who'd never cared about her or her pleasure. Gray had been nothing like him, attentive, caring, and as invested in her pleasure as he was in his own. At first, feeling so cared for had been as overwhelming as it was amazing, but by the time Gray started to pull away from her for his mission, the overwhelmed feelings had slowly begun to fade, letting her forget everything but the happiness she felt with him.

Juvia told him that the day he abandoned her to infiltrate Avatar, everything which she'd started to believe could feel right began to feel wrong, and everything which had felt wrong began to feel right. She'd never felt she deserved to be loved by Gray the way she loved him. Being left by him had, in a horrible way, made her feel like the world was how it was supposed to be.

But it had also ripped her apart.

It had destroyed any confidence she'd begun to gain in herself.

She told him that she resented being abandoned. Resented not being told about his mission to infiltrate a Dark Guild, not just because of their relationship, but because she had once been in a Dark Guild, and could potentially have helped his and Erza's Mission. She'd not only felt betrayed on a personal level, but disrespected as a Mage with no small amount of skill and experience.

It was a side to the issue which he had, shameflly, never considered.

He was mortified when she'd finally let herself chastise him for this—especially when he'd tried to defend himself by bringing up details of his mission only to be instantly struck down and ripped apart by someone who was, in fact, very obviously more knowledgeable about the inner workings of Dark Guilds than either he or Erza ever had been. Hell, Juvia could probably have run the mission almost as well as Jellal had.

For the first time, he saw just how beneficial it would have been to have her on board, despite Erza urging him not to get her involved. He should've gone against her orders, asked forgiveness instead of permission. Over the course of that one conversation, it was clear that having her on board would have shortened the length of their mission by probably several months.

But worse than the benefits they'd missed out on, in infiltrating Avatar, worse than the fact that she resented him, was her admission that she hated herself for that resentment.

She'd apologized. So many times. Too many times to count. Each apology was another crack in Gray's heart. He'd tried to ask her to stop, but they'd just kept slipping out anyway. It was like she couldn't help it.

She'd told him that over time, as she got to know the other women in Fairy Tail—Lucy, Cana, and Levy—she'd realized just how unworthy she was of the care Gray held for even just his friends. She just hadn't been forced to confront her own lacking sense of self-worth...until he openly reciprocated her feelings.

She said that the second he confessed, part of her felt wrong. Like she'd donned someone else's skin—someone who was worth being loved by Gray. Her guilt, her knowledge that she wasn't worthy of him, her bitterness, her self-hatred...all of it had come rushing to the surface.

She told him that, as unworthy as she'd felt, she'd been too selfish to reject him. Too angry at the thought of him being with someone else. Her own selfishness made her feel even worse than before. She'd been determined to be worthy of him, and so she had sought to pay every ounce of love he gave her three times over. At least.

It hadn't made her feel any better. No matter how hard she tried to be sure to pay him back, every time Gray took her on a date or made love to her, it made her skin crawl, because she didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve his love, his affection, or even his attention. He deserved better, and she was nowhere close to deserving him. She never would be.

If there had been even one last, single sliver of a doubt as to how he felt about this woman, it died then and there. Nothing—not his own guilt, being screamed at, or being broken up with—nothing could hurt worse than being made aware of what a hard time she was having. Learning just how badly she'd been dissociating during all their most precious moments. How much pain she was in. How little she thought of herself. How deep her scars ran.

He'd have given anything to take her pain away. He'd have given anything to change it. Right then, he couldn't think of a single thing he wouldn't have done to make her see herself as he saw her: the energetic, caring, fierce Mage he'd come to know. The woman who always eclipsed everything else for just a second, the first time he saw her every day.

He'd wanted to tell her all that, and more. He wanted to apologize. He'd wanted to tell her how badly he missed her after he'd left her here, that this place had been home for him, too. He'd wanted to tell her how much she meant to him, that no day without her smile even felt real, but his voice had been stuck behind a lump of misery and all he'd been able to do, for a very long time, was lay in their bed and hold her while she cried the rest of it out. He wasn't too ashamed to admit he lost a couple tears in her hair, too.

Over the twilight of time it had taken for her sobs to turn hoarse, then to whimpers, then sniffles, guilt, emotional exhaustion, an anguish washed over Gray in their turn.

Until finally, he hardened all of those feelings into resolve.

"I'm really thankful that you're here. For always being beside me..."

Those were the words Gray had said to her before Alvarez, and he'd meant them. For years, Juvia had done nothing but be there for him. Even when he didn't want her there, she stayed right next to him, quietly piecing together his heart and his trust. It killed him that the woman who'd confronted him with her love, made him face down his own weakness, always thought of him, and helped him so much more than he could ever truly thank her for had been hiding so much of her own pain. He wished she would have told him any of this all the times he'd pushed and asked.

But he couldn't blame her for that. Maybe she hadn't opened up to him before then, but her mentions of her days in Phantom and of that shithead ex of hers had driven home, with stark clarity, a realization he wished he'd made a lot sooner: Juvia didn't know how to open up like Gray had tried to demand, because she hadn't grown up somewhere like Fairy Tail.

Unlike Gray and Natsu and the others, she hadn't been taught to bare her pain, hadn't always known there would be someone to listen to her, cry with her, be on her side. While Gray had been fought, teased, and accepted for exactly who he was (more often his whole self than not) Juvia had been abandoned by every single person in her life except Gajeel and those who'd wanted to use her for their own ends. Gray abandoning her had only confirmed what she'd been taught was inevitable.

But the Ice Mage wouldn't linger on that. He wouldn't give any more time to despair.

It was his turn now, he realized. His turn to stay beside her even when it was hard, and do the work. Now, he just had to figure out how. But while he'd been trying to do that, had been gathering his words, Juvia had recovered enough to speak once more.

She'd apologized again. She'd told him that she knew this was too much, that all of this was too much...that she was too much. For the times they'd shared, she thanked him quietly, eyes bright with yet more tears and refusing to meet his as she continued that she'd had to let Gray go because she wanted him to be happy, and she'd finally, finally realized she could never do that for him, not really. Then she'd tried to push him away, and as Gray had tightened his grip, he'd realized he didn't need to figure out what to do, what to say, or how to love her.

She'd been showing him all along.

After a deep breath, the words had come low, and easier than he'd thought. He told her she was right, all of this was a lot...but also that he was so, so happy she'd finally told him what was really going on. He'd been as gentle as possible when he told her he could see how difficult and scary it had been for her to open up about all this and that he was proud of how brave she'd been for doing so, but she'd started crying again anyway, so he'd had to carry on with a shakier, hoarser voice.

He'd apologized. For everything. For not taking her feelings seriously for so long, for not seeing her when she needed to be seen, for leaving her behind and hurting her so badly she'd gotten sick. He hadn't been dismissing her abilities as a Mage so much as he'd been trying to protect her, but that was no excuse. "High-handed and cruel" was a generous way to describe his behavior, and he finally saw that. He'd told her that if he could take it back, he would. But he couldn't. He could only promise to never, ever leave her like that again, and he was more than ready to make that promise. He had been for a long time, since well into the 1oo Years Quest. If she'd only give him another chance, he'd show her.

At this point, Juvia had obviously started to twig that this conversation wasn't going to go how she planned, with Gray accepting she was too burdensome and unworthy for him and leaving her alone like everyone else had left her, because she'd started kicking up a fuss, forcing him to hold her there again.

"Let Juvia go, Gray-sama!" she'd demanded shakily, sounding like she was barely clinging to her determination. But Gray had refused. He refused to let her go like this, not until she'd heard him out.

As brief as the ensuing argument had been, it was also one of the most frustrating conversations Gray had ever taken part in (and he'd fought Natsu on basically every cock-and-bull-ass plan he'd ever come up with.)

He'd tried desperately to insist that while Juvia could be creepy and he did find rain somewhat gloomy, she was not worthless or annoying or obnoxious. He'd tried to tell her that she did make him happy. He'd tried to tell her how he felt about her.

Juvia had not responded well.

A wall had slammed up in her eyes, the same blank one he'd met on that fateful, rainy day so long ago. As she'd kept denying, and he'd kept pushing, their voices had gotten louder. Eventually, Gray had realized it was raining outside the window next to their bed again, and that was the one thing that had forced him to take a step back from his own frustration. Lucky, because if he hadn't, he might have flown off the handle and ruined everything all over again.

Looking down at her, he'd forced himself to cool off and realized he was being unfair; he was asking her to take an entire journey in one leap, to unlearn a lifetime's-worth of lessons about her own worthlessness over the course of a single conversation. No one could do that. It was an unreasonable thing to ask.

And so, when he'd finally gathered his wits and perspective enough, he'd said, "You don't have to agree with me. You don't have to agree with my feelings for you. But you have to believe that they're real...and you have to at least consider my side."

Juvia's eyes had gone wide. As they regained their sparkle, he'd refused to break eye contact. Slowly, the rain had stopped, leaving them in the silent hut.

After what felt like years, she'd shakily whispered, "O-okay."

And Gray had known that they were finally, finally getting somewhere.

Quietly and slowly, with their hands intertwined between their chests and their foreheads pressed together, they'd pieced together a fragile plan. They would stay together and be as they had been, but from now on, they were both going to make a concerted effort to be honest and rebuild trust. Gray started by admitting that missing out on Quests with his team had really started to bum him out, and while this seemed to sadden Juvia at first, she admitted after some thought that in being with Gray, she hadn't been nurturing her own friendships with her friends like Gajeel and Meredy. Lucy had also asked for help training her in Water Magic, and Juvia had declined so far even though she was interested in having someone to teach.

Gray had encouraged all of this...and he'd encouraged her to visit Porlyusica, too, when they got home. The old lady was hardly a Mental Healer, but she'd hopefully be able to help them find someone who was, someone objective and removed from the situation who Juvia could talk to openly. One thing which had sunk in fully for Gray over the course of Juvia's heartrending speech was that it was going to take a lot of time, work, and love to get Juvia to a better place. There was no way the two of them could do it alone.

They'd talked and planned until their voices were hoarse...and then they'd not talked for even longer. Juvia once again dropped the "-sama." She let him come to her. She didn't just surrender herself to him the way she had when they had each other before in their cabin, she'd given him even more—in his arms, she'd bared a small and precious part of herself Gray had never even realized she hid from him.

Over the course of the month they spent in that cabin, he'd cherished everything she gave him more than most men could've in twice the amount of time. How they'd managed to deal with that Dark Guild months and months ahead of schedule, he would never understand, because his head had never been less in the game. Neither of them had been able keep their hands off each other for more than an hour when they were alone together.

Neither had been particularly disappointed when that crotchety old landlord refused to give them back any part of their months' rent. Instead, they'd stayed till June was up breaking the place in thoroughly.

"It's payback for him being a jackass to you!" Gray had once playfully defended against her neck, pinning her against the kitchen counter and grinning as she gigglingly scolded him.

He only prayed no one ever took a UV Lacrima to the inside of that place. They'd go blind. He'd taken her on the couch, over it, against the walls, on the counters and tables, and in more positions than he'd previously known existed in that bed. When they returned home, a bunch of people had pointed out that they both looked like they'd lost weight. Gray didn't doubt it, after all the—

"...seriously, none of you know what it's like, every time we travel...OI, STRIPPER, YOU MAYBE WANNA QUIT EYE-FUCKING YOUR GIRLFRIEND WHEN WE'RE IN PUBLIC, YOU GODDAMN PERVERT?!"

The absolute last voice Gray wanted to hear when he was thinking about such great, intimate things yanked him out of his reflections in the most unpleasant of ways. An expression crossed between a scowl and a grimace consumed his features.

"Gray-sama!?" Juvia spluttered, craning her neck to peer at them over her shoulder with wide eyes. She looked half-scolding, half...affected as her cheeks went rose red.

Gray felt his own face grow hot as he turned to glare furiously at the pink-haired, disgusted-and-disgusting-looking bane of his existence.

"Would you keep your voice down, Dragon Boy?! I was not 'eye-fucking' Juvia!" His cheeks burned hotter as an elderly woman passing by shot him a deeply disapproving look.

"The hell you weren't!" Natsu snapped, drawing even more attention. "I could see all your gross, perverted thoughts right there in those droopy eyes of yours!"

"ARGH! So what?!" Gray just wanted this fight to be over, and figured that sort of admitting to what he'd been doing was the quickest way to make that happen. "Can't a guy even look at his girlfriend without pink-haired, flame-brained losers getting involved?!"

"THE HELL YOU JUST CALL ME?!"

"OH, SO YOU'RE DEAF AS WELL AS BRAINLESS, NOW?!"

"THAT'S IT, I'VE HAD IT! YOU'RE DEAD, YOU ICY BAS—"

"That's enough."

Uncharacteristically subdued and uninvolved though Erza's command was, it was enough to have both Natsu and Gray cringing and sweating in fear almost instantly.

"A-aye!" they squeaked, then sighed in relief as she shot them one last glare and clanked away.

"Ah, it always goes this way." Happy folded his little blue sausage arms over his chest and tsked. "If only Gray had kept his perverted eyes on himself, we wouldn't even be talking about this."

"And just how the heck is one supposed to 'keep their eyes on themselves', huh?" Gray growled up at the floating Exceed.

"By not being you, apparently!" he cackled back, Natsu soon joining him in his obnoxious guffawing.

"Why, you—! Get back here, you little shit!" Gray made a random grab at the little creep only to curse as he missed his tail by about a centimeter.

Meanwhile, Juvia clasped her still-red cheeks with her hands and donned an all-too-familiar, starry-eyed expression. "Juvia does not mind at all if Gray-sama...covets Juvia in public! How Juvia adores Gray-sama's passion!"

Gray flinched as if he'd been whipped in the back. In a second flat, he was blushing again. "O-oi, Juvia—!" he started, scrambling to find a way to get her to calm down before she came onto him in public.

(Again.)

"However," she continued before he figured out how to distract her, turning to look at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "If Gray-sama is going to covet Juvia on a public street, Juvia thinks he should at least wear clothes."

"Wha—?! CRAP!" Gray shouted as soon as he realized he'd stripped down to his boxers. "When did that happen!?"

Juvia wrinkled her nose cutely and giggled while he scrambled for his clothes. When he was finally yanking his jacket on, he shot her a playful glare only for his lips to quirk when she winked and sauntered after Erza.

That little...she'll get it later, he thought with a huff before shoving his hands in his pockets and strolling after her. He was well aware that he was full-on grinning, now, and didn't care in the slightest.

Little interactions like that...those were the fruits of all the hard work they—especially Juvia—had done when they got back from that S-Class mission. Gray had been prepared for it to be grueling and difficult, to fight. "Relationships take work" was a piece of advice he'd heard plenty, since he started asking for advice about how to love Juvia.

But what he'd never expected to find was that, while it was hard sometimes, it was work he was all too willing and capable of doing, because it was for her. For them. And what no one had told him was that, while loving someone meant their pain became yours, it also meant that their triumphs became yours, too.

Some days had been worse than others. Even though she'd been talking to a friend of Porlyusica's and made an impressive effort to spend more times with her friends, there were moments where Gray had felt like Juvia was back at square one. But he'd been there beside her, encouraging her every step of the way while she healed, learned that he wouldn't leave her again, learned that she was worth all of it. And slowly but surely, she'd healed.

That was what no one had told him: that every time she huffed at him to do his own laundry, teased him, sassed him into taking her on a real date, and even turned him down for sex, that he would feel such a huge rush of pride and triumph.

It was true that the road had been hard, but Gray had walked it with Juvia, and that had made every step worth it.

o(O)o

AN: Ah, sorry I don't have the time to edit this now and make it more cohesive! Also that I can't publish my next chapter of Chasing Tails just yet! I definitely, definitely will come back to edit this piece one day and make it better after I've done that. In the meantime, Happy Belated Gruvia Day!

P.S.: Fun Fact! I named this partly after one of my all-time favorite fics from a completely different fandom. The Hard Road by wthtonibelle, a Kacchako fic (from the My Hero Academia fandom) which is written in a similar way and has similar themes, only it's longer and better lol. check it out if you're so inclined!

[igetthedisneybox]

Any non encanto ocs you wanna talk about?

So many.

Since this is my Disney blog, here are some of my non-Encanto Disney OCs, the kids of the official Disney princesses. (I've been working on these guys since like 2017 lol)

Adelina, Bianka, and Glauco (Snow White's kids)

Lawrence (Cinderella's son)

Dawn and Day (Aurora's twins)

Melody, Aria, Cadence, and Harmony (Ariel's daughters. Melody's not mine, obviously)

Raoul and Vincent (Belle's sons)

Jenna, Rafi, Salima, and currently unborn baby (Jasmine's kids...but you knew that already lol)

An-Ming and Renshu (Mulan's kids)

Basil, James Jr, and Eva (Tiana's kids)

Westley and Wisteria (Rapunzel's twins)

Magnus (Merida's adoptive son)

Kay and Gerda (Anna's kids)

Eira and Frey (Elsa's adoptive kids. (Crazy how in the Invisible Truth they'd be related to the Madrigals....))

Nalu (Moana's adoptive son)

Alya (Raya's adoptive daughter)

Potential Asha/Starboy kid, but I haven't seen Wish yet, so who knows

I was doing some major edits for my non-Encanto Disney OCs, when I got bored and stopped. Might finish those if I got the time.

I've been also doing some work on the main story for the children of the 2D animated princesses (because 2D is way easier to make edits of)

I've been semi-writing/ mostly daydreaming about sticking those guys in a Descendants au, but probably won't do a full story about it. Might do some snippets, and maybe some Hannah Hook alt universe crossovers if you were up for it.

I will absoultley be doing some outfit boards for both the actual story, and the Des au...once I figure out how to do that.

Also, feel free to send any asks about the non-Encanto kids too 👉👈

[itssokiee]

Smudged Happiness: Chapter 1

Author’s note: Fairy Tail high school au - but a little fucked up (feat nalu, jerza, gruvia, gale, zervis)

I feel like the true gen z high school experience never got shown truly accurate in media. They either went way over board, like Euphoria, or they were this kinda cringe middle ground, like Ginny and Georgia. Although it’s just a silly fan fiction with gross exagerations, I truly want to show an accurate portrayal about what it was like growing up as teenager in the later 2010s. At least for a suburban middle class.

Lucy is mostly the main character, but a lot of this story is told through the point of view of many different characters. Simultaneous stories happen at the same time, and sometimes a scene is told twice from different povs. All discrepancies are intentional as everyone is an unreliable narrator.

Lucy Hearfilia laid in a bed three times too large for her with her eyes closed yet fully awake. The empty space in her bed suffocated her and the sound her clock's tick echoed in her heartbeat's thud. After what could have been two minutes, or two hours, Lucy got out of bed and walked across the room to her desk. Her desk was handcrafted out of ivory and intricate designs were carved into the legs of the table. Lucy felt nervous with a hint of melancholy so she began to do the only thing that could help settle her nerves. She got out a clean piece of paper and a pen and began to write.

Dear Mom,

I am starting my Sophmore year at Fairy Academy this year. I am feeling kind of nervous right now and I know that if you were here then you would know exactly what to say. Truth is, I don't know what I am so nervous about, after all, I can't wait to see all my friends again-

Lucy smiled at the thought of her friends. She had not seen them all summer due to the trip to Europe she took over the summer. She had to admit that it stung seeing all her friends together on social media but she did not blame them. It was not their fault her summer was taken up by fancy overseas business parties.

I made a lot of great friends after I transferred halfway through freshman year. I am sure you would have loved to meet them, Mom. I expected to have a hard time  finding friends due to my late start however, that was not the case at all. I made friends with the most beautiful girl I have ever met, Mirajane Strauss.

Lucy thought of her friend Mira, she was kind and beautiful, everything Lucy wanted to be. But behind her kind words and a beaming smile, she too knew the tragedy of losing family. Mira's younger sister, Lisanna, was killed in a freak accident when Mira was twelve and her sister was nine. She had learned about Lisanna's tragic end on the third anniversary of her death. On that day, everyone wore purple in remembrance of Lisanna. When Lucy had asked about the occasion, someone had told her that Lisanna had found a baby dove on the ground and decided to put it back in its nest. While she was climbing the tree, a branch snapped and she fell to the ground where she was impaled by a fallen branch. They said that the odds of her landing on the branch at just the right angle to kill her was one in a million. The story haunted Lucy and from that day forward, whenever Lucy saw a dove, she felt her stomach drop.

I also made friends with a girl named Levy McGarden. You would've liked her a lot. Like me, she shares my passion of reading and writing. We were thinking about starting  a creative writing club at our school this year, actually.

Levy was the first friend that she had made when she transferred. Levy was working at the front office the morning Lucy transferred and noticed that Lucy looked lost. Levy asked if she was new and Lucy had replied yes. Levy walked her to her first class and offered Lucy to eat lunch with her and her friends.

Two of my closest friends are Gray and Erza. Last year, we all had our first period and lunch together. Our teacher was harsh and the subject was boring but it was  the best part of my day. We always did projects together and met up at the local cafe near the school.

Erza is a grade ahead and the school council president - all the students respected and feared her. Gray is the carefree slacker who always props his feet up on the desk in front of them. Lucy never imagined she would be able to have friends like them. She smiled as she remembered all the fun they had in their first class together, Juvia's constant declarations of love that Gray never took seriously, going to the mall, and just hanging out after school.

However, never would I have had the friends and the adventures if it wasn't for my best friend, Natsu Dragneel.

Lucy paused and reread her sentence several times. Her best friend Natsu Dragneel. While Levy was her first friend, Natsu introduced her to all her other friends. He always made her feel included in everything that they did. She went over to his house almost on a weekly business, whether it was to study for an upcoming test or just to hang out.

Lucy began to reminisce on how they met. It was her second week of school and she still only had one friend Levy. It was fine, she really only needed one. The teacher called for a group project and wanted everyone in groups of four. Lucy figured that she would just join Levy, Jet, and Droy, that is until the teacher decided that she would assign the groups. Lucy still remembers the groups that the teacher had called out.

"Levy, Gajeel, Cana, and Kiana"

"Jellal, Mira, Laxus, and Bickslow"

"Freed, Reedus, Evergreen, and Mest"

"Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Erza"

Immediately Natsu and Gray jumped out of the chair and yelled out, "WHY WITH HIM?"

After being scolded by Erza the quietly shrank back down into their seat. Afterward, the teacher gave them time to sit down and begin working on their projects.

"So who's this Lucy chick anyway?" Natsu said scanning the class.

"I sit right next to you, flame brain!" Lucy said in a tone harsher than she had meant.

"Chill dude, I thought your name was Luigi or something like that," Natsu said smiling.

They did not get a lot of work done the rest of the day and decided that they would have to meet up at Natsu's house later that day to get work done. Levy had come up to her at the end of class and apologized saying that her schedule got changed and that she could not sit with Lucy for lunch because she had library aid for the rest of the semester. Lucy smiled and said it was alright but could not help but to feel if she was back at square one, lonely girl with no friends.

When she walked into the courtyard for lunch, Natsu immediately called her over to come sit with him. When Lucy asked why he invited her, he merely smiled and said

"Were friends right?"

"Right."

~

Later that day when she got into the car of the Hearfilia driver, she told him to take her to Natsu's house instead of her own.

"Has my lady finally made friends?" the driver asked raising an eyebrow.

"Kinda," Lucy said, "we're just doing a project is all."

She got to his house at the same time as Erza and Gray. Erza reached over to ring the doorbell and then they waited in silence for a few moments. After a couple of seconds, a boy with jet black hair and piercing black eyes opened the door. Lucy began to panic as she thought that they had all mistakenly gone to the wrong place

until Gray said, "Hey Zeref, is Natsu home?"

Zeref sighed and opened the door to let them into the living room. "That idiot just ran off to the store with Wendy. He'll be back in about ten minutes. You can wait

here I guess."

"Zeref? Whose here? Some of Natsu's friends?" a girl's voice called.

"Something like that," Zeref called back.

Lucy went over to the source of the voice and saw a girl with blonde hair laying on the couch holding a video game controller. Instantly Lucy recognized her.

"Ha you didn't pause the game and now I am way ahead of you," the girl said smiling.

"You need all the head start you can get," Zeref said sitting down and picking up the other controller.

"You're Mavis Vermillion!" Lucy exclaimed. "As in, the valedictorian of your grade and captain of the volleyball team with a full ride to all the top colleges?

Friends with Yuri, Precht, and Warrod? You're practically perfect!"

Mavis smiled, "I am nowhere near perfect and a lot of those rumors are just exaggerations anyway."

Suddenly the door to the garage opened and Natsu burst inside.

"I'm back! And I bought supplies to help us complete our project! Oh, hey Mavis!"

A young girl came in the door behind Natsu helping him bring in some of the supplies.

"Oh Lucy, this is my cousin Wendy who lives with us while her mother is working in another country," Natsu said introducing them.

"Nice to meet you!" Wendy said smiling.

That memory of working together all night on a project was one of Lucy's favorites. For the first time ever, she had learned what it was like to have friends. Lucy looked back down at the letter she was writing to her mom. She no longer felt nervous, just relaxed.

Thank you, Mom, for always calming me down. Even though you are not here, I know that you are watching me.

Love,

Lucy.

Lucy then fell asleep at her desk after signing her name.

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