#this is why nalu is so good natsu so clearly always loved her and shes to its requited their both figuring out

[rose-void-789]

Out of everything tonight this

This! Is the most solid proof that hes never noticed her. He's never given a romantic thought to her that was never on his mind, but now that he's looking on what he missed hes suddenly realized.

And yet he called her his hero. How could you say that to someone you never gave the time of day too. Who you don't even really connect with until years later. What is she to you Izuku mydoria! What was she to you before tonight because clearly you didn't love her before.

How are you all happy with this. I know it's a trope but damn it why can't a women move on why does she have to always be on the other side. Why can't the mc sit with unrequited feelings. I'm so sick and tried of this trope.

Update to this:

It just keep being confirm how much they weren't in each other life. They had so much more to do but still he got katsuki as guest lectured he could have got her to!!!

[bumblebeehug]

I'm starving for nalu angst content. Please feed me?

i shall feed you with some of the best angst i can muster<3 thank @zuzu-fairys-tail for prompting this tihi

For the sake of Love

Summary: Natsu makes a mistake that drives him away from Lucy, but when he returns, he's forced to face the aftermath. Notes: This fic works as a stand-alone, but makes direct references to "Unrequited Love" Part of this series Ao3 - FF.net (original version)

***

Natsu had never thought about love as something he would experience. He had seen other people express it, claiming that their life didn’t start until they met their significant other. He heard them talk about needs, desires, communication and other otherworldly things – otherworldly, he called them, because couldn’t this apply to anyone? Why did it have to be a specific person? Why them?

He once asked Gray about this. He mentioned his relationship with Juvia, how they had been going steady ever since the team got home from the hundred years quest, but that he couldn’t understand where their original relationship had gone. Their yandere-tsundere act, their genuine friendship – had he really given it up for the sake of “love”?

“They cohabit,” was Gray’s curt answer, clearly disgusted having to talk about feelings with an idiot like Natsu.

No matter how much Natsu pressed him after that, Gray wouldn’t elaborate. Cohabit. He asked Levy for a definition, and came to the conclusion that that’s what he and Happy did. Lived together, spent time together, cared for each other. Except, he wouldn’t marry Happy even if he stood at gunpoint, so Gray couldn’t have been serious. He kept the real information for himself, the actual secret behind normal love and romantic love – what they meant and what differentiated them.

Before Natsu met Lucy, he was going through a troubled period in his life. He had spent so much time alone ever since Lisanna died. His home was dusty and empty, any time he spent in Magnolia was spent at the guild hall, and even his time there was limited to when he was between missions. And those missions then – they would last for weeks at a time, and anytime he found a lead on Igneel, he would follow it, resulting in more time spent away. It could go days between his last conversation with humans, though luckily he didn’t go anywhere without his blue furry pal.

Then Lucy entered the picture. If Natsu hadn’t been talking a whole lot before, now he barely got a word in edgewise. Except, he didn’t dislike hearing her chatter away like there was no tomorrow. It filled his brain, the empty space that normally made his loneliness echo throughout the night. Lucy was a breath of fresh air in comparison to speaking to anyone else in the guild. They all knew him for his losses – losing Igneel, losing Lisanna – but here he had a girl who didn’t define him by these things. She valued Natsu for his current self, the one she had met in Hargeon, who was strong, friendly and reliable. He appreciated this – he didn’t have to feel out of place when he entered the guild. Plus, she was easily impressed by all he had to offer. It was almost too good to be true.

After her, the world shifted. He was once again finding joy in the simple things. Jobs became more intricate and engaging, and even when the reward was butchered he’d always leave with a good feeling in his stomach. He enjoyed hearing her explain plants she saw on the way home from the job, and though he never enjoyed trains, he felt at ease knowing she wouldn’t leave him on it. Lucy became his ground pillar, the safety line that kept him from falling. Soon enough he found himself looking towards her every time he outdid himself. He wanted to know that she had seen, that she knew how far he had come. And the best part was that every time he searched for her eyes, she was already looking at him. Her support was unwavering.

At least, that’s what he thought. Lucy was always going to be there, searching for him, aiming all her attention to Natsu. He believed that her door would always be wide open for him, and if it wasn’t, he’d be granted an open window – something that told him that she wanted them to connect. For years, that was true. He had landed in the fact that he loved her presence, and she loved his. That their friendship was beyond just friends – soulmates would be more accurate.

But Natsu felt inadequate. Like he was failing at being a normal human. He had been haunted by the fact that he never was seen as any other guy – he was always a dragon, a demon, or in some cases a dunce. Truthfully, he didn’t want that. So one day he took a look at himself, and at other guys his age, and did a comparison. What was it Natsu did wrong, where did he fail as a human?

It didn’t take long to notice it. Almost every guy his age had been with, or currently was with, a partner. Not in the way Lucy was a partner, though he often referred to her as such, but in a dirtier way. There was jealousy, touching, tasting and biting, not always confined to a private space, seeing as he had noticed all this just in the guild hall. Jet had yet another girlfriend fuming with anger as she ran out of the bar area – she had apparently had enough of being compared to Levy. Natsu didn’t actually crave that sort of love, but he still couldn’t help but search for it.

The day he met her, he was on a solo mission. Happy and Lucy were visiting the Exceeds, but Natsu wanted some extra money for food, so he’d gone alone on a quest to catch some dark wizards before they got their hands on a sacred jewel from the village. It was walking distance, the pay was good, and Natsu would get to let off some steam: it was the perfect mission. What he didn’t know was that within that group of wizards, there’d be a mage with the most captivating looks.

Her light blue hair and fierce, deep green eyes had him captured. Not captured enough to avoid him from defeating the group, but enough to make him feel like he couldn’t help but to try to talk to her. Surely she’d come over to the good side if they had a good heart to heart? Natsu was confident that all she needed was some TLC: a warm shower, a proper conversation, and a soft bed to sleep in.

That night, Natsu did things he’d never done before. She had kissed him, and to his initial surprise, he had kissed her back. The small voice in the back of his mind, worrying about Lucy, was quickly pushed away. This was what he wanted – he had waited for a moment like this for years. A chance to hop on the train to being a normal guy, someone with girlfriends, exes, an emotional life. So under the sheets they went: he believed their activities would come to an end after this, resembling something of a “one night stand” as he’d heard people call it.

Man, was he wrong. The lust that awoke within him suddenly felt untamable: he needed her to satisfy him. It was years of pent up longing, though he still wasn’t sure for who he had longed. She seemed quite satisfied with their relationship though. Their sessions were intense, only lasting a day a month, so whatever they had could be kept a secret. Lucy and Happy didn’t have to know.

But soon enough, the two of them came to talk before and after their meetings. They’d talk about anything at first: the weather, recent news from the area, things that had happened on missions they’d gone to – she had listened to his advice way back then and started up as a novice witch, freelancing her way around while she got used to the good side of the wizarding world. Natsu was thrilled, because now he could share his struggle: they were both equally destructive in their ways. Between sessions they’d find themselves comparing ways they destroyed towns: Natsu still winning by a landslide, though to be fair, they weren’t yet exactly on common ground. She had many years ahead of her to sharpen her tactics – if getting more destructive was part of it, then so be it.

Natsu loved her ways. He found himself thinking this quite often. He loved how she laughed, how she moved, the things she did. Never having felt this before, he quickly got swept away by the intensity. Suddenly he met up with her multiple times a week, not even to do anything dirty – just to talk to her. She seemed to share his sentiment, not really initiating any major sessions unless the mood was really there: she was clearly interested in him back. When Natsu realised this, he thought he’d finally gotten back the good karma he’d collected over the years, that the universe owed him.

Before he could ask her out properly though, he felt like he had to stop this secrecy. He hated not being able to tell Lucy about things, and it felt weird that she knew everything about Lucy, while she knew nothing about her.

The plan was to just kindly drop the ball in Lucy’s lap. He’d tell her about her, keep his description of her short and clean, and then she’d slowly get used to the idea. It’s not like he didn’t know how special their relationship had been lately: they’d kept up the husband-wife act, she allowed him to share her bed, though nowadays he longed for her smell in it (he couldn’t tell Lucy that of course), they ate almost all meals together, and still went on missions. The only difference was that he was starting to like the idea of doing these things with her as well. And even he knew that he couldn’t have both: he couldn’t have his cake and eat it too.

His confession to Lucy hadn’t gone as he’d planned. He had taken her to this diner across Magnolia, made sure they took the long way there so they could enjoy their company a bit before he put his big news out there: in hindsight he realised it must have led her on. When they sat down, Natsu could barely contain himself. As soon as drinks were ordered, he grabbed her hands, sparkled in his eyes, and dropped the bomb.

“Lucy, I think I’m in love.”

As soon as he said it he let everything about her spill out. He couldn’t stop talking, it felt like he was in a daze: it felt so incredibly good being able to talk about this. To Lucy nonetheless. In fact, if you asked him then and there, he’d tell you he was in his version of heaven – and that being said knowing how great sex with her was. This, however, didn’t compare. Him and Lucy, no secrets, and he was in love. He’d be dancing on the table if the establishment was slightly less refined. So he talked and talked, about midday blue hair and eyes green as the forests from his childhood: and he didn’t see the way Lucy pressed her lips into a thin line, how tears threatened to build up in her eyes, or how her heartbeat got heavier. These were all things he would realise once he arrived back home, but wouldn’t be certain if it he’d just imagined or not.

If Natsu could go back in time and change how he had told Lucy, he absolutely would have, without a doubt in his mind. But that was only because in hindsight, he realised that Lucy might have harbored deeper feelings for him. He hadn’t realised it at first, dense as he often could be, but it was apparent once he took his usual trip to Lucy’s apartment just to find her doors locked, her windows closed and her blinds drawn. It was weird, caught Natsu off guard, and left him with a gruelling, dull ache in his chest. Did he prompt her to do this? Not wanting to draw any hasty conclusions, he went back every day the following week. Surely he’d catch her going outside to get groceries one of these days? But to his terror, she didn’t.

When he asked the guild about Lucy’s whereabouts, all he got was curt, dismissive answers. In a way, that answered his question: he was the cause of this. Even Happy had turned against him: he now spent most of his time in Lucy’s apartment. Natsu couldn’t blame him: he hadn’t told him about her until right after he’d gotten home from telling Lucy. Happy was Natsu’s oldest friend, so it was natural he’d hold a grudge if Natsu didn’t tell him about important things in his life. But that he’d be cooping up at Lucy’s place was the thing that set his theory in stone: Lucy must have had a crush on Natsu. There really wasn’t any other explanation. Happy was attached to Lucy, sure, but there had to be some sort of resentment from Natsu not going out with Lucy instead of the girl. Happy could be territorial in that way – he didn’t want new people to come and steal away Natsu’s attention.

For months things were weird in the guild. Natsu never knew how reliant the guild was on his and Lucy’s team: without them all working together as usual, it was like the mood in the guild hall had gone grey and stale. Natsu focused on solo missions, secretly doing them with her so he could get any extra help he might need. Sometimes it bugged him that Lucy wasn’t the one with him, but he brushed it off as just not being used to teaming up with someone who didn’t have the diversity of 15 different celestial spirits close by. Though it happened that he’d feel annoyed when she ignored clear instructions once again, causing double the amount of damage that was necessary for the mission. He suspected he was learning how it must have been working with him all these years.

Natsu couldn’t help but act like a busybody when it came to Lucy. He had promised himself to stay out of her business, but when he heard that she was looking thinner, he worried she didn’t have enough money for both rent and food: soon he started slipping a couple of thousand jewells to her landlady. Just so she’d keep her eye on Lucy for him.

One day he saw her there, in the guild, at the table with Levy and Cana. Before she noticed he was there she looked almost exactly like she used to: radiant, happy, gorgeous. The second she laid her eyes on him, her entire aura changed. With it, her normal appearance seemed to fade away as well. Suddenly he saw every pore in her face, felt her ragged breath in the air, noticed deep under eye bags contrasting the paleness of her skin. Her cheeks were sunken in and her muscles deflated – had he done this to her?

That’s when he started with the sympathy-smiles. He felt as stupid doing them as she probably felt receiving them, but before he could get out of it, it had become a habit. He’d draw the left side of his mouth, his lips pressed together as the corner of his mouth tried to turn into something of a smile, though it’d fail every time before it had a chance to turn upwards. Everytime he did it, he’d hear her swallow hard, smell tears in her eyes, and he’d feel the burning eyes of any fellow dragon slayers in the room – they all blamed him.

Natsu wasn’t sure he enjoyed living life like this. He loved her, without a doubt: they had finally become a couple, enjoying their date nights to the fullest. But even though he considered her a kindred spirit, he felt like something was missing. He wanted some contrast in their relationship. They could talk about something, find a word they didn’t quite understand, and then… silence. Silence where Lucy would kindly take her time and explain the word, its origin and how it was used: often with a couple of synonyms as well. That was how he even knew the word synonym. It was all thanks to Lucy.

Once, when they were thirty minutes into an intimate session, Natsu accidentally called out her name. Not her name, but Lucy’s. A faint whisper, right by her ear, making her jump out of bed quicker than he’d ever seen her move before.

“What did you just say?” She was grasping at her clothes, gathering them from the floor, distraught painted all over her face. “Lucy?”

Natsu fell over in bed, hurrying to cover his goods with the blanket.

“I- I don’t know. I didn’t mean to,” he tried. It was in vain, he realised, as he watched her blue curls swoosh with her very violent shaking of her head.

“No. It’s- it’s too weird, Natsu. I’ve known that you’ve loved her for a really long time, but I was stupid to think I could make you get over her.” She had tears prickling the corners of her eyes, though it looked like she was keeping them in check for now. She’d probably let them out as soon as he was out of sight. She tended to do that. Cover up any sign of weakness in case Natsu’s opinion of her would change. Maybe it would. He wasn’t so sure of himself anymore.

“Love? I don’t- not with her,” Natsu pressed his lips into a thin line, like his mouth had grown accustomed to recently. He never seemed to do his signature grin anymore: there was always something stopping him.

“How couldn’t it be love, Natsu? You always talk about her, you’ve preached to me how she changed your life! You’re one of the most romantic people I’ve ever met, but you were never romantic with me. It wasn’t me who you uprooted a tree for. It wasn’t me you turned into a demon for.” Her bottom lip quivered. “I know you want to love me. Maybe you do. But it will never compare. I’m sorry. Let’s end this here.”

Maybe she was right. Natsu watched her as she pulled on her pants and her shirt. He didn’t feel like stopping her from leaving. He didn’t like seeing her cry, but he wasn’t ready to do anything in his power to stop her. Though, his resolve on crying girls had been weak since some time back, considering that he didn’t drop everything in his life to stop Lucy from doing it. He’d become very similar to guys he had no respect for: he hated this.

When she was almost out the door, she stopped a second. Just a split second, hoping that he’d run forward to stop her. A quick glance over her shoulder: he looked like he was in his own world. She wasn’t sure he had ever really cared about her. In her eyes, they were practically kids, just swept away in the heat of the moment. His short obsession with her had only been a quick infatuation in comparison to what he had with Lucy. Everywhere they went, on every date, every topic: Lucy had seemed like a third party in their relationship. He spoke of her like she was the greatest person in the world, and though she couldn’t help but harbor a tiny bit of resentment for her, she also knew that Lucy must be a pretty amazing girl if she had managed to capture a flighty guy like Natsu.

__________

Natsu stayed at that hotel for a couple of days. He’d only told people he’d be gone for the night, back in the morning again, but they didn’t come looking for him despite his brief disappearance. He still couldn’t completely grasp what he’d done, but with every hour in that bed, the place he’d called out for Lucy instead of her in the depths of his passion, he found himself deeper in his realisations: he had fucked up.

He laid in unrest under the tan covers of the hotel duvet. He’d spent the last six months in his life in a daze, and now everything was rushing back to him in waves of regret, making him feel ill. He didn’t know how to fix this: life had turned upside down. He had messed up so badly, leaving his perfect life with Lucy and the guild, for a brief period to feel like a normal, shitty guy in puberty. Was it worth it? Destroying years of intimate friendship, breaking up the best team Fairy Tail had ever seen, leaving Happy behind to have irresponsible fun with a girl he barely knew?

He appreciated the time he’d gotten to spend with her, he really did, but it didn’t compare. Nothing gave him the sense of satisfaction that he’d reach from succeeding at a really silly prank in Lucy’s house. She didn’t give him the butterflies Lucy had given him when she traced flowers on his shoulder in the dead of night. 

Natsu was still confused. The relationships he’d experienced were so vastly different: but didn’t he do everything right? He gave the nasty love a chance, to save his love for Lucy from the dirtiness. He thought he’d juggled the two of them, one would fill his body’s desires and the other his soul’s. Lucy wouldn’t have to see him as the horrid person he really was behind closed doors. She got to see everything else: his happiness, sadness, everything that made him the person he wanted to be. Surely she wouldn’t accept him if she knew the dirty dreams that would leave his underwear soaked in the morning. He didn’t accept that version of himself: how could she?

When he stood up from his fetal position in his bed, and finally went to the bathroom to wash his face, he didn’t recognise the person looking back at him in the mirror. It was him, technically. Pink hair, sharp, monolid eyes, pointy teeth. But he had wrinkles between his light eyebrows, his mouth couldn’t curl into his normal grin: his eyes didn’t follow his commands. He pulled at his cheek. Those lips had kissed her more times than he could count. They felt dry, and looked pale in the reflection. These weren’t lips allowed to kiss someone as important as Lucy. No, he was completely inadequate. His hair was choppy, after having tried to cut it back to his normal lengths with a pair of kitchen scissors. Cancer wasn’t able to help him with that anymore, but he missed how soft his hair could feel after 5 minutes under Cancer’s care.

His neck looked thin and stretched out, faint marks from passionate kissing the night before, still left on the sides. For some time he’d at least be able to cover it up with his scarf. His eyes continued to scan what the reflection showed him: his bronzy skin had a gray tint, his hair looked duller, and then those eyes. A bit red from not getting any sleep last night, but more importantly: they had completely lost whatever sparkle they had before. He wasn’t sure when he’d last taken a good look at himself – maybe this dullness came from the break up with her, but honestly? Deep down he knew he’d lost it months ago. It was like the horrible actions he’d consistently made had slowly desaturated him, leaving him an empty shell of what he once was. There was a time when he was proud of what he saw: he was righteous, tough and had a fiery determination – where had it gone?

He threw his scarf back on and went back to bed. Could he really deal with Lucy when he came back? Would she let him talk to her? He wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t. But in a way, he thought he owed her at least the truth. He wasn’t completely sure what the truth was yet: if it was his love for Lucy he wanted to convey, or his regret over his past actions.

The thoughts churned in his mind like a storm that refused to settle. He turned in bed, his body refusing to settle. Soon enough the night was there again, coming back to taunt him: keep him up at night and make him reflect on the life that had led him up to this. It was all his fault. He had to gather himself though. Not able to figure out where to start, knowing this couldn’t go on. He owed Lucy something – an apology, a confession, or maybe just the clean cut, yet gory truth about what a mess he had become. Even if she slammed the door in his face, even if she never spoke to him again, he needed to face her. He needed to fix at least one broken thing in his life, even if it wasn’t repairable.

Morning light streamed in through the thin hotel curtains. It painted the room in soft, warm tones that felt at odds with the cold knot in his chest. Natsu sat on the edge of the bed, hands clasped tightly together as if trying to stop them from shaking. He’d never felt fear like this – not when he faced dragons, dark guilds, or any of the countless battles he’d endured. No, this was different. This was the fear of standing in front of someone he loved and knowing he had ruined everything.

His scarf felt heavier on his shoulders as he adjusted it. It smelled faintly of ash and campfire – a comforting remnant of the person he used to be. He clung to that thought as he forced himself to his feet. Every step toward the door felt like dragging a mountain, but he kept moving. He didn’t pack anything; there was nothing worth keeping from this place except the lesson it had burned into him.

The guild would notice his return soon enough, and he had no illusions about the reception waiting for him. Anger, disappointment, maybe even indifference – he wasn’t sure which would be worse. But none of it mattered. His focus wasn’t on Fairy Tail, nor on repairing his reputation. He wasn’t coming back to make amends with the guild. He was coming back for Lucy.

As he stepped out into the bustling street, the cool morning air hit his face, and for the first time in days, he took a deep breath. It didn’t cleanse him, not really, but it steadied his steps. He didn’t have a plan, and his words were as jumbled as his thoughts. All he had was the drive to see her, to stand in front of her and let her see what he couldn’t put into words.

Because if there was one person in this world who could look at him, broken and lost, and still see something worth saving, it was Lucy. And for that, he owed her everything.

__________

The streets leading to Lucy’s apartment felt eerily familiar, but every step carried a weight he couldn’t shake. Magnolia was alive as always – shopkeepers setting up for the day, townsfolk chatting – but the world seemed muted to him. His thoughts drowned out the noise, focusing only on the path ahead. He didn’t dare to look up, in case he’d see any familiar faces. The shame and guilt he dragged along him surely made his face look contorted, ugly and fake.

He stopped in front of Lucy’s building and tilted his head up. Her window was closed, curtains drawn. Was she even home? The question almost made him turn around. But his feet refused to move, as if the ground had anchored him there. He couldn’t run anymore.

The staircase felt steeper than usual as he climbed to her door, the wooden railing creaking under his grip. When he finally stood outside her apartment, he stared at the engraved number on the door, a number he’d never thought twice about before. Now it felt like a barrier, daring him to go through with this. 7. The number that had haunted him throughout his life: sometimes as an omen, other times as a sign of luck. He wasn’t sure what it represented today, but he knew he’d been blind for its positive connections for too many years.

His fist hovered near the door. For a moment, he hesitated, his knuckles shaking slightly. What if she didn’t answer? Worse, what if she did? What would he even say?

Natsu gritted his teeth, swallowed the thickness in his throat as his stomach protested in turmoil, and forced the thoughts away. He’d come this far; there was no turning back now. Taking a deep breath, he knocked firmly on the door.

The sound echoed in the narrow hallway, louder than he anticipated. For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of his breathing. Then, faint footsteps.

The doorknob turned, and the door opened just enough for Lucy’s face to peek out. Her expression was unreadable—neutral, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of surprise.

“Natsu?” she asked softly, her voice cautious. Her face was tense, like she was forcing away whatever her feelings tried to express through it.

He opened his mouth, but the words caught in his throat. Her gaze was steady, and for the first time in months, he felt like the world had stopped moving. He hadn’t seen her face this close in months. He didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry. It was her, his Lucy in the flesh. No, not his Lucy. He couldn’t call her that anymore. He hadn’t been able to for a long time.

“Hey,” he managed to croak out, voice low. He fidgeted with the edge of his scarf, trying to find the courage to say what he’d rehearsed in his head on the way here. “Can we… Can we talk?”

Lucy’s eyes searched his face, and whatever she saw there made her pause. She stepped back slightly, the door opening just a little wider. The air from her apartment leaked out, filling his nose with the wonderful nostalgia of their past life together. His heart ached. He had missed this so much.

“Yeah,” she said, after what felt like an eternity. “Come in.”

Natsu stepped inside, his heart pounding. He looked around, seeing her books stacked in neat piles and her celestial keys resting on the coffee table. Everything was just as he remembered, yet it felt like years had passed since he’d been here. He didn’t see any signs of the life they had lived together in there: the space he’d been given once to put his shoes in the hallway was filled with a pair of her sneakers. He didn’t see his coffee cup anywhere, waiting for him to return for it. The extra chair by the dinner table was gone as well, likely to distract her from the space it held for Natsu.

Lucy closed the door behind him and crossed her arms, leaning against it. “So?” she prompted, her tone guarded but not cold. How was she so calm? No, that wasn’t fair of him. She was probably experiencing the same internal emotional whirlwind that he was: she had just been able to practice hiding it.

Natsu took a deep breath. His fists clenched at his sides as he met her gaze.

“Can… we sit?”

Lucy hesitated for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly, as if trying to decide whether she wanted to let this conversation happen. Finally, with a small nod, she gestured to the couch.

“Sure,” she said, her tone clipped. “Go ahead.”

Natsu moved toward the couch but paused before sitting. The cushions were the same ones he’d sprawled out on countless times, but now they felt alien, like he didn’t belong here anymore. He glanced over his shoulder at Lucy, who had yet to move from the door. She watched him silently, her arms still crossed.

“You can sit too,” he mumbled, his voice faltering.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, but after a moment, she pushed off the door and walked over, sitting in the armchair opposite him instead. The distance between them felt vast, and Natsu couldn’t tell if it was the physical space or the emotional wall she had carefully raised.

“So,” Lucy said, breaking the silence. Her tone was sharper now, though not unkind. “What do you want to talk about, Natsu?”

He fidgeted, running his hand through his messy hair and pulling at the fraying ends of his scarf. Words fought to form in his throat, but they all felt wrong, inadequate. He lowered his gaze to the floor, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

Lucy let out a soft, humorless laugh. “For what?”

Her response caught him off guard. He looked up, startled, and found her staring at him, her expression unreadable but her eyes sharp.

“For… ya’ know… everything,” he said, his tongue feeling thick and clumsy. “How I let our relationship get all… messed up.” His fists clenched on his lap. They felt clammy. “I didn’t know how to deal with stuff, and I – I hurt you. I know I did. And I’m sorry.”

Lucy didn’t respond immediately. She leaned back in the chair, her fingers tracing the armrest as she studied him. He hated how he���d lost the ability to read her. Either he didn’t know how anymore, or she had decided that he wasn’t allowed to: that he would handle her emotions too poorly. He didn’t blame her.

“You’re right,” she said finally, her voice quieter now, tinged with a sadness she couldn’t fully mask. “You did hurt me. I’m embarrassed to admit that, but you… you really did.” She crossed her arms over her stomach, like she was trying to protect it from Natsu, like he’d dig her insides out if left unguarded. “Do you even know what that felt like?”

“I-” His throat tightened, and he looked down again, unable to meet her gaze. “I’m sorry, you gotta understand that I’m bad with words, I-”

“Do I?” She cut in, her voice cutting his heart open. “Do I always have to understand? Because honestly, Natsu? That’s not fair.”

He looked up at her in dismay. She looked like she was fighting tears. Did he really make her feel like this? He wanted to die. Gulping hard, he shook his head.

“N-no. Of course you don’t. That’s…” his voice mellowed out. “... my fault.”

Lucy didn’t answer. She was still waiting for his explanation – why he was here, why he’d found another girl and now didn’t seem to have her in his head anymore. She was still so confused.

“I don’t think I can give you an explanation you want to hear,” he shamefully laid out, observing Lucy’s cautious body language. “I’ll try, but… I’m not even sure where to begin.”

“How- why? Why her? Where did it all come from? Because… back when you still hadn’t met her, I thought the two of us were heading somewhere.” The blush on Lucy’s cheeks could have been from embarrassment or fighting off angry tears: Natsu couldn’t tell. And hearing these questions, he understood that he didn’t have an explanation at all. Because those questions were all without good answers; only words that didn’t carry any weight to them could even begin to describe Natsu’s explanation. Still, he had to give her something.

“I’m not sure when it started, or what got into me.” He felt like a child, trying to face the consequences of his mistakes head on. “I was so happy and content with what we had, it was so perfect. But I… Well, I’m not perfect. I wanted to have an outlet of some sort, and I knew from around the guild that the need I had- or, I guess, still have, is dirty. I couldn’t do that to you.”

Natsu wasn’t sure how Lucy was taking this. He didn’t dare to look at her, in case she was looking disgusted. His eyes were pinpointed to a stain on the coffee table. That’s how he felt: stained and unwanted. Still, he kept talking.

“So when I met her I thought I had the chance to relieve that need. She was nice, pretty and funny, and she seemed to be on board with that initial plan. But I quickly got greedy and thought that I could have you both. Then it got so intense that it all just escalated, and before I knew it there was no turning back. I had a girlfriend and she wasn’t you.”

His ears were making a buzzing sound. There was so much regret inside of him that his senses got dull, and no matter how much he tried to listen for Lucy, he didn’t hear her. She felt out of reach.

“I just… wanted to feel normal,” he concluded. “Everyone else experienced romance, I was… jealous, I think. But I didn’t dare to approach you about it back then. You’re so… perfect. I’m disgusting in comparison. I have impure desires, and I thought that… maybe, just maybe, I could handle those on the side, while still being with you. I never wanted our relationship to change. It’s always been too important, too pure. I didn’t want to jeopardize it.”

Natsu shifted uncomfortably on the couch, his fingers gripping the edge of his scarf like it might hold him together. He opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again, glancing down at his hands as he twisted the fabric tighter. He had nothing more to tell her. He’d opened his heart for her, and now his foot tapped against the floor in an uneven rhythm, filling the silence Lucy was yet to break.

“Did…” Her voice cracked. “Did you love her?”

Natsu froze at her question. The air in the room had already felt thick, pressing down on him with all the weight he’d just put out, but now it felt suffocating. He opened his mouth to answer, but the words felt like they were stuck in his chest. Did he love her? He thought he did at the time – hell, he was sure of it. It felt like the right answer, the right thing to say. But now, at this moment, the truth was much harder to pinpoint.

“I-” Natsu’s voice caught, and he slowly shook his head. “I thought I did. I thought I loved her... at first. It felt like... like something real. Something I’d never felt before.”

He finally dared to look up at her, and caught her gaze just as it softened, but her arms remained crossed, as though holding herself together against the uncertainty in his words. 

“But you don’t know now, do you?”

“I... don’t.” He ran a hand through his hair, frustration building inside him. “It’s hard to explain. With her, it felt intense, and passionate... like I was... alive, you know? But it wasn’t the same as with you. Not like this.”

Lucy leaned forward slightly, her eyes watching him with careful understanding. “Natsu,” she said gently, “forgive me if I’m wrong, but I think that that wasn’t love. I think… that it was infatuation. Maybe lust. It probably felt intense because it was new, and because you were looking for something you thought was missing. But… I don’t think it was love.”

Natsu stared at her, his chest tight as he absorbed her words. “I... I thought I loved her,” he said quietly, his eyes darting to the floor. “But maybe you’re right. Though… now I don’t even know what love really is.” His voice trailed off.

Lucy exhaled slowly.

“Natsu,” she began, her voice quiet but firm, “I understand you felt something for her. But... lust isn’t something you need to hide or be ashamed of. It doesn’t make you a bad person. But it’s not love.” She paused, her expression unreadable. “Love... love is deeper. It’s not just about attraction, it’s about connection. About seeing the worst of someone and still choosing to be there. I don’t think you understand that yet.”

Natsu’s eyes flickered down, and he clenched his jaw. 

“I know it’s different with you,” he said quietly. “I thought I loved her. I... did love her, I guess. But now... I’m not even sure what that was..” Taking a deep breath didn’t help calm his frustration. Why was this so damn complicated? “With you, I always knew it was different. I knew that what I felt for you wasn’t like what I felt for her. It wasn’t just about the physical stuff. It’s always been… more. But I was scared... that I’d ruin all we had.”

“What left is there to ruin though, Natsu?” She was soft spoken, but frank. Natsu knew she was right: he knew his rendezvous meetings with her had crumbled the relationship that he had hoped he and Lucy could keep. He messed up.

Lucy’s arms tightened across her stomach, her face softening but still distant. “You didn’t need to be perfect, Natsu,” she told him, her voice colder than before. “I never needed that from you. Didn’t you think to ask me what I wanted?”

Before Natsu could stop himself, he felt his eyebrow rise a notch. Lucy cleared her throat.

“I’m going to be honest. I didn’t know you valued purity that high. If I’d known, I’d gladly talk to you about it, help you through it. Lust was never the impure thing: our guild mates were the ones treating it as such.”

Natsu swallowed. He still wasn’t sure he had understood her. Lucy catched on quickly, and continued her explanation.

“Look; sex isn’t beneath me. It isn’t dirty – it’s neutral at the least, wonderful, loving and fulfilling in most cases. I don’t blame you for being confused, but what you did, how you treated both sex and her was wrong. Keeping that up wasn’t fair to her or me. But most importantly,” she reached out and poked on his left pec, “it’s not fair to you.”

That poke had felt like an arrow, killing the voice that had been justifying his actions up until now.

“I know,” he said, voice raw, like every word was a struggle. He didn’t dare to hide his shame. Why hide anything, when the cards were out on the table like this? “I know I screwed up. I just... I couldn’t deal with it. I couldn’t face it.” His fists clenched at his sides, the tension in his shoulders tight.

Lucy’s expression softened slightly, but her eyes were still wary. Instead of removing her hand from him, she softly cupped his face. Already he felt like she was purifying him, her touch holly.

“You’re facing it now though. That’s more than I can say that I’ve done. I’m sorry for not catching… all of this… earlier.” She took an airy breath before she continued. “You haven’t ruined everything though,” she added slowly, her tone quieter. “But if you don’t stop running, I don’t know what’ll be left to fix.”

Natsu’s breath hitched, and for the first time, he felt the weight of her words sink in. He leaned forward slightly, into her hand.

“I’m not perfect, Lucy,” he muttered, voice rough with regret, but there was a determination in his eyes. “But I want to try. If you’ll let me.”

Natsu’s words hit her like a physical blow, but Lucy swallowed the sting before it could show. She tried to steady herself, to push past the tsunami of emotions that was threatening to wash over her, but her chest felt tight. He was so honest, so vulnerable in a way she hadn’t seen in what felt like forever. It was painful, but somehow, it was also… so familiar. It hit her: she had missed him.

“I missed you,” she finally whispered, voice thick as she still held back tears. “But I didn’t just miss you, Natsu.” She hesitated, her hands unconsciously tightening into fists at her sides. “I missed… us. I missed the stupid little things we used to do. And it hurts. God, it hurts. Because every time I saw your face after everything, it felt like... like my heart was pulled in two.”

She looked like she was searching for something in his eyes, something that confirmed that he understood what he’d done. Not until her thumb slowly dried a tear off his face, did he realise that he had started to cry.

“I didn’t know how to keep going without you in my life. And now... I don’t know where we’re supposed to go from here.”

The silence that followed made it ring in Natsu’s ears. He stood still, the guilt in his chest growing heavier with each word. He wanted to speak, to apologize, but nothing felt like it could make up for the emptiness he had left behind. How could he explain to her that he never meant for it to go this far? That he had been terrified of facing what he felt for her?

“Lucy,” he started, taking a shaky breath. He only now realised he’d been holding it. “I messed up, badly. I was scared of... everything. Scared of not being enough for you, scared of being too much, scared of losing what we had. I didn’t know how to deal with what I was feeling, so I... ran. Tried to find it elsewhere. I know that doesn’t excuse anything, but I never wanted to hurt you. I didn’t know things would end up like this.”

Lucy carefully observed him, her expression unreadable for a moment, then she sighed. “Natsu, I get that you were confused,” she said, her voice quieter, more guarded. “But you still chose her. And that’s not something I can just forget. I wanted us to do so many things. But you weren’t there. I know I’m partially to blame, because I didn’t approach you either, but… you weren’t there for me.” Her shoulders slumped slightly, the weight of her own hurt sinking in. “I just... I don’t know if I can go back to that. I don’t know if I can trust that you won’t��� replace me again.”

The tension between them thickened, and Natsu swallowed hard, his stomach twisting. He opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come. He hadn’t known how to be vulnerable before; he didn’t know how to start now, not with the mess he had made of everything.

Lucy continued, her gaze still wary.

“You weren’t perfect. I didn’t need you to be perfect, Natsu. I just needed you to be here. And you weren’t.” She let out a shaky breath, and for the first time, Natsu saw the pure agony in her eyes, the raw exhaustion of someone who had been holding on for too long. “I don’t know if I’m ready to try again. I don’t know if you’re ready, either.”

The words stung more than he’d expected. He had wanted to make it right, to find a way back to her, but he didn’t know if she could ever feel the same way again. For all he knew, this was the end for them. The real end. Still, he wasn’t ready to let go. Not yet.

“I want to try,” he said, his voice low but firm, his eyes never leaving hers. “I’ll prove it to you. Please.”

The silence between them stretched, thick and suffocating, like it was waiting for them to figure out how to breathe again. Natsu’s chest was tight, his heart hammering in his ribcage like it had never known stillness. His hands clenched at his sides, unsure of what to do with all this feeling that had nowhere to go. Lucy’s gaze stayed fixed on him, the distance between them too much, but too little. She didn’t pull away, not physically. But her eyes were guarded, like they always were now, like she was still trying to keep herself safe. Natsu wasn’t sure what he was doing, but the need to reach for her, to close the space, was so overwhelming he could barely think straight.

His breath hitched, and before he could second-guess it, his body moved forward, drawn to her like he had been all those months ago. There was a hesitation in her eyes, a softness to the way she looked at him that he hadn’t seen in so long. It was like she was still here, in a way he hadn’t expected. That didn't make everything okay of course. She was still hurt, still unsure, but there was something flickering in the way her lips parted slightly as he moved closer.

And then he kissed her.

It wasn’t anything spectacular. It wasn’t smooth or fluid or anything that could undo the mess they’d made. It was desperate, almost clumsy, two people trying to find something familiar in a sea of unfamiliarity. His lips brushed against hers, too hesitant at first, like he was afraid he would break her if he pressed too hard. But the feeling was there, just underneath everything, unrefined. The taste of her, the touch of her, something that felt so real it almost made him dizzy. 

Maybe, if he lingered long enough, could he transfer all the words he wanted to say to her, but couldn’t because of a lack of vocabulary; let her feel the emotions he did, as he was more than willing to receive hers. Maybe this kiss could spackle their cracked relationship.

When they pulled away, the world around them still felt heavy to Natsu’s disappointment. Lucy didn’t look at him at first, her gaze somewhere far away. But when she did, her eyes were a mix of things – of confusion, of hurt, of something that looked like relief, all tangled together.

“I’m not... not ready,” she whispered, voice trembling, tears filling her eyes. “I don’t know if I ever will be. But I can’t... I can’t pretend like I don’t feel something, too. I don’t want to let go.”

The words stung, sharper than anything he expected. But it wasn’t rejection. Not really. She wasn’t telling him to leave, to forget everything. She was telling him that they were both still stuck in this. She was still afraid to fall into it, but she wasn’t pushing him away.

Natsu’s throat tightened, and for the hundredth time today, he couldn’t find the words. The guilt of what he had done – of hurting her – was still heavy, suffocating, but at least there was a chance now. A chance to do something different, to prove that he was willing to face whatever came next, no matter how hard it was.

“I don’t know what happens next,” he murmured, his voice rough. “But I’m here. I want to try. I won’t... I won’t give up on us.”

Lucy’s breath caught. There was a flicker in her eyes, a tiny thing that reminded him of the way she used to look at him – soft, but strong, and maybe a little broken. She didn’t know what to say, either, but she could see the sincerity in his eyes, the unwavering determination there, and something in her, something deep inside, softened. She didn’t have all the answers, but she knew one thing: she wanted this.

“I’m not sure either,” she said quietly, her voice calm now, steady. “But I know we can figure it out. We’ll work through it. Together.”

And in that moment, Natsu felt the weight of her words, the promise layed out in front of them. They weren’t whole yet, they weren’t where they used to be, but the foundation was still there – strong, despite everything. They had something real.

And as they sat there, just a little closer than before, Natsu realized that maybe the future wasn’t so uncertain after all. They had a long road ahead of them, sure, but they’d walk it together.

[aashi-heartfilia]

Hey Aashi, I was thinking about the recent chapter of Fairy Tail 100YQ chap. 102.

Lucy took a hard hit, and was thinking of what is going to happen next.

1. The Lucy that took the hit was actually Gemini, and Lucy beats Kiria in a surprise attack. Although spirits can heal from their injuries, this is the least likely 'cause that's not a Lucy thing to do. She wouldn't let Gemini take a hit for her.

2. Lucy loses the arm, but she manages to beat Kiria despite the injury. She faints after her victory, and Laxus bandage's her arm.

After the battle is over, Fairy Tail discovers a wounded Lucy. Back at the guild, Wendy finds she is unable to heal her injury. But Mirajane tells of a tale of a "healing item maguffin" that could heal Lucy. But the journey will be difficult.

Natsu takes this quest to help Lucy. He is accompanied by either Gray (best friends/rivals) or Laxus, guilty he didn't help Lucy sooner.

This short arc, possibly a trial by nature, puzzle maze, and a battle with a demi-god, becomes a quest that lets Natsu discover his passion for fighting for Lucy let's him know he's in love with her.

He returns, Lucy is healed, Nasty gives her a kiss, and NaLu is finally canon.

3. I saw a fan theory that I think is pretty good.

Lucy gets a power up as she's injured. When she was re-writing the Book of End, it was implied that no human could survive such a thing. Originally, it sounded like Lucy was extremely tough for a human.

But It also implied she wasn't just human. She may in fact be half human, half demon/angel/celestial spirit. (I'm hoping celestial spirit).

She's injured, and as Kiria is gloating her victory, Lucy glows with energy, and she reattachs her arm herself. She then just slaps Kiria into a building and goes on a short rampage through the battlefield.

Natsu finds her, and calms her down from her powered up state. After the battle, at the guild, Lucy trains her new found powers, I'm guessing with Natsu's help.

Sorry if it's a long ask. What do you think?

Hey @spartanblacksmith,

I really liked all of the theories you put up. Let's consider them one by one:

1. It was Gemini

This is the least likely one like you've already said and I kind of don't see it happening. Also, shouldn't Leo be appearing as well?

What makes Leo's absence more surprising is the fact that Leo can pass through the spirit world without his key. Shouldn't he have appeared before Lucy took that fatal blow? So many questions.

Which is why, it could be Gemini to take the hit but well, let's be honest that ain't happening. Lucy will never let her spirits act as shield. Also, we can clearly see blood here. If it was Gemini there wouldn't have been this much blood. I could be wrong though but this just creates more questions than answers.

2. I LOVE THIS THEORY

A mini break from our regular story and getting to see the rest of the guild again sounds like a deal. Also, a seperate arc for Nalu development? That's great.

It can be and arc to show that the future is inevitable afterall but with the help of right people we can always find our destination.

But it feels like too fanfic to be true.

3. Lucy can be God Ankhseram

It was one of the more popular theories, back in the days that Lucy is actually since kind of God because of the Lucky numbers and the kind of magic she uses etc etc.

I wouldn't be too surprised if that happens though. Their are already a lot of call backs from the previous seasons like Erza getting her hair chopped off from Edolas arc, Lucy losing her entire freaking arm like the GMG arc. I don't see why their can't be a reference to the Alvaraze arc while we're still at it.

Also, we have never seen Lucy angry. I mean not that little pouty thing she does when annoyed by Natsu but a real rampage would be so cool. The most angry we have seen her last time was I think during Tartaros but even that looked like more of pain and frustration rather than anger.

So just the mere thought of Lucy actually re-attaching her arm and taking down Kyria all on her own sounds very interesting.

Lucy glowing can also be a reference to the Tartaros arc, where Jacob commented

"Hey, why are you glowing like a star?"

And she received Star Dress.

Lucy being an angel sounds so poetic when you know that this anime is called Fairy tail for a reason.

[animezing-fandoms]

The Gift She Wants

Masterlist

Warnings: None this is just pure fluff.

Relationships: Nalu

Summary: Natsu attempts to write Lucy a love letter for her birthday. 

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

Lucy’s never really enjoyed her birthday. It used to be fun when her mom was still around. But after her death, her birthday had always been ignored by her father. But that all changed once she joined Fairy Tail. Every morning on July 1st she’d walk into the guild to find a huge party set up for her. It was a sweet gesture even though the guild hall usually wound up trashed by the end of the day because of all the drinking and fighting that ensued. 

But that wasn’t the only thing that was the same every year. The presents that Lucy got from her friends were all the same. Gray would make her a little ice sculpture of a star that would melt after a day but she never had the heart to tell him. Gajeel did something similar with jewelry but it was made out of iron and really big and bulky so they were all too heavy to wear for long. Similarly, Erza would give her a sword or some other weapon that was too heavy for Lucy to lift. Juvia would offer her baked goods she made herself but for awhile Lucy was always cautious to eat them, knowing how jealous Juvia was about her friendship with Gray. Thankfully that wasn’t a problem anymore, and now her gift was one she was looking forward to along with the book from Levy and perfume from Mira that she got every year. There was only one gift she truly dreaded and that was from Natsu. 

Every year she hoped that he would give her something different, only to be proven wrong when he whisks her away on some dangerous job that leaves her exhausted, dirty, and bruised. The only good part about it was that she got to spend time with him, and have a little fun when she wasn’t fearing for her life. And as the years went on, she hoped that perhaps him taking her on these jobs alone meant that he would talk to her about things. Things that she knew he probably never thought about but that deep down, she dares to hope that he does.

So she thought she knew what to expect during her birthday party this year when he approached her, holding something behind his back. She took a deep breath, ready to see what job flyer he’d present her with only to find a book with a pink bow wrapped around it instead. 

“What’s this?” Lucy asks, surprised and cautiously optimistic. “Is it part of a job or-”

“No it’s not a job. It’s just a journal.” Natsu says. “I couldn’t figure out what to get you for your birthday this year so I asked Gildarts for advice and he told me I should get you something that you’ve been wanting to get or something you’d like so I thought I’d get you both!” 

Lucy was confused and touched at the same time. She was also relieved that for once she wouldn’t have to worry about getting hurt on her birthday! And it was a really sweet and thoughtful gift! She likes to write so he got her a journal...He really thought about it to get her something she’d enjoy! Is he starting to change? 

“Thank you so much Natsu!” Lucy exclaims, beaming with happiness as she holds the gift to her heart. “I love it!” 

She had no idea just how much she’d love it later.

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

After the party, she brought all the gifts she was able to carry back to her apartment with her and immediately unwrapped the bow on the journal to open it. 

To her surprise, there was already writing in it. Natsu’s writing. 

Her heart sunk. The last time he had written her something was a note telling her he was leaving for a year with Happy. And then the guild disbanded and she was all alone. He wasn’t leaving her again was he? 

With her heart pounding, she scanned the page, reading the words and bracing herself for heartbreak. But instead she found the opposite. 

Dear Lucy,

I hate writing and I’ve never written something like this before so I don’t know how good it’s gonna be but this is something I know you want to hear so I’m gonna try my best for you like I always do. I’m not good with words. Most of the things I say to you make you upset with me so I try to show how I feel about you with my actions instead of my words. And while I think that’s given you enough of an idea to know that I care about you, I don’t think you get how much I really do. So I guess I’ve got to be more clear and I figured since you love writing this is the best way to do it. 

You’re amazing. You’re so powerful, beautiful, and kind and you shine brighter than any star or dragon’s fire. I have no idea why you still hang around an idiot like me who doesn’t know how to treat you right but I hope the reason is because you feel the same way about me that I do about you. I’ve never had feelings like this before, so I’m sorry if I’ve frustrated you but I just don’t know anything about love aside from how I feel about you. Gramps and Gildarts used to lecture me on how great relationships are and how they hoped I’d fall in love and get married and have kids someday but I never wanted that because there wasn’t anyone I wanted to do that stuff with until you came into my life. 

It took me awhile to figure it out but now everything they told me about makes sense. I want to be with you Lucy, as more than just a friend. I know I don’t deserve you but I’m working hard to make you happy because that’s what you deserve. And I can tell that not knowing that has made you unhappy. So I’ve got to just be straight to the point and say it. I love you Lucy Heartfilia. I think that’s what you want to hear, so that’s what I’m giving you for your birthday.

~Natsu 

Lucy’s tears of joy were dripping onto the page so she quickly closes the book to keep her tears from washing away those sweet words. 

This was better than she could have ever imagined. And all she wanted was to run to Natsu and start this new chapter in their relationship together. Thankfully, knowing him, she didn’t have to go far. 

With tears dripping down her cheeks, she pulls back the curtain to her bedroom to find the man she loves and his blue cat in her room. She’d never been so happy to have them break into her apartment. 

“Lucy did you like the-Aw damnit, you’re crying!” Natsu exclaims, looking hurt and disappointed with himself. “I messed up again!” 

“What did you expect, you took relationship advice from Gildarts!” Happy chastises. “That guy can’t hold onto a woman, what does he know-” 

“No you didn’t!” Lucy reassures him. “Natsu it was perfect! I love it! I love you too!” She exclaims. 

Before Natsu has a chance to process what she said, Lucy dashes across the room, tossing the journal onto her bed before throwing her arms around his neck as he catches her in his before she kisses him. 

Happy’s jaw drops and Natsu’s eyes go wide for a moment, surprised by her affection before he returns the kiss, closes his eyes and moves his hands along her back to hold her closer to him as he relishes in this new feeling. 

She brings her hands up to his face to run her thumbs along his cheekbones while his hands settle on her hips as they gently pull apart. 

A blush forms on Lucy’s face as she realizes what exactly she’s done and is immediately embarrassed by how forward she was being. 

“Oh my gosh I’m so sorry that probably came out of nowhere and I should have asked first-” Lucy rambles before Natsu’s chuckle pulls her gaze back to his face and when he sees the warm look in his eyes and the smirk on his lips, she instantly relaxes. 

“It’s fine Lucy. I was hoping you’d kiss me. I just hope it was a good kiss, considering I’ve never done that before...” Natsu admits shyly. 

“It’s okay. I’ve never kissed anyone before either.” Lucy tells him. “This is new for me too. We’ll figure it out together, just like we do for everything else.” 

She rests her head on his chest and Natsu holds her close and rests his cheek on top of her head. 

“Well you know a lot more about this stuff than I do. So you’ll have a lot to teach me.” Natsu admits and Lucy laughs. 

“Well you gave me a very thoughtful gift, so clearly you’ve already got some idea of what to do.” Lucy says. 

“You just mean so much to me.” Natsu says. “I’ve never felt this way before for anyone else and I doubt I ever will. You deserve someone who can make you happy and give you everything you want.” 

“Well if everything you wrote in that letter is true, then I have no doubt that person is you.” Lucy says. “I just want one more thing.” 

“What is it?” Natsu asks, pulling back to look at her. “Whatever it is I’ll give it to you.” 

“Just tell me you love me. I know you wrote it but I want to hear you say it.” Lucy requests. 

Natsu smiles, more than happy to fulfill that wish. 

“I love you Lucy.” Natsu says and fresh tears spring from Lucy’s eyes as a result. 

“I love you too Natsu.” She says before kissing him again. 

The sounds of Happy sniffling pull them out of the moment. 

“What’s wrong little buddy? Are you crying because you’re happy for us?” Natsu asks. 

“I’m so happy for both of you!” Happy sniffles. “But I can’t believe that someone as dense as you managed to get a girlfriend before me!” He wails and the new couple laughs. 

Yep. Definitely the best birthday ever. And now Lucy couldn’t wait to see what Natsu would do for her next year. 

[luciikuroo]

time to appreciate this fuckin angel

Ok I gotta do this. It is officially appreciate Lisanna time. Sit the fuck down bitches, because I’m about to tell you how much I love this girl

Also quick side note, I made this at 5 in the morning without glasses on. there will be mistakes. if i ever feel like it, i might go back to fix them but for now it’s staying the way it is.

2nd ps, this post is probably gonna jump around the timeline. i’m just typing as i remember things off the top of my head. i’ll try to keep it as in order as possible but i’m not making any promises.

ok so i found this in my drafts from many months ago and i never posted it for some reason. so here you go Lisanna stans

spoilers under the cut!!

Ok first of all I need to start off with this fuckin adorable angel child

like

this wonderful, beautiful, 

amazing fucking baby.

like. she’s fucking amazing. 

ok now for the actual loving.

first of all, this pure baby angel literally died when she was like 13-14. She was forced to leave her family and took over the life of a different version of herself. She didn’t even have to do that. This amazing kind girl literally lived a different life so her other self’s siblings wouldn’t be sad again. She could’ve just told EdolasFairyTail the truth and I’m sure they would’ve understood. But being the perfect angel she is, she endured everything. And when her childhood bestfriend randomly showed up in this new world out of nowhere, she kept up the facade to make sure everyone in Edolas stayed happy. Like, girl had a chance to return to her home and she didn’t for the sake of her friends. we stan a selfless queen. When she was literally sucked out of this world, she still tried to console the Mira and Elfman of Edolas and mourned as she left.

Going farther into her past, her parents died at one point or another and her older sister was forced to be a parent for her and their brother and raise them on her own, (we’ll get into Mirajane being fuckin amazing later). Her sister was hated by literally everyone in their former village because of the demon power thingy, (more into that some other time), and they were quite literally driven out of their village. Despite all that, she still remained cheery and kind and wonderful.

Jumping to Tenrou Arc bc she doesn’t get enough screentime 😭😭

During the S-Class trials, this girl literally decided, “Oh I’m gonna die here and I’m not letting my sister die with me”. Mind you she’s like 16-17. This teenager decided within seconds that instead of letting her sister die for her that she would die instead. Like damn girl.

Also people who are shitting on Lisanna for “getting in the way of Nalu”, why? like she is a well rounded character on her own and her and Natsu and Lucy are canonically good friends. Y’all do realize that childhood friends/crushes don’t always end up staying romantic, right? Like a girl and a guy that were friends when they were kids don’t always end up dating. Also, even if they liked each other as kids you’re forgetting something. THEY WERE FUCKING KIDS. Tell me, how many of you actually ended up dating/married to your childhood crushes from when you were 5-7? I’m gonna go out here on a whim and assume that not a lot of you married the person you fancied as a kid. They’re allowed to be friends and she’s not getting in the way of Nalu and that is final.

But back to Tenrou. Ok so we didn’t see much of her this season or we did and I’m just an idiot and forgetting. There is this one scene that I remember super well though. It’s kind of right before Team Natsu go to fight Hades, like right before when they’re all at the makeshift camp and Lisanna stop Lucy for a minute to say something. I can’t remember her exact words, but they were somewhere along the lines of “please stay near Natsu, he’s better when he has people that are important to him close”. Lisanna could have asked anyone else to do that. Gray and Erza, who Natsu has known since he joined Fairy Tail (childhood bestfriends). Wendy, who he has a very close bond to. Especially after we found out that the dragon slayers were from 400 years before and that Natsu and Wendy were particularly close and that he looked at her like a sister. She could have even asked Happy and I don’t even need to explain that one. Instead, Lisanna asked Lucy. Ignoring the fact that people might consider this to be Lisanna wanting Lucy and Natsu to be in a romantic relationship, Lisanna clearly has no problem with Lucy or her relationship with Natsu. I can’t say for sure but I’m almost certain that if Lucy and Natsu did start a romantic relationship, Lisanna would be completely and utterly happy for them. Even if Lisanna had feelings for either of them, she’s very clearly an unproblematic and a very kind person, meaning she would be happy for the two, regardless of her feelings for them.

We simply just don’t see Lisanna very much at all during the series. I mean it’s understandable I guess. She’s a supporting character so it’s not that big a deal but it would be super nice to see Lisanna more and see her and her relationships with other people grow.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk

[gruviafan-forever]

HIS QUEEN

PART:- I

A/N: Main pairing Gruvia and Nalu. Minor pairing Jerza and Gale.

In a far away land, there was a kingdom of Ice ruled by the Fullbusters for generations, currently being ruled by King Silver Fullbuster and his queen Mika Fullbuster.

Kingdom of Ice were neighbours to the Kingdom of Celestial which was ruled by the Heartfilias for generations, currently ruled by King Jude and his queen Layla Heartfilia.

Another neighbour was the Kingdom of Scarlet Blossom which was ruled by the Belserions for generations, ruled by their widowed Queen Irene Belserion.

These three kingdoms were allies and the rulers shared a great bond amongst themselves, both with respect to their business and political endeavors and personally, all three of them were good friends whom they have known from childhood.

These three kingdoms are forces to be reckoned with as they were prosperous and had an army of strong men and strategists who would predict the outcome of war which was always positive to them.

And that's why, other kingdoms feared this ally and would usually avoid war against them.

It had been 20 years since the current rulers ascended the throne. But now time has come to make way for future rulers to take charge.

"So Lucy, Was uncle finally convinced?" Erza Fernandez, daughter of Queen Irene Belserion who is to married the commander general of her mother's army, Jellal Fernandez with the blessing of her mother, asked the Heartfilia princess.

"Papa is almost convinced that Natsu would make a good husband and future king. I'm really grateful to Gray and Juvia if it weren't for them this wouldn't have been possible."

Lucy smiled genuinely and fondly remembered Juvia's words from two years ago.

"Lucy-san, I will wait till yours and Natsu-San's love issues get sorted out until then let Gray-sama continue being your fiance."

"Yeah! I'm sure both of them would be happy to hear this good news. Come let's go to Kingdom of Ice to share this news to your Natsu and Gray." Erza exclaimed happily.

"What? You are coming with us?" Levy Redfox, Lucy's personal maid and her best friend asked the Belserion princess. 

"Yes!! It's been a while since I saw them especially…" Erza stopped as soon as her mother entered the guest room.

"Good Afternoon, your highness" Levy bowed down in respect. 

"Hello Aunty" Lucy stood up and bowed down.

"Hello mother, is something the matter?" Erza asked.

"Good afternoon girls, did I interrupt your talks. Oh anyways!! Lucy dear, congratulations finally your dad has agreed for your marriage with that pinky boy.

And you know what, just now, I received his call and he informed me of this happy news. So as soon as your return to your kingdom, wedding preparations will commence. Congratulations dear."

Irene hugged Lucy and patted her back.

"I can't believe papa agreed wholeheartedly. When I left our palace two days back, he said he would think about it but he didn't give consent yet but I knew he would eventually. But I never thought this would happen this soon." Lucy said with a smile which she couldn't contain.

"He and Layla wanted to surprise you, that's why they didn't tell you when you left. Okay girls, enjoy your stay and once again, congratulations Lucy dear." Irene added and left the guest room.

The girls squealed in delight and had their group hug.

"Finally, ten years of a struggling love life has come to a happy end. Now, Lucy will become Lucy Dragneel." Levy exclaimed and congratulated her friends.

Lucy, Erza and Gray were childhood friends who did their schooling together in Kingdom of Celestial  in their prestigious academy "Fairy Tail" which was run by a wise old man, Makarov Dreyar who taught them every lesson pertaining to changing life and kingdom. 

He mainly taught them about family and it doesn't require blood to form bonds with someone. And everyone should be treated equally.

Even though, Jude and Irene dismissed that kind of knowledge and thoughts and were ready to stop the schooling.

It was Silver and Mika who convinced their friends and said that the old man was doing a perfect job of raising the future rulers in the correct path which the others reluctantly agreed to at the end.

Fairy Tail academy is the place where everyone students were seen in the same light. That academy is the place where Lucy met Levy McGarden, Gajeel Redfox and Jellal Fernandez and also Natsu for the first time.

Jellal, Levy, Gajeel and Natsu Dragneel, were the orphan residents of Celestial Kingdom. Natsu's personality was something Lucy hadn't ever come across.

He was always hyper, excited, funny and a very friendly person. He quickly gelled up with her group except Gray, as their personality was totally opposite. 

But with the course of time, even they became best of friends. Natsu shared a sisterly bond with Erza which even she felt the same.

But the bond he shared with Lucy was totally different, from best friends they became lovers.

At age of 17, Natsu confessed his feelings which he had bottled up since he first met Lucy and to his surprise, even Lucy felt the same and accepted his love wholeheartedly.

Since then, they have remained together and were ready to face any struggle in their path until they had King Jude and Queen Layla's approval.

But what came as a struggle in their path was a wedding proposal sent to Lucy's dad from Kingdom of Ice from Gray's father which the former agreed and wanted it to happen as soon as their children graduated from the academy.

When Lucy confronted Gray along with Natsu and other friends, all Gray said was he wasn't aware of this arrangement nor was he informed about this prior.

"See Lucy, I'm not heartless to snatch you away from Natsu. I know how much you guys love each other. Natsu, don't you remember how I encouraged you to confess your feelings to Lucy and don't feel that damn inferiority complex. Now you both are accusing me?"

Lucy still remembered how their accusations had hurt Gray which led him to not talk to any of them for a week.

But after a week, when Lucy and Natsu  apologised to him which he accepted and finally revealed a thing which he had been hiding for a long time,

"I'm in love with someone which I can't disclose now. But don't worry Lucy, I will call off this wedding. We still have a year left before we graduate. So be cool and I support you both."

"Lucy…..Lucy…." Levy was shaking her best friend. That's when Lucy regained her composure and smiled sheepishly at them.

"Don't go drifting away in your dreams. Now you have a huge responsibility of apologising to Gray's parents officially. I'm sure uncle must have informed them already about the wedding getting called off. But I think you should personally go and meet them. What do you say?" Erza asked as she poured the tea into her cup.

"Even I feel the same. Tomorrow morning let's leave to the Kingdom of Ice." Lucy added.

MEANWHILE 

"So these six years of engagement comes to an unsatisfactory ditch, huh!! That's what you are trying to say Jude." Silver sounded harshly.

"Honey, please cool down. Don't sound this harsh to our friend." Mika tried to console her husband.

"Okay! Fine, now at least you tried to inform me that's cool. Don't worry, I'm not angry at Lucy-chan for not marrying my son.

I see her as my daughter and at the end of the day, it's her decision as she's the one who's going to lead that life.   

    Fine!! Don't worry we will surely come for the ceremony and if you know any alliance for my son, do inform me. He's soon going to 24 and still unmarried by this age, I already had him. Okay bye." Silver kept the lacrima away and sighed.

"Honey!! I don't think we need to search for another alliance. I feel Gray is already seeing someone but I don't know who it is." Mika said as she sat next to her husband.

"Who could be that? I should have listened to him when he said at first that he was not interested in marrying Lucy-chan. 

     But I believed that he was okay with it as he agreed to marry her afterwards.

But should have known that wasn't the thing when he made trivial excuses to postpone the wedding.

Now look, he's the one now who is in the losing end. Whoever that girl is, I'm ready to get him married off if he wholeheartedly loves her." Silver said as he hugged his wife to make himself feel at ease.

"What if she's an ordinary person, someone without any background as such?" Mika questioned him.

"I don't believe in this high status crap. I'm not telling this because of Lucy-chan. The reason I felt she would be a good bride for Gray is because we have known her since her birth.

But Gray nor Lucy-chan felt that for one another. Now that's why, she chose Natsu who makes her happy and smiles in the way she wants. 

    If even our Gray has someone like that I will also choose the same path which Jude and Layla has chosen for their daughter. Dear, go speak to him and know the answer. And before that send those letters to the mail guard." Silver pointed at the table.

After breaking from the hug, Mika went near the table and took the letters. She checked them and took one out of it.

"We wrote letters to her every month for the past one and half years but she didn't even bother to write us back. Is she alright? Did we make a mistake by sending her to Bosco on her accord?" Mika asked out of concern.

Silver could clearly see worries wash over her face. "I'm sure Juvia-chan's alright. Because my heart says so. Don't worry, I have a hunch that we might meet her soon."

Gray, who was passing by his parent's bedroom, had heard all the things the couple had spoken about.

Once he reached his room where he saw Natsu Dragneel, his main bodyguard laying around eating a packet of chips. Gray groaned and scolded him, "Idiot, what are you doing littering my bed?"

"Ice-princess!! Why are you shouting? Geez, I was just eating chips."

Natsu yelled back and now both had their head smacked against each other and began to brawl by pulling each other's hairs.

Even if Gray was practically Natsu's boss, both were being friendly because they considered each other as their best friend.

It was Gray's idea to appoint Natsu as his main bodyguard after graduation so that Natsu could learn the life of royalty and prepare for his future life.

"Flame-brain, you could have told me that your wedding got fixed." Gray said and gave him another punch.

"Wow!! Wait who told you that? Luce told me yesterday that her dad has almost agreed but not yet still. But now you are saying something different. Is it true?" Natsu asked out of surprise which eyes sparkling and a big goofy smile on his face.

Seeing him Gray smiled and nodded in agreement, "Yes, your soon-to-be father-in -law has agreed. Looks like Lucy will inform you soon now." He smirked.

Natsu looked at Gray and hugged him which startled the former, "Thank you Gray. If it weren't for yours and Juvia's help, it wouldn't have been possible. Thanks man. Me and Luce are really grateful for your help. And sorry because of us you couldn't be with your…."

Before Natsu could finish, he stopped seeing the Queen mother and King. He soon broke the hug and bowed down to greet them..

"Good Afternoon, your highness."

"Mom, Dad... what do you want?" Gray asked as he folded his arms.

"So dear, it was your doing that now Jude has accepted your friend to wed his daughter, huh?" Mika asked as she raised her eyebrow.

"What are you talking about? I don't know anything?" Gray laughed sheepishly and tried to change the topic.

"Oh we heard your friend's speech, my son. What did you do to convince Jude?" Silver asked as he sat down on the couch opposite to the bed with his wife.

Natsu, who was about to leave the room, was stopped by Silver and told him to stay.

"Firstly, I made Natsu as my bodyguard which you agreed after seeing his talents and skill.

Secondly, I taught him some manners regarding the royal life which he's still learning.

Thirdly, I sent him to Lucy's dad for a year when someone sent a threatening letter to uncle Jude stating that Lucy would be kidnapped which was sent by Erza by the way.

Finally, I didn't call off this wedding for these six years since if we called off then Lucy's dad would have brought another alliance for her. 

  So that's why, every now and then, I made excuses to get married without breaking down the engagement while Lucy tried from her side to convince her dad about Natsu and their love for one another which she succeeded at the end."

Gray at last revealed the whole plan to his parents and looked at them expecting a bunch of scolding but was shocked to see his parents smiling and especially his mom tearing up.

Gray soon went near her and hugged her, "Mom, I'm sorry if I made a mistake. I thought I was helping my friends this way. I know I shouldn't have led you guys on this matter. I'm extremely sorry for making you guys disappointed."

Mika patted her son's back, "Dear, you are truly a gentleman. I'm proud that we have raised a son who is helpful and selfless. Don't apologise."

"So Gray, are you seeing someone? If yes, then share it with us. We will get you married to your dream girl." Silver asked for which Gray remained silent.

"And what was that you guys were talking about Juvia's help?" Mika questioned the boys whose faces became pale as the name was uttered by the queen.

[doyouevenshipbr0]

Fairy Tail Unpopular Opinions

HI LOL

ok so. im taking this idea from @mika-milano bc their post was very well written, entertaining, and just a rly good idea. so check their post out!:) and thank u for the idea!

and now. a disclaimer.

so im 19 now. i started watching fairy tail when i was 14. this show has been very near and dear to me for a long time. it was one of the first anime i ever watched, and it has my favorite all time ship (gruvia ofc). also i would kind of be lying if i said that most of the reason i still keep up with the manga and show wasnt bc of gruvia. bc it is lol. but. it DEFINITELY has its flaws. and here r some of my opinions on them.

1. so much doesnt make sense

ok listen lol. i think we can all say that its kind of obvious when mashima hasnt thought things through or just pulls things out of his ass out of nowhere. i dont wanna go too in detail about this because if im being honest, there is a lot that i just flat out don't remember. what i can remember is that as the story continued to go on, things seemed to make less and less sense.

2. the best arc is the tower of heaven arc

wow ok. i cant really tell u why i love this arc so much. but i do. im not even a jerza or erza stan (i love them both, but like not my fav pairing or character by any means). but idk. something about this arc was so intriguing, intense, emotional, and just enjoyable to watch. seeing the depths of erza's background and her relationship with her past, jellal, natsu, and the rest of the guild was just amazing. idk why this arc sticks out so much to me, but it really does.

3. lisanna shouldve stayed dead

now this one isnt even bc i hate lisanna or anything. i like lisanna! i even like nali! (not as much as nalu but still). her death had such a great impact on her siblings, natsu, and the rest of the guild and watching them all have to grow past it was incredible (especially for mira and elfman!). and then they just brought her back. not only did they bring her back, but they brought her back for NO REASON! she just became another side character! when she came back to life she had no further impact on ANYTHING! and it made the whole "natsu's childhood love/bestfriend" thing seem so much less important and way more fake.

4. more ppl jus shouldve died overall

with this one im mostly just talking about makarov. but still. waaaay too much death bating. like they died and then magically came back to life. too much of it. felt like nothing was ever really at stake. im saying this but like if juvia had actually stayed dead i would have thrown a FIT lol

5. i wanted more of cana and gildarts

thats it. all i really have to say ab this one. they r cute and i wanted to see more<3

6. juvia is underrated

ok now i am SUPER fucking biased lmao. bc juvia is the BEST character in fairy tail imo. but like come on! she's beautiful, loving, smart, sweet, powerful, funny, badass! shes perfect! and shes waaaay stronger than everyone thinks she is smh. clearly she is the best choice to stan.

7. lucy is overrated

ok look. i like lucy! kind of! idk man shes smart and nice and cute but like. not as powerful as everyone thinks. she's definitely one of the most developed in terms of her strength FOR SURE but still. not very strong. and her character just aint for me:/ sorry!

8. levy should be a lot stronger than she's portrayed

it seems like for some reason since shes small that also means shes weak, but like, that just aint it. solid script magic should be really sick and she should kick ass way more than she does especially for how smart she is but no. mashima always makes her the helpless one:/ rly sad bc i like levy a lot and ik she could be way more badass.

9. the only ship that i rly just flat out hate is gr*ylu.

like nali? i like them! nerza? fine! grayza? also dont like and are second to gr*ylu but i mean i dont have a fiery hatred! lyvia? cool! gratsu? sure! all of them i can get behind in some way ahape or form but i just HATE gr*ylu. idk why i hate them so much but i just really do lol.

10. fairy tail's old animation was way better

while i do think every character got like way more attractive with the new animation, the rest is just bad. not nearly as pretty, crisp, consistent, or colorful. its just blah. sorry sis thats the tea.

ok so there r 10 unpopular ft opinions! please dont yell at me lol! if u wanna have a discussion, we can discuss but these r just my opinions! thank u!:)❤️

[crazyzaika]

Love on Detours - Chapter 1

So my dears,

I'm translating this and hope you like it. I know, this sort of story isn't really new. But I never had read a good story with this and so … yeah. Tell me your thoughts. Oh and some terms. And it's not checked, but it will be. So pls be nice on false words and stuff.

Oyabun = the head of a yakuzaclan

Kobun = the biological or adopted sons of the Oyabun.

Summary: Lucy Heartfilia lives with her sister Michelle, her cousins Mirajane and Lisanna with her grandfather. Together they all have a quite peaceful life in the temple. If only there wasn't her friendship with Natsu. Nobody from her family likes him, everyone hates him and thinks that he has a bad influence on her as Kobun, the son of Oyabun Igneel Dragneel. Until now she always thought that this was simply a hair-raiser, but then a harmless party ends with fatal consequences.

Rating: M - Smut, Violence, Bad Language

Pairings: Nalu, Gajevy, Gruvia, Miraxus, Hints on NaLi, IgGran, WenRo, Jerza

RL-AU

Greets Z ♥

Chapter 1

She heard the drone in her ears, distorted her lips and buried herself deeper in the warmth that enveloped her, rubbed her nose against warm skin and sucked the bitter scent of aftershave into her lungs. It was so comfortable here. She clearly didn't want to get up. And then ... slowly it came through to her what she felt.

Naked skin?, thought Lucy and opened carefully an eyelid. Her heartbeat accelerated as she stared directly at a well-trained chest. She blinked and stopped breathing. Was that a joke? As carefully as possible she looked up and at the sight she saw, her heart almost stopped in shock. He slept deeply and firmly, absolutely peacefully and definitely deeply relaxed. The first rays of sunshine pushed through the dark curtains and made the pink hair shimmer. She swallowed, feeling her dry throat. She felt like she had a furry animal on her tongue and knew she had definitely drunk too much yesterday. Redness spread across her cheeks as she carefully lifted the blanket and pressed her hand in front of her mouth to suppress a panic squeak. They were naked. Burning redness lay on her cheeks and she panicked. How much to the fucking ass of heaven had they drunk yesterday that a One Night Stand between them ... a buzz penetrated her ears and then she was pulled by two slightly scarred arms to a warm, naked body. She pulled in the air sharply and did not dare to move. Her heart hammered painfully against her ribs and she felt him moving again. He pushed one leg over hers and pulled her closer to himself. The redness on her cheeks became stronger and she felt his best piece ready and clearly pressing against her stomach with a morning boner. Lucy's eyes widened in panic and very carefully she raised her head. He was still asleep.

Okay ... just don't panic ... it's not even sure if we ... really ... too. Gaaaarrrr, come on, calm down. You just have to wiggle out of his embrace and get out of bed. And act as if nothing happened. He certainly doesn't know anything more about yesterday ..., she thought and swallowed lightly. Natsu was strong and she had already slept over a few times. He had the habit of cuddling and especially when he had been drinking he became affectionate. They had never been naked in bed before, but with best friends it wasn't surprising, was it? They were just best friends, understood each other without words and ... Sex was actually no option. She didn't find Natsu bad in itself, really not, but this friendship was simply too important to her. It was too important to her to want to risk it with sex. Lucy gently loosened the grip of his arms and carefully pulled her legs out between his. Her heart pounded to her neck as she slowly crawled to the edge of the bed, trying not to make a sound or wake him up.

She looked around and saw one of the large pillows lying on the floor, then shuddered, and before he could wrap his arms around her again, she pressed that pillow into his arms. Just in time, because his arms closed around the pillow like a reflex. He frowned and growled softly and Lucy froze. However, he didn't wake up and she climbed out of bed as quietly as if she had committed a crime and now had to flee. Hastily she picked up her clothes and put on her uniform again. She saw her bag, checked if everything was there, then she tiptoed to the room door. At the door she looked at him again and pain burned in her heart as he lay there and embraced a pillow. The light almost made his hair shine and fine dust fluff flew around, shining through the morning sun. She bit her lower lip, then she pushed herself through the door, closed it quietly again and swallowed, breathed deeply, then she walked quietly through the hallway, across the polished floor, past the living room.

If she was very quiet, no one would know she had been here. Then perhaps they could just ...

"Morning, Lucy."

She literally froze in the movement. Goosebumps spread over her body and her heart had stopped for a moment, only to return twice as fast. Very slowly she turned her head and looked tense in the direction from which this deep voice had come. The deep dark eyes of him hit hers and she swallowed easily.

"As I see you are already awake? Very beautiful. The next time you come by to send my son to heaven, please be quieter," Ingeel Dragneel sat at the table, drank a cup of coffee and then took a pull from his cigarette. Lucy blinked and then swallowed. Igneel pulled the newspaper towards him and smiled slightly as he blew smoke towards the ceiling.

"I don't suppose you were using contraception as drunk as you two were yesterday," he asked when she still hadn't said a word. She stood there stiff as a stick and her lips turned to a panic-stricken grin.

"G-g-g-good morning, Igneel-san," she brought out, and you could see her tension. He pulled a narrow dark red brow up, then sighed deeply, put the cup down, put the cigarette out in an ashtray and rose from his seat. His gaze was cool and controlled. He wore a simple black kimono and a Haori in red. The cloth gaped open and she saw the color of his tattoos, swallowed easily and then looked up slightly frightened. Igneel was the Oyabun* of his clan, the boss, and he towered over her well by 2 heads. Fear reached for her heart. He wasn't a bad person in himself, but he had an extreme protective instinct. Something Natsu clearly had from him. He stared at her and Lucy swallowed nervously.

"I... I don't know," she whispered and her voice sounded thin and trembling, not as strong and self-confident as usual. Actually she was used to that. Why did this frighten her so much? Her nerves were simply shattered. That was a fact. A grin spread on Igneel's lips and the hardness and cold disappeared from his features and made way for a shit eating grin.

"If you should be pregnant, then you come immediately to us, only that this is clear, yes?", he had bent slightly forward and she nodded mechanically. Her knees felt like jelly.

"Well, then shoo off. I think, you want to escape the embarrassing morning afterwards, don't you?", the grin broadened as she looked shamefaced to the ground and nodded. Igneel hit her shoulder and laughed quietly.

"Then let's go," he replied and dismissed her. Lucy didn't let herself be told twice and fled the old Japanese estate in a breakneck speed. She dodged clan members, sprinted to the entrance, slipped into her brown leather shoes, then ran on. A few of the clan members had followed her to the door in amazement and looked after her Kobun**'s best friend. They had never seen Lucy so panicked.

" Well if he did anything wrong," Metalicana grinned wide and dirty. Atlas stood next to him and laughed quietly. They looked at each other, then both frowned.

"So ... your son would do something like that but the little one?"

"What's going on here?" Skiadrum joined the two clan members and seemed quite bored and sleepy. Metalicana growled quietly. He and the black haired one didn't like each other, even if they were brothers.

"Lucy just escaped," Atlas said, scratching his back of his head, disarranging the long red hair even more than before. Skiadrum pulled a black brow up and his red eyes glided to his older brother.

"And you believe that the two ... ", he began, but interrupted himself. Reddish spread on his cheeks and Metalicana grinned broadly, laughed softly. His brother was once again as shy as ever.

She ran faster and faster, followed the road and fled. Her lungs were burning and her chest hurt. Panting, she stopped at a high staircase and paused for a moment. She hoped, no prayed, that he would not remember anything. Otherwise it would only make everything more difficult. Unwinned tears burned in her eyes and she straightened up again. The gaze of her deep, chocolate brown eyes glided to the stairs, followed her and glided over the Torii. She stroked the red lacquered wood and felt it leafing under her fingers. Soon she would have to paint it again. Her lips pressed together to a firm stroke, then she took the high stairs at a run, sprinted through the second Torii. Her gaze glided over the temple.

The courtyard was paved with large stone slabs and well maintained. A gentle bamboo grove surrounded the area and she looked over to the temple. Fear seized her senses and she felt her legs give way. If her grandfather or sister would find out that. She blinked violently. It was bad enough that his father knew.

No one here was particularly enthusiastic about the friendship between Natsu and her. Neither her grandfather nor her sister, not to mention her cousins, who also lived here. And that was only because Natsu was the Kobun of Igneel. And that Natsu was constantly fighting, always involved in brawls and Lucy had followed him everywhere and all the time. They had been at the same primary and secondary school and when her grandfather had wanted to send her to an elite girls' school, she had refused knitting. She had gone to a school full of delinquents for Natsu. Oh, how had everyone raved except Natsu. Even her father and mother had travelled there and had given her hell, but she hadn't let it get her down. She still wanted to be friends with him and there was nothing wrong with it, was there?

But last night, this party? She wasn't even old enough to drink alcohol after all, but that didn't stop Natsu or her. They had poured so much beer and sake into them. And wine. But everyone had drunk so much. Even Levy had shot the bird and Gajeel had brought his drunken girlfriend home. Lucy could remember pretty much everything. Again panic seized her senses. How did they think sex between best friends was a good idea? She bit her lower lip hard and her fingers clawed into her hair. Oh and Lisanna would be so damn jealous. She knew it already. Her cousin was head over heels in love with Natsu and she knew that he liked her somewhere, too, even though he had never really made an effort to do anything with Lisanna. Mirajane had taken care of that. And Elfman.

Hectically Lucy looked around, but still everything was quiet. Nobody seemed to have got up yet and she got up, hurried quietly over the stone slabs to the family house. Everything had been built in the old Japanese style. Carefully she walked around the house, then unlocked one of the exterior sliding doors, quickly looked around, took off her shoes and closed the door behind her again. Then she tiptoed to the sliding door of her room, carefully pushed it open, slipped into her room and closed the sliding door behind her again. She breathed a sigh of relief and her knees gave way and she let herself sink to the floor. Luckily it was weekend and she didn't have to go to school today. That might have been embarrassing. She swallowed slightly, then pulled herself up again, took off her school uniform and picked out normal everyday clothes. She briefly sniffed her clothes and distorted her face. Clearly, she would have to wash her uniform because it reeked of alcohol and cold smoke. Apparently Natsu had smoked like a chimney yesterday. Again, although he had promised her to stop. A soft beep sounded and she jerked violently. Quickly she pulled on her shirt and crawled to her bag on all fours, pulled out her cell phone and opened it. When she looked at the sender, she froze and swallowed. Natsu.

[animezing-fandoms]

Feminism in Fairy Tail with Lucy Heartfilia

Okay so @gaysquaredwrites made this fantastic post today about how people say Lucy is useless because she’s not as great a fighter as the other characters, but that doesn’t mean she’s useless because she brings light and happiness into the characters lives and that’s just as important as fighting! And I originally wrote this rant as a reblog to their original post but it ended up being LONG AF and I didn’t want to hijack their post like that so I decided to just post this feminism and Lucy rant as my own post.

So something that I see a lot in most fiction and not just shounen manga but also in Western sci-fi/action fiction as well, is that the female characters in those stories who aren’t primarily fighters, or do fight but not as well as other characters are often criticized for being useless because they “always need to be saved” or “can’t win a fight on their own” and while this does happen to a lot of female characters in these genres, it doesn’t make them “useless” characters to the story. These people just don’t seem to realize that there are other important roles for characters in these genres aside from fighting and beating bad guys, and that’s emotional support. 

You don’t have to fight in order to change/save someone’s life. Emotional support is just as essential as physical in both fictional stories and in real life and I feel like people seem to forget that a lot.

Especially since that emotional support often comes from female characters which people are already frothing at the mouth to discredit and undermine so it’s no surprise that people complain that they’re useless because they can’t fight as well as the male mc (which is stupid especially in shounen manga because in those stories no one fights as well as the main male mc, that’s kind of a trademark of the genre tbh) and claim that that take is “feminist” while completely ignoring the important role that those female characters play in uniting the other characters for a certain cause and giving them the courage to keep fighting and fighting with them even if they aren’t the strongest fighter in the story. 

But those parts of their stories are usually downplayed or ignored in favor of the “she’s just a love interest” argument, which is actually a more complex and important role to a story than people seem to realize. But I won’t get into that here because that’s a different argument and that would involve getting into her relationship with Natsu and I want to keep this meta purely about Lucy and how  people try to paint her as a “useless character” because of sexism. If you want to read about how nalu is actually more feminist/progressive than people think, click here.

Now if you’re judging characters importance to the story of Fairy Tail based on how many fights they’ve won/lost, then you’re only focusing on one aspect of the story which is the action, and completely ignoring the emotional/narrative parts of the story that make us fall in love with these characters and root for them during the action.

For example, the guild wouldn’t even exist if not for Lucy! After Makarov disbanded it after Tartaros, Lucy was the only one who kept tabs on the guild members in order to reach out to all of them to get the guild back together once Natsu and Happy came back to her. And they even said it multiple times in the manga that they wouldn’t have come back together without her. So yeah the guild would not have come back together to defeat Alvarez without Lucy.

And, everyone seems to forget that during the Tartaros arc, she literally saved everyone’s freaking lives by sacrificing Aquarius’s key to summon the Celestial Spirit King and free everyone from the fortress they were trapped in. Everyone would still be trapped in that thing and Tartaros would not have been defeated if she didn’t make that sacrifice. And it was a huge sacrifice! Lucy’s spirits mean everything to her! Sacrificing Aquarius to save everyone in Fairy Tail left her freaking heartbroken! 

And that wasn’t the only sacrifice that she’s made in the series either! Her freaking future self sacrificed her life when Rogue tried to kill Lucy in order to save her life. 

Now you could argue that other major characters in the series have made large sacrifices too, such as Juvia saving Gray, and Makarov using Fairy Law at the cost of his life and maybe others too that I’m forgetting. But those sacrifices while important to the story and the importance of those characters, are made up for by both Makarov and Juvia being brought back to life later with Juvia sustaining a scar, and Makarov being in a wheelchair which yes, is a big deal and should not be overlooked. But the point I’m making is that both he, and Juvia intended to sacrifice their lives, but ended up living anyway. Like Gray and the multiple times he’s attempted to use iced shell but always ends up getting interrupted or talked out of it. 

So Lucy is the only main character who has intended to sacrifice something important, and followed through with it without getting revived later (although it was only her future self that died, but the point is she still died without getting revived later on in the story) and without getting the sacrificed item back. Yeah, people seem to forget that Lucy sacrificed Aquarius’s key, and Lucy still does not have that key back. So even if you think that future Lucy dying isn’t a heavy sacrifice because that was just a version of Lucy, the Aquarius sacrifice is definitely a heavy one because that one didn’t get resolved later. Lucy sacrificed that key, and did not get it back immediately after or at the end of the arc, or even at the end of the story! Yes the key is out there in the world somewhere but she still has to find it and that’s probably not gonna happen for awhile and it’s gonna be really difficult to get it back! Lucy sacrificed something precious to her for the sake of her guild that she loves so much and she never got it back at the end of the main story. And that’s why I think that sacrifice in particular is probably the biggest one in the story. 

But that sacrifice is often overlooked by fans who claim she has no purpose in the story, because that wasn’t a “fighting” sacrifice like giving their life for another character. That was an emotional sacrifice because she sacrificed her ability to not only use Aquarius’s key, but have her in her life as a close friend by sacrificing her key. No life was lost by Aquarius’s key being shattered, but it shattered Lucy’s hearts and ours in turn. 

It was a big emotional sacrifice, and that’s why it’s downplayed because emotional components of a story like Fairy Tail which are what Lucy plays a big role in, are often played by female characters, because being “emotional” is a traditionally feminine role in most stories. 

In fact, putting a higher importance on traditionally masculine roles for characters like fighting, and downplaying the more feminine roles like emotional support, makes it pretty obvious what those so-called “fans” are really saying when they say Lucy is “useless”. 

More often than not, people who claim Lucy is useless do so because they compare her fighting ability to Erza, who is a very skilled warrior and has many important achievements in the battles she’s been in. And because of this, they claim that Erza is a stronger female character than Lucy in the story. 

But just because Erza is a female character that is a good fighter, doesn’t mean she’s a stronger female character than Lucy. Both Lucy and Erza are equally strong female characters in their respective roles in the story. But people, mainly misogynists, don’t look at it that way and just lump them into the category of “female character” which guess what, is sexist because you’re only categorizing those characters by their genders and not the distinct and equally important roles they play in the story.

Having Erza be one of the most powerful wizards in the guild as a great fighter is a huge win for female representation in shounen manga because she plays a role that is typically reserved for male characters. But that doesn’t mean that Lucy, who plays the role of emotional support which is typically reserved for female characters any less important. The idea that all female characters need to be less “emotional” or “feminine” and need to play more traditionally masculine roles like Erza does in order to be considered good female representation, completely misses the point.

So while I do want to see more female characters in roles typically reserved for male characters like Erza. I also want to see the female characters who are in traditionally feminine roles for the genre like Lucy get treated with more respect and be recognized for their importance to the story and not get labeled as “useless” because they didn’t win a boss fight.

Because if you think that characters, both male and female who serve the more traditionally masculine roles like fighting are more important to the story than the characters, both male and female who serve the traditionally feminine role of emotional support, then guess what! That’s misogyny too!

If Fairy Tail was purely just a story about people punching each other, then we would not be as invested in the story or these characters as we are. Lucy is the one who makes important emotional sacrifices, and is the one who reminds the guild what they’re fighting for, and gives them hope and happiness when they need it most. 

So if you think Lucy’s useless because she doesn’t fight as much or as well as the other characters in the story, then just admit you’re a misogynist because if you have that opinion then you clearly didn’t take the time to pay attention to the story as a whole, and were too blinded by your sexist views to see how important to the story Lucy’s role as the heart, aka the emotional support of Fairy Tail actually is. In fact, the story wouldn’t have even started without her since she’s the first character we meet. 

Emotional support in a story like Fairy Tail is just as important as the fighting. The story would have ended after Tartoros without Lucy. Lucy is the one who not only saved all of their lives but brought their guild back together. Fairy Tail would not exist without Lucy. That’s how Lucy primarily saves the day in this story, not by punching people with magic, but with her heart that is filled with love for her friends that fuels her actions, just like Natsu, Gray, Erza and literally everyone else in the guild. She’s no different from them in terms of her importance to the story, her role is just a little different from theirs.

[thewritingstar]

WC #26: Nalu

Prompt: Nalu 84. “Show me what’s behind your back.”

Pairing: Nalu

Request by @kaycha1989

Enjoy!!

Small, very small, mention of adult content.

——

The nights used to be peaceful. They were brimming with love and endless pleasure, commitment and promises. They were beautiful and fulfilling, full of whispers and signs of appreciation.

But now, now they were miserable.

Their nights filled the halls with yelling and crying, pleading screams and door slamming. Nothing physical except for the make up that would take place after their lungs gave up screaming and it switched to moans. It was a cruel game that both didn’t want to play, but they wouldn’t lose to the other. Threats and broken promises scattered their floor as tears dehydrated them both.

And after it all went down, a disturbing silence filled the air.

And some nights, fighting wouldn’t happen. Instead she would sit alone, wondering and waiting for the door to open, even their bickering provided a sense of comfort. The darkness was her only company until he shuffled into bed, not a word spoken and the bed would still be cold.

It started as petty fights, then escalated as quickly as the clothes fell on the floor. They loved each, this was true, but sometimes you can only drive so far with a flat tire until you need to fix it.

--

The sun slowly fell, just like the silence in the room, they both wanted to speak, say their “sorry’s” for the past few months but who knew how to start? How can you make up for the past?

The silence disappeared just as it arrived. His voice jumping up as she screamed back. But they wanted it to stop.

This wasn’t marriage.

As if they were on a schedule, their fighting began. It started with Natsu complaining that his food was cold and Lucy retorting that if he was home sooner, it would be hot. Some more petty comments came from both sides but tonight a spark of new wounds expanded. 

Wounds that didn’t need to open, but were gashed anyways.

“If you hate me so much, why don’t you go sleep with your assistant!” She yelled. This was what bothered her. His job took too much of his time and she found herself replacing his warmth with chocolate and movies, begging for him to come back.

He knew the job is what started the fight months ago. It was true, as the hours piled up, he neglected her. Putting all his problems on his office desk instead of bringing them home to talk about.

It was no secret that his assistant was touchy, always in his space when his wedding ring clearly showed, he never gave in. Always pushed past her, telling her to stop.

Lucy knew he would never cheat, that she was sure of. But her doubt from her fathers doing came to bite her. She knew Natsu wasn’t that man but the nights grew so dark these days that she wondered if she would ever see the light again. She wanted her husband back, not an man who was a captive to his work, at a job he hated.

“My assistant?” He yelled. His hand grabbed his hair, bitterly laughing he shook his head. “You think I would honestly sleep with her? Do you really?” His voice was still loud. 

This is the moment where she would yell back. They would go back and fourth until the other pinned them against the wall, placing them in their frustrating routine, but not tonight. He stood firm watching her as her strong posture fell. her face, once determined and angry a moment ago, soften and her eyes met the floor.

“No.” A whisper. It was the first whisper in months. And he took a step back. His shoulders fell and his mouth shut. 

“I don’t believe, no, I know you wouldn’t Natsu. But this.” She gestured between them. “This is what I hate. The fighting. Why are we fighting? I don’t know Natsu, maybe the fact that I’m lonely.” Her voice was soft and tense. She turned her body away, ashamed of what she let her relationship become. 

“Lonely?” He asked, his voice broke down. He stepped towards her, eyebrows furrowed and he now saw the pain on her face. Her eyes hung with darken circles and her face paled slightly. 

“Yes...the nights used to be my favorite, but your job is driving you insane and you never want to talk about it. I thought maybe I wasn’t enough for you anymore.” Her tears were different now.

They were filled with actual sadness not anger. Months of fighting and make up sex were not enough to keep her alive. She needed a life boat to come and save her from her endless tears.

“Maybe I’m not good enough for you anymore. You haven’t even told me you ll-loved me in months.” She sobbed.

He watched as her armor fell. Pain bled from both of them. He felt his heart snap, everything that happened in the past months didn’t even matter and he mentally kicked himself for keeping the person he loved the most, in the dark all this time. 

“Show me what’s behind your back.” He whispered. She faced him, a confused look on her face.

“Nothing, Natsu I don’t hav-“

“You hand, Left.” He interrupted. 

Slowly she brought her left hand forward. Taking it he pulled her close.

“Enough? Lucy, you are more than enough. See this?” He gestured to her ring. “This is enough. You’re right. I hate my job and never want to bring the pressure home, and it’s suffocating us and it’s not fair. I need to move on from there.” Tears fell and she wiped them away. This was the moment they needed. The tire was being replaced. To be stronger and better, keeping them both on the road before they crashed. Her life boat was coming and they both were saving each other. 

“I love you Lucy.” He moved closer, the space between them disappearing. “I love you so much and I’m an asshole for not showing you. Do you know how much I hate not telling you? Why haven’t I told you? Lucy please, I beg you to forgive me.”

“Natsu, of course I forgive you. We both have reached a limit and it’s natural. I understand. You didn’t want to burden me with your job life, but I’m here to listen, even with the bad times I enjoy listening, help you get through it. That’s what marriage is, being there for one another. I’m sorry too. I love you so much.”

Their kiss was natural. It held desire and passion that replaced the once anger and primal force. It was slow and it felt refreshing, their love re-blossomed.

That night was peaceful and was filled with small laughs and proper moans. It was burning with passion and it was full of soft whispers and pleads of love.

As she snuggled against his chest, his hand in hers, she noticed that her wedding ring sparkled brighter than usual. A smile played on her lips as she kissed him one last time.

“I love you Natsu.”

“I love you too Lucy.”

———

The prompt was taken from this list! Feel free to send me a pairing and number or send me another list! I hope you a enjoyed!!

[ship-ambrosia]

Let's start with the most recent obsession taking over my life; Fairy Tail.

So I started it in January, I own the final volume, I've watched the last episode of fairy tail Zero, but I have three more episodes of the Tartaros arc to watch. Literally the next season is gonna start this fall and I'm still not gonna have it finished lol. Now that my class is over I plan to finish it before school starts again.

Anyway, my top ship from Fairy Tail is probably pretty easy to discern; Gruvia. I love Gray and Juvia as separate characters, Juvia is definitely my favorite female character and Gray is pretty damn close with Natsu for the top spot out of the guys. I loved Gruvia even before I started the fandom. Gruvia Week was how I met a lot of friends on tumblr, and how I found a lot of blogs that I admire as well as being the first showcase for my fanfictions, so in that way even years from now Gruvia will probably always be very special to me.

Here's some Gruvia Headcanons of mine:

- Juvia is, in my opinion, drop dead gorgeous. The most beautiful girl in Fairy Tail. I imagine if she was in real life she'd have that sort of eerie beauty, that like she's so perfect she seems like a vampire or something. Like very pale, ivory skin, elegantly shaped eyes that are so crystal blue, full lips, that unfair hourglass figure. She seems so shy in her appearance that I can't help but feel like one of the things that also alienated her from people aside from her rain was just how pretty she was. She either got lots of attention from people, or she got lots of jealous glares from people.

- I think it's pretty much confirmed at this point, but Gray seems to have even first considered himself with Juvia around Edolas/Tenrou Island. I don't think he really felt strong romantic feelings for her until the Grand Magic Games, mostly I think Lyon expressing his attraction for her really made Gray think "would Lyon have a chance with her? Would Juvia consider dating him? Hey wait, I don't want that to happen. Why am I jealous of the thought of Lyon with her?" I love the talk Erza had with him. Erza seems to have really looked out for gray, and she sees Juvia as a no-strings-attached kinda girl, a girl who just wants to make gray happy. Gray is terrified of getting too close to people and losing them, and I think the fact that Juvia almost died during the fight with the dracolings scared him even more than the fact that he DID die, especially after he realized what Ultear had done. But the moments between them during Tartaros for me, solidify their relationship. And unpopular opinion, I love the "confession" scene in the final chapter. It's in character. Gray isn't able to express himself fully yet. He's still scared. He thought he had lost Juvia again to Invel. So the "you're mine/you belong to me" felt like the best he could do.

- When they finally are officially a couple (whenever that will be) I wholeheartedly believe that, despite all of her crazy fantasies, Juvia will be terribly shy with any sort of affection. Gray tries to kiss her for the first time and she whacks herself (or him) on the head because she thinks it's a fantasy. Gray puts his arms around her and she screams and falls to the ground like a sack of potatoes (something I have physically also done lolol). Even though she is perfectly willing to strip after picking up his habit, I think the romantic feelings of such a moment would make any sort of intimacy/sex with gray very difficult with her. Basically like she sees it as her mind playing tricks on her. Not in an annoying way though, I see it being very endearing and gray would probably find it all very funny, considering how all-in she appeared to be about her feelings for him.

- They are a power couple. Ain't nobody gonna be able to defeat them when they're together. They are both so extremely powerful (my girl Juvia is so underrated; she was an S-class mage in Phantom Lord! She was good enough to be nominated as one for Fairy Tail too! Alongside Gray!) by themselves, together they will destroy anyone for hurting the other. And Unison Raids for DAYS

Second favorite couple is Nalu. I know I'm basic. I'm sorry. Natsu and Lucy just have so much chemistry, I can't help shipping them. I want to add that I ship pretty much any ship... I'm just naming my favorites. But yeah, I'm all for Nali, Graylu, Julu, Gratsu, Navia, Luli... whatever. Within reason, I'm up for any ship, really. Back to Nalu

Honestly I just love Natsu so much it hurts sometimes. And Lucy is such a good, relatable character. What I want more than anything in this world is for Lucy to get some love. And jealous Natsu. The possibilities are so good for jealous Natsu. I've heard a lot of different theories for why we didn't get an "I love you" from one of them in the final chapter, and honestly I love them all, so I'm not gonna sit here and explain those.

- Personally, I think Lucy was the first to consider a relationship, maybe even have a crush on Natsu. Any time anyone in the guild suggests it, gets Lucy madly blushing. But I think Natsu fell in love first. He probably didn't even realize what it was. But mix Tenrou Island, and Future Rogue killing Future Lucy... I think he really realized she was more than his best friend there.

- The post-Tartaros timeskip is such good angst for Nalu, but one of my favorite things to consider is that Lucy didn't seem to know where Natsu and Happy were. I love to think of her, following reports on all her other friends but having no idea where Natsu was, and how heartbreaking it would be. Not to mention, that moment Natsu finds the map. And he realizes that Lucy was so scared for him, that she was tearing herself apart because she couldn't find anything about him.

- Even though they never really elaborated on the tension between Natsu and Lucy after he had left her, I do believe Natsu felt immensely guilty for what he had done. Going back to Gruvia too, I think Natsu and Gray both know they hurt and abandoned the girls who care about them most in the world, and would even sorta bond over that - like what can we do to make it up to them?

- Did I mention how much I want jealous/possessive Natsu? Not in a bad way where Lucy gets mad at him... just sulking Natsu, Natsu trying to have his arm around her/be around her at all times, yanno?

Ps, there are so many good Nalu gifs... how do I pick one...

Pss, dragon cry slayed me.

Okay last ship I'm gonna ramble about - my third favorite ship is Stingyu. A little less on the popular side, but it's certainly got more attention that I had originally thought. I love Sting, he's definitely right below Natsu and Gray for my favorite guy. And Yukino is so sweet, her friendship with Lucy makes me unbelievably happy every time it is brought into the spotlight. I love the angst of this pair, but also the sweet moments they share (Sting asking for Yukino to come back to Sabertooth, Sting punching Rogue when he accidentally groped her, their interactions during the Alvarez fight, and DONT even get me started on the Sabertooth spin off... you're telling me anyone else would react the same way Sting did?!)

- Yukino admired sting immediately from the moment she joined the guild. I'm convinced, because how would any girl not join a powerful guild, and not look up to the attractive, powerful dragon slayer at the top of it? Plus their magic together would be incredibly compatible. Sting was so certain she was going to beat Kagura, so I'm assuming he knew her strength, he thought she was strong, and he'd just be devastated that she lost. He'd be furious. But then he'd realize how awful it was when he finally realizes how terrible Jiemma treated them.

- Sting 100% put Yukino's guild mark back himself

- Sting is basically the jealous Natsu I want. That moment he punches rogue is so unexpected, like it was clearly by accident, he knows rogue better than anyone. I realize Stingyu is somewhat similar to Nalu, but like hey, sorry can't help it lol

- They probably end up together before any of the Fairy Tail couples, let's be honest. I think Stingyu has a pretty high chance of actually happening

Those are my top ships for Fairy Tail. I'm gonna finish off by saying that Jerza, Gajevy, Nali, Baccana, Rogerva, Lyredy, Stingue, Luli, Miraxus, Fraxus, Mirafreed, Kinabra, Luvia all follow pretty close in about that order. I really ship anything in this show cuz I love all the characters so much. And yes my blog is based around shipping, but I love fairy tail for more than just that. The story and the magic abilities are so incredibly fascinating. For me it's get hooked by the ships, stay for the story. Now if only I could finish the anime! Lol

Sorry this post was so long, but I've been wanting to do these sort of rants for a while? I've worked on this for like an hour now. I think the other fandoms will wait for other days. Right now, for sure I'll make ship rants about Persona 5, Fire Emblem, My Hero Academia, RWBY... and then maybe I'll just make some general rants lol

[i-write-fanfics-to-procrastinate]

OTP Challenge Day Three: Gaming?

You may ask me several different questions: 1. Is this gaming? No. It’s not... really? 2. What have you done? Listen, I sat down to write and this is what spewed out into the word document, so this is what you get. I don’t regret a second of it. Except for maybe the poetry.... no. I don’t even regret that.

OTP: Nalu (Though it kind of has all of them?)

Rating: E for everyone, friends

               “Mwahaha!!!!” Natsu shouted, throwing down an ace. “THIS TRICK BELONGS TO ME!” Lucy held the fan of her cards up against her lips to hide her smile. Diagonally across from her, Gray dropped his head in his hands. Erza, who was sitting next to Lucy threw her hand up to give Natsu a high five.

               “Well done,” she grinned.

               “Now hold on, hold on!” Lucy said, glancing down at the pile of three cards in the center of the table. “I haven’t gone yet.” She pretended to assess her cards. “Hmm…”

               “Luccyyy! I won the trick! Just play any old card!” Natsu huffed, clearly aggravated. He rested his chin on the table, watching her expression carefully.

               “Oh you won the trick, did you?” Lucy selected a card from her hand, and carefully set it on the pile, “Or did someone have a trump card?”

               “YES!” Gray sat up straight. “How are you feelin’ now, fireboy?!” Natsu looked on in horror as Lucy carefully collected the four cards, teasing him as she slowly drew them towards her side of the table.

               “Noooooo, Lucyyyy!” Natsu reached out, grabbing the cards, trying to pull them back. “I used my ace! How could you do this!!!” He wailed.

               “They’re mine,” She purred, yanking the cards from his hand. Natsu collapsed on the table, with a groan of defeat.

               “Aaaanddd with that point, we win!” Gray said, crossing his arms triumphantly. Natsu sat up quickly.

               “Best out of three!” He demanded, throwing his cards down in the center of the table.

               “I’m done,” Gray stood up, “It feels like we’ve been playing forever already.”

               “I promised Wendy we’d bake a cake today,” Erza said, standing as well. The two wandered off and Lucy smiled over at Natsu,

               “Well, it looks like it’s just you and I, Natsu,” she smiled.

               “We can’t play this game two player,” he huffed.

               “No, maybe we can play something else,” Lucy replied.

               “Like what?”

Lucy tapped her cards against her lips, thinking. “I know!”

               “What?” Natsu looked up at her skeptically.

               “Truth or dare! And I bet we could get others to play too!” She grinned.

               “Truth or dare?” Natsu narrowed his eyes, “Oh yeah, we used to play that when we were kids when it was cold out.” He glared over towards where Gray sat with Juvia, “Once, Gray dared me to lick one of the lampposts.”

               “Oh…” Lucy frowned. Natsu’s eyes lit up and his lips twisted into a mischievous grin.

               “Payback time.”

               Once they had gathered a few others to sit together at a table, Natsu roared, “Alright! Lets get started!” And the game commenced. “I get to start!” He grinned, narrowing his eyes at everyone else sitting around in a circle. Gajeel rolled his eyes.

               “I can’t believe you convinced me to join this nonsense,” he glanced over at Levy who was smiling brightly.

               “It’s just like when we were kids!” Mirajane laughed, clapping her hands, “It’ll be fun.”

               “Come on, Natsu!” Lucy moaned, “Pick someone!”

               “Fine! Gray!”

               “Why is it always me?” Gray snapped.

               “Just pick one!” Natsu shouted, “Truth or dare!”

               “Alright, cool it!” Gray said, “Truth!”

               “Tsk,” Natsu narrowed his eyes, “Boring.”

               “You have to ask him now, Natsu,” Lucy sighed.

               “Fine! Gray, what… um… uh… who… um.”

               “Natsu!”

               “Alright, Fine! What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told?” Natsu looked proud of himself. Gray glared, glancing back and forth between his rival, and Juvia.

               “Uh…”

               “It’s called truth or dare, Gray,” Erza said commandingly, “Not lie and dare.”

               “Alright, alright! A big lie I’ve told….was about not having feelings for someone.”

               “That’s all you’re going to tell us,” Laxus spoke up from where he sat in between Mirajane and Juvia.

               “Yeah, that’s all you get! Next question!” Gray snapped.

               “Alright, Gray! You get to pick someone to ask,” Lucy said. Gray glanced around the circle, pausing at each person as if considering. He finally landed on Erza.

               “Erza—”

               “Truth,” Erza said quickly, “Any truth I can answer with ease.”

               “Oh really,” Gray’s expression turned completely devilish. “Then tell us about how you really feel about Jellal Fernandes.” There was a long silence. Erza’s cheeks actually turned a bright red.

               “Um… dare. I choose dare,” she stammered.

               “Fine,” Gray grinned, “Then we dare you to tell us how you feel about Jellal.” Lucy watched Erza’s expression twist to rage, but she knew that the warrior would never defy the rules of the game. The redhead shook her head slowly, and then glanced up at them all with an expression of utter seriousness.

               “I am telling you all this because we are comrades,” she whispered, “I’m in love with him.” The room burst with noise, as everyone began to talk at once.

               “You are!?” Levy squealed. Gray was laughing. Natsu was staring at Erza with his jaw dropped open.

               “Now then,” Erza glared, and the room fell silent. “I get to ask someone. Laxus!” The lightning dragon slayer glanced up, surprised. “Truth or dare!”

               “Dare,” He rolled his eyes.

               “Fine!” Erza snapped, “I dare you to dance to no music. For two minutes!” Laxus narrowed his eyes,

               “Are you serious?”

               Erza grinned, “Perfectly.”

               “Fine,” Laxus got to his feet and then turned to Mirajane. “Care to dance?” Mirajane laughed,

               “Are you asking me to help you with your dare?”

               Laxus offered her a crooked grin, “Something like that.”

               “Then I’d be honored.”

               The two waltzed across the room to some sort of unheard tune. Natsu rolled his eyes with a huff, “He’s too good.”

               “I can’t believe he’s handled it,” Erza sighed. “Guess it’s his turn then.”

               When the couple returned to the group, Laxus grinned, sending shivers down Lucy’s spine. He was already enjoying this too much. “Alright, Iron Dragon.” Gajeel huffed.

               “Dare.”

               “I want you to compose a poem—”

               “Easy. I compose songs all the time.” Everyone winced.

               “I wasn’t finished,” Laxus grinned. “I want you to compose a poem, for that one.” He gestured to where Levy was sitting. Gajeel visibly paled.

               “What?” Levy blinked, “Compose a poem for me?!”

               “Yeah. That’s my dare. I’ve got an even better truth lined up, so you better not switch it up. Or you’ll be in trouble,” Laxus grinned smugly. Lucy knew that Levy had a huge crush on the iron dragon slayer, but she never imagined Laxus would have picked it out as well.

               “Alright, fine,” Gajeel grit his teeth, crossing his arms, and began, “Roses are red—”

               “Lame,” Laxus snorted, “That’s not a composition. Everyone knows that one. I want you to preform that composition! I dare you.” That Composition? What does he mean? Lucy glanced back and forth between Laxus and Gajeel. The Lightning dragon slayer seemed to know something no one else did. Gajeel’s eyes filled with fury, but Lucy knew he wasn’t going to be so easily defeated.

               “If that’s what you want, Dreyar,” he hissed, and then he glanced over at Levy, who was staring at him. He cleared his throat, and glanced away, staring off into the distance as he recited from memory,

“Mysterious colors burn in sunsets

Pinks, and purples, and flame.

They call to mind a wonder that lets

My heart recall your name.”

The hall was silent. Gajeel refused to look anyone in the eye. I didn’t know Gajeel was a poet. Lucy looked over at Levy again, to find her friend practically as red as a tomato.

               “Gajeel!” The petite girl whispered, “That was beautiful.”

               “Alright! Gajeel! Hurry up! You get to ask someone something now!” Natsu shouted. Gajeel offered him a glare in response.

               “Fine, Salamander. Truth or dare?”

               “Dare, of course! Ask me to run to the mountain and back. Or beat up Gildarts! Or—”

               “I dare you to kiss Lucy.”

               Lucy’s heart skipped a beat. Or maybe stopped beating at all. “Wwwwhat?!” Natsu glanced back and forth between Gajeel and Lucy with narrowed eyes. Then he shrugged.

               “Easy enough!” He reached out to grab Lucy’s shoulder, but Lucy pressed a hand to his mouth.

               “Hey! Hold on a second, who said I agreed to this?!”

               “I wasn’t done anyways,” Gajeel snickered, “Make it with tongue.” There was a long moment of silence before Lucy screamed,

               “What is wrong with you, you sicko--?!” And then Natsu’s mouth was on hers and everything was happening at the speed of light. Their friends melted away, the guild hall melted away, all thoughts of dares melted away, and Lucy was left facing one truth: she liked it. Natsu deepened the kiss and Lucy closed her eyes, leaning into it. They explored each other’s mouths, and Lucy felt like she was drowning in the over-stimulation of all her senses. She felt alive, so wildly alive. Natsu smelled and tasted like smoke, and the peppermint cookies Mira had served earlier. And then suddenly it was over, and everyone else appeared again, but the room was silent.

               “Alright,” Natsu whispered, his eyes not leaving Lucy’s. Lucy could tell everyone else was staring in shock. “It’s my turn again.” Natsu didn’t even glance around the room, “Lucy.”

               “Dare,” Lucy murmured, breathless as Natsu leaned in closer.

               “I dare you to kiss me again.”

[thefairywrites]

Candlelight

Genre: Angst, Fluff, I’m not crying, you are.

Pairing: NaLu, but it’s fairly Lucy-centric

Word Count: 2839

I tried my very best on this, but I apologize if I got a little carried away with the prompt haha. I have a tendency to do that. I tried my best to make sure there weren’t any errors, but I’m only human. I really hope you enjoy! :)

Lucy’s fingers trembled as she put together her dinner, taking care not to drop any of the steamy liquid onto the countertop. It was his favorite meal after all, and she didn’t want to waste a single bit of it.

She reached up to loosen the white dragon scale scarf wrapped around her neck, lowering her face down to nose the fabric a bit. The familiar smoky scent of his cologne still lingered there, a calm settled over her, and soon the trembling of her fingers lessened as well. She closed her eyes for a few moments and took a deep breath before she opened her eyes and began stirring the spicy soup again.

She started to hum softly, the song that the guild kindly played for them on their wedding day. The celestial mage allowed the slow cadence guide her movements, enjoying how free she felt again. It certainly had been a while since she had cooked--let alone prepared a meal such as this. It was only a pot of soup, but it was unfortunate the amount of energy the sickness had lapped from her system.

As she neared the end of the song, a cold breeze wisped past her left ear, the lights shutting off with it--aside from the candle that was now burning brightly behind her. Normally she may have panicked, had it not been something she’d expected. “You’re back,” she smiled, stirring the soup one last time before pouring two bowls full of it.

She heard laughter sound from behind her, a male voice following, “Mm, you haven’t aged a bit, my dear.”

The woman couldn’t help but snort at that comment, glancing down at her bony hands, the lithe fingers that gripped the spoon. “I don’t know how you could say that,” she mumbled, pausing to pick up the bowls, “after all, how long has it been since you last saw me?”

“Oh that’s easy. Thirty years, twenty-five days, seven hours, and ten seconds...eleven...twelve--” the man was cut off by Lucy’s cough, “--ah, so the cough has gotten worse then?”

She winced at the dull pain in her chest as a result of the constant coughing, bent over slightly, leaving the bowls still sitting on the counter. She quickly righted herself, placing a hand on her sternum to take a deep breath. “You could say that, but I suppose that’s what happens when you grow to be of an elderly age,” she chuckled softly.

The woman was afraid to turn around, to meet the eyes of the man who had left her lonely so long ago. Of course it was not his own doing, but she supposed she was apprehensive about his reaction to her current appearance. “Luce, why won’t you come and sit with me?”, he questioned, the familiar nickname nicking a heartstring, “I didn’t travel all this way to stare at the back of your head--even though it has always been just as beautiful as the front--”

“NATSU!”

“Okay, okay,” he chuckled, and she could hear him huff anxiously, “but seriously, i’ve missed you and I really would like to see you.”

Lucy worried her bottom lip for a moment before taking a deep breath, “I...Alright.”

She went to grab the soup bowls again, when his voice interrupted her, “Forget the soup,” a phrase she’d never thought she’d hear, “okay maybe a little.”

She sighed, despite the content smile resting on her face. Oh how she’d missed that abrupt, noisy, hungry man. She gripped just one bowl this time, the ceramic warm against her hands. Her heart was now beating a million miles a second, fingers tapping mindlessly against the bowl as a thousand scenarios ran through her brain--her biggest fear still nagging at the forefront. What if he hates this aged mess I’ve turned into?

Lucy mentally lectured herself for a few moments, when the impatient tapping snapped her from her reverie. She had to do it. It was then she gained the courage to turn around, slowly at first eyes firmly trained on the floorboards beneath her purple slippers. She’d expected a gasp or even a scream, but the only sound that met her ears was soft chuckles. She knew he would have something negative to say, or some joke about how the wrinkles on her skin made her look like a naked mole rat--”That’s all that you were worried about? A couple wrinkles?”, and soon the laughter rang in her ears again.

“Natsu--”, she began with a threatening tone.

“--You look just as beautiful as the day I married you,” he interrupted her, “

A soft smile etched itself onto her face as she lifted her head to greet the warm gaze of the man before her--the very same warmth akin to the flame of the candle on the table. She watched as the flame danced back and forth, seeming to tick left and right to the steady beat of her heart. He still looked like he did thirty years prior, back when they had just been in their mid forties--and she still had most of her mobility. His hair had started to gray a bit at that point, but it held a great blend to his rosy locks.

His familiar bright grin formed when she began to shuffle towards him, settling the bowl in front of him before taking the seat across the table. “You know…”, he began, reaching across to interlace their fingers, and Lucy sucked in a breath at the stark difference in their hands, “I meant what I said earlier. You look like the Lucy I’ve always known.”

“Natsu, I look like a hairless cat,” she pleaded.

“Now that’s ridiculous,” he scoffed, tightening his hold, “You have hair, right there on top of your head.”

“Nastu, that’s not what I mea--”

“I don’t know what else you could have meant,” Natsu mumbled perplexed and reached his other hand up to lift up a small section of her hair, taking care not to pull hard, but just enough to show her, “See? That’s clearly your hair.”

Lucy felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes at that point, “You always have to make a joke about everything, don’t you?”

Natsu shrugged, let the strand of hair drop from his hand before sitting back in his chair, “No jokes have been made on my part this entire conversation, Lu. I’ve meant everything I’ve said so far.”

“Natsu…”

“You remember our wedding?”, he suddenly changed the subject, the smile growing on his face again as he seemed to drift off in thought.

“Well, of course,” she started, donning a matching smile at the topic, the corners of her eyes wrinkled,  “I think about it every single day.”

“I remember only one thing from that day,” he mused.

Lucy raised an eyebrow, “One thing? How do you forget an entire day?”

“Well, you know, when you have a buffet table that big, how could you possibly remember anything else?”, he joked, laughing at the offended look on her face, “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. You were the most memorable part of that day, of course.”

The woman finally settled back down at his words, tightening her hold on his hand. Natsu brushed his thumb over her hand, relishing in the calm it had always given him. “The priest, I remember, said that we would always be together until death do us part, but I feel like that is too short of a time frame. Don’t you think?”, he asked with a frown.

Lucy nodded, feeling the tears beginning to return, “I’ve always thought that. I haven’t loved anyone else since…you left.”

Natsu hummed at the response, “Isn’t that something?”

“Truly.”

“Well,” he began, “If it means anything, I haven’t stopped loving you since I left either.”

She smiled at this, feeling her heart clench at his spirit’s strength wavering. “You should eat your soup before you go, I slaved over that stove for hours to make that for you,” she nodded at the bowl of now cold soup sitting in front of him.

Natsu chuckled, “Alright. I wouldn’t want to gather your wrath. I’m sure you could still pack quite the ‘Lucy Kick’ if you really wanted to.”

The blonde found herself laughing at that, despite the painful twisting of her insides. She watched contently as he, in his very own Natsu way, picked up the bowl and began drinking the soup. “Mm! Good as always, Luce!”, he smiled, patting his stomach happily.

She felt his spirit waver again, and she knew it was about time for his visit to end. “Natsu…,” she hesitated, moving her hands to the scarf still around her neck, “I know it is time for you to leave soon, but before you go, I want you to take your scarf with you. I’m sure you’ve missed all these years and I--”

He shook his head, leaning forward and removing her hands from the garment. “It’s okay, I don’t need it, and besides, it’s helped you all these years.”

“Natsu, I--”

“Well, it’s about time I take my leave,” he coughed, and pulled away from her, taking note of her sad features, “I’ll see you soon, my dear.”

“What does that even mean?” she asked, subconsciously gripping the scarf.

“It means whatever you want it to mean, Luce,” he grinned, and with that he blew the candle out, disappearing with along with the smoke.

She was now alone again, the short visit leaving a pain in her heart. She wanted to cry, but she had cried enough about the situation over the years. Now she just felt...tired.

She wrapped the scarf tighter around her neck, staring at the mess on the table in front of her. It needed to be cleaned up, but she decided it could wait until tomorrow. For now, she needed rest. She stood from her seat, taking one last look at the dark room before turning away and shuffling towards her bedroom. Lucy kicked her slippers off, and climbed into bed, reaching a hand over to the side that had been cold and empty for the past thirty years. She gripped the sheets one last time before pulling her hand back to her neck to hold the scarf.

The woman curled in on herself, bringing her knees up closer to her chest. A yawn escaped her mouth, and she felt her eyelids growing heavier with every breath. She allowed sleep to take its hold on her, and her heart rate slowed significantly. One last tear escaped her eye before everything finally went dark.

The sound of crickets chirping roused the blonde from her slumber, her eyebrows knitting in irritation. She reached for the pillow above her head to cover her ears, hands only meeting grass. Wait, grass? She opened one eye, peeking at her surroundings in confusion. Twinkling starlight met her gaze, and she gasped, both eyes snapping open at the sight. She quickly sat up, the easiest she’d moved in years. She touched the ground below, allowing her fingers to sift through the soft grass. The youthful appearance of her hands suddenly caught her attention, free of wrinkles and age spots. She lifted them to her face, and panic set in again. Where was she?

She gripped the scarf around her neck before reaching up brush her fingers through her hair nervously, lifting it curiously to her face. Blonde. Her hair was blonde again, not a gray hair in sight. What in Mavis’ name is happening? Was she dreaming?

She was immediately on her feet, taking note of the lack of pain in her back and limbs. It was like the tape of time had just rewinded about thirty years. She took note of the area around her, noticing what looked to be a break in the trees and a random light at the opening. Was it a sign, she wasn’t sure, but what was she going to find out by just standing there?

Lucy bravely began to walk towards the light, feet growing quicker as the light grew closer. When she finally reached the opening, she inspected the luminous object. She raised an eyebrow at the candle settled in the holder on the side of the tree. A breeze blew past her right ear, snuffing the candle out, and a gasp left her mouth. She looked around her once more, before staring down the dark path before her. A few moments later, another, what she assumed, candle was lit a few trees down the way. She nosed the fabric around her neck, wondering what to do at that point.

Another breeze brushed past her right shoulder, and she could have sworn she’d heard the words Follow it. She gulped, and slowly at first, started walking towards the next candle. The gravel of the path crunched beneath every step. The moment she’d reached the second light, it was out again, triggering the next candle to light. She worried her lip before walking to it, her heart now running its own drag race. Every candle she passed went out, the next checkpoint lighting for her, and pretty soon she found herself running until she made it to the last candle in the path.

The celestial mage bent over slightly, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. The breeze whizzed past her again, this time something bright was being carried with it. She looked up. Was that…? Her eyes were wide as they trained on the flying object. A fairy?

Suddenly she wanted to know where the magical creature could be headed, and she was running again--ignoring the burning in her chest at the lack of air. The fairy travelled for what felt like hours before landing at the entrance to a city. A city she knew all too well. Magnolia. She didn’t know what was happening, but she finally knew where she was. She had a feeling she knew where she was being led to. She took a deep breath before stepping into the entrance, taking note that someone had been grooming the outside of the city. That meant that she wasn’t completely alone in this place.

The heels of her boots clicked against the stone road, and she noticed that lights in some of the houses were still on--indicating that families were still awake and enjoying each other’s company. The blonde woman continued to follow the brightly glowing fairy until they reached an all too familiar building. The fairy flew into the sign, and just like that it was gone. She looked back down at the entrance, eyes trained on the door and the light emitting from underneath the crack. Should she go in? She’d made it this far, she figured she might as well.

One foot in front of the other, ragged breaths nervously leaving her mouth. She gripped the handles, tapping her fingers for a moment before finally pushing them open. It was--

“WELCOME HOME, LUCY!!”, an enormous shout abounded from the inhabitants inside.

Tears flooded down her cheeks, and she reached up to rub her eyes, afraid that this may all just be a dream. She was scooped up then by two arms, a squeal leaving her mouth, her face pushed into the neck of whoever had picked her up. She breathed in, the familiar smoky cologne instantly filling her senses. She put her arms on the shoulders, pushing herself back to look at her surroundings, and it was...it was everybody who had been lost over the years--Levy, Mirajane, Gajeel, Erza. Everyone. Her eyes snapped back to the person who still held her, onyx eyes firmly locked on hers. Her broke out into a smile then. “I told you I’d see you soon, Luce!”, Natsu spoke, hugging her tightly before allowing her feet to drop back to the floor.

“I’m...Natsu, what is all of this…?”, she asked, unsure of what to make of all of it.

“You’re finally home where you belong, weirdo,” he laughed, pulling her into a hug again, “You know what this means right? We get to go on more adventures.”

“More...adventures?”, she asked again, gripping him tightly.

The dragonslayer nodded into her shoulder, rubbing a hand on her back to soothe her.

She was crying again, and Natsu began to panic, pushing her back too look at her, “What’s the matter, Luce? Is this not what you wanted?”

She was a sputtering, sniffling mess by now, and she gripped his forearms, “This is...This is everything I’ve wanted for long time, and more. I am just so...so happy.”

She heard him sigh in relief. The celestial mage had never imagined this was what heaven would look like, but she couldn’t have asked for more. She was finally with all of her friends again--finally she was with her love again. A blue object whizzed towards her, carrying her name with it, and soon there was a blue cat nuzzling her in her arms. She was with her family again. This--this was heaven.

“I’m...home.”

[a-god-of-calamity]

The Airport (Nalu One-shot AU)

Rated: T  

Hey guys! Hope you enjoy this one shot from Arisa and me! As always let us know what you think! :)

A person's life is made up of an infinite number of moments and clips. More often than not it's the unfortunately the bad ones that stick with you. Sometimes the good memories stay with you, if you're lucky you can hold onto those moments. One thing is for certain...It's not for us to know the meaning of the encounters we experience in our lives...to know where they will led us, what path they will have us take. We don't have the foresight for that kind of thing...to see clearly where we will end up. An encounter can be fleeting but inconsequential. Sometimes thought the most insignificant thing can be life altering, whether you know it or not. Like the moment you make eye contact with someone and your breath catches in your throat. Then the moment when you realize that you will never see him, or her, again.

Natsu experienced such a moment. Never did he think he would have that experience. He didn't believe in soulmates or in love at first sight. But if you asked him that now, he would deny it. The second he spotted her, the second their eyes made contact he had forgotten everything. Everything around him moved in slow motion until it seemed like time itself had stopped. Everything else had faded. The universe melted away leaving only the two of them. Him and her. Nothing but them existed.

They stood frozen as his onyx eyes burned into her big brown eyes as he stared at her intensely. Her long golden hair flowed down over shoulders and down her back. The silky hair seemed to flow perfectly with her every move as if it wasn't allowed to go awry. Her light skin looked as if it was the smoothest thing he'd ever touch. His eyes traced the lines of her of her seemingly fit figure which added to her beauty. Everything about her captured him, from her rosy cheeks and her soft, pink lips to the curves of her body. Her clothes seemed so perfect, so her, which was a funny thought considering he had never laid eyes on her until today.

"Last call for passengers to flight ZR48742." the voice came over the pa ripping him from his thoughts, tearing him away from the world that only the two of them had inhabited. "Please head to gate F7"

The announcement echoed in his mind but still he kept his eyes locked on her. That's when he noticed she looked a bit panicked and she tore her gaze from his, leaving a kind of emptiness in him. He chuckled softly at her flustered reaction, finding it kind of cute. He watched as she rushed toward the gate, turning back once to look behind her, to look at him still standing there in a daze. That was when reality struck him and he realized with growing panic that he would probably never see her again. His eyes widened and his heart began to pound in his chest at the thought. He cursed under his breath as he took off running after his blonde beauty in the direction she had gone. There was no way he was going to lose her. No way he was going to not see her again. Yeah it sounded cheesy and so unlike him, but something deep inside told him to not let her go. He couldn't let her disappear forever.

Natsu searched through the crowd for her, for any sign of where she might be. Finally, he caught a glimpse of her blonde hair and took off running. He tried to rush toward her but was stopped and asked for his ticket. He tried to explain he just needed to find someone but they wouldn't let him pass. He tried to call after to wait for him but to no avail. He growled in frustration as he realized she already disappeared into the tunnel leading to the plane. He looked at the monitor to see where the flight was headed. Crocus. He read in disappointment. Of course it had to be one of the largest cities. And of course it had to be in the opposite direction of where he was going. Natsu balled his fists and cursed to himself. He lived in Magnolia, a smaller, cozier city. Maybe she was on a trip or something. Really, she could live anywhere he had no way of knowing. If only he had gotten a glimpse of her passport or something...or better yet even have talked to her and found out her name at least. Now he had no leads. None except for Crocus anyway. He sighed heavily and trudged back to his gate to wait for his flight back home.

Five Years Later

Natsu, now 24 years old, once again stood in the same airport, waiting for his flight. He had an undoubtedly long road ahead of him but he was determined. For five years his friends did their best to try and talk him out of this crazy venture, to keep him from going to the big metropolis in search for a girl that would most likely be impossible to find. To find one person among millions of people was definitely not going to be easy but he could take care of himself now. It didn't matter how long it was going to take he was going to find her. He couldn't forget about her all those years. He couldn't get her out of his mind, couldn't stop thinking about her. He was willing to risk it all to look for her. Even if she was married now or had a boyfriend he just had to see her at least one more time. He had to know she was okay, that she was happy. Then maybe that void that had been growing for the last five years would disappear. How dare she affect him like that. How dare she completely and utterly steal his heart and claim it as her own with just one look. The sleepless nights, the constant thoughts of her invading his mind and etching them into his brain. How dare she drive him crazy. How dare she...his thoughts stopped reeling in his mind. After five years he finally saw her again. He looked at her wide eyed from across the terminal, swallowing dryly as he stood frozen in place. His body wanting to move but it was as if someone had welded his feet to the ground. His heart pounded in his chest and he felt weak, like his insides had melted and he could no longer stay upright. It was his blonde beauty. The strangers walking by him looked at him oddly as he slapped himself making him hiss. No, he wasn't dreaming. He pinched himself to double check. She was still there. This was happening. This was real. She was really here.

She looked a bit taller and more mature, more curvy, her hair longer now reaching down to her waist and she had that same warm and caring look in her eyes. Her lips were pulled back in a big smile and he was glad that she seemed okay. Natsu wasn't one to believe in God but if someone was up there, in the heavens, then he would prostrate himself before said being and thank him for this one in a million second chance.A grin spread across his face and unlike last time he began to make his way toward her. He couldn't believe he had found her after all these years. It had to have been fate. He walked quickly toward her but then he suddenly stopped. His grin faded and his eyes widened at the sight of the child that was with her. A six or seven year old blonde girl held her hand. Of course this would happen. Someone as beautiful and pure as her. Why would she still be single? But maybe...just maybe...he started to slowly walk towards her again but stopped when he caught sight of a blond haired male with spiky hair walking up to them and picking up the girl in his arms. They looked like the perfect family, all smiling at each other. The fit, muscular blond guy with the beautiful blonde girl and their cute little daughter. The stabbing pain throbbed in his chest as his insides screamed at him. That should've been him. It could've been him. His mind burned with thoughts of what a family with her could've looked like. His heart pounded and his blood felt like fire in his veins that boiled him from the inside. He clenched his fists and grit his teeth. It's been five years you idiot...what did you expect?

He lowered his head, his gaze dropping and he looked like someone had told him his cat had just died. The despair and emptiness showed in his eyes, his shoulders slouched and his body went numb with defeated acceptance. His friends had been right. He had been wasting his time. Years and countless hours spent pining after her, thinking about her and imagining what it would be like to see her again. What it would be like to talk to her. Countless nights he's lay awake in bed for hours making up conversations between them. He'd spent a lifetime with her already yet he had never even said a word to her in real life. That somber reality struck him harder than anything ever had in his life. Who was he kidding? He should've known mere fantasies meant nothing. He should've known that made up conversations and hours spent thinking about someone would go nowhere.

Pink. Not too odd of a color given proper context and placement. A pink bicycle? Normal. A pink notebook or pen? Normal. Pick cell phone? Pink clothes? Sure. Pink hair on a male? Not normal. Yet that's what had caught her attention. A glimpse of pink hair is what she saw that made her turn her head. That's when she spotted the adult male sporting spiky pink hair. Could it be? She thought to herself, releasing a soft gasp. What were the odds that again, in the same airport she would see a guy with pink spiky hair. She remembered that day as if it were yesterday.

A peculiar sight had caught her attention as she waited for her flight to Crocus. A pink haired guy just a few feet away from her had stopped and begun to stare at her. It had confused her and his color was definitely amusing. But when they locked eyes she had gotten lost in the intense stare of his onyx eyes. She was pulled in and mesmerized by the emerald tint they had. She wanted to walk toward him, to go and talk to him. Why? She didn't know but she felt like maybe she needed to. Before she could do that however, the announcement that her flight was boarding came over the pa. Now she had to hurry to get to her flight. She didn't have a choice she had to be on and couldn't forward to risk missing it. She took off toward her gate, looking back once at the pink haired boy who still had his eyes locked on her. Then she turned back and quickened her steps to her gate. Not long after, when she was entering the corridor to board her plane, she thought she had heard something. She sighed sadly. She could've at least given him her number real quick or something. For the next five years he invaded her thoughts, always wondering what became of the pink haired boy. He remembered exactly what he looked like even now. He was wearing green cargo pants with a white shirt, its sleeves coming ¾ of the way down his arms. A gray unbuttoned vest and white scarf completed the ensemble and she had to admit he looked rather handsome. The pink hair, though odd, seemed to suit him almost perfectly in a weird way. The vest and scarf, though not going in hand with just any ensemble, seemed to also look natural on him. The more she thought of him the more attractive she had found him.

"Excuse me for a sec okay?" She smiled up at the blond male who was with her.

Five years she had thought about him and now here he was again. What were the chances? She couldn't let this end like last time. She walked after her pink haired boy, who was very much a man now, his body seemingly even more fit than five years ago. She quickened her pace to try and catch up to him and finally got close enough to reach out.

"Uh excuse me?" Natsu heard the soft feminine voice come from behind him following a light tap on his shoulder.

Natsu turned and his eyes widened as he caught sight of her. The girl who he had fixated on for the last five years. The girl he had vowed to find and and never let go of again. She was standing before him. But why? There was no way she could remember him. So...why did she come up to him? Shouldn't she be…

"Uhm." her sweet voice snapped him back from his thoughts.

He really looked at her this time and her demeanor seemed to mirror that of an embarassed high school girl. Her gaze lowered to the floor between them and her cheeks were a slight pink color as she rubbed her hands nervously together. Natsu realized her nervousness and couldn't help but find it adorable. His soft chuckling grabbed her attention and she looked up at him with her chocolate eyes. Again he was thrown into...no that was wrong...he wasn't thrown, he was grabbed. He was pulled, no sucked into her beauty. He had no chance, no say. He merely was captivated by her angelic beauty, which made him think that there had to be a God if someone as beautiful as her existed. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, perfectly imperfect she was. Every little thing about her mesmerized him. How could she not make him smile? And smile he did, even if there was a trace of sadness behind it.

"Uh...I...Uhm...I…" she stuttered and the cuteness pained him. Natsu saw the blond man walk up with their child in his arms.

"Is something wrong Lucy?" he asked her. "Do you know this guy?" he now looked over at Natsu.

Great, now what? Lucy asked herself in sarcastically. Of course she took off after him without thinking. Her pink haired boy that had been etched into her memory for the last five years. Her first and last crush whom she had seen once five years ago and thought she would never see again. Natsu felt the awkwardness and tension building. Of course it was like this. She probably remembered the freak with the pink hair and absent mindedly went after him. Now she was stuck, not knowing what to say to her family. After all it wasn't like they were even acquaintances in the loosest of terms. The least he could do was save her from this.

"Sorry. " he said, his voice shaking her from her worried state. "You've probably got me confused for someone else." he said with an emotionless smile.

"Wai-n-no." she mumbled, panicking when she saw him take a step back. She couldn't lose him, not again, at least not without saying something this time. No matter what.

"Sorry, I gotta go. My flight is leaving soon." he said trying to be polite despite that fact that his flight was pointless now. The last five years...everything...it was all pointless now. "Have a nice day with your family." he said offering that hollow smile as he turned back around to walk away.

Lucy froze in horror. No. He couldn't be leaving. It couldn't end like this. But how else could it end? She had only been 18 when they first laid eyes on each other and now...It had been five full years. Of course he wouldn't remember her. Quick Lucy...think of something. She needed to stop him. She couldn't let him leave. She needed to-wait, did he say 'her family'?

"I'm not married!" she found herself shouting in annoyance without a second thought.

Natsu froze and dropped his bag. His eyes went wide as the words rang in his mind. What did she just say? Did he hear right? His heart thumped in his chest with urgency, with hope. A dam had been broken open and he felt a stinging in his eyes. He felt as if he were going to collapse right there and break down with tears of joy. What had she done to him? How cruel. To keep a hold over his being for five years, crush it and then offer this hope without even a second thought. He slowly turned back to face her trying to wash away all the emotions that seemed to flood forth at once. Her cheeks were puffed out and red and her stance made it clear that she was annoyed. Yet she seemed to soften slightly upon seeing his confused expression but only slightly.

"Uh, what?" he asked a small blush forming as her words full formed in his mind. "I thought...I mean I can see you're with…I assumed..." he dared to speak through his utter confusion.

"Are you crazy?! Who would marry their cousin?!" Lucy said angrily. "Plus...how the hell how could I have a five year old child? I'm only 23, I'm not that kind of girl!"

"She said a bad word." the young girl said looking at her father to Lucy's horror.

Natsu would've laughed if he hadn't been busy talking in and analyzing every single thing the blonde girl had just said to him. Of course. That made more sense. Hell, he'd take any explanation that involved her being single right now. She was right though. The math didn't add up. She would've had to have been pregnant when he first saw her all those years ago but she wasn't. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and mumbled an apology. Upon seeing his reaction her anger left her and was replaced with kind understanding. She found his confusion kind of cute and of course he assumed this was her family. They looked like one, until you really started paying attention to their ages.

"Uh, sorry." she said slightly embarrassed herself now. "This is Sting, my cousin." Natsu looked at him, a smirk on his face. "And this is his daughter. We're on our way to visit his wife Yukino who's been away working." she explained and Natsu nodded to her in understanding, trying to focus.

All he could focus on was the fact that she wasn't married. That Sting wasn't even her boyfriend. It was all he could do to not yell out triumphantly and offer her the biggest smile ever before pulling her into a tight bear hug. He looked at her and couldn't help but allow a small smile to form on his lips. She cleared her throat softly and held out her hand to him.

"And...I am Lucy..Lucy Heartfilia." she said looking up at him with her brown eyes. He walked up to her and took her hand in his.

"I'm Natsu. Natsu Dragneel." he said smiling as they looked into each other's eyes, both of them feeling a small jolt of electricity through them.

They stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like a lifetime. Natsu could swear he saw stars in her eyes the way they glittered. They were interrupted Sting clearing his throat, saying he would go and wait for her at the gate with his daughter. He winked at Lucy and told her not to take too long before leaving them. He left hand in hand with his little girl, a smirk on his lips. Lucy's face reddened and she wanted to protest, mumbling something that sounded like 'shut up'. Natsu chuckled to himself seeing her reaction, still enjoying the feel connection of their hands. He pulled her to him to get her attention and she squeaked in surprise, their chests bumping. He leaned forward, his mouth moving to her ear.

"So...I take it you're single Miss Heartfilia." he asked her lowly, sending shivers down her spine and her face get redder.

"I-I-" she mumbled.

Seeing her like this he had to gather all his will to not burst out laughing or tease her more. He pulled away, a smile on his lips. Lucy took a deep breath and then began to rummage through her purse looking for a pen and paper. She scribbled something on it quickly and then pushes towards his chest.

"Uhm...I have to go now...but...if you want…" she said looking at him, her face still flushed making her even prettier. "I..live in Magnolia...so yeah…"

"Magnolia?" he asked with surprise. The dumb irony not lost on him. "I live in the same town. How come I haven't seen you in the last five years?"

He remembered. She thought to herself with a soft smile. "Well, back when we first...met...I was leaving for college in Crocus. I just came back to Magnolia this year."

"Oh." Natsu nodded. Seeing the clock on the screen she got a bit sad, realizing she had to go. "Anyway...you can call me. You know if you want." she said and he raised the paper in front of his eyes. "You don't have to." she added before turning and heading for her gate as he shoved the paper with her number on it in his pocket. Lucy was stopped by Natsu's hand on her wrist. He pulled her back around to him and brought his free hand to cup her chin. He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth.

"Will do." he whispered and Lucy's face was as red as a tomato and he let go of her wrist.

She bowed shyly and then turned making a beeline toward her gate. He chuckled at her behavior. Cute. He held up the piece of paper from his pocket with her number and looked at it. He remembered what his father told. Once you find the one, never let her go. He smiled at the memory. Natsu had lost her once before but he wasn't going to let her slip away this time. That was a promise. Well, looks like his trip to Crocus was cancelled. Time to go home and wait for his princess to arrive. After all what kind of dragon would he be if he didn't protect what was precious to him. He saved her number into his phone and sent her a quick text. He slipped his phone back into his pocket and went to go cancel his flight.

Lucy sat down in her seat next to the little girl. She reached into her purse for her phone and pulled it out to switch it onto flight mode. As the screen lit up she saw that she had a text from a new number. She smiled as she slid her finger across the screen, opening the text and reading it, making her smile widen.

"Who was that? Your boyfriend?" Sting smirked.

"N-No." she stuttered, her face getting redder. "But...I have a feeling that soon...he'll probably be someone more than that." she mumbles to herself with a soft smile as she read his message again. "Yeah, we'll be together soon."

The end

[keepliving21-blog]

Love Nalu Fanfic

dedicated to @rizzy09  Love you sweet thing, thank you for the idea and I hope you enjoy! For everyone out there, I am open for writing whatever nalu ideas ya’ll would like me to write. 

Nalu Fanfic where being a mate to someone isn’t actually the greatest thing in the world.

all rights to Hiro Mashima

Love

Love was meant to be unchained, wild and free. It was supposed to be unconditional and all consuming; passionate with a splash of innocence, the greatest adventure one could take. And yet, it wasn't. In a way, love has never existed. The concept of being mates to someone, to be owned by the dominant and be kept submissive could hardly be seen as love at all. But that was life in Fiore: arranged-marriages, child weddings, and the power play between the sexes. You see the moment you met someone with the same mark, even if they were 20 years older, you would be forced to marry them. The rich would often take advantage of this by having a elderly man tattoo a "mark" that matched a young maiden's so they could strengthen their ties. In this world, you had to marry your mate regardless their behavior or age, and if you ever objected you would be publicly shunned and isolated from everyone until you gave in.

That must be why Fairy Tail is not only controversial but on the verge of criminal. Based in the farthest reaches of Fiore, the guild gives sanctuary to the runaways who refuse to be mated to a stranger. Members cover their mark with wrappings and tattoo the guild's emblem somewhere on their person. It is a symbol of freedom from the oppression of being a mate. The only consequence was that once a member, you could never go home as it would be to dangerous. It was indeed a small price to pay for freedom.

Natu's mark is on his left arm so he often wears a long coat that covered the arm completely but exposed his right arm, the Fairy Tail emblem showing clearly just below his right shoulder. As popular as he was for all the destruction he "accidentally" caused Natsu's actual role was to tattoo the emblem on others. He would deliberately go into the worst areas and find people who wanted to get help, and he helped them. According to rumors, he used to be the son of a well respected politician but like most wasn't allowed to choose his future. So Natsu rebelled and ran away, he dyed his hair pink and got into tattooing. It was meant to be a rebellious act to get back at his parents but Fairy Tail found him and convinced him to help people instead of simply living to spite his parents.

It turns out, Natsu loved saving people. He found a purpose and a future of his own making through Fairy Tail and went from a angsty teen with a attitude problem to a daring young man who was loyal to his friends and only partially chaotic. So with his blue cat snuggled in his scarf, because why dye your hair when you could also dye your cats fur, he makes his way through Magnolia.

This was different though, as he was only here to buy ink and wasn't particularly looking to help someone.

Natsu finds his favorite ink store and steps in, going to the far right corner of the store he begins analyzing the vast array of inks trying to judge which shade of red was best for the dragon tattoo he'd been dreaming about making. The sketch was drawn out he just needed the red ink to go with it. Reaching up for a fiery red one he fails to notice the other hand reaching for that same bottle. It retreats immediately and with a shy apology the stranger next to him backs off.

She was a curious thing, fidgeting a little in place and toying with a strand of her gold hair. She had long pigtails held up by blue bows and went a good two inches past her shoulders, side swept bangs partially draped over her face and failed to hide her honey brown eyes. Finding her to be beautiful Natsu gets the bottle and hands it to her instead, he can always find that shade of red later.

"Here ya go."

"Thanks..." Pure white hands take the bottle from him and Natsu can't help but notice that for someone buying ink this girl has no tattoos at all.

"So ya like tattoos huh? Are you a beginner?"

"Something like that." Was her only response as she points to her bandaged left arm. “I’m finally gonna cover this up.”

“It’s your mark right?”

“W-what I mean no, why-why would you-“

He chuckles a little, this girl was showing all the signs of a person trying to hide their mark. She was nervous and fumbled over her words, played her mark off as an injury, and was currently glancing at the stores entrance probably to make her escape.

“Can I see it?”

At this she clasps a hand over her bandage and looks mildly offended. “Isn’t that a little personal? I don’t even know your name.”

A weak argument, but the adorable girl looked nervous so he turned his attention back to the shelves of ink bottles and crosses his arms. Approaching with caution, she stands next to him to see what’s so interesting. Reaching up, Natsu finds a soft pink shade of ink and hands it to her much to the girls surprise.

“This will look much better against your skin. Anyways, good luck with hiding your mark.”

Flustered and a little upset she stalks after him as he makes his way to the stores entrance. “Now wait, aren’t you going to tell me your name?”

He looks back at her, a inkling of mischief in his eyes as a smile crept along his face. That’s when she saw the Fairy Tail guild mark on his shoulder but surprisingly she didn’t take a step back.

“You really wanna know?”

She nods in response.

“It’s Natsu, I’m Fairy Tails tattoo artist. If you want I could tattoo over-“

“Yes.” The response was immediate as if she’d longed for a chance like this and he couldn’t deny he was curious about her so he took her back to the cashier, bought the ink, and led her outside.

“You know I never caught your name.”

“It’s Lucy.”

-/-/-/-

Lucy was brimming with curiosity, taking in her new surroundings as Natsu led her by the hand through the guild. The air smelt of cigarette smoke and beer, the light atmosphere lingered with loud voices and cheers accompanied by fierce arguments. Her pink haired friend took her through a door next to the bar that she could've sworn would lead them to the kitchen, but instead found herself in a small tattoo parlor and was ushered to the seat in the center of the room.

"Can I see your mark?"

"Oh-um sure." Lucy gingerly peels the bandage off revealing the dragon like mark on her left arm, for a moment Natsu thinks nothing of it until he actually studies it and finds that it is exactly like his own mark in the exact same location. A shiver runs down his spine and for a moment he cannot help but be a little upset, the whole point of running away and joining the guild was so that he would never find his mate. And yet, here she was: a shy, beautiful young woman who had the courage to cover her own mark. If he hung out with her, would he come to love her? Now that they've met would either of them leave each other? Would they be forced by fate to stay together? The blonde shifts nervously in her seat, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze and quietly asks if the guild mark would cover it. Snapping out of his trance, Natsu reassures her it will and sets off to get his equipemente ready.

"So Luce, why do ya need the mark hidden?" He asks while getting the ink ready, he wouldn't say it, but the lad was curious how the soft pink would turn out on her virgin skin.

"It's my father Jude. He wants me to marry my uncle so...yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh don't be, I heard about you and this girl I met at the library-her names Levy I think?-she said you could help."

At this he stops before piercing her skin and looks at her. This was the first time someone has come to him, usually he was the one to save people.

"You were looking for me?"

She nods shyly, and a soft blush spreads across her cheeks. "I heard that Fairy Tail was like a never ending adventure, and being trapped at home with a madman for a father, I just jumped at the chance. I figured if I found you, maybe I could finally escape it all you know?"

"Brave girl...hey lets tattoo the mark elsewhere."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, your mark is to agitated, maybe on your hand." Natsu wasn't lying, her mark really was agitated, but he also didn't want to cover her mark. In a way, Natsu really wanted to see what Lucy was like. She sounded similar to him, rebelling against her parents and taking life into her own hands, sure she was shy but there was a certain amount of bravery that if cultivated could really turn into something grand.

It takes her a while but she finally concedes and allows him to tattoo the guild mark on her hand, watching intently as he does so. Natsu fascinated her, a pink haired boy with a million dollar smile and tattoos that went all the way up his arms. At first glance he'd probably be seen as a bad guy, but with his dorky and charismatic character Natsu seemed to be the exact opposite. She couldn't deny that she was drawn to this man somehow, and made a mental note to hang out with him again.

"Hey, not to distract you but could you show me around Fairy Tail?"

"Sure thing," Natsu smiles as he finishes the mark, loving how perfect the pink appeared to be on her hand, "Better yet, I'll introduce you to some of my friends."

Taking a wipe and gingerly wiping the mark on her hand, he gives her smile.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Lucy."

[gingerxtrash]

As the years go on /4

So I was in a hurry to finish last chapter so I didn’t proofread all the way so sorry for the mistakes. I just needed to update. I really enjoyed it and it got my a little emotional myself lol. Hope this chapter will be good

Rating:T

Couple: Nalu (also some gruvia, jerza, miraxus, gale)

---Lucy’s P.O.V.---

As I walked to the doors of Magnolia Academy the anxiety in my chest is increasing by the minute. In the first time in five years I must soon face everyone I knew that I have attended middle school with, I have to face the friends I once had until I left without warning. My heart is beating, and my body feels as if it’s shaking. ‘Well, it’s too late to turn back now I guess. I can’t be the weak one anymore, especially with what I have gone through’ I thought to myself. I came to the school early to avoid the crowd of kids that will be coming later. Slowly I open the door to enter the school and saw the nearly empty hallway, I make my way down to the principle’s office to check in. After five minutes I find the office and knocked to see if there was anyone there so I can go through with the paperwork.  After knocking on the door I heard a deep and raspy voice coming from the other side telling me to come in. I opened the door and saw a short old man with white hair, on the front of the desk it his name tag was labeled ‘Makarov Dreyar’. “Hello, you must be the new transfer student that I’ve been expecting. Lucy Heartfilia was it?” he said with a small smile on his face. “Yes sir, it is very good to meet you” I said and bowed to him in respect. “There is no need to be formal here, I suppose that you already know of the current gangs here? Please don’t be afraid because they won’t hurt you unless if you do something to irritate them. There is no need to fill out any of your paper work so here is your class schedule” he said. “I already know about them so there is no need to tell me and thank you very much” I said with a smile. “Hope you enjoy your days in Magnolia Academy” he said with a grin and waved me goodbye. I smiled and waved to him. When I looked down at my schedule, I started to make my way to my first class of the day ‘this is going to be a long day’ I thought to myself.

---time skip to English class---

Alright, I have gone through with almost all my classes and now I was on my way to my next and final class. When I opened the door, it creaked open causing everyone in the room to look at me. I scanned the classroom and that is when I saw him. ‘Dear Mavis why does this world hate me so much?’ It will be hard for me to face them due to my disappearance four years ago and I am beyond scared to talk to them. I don’t want them to know anything of my absence because I don’t want them to worry about my situation and I definitely don’t want to put any danger towards them or Fairy Tail.

“Dear, what is your name and are you a new student here?”, a voice I hear from the front of the room comes from a big and bald man who I assume is the teacher of the class. ” Yes, my name is Lucy Hearfilia”. I said silently, trying not to gain more attention on me than I already have. “Well it’s lovely to have you, can you sit next to the big, scary pinky boy in the back?” the teacher says again, and I make my way to my desk and sit down. I look at everyone and see how much they have grown up, well it’s obvious we have grown because we are all 17. Erza has long red hair and a stern look and has a body to die for, she has always been beautiful. Next to her is Jellal who has messy blue hair with the same tattoo he had last time I saw him. Gajeel and Levy are still always around each other, and as promised he does have piercings all over his face, but Levy doesn’t look all that different except for the fact she has grown a few inches over the years. Levy as the same short hair as she did before and looked as if she was going to cry with her eyebrows clenched. Gray has a more sculptured figure then before and had the same messy raven colored hair. Juvia has long blue wavy hair and was sitting next to Gray and stared at me in absolute confusion. The girl with long wavy brown hair was Cana and she had a…. apple juice bottle in her hand...? Laxus must’ve changed a lot because he looks even more scary than he did before. Mira had long silver hair and looked like an angel as always. Mira, Erza, Cana, and Juvia all had big busts so that is a huge difference they have since the last time I have seen them.

Lastly, there he is, the boy…no, the man that I have yearned to see for the last four years. Although, I am afraid that he will never accept me and that is why I need to stay away from him, but he is the kryptonite to my heart. I can’t let myself slip. He has certainly toned up a lot just by looking at his body figure and has messy salmon-colored hair. I look at his onyx colored eyes but quickly looked past them, trying not to get lost in them. He is currently looking at me in pure surprise, but I can see that he is trying his hardest to restrain his emotion. The way he is looking at me makes it even harder to muster up the courage for what I need to say.

After a long pause I gather the strength to face them head on, “I am so sorry to all of you guys for leaving without a word, and I will understand if you guys hate me” I said without showing any emotion. I hated how I need to be harsh to them, but I cannot risk telling them the truth. I cannot tell them because this is something I must do alone, even if I must die in the process.

Everyone just stared at me in shock in what I have just told them, all except for the pair of cold eyes that are set on me. These cold eyes belong to him, they belong to the heir of Fairy Tail, Natsu Dragneel. He once had the eyes of innocence and brightness, but I guess that with his position in the gang he was forced to do many things to become the future leader. I looked at him hoping that he understands what my message to him is. Natsu has always been very respectful to my requests unless it puts me in absolute danger. Natsu nodded his head in agreement so that signifies that he got my message, his gang just turned away when they saw that Natsu’s head turned away from me.

Halfway through the class Mr. Bob told us that we have free time until the rest of class and left to visit the class next to his. Once he left everyone started talking to each other about who ever know what and I didn’t even take the time to listen. In the corner of my eye I see Minerva, Angel, and Jenny staring at me with the same disgusting smirks they had four years ago. Hopefully they don’t plan on talking to me because I really didn’t have the time for their stupid remarks. I can see that they have certainly grown from their physical appearences which I don’t even want to describe. Although, they all wore a bunch of skimpy outfits that revealed a lot of cleavage and probably had five layers of make-up on. There was two other men next to them that had black hair and the other had chestnut hair. ‘Whatever, I don’t have the time nor the energy to associate with them’.

Everything was normal until I heard one voice speck up, “hey loser, why did you even come back? It’s funny because you look more pathetic since the last day we saw you. What’s under that huge sweater of yours? Too many late-night snacks fatty?” Minerva said, and everyone stopped talking. ‘Lovely, another person I have to ignore, although she isn’t someone I mind ignoring’ I thought to myself while letting out a soft sigh. “Hey loser are you deaf or something? I’m talking to you so I demand a answer from you” Minerva said. “Minerva, I don’t think she is worth talking to you knowing that she is now the ugliest brat in the school” Angel said to her ‘friend’. At this moment Erza glared at them, she already has bad blood with Minerva as is. “You’re right Angel, she is a waste, no one wants her here anyway” Minerva said.

Natsu glares at them with a deathly stare and then the bell rings loudly meaning that school is out now. ‘Thank the lord, I finally am done with them’. I get up and quickly start heading out of the door, Loke and Virgo must be waiting for me at the apartment right now. Although, I need to make sure no one follows me home because there are a lot of sketchy people in Magnolia. Who knows, someone may remember me, so I need to keep my guard up.

I make it out of the school and start to exit the gates of the school campus, sadly there are a few people who are following me so I start to walk faster. I finally stop when I heard Minerva’s voice, ‘what does she want now?’ “Hey fatso, did you not hear my question or something?!” she said with an annoyed tone. “Sorry but didn’t bother on listening , oh and you look as if you gained some weight since the last time I saw you” I said with a smirk. “What did you say you b*tch. No one as ugly as you has the right to talk to me like that.” Minerva said who clearly is starting to get mad. I started to walk away until Angel opened her mouth, “we all know why she’s back, the little brat must’ve begged Mommy and Daddy to come back to see her friends, to bad they hate her now” she said while laughing. “Shut your mouth you whore” I said glaring at Angel. “What did you say fatso?” she said back at me in a bit surprise. “I said shut your mouth you whore, did I stutter”, now I as starting to get angry and I know that this little ‘meeting’ will not end well.

Angel starts to walk over to me clearly pissed off from my comment, “you’re gonna pay you pathetic piece of shiz.”  She raise her fist to punch me so I grab her arm with my left hand and used my right knee to kick her in the stomach. She bent over from the kick, so I twited her elbow and pulled it until *pop*. She started to scream in pain since I popped her shoulder blade out of place. “You talk to me again like that and I will not hesitate to put you in even more pain. As I said, I don’t have time for a pathetic piece of trash like you” I said while looking down on Angel with pure disgust and rage in my eyes. She looked at me in pure shock and tear in her eyes “Who even are you? I promise you, that was a big mis-”. I didn’t even bother to listen to her and walked away in the direction. I start to get close to home until I see a red car trailing me from far away, I already know that it is Natsu so I go decided to go a different direction to trail him off. I couldn’t let him follow me home because he can’t see where I’m living. He knows how wealthy my family used to be, so he would of course ask about my living conditions and that could lead to the topic on where my parents were. Although, I actually like living in an apartment because it makes me feel like a normal person and not so rich snob.

I spent a half an hour walking around until I finally stopped at a park and sat on one of the swings and waited for the red car to approach the parking lot. About two minutes later, I see his car pull up and he started to get out of the car with a concerned and mad look on his face. That is something I expect no less from him now, after all he does have a right to be mad at me. Natsu walked up to me and sat on the swing next to me, “What the hell happened?” he said while not even looking at me. “It was nothing, just a bit of a grudge.” I said, still looking forward. His head snapped towards me and he raised his voice, “Don’t play coy, I’m talking about why you dissapered for four years and then you suddenly just come back.” I looked at him back knowing that he was getting annoyed at me, “It’s none of your business okay? You have other things to worry about at this point so there is no need for you to talk to me” I said coldly. Honestly, I felt horrible talking so harshly towards anybody but at this moment it is necessary for me not to show any emotion. “Hmph, don’t you know that it is stupid to say something like that in front of me. I’m your superior so don’t think you can get away with not telling me the truth Heartfilia” Natsu said with absolute rage in his eyes. I widen my eyes and ponder on what he said ‘he’s my superior?’. I stand up and stand in front of him and started to raise my voice, “Excuse me? Since when were you my superior” I said as I started to raise my voice. Natsu stood up to and stood up in front of me looking down to meet my eyes (because he was a few inches taller than me). “Even if you did abandon us, you are still apart of Fairy Tail as you once were. And take note of this, I never leave a friend behind”

I widen my eyes in shock and step back a little but I didn’t notice until it was too, I tripped on a rock. Immediately I feel a strong and firm arm wrap around my back and the other arm hit the ground, like it was preventing me from fully falling on the little pebbles. I look up to see the cause of my protected landing and I see that it was Natsu holding me with his face just a few inches away from mine. I was beyond surprised that a bright red blush covered my face. Since we are so close I can smell the burnt wood that intoxicating my nose which made me crave him. Suddenly, the space between us is starting to close and I can feel the heat that is radiating off of us. Natsu raises his hand to caress my cheek and I---.

“Princess, I was loo-, oh did I just interrupt something? If so you can go ahead and punish me if you’d like to do so.” Virgo said with a smirk on her face. Natsu and I both stand up immediately, embarresed of the situation that just happened. “u-u-uh, no…nothing was happening…w..we were j..just-“ I was trying to make an excuse until I was interrupted. “Don’t fret Princess, you need to run a few errands.”

---Natsu’s P.O.V.---

As I look at Lucy, her back is turned, and she was walking away from me with Virgo. I wanted so badly to reach out to her and not let her leave my sight, I wanted her in my arms, and I desired to get lost in her beautiful eyes once again. I feel horrible about the way I talked to her, my anger got the best of me since this day has been absolutely crazy. It hurts like hell, but I will not let her go easily. I am upset that she un-intentionally hurt me, I am upset that she didn’t want anything to do with me, and I am definitely upset that she is keeping secrets from me. I am a leader, and I will not let my comrades go through things alone. Lucy may not consider herself as a Fairy Tail member anymore, but she will always have a place in Fairy Tail.

“Hey Natsu!” I turn around hearing a familiar voice which belonged to a man in his mid-twenties with messy orange hair and topped off with sunglasses. “Well long time to see Loke, almost didn’t recognize you since you look like an old man now. Bet you don’t get anymore ladies no more.” I said with a smirk to my old friend. “Ouch, that hurt me Natsu and were you ever taught to respect your elders?” Loke said while pretending to act as if he is hurt. “I’m getting bored so I’m going to le-“, as I was talking I was interrupted as Loke put a hand on my shoulder. “I know you have all missed Lucy, but we need you to stay away from her”, Loke said with a serious face. “And why should I listen to you old man?” I snarled, and I was starting to lose my temper because I do not tolerate others telling me what to do. Loke started to walk away, “Virgo and I will be watching you so don’t do anything stupid, Natsu!” he said over his shoulder.

I just look at him walking away, my fists were clenched, my anger started to rise every time I think of what he just told me. My thoughts have been interrupted when I get a phone call, I quickly looking at the screen to see that it was Laxus calling. I answer the phone and put it up to my ear, “What do you need?” I said harshly into the phone. “Calm down pyro, I was just calling because you’re late to the base. Is your brain so small that you forgot about the mission we have in a couple hours? Man, I can’t believe that you’re going to be our new leader.” Laxus said over the phone. ‘That man really needs to take a chill pill’ I thought to myself, I responded, “Yeah yeah I’m on my way right now so don’t get your panties in a twist” I said and hung up the phone without giving him a chance to respond. Walking to my car I look around at my surroundings only to see houses and I start making my way to the base.

---Lucy’s P.O.V.---

After a short and silent car ride home, Virgo and I entered the peaceful looking apartment, we walked over to the kitchen and Loke was sitting on one of the chairs sipping his coffee. “About time you guy’s got home, let’s go over tonight’s plans, shall we?” I took a seat and took off my fake glasses from earlier today. Virgo was retrieving a big piece of paper then took a seat at the table. The piece of paper was a map of a building here in Magnolia and it was also the location I was going to ‘to do some errands’. Loke cleared his throat, catching my attention and grabbed a gun, tranquilizer, and a whip. “Lucy, your mission today is to take out a semi-small gang which is nothing you can’t handle on your own” Loke said in a serious tone and I nodded in agreement. “What is the name of the gang?” I asked, I wanted to know what I was getting myself into ahead of time. My head turned when I heard Virgo’s voice, “The gang calls themselves the Neo-Sies, they are powerful but a sloppy gang. They have started selling women as slaves to pay their debts to other gangs. We need to terminate the gang before their underground business grows” Loke said with a serious face. “Agreed, where is their base?” I said. “15 miles from here so I expect you to leave immediately and leave no trace of your work”. I looked Loke straight in the eye and nodded in agreement. I walk to my room to change into black leather pants and a black leather hood. The outfit hugged my curves perfectly, but I only wore it so I can move around stealthy and quick. I topped my ensemble with black combat boots that stopped a couple inches above my anckles.

Once I am done with changing, I go to the table and grab my assigned weapons and walk to the door, but I was interrupted by Loke’s voice. “Lucy, you will be accompanied by one of the gang members of the gang that acts as a spy. I know this man personally and I trust him with my life.” I look at him in curiosity “If so, who is this man that I am to work with” I said as I rested my hands on my hips. “Don’t worry sweetie, you will figure out in due time”. ‘That man at times can be really suspicious’ “If this ends up getting me killed, I am coming back for you and killing you myself” I said and immediately left.

---Third Person---

“It seems like the topic of punishment has occurred, if Loke gets punished can I get punished too” Virgo said, still in her stoic voice. “Don’t worry I will punish you myself sweet-heart” Loke looked at Virgo.

“I advise to you children that this is mature content between big brother and I, in this chapter we will keep it PG-13” Virgo said looking straight at the screen. “Um Virgo…you really need to stop calling me big brother when referring to sexual topics…it creates the wrong kind of idea…” Loke said with a sweatdrop above his head. Virgo turned to look at Loke, “does that mean I will receive more punishment, big brother?” “OKAY BACK TO STORY!!”

---Lucy’s P.O.V.---

After 15 minutes, I arrive to the destination of the base of Neo-Seis, I see a warehouse with dim lights in the building and a gray exterior. It would look like an abandoned building to the blind eye so that would explain why no one really would find this place too suspicious. There are wired fences around the building, although I am lucky that there is no electrical wire on the top so I would be able to easily climb over. As I get closer to the building, I’m keeping myself in the shadows so I can get a closer view of the place. As I approach the building I see a silhouette walking towards me ‘shiz’ I quickly hide behind the abandoned car until I hear a raspy and deep voice. “Lucy Heartfilia, huh? I’ve been waiting for you, I suppose Loke already told you about me?” I see the figure coming closer and I see a man with chestnut brown spiky/messy hair and tan skin. “Cobra?” I say in a low but questioning voice, “So are you really the friend Loke told me about? Seems to me that he is a bit too old to have friends that are your age.” I said with a smirk on my face. “Hmph, I must admit that the old geezer is a good man” Cobra said. “So why are you apart of a gang that you want to help me destroy?” “There is only one simple answer to that, I was instructed to be a spy to the gang….and they took away someone special to me so I will not let them get away with that” Cobra said with a devilish grin on his face. I choose not to ask because I don’t want to invade his personal privacy, “So do you have any info on the man that we are supposed to kill before we blow this place?” Cobra looked at me “Yes, this man is known as Zero, he is pretty sloppy with his work and has resulted to sex trafficking young woman to pay off his debts to multiple gangs. He has security but they are not all that great at their job so it will be easy to get around. Drug and weapon deals are low due to the quality being completely horrible. They are not worthy of calling themselves a gang and should be disbanded because they are forcing innocent people to join the gang, people who don’t have it in them to take the real jobs” Cobra said in disgust. “I agree, now enough with the chit-chat and lets get this job done with” I said with a playful wink.

---Natsu’s P.O.V.---

The mission is almost over, and I am exhausted and ready to sleep, I really hate it when my dad has me do such easy jobs. At the moment we are on the docks waiting for the shipping units to arrive to receive the drugs and weapons. We are receiving weed, acid, and some cocaine for the drugs. For the weapons we are receiving eckler, Koch HK MG4 Machine Gun, curacy International AS50 Sniper Rifle, and FN F2000 Assault Rifles from the gang Lamia Scale from a few towns away that we work with.

In the front watching for the gaurds are Laxus, Gajeel, Erza, and Jellal because they are some of our best fighters and can take on any amount of people. The people back here are Mira, Cana, Juvia, Levy, and Gray. They are the ones who are checking if our shipment is correct. Lastly, I am the one who is negotiating with Jura Neekisn. He big, tall, bald mixed man with a small mustache and eybrows. Definetely a man I wouldn’t want to start beef with because he is one of the most known gang leaders and the most dangerous. Although, he is not as dangerous as my Father who is known as the King of Dragons.

We are talking about how things are going in the industry and what the upgrades are about. Jura proceeds to talk about what the improvments in the weapons are and what they can do. I honestly couldn’t care less about the drugs but that is one of our biggest demands in the markets. “Mr. Dragneel, have you ever heard of the gang the Neo-Seis at all?” Jura said with a strict face that would make anyone piss there pants, including me. “Yes, there are some members who work for them in my class, hmph some of the girls in there are total cunts so I don’t even bother messing with girls like them.” I say with a smirk on my face, ‘hmph, Luce is the only one I want in my arms and in my bed….wait, what am I thinking’ mentally scolding myself for that thought. “Well, I want you to check them out for me and update their position. They have started a business of sex-trafficing and I am wondering where they are on that. As gang members we shouldn’t really care on what rival gangs do, but this is a form of business that only low-lifes do” Jura said still looking forward at mind and his workers. “I will defentily look into it, it is on our way home so I check it out”  I say looking forward at the same thing Jura is looking at.

Once we got done, me and my team and I entered our black vehicles so we could go back to the base at a quick pace. Jellal is currently driving in the car we are in with Mira, Laxus, and Erza in the back while I sit in the front. “Jellal, take us to the Neo-Seis base. There are some things I need to check out befor we enter the base. Jellal looked at me and then nodded without any question to my orders. It takes about ten minutes to get there, once we got there Jellal parked the car and I proceed to get out.

*Boom*

I soar back and hit the hood of the car as the base of Neo-Seis werehouse is burning from an unknown explosion.

‘What the hell just happened here?’

 Hey so I know that you guys can be a little wierded out from what just happened between Loke and Virgo. I would usually ship Loke with Aries, but due to the story I had to put them together because of comedy effects. PLEASE FORGIVE ME! Anyway I hope that you enjoyed this chapter though 😊 if so please leave a review of a like!!

VIRGO: “I would feel very violated if big brother bunished me Em, I would much rather my Princess to punish me.”

Aries: “Leo *sniff* *sniff* HOW CAN YOU DO THIS *runs away crying*

Loke: No No Aries, it’s all that ginger authors fault!!

Chapter 1- https://gingerxtrash.tumblr.com/post/173317577354/as-the-years-go-on

Chapter 2- https://gingerxtrash.tumblr.com/post/173429902759/as-the-years-go-onch2

Chapter 3- https://gingerxtrash.tumblr.com/post/173535087109/as-the-years-go-on3?is_related_post=1