**I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters. Mashima does. You know the drill...
This is chapter 1 of the promised NatsuxWendyxChelia story. This won the poll by like 12 votes, so apparently it's what the most people want to read next.
I'll be posting the beginning of the Namizatear fic soon as well, and then I'll start updating some of my other fics like The Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail, Chinks in Their Armor, and The Devil in Me.
Please drop a review if you like it :)**
Chelia Blendy sighed as she finished cleaning the last dish and set it below the bar. Another long day came to an end, and as always her guild mates were gone. All headed out to enjoy the evening. And, as usual, none of them had thought to include her.
It was always the same. Every day they would smile and offer her compliments about how well she was adjusting to her new life. For a few months Lyon and Toby even invited her to hang out in the evening, but after a year went by even that stopped. Especially when the new magic themed challenge parks started popping up. The popular attractions were arenas the size of cities that were tailored to wizard guilds. The premise was simple. You could go as a solo mage or as a team of up to 10, and the arena would create a challenge tailored to challenge your chosen group. The challenge would include fighting monsters, dark mages, or other opponents, all created by the magic field of the challenge park of course. The challenge took into account the magic levels of everyone present and their capabilities, so bringing someone with no magic power would automatically result in a low level challenge, even if everyone else was a powerful wizard.
And of course that meant nobody wanted to bring Chelia Blendy. The girl who could no longer use magic.
Suddenly her personal communications lacrima buzzed. Forcing her cheerful smile back onto her face she reached down and touched it, activating the connection.
"Chelia Blendy here."
"Yo Chelia," she brightened when she heard the voice on the other end. She could almost see the toothy grin on the face of the dragon slayer on the other end. "What are you up to tonight?"
"Probably just reading a book," she said with a sigh. "How about you Natsu-san?"
"Wendy and I just finished a job request nearby and we thought maybe you'd like to hang out tonight. Unless of course you're too busy with your book."
"No, I'd love to hang out with you!" Chelia felt her smile growing naturally as her cheeks warmed a little. "Where are you guys?"
"Wendy's in our hotel room waiting for me to bring her clothes. I was hoping you could meet me at the women's clothing store and help pick out something for her."
"I won't even ask," Chelia giggled as she could imagine why Wendy would be waiting for new clothes. This wouldn't be the first time the pink haired dragon slayer inadvertently destroyed his girlfriend's clothing on a job request. "I'll meet you in 10 minutes."
Chelia disconnected the lacrima and headed out of the guild with a huge smile. She loved it when Natsu and Wendy were in town. Unlike the wizards in her guild, the two always went out of their way to hang out with her whenever they were even close to the area.
When Chelia got to the women's clothing store she found Natsu waiting there for her. A big smile lit up his face when he saw her waving to her.
"You're a life saver Chelia!" He said when she got near, giving her a big hug in greeting. Chelia felt a blush come to her cheeks at the feeling of his strong arms around her. He pulled back as quickly as he'd hugged her, but he didn't seem to notice the blush that was still on her cheeks. "Wendy would kill me if I came back with an outfit she didn't like."
"It's nothing Natsu-san," Chelia said with a smile. "I'm glad I can actually help you for once."
"What are you talking about Chelia?" Natsu asked. "You've helped us out more times than I can count!"
"That's nice of you to say Natsu-san," Chelia said, her cheeks turning a faint red at the compliment. She quickly walked past him into the store to hide the blush. "So what's on the list?"
"Well," Natsu grinned, looking around the store. "Wendy wants a dress, some new underwear, and she said to get a neglidge or something."
What was a neglidge exactly? Could he possibly mean... "you mean negligee?" She asked, blushing hotly.
"Yeah that," Natsu said with a shrug. "I have no idea what it is either, so I really need your help on this." He paused for a minute and then added, "oh, and she wanted a couple of lacy black bras. Said to tell you she's the same cup size as you."
"Oh, ok." Chelia's blush deepened at the thought that she would be trying on the garments that Natsu would be seeing Wendy in later. She started to imagine showing each of the pieces for Natsu, then slapped herself mentally. She couldn't think of Natsu that way! He was her best friend's boyfriend! But maybe Wendy could share...
She imagined modeling lingerie in front of the dragon slayer with Wendy modeling next to her. The sky sisters, together again, moving toward the entranced pink haired man with their hips swaying slowly. She could practically see the hunger in those onyx orbs as they approached, enjoying the effect their curves had on the man...
"Ummm. Are you alright Chelia?" Natsu's voice cut into her fantasies, jolting her back to reality. "You're looking really hot..."
"Natsu-San!" She squeaked, her blush darkening. "Should you really be saying things like that? What would Wendy think?"
"Think of what?" He sounded genuinely confused.
"You saying I l-look really h-hot" Chelia's face burned at being forced to repeat it.
"Why would she care about that? Your face is really red and flushed so I thought you were feeling hot..."
Chelia felt her face burn darker as she brushed past him. "Baka!" She walked quickly to the section with the sexy underwear and negligees, with Natsu following close behind. She searched through the bras till she found a couple of thin, lacy black bras that looked as though they would provide enough support for her D cup breasts. Then she went through the negligees, trying to find one that would complement Wendy's beautiful blue hair well.
She found 4 negligees to try on, and eventually six or 7 of the lacy bras and a few pair of panties. She was least concerned about the panties, as they were the least fitted of the clothing she'd been asked to try on.
After she finished trying the clothing on, she brought the items she chose out to Natsu. He thanked her profusely, as he often did, and brought them up to the counter where he purchased them. The lady behind the counter winked at Chelia.
"Looks like you're in for a fun night tonight," the lady, whose name tag identified her as Zella, said.
Chelia turned a bright red as she imagined the kinds of things Wendy and Natsu would be doing. Quickly she stammered out a denial – "oh no… Those are for his girlfriend. I was just helping him pick them out…"
"Sure," the lady winked again. "Don't think I haven't noticed the way you look at him."
Chelia turned away quickly to hide her embarrassment. "Let's go Natsu," she said quickly. "Wendy must be waiting for us!"
"Sure thing Chelia," Natsu said, taking his change from Zella. "Let's go then!"
During the walk back to Natsu and Wendy's hotel, Chelia's smile never left her face. The store manager said Natsu was looking at her! Her! Chelia Blendy! She thought the dragon slayer might've noticed her as a woman before, but she couldn't really know. She felt like his interactions with her were no different than any other woman, well, except Wendy. And she was his girlfriend.
This was different though. This time the notion didn't come from her personal thoughts, but from an outside observer! Someone who didn't even know either of them for that matter! Surely that had to be a sign that Natsu looked at her that way as a woman!
But no. Maybe not. After all, the woman didn't know Natsu. Maybe she just mistook the caring nature of the dragon slayer for the boyfriend-girlfriend type of love. It was certainly possible, after all. People who didn't know the dragon slayer and his big, warm heart could easily believe that the way he treated all his friends indicated some level of intimacy beyond friendship.
But still, she sometimes caught his eyes slipping from her face down to the curves of her breasts. And though she couldn't confirm it, she was certain that he let his eyes linger on her ass when she was wearing some of her tighter dresses. She had a desirable figure, at least if the guys in her guild were anything to go by. It was about the only thing they were interested in about her anymore… So much so that she'd sometimes been tempted to offer herself to one of them just to feel like part of the group again. But that wouldn't last. Once the novelty of the hot girlfriend wore off, she would be shoved to the side like before. Only then she would be stuck in a relationship with a guy she didn't really love.
But what if that's all Natsu saw in her? He could just hang out with her because she was Wendy's best friend and he felt obligated. What if that was it? Maybe he just tolerated her because Wendy said he had to, and sneaking occasional peeks at her curves was just one of the perks that went along with being her best friend's boyfriend!
Chelia shook her head. Natsu wasn't like that. It was hard to imagine the dragon slayer being deceptive with his feelings toward anyone. If he were being forced by Wendy into the hangouts, she would know it. Heck, everyone they ever saw would know it. You could read the dragon slayer like an open book. It was one of the things that was most attractive about him.
Just then a wisp of crisp autumn air brushed across her bare shoulders, sending a shiver down her spine. Natsu moved a step closer to her, putting a gentle arm around her shoulder. "You should've worn warmer clothes, Chelia," he said a little concerned.
Chelia couldn't form an answer. His arm around her shoulder allowed her to push closer to the natural heat his body gave off. She tried her best to fight the blush that was coming to her cheeks at the nearness, not wanting to make it awkward. But Natsu was looking forward again and didn't seem to notice. With a sigh, Chelia leaned her head against the shoulder of the man next to her. She could get used to this…
"Hi Natsu! Chelia!" Chelia flushed darkly and leapt away from the dragon slayer as though he were on fire. What was she thinking?! This was her best friend's boyfriend she was walking with. She looked up toward the window that the sound came from to see Wendy's face peeking gingerly over the sill.
"Hurry up and get those clothes up here Natsu!" She yelled down. "And you'd better have found somewhere good to eat. I'm starved!"
Chelia couldn't help a small giggle at the seemingly disjointed train of thought. It was one way that Wendy was becoming more like Natsu, but it made things more interesting when hanging out with them. Though it annoyed Carla to no end when the white exceed was around. Carla stopped bringing it up, though, when Chelia pointed out that Carla recently seemed to be acquiring a taste for seafood.
"I'd better get these up to Wendy," Natsu was saying to her when she tuned back in to the conversation. "You coming? Or would you rather wait for us in the lobby?"
"Ummm… I'll wait." The last thing she needed right now was to be in the room that the two were currently sharing. Just the very fact that she was in the room where they were… together… might trigger unwanted desires in her current state. She needed a little time to clear her head.
~~~~~~In the Room~~~~~~
"About time you got back," Wendy said as she grabbed the bags from Natsu.
"Hey, I wasn't gone that long," Natsu said. "I had to pick up Chelia and go shopping. I think I did pretty well."
"Well, you do seem to have developed a better sense of fashion," Wendy said as she sorted through the bags. "These are probably the best clothes you've ever picked out for me."
"Cool," Natsu said with a grin.
"So how's Chelia?" Wendy asked as she started getting into one of the dresses Natsu bought her.
"She seems to be doing fine." Natsu said with a grin. "Though, I thought she might be sick for a few minutes at the clothing store."
"So Chelia was shopping with you? That explains how your taste in women's fashion suddenly improved," Wendy said with a smirk. "But what made you think she might be sick?"
"Oh, she was just acting kind of weird. Her face got all red and hot a few times, especially when I mentioned that you wanted some lacy black bras and underwear. Oh, and then when I asked if she was ok because she was looking hot, she seemed to get even redder and said something about how I shouldn't say things like that when I'm in a relationship." Natsu said. Why was this really important anyway? It turned out she was fine, right?
"Really?" Wendy's voice was contemplative. That wasn't good. Most of the time when Wendy started sounding like she was thinking about something it turned out weird for Natsu. "Anything else happen in the store?"
"Umm…" Natsu thought about it. Had anything else happened? "Oh, yeah. The checkout lady made some comment about how you and I were gonna' have a fun night, and then Chelia said something about how I already had a girlfriend, and the checkout girl said something about seeing how she looked at me. I didn't really pay much attention honestly."
"Hmmm…" Wendy got that far off look in her eye, staring past Natsu as she zipped the back of her dress up. Then her expression changed to a bright smile as she turned back to Natsu. "Well, we shouldn't keep Chelia waiting. Shall we go down?"
"I'm all fired up," Natsu grinned. He always had a great time when he was hanging out with Wendy and Chelia.
Moments later the duo arrived at the inn's lobby. It wasn't hard to find Chelia. After all, Natsu was a dragon slayer and well acquainted with the girl's scent. Between that, her pink hair, and her bubbly personality she was easy to discover, striking up a conversation with a green-haired girl dressed in a business suit.
"Yo Chelia!" Natsu waved as he started over.
The green haired girl saw Natsu and gasped, turning back to Chelia. Natsu's dragon slayer ears picked up her excited whisper. "You know the Salamander?!"
"Umm, yeah. He's one of my best friends," Chelia's response was not quite as silent, but still quiet enough that people without the enhanced ears of the dragon slayers wouldn't be able to pick it up.
"That's so awesome! Is he single?! Do you think you could introduce us?!"
"Actually that's his girlfriend next to him. Wendy Marvell, also known as the Sky Maiden. You may have heard of her."
The girl's jaw looked as though it were trying to stretch to the floor. "You mean… The Salamander and the Sky Maiden?..."
"It's not exactly news," Chelia said.
Just at that moment a man walked in and dropped a stack of Sorcerer magazines on the lobby's coffee table. The front cover read, "Breaking News: Salamander Dating the Sky Maiden? Details inside."
"But they've been dating for over 6 months…" Chelia sighed, looking at the stack of magazines.
"Chelia, you ready to go?" Natsu asked as he and Wendy reached their long-time friend.
"Of course Natsu-san," Chelia said, smiling at the dragon slayer. She then turned to the green-haired girl. "It was nice meeting you Jaena."
"Nice meeting you too, Chelia. Say, where are you guys off to?"
"We're gonna grab some dinner," Natsu said nonchalantly before Chelia could respond. "After that I'm not too sure."
"What a coincidence, I was about to head to dinner myself," the girl who Chelia had just identified as Jaena replied. "But I'm afraid I don't know this town very well. Do you have any recommendations?"
"Well, I just found this totally awesome place," Natsu said with a grin. "They're supposed to have the biggest flaming steaks in town. Plus they have a challenge. A 9 lb steak I believe," he added, a twinkle in his eye. Whenever they came across a new restaurant with any kind of 'finish this and your meal is free' challenge Natsu had to go there just for the free food. Restaurants had yet to present him with a challenge he couldn't devour.
Chelia and Wendy both giggled, and Natsu stared at them. "What's so funny? You know I always win those challenges!"
"Of course you do," Wendy said, still giggling. "Though this time, I might try the challenge too."
"Go for it Wendy," Natsu encouraged, knowing the girl could eat nearly as much as he could when she wasn't concerned about keeping her figure. Then he noticed Jaena gaping at her.
"Something wrong?" He asked her.
"So tiny…. Eat… 9 lb… steak…" The girl stammered, apparently unable to put together a coherent sentence.
"Of course Wendy could put down a 9 lb steak!" Natsu grinned at his girlfriend, proud of her ability to keep pace with him in the restaurant as well as on the battlefield. Sure, she had a waist to hip ratio that would make Jenny and Mirajane jealous even in their prime, but she could shovel down food with the best of them.
"And she won't be an ounce heavier afterward," Chelia giggled. Wendy was turning a deep red, so Natsu figured there was some kind of joke in there somewhere, but he wasn't getting it.
"Anyway, let's go eat," he grinned. "I'm starved!"
So the trio plus the extra set off for the restaurant.
Once they were there, Natsu informed the waiter that they had an extra person with them, and said he hoped it wouldn't be a problem. The waiter said it would be fine, as the tables for 3 would fit 4 just as easily, and so it wouldn't be a problem at all. Soon they were all sitting around the table.
"Wendy and I will do the 9 lb steak challenge," Natsu said with a grin. "I'd like my steak medium rare, and she would like hers medium. Both well-seasoned, of course"
"The waiter turned to Wendy, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to do the challenge little lady?" He asked. "You'll have to eat all 9 lbs of the steak in 20 minutes you know."
"Hmm… Why don't we make a little bet?" Wendy winked at him. "If I don't finish my challenge, your tip will be twice whatever our total bill comes to. But if I do… My drinks and my boyfriend's drinks are all on you tonight."
"I'll take that bet," the waiter smirked. "Hope you've got the cash to pay up."
"Oh, we're both S class mages of Fairy Tail." Wendy smiled sweetly. "We've got more than enough cash."
"S class mages?..." Natsu watched the man's facial expression change. Perhaps he was now remembering the rumors that Natsu knew were circulating around Fiore of the dragon slayer couple who could eat a business out of business. Those were the exact words he heard, in fact, and he was proud of them.
~~~~~~Wendy POV~~~~~~~
As the dinner wore on, Natsu took several drinks – they were free after all – and even allowed more of the alcohol content than usual to get to his bloodstream. So he was in quite high spirits, talking to Jaena. When Wendy saw that he was wrapped up in his conversation, she tapped him lightly on the shoulder.
"Chelia and I are going to have a little 'girl talk,'" she said sweetly. "Stay here and entertain our guest for us."
"Sure thing," Natsu grinned, going back to his animated conversation with Jaena, who seemed quite enthralled. Wendy got up, taking Chelia by the hand, and pulled her along to a small balcony outside the restaurant.
"It's a lovely evening, isn't it Chelia?" She said with a smile, looking up at the gentle moon smiling down on them. It was one of those perfect nights when the crisp air stopped only for a minute to tease her with a slight chill, tugging gently at her hair before wandering off to its next adventure.
"Yeah," Chelia said, drawing her arms in and folding them over her chest as though she were trying to hug herself. "Beautiful."
Wendy decided not to offer the girl her spare jacket just yet. "Natsu was telling me what a wonderful time you two had picking out clothing today…" She watched Chelia's muscles tighten ever so slightly, the corners of her eyes tilting to a watchful gaze.
"Yeah, he said he didn't trust himself to pick out your clothes," Chelia's voice was as cheerful as ever, but Wendy could hear the slight edge to it. The faintest hint of a quiver belied the carefree attitude with which the words were spoken.
"Indeed," Wendy said, a soft giggle forming as she spoke. "But I didn't realize the experience was so… arousing for you."
Chelia's arms now literally looked as though she were trying to wrap them around herself again, the carefree smile faltering on her lips. "Wh-what do you mean?"
"Dragon slayers have an excellent sense of smell, Chelia," Wendy said, speaking just a little slower than her normal conversational rhythm. "Perhaps you'd forgotten? Or did you think I wouldn't notice the odor of arousal on the clothing you picked out?"
"It- It's just that trying on things like lace bras pushes the mind to certain… Activities," Chelia said, rushing over her words and stumbling on syllables here and there.
"Activities with my boyfriend?" Wendy asked, setting her steely gaze on the former sky god slayer.
"No! I would never think of Natsu-san that way!" Chelia denied.
"Oh, I see. My boyfriend's not handsome enough to fantasize about?"
A blush crept onto Chelia's cheeks. "That's not what I meant!" She said, waving her hands back and forth. "It's… I mean, he's your boyfriend! I know he's not available!"
"Hmmm…" Wendy twirled her hair in her hand. "So if I told you we were breaking up, you wouldn't have any interest whatsoever in getting him?'
"You're breaking up?" Genuine shock lay behind the words, but there was also a faint trace of hopefulness. "That's terrible! I'm really sorry to hear that…" Despite the obvious effort she put into making the words sound authentic, the tone of the voice showed that it was only partly true.
And this, of course, told Wendy everything she needed to know. "I said 'if,'" she replied with a soft smirk, relaxing her slightly aggressive posture. "Natsu and I would never break up."
"Then why?" Chelia started, but cut the question off before she could finish it. "You were baiting me," she accused.
"Maybe," Wendy said with a half-grin. "But how else was I to get an honest answer from you about my boyfriend? I need to be aware of all my competition, after all."
"I'm not competition," Chelia said with a faint blush. "I can't deny that I find Natsu attractive, but I could never try to take him from you."
Although Wendy was certain that her friend meant those words with her whole heart, she wasn't as certain that they would hold true if the right circumstances ever came to be. Things like crushes had a way of driving you to do crazy things – things you would never imagine doing, even if you knew they could hurt your friends.
After all, perhaps the reason it was so easy to recognize Chelia's developing crush was that she had been in the same position herself…
~~~~~~Flashback, 8 months ago~~~~~~
"I-I know you're still trying to figure out how to ask Natsu-nii out, Lucy-chan." Wendy told the blonde-haired mage, feeling like a little girl again as she stammered and stumbled over her words. "I'm not going to do anything to try and take him from you!"
"Good," Lucy said, her blue eyes focused in on Wendy. "Because I know Natsu really wants to be my boyfriend. I'm just waiting for the perfect opportunity for us to make it official. But I've seen the way you look at him when you think nobody's watching. I just want to make sure you know who Natsu is meant to be with."
"And one more thing," Lucy said as she turned to leave. "I don't want you to come on our next job request. Make up an excuse or something if the others ask, but Natsu is spending way too much time with you on our requests. I can't even get time alone with him anymore."
Wendy could only nod and repeat her assurance that she had no intention of taking Natsu from her friend. The blonde mage, apparently satisfied, then turned and headed off toward the table where Natsu and the rest of his team sat. Wendy was left to stare wistfully at the table. If only she had more courage, maybe Natsu could be hers already. But no! She shook her head forcefully against the idea. She didn't want to hurt Lucy-chan, and everybody in the guild knew Lucy was the one Natsu was after.
~~~~~~Two Weeks Later~~~~~~
Natsu had stumbled into the infirmary, covered with fresh cuts and bruises he acquired in their latest SS class mission. The rest of the team was injured as well, which attested to the difficulty of the job request, but as usual Natsu bore the worst of it. Once they were healed, the other members of the team headed out to their respective living quarters.
"Natsu…" The dragon slayer had fallen asleep under the healing magic of her hands. As she finished healing the last of his wounds, she traced her fingers gently along the toned skin of his abs and chest. Eventually, she moved her hand up to ever so gently cup his cheek, looking down at the peaceful face and the enchanting onyx orbs staring back at her.
"Eep!" She jumped back, the motion jolting his head as she jerked her hand away. "You're awake!"
"Yeah I'm awake," he gave her a goofy grin.
"Well, um, I… I healed the others, and you're healed too now. So you can go ahead and go home!" She turned, praying that he would forget what just happened. Though a small part of her whispered desperately that he needed to pursue it.
Strong hands gripped her shoulders gently, and she turned to be enveloped in his fiery, toned arms. Her face inches from his. "Wendy," he whispered, his lips brushing gently against hers.
"N-no!" She squeaked, trying desperately not to give in to the desire to press her lips to his ant melt into his embrace. She pressed her hands against his firm chest, wedging her arms between them.
"Isn't this what you wanted just now?" The pink-haired dragon slayer asked, giving her a little bit of space.
"I-I can't! It's too selfish of me!" Wendy felt a tear drip from the corner of her eye, trickling down her face. "You already have Lucy… I-I can't interfere with your happiness…"
"Who said I have Lucy?" Natsu asked, his onyx orbs serious as he turned his head back to her. "I won't deny that Lucy wants that – it's obvious from everything she does when she's around me. But that doesn't mean that's what I want. Lucy's one of my best friends. She's been on my team since the day it was first formed and labeled 'Fairy Tail's Strongest Team,' but that doesn't mean that I love her. When I'm around you my heart beats a little faster. My smile feels a little more genuine. My spirit is a little more free. When I'm away from you I feel that part of me is missing. That no matter how hard I try, I can't be complete when you're not there."
Wendy stopped resisting, letting the tears pour from her eyes as he pulled her closer again. But these were not tears of regret or sadness. They were tears of happiness and disbelief. Happiness that her wildest dreams were coming true. That Natsu loved her, not Lucy.
"Are you telling me you don't feel the same way, Wendy?" The gentle whisper shook her to the core, and she responded the only way she knew how, by reaching her slender arms up around his neck and pressing her lips to his. Letting her body fold into his embrace. Her promise to Lucy slipped through her mind for a moment, but she discarded the thought as quickly as it came. That promise was made when she thought Lucy was the one Natsu wanted. She wasn't going to sacrifice her happiness and Natsu's to please Lucy.
~~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~~
Yes, Wendy knew all too well what it meant to believe with all your heart that you will never break a promise, only to discover later that the promise was more than you could make good on. She felt certain that Natsu would never leave her for Chelia, no matter how attractive her friend might be. But that didn't mean that Chelia wouldn't take opportunities to pursue her crush. Wendy remembered the quickness with which the pink-haired mage had jumped away from Natsu when she called to them from the window. If not for that, she would've thought nothing of the dragon slayer offering a bit of his body warmth to their friend on the chilly autumn day.
But the real question was what to do about it. She cherished Chelia's friendship more than anything, so avoiding her wasn't an option. And it was even less feasible now that her entire guild was already leaving her feeling lonely and unwanted.
She could always try to be there every second that Natsu and Chelia were around each other, but that in itself could drive a wedge in their relationship as Chelia would no doubt sense her intent and blame herself for her attraction to Natsu.
"Let's go in," Wendy said, smiling at her friend. She would just have to feel things out as they went. For now, they could rejoin their favorite fire dragon slayer for a few more drinks and a night on the town.
And there it is. Drop a review if it meets your approval :P or if it doesn't. I can handle flames. :P As long as you flamers can handle being inserted into a story as a flaming pile of shit.
J/k, but in all seriousness, reviews are greatly appreciated. :D
