There's a shop down the street
Where they sell plastic rings
For a quarter a piece
I swear it
Yeah I know that it's cheap
Not like gold in your dreams
But I hope that you'll still wear it
Yeah the ink may stain my skin
And my jeans may all be ripped
I'm not perfect
But I swear I'm perfect for you
And there's no guarantee
That this will be easy
It's not a miracle you need
Believe me
Yeah I'm no angel, I'm just me
But I will love you endlessly
Wings aren't what you need
You need me
I couldn't help but stare at it. It was right there. Yeah it was in a little vending machine and it was less than a dollar but it's something. I could feel the stares I was getting but I shrugged it off, I'm use to it. I mean, here I am, a 23 year old male wearing a loose, black top, exposing my arms that were covered in tattoos. I had piercings on my ears, one on my lower lip and on my eyebrow. I practically screamed 'look at me!'
Without realizing it, I reached into my dark, ripped jeans and grabbed the change I had in my pocket. I grabbed what I had in one hand and pulled my hand out quickly, opening my hand and I couldn't help but smile softly despite the fact that my heart was beating rapidly.
Today will be the day. I know it. Tonight. Right during dinner.
I look at the time on my watch and my eyes widen before I start to quickly make my way to work at the station.
"Hey Lucy, do you really love him?" The female in questioning sighed in agitation at the question. The 22 year old woman has been with the man for the past 6 years now. They even live in the same apartment complex for christ sake! Sure they've had a few fights and emotional meltdowns but it's normal for a relationship.
But every few months, her friends would always ask her the same cliché questions on whether she was sure if she was truly happy with the man who has captured her heart and her answer has always been yes. They just still don't get it.
"Yeah Lu-chan, look at you. You're the beautiful, smart blonde and heiress to the Heartfilia railroads. He's... He's a punk! He has pink hair that he says is natural-"
"-which it is!-"
"-he's covered in tattoos and piercings too! He looks more like a criminal, a possible druggie! He just... I don't feel like he's good enough for you Lu." The small blunette and red head that were currently accompanying her, and always doubted her relationship for the man, had sighed in unison.
Lucy felt her eyebrow twitch in aggravation and took a deep breath.
"Erza, Levy-Chan, I know you guys mean well, but please: stay out of my relationship with Natsu. Its been 6 years for the love of god and you two STILL question us." Her voice was rising and she was aware of the looks she was getting due to the fact that they were at a current café but she brushed it and stood up, fixing her top.
She grabbed her purse and tossed on the table the current amount of jewels for her cappuccino and cleared her throat.
"I, Lucy Heartfilia love Natsu Dragneel and nothing will change that. Please, stop asking me and don't judge him on his looks. He's a protective, charming, sweet, intelligent man that you guys would've known a long time ago if you hadn't constantly ignored him. He has tried so hard to get you guys to like him and he still is and you two, my best friends, treat him like garbage. If you two are going to continue to judge him then please don't do it in front of me." With that, she turned and walked away, leaving her two sorrowful friends behind.
I love them, I really do. They've helped me with so many things and I've almost grown up with them but I'm an adult and I can decide on my own emotions and I know without a doubt in my mind that I love him.
There's a house on a hill
With the view of the town
And I know how you adore it
So I work everyday, through the sun and the rain
Until I can, afford it
Yeah you're friends may think I'm crazy
'cause they can only see
I'm not perfect
But I swear I'm perfect for you
And there's no guarantee
That this will be easy
It's not a miracle you need
Believe me
Yeah Im no angel
I'm just me
And I will love you endlessly
Wings aren't what you need
You need me
You need me
"Oi flame-shit, we got a speeder." I looked at my ink-haired partner in the passenger seat who was just as bored as me. I rolled my eyes and fixed mt seatbelt, hitting the siren and made my way towards the car.
Thank goodness they complied. "Fullbuster can you handle this one for me? My mind isn't exactly focused for the talking part." I ignore the confused look he gave me and let out a breath of relief when he got out the car and went to the car.
Calm down Natsu. No need to panic. You're only proposing with a plastic ring to your girlfriend of 6 years. I groan loudly and drop my forehead onto the steering wheel, my eyes closing tightly in frustration. What the hell does she even see in me sometimes?
I've been known for trouble since the day I transferred to her high school and she made me feel so lucky to even look at her, let alone talk. My grades weren't the best at first and I constantly ditched class. I thought I was going to end up as a dealer at some point or just head off to the Navy. Then... Then I saw her that day heading to the cemetery. I hadn't truly talked with her on a profound friendship level yet but I still decided to follow her.
Her radiant smile that I would always sneak glances at, the same one that would brighten my day, was replaced by a frown that seemed like it was etched on her face permanently. It had been a pretty sunny day but she had a long sleeved black shirt and a long black skirt that went past her feet and dragged across the floor with every step she took. She had two boutiques of flowers in her arms: orchids and sunflowers. I saw her cry... It was for her parents. I never thought I would ever emotionally feel the pain and suffering someone else had until that day and I cried a little with her as I held her close and whispered words of encouragement for god knows how long.
Since that special event, I became attached to her and soon she became reliant and in need of me aswell. A year later when we were both Juniors, I asked her out. We had gone to the roof like usual during lunch every Friday and I asked her so bluntly it could've been seen as joke. "Be mine" I had said and I was honestly expecting a rejection. Not a "always."
I chuckled at the memory, thinking of how lucky I am to have such a woman in my life. I jumped and cleared at the cackling man who had jumped in the passenger seat and wiped an imaginary tear from the corner of his right eye. It took at least 3 minutes for him to stop laughing and I had already began driving around.
"Geez man, what's got you so dazed? You're usually on high alert at all times. Did you and Lucy get in a fight? Did you end up getting her pregnant?"
A small blush tinted my cheeks and I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, sending Gray a side glare before sighing at his expression. We may not always get along but he knows me better than anyone, almost like a brother. Clearing my throat and parking on the side curb in a quiet area, I leaned into my seat, closing my eyes.
"I didn't get in a fight with her and I definitely did not get her pregnant idiot. It's just... We've been together for so long and I don't know what I would do without her in my life. I... I saw this cheap little ring at the store on my way to the station and I bought one. I want to propose to her. I've been saving up for a while now in a secret account and I currently have 37K in the account. I was thinking of giving her this toy one and then replacing it with the real thing."
I felt the weight on my shoulders lift a bit and I looked over at the shell shocked idiot. Suddenly he grabbed my shoulder and started shaking me. "You want to propose to her?! And you didn't tell me this before because why?!"
"Oi, shut up! Jeez," I push him away in annoyance before continuing, "of course I wanna marry her ice-brains. We've been together for years and I can't picture myself with anyone else. Plus I didn't tell your ass because I thought you would've made fun of me or some crap like that."
After a moment of silence, I turned my head back forward with a sigh before snapping it back to the left as I heard a chuckle. "You're all grown up now aren't ya Natsu?" My eyes widened a fraction at the wistful tone along with the fact that he said my name. "Well, I hope you two the best man. I know she'll say yes to you. Don't forget that I'm always a phone call away to help your ass."
Laughing loudly, I shake my head. "I know, I know. Now let's get back to work."
Lucy sighed heavily, sitting in a chair in her small yet cozy apartment she shared with her boyfriend. The thought of him made the corners of her lips twitch up, her body feeling less sluggish now as it tried to focus on the male that her friends so greatly disapproved of.
Her friends. Her eyes darkened in sadness and her smile turned into a frown. I still don't know how they can't like him. He's done so much for me and for them.
She can still remember the morning of the day she told her friends she was dating him.
Flashback
The blonde had woken up earlier than usual with a large smile on her face and her cheeks pink. 'I can't believe it.'
That's all she thought as she replayed the events from the previous day. Today was a Friday and she was excited to tell her friends of her latest status as a taken woman. Skipping off to her bathroom, she took a shower and grabbed her outfit for the day which consisted of a plain pastel pink colored crop top with faded skinny jeans. She put on her white sneakers and accessorized her hair with a ribbon the same color as her shirt.
She looked at the time in exasperation and decided to make a hearty breakfast and made her way to the kitchen. Grabbing a pan, butter, eggs, bacon and frozen waffles, she began preping herself. As she let the butter melt and put the waffles in the toaster, she began to scrambled the eggs in a bowl, adding a splash of milk. While pouring the mixture onto the hot skillet, she failed to notice her foot steps coming from behind. As she hummed a soft tone and stirred the eggs, warm arms encircled her waist, making her freeze before letting out a loud shriek and she quicky elbowed the trespasser in the stomach.
He let go nd let out a loud groan. "Oi Luce, that really hurt." She froze at the familiar voice and tured around, gapping at the man before her.
End of Flashback
She chuckled at the memory and got up, moving to the large bedroom slowly. Her friends instantly disapproved when the found out the news. Soon, her and Natsu got in a fight because of them and almost brokeup within a month but the managed to work it n the end because "I'll never leave your side." Lucy smiled as she spoke the words she was told that day.
If it weren't for that, she wouldn't be as happy as she is today at this moment.
I let out a loud sigh, stretching my arms above my head and olding in a groan of content as I hear my back crack. I took off my uniform and stayed in the otfit I had on earlier in the day, putting the uniform in my locker and chutting it with a loud bang. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I tense as I feel the ring in my pocket.
You can do this. Don't chicken out. It's about time you finally settled down. I ran a han through my touseled hair and looked at the darkening sky frm the glass door before strutting out, letting out a loud "bye" and I jogged downtown into a jewlers. The sight of diamonds, gold, silver, jewels, rings, earrings, and necklaces was all around me. It had a light feminine smell that Lucy would enjoy. I walked over to the employee who seemed nervous as I got close. I rolled my eyes at the antique. Honestly, you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover.
I cleared my throat and raised an eyebrow at the man behind the glass display counter as he jumped and I couldn't help but smirk before straigthening my shoulders. "Hello there, I need your help. You see, I've been with this girl for the past 6 years and today I found this ring and thought about proposing to her." I pulled the ring out of my pocket and handed it to the man.
It has a fake silver-ish ring around it and in the center layed a pink heart shaped toy gem in the center and on the sides of the heart were two fake diamonds. It was a cute thing to look at. I see the look on his face and continued speaking. "I was hoping if it was possible to get an exact replica of the ring except obviously with the real thing. I want it to be white gold to be the holder of it with a pink diamond that can maybe be a shade lighter than that one and real diamonds."
The man studied me more. He was bald and had black eyes that trailed along my appearance and his pointy nose scrunched up in distaste. "Sir, you do realize that this can cost thousands of dollars?" I glared at baldy before crossing my arms across my chest and smirking widely. "Sir, you do realize that I so happen to be an officer of the law and I have worked hard to defend this city." The look on his face was priceless! His eyes widened so big, I thought they were about to pop out of his head.
Soon, we began talking like true men and before I knew it, I spent almost two hours at the place. Grabbing the plastic ring, I waved a goodbye to the man and headed outside and ran home. She is gonna kill me.
You need me
You need me
You need me
Yeah the ink may stain my skin
And my jeans may all be ripped
I'm not perfect
But I swear I'm perfect for you
And there's no guarantee
That this will be easy
Its not a miracle you need
Believe me
Now Im no angel
I'm just me
But I will love you endlessly
Wings aren't what you need
You need me
You need me
You need me
You need me
You need me
Dinner was so awkward and silent. The tension was difficult even for a dragon. When I got home, Lucy almost instantly tackled me and grabbed me in a tight embrace, saying how worried she was, demanding why I was late and even rang up Gray, who she has a close brotherly bond with. After reassuring her that everything was fine, things went back to normal before she stiffened and took steps away from me, her eyes hard, her body shook. "Why do you smell like a woman?"
Since then, she hasn't said a word. I couldn't say a word except deny that I wasn't with a woman but I couldn't explain that it was the jewelers that smelt like it. I want to surprise her. Things were suppose to be happy not like this dammit! "So, how was your day?" I want this air to go away and ill try my damnedest.
"Fine." There it is, the one worded answers. Jesus she must be really mad. She hasn't even touched her food. She made Steak with homemade fries and for the past 20 minutes she's poked the cooked meat lightly without even tasting it. I felt guilty because I knew I was the cause for this but I'll have to deal with it and try to fix it all.
"That's great to here" I said with a smile and I quickly devoured her food, saying thanks has it had my mouth stuffed to the brim with meat and fries.
She abruptly got up and went to the kitchen and I heard the familiar sound of plastic wrap. I swallow the food with great strain, having a bit of a soar throat after it went down and got up, seeing her lean her elbows against the counters and she hid her face in her palms. I put my plate in the sink and trapped her, putting my hands on either side of her and resting my forehead on her back, closing my eyes and inhaling slowly as I felt her tense immediately.
"Lucy -"
"Why? Why Natsu? How can I believe you when you smell like flowers and perfume and you came back with a smile bigger than usual and late! You... You never come home late without sending a quick message to tell me. I called Gray and when he said that you had left two hours ago I started panicking and he helped me and called the hospial if there was any sudden case of an injuried man and I was so happy that they said no. When... When I saw you walk through that door minutes ago I thought I was about to burst into tears and when I smelt THAT, I felt so hurt. So tell me: Why Natsu?"
As soon as she finished I heard a hiccup and her body was shaking. The smell of salt filled my nose and I quickly snapped my head up, spinning her around and I smashed her against my chest, wrapping an arm around her petite waist and I used the other to hold the back of her head, allowing her to let her tears out. I felt such a sickening feeling. Pain, hurt, guilt, sorrow; it made my stomach churn in such an unpleasant way.
After a few minutes of tears and whispers of apologies, her cries died down, but what she mumbled made my blood run cold before i began to race and surge with heat. I grabbed her forearms and pulled her away, holding her at arms length and I stared down at her. "What did you just say Lucy?" It took so much strength keep my voice from not wavering.
"I-I said, maybe...maybe I-I'm not good e-enough."
"That is pure and utter bullshit Lucy Heartfilia and you fucking know it." She cringed at the vulgar language but I could care less. She needs to know how serious I am.
"Lucy, when I first saw you on that gloomy September Thursday, I felt like I couldn't think logically. You looked like an angel, so innocent and pure and unfazed by the harsh reality of ths world and I thought that I could never have the chance to be with you. I was a guy who had been living in the streets, then in a foster home. I grew up fighting and even ended up in a Juvenile Detention Center for almost an entire year. When I sat next to you in that crappy class, I was so freaking nervous and confused at the weird reaction I had near you and your voice was and still is music to my ears. You and your angelic voice said 'hi, my name is Lucy, I hope we can become great friends' and from that day on, I decided to change myself for the better to prove to myself that I am more than good enough to even look at you. That single introduction has changed my life so much that if I hadn't met you I would probably be in jail right now for a murder or stealing or some crazy crap like that."
My grip on her loosened completely and my hands slid into hers.
"My grades went up from F's to B's, my social interaction grew and I made friends and I still felt unworthy of having the chance to talk to you but whenever you made the effort to talk to me of all people I jumped for joy. Then, the day at the cementary, is the day we became the bestest of friends. The day I asked you to be mine I honest to god thought you were going to laugh at me and tell me to stop joking around. I was so damn nervous; my hands were sweating, my knees felt like jello and my heart was racing and beating so loudly that I was sure you could hear it."
I felt her soft hands squeeze my rough, warmer ones and I gave her a soft squeeze back as the corners of my lips twitch upwards. This is it Natsu. Its now or never.
"Since we've started dating Lucy, I became a better man. You changed my life for the better and I don't know what I would do without you. You are my angel, my star, the girl that every sapy love song is about. You say that you aren't good enough, but I want you to get that stupid ass thought out of your head because I'm the one that isn't good enough. I'm not perfect baby, I have piercings, tattooes, pink spiky hair and a grin that can morph from playful to danger in 0.5 seconds. You, you're beautiful. Long blonde hair that always shines in the sun as if its a part of it, a smile so sweet that it would give candy a cavity, a beautiful hour glass figure and you're more than filled out in those areas. You can be as shy as a rabbit but you can snap back and show off that hidden passion and fire within that always makes my stomach flip in a pleasant way. You're abnormally smart and surprisingly athletic. You, you have it all Luce and I honestly can't imagine my life without you."
I had started to run my thumb on her hands as I saw her smile and her eyes water. NOW!
I let go of one hand and reached in my pocket, grabbing the ring and getting down on one knee, smiling softly as I heard the loud gasp that left her pretty, pink lips. I held her left hand and looked up ather and sent her the dazzeling Dragneel smile that I know makes her happy.
"Lucy Heartfilia, you are the one I will only love. I know that this won't be an easy road but I do know that we can overcome any obstacle life throws at us as long as I love you and as long as you believe in me. I know I'm not the perfect guy you read about in your novels but I will give you 500% of my love and dedication for you and only you. My eyes will always be on you baby. So, will you give me the honor an become my wife?"
In the blink of an eye, I was tackled to the ground and underneath a busty blonde who had wrapped her arms around my neck, crying and shouting out "yes!" I wrap my arms around her and hold her close, closing my eyes and burying my face in her golden locks to tell me that this is real. I felt tears prick my eyes an my heart lurched forward and I was soon crying with her. She was the one that pulled away and she looked down at me with pink, puffy eyes and red cheeks.
I grabbed her left hand and placed the temporary ring on her ring finger, watching her smile widely and more tears cascaded down her cheeks. She leaned down and pressed her lips against mine and I could feel all of her love, devotion, excitement and anticipation she had. I threaded my fingers through her hair and pulled away to breath, panting and chuckling.
"I just have to tell you one thing, the ring is plastic. I know it isn't what you wanted but I promise that this is only a temporary. The real thing is coming in in two weeks. You don't have to wear this one if you want to wait." I couldn't help but look to side, slightly embaressed, only to feel two small, soft hands craddle my face. My eyes connected with her dazzeling chocolate brown eyes.
"Silly, I'll still be more than happy to wear this ring. I love you Natsu, my answer is yes and it will always be yes."
I used the hand that was still on the back of her head and pulled her down for kiss, tasting the sweet srawberry chapstick she had on.
Finally, she's all mine. I love you Lucy.
There's a shop down the street
Where they sell plastic rings
For a quarter a piece
I swear it
Yeah I know that it's cheap
Not like gold in your dreams
But I hope that you'll still wear it
A/N: I AM SO SO SO SORRY HONEST TO GOD. I HAVEN'T UPDATED ANYTHING IN SO LONG I HOPE YOU ALL FORGIVE ME I PROMISE TO TRY HARDER
HSERCBJKLNGRCHIN I'm the worst, I feel really bad. I have been working on a new chapter for Abandoned Neglected Returned and I promise you that it will be over 6k words to make up for the time.
I hope you enjoyed this one shot as an apology min'na-san.