She stared in absolute horror, her eyes wide at the gory and bloody scene before her. The kitchen cupboards and walls were covered in splattered blood stains and puddles of the scarlet liquid were currently creeping towards her, staining the soles of her feet; almost attempting to pull her in to the horror that was her father's dead body lying in the middle of it all.
There in the middle of the kitchen floor was her father's corpse, or what was left of it, sprawled out in all its glory, the source of this carnal scene.
She gagged, her hands rushing up to her mouth and nose to block out the rancid smells of ripped up flesh and death from her senses. The questions were racing through Lucy's mind as she turned away, running from the room and leaving bloody footprints behind in her wake.
As she made her way outside, Lucy's mind reeled back to a conversation she had with a certain pink-haired teen and suddenly she was running.
Lucy ran down the deserted sidewalk, her breathing becoming haggard as she pushed on. The chilling night air gave her breath a vapour-like quality as the clouds of breath left her lips. She was glad she decided to dress warmer tonight; the lesson being learned after spending other nights with her new friend. Her thoughts wandered to the friend in question.
"Natsu..." she whispered his name, a small cloud of air leaving her mouth the only sign her lips even opened. The mysterious pink-haired boy had been plaguing her mind since she had met the young man only a few weeks prior. His strikingly dark eyes and the sharpness of his jaw and sculpted nose and especially the soft pink locks that donned the top of his head; it had captured the full attention of this blonde young woman the moment her eyes found his.
She reached her destination even as her mind continued to wander. Lucy found the same old bench seat that they had dubbed unintentionally as their 'meeting place' and took her seat, waiting patiently for the arrival of her mysterious friend, the cool night air her only companion. Her legs started bouncing from where they were rested on the ground below in a lame attempt at keeping herself warm while she glanced around the abandoned park for the pink-haired boy. It was a first for her, arriving before he did. Lucy was always surprised at how punctual the teen was; looks could always be deceiving.
It was then that she felt two arms wrap around her from behind, gripping her closely as the person's face cradled itself into her neck and scarf. She gasped and tried to whirl around only to come face to face with a head of pink fluff, "Natsu! You scared the crap out of me!" Lucy shrieked, trying to get out of his tight grip. He had not said anything yet, holding her extra tight when she almost got loose. Lucy could have sworn she heard a deep chuckle coming from the boy which caused her to frown and growl back, "Natsu let me go."
The boy acquiesced to her plea and hopped up over the back of the bench to come sit close next to her, his smirk still in place. Lucy locked eyes with him and found his smile contagious as she smiled back at him, "Hi Luce."
"Where were you?" Lucy asked, her heartbeat slowly coming back down from her minor heart attack. She would be the last to admit that she enjoyed feeling his strong arms and chest wrapped around her so.
As if he read her almost perverted thoughts, he pulled her close, snuggling her up under his arm and close to his chest, "You look cold."
Lucy frowns, trying to ignore the warmth growing in her cheeks at the physical contact, "Kinda."
"I told you to dress warmer silly." Natsu chuckles, "Wanna go?"
Lucy's eyes widened and bolted up, "No no, I don't. I'm fine."
Natsu's smirk widens as a mischievous glint enters his obsidian eyes, "Oooooh, don't want to leave me just yet Luce? Understandable, I'd love me too if I were you."
The blonde glares at the obnoxious teen before punching the side of his gut hard, "Shut up pinky, that's not it."
Natsu was busy faking his pain, grabbing his side with both hands and sending the blonde a look of near death, "You're so mean Lucyyyy...always beating me up." He whined.
Lucy ignored him and went to stand up when the boy's hands reached out and grabbed her, pulling her back down and into his lap, using the momentum to snuggle her close to him and his chest. The blonde gasped at the sudden action and grabbed onto Natsu's neck for support as she gained balance in case she accidently tumbled down the boy's knees and onto the pavement, "Natsu let go!"
The boy only laughed outright at the flustered girl in his arms. Lucy was flushed and knew her cheeks were not doing her any favours as they reddened at the feel of Natsu's chest rumbling with each laugh. The pure joy written on his face was a rare sight and would always leave the blonde feeling warm and satisfied inside knowing she was the cause of it. She was content to stay in his arms forever until he looked down at her and saw her face clearly for the first time that evening.
"What's that?" He whispered, his voice becoming quiet as his laughter died abruptly.
Lucy stared up at his intense eyes before buckling and turning away, losing the staring contest and looking towards the swings only a few feet away from where they sat, "What is what?" She replied dumbly, knowing what Natsu had seen.
"What," He repeated in a colder tone, "Is that on your face Lucy?"
Lucy felt a chill run down her spine at the angry tone in which Natsu spoke. The mood changes were something Lucy herself had a difficult time following when it came to this boy, "Oh this?" She pointed to the leftover 'gift' her old man had left for her on her cheek with a twisted smile, "It's nothing. I tripped and fell earlier today...it's nothing, just me being a clums-"
"Lucy."
The blonde was interrupted by Natsu's stern voice, talking to her like he did not have the patience for any of the lies that tumbled out of her lips. Lucy gulped and tried to get out of the boy's grip but Natsu merely tightened his hold on the petite girl on his lap, growling at her in frustration, "Tell me who."
"It's nothing Natsu! He didn't mean to...and you know what? I probably deserved it. I stepped out of line and said things that hurt him. You don't know what happened so don't blame him. I mean, if anything, it's my fault..." She was rambling again. She always rambled when she was nervous and if anyone could make her nervous with just a look it was this boy here. Something about this boy spoke of an almost scary strength and capability that had Lucy tongue-tied and suddenly deeply worried for her father's well being, if anything could be said by the deathly look Natsu was giving at the moment.
"You think this is your fault?! What the fuck Luce." Natsu growled back, pure hatred in his eyes at whoever dared touch his Lucy in such a violent way, "Who did this?! Tell me right now."
Lucy was scared. She had not known Natsu for long but something in his tone of voice spoke volumes as to how capable he was. The blonde could not confess that it was, indeed, her father who had done this to her earlier that day. It was after another one of his drunken stupors that he slugged her, slapping her across the face after a comment she made about her late mother. It was not a pretty scene and one she wished to forget. That was a short lived desire as she saw Natsu's mind reeling, thinking of a million ways to get his revenge. She was touched and warmed that he was so deeply concerned for her well being but she was terrified of what his rage could accomplish if she left him loose.
She whimpered but took a deep breath before replying, "I can't tell you Natsu. But trust me when I say that I'm fine. I put ice on it so hopefully it won't swell."
Natsu did not look pleased with that answer but when Lucy tried to stand up again, he did not resist this time, allowing her to finally stretch her legs. The silence that followed was tough to swallow and Lucy knew Natsu was disappointed and pissed with her stubbornness. She did not look back as she walked over to the swings, gently kicking off and swinging back and forth, deep in thought.
It was not long before the boy joined her, swinging in the seat next to her. Lucy was caught up in the peacefulness of the moment despite their small argument; the only sound that could be heard was the creaking metal of the swing chains as the two teens swung back and forth in opposite directions of one another, each gathering their thoughts, collecting themselves. The peace was short lived, however, as Natsu came to a stop and looked her way, making Lucy jut her feet out into the sand, coming to a complete stop next to him. She returned the look, waiting for what the boy looked like he wanted to say, "Luce, you know you can tell me anything right?"
It was barely a whisper but Lucy had heard every word of it. Her cheeks were turning red once more and she had to fight herself to keep returning the honest look the teen was sending her way, "I know. I'm sorry Natsu...I just...it was a onetime thing. He'll never do it again."
"How can you defend him? The guy's a fucking drunkard."
Oh so he knew, Lucy sighed and stared down at her feet as she gripped the chains of the swing tightly. Was it that obvious that her father had abusive tendencies? Was it that obvious that the one who had done this to her was the only family she had left in this world? "Natsu, he's my father...I'll love him despite anything he does to me. I'm sorry but please don't do anything stupid."
Lucy glanced his way and would have chuckled at the torn up expression he was sending her as he played out the pros and cons of both sides. She wondered what went on inside the boy's brain. He was an enigma. A mystery she would never totally be able to solve.
And that was what kept her returning to him. Like a moth to a flame.
"I promise I won't do anything stupid."
Lucy made it outside the front door, her hands immediately letting go of her nose, allowing for fresh, clean air to enter her lungs. Her eyes stung and her heart was pounding from the vicious image of what lay behind her in the kitchen. Her mind was still reeling but she knew where she had to go next, even if she dreaded it with every fibre of her body.
Feeling a chill creep in, the girl grabbed a light jacket before she headed down the block. Part of her knew this chill was something a light jacket could not rectify but it was a sense of normal she clung to.
She had questions and something in her gut told her that hehad her answers.
A/N: I intend to go through this and edit it before I make any future updates. Again, I'm bad at updating on a regular schedule but I do hold this story close to my heart. It will have quite a bit of relational abuse, with Lucy and her father as well as with her relationship with Natsu. So I do warn any and all my readers to hold tight and tread cautiously. I take this topic incredibly seriously so if I ever over step myself and whatnot, please let me know. This is not a form of relationship I encourage and if you find this romantic in any light, I hope you know you deserve more than this. I am hoping to perpetuate that this is an incredibly unhealthy relationship that I will create between Lucy and Natsu so hopefully I get that across!
Thanks again for your continued support and reviews! xxx