rondo
chapter 1
prompt: longing (day 1)
note1: semi-au after the alvarez war
note2: happy nalu week everyone!
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"You have everything?"
She nods quietly and thinks that this is wrong, so very wrong. She's not supposed to be the one leaving, not after everything, not when they've just gotten their calm days back.
But she's made a promise.
"I'll go then."
She's a hypocrite, she thinks, crying when he leaves and leaving herself. She takes a step back, but Natsu's hand stops her, keeping her there.
"I'm gonna ask you out. When you come back. So – come home soon, alright?"
Her heart thumps painfully loud, she's sure he can hear, and she hugs him so hard she can barely breathe. Natsu hisses and she backs off immediately. "Stupid cast …"
She smiles, just a bit teary-eyed. "I'll be back soon. I promise."
And that brightbright grin breaks out on his face and Lucy thinks she's going to miss this the most. She stands up, slowly, then leans back down to him.
"And I'm going to say yes. So don't you dare bail out, Natsu."
She sees his cheeks turn just the slightest shade darker and hers do, too, before she steps out of the door.
She has someone to come home to. She won't keep him waiting for too long.
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Lucy sleeps under the dark skies, bright dots of light mapping out the constellations.
She looks at Aquarius and remembers her promise to find her. It gives her determination to find her oldest friend.
But her eyes constantly draw away from the water bearer and she looks at Draco and thinks of Natsu and his warmth and she can't help but think about him more than anything else.
She didn't think she'd miss him this much.
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The more rumours there are about a golden key, the more she dreams of home and a blue flying cat and Natsu. She can see his ridiculous antics, his pout over his broken arm, him and Happy invading her room once again, causing trouble for everyone around them and getting into ridiculous fights.
But in the deepest part of the night, she dreams of slow days at home, laughter and Natsu holding her close as they go to sleep.
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When she finds Aquarius, it's in the most anticlimatic way possible, her stumbling over the key by accident, not really being able to believe that this is it before she calls the spirit and gets washed away for taking so long.
But instead of being irritated, she smiles so hard it hurts, because it's been so long and it's so, so nostalgic. She's just glad she doesn't cry, but she's near it, holding the key in her hand tightly. Aquarius pats her on the head, muttering "stupid girl" affectionately under her breath.
It opens the floodgates and Lucy throws her arms around her friend and sobs, ugly and raw and with snot coming out of her nose.
"Quit crying like that or you'll never get a boyfriend."
And Lucy laughs under her tears, because she's already got one (sort of), and a stab of longing for an entirely different person fills her.
She stays like that until Aquarius softly pushes her back and reminds her that her powers are running out. Lucy lets the spirit go and when she disappears in tiny golden sparks, she wipes her tears away.
It's time to go home.
(she's missed the doofus enough already)