The moon hung sleepily in the sky, casting an intense strip of light into the room. The gentle scratch of quill against paper had become a soothing comfort to her as an eager smile played at her lips. Occasionally she would pause and rest her head in her vacant hand while gazing up at the dazzlingly radiant moon. Then after her moment of repose, she would continue scribbling away, the words flowing elegantly like musical notes on a page.
It was a rather late night and after a long, tiring day at the guild, Lucy was finally able to return home and make progress on her novel. The night had been quiet and tranquil, with no unexpected visitors lying on her bed, sofa or table.
At first she had been surprised. After all, it seemed rather lonely without Erza sitting with a tasty looking cake at her living room table, no sign of a half-naked Gray sprawled across the armchair. Not even Happy had turned up, or any other guild members for that matter. At first she was a little disappointed, but then it eventually dawned on her that it was finally a night of peace like she'd always dreamed of: a night to quietly spend working away on her book.
Of course she would often get up to stretch her legs- perhaps to prepare herself a drink or simply wander around the apartment. But rest assured she would always sneak quick glances about, sometimes checking the furniture just to make sure no-one was hiding. It had been so long since she had first been alone, so now it had become second nature to her to check everywhere for surprise guests.
But she would always return to her novel to scrawl down quick ideas that had suddenly popped up in her short breaks. It was a relaxing night; a calm, quiet happy night. Nothing could spoil her creative flow now.
"Lucy!"
An affectionate arm flung itself around her as the happy tone of the familiar voice called out to her. The sudden break in silence was frightening, yet the instantly recognisable voice was what calmed her nerves a little.
Lucy turned to see that unmistakable wide grin greeting her, the distinctive soft pink hair and of course those particular slanted eyes, which seemed full of joy and excitement.
"Natsu!" Lucy snapped. "You scared me! Did you have to make me jump like that?"
"Sorry Luce." He chuckled lightly, stepping back and rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "I'll try to be more careful next time."
"You better! You really spooked me just now!" Lucy scowled unhappily. Then after a short silent pause, she eventually snapped back into nagging him. "Where have you been? I've been worried about you y'know!"
"Really? All because I didn't show up?" Natsu blinked a few times, clearly surprised.
"Neither did Erza! Or Gray, or Happy! You all disappeared! I was all alone for once."
"Lucy..." Natsu began.
"And another thing! You-"
But before Lucy could finish, Natsu cut her off as he stole her lips into a kiss. Despite her annoyance, Lucy didn't pull away. She leaned into the kiss instead and slowly her eyes flickered shut. After drawing her in, Natsu gently pulled away and squeezed her tight.
"I'm sorry Lucy..." He whispered. "I won't leave you again. I'll always be here for you, so just keep smiling for me okay?"
"Okay..." She whispered back, squeezing him tighter. The sentiment was much appreciated. After all, Natsu could understand her feelings. As a child, she would often be left alone by her father and sometimes it would leave her feeling lonely and unwanted. But the day that the two made their relationship official was the day when Natsu vowed to never let her feel unloved, unwanted or lonely ever again.
The two had been going out for a very long time now and although it was at a very serious stage, the two still acted as cutely and joyfully as the day they had met. Naturally when they first went out, the guild had reacted to the announcement of their relationship very well. A festive party had followed, although any happy occasion which didn't necessarily warrant a party would be celebrated in Fairy Tail, being such a fun-loving guild.
There were some that didn't quite warm to the idea of a commitment between the two, one of those being Lucy's loyal spirit Loke. But some were very happy with the development and welcomed it with open arms. Surprisingly Juvia was one of those people, although the likely reason for this was that she was minus one love rival and therefore even closer to her beloved Gray.
And over time, the initial teasing and hostility to the couple gradually died down and it had seemed like they had been going out forever. They had earned the reputation of being Fairy Tail's perfect couple because their fights were always small and petty- so there were never any major tensions between the two.
They seemed to be made for each other. They were so madly in love and suited for each other that everyone in the guild couldn't help but be touched by their union.
"So where's Happy?" Lucy asked as she straightened her papers up into a neat pile.
"Oh he's off with Carla and Wendy." Natsu replied. "I'm sure they're having a great time!"
"So it's just us two tonight?" Lucy asked.
"I guess so!" Natsu grinned. At the mentioning of this, Lucy envisioned a quiet night in, an evening with just the two of them together. They would talk for hours on end about anything and everything and when they got tired she would fall asleep in their bed, lying tucked away in his warm embrace. Or sometimes they would continue to talk until the early hours of the morning and the first one to drop off would be the one to be tucked into bed by the other. Lucy usually was the first to wake up and make breakfast as Natsu usually slept in quite late and preferred eating food to cooking it. These moments were few, but it was the little things that Lucy loved about the relationship that kept her happy.
"Actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about." Natsu added after a short period of silence, cutting of Lucy's thoughts.
"What is it?" Lucy tilted her head slightly, involuntarily blinking a few times to show her confusion.
"I want you to come with me." Natsu lowered his voice a little, his smile still present- just not as wide. "I have something planned for us tonight."
"Well can it wait till tomorrow?" Lucy frowned. She was curious but not majorly so. "I've already changed for bed and although I won't be going to sleep for another few hours, I still don't fancy doing anything else tonight."
"It has to be tonight." Natsu stated firmly.
"But it's dark and there's no-one about." Lucy pointed out.
"But the moon's real pretty tonight." Natsu responded. "Plus it's better if we're alone."
"Well..." Lucy muttered, her eyes drifting to the floor as she considered her response. She looked back up again as she felt Natsu grab her hand and gently squeeze it for encouragement.
"Come on!" He beamed. "What harm could there be in going? It'll be great, trust me!"
She stared into his dark eyes, faintly glimmering with excitement. All it took was one look at that familiar wide toothy grin and she immediately knew her answer. Slowly she found her own lips spreading into a smile.
"Alright then!" She nodded. "Just let me get dressed first..."
It was, surprisingly, a rather balmy night. The wind was barely breathing against their skin and the moon illuminated the path ahead as they walked. They approached their mystery destination at a leisurely pace and since Natsu said there was no rush, Lucy had taken to her usual way of walking by the canal: one foot placed delicately in front of the other each time she took a step on the very edge of the canal walkway.
Natsu held her hand since her balance was tipping slightly from time to time while Lucy enjoyed the warming feeling of her hand entwined with Natsu's. His hand felt tender and warm, naturally because he was a fire wizard.
The two weren't wearing anything special, just the usual outfits that they'd been wearing since they had come back after the 7 years on Tenroujima. Lucy's keys hung at her side just as they always did, after all she never wanted to go unprotected.
Natsu's scarf gently swayed in the slight breeze, as did his black one-sleeved waistcoat- which was zipped rather than exposing his bare chest like when they had met.
Together the two walked hand in hand until eventually coming to a stop. When Lucy looked about to see where they were, she realized that they were at the old tree, a place that they hadn't been to in a very long time.
"Natsu... Why have we stopped here?" Lucy asked. "Is this where you wanted to take me?"
"Yup!" Natsu nodded, eagerly grinning back at her. "You remember ages ago when I asked you to dig up some embarrassing photos?"
"And I got the wrong idea and thought you were in love with me." Lucy nodded, an unhappy expression growing on her face. "Yes I remember."
"Well I am in love with you Lucy!" Natsu laughed, scratching the back of his head and leaning back slightly. "I just wasn't ready to admit it back then!" A smile crept onto Lucy's face as he said this and he reflected one right back at her.
"So... What?" Lucy asked eventually, glancing around at her surroundings. "You still want me to dig up those photos?"
"Of course!" Natsu beamed. "Someday there are gonna be new members in this guild and I want these memories to be there when we aren't!"
With such a sweet sentiment as that one, Lucy could hardly say no. She released a short yet happy sigh before reaching for her key pouch. She pulled out one of her golden gate keys and held it up at her eye height for Natsu to see.
"You want me to call Virgo?" She asked.
"That'd be great thanks!" Natsu replied happily, picking up a nearby shovel as an ecstatic grin spread across his face. "But just so it's less work on the both of you, I'll start digging at the other side of this tree to help out."
After both agreeing on this, Natsu dashed off to the other side of the tree and Lucy smiled to herself. Naturally she had expected him to ask for the photos once she knew where they were. She had known him for long enough to be able to predict what he would do next. She could often foresee his actions, his reactions and pretty much everything he would either do, hear or say in response to certain situations.
Of course as with anticipating the actions of anyone, there would be times when he could surprise her. But that didn't happen often and she tended to not take the chance of surprises into her calculations when anticipating Natsu's next move.
But back to the matter at hand. Lucy swung her key through the air in a grand swiping motion. Virgo appeared before her, giving her usual line of 'punishment time princess?' with her hand held up at a right angle to her arm, like a waiter elegantly balancing a tray.
"No punishment today Virgo. We're looking for a photo album." Lucy informed her. "It should be buried around here. Natsu has the other side covered. All you need to do is dig here and find it."
"Understood princess." Virgo nodded, her face emotionless and her hand giving a loyal salute.
Without warning she suddenly dug into the ground viciously, swimming through the Earth like a fish in a pond. Lucy, being used to this magic ability, barely batted an eyelid at the sudden movement and simply waited until Virgo had finished- which she knew wouldn't take long.
And surely enough, after barely just a few seconds, Virgo popped up again, both hands held one on top of the other in front of her now mucky maid apron.
"Princess, I didn't find the album but instead I found something else." Virgo reported back as cold and emotionless as ever. "This deserves punishment, yes?"
"No Virgo it's okay." Lucy shook her head. "Just what did you find anyway?"
Virgo lifted her one hand to transfer the item, as did Lucy to receive it. Gently the masochistic maid placed the object in Lucy's outstretched palm and then retreated her hand back again, leaving Lucy to ponder the curious item.
"A box princess." Virgo stated. "It seems to be freshly buried."
This was very true. The box fitted nicely into Lucy's hand and showed no signs of having any type of lock or seal to it. It was dirty of course, but it didn't seem to be absolutely filthy or affected by age- proving what Virgo had said was true: this box had indeed been freshly buried.
"Perhaps you should open it princess?" Virgo suggested. "This box probably won't contain any photos, but I think there might be something inside of value."
The box seemed to be quite light. In fact Lucy doubted whether there was really something inside but nonetheless, she lifted her spare hand to flip the box open and reveal its contents.
Lucy wasn't quite sure what she was expecting, but she was certainly astounded by what she saw.
It was a silver ring, embellished with a small glimmering sapphire. It was simple and slender, one could even say petite, yet somehow the beauty of its simplicity only made it even more dazzling. Virgo didn't seem shocked as she was rarely caught off guard but Lucy on the other hand was fascinated- simply captivated by the ring. She gasped at it and her mouth had dropped open slightly. It was pretty of course but... Could it be...?
"I figured you wouldn't want something too fancy." Her heart skipped a beat at the sudden interruption of Natsu's voice. She turned to him. He was smiling only slightly now, but this was a faint smile that could melt her heart in an instant and turn her legs to jelly in no time at all. He approached her slowly, staring at the ground as he talked and scratching his cheek shyly- a tinge of pink colouring his cheeks.
"After all, you left that lifestyle behind long ago." He continued, his voice a low whisper. "You might not be Lucky Lucy of Heartfilia anymore but the day I met you was definitely the day that luck favoured me."
It seemed that Virgo had left now, clearly understanding the situation. Yet Lucy could barely believe what was happening herself. The nostalgic area relating to the early stages of their relationship, the minimalistic yet stunning ring, the sentimental heartfelt speech... It could all mean only one thing.
"I don't wanna ever leave your side Lucy." Natsu told her as he stopped in front of her and held his hands over hers. "I told you earlier: I won't leave you again- I'll always be here. True, I want you to keep smiling but more than that..."
And at that moment, the scene seemed to slow before Lucy's eyes. Her heartbeat was pounding fast and frightened butterflies quivered inside her stomach. He won't say it, Lucy thought. This'll all turn out to be one big joke... I've been tricked again right? That's the only explanation for it. Lucy tried to stop herself from getting too excited- reassuring herself with the fact that she knew Natsu well enough to predict his every move.
"I want you to be my wife."
He offered the ring up to her, holding it between his thumb and forefinger now and waiting for her reply.
"What do you say?" He asked.
"I... I..."
Lucy was at a complete loss for words. She was astounded, astonished and completely bowled over by what was happening. Never in a million years could she have predicted this. Perhaps her foretelling of Natsu's actions weren't as accurate as she had thought.
But her Natsu predictions were not important now. What was important was what was happening. Natsu was proposing. After all this time he was proposing. Her emotions were so overwhelming that she couldn't quite handle this all of a sudden.
Natsu was offering her happiness. He was offering a chance to have a brand new life together. Getting married, moving in together, having kids- all of it seemed so overwhelming to her.
But could all of that really be handled while managing guild work? Fairy Tail was a lively place and all of this would be tough to manage while trying to have a bright future.
Kids couldn't be safely brought up in a guild like Fairy Tail. The fights were too rough and the drinkers were too rowdy. No way could a kid be raised in such an environment, nor could they be completely safe with parents fighting crime for a living. There were many sick dark guilds like Phantom Lord and Raven Tail who wouldn't hesitate to target a small child.
Weddings and moving would be stressful as well. A wedding would take a huge amount of planning and stressful organisation work and moving was no better. Lucy could barely pay the rent every month, so moving to a new home was completely out of the question.
"Luce? You okay?" Natsu asked after a while of nothing being said from Lucy. She gave a shaky nod in response. "We're in love right?"
She swallowed hard and nodded. As he lit up with his memorable toothy grin, he held out his spare hand to her.
"So come on then! Yes or no?"
It was just like when they had met. Back then he had grabbed her by the wrist and whisked her away, offering to let her join the guild as they ran from the approaching army. She had gasped, then he grinned at her, telling her 'come on!' as her face slowly broke into a smile. Then they ran away together and she never ever looked back.
And somehow that look in his eyes reassured her now. There was never a dull moment in Fairy Tail and although they had experienced sad times together, there were also many happy times too. The day that she had said yes to him was the day her life took a huge turn in the right direction- it was almost like an ending fit for a fairytale.
It didn't matter if raising children would be tough, after all Alzack and Bisca managed just fine. And even if moving and the wedding would be difficult, the guild would always be there to support them. They always had been and they always would be.
So she took his hand and whispered the fateful words that sealed their happily ever after.
"Aye!"
He slipped the ring onto her finger and gently pressed a soft kiss to her lips. For a while they stood there, gazing deeply into each other's eyes and never wanting to let go of each other's hands.
The two had to return home eventually and get a good night's sleep. After all, a festive party would be held in honour of their announcement the next day. Any happy occasion which didn't necessarily require a party would be celebrated in Fairy Tail and that was because it was a loving guild. Or rather... It was their loving family.
The moon hung sleepily in the sky, casting a romantic glow in the area beneath the old tree. The deafening silence didn't matter to either of them as they were lost in a world of their own.
Guess who's back? It's me, Angel the Neko here with my first ever Fairy Tail fanfiction! Please leave a review as I have other Fairy Tail fanfics planned and would like to see how I've done with this one. Compliments and criticisms are welcome- but not flames! Hope you enjoyed the fic!
~Neko