One Wish
-x-
Prompt: Flower
A/N: Hi everyone, this an entry for Nalu Fluff Week on tumblr. I filled it with all the mushy good stuff that I can see happening between Natsu and Lucy. I hope you all enjoy it, it made me feel fuzzy inside writing it haha. Please take a moment to listen to the song (mentioned at the bottom) I chose to accompany this fic, it really does add to the feeling. I will edit later if I spot any mistakes. I pictured this fic as occurring further down the timeline from my last fic 'Your Hands Are Warm'.
-x-
It was amazing what change a year could bring to a life. Lucy Heartfilia's specifically. One moment she was in Crocus, the next she was once fighting next to her dragon slayer. The war was devastating for Fairy Tail as it had been for the entirety of Fior. Lucy especially didn't like the memories of how much Natsu was made to suffer. Zeref had made it his mission to make Natsu howl in despair, which he achieved. Lucy and Natsu never brought it up, never shared what happened with the rest of the guild. It was still too fresh, too painful, too intimate.
Zeref delivered her bloody body to his feet, having figured out Natsu's biggest trigger, the chink in his armor. Lucy opened her eyes to see Natsu in a terrifying merge of draconic and demonic power. The pure force of his magic power sent shivers up her spine despite the inferno heating the room. No one could mistake the unadulterated rage on his face as he clutched her to his chest, flames dancing around them. Natsu's heat warmed her soul in that moment, giving her strength to fight the bitter chill Zeref's death magic had left on her. It was like something clicked between them, the bond they shared bloomed into an incredible amalgamation of magic.
Unlike anything she had ever witnessed, the sky opened above them, the stars of the heavens shined a beautiful light onto them. Lucy could only gaze in wonder as Natsu absorbed the holy magic, his tan skin was coated in a shimmering molten gold. In that moment, as scales formed of his skin and wings burst from his back, Lucy could have sworn Natsu was her celestial guardian angel. Who said angels had to have fluffy wings and a pleasant countenance, after all, they were warriors of the gods. Together they could destroy the darkness. However, everything came with a price. Zeref was never truly evil, only committing the ultimate sin of perfect resurrection to save his beloved younger brother. On lifting the curse, Zeref started to fade into the afterlife but not before giving Natsu one last gift.
"Remember what happened. Remember our family Natsu and how much we loved you."
After Natsu had been a mess. The roar of anguish he made that day broke Lucy's heart, he had clung to her, a desperate man reliving his worst nightmare. Again. At least, this time, Natsu allowed her to comfort him. Lucy's strength became his. Seeing four hundred years into the past, the bloodiest war witnessed by mankind had taken a heavy toll on Natsu. It was not uncommon for him to climb into bed with her now, in fact, it was now a part of her daily routine to include Natsu's continuous presence in her day to day life. He was the usual loud-mouthed, stubborn, headstrong idiot at the guild. In her company, his vulnerability surfaced.
Despite what many friends at the guild thought, Natsu wasn't always an open book. Especially when said feelings exposed insecurities he wasn't ready to talk about. Lucy didn't need him to talk, she just knew, that was the degree of their bond. Lucy knew Natsu spoke with his actions, he wasn't eloquent like her but he did have the talent to tell a story with one touch, one look. It didn't surprise her that Natsu was touchy feely when it came to giving and seeking affection, he was the master of the 'casual touch'. It could be feeling his hand brush over hers in the guild, or using the small of her back to guide her through a busy market. Natsu let her know he was there, alleviating anxieties of isolation caused by the war.
Walking whilst the sun was high in the sky helped when Lucy lost herself down memory lane. Natsu, as usual, followed silently, his arm pressing against hers. Unknown to their other guildmates a random jaunt into nature became a hobby they enjoyed together. Lucy started leading Natsu out on these excursions because in the midst of the forest and mountains he was calm. He told that was why he built his house just outside of Magnolia, sometimes the hustle and bustle in town was overwhelming to his enhanced senses.
Amidst nature's song and the wind gently caressing his cherry blossom hair, is when Lucy discovered how attracted to Natsu she had become. Natsu wasn't handsome in the traditional sense like Gray. The dragon slayer was truly carved from the earth, his imperfections added to a rugged countenance, a man who lived his life wild and free. He didn't care for expectations and material value, all traits that made her heart soar with admiration and yearning. Lucy smiled as she felt the back of his hand touching hers before entwining their fingers. Calloused but warm, the pads of his fingers pressing on her own. Lucy chuckled at his peculiar gesture but leaned her weight on his shoulder. Closing her eyes, she trusted him to lead her away from possible dangers.
A moment later Lucy yelped as Natsu tugged her across him, he hooked an arm around the crook of her knees, carrying her bridal style. Laughing, he started sprinting with a child-like delight in his eyes. Panning her head around she froze, the open golden meadow in front of them was breath-taking. Looking down she paid attention to the feeling of descending, in typical Natsu fashion he was going at breakneck speed down a steep incline.
"Natsu! Be- "…Careful.
Tumbling down the hill Lucy could only laugh alongside him. Not that she could complain as she ended tucked into his side where they fell. Neither one of them felt the need to move. Her ear was placed directly over his heart. Celestial magic made her sensitive to his spirit, his life force. It was beautiful. So strong, passionate and unwavering. She placed her palm flat on his abdomen, tracing upwards as it contracted up and down with his breathing. Lucy gasped as she felt a hand glide down her spine and grip her backside.
"Natsu Dragneel!" Adjusting herself to stare him down, she fumed spotting his shit-eating grin.
"Fair's fair Lucy. You totally just felt me up, I thought it was an invitation" Lucy felt like smacking the smug look right off his face after that comment.
"You incorrigible...!" Natsu reaches up with his other hand, tangling his hand in her hair pushing her head back down to his chest.
"Jeez Lucy, you're so noisy. Look you've disturbed the birds." True enough, she spotted birds taking flight a few feet away. Lucy could only huff at his outrageous behaviour but settled down anyway. If she was being honest, she had appreciated the hard lines of his toned stomach. Secretly swooning over the well-defined V, she totally wasn't thanking the gods he chose to were his open vest and low hanging pants this morning. The ridiculousness of the situation made her giggle, they were both goofy idiots. A smile splitting her cheeks told her that she was fine with that.
Moments like this reminded her of how grateful she was to have met him. Natsu always pushed her boundaries, pulling her headfirst into another adventure. Natsu wasn't simple, he was instinctual, he believed completely in his own convictions. He told her living was a bold statement to the gods themselves, that he wouldn't let anyone take away the gift Igneel or his brother had given him. Unconditional love is what made Natsu and therefore woven into the very fabric of his being. Passion simmered in every action he took, be it kicking the ass of enemies or the chaste kisses she got before bedtime. Lucy gazed from his chest at the landscape around them.
The breeze, she noticed, carried delicate pollen from the scattered dandelions. How beautiful, that a plant usually regarded as a pest could be so wonderful, that people cast wishes upon the seeds for a better future. Amusement filled Lucy, the dandelions sounded an awful lot like a certain dragon slayer (he would kill her for likening him to a weed). Not that she cared. Natsu was her pest after all. Invading her home and personal space like it was his in the first place. The hilarity of the comparison had Lucy laughing heartily.
"Watcha' laughing at Lucy?" Hearing the pout in his voice made her laughing fit worse. Natsu huffed, his blond partner failing to answer as she tried to breathe, sitting up he pulled her into his lap.
"Tell me Lu-ccy…" Lucy just smiled and squished his cheeks with her hands to silence his whine. Bending she rubbed her nose against his, the affectionate gesture had him returning her smile tenfold. Green eyes followed her movement as she leant down to pick one of the dandelions surrounding them, bringing it to their faces.
"Lucy?" Mirth filled her as she blew hard. Fluffy white pollen landed in his hair, the rest floated in the wind being carried on their own venture. Confusion clouded Natsu's face, still cupped in her palm.
"I made a wish." A wish to stay together, no matter what darkness knocked at their door. Lucy wanted to continue the endless journey with Fairy Tail. As long as Natsu Dragneel was by her side, Lucy would be home.
"You're so weird Lucy."
-x-
"'Cause they say home is where your heart is set in stone,
Is where you go when you're alone,
Is where you go to rest your bones,
It's not just where you lay your head,
It's not just where you make your bed,
As long as we're together, does it matter where we go?"
Home – Gabrielle Aplin
