Lucky (Lady) Lucy Heartfilia.
It's what she'd been called her entire life- or at least, the majority of it. People wanted what she'd had, dreamed of being like her. The few 'friends' she'd actually managed to have before her mother's passing all envied her for at least something, and she knew it. She knew it and yet she ignored it because she didn't know any better. She was isolated, knew nothing of the 'real' world and what it was like. People always forced themselves to smile and be polite towards her because she lived in a mansion and got whatever she wanted and was a literal 'princess.' Lucky Lucy; because there was no way you could be something other than lucky after having been born into a family like that.
What a load of bullshit that was.
Sure, it had been great the first couple of years, but even then she'd had to deal with periodical isolation. She'd had to look at the difference between herself and the local kids, and wonder just why that was. Why she was considered as 'different' from the others; special. She'd had to wonder just why they seemed to almost resent her for it.
And after her mother's death, things only got worse.
So she'd left, gotten even more resentment for it too. Now she wasn't just 'Lucky Lucy Heartfilia', but she was considered ungrateful. Ungrateful exactly because she was so damn 'lucky'. She'd ignored it though. People only saw the outer picture, the front she'd forced herself to put up, simply because she knew her mother wouldn't want her to be miserable her entire life. She'd thought that if she'd pretended to be happy in front of others long enough, then maybe, just maybe, there was a chance she'd actually start believing it herself too.
No such luck. If anything, it'd only made everything worse, the constant feeling that she was faking every laugh, every smile. It made her sick. Aquarius' constant rejection hadn't really been making things any easier for her either. The continuous harsh words only served to make the girl more miserable, making her belief she was even more inferior to her kind, gentle, beautiful and loving mother than she'd already thought she was. She never blamed the spirit though. Aquarius loved her, had proven it time and time again too. She just had difficulties expressing it clearly, and she knew it.
It didn't matter, because in the end she'd made the decision to turn into a runaway princess anyway, and Aquarius had been right by her side during that time. Lucy was done playing pretend, she was done faking smiles, mingling with others and prancing around in fancy dresses as if her entire life was set out for her and she wouldn't have to worry about a thing; as if everything was okay.
She'd left the dollhouse, and she wouldn't be coming back either.
And it'd been for the best too, it seemed. Because now here she was, curled up on her bed in her own little apartment; a book in her lap- one Natsu would claim she'd read more than a million times already while it had only been, like, five, maybe? It didn't matter, especially since every time she flipped the pages, the light pink emblem would show on her hand, constantly reminding her of what she'd accomplished. Of what she'd become.
A Fairy Tail mage.
And yes, she may not be as strong as Erza, as heroic as Natsu or as reliable as Gray. And yes, those things never failed to make her feel useless whenever they were in a pinch, but she'd pull through in the end, because they were there for her and she didn't need to be strong to win fights.
Lucy was a part of them now, and that was all. She'd lost her title, and she'd lost her respect. If people still found a way to call her 'lucky' after all the things she'd been through - nearly dying far too many times to actually list - then she really didn't know just what one had to go through in order to be labeled 'unlucky.' Definitely not something she'd ever want to wish on someone else, no matter how bad the person. Because if there was anything worse than having a dragon known for its legendary destruction come after you, then she shuddered to think of it.
"Something on your mind, Luce?"
She blinked, looking up only to find very familiar, very mesmerizing dark eyes staring back straight into hers. The same pair of eyes she'd often seen heat up in the midst of battle and then soften in the span of thirty seconds, only to glint with irritation again not too soon after because of whatever comment Gray had made that inevitably would serve to rile the fire breather up for no apparent reason. Really, they were so expressive, she didn't doubt that her random spouts of writer's block could easily be cured just by trying to jot down an entire paragraph dedicated to his eyes and all the secrets that were hidden within them. Though, to be fair, she probably wouldn't be able to stick with just one paragraph.
Lucy hadn't even heard him come in, she'd been so engrossed with her book and inner thoughts of the past that even the chilling breeze of the wind hadn't caught her attention. She'd just pulled her blankets up a bit higher towards her chest and cuddled into them; not thinking much more of it. But now he had practically crawled over her, hovering over her body in a manner that seemed all too cat-like for one reason or another, with his face only a few centimeters apart from hers. He was so close, hands at her sides and trapping her in; close enough for her to seek and locate all of the little speckles hidden in those mesmerizing orbs of his. As expected, they were so expressive; so easy to read. Even now she could pinpoint and name more than six different emotions swirling in those orbs at once.
Honestly, he was so contradictory to himself it wasn't even funny anymore. His way of thinking and handling things were often so simple, and yet his eyes alone were such a complicated mess they could keep the blonde busy for hours on end.
Not. Fair.
Yelping, Lucy pushed back against the covers and mattress of her bed until her back hit the headboard, book falling shut in her lap and neat and pristine sheets crumpling in her haste to get back. It wasn't that she was trying to get away from him per se, more like she hadn't expected him to be that close. Of course she should have; personal space wasn't really something of the ordinary for him.
Natsu blinked at her reaction, pulling back to sit up on the front of his knees to stare at her curiously; head tilted in that child-like wonder he always carried with him and was often misinterpreted for stupidity.
But that was so, so, wrong. Natsu was many things, but 'stupid' certainly wasn't one of them; just as much as the word 'lucky' clearly didn't fit with her. Ignorant? Yes. Oblivious? Definitely. Impulsive? Oh dear god where was she even supposed to start?
But stupid? Not a chance.
"Lucy?"
"N-Natsu!" She glanced around, searching for a certain winged mass of blue and finding none. Surprising, but not uncommon. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume that the blasted cat would be showing up anytime soon now. "Wh-what are- y-you- wh-when-"
He leaned in closer, rough, calloused hands that had managed to save her life on more than one occasion still keeping him grounded against the mattress. He seemed to be frowning now, and her rapid beating heart didn't know whether it should calm down or only increase further and risk giving Lucy a stroke. She knew that look, it was his way of 'inspecting' her up close whenever she was being weird- well, weird according to him, that was.
"I-I'm fine, Natsu." She cleared her throat, sitting up straight yet still keeping her back pressed against the headboard as much as she could because there was no way she would be getting closer to him while he was leaning in like that. He probably didn't realize it. She didn't blame him, everything was just friendly fun to him anyway. "Really."
"Your face is all flushed," another curious, clueless head tilt. "Are ya sick or something?"
"No, nothing like that." she dismissed, waving her hand. "Just...thinking."
"About?"
She halted, forcing her brain to kick into overdrive and search for a believable enough explanation. She didn't want to tell him, he'd just worry and keep asking, even if she'd tell him it was okay. The past was in the past. And she was planning on keeping it that way. "What...what are you doing here anyway?"
"Oh," he blinked, not fazed at all by the sudden change in topic. Finally, finally he pulled back, crossing his arms as he did so and granting Lucy the room to breathe. She didn't doubt he'd heard the soft exhale of breath, though she wasn't certain he'd actually processed it enough to comment on it. His slow tendencies to pick up on things was another thing that had people often labeling him as 'stupid'. And again, they were wrong. "Levy was worried about you."
Lucy frowned. "What do you mean 'worried about me?'"
He shrugged. "I dunno. She just said you've been acting weird lately- weirder than usual. So I thought I'd just come check on you, since she's probably right. I mean, you have been a bit quiet these past days."
Crap, they'd noticed? She hadn't thought...and she'd been so careful too. Sure, thoughts of her parents, Michelle and her life back at the estate had been swimming around and invading her mind for weeks now, but she'd never let it bother her. Or, at least, she'd never let it show. Things like that were nothing more than trivial matters, and it wasn't like it was something you could actually do something about, so she'd kept quiet, because honestly, she didn't need to burden her friends with her inner turmoils.
"It's nothing," she repeated, hand absentmindedly reaching for the discarded book resting between her knees. He followed the movement with his eyes, brows furrowing for just the slightest of a second before he caught on and rolled his eyes.
"Really, Luce? That again?"
"Oh just shut up, would you?" She was this close to just chucking the book at him and calling it a day, but using her book in such a way was simply an unspeakable act and- for all his faults, Lucy still didn't mind him being around.
He grinned, swiftly letting himself fall back against the foot of her bed and bouncing against the mattress, his hands clasped together behind his head as he stared at the ceiling and made himself comfortable. She didn't even bother to reprimand him on it. Really, this had been happening for such a long time, she'd more often than not found herself complaining about it out of pure obligation, rather than actual irritation. Besides, there really was no talking to him once he'd made himself comfortable; especially in her room.
"Seriously though," he started, chewing on the inside of his cheek and Lucy had to wonder if that wouldn't hurt at least a little with his sharpened canines. "What's up?"
She startled, hand fisting into the sheets. "I told you already, I-"
"You're lying."
"Wh-what...why would you think that?"
"Because I know you." The reply was so simple, so innocent, the chastity of the line only accentuated by his self-satisfied grin, and yet it still managed to have her heart lurching. It was unfair how much of an effect the Dragon Slayer had on her without even trying- or knowing, for that matter.
"That's-" she let out a soft, strangled breath, forcing herself to calm down and regain her composure. After all, this was Natsu, not some boy who was obviously after something. He was only out for the well-being of his friends and that was all. "It's nothing, really."
Natsu's eyes moved from the ceiling to watch her, still lying on his back with one of his legs propped up on the mattress- his sandals having been kicked off shortly after he'd entered to avoid staining her carpet. Again, his eyes held so much more than he would ever voice out loud, and she solidified in place. The way he was looking at her told her enough; that he knew very damn well that she was lying to him and that there was something very heavy on her mind- something she didn't feel like sharing. His gaze told her all, yet when he spoke, he only replied with a simple shrug and a "Okay."
And Lucy had been stunned into silence, because really, when had he grown so perspective? They'd been separated from each other for roughly a year, and yet he still knew how to read her better than she was even able to read herself. It'd gotten to the point where she didn't doubt that if she were to read everything to him, her story, her thoughts, everything, none of it would come as anything more than a reminder to him. Really, when had he gone and learned to pick her apart so well?
"But," he continued, eyes rolling back to the ceiling, whereas hers had turned to focus back on him. Actually focus; no staring blankly at his mop of pink spikes, actually looking. "None of us like seeing you all down like this. I know I don't. So get better soon, yeah?"
So innocent, so simple, so unfair. Lucy's heart had stopped, turned around, done a double take, and then kicked into overdrive again.
Come to think of it, that was probably the reason she'd reached out, the erratic throbbing of her heart serving as the little boost of confidence she needed. Her hand found soft, cotton candy locks, and his eyes shot up to meet hers, showing surprise. Even so, she only smiled warmly. She didn't offer any explanation, didn't try to talk her way around it. Lucy simply leaned down, allowed her lips to brush over the top of his head lightly- trying not to think too much of the odd way his breathing hitched and his body stiffened; unnatural body heat flaring even more than usual - and replied with a soft "I will," before pulling back and settling into her sheets with her book once again. Pretending as if she didn't just overstimulate her frantic heart- probably killed it in the process, too.
Natsu stared at her, surprise written all over his face and he was lucky that she wasn't looking, since his flushed face and red ears probably spoke volumes right now. And if that wasn't the case, then his eyes would give it away for sure, especially with her freakishly accurate reading capabilities. The sea of emotions swirling in his orbs were usually quite easy to make out, though now it might prove to be a little bit harder because to be honest, he wasn't even aware of what he was feeling himself.
It wouldn't be a problem for Lucy though, and if she'd taken the time - and courage - to actually look up at him, then she'd find three distinct emotions staring back at her.
Surprise was the first one, since he hadn't expected her to pull an action like that when he'd slipped in through the window only half an hour earlier.
Confusion came next, because his heart was beating frantically in his chest for one reason or another, and his face was flushed and he felt all hot and flustered for some reason because holy fuck, Igneel hadn't prepared him for this!
The third one...that was the one he hadn't wanted her to see, at least not yet. Not until he'd figured out himself just what it meant and what it would do.
So Natsu smiled, lips stretching out into a wide grin that flashed all of his perfectly - albeit sharper than most people's - pearly whites, something he'd found himself doing a lot lately.
His ears twitched soon after, and he shot up straight, resulting in her looking up from her book at him in question. He didn't really want to break the comfortable silence the two had managed to slip into, yet he knew he probably should, in case he made her worry for no reason. "Happy's here."
Lucy nodded, eyes clearing up in realization and he noted that she'd probably been wondering about the Exceed's apparent absence before. She wouldn't be wrong to wonder, it was rare to see him without his winged best friend trailing after him, after all.
Something was still wrong, he could tell just by looking, and it wasn't like she was making it any harder for him either. He didn't like it. He didn't like seeing her depressed and just- just weird. It irked him, especially when he didn't know the cause of her worries, and, in turn, couldn't figure out how to solve it and have her smiling again.
He would keep his mouth shut though, because if there was anything he'd learned about the blonde in these past few years- something other than becoming an expert at reading her -then it was that if she wanted to tell him, then she'd come to him herself. He wouldn't push, he wouldn't pry, and sure, it would be pretty difficult for him to pull off because even he knew that his impulsive tendencies often led to one too many mistakes in the past. But he'd pull through.
She was worth at least that much.
Tbh this was just a jumbled mess of words that had no real start or finish. :/
But it's Nalu fluff, so, yay!
I guess