Colourist

'The sky was a wonderful azure, one as clear as her beautiful auburn orbs.'

Lucy stifled the need to roll her eyes. Again.

What did azure or auburn translate to anyway?

After pausing a beat, she quickly stole a glance of the sky outside the window of the train she was in, before mentally telling herself off for actually checking.

It had been as it always had - a nice, light, calming grey. She hadn't met her supposed "Soulmate" yet, after all.

Not that she really cared.

Lucy smiled softly at that thought. She didn't really care, because she was in love anyway. And while she couldn't see greens and yellows, he had brought colour to her life in every other way that mattered.

She was in love, and she was loved back.

'Natsu,' she mused, absently toying with the fairy shaped locket around her neck.

Their first meeting was rather unceremonious. They were classmates in college, and that had been the only thing they had in common. They were in different groups of friends, different clubs, even had different ideas of what was fun.

They had absolutely no reason to actually meet.

And so they didn't – not really.

Not until they found themselves landing the same internship. She to report, him as the cameraman - the both of them began bonding over their cranky boss and a shared determination to tell stories, and tell them well.

She began packing him lunches when he couldn't afford food from the canteen.

He would ensure he dropped her home on particularly late nights.

Before they knew it, they were best friends.

She knew his tastes, could predict his change in mood and was the only other person his pet cat Happy got along with.

He knew her routine, her favourite books and just how she liked her coffee depending on the time of day.

They quit the internship together, helped find each other new jobs.

She was there for him when news of his missing father having passed away reached him.

He was the person who helped her run away from her abusive home.

Moving in together seemed natural - as very platonic roommates of course.

Though somewhere in all the making and cleaning messes, playing with Happy, cooking together, tucking each other in bed and winter-time cuddles, their feelings changed, evolved. Platonic didn't fit anymore.

One night, sitting on their balcony and under the stars they realised why.

"I think I love you," he had said, as soon as the thought occurred to him.

The clarity those words brought was everything Lucy's heart had been searching for. She thanked him for it with their first kiss.

It wasn't short, nor very gentle. And when they parted – only for need of air – Lucy found herself lost in his wide eyes.

Wondering just what colour they really were.

Lucy shook away the teeny bit of sadness that came with the memory.

It was annoying, how it still bothered her that she and Natsu weren't Soulmates. She never doubted what they shared, not one bit.

She didn't even care for random nobodies constantly commenting on how "abnormal" their situation was – not anymore. The looks of pity, the sighs, the hardly subtle "advice" to move on until "the right one shows" had long since stopped affecting her mood.

But there was always the small yearning to someday actually see the random colours she would read and hear so much about. They seemed so beautiful and it was an experience she often found herself craving. And God knew it would help her with her writing.

And that wasn't all. She wanted to understand why certain people stared at Happy, she wanted to see the colour in Natsu's photographs and know that of his hair and his favourite scarf.

That of his beautiful eyes...

The announcement for her stop snapped her out of her musings and got her on her feet, dashing to exit the bogey - and in a move very characteristic of a hurrying Lucy, she tripped over as she did, landing face first onto the platform.

Sitting up while fighting the waves of embarrassment assaulting her, Lucy kept her head down and began collecting the various stationary that traitorously rolled out of her bag just to make everything worse.

She noticed another person who was now kneeling in front of her, handing her some of her fallen belongings. Lucy muttered her thanks, her face and neck only heating more.

The Samaritan chuckled. "You don't have to be this embarrassed, you know. No one's paying any attention," he said, in a deep voice.

Lucy looked around and fair enough, he was right.

She turned to take back the final pen, a word of genuine thanks at the tip of her tongue when she finally looked up at him - and gasped.

She saw a handsome face, dark messy hair, a few scars and wide eyes staring right back into hers.

And she finally knew what azure looked like.

Panicking, Lucy grabbed the pen and ran away from the man, her heart keeping a frantic pace the whole while.

She kept her eyes glued to the floor of the station and subsequently the street, but it was unmistakable - they were no longer shades of grey.

She could see colours.

She had just met her Soulmate.

Oh God, no.

"Hey!" came a voice behind her and Lucy pushed herself to increase her speed.

"Hey, wait a second!"

Despite her best efforts, she soon felt a hand around her wrist, pulling her to a halt. "Hey." he repeated.

Lucy avoided looking at him; too busy hunching over a trying to catch her breath. She vaguely noticed that his grip though firm, was gentle.

"You okay?" he asked after a couple of moments, the concern in his voice evident enough to force Lucy to look at him.

Lucy's eyebrows furrowed, but she nodded quietly.

"Well…okay," he said unsurely. "So - um - I'm guessing you're seeing in colour too now? Going by your reaction?"

Lucy chose to not answer, unsure how to even.

"S-sorry for chasing after you," he said quite sheepishly after a few moments, "It's not every day you meet your Soulmate and I didn't want to…" He let go of her hand hastily. "…So, yeah, anyway, I'm sorry."

Lucy sighed internally at his guilty apologies. She wasn't being very nice, was she?

"Lucy," she breathed, resting a free hand on her hip and looking up at the man, just as he was about to turn away. "My name is Lucy. Sorry about...that."

She received a small smirk in reply.

"It's cool. Everyone reacts differently, I've been told." he said, looking everywhere around them, his smile growing. "Damn, this really is something," he said under his breath.

Lucy smiled at the soft awe in his voice. "Yeah," she joined in, straightening up. "Yeah it is, uh...?"

"Gray," he supplied, offering a hand. He nearly pulled it back, but Lucy's had soon accepted it warmly.

"Nice to meet you, Gray," Lucy smiled, willing herself to calm down and not be so entirely rude.

"So," initiated Gray, scratching the back of his neck, a hint of rose dusting his cheeks, "now what?"

"Oh, uh, I'm already seeing someone," she blurted.

'Oh, yes, very good Lucy. So gently put, soo not rude at all,' she chastised herself internally.

Gray's eyebrows shot up. "Really? Even though you're not Soulmates?"

Lucy felt relieved that he didn't seem too upset and shrugged. "Yeah, didn't need to be."

"Huh. That's cool."

Lucy felt he really was being genuine. Not to mention how refreshing the lack of judgement was.

"Were you headed somewhere?" she wondered out-loud.

"Shit!" Gray started, checking his watch, "You're right. Any idea where Titania Emporium is? I made an appointment."

Lucy's eyes widened in alarm. "How much time?"

"Ten," he said, unsettled by her signs of panic.

"Shit," she echoed. "It's five minutes away, but let's take a cab."

"No need, you can just -"

"Oh yes, very need," she cut him off, dragging him by the wrist into a taxi she waved for. Lucy knew all too well the fate that lay in store for a late customer at Erza's.

Gray wisely chose to follow her instructions without arguing.

Lucy walked away from the Emporium relieved that she didn't have to dig out Gray from six feet under.

She took the chance to now really appreciate her view – the world that still looked pretty much the same. But also so, so different.

She could see the calm of the sky and the freshness of the grass, how loud the posters and billboards were and how houses and even the pavement also had its own character.

She finally understood why so many poets peaked when they found their respective Soulmates.

Lucy paused, her cheeks flushing once more.

She had found her own Soulmate.

And he seemed to be such a nice person. He was well dressed, smelled nice, was polite and considerate of a stranger's feelings, even with his own interest involved. He felt so comfortable to be with – far more so than one should have with someone they had spent barely ten minutes with.

They had exchanged numbers too – mostly to mitigate any post-pissed-Erza damage – but they had.

All of a sudden, Lucy's phone felt a bit too heavy. She wasn't supposed to feel this kind of excitement over someone else. Not when she loved Natsu so much more.

And she did love him more, that was obvious enough.

As Lucy made her way home she found that she was able to sift through her feelings, and deduce who featured quite prominently right at the very top - which prompted a huge sigh of relief from her.

She had found her Soulmate, but that didn't affect anything.

She loved Natsu.

And she was going to continue to do so.

At that thought, she opened the door to her home with new vigour, hopping out of her shoes and dropping her bag, making a bee-line towards where she knew Natsu would be – the kitchen. She knew she could appreciate the colours of their home in a bit, but right then, Lucy couldn't wait to see her love with her new sight.

"Natsu!" she called rushing into the kitchen.

Natsu had just enough time to turn around and (somewhat) brace himself, because the next thing he knew, a flying Lucy needed catching. Stumbling backwards as he caught her, he grinned into her neck, loving the sudden display of affection. He was always one for little surprises like that.

"Welcome back, you," he greeted warmly, "What's - "

He was cut off as Lucy pressed a huge, uncharacteristically sloppy kiss on his lips - one he was all too happy to return.

Lucy pulled away to really get a look at his wonderful, beautiful face. He noticed his hair matched the colour of his lips and that his skin was gloriously sun-kissed and his eyes - black, like the most welcoming of abysses.

'I should really write that down.'

"What's up," asked Natsu, his eyes gazing back, full of mirth and fondness.

"I met my Soulmate," Lucy whispered, immediately feeling his entire frame freeze.

She let go, giving him the space he seemed to need. "And?" he asked, voice suddenly very flat.

"And," Lucy answered, spinning on her heels, still quite unable to wipe off her smile, "I ran away and he caught up and turns out he's nice and I dropped him off at Erza's and we exchanged numbers."

"You're this happy because you met him?" Natsu asked carefully – that didn't seem very Lucy.

His heart dropped when her eyes met his with a decisive. "Yes!"

Looking away, he chose to switch off the stove, not bothering whether the pot of soup on it needed that or not. No, he was too confused about everything to care about food.

"Natsu," Lucy called, walking back towards him. "I met my Soulmate!"

"I heard you the first time," he mumbled.

Lucy held his chin and turned his pouty face towards her. "I met my Soulmate Natsu," she said, her gaze getting to him before her words. "And you're still the person I'm crazy for," she finished, grinning toothily.

Natsu blinked for a solid moment, before quickly bending forward, hooking his palms under Lucy's thighs and picking her up for a Koala hug she was ready for. He buried his face into the crook of her neck and held her close, savouring the feeling of Lucy drawing her arms around him tighter.

He knew she was smiling.

After a few silent, grounding seconds like that, he walked over and dropped Lucy onto the counter-top. Before she could even register anything, he was kissing the living daylights out of her.

When he drew back, they were both flushed, panting and Lucy was in a daze. Natsu soaked in the sight before dropping his forehead onto her shoulder, trying to catch his breath.

"I love you, Lucy," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "So goddamn much."

"I know," she whispered, running her fingers soothingly through his hair. "I know."

They stayed that way for some time, Natsu savouring the moment, the relief; Lucy softly humming their song. They would have for much longer, if it weren't for how he felt her freeze in his arms, the tune coming to a very abrupt halt.

"What's wrong," he asked, immediately attentive.

But Lucy wasn't. Her eyes were focused behind him, and were very big.

Natsu turned around and only saw Happy, seated on the dining table, watching them. 'Is he grinning? The cheeky bastard.'

"He's..."

Natsu turned back to find Lucy pointing a shaky finger at Happy. "He's the colour of the goddamn sky!"

Natsu couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, he's always been blue. Not sure how, though."

"Is that normal for cats?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the feline, who in turn tilted his head to one side in confusion.

"I don't think so, never seen any other like him." Natsu glanced over at the cat fondly.

Not noting Lucy's loud silence.

'He's always been blue.'

'Never seen another like - '

"Natsu," Lucy whispered, immediately drawing his attention. She met his dark eyes, and chose her words carefully. "You can see in colour."

A statement.

A fact.

Natsu inhaled sharply, before swallowing loudly, squaring his shoulders and meeting her gaze honestly. "Yes."

"Since before the internship." 'I would have noticed otherwise.'

"Since before we met," he said his voice clear of his warring emotions.

He watched with growing concern as Lucy's gaze dropped to her lap, and seeing her shift, he quickly stepped back to let her get off the counter-top and onto her feet.

Her back was now facing him.

And it was too stiff for his comfort.

"Luce - "

"Are you okay?" she asked gingerly. Natsu's heart dropped to his stomach when her heard how she was talking around a lot of emotion.

"I - what?"

"I asked if you're okay," she said, slowly turning around. "You lost yours didn't you?"

Natsu's eye furrowed before he gave in, sighing. "Not the way you think."

She didn't say anything, prompting him to continue.

"Met her in high school," he confessed. "And she was nice...initially." He drew in a deep breath, looking at Happy who was now curling around his ankles, purring softly. "She...didn't seem like to like me very much. Wanted me to change - the way I dressed, the way I spoke, who I stayed with. And I'd feel guilty that I wasn't living up to my Soulmate's expectations, like we're supposed to," he shrugged, chuckling dryly, humourlessly.

He didn't have to look up to know that Lucy had moved to stand right by him, and drew a lot of strength from the small hands that slipped to hold his. So loving, so accepting of how he was.

"It got real bad a few months in. I was crying every day, and sometime later Dad decided we should move away. That's how we reached Magnolia." His eyes glazing over, obviously seeing much more than the tiled floor.

"It was really bad," He whispered, his voice cracking at the end. Lucy – already in tears – wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. And in the safety of her embrace, Natsu finally let go, in a manner he hadn't for years.

Her heart hurt for him, and for a younger Natsu that had to endure so much at such at that age. So much that it still hurt.

Emotional abuse did tend to, she knew that from first-hand experience.

She held him, and he held onto her until they were both all cried out. Until they were a little pile, curled up in one corner on the kitchen floor together – Lucy and Happy keeping Natsu warm.

"I'm sorry," he said hoarsely.

She understood what he meant, Natsu had long since stopped apologising for his feelings.

"I'm glad I know now," she said, softly kissing his forehead, her hurt over not having known now long gone. "Thank you, Natsu."

Natsu nodded, pulling her close.

The laws of the world could go jump off a cliff for all he cared, she was his One, and nothing would change that.

Lucy and Gray ended up meeting up pretty often after that day, mostly planned. The two were quick to understand why they were "destined to be" - they actually did get along really well.

They had similar tastes in books (books!), enjoyed the same kind of films and both appreciated dry wit and sarcasm admittedly more than they should, which made quality time tonnes of fun. Even their own friend circles gelled well together, forming a much larger gang of friends who were all weird in their own way, but loved all the same.

And as the years passed by Gray and Lucy's bond only grew stronger.

Lucy was still head over heels for Natsu and Gray acknowledged that his little crush on Lucy had been just that, and he'd never acted on it. Secretly, he found them super cute – something he miiiight just confess to Lucy someday.

Not the demon she was with, oh no. That guy was all kinds of stupid. And totally not cool. And no matter how much Lucy insisted, they were nothing remotely close to being "bros". Having been his best man at their wedding didn't count - it was her wedding too, and he wore a tie matching the bridesmaids, so there.

Frenemies may have just cut it - if it didn't sound so juvenile.

Though if he were being honest, he was a bit jealous of what they shared. He and Lucy were pretty close, they were Saltmates after all (way cooler than ordinary Soulmates, she had once explained), but he was yet to find what Lucy had found in Natsu.

He wondered if he ever would.

He sighed, walking home after dinner at the Heartfilias' residence. Suddenly feeling like a post-dinner JD, he took a detour, smoking the one cigarette Lucy hadn't found and confiscated on his way to the local pub.

He stepped in and took what was now his seat at Fairy Tail. That night was much quieter than usual, and he was happy for it, only needing the company of the good music and his glass just then.

The stool next to him creaked against the wood floor as it was pulled back, a mystery someone pouring themselves oh so elegantly into it. Gray noted her luscious long black hair first, and instinctively offered her a polite smile.

She returned it.

He found himself wondering if it was the booze or if the world really had turned just a little more colourful that evening.

One of my guilty pleasures is to take popular tropes and mess around with them, in a way that works while still keeping the characters, well, in character. Here's hoping I did that here. Do let me know your thoughts!

And thank you for reading! :D