Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima.
Chapter 1: Knowing.
Mystogan returned to the cave after almost an hour, bringing fruits and some leaf that Lucy had never seen before, not that she would go around looking for leaves anyway. He walked over to her and placed some apples and peaches on her lap.
She looked at the fruit on the lap and felt her mouth salivate. "Thank you, I haven't eaten in awhile." She said truthfully and devoured half a peach with a single bite.
"I see." He said with amusement as he watched her devour the fruit as if it were the most delicious thing she had ever tasted.
"Do you want some?" She offered after realizing the lack of manners.
He shook the head in denial and shoved the fruit back to her. "Eat, you'll need energy." He knelt before her and took some of the utensils from his backpack, crumpled the sheets he had picked in the forest, made a cream and gently he passed the cream on the wounds that were scattered across the blonde's shapely legs in front of him.
When he ran the fingers with cream in her feet, she giggled. "Someone has tickles." He said with a small smile beneath the mask, amused to see her squirm every time he ran his fingers over her skin.
"Don't have fun at my expense, Mighty Lord Fairy Tail Mage." She scolded him, but it did not have the desired effect as she said it between giggles.
"I never said I was powerful." He said lightly when he finished the task of covering her bruises.
"Okay, no powerful, just mysterious." She stared into his eyes while wiping the mouth with the back of her hand.
He cleared the throat and stood up. "Hmm, I think we should camp out tonight, you can't walk with your feet like this." He tried to change the subject and did not know what reason to be so uncomfortable with her look, he felt like a teenager full of hormones, what was ridiculous.
"Another day in this place." She tried to hide her disappointment. "Well, I'm not alone anymore." She tried to sound optimistic and smiled to him.
Lucy packed some fruit for them to eat in the afternoon, so he would not have to leave again, she did not want to give unnecessary work to the man who had done so much for her. She used a leafy tree branch to clean the floor of the cave. She wanted to be useful somehow.
Mystogan knelt in front of his backpack and pulled out a sleeping bag, then a large green blanket, he placed the staffs in the backpack and when he turned to face Lucy he found her looking to him with wide eyes and an open mouth.
"It's magic." He clarified as he understood why she was looking to him like that. "Is useful for someone who travels a lot." He said with a nervous laugh.
"I need one of these." She stated with conviction. Then he thought about what he said and looked to him again. "I thought you spent more time with your guild than on missions." She tilted the head curiously.
He found her adorably cute after that gesture. "Not really, I'm usually alone." he replied.
"Loneliness isn't a good friend." She said unconsciously and was almost like a whisper.
He noticed her depressed tone. "What do you know about loneliness, Lucy?" He asked in a soft tone, worried about her change of mood.
He sat down beside her on a fallen tree trunk on the ground. She glared to him and smiled, making him have a bad feeling about what was coming next. "I'll tell you, if you tell me why you hide." She negotiated with him.
He did not want to trust her. He barely knew her. He never let people in, because that would only make life difficult for him. But after looking into her eyes for a few seconds, he felt as if he were being pulled to her with invisible ropes, making impossible for him to escape. "Okay." He said with a defeated sigh.
She pondered whether or not she could trust him, but decided she would give him a vote of confidence after all he'd done for her without expecting anything in return. "Well, I grew up in a mansion with my parents. My mother was a mage, she taught me celestial magic since I remember. When I was seven, she die because an disease that was consuming her magic. My father didn't speak with me, he didn't care about me, it was as if I no longer existed for him, I rarely saw him at dinners or high society parties and my only companions were Cancer and Aquarius, the spirits I inherited from my mother. "
She looked away from him and took a deep breath. "When I was 16, my father began to prepare me with potential heirs for a marriage that would occur after my 18th birthday. I ran away six months ago so I wouldn't have to marry whoever was most suitable for him. I'm going to be 18 in some months. " She gave a dry laughter. "I asked you about hiding, but I'm running away from my own father." She looked to him with watery eyes. "You see, I know loneliness very well."
He stared at her for a few seconds resisting the wish to pull her into a hug. He decided that if she could open up to him without even knowing him, he could reciprocate the gesture of trust. "My name is Jellal, I'm heir to the royal family of a world called Edolas." He took off the bandana and mask, revealing his face to her.
Lucy stared at him in disbelief, not expecting him to take off his mask and show what is under that, so easily. She absorbed every detail of his face. Her blue hair contrasted with dark eyes, perfect and thin nose, full lips and a chiseled chin. 'He's beautiful.'
"Wait, another world?" She asked when she had stepped out of the state of torpor she was staring at for his beauty.
He nodded and continued. "My world has no magic, so my father created a machine that forms Animas to extract magic from Earth. I came to Earth when I was still a child willing to find the Animas and stop them." He got lost in thought. "I met a little girl at the beginning of my journey, but I couldn't keep her around, so I left her in a safe place and leave. I discovered very early on that my Earth counterpart is a man who hurt a lot of people, so I hide my face."
Lucy was fascinated by what he had said. "I read a book once, about a world that was a mirror of our, where the people there were the same as in appearance, but with different personalities. It is possible that this author was talking about your world."
"Do you really believe me?" He asked incredulously for her to believe him so easily.
When she nodded, he continued. "When I was 17, Master Makarov found me, I told him part of this story and he accepted me in the guild and helped me to improve my magic. Only him and his grandson, Laxus, know my identity." He scratched the back of his neck. "And you, now."
She put a hand on his knee. "Don't worry Jellal, I'll keep your secret. But I still prefer Mystogan."
He looked at her lips as she said his Earth's name, and he felt he was being hypnotized. "I also prefer." He squeezed her hand in his.
She smiled at the gesture. "I can help you on your mission by looking for Animas." She offered sincerely, willing to return the favor.
"No, you must go to Fairy Tail, make friends and experience adventures." He replied firmly not wanting to involve her in his life of running around the world, completely aimlessly or not knowing where tomorrow would take him, he felt she deserved more.
"I think I've made a friend, Myst." She said the nickname dragging the words, making him blush. "And I think my first adventure will be on this island forgotten by God." She released his hand and ran her hand through the hair, realizing for the first time that she must have looked horrible at that moment.
He laughed. "This island belongs to Fairy Tail, Lu." He smiled, when she blushed this time because the nickname.
"Why does the guild need an island?" She asked confused.
"This is where the first master and founder was buried. This island is used for S-Class exams." He explained.
"Wow, maybe one day I'll take that exam." She said dreamily. "Who are the Fairy Tail Class S magicians?" She propped her elbows on the knees, looking at him curiously.
"Erza Scarlet, Laxus Dreyar, Mirajane Strauss, Gildarts Clive and ... Me." He said the ending lowering his voice.
"Oh, Powerful, then huh." She teased him.
He bit the lower lip, hating himself for feeling so insecure near her. "Then we can rest, tomorrow we leave the sland. When I get to Magnolia, I'll leave you in the guild and leave." He said changing the subject.
Lucy stared at him thoughtfully and asked. "Can you feel the Animas before forming?"
"Yes, I trained my magic for this." He answered with confidence.
"Then you can stay in the guild for a while. You don't have to leave immediately." She said expectantly.
His eyes widened with the statement. "I can't Lucy, I need to keep my secret. The Earth Jellal hurt someone in the guild, too. "
"You just have to keep your face covered." She gave him doggy eyes. "Pleeease, Myst."
He let out a defeated sigh. "Okay, but you keep the others away, I don't want to take any chances." He said seriously.
"Promise." She smiled brightly.
They talked during the afternoon and realized that they had many things in common despite having different lives. When night fell, Mystogan set a fire to warm them and prepared the sleeping bag with the blanket, knowing that the nights on the Island could be cold. "You sleep in the sleeping bag." He said when he finished packing.
"No way, I can sleep on the floor." She answered.
"What kind of prince would I be if I allowed it?" He said with a little indignation.
"A very modern prince." She made him laugh. "The sleeping bag is big enough for both of us." She said a little insecure.
He widened the eyes and blushed, making her laugh. "Maybe you're a prince of old-fashioned, then."
She pulled his hand making him lie down on the sleeping bag. "We're just going to sleep, okay?" She reassured him and lay next to him.
She turned her back to him and tried to hide the nervousness she was feeling. "Good night, Myst."
He closed the eyes, trying to remain calm as he felt her warm body lean against his."Good night, princess." He decided that this title served her well.
Lucy woke with the sun's rays over her face through the opening of the cave and felt a comfortable heat against her back as she tried to lift, felt a warm arm around her waist and gasped in her sleepy state. She glanced over the shoulder and saw the relaxed face of Mystogan, making her relax as she remembered sleeping next to him. She was in doubt about moving and waking him or pretending to sleep and waiting for him to wake up.
After few minutes she stroked his arm, gaining a sigh from him. She felt his mouth pressed against the back of her neck, the sigh he released sent shivers down her spine. She tried to be less subtle and ran her fingernail over his skin, slightly. This time he let out a weak moan sending shivers down her body.
She felt him move behind her. Then he pulled away, taking the arm off her. "Good morning, Lucy. Sorry." He sat looking to her.
"Morning, Myst. That's okay." She smiled gently, rising to extinguish the campfire.
He followed her, picking the fruit of the bag and giving it to her. He put away his belongings and put on his clothes, leaving the mask that covered his mouth down this time.
"Can we stop at Hargeon? I don't know how far is from here, but my things are in a hostel there." Lucy asked trying not to annoy him for having to delay his plans.
"It's not so far from here, I can use my magic to get us." He said with a smile, making her realize that it was the first time she saw his smile, and she found a beautiful smile.
She finished eating the fruit. "Can you use transportation magic?"
He smiled, covered the face again, pulling her by the waist to him. "Yes I can." He took one of the staff and landed on the floor, suddenly the darkness swallowed them. Within seconds, they were in the center of Hargeon.
"Wow, that was amazing." Lucy was surprised and amazed. She grabbed his hand and dragged him down the street toward the hostel, forgetting that she was barefoot.
He laughed out loud, ignoring the people around who commented on who this girl was dragging the Mighty Fairy Tail mage through the streets.
[Edited 15/03/2019]