A/N: Hello, lovelies! I'm back with a relatively timely update...thankfully I have written ahead on this dear fic! ;) For those wondering why I haven't updated on HB, well I'm experiencing writer's block on that story right now!
Chapter Comments: FINALLY SOME CHARACTER ACTION! Sorry, but I just had to set the mood! :) Hopefully you all like it!
Disclaimer: Oh, how I tire of writing these...I STILL DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL! :'(
Anywho...
Fate is a Fickle Lady
Ch. 3
"You do remember how Lucy said she was going to buy back her mansion someday, right flame-head? She's not going to want some house in the forest." Gray Fullbuster said, with a smartass smirk, one day as we sat at the bar drinking. "That is why you keep working on that dump of yours again, right? You're gone all the time again, just like before. It's kind of creepy, like you're nesting or something." It annoyed me how he sometimes read my intentions like a book.
"Shut up, Ice Princess, who said anything about Lucy, living in a house in a forest, huh?" I replied, irritated. "Besides, it's not going to be a dump when I'm done with it." I dodged his eyes, trying to deny his accusations. He didn't buy my dense act.
"Whatever Natsu, just keep it in mind, alright? I just don't want you to be a big, sniveling, cry baby when she rejects your house, because she's too dead set on that damn castle of hers." With that said, Gray sauntered over to Juvia. I followed his movements as I drank my fire whiskey slowly, remembering a simpler time when I would have just picked a fight with him instead of talking serious with him and we would have gone rolling about in a brawl, carefree. We were adults though now, and we had other people to think about -not meaning we didn't still brawl stupidly, but we were much calmer now- I gulped a heavy mouthful of whiskey as I heard the front doors open and looked to see my favorite mage walk in.
"Oi! Lucy!" I shouted above the guild's usual noise, and smiled as I felt her eyes lock onto mine. She walked over eagerly.
"Natsu! I haven't seen you in days, where've you been?" She asked excitedly.
"I've been doing some repairs to my house, seven years of abandonment takes a toll, Lucy." I grinned. Gray's right I need to find out about what she plans to do with the Heartfilia estate, I thought to myself.
The blond began chattering about a new novel she and Levy had been reading, so I sat back and listened. The presence of Lucy relaxed me and I soon found myself in a warm fuzzy place via the whiskey. When I finally got done fixing the house up and making it decent to Lucy's standards, I'd ask her to live with me. I'd tell her to come live with me to save money for her mansion, if I had to. I'd do anything to have this girl by my side for life. I'd marry her one day.
XXX
I now, no longer believed in mates like the dragons had. You know, like I had when I loved Lisanna. I believed in destiny and that Lucy and I were fate. She was more than some stupid romance in fairytales and folklore. She was a choice, my only choice, I had decided. That line of thought is what kept pounding in my head too, as I walked the girl home to her apartment. Lucy was balancing on the ledge of the canal side, as usual.
"Lucy, get down from there, it's dangerous." I demanded lightly, eyeing her. She turned to look at me in shock. Never had I told her not to do something because it was dangerous. I might ask her not to, like during the infinity clock mission, but never told her to do anything. I told her when things were dangerous, after she had done them. Not in the year and a half-eh, eight years and a half actually, damn time skip—had I ever really demanded anything of her either. Perhaps, that was the reason she listened for once without an argument and hopped down to walk beside me.
"Natsu, are you okay?" She sidled up close to me. "You've seemed so…so…mature ever since our seven year sleep." Her brows were puckered cutely and I couldn't help, but chuckle.
"Well, you seem slightly different too, Lucy. Much stronger and maybe a bit less greedy even, I mean not to be insulting, but you seem less worried about money. Other than this new desire to buy back your family home that is." I countered, again surprising the young woman and even making her halt.
"I suppose you're right, and I guess we all have matured even in the sleep. I mean look at Happy, he practically lives with Charle and Wendy now! We're much older after all, with or without life experiences or physical age. However, my father did die and I think that is why I would like to regain my father's house, Natsu. It was a rather large chunk of my history. The infinity clock taught and reminded me of that. I mean technically I've only known Fairy Tail over a year. It's natural to want my family home, isn't it?" Lucy questioned.
"I grew up in a clearing, deep within a nameless forest. I wouldn't know anything about a family home. The closest I've ever had to such a thing, is being with you at our place. That or Fairy Tail, I guess." I replied honestly watching the blond flush deliciously, I began walking ahead.
"I'm touched you feel that way. Though I'm still going to tell you, for the hundredth time, that it's not our place! It's mine dammit, I pay for it!" She huffed, rushing back towards her home getting in front of me. She had to know for a fact that I was following after her and would undoubtedly be spending the night with her like usual though, making her last statement seem juvenile. I bit my tongue back on the, "I pay for it" statement, because in actuality my cut of the reward money for missions, often went into the monthly rent too, and she knew it.
XXX
I lay beside her in bed. Lucy had recently come to a new tactic of trying to get me out of her bed. A very poorly thought out one, in my humble opinion; it's ignoring my presence and sleeping in her bed despite the physical proximity because you know, that'll teach me! She didn't even bother to build a pillow replica of the wall of china either, I was happy to find. This new tactic seemed like a great thing to me, because I knew she couldn't ignore me for long anyway.
I bent closer to her and blew in her ear softly, making her golden hair dance and her nose wrinkle. Lucy sighed and clenched her eyes shut in determination. I sent a poke to her cheek.
"Lucy, give up already, I'm here. I know you're awake and I want to ask you something anyways." I whispered. She grunted, but eventually gave in after I made a few more choice pokes to her ribs, and she turned to me.
"What?"
"I wanted to know a few things, about your plans for the future," I started, watching her face as curiosity won out over irritation there. "One, what do you plan on doing after obtaining your estate? Your hometown isn't near enough to Magnolia to commute to Fairy Tail, not really."
"I plan on restoring it slowly, and then keeping it in the family somehow or just at least using it to pay homage to my parents. I don't intend on living there, if that's what you're worried about. I'd only do that if Fairy Tail relocated onto Heartfilia property." Lucy smirked as she saw some relief visibly come to my face, I'm sure.
"Okay, good. Second question, wouldn't it be easier to save up if you didn't have rent to make every month?" I grinned sheepishly at her, as she blinked. I had hoped she'd get the hint, but apparently not.
"Well, yeah…but that isn't going to happen so I just have to deal with it. You know that." Her irritation had me changing the direction of the conversation quickly, from her moving in with me, to getting her used to my house or the idea of my house, rather.
"Last question, can you help me with the new design for my house? I want to really rebuild it. Make it different, because like you said we've all changed and I'm not the same guy I once was." As embarrassed as I myself felt, I admired the way she flushed again in embarrassment and hopefully in some excitement too?
"Yeah, I'll help you! That would be fun!" She smiled at me again and without thought I hugged her close. I felt her stiffen, uncomfortable given our being in bed, but I didn't care and soon I fell asleep just like I would any other night; without any regard to her annoyance of course.
A/N: Hmmm...thoughts? No? Fave? Follow? Review? I really just like writing one-line questions... LOVE? :) Someone once told me I was like Sherry, they were RIGHT! Haha, let me know how you feel, lovelies!
