Chapter Seven: Ours

"Are you serious?" Lucy asked, her brown eyes shining with excitement. "He asked you to be his girlfriend?!" She whispered loudly, hoping they wouldn't get in trouble since they were standing in the middle of the library. It was the location she always met Levy at when they hung out after school.

"Uh huh," the blue haired teen nodded, then tried -and failed- to whisper, "Gajeel asked me out officially during lunch!"

The blonde grabbed her friend, pulling her into a hug. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Me too!" Levy squealed back, "it took him long enough!"

"Shhhhh!"

"Sorry," the blonde whispered back to the peeved librarian. Lucy ended the hug to face her friend again. "So, this is what you wanted to talk to me about?" She was referring to a text she got from the blue haired teen during lunch, asking Lucy to meet her at the library asap after school because she needed to talk to her about something important.

Levy's smile faltered as realization struck. "Oh, actually no. I sent you that text before Gajeel asked me to be his girlfriend..."

"Then what'd you want to talk about?" The blonde asked, cocking her head.

"Let's sit first," the shorter teen said, pointing towards a table near the wall. The two sat down before Levy spoke again, "it's about Natsu..."

"What about him?" Lucy felt her skin tingle just thinking about her crush. She was excited to text him later and try to learn more about her newest friend. She already had a mental list of questions she wanted to ask him.

"Well..." The blue haired girl didn't exactly know how to start. "It has to do with his past."

Lucy's voice dropped, "what do you mean?"

"Look, I don't want to go around spreading rumors, but there's one about you going around the school and I'd thought I'd let you know." Levy waited for a reply, but her friend remained quiet. "People are saying you and Natsu are dating. Is that true?"

Lucy's fair skin started turned slightly pink. "Umm, I wouldn't, well... Call it dating? We only had one date, but..." The blonde figured if she told Juvia -an almost stranger- then she could tell her best friend. "... I do like him though..."

"You do?" Levy asked, her smile returning. "That's great!"

"It is?" Lucy couldn't be sure. She had never been in a situation like this, so she wasn't familiar with social norms. She was worried it was weird to start liking a boy after only knowing him for a little bit of time.

"Yes, he's a really great guy. Please don't believe what people say about him," Levy's nose scrunched up in disgust, "they're liars."

"What do people say about him?" Lucy asked, unaware that her hands were gripping the edge of the table in anticipation.

"Are you sure you want to know?" The blue haired teen waited for a nod before adding, "keep in mind that it's not true. Most of it is misunderstandings or plain lies."

Levy took a deep breath before sharing what she knew. "I've known Natsu since elementary school. We don't really talk, but I know he's been bullied for years. Slowly it's gotten worse each year... It started with people making fun of his hair color, because not a lot of people have seen pink hair, especially on a boy."

"I've seen it on a girl before," Lucy offered, thinking about her maid, Virgo.

"I have too, but never on a boy, besides Natsu. Kids teased him about it, but after he stopped caring what they said, they looked for other things to pick on him for." Levy cringed as she remembered the first field trip they went on their last year of elementary school. "I don't know if you know this, but Natsu suffers from motion sickness."

"He told me," Lucy said, wondering what this had to do with Natsu being bullied. Then it dawned on her. She didn't need to ask, because Levy was already confirming her suspicions.

"The first time any of us saw him on a vehicle was for a field trip. We were just going to the Magnolia Zoo, which is across town. Usually he always rode with his parents, which is another reason people started thinking he was different. Except, this time both parents were busy, so he had to ride with us." The blue haired teen sighed as she remembered what happened vividly.

"He threw up... a lot..." Levy struggled to get the rest of it out, "it was a really bad day. No matter what the teachers did, he wouldn't stop until they got him off the bus. That's when kids started a rumor that he had a virus, and that if anyone got to close to him, they would catch it as well."

"And people believed that?" Lucy asked incredulously.

"We were all really young when it happened. Motion sickness isn't very common, or at least not here. Not a lot of people believed him when he tried to explain it. Instead the same bullies said he was just covering up whatever disease he had." Levy was ashamed to admit, "for a while... I thought it was true too."

The blonde bit her inner cheek, wishing Levy was just making this up. However, she knew her friend better than that. "Is that it? Just pink hair and he gets sick on vehicles?"

"There's more..." Levy sighed. "When we started middle school, someone found out Natsu was adopted. The things they said about him were truly horrible."

"What'd they say?" Lucy asked, not sure if she really wanted to know.

The blue haired girl sighed. "I really don't want to say them, but they implied that... that his real parents didn't want him. They said... there's something wrong with him, that's why they got rid of him."

Lucy couldn't imagine how traumatic it would be to hear that. She didn't know why Natsu was up for adoption, but it couldn't have anything to do with him. He said he was only three when him and his brother were adopted. She doubted he caused enough problems to have his parents want to 'get rid of him'.

"That was when things got worse for him. People started calling him different, but it was for a combination of things. I think at that point, they were just looking for anything to use to get under his skin. They'd make fun of his good grades, calling him a nerd..."

The blue haired girl remembered hiding her own good grades, hoping no one would tease her about it too. "Once in middle school, he got caught with a lighter..."

"And?" Lucy asked, unsure how that could be a big deal.

"They only found it after a wooden desk was set on fire. The teachers believed he did it, but that one even I'm unsure of. He didn't deny it, but he also didn't confess..." The blue haired teen cringed, remembering how terrified she was when she had to evacuate the school because of the fire alarm. She had smelled the smoke right before it happened, passing by the empty classroom that contained the burning desk.

The blonde made a mental note to ask more about that later. Right now was more about getting to know the basics his rumors so she could prepare herself.

"He also used to do this thing where he put hot sauce on absolutely everything he ate. People would call him a... a freak for that, because they said something must be wrong with his taste buds... They said it was a side effect of his... disease..."

"I don't understand," Lucy shook her head. "I've seen him eat twice now, and there wasn't any hot sauce near his food. Well, he did have a jalapeno burger, but still..."

"I said he used to do it. He doesn't in public anymore, but Gajeel says he will in private." Levy explained.

"How does Gajeel know?"

"They're cousins," she replied, "but not by blood. Something about their dads being really good friends. I'm not sure. Gajeel doesn't like talking about Natsu."

"Why?" Lucy asked, curious since Natsu seemed like he hardly knew the black haired teen when they saw each other at Fairy Tail.

"I really don't know why. I asked, but he wouldn't say." Levy stifled a groan. Her boyfriend wasn't usually a talker. A small chill ran down her spine when she thought, 'I still can't believe he's my boyfriend now...'

"So, pink hair, motion sickness, adopted, good grades, and hot sauce?" Lucy felt like the list was a bit ridiculous. Sure this was her first time being in a real school, but she couldn't believe people would bully someone over those things. Natsu was a nice guy, so it made no sense to her.

"There's... more," Levy started to regret telling Lucy this. If Natsu wanted her to know, then he would have told her himself. Then again, it was probably better for Lucy to hear it from her instead of from one of the gossiping teens around this school.

Levy opened her mouth to explain, but Lucy's sharp tongue cut her off. "Why didn't you stop any of this?"

"W-what?" The blue haired teen flinched back at the dark glint in Lucy's eyes.

"You said you went to the same schools. Why didn't you try to stop them from picking on him?" The blonde was upset at her friend for standing on the sidelines while Natsu was harassed over things he had no control over. She didn't want to be mad at Levy, but that was the only emotion she felt at the moment. It frustrated her that people didn't stick up for the pink haired boy.

"Lu, I don't think you understand..."

"You're right! I don't!"

The librarian's voice resounded through the area, "keep it down or leave!"

"Sorry ma'am," Levy shrunk down, but Lucy's hard gaze didn't budge. "What?"

"Why Levy?"

The blue haired girl sighed, "you're new to being at a school, so I don't expect you to know, but sticking up for someone is harder than it sounds."

"Untrue," the blonde stated, shaking her head. "I set some girls straight today who were talking badly about him. If I can do it, then you can too."

"Most of the time when people confront a rumor, it gets worse. The person who thought they were helping becomes the newest target," Levy shuddered, thinking about what it would be like to have people zero in on her personal life.

She worked hard to keep under the radar to avoid the same fate Natsu suffered. Thinking about it now, Levy felt more shameful for not sticking up for him when she had the chance.

And she had a lot of chances.

"Besides," Levy sighed, "it's not like he's the only one who gets bullied in this school. It's easier to stay out of it, or else you'll get attacked too." She wasn't the only one who didn't try to stop kids from picking on Natsu, so she felt like Lucy's anger wasn't fair.

"That can't be true," Lucy said, still not grasping the concept. "Nothing happened to me."

"Yet," Levy said, fearing whatever Lucy's future held. "If I were you, I'd stay out of it."

"I can't," the blonde knew in her heart she couldn't just let this carry on if she had anything to say about it. "I won't. Who were the people making fun of him?" Lucy asked, wanting to know who to look out for.

"They go to this school. One of them is the captain of the football team. His name is Jackal. I'm sure you've seen him around," Levy mumbled, still sad over her own fear of the bullies.

"Can't say that I have," Lucy muttered, trying to think back if she had a class with anyone by that name. It didn't sound familiar, but then again, she didn't usually seek people out.

"His girlfriend is also one of the bullies who picks on Natsu. She's the head cheerleader, Kyôka." Levy looked for any recognition on Lucy's face, but she held no signs of knowing who that girl was either.

The blue haired teen added, "there's a few more, like Seilah and Tempester... Minerva also used to join in, but she stopped after freshmen year when things went too far."

"I know Minerva," Lucy said, then quickly amended, "well, I know of her. She has the same gym class as me. She seems really nice. Kinda intimidating at first, but nice."

"She wasn't always like that. She used to be horrible to Natsu and anyone else who got in her way to try to defend him. You should have seen the fights her and Erza got into it..."

"Erza used to fight her? Like physically?" Lucy's eyes widened. "Did she get in trouble?"

"No," Levy shook her head. "They were always careful to keep it off school grounds and away from adults. I guess after a while they came to an agreement and stopped fighting. Shortly after that, she stopped teasing Natsu. She's been a lot better to be around since then. She even got a few of her own friends to stop bullying Natsu."

"Well that's good," Lucy thought, glad that some people stopped. "Wait, you said Minerva stopped his freshmen year because things went too far? What do you mean?"

"Something... really bad happened that year..." Levy stared down at the table, avoiding Lucy's eyes. "It was by far the hardest rumor he dealt with, but I promise it's not true. There are multiple versions of what people say happened, some far worse than others..."

"Okay..." Lucy felt her heart get heavier with every silent second that passed between them. She was glad Levy started off saying it wasn't true, but she wished that was enough to stop any gossip before it even started. She didn't understand the appeal of spreading lies.

"It involves a girl..."

That was it. Lucy's heart plummeted into her stomach at hearing that. She wondered if it had anything to do with why Erza and Gray were so cold towards her. "I see..."

"The year just started, and-" Levy was cut off by the sound of her phone buzzing in her pocket. "Dang it," she pulled out the device, glancing at the screen. "It's my dad."

"Answer it," Lucy said breathlessly, desperately needing a break from this conversation. Her mind was racing with possibilities, but unfortunately none were good.

"Hello," the blue haired teen asked her father over the phone. "I'm at the library with Lucy. What? No, ugh, I told mom I'd be here... Fine, I'll be home soon."

She hung up the phone, then looked up at her friend. "Apparently my mom needs help with her tax form." The shorter girl let out a huff, "sometimes it sucks being smarter than your parents..."

Lucy let out a pathetic laugh, her attitude marred by Natsu's pile of rumors and bullying. She felt bad for her newest friend, but she knew the last thing he'd want is her pity. She wouldn't let herself treat him differently, knowing it would only make things worse.

"I guess I'll talk to you later?" Levy asked, standing up to make her exit. "I can tell you about the rest tonight."

"Actually," the blonde said, gritting her teeth. She could already feel the fear building within her as she went against her friend. "I don't want to know. If he wants to tell me that's fine, but I don't want to hear it from anyone else."

Levy nodded, understanding her friend's wishes. "Sounds fair. Can I still text you tonight?"

"Absolutely," Lucy smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "I'll talk to you later."

"Are we okay Lucy?" She asked, worried that their earlier talk wouldn't ruin their friendship.

"Of course," the blonde assured. "I'm upset, but it's more because of what you told me about Natsu. I can somewhat understand your reasons. I promise we're fine though."

"Good. I'd hate to lose my best friend."

"I'm not going anywhere," the blonde promised.

The blue haired teen smiled before giving Lucy a quick hug good bye. Lucy waited until Levy left before letting out a deep sigh. She figured something bad must have happened to Natsu to make his friends so defensive of him, but she couldn't imagine what. For now she had to push the worries away, since there was nothing she could do to fix them now.

She looked at her phone, seeing she still had a while before she had to head home. 'Maybe I can hang out with Natsu after all...'

The blonde quickly threw her backpack on before making her way out of the school. She remembered Natsu saying he hung out with his friends after school, but he didn't mention exactly where.

She walked through the exit, letting the warm sun hit her face. Despite it's glow, the air was still slightly chilly. She looked around, not one head of pink hair in sight. She decided to walk around first before resorting to calling him.

Lucy hoped they were going to play Pokémon Go, because she'd been itching to play it ever since she missed out on her chance to catch a Jigglypuff earlier. Honestly, as long as she got to spend time with Natsu she'd be happier no matter what they did. 'Now if only I could find him...'

Truthfully she wanted to surprise him, but that didn't turn out well when she walked around for ten minutes without any luck. "Damn," she muttered to herself before pulling out her phone. 'Guess I have to call him anyway...'

She didn't get a chance to press his contact information before a gruff voice sounded from behind her. "Are you the Lucy that's dating Natsu?"

The blonde whipped around, facing a tall male with dark tan skin. He had black hair, with some of it tied in a short ponytail.

'Well, at least they got my name right this time...' It felt wrong being called Luce by anyone other than the pink haired teen, so she was thankful when she heard her actual name.

"I am that Lucy," she started, frowning by the time she finished her sentence, "but we're not dating."

"So you're single?" The male said, not bothering to make eye contact with her.

"Technically yes," though right now she wished she weren't. She debated just leaving this awkward exchange, but the male spoke immediately, startling her.

"In that case, would you want to go out with me Friday night? Me and my friends are going to the mall, and it'd be cool if you joined or whatever."

"Do I know you?" She asked, trying to figure out if she shared a class with him. He didn't look familiar, but then again, most of the guys who ask her out didn't know her at all.

"Not really, I just see you around sometimes." He sighed, "you're pretty, I guess, and I thought I'd give it a shot."

"Give what a shot?" She narrowed her eyes, and suppressed a cringe when he spoke again.

"Dating you. If you like Dragneel than I'm sure you'd love me."

Lucy scoffed, "what makes you say that?"

"Well," the guy started, "I'm clearly hotter than him, so I-"

"Stop!" The blonde shouted, glaring at the boy. "I'm tired of hearing people putting him down. I'm going to have to say no to your offer, and ask that you don't speak to me again," she turned to leave, but a swift hand grabbed her arm, yanking her back.

"Don't be like that, I just-"

"Let go of me or I will kick you!" Lucy yelled, alerting a few people around them. She wasn't in the mood to deal with this. She just wanted to find Natsu.

"Chill out," the guy let go of her arm, holding his hands up in a mock surrender so people around could see he wasn't hurting her. "You don't have to be a bitch."

Lucy's brown eyes widened in shock. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me, I said you're being a- Ooooph!" The boy's sentence was cut off just as a fist connected with his gut. The male fell to the ground, groaning as his hands clutched his stomach in agony.

Lucy turned to see who her savior was, but instead she was sucked into a crushing hug. "Are you okay Lucy?"

The blonde tried to see past the red hair, but it was useless. "I'm fine," she said, recognizing Erza's voice. "Thank you for that."

The redhead released Lucy from her embrace. "Don't mention it. Any friend of Natsu's is a friend of ours, and we stick together," she smiled down at the blonde.

Lucy was shocked by what she just heard. "Ours?" Lucy asked, turning to see they weren't alone. Gray stood behind Erza, arms crossed over his bare chest.

"This guy giving you trouble?" The raven haired teen asked as he glanced down to the writhing boy on the ground.

"Umm, no... Not anymore," the blonde looked between Natsu's friends, surprised that they'd stick up for her when they only just met. Especially after treating her like an intruder earlier. She thought they honestly hated her, so their sudden caring threw her off.

She absentmindedly took a step back, tripping over her own feet and falling on her butt. "Oww!" The blonde groused from the painful landing.

"Here," Gray said, sticking his hand out for Lucy to take.

The blonde looked at it for a few seconds before she reached out, grabbing his hand. She immediately jerked back at the chilly sensation, understanding now why Natsu calls him weird nicknames. The raven haired teen let out a laugh, "yeah, sorry about that. My hands are always cold."

He grabbed her hand again, forcing her up to her feet. Before she could say thank you, the redhead interrupted.

"Your whole body is cold," Erza muttered, giving the boy on the ground a nudge with her boot.

"And how would you know?" Gray asked, offended. His hair shifted, letting Lucy see a thin scar on his forehead.

The redhead smirked, "Juvia isn't very good at keeping secrets."

Gray groaned while Lucy shivered, but not because of the Ice Princess's cold skin that had just touched her. 'Maybe it really was a bad idea to tell Juvia about my crush on Natsu...' The blonde sighed, 'well, too late now...'

It dawned on her that there was one person missing from their group, the person she wanted to see the most. "Where's Natsu?" Lucy asked, wondering where the pink haired male was, since he said he'd be with Gray and Erza after school.

"He had to talk to our teacher about his club," Gray said, sounding uninterested. "He should be here soon."

'I didn't know he was in a club...'

Lucy closed her eyes, happy that he'd be showing up. She almost sighed in relief before a shadow covered her face. She opened her eyes quickly, seeing Erza standing right in front of her. "Umm?"

"I think we should have a little talk before Natsu shows up."

Lucy could only think of one word as she stared at the redhead.

'Damn...'


I got the spelling for the names from my Fairy Tail manga. (Specifically volume 42) That's why there might be some differences from how other people spell them.

Okay, this should be the last part of Natsu's personal drama for a bit. (Also for Erza's and Gray's cold shoulder towards Lucy) The story will go back to NALU fluff, because honestly, why not?

You guys are so awesome! I'm so thankful for the added favs & follows! This story now has 75 reviews! That makes it my second highest reviewed story! :D Thank you fanficlove2014, cookie panda-roo, Ashnmarley, FlameDragonHime, aidansidhe, Red-Velvet-Erza, NeonElement, SakuraStar1862, Guest, Mekhashikito, Guest, LovingmyOTP's, MissyPlatina, Anniethorbo, SonOfNeptune86, Crimsonlink310(x2), & Shunakoo25 for reviewing!

A lot of you mentioned the mystery girl, but sadly it will be a while until she's revealed. The only hint I will give is she is a character in the series.

Up next, Chapter Eight: Truce.

Also, for those who like mature stories, I just posted the first chapter to a new NALU fic. It's inspired by Luke Bryon's "Home Alone Tonight" song. But if you don't read stories with lemons/smut then PLEASE don't read it!