Sorry for the delay!
I started a new little AU series called Wildwood which I will be uploading on here later today, and because I updated that yesterday I didn't want to confuse people :D You should check out the new story though if you want to, I'm very proud of it ^-^ (It's inspired by Mashima's latest cute twitter sketch hehe, a Flame/Forest Spirit AU.) But for now on we go with TDA! ^o^
Chapter 9:
he who rests, rusts
It was raining. And someone was using a chainsaw right next to her ear.
This was weird.
Because Lucy was quite certain, even through the heavy blanket of sleep still weighing down on her, that she was inside a building. In her flat. And she had not invited any chainsaw wielding nuisances.
Slowly blinking the sleep out of her eyes, Lucy tried to assess her surroundings without moving. The sun must long have risen; the apartment was brightly illuminated.
There was no sight of any chainsaws either. But the sound was still there, and it dawned on Lucy that it was not produced by any machine.
In slow motion, she turned her head slightly to the right, dreading what she would find.
What she felt on her cheek was not rain, either. It was wet, and it moved, and it was… drool.
Natsu snored again, a loud, rumbling sound that vibrated in his chest and left his lungs like a steam train. Lucy turned to stone.
Here she was, curled up against Natsu, covered by a blanket, in the morning, with his drool dripping onto her cheek. Had the world decided to play a cruel joke on her?
Slowly, very slowly, Lucy lifted her arm, wiping away the wetness on her skin with her sleeve, her face a mask of terror. She simply had to pretend it was water. Yes. Nothing disgusting about water. Drool was a lot like water, wasn't it. A lot more bacteria, of course, and the smell also was– Lucy shivered, desperately rubbing at her cheek.
Natsu's body heat had seeped into her throughout the night, leaving her with a comfortable warmth the kinds of which she had barely ever felt before. His cheek rested atop her head, one arm slung over the backrest of the couch, creating a wonderful little niche for her to curl into. His legs were sprawled out, feet resting far apart on the floor, while she had pulled hers up onto the couch, knees touching his thigh.
It was definitely a comfortable position to wake up in. For her, at least. She was almost certain Natsu would suffer from neck pains.
Peeling herself away from him carefully, just the upper body at first, Lucy let her eyes roam over his face. His hair was a mess.
Not able to resist the temptation, she reached out and brushed a few loose strands out of his face, grinning when he wrinkled his nose and turned his head to find a more comfortable position. He'd better not wake up now, or her dignity would be lost forever.
Quickly, she pulled back and got up, hopping backwards on socked feet as she almost lost her balance in her haste.
Taking a deep breath to calm her beating heart, Lucy decided it would be best to let him sleep for a little bit longer – chances were that he was probably a little hungover, and she would gladly spare him every second of that. And she could well use a shower before breakfast, too.
With this thought in mind, Lucy made first for her closet, then for the bathroom. The heating in the house, while rather old-fashioned, worked well enough, and so she did not freeze too much as she stripped herself out of her clothing.
Quickly skipping over the cool tiles, Lucy hopped into the shower, in her thoughts already feeling the hot water pouring down on her. She sighed and, ignoring the goosebumps travelling up her arms, reached for the handle.
Nothing happened.
She moved it again, and then, just to be sure, a few more times in every direction it would turn. She cursed, mumbling to herself angrily.
"What the… the drains?"
"The drains are just fine," someone informed her.
Lucy didn't even wait to turn around before she screamed. This was not Natsu's voice, or any she had ever heard, and she was in her flat, in her bathroom, alone, naked, and how in the world had anyone gotten inside?!
She was still screaming when she turned around, a high-pitched, scared-to-the-bone sound, and for just a second she locked eyes with someone, a tall, dark figure with eyes as black as coal. Then the door ripped open, Natsu barging in like a bulldozer, and whatever it had been she had seen vanished before anything else could register in her brain.
"Lucy?!"
"Natsu!" Lucy wheezed in relief, pressing a hand over her rapidly beating heart. She was safe now. She was safe and she was… naked. Her relief didn't last long.
Natsu, too, seemed to register this detail as he kept staring at her. His face, first worried and shocked, slowly morphed into something else entirely. His eyes widened, mouth forming a small circle, and then, quietly, he puffed out a small, "Oh."
Lucy squealed, trying to cover up any part she deemed indecent as good as possible and flushing a red almost as intense as Natsu's skin. But nakedness be damned, she needed to tell him about… whatever it was she had seen. It had not been her imagination, had it?
"Natsu," she stuttered, pointing at the towel she had placed on top of the commode, "Something…someone was here. Inside the bathroom."
Natsu snapped out of his stupour faster than she would have imagined, nodding grimly. He did not hand her the towel, though.
"Yeah," he agreed. "I can smell it. He came through the drains, huh. There's only one bastards who stinks like this…"
Natsu sniffed the air again, following an invisible path.
His head snapped around when he found what he had been looking for. With another look at her (that lasted longer than it should have and definitely moved lower than it should have, too) he walked over to her, ignoring her surprised yelp and smack to his chest. His hands gripped her shoulders, calloused fingertips digging into creamy skin, and then, finally, his eyes fixed on hers again.
"Stay right here," he commanded, and something in his voice made her not only obey without a single complaint, but also completely silenced her before she could fling any insults or kick him where it hurt most. It didn't matter that she was naked. She didn't think he even realized it in this moment, hands squeezing her reassuringly. Lucy nodded meekly.
Letting go, Natsu spun around, sprinting out of the room and leaving Lucy behind to shakily get out of the shower and at least put on fresh clothes.
His last words had done nothing to relax or even enlighten her:
"Oi, tin can!"
He found him in the living room.
It wasn't hard – he had not been hiding. Sporting an expensive looking black suit, the devil had claimed the couch as if it were a throne, sitting with his legs spread wide and a cocky smirk on his lips.
"Long time no see, Salamander."
Natsu frowned. "Gajeel." He nodded curtly, not moving from where he stood. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"What, can't I visit my little cousin?" Gajeel cackled darkly, putting his feet up on the living room table. Natsu almost couldn't help but flinch in Lucy's stead. Almost.
Huffing out an annoyed sigh, he moved closer and crossed his arms.
"What, can't wait to get your ass kicked by me?" he asked, a dark grin of his own flashing over his face.
Gajeel laughed then, a loud, booming sound that sufficed as answer. Natsu scowled.
"How long has it been?" he finally said, slapping his thighs, "Zeref sure kept you chained to his side, eh? Though they still say hell is quite quiet without END around."
"Ha!" Natsu cackled, "Nobody told me how much fun the human world would be!"
"Oh, is it? That's news to me. Last time I was here was during the plague, and I can't say things have brightened up a lot," Gajeel grumbled, then pointed at his tailored suit. "At least their fashion sense seems to have changed for the better."
Natsu did not really understand much of what he was hearing (human history had never been his favourite subject), but he didn't care much either. He was too excited by his family visit, even if he tried to not let it show. How long had he not seen his cousin? A decade, at least. Lately, Zeref had gotten more and more obsessed with his training.
There had not been much time for fun and games.
"I'm fuckin' hungry," Gajeel thundered out of the blue, and Natsu grinned. Finally someone who understood his appetite. Though, granted, Igneel did almost rival him at times. "Fetch yer elder some good ol' screws, will ya."
"I don't think Lucy has screws," Natsu deadpanned, but then his eyes lit up.
"Lucy who?" Gajeel asked, but was never granted an answer. Natsu had dashed off, and the delicious sound of clanking metal drifted over to him. Next thing he knew, Natsu was pointing a long, sharp knife at his nose. Without hesitation, Gajeel took a hearty bite out of the forged and double-folded steel.
It was this moment that a (now fully clothed) Lucy chose to enter the living room.
It was not exactly the best moment.
Gajeel blinked at her before crunching down on the metal. Her eyes moved to what had once been her favourite kitchen knife. She didn't understand the world anymore.
Not like she had ever since Natsu had arrived.
"W-who are you?!" She had intended to scream, but her throat was too scratchy and her mind too exhausted, and so it came out as an exasperated wail.
One devil was more than enough. And judging from his similarly red skin (it was just a tad darker than Natsu's), he definitely was not very human.
And he didn't seem very impressed.
"Gajeel," he grunted in her direction before proceeding to entirely ignore her, taking the knife out of Natsu's hand and devouring it completely.
Helplessly, she directed her attention at Natsu. He shrugged, flopping down onto the couch beside their guest. While he seemed to know the man in the suit, he appeared to be almost as clueless as her.
Pressing a hand to her forehead, Lucy slowly advanced, coming to a standstill at the armrest of the couch, beside Natsu. Nobody offered her a seat.
"Spit it out," Natsu demanded, "What are you doing here? You didn't go through the trouble of tracking me down because you missed my face."
Gajeel chewed slowly, savouring his last bite. When he looked at Natsu again, an ominous glare had settled on his face. "So how's yer exam going?" It was obvious from his tone of voice that there was no real question. "There's, y'know, no fucking souls showing up down there. Well – none sent by yer sorry ass. Bussiness is going as good as ever."
There was a sudden moodshift in the flat.
It was only subtle, but enough to send goosebumps travelling up Lucy's arms.
Natsu loudly exhaled through grit teeth, stiffening.
"Since when is that any of your fucking bussiness?" he growled, "You miss me so much you want me back home?"
"Don't get all cocky on me," Gajeel taunted, "It's not like I care for you or anythin'. I'm jus' sayin'… you can be happy it's only me who has noticed so far. Or maybe they've noticed, but nothin's happened yet. Yer a lucky bastard."
Natsu took in this information with an almost pensive expression. It was a rare look on him, and made Lucy dread whatever was going on even more. She took a deep breath, stomping down the fear bubbling inside her like lava.
"Uh, Mr. Devil, excuse me…" she started lamely, and then blushed when both devils on the couch started snorting, exchanging incredulous glances.
Natsu grinned at her. "No need to be polite to that rusty screwface. He's my cousin, ya know, so even if he's a pain in the ass, he's family."
"What'd yer just call me?" the other growled, and before she knew it they both were at each other's throat. Lucy was starting to lose her patience. Not only had this guy trespassed into her flat and had probably seen her naked, no, he had also been rude to her. She deserved some answers.
"Okay, Gajeel," she said loudly, her anger giving her more courage than she had thought possible, "I would really like to know what's going on here."
Her voice could have cut through glass. Natsu immediately (yet reluctantly) let go of his cousin's tie, and while Gajeel seemed far less affected, he actually listened to her too. Then his eyes fixed onto her, dark as the night and equally as scary, and Lucy wished she wouldn't have said anything.
"You," he grunted, "Human. What's yer fuckin' problem. Be glad you're still alive, 'cause you're getting real annoying real quick."
Lucy paled, heart quickening. His words weren't an empty threat, she could see the murderous intent blazing in his eyes. Fear gripped her like a steel trap, digging into her. This one wasn't like Natsu. Instinctively, she took a step backwards.
But Gajeel didn't get the chance to say another word, much less get up.
Natsu slammed him back into the couch with enough force to almost topple it over, teeth bared as he snarled at him. The grey tie started to smoke where his hand, engulfed in flames, gripped his suit.
"Don't touch Lucy," he spat, "Don't even think about it, or I'll personally send you back to hell."
Gajeel's eyes widened in surprise for just a split second, but he was on his feet and Natsu on the floor in the blink of an eye.
"Who do you think you're talking to, bastard?!"
Natsu got up with a dark smirk, wiping blood off his lip. Lucy had rushed to his side without thinking, and he blinked at her in surprise when she touched his shoulder, face full of shock and worry.
"Natsu, are you okay?"
He smiled at her then, trying his best to look reassuring. "Don't worry Lucy, the bastard doesn't stand a chance against me."
Gajeel, who had followed their exchange intently, broke into roaring laughter. "You couldn't beat me even if you were a full devil. Have you lost your mind?"
"I don't care that you're older than me, or that you're a full devil. If I have to fight you, I'll win," Natsu growled furiously, and Gajeel's face darkened.
"Very well," he answered, and the flat around them suddenly seemed to fade in and out of existence. Darkness emanated from him like smoke, curling and twisting as it enveloped them. Gajeel seemed to be made of pure darkness, his eyes gleaming a deep, bloody red.
"It's not real," Natsu told Lucy calmly, but the fear and panic she was feeling were very real, so she couldn't help shivering like a leaf despite his words. "We're still in your flat."
"Say goodbye to your human friend," the shadows laughed, and Natsu flung himself forward with an enraged roar. Lucy was panting, trying to find anything her eyes could hold onto in the darkness around her. They were still in her flat. Natsu had said so. And so, slowly, she felt her way forward. Flames suddenly erupted, casting light into the shadows, and she could make out the two men beside the couch, fists locked on each other's faces. Her ceiling was scorched.
This couldn't be happening. This was madness. They would destroy her flat!
Lucy sprinted around the couch before she knew it, standing in between the two devils with her hands up in the air before they could clash again.
"Stop!" she called, gasping for air, "Not in my flat!"
Then she realized how stupid she sounded.
Gajeel's knuckles cracked as a dark grin spread across his face, and Lucy saw her life flashing before her mind's eye. He raised his fist, inches from her, and she couldn't do anything but stand frozen in shock.
Then she was spun around, strong arms engulfing her and hugging her to a hard chest. Natsu's breath was hot against her neck, and she felt the force of Gajeel's hit even as he shielded her with his body. "What are you doing!" he spat, but the shock in his voice was unmistakable. Her mind had went blank, and she simply clung to his arms, eyes wide and lips trembling as much as every other part of her body, preventing her from speaking.
He let her go only to spin her around and grip her by the shoulders, and faintly she registered that she was surprised to see his expression similar to what she imagined hers must be.
"N-Natsu…" was all she finally managed to say, unable to tear her gaze from his wide eyes.
The flat was back around them, without any shadows clouding it, but neither of them saw how Gajeel slowly dragged a hand over his face.
His eyes remained closed even after it had slid down his face and dropped to his side, brows furrowed.
"For fucks sake…" he mumbled more to himself than to either of them, "A human, Natsu? Isn't there anything ya can do like a normal devil?"
Natsu spun around with a scowl. "Whaddaya mean with that?"
Gajeel simply rolled his eyes, straightened out his suit (the tie was back to normal) and sat back down onto the couch. "Yer an idiot."
Lucy, who had not heard Gajeel's words, slowly regained a normal heart rate. With shaky legs, she sat down onto the couch, keeping as much distance from the devil as possible. He glanced over at her, and she tried her best not to flinch, but to stare back bravely.
Gajeel huffed (in amusement? she wasn't quite sure), and suddenly his skin changed, paling until it had settled for a teint that came close to dark caramel. Her mouth opened, then closed again, and he grinned at her as if he hadn't just threatened her life minutes ago. There were no horns on his head either.
"Better?" he asked, and Lucy guessed this was his attempt at a peace offering.
"Wait… you can do that?" she suddenly asked, then turned to stare at Natsu with an accusatory look. "You could have done that? All this time?"
"He damn sure can't," Gajeel laughed superiorly, "Not before he's S-Class. Guess he'll be stuck as a lower devil forever at this rate."
"Shut up!" Natsu screeched. "I'll be S-Class before you know it, and I'll kick your stupid ass!"
Gajeel did not seem convinced.
"And you'll start with this one?" he asked mockingly, motioning his head towards Lucy.
Natsu clenched his jaw, glaring first at Gajeel and then at the wall to his right.
"Natsu," Gajeel said, his voice suddenly a lot more somber and serious, "I'm warning you. Getting invloved with humans won't do you any good. Us devils aren't supposed to mingle with anyone. Our job is to destroy, to test and mislead."
Natsu sat down onto the living room table angrily, and to her terror Lucy heard a small crack. "You're one to talk," he suddenly retorted, glaring at his cousin, "Last time I checked you were hitting it off with that small angel. What was her name again, Luigi?"
Out of all the emotions Lucy had never expected to cross Gajeel's face, complete and utter shock, panic even, had probably been the very last. His face fell before the words had even left Natsu's mouth, and he leaned forward to rest his arms on his thighs, black hair falling over his shoulders.
"Shut up, Salamander," he hissed, suddenly a lot more uneasy. "Don't you remember what happened to Erza?"
"That was her name!" Natsu suddenly called excitedly, throwing both of them off. "The one with the flaming hair! I remember her from when I was still young! Wait – what happened to her?"
Gajeel's face darkened. "Zeref really never told you anything, huh? It's like he kept you locked away."
Ahh let's break the 200 reviews with this one aye? B)) You're all amazing!
R: laxusdrayer2324: WWWAAAHHH TT! Natsu has to kill Zeref or Zeref kills Natsu?! So unfair is there any way to prevent it?!
A: Ikr? SO unfair B((( I don't know, is there? We're gonna have to find out heh.
R: Mo0nyMoon: Ahhh Natsu being so domestic is adorable. I can feel that zeref is going to be a real basterd in this story.
A: Well, y'know, he IS the literal devil : D (And all the yes for domestic nalu, it makes me weak.)
R: Animallover: I'm really looking forward to when the story really starts to pick up the pace!
A: Are you satisfied? B)
R: EmeraudeLucille: I wonder what they eat in hell? Hmmm.
A: Good question. :D Fire fries? Hahaha.