Chapter 11: Duplicity
Maybe he could just ignore it.
Pretend he never saw this message his brother sent for him.
But next to him Lucy's eyes are slowly growing wide and curious, sparkling with an aching interest he wished she didn't have as she subtly attempts to lean over to read said note once more.
"How…How did he know you were here? And how will you respond?" She whispers in rising eagerness into the silence of the room.
Natsu felt his throat go dry.
And after a while he simply shrugged, crumpling and tossing the message towards the trash bin.
"I don't know…all I know is now is not a good time to go back." 'Or ever really.'
Lucy pursed her lips then, clearly unsatisfied with his answer.
And before he can even question her, she pushes him down into the bedspread, hovering over him as a stern expression graces her features.
"Tell me." She demanded softly.
Because surely he doesn't think she hasn't seen him snooping through her files or phone when he thinks she's fast asleep.
His tale tell scent shouldn't be by her computer or phone that much.
'I'll put an end to this now and corner him.' Lucy asserts to herself proudly.
Though her confidence is slipping just a tad at seeing Natsu's amused grin…
Natsu scoffed, testing the waters. "Or else? Will you keep us in this compromising position?" He crooned.
He beamed at the rise of pink that flushed her cheeks, grunting when she abruptly decided to shift their bodies closer.
"No…" Lucy purred, smile too sweet that Natsu gritted his teeth at having to hear what she wanted.
"This would be the last time our bodies are this close for a long time if you don't start spilling some real answers out. Now." She finished coolly.
Well shit.
"Zeref is a doctor/pharmacist, he takes on a wide variety of patients all throughout Fiore and other nearby regions." Natsu grumbled.
'That was easy.' Lucy mentally congratulated herself, she wasn't even going to really hold back on sex/intimacy; she had only wanted to see what his reaction would be…
It worked.
But it's a small victory nonetheless, Natsu's face has gone empty and frustrated, dark eyes hidden beneath his pink hair.
She lifts up strands of fuchsia locks to truly look at him, breathing to calm the ball of nerves settling in her chest.
"Go on." Lucy urged.
Because he hasn't said anything negative or bad…yet.
"Dragneel Pharmaceuticals is the company he runs, he was always an experimenter of sorts by mixing different drugs together to see how they affected the body. He became successful once it spread that he was known to help relieve or cure patient's pain or infections." Natsu explained.
"That doesn't explain though…?" Lucy brought up, but Natsu shook his head.
"He became too curious though, too successful, and perhaps too powerful. He started investigating and carrying out trials on more and more people with stronger pain medicines, narcotics that you could only get by prescription. People started to become dependent on him, lured by the addiction now to reach that same high again, and I…I helped him." He finished.
Natsu shut his eyes, he can feel sweat forming at his palms as his stomach twists and his heart pounds louder.
"People in this secret underground black market he runs are afraid of our family. I was nicknamed 'Dragon' for the methods I used to keep people quiet, if guns, bribes, or threats didn't work; I used fire. But, I wanted to do more with my life than continue to be in my brother's shadow. I left, though…the family bonds can't be escaped from that easily."
Lucy must surely loathe him now. He pictures the disgust marring her face as another rush of cold shivers jab at his skin.
"Natsu don't do that, biting your tongue and lips leave nasty blood stains and cuts." She calls out to him.
He reopens his eyes and finds himself staring into a concerned gaze.
Now she knows everything, the implications of what happens to those that don't pay up, stand in his brother's way, or try to interfere.
"Your parents can't put a stop to this somehow or know about this?" She asks meekly.
Natsu's laugh comes out choked and hollow.
"Stop? They used to help him Luce before they died. Igneel maybe could've done something before he realized the extent of what was truly going on, but it's too late now I don't think even he-"
Lucy leaned forward into him rather than let him go on, lips brushing against his growing bruised ones. The familiar metallic taste of blood stains her tongue once more.
"Y-You don't have to say any more Natsu." She mumbled into his chest.
And she smiles as she listens to his heartbeat, hurried and frantic slowing as he moves his arms to wrap around her.
"I'm sorry I didn't properly tell you sooner." He apologizes.
Lucy shook her head, blonde hair tickling at his nose. "Don't worry; I understand."
Natsu soon shifted them then, maneuvering them so now its Lucy pinned against the sheets. He licked his lips slowly as he gazed over her, clasping their hands together as he moved to kiss her properly.
"I don't want to think about his letter right now Luce or all those gruesome scenes, I want to forget. Help me get it off my mind." He implored heatedly by her ear when they broke away for air.
'We shouldn't really…' Her thoughts start warningly.
Because there are other ways they can end the topic besides giving into lust.
Natsu kisses her again though until she's truly winded, lips a bright and swollen red as he grinded closer to her. Sweat gathers in their most private regions as she resisted the urge to squirm.
"Please Luce, stop thinking so hard on this; this isn't like some equation you need to solve you know." He muttered.
She would've rolled her eyes over his remark if not for his deepening gaze.
"Are you coming undone?" He chuckles lowly at her slip of a moan, pressing tighter towards her core.
Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, breathing going shallow. As much as she doesn't want to give in to his ego just yet…
"Yes."
That's all he needs to hear.
And her hands brush back into the curve of his neck as she falls into him, lifting and loosening away at their clothed boundaries. His hands brush slowly and methodically over every part of her, unfastening her bra while she dazedly moved for his jeans.
Natsu is painfully languish with his movements, teeth pinching at her peaked nipples before moving a trail of kisses downward to her main arousal.
And her own fingers reach to grasp at his erection, curse escaping him as she licks the tip of his shaft.
"Lucy…" He hisses, a mix of curse and growl to tug her closer. His hands twist and grab at strands of her hair.
And she only sucks harder.
But it's the rise of heat pooling in her stomach as his fingers tease and pierce her that breaks her, pleas echoing off the walls as the first burst of ecstasy overtakes her. Natsu's thrusts seem longer and deeper and his release for a moment distracts her from the tears she sees pricking his eyes.
This pleasurable diversion can only do so much.
-X-
"Gajeel and Levy are probably wondering where the heck we went." Lucy realizes aloud.
The scent of sweat and sex lingers still lingers on them and for once, she wants to fight the sleep creeping up on her.
Natsu opened one eye, fixing her with an amused smirk. "Oh, I think they have some inkling as to what we've been up to or better yet, they probably went off on their own for some alone time too!"
He's not sure he deserved that sharp kick Lucy sends to his knees soon after saying that.
"Are you hungry?" He ventures, moving his gaze towards outside. It's not evening yet as far as he can tell, mid-afternoon sunlight glistens against the trees and grass before he turns his gaze back to her.
Lucy nods, moving off of him in slow fashion.
She flushes at his knowing stare, eyes narrowed as he observed her reach for clothes tossed all around them.
"D-Don't just sit there, put your stuff back on too!" She hisses when Natsu continues to sit motionless.
A quick peek over her shoulders and she catches his wicked smirk, drawing the blankets back just enough for her to see all of him.
Natsu merely hummed in response, grin widening. "Hmm, can't I enjoy the view for just a bit longer? You're getting an eyeful of me after all."
The next thing he sees is black as Lucy tosses his vest directly into his face.
Gajeel and Levy are lounging by the pool once their properly dressed, Levy is the first to notice them, peering up from her book and beaming as she sat up from her recliner.
"Ha, I told you it would be over an hour before we saw them again Gajeel!" Levy snickered, flashing a victorious grin his way as he scowled.
"Huh, guess I was wrong; Salamander's hunger for the bedroom was stronger than his usual one for food." He grumbled.
Before Lucy could retort, a wave of water splashed over the duo. Turning, she watched as Natsu rose up from the pool's edge and sent her a thumbs up.
"See Lucy, told ya I could catch them off guard by slipping away!" Natsu mused.
Levy squeezed the water out of her hair huffing, sputtering away the taste of chlorine on her tongue. "Okay, guess we maybe deserved that."
Gajeel scoffed, moving to help her dry herself before sending Natsu a scowl. "You got one lucky hit on us."
Natsu sneered, rising to his bait. "Oh, it wasn't luck. You're just not very aware of your surroundings; don't throw a hissy fit now just because you got a little pool water up your nose and ears!"
"Hissy fit?!" Gajeel snapped.
Lucy and Levy both sighed.
It was starting.
"I'll race you to end of the pool, loser has to do any dares the other gives him for a whole day!" Natsu bellowed, leaping in beside him.
"You're on, get ready to have the most humiliating day of your life!" He hollered back.
And then they were off.
Levy sat back on her recliner, frowning at the ink now running off the pages of her book. "Well, at least there both as energized as ever, right?"
Lucy smiled apologetically at her now waterlogged book, plopping next to her. The shade was truly a perfect escape from the sun's heat while still being able to drift into the coolness of the pool's water.
"Yeah, I'm a bit surprised to be honest." She murmured without realizing.
'Those were tears in his eyes, I'm sure…'
Should she be worried?
She had pushed and pushed him for him tell her the truth after all, she couldn't start regretting her choice now.
"What's wrong Lucy? Natsu's stick his foot in his mouth again?" Levy guessed.
Lucy laughed faintly, if only it were something so simple. "No, but…he told me the truth about the nickname."
As she expects, Levy's eyes widen a fraction as she scoots closer. "And? Don't leave me in suspense!"
Her stomach does an unexpected flip in nervousness to respond, instead she focuses towards Natsu from the distance, a surge of blue and white surrounding him as he seemed to tear through the water. Gajeel shouts at him for cheating as they reach the opposite end, but he pays it no mind, grinning and laughing like nothing is wrong.
Their Fairy Tail tattoos are inevitably getting them stares and mean mugs from the other pool goers they've splashed or interrupted and Lucy feels her gut twist further at gazing at Natsu's scarlet mark.
Why does it look like it's maybe covering another older tattoo?
'How did I miss something like that? How many other signs have I not picked up on yet?'
"Lucy, stop ogling him and tell me!" Levy beckons again to interrupt her rapid thoughts, shaking her shoulders slightly and she snaps out of her daze, reddening at being caught so blatantly.
"I-I can't." She whispers, and it's now that she realizes her stomach isn't getting tight out of anxiety to tell Levy.
It's fear.
"H-He had a good reason to keep it from me. It was a dangerous, reckless lifestyle he wanted out of-"Lucy paused, twisting her lip uncertainly.
Levy brushes away at strands of wet hair falling into her face, stare intense and focused. Her face contorts into an unreadable expression she isn't sure what to make of.
And she sucked in a breath, knowing already what she wants to ask.
"Lucy, are you in danger now too?"
-X-
"Natsu hasn't responded back yet, has he?" Igneel asks.
It comes out more like a fact than a question.
Zeref nods, peering down at the still blackness of his phone resting on the edge of the table. It's typical Natsu behavior to not respond to him and he restrains back the scowl that threatens to break his calm façade.
Igneel easily notices it the subtle change.
"Just give up on it already. Natsu isn't going to budge anytime soon, if he doesn't want to be a part of this all, it's his decision. After all, at least he isn't sitting around the house doing nothing; he's gone off to college to further his education." He explained.
There's a flicker in Zeref's expression then, a cold smile cracks through.
"…We both know he needs me Igneel. I'm sure he's noticed the changes in his body by now, the things he can't properly control when his emotions get the better of him; he can't run forever from the things he's done." Zeref emphasized.
Igneel lets out a long sigh, the tension is growing much too thick in the room now as he balled his hands in a makeshift attempt to not hit the man before him. They are in public after all, a restaurant in the middle of a busy interchange between breakfast and lunch isn't the best place to start a fight.
"Okay then, let's say you do 'help' him then. How can Natsu believe you won't try to trick or mislead him like you have with so many of your other 'patients'?" He asked.
Zeref merely shrugged, maintaining his cool indifference.
"He can't; I suppose."
And just as Igneel wants to speak again, Zeref's phone lights up with a buzz. It doesn't come from his personal phone though, no this is a work call.
Another clientele.
"Hmm, that's right I have a few people I'm scheduled to meet with this afternoon." Zeref considered, checking his watch and reaching for his coat. He's leaving half-finished breakfast behind, though he can just pick up something from the hospital's cafeteria.
He can feel Igneel's hardened stare on him as he gets up to gather his belongings, but he ignores it like he's done time and time again.
"Good afternoon Dr. Dragneel; I believe you have 5 patients scheduled to meet with you this afternoon." A receptionist chirps out as he heads up to his office.
A quick glance at the sign in sheet and he sees that he doesn't recognize the first name on the list.
'Oh, a new one? Must've been recommended by a friend or family member.'
One of the nurses passes over the client's file to him and he reads the brief overview of her before going in to greet her. A woman in her mid-30s suffering from chronic back and leg pain since an on the job factory related injury. No other prior medical history stood out to him except a minor surgery a few years back to remove a gallstone.
She didn't fit the bill to necessarily be considered a drug seeker or pill popper.
But, things like that could easily be changed.
She's shy and unsure when their finally face to face in the tiny 4x4 walls of the room. Her gaze every few seconds flickers to the paintings on the wall depicting gardens and the sea.
"Are you alright Ms. Mills, you appear to be a bit on edge?" Zeref begins lightly.
Her fidgeting halts for a moment then, finally facing him as he gets a clear look at her amber eyes. "I don't mean to sound rude, it's just you seem to be a bit younger than what my friend had mentioned. Though, I've gotten desperate to try and reach out to anyone to help me with this pain and going by her and some of your reviews, you're one of the best in all of Fiore."
Zeref laughed modestly, the physical head to toe assessment showed no signs of any heart or breathing issues.
It was just her pain.
Her skin is pale too he notes, free of any blemishes or scars, but he can already picture the red streaks and scratches that would soon ravage her all over when her addiction began to burn her inside.
Beauty doesn't last long with corruption.
"Alright, since I didn't find any major issues going on with your body, I'll start you off with one of my regular low dose pain prescriptions and see how your body handles it. If that doesn't help or you feel you need a re-fill, please don't hesitate to schedule another appointment." Zeref explained, hanging his stethoscope over his shoulders again as he reached into his pocket to write out the form.
She's bright and thankful as she accepts the form and a few teaching handouts on symptoms and side effects to watch for while he makes routine small talk with her.
'Just another number, she'll go out and tell her friends and the cycle will start all over again...'
That light and spark in her eyes will soon be gone and pain will soon be the last thing on her mind. A crooked grin formed on his face imagining what she'll look like when she returns for a checkup.
Because after all, he expects she'll probably be back before the week is even over.
-X-
Its nights like this, nights like tonight she wishes she hadn't been persuaded to leave her sleep medicine at home.
Because Natsu's presence is doing nothing to get her to rest.
He's warm, arms wrapped around her like a blanket and she shifts again once more to try and find a comfortable spot in his chest.
Praying all the while he doesn't wake up to wonder why she's so restless.
'It must be past 3 in the morning now.' Lucy whines to herself internally, restraining back the urge to scream.
She can't admit aloud to herself yet that she knows the cause of her insomnia this time.
All her thoughts keep achingly turning, winding back to Zeref's message.
And Natsu's lack thereof responding.
He had eventually with her nagging sent a simple message back saying perhaps in the summer time before tossing his phone away. When she had questioned him if that was an answer his brother would like, he sighed and said no.
'But nothing I would say would be good enough, don't worry about it Luce.'
And yet, here she was doing the exact opposite of what he said.
It's cloudy tonight, she couldn't even do her constellation counting like she usually did to escape the hindrance of being unable to sleep.
Another quick turn in the sheets again, maybe this time she'll reach that sweet comfort spot…
"You know it's hard to sleep when you keep tossing like that." Natsu slurs by her ear and she nearly rolls out of bed in shock.
"Don't scare me like that!" Lucy hissed, jabbing him purposefully with her elbow. Natsu winces, but his hold remains on her.
He laughs, voice low and deep with the haze of sleep. For a moment, Lucy thinks he's about to tease or trick her in some way until he steers his head back against her neck.
"Since you're awake, I've been wanting to ask; when did you find out?" He asks into her skin.
The action makes skin tingle as she shifted him a side glance. "Huh?"
"How did you know I had looked at your investigating?" He clarifies.
A curve of a smile comes up on her lips then, oh, so that's what he meant. Though he probably won't like the answer she gives…
"Your scent gave you away." Lucy murmurs, closing her eyes briefly to think back to the morning. The smell of earth and spices blended together…
"Gray warned me too that you would spy." She adds in and she feel his grip on her fleetingly tighten.
'I'll kill that human popsicle when we get home.'
But before he can finish thinking up new methods of blackmail or revenge, Lucy leaves his hold to stand up and yawn.
Natsu arched a brow, sitting up as well. "Where ya going at this hour?"
Her vision is still fuzzy from the darkness, but she can make out Natsu's spiky hair and frame even without the lights.
"To the balcony, I can't sleep; remember? A certain somebody told me to leave my medications behind." Lucy asserts.
She can hear his footsteps follow after her.
"I have my reasons for not wanting you bring those pills…' He grumbled.
'After all, I've seen firsthand what taking too much or getting dependent can do to a person.'
Though Lucy waves him off, leaning her head against the railing as a cooling breeze whips up her hair. This should make her sleepy, the sea air permeating around them mixed with the crashing of the waves onto land worked for most people.
Insomnia didn't seem to affect most people though.
Natsu studied her in the passing minutes, brown eyes opening and closing in rhythmic pattern with the waves. Secretly, he had read about and asked fellow guild members about advice on how to help Lucy with her insomnia (much to his embarrassment he knew little on his own).
"Often times, people usually listen to classical music or something soft playing in the background to help them sleep at night like the ocean, forest, or nature in general." Mira suggested.
"Nah, that's not Lucy's style! Listen Natsu, if Lucy has any trouble sleeping on your trip than a few drinks will usually take care of that! Alcohol knocks out most people after a good couple of rounds; Lucy should be no different!" Cana chuckled, swinging her mug of beer for emphasis.
Hmm, the last time Lucy had been drunk around him she had been a bit too playful…
Others chimed in with ideas for herbal remedies, clothes, and any other random age old things he had never heard of.
"Heh, what Lucy probably needs is noise cancelling headphones if she'll have to deal with the possibility of your snoring!" Gray mused.
Natsu sent him a glare, cracking his knuckles. "Excuse me frosty, what was that?!"
Gray sneered, gearing up as well. "What, too much time around fire messed with your hearing?"
Erza coughed loudly before either made a move.
"Natsu. Gray. I'm sure you two aren't going to cause a scene by fighting and destroying the guild after we worked so hard already to fix the damages done after the anniversary party, right?" She hummed, though her malice was barely restrained at being interrupted from a meal, spoon bending from the pressure she put on it.
Both men gulped.
"Of course not, Erza! I'm sure Natsu here will think of something if needs be. Lucy in fact will most likely get tired out from all the activities they do over the day!" Gray pointed out, slapping Natsu's back in 'friendly' jest.
Natsu rolled his eyes, but kept up the show for both their sakes.
In hindsight, only Mira had given him an actually decent suggestion. However, they were by the ocean now and it didn't seem to be making Lucy any sleepier.
"Lucy." He called out to her.
Her gaze shifted to him as she leaned off the railing slightly.
Natsu scratched his cheek, wondering how he should begin. "Listen, so I was reading in my spare time that-"
Lucy cut him off with a giggle, drowsy smile widening. "You read in your free time? You hardly even pick up the books you actually need to read for class!"
Natsu admonished her with a flat look until all her snickering was gone.
"Okay, okay sorry; continue."
"Right, so as I was saying before you so rudely insulted me; I read some articles and remembered that insomnia can be triggered due to stress or anxiety…" He trailed off.
Lucy stood up more fixedly now, frowning. It wasn't like she could walk away from him, not when he blocked her only means of escaping this conversation.
No, no the uneasiness is returning.
And Natsu gently tugs her back into him, already knowing what's crossing her mind.
"So Luce, I'm asking you now; are you worried about something?" He inquires, straight to the point.
"No!" She answers, much too fast and she curses herself.
Natsu sees right through her and is practically beamingdevilishly. In seconds, the tables have turned on her as he keeps his hold and pins in her place against the wall.
"Luce, do you want to make this difficult?" His tone is caught somewhere between seriousness and rising lust, fingers tracing lips that are fighting back a moan.
"...Yes…No, I would if I weren't feeling half-asleep." She countered, there's the same spark in his eyes from past arousals, but she can't find the words to ask him about it.
And because of that, they both know nothing will happen.
"Well, we have all night Lucy. Start talking." Natsu begins.
"Or else?" She answers mockingly in a callback to his own behavior.
She yelped at the sharp pinch he gave to the curve of her hip before quickly covering her mouth.
"I'll keep going to other areas too and you know how loud I can get you. Wouldn't want to wake up the neighbors or the entire floor now, would you?" He chuckled teasingly.
Damn it all.
"Fine, it's your brother." Lucy resigned.
Natsu's smile immediately faded, concern lighting his face. "Huh? Are you worried because of what he does with his job or something?"
Lucy nodded her head, forcing herself to properly look at him. "Aren't you? I don't want him to endanger any of our friends, or family…or you and me."
Her mind reels back to her father's warning, a painful realization that he was right.
Natsu hugs her back into his chest before her thoughts go into overdrive, rubbing her back soothingly.
"See, Luce this is why I didn't want to tell you and now you're losing sleep over this. I promise you I won't allow Zeref to interfere in my life, yours or anybody else's if I can help it. If he even thinks of trying to mess with any of us; I'll kick his ass straight back across the world, or better yet into a jail cell!"
And for the first time that night, Lucy feels the tenseness in her body relax. Natsu carries her back to bed and she drifts off truly this time.
But meanwhile Natsu weighed over his words as he watched Lucy start to rest, parting her hair away carefully from her face.
'Just how long can I keep that promise to her?'
-X-
"Summer is too far away." Zeref mutters under his breath.
He's seen all his patients for the day now, the only things left to do now is update his progress notes on them and close up for the day.
But his mind is drifting from work at his brother's answer, he peered outside again for probably the fourth time in that hour, watching as the sun drifted past thinning clouds as the sky took on a purplish hue.
He really was adamant about not seeing him.
'I wonder what else must occupy his time at that college, he can't be that invested in his schoolwork and grades knowing how he was back in high school.' He considered.
He pulled up Magnolia's University's homepage in a separate browser and typed in Natsu Dragneel. Natsu was indeed popular on campus, most of the links leading to his known status as a member and part of Fairy Tail's recent guild activities or antics. He focused his gaze on the pictures he stood out the most in, staring at the friends closest to him…
'He even brought Happy with him to college.' Zeref noted, scrolling through photos of him holding up the blue cat close for 'Pet Day on Campus.'
His attention soon found it's a way to a link done covering him for the school newspaper.
"Natsu Dragneel puts a spin on the typical magic shows and dance numbers by playing with fire for the annual talent show." By Lucy Heartfilia." He read aloud.
'That last name, where have I heard it before?'
Another quick tab pulls up them up, ah that's right the Heartfilia family. Jude ran an establishment of large oil and gas firms all over the region while his wife Layla had been more into the sciences, literature, and astrology communities…
And then there was their only child Lucy.
Zeref moved over to images, she truly was the spitting image of her mother with same eyes and hair and he wondered why he had never seen her before until now.
Because going back through Natsu's photos again amongst the school website showed her near him in quite a few of them.
The two were close; as friends or even lovers.
He could use this.
Zeref leaned his head against his palm, a smirk quirking his lips as he closed out the pages and went back to his main work.
"Lucy, huh?"
-x-
I think I kept you guys guessing long enough on what exactly it was Natsu was hiding, not to say there isn't more secrets that have yet to be revealed! As usual, thanks/ shout-outs to quite-a-riot, StellaHeartfilia, idevourbooks, maxridelover, and fafou14 for their responses last chapter and all my readers for stopping by! Hit me up with your thoughts! ;)
