Disclaimer: Don't own FT, but I finally own a Tumblr account! It's under this exact same name if you wish to chat to me about anything really – the stories I write, FT itself, or anything in general. I'm happy enough to reply – if I could just learn how to use the damn website…
Warning: Ugh, this one's slightly depressing and dramatic again, but I'll make up for it with lots of Natsu insight and little fluffy moments dusted over the top. It's time for some MORE FILLER! But we're just finishing setting up for the whole 'Battle of Fairy Tail' shindig. But there's also the appearance of another character I'm sure you'll love. Enjoy.
3rd Person P.O.V.
It was often said that you couldn't find a denser person in all of Fairy Tail's history than Natsu Dragneel.
Perhaps it was an exaggeration on several people's behalf – Gray, mostly – but many did believe that the destructive dragon slayer didn't have many brain cells to rub together as soon as he was off the battlefield and in real life.
He wasn't very observant or knowledgeable when it came to other human beings. Especially when it came to feelings either than hunger or girls.
Let alone a human girl who was experiencing a lot of feelings.
However, to Natsu, it felt like he was one of the only people who could see the storm cloud that was hanging over Lucy's head, and the exhaustion that was always dragging at her limbs. It made her slower, less likely to react to people positively, and she would flinch away from certain questions or comments.
Natsu knew this was because of that stupid S-class – according to Erza, who knew the colour code of mission ranks, and black was most certainly some form of S-class – mission Lucy had run off to while they had dealt with Jellal and that stupid tower. He also knew that majority of the guild was aware that something had gone bad about the mission and that Lucy hadn't been happy when she returned from it.
Therefore it confused Natsu as to why people like Mirajane and Erza asked about the mission constantly, wanting to know every last detail about an apparently rookie mages' S-class mission.
Perhaps it was a matter of pride with those two girls – Mirajane had been one of the most foremost S-class mage and Erza was currently one, and the idea that a freelancer, newbie like Lucy being chosen for a high-rated and dangerous mission over them had perhaps hurt their pride just a little bit. Whatever it was, it clouded the two girls from seeing how uncomfortable Lucy was with their constant questioning, and how her eyes would go glassy at times, like she was about to cry or was reliving horrible memories—
Something Natsu knew about, remembering days from years before where Gray would freeze up whenever people mentioned beloved teachers, or even Mirajane or Erza themselves when their harsh pasts were brought up.
At those times, Natsu was quick to distract the blonde with silly antics or frivolous requests. Lucy, Happy and he had visited the original duos' beloved fishing spot several times in the past few days, both Natsu and Happy ecstatic to show off something precious to them.
Of course, their thoughts of showing off to Lucy with their fishing skills were quickly drowned when Lucy simply used her bare hands and an odd technique called 'tickling' to flip several fish onto the shore.
Those days when Natsu and Happy got frustrated with the seemingly perfect girl would almost always end with them shoving Lucy into the river, only to be dragged in for an impromptu water fight that would leave them all breathless and soaking.
But happiness and laughter was always swift to die whenever Lucy returned to the guild only to find Bisca or Alzack trying to talk to her about guns – having heard in the great grapevine that she was highly proficient with the weapons. Or perhaps it was someone bringing up the newly discovered downfall of the Magic Council – Lucy's face had turned sour at that, but a round of what sounded like knowing laughter from Gajeel oddly had her lips quickly turning up at the corners.
Natsu could only offer laughter during the struggles of the day and a pair of comforting arms during the nightmare-riddled nights that had him bolting upright in his own bed because of the distant screams he could hear ringing in his ears that sent him bounding out of bed to get to Lucy's house.
He'd always be met with a distraught Ryos trying to comfort a trembling Lucy caught in the throes of a nightmare, and the young boy would always turn to him with pleading eyes that begged, begged, begged Natsu to do something!
But all Natsu could do was bundle up Lucy in his arms and attempt to rock her back to sleep.
He wanted to fight off her terrors and burn away every last one of her bad dreams, but he knew any fire would only give the fears strength.
The dragon slayer only felt helpless those nights in the deep dark, or in the next morning when he'd stare into Lucy's pale and exhausted face whenever she'd actually let him check if she was alright.
The sleepless nights slowly built up, and Natsu noticed that Lucy took every opportunity she could to take naps during the day.
It was only ever with the people Natsu noticed to understand and realise that something was wrong with Lucy, as the blonde heavily avoided going near the booth where Erza was sitting sharpening her swords, and would instead fall asleep leaning on Gray's shoulder as he fiddled with an ice sculpture.
Juvia would normally get mad at whoever dared to get so close to her beloved, but the girl would instead gently peel Lucy away from Gray when the Ice mage's arm got stiff and tired. She'd then place Lucy's head in her lap and gently pet at her tangled hair until it shone with a healthy gloss.
Whenever being near Gray and Juvia got too cold for her – Gray's body ran at a ridiculously low temperature for a human, and Juvia was always cool to the touch – Lucy would curl up next to Levy as the girl read a book, or would find herself tucked away in Elfman's arms as he hummed her a surprisingly nice lullaby.
Sometimes Lucy would even be found perched on Cana's lap, having been placed there by the older girl when she'd fallen asleep beside her. Lucy's legs would be wrapped around Cana's waist and her head tucked into the crook of Cana's shoulder as the older girl quietly drank or fiddled with her cards, careful not to disturb the blonde.
Those were all fine with Natsu – especially as he would occasionally get his turn during the day, Lucy opting to cuddle with Happy as she napped on the booth seat with her head firmly pressed against Natsu's thigh – it was the times when Lucy would nap against Gajeel that made him seethe.
The fact that he was the man who had beaten and broken her just a mere month ago didn't seem to deter Lucy from slipping into whatever booth he was in and taking a nap beside him. She'd always end up with her head in the crook of his neck, and while Natsu knew that Gajeel was uncomfortable with the contact, the bloody bastard would always keep Lucy there while turning around to give Natsu ONE BIG SMARMY SMIRK.
It was nearly enough to make Natsu burst into furious flames, but then he'd remember the terrified look in Lucy's eyes when his flames had erupted from beneath her during the whole Phantom Lord fiasco, and the bubbling guilt in his stomach would drag his flames back down into his skin.
So Natsu did his best to ignore the anger roiling in his gut alongside the guilt, and would merely keep his eyes on Gajeel whenever Lucy was nearby, or on the incoming explosion he knew would occur sometime soon.
It came one day when Lucy was playing a round of Texas poker with Astoria and the two boys that were a part of her team – Jason and Frank, right?
The four of them were having a great time, laughing and jibing at one another as they tossed in handfuls of jewels to raise the stakes.
Indeed, it seemed like it was one of the rare few days Lucy was truly happy – yesterday having been a day spent quietly reading with Ryos back at her apartment, actively avoiding any other human.
That was until Mirajane sauntered by with a tray of drinks ready for Team Shadow Gear sitting nearby. The woman couldn't help but duck slightly as she went by Lucy and ask teasingly, "Are you going to tell me about that mission of yours, yet?"
Natsu was sitting in direct view of Lucy, having taken a moment to recover from a tussle with several of his nakama, and coincidently got front row seats to seeing the sharp snap of Lucy's sanity.
The only sign that shit was about to go down was Lucy's pupils shrinking at an alarming rate and her body releasing a burst of distressed hormones. Which was, of course, a teller for someone with heightened senses like Natsu, Ryos and Gajeel.
The three dragon slayer's reacted to the sudden influx of information coming from their noses by surging to their feet, ready to face the threat – it would be odd to say that their ascent was time perfectly with Lucy's own sudden one, but not entirely surprising considered how well in-tune those three were with Lucy.
Majority of the guild fell dead silent when they heard the clatter of the poker table rocking back from the force of Lucy's ascent, and they all watched with wide eyes as Lucy – unwavering Lucy, the girl who could take everything on the chin, who could put up with Natsu's annoying antics and was more than willing to pick up Gray's clothes and hand them back to him (usually washed and folded the next day) – turned on their very own beloved Mirajane.
"Stop it!" the blonde hissed out, hands clenched and hair practically standing on end as she glared at a shocked Mirajane. "Stop talking! Stop asking me about that fucking mission! Don't you understand? I never want to talk about it again! I don't want to say anything about that horrible day, least of all to any of you! So stop fucking asking me, Mirajane, before I finally lose it!"
Lucy slammed her fist down onto the table she had been sitting at for emphasis, easily blowing a chunk off of the weathered wood. She hardly seemed to notice the splinters that dug their way into her skin, making blood well up and drip over the wounded digits.
"I-I'm sorry," Mirajane stammered, placing her tray of drinks in front of a shell-shocked Jet. "I didn't mean to…J-Just let me fix you up." The barmaid reached for the cloth she had hanging at her waist, intent on cleaning Lucy's hand.
However, Lucy didn't want Mirajane's pity, her kindness – she only wanted to be left alone. So she slapped away Mirajane's reaching hands and backed away from her and the looks she was getting from her fellow guildmates.
"Jesus fucking Christ," Lucy muttered to herself, running her hands agitatedly through her hair. The blood from her injured hair smeared itself through the blond locks, blending itself with the dyed streaks already in it. "Can you just…leave me alone, please?"
Without waiting for an answer, Lucy was already turning away from Mirajane and running for the door out of the guild. Her face was screwed up as she passed Natsu, and he could smell salt as she brushed by. He reached out for one of her arms, but she twisted away like she'd been burnt, and that just made him hurt.
Even Ryos hollers and pleas for her to stay as he chased after her didn't make Lucy stop, and the small boy could only wail when a foxy-spirit appeared in a flash to wrap her tail around Lucy and make them both vanish in a shimmer of light.
Silence reigned in the guild in the moments after Lucy's departure, only broken up by Ryos's sniffles and wails.
When Bisca went to comfort the child, having grown fond of the small boy, Ryos was quick to follow Lucy's example by slapping her hand away.
As Bisca cradled her hand in shock, Ryos pointed an accusing finger at her, tears still streaming down his face. "IT'S ALL YOU FAULT THAT SHE LEFT!" His rage was directed to the entire guild as he stamped his feet and bared sharp incisors at them. "IF YOU'D JUST REALISED THAT SHE WAS IN PAIN, THEN NONE OF THIS WOULD'VE HAPPENED!"
The youngest dragon slayer dashed the tears from his eyes with childish hands, bottom lip quivering unhappily as he continued in a harsh whisper. "You're all such idiots who can't even see when their nakama's in pain…"
"Ryos…" Levy started unsurely from her seat, but that was all the prompting that Ryos needed to sprint out the door and head for his shared apartment with Lucy.
When Levy made to go after the boy, Jet and Droy were quick to hold her back. When she tried to argue against them, it was only the sudden presence of Gajeel that stopped her in her tracks.
The man known as Black Steel placed a large hand on Levy's head, gently pushing her back into her seat. But his eyes weren't on the girl when he spoke, too busy addressing all of Fairy Tail for that. "Let the runt go; he'll just be mad at you for running off Princess like that and less likely to come back. Leave him to his own devices for a while."
"And what of Lucy?" demanded Erza, her emotions in a whirl at the sudden turn of events – why had she not seen the signs? Why had she not done anything either than sit there and watch with an open mouth? "What is to become of her? She attacked one of her nakama and ran off hysterically."
When Mirajane attempted to assure Erza that she was fine and that it was her fault, Gajeel bulldozed right over her with his significantly louder voice. "Well, maybe she wouldn't have done that if you guys had fucking realised that damn mission was a taboo. Her experience wasn't the same as the pansy missions that you, Titania, have done. What you don't realise is those black-marked, Council-issued S-classes are only for a select few."
"Like who?" Erza fired back, anger evident in her form as she stood up and stalked towards Gajeel.
"People like me an' Princess," Gajeel growled back.
At those words, Natsu felt the last bit of his restraint snap. He'd just watched one of his closest friends flip out and leave without him, and now this idiot was comparing his disgusting self with Lucy?
Ignoring Happy's pleas for him to stop and think, Natsu, this isn't something Lucy would want! Natsu marched up to shove his face into Gajeel's, fury evident in his eyes. "Lucy is nothing like you."
Surprisingly, Gajeel barked out a round of vicious laughter at that, startling Natsu into taking a step back. "Oh, Salamander," Gajeel sniggered, "Lucy is like me, only worse. At least I show my ugly side – that girl's going to explode one day when she can't hold back all the secrets and bodies under her bed."
The man then disregarded the questions and demands that Natsu and several of his guildmates threw at him, all too busy laughing to himself and heading out the door – his fun was done here.
Off to the side, Gray fumed at a table beside Juvia, furious with himself and several others – namely Gajeel. "How dare that bastard compare himself to Lucy; she isn't scum like him."
Beside him, Juvia could only gulp down memories of bloody blades and rolling heads, and hope that no one asked her what she thought of Lucy Heartifilia.
Because she had no words to describe that anomaly that was a killer with severe guilt and PTSD problems who slept in her lap and took care of a troubled boy.
No words at all.
Lucy P.O.V.
I could feel Vulp's worried eyes on me when I stepped away from her, satisfied in knowing that we were far out of Magnolia and away from prying eyes – there was no need for Vulp to use her illusions to hide us anymore. But I had no wish to see more pity today, nor to hear concerned words from loved ones. I was just…so tired and angry.
"You can head back now," I said shortly to Vulp, already heading off of the road that led from Magnolia towards the forest that surrounded it on either side; nature would keep me calm, and away from human life. "I'm just going to have a few days to myself, maybe even attempt to sniff out Ultear while I'm at it."
Surprisingly, Vulp didn't try and argue with me, just dismissed herself silently.
Well if that wasn't a teller that I was acting weird – Vulp never one to back down from arguing about my wellbeing, even when I was cranky and tired – I didn't know what was.
But I didn't seem to know much nowadays. Didn't know that I still held so much anger and frustration. The last time I'd snapped like that at someone I trusted was years ago, back when my little sister couldn't understand why I disappeared almost every night, intent on keeping myself distracted from the overwhelming expectation of my parents.
I didn't blame her then, but I was just so frustrated and tired that I couldn't help but shout and scream and rage at everything.
Nothing had ever hurt as much as the fear on my sisters face that night, nor the silent treatment that followed for what felt like days on end.
After that I had vowed to keep my temper in check, to continue smiling politely even when I was frustrated beyond all belief. And it had worked, even in Fairy Tail where stupidity was a regular occurrence and destruction reigned freely.
Until today.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I shouted to myself as I stalked into the forest, yanking at my hair in punishment. "You couldn't just keep it down, could you, Tia? You just had to let it all spill out! You're damn lucky you didn't slip up about the mission itself, or that would be the end of Lucy's life as a respected human being!"
I couldn't help but laugh hysterically. "Imagine that! The most righteous guild in all of Fiore holding a murder in its midst! What a joke!" Another round of laughter bubbled up out of my throat, along with it even more tears.
"I'm so sick of this," I growled out, wiping the tears away once more. "God almighty, what was I thinking? That I'd be able to play God and fix all of this? This one huge clusterfuck of a universe?"
Furious with myself again, I kicked at the ground with my boots and wound my way through the trees. I wasn't heading anywhere in particular, I just needed to get away for a few days to cool off. Even if I only had the clothes on my back – an old t-shirt and shorts –, no food and only a knife in my right boot for weapons, I'd be able to survive out here. If I was really desperate I could call on my spirits, having tucked their keys in my pocket as per usual that morning.
But I didn't think I would – being alone would definitely help me more than hinder me.
"You'll be fine," I reassured myself. "It's only for a few days. You'll return in time for the Harvest Festival, just to kick Bickslow's ass and help out where you can." I let out a sharp sigh at that thought. "…Even if you really don't want to…Fuck my life."
Brushing back an overhanging branch, I stumbled my way onto the road I'd been searching fruitlessly for during the past day and a half.
"Thank every god above," I said breathlessly as I detangled twigs and burs from my ponytail. "That's gotta be one of the worst hikes I've ever done." A soft shudder rolled its way up my spine at the thought of some of the creatures I'd encountered during my walk. "Definitely the worst…"
Shaking myself out one more time to dislodge any creepy sensations or creatures caught on me, I set off at a brisk trot towards the small town nestled in the valley below.
I was only heading there for some food and maybe to scope out any keys before heading back towards Fairy Tail. It would be a nice break from natural scenery – forests and meadows are only interesting the first few hours you walk through them.
Luckily this town seemed to have a thriving market set up in its centre, and so I was more than happy to go gallivanting off to buy some of the local fruits with the meagre amount of jewels I had in my pockets. If I didn't have enough money, I could always offer to complete small errands or fix things – living on your own in the wilderness with the guidance of several thousand year old beings gave you a good know-how on creating things and fixing things from your surroundings.
Weaving my way through the throngs of people that swamped the quaint marketplace, mindful of pick-pockets, I inspected the wares showcased by each stall for cheap goods.
While the scent of freshly baked cinnamon scrolls wafting from the store set up in front of a house was tempting, I knew that the sugary treat wasn't helpful in filling me up and, therefore, was not worth my time and money.
Unfortunately.
Settling on a small stall selling various breads, I began scanning the shelves for a cheap yet heavy bread that would fill me up. If I had enough money over I could even buy some cheese from a nearby dairy stall. And there was those strips of salted meat I'd seen on my way in…
Absently licking my lips at the thought of the staple meals I could create with those kinds of wares, I leant forwards to politely bring the stall owner's attention away from a browsing woman and towards me – an actual customer.
However, the familiar sensation of someone slipping their hand into my shorts' back pocket was more than enough to deter me from my task.
With a sharp shout building up in my throat I grasped the intruding hand in one of my own whilst also spinning on my heels to face the sneaky thief.
The shout was quickly strangled, however, when I took in the profile of my 'thief.'
"Oh my God…" I said to myself in English as I stared into startled dark blue eyes. "Why do you fuck with me like this?"
"I'm sorry miss!" piped up the young boy whom I was still holding. "It's clear you don't speak the language or understand what I'm saying right now. So…" The child trailed off awkwardly, already turning his scrawny and raggedly clothed body to run away. "I'm just gonna go now…"
The tug of his hand in my own quickly brought me out of mentally cursing whatever divine being had sent me to this stupid, and I was quick to jerk the boy to a stop. "Wait just a second there, brat."
"What the hell!" the boy said as he whipped his head back to face me, his spiky hair swinging in a halo around it. "You can talk!"
I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his incredulous, little voice. "Yes, I can talk. That's something we're doing right now, so clearly I can achieve the function."
The boy narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me, his free hand going up to brush blond locks out of his startling dark eyes. "Are you pulling my leg right now? 'Cause I'm sure as hell think you are, I just can't tell with the useless crap that's being spewed out along with it."
My irritation spiked at his snarky comment. "That's it," I said abruptly, startling the boy. "You're coming with me."
Before the boy could protest at all, I was already bending down (and down, down, and down, because damn, this brat was even shorter than Ryos) and scooping him up over my shoulder in a fireman's carry.
An irritated grunt escaped the child's mouth as he folded over my shoulder, but he was quick to recover his breath and start complaining.
Unfortunately.
"Hey!" the boy barked out as I began marching out of the marketplace, ignoring the locals curious stares. "This isn't legal, you know? Kidnapping kids! You could go to jail for this!"
"Then I'll be there right beside you," I shot back after giving an awkward smile to a man who looked like he might intervene in my current task, "because being a little thief isn't exactly legal either."
A huff escaped the boys' lips at that, the air tickling its way down my neck. I ignored it, alongside the other moans of disapproval the boy made in protest, but I couldn't ignore the fingers that were trying to sneak their way into my pocket again.
What did this kid think he could find? I literally looked like I'd slept in a ditch – more like on top of a rather uncomfortable tree branch – and had gone to the cheapest stall there was. I was practically spelling out that I was a poor, homeless chick. Idiot kid.
"Keep trying to steal my stuff and I'll cut your fingers off," I said casually, doing my best to hide the humour in my voice – no need for the child to think I was finding his behaviour amusing or anything. Because I wasn't. Not at all.
The fingers retracted pretty quickly after that, but then the moaning started up not long after. And since the damn kids' head was flopped just over my shoulder, the noise went almost directly into my ear.
"That offer now extends to your tongue if you don't knock it off," I said. We were nearing the outskirts of the town now, and I could see a small log just off of the side of the road, having known its location prior due to walking by it mere minutes ago.
"Not unless you tell us where we're going," the boy replied. I could feel his head raise off of me as he clearly tried to see where we were going, but I was quick to roughly bounce him to send his head shooting down again. "Why are you so mean to me?"
"I'm mean to everyone," I answered truthfully, "but especially to snotty-nosed thieves like you."
"Oooh," the boy muttered, "low blow."
"Kill shot," I countered right before slinging him off of my shoulder to toss him on the fallen log.
He hit it with a bounce of his tiny tush, and could only blink (now that I look at them…) violet eyes at me in shock.
"Budge over, squirt," I said to break him out of his shock, already nudging at the skinny legs he possessed with my own knee. "Gotta let your elders sit down."
With a flailing motion of thin limbs and too-big clothes, the boy managed to move far enough along the log so that I was able to take a seat.
"Thanks," I said in response, now suddenly feeling very awkward as I had just captured this small child based on a hunch – a rather large hunch at that! – and now I really had no idea what to do.
Clearly the boy had no idea what to do either as he merely swung his short little legs – God they were cute little things – and deliberately looked anywhere but at me.
"Okay…" I sighed out when the silence got too tense and I had actually figured out a way to start this conversation. "So I was going to take you aside for a massive conversation on how stealing is wrong and all that shit, but I just realised that would be very hypercritical of me."
That seemed to raise Sting's interest as the boy instantly looked at me, eyes squinted once more. "What? A crazy chick with a thing for kidnapping has stolen stuff before?" The boy then put on a sarcastic tone of voice as he raised his hands dramatically. "I don't believe it!" The suspicious look was back in his eyes once more when he looked back at me. "I bet you were probably thinking the best way to steal those breads when I bumped into you."
Resisting the urge to thump this annoying brat over the head – God damn it all, even Maya had been better than this – I gave him a squinty-eyed look back. "'Bumping?' Is that what the kids call it these days?"
"Ha, ha, ha," the boy shot back, crossing his arms across his ragged shirt. "You old-timers think you're so funny."
"Correction," I said as I gently tapped him on the nose with my index finger, "I'm hilarious."
My hand got shoved back at that with a shout, but I couldn't help but burst into loud laughter in reply.
Then I stopped.
Oh God, I had just laughed. Like…literally laughed. Laughed like I hadn't done so in days.
I just fricking laughed like I hadn't murdered dozens of men!
I couldn't help but clap my hands to my mouth in shock, astounded that this small, weedy little shit of a child had just made me laugh honestly – something that several of my guildmates had attempted to do since that disastrous mission.
"Hey, lady." A small finger poking into my arm had me turning to face the boy once more. His face was screwed up in confusion as he peered up at me – a small part of me wondered if, in my old body, the boy would have to even crane his neck that much to look me in the eye – and his lips twisted into a pout as he spoke. "You alright there? Never heard yourself laugh before?"
The boy then rolled his eyes and retracted his hand. "I wouldn't be surprised, what with a sour face like yours."
"You adorable little brat," I cried out before quickly standing up and scooping the unsuspecting child into my arms. "You're amazing!"
To the boys' surprised shouts, I tossed him into the air several times, catching him gently each time he descended. The boys' shouts turned from confused fear to joyful ones, although he denied it vehemently when I finally ceased the activity.
"You're crazy, lady," he said once he gathered his breath back, but it was muffled as I was too busy giggling and nuzzling his face with my own. He showed his displeasure with this action by tugging at my hair with an embarrassed "Quit it," but that didn't deter me.
When I finally calmed down, I was quick to place the boy on the ground and take a step back, apology already spilling out of my mouth. "Sorry about that. It's just…I haven't laughed like that in a long time, and I was just so excited. Plus," I tagged on the end thoughtfully, "you're too damn cute not to cuddle."
The boy's face was a bright red at my reply, and he rubbed at his arm and shuffled awkwardly on his feet as he clearly searched for an answer.
"Next time," he managed to blurt out eventually, "try to cut out the weird hugging, weirdo."
Softening my face into a smile, I answered quietly, "So you think there'll be a next time?"
"What?" the boy spluttered out, face darkening in colour even further. "No! I didn't—I just-!" The boy abruptly pointed a finger at me. "STOP PUTTING WORDS INTO MY MOUTH!"
I grinned and ignored his protests. "Depending on your next answer, I think we may see each a lot more."
A suspicious look came across the boys' face at that, his blush fading away. "What? What'cha asking?"
Bending over so I was the same eye level as him, I asked him very carefully, "What's your name?"
An incredulous expression crossed his face before it was quickly discarded for a haughty one. "That's an easy one! It's…" He then leant in towards me in a conspiring manner, prompting me to edge in closer as well.
He cupped his palm and breathed his answer into my ear. "Go fuck yourself."
I whipped myself upright to see the boy throw himself back with a howl of laughter, arms clutching at his stomach. "Y-You're face! Oh man, it's going to kill me!"
"You little punk!" I hollered out, trying to hide my amusement with irritation – because that was pretty damn good prank – as I swiped at him. "Answer the damn question!"
Between giggles as he darted away from me and down along the road out of town, the boy managed to answer. "I-It's Sting! Sting Eucliffe, you old hag!"
His answer caused me to grin victoriously – I knew it was a damn good hunch when I saw the familiar facial features and that scar above his eyebrow – before speeding up to pluck him off the ground by the scruff of his shirt. "I knew it!"
Initially twisting around in my arms to get free, Sting quickly paused at my comment and stared at me. "How'd you know my name was Sting?"
"Easy!" I said cheerfully, unconcerned with his suspicions. "Your magic is very familiar to dragon slayer magic, and there's only three male dragon slayer's that I haven't met in Fiore! Two are around my age, and I already know where they are!"
(Laxus (who I had successfully avoiding since my induction into Fairy Tail, alongside his team – there was no way I was getting anywhere near those emotional issues and sadistic tendencies.) was about to come swinging into Fairy Tail, and Cobra was out jaunting about with Oraceion Seis to the east, so it was a sound answer on my behalf.)
I grinned at Sting. "The only male dragon slayer unaccounted for is Weisslogia's little brat; Sting Eucliffe! You, little one!"
Sting's eyes slowly began to widen and his mouth gaped open. He only attempted to close it when he spoke, eyes rather bright. "Y-You know my father? Weisslogia?"
"Personally?" I said rhetorically as I lowered him to the ground. "No. I don't know any of the dragons personally, nor all of the slayers. I've just built up a mental archive of all the dragon slayers and whatnot. I've known where all of them but you were for a while, so it's good to have you on my radar."
Sting turned away from me with a pout. "What if I don't want to be on your radar?"
I laughed. "How about you be in my house then?"
There was dead silence until…
"Are you trying to rape me?"
My right eye twitched uncontrollably. "…No, I'm not trying to rape you. All I'm offering is a place to live – since it's obvious you're homeless – and a new home in Fairy Tail."
A look of wonderment appeared on Sting's face. "Fairy Tail…? That's where Natsu-sama is!"
'Sama?' I thought to myself internally. 'God, please never let him say that in front of Natsu; it'll go straight to his head.'
Externally I gave Sting I bright smile. "Yeah! Natsu's my friend, actually, and I'm sure he would be happy to welcome another dragon slayer."
"You mean there's others there?" Sting asked, his little hands clenching in excitement. "Other slayers like me?"
"You bet," I responded. "Gajeel Redfox has joined Fairy Tail recently—"
When Sting made a face at the mention of Gajeel I couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, Gajeel isn't the greatest of guys, but, hey, he's nakama now, so it's kind of an obligation to at least attempt to like him."
It was clear that Sting wasn't being sold on the whole dragon slayer front, so I was quick to add on the existence of Ryos. "Gajeel and Natsu aren't the only dragon slayers there. In fact, the other one is about your age and is currently living with me. His name is Ryos."
"…He's my age?" Sting asked tentatively, tilting his head in a way that his untrimmed bangs fell into his eyes – God, I could cuddle him forever.
"Yeah," I said quickly before I could start cuddling him all over again, "he's your age and I'm sure he would love a friend!" I rubbed at my neck sheepishly, unsure of the next comment. "I'm sure he would like a brother, actually, and you really fit the quota."
Looking Sting right in those bright little eyes, I tried to muster up as much sincerity as I could in both my eyes and words. "Although my apartment is a bit small, and there would be no parents for you, I hope that you could come and try living with me and Ryos." I attempted a smile. "To become a Fairy Tail mage! And maybe even our little brother…"
I held my breath as Sting mulled over this onslaught of information, his eyebrows puckered slightly in concentration. Finally, he cocked his head to stare at me once more, lips twisted slightly into a pout. "For all I know, you could just be making this up."
Quickly I tugged at my shirt collar, dragging it down low enough to show the red Fairy Tail mark tattooed there.
When that cute look of wonder came back onto Sting's face, I cocked my eyebrow at him. "Do you believe me now?"
The boy was quick to reign in his amazement, pouting even harder at my amused look. "…I'll think about it…"
"Cool," I said back. "How about you think about it as we walk to Magnolia? If you don't like it, you can easily ditch and return back to your homeless lifestyle."
"Fine!" Sting shot back. "But first we need to pick up someone."
Unsurprisingly, the 'someone' we had to pick up was a young and utterly adorable Lector.
He was hidden in a plot of bushes just a few kilometres out of town alongside the beat up rucksack that held Sting's meagre possessions.
Initially Lector had leapt up and raced towards Sting at our arrival, but he was quick to come to a complete halt when he caught sight of me.
"Who's that, Sting-kun?" the little exceed asked, hesitance lacing itself through his voice. He ducked his head shyly as he finished scurrying over to hide behind Sting's leg, actively avoiding me.
"Lector, this is Lucy!" Sting had said proudly, like meeting me had been a marvellous achievement. "She's a Fairy Tail mage who's going to take us to her guild!"
I bowed to Lector in response, smiling slightly. "It's a pleasure to meet any friend of Sting. Especially one as cute as you, Lector."
If cat-like animals could blush, I'm sure Lector would've done so at the moment – the perks of possessing an incredibly attractive girls' body.
"I-It's a pleasure to meet you, Lucy-san!" Lector was quick to squeak out, sketching out a bow in the safety provided behind Sting's little leg.
Any hesitance I had towards housing these two melted at the Exceed's actions, and I couldn't help but let a goofy grin cross my face. I was quick to try and erase it, lest I blow my cool persona around Sting, but apparently the sight of it was enough to convince Lector that I wasn't going to suddenly eat him as he stepped out into the open.
This prompted Sting to dash off to quickly grab his rucksack, his skinny body all but vibrating with excitement. All the while he chattered away to Lector who, in turn, was staring open mouth at me.
"Lucy's going to get us into Fairy Tail!" Sting said excitedly as he dragged his pack over to drop it at my feet before bouncing off to check if he'd left anything behind. "Isn't that great, Lector?"
Lector was quick to look at Sting, surprise evident in his face. "But I thought you needed a home address to apply for a guild, Sting-kun?"
At hearing this, I casually inserted myself into the conversation by correcting the little guy. "Actually, Lector, you don't need a home address when you apply to Fairy Tail as Fairy Tail will become your home. That means the guild will help set you up with boarding if necessary, usually at a nearby apartment or even at the guild itself on a temporary basis."
"But we won't be needing that!" Sting exclaimed as he skidded to a halt in front of me. He gave Lector a reassuring grin. "Lucy here has offered us her place to stay – and there's another slayer boy who lives there, and is my age!"
Lector's face brightened in the wake of Sting's excitement, clearly happy to see his best friend so. "That's great, Sting-kun!" He then turned to me and gave me another bow. "Thank you very much, Lucy-san!"
"Oh, please," I said, "just call me Lucy. I much rather prefer that, if you'd please."
Lector grinned at me. "Okay, Lucy!"
"Enough talking!" Sting butted in, currently hoisting his bag in his hand. "Let's go!"
"Okay then," I replied back. I turned on my heel and began to lead the way back to Magnolia, but not before I plucked Sting's rucksack out of his hands and slung it over my shoulder.
When Sting protested, I merely gave him a quick shove to get moving and a promise to teach him some knife-throwing tricks along the way if he quit whining.
He stopped talking very shortly after that.
After a day and a half of traveling, only stopping for food – in which I showed Sting some nifty hunting tricks and he showed me some cool foraging ones –, to muck about with my knife and Sting's light magic – which was super cool to see in real life – as well as a great night's sleep in which we all slept in a pile under a tree, we finally arrived in Magnolia.
"So cool~!" both Sting and Lector said when we crested a hill and caught our first glimpse of the city.
Sting turned to me with excitement in his eyes, hands clutching an equally awed Lector to his chest. "It's huge! This whole place couldn't be Magnolia, could it?"
Chuckling slightly, I ruffled Sting's hair – another awesome perk to travelling with Sting was that the boy was more than ready to give and take physical affection whenever necessary. "You bet this whole place is Magnolia!" I gave the boy a swift pat on the head to finish before heading down towards the town. "This place is home."
Deciding to forgo the whole drama that was bound to ensure at Fairy Tail – as well as the responsibilities of helping to set up for the Harvest Festival that was beginning tomorrow – I led Sting and Lector through the busy and lively streets of Magnolia to head to my apartment.
I nearly thought their heads were going to break off during the course of our journey, what with the way they swivelled their heads back and forth to catch a glimpse at all the decorations that were going up.
I was pretty enthralled as well, never seeing Magnolia so dressed up – the blooming of the Rainbow Sakura was way low-key compared to this. But I kept my cool, content on holding onto whatever sense of awe Sting held for me before it was ruined by the likes of Happy and Natsu.
(Those two were bound to tell that embarrassing story of how one of Virgo's sudden appearances resulted in me screaming my head off, cracking a large portion of the bathtub, and ended with Ryos, Happy and Natsu seeing me come bolting out of the bathroom dripping wet and only wearing a hastily wrapped towel.
They told it every opportunity they could get.
Assholes.)
When we finally made our way to Strawberry Street – the adorable name of my street – I proudly led the way along the canal wall to my apartment, waving away the fishermen's usual concerned calls from the water.
"This is your house?" Sting asked when I came to a stop in front of the building, his eyes wide with awe once more. "It's so big!"
"Actually," I corrected as I gently took his hand and began leading him up the steps on the side of the building, "only the top floor is mine. This is an apartment complex, so I have to pay rent to a landlady and share the building with other people. But the landlady is rather lenient and my neighbours are really quite nice."
(And they were, I just didn't chat to them often. While I had an easy morning chat with Phil from the apartment below whenever Ryos and I walked to the guild in the morning, and he to his flower shop, I didn't interact much with the couple of Yama and Leiko next door, nor with whoever lived above them – I think he was a reclusive.)
"Oh," Sting said as we came to a stop in front of my door and I fumbled around in my pockets for my keys. "It still looks very nice though."
"I agree," Lector chimed in, his tiny form pressed against Sting's legs now. "Thank you again for inviting us here, Lucy."
As I inserted the key into its corresponding lock, I sent Lector a smile. "It's not a problem at all, Lector. Although I may have to do something about sleeping arrangements until I buy another bed or something, it's not at all a problem."
I wasn't offended when neither Sting nor Lector added anything to that string of conversation, as the two of them were too busy peering into the hallway of my apartment when I shoved it open.
"Welcome to mi casa," I said cheerfully as I ushered the two ahead of me and stepped through the doorway. "Population: one celestial mage and a dragon slayer. Soon to be two dragon slayers and his kitty partner hopefully."
"This is so cool…" Sting muttered under his breath as he cautiously shuffled his way into my open kitchen. He eyed up the scattering of completed job flyers and even a few photos of my nakama and I – all taken by Mirajane and presented by Elfman as a late introduction gift – that were plastered over my rather large fridge. "Interesting bunch of friends you have…"
Below him Lector pawed at a photo consisting of Natsu and Happy squishing their faces against mine as I looked up from a book in shock. "Is this the other cat you told me about? Happy?"
"Yeah," I said as I squatted down beside him and tapped at the photograph. "That's Happy, and that's Natsu beside him."
"There's so many of Natsu-sama!" Sting burst out, his hands fluttering in front of his face in barely contained excitement (and fanboying) as he stared at the photos. He then paused to look at me suspiciously. "Is Natsu-sama your boyfriend?"
While only a few weeks ago I would've spluttered and blushed at the comment – me with a boyfriend? – I was now a seasoned veteran when it came to ridiculous comments like that, mostly due to Cana and Mirajane's teasing. Mostly Mirajane.
"No," I said with only the tiniest trace of heat in my face. "He's not my boyfriend. Natsu's just a good friend."
Sting pointed to a photo taken of Gray making an ice statue in the recluse of my living room, with me watching intently beside him – courtesy of Levy, not like I knew it at the time. "Is he your boyfriend then?"
Recognising the stupid question game that all kids seemed to play (excluding Ryos, my brilliant little child), I was quick to squash it while it had only just begun to bloom. "That's Gray Fullbuster, my friend. I don't have any boyfriends. Or girlfriends," I tacked on hastily when I saw the sly look Sting cast towards a snapshot of Erza showing me a selection of desserts she loved and wished to educate me in - I hadn't heard of many of the dishes before, and apparently that was an offence to the redhead.
Slowly I began to point out each and every one of the people in the photographs, and it was during my explanation of Max's weirdarse relationship with one of the brooms in the guild storage room that my toilet flushed.
Sting and I shared a startled look, both of us shocked out of the atmosphere that the stories I had been telling formed.
"Ne, Lucy," Lector said hesitantly as he peered around the corner towards the bathroom. "Who else is meant to be in here right now."
I frowned. "It could be plenty of people – they all like to break and enter into my apartment, most in hopes of finding some weird lingerie stash—"
Here Sting made a face, and I couldn't help but mimic him. "I know; gross, right? But the most likely person is—"
As if perfectly timed, the bathroom door swung open and a familiar male stepped out, casually drying his hands on his shirt. When he finally looked up to catch sight of Lector peering around the wall, with Sting and I peeking from above him – like in some sort of tragic, comedy movie – he froze.
"Ryos," I finished.
Said boy blinked at me, his expression not unlike a deer caught in headlights. "Uh…"
"I'm home," I said sheepishly as I stepped out of the safety of the kitchen and skirted the couch to stand in front of the boy. "Did you miss me?"
At that, Ryos expression slowly changed from shocked to enraged. Just as I thought the boy would blow a valve what with how red he was going, he threw himself towards me with a shout, fists swinging. "YOU STUPID IDIOT!"
Completely frazzled by the break of character from the boy, I could only dumbly fend off his wild swings. "W-Woah! Ryos! What the hell?"
"'WHAT THE HELL?'" the boy screeched in anger, jumping up futilely to pound at my face – I once knew that feeling. "I SHOULD BE ASKING YOU THAT! YOU JUST STORMED OUT AND LEFT ME BEHIND! I THOUGHT I WAS BEING ABANDONDED ALL OVER AGAIN, DAMN YOU!"
"I'm sorry!" I wailed back, finally realising how my hasty retreat would've freaked out Ryos – the same Ryos who has severe abandonment issues after his dragon leaving him. "I won't do it again! I swear! I'm sorry otōto, forgive me!"
My apologies were enough to placate Ryos, as the boy stopped attempting to wallop me and instead began clutching at my waist desperately.
"Oh, dear," I whispered when I felt dampness begin to bleed through my shirt where Ryos's face was. "C'mere."
Slipping my arms beneath Ryos's arms I hoisted the boy into the air. In turn the dark-haired boy wrapped his arms around my neck and buried his face into the crook of it, his cold nose rubbing itself against the underside of my ear like usual.
Humming gently to soothe the boy, I began to rub gentle circles against his back and spin in soft circles. Although Ryos was hitting twelve – maybe, we weren't sure on his actual birthday, just like no one was sure of Natsu's or Gajeel's (if anyone besides Juvia and I cared about the latter) – the boy sometimes acted older or younger than his true age.
His maturity was evident when it was necessary or when he talked to someone of higher authority, but he was quick to become shy in the face of boisterous personalities, and while he wasn't a fan of displays of public affection, he was quite clingy in the confines of our apartment. He was also very prone to cry when things got emotional, such as now.
It was such a huge difference from the solemn and wise Rogue in the later time of the series, and it often sent me for a loop when I remembered that this small child was going to grow up to look like that Rogue.
(And also kind of disturbing because I loved like Ryos as a little brother now, but I'd always had a small crush on Rogue when I'd followed the series because…well, damn.)
While Ryos began to calm himself down, I turned to Sting and Lector to mouth apologies.
The two looked highly uncomfortable as they hovered in the invisible boundary between kitchen and living room, but were quick to shake their heads silently in a way of dispersing my apologies.
I gave them a wry grin when Ryos let out a soft hiccup before going limp in my arms; a sign that he was ready to be put down.
He rubbed at his eyes when I gently placed him on the ground, looking embarrassed and small in one of my ratty t-shirts and what looked to be one of Gray's left over shorts held up by a belt. "Sorry, nee-chan."
"That's alright," I said patiently, "but are you up for meeting some new people?"
"No," Ryos said shortly, a pout working its way onto his face as he tucked his chin into the collar of his shirt. "No visitors."
"Maybe we should go then?" Sting awkwardly inputted, thumbing back towards the apartment door. "It seems like we came at a bad time." Lector nodded seriously by his feet.
Ryos swept his head towards them, taking in their appearance with wide eyes. He then whipped his head up to glare at me accusingly. "What the HELL, nee-chan?"
"Hey!" I raised my hands in a surrendering manner. "They came in with me! You're the one who didn't notice them."
That earned me a swift punch on the arm from Ryos – which didn't hurt, I swear! – before the boy was turning back to face Sting, embarrassment written clearly on his face. "H-Hello. Sorry about that…didn't think anyone was here."
Ever optimistic – and I mean ever; the kid didn't stop smiling for more than a few minutes – Sting was quick to flash the boy a bright grin. "'S okay! It's just super awesome to meet you!"
Flashing a quick look at me, Ryos politely returned the smile. "I'm guessing nee-chan's told you about me then?"
"Lucy's told us about a lot of the guild," Lector was quick to input, "but she told us more about you since we asked."
A startled look crossed Ryos's face when he took in the sight of yet another talking cat – if I could only hear his thoughts right now – before it changed to downright shocked when Sting launched himself forwards with open arms.
"You're a dragon slayer just like me!" the blonde shouted happily when he locked arms around Ryos, face nearly split in two from smiling.
Shooting me yet another shocked look, Ryos fumbled about with his surprise and arms before quickly abandoning all rational thought and hugging Sting back tentatively – that's my boy.
"You're a dragon slayer like me?" Ryos whispered quietly into Sting's ear, almost looking scared of the answer.
Drawing back from the hug but continuing to hold onto Ryos's shoulders, Sting beamed at him. "You bet'cha! My name's Sting Eucliffe, and I'm a White dragon slayer!"
A muffled and nervous giggle escaped Ryos's lips right before he smiled back. "My name's Ryos Cheney, and I'm a Shadow dragon slayer."
"That's awesome!" Sting exclaimed to the sound of Lector's excited cheers. "White and Shadow dragon slayers! Two opposites! It's like we were meant to meet!"
(I had to muffle nervous giggles of my own there; this whole situation was almost ridiculous.)
"Imagine if we could, like, choreograph our attacks!" Sting continued, his hype only continuing to build. "We could form an unstoppable team alongside my partner, Lector here!"
Then Ryos was exchanging greetings with Lector, the two almost in awe of meeting each other, and I was biting back squeals of delight or laughter, because despite all I'd changed, these two still found a way to each other.
(To reiterate Sting: it was like they were destined.)
"You three can form a team later," I finally said when the two boys and one exceed were getting worked up over the attacks they possessed. "For now, I think it's time to make some lunch."
Ryos's eyes glittered happily when he looked up at me. "You mean Sting and Lector are staying for lunch?"
"Well," I said as I lowered myself to Ryos's level, "Sting and Lector can stay as long as they want, if you're all happy with that. I've offered for them to come and live here so that they can join Fairy Tail. You guys can be like brothers!"
Grinning madly, Ryos turned to Sting. "You can stay!" His expression then shifted to a pleading one as he grasped at the other boy's shirt. "Oh, please stay! I want both you and Lector to stay with us, so we can form a team, and learn cool slayer skills, and eat nee-chan's food. If that doesn't persuade you, I'll give you the biggest slice of nee-chan's apple pie every time! Anything for you to stay!"
"You want me to stay?" Sting asked tentatively, almost scared to hope. He grabbed at Lector's paw, both of them looking at Ryos with bright eyes. "You want both me an' Lector?"
"Forever!" Ryos exclaimed. "I want us to be brothers!"
Without another word, Sting launched himself forwards to wrap Ryos up in another hug. He clung tightly to the other boy as Lector joined him in the hug, all of them teary-eyed and blissfully happy.
"Now you're all my foolish, little otōto's," I said fondly before swooping into to wrap them all up in my long arms.
Ryos mewled out a happy "Nee-chan!" that was swiftly echoed by Sting and Lector, which just made me cling tighter to them all.
"My little otōto's," I murmured before pressing soft kisses into their hair.
3rd Person P.O.V.
After the little family bonding moment, Lucy was quick to usher off her three charges towards the kitchen to make some lunch.
It was a messy affair, but highly enjoyable for all four participants who were still high on life. They worked together and around each other to create dishes to Lucy's instructions, and soon they were all sitting down at Lucy's little kitchen table to eat.
While the boys excitedly traded tips and observations about their magic as Lector listened in, Lucy was busy mentally going over what needed to be done to induct two more people into her life.
While no paperwork was necessary for Lector – being an unidentified and rare species of magical creature with no human properties either than speech – there were all sorts of forms Lucy would have to fill out in order to get Sting into her care.
Luckily she already had practise with Ryos, and Levy would surely be more than happy to help out her friend if needed.
Legal issues aside, there was a matter of getting Sting and Lector inducted into Fairy Tail – not a pressing matter at the moment – as well as getting basic essentials for them. Clothes could easily be borrowed from or made by Lucy's spirits, but Lucy had more than enough money squirrelled away that such actions weren't really necessary.
Then it would be a matter of reorientating herself and Ryos to accommodate two more persons, and that meant matters of bedding would have to be discussed. It was either Lucy slept on the couch, or she bought herself a small cot to shove in the corner to sleep in. Perhaps a hammock would be good?
(Thoughts about Natsu and Happy's nightly visits were quickly discarded, as Lucy only had enough time, patience and room to think about those who would be properly living in her apartment.)
Maybe she needed to buy a new apartment? Something big enough to hold two growing dragon slayers and their feline partner; as well as whoever decided to visit that day.
Perhaps buying a new house would be the way to go?
"What's with that frown, nee-chan?" Sting asked around a mouthful of one of his sandwiches, obviously already comfortable in adopting the elder sister term for Lucy. "You're going to give yourself wrinkles."
"Or a stroke," Ryos added absently.
The female blonde rolled her eyes in answer. "I'm not going to have a stroke, and I'm not old enough for wrinkles – no matter what you brats say. I'm just thinking of our sleeping arrangements."
"Oh, that's easy," Ryos said casually. "We'll all just sleep in the bed together. It's more than big enough for all of us."
"Well, yes," Lucy agreed hesitantly, "but you guys are growing boys; do you really want to share the bed with the likes of me? I mean, most kids your age want beds of their own."
Sting and Ryos exchanged looks as Lector shrugged between them. They then turned back to Lucy.
"We're fine with sharing," Ryos said.
"I've shared with Sting-kun since I met him," Lector offered, "so I don't mind sleeping with others."
Sting offered Lucy a lopsided grin, sauce smeared across his cheeks. "'Sides, it'll keep us nice and warm. Dragons like their heat, you know?"
Lucy sighed; she knew all too well about dragon slayers and their need for warmth. She lived with one and the other practically slept over at her place every second night. "If you're absolutely sure…"
The three males gave sharp nods. "We're sure!"
"Now that that's sorted," Lucy began as she absently wiped the sauce from Sting's face with a cloth. "What is it you boys want to do this afternoon?"
"JOIN FAIRY TAIL!" Sting yelled out excitedly, bouncing in his seat as he waited for Lucy to finish cleaning his face. "We gotta do it right away! I don't think I can wait!"
At hearing his request, Lucy dropped her hand from his face and began to wring the cloth nervously between her fingers. She didn't want to go anywhere near the mess she'd more than likely left behind at the guild, and it was plain to see when she didn't answer with proper words. "Uh…Um…"
"Please?" Sting said, jutting out his bottom lip. "Pretty please?"
When Lucy continued to look conflicted, Sting upped the pout to a fully-fledged, begging puppy dog look. This prompted Lector to join in – knowing the game very well due to the amount of times the duo had conned people out of food and money with just their cuteness – and shortly after, Ryos.
The combined force of the puppy dog eyes – much stronger than what she had ever gotten from Natsu – was more than enough to shatter any last reluctances Lucy had about going to her guild.
"Alright," she sighed in defeat, "we'll go to the guild."
The three males cheered in celebration, throwing their hands into the air like the children they were.
"But first," Lucy interjected sternly into their happiness, "we clean up after ourselves."
"Right, nee-chan!"
MOMMA!TIA ANYONE? Gods she is so fun to write as Momma!Tia with Sting and Ryos. It was brilliant to show how much she has to restrain herself from hugging them and never letting them go as they're TOO PRECIOUS FOR THIS WORLD! CUTE, LITTLE CINNAMON ROLLS!
Anyways, so I was going to continue until I started the whole battle shindig, but meh. My work got deleted so many times by my faulty computer that I just gave up. This also seemed like a good time to stop.
BUUUTTTTT BEFORE YOU GO…..
HEADCANNON TIME!
-Lucy stress cooks. When she's stressed, she heads to her kitchen and starts whipping up meals from whatever ingredients she has in her fridge and pantry.
The dishes are usual foreign dishes from her old world (mostly leaning towards Thai and Indian as that's her favourite cuisines), and have become popular around the guild.
It's actually quite well-known now throughout the guild that Lucy's a good cook. Maybe not Mirajane standard, but still pretty good. Everyone has had a taste of her cooking due to the platters of food she brings in every time she stress cooks, as she usually doesn't eat the food herself.
She's made dozens of dishes ever since she returned from her super-secret mission, and that was one of the more telling signs to the others of her levels of stress.
-Natsu and Happy are incredibly photogenic. Like, ridiculously. If there's a photo, they're in it. And as soon as someone brings a camera into the guild they'll snatch it up and start taking photos of everything. To placate them Mira merely takes plenty of photos with them in it. Since she was making a small portfolio of photos for Lucy, the two of them feature in most of the photos.
Usually with a shocked or awkwardly smiling Lucy.
-All of Lucy's spirits have learnt not to mention any of the 'bad' missions to their summoner. They won't bother her with questions or surprise summon themselves, as Lucy is usually very jumpy for days after a horrible mission.
But at night some of them will summon themselves to watch over Lucy whenever Natsu isn't there – to comfort her and keep her safe.
Lyra started it, and Loke is the newest addition to the nightly activity.
Those two spirits have become rather close due to their extreme fondness and protectiveness over Lucy, much like Lyra's relationship with Andromeda or Cenas.
-Ryos is a sook when it comes to physical affection from Lucy. He doesn't really like anyone else coming near him with hug or hair ruffles, but whenever the two get home, have dinner and are ready for bed, Lucy will sit down to read a book and Ryos will always clamber into her lap for cuddles. Or, even better, he will lay his head in her lap and she'll pet his hair.
-Ryos's hair is quite thick and long, but incredibly glossy and healthy. He likes his hair, and dreams that one day he'll grow it long enough to get it into a ponytail.
His hair right now can be half-pulled up into a tiny ponytail, but it isn't long enough to be plaited at all – much to both Lucy and Ryos's sadness.
-You need a home address to join a guild usually. That's one of the many reasons Fairy Tail has been considered barbaric over the years; they just take homeless kids in all the time and claim Fairy Tail is their home.
This adds an unreasonable amount of stress to the people who have to deal with all of the legal paperwork's linked up with guilds. They cry when they see the Fairy Tail stamp on envelopes or packages.
-Ryos, for all the clothes he's given by Lucy and the other girls of the guild, barely bothers to wear anything either than Lucy's own t-shirts and whatever shorts he previously owned. He doesn't feel comfortable in the newly bought clothes as the smell irritates his nose and the fabric feels itchy.
-He always wears Lucy's baggy t-shirts with her scent all over them as it reassures him that Lucy won't abandon him, even if she isn't there beside him physically.
-Lucy is currently sketching some designs of clothing for Lyra and Virgo to help create out of comfortable material from their home world. She is using mostly blacks and silvers, and Ryos has no idea about her project.
Okay, so I might do headcannon's occasionally, to tell y'all about in background things that I can't work into the story.
As an extra since it'll be my birthday in a few days and I'm in the need for some ridiculous Natsu and Tia antics…
Omake! It's of that horribly teasing episode in which Natsu seems like he's asking Lucy on a date but it turns out he wants Virgo to dig up something.
TIA STYLE!
Lucy P.O.V.
"Ne, Lucy!"
Glancing up from the book I was currently reading – a study of the planets and how their position in the sky can affect magic – I raised a questioning brow at a clearly excited Mirajane. "Yes, Mira? What seems to be the problem?"
"Oh," the older girl sighed as she leaned on the table I was at, one hand cradling her pretty face. "It's not really a problem. It's just an oddity, really."
"An oddity?" I repeated blankly. "In Fairy Tail? I just can't seem to believe that, Mira."
Mirajane giggled and slapped my arm playfully. "Always the joker."
After internally questioning that statement – I was never called a joker. Never. Sarcastic, little shit maybe, but not joker – I politely queried about the oddity, if only to appease Mirajane.
"Well," the barmaid whispered, leaning in like what she was going to say was a huge secret. "It's Natsu. You see, everyone seems to be mentioning a girl he's looking for. He's saying stuff like 'I really need her! Right now!' That sort of stuff, you know?"
"Mmmm," I said noncommittedly, trying to figure out if this was a part of the series. While I hadn't been an absolutely rabid fan of Fairy Tail, I did greatly enjoy the series and the accompanying omakes that came with it. It was only a matter of going over those episodes and chapters mentally before I was suddenly hit with the memory of a particular episode.
I remembered clearly the episode that was set up to seem like the beginning on NaLu. That terribly trashy and embarrassing episode in which Mirajane prods Lucy into thinking Natsu likes her and wants to see her when, in fact, all he wants is Virgo so that he may dig up an old box containing embarrassing photos of his nakama.
That was probably the episode where I began to low-key ship those two together, but since I was here and not Lucy…Mirajane couldn't possibly think that there was even a chance that Natsu liked me?
I mean, although I possessed Lucy's beautiful body, I didn't wear nice clothes to accentuate it. In fact, I wore crappy clothes and chest bindings to make the body seem less appealing to those who would desire it; both male and female.
My personality was frigid at best most of the time, and I was only minutely better than Lucy when it came to dealing with Natsu's stupidity. Actually, I was probably worse as I didn't indulge him in reactions, I just usually ignored his stupidity and hoped it would go away shortly.
So, yeah, there was definitely no way that Natsu would have any interest in me.
No way at all.
"I think Natsu likes you."
If I had any liquid in my mouth, I would've spat it out in surprise at Mirajane's casual comment. Even as it was I did a double-take and nearly choked on my own saliva.
When I finally recovered, I gaped openly at Mirajane with what I felt to be flushed cheeks and ears. "W-What the hell, Mirajane? Natsu does not like me! He's like, asexual, and I'm undesirable."
"Oh, Lucy," Mirajane tittered as she took a seat next to me. "You're not undesirable. You're incredibly beautiful, smart and strong. Any man would be lucky to have you! Several men already desire you."
"Wakaba and Macao don't count as men," I muttered back, feeling my blush begin to spread further across my cheeks. "They're perverts."
"Okay," Mirajane said easily as she put an arm around me, "I didn't mean them. But haven't you seen the looks you get in the street? Both men and women double-take when they see you walking by, you're that beautiful!"
Liking my lips nervously, I averted my gaze away from Mirajane's honest blue eyes. "Yeah, but they simply like my body. They wouldn't like the soul that's in the body."
It was true. Who would actually like a murdering, criminal body-snatcher? Not me for certain. So who would actually wish to engage in a romantic relationship with a train wreck like me?
Thin fingers gripped the side of my face to draw me out of my thoughts and back to face Mirajane's uncharacteristically serious gaze.
"Lucy," the girl began, "you are a beautiful girl inside and out. You're kind and sweet when needed, and more than patient when it comes to life and its hardships. You cry for all the right reasons, and smile with the force of the sun. You're willing to take a bullet for someone you love—"
I couldn't help but think 'More like a knife, but whatever.'
"—And if someone thinks that you're undesirable because of that," Mirajane finished with a fierce expression on her face, "then they'll have to say that to my face! Because we all love you here in Fairy Tail, and anyone who deserves out love deserves to be happy romantically and with themselves."
An odd sensation of warmth built up in my chest after hearing and seeing how honest Mirajane was – she thought I was beautiful! Me, Tia! Not just Lucy's body! I gave Mirajane a crooked smile in response, barely bothering to care about the blush that was smeared about my face. "Thanks, Mira. You don't know how much it means to hear that."
Standing up, the barmaid gave me a loving peck on the forehead before slipping away to head towards the bar. "Anytime, Lucy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some rambunctious boys to feed." She turned to give me a saucy wink. "And you have a certain rambunctious boy to think about."
My blush flared up again at her words, and I was quick to hide it behind my book. The damn thing didn't go away for a long time after that, and just when I thought I'd got it in control Natsu decided to pop up.
And, of course, like in the episode, he dared to look somewhat cute and shy as he turned his head into his scarf, scratched at his cheek and blushed.
No male should blush like that! Not with the whole-! URGH!
Due to me voicing my thoughts mentally in an agonising scream of frustration, I nearly missed Natsu fumbling queries as to whether I was free tonight.
I stared at him blankly, ears still hot. "…What?"
Frustration built up on Natsu's face and he gestured helplessly, blush only intensifying. "Can you just meet me by the tree near—"
"I know where," I inputted dumbly. "Can you just tell me why you're blushing so much? It's making me nervous."
As per usual when he was put on the spot, Natsu was quick to splutter and try and turn the focus back onto the questioner; namely me in this instance. "Why are you blushing so much? It's making me nervous."
"I'm blushing because you're blushing!" I protested. "It's weird seeing you blush and it's freaking me out."
"I'm not trying to blush!" Natsu snapped back, flinging his arms out to display how large his frustration was getting. "But your face isn't helping!"
"Fuck it!" I finally snapped out, slamming my book down on the table and standing up to face Natsu. "This isn't getting us anywhere! I'll just summon Virgo and we can do the thing now, okay?"
That seemed to snap Natsu out of his funk, and he gave a cheer before snagging my arm and dragging me towards the door. "C'mon! This will be hilarious! I'll even share the booty with you!"
"I expect you to," I replied crankily, "it's my spirit doing most of the work."
Natsu ignored that, too busy dragging me off towards where the box was buried.
Three hours later Virgo was dismissed back to the Spirit World and both Natsu and I were proud owners of a collection of horribly embarrassing photos.
"This one's going up on my fridge," I said proudly as I held a photo of a young Gray dressed up in one of Levy's dresses, pouting heavily. "Definitely the centrepiece."
Natsu leant his head against mine as he tried to get a good look at the photo. It was clear he liked what he saw when he began to cackle, his body vibrating against mine. "Oh man, that's brilliant! I'd totally forgot about that one!"
Handing him the photo to study closer (and laugh over even more), I knelt forwards to begin foraging through the box nestled in the grass at our feet. We'd elected on staying beneath the tree the box had been buried under, taking advantage of the peace provided by the quiet area.
Pulling out another photo and leaning back to nestle against Natsu once more, I studied it closer before bursting into wild giggles.
That brought Natsu's attention right to the photo, and he let out an indignant squawk in seeing it. "What the HELL? When was that taken?"
"When you were younger, obviously," I said between giggles. "Look at you, you're so cute."
Indeed, younger Natsu was adorable as he pouted and scrubbed at an equally discouraged Gray's back. The two of them were naked, but soapy enough to not show anything to the photograph as they sat in what looked like an onsen. Behind Natsu was a little Erza clothed in a towel, who was happily smiling as she scrubbed Natsu's back with a brush.
"Fridge," was all I said before I tucked the photo away into one of my pockets. "Definitely fridge."
Natsu let out a howl of protest at that, and attempted to grab at me, clearly intent on getting the photo back by force.
Swiftly ducking the swipe and rolling away, I popped to my feet and snatched up the box before legging it out of there.
I could hear Natsu scrambling to his feet before taking chase behind me, and I couldn't help the nervous and excited giggle that escaped my lips as I sprinted away from him.
It took us two hours to finish the impromptu game of chase back at my apartment, where I packed away the box for safekeeping, thanking every god that Natsu had forgotten about the embarrassing bath photo during our chase.
(That damn thing was going to be glued to the fridge and charmed by Levy so that it couldn't be removed or damaged by magic.)
We then crashed on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate each and traded stories of our travels for the rest of the night.
And well into it as well, the two of us falling asleep where we sat.
I only awoke during the early hours of my sleep cycle to see Natsu removing my empty mug of hot chocolate and placing it alongside his onto the table. He then stood up and picked me up along the way, cradling my limp form in his arms as he made his way over to the bed.
The dragon slayer easily cradled me to his chest with one arm as he pulled back the blanket on my bed. He then slid me under the blanket and against the wall – where I felt safest – before jumping in beside me.
He only paused to unwind his scarf and remove his waistcoat to place carefully on the floor by the bed before he was slumping down to sleep with a sigh.
Keeping my eyes open a crack, I watched as Natsu's own gently fluttered before sliding shut. When I was sure that he was half-asleep, I scooted closer to fling my arm over him in a half-hearted hug. "Thank you, Natsu," I breathed under my breath before attempting to sleep."
"No problem, Luce," was all I heard before I slipped under.
Extra Omake: Time skip back to the awkward blushing moment:
Silence fell across the guild when Natsu and Lucy finally exited after their embarrassing blushing scene.
"What the hell," Gray said into the silence. "I didn't know Natsu could blush."
"Who gives a crap about that," Cana was quick to interject. "Did anyone hear what Lucy said? 'I'll just summon Virgo and we can do the thing now'! Didn't realise those two were up to doing the thing!"
"Or how about Natsu offering to 'share the booty'?" Macao guffawed. "Virgo's booty to be exact!"
"Those two were awfully excited to exit the guild," Bisca mused. "You guys don't think…? With all three…? I mean, spirit and human relationships are illegal…"
There was a moment as everyone in the guild merely glanced at each other. Suddenly…
"I'M REOPENING THE NATSU AND LUCY LOVE BET!" Cana called out. "Place your wagers here!"
A vast majority of the guild swarmed towards the brunette to place bets on when the two would get together, Mirajane leading the charge.
(If the guild was slightly awkward around Lucy and Natsu for a few days after that, neither of the two mentioned it. Thankfully.)
Okayyyyy! Done! Enjoy it!
AND SOMEONE PLZ GIVE ME FANART! IM NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO DRAW MY BABY TIA AND HER BEAUTIFUL BABY BOYS SO PLZ SEND HELP!