I just realized that this is my longest story now, and I've only been writing this since the end of September. Damn, nalu is really addicting, okay? I'm obsessed, but I do wish I got into it earlier! I feel so late to the party! Okay, about the chapter… as much as I hate doing it, Natsu does sing this chapter. I really wish I was more confident writing lyrics. I just don't want it to be done horribly because I tend to skip over a lot of lyrics in the fics I read. It has to happen for Natsu's character though. But anyways.. the song is Stay by Rihanna. I spent so much time searching for a good song to use and I'm honestly still not very happy with it. I was browsing so may Spotify playlist, but I couldn't find a song that was soft and emotional music wise, but had lyrics that fit the situation. I settled with this so I hope you guys don't mind it aha! Also… I promise shit will go down soon. Things won't go smoothly forever and something big will happen. I'm undecided if it will happen next chapter or a different one, so be patient with me please. The drama is coming! Though you guys seem to be pleased. Anyways I'm done blabbering so have fun!
For the past few months… since Lucy knew him, she had always wondered how and why she let this happen. Why did she fall in love with this boy so easily and let him capture her whole body and soul? Why did she care so much for this teenager and want to feel his hands on her… touching her in a way she's never been touched before, his rough, hot hands trailing up her body so sensually, feeling her curves and making Lucy's heart shutter in anticipation. He would kiss his lips down her body, making marks along the way to claim her… like he was a child who didn't want to share his toys. He possessed her entire being… he made love to her so sensually with Lucy's back arching in bliss and hands tangled in his spiky hair. And she fell. She could feel the ground crumble under her… and she fell harder… faster. The anticipation to get caught in his arms was was unimaginable, and she felt her heart beat faster because of it. He had her heart in his possession… he had her entire being. She loved him, she craved him in a way she's never felt before.
But he was gone.
She was alone and she cried. She cried in fear… cried at how unfair the world was… and cried at how much she missed his arms around her. She's never been so needy before, but with him, she was. She craved to be held. She craved for his words to whisper and nip at her ear. She craved his warm body. She craved his presence.
She was lonely.
And then… she got a text. It was from Virgo. She hasn't talked with her in a month or so, but she was in need of a distraction. With her body curled in a ball and tears slipping down her red cheeks, Lucy opened the message, and clicked the link Virgo sent her. It was a YouTube video… a cover to an old song by Rihanna. Stay…
It had over a million views, but she was curious why Virgo would send her such a link, but she watched it. The video started out black with just the sound of the piano playing. The steady, yet calming keys relaxed her. And then, a black and white picture showed up, and she nearly forgot how to breathe. It was him, and he looked just as broken as she was. Tears cascading down his strong cheekbones. His arm muscles twitched while he played, before he swallowed thickly, his Adam's apple bobbing. His sharp jaw fell open and his voice… his beautiful singing voice left his lips in a way that made her unable to move.
"It's not much of a life you're living…
It's not just something you take, it's given…"
The steady keys of the piano played again, his smooth, yet emotional voice droning to an end. Before he took a deep inhale and sang again.
"Round and around and around and around we go…
Ohh, now tell me now tell me now tell me now you know…"
He closed his eyes, never letting up on the grand piano he was playing on, perfecting each key and making Lucy's heart race at how attractive he was. He blinked his eyes open and refused to look at the camera, but she could see the tears slip down his cheeks as his broken voice spoke up again. This time putting more emotion in and raising his voice with the harder notes.
"Not really sure how to feel about it, something in the way you move…
Makes me feel like I can't live without you, it takes me all the way…
I want you to stay…"
His voice was just beautiful… and she held a hand to her heart, trying to stop the excessive beating and endless tears. She couldn't be mad at how stupid he was because he was just… she was speechless. The feelings she felt from his voice, the loneliness seeping from his body language and the tears falling down his cheeks… She knows it's about her. She knows he's feeling the same she is. And he liked to sing his emotions so he sang, and he sang so beautifully. God, he was such an idiot. Why did he have to post this now? The police could use it against them, but Lucy couldn't find the will to be mad at him. He was just… so amazing.
"Oooh, the reason I hold on…
Oooh, cause I need this hole gone…
Funny you're the broken one, but I'm the only one who needed saving…
Cause when you never see the light, it's hard to know which one of us is caving…"
The piano kept playing, the sad tune filling her heart with loneliness and sorrow. But also longing… to be held in his strong arms… to feel his hard body against her… his rough voice whispering sweet words into her ear and his unique scent of smoked pine and fall spices filling her nose. She felt sad, and she cried. But she also felt sleepy hearing his voice. It somehow sent bolts of electricity down her body, but also calmed and relaxed her at the same time.
"Not really sure how to feel about it, something in the way you move…
Makes me feel like I can't live without you, it takes me all the way…
I want you to stay…"
The screen went black again, but the piano kept playing, along with the boy on the screen singing the last few lines with his unbelievable voice. She dropped her phone on the bed and cried ugly tears with Happy curled into her chest. She missed him. God she missed him so much. But who knows how long till she'll be able to be held in his warm arms.
"Natsu, you idiot."
By the time Lucy came to, it was nearing six o clock. She groggily looked around and rubbed her cheeks a bit to find her skin dry, but flaky with the tears she was crying. The days prior weren't as awful as Lucy expected. She was lonely and utterly depressed, but the police only visited her a few times and it seemed like they had almost dismissed the 'anonymous' tip about her relationship with Natsu. She didn't know what was happening on Natsu's end, but she was proud of him. He seemed to be handling it rather well up until she saw that video. Over one million views… who knows who saw it. The police could have, teachers from school… Sting. Natsu was such an idiot. Why would he post that video? No, Lucy knows why. It was his way to try and communicate with her. He knew he couldn't see her, so he sang his feeling to her anonymously, but to the people who knows what's going on, it's probably not very anonymous. And Lucy expected somebody to show up. Either Sting, or the police… or maybe an angry Erza who figured out about her and Natsu.
Either way, Lucy has to get herself together and prepare for whatever happens next. She pushed the covers off her bed and immediately went to the bathroom to fix her makeup. She had obviously cried so she was looking a little worse for wear, so she wiped her previous makeup off, then sat at her vanity and applied more to her face. Once done, she cleared her YouTube history and deleted Virgos text. She didn't respond, and just pretended she never saw it. She multitasked a quick dinner of pasta with white sauce, but kept it on the stove to keep it warm. After her dinner was made, she grabbed her laptop and some papers she needed to grade and sat at the kitchen table and waited, occasionally stirring the pasta so the bottom didn't burn on the low flame.
Lucy tried grading in the mean time, but it was hard to focus. She kept looking at the door, expecting someone to show up. Lucy wasn't even hungry so not eating didn't bother her. 7:30 rolled around, and that's when there was finally a knock on her door. She wasn't sure who to expect, so she stood up and busied herself with stirring the pasta again and loudly grabbing a bowl from the cupboard.
"Who is it?"
"Jellal. I'd like to talk to you about a few things." The police officer called through the door, and oddly, she felt safer knowing it wasn't Sting. The man who caused her problems has been visiting her regularly, so she always makes sure her door is locked and the chain is in place. She felt scared around Sting for the first time, never seeing him like this in the past, even after she dumped him. She doesn't know why he's freaking out now. He never bothered her after they broke up, so why is he suddenly throwing a temper tantrum that could fuck up her entire life? He said he loves her. Somebody in love shouldn't— oh, Lucy gets it. He has always been in love with her, just like he said he was in the past. But the difference was, back then, she didn't want love. She couldn't find it. But now that she has Natsu, she knows what love is. She is in love. She may have dated other guys since she and Sting broke up, but her relationship with Natsu is different. Natsu is special and that's why Sting got jealous. Because she fell in love and belonged to someone just like he wanted her to belong to him. She gets it now, Sting is possessive, just like his cousin.
"Coming!" Lucy casually walked to the door while wiping her eyes a bit with the sleeve of the cozy sweater she was wearing. She put makeup on to cover her tired eyes and red cheeks, but they were still a bit puffy so she was a bit stressed about her appearance. She unchained the door, then turned both the locks. The first on the actual doorknob and the second above it with its own separate lock. She opened it to revral the blue haired police officer, which Lucy had learned was Erza's husband. She thought it was strange when Jellal introduced himself as Jellal instead of detective and his last name. Apparently he has the same last name as Erza, which oddly, he took from his wife. It was certainly different, but Mira explained it to her. Apparently Jellal gave Erza her last name when they were kids. They separated for some odd reason and then Jellal found her again using his skills as a detective. They solved whatever problems they had, but Erza still used the last name he gave her… Scarlet. They both thought it was special so once they got married, Jellal changed his last name to the one he gave Erza, instead of changing Erza's last name to his. It was really sweet and romantic. Lucy was always curious of how Erza acts with her husband because she has a hard time picturing Erza in a relationship, but she still didn't get a very good impression of them since they were both acting very professional with the situation.
Lucy gave the detective a small wave and smile, but also had a furrow in her brows. "And what do I owe the pleasure of the police at my door? I was just about to eat dinner and grade some papers."
"May I?"
Lucy nodded and stepped aside to let him inside. She hid all the things of Natsu's that had accumulated over time in a storage unit across town that held some of her more valuable possessions that she took from her fathers home. Things of her mothers like special books and also things of her fathers that she couldn't find herself leaving behind.
Once the door was shut behind him, Lucy ventured into the kitchen and causally sat down at the table. "Would you like to take a seat? If you have any questions, I'd be glad to answer them. It's just my Modern literature class just turned in a big essay and I need to start grading them. I've already put it off enough with all that's been going on."
Jellal nodded and took a seat across from her at the two person table and leaned back while staring at her expectantly. She wasn't sure what he was hoping for, but he eventually sighed and spoke up. "Sorry to bother you so many times Miss. Heartfilia."
Lucy laughed before taking a bite of steaming pasta. It was on the stove for a while and was quite hot so she made sure to blow at it before taking a bit. She swallowed down the food, then plucked a napkin off the stack on the table and wiped her mouth. "Please… just call me Lucy. I'm so used to the title coming from children so it's strange for an adult to call me that."
"Ah, I suppose you're right." He smiled at her, but cleared his throat and looked around her apartment. "You live alone?"
"Nope! My best friend lives with me." He raised a brow and looked around again in search of another bed in her studio apartment, until there was a small meow down at his feet. Lucy picked the kitten up and used one of Happy's paws to wave at him. "Meet Happy. I got him as a kitten a few months back. I was feeling pretty lonely and needed a companion." Happy nuzzled into her cheek at her pets then pawed at her face with multiple meows. Lucy chuckled at her kitty. "You already ate, you silly cat. It's mamas turn."
The kitten didn't look amused and jumped out of her arms and trotted away to play with one of his toys littered on the floor. Jellal laughed, but she could see a sly look on his face that she new would accompany a question. "It's odd that a beautiful woman like you doesn't have a boyfriend. Is there a reason for that?"
"Oh, I did have one." Lucy nodded with a grim look on her face. "You see, I dated him back in college, but the relationship didn't last long. I wasn't looking for anything serious at the time." She blew on another forkful of pasta before taking a bite and swallowing it down. "We recently gave it another chance. I met his family and everything, but it didn't work out…" she frowned at the thought of it and shook her head. "He's been visiting my apartment a lot. I always tell him I'm not interested… It's quite a hassle. Sting has kind of an obsession."
At the mention of his name, Jellal's eyes widened. "Would this Sting character have any reason to harm you?"
"Harm me?" Lucy raised a brow at the detective. "Oh, I don't think so… He was always quite harmless, but I don't know… Recently, he scares me a little." She fidgeted under his gaze, but just smiled widely and took another bite of pasta. "Sorry, I'm just being dramatic. I'm sure he wouldn't try to harm me. " Lucy then looked up at him curiously. "So did you have a particular reason for stopping by tonight?"
"Uh, Yeah… I wanted to show you a video." He pulled a laptop out of his things and opened up a file that lead to a video. He said nothing as the video started to play, and just watched her expression. It was as Lucy expected. The police somehow saw the video and were suspecting them. It's a good thing Virgo sent her this or she would have been blindsided. She'll have to thank her for that someday, but Lucy was awfully curious of why Virgo sent her such a video in the first place, especially since they haven't talked in a little over a month. It was very random, and quite curious, but she was thankful for her either way.
Once the video ended, Lucy looked dazed and just kind of stared down at her lap. "I-is that about…?"
"We believe it's about you."
Lucy gulped and looked up at him in panic. "I-I don't know what to say… I swear, I… I'm not..."
"Did you know of Natsu's attraction for you?"
She didn't quite meet his gaze at first, but eventually looked up at him. "Another student mentioned it to me before. I was looking over her paper at an after school help session and she complimented me by basically saying 'wow, it's no wonder Natsu likes you so much', but I didn't think much of it. I'm aware of the way the male students look at me… there's nothing I can do about it." She awkwardly scratched her temple and looked away again. "I just brushed it off… I didn't think he was this serious."
"What was the students name who spoke of Natsu's attraction to you?" He pulled a little pad of paper out and a pen, and stared at her expectantly.
"Her name is Levy McGarden. She's a very good student… works hard, listens to my lessons. I don't know if this will make things worse, but she's honestly one of my favorite students. She's very diligent and signed up for creative writing because she wanted to learn how to write, not as an easy blow off class, and that makes any teacher happy."
She smiled at the cop who nodded at her words and jotted a few notes down. "Do you know any other friends of Natsu's we can talk to?"
"Gray Fullbuster and Loke Celestial. They're both in my class and are good friends with Natsu. Also, I know this won't help my situation much either, but my ex… Sting… he's related to Natsu. I went to Sting's family Christmas party and Natsu was there. They have another cousin. Gajeel Redfox. He seemed very close with Natsu as well. Oh and I'm sure you can talk to Sting too! We were dating so he knows I'm innocent. His full name is Sting Eucliffe."
"A-alright."
"Is there anything else you need because I should really get to grading my essays." She took another bite of pasta, then wiped her mouth a bit with her napkin.
"No, that should be all for now."
Lucy walked him to the door, then made sure to lock her three locks after he was gone. She couldn't help but wonder back over to her table and sit down while pulling up the video again. It… it was going viral. Almost two million views now. With piano playing in the background along with Natsu's nice voice, Lucy scrolled down to the comments and read them.
What a beautiful singing voice with such emotion! It brought me to tears.
damn hes hot wish he would sing about me like that
FUCKK!
What's his name?
Lucy immediately felt extremely anxious and angry reading all these comments about how hot her boyfriend was. She was not like Natsu. She wasn't possessive and territorial, so why did it bother her so much to the point that she was shaking? All these horny girls need to back off of her man. But Lucy finally understood how Natsu felt now. Seeing all these males fuss over her, but is unable to do anything. She gets it and it's frustrating. Natsu was hers. Goddamnit, how was she supposed to cope like this? She started to feel anxious. Lucy thought she would be okay if Natsu has a pretend girlfriend like she did with Sting. She thought she could trust Natsu. And she does, but she doesn't trust all these hormonal teenage girls commenting about how hot Natsu was. Nobody seemed to look at Natsu like that at school, all except her of course. But now… now that they've seen how attractive the hyperactive boy can be, who knows who will try to take him away from her. God, this was annoying. And she can't stake her claim on him right now because the only time she sees him is during class.
Lucy had other things to worry about than that though. She wasn't sure if what she said to Jellal would come back to haunt her or end this little problem completely. Lucy knows that Sting was the one who sent in the anonymous tip, so dropping his name casually as her ex boyfriend may raise some suspicions about Sting. Lucy bets Sting didn't mention he dated her in the past so Jellal was probably surprised that she mentioned him and even put her trust in him by saying he wouldn't harm her and would even clear her name. Yeah, Lucy knows she's manipulative, but she learned it while living with her father. She was very good at pretending and acting innocent when she really was the complete opposite. She was devious and did bad things. She could carry someone in the direction she wants them to go just through conversation. Everything went according to plan, but it really depends on what Sting will do. This is a war between them, after all. The police may be the ones to arrest her if she gets caught, but they wouldn't be the ones to catch her slip up. It's someone like Sting who knows exactly what kind of relationship she and Natsu have, and someone who would go far and take drastic measures just to make sure she didn't belong to someone else in a way she never belonged to him. After all, Sting meant nothing to her. She would do pretty much anything to make sure she can stay by Natsu's side. So she would be the victor… For her and Natsu's future.
