Warning: Here there be answers and a little heartbreak. I apologize for any confusion; trust me, our protagonists are feeling it, too. Answers will come, I promise!
agirl0ntheinternet- While I am sometimes a little put off by Juvia's obsession over Gray, yes, I am a Gruvia supporter.
As always, thanks for the love, readers.
I own only the plot of this story.
Natsu silently scaled the side of the castle, his claws easily finding purchase between the bricks. He had stayed away for as long as he could, but he didn't want to anymore. He wanted to see Lucy again, no matter how she felt about him.
After he'd returned home and taken time to think about what had happened, he'd realized he'd made a mistake. He had been too aggressive with Lucy, too demanding for answers after telling her he loved her.
She had been right, of course. What did he know about love? He was grateful for her presence, ridiculously happy that he was no longer alone and that he finally had a friend. That didn't necessarily mean he was in love with her. But… he wanted to be. Lucy was amazing. She was strong, resourceful, direct, smart, beautiful and so much more. It surprised him how much he liked her, but now that he knew he wasn't really a dragon, it made sense.
He wasn't sure if it was her presence or the fact that he was spending more time in his human form lately, but he felt different. He no longer thought the same way he used to, before he'd met her. While he still enjoyed being a dragon, enjoyed being able to fly, enjoyed hunting, even still enjoyed having a hoard, he knew he had changed. He only had one problem with his little revelation; he now had to work through his feelings about the people he'd killed. It had hit him hard the day after he'd last seen Lucy, when he'd finally realized that he had not only killed people, but eaten them, when he himself was actually a human. He regretted what he'd done, and hated that he'd undoubtedly caused many people pain by taking their loved ones. It had taken time, but the regret wasn't quite so crippling anymore.
However, due to his guilt, he'd learned quickly that when those thoughts became too much for him, he could revert to his dragon form to ward off the worst of the feelings. For some reason, his emotions seemed to be affected by the form he was in. His dragon form was colder and more calculating than his human form, which was chipper and warm. He wondered, once he was human again, if he would be the same as he was in his human form or if he'd revert to his previous personality. He also wondered if he would be forced to pay in some way for his crimes against the humans.
Once he was human again… it was only in the last couple days he'd truly begun to believe he could change back. He'd tried to be positive in front of Lucy, but even then he'd been uncertain. Now though, when he thought about it, it was always when. He wanted to be human again, needed to be human again. He didn't want to keep living on his own in the woods, scaring off everyone who entered to protect himself. Natsu wanted to return to society, wanted to live among people again, maybe make new friends. Live a normal life. If he was human again, he could spend time with Lucy, and right now, that was all that mattered to him. The rest could wait, but he really wanted to be able to see Lucy without risking her getting in trouble.
Besides, they had a connection, a strong one. Natsu was more convinced than ever that they were meant to be together. After he'd finally thought through everything that had happened since meeting her, he knew there was no question. The signs were all there for anyone who bothered to look. He had some sort of sixth sense when it came to her wellbeing. He had known she was in trouble when she'd had those poisonous berries, and he'd felt her pain the last day he'd seen her. She also seemed to have a similar sense for him, too; it had helped her to protect him from the arrow shot at hiim when he'd returned her home. She had dreams, memories of him, and since he'd met her, he'd been having some of the same. It was obvious she was the key to his true form, to his memories. Until he'd met her, he'd only ever had the one dream; he knew her presence had unlocked the others. He wanted to go back, and he needed her to do that, he was sure. First, he needed to make amends and make sure they were still friends.
As he made his way to the edge of the building, he sniffed the air. He could smell her, and others. He clung to the wall as he peaked around the corner of the castle, right next to her room. Down in the gardens he could see a couple pairs of guards walking around the edge and one pair near the middle, where the giant maple tree was. He could see a couple pairs of feet standing near the tree, but they weren't dressed the same. As he smelled the air, he realized Lucy's scent wasn't just coming from her room.
He silently slid back down the building so he could see better and realized that the two under the tree had stopped. Natsu realized that one of them was Lucy, and she was with a man that he'd never seen before. As he watched, Lucy suddenly lifted up onto her toes and kissed the man.
Natsu felt his heart stop, then resume beating at a furious pace. He felt himself begin to burn, his body creating wave after wave of heat as his stomach first dropped and then exploded in anger. As the man put his arms around Lucy, pulling her in closer, Natsu nearly launched himself in their direction. He barely reigned in his anger as he sunk his claws into the wall further, anchoring himself. After watching for a little while, a growl escaped his mouth before he could stop it. After squeezing his eyes shut, he took a deep breath, and another, before moving back into the shadows.
He'd seen enough.
Lucy felt awkward and uncertain as she pressed her lips to Gray's. She'd surprised him, it was obvious, but he responded quickly enough, pressing his own lips into hers as he put his arms around her. He tilted his head a little and kissed her a couple times, keeping his mouth closed, keeping the contact gentle. His lips were soft and his embrace was warm but careful.
As he pulled away, he smiled at her in the dark, half of his face illuminated by light from the castle. "I hope that was okay?"
It had been okay, but okay wasn't what she had hoped for. She had hoped there would be more, a spark that would show her that she didn't need to worry. Hoped there would be something so she'd know that the physical aspect of their marriage wouldn't be as awkward as she feared it would be.
For a split second, she felt pain, but she knew it wasn't her own. Just as quickly as it came, it was gone. Something drew her attention, a noise she was sure, something like a growl, but she didn't hear it with her ears. She turned toward the castle, scanning the darkness. Oh no. In the shadows one floor down from her room, she saw a flash of pink as it disappeared from sight.
"Lucy? You okay?"
Her face snapped towards Gray. "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry." Then Lucy realized she hadn't responded to his earlier question. "And yes, yes that was fine."
Gray smiled at her uncertainly. "You don't seem fine, Lucy. I'm sorry if I took that farther than you wanted, but I was curious."
"I was too, obviously." Lucy tried to watch the castle from the corner of her eye, but from where they stood, it was difficult. "Gray, if you don't mind, I'd really like to go to bed. It's been a busy day and I could use the sleep. Do you mind if we pick this back up tomorrow at breakfast?"
"This being the conversation or the other thing?"
Lucy smacked him lightly on the shoulder, making them both smile. "You know what I meant." She leaned up and kissed his cheek as she started towards the castle. "Good night, Gray."
"Good night, Lucy."
She tried not to hurry, tried not to give in to the urge to fly into her home and up the stairs. The walk felt like it took hours, but as she made it to her door, she informed her guards that she would not need her maids and then bid them good night as she closed the door behind her.
The room was dark, but she didn't bother to light a candle as she made her way towards the other door. She looked outside, making sure no one was left in the garden, then opened it silently to whisper, "Natsu?" She waited, and called his name twice more. The door remained open as she turned back to the room. She whispered his name again as she lit a candle. After a full circle of the room, she sat on her bed, shoulders slumped. He wasn't there. Lucy stared at the candle as the fire began to blur, refusing to acknowledge the tears that gathered and fell.
She missed him so much.
