Inspired by obsessedwithnalu's request from a very long time ago... At least I did it eventually, right? *laughs nervously*
[Order of appearance of anime from previous chapter: Ouran High School Host Club, Pokemon (which I personally have not seen or plan to see, I know enough from my dear friend), Black Butler, Death Note (Happy as L), Owari No Seraph (MikaYuu forever), Uta No Prince-Sama (song was Maji Love 2000%). Did you get them all?]
START
"Salamander?" Lucy overheard girls squealing about the name while walking around Hargeon. She followed a couple to see what the commotion was all about. A group of girls surrounded something, Lucy pushed her way through the fangirls to see the person in the middle.
"Huh? I don't see anyone specia–" her heart began to pound painfully in her chest.
"Akky!" A pink- haired man shouted as he pushed through the barrier of girls. He created a large crater where he fell. His mood quickly soured, as did the atmosphere around him. "You're not Salamander."
Lucy suddenly felt normal again and noticed a ring on "Salamander's" hand. "Love charm?" She whispered.
"Of course I'm Salamander!" The attention-seeking man said proudly.
"If you were really 'Salamander' would you need to use a love charm?" Lucy asked, hand on her hip.
"Excuse you?" 'Salamander' snarled.
"Love charm. On your finger. Awareness makes the charm useless." She said, pointing at his hand.
Slowly, all of the girls noticed the ring and became immune to the charm. They started screaming and leaping at 'Salamander' to make him regret using the charm.
Lucy walked over to the pink-haired man escaping the scene. "Hey, you!"
"Huh?"
"Thanks."
"For what?"
"You helped break the charm that gross guy was using. I was able to figure out what was going on because you distracted me for a moment."
"No problem?"
"How about lunch?" She proposed.
"Lunch!"
"I'm Lucy by the way."
"I'm Natsu." He grinned.
At the restaurant, Natsu ordered piles upon piles of food.
"You have... Quite the appetite there." Lucy commented.
"Dragons have a big appetite."
"Dragons?"
"I'm a dragon slayer."
"Those super rare mages that were raised by dragons? Wow! What were you doing here? Aren't dragon slayers always on missions?"
"Looking for my dad."
"Your dad?"
"Acnologia. He's a dragon. 'Used to be called things like 'salamander.'"
"Why would a dragon be in the middle of Hargeon?"
Natsu froze.
"You moron." Lucy groaned. "You know, I'm a Mage too." She said to lighten the mood.
"What kind?"
"Celestial spirit summoner."
"Never heard of it." He dead panned.
"Shouldn't you know all types of magic since you're always fighting other wizards?"
"Hmm... I guess so. Maybe that's what I should be doing when I'm at home with my hoard... There's probably books in there."
"Well..." She ignored the thought of Natsu covered in piles of treasures and nearly suffocating. "I basically summon spirits from the celestial realm and they help me in fights or help me with information."
"So... Like an army at your fingertips?" Natsu finally stopped eating.
"Huh... I never thought of it that way. But I guess so. Though, some are just companion spirits."
"That's cool. Hey, wanna join my guild?"
Lucy's eyes widened. "Really? What guild?"
"Fairy Tail."
"FAIRY TAIL? That's the one I've been wanting to join for years! Can I really join?"
"Yeah. As long as you're cool, which I think you are."
"I'd love to."
They left the restaurant (after paying a entire newly decorated room's worth of money) to go to Fairy Tail.
"Mira, do you know where Natsu went? He disappeared after we got here..." Lucy asked, looking at her new guild mark.
"Natsu brought you here? I didn't even see him come in."
"Do you know where he might've gone?"
"Maybe his house? I don't really know where that is though... Try asking Happy. He's Natsu's best friend."
"Who is Happy?"
"Little blue flying cat. He's usually around..." Mira started looking around. "Oh! He's on the other side of the bar, with fish." She pointed to the cat.
"Wow! You weren't joking about the blue..." Lucy commented, walking over to the cat.
He was laying down, drooling over his fish.
Lucy tapped his shoulder. He scrambled to wake up. "Huh? Who? Where's my fish? I'll fight 'ya!"
"It's right in front of you."
"Phew." Happy wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Um... Sorry if I'm being a bother, but Mira told me that you'd know where Natsu's house is?"
"Natsu's back?" Happy's eyes widened, excited.
"Yeah. He just brought me here then left. Mira said he probably went home."
"Brought you here?"
"Mhmm... We met in Hargeon, I told him I'm a Mage and he brought me here. He's pretty nice..."
"Natsu? Nice to a new person?" Happy questioned.
"Yes?"
He started laughing. "That was a funny joke. Natsu... Being nice?" He laughed even harder.
"He helped me out so I paid for his meal." She reasoned.
"Oh." Happy stopped laughing. "He likes food... I like food too, ya' know." He winked.
"Is a salmon okay?" She sighed.
"Aye!"
"His house is really far from town, isn't it?" Lucy joked nervously, walking through the forest and following Happy's directions.
"Yeah, Natsu doesn't really like being close to people." Happy reasoned, sitting on Lucy's shoulder.
"Why is that?" Lucy asked.
"Probably has something to do with his dad and how he was raised." Happy put a paw to his chin.
"Acnologia, right?"
"He told you? Oh! There it is! See the sign?" Happy flew up and pointed towards a small sign that read 'Natsu and Happy.' Behind it was a tall house, overrun by animals and bushes. A stone chimney poked through the top.
Lucy struggled to get to the doorstep, overgrown vines tripping her nearly every five seconds.
Happy carelessly threw open the front door, shouting, "Natsu! Natsu! Lucy gave me a salmon! Isn't she cool?" Lucy carefully followed the cat inside.
There was a groan from the other side of the room. "Mhmm."
The room was covered in miscellaneous items and looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years. Lucy covered her nose. "How do you guys live in this?" She questioned.
Natsu popped up from a pile of gems. "Oh, Lucy. You're here."
She hummed in response, scowling at the mess. "Where are your cleaning supplies?"
"In the closet next to the stove." Happy said.
Lucy glanced around, not finding anything that could resemble a kitchen except for more food in one area. She stepped towards the rotting foods. "Tell me if I'm hot or cold."
Before she took a single step, Natsu said, "you're hot."
"Natsu she's not even close to it yet." Happy interjected.
"She's still hot. Did you see her boobs?" Natsu whispered the second sentence and mimicked groping his own imaginary breasts.
"Natsu, you're hopeless." Happy sighed.
"Happy, can you just show me where it is?" Lucy asked, frustrated.
"Sure!" Happy squeaked, flying over to a massive pile of garbage. "Right behind here."
"You've gotta be kidding me..."
Lucy began living with Natsu and Happy. After cleaning every inch of the poor house, she discovered a whole new room that she claimed for herself. She bought a nice, fluffy bed with pink sheets and a white comforter; a sturdy, wooden desk to hold her manuscript, letters, and other papers; a comfortable white chair to read in; a bookshelf that was nearly full after only a month of use; and light curtains for her window which she had to go outside and clear the vines from.
Luckily, all she had to do to live in Natsu's house was to clean every now and then. The house was completely paid for and Natsu only paid for heating, and gas. There was a fresh water source nearby that Natsu had hooked up to the pipes in the house. They both paid for their own shares of food, since Natsu ate like a monster.
"Lushyyyyyyy. I need food moneyyyyy..." Natsu whined from the doorway to Lucy's room. "I'm starving..."
"Are you serious, Natsu? We just went on a job two days ago. You already spent 20,000 jewels on food?" Lucy asked, placing her book on her lap and crossing her legs angrily.
"Mhmm..." He nodded, pouting.
Lucy sighed and dug one of her hands into her hair, scrunching her face. "What am I gonna do with you?"
"Pay for my lunch?" He looked at her with puppy eyes.
"It was a rhetorical question, Natsu."
"Pwwwwweeeeeeeeease?"
"Fine. But you're buying me cake every day for the next month once we go on another job." She tossed her book onto her bed, grabbed a pair of flats and her wallet. Her poor wallet which Natsu stole from with his insatiable stomach.
Natsu cheered.
"Happy, we're going to the store... Maybe a restaurant too. Want anything other than salmon?" Lucy said loudly, walking into the main room.
"Halibut." He hissed, scratching at a toy shaped like a fish.
"Alright, see you later. Tell me if you get that food out of the toy without cheating, I might give you a treat."
"Aye!" He said, then promptly returned to scratching at the stuffed fish. "Ha-ta-ta-ta-ta!"
"Natsu, let's go! You want food, right?" The previously sulking man sprang up from laying on the floor, swooped Lucy up from her feet, and ran out the door.
"Food!"
"Natsu! Calm down!" Her shouts fell on deaf ears. She huffed.
"Mission! Mission! We're going on a mission!" Natsu chanted. "Gonna fight some bad guys and get money for...?"
"Food." Lucy finished his cheer reluctantly.
"Food! Food! I love food! I probably love it more than I love boobs!"
"Natsu! That's vulgar!" She squealed.
"I couldn't think of anything else to rhyme food with." He shrugged.
"Maybe something with 'mood?'"
"Food! Food! I love food! It puts me in a good mood!" He tried. "Doesn't quite... roll off the tongue." He added in a strangely nasally voice with hand gestures.
"How about 'fish?'" Happy interjected.
"Fish doesn't rhyme with food." Natsu said. Then he began to list off words, "food, mood, brood, glued, clued, shrewd, wooed, viewed, Jude—"
"That last one is a name, Natsu." Lucy commented.
"Food! Food! I love food! Someone I don't love is Jude!" Natsu chanted. "Get it, Lucy? Because that's your dad's name and he's a jerk?" He grinned and nudged her side.
"Natsu!" She slapped his arm. "That's rude!"
"Food! Food! I love food! I said bad things about her dad, so Lucy thinks I'm rude!"
Lucy jumped at Natsu with claws.
"Ahh! Spare me!"
"Hey, Lucy!" Mira greeted as Lucy sat upon a stool.
"Mornin' Mira." Lucy replied. "Can I have an orange juice?"
"Sure!" Mira grabbed a glass and poured the desired juice into it, handing it to Lucy.
"Thanks!" Lucy took a sip.
"So, Lucy." Mira began. Lucy hummed, taking another sip. "How is living with Natsu?"
Lucy quirked an eyebrow. "Not bad, why?"
"I've heard that his house is possessed."
Lucy blinked. Multiple times. "Possessed? I haven't heard anything about that."
"Happy told me that he heard voices during the night. Sometimes footsteps. He even told me that he saw a ghost!"
"Happy!" Lucy called.
"Aye?" The blue cat flew over to the girls.
"You told Mira that the house is possessed?"
"Aye, it is."
"Go ahead and explain it to Lucy." Mira prodded.
"Well... It all started a few years ago, but recently, it has gotten really scary. I used to hear footsteps running around the house. And the doors would open in the middle of the night. Sometimes, when I woke up and looked around, there wouldn't be anyone there. The footsteps have become less frantic, maybe the ghosts are becoming more confident with taking over the house?!
"Recently, I started hearing voices in the middle of the night. They're always angry. Two nights ago, I saw a ghost! It was like a shadow, but menacing. I think it knew that I saw it. It came out of the pantry and went into Natsu's hammock, disappearing.
"Lucyyyy, the house is haunted! It's scary!" He cried.
Lucy looked unimpressed. "Happy, your house used to have animals in it."
"Ghost animals." He said.
"No, actual animals. Like rats and birds. Remember all of the traps we had to set up to get rid of them? Those must have been the old footsteps."
"Oh my..." Mira said.
"But what about the new footsteps? And the angry voices? And the pantry-raiding?"
"Happy, who lives with you?" Lucy asked.
"Huh?"
"Who lives in the house?"
"Natsu and you, but I don't see where—?"
"Who eats a lot?"
"Natsu does."
"Have you ever noticed that he eats without realizing it?"
"In the morning sometimes."
"He sleep-eats. He gets up in the middle of the night, goes to the pantry, and eats. That's where the footsteps and the pantry-raiding are from."
"Oh." He paused. "But what about the—?"
"Ghost? Once again, Natsu. He sleep-eats, then goes back to his hammock."
"The voices, Lucy." Happy shivered.
"Happy, you should know that one. You're part of the problem on that one."
"How so?"
"You and Natsu both sneak into my bed in the middle of the night. I wake up because you guys always push me onto the floor. I get mad and kick you out. Thus, angry voices." She explained.
"Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense, your bed is really comfy though. But, Lucy, if you're wrong—"
"You can sleep in my room if you're scared."
"Lushyyyyy, you're the best!" Happy jumped onto her head and hugged her face.
"Gah! Happy, get off my face!" She scrambled to keep her balance, but the stool fell over, along with Lucy, the cat, and her orange juice.
Her poor orange juice.
"Natsu! Master said we have to go on a mission with Gray and Erza!" Lucy called into Natsu's hoard room. Natsu sprang up from the corner, a doll on his head.
"Aww... But I don't like going on missions with them. They never let me have any fun. It's always 'Natsu, don't break that' or 'Natsu, that's not yours.'" He made weird faces and pointed at the doll that he put into his hand. "'Natsu, don't try to take that family's precious heirloom that's been passed down for nine centuries.'"
"Too bad, we need the food money, and you were mentioned specifically on the mission request." Lucy leaned against the door frame.
"'Mentioned specifically?'"
Lucy unrolled the mission sheet and read the request, "Help needed, magic-wielding bandits have been stealing from the museum; Titania, and The Chaos Dragon requested, if possible. Reward: 500,000 jewels."
"Why Gray too?" Natsu pouted.
"Erza suggested it. Thought it'd be good for you to work with more people than just me and Happy." She shrugged.
"Don't wanna!" Natsu dove into a pile of pillows and blankets.
"Natsu...food money...fighting..." Lucy sang, stepping into the room, trying to find the pink-haired man.
She was suddenly pulled downwards. "Ahh!"
She was on her back, laying awkwardly on a flute. Natsu was suddenly hovering over her.
"I don't need any money right now. I need THINGS! My hoard! It's lacking!" He said, determined.
"If we go on that mission and get the reward, we can go shopping for more things." Lucy replied.
Natsu stopped using his arms and fell face-first onto Lucy's abdomen. She choked. Natsu moaned into her shirt. "Boring!"
"Natsu, you're drooling... How about an antique shop?"
"I guess... Still boring." He sat up and crossed his legs. "Most of the stuff here has a story of how I got it though. The flute under you was from a woman I met when I was little, I helped her carry boxes to her new house so she gave me the flute." He pointed to the top of another pile, "I stole that blanket from a couple that was having a picnic but went into the woods to make out." He pulled a box from behind him, "this was on a pedestal at the end of a cave after I passed through all of the traps." He threw it behind him and sighed.
"If I just buy something, it won't have as much meaning and it won't be as fun to look back on."
Lucy was surprised at his intentions. She sat up carefully, trying to dodge sharp items sticking out of the pile she was on.
"Well... Maybe we can find something on the way. Or maybe the client could give you something instead of money? He is a museum owner, he probably has something in the basement that he doesn't show anymore."
"Hmmm. Do I HAVE to work with Erza and Gray though?"
"Yes, you HAVE to work with them."
He groaned, "fine. But you have to promise that we'll find something cool."
"I promise."
"Watch out! That guy can manipulate stone!" Gray warned, "Ice Make: Battle Axe!" An axe appeared in his hands and he rushed into another bandit.
"Open! Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus!" A large bull appeared from a twinkling yellow light. "Taurus, help get these bandits in one area!" Lucy cracked her whip and dashed at the weakened mages.
"Chaos Dragon's Crushing Fist!" Natsu knocked out five bandits.
"Heaven's Wheel!" Swords circled around Erza and shot at the escaping bandits.
"Lucy! Get out of the way!" Natsu demanded, running towards the crowd of bandits Lucy collected, preparing for a large blow to knock them all out.
"Got it! Taurus, thanks for your help." She said, then summoned a new spirit, "Open! Gate of the Archer, Sagittarius!" A man in a horse suit appeared. "Sagittarius, shoot down the bandits on the second floor!"
"Open! Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!" She summoned another spirit. "Tie up the unconscious bandits, please!" She asked before jumping back into the fight with her whip.
"Ice Make: Hammer!"
"Gah!" A large group went down.
"Erza! The last one is behind you!" Lucy alerted.
"Got him!" The last mage fell.
"Nice work, guys!" Lucy congratulated. "Thanks Virgo, Sagittarius." The two spirits disappeared.
"Not bad, eh?" Gray commented.
"Well done." Erza added.
"Let's call the magic council to put these guys behind bars." Lucy said.
"The floor..." Gray brought up.
Everyone looked down at the floor that had chunks jutting in all directions.
"Open! Gate of the Scales, Libra! Libra, could you fix the floor?"
"Of course." The floor was leveled.
"Thank you!" The spirit disappeared.
"Reward money!" Lucy shouted.
"Thank you very much for dealing with those pesky wizards. They always broke my glass cases and stole my exhibits. Here is your reward. And, since you finished the job so quickly, I'll give you this!" He presented a bone in a glass case. "It's the clavicle of a Chimera!"
Lucy grabbed the case and had Natsu carry the money full of the reward. "Thank you, sir."
"Na-tsu." Lucy teased when they left the client. "Naaa-tsu."
"Hm?"
"We got you a thing!" She said, happily.
"I'm trying to think of where to put it."
"Put it?" Gray asked.
"He's got a room of things. It's all just piles though... Without order." Lucy clarified.
"There's order to it, trust me." Natsu assured.
"So Gray, I haven't talked to you much since I joined the guild. How's it going?" Lucy changed the subject.
"Fine, I guess. You? You have to deal with the mopey dragon kid, I bet that's tough." He pointed his thumb towards Natsu, who growled in response.
"Natsu, hush. I've been having a lot of fun with the guild, though, I wish I could spend more time with the other members. Natsu gets kind of possessive, or food-obsessive and blows through all of our money."
"I'd be glad to take you on a job with me, Lucy." Erza suggested.
"I don't think Lucy is interested in such big jobs yet, Erza." Natsu mumbled.
"'Big jobs?'"
"S-Class jobs. Erza is an S-Class Mage, so she takes more difficult and longer jobs. There are only a few S-Class mages in Fairy Tail, it's difficult to become one."
"Woah! That's cool! Natsu, are you an S-Class Mage?" Lucy asked, excited.
"Lazy bastard won't even go to the exams. He's been nominated every year to become S-Class for the past six years but he always ditches the exams." Gray sneered.
"It's boring." Natsu moaned.
"Natsu, it's an honor to become an S-Class mage, by not showing up to the exams, you're being very disrespectful." Erza lectured.
"Natsu, should take the exam. If you win, you won't be nominated anymore and you wouldn't have to take it again. Also, big jobs equal more money which equals more food and things to buy!" Money sprouted from Lucy's eyes. "You wouldn't have to take my money after using all of yours up!" She laughed happily. "I could buy so many books and clothes!" She twirled in place, chanting, "Mo-ney! Mo-ney!"
Natsu watched her, amused.
"They're like a married couple." Gray whispered to Erza.
Erza blushed and nodded quietly, noting the exchange between the blonde and the pink one. "I'm telling Mira." She said.
"When's the wedding?" Mira asked Lucy when Lucy casually walked into the guild.
"The Royal Wedding? I didn't know the princess was engaged yet? Isn't she still too young to get married? Is he hot? Or is he just a gross guy with a ton of money?" Lucy asked.
"I meant your wedding!"
"I'm not getting married. At least... I'm not planning on it yet. I'm only 17." Lucy put her chin in the palm of her hand, resting her elbow on the bar.
"I was thinking blues and golds for your color scheme. Do you prefer round or square plates?" Mira pulled out a large, well-used notebook and a pencil.
"I like blue and gold. Probably round plates— wait, what?"
"If you're not planning on getting married, I'll plan FOR you. Do you like morning glories or forget-me-nots?"
"Morning glories. Forget-me-nots are too small for my liking— Stop! I'm not getting married, Mira!" Lucy threw her fist down.
"I'm just preparing for the future, Lucy. No need to worry. I think Natsu would look good in a black suit, blue tie or gold tie?"
"Neither! Mira! Stop!"
"Lucy, I ran out of money again." Natsu appeared out of nowhere, throwing his arm around Lucy's shoulders.
"Perfect! Natsu, would you prefer a gold or blue tie with a black suit?" Mira prodded.
"My favorite color is red."
"Well, that doesn't work with my color scheme..." She pouted and placed the eraser of her pencil to her lip.
"Lucy! Job! Let's go!"
"But my color scheme!" Mira whined as the two ran out of the guild doors.
"I think gold would look nice on Natsu." Happy said to Mira.
"Lucy, be my partner for the S-Class exam!"
"Huh?" Lucy asked, surprised at the sudden proposition.
Cana pressed her palms together and bowed her head, "please!"
"Is that okay? I mean, I'm still a newcomer with my magic abilities..." Lucy trailed off.
"Yes! I think we could work really well together."
"Mind if I ask Natsu... He might ask me—"
"Natsu! I'm your partner, right?" Happy flew straight into Natsu's face.
"Of course."
"Never mind... Sure, Cana! I'll be your partner," Lucy stuck her hand out for Cana to grab and shake. "Let's go train so we can make you S-Class!"
~~~~(-/-)~~~~
"Princess, I'm sorry, but I will be working with Gray for the S-Class exams, I made a promise with him a while back and–"
Lucy sighed, "fine! Just promise me you'll actually help Gray in the exams instead of flirting and trying to get into his pants... Not that he wears them anyways..."
Loki blushed. "Lucy, my darling, I only have eyes for you!"
"Uh huh..." Lucy walked away, unconvinced.
~~~~(-_-)~~~~
"You're kidding me." Lucy groaned.
"Nope, this is where the exams are held." Cana slid back further in her chair, sipping a fruity drink.
"It's so hot!" She screeched, throwing her arms over the side of the boat.
"That's why I told you to wear a bathing suit under your clothes."
"I'm melting..." Gray said, trying to hide under any shade he could find, Loki standing next to him with a fan.
The boat suddenly stopped moving.
"Huh?"
"Welcome, future S-Class mages! This is the beginning of the exam on Fairy Tail's home, Tenrou island! Once you get to the island, there will be several paths which you can take. In those paths, you will either meet a current S-Class Mage, a competing Mage, or you may luck out and get the path with no mages! You will fight the ones on your path and the victor may continue in the exams. Good luck! The test starts now!" Makarov's voice boomed over the speakers on the boat.
"But we're still on the boat!" Cana said.
"Happy, let's go!" Natsu bolted off with Happy flying.
"We should probably start swimming." Lucy sighed, running to the edge, when she bumped into an invisible wall. "What?"
She looked up and saw Bickslow and Freed waving from outside the wall. They quickly flew away.
"Don't worry, I've got this!" Levy said, writing over the runes.
"Levy, you're amazing!" Lucy cried.
"Done, let's go Gajeel!" The pair rushed over the edge, Lucy followed but ran into the same problem.
"Sorry, Lucy, but we're competitors right now!" Levy shouted from the water.
Lucy growled.
Cana shrugged.
~~~~~~\[*_*]/~~~~~
"Good move with all of those girls, Cana, you definitely shocked them!" Lucy high-fived Cana.
"I know, right? I'm glad I have that card. Always comes in handy."
~~~~~-_•~~~~~
"Why is a sumo wrestler following me?" Lucy shouted, running anywhere she could.
"Just give me one hair!"
"No, you creep!" She looked behind her to see how close Kain was.
"But Mister Cursey–"
"I said no!" She ran into a tree and fell down, groaning.
Kain laughed victoriously. "I got one!" He harshly attached it to his voodoo doll and held the doll in the air. "Now I can make you do anything I want!"
"Yeah, right..."
"I will! See?" He adjusted the doll so it posed with its hands on its hips.
"I was already doing that pose."
"How about this?" He put both arms up.
Lucy paled when her arms matched.
"And this?" Kain started to pose the doll in rather... Odd positions. A squat, a handstand, a tree pose...
"Woah, Lucy! I didn't know you did yoga!" A squeaky voice interrupted, Lucy in Warrior one, shifting to Warrior two.
"I don't!" She said, sliding into Triangle.
"Lucy do down dog!" Natsu suggested from the side.
"No!"
"Too late!" Kain chuckled maliciously, Lucy struggling to hold the new position.
"Hey, can I try?" Natsu asked Kain from beside him. Kain nodded, excited, and carefully handed him the doll. Natsu quickly returned the doll into an upright position and pulled the hair out of the head, replacing it with a thick black hair.
"What are you doing?" Kain asked nervously.
Natsu started winding his arm. Kain began to get dizzy. Once Natsu's arm reached the speed of Happy's Max Speed, he let go of the doll, watching it, and Kain, fly into the distance with his hand on his forehead. "Bye bye." He waved.
Lucy, Natsu, and Happy looked at the sky in silence.
"Hey Natsu." Lucy prompted after a minute of staring.
Natsu hummed, content.
"Have I ever told you that I think that you're a crazy person?"
"Probably."
"Just checking."
~~~~~{*^*}~~~~~
Natsu, Happy, and Lucy walked in the direction of the other guild members.
"Natsu, you should've kept Mister Cursey, he could've been a nice addition to your hoard." Lucy said suddenly.
"Ahh... I didn't think of that... Oh well." He shrugged. "At least I got to see you struggle at yoga."
"Shut up!"
~~~~\[._.]/~~~~~
"What the fuck? Gray! Keep it in your pants!" Lucy squealed when she walked into the camp.
"He doesn't have any." Cana commented, chuckling.
"Shit! Where are my pants?" Gray cursed, untangling himself from Loki's grasp and searching for clothes.
Loki whimpered from being pushed over and now laying on his back. "Gray..." He started blushing profusely, staring at Gray.
Lucy glared, pointing two fingers at her eyes then turning them towards Loki who only winked.
~~~~~(-_-)~~~~~~
"Did you hear that?" Lucy asked frantically. Scooting back and forth in her seat at the camp.
"Yep. I have good hearing." Natsu responded.
"Aye!"
"I've never heard something like that before..." Lucy shook. "It's really... Scary."
"Sounds like home to me." Natsu said nonchalantly.
"Home? A loud roar that shook the entire island sounds like home?"
Natsu hummed. "Reminds me of Akky and the cave."
"Natsu... You don't think... Could that have actually been a dragon?" Lucy's eyes widened and she gripped Natsu's shoulders.
"Let's go check then." He said calmly, standing up and walking towards the docks of the island.
In the distance was a large black mass growing bigger and bigger. "No way!" He shouted, running into the shallow water.
"What?" Lucy questioned, following.
"That's Akky!" He pointed at the now-obvious-dragon. Lucy screamed.
"AKKY!" Natsu cupped his hands and yelled into the air, occasionally stopping to wave violently. The creature circled around the island, and screeches sounded from everywhere. "We need to get higher up, he can't hear me."
"We?" Lucy squeaked before Natsu grabbed her by the waist and started jumping and climbing through trees. "Natsu!"
"Akky!" He continued calling.
He finally set Lucy down on the top of the Tenrou tree, she fell to her knees from the shock of being swept up so quickly.
"Akky! Come here 'ya big idiot! I've got something to say to you!"
The dragon eventually lowered itself and hovered near the tree Natsu and Lucy were perched, Lucy shaking wildly.
"Natsu, my boy! How's it going?" It boomed.
Lucy nearly fainted at the soft voice of the horrifying dragon.
"Akky, 'ya left me! How could you do that? Couldn't even leave a note?"
"Sorry, my dude, had urgent dragon stuff to do. People to see, places to go. 'Ya know the drill."
Lucy actually fainted.
"Looks like the little lady fainted. Who's she by the way? Friend?" The dragon peered at the girl.
"She's Lucy, she's a lot of things... Akky, I have so much to tell you!" Natsu threw his hands in the air.
"I know, little homie, but I can't really hear about it right now, 'ave some business to take care of. I'll be around soon, cool?"
"Awwww..." Natsu whined.
"How about this? You and the little miss come to our old place next Saturday. We can chill and eat for the entire day. Sound good?"
"Sounds amazing! Akky, I missed you so much!"
"I know, my buddy, I missed you too. We'll catch up soon. Don't forget it!" He started flying away.
"Got 'ya!" Natsu waved at the dragon.
~~~~~[•-•]~~~~
"Don't eat me mister dragon... I don't taste good... Don't have much fat... Not greasy..." Lucy mumbled, Natsu shook her awake. "Ah!" She fell off of the cot she was sleeping on.
"Good morning." Natsu waved.
"Natsu, there was a dragon." She slowly sat up.
"I know! It was cool, right?" He sat next to her.
"Natsu, a dragon. An actual dragon."
"Yeah!"
"I'm not dead!" Lucy tossed her arms in the air.
"Why would you be dead?" He tilted his head.
"Dragons eat people!" Lucy looked him straight in the eyes.
"Akky doesn't eat people. By the way, we're gonna see him next Saturday." He shook his hand.
"Next Saturday... I don't think I have anything planned." She put her hand to her mouth, contemplating.
"We're going to my old home to hang out with Akky." Natsu crossed his arms behind his head.
"Old home?"
"The cave I grew up in." He said like it was obvious.
"Of course, the cave and Akky. Wait, the cave and Akky! Natsu! You're taking me to see the dragon that raised you!" Lucy stood up.
"Yeah, so?"
"The dragon that you haven't seen in seven years!"
"And?"
"Dragon!"
"He's harmless..." Natsu stood up. "Kind of." He added.
"Dragon dad!"
"So?"
"You're taking me to see your dad!"
"Where are you going with this?"
"Natsu, you only take people to see your parents when you're in a relationship."
"We have a relationship." He defended.
"Natsu, we're friends!"
"What do you mean? We aren't dating?" Natsu's eyes widened, his expression turning into that of a pained one.
"What?" Lucy screeched.
~~~~~(;-;)~~~~~
"Our S-Class exam winner of this year is Natsu Dragneel! Congratulations Natsu! You may now use the second floor of the guild whenever you wish, and take S-Class missions!" Makarov announced.
"Sorry Cana..." Lucy sighed.
"Eh... No biggy. Better luck next year, right?" Cana shrugged.
A moan interrupted Cana and Lucy's short conversation. Both turned around to see Gray and Loki furiously kissing and touching each other. Lucy blushed immediately. "Gray! Loki! Seriously? Can't even wait until we leave?"
Loki glanced over at her, dazed. "Sorry, Princess, did you say something? I'm a little busy right n–" Gray attacked his lips.
"You're going to be mad but... Force close! Gate of the Lion, Leo!" She slashed the gold key through the air.
"No!" Loki cried, disappearing.
"Lucy! What the fuck?" Gray growled.
"It's for his own good. He's been in this world for three days, that's too much for him even if he's the head of the zodiac."
"You're just jealous." He retorted, crossing his arms.
"Gray."
"What?"
"Fuck off."
Cana doubled over from laughter.
"Lucy! Lucy! Guess what tomorrow is!" Natsu hopped onto her reading chair.
"Saturday." She said slowly, trying to read a new novel.
"Yes! Saturday! Guess what Saturday is!"
"Tomorrow."
"Yes... But that's not what I meant. We are gonna go see Akky!" Natsu stood up on the chair, nearly causing it to fall over.
"I know, you've been telling me all week, let me read." She shooed him away. Natsu jumped from the chair to the bed.
"Don't mess up my pillows, they're new!"
Natsu pouted, rolling under the covers. "Are you not excited?"
"Of course I'm excited." She said, marking her page and placing it on the overfilled bookshelf. She walked to the bed and dove under the covers to meet Natsu. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"You don't seem like it." He buried his face in a pillow.
"The truth is: I'm nervous. I'm meeting your DAD, Natsu! I struggle talking to my own dad, let alone anyone else's."
They waited in silence.
"Akky's cool." Natsu finally said, rolling over to face Lucy in their lazy fort.
"I'm sure he is. I'll get to see tomorrow, won't I?"
Natsu hummed and scooted towards Lucy, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm gonna take a nap, good night."
"Natsu?" It was too late, he was already snoring.
She sighed and patted his head.
"Alright, I'm leaving Loki with you today, Gray. I know that it's been a WHOLE four days since you've had time alone, how cruel of me to want one of my best spirits to have time to heal up in the spirit world after using his own power to stay in the human world for three days and fight dark mages." She said sarcastically.
"It was longer than Romeo's and Juliet's entire relationship." Loki whined.
"Boo-hoo." She rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Don't break him." She looked to Loki. "And don't get caught in public, please. I don't want to deal with either of you being charged with public indecency because you couldn't wait until you got home." She glared at both of them who laughed nervously in response.
"I'll be back in a day or two, bye guys!" She turned away without getting a reply, which probably had to do with the sloppy noises coming from their direction. She pressed her hand to her forehead.
"Let's see Akky!" Natsu cheered, grabbing her hand and running to the train station.
~~~~(0-0)~~~~~
The dragon's laughter resonated throughout the cave. "He thought I'd be in Hargeon? That little port town?"
"Yep!" Lucy giggled.
"What a moron!"
"Hey! You raised me!"
"I raised you better than to think that a dragon would be in Hargeon!" He laughed again.
Natsu pouted and rolled on the floor.
"So, Natsu. I heard you're a father. Why didn't you bring my grandson?"
"You mean Happy? Well... I raised him but he's more like my brother than my son."
"Natsu, you pester him about eating vegetables."
"Yeah, because vegetables make you strong, duh."
"Natsu, you hypocrite. You don't even eat your own vegetables."
"Not even broccoli?" Acnologia asked.
"Broccoli is the worst, he just shoves it onto poor Happy's plate."
"But Natsu, broccoli was your favorite!"
"About that..."
"Natsu Dragneel. Did you lie about liking broccoli?" The dragon asked in a stern voice.
Natsu nodded, guilty. Acnologia shook his head slowly.
"He's fine with potatoes." Lucy intruded, breaking the tension.
"Potatoes are vegetables?"
"Natsu... I never knew you were this stupid." Lucy said in shock.
"My boy, what happened while I was gone? Did you hit your head? Were you brainwashed?"
Natsu's eyes widened and his eyes began to water. "You always make fun of me!" He stood up and started to walk into a corner.
Lucy grabbed his leg from her spot on the floor. He continued walking, so she slid across the floor after him, laughing. "Natsu! We're just joking around. You're not THAT dumb."
Natsu huffed, stopping. "Say you're sorry."
"I'm sorry, Natsu." She said.
"Sorry." Acnologia added.
Natsu remained silent. Lucy stood up and stared at his eyes. He averted her gaze.
Suddenly, she grabbed onto the sides of his torso and frantically wiggled her fingers. "Ah!" Natsu shrieked, bursting into laughter.
Acnologia watched from afar, amused.
"When are those kids coming?" Mira asked, setting down a glass of water in front of Lucy.
"Not again, Mira."
"You met his dad! The only times you meet the father are: if you're in a serious relationship, if you're getting married, or if you're having kids."
"Why jump to the kids?"
"Because."
Lucy motioned for Mira to continue her sentence. It never came.
"I need to talk to him anyways, he mentioned something on Tenrou that we should probably talk about."
"Oh?"
"No, I'm not telling you, Mira."
Mira frowned, and put her hand over her heart.
"By the way, did you see where Loki went? We're going on a job today and I'm gonna need his help." Lucy started scanning the people in the guild.
"He was with Gray the last time I saw him... Which was almost two days ago..."
Lucy buried her face in her hands. "This is going to be Hell."
~~~~(./.)~~~~~
Lucy knocked on the door to Gray's apartment. She heard thumps, mumbling, and stumbling around before the door opened, Gray wearing only a towel around his waist.
"Awww... You're not the delivery guy." He sighed.
"Well, I am delivering news, if that counts." She said, peeking into the apartment and seeing articles of clothing thrown over every visible piece of furniture and carpet.
Gray gave her a questioning look.
"I'm gonna need Loki back for a day."
Gray immediately started grumbling.
"Calm down, he'll be back. You've got an hour, I expect him to be back in the spirit world by then."
She turned around and walked away, grousing. "How long is the honeymoon phase going to last?"
"Natsu, we need to talk."
"Is this The Talk? I already know about it. Cana explained it, Wakaba explained it, Macao explained it, and even Makarov explained it. I know. I don't need to hear it again."
"Not THAT Talk, I meant about where we stand."
"Here."
"Relationship-wise." She clarified.
"I've been courting you. There. Done." He shrugged.
"No. Not done." She said, grabbing his arm. "You never told me you were courting me."
"Well, you started it. You offered me food back in Hargeon."
"That wasn't my intention. I was thanking you for breaking the love charm."
"That was nothing though, I didn't even know I did it."
"I guess..."
"So, you offered me food, then I brought you to Fairy Tail because I thought you were interesting. You cleaned my house so I let you have your own room and live in my house. I take you on missions all of the time, we go out to eat almost everyday, I sleep in your bed–"
"Without my permission!"
He brushed that comment off and continued. "I hug you a lot, you get to see my hoard, I hang out with you while you read, I know your dad and I got into a fight with him, you know MY dad and you told him embarrassing stories about me, the list could go on and on Lucy."
Lucy stayed quiet.
"I thought we were a couple... We probably should have talked about this earlier, huh?" He said.
"You've never kissed me."
"You're always so annoyed when other people kiss, I thought you just didn't like kissing."
"'Other people?'"
"Like Gray and Loki."
"Everyone is annoyed when Gray and Loki kiss. Whenever they kiss, they make it seem like the world is going to collapse if they take even a moment to breathe." She joked. "I do like kissing, just not like that."
"Can I kiss you then?"
"Hold up." She held her hand up. "So all of those times you said I was pretty or amazing, you were being serious?"
"Duh."
"Wow. That's... Wow."
Natsu seemed to deflate where he was standing.
"I should've noticed." She said.
"I wasn't clear enough with you." He responded.
"Sorry."
"Me too."
They waited in silence.
"So about that kiss–" Lucy broke the silence. Natsu answered her unasked query by pressing his lips to hers.
"Loki?"
"Yes, my dear?"
"I get it now. Sorry for cock-blocking you."
"Get what, darling?"
"The honeymoon phase."
"Oh? Oh..." He smirked. "Can I come out from the spirit world whenever I want to then?"
"Yeah. I'll warn you when I have a mission though, I'm still going to need you around for those. Otherwise, you're free to do... Whatever. One rule will always apply: don't get charged with public indecency. Gray's bills alone are enough, we don't need you adding to those too." She pointed a finger at him.
"Understood." He chuckled.
END
Wow! That was long! Around 7,000 words! I wanted to have this chapter out on my birthday... That ended up not happening because I added a lot more than I was expecting to. The first half was done by that point, but the second half decided to exist just before the time I wrote this note. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this oneshot, I had a TON of fun with it. Probably because it was little connected snippets rather than one chunky... Thing, and I let myself write about random things instead of sticking to one thing.
Reviews are always appreciated, especially with this 7,000 word short story (over two times my longest thus far [3.5k]).
See you soon!
-BloodyTeddyBear
