Another chapter as promised.
That night after Natsu's fight with her father, she was shaken awake in the middle of the night. "Lucy," Zeref whispered, "wake up." Lucy jumped and blinked rapidly. There was an absence of heat next to her. The fear on her face must have shown because Zeref quickly reassured her that Natsu was fine. "We're just about to follow through on your idea to deal with your father's business." That got Lucy moving, and she practically fell out of bed in her hurry to get up. Zeref chuckled and slipped out of the room, Lucy hot on his heels. Excitement and adrenaline chased off the last vestiges of sleep and tiredness. The lights were dim in Zeref's office, Natsu already sitting behind the desk, tapping on the holographic display that was up.
"Hey Luce." Natsu's teeth seemed sharper than usual and his grin was slightly deranged. Zeref was smirking as he walked over to see what his brother was doing.
"What are you doing Natsu?" Lucy asked.
"Just some hacking. Zeref got a lot of information from when your father was working but we needed to do a little bit of research."
"We're making all of his deals with Tartaros and Grimoire Heart public. Since he's seen as such an upstanding citizen and someone who does clean business this'll hit him hard," Zeref told Lucy.
"It'll be slow," Natsu added looking away from what he was doing. "Not everyone is going to believe it immediately. I was busy planting evidence in obscure places that people will find if they look hard enough."
"And you're doing this now because…?" Lucy began.
"It'll be one hell of a surprise for your father to wake up to a news alert that he's been dealing on the black market," Natsu said, his eyes alight with excitement. Sparks of gold seemed to appear in his dark green eyes, something that only seemed to happen when he got excited.
"He's going to leave after this," Lucy warned. "He's not going to tolerate this, especially because he knows it's you who sent this out."
"There's nothing he can do that can hurt me," Zeref said with an elegant shrug. "Fiore has a lack of international journalism so no one will think to come here and try to dig up information. And besides, it's common knowledge that his technology has been hacked before. It wouldn't be a far stretch of the imagination to say that a rival did that to hurt his business."
"How long have you been thinking this through?" Lucy asked.
"A few days," Natsu replied.
"I knew he had been going behind my back for a while now, this just seemed like the perfect time to capitalize on that," Zeref finished. Lucy felt a smile stretch across her face. She ran up to Natsu and flung her arms around his neck. He laughed and hugged her tightly.
"Thank you," she whispered. Natsu leaned back and kissed her forehead. When Natsu let her go she turned to Zeref. "Thank you too." Zeref gave her a warm smile and tilted his head.
"Of course." The room was silent before Natsu let out a jaw-cracking yawn. "I'm going back to sleep. You comin' Luce?"
"Yeah," she answered softly, the rush wearing off, exhaustion taking its place. Her eyes were fluttering and Natsu shook his head. Lucy squealed when Natsu scooped her up and carried her down the hallway. He dropped her on the bed, laughing at her shriek as she bounced on the mattress before stilling. "Natsu," she whined. Natsu gave her a bright grin, his normal one, not one tinged with malicious glee. He crawled in bed next to her and covered them both in blankets. Natsu wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close so her head was resting over his heart. Lucy craned her neck and kissed his collarbone which Natsu responded to by burrowing his nose in her hair. The scent of her shampoo made him pull away and sneeze before returning to his original position. Lucy felt warm and safe which was why she was surprised when tears came to her eyes.
"Hey, why are you crying?" Natsu asked, alarmed. Lucy shook her head and a watery smile appeared on her face.
"I don't know," she sniffled. "This is just the first time in a long time I've been this happy." Natsu pulled her on him and she played with the ends of his hair as his hands stroked her back. Lucy softly kissed Natsu's lips and he lazily responded. His thumbs came up and gently brushed her tears away. These kisses were different than the ones they had shared before. Those had been desperate and passionate while these were slower.
"You're in loooooove," they heard Happy tease.
"Shut up, cat," Natsu muttered as he and Lucy rested their foreheads against each other.
"Hey Natsu," when Natsu hummed Lucy continued, "what did you mean you said you felt the etherious getting stronger?" Natsu's arms tightened around her.
"There are just these really fucked up thoughts in my head," he sighed. "It's difficult to fight against them."
"Are all of the thoughts bad?" Natsu tensed again and his warm breath on her skin made her shiver.
"They're fucked up," he repeated and then buried his face in her shoulder. "I don't want to talk about it right now." Natsu didn't catch Lucy's concerned because his eyes were closed and his arms around her relaxed. Lucy tried to push what Natsu had told her out of her head and rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes. He smelled like campfire smoke and cinnamon and it was dizzying and grounding at the same time. She let the smell wash over her and drag her to sleep.
"Luce," Natsu's voice called out to her through her haze of sleep. Lucy ignored it and snuggled into him instead. "Luce, wake up." In protest Lucy squeezed her eyes and she heard Natsu sigh. "You asked for it." Lucy went still when he said that and then screeched when the blanket was pulled off of her.
"Hey Natsu, what the hell!"
"Your fault for not opening your eyes sooner." Natsu shrugged and hefted the blanket in his arms. "If I put the blanket back on will you get up?"
"Maybe," Lucy pouted and Natsu tossed the blanket back at her. "Screw you Dragneel." Natsu pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"I'll see you in the kitchen," Natsu said and with that he left the room.
"Happy, do you know what's happening?" Happy shook his head. Somehow he was already gnawing on a raw fish.
"I think your father is about to wake up," Happy answered. Lucy pulled on Natsu's jacket and inhaled his scent before padding out of the room. The sun was rising, and the orange light was reflecting off the calm waters of the infinity pool. Shadows were cast on the tennis courts and Lucy pondered asking Natsu or Zeref if they played and if they would want to play with her.
"Good morning Lucy," Zeref greeted, sipping tea and overlooking the rest of his estate. "I trust you slept well?" Lucy nodded and shuffled over to the coffee maker, glad to see that Natsu had already made a pot of coffee. She took a sip and shuddered as heat raced through her. "Your father is going to wake up soon." Zeref picked up a remote and tapped a button and the steady sounds of breathing filled the kitchen. "Audio from your father's room," Zeref explained. When the alarm went off Natsu jumped a foot in the air and slammed his hands over his ears. Zeref hid his laughter behind his hand and Natsu whined in response. His brother reached over to ruffle his pink hair and Natsu pouted. They all held their breath and Lucy reached over to hold Natsu's hand and he laced their fingers together.
"What the fuck is this?" The tension dissolved as they burst into laughter. Natsu high-fived Zeref with his empty hand. Happy flew around the room in what Lucy assumed was a victory lap. Zeref quickly shut the TV off as heavy footsteps carried down the hallway. Zeref was the only one who tried to stop laughing. He cleared his throat and was fighting back laughter.
"Good morning Jude." The look on Lucy's father's face was priceless. A part of her that hadn't recovered from her father's treatment cowered. Her grip on Natsu's hand tightened and Natsu kissed the back of her hand.
"You did this," he fumed.
"There's no way to prove that," Zeref countered. "Even if I did, nobody would believe you. Why would Zeref, the leader of Alvarez get involved in Fiore's internal politics and affairs? Furthermore, why would I eliminate someone who I do business with?" Jude's face turned an unhealthy shade of red that had Natsu snorting.
"Did you have any intention to make a deal with me when I came here?" Jude asked and Zeref had the grace to tilt his head and act like he was considering the answer.
"No, not particularly," Zeref answered. "I knew you were going behind my back and trying to betray me so I took the liberty of taking countermeasures." Jude stood there and fumed for several minutes before taking a deep breath.
"I am going back to Fiore," he started, eyes closed. "This was clearly a waste of my time. Lucy, come along we're going home."
"What part of this do you not understand?" Lucy asked. "I am never going back with you. I won't do it!"
"Listen to me, girl," Jude snarled. Natsu growled and dropped Lucy's hand. His hand shot out and pinned Jude's wrist down to the table and wrapped his other hand around his neck. The skin on his face turned paler than normal and he uselessly scratched at the skin on Natsu's hand.
"You will never tell Lucy what to do again," Natsu spit out, eyes flashing red. "You are going to go back to whatever hole you crawled out of and rot."
"Natsu," Lucy began, and placed a hand on his back. "Let go, he's not worth it. Let this be enough." What she said must have worked because Natsu let go and Lucy's father was panting to catch his breath and was massaging his throat. Natsu gave one last glare before going back to his seat and sipping his coffee as if nothing happened. The blonde man stormed back to his room and Zeref hit an intercom button.
"Invel, if you could escort Mr. Heartfilia back to the port?"
"Yes sir," Invel responded. About fifteen minutes later Jude Heartfilia stomped back to the front door.
"Lucy I'm disinheriting you," Jude said.
"I don't really give a damn," Lucy countered, her head resting on Natsu's shoulder.
"She has more than enough money from me," Natsu bragged. "She doesn't need your blood money."
"My blood money? What about all the money you got from murdering entire groups of people?"
"They were selling life-ruining drugs to innocent people. If the Era guards did anything worthwhile then we wouldn't have to do this shit," Natsu argued back. Before Jude had a chance to reply Natsu turned to Invel. "Get him out of my sight before I lose it." It wasn't just a statement, Lucy realized, it was an order. Invel smirked at Natsu's commanding tone and nodded.
"Jude, it goes without saying that if you say anything about what happened here then I'm going to kill you," Zeref promised.
"I have one of the best security systems in Fiore, I doubt that." Zeref smirked.
"I have eyes everywhere, I would be careful if I were you," Zeref said with a mysterious smile. Invel escorted Lucy's father out but she couldn't find herself to feel sad about it. When the door was shut Lucy turned to Zeref.
"Thank you for that, I didn't realize how much I needed to see him again just to end things once and for all," Lucy told Zeref.
"Of course," was all Zeref replied with. "Now both of you should know that my…associate is coming tomorrow to help me with my research. Hopefully with them we'll finally be able to make some progress. How have you been feeling?"
"The thoughts are getting stronger," Natsu admitted. "Strangling Lucy's dad was a result of those thoughts."
"Yes, it seemed out of character for you," Zeref mused. "You generally don't go around choking people. I am not sure if you've noticed, but your teeth have been getting sharper as well." Natsu blinked and then turned to Lucy and Happy.
"They have been?" Lucy, Happy, and Zeref exchanged exasperated glances and shook their heads.
"Natsu how could you not have noticed?" Lucy asked.
"Because he's an idiot," Happy chirped from where he was sitting on the table.
"Shut up cat," Natsu grumbled, his mouth turning down into a pout. "My teeth have always been sharp, how was I supposed to notice." Zeref sighed and put his head in the palm of his hand.
"Well, they are. I'm afraid your physical appearance will start to be altered, which makes it all the more important to find a solution to this," Zeref said. "I will continue my research throughout the day and will let you know if there are any breakthroughs." With that, Zeref turned and left the kitchen to go to his office.
Suffice it to say later that night there were no breakthroughs. Lucy and Natsu had spent the day outside swimming and playing tennis, trying to distract themselves from what was happening. They went to sleep holding each other tight. Both of them slept in that morning and woke up when bright sunlight was slanting into their eyes. A quick glance to the side showed Lucy that it was past ten in the morning. Lucy sat up and stretched, yawning loudly. Natsu jolted awake next to her.
"Hey," he said with a sleepy smile. His voice was rough from sleep. Lucy reached out and pushed a strand of his hair out of his face.
"Morning," Lucy replied. "Are you ready to meet Zeref's acquaintance?" Natsu yawned and caged Lucy under him with a devilish grin. "Natsu?" Natsu's face was serious before he started vigorously tickling her sides. Lucy started laughing.
"Stop, Natsu, stop!" she cried out through her laughter. When she started becoming out of breath and tears were streaming down her face. Once Lucy had regular breathing again they both got out of bed and made their way to the kitchen, holding hands. They stopped when they noticed a short girl with long blonde hair sitting on the kitchen counter kicking her feet while Zeref made breakfast.
"Mavis?" Natsu asked incredulously. "You're the person Zeref was talking about?" The girl laughed.
"It's been a while Natsu, you've grown up since the last time I saw you," Mavis greeted.
"Mavis and I have known each other for a long time," Zeref explained. "We met one day while I was doing research on bringing you back to life Natsu." Mavis turned to Lucy.
"I've heard a lot about you Lucy. I'm happy that you like Fairy Tail," Mavis said. Lucy just tilted her head.
"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Lucy asked, wanting to sound polite.
"Lucy this is Mavis Vermillion, she's the founder of Fairy Tail," Zeref introduced.
"How did you two meet? If you founded Fairy Tail then wouldn't you and Zeref be enemies?"
Mavis hid her laughter behind her hand and Zeref sighed.
"I can see how you would think that," Mavis agreed. "But Zeref taught me a lot about science and technology. I've started doing a lot of my own research thanks to him." The two shared a small smile. Her face turned serious in a nanosecond. "Now Natsu, Zeref has told me about your situation. I agree that staying here and not returning to Fiore was a smart move, I would have wanted to do the same thing. It will take me a day to study everything and tomorrow we can start actively working on a solution."
"I have been actively working on a solution," Zeref protested. He looked like he was pouting. The expression was so much like Natsu's Lucy couldn't help chuckling.
"And yet you called me saying that you hadn't made any progress," Mavis teased. She pressed the intercom button. "Invel, could you bring my bags to my room please?"
"You have your own room?" Natsu demanded. He turned to his brother. "How often has she been over here?" Zeref pinched his nose and exhaled in annoyance.
"So this is what it's like having a younger brother," he muttered. "Often enough," he answered. Natsu raised an eyebrow but huffed and went to the fridge to look for food and then poured himself a cup of coffee. Invel walked by at that moment carrying Mavis's luggage and gave a nod to Mavis.
"Pleasure to see you again Mavis," Invel said.
"Likewise Invel," Mavis returned happily.
"When did you get here Mavis?" Lucy asked.
"The jet landed an hour ago," Mavis replied. Natsu spit out his coffee on the counter.
"The jet?" he yelled. "You have a fucking jet? And you sent it to pick up Mavis?" Zeref actually blushed.
"What if I did?" Zeref countered. "What are you going to do about it?" Natsu paused and finished eating his doughnut before responding.
"I can set your bed on fire," Natsu suggested. Zeref's eyes widened.
"Natsu, I know that look on your face," Zeref warned, "don't do it." Natsu cackled hysterically and sprinted down the hall.
"Natsu Dragneel!" Zeref ran after him.
"Why was Natsu running down the hallway?" Happy asked as he fluttered in and grabbed a fish from the freezer.
"He's going to set Zeref's room on fire," Lucy responded. Happy's eyes widened.
"Mavis?"
"Hello Happy," she said with a smile. Happy flew into her arms and Lucy watched Mavis hug him. No sooner had that happened, then the alarm started blaring.
"Goddamn it Natsu!" Zeref shouted.
"I think this'll be one of my more interesting visits here," Mavis commented, and Lucy had to agree with her.
~~~~line break~~~~
"I still think we shouldn't just rush into this," Wendy said, actually starting to get frustrated with her family. They were sitting in one of the office rooms, a holographic map showing Alvarez and the capital city was displayed before them.
"Who knows what's happening to Natsu and Lucy now? And besides, we need to go back so I can get more information on END and carry out my father's dying wish," Gray argued back.
"I agree with Wendy," Erza cut in. "Zeref monitors everything in his mansion, in Alvarez and apparently here as well, otherwise there's no way he could have learned about Evelyn."
"So, then what do you think we should do Scarlet?" Gajeel asked.
"We can contact Jellal's group and see if there is anything they know. It would probably be better to get information from them." There was a pounding on the door and Erza allowed the door to open.
"Loke?" Wendy asked, "what's up?"
"I don't know if you saw but there was an article saying that Jude Heartfilia had ties to Grimoire Heart and Tartaros. He's essentially ruined," Loke said in one big breath.
"Was this Zeref's doing?" Sting asked. Sting and Rogue had been invited over since they were Natsu's cousins.
"Natsu also wanted revenge for Evelyn and his treatment of Lucy," Gray recalled. "As much as I hate it, I could see Zeref and Natsu working together on this. There have been rumors that Heartfilia went behind Zeref's back. It'd be a perfect way to kill two birds with one stone."
"Have we given anymore thought to Zeref's relationship to Natsu?" Rogue asked.
"Since they are not cousins, we assume thanks to Invel's words, the only thing I can think of is that they're brothers," Gajeel responded. "Do we know Zeref's last name?"
"It's never been revealed," Wendy answered slowly. "He's either referred to as Zeref or Emperor Spriggan. It could be a possibility though."
"We need more information," Erza stated hitting the tabletop. "We have nothing to work with." Rogue glanced at the hologram and sighed.
"It's late," he finally said. "We should come back to this tomorrow. All of us are tired and frustrated, nothing beneficial is going to come from this if we keep it up any longer. We're no use to Natsu and Lucy if we're tired and cranky." He turned to Gray. "Is it ok if we spend the night here?"
"Be our guest," Gray replied. "You two are always welcome here, you know that."
"See you all tomorrow, let's go Wendy," Erza concluded and took the younger girl by the hand and left.