Welcome to the first fanfic/full length story I have ever written. I hope I have the dedication to fulfill my plan for this story.
This story is set after the Alvarez arc so possible spoilers ahead. And yes, I know that the 100-year quest is pretty much directly after this arc but for the sake of this story, lets pretend it didn't happen.
I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own squat. Mashima is the mastermind behind this masterpiece of an anime
The clear blue sky of a pristine summer's day appeared before the slowly blinking eyes of the sleepy celestial mage. As the morning's rays bathed her face, Lucy stretched her exhausted body and let out a satisfying yawn.
Their last mission had been gruelling; every muscle ached. Defeating a cult dedicated to the mastery of the dark arts was bad enough without having to do it in an underground labyrinth filled with traps and trials. By the end, even her brain was hurting.
The word 'relief' didn't even begin to describe how blissful returning home was. Everyone was wiped out, and Natsu and Happy chose to spend the night at Lucy's. At that point, she had been too tired to argue.
Lucy gave one last stretch of her aching muscles and went to roll out of bed when she was stopped by a warm mass.
What the-? Rubbing her sleep-filled eyes, Lucy peered at the lump beside her. Her waking brain slowly registered the origin of the salmon colour hogging her pillow.
"NATSU, WHAT THE HELL!?"
A loud grumble escaped the salamander's lips upon being woken by Lucy's scream.
"What are you yelling for? It's too early for screaming," he groaned sleepily.
Annoyance flooded Lucy's veins as she absorbed this blatant disregard for privacy and personal space. Ignoring the pain in her muscles, she shoved the sleeping dragon as hard as she could, revelling in the satisfying thump of his body hitting the floor. She turned and noticed a familiar blue lump at the foot of her bed, and thought it was only appropriate to return the cat to his partner, now sprawled on the floor.
"What was that for!?" Natsu cried in irritation as Happy peeled himself off the floorboards.
"What do you think, flame for brains!?" Lucy glared down at them from atop her reclaimed, mattress throne. Trying hard to calm her rage, Lucy hissed through gritted teeth, "Natsu. Happy. How on Earthland do you think it is a good idea to keep sneaking into my bed without permission!?"
"That futon you put out for us was so lumpy and uncomfortable; there was no way we could sleep on that crap. So, we slept on your bed instead since it's so much comfier." Natsu, satisfied with his reasoning, grinned up at her innocently.
The summoner was NOT being sucked in by those puppy dog eyes. "Well maybe I could actually buy a proper futon if you stopped destroying everything and getting our reward reduced! Until then, SUFFER!" Lucy could practically feel the veins popping in her head.
"It's not my fault that cave was right below the town's centre," Natsu muttered indignantly.
"Aye, it's not like Natsu tried to sink half the town… or set fire to the mayor's house… or let those monsters loose," chimed Happy.
"Why do I feel like that's worse?" It was a wonder how one was supposed to keep their sanity around these nitwits. Lucy let out a sigh. "Anyway, I hardly see how squeezing into a single bed with me can be deemed 'comfortable'."
Natsu rose from his position on the floor and stretched his arms into the air. "What are you talking about? It's always comfortable around you."
Lucy was taken aback by the sudden compliment; her cheeks warmed as she sat with her mouth agape, unable to think of a response.
"Although, you can snore like a pig."
Her fleeting happiness was quickly replaced by annoyance; she slapped him hard across the arm. "Don't sleep in my bed then, jerk!"
"Lucy's so mean in the morning," he pouted to Happy.
"Aye, sir."
Giving up on her anger, Lucy let out a frustrated groan and abandoned the pointless conversation to shower. "You two leaches better not break anything while I'm gone, or your bodies will wash up down the canal."
"Yes, ma'am," they said in unison whilst saluting.
The sound of shattering glass a few minutes later was almost comforting in its predictability… almost.
"WE'RE HERE," Natsu cried into the guild hall as he burst through the doors, resulting in a chorus of greetings from inside.
Erza and Gray were already seated at the bar, so Lucy and Natsu made their way over to them while Happy flew off to find Carla. "Morning you two. How are you feeling after the job?"
"Good morning, Lucy. I feel quite relaxed after being able to sleep in my own bed again," said Erza over her odd breakfast choice of strawberry cake.
"Yeah but I'd sure feel a lot better if that pyromaniac hadn't almost crushed us to death with a cavern roof." Gray leaned back to glare at Natsu who stood beside Lucy. "Also doesn't help that we lost our reward too thanks to this moron."
"You looking to start something, stripper? I'll crush you for real this time!"
"Natsu. Enough." Two simple words from Erza's mouth was all it took for sweat to start pouring from Natsu's brow.
"Hahaha how pathetic," chuckled the ice mage.
"What was that, Gray?" The glare from her dark eyes was intense.
"Nothing!"
Lucy giggled. Not even Zeref and Alvarez scared these boys as much as a stern word from Erza does.
It had been two months since their fight with the foreign country, and life had mostly returned to normal. However, there were ways in which they would never be the same again, revelations that cannot be forgotten. But as Lucy observed her teammates, she realized with a rush of pride that they had to strength to make it through anything, Fairy Tail would never crumble.
"It's too early in the morning for fighting, we should be relaxing, we have had a rough week." Erza smiled warmly as she took a bite of her cake, a sudden mood shift from a few seconds prior.
Lucy sighed dejectedly. "I wish I could partake in some relaxation, but my rent is due in four days and I've got no money."
Upon seeing her pained expression, Natsu draped an arm over her shoulders. "Don't worry, we'll get another job today that'll cover your rent."
"You probably only want that so you can keep stealing my bed." Lucy turned her head to glare at the salamander, blushing slightly as she noticed how close he was to her face.
"Well it is so much better than my hammock at home," he smiled.
"So, buy your own!"
"Natsu, are you being creepy at Lucy's again?" Gray asked mockingly.
"No! Like you can talk about being creepy, streaker," Natsu retorted as he gave Gray the once-over.
"MY CLOTHES!"
"Can we please just go on a job already," Lucy pleaded, not wanting to witness another fight.
"Sure thing." Natsu grabbed Lucy by hand and guided her over to the request board. She couldn't help but notice how the gentle warmth of his hand prickled against her palm. "So, which one should we go on?" he inquired as they arrived at the board. "Ooo tracking bandits, that sounds fun. No wait! Defeating a water monster off the shore at Hargeon. Let's pick this one." Natsu snatched the paper off the board and waved it in Lucy's face excitedly.
Lucy grabbed at the flyer in annoyance. "No way am I letting you pick the mission since it's your fault I need to take another one in the first place. I'm not even sure if I should let you come. I can't afford another loss of payment."
Natsu became visibly upset by this proposal. "But, Lucyyyy, we're a team. We have to go together," he sulked.
Lucy sighed. Despite her annoyance at him, she didn't like to see him upset, and a mission would feel wrong without him. "Fine, you can come. Only if you swear to behave yourself. And I'm picking a job with as little fighting as possible to reduce the chance of you going overboard."
Although he instantly brightened, Natsu seemed slightly miffed by this last condition, but even he could figure out he had no room to complain. "I swear! You're the best, Lucy."
The summoner's cheeks flushed with heat, so she quickly averted her gaze to the board to try and hide her small smile. After a couple minutes of browsing, she removed a flyer and held it out to her partner. "How about this one?"
His eyes scanned the page. "Recover a stolen ancient magic book? Ugh that sounds bori-" He cut off at the sight of Lucy's glare. "-I mean brilliant," he beamed innocently.
Lucy chuckled triumphantly and snatched the paper to take it to Mira. "That's what I like to hear," she replied as she sauntered off. Pride swelled in the celestial mage's chest at the fact that sometimes she could influence the actions of that stubborn salamander so well. Turning back to her partner she cried, "Meet me at the train station at 1." The instant look of horror that crossed his face made her giggle.
The faint flickering of candle flames reflected in a pair of violet eyes as they gazed upon the dark figure before them. Sounds of chanting echoed in the enclosed space, causing the air to hum with dark energy. A low growl rumbled from the shadows, adding to the vibrations; the figure chanted louder in response. A flash of light burst from the ground in a circle around the figures. The rumbling growl exploded into an ear-shattering roar that shook the ground, drowning out the heart-wrenching scream of fear.
Hope yall enjoyed this.
Idk how often I can upload as I am very prone to writers block.
Lemme know what ya thought
xx