Okay, well, I tried, but I guess I'm just going to upload whenever I feel like it. I write as quickly as I possibly can, so don't worry, I won't make you guys wait months before I upload. Here's another chapter because I felt like I owed you guys.
Enjoy! Hope you guys stick around for other stories I'm thinking about. I can't manage more than one story at a time, though, sorry!
Here we go!
oOo
So, Lucy probably should have listened. Her head felt like someone had hit her.
Oh right, someone did.
She felt horrible, her head was pounding and the bandage was just so damn obvious. She wanted to stay home and rest. She didn't have enough energy to be thinking.
As Lucy walked into campus, she was bombarded with looks of concern, looks of confusion, and even heard some snarky comments.
Just great.
Lucy walked into her classroom and sat down, writing her agenda for the day. She was going to return her papers to her students, give a lesson about analytical writing, and was going to give them—
'What was I going to give them? It was some graded assignment…'
A light bulb went off in Lucy's brain. 'I was supposed to bring the papers I prepared yesterdayyyy…'
Immediately hating herself, she got up an groaned. Glancing at her clock, she mentally calculated how much time she had before being able to go home and get her papers.
It was 7:06am, and she internally panicked. She had exactly nineteen minutes before she was late to start her class, and she was unprepared.
Deciding to take the risk because she figured she had nothing to lose, she left grabbing her keys and running out the door. Her home was 15 minutes away, and knowing she would never make it back on time, she left Makarov a quick note.
Getting into her car, she drove as fast as she legally could to her home. She ran inside and opened her bedroom door, but as she was opening it, she tripped and hit her head against the floor.
'Fuuckkkkkkk, holy shit, motherfu—"
Why had she chosen to wear heels again?
Lucy got up and groaned. She rubbed her head and as she opened her eyes, she felt dizzy. After adjusting to her surroundings, she noticed a skid mark on her hardwood floor and deduced it was from her heels which were marked as well. 'Now I have to change my heels… I am so wearing some smaller heels…' She took her cursed heels off and chucked them in the corner of her room, and found some more comfy black heels with a one inch heel. That should probably work better, less chances of falling.
After changing her heels, she noticed the pain in her head return. Anxiety filled her mind and she was imagining the worst of the worst. Was she able to go and teach for two hours in her condition? What if she blacked out?
Looking at her bedside alarm clock, she noticed she only had three minutes until class started.
A completely different reason to be anxious, but anxiety filled her once again and she ran with her papers out of her home and locked her door. She hurriedly opened her car door and sat inside. She started her engine and ran it as fast as she could.
oOo
Natsu noticed something was off.
He arrived to class on time only because Lucy gotten hurt and he wanted to make sure she would be okay, but when he got there, she wasn't even there.
Now, the Lucy he knew always arrived half an hour before class started. She would be sitting in her chair with her glasses on, looking intently at some paper. She would always glance up when someone entered and she gave them the most heart-melting smile. She always said good morning in her most sweet voice, and genuinely asked how they were. After she asked, she would usher the class to be quiet, and she began her lesson with a powerpoint and warm-up.
Today was not the case.
He arrived and Lucy was nowhere to be seen. He examined her classroom, and the lights were on and her stuff were on her desk. Her chair was not pushed in, it stuck out as if she was facing the door, and her things were scattered on her desk.
He took liberty in rummaging through her things, and noticed her keys were not present.
'Did she go somewhere? This early? What in the world for—?'
As he was wondering, he heard someone run through the hallways, their heels clicking with every step. Curiously, he peered out the door to find a disheveled Lucy running towards her classroom with a manila folder tucked under her armpit.
"I— I'm here!" She breathed, obviously out of breath. She opened her phone and saw that it was 7:32pm. It took her twenty minutes to make it back, and she was late with another head injury. Life was just so great, wasn't it?
"Lucy? Why are you out of breath, and why do you look like you just battled some lions on your way here?"
Lucy rolled her eyes, and tiredly walked to her desk. She plopped herself on the chair and she knew she wasn't feeling okay. Her head was spinning and she felt as if she was going fall at any given moment.
'If I skip, the kids would be curious, and if word got to father, I might as well kill myself.'
Deciding to woman up, she got up and grabbed her water bottle. She drank a generous amount of water and had a look of determination in her eyes. She wasn't about to give up on teaching for a measly headache.
"Alright class, enough play time, you guys had plenty of time to rest, now it's time for class."
Natsu eyed her worriedly, and he met her eyes. He gave her a worried look, and she just gave him a look of fondness. She looked ready to teach, and that was enough reason to let her do as she pleased.
He sat down, and listened intently.
"Alright, so I have some lovely news. Your classes' test average was a 94%! You guys, I'm so proud, I'm not kidding. I was so happy to grade your tests and see how much effort you guys all put in to do well. You guys deserve this— here, lemme pass them back. You guys can keep them, I already put the grades in and everyone took it."
Most of the class gasped and their eyes widened. How in the world did they get a 94%? Usually, someone messed up their average so bad it would end up being a 75%. This time, everyone had gotten a decent enough grade, which meant Dragneel also got a decent grade.
As realization set in, the whole class silently turned their heads to look and Natsu, and he was beaming with happiness. Lucy had just passed back him his test, and he scored a 97/98, which was a 99 percent.
Everyone in the class were notified that Natsu got a 99 percent, and they all started to choke on surprise. Just how in the name of the lord did Natsu get a 99?
"Since I can, I want to make two important announcements for recognization. Natsu, you did so well, I'm so proud of you, you got a 99. That was probably the second best grade in class!"
"No way in hell flamebrain got a 99. Lucy, you have got to be shittin' us right now."
"Hey, ice princess, what the fuck did you just say?"
"I refuse to believe an idiot like you got a 99. I think I'm losing my hearing."
"No, you're just senile, old man. I will punch the living daylights outta you when I get there—"
"Gray Fullbuster and Natsu Dragneel. Three things. One, do not speak out of turn, two, it's Miss Ashley to you, and three, do not insult a each other in class. If you fail to follow these things, you will find my foot up your ass. Have I made myself clear?"
Gulping in fear, they both took a seat, and just silently nodded.
Lucy inwardly slapped herself. How had she just responded to her students in class?
Gray and Natsu fought all the time. There was never a moment of peace in her classroom, and since they both always had rude comments ready for each other, she was stuck being the regulator.
Knowing fully well they both would rather die than admit it, she knew they were best buds. They had known each other since they little, so it was natural they hung out with each other. Since Natsu was practically glued to her, she often hung around Gray as well. He was a decent dude, and she knew he was a good influence for Natsu, and vice versa.
"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, I would like to say, Lisanna, your grade was great as well, you scored a 103 percent. I'm proud of both of you!"
Lisanna just smiled, knowing she was going to get a 103, she had the brains, so what was there to worry about?
Lisanna was always doing well in all her classes, and always scored higher than a 95. She did especially well in English, and it might as well be known, it was pretty obvious as to why.
She was crushing on a kid in her class, and she thought impressing him with her brains would be a good start. Except, he was completely oblivious. How is it that mankind raised such a doofus? He never noticed anything when it came to her, and whenever she got praised for her work, all she heard were snickers or remarks such as, "of course she got a 98." It was frustrating, but she decided to just smile and work her way through it.
After praising her students, she further explained the day's lesson. "You all will partner up and work on a paper with a partner of your choosing. I'm trusting you guys to pick your partners wisely. You have half an hour to finish this assignment and turn it in for a grade. Go get your papers and your time starts now."
Walking up to the classroom, the students all walked up to grab a piece of paper, and went searching for a partner. As Natsu was walking up, he noticed Lucy unconsciously rubbing her temples, and he was immediately filled with worry and doubt. Was she okay?
Noticing his worry, Lucy gave him a reassuring smile, and told him to go finish the assignment. He nodded uncertainly and made a beeline for Gray. He usually worked with him, but was recently banned since they always fought. Lucy gave them a chance to choose their partner's, right? So Gray it was.
They both looked at each other and nodded in affirmation when he was cut off by Lisanna, who looked nervous. She stood in front of him, and blurted, "Work with me, Natsu!"
Giving her an odd look, he looked behind him and Gray eyed him, telling him to tell her no. He nodded, but she looked nice, and he didn't want to be mean.
"Hey, uh, Lisanna, I kinda wanted to—"
"Great! Let's go!"
She dragged him to her seat, and sat next him, secretly dying inside that she just got her crush to work with her. She saw his disappointed face, but quickly brightened up seeing Gray's pissed-off face.
Looking at their papers, they were assigned to define some terms and write a short response to the very random prompt: What kind of relationship do you believe to be healthy? What traits need to be present for the relationship to work out?
Answer this prompt with an argument and develop it into your persuasive paragraph. I want you guys to argue or convince me why your answer is better. This is only for your work, not for correct answers. Give your opinion in correct format and good luck.
Lucy had a thing where she gave us the most random prompts, and he assumed she just gave it so she could see how everyone was writing, but Natsu wondered. 'What is a healthy relationship considered as?' He never really put any thought into it, he just knew he loved Lucy and she loved him back, so they just agreed to a relationship. What more was there to it?
As he wondered, Lisanna frowned. "Natsu, we have to finish this. We have only twenty-five minutes left. Come on."
They defined some terms and wrote their opinion down on their own. They figured Lucy wanted them to work together for the definitions and work on the paper themselves.
"Hey, Natsu, what did you say? I think it's pretty healthy for a relationship to have agreement, right? If you think about it, if you always argue, then what's the point?"
Natsu kinda listens, but was still wondering. He had some ideas down, but nothing super serious.
"Huh, Lisanna, sorry. I still trying to figure it out."
"Ah— sorry. I'll leave you to it then."
As Lisanna said so, she dropped her pencil and it landed next to Natsu. He instinctively went to reach for it, but Lisanna saw this as an opportunity. What if she reached across him to get it? Maybe he'll blush!
Confidently moving herself, she moved so she could quickly grab it, reaching across Natsu's lap and resting herself momentarily to balance herself while she got her pencil.
Natsu immediately felt weird. Why was this girl on top of him? With a confusing look, he just eyed her weirdly. He noticed he was slightly warm on the cheeks, but not due to affection for her, no, it was because he noticed she was pressing her breasts on his thighs. He felt extremely uncomfortable and shifted himself so she could the message to get off.
She was extremely satisfied, and saw he was blushing. 'Mission accomplished! Finally, he noticed me!'
Unaware to them both, Lucy had been watching the entire time. Feeling jealously bubble up inside her, she huffed in annoyance. It was so damn obvious Lisanna liked him, and she was trying to get a feel while giving him one herself. Standing up, she said, "time's up! I'm coming to collect your papers, and after I do so, go back to your original seats."
She walked over and started to grab papers from everyone, and when she got to Natsu, she eyed Lisanna and snatched her paper and did the same with Natsu.
Natsu shot her a confused look. Was she angry?
As she finished, she returned to her seat and put the papers in her manila folder. She then presented them with a powerpoint with some notes and terms to know. She was also introducing a new book for them to be reading, Salvage the Bones, by Jesmyn Ward.
"Okay guys, we are introducing a new book!"
They all sat down in their original seats and attentively listened. She handed out the books to everyone and explained how they were going to eventually write an analytical paper on it, but since the book was really easy, she expected them to have this all done in one week.
"This is just a side project while we work on reviewing for the finals. The book is extremely easy, so this should be an easy grade for you all. It's a quick read. I expect you all to finish the book by the end of this week, and come in on Friday with an outline of your paper. I am collecting that outline to grade. Now, onto review notes."
As Lucy was explaining, she suddenly was hit with another hit of dizziness. She thought she was over this, but head injuries seemed to be a nuisance as well as dangerous. Grabbing her water bottle, she drank some water in hopes for it to relax her and help her make it though the last hour and ten minutes of class. As she walked back, she noticed her legs giving away, and focused really hard to make sure she walked properly.
"O-okay. So please write down the definition for these—"
She felt extremely dizzy at this point, and held her head. Was she bleeding again? She lightly felt her bandage, and noticed a bump that wasn't there before. Did she fall right on her injury? That would explain why it was hurting so much. When she brought her hand back, she saw traces of red. Shit, she was bleeding.
Looking up, she saw her students whispering and all looking concerned. One even asked, "Miss, Ashley, what happened to your head?"
"N-nothing, it was an accident. Guys, I-I'm going t-to quickly go to the nurse…"
She ended up walking out of class, and before doing so, she told the students to copy the notes down. They obliged, but all still have worry written across their features.
She looked over to Natsu, and he was already getting out of his seat.
"Natsu, where are you going?"
"Luce, I'm coming with you."
"No, that won't be necessary. Finish copying the notes. I'll b-be back in minute."
"Nope, I'm coming, you can't convince me otherwise."
"Yes, I can, I'm your professor. Natsu, go back right now." Seeing his expression, she walked over and whispered. "Natsu, I'll fine. I promise. Just give me a moment. Please don't make this more suspicious."
She was practically leaning on him, trying not to get her legs to give up on her. Natsu noticed this and grabbed her arms to steady her. "Luce, you aren't okay. Your injury's bleeding, lemme help you."
"No it's fine, I'm fine, nothing's wrong… everything is fine…"
She walked away from him to walk to the door, but as she walked to the door, she felt her legs give up, and she fell.
The class shot up from their seats in worry and started yelling, "Miss Ashley!"
Natsu, with his quick reflexes, ran straight towards her and caught her before she fell. When he caught her, he noticed she passed out.
Furrowing his brows, he carried Lucy towards the door, and before leaving, he said, "I got her guys. I'll take her to the nurse. I'll also inform the principal. Gray, grab my stuff?"
Nodding without question, Grab went to put his things away. Natsu then left with Lucy in his arms, obviously not okay.
Seriously, how much of an idiot was she?
oOo
"Lucy is fine, she just needs some rest. It's seems that her injury was further aggravated, hence the bump and her previous injury bleeding. She just needs to give herself a break, and take some pain meds periodically. She also needs to be careful of her injury, it looked like she hurt herself again, and that probably was why it was aggravated."
Natsu just nodded, ushering her to continue.
"Well, that seems to be it. She should probably go home, and I'll arrange for another teacher to take her place. I'll also notify Matser so she can go home. Could you watch her? I'll excuse you as well. Can you explain what happened? In detail?"
Natsu, without any hesitation, told her everything.
Erza just nodded, and eventually became surprised. She even looked ready to kill someone when he told her about the men who attacked her.
"Alright, if that is the case, I'll probably not mention it to anyone. It doesn't seem like a relationship to mention. I'll approve of it, Lucy deserves so much, and knowing you Natsu, she'll be happy. Just promise me you'll make her happy, or I'll break every single one of your bones. Have I made myself clear, Natsu?"
Natsu shrunk in fear and simply nodded. The she-devil loved Lucy, and had known Natsu for years. She always had a soft spot for Lucy, and when he walked in with Lucy, she immediately questioned him as to what happened, even threatening to tear his limbs off if he didn't give her a proper explanation.
"Erza, I promise. Of course, you know me, I'd never do such a thing. Plus, I'm worried about her too. Jesus— she's my girlfriend for fuck's sake."
"What kind of tone do you think you are using with me, mister?"
"Chill, sorry, but I'm just frustrated. I told her not to come to work today, yet being the stubborn idiot she is, she still insisted on coming. She passed out in class."
Erza's expression softened and she understandingly nodded.
"Natsu, she has gone through a lot… I'm hoping you realize this. She would never accept defeat and will just say she's fine. She won't ask for help, even if she needs it. Why else do you think she didn't immediately call you to help her? She didn't even scream. She probably just took the beating and wasn't expecting you to help her. She is most likely very grateful you assisted her, more than you realize, Natsu."
Erza had developed a loving relationship with Lucy, and Lucy considered Erza one of her greatest friends, besides Levy. She had yet to tell Levy that she had befriend another person, and even opened up to her.
"Take her home, Natsu. Let her rest. I'll let Master know. Don't expect me to always do this for you, this is for Lucy, got it?"
"Yup, I'm taking her home. See ya, thanks."
Natsu headed out with Lucy, and he realized he needed her keys to take her. He went back to the classroom and called Gray, and he annoyingly responded.
"What do you want, ash brains? Oh, Lucy, how is she? What's happening?"
"Gray, can you get my things and Lucy's things? I need to take her home."
Understanding the gravity of the situation, he listened, and grabbed all their things. He then followed Natsu out the door and to the parking lot.
"What happened? I saw her bandage but decided not to ask. I thought I could ask you later."
Natsu immediately seemed to be in a bitter mood, and responded, "She was hurt, we went to the park and I left to grab something. When I came back, these two dudes were hitting her. I knocked one of them out. She got an injury to the head, though."
Gray's eyes widened in surprise, and then he became curious. "You knocked one out? What about the other?"
Natsu suddenly smirked. "Lucy took care of him. She kicked him in the balls and knocked him out with a knee to the face."
Gray just laughed. Of course Lucy did that. A year ago, the Lucy he knew would never even consider hitting anyone. Ever since she started hanging out with Natsu and himself, she got exposed to a lot of fights, and in those fights, she recently started hurting others herself for the sake of Natsu and sometimes himself. She was a lot stronger than she let on.
"Man, I wish I was there to see that. Of course, I would try beating them up, but man, that must have hurt."
"Yeah, we got home and she refused to stay home today. I kept trying to convince her that she needs her rest, but you know how stubborn she is."
"She came to school with an injury like that? I mean I know she is stubborn, but that's too much. What did Erza say?"
Natsu just shuddered when thought of the red-haired devil. She gave him an earful, and even threatened to murder him if he brought any harm to Lucy. Like he ever would.
"She said she's fine, she just needs rest. I'm supposed to go and stay with her, and she let gramps know we're leaving. She got a substitute for her."
They reached the car, and Natsu decided to ask Gray to help him take her home. He was very willing, but probably to help Lucy and escape school.
"Hey, uh, I think someone should sit with Lucy, to make sure she doesn't hit herself by accident. Mind driving?"
"Sure, gimme the keys."
Gray got in the driver's seat and Natsu situated himself in the back with Lucy in his arms. He had her head laying in his lap, and he just stroked her hair. She was just too stubborn for her own good.
As Gray pulled into Lucy's driveway, Lucy began to stir. She groaned, and then opened her eyes to see herself in a vehicle of some sorts and she immediately started panicking.
"Wha— Natsu? Gray? What the hell am I doing here? I have a class to tea— my head."
She just grabbed her head and rubbed it. When she noticed her bandage was new and she turned to Natsu.
"Natsu? Did I go to see Erza?"
Natsu, happy that she woke up, went and hugged her. He was just so worried for her. She always seemed to get into trouble since she was so clumsy, and all it did was eat up his insides.
"Luce, thank the lord. How are you doing?"
"I'm fine, just tell me why I am currently at my home with you two."
"Well, you passed out in class and I took you to Erza. She said you were fine, but needed some rest since it seemed like your injury was aggravated. Did you hit your head on something, you weirdo?"
Lucy immediately thought back to when she fell in her bedroom and hit her head exactly where it was injured. She felt guilty for worrying everyone so much and hugged him back.
"Sorry, Natsu."
"You've got nothing to apologize for. Now let's go inside, you need to rest."
Opening the car door, Lucy was about to step outside until Natsu came and scooped her up. She let out a very high-pitched feminine shriek, and blushed.
"What are you doing?"
"What does it look like? I'm carrying you. You just woke up, no way I'm letting you walk."
Gray took the keys and locked the car, and he opened the front door to Lucy's place. Lucy was then allowed to walk herself, and she excused herself to change.
Natsu just sighed, and he went to the kitchen to get some water.
"Hey, popsicle, want some?"
He offered Gray some water, and Gray just took it and drank it. He then crashed on the couch while Natsu decided to go check on Lucy. He walked up the stairs and noticed that halfway out of Lucy's bedroom was a very obvious skid mark of some sort. Did she fall on her way inside? Getting a bad feeling, he lightly knocked on the door.
"Luce? You in there?"
Instead of a reply, he heard the door unlock. He opened the door a crack to glance inside and saw Lucy pulling her shirt on and she looked behind her, "hey, come in."
Blushing slightly, he walked in and closed the door behind him. He walked up to her and looked at her head, making sure there was no sign of bleeding. He then looked at her face, and she seemed to be doing a bit better.
He grabbed her arm gently and asked, "hey, doing better?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit lightheaded. I'll make some tea for myself, you and Gray want something?"
"Nah, I'll make it. You go get some rest, I'll handle the drinks."
Lucy smiled. Natsu was always caring and she loved that about him, but she just couldn't let one fact slide.
Natsu knew nothing about cooking. It was actually kinda scary as to how much he didn't know. She once found him trying to make her some eggs, and he somehow ended up burning the ceiling. She still doesn't know how in the world he managed to burn the ceiling.
Laughing lightly, she just poked his chest and replied, "haha, nice one. Again, you want something? And if Gray is still here, does he want something too? Go ask, I'll be down in a sec."
"No, Luce, come on, I can do it!"
"No you can't. If you can't make eggs, you sure as hell can't make tea."
Natsu opened his mouth to say something, but immediately shut it knowing he couldn't win this one. He knew he couldn't make anything without burning some portion of the home.
"Fine. But I will stand there to make sure you're okay. Okay?"
"Sure, why not? Just don't bother me."
He then watched her leave, but then a question popped in his head.
"Wait— Lucy."
She turned just before reaching the door and answered, "yeah?"
"What are those skid marks on your floor?"
Lucy gulped. She knew he would get angry if he found out about her little accident this morning. He was already paranoid enough just as is.
"Oh, it's nothing. It's probably from my heels, you know, walking inside."
Natsu just stared at her, giving her the dumb look. He knew she was lying. He didn't know how he knew, he just knew. There would be something about the way she said things that would be a little different, and it may sound the same to anyone, but Natsu knew Lucy. He knew she was lying.
"Very funny, Lucy, cut the crap, what happened?"
"I told you I'm fine!"
"I didn't even ask that, which means something did happen. Lucy, did you fall or something?"
Lucy sighed in defeat, and just told him, "okay, I fell this morning. I rushed to get some papers I had been meaning to give you guys. It made me late and while I was getting them, I sorta kinda fell. My heels skid the floor and down I went. I'm fine though, okay?"
Natsu thought back to what Erza said. She had mentioned something about a new bump present on her head, somewhere near her injury. She also had said it was aggravated, which only means…
"Lucy! You fell and hit your injury in the exact same spot?! Just what the fuck is wrong with you?! Do you know how dangerous that is? Forget the papers! You always have them copied on your laptop, why didn't you just print them again? Lucy, I swear, your idiocy will be the death of me!"
Lucy just stood there in realization. Why didn't she think of that? She did have the document on her laptop. Why didn't she just print it? She was about hit her head in frustration when a hand stopped her.
"Lucy! Quit hurting yourself more! You should have asked me to get them! Or just print them again! Why did you run in your heels?"
Lucy understood his frustration, but she couldn't help but feel annoyed. She was really trying, and yet all he was doing was yelling at her. The yelling made her head hurt, and she eventually just yelled back.
"I'm trying! I really am! I don't want to mess things up and maybe if I was a bit stronger, I wouldn't have been beaten! If I just had hit him back earlier, this wouldn't be an issue, but I froze like an idiot! I didn't know what to do, I just froze…"
*"You little bitch, how dare you talk back to me? You even dare to give me a look? Do you want to die?"
Lucy cried, and all her father did was whip her even more. She was bleeding profusely from her back wounds, but all she did was silently cry. She could have fought back. She knew she was strong enough. But something about this situation made her freeze and just take the beating.
She never screamed once.*
Lucy just stood there, all her frustration becoming too much, and a tear ran down her face. She just didn't understand why everyone yelled at her for messing up. She tried, she really did, but sometimes anxiety would make her freeze. And they knew. Oh they knew she would freeze, but that didn't stop them from yelling.
"Natsu, I'm sorry. I—"
Natsu grabbed Lucy and hugged her tightly in a reassuring hug. She just cried, not making a sound besides sniffling. He had made her cry, and he was extremely remorseful for it.
"Luce, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I'm just upset with myself for not being able to protect you. I wish I never left you, and I wish you called me to help whenever you need it. I know you're a strong person, and I know you may not want help. But, I'm here for you now, and I won't hesitate to come and help you, no matter the situation. That's a promise, okay?"
Lucy smiled and felt another tear go down her face. Not once did she open up to anyone but Levy. She thought it was just easier to bottle it up and deal with it later rather than crying about it.
*"Just sit in the corner and behave. Don't embarrass me or you'll regret it."*
Lucy smiled, and hugged him back. She felt so safe, so happy. Breaking from her hug, she looked at Natsu and he too was smiling. She leaned up and pecked his cheek and told him that she'll handle the drinks. He nodded and followed her out the door.
oOo
"Wow, you sure took your sweet time, flame retardant. It's almost 10, so can I just crash here for a while?"
"Hell no!"
"Of course!"
"…"
"Natsu, he can stay. It's my place, I get the final say. Gray, you can stay. I'll go make some drinks, so Natsu, wanna get the poker set to play blackjack? It more fun with poker pieces and betting."
"You're lucky I love you."
Gray just watched the two peck each other's lips, and became even more confused. Wasn't Natsu supposed to be her friend?
"Uh, what? Am I missing something here? Did you two become such good friends that kissing is allowed?"
Lucy blushed, and Natsu retorted, "Oi, Icicle, Lucy is my girlfriend. It's normal to kiss when you are in a relationship with someone. I always knew you were stupid, but I didn't think common sense was lacking too."
"What? How was I supposed to know you two were dating when no one told me?! Also, you're the stupid one! You're the one who doesn't get it when a girl is trying to flirt with you! I was even more surprised to find out you're dating someone since you weren't able to figure out when Lisanna—"
"Gray. Stop."
Gray realized his mistake and immediately shut up. They both turned to see Lucy and she was in the kitchen, humming a tune while preparing the drinks. She didn't seem to hear anything.
Sighing in relief, Natsu glared at Gray. "You trying to make me single? She'll strangle me if she finds out what Lisanna tried doing today. I figured it out way too late, I'll admit, but when I did, I tried getting her off me."
"Idiot, I'm telling you, she likes you. It's too obvious. She always wears revealing clothing and pushes up her jugs whenever she is in front of you. Do you not get she is trying to get you to notice her?"
Natsu just stood there dumbfounded. A girl liked him? Since when?
Gray snickered, "of course you didn't notice. I almost forgot your obliviousness to women and their obvious flirting with you."
Gray would never admit this, ever, but he knew Natsu was attractive. He didn't like Natsu in that way, no, he was straight, but he knew what girls found attractive and Natsu was a check in all those categories. He was tall, had a shit-ton of muscles, chiseled abs, and he was slightly tanned. He also had a handsome face, which is just a plus to it all. Natsu was once voted one of the hottest men in his college, but he never paid any attention to it.
Gray knew this and he absolutely resented him for it. Sure, Gray himself was also very handsome and got a lot of ladies, but Natsu was considered more handsome, according to their school vote. He also got more women flirting with him than he got on a daily basis, and it just annoyed him.
"Asshole, quit trying to ruin my relationship. Stop talking about her, I'll deal with it later. Lucy is coming."
Lucy walked in, and eyed the two boys weirdly. 'They're getting along quite nicely… something is wrong…'
"Natsu, I'll be right back, I gotta get the cards. I'll be right back."
Lucy walked away, but unbeknownst to them, she was hiding right behind the wall.
"You should be glad she didn't hear you, ice for brains, or else I would have seriously dislocated your jaw."
"Bonfire, she heard nothing. When Lucy hums, she is completely in her zone."
"Okay, you know what, come on, let's set the game up. Also, bonfire? Did you hit your head somewhere? What kind of dumbass calls someone—"
"Shut the fuck up, you piece of—"
"I found them!" Lucy shouted in victory making the two boys shut up."
"Fine, jerk."
Lucy walked towards the boys but frowned. There was something they were hiding, and she would interrogate Natsu later.
"Okay guys, oh you set it up— perfect."
Lucy shuffled the deck and handed out two cards. She then explained the rules of blackjack just in case they forgot.
"Okay, you guys remember how to play? You get two cards, and you add their values. Less than 21, you can still ask for a hit, in which I give you a card, and if you bust, which means you get more than 21, you automatically lose. You can still bluff though, so if I have a 23, I can still put money into the pot and make you guys lose money that way. Remember, king is 13, queen is 12, and jack is 11. Ace can be 1 or an 11, you choose. Got it?"
Natsu and Gray both nodded, and put their blinds in. They usually are supposed to play with 100k, but they decided to spice things up, as Natsu would put it, and used 500k instead. The blinds in this case would be 20k.
"Alright, let us begin."
oOo
"You damn cheater! I knew you were hiding something! Your stupid smirk said it all!"
"Then why did you bet all of your money, ice brain? I'm not the stupid one here, you are."
"You motherfucker—"
"BOYS. It is just a game. Chill. Natsu, I think we are done for the day. Pack the pieces up while I go and wash the cups."
They had been playing for three hours. It became so unbearable for Lucy to hear them fight, so she ended it. Lucy ended up winning because she had the best poker face. They weren't able to tell if she was bluffing or not, so they inevitably lost.
Natsu begrudgingly packed up the poker set while Gray got up to use the the bathroom. Natsu looked at the clock on the wall and noticed it was 1:34pm. Damn, just how long did they take?
Gray returned and announced he was leaving. "Yo, pyro, I'm out. Call me tonight, I gotta talk to you about somethin'"
"What? What's so important that suddenly I'm involved?"
"You idiot, I said tonight I'll tell you." He then turned around and yelled to Lucy, "thanks, Lucy! I'll see you guys later, I gotta go!"
Lucy responded just as loud, "sure, lock the door on your way out, Bye, Gray!"
Gray then left, and now it was just Natsu and Lucy. Lucy thought this was the perfect time to get Natsu to talk, so she came up with an idea and quickly acted upon it.
"Hey, Natsu, I'm going upstairs. Are you staying or going home?"
"I'll stay, want me to come up with you?"
"Sure, I'm going to rest anyways."
Lucy walked upstairs and Natsu followed. She let Natsu walk into her room and she followed him inside, and she closed the door. She then smirked to herself, 'So all I have to do is get him to talk, but how?'
"Hey, Natsu, can we talk?" 'So smooth Lucy. Reealll smooth.'
"Yeah, sure, what's up?"
Lucy took a breath. She wanted to him to be honest, so why doesn't she start too? She'll honestly tell him some things, so he would have to tell her too. 'PerfectI I'm such a genius!'
She sat on her bed and ushered Natsu to sit opposite to her so they could talk. He obliged, and Lucy stared.
"Natsu, I want to be honest with you since we're dating and I trust you, okay?"
Natsu nodded, seeming more interested with the way this conversation was heading.
"Natsu, what's my name?"
"Uh, Lucy?"
"No, my full name."
"Lucy Ashley."
Lucy sighed. She knew he was always skeptical about her last name, but decided to trust her on it. She knew he would be a little upset, but it was better than him not ever knowing.
"Natsu, lemme reintroduce myself. My name is Lucy Heartfilia, and I'm the daughter of one of the richest men in the world, Jude Heartfilia. He owns the railroads all across Fiore. He's very well known , so I'm sure you've heard of him."
Natsu just looked at her. He knew she was hiding something about herself, but he never expected this.
'Jude Heartfilia? The Jude Heartfilia? Isn't he dude whose wife was… oh my goodness…'
He remembered seeing it on the news when he was younger, about a murder that was committed during broad daylight, and how the daughter was there to witness it all. He was only nine, and he wrote it off since he wasn't involved. He thought these sort of things happened to people who were famous.
"Yeah, I've heard of him. Lucy, why did you wait to tell me now? All this time, you've kept this to yourself. Even your mother…"
Lucy sucked in her breath, 'he knows what happened to my mom? How…?'
"Do you know what happened to my mom, Natsu? What happened…?"
Natsu knew she was going to eventually break, he knew she was holding back tears, but she held on, and asked him anyways. He grabbed her hands and held them tightly, as if she was going to leave.
"Lucy, yes, it was all over the news when the case information was released. Do you not remember? You had even witnessed it all…"
Lucy sat there, dumbfounded. "No…? I don't—"
Suddenly, memories starting rushing her brain, and she held her head in pain.
*'Come on, Lucy, let's go here."
Layla had taken her daughter out to the mall that just opened, but they weren't exactly familiar with the layout, so they got lost. Lucy was used to bringing some sort of weapon with her since her mother instructed that she alway she always have something to protect herself with, even though Layla had enrolled Lucy in self-defense classes and almost all the fighting classes Lucy could handle. Lucy could defend herself, but since she was with her mom, she brought no weapon. She felt safe with her mother.
"Lucy dear, hold mommy's hand very tight, okay? Don't let go. I'm afraid we got a little lost."
Lucy looked at her surroundings and noticed it being a bit more shabby than she was used to. Where were the guards assigned to her and her mother? She walked with her mom until they reached the end of an alley.
"Oh, shucks, it seems it is a dead end. Let's go ask around, how about it?"
Lucy and her mother walked around and asked some people about the mall, but most just shrugged or told her to go away. Suddenly, a group of three men about the age of forty came to ask Layla if she needed help.
"Need help, pretty lady? I know what you'se talkin' about. Follow me."
Layla smiled and followed. Living her life bottled up with protection and with her family, Layla was a bit naive. Jude had only allowed Layla to go with Lucy if they hd their guards around them 24/7, but it seems they weren't there.
"Um, gentlemen, this doesn't seem right. It's the same alley as we were in before, it's a dead end—"
Layla suddenly realized what the mens intention's were, and she told Lucy to be quiet and run. Lucy walked away, but one of the men grabbed her.
"So, we've got a pretty lady and a pretty kid. This is one hell of a catch, ain't it boys?"
"Hell yeah, can't wait to rip her pretty lil' dress and her—"
He was cut off with a yelp when Lucy elbowed him in the gut. Lucy knew how to fight, that's all she was taught growing up besides her academics. She was the best in her class, and was even a double black belt in various fighting techniques.
"You little bitch, I'll kill ya!"
The man ran towards her and grabbed her leg, effectively making her crash on the ground. She countered by bringing her torso up and punching him. The man stumbled back and gave her an even dirtier look while running toward her with his fist out. She easily dodged by tilting her head to the side, and when he got fed up, he ran away from her, and when he saw where he ran to, her heart dropped.
Her mother.
"Lucy, my darling, my baby, please, run, get away from here. You have so much potential, and I'm proud of you. Now, listen to mommy honey and run."
"No! Never, mom, please, I can beat them!"
Lucy was grabbed from behind, and fearing for her mother, she did nothing to defend herself.
"Now, you're going to watch us torture and kill your mom, and there ain't nothing you can do about it lil' lady."
Lucys eye's bulged while thrashing and kicking, anything to save her mom. She then saw one man rip her mom's dress and punch her in the gut. She coughed blood and gave him a smile. He then slapped her across the face and grabbed it afterwards, smirking and head butting her. She was out cold. He proceeded to kick and punch her. When she was bloody and bruised, he took out a knife he had been hiding and stabbed her side.
Lucy knew the look she had. She had seen it before, and she saw it again. She thought she was never going to see that look ever again, but here she was, seeing it on the person she cared the most about. Her mother had been bleeding for too long, and now there was no return.
She was gone.
Lucy couldn't scream. She couldn't cry, she couldn't do anything but freeze. When the guy gave her a last kick, he approached Lucy, and kicked her as well. Lucy let him beat her. She couldn't see anything else to do, her life felt so empty, as if there was a huge whole in her heart. She felt like dying, and this man was going to give her her wish.
"You done, brat? Your mommy's dead, and now you gonna be joinin' her soon, ya hear?"
Lucy heard some more shouting and in the midst of it, she was blacking out. She had suffered too many head injuries, and before she actually passed out, she heard some sirens in the distance.
Finally, she would be saved. 'Mom and I can go and be saved now. Maybe, somehow maybe they would find a way, a cure to revive her.
Lucy smiled, and passed out.
"Guys, here! Oh my god… check the victims! Grab the men! Daniel, come here! We've got a pulse on this one."
oOo
"Guys, she's awake!"
Lucy woke up, and strangely stared at the men looking down at her.
"Who— what am I doing here? Who is that laying on the floor?"
Everyone stared at her, and she just stared back, confused.
What happened?*
Lucy eye's widened. 'My mom… I was… oh my god… oh MY GOD!'
Lucy started sobbing, full on yelling, screaming, and she collapsed to the floor, holding her head. She kept yelling with every cry, and she kept on saying, "It's all my fault, it's all my fault…"
Lucy hadn't cried like this in years. She had last cried like this when she was a child, before her mother died. The memories, the guilt, it became too much for her.
"Lucy? Oh my god, Lucy!" Natsu yelled before rushing to her side.
He had never seen her cry like this, so seeing her like this made his heart wrench and hurt in ways he didn't even know were possible. He had seen Lucy cry before, but it never was an actual cry. It was always just silent tears running down her face, telling a story without sound.
"Natsu—his— It's all my—hic— fault. She died— his— I could have done something. I know I'm strong enough."
'Am I really though?'
"Lucy, nothing it your fault. She didn't die because you let her. You didn't do anything, you're fine. You didn't do anything…"
'I could have saved her…'
"Natsu, I—hic— could have saved her! I should have, I know I could have, I— hic— thought I could…"
'You didn't though. You just let her die. You watched your mother die, Lucy. You knew you could fight back, probably save the both of you. Your father wouldn't blame you if he didn't acknowledge this. Admit it. You're pathetic.'
"NO! NO I'M NOT! I'm not pathetic, I… I tried… I…"
Natsu felt so guilty, he felt like he couldn't breathe. Lucy was literally breaking in front of him and all he could do was hug her and try to comfort her. He brought this up, and now he needed to be there for her.
Natsu picked Lucy up and laid her in her bed. He tucked her in and got in after. He hugged her to his chest, letting her cry her heart out so when she woke up, she would be able to talk. Right now, she needed a shoulder to cry on and Natsu was more than willing to give it to her.
"Shhh, Luce, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."
A/N: Bonus chapter! I'm just going to update whenever the chapter is ready so I don't make you guys wait too long.
Holy shit, I think I make every chapter too dramatic. I revealed most of Lucy's past at this point. Yup. Some clarifying things, yes, Lucy had forgotten what exactly happened during her mother's death since the shock made her forget, and she is very stubborn to the point she refuses to cry over anything. I wanted to make her a strong character because I felt like it made sense. Natsu cares about Lucy a lot, and he his in the dark about a lot of things. Lucy is too, but Natsu didn't even know her last name, soo… yeah.
I think the pace is kinda fast, and I think I'm going to slow it down a bit next chapter. Also, we'll get back to her staying with Natsu, don't worry, it'll appear next chapter.
Just a heads up, I don't actually have anything planned. I make up the story as I go, so if it makes no sense, then I'm really sorry. I probably should have some plan, but I don't. Lately I have been sort of planning some chapters, such as this one. I wanted to introduce some more characters, such as Gray, Lisanna, and Erza. I will introduce Mira, Juvia, Laxus, Cana, Wendy, Gajeel (we have heard of him before, hint hint), and Jellal! I will introduce the majority of them next chapter, so stay tuned.
See ya guys later, my lovelies, Spadey out~