AN:

Hello, TMBC followers! I hope your all enjoying the read so far. I just want you guys to know and understand 90% I'm completely making up... Just randomly pulling it outta thin air. So what do you think about Lucy running away from home and trying to live as a Mermaid amongst humans? Think she'll be able to pull it off?

Early the next morning, Lucy stops by her mothers grave again after some much needed thinking. It was only a matter of times before her antics stopped working to stall her father… As much as she didn't want to, she knew she had to be gone before that happens. So today she decided it was time, "Hi mom, it's me again." She started swimming in front of the gravesite. Steadily floating to the floor of the ocean in front of it in a sitting position. "You know why I'm here right?" she mumbled with a frown looking down at her lap.

This was no easy decision to come to! Lucy's hand tightened grabbing a fistful of sand, "Maybe, I'll be able to come back and see you someday." She said hating the tightness in her chest at the thought of not being able to visit her mom again. She had to do this… If her father ever found out why she wanted nothing to do with his 'pairings' there was no doubt that he'd lock her away.

"Goodbye," she began after ten minutes of silence, "Mom."

~oooOOOooo~

Upon reaching the surface Lucy crawled and clawed her way up to the dry shore. Today was the day she was going to try her best to get a job! As the sun's rays dried the water on her scales residing on her tail and breasts, the scales receded into the skin leaving what looked like human skin. It didn't take long before her tail separated and dried out leaving legs in its place. Lucy smiled standing up with a bounce. This form had been a form she only used when the Dragneel's were away or when she'd Natsu from afar.

Her mother Layla had caught her a time or two… or three and teased her many times about the crush that had been growing since she was little. It was an amusing day when she'd found out that this form existed. She couldn't help but smile remembering how sweet he was…

A five-year-old Lucy panicked when got washed ashore by the seas rough tide. It throws her on top of a high rock, and she was unsure of how to get down. With the sun beating down at her she could only cry as she recalled the tales of the evil creatures that eat her kind residing on the surface. Shaken from fear of dying from drying out due to lack of moisture as well, her body began to give off a thick cloud of steam.

Imagine her shock when minutes later legs replaced her tail. Lucy stood on wobbly legs with a slight grin at the new-found discovery! That is until she fell off the rock and scraped her leg on jagged edges, with blood dripping down her legs and waves of pain coursing through her body at the injury she cried softly to herself.

It wasn't long later until she heard humming and she quieted immediately when she realized it was a small human boy. Recalling all the scary stories she'd heard about humans from her father she found herself backing into the rock terrified, wincing in pain as she coiled her legs back. This small sound caught his attention and Lucy felt like a deer in headlights as he closed in on her when he saw her his immediate reaction was to gasp and throw his hands over his face, "W-W-What the heck?! W-Why don't you have on any clothes on?!" he cried out his face turning all different shades of red. She found herself surprised to find that she understood his words… well most of them. What were clothes?

At his behavior to her lack of modesty, her fear melted away steadily as he pulled off his coat throwing it in her direction telling her to put it on. Lucy looked at the garment confused as to how to even put it on and why… Tilting her head as she stared at him not following his command. She couldn't help but giggle as the boy with spiky pink hair peeked through his fingers, quickly closing them again, "W-Why are you just sitting there?! Put it on!" he whined urgently.

Lucy looked down at the thing in her hands again, "Uh, why?" she asked still confused about why he insisted she wears it.

The young boy grew even more flustered, "Seriously? Why?! Because its indecent for people to run around naked that's why!" he argued his point throwing his hands away from his face without thinking. She stared at him highly amused as he gaped at her for a second then quickly spun around his face red all the way down to his neck now, "W-Would you put it on please!" he begged.

Lucy gave him a dull stare, 'I guess if it means that much to him…' she thought. Lucy twisted and turned the garment in her hands curiously now blushing herself, "How?" she questioned unsure of what she was holding even was.

The boy blushed harder, "Put your arms through the holes. Geez haven't you ever had a jacket before?" he groaned still fiercely flustered over this situation that he was far too young to know how to deal with on his own.

Lucy stared for a moment longer locating the holes, slipping her arms through as instructed, when she finished she beamed at her accomplishment! Getting slightly impatient and twitching, "You done?" he asked her when she replied yes, he spun around only to yelp and cover his eyes again. Once again causing her to look confused… Had she done it wrong? "Y-You have to zip up the-the front too ya know." He told her.

'The front? Zip up?' she looked down at herself still blinking in confusion, "Um what?" she began.

The boy groaned kneeling down next to her with his head turned away, ever so slightly glancing so he could find the fabric in question and not her exposed chest! When completed he finally looked at her, "There! That's how you do it." He told her looking at her bleeding leg. The bleeding wasn't bad, but the cut needed to be cleaned regardless to avoid infection despite how small the abrasions were.

He made a move towards her and her fear returned instantly, "W-What are you gonna do to me?" she gulped as one of his arms hooked under her legs and the other behind her back. He carried her over to towards the water and she felt a sense of security. If she needed to all she had to do was swim away right… Wait, she was in human form could they swim?

The boy set her down in the water gently rubbing her leg, she sees her scales come back to her surprise and he gasps, "Oh my god, your allergic to water?!" he yelps quickly yanking her back up into his arms, rushing out of the water and back to the shoreline.

Lucy giggled behind her hand remembering how he rushed her to his house full of concern to meet his mother. The two of them were so nice and treated her much differently than the stories she'd been told by her father… but then again maybe it was because they mistook her as one of them?

Allergic… She'd have to find out what that meant, 'Maybe momma knows.' She thought as Natsu walked over to the couch where she sat sporting a pair of his clothes. He looked to be holding something that resembled a container of sorts.

Natsu still ever so slightly flustered about the day's events offered her a bowl of ice cream, "H-Here." He said as he held it out to her with an outstretched arm. He hadn't been able to look at her in the eye ever since they'd met on the beach… She wondered why. His mother giggled at him teasing him about acting so bashful and shy around a pretty girl.

She soon came to find out that Natsu's father was equally as kind and often managed to make her laugh at his jokes. Though she did feel a bit appalled at finding out they did, in fact, eat fish as her father warned her.

'But somehow after a while, not even that flaw mattered to you did it?' she asked herself, hearing something dropping in the water as she stood upright. She peeked from behind the very same rock that injured her all those years ago to find Natsu and his friends on the shore fishing for food much like Natsu and his parents did years before. Lucy blushed when Natsu's lips turned up in a slight smile and it was then that she knew what she did the other day was indeed the right thing.

It was so hard understanding what was right and what was wrong when it came to human customs and though she studied about it constantly through books and minimal real-life experience she often still found herself confused by it all. But despite all her confusion, she could at least take pride in the fact that her limited knowledge of his world brought a smile to his face once again.

Deciding to stop gawking, she sneaks into Natsu's garage, stealing some clothes from boxes filled with Mrs. Dragneel's belongings… She would return them to him someday. The first thing she needed to secure was a means of payment! This was certainly going to be unheard of… a Mermaid trying to blend into the human world.