Confessions of a demon
Submission for Nalu Fluff Week 2019. Day Two: Mischief
Summary: It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. :P
Rated T for foul language.
Genre: Fluff, humor
Word Count: 4.3K
Lucy stood in the dark bathroom, taking ragged breaths as she failed to calm her racing heart. Her friends were just messing with her. There was no way a demon lived inside the mirrors, waiting until someone said just the right thing to set them free.
Despite being sure of herself, Lucy felt her hands shaking as she gripped the edge of the sink.
It was her fifteenth birthday party, and all of her friends were there. Well, almost all of them. Natsu had shown up, but he left shortly after Erza finished telling a scary story to go check on his cat two blocks over. Lucy hadn't seen him since, even while they were playing 'Truth or Dare'.
Lucy had foolishly chosen dare, thinking her friends were going to make her do something embarrassing. She had no clue they would want to freak her out, sending her into the bathroom with the lights out, telling her to chant 'E.N.D.' three times while staring into the mirror.
Her throat was tight and her palms were damp, every nerve in Lucy's body telling her something was wrong. She didn't feel alone in that bathroom, but she knew she was imagining things. Her friends were right outside the door, probably pressing their ears to the wood to hear her chant those words.
The words that supposedly summoned a demon who took pleasure in feasting on souls.
"It's just a dumb game," she whispered to herself, forcing her eyes to fix with the mirror. She couldn't see her reflection very well, but she didn't mind. All she had to do was say the words three times and she'd be done with it.
She took a deep breath before beginning.
"E.N.D."
Lucy gulped, wondering why the hairs on the back of her neck and arms felt like they were standing up. She took a shaky breath, reminding herself if was just a game. No demon was going to burst out of the mirror and attack her. Her friends were just teasing her, giving her a hard time since she was the birthday girl.
"E... N... D."
Lucy released her breath, her lower lip beginning to tremble as trepidation washed over her.
'It's just a game... Just a silly game...'
Lucy squared her shoulders, her eyes narrowing at her reflection in the mirror. She would only be scared if she allowed herself to be, so, she summoned every bit of confidence she could muster before saying, "E. N..."
Lucy held her breath for a few seconds, almost sighing in relief when she said, "D."
For a split second, Lucy wanted to smile. She got through it, and nothing bad had happened. However, in the blink of an eye, the shower curtain was ripped open as a growl emanated from her right.
Lucy whirled towards the noise, eyes only able to focus on the dark figure stepping out of the tub. She couldn't make out any features, only seeing red eyes and horns sticking out from its head. She did what any logical teenage girl would do in that situation.
She screamed.
Lucy couldn't hear anything but the sound of her scream as she scrambled to the door knob, wondering why it wouldn't twist. She hadn't locked it, but the thing wouldn't budge no matter how much strength she put behind it.
She turned just in time to see the large arms from the demon reaching for her, making her heart stop for a moment. Lucy didn't have time to think, reacting as quickly as she could.
Lucy lifted her leg before jutting it out as fast and hard as possible, kicking the demon in the side. A loud grown tore from its throat, but she didn't care, she flew after it, throwing punches at its face and chest and anywhere else she could reach.
She wasn't dying in her bathroom. She had too much to live for.
"LUCY STOP!" the demon cried out, the voice catching Lucy's off guard.
She knew that voice. It belonged to...
Suddenly the door burst open and the lights flicked on, Lucy's eyes widening as she adjusted to the brightness.
There, sitting under her small frame was one of her friends, Natsu Dragneel, wearing fake glowing glasses and the horns he used for Halloween last year.
Lucy gasped, unable to react as she looked over the bloody lip and various bruises to his face she had given him. She thought that was the worst of it, but as soon as her friends got her off him and tried to stand him up, she realized she was dead wrong.
"Fuck!" Natsu held his side, tears clinging to the corners of his eyes as he grimaced. He had to lean on Gray, the pain in his side too much to bear. "The hell Lucy?!"
"I... I..." She stared in horror, wondering what had happened. "But, the... E.N.D."
"It was a prank!" he yelled, screaming when Erza tried inspecting his side. That only made the pain worse.
"Should we tell someone?" Gray asked, causing Levy to duck out and find Lucy's parents. They would know what to do.
Lucy backed into the corner while her friends helped Natsu leave the bathroom, the boy barely suppressing his sobs as he moved. She didn't bother holding back her tears, guilt and anger flaring up inside her.
When they left the bathroom, it was easy for Lucy to put things together. They wanted Natsu to scare her by pretending to be E.N.D., but she got carried away and beat Natsu up because she thought he was really a demon.
She didn't know if she broke a bone or worse, but Natsu was clearly in pain. She had seen Natsu cry a total of two times since they met three years ago. He was a tough guy, but even he had his limits.
"What did I do?" Lucy asked, receiving no answer. She could hear her father yelling while her mother told her friends to help him in her car. They were going to the hospital because whatever Lucy did to him, it was bad.
She swallowed as she forced herself to leave the bathroom, hoping he wouldn't be mad at her for hurting him. It was just an accident, one that could have been avoided if they didn't pull that stupid prank on her.
Hours passed before Lucy got an update about Natsu's condition. Even then, it didn't make Lucy feel any better. Her heart had dropped when her mother told her what happened, how Natsu had a cracked rib from her kick. She didn't mean to hurt her friend, convinced her life was in danger and the only way to save herself was to fight.
She had never been in a situation like that before, so she had no idea how she would have reacted.
Lucy's party had been cancelled immediately after the incident. Her friends' parents came to pick them up, but they all more or less told her the same thing before they left.
"It wasn't your fault. We shouldn't have pulled that prank."
Lucy waited until everyone was out of her house before crying again, the pain she felt in her heart only increasing when her mom came back to give her the news. Lucy spent the rest of the night in her room, avoiding texts and calls from her friends while she buried herself under her blanket.
She didn't want to talk to anyone, feeling guilty and empty.
Not only did she hurt one of her friends, which was tearing her up inside, she hurt the one she harbored feelings for. She already thought she didn't have good odds with ending up with Natsu. Now she knew those slim chances were gone. There was no way he was going to want to date the girl who almost broke his rib!
She hadn't even touched her birthday presents, feeling undeserving of them. Her birthday cake was put into the fridge for a later date, Lucy hating the idea of celebrating while her friend was in pain.
Despite Lucy wanting to stay in her room until she grew old and died, her mom came to her the next morning, knocking on her door incessantly.
"Lucy, sweetie. You have to come out now."
Lucy didn't respond, her body curling into a tight ball while the knocking continued.
"You have to go see Natsu."
Grumbling, Lucy said, "He doesn't want to see me."
"You don't know that. Come on, you need to check on your friend."
"He'll be fine if I stay here," Lucy urged, but her mother wasn't having it.
"I already called his father. He said Natsu would love to see you."
Lucy's eyes shot open, but she could only see darkness from under her covers. Slowly, she peeled them off, her voice hesitant as she asked, "He... does?"
The awkward pause of silence was enough to give Lucy her answer. Her mother never called. Natsu didn't want to see her.
"I'm sure he wants to see you."
"UGH!" Lucy buried herself in her safe cocoon again, wondering how hard it would be to finish high school online instead of facing him in school come Monday morning. She knew he wouldn't hate her, Natsu could never do that, but she doubted he wanted to spend time with her anymore.
Or worse, she would be treated like Gray and Gajeel from now on. She liked the way Natsu teased her now, but she didn't know if she could handle all the insults and random fights that seemed to ensue whenever the three were around each other. She feared he would see her as an opponent from now on, wanting to challenge her strength instead of conversate like a civil human being.
If there was one thing Natsu hated —besides cars, it was being bested.
"Just go talk to him," her mother said, reminding her she hadn't left yet. "You should at least go check on him."
Lucy groaned, knowing her mom was right. What kind of friend hurts someone, then ignores them? However, she couldn't exactly call what she was doing as ignoring. Natsu hadn't tried reaching out to her once, making her less enthusiastic to see him.
She didn't want her best friend angry at her, whether it was from an accident or not.
"Lucy, you should—"
"Alright!" she yelled, cutting her mom off. "Just, give me a minute."
A beat of silence passed before Layla said, "I'll be downstairs when you're ready."
Lucy took a deep breath, hoping she wasn't making a mistake by going to see him. She had never dealt with something like this before. The closest was when Gajeel and Natsu fought too hard and Natsu ended up with a dislocated shoulder. Even then, the boy hadn't cried like he did yesterday. Natsu had proceeded to challenge Gajeel to a fight every single time they saw each other for a solid three months before he finally calmed down.
Lucy didn't want to share the same fate.
Despite being nervous to see him, Lucy didn't try to do anything special with herself before leaving her house. She wore plain jeans and a shirt, her hair pulled into a ponytail while her face was bare, not a trace of makeup in sight.
She didn't want Natsu thinking... well, she wasn't sure what she was even thinking. There was part of her that said tone it down, so she did, showing up to his house as plain as she possibly could.
Lucy stepped out of her car, thinking her mom was going to come in with her. Instead, she was told to call her when she was done before her mom drove away, leaving Lucy all by herself.
'I'm only a few blocks away from the house. If I leave now, I could be back in the safety of my bed in minutes...'
Her stomach twisted as she turned, looking up at Natsu's house. It wasn't nearly as big as her home, but it didn't have to be. The home was filled with warmth and comfort, but today all she felt was a chill running down her spine as she forced herself up to their porch.
She lifted her fist, holding it there far too long before knocking on the door. It was too soft, no one hearing it on the other side. After a moment, Lucy knocked harder, wanting to get it over with.
If she was going to become Natsu's newest opponent, she might as well find out sooner rather than later.
Lucy's heart stuttered when she heard the door unlock before it swung open, revealing a man that easily towered over her. He was large and strong, but she didn't fear him for a second. Igneel was as soft as a teddy bear, even if sometimes he looked as fierce as a dragon.
"Lucy!" Igneel widened the door, ushering her in. "What a surprise!"
She already suspected, but Igneel's words confirmed it. Her mother hadn't called ahead to see if it was okay for Lucy to check in on Natsu. That only made her nervousness grow.
"Good morning, I... I was wondering if... umm..." Lucy twisted her lips in what she hoped was a smile, but it felt unnatural. Taking a shaky breath, Lucy whispered, "Is he home?"
"Natsu?" Igneel asked, raising a brow.
Lucy almost wanted to scoff. Of course she was referring to Natsu. It wasn't as if she came to see his older brother. "Yes."
"Yeah, he's up in his room." Igneel looked up as if he could see through the ceiling where his son's room was. "He hasn't been up yet. So lazy."
Lucy bit her tongue, stopping herself from saying he had a good excuse to stay in bed.
He had a cracked rib after all.
Lucy jolted when she felt a hand on her head, ruffling her hair out of place. "By the way, I laughed so hard when I found out what you did."
"You what?" Lucy's eyes widened, shocked to hear Igneel laughed at his son's condition.
"I almost split my side laughing so hard." He grinned, shaking his head. "Seriously though, Natsu deserved everything he got. He shoulda known not to mess with a girl like you." For added emphasis, Igneel patted her head before laughing. "You're one tough cookie."
"Thank... you?" Lucy furrowed her brows, wondering what world she woke up in. She never thought Igneel would have taken her side over what happened, especially when it went against his son's actions.
"Don't worry about it," Igneel said, removing his hand when he saw the confusion on Lucy's face. "Natsu's tough too. This won't hold him back."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Lucy mumbled under her breath, but Igneel's sharp ears picked it up.
"He's not mad at you or anything," he added, trying to see if that made her feel better. When she didn't look convinced, he sighed, all traces of humor wiped away. "He already told me he's not upset at you. Even told me he thought it was pretty cool you were able to fight. He thought you were gonna pee your pants but you sure showed him!"
Lucy paled, her jaw falling as she gaped at Igneel. "He thought I'd pee myself?!" She almost groaned, convinced she had zero chances of anything more happening between her and Natsu. He clearly didn't think of her as anything more if he imagined her peeing herself from a prank. Either that, or he didn't have much confidence in her in general.
She didn't know which was worse.
"Can I see him?" Lucy asked, her shoulders and chest feeling heavy. She wanted to make sure he wasn't angry at her, and also give him a piece of her mind.
Igneel smiled at the fire in her eyes, stepping out of the way as he nodded. "You know where to find him."
He watched as the girl made her way up the stairs, hoping things would be okay between them. Out of all of Natsu's friends, Lucy was definitely his favorite. She kept his son levelheaded most of the time, while also making him smile more than he ever had before.
It would be a shame for them to throw away their strong friendship over a prank gone wrong.
Lucy would have knocked on Natsu's door as soon as she made it to his room, but the door was wide open, letting her peek inside. The room was unsurprisingly a mess, dirty clothes thrown on the floor while a plate of half-eaten food was placed on his desk. Pictures littered the walls, as well as random items he collected over the years.
Lucy liked to tease him by calling him a hoarder, but secretly she found it endearing. He treasured memories, especially those built with his friends.
She swallowed before her eyes fell to his bed, seeing some pink tufts of hair sticking out from his blanket. By the even rise and fall, Lucy figured he was fast asleep. It didn't surprise her in the least bit. He was always a heavy sleeper. It was one of the reasons he was usually late to things, his alarm strong enough to get him up on the first try.
Knowing he wasn't going to wake up from a simple knock, Lucy stepped into his room, just like she had so many times before. Unlike every other time when she felt welcomed, Lucy felt uncomfortable, hoping she wasn't intruding. She stepped over to his bed, hesitating before grabbing the covers.
She lowered them just enough to see Natsu's face. If it weren't for the new bruises decorating his skin, she would have thought he looked peaceful. Instead of beating herself up again, she continued pulling the blanket down. Once a shoulder was revealed, Lucy took to shaking it, hoping the movement was enough to wake him up.
A sleepy groan and a hand swatting at her later, Natsu was blinking, his brows pinched together as he tried adjusting to the light. As soon as he looked up and made out Lucy's face, he smiled, but that look didn't last long. Natsu tried moving, but a wince tore from him at the painful action.
Lucy cringed, taking a step back to give him space. She felt her heart drop at the look of pain crossing his face, convinced it was a bad idea to come. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, turning to leave.
However, before she could take a step, Natsu's hoarse voice called out, rough from sleep. "Wait!"
"I shouldn't have come," Lucy said, scrambling towards the door before she heard Natsu's sharp intake of breath. She looked over her shoulder, seeing the pained look on his face as he tried getting out of bed.
That stopped her, Lucy turning around just as Natsu mumbled, "Don't leave, please?"
"Will you stop trying to move?" Lucy asked, earning an immediate nod. She sighed, taking a step closer to him, watching as he relaxed, propping himself up against the headboard. She should have felt relief he wanted her to stay, but upon seeing the dark bruise over his ribs, all Lucy could do was tear up once again.
Natsu froze, eyes wide before he waved his hands in front of him. "Please don't cry! You know I'm not good with that!"
"I'm sorry," was all Lucy could mutter before the tears fell, the girl hurrying to wipe them away. "It's just—" She swallowed, the guilt swarming every ounce of her once again. "I didn't mean to..."
"I'm not mad," Natsu rushed out, managing a calm smile despite the obvious pain he was still in. His eyes crinkled, but it wasn't from laughter like usual. "Promise."
"How?" Lucy asked, earning a stunned look from him.
"How?" he asked, cocking his head. "How could I be mad at you? Lucy, you didn't do anything wrong."
"But you said—"
Natsu cringed, remembering those words he shouted at her. "I wasn't thinking rationally. I felt bad before we even got to the hospital. I'm the one who should be apologizing to you."
Lucy shook her head, but Natsu wasn't having it. "I ruined your birthday. It was my idea, everyone said it could backfire, but I didn't listen. I just wanted to give you a little scare."
He chuckled, but Lucy didn't miss the way his hand pressed against his side soon after. "I didn't think for a second you'd kick my ass. I gotta admit," he grinned, "that was pretty awesome!"
Lucy couldn't stop the flush that spread over her face. Thankfully if he asked, she could blame it on her tears, though they had started drying up. "Why am I surprised you'd think that?"
Natsu shrugged, light flickering behind his mischievous eyes. "Beats me."
They both paused before laughing at his poor choice of words. Lucy wiped away the last stubborn tears, needing a deep breath. "So you're really not mad at me?"
Natsu shook his head. "I was never really mad at you. I was just in pain when I said those things. Honestly, I can't even remember exactly what I said."
"I believe your exact words were, 'fuck, the hell Lucy'," she said, causing him to frown.
"I'm sorry. I promise I didn't mean them."
"I believe you," Lucy said, seeing the new pain in his eyes. It wasn't caused by anything physical, but as soon as she assured him, the pain started vanishing. "So why didn't you just text me or something to let me know you weren't mad?"
Natsu blinked a few times before he gave her a confused look. "Don't you remember? I said I forgot my phone at home."
"No, you said you needed to go check on Happy," Lucy said, looking around to see if she could spot the blue feline, but he was nowhere in sight.
Natsu shook his head. "That was just a ruse. I never left your house, but I really did leave my phone at home." He paused before pointing at his desk. "I left it there. Pretty sure it's dead by now."
"You didn't charge it when you got home?" Lucy asked, walking over to the desk to find it. As she did, Natsu continued talking, but his voice became background noise when something else caught her attention.
"I was so tired I just crashed, but I was planning on texting you when I woke up. I promise, I just slept more than I thought I would, but you came over, so I—"
"Is this for me?" Lucy asked, whirling around. She held up a folded piece of paper, decorated with brightly colored stars around her name, written in his handwriting.
Natsu paled in an instant, his stomach dropping. Lucy tried opening it, but he shouted, unable to stop himself. "Don't!"
"What is it?" she asked, listening to him. She stopped, but she didn't let go of it. Clearly it was meant for her. It wasn't like Natsu knew anyone else named Lucy.
"It's uh, not finished yet."
"Oh." Lucy looked down at it, curiosity bubbling inside her. 'What could be in there?'
"It's just a birthday card," Natsu said, failing to sound nonchalant. A blush slowly crept over his nose, spreading to his cheeks. "It's a, a rough draft."
"My birthday was yesterday," Lucy started, wondering why he hadn't brought it with him to her party. 'Then again, he forgot his phone. He's always so forgetful. But it's kind of cute.' She smiled before giving him a look. "Did you procrastinate?"
Natsu gave her an awkward smile as he nodded. "Yeah. Surprised?"
"Not at all." She ran her thumb over the paper, wanting nothing more than to open it. "Why can't I just look at it?"
"You're a writer," Natsu said out of nowhere, throwing her off.
Lucy blushed, her heartbeat speeding up. She had only told Levy and Natsu about her dream to become an author, but they hardly discussed it. "I write, but I don't think I can consider myself a writer."
Natsu snorted before giving her a genuine grin. "You're the best damn writer I've ever seen." His eyes fell to the paper before returning her gaze. "Anyways, I'm sure you understand not wanting someone to see your rough draft?"
Lucy nodded, finally able to put the paper down. "True."
She missed Natsu's breath of relief, instead giving him a teasing smile. "But I want it soon, okay?"
Natsu nodded, his own heart thrumming out of control. "Yeah, you got it."
After a moment of silence, Natsu asked, "So, do you wanna hang out? Or do you have to leave soon?"
"My mom dropped me off," she said, letting him know her answer.
Natsu looked down at his bed before scooting over, trying to muffle his groans. "Come here. Grab the remote first though?"
Lucy let out a breath before doing as he asked, grabbing the remote so they could watch TV together. It turned into a typical Sunday morning, Lucy and Natsu hanging out, doing nothing in particular except share each other's company.
"Maybe we could train together one day," Natsu said once during a commercial break, causing Lucy to laugh, accepting her fate.
"I guess it wouldn't be the worst thing." She wished Natsu saw her as more than a friend or fighting buddy, but she decided those were better than nothing at all.
Natsu chuckled, leaning back against the headboard before resting his hand between them, his breath stopping when he accidentally set it against Lucy's arm, but she didn't jerk away, acting as if it wasn't there.
He stayed frozen for a moment before relaxing, happy with the small connection. His eyes flitted over to the folded piece of paper a few times, thankful Lucy hadn't opened it.
Maybe one day we would be brave enough to give her that note, confessing his feelings for her. Maybe one day he could ask her to be his girlfriend, and maybe even kiss her or hug her longer than he could get away with as just friends.
Natsu didn't know, but he held onto hope. He didn't care how long it took. He wanted to wait until the moment was right before telling her how he felt.
Thank you so much for reading! I'm happy I was able to participate in Nalu fluff week 2019! Please, let me know what you thought! :D Was it fluffy enough?
Yeah, I absolutely refuse to do any of those 'say their name three times' games. I'm too scared to find out if they're real or not.
Has anyone ever accidentally hurt a friend? When I was a kid (probably 10ish), I was hitting stuff with a baseball bat. They were these small green ball things that fell from a nearby tree, so I would toss them up in the air then swing. Well, my friend's little brother (probably 8ish) walked too close while I was doing that and I hit him in the forehead. It didn't cause any major damage, only split the skin and he had to go to the hospital. He was up playing soon after. I remember crying as soon as it happened and some of his family members actually tried comforting me since it was clearly an accident. I didn't come out of my house for a few days after that. I felt too guilty. The only reason I finally left was because he ended up coming to my house and asking if I could come play with them. He offered me two yellow Lifesavers and I realized he wasn't mad at me, so I went to hang out with my friends again. There's not really a point to the story besides be careful? Watch your surroundings, whether you have the potential weapon or not.