What better way to spend a snow day than to write with a cup of tea while watching the baby terrorize the cats? Snow days will always be my favorite...

As always, thanks for all the love and happy reading!


Lucy didn't know what she had expected, but this wasn't it. Natsu was standing in front of her, arms outstretched with his fingers pressed gently against the sides of her head. His fingers were warm, much warmer than a regular person's, and the warmth seeped into her like a balm. After a while, she closed her eyes and just enjoyed how relaxed she felt.

It was a few minutes later that she looked up at him. Lucy was surprised by how comfortable she felt now, considering he was still virtually a stranger. She studied his face as he concentrated. His brows were pulled together slightly, a darker pink than the hair on his head. His hair was wild, still messy and spiky even though he'd tried to fix it earlier. It looked soft, just like his skin. She could faintly hear him breathing, drawing her attention down to his chest. The scarf he wore was strange. The texture looked similar to the scales he'd been covered in earlier, just larger.

Lucy checked his face again, seeing that he was still completely focused on his task, before she lifted her arm slowly and carefully towards it. She felt compelled to touch it, to see if it was as smooth as it looked. Her hand was only an inch away when his eyes popped open, causing her to yank her hand back.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"-wanted to know what it feels like, I know." He gave her a wry smile. "I probably should have mentioned that I can hear your thoughts while I'm reading you, although I thought it was implied. You were getting rather loud at the end there." His smile widened as her face reddened. "That was why you felt so relaxed at the beginning. It's a side effect of the spell, to make the person being read more comfortable so that their thoughts don't overshadow everything."

Mentally scolding herself, Lucy scooted back a little in her chair. "Well, did you get what you needed?"

She missed the grin he gave her as she started studying her thumbnail. "I did, thank you. More than I probably needed. I'm glad you approve of the outfit. Dress seems to be important to you."

Lucy felt herself heat more at his words. He makes it sound like looks are the only thing I care about, she thought. "Well? Where's my proof?"

He gave her a knowing smile. "You don't need any. You already know I'm real, Lucy." Natsu chuckled when she squinted at him. "I would have preferred you introduce yourself on your own, but I'll take what I can get. What would you like me to tell you to help satisfy your curiosity?"

"I think you know."

"I do," he agreed with an even wider smile, "but I'd still like it if you told me."

"I want to know about the email."

"What would you like to know about the Email-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named?"

"Was it me or Cana?"

"Technically both." He crossed his arms as he leaned against the corner of her desk. "But it was Cana that Laxus heard."

"I knew it!" she hissed. Instinctively, she reached for her phone, but didn't pick it up. While she'd love to put the fight to rest between them, it wasn't like there was a way for her to explain how she suddenly knew the incident wasn't her fault.

"But how do you…" She trailed off not sure how to phrase her question.

"Usually, memories suffer from something similar to tunnel vision. When I see the memory, I'm able to take in more of what's going on around you. Humans don't always remember everything that they saw, which is how you are able to look at a clock and immediately forget what time it is, or look in the fridge and forget what options you have for food. When I review the memory, I am able to see more because I do not suffer from that tunnel vision." Lucy nodded slowly, still not sure she totally understood, but accepting the answer anyway.

"Well, since you know that I believe you, I suppose we should talk terms. Or rather, your terms since you know what I want."

"I actually don't, not yet," he corrected. "You hadn't thought about it prior to my reading, so I have no idea what you want."

Lucy realized she still didn't so she gestured at him as she folded her legs under her. "How about you tell me what you want first, so I can figure out if I'm willing to agree to your terms. There's no point in me getting my hopes up unless I know I can fill your end of the deal."

"I have a very short list," he said, raising his hand to count on his fingers. "One, I'd like you do one more summoning, to bring a friend of mine here. Two, I want a place to sleep. Whether it's the couch or floor doesn't matter to me so long as there's a roof over my head. It doesn't have to be here, but since I am not allowed to create currency for myself to use, I can't pay for a place to live. Three, I will need food. Last, but most important, I'd like you to allow me to stay in your realm until one day before the timeline runs out, which is one year. That's the longest a contract can be active."

Lucy's eyes widened as she stared at him. "You… want to live with me for a year?"

He shrugged. "Here or elsewhere, if you can acquire accommodations. I wasn't lying before. I'm looking for a break from my realm, and this one is much more interesting."

"Who is this friend?"

"Another demon named Happy." He held up his hands as she opened her mouth to argue. "He's a much smaller demon, no bigger than your cat. I can't leave him back in my world on his own. He'll get himself into trouble, or worse, if I'm not there to keep an eye on him and protect him."

Lucy leaned back as she rested her hands on the arms of her chair. She tapped her fingers along the wooden ends, filling the silence as the pair studied each other. "So I basically have to house and feed you for the next year? What are you going to do while you're here?"

"Fulfill your terms of the contract and explore your world."

"As in, travel?"

He shrugged. "Yes, among other things. There's a lot about this world that is new and strange to me, and I've always been curious about new things. I promise not to collect too many things," he added. "I won't be able to take anything with me when I go back and I'd hate to leave a mess for you when I do."

"What would you be collecting?" she asked.

"Just about everything, if I don't keep an eye on myself." She stared at him blankly, eventually reminding him he hadn't answered her previous question. "Right, sorry, I didn't tell you. I'm only half demon- my father was a dragon."

Lucy's mouth opened and closed a couple times as she stared at him blankly. "My first thought is to ask if that's possible, but, well-" she gestured at him, "-demon."

"Sorry if it's a little difficult to wrap your head around."

"It's not the weirdest thing you've told me today," she mused. "So, half dragon, hmm? Does that mean you breathe fire and can fly?"

"My wings do work," he confirmed, "but I can only breathe small spurts of fire."

"Can I see?" she asked, sitting forward curiously.

He looked uncertain for a while, but eventually he took a deep breath and exhaled in a small burst of fire. It wasn't more than a foot from his mouth and only lasted a couple seconds, but Lucy's eyes widened in shock.

"I didn't actually expect that to happen," she admitted.

He laughed quietly. "I don't lie, Lucy. I've been told I can be honest to a fault." With a shrug, he added, "Turns out honesty isn't always a good thing."

Lucy crossed her arms as she looked around her apartment, trying to collect her thoughts. She had summoned a demon, with cheese, to her home on a regular, boring Wednesday afternoon. A demon who wanted to hang out at her place for a year in exchange for helping her. A demon who wanted to explore her world, after, of course, she summoned another demon. A demon who claimed to not lie.

Could she do it? Allow a demon, a rather good looking one, to live with her while he explored her world? What would her neighbors, her friends, think about her suddenly shacking up with, to them, some random guy?

Most importantly, what could she possibly ask for that equated feeding and housing a demon, possibly two, for a whole year?

When she looked back at Natsu, she saw that he was watching her with intense, onyx eyes. He was slouching slightly as he leaned, trying to appear relaxed, but she could tell that his whole body was tense. It took her a moment, but she realized he was nervous… nervous that she would reject his request and have to go back to his realm.

Well, I guess I won't be bored for a while, she mused as she smiled up at him. "Alright."

"Alright?" he asked, obviously surprised.

"I'm willing to make a contract with you." Lucy laughed quietly as she saw his body slump more as he finally relaxed. She considered him as he let out a long breath. "I only have four conditions."

"Alright, shoot."

Without hesitating, she counted out her demands. "One, you help me keep enough food in my apartment for two people. Two, you promise to go along with the backstory I come up with for you, and never tell anyone about what you really are. Three, I'll help you bring your friend, but you have to make sure he doesn't get into trouble while he's here, and if he does, it can't be traced back to me."

He raised an eyebrow as she paused, contemplating her next words. "What's the fourth one?"

It was a leap, but Lucy was willing to make it. What was more boring than watching someone else running around having fun without you? "You take me with you when you travel."

Natsu blinked, unsure for a moment that he had heard her correctly, but her voice hadn't faltered and there was no hesitation in her eyes. She watched him as he watched her, thinking about the deal. He hadn't planned on having any more company than Happy, but what she was suggesting wasn't unreasonable, and frankly, not surprising. He had seen himself how bored she had become with her regular routine. "You want to travel with me?"

He absently noted that her cheeks pinkened when she responded. "That's not quite what I mean." Lucy stood up, running her hands through her hair absently as she paced the room in front of him. "I want to see different places, try new things, eat new foods. I want you to take me with when you travel so that I can explore, too. This might be my only opportunity to travel across the world and I want to take it."

Natsu stood as she stopped in front of him, her hair no longer sticking out, but pulled over one shoulder, where one of her hands fiddled when the ends as she waited for his answer. It was strange to watch her from being so sure to so nervous in an instant. After being surrounded by demons and other mythical, manipulative beings for so long, it was a refreshing change. He was looking forward to spending time with someone so interesting.

He held out his hand. "You've got yourself a deal." Before she reciprocated the gesture, he said, "Be aware. Once you grab my hand, the contract will be sealed and we will both be bound until it is fulfilled."

She didn't even take a moment to reconsider, just let her palm slide against his. As their hands locked together, they began to glow. Faint lines of script appeared around their joined hands and began to lazily wrap around and through their hands and fingers. "This will take a little time, since the length of our contract is so long. Oh." Natsu smacked himself in the forehead. "I can't believe I forgot."

"Forgot what?" she asked warily.

"Before the end, there will be a chance for you acquire a summoning tag for me. You'll have to decide before then if you would like one."

"What's a summoning tag?"

"It's a mark that will appear on your skin, similar to a tattoo, that you can use to summon me to you. They're only an option for long term contracts, since it is more likely that we will spend time apart. That way I am always available to fulfill my terms of the contract, even if we have parted ways for some reason. It's particularly useful for deals that involve revenge or protection, but can be useful in many scenarios. The spell will give me an identical mark on the same spot, which will let me know when and if you summon me."

"How will I know when I have to choose?"

"The runes surrounding our hands will change to blue for a short time," he said, as the reds and yellows of the spell continued to swirl between them. "If you do not wish to have a mark, you only have to wait for the light to change back. If you do want it, then you must point to where you want the mark and say the incantation while the light is still blue."

"Will the mark be visible?"

"Yes, and you will have it until the contract has been completed. It's not a one time use kind of thing."

"What does it look like?" That sounded rather useful, but a tattoo? She'd never gotten one before. Where would she even put it?

"It's similar to the fire symbol that was used to summon me."

"And what do I have to say?"

"Markeer mij*." She repeated the words a few times with him as he helped her pronounce them correctly.

Once she was sure she had it, Lucy nodded and looked down to watch the colors swirling around their hands. The lines of script were layering themselves upon one another, completely obscuring their skin from their wrists down. Before she could question her decision too much, the runes suddenly turned blue, and Lucy lifted her shirt to touch her left side.

"Markeer mij," she said, then hissed as she felt fire and pins stab where her finger had pointed. Natsu's free hand grabbed her other side to hold her steady.

"It's okay, it only hurts for a moment," he murmured as he scowled slightly. "Breathe through it."

Lucy sucked in a breath through her teeth as tears pricked her eyes. She'd barely let the breath out before the pain lessened and then stopped all together. "You could have warned me about that," she hissed as she gingerly poked at her side. To her surprise, it didn't hurt at all to touch it.

"Almost done," he said. "This next part might freak you out, but I promise you'll be okay."

Her eyes snapped to his. "Why-"

The runes wrapping around their hands interrupted her as they suddenly broke into two lines. They rose from the bundle around their hands and floated for a moment between before they shot in opposite directions, directly into their chests. As the strip of symbols disappeared into her shirt, Lucy felt warmth begin to fill her body as she watched the second strand moving into Natsu, just under his scarf. She noticed after a while that the light around their hands had started to dim, as though the strands of light that had gathered there were now unraveling into the pair. Eventually the lines disappeared, the lights completely gone, and their hands were able to release each other.

She shook her hand, which felt slightly numb, as the heat in her body slowly lessened. "So, is that it?"

He smiled wide, his face lighting up more than it had since he'd shown up. "Yep, the contract is set! Thanks a bunch, Lucy, this is going to be awesome!" Natsu pumped his fists in front of himself. "Oh man, I can't wait to try out some of the human world food! What we got back home is all garbage compared to some of the stuff I saw in your head. This is going to be awesome, haha!" He took a couple steps back, and put his hands behind his head. "By the way, great call about the food. You worded it just right so that I can actually use my magic to get food! Most people don't think about that, and being hungry is awful. I can't wait to try some burgers, especially the ones with bacon! Man, my mouth is already watering."

Lucy's mouth slowly fell open in shock as she watched Natsu's personality do a 360 right in front of her. Was this some sort of side effect from the contract? Where had the mature, level headed man gone that had been before her only 30 seconds ago? And why was this moron yelling so loud?


* 'Markeer mij' means 'mark me' in Dutch. I'm part Dutch and I love the way the language looks, so I tend to use it a lot when I need one for something in my stories.


Edited 6/11/20