Anyone else realize as Lucy's new neighbors introduced themselves many chapters ago that their Earth names start with the same letter as their real names? Probably not, since I freaking MIXED UP THE NAMES- YOU GUYS, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? I think I fixed it. At least I hope it's fixed.
I had so many ideas for this get together. It would be the perfect thing to see, I think, with so many different magical beings, trying not to reveal themselves or the others (because everyone there knew the others' real identities,) with one only somewhat clueless Lucy. So many ideas. But I liked doing this instead. I liked leaving those scenes to you guys to write for yourselves. Imagining what it would be like to see the Exceeds scrambling to cover something with Lucy - for Lucy's sake - while the others pretended not to notice - for Lucy's sake. It would be a glorious episode, and right up Fairy Tail's alley, don't you think?
As always, thanks for all the love and happy reading!
"Uh, Natsu?"
"Yeah?"
"Everything okay?"
Natsu itched the side of his neck. "Of course, why do you ask?"
"Because you've been glaring at Maverick ever since Lucy sat down next to him."
Natsu yanked his hand away from his neck once he realized what he was doing and turned towards Happy. "I am not glaring at him."
Happy raised an eyebrow at him. "Did he do something wrong?"
"Of course not." Natsu looked back over and saw that one of the Leezar's hands was on Lucy's leg while the other pointed at the pictures in her scrapbook. "Why is he touching her?" he hissed under his breath.
"Seriously Natsu, get it together," Happy warned. "You're going to do something stupid if you don't just calm down. He's not doing anything wrong."
"He's touching Lucy," Natsu said again.
"So? They're having fun." Lucy began to laugh, causing Maverick to blush, but she just continued to talk to him about whatever was in the book, not looking at all bothered by the proximity. "His mate's right across the room and he doesn't have a problem, so why are you getting all bent out of shape?"
Natsu waved a hand in front of his face as soon as he saw smoke rising from his nose. It was true- Ova appeared to be having a perfectly calm conversation with Wendy, Carla and Pantherlily, not at all bothered by his mate's proximity to another person.
So why was Natsu one casual touch away from jumping him and putting his fist in his face?
"They're just talking. Seriously Natsu, if you're having problems, you need to get your scarf back." Happy crossed his arms, looking annoyed. "Don't make me call Erza here."
Natsu's eyes widened and he whipped his head Happy's way. "Why would you call her?!"
"Because she would be able to convince you to get your act together." Happy stood and fixed his shirt. "You're already going against the rules by taking your scarf off. She wouldn't be pleased if she showed up and saw you acting like you are. She'd blame your demon side and beat you senseless."
It was only after Happy walked away that Natsu realized what he'd said. The Exceed made it sound like something else was causing his anger.
But what could that be?
Lucy looked up as Loke came to talk to her and then hopped up with a smile. "The food is done everyone! You can start serving yourselves in the kitchen."
Everyone got up, chatting excitedly, so Natsu used the distraction to sneak over to Lucy and pull her into the hall. It was obvious Loke noticed, but he didn't say anything as the pair disappeared from sight.
"Natsu, what are you doing?" Lucy asked with a smile. "I've never known you to walk in the opposite direction of food."
He wasn't sure, not first, but as Lucy looked up at him with her beautiful smile and soft curves, he felt an intense urge to remind her who she was with.
With no words, no sounds, he pressed her up against the wall and fused his mouth to hers. Her shocked gasp was completely silenced by his mouth, as was the content sigh that followed. Natsu pressed his body against her, branding the feel of his body against hers as he ravaged her mouth.
Meanwhile, Lucy's head was spinning. At first she had wanted to scold him and remind him about what they had talked about before everyone got there, but then she could do nothing more than try to survive the onslaught that was Natsu. He touched her everywhere, thoroughly filling her senses with his taste, his feel, his scent. Her body burned, aching for him to strip her clothes off and take her to her bed. As though he knew, he began to tug her towards her room, his mouth never leaving hers.
"Wait," she gasped as she finally pulled her mouth away from his. His mouth merely moved on to her cheek and then her neck. He growled as he nuzzled her skin, his arms gently trying to guide her once more down the hallway.
"Natsu, we can't do this right now." She worked on catching her breath as he continued to nuzzle her. "Natsu…"
"Mine," he whispered. "Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine…" When he finally pulled back, she was only somewhat surprised to find the nearly solid golden eyes staring back at her. "Mine…"
"You've said that before," Lucy responded. Natsu's eyes changed completely to gold before he wrapped himself around her. "When are you going to let the rest of you in on the secret?"
The dragon purred and Lucy panicked as she saw his skin begin to fade into his red scales. She pulled on his arms until they were in her room. The dragon grinned and tried to start pulling off her clothes, but Lucy grabbed his hands.
"Wait." She held his hands firmly in front of her and stared into his eyes. "Please, listen to me. You're not helping him by doing this."
The dragon growled a little, but did nothing else to fight back.
"Natsu is never going to figure things out if you keep coming out like this. You need to be patient. I don't… I don't fully understand what this mate thing includes, but I do know that it'll be dangerous for Natsu if he doesn't figure things out. The way I see it, the longer it takes, the better the chances are that things don't work out right and he gets hurt. Which means bad things for you, too, since you're a part of him." The red scales began to retreat from Natsu's skin and the golden eyes staring at her lost most of their glow as the dragon hung his head.
"I like you, I do, but you should learn how to share with Natsu so you can see me, okay? I like this," she said as she raised his face towards her again. "I like looking into these eyes and seeing you in there with Natsu. But I want to see you both in there together, okay? It's… I don't like seeing you overpower him like this, taking control away from him. He always looks so lost afterward, and I can't do anything to help him without giving things away. Do you understand?"
The dragon nodded and then carefully led her back into the hallway. Once she was back against the wall, he leaned down and rubbed his face gently against hers a few times, purring softly.
"It's okay," Lucy said. "Natsu is smart. He'll figure it out soon."
The look in his eyes told Lucy he didn't believe her, but he leaned down and kissed her again, gently this time, and when Lucy opened her eyes again, solid onyx was staring down at her.
"I'm sorry," Natsu whispered. Lucy held her breath, eyes wide as she sucked in a breath. Had he been aware as she spoke to him? She could have sworn the dragon had taken control.
"What for?"
"For dragging you off." Natsu pulled away to vigorously rub his face. "I just… I felt so… weird watching you with Maverick. I didn't like how close he was to you, or how he was touching you so casually. It made me feel like I had to stake a claim on you or something, but that's crazy." He itched at the skin of his arms as he looked passed her at the wall. "I'm sorry. I'm acting crazy. Can I…"
"Can you what?" she asked when he fell silent.
"Can I fix the bruise and have my scarf back?"
"Of course," Lucy said as she immediately unwound it and held it out.
Natsu gave her a grateful smile as he put it back around his own neck and then used his magic to erase the bite marks and bruise from her skin. He still wasn't sure what Happy had meant earlier, but he felt better with his scarf on, more in control of himself.
"Thank you."
"It's not a problem." Lucy pulled her necklace up from where it hid under her shirt. It was gold, with a golden key depicting the symbol of Aquarius. Her mother's, she'd told him once, that she had kept after her death. "I know that sometimes it helps to have something like that when you feel weird in your own skin- it helps to have something from a loved one close by. Never feel bad about asking for the scarf back. It's not a bad thing that a reminder from him makes you feel better."
Natsu's throat swelled and he couldn't manage any words as he pulled Lucy to him and hugged her.
When he finally pulled away, he blinked back tears and gently nudged her ahead of himself towards the living room. "Come on, let's get some food in you."
"What about you?" she asked.
"I ate today. You, on the other hand, skipped breakfast."
Lucy puffed up her cheeks. "I was busy!"
"Yeah yeah, now get in there and get some food."
Instead of arguing further, Lucy just twined her fingers with his and dragged him with her.
"Uh… I think it's a blanket?"
"It's actually a scarf."
Laughter. "That's not a scarf."
"Of course it is."
"No, this is a scarf."
"They make more than one kind of scarf Natsu!"
"Whatever you say."
"Oooo, this candle smells amazing!"
"Pass it around."
Some hums of agreement, and a few coughs.
"That does not smell good."
"Well not if you stick your whole face in it!"
"How am I supposed to smell it if I don't put my nose in there!"
"You smell it from a distance!"
"Sounds like a bad candle to me."
"I don't think I understand what this is."
"It looks like a small bath."
"But it makes bubbles."
"Jets do not make bubbles."
"Well they do, but not like the kind you're thinking of."
"Guys… It's a foot bath."
"How bad do your feet have to smell in order to have their own bath?"
Lots of laughter.
Lucy groaned as she finally sank into her couch, the last of her guests gone and the dishes finally done. Natsu was humming to himself in the kitchen as he worked on drying dishes and putting them away.
She'd been surprised when he jumped in and started to help, since he'd expressed on many occasions how much he didn't like doing them. She assumed it was because of the holiday and allowed him to do it while she finally relaxed.
Christmas had been a success. Even with a group of people who didn't know each other, everyone had gotten along amazingly well. There'd been no drinking contest, no spilled alcohol on her carpet, no gift wrap throwing during the white elephant game. It had been so much more tame than the usual get togethers with her friends, and she had enjoyed every minute. The food had been good, the game had been fun, and they had a tentative agreement to have everyone over again next year.
Natsu had even been on his bed behavior, to a point. He'd been helpful, friendly, and an all around great host. The few times he'd touched her, whether to hold her hand or squeeze her butt, he'd been subtle and hid it well. It made her hopeful for where they might go.
Her smile faded as she was reminded, once again, that they wouldn't go anywhere. Whatever relationship they had, it would be gone in less than a year. But they would remain friends- they'd already promised. All she had to do was not fall in love with him and they could part on good terms.
As Natsu came in, a cup of hot chocolate in his hands, Lucy felt something inside her ache at the thought.
"Here you go," he said holding out the cup to her. "I heated it up by hand so the cup is hot. You'll have to hold it by the handle for a little bit."
"Thank you," she whispered, tears threatening to form in her eyes.
She didn't want this to end, she realized. Sure, she was a little inexperienced in the dating department, but she knew without a doubt that she would never find someone better than Natsu. He was naive a lot of the time, but she knew he was extremely intelligent. He was so careful and gentle with her, not because she was a human and weaker than him, but because he cared about her. He was attentive, always there to help when she needed him and laser focused when it mattered. He was funny and kind and attractive and wonderful and…
Lucy was worried she'd already broken her one rule about dating him.
"I have something for you," she said suddenly. She shot to her feet, nearly causing her drink to spill over the side. "I'll be right back."
Natsu frowned as he sat on the couch and watched Lucy walk away. He'd felt everything she'd just felt, but couldn't sort through what had caused it. She'd been content, as far as he'd thought, until he brought her the drink. Then she'd felt happy, and then something warm he couldn't quite describe, and then pain had sliced through everything and turned to mild panic as she ran off.
When her emotions had leveled out, she finally returned, her smile in place and eyes a little shiny, but appearing fine nonetheless.
"Here," she said, handing him a box wrapped in red paper. "Merry Christmas."
Natsu took the gift and blinked up at her. "Do you want me to open it now?"
"Of course, silly. Why else would I give it to you." She sat on the coffee table across from him and began to wring her hands. "I didn't think it would be a good idea to give it to you while everyone else was here."
Natsu cocked his head to the side as he studied the box.
"No magic!" she scolded.
He grinned at her, but refrained from using his magic to figure out what it was. It was a little bigger than his two hands, and had some weight to it. Nothing inside moved when he shook it, meaning it had been packaged well enough to keep it from moving. Perhaps something breakable?
He put his nose to the edge of the paper and breathed, only to pull back and cough a moment later. "What did you do? Cover the box in cheyenne pepper?"
"Yes," Lucy responded with a grin. "I knew you'd try to figure out what it was before opened it and I wanted it to be more difficult."
Natsu narrowed his eyes at her before smiling. "Challenge accepted." He put the box to his nose again, careful as he breathed so he didn't suck in more of the powder. "I think I smell… something chemically. And wood?"
Lucy's smile faltered a little and then she crossed her arms as she pouted. "Should have used more powder…"
"I still don't know what it is," Natsu reminded her as he began to pull the paper off. Usually he would have shredded the paper without a thought, but it was obvious that she had taken special care to wrap his gift, so he took his time, anxious to find out what she'd gotten him. When he eventually got the box open and pulled out a few pieces of styrofoam, Natsu's mouth dropped open.
He carefully pulled out the sculpture, and placed in on this lap to examine.
It was a dragon, carved from wood with pale paint covering the scales and belly to blend with the grain. The dragon was mid flight, with achingly familiar scars on its body and smiling face.
"There's a woman in town who carves and does commissions. It took some time, but I was eventually able to get something together that looked how I wanted it to. She doesn't usually paint her work, but I got her to add some water based stuff so it was the right color." Lucy bit her lip as she watched him continue to stare. "Do you like it?"
Natsu was speechless, unable to think up the words, let alone say them outloud as he stared at what was as perfect a likeness to his father as he had ever seen. How had Lucy done this? How had she known exactly what he looked like, down to the scars and the smile?
Emotions crashed around him and he was unable to do anything as tears flooded his eyes and fell down his cheeks.
It had been years since he'd seen his father. Years since he'd heard his voice, seen his face, been surrounded by his love. But he was seeing him now, doing the thing he loved most of all- flying.
"Thank you." The words finally made their way out of Natsu's mouth in a gasp and he hugged the carving close to his chest.
Lucy felt a weight lift from her chest as she watched Natsu. She'd been so worried about the gift, so anal about the details that she was sure Laki was glad to be rid of her from the shop. Natsu had described his father to her just once, and when he had, she had realized it was the dragon she had dreamt about so many times, flying with her high in the sky as she raced away from the dark clouds that steadily followed them.
She wasn't sure how she'd dreamt of him when she'd never seen him before, and hadn't heard of him until after, but she was glad she had. Because the emotions Natsu was going through were clearly the exact things she was feeling when she'd been reunited with her mother's clearing.
"You're welcome," Lucy whispered as she moved to the couch and let him cry into her arms.
Where she accepted that yes, she had broken her one rule.
She'd fallen in love with Natsu Dragneel.
I know you guys have been waiting for Natsu to put two and two together and come up with four instead of fire, but in the meantime… hopefully this keeps you happy.
And for those that don't know, the white elephant game is a gift giving game. If you have friends that are bad at responding on time to gatherings or not showing up at last minute (like mine,) it's a great alternative. Everyone brings a gift in an agreed upon monetary range, and sometimes gag gifts, so that there is a gift for everyone. There are different ways to do it, but most involve rolling dice to pick gifts from the middle, and a timed round where doubles allow you to steal/ trade gifts for others. It's rather fun, and it really makes gift giving easier, since you're not buying for a specific person.
