I am back!

Just wanted to quickly clarify something,

A few readers believe I was saying Natsu is not fit or athletic.

That wasn't what I meant, you can be extremely athletic and fit.

But still have difficulties keeping up with a dance routine.

Different muscle groups and movements

So Natsu is his usual fit self, just a different fit from the dancer Lucy.

Anyway, please enjoy!


Still Breathing

'I know I cannot erase-'

Sixth Breath: Dance a bit closer


OoOoO

Natsu wasn't completely aware if it was just him or if the dance lessons and time he was spending with Lucy for this music video was going a lot more smoothly than it had before they agreed to become friends. He supposed it was due to the fun they had as they goofed off throughout their time together however they did, in fact, do plenty of hard work. Or, at least, what he thought was hard. The little blonde woman in front of him just loved to show off.

Really, he knew she was pretty and that she could fucking dance.

He gets it. Supposedly, Lucy was not showing off-or so she claimed- and was simply demonstrating things that can be done with the stretches she was making him do. An eye roll is the only response he would give her to that. Although he would always end up laughing at the pout that would form on her face and how red it would get after he laughed or how she slowly grew angrier and angrier until he stopped laughing and she refused to look at him.

Like now, for example.

Lucy refused to look at him and only continued to practice her duet she was working on with her other partner-something he still was not too keen on, especially after seeing just who was to be her dance partner. Something about him-Natsu just didn't like it. "Come on Luce," he sighed in irritation as the blonde minx- (a minx! That's what she is!) Continued to ignore him, "It's not my fault that you look like a cute, five-year-old every time you pout."

"I do not look like a child," she protested, "I'm just young." Mature enough not to pout. Natsu rolled his eyes, really her face was small enough to belong to a five-year old's, the only thing that told him otherwise was her abnormally large chest and her alluring eyes. As he said, a Minx. "Are you almost done with your practicing?"

"I'm just trying to make sure I get this last step, this needs to be really good." She replied, once again going over the same step she had been for the past ten minutes. "Why don't you just practice a little bit on your own?"

"The duet consists of dance steps that include my partner-that of which being you."

"Just pretend I'm doing it with you." Natsu just rolled his eyes, he relied on her to guide him properly, and he cannot dance without a partner.

"If I can't dance with a partner how am I supposed to dance without one?" She didn't answer him and only focused on her footwork to which he sighed and lied down on the cool floor. He didn't understand why she was repeatedly pushing herself to get this right, of course he knew the dance was important, however she was already doing it so well he didn't think there was any room for improvement. Others may say differently but really, she danced so gracefully and even if she did mess up, he doubted that he would ever notice.

"Natsu we don't have much choreography done anyway; I still need the lyrics to finish it." She took a few more steps and whirled around, racing across the studio room. He was always mesmerized when she danced, a force to be feared if ever to face against her. However, Natsu stared, despite the lack of music she was fully into the dance. She somehow seemed, small, fragile. Natsu shifted uncomfortably. "I know, we still have time to come up with lyrics and the dance choreo but I so far need to make more improvement on my dancing."

She laughed lightly, "That's obvious." She slammed to the floor, making Natsu wince as she did, watching her snap up and fall back before rolling away from her spot. "Is it just this dance you are doing?" She paused and recounted her steps before shaking her head at him, "No I have another dance to do, this one is a larger competition."

"A solo?"

"No, it's another duet." Natsu couldn't understand how she was able to keep up with all the routines and her homework and still have enough time to be around his idiotic ass. "It's not the same partner, is it?" He was relieved when she shook her head at him, he wasn't sure what it was, but he had this awful feeling whenever that guy, who he later discovered was named Dan, was around Lucy. He was probably being ridiculous. "I'm working with a close friend for this one."

He nodded, "Luce I know you need to practice, but could we please practice the steps for our dance?" She sighed and stood for a moment; arms crossed in thought. She smiled, "Fine, but you will have to help me with something."

"…What?"

"You will see!" She laughed. Natsu gave her a meaningful look, slightly concerned at what she was going to make him do. Her phone buzzed and she excused herself for a minute, asking him to warm up while he waited. He knew it was her brother, she apparently had a different ringtone for her family so he got used to the sound when she announced who it was. He watched her as he leaned over to try and touch his toes. Natsu could never understand how people could bend comfortably in this position, the body should not move like this.

He watched as Lucy's face went from calm to stressed as she read whatever her brother had sent her, and he paused for a moment. She swallowed thickly, sending a brief reply to her brother before turning her phone of and walking over to the stereo in the room and turning on the instrumental version from his song. Without saying a word she grabbed his hand and helped him up, falling into step to start their short routine. Natsu couldn't tell what was going through her head as she lead him through the steps, she was meeting his gaze but it seemed as if she didn't actually see him, that the dance was routine enough for her to go through it without having to be there mentally. Muscle memory.

Gently, he switched it, so he was leading her across the floor. He was clumsy with his lead and probably missed a few steps, but it brought her attention back to him and that was all he was looking for. She was troubled, he knew, as he twirled her around a few times, careful not to accidentally trip her as he had done once before, then pulling her back toward him, their chests close together. Lucy's eyes were focused and never leaving his, he knew she was surprised but more so she seemed relieved, maybe from the distraction he was providing her.

He moved her across the floor, keep her close as much as possible and as he continued to stare into his partners eyes his heart began to race, his skin becoming clammy and it all left him feeling breathless. She moved from his grasp, stepping away to leap across the room and tumbling to the floor. She was always amazing when she danced. Mavis she might as well just take away his ability to breathe. Swiftly he moved, dancing towards her before reaching over to her, her hand going back into his. Her hands felt like silk compared to his calloused ones, he briefly wondered if it bothered her at all.

He moved back watching her as she took graceful steps after him, following close and never looking away. As they took their last steps, he moved his hands toward her hair, slowly running his hands through the blonde locks and watching as she tilted her head back. Finally, they stopped, both breathing a little harder than normal although whether it not it was just from the dance they didn't know. "So how did I do?" He asked, his voice a little strained as he attempted to start a conversation.

She laughed at him, stepping away to turn the music off. "You need a lot of work." Natsu sighed at her words, a little defeated at her reply. He felt unstoppable while they were dancing, and he had though she was feeling something similar. "However," she turned to him and smiled, mirth in her eyes. "You did really well today Natsu, you surprised me." The compliment filled him with pride, he was extremely happy he was able to do so well. Even if his 'doing well' wasn't the best, it was still a great accomplishment to him.

"I say that was good enough for the day." He smiles, leaping up from his crouched position on the floor and makes a b-line toward his bag. Lucy grabbed him by the ear and shook her head at him. "Not so fast, we still have lots to practice, it's only been 45 minutes." Natsu groaned, but reluctantly followed her back into position to restart their dance again, lightning touching his hand as he captured her own in his once again. She was lucky Natsu liked being around her, he wasn't sure if he would be able to handle the weird sensations he got when they danced otherwise.

"So what exactly did you need help with again?" He asked, eyeing Lucy as she scrambled around her room to pick up the random things scattered around her room. Natsu couldn't see why she was so frantic to pick everything up, it wasn't like her undergarments were out for him to see and her room wasn't even that unkempt. His dorm, which he shared with his band mates, was a disaster-if anything this looked spotless in comparison.

"I told you, I'm not understanding the math problems!" Lucy had kidnapped him after they finished their dance practice. Well, not really kidnapped since Natsu was the one with the car and was the one who drove them to her house in the first place. He still considered it kidnapping though.

"I somehow doubt that but alright," he watched as she threw a lump of her things into her closet with a sigh and closed it, "You are in an academic level, are you not?"

"University pathway, yes." Lucy grabbed her textbook and notebook before seating herself beside her partner on the bed. "You were in that too when you were in high school, right? I mean this would be pretty pointless if you were in a lower level then me."

"I was in advanced placement." Snorting at the surprise on her face he said, "I may be an idiot but math was actually my strong suit."

"What weren't you good at?"

"Everything else."

She laughed and shook her head at his answer. She had to admit, it was surprising learning about Natsu being in an AP class in high school, he always struck her as someone who was unconcerned with school. Although she might have been right apart from the one subject. Natsu watched as she opened the notebook beside him and wrote out on of the textbook questions down, running a short dash below it for what he assumed would be where she put her answer.

He glanced at her, "Why do you write the whole question down?" It seemed like a bit of a waste of time, and waste of space on the paper. "Wouldn't it be easier to just write down like 'One A' or something?" She shrugged and continued highlighting what she had just written.

"I don't know," she thought for a moment. "I guess I just like being able to go back and read it all in one notebook. If I just write down my answer without the question, then I won't really understand what I was doing unless I go searching through the textbook again." She gestured toward her color-coded question, "And this way I can highlight and add color to my notes and have it make more sense."

He took another notebook from her pile and flipped through it, nodding, "You really like making your notes super neat." He admired her dedication to her school notes, he would never take the time to write everything down so nicely. "This must take you forever to make though."

Lucy nodded. "It does but I can't not have it neatly done." She laughed and shook her head, "I was a lot worse years ago, if I messed up anything, I would tear out the page and start the whole thing over, even if I had already finished the one side and was working on the other. The faintest blemish would bother me and so I would scrap it and start anew."

Natsu's jaw dropped at her words. So much work! "That's such a waste, Lucy! You have an eraser for a reason!"

"As I said, a small mistake bothers me if I can still see it afterward." Natsu shook his head at her, that kind of thing would seem to enforce that kind of outlook on life in general if it were focused on too much.

"You know, some things look great, flaws and all." He turned to her and smiled, "It's what makes us who we are or gives things their personality. It doesn't always have to be perfect." Lucy shrugged and he turned his attention back to the math problem. "Anyways let's start on this." He began to work through the problems with Lucy, watching as she carefully wrote everything in her book. He noted her neat writing, very appealing to the eye.

Slowly, with his help and occasional corrections when she made a mistake, she began to work a little more independently. They only managed to get through the one unit so it wasn't as if she was completely free of her issues with math however at least he was able to help her with her current problem. They could work on the rest at a later time.

She paused when she heard the front door open and close, listening to the footsteps and laughing when she heard the person make a b-line to the kitchen. Lucy turned to Natsu, "My brethren's home." He chuckled and watched as she slowly averted her gaze, he could see her briefly look at her phone before moving her books and things aside, excusing herself so she could see her brother.

Natsu stood after Lucy had left the room, taking this as an opportunity to get a better look at his surroundings. Lucy, as he knew, was a fan of pink. Her bedding and a few various other items were all a light pink color-almost matching the hue that occasionally dusted her cheeks. He also noted that she seemed to care for her friends a lot, staring at all the polaroid photos that littered her walls. Her room looked as he would expect it to be, it screamed Lucy the more he looked at it. The way her things were aligned neatly on her shelves, the large number of books littering her shelves, and the small dog bed that was positioned next to her vanity.

He paused, dog bed? Lucy had a dog? He turned to focus on the bed which miraculously had a small, white dog sitting there. He must've been a complete fool because he didn't see the dog there the entire time they sat there studying. Natsu was surprised he hadn't made any noise while they were in the room, Happy, his cat would've been up to something within the hour they were sitting there. He watched the small dog tilt its head curiously before yipping at him. Natsu moved his hand quickly, "Shush, I didn't do anything!" The dog yipped again before getting up and running out of the room. "Hey! Don't leave! Come back!"

Natsu chased after the little dog, running out into the hallway on the upper floor. 'Man, that little thing is fast.' Natsu race around as quietly as he could down the stairs to follow the puppy, finally catching him before he hit the tile floor and made a noise.

"-I'm so sorry Lu." He stilled as the words registered. He heard, what he assumed to be, Lucy's brother apologizing to his sister, but for what? Natsu knew he shouldn't eavesdrop, and definitely should not be peering around the corner into the kitchen holding Lucy's jail escapee however when he heard the sound of her sniffles, he couldn't stop himself before moving. Peering around the corner, Natsu watched as Sting reached out and grabbed Lucy, pulling her into a tight hug.

Sting stroked his sister's hair, "I'm sorry, but I did try to tell you, Lucy." Another sniffle came from the blonde held in his arms and Natsu watched as she shook her head and looked up at her brother, "I know Sting, I knew he did it, but I kept denying it. Dan wouldn't do that; he cares about me." She inhaled shakily and balled her hands into fists against her brother's chest, crying out, "I'm such a damn idiot Sting."

"He's the idiot here Lucy, don't say that." Sting rapped her on the head, "Plus, I'm the idiot in this family, not you." He smiled when he heard a small giggle coming from her and pulled her back to him. Natsu's hold on the little ball in his arms tightened slightly, he was angry. Dan this, Dan that. For someone who managed to situate himself so close to Lucy, he sure was a piece of shit. He could never understand why someone would ever take advantage of a girl such as her. Lucy was one of those one in a million kind of girls that many men strived to find, and sometimes never are able to find in their lifetime.

Lucy was gorgeous beyond comprehension with her curvaceous figure and gleaming brown eyes, she was quirky, to say the least, but that did nothing to detour a person from the girls' temperament and personality. She put up with his dumbass so she's got to have some resilience and patience to do just that. To go along with all that she also had mass amounts of talent in her dancing, she shined so brilliantly when she was dancing with all her heart and that was something Natsu was excited to share with the world once this music video was shot a released. He stared at his blonde friend and his eyes softened, she was the kindest girl he'd ever met. She didn't deserve to be forced into such a position that she feels worthless.

It was Lucy!

Natsu watched as Sting comforted his younger sister, to which she always told him that it didn't count as they were twins anyway, although Sting really did seem to act like the older one in this situation as he gently comforted his crying sister. He really seemed to have matured since Natsu last saw him during the tournament they had years ago, then again he hadn't spoken with him much, just heard his overconfidence when speaking with another tall man there that he didn't know. Natsu could tell Sting was angry, veins popping in his forehead, the same as his had during his boxing days when his blood was pumping during a fight but still he held himself back from reacting brashly and rocked his sister from side to side.

"I think you should switch your dance partner for this competition Luce." Natsu finally stepped in, the small dog in his arms tipping briefly before jumping and lunging toward his crying human who looked at him, surprised. Natsu hated the sight of her red, swollen eyes as she turned to stare at him. Briefly noting that Sting had slowly developed an odd look as he looked back and forth between himself and Lucy. "You've been stressing about this dance even longer than you have known about any of this and this Dan person seems to be causing you a lot of pain at the moment." He smiled briefly and scratched the back of his head when she stared, "Sorry I didn't mean to eavesdrop but your dog kinda escaped down here."

Lucy sniffled and rubbed at her eyes that were beginning to become quite raw and red from the crying she did. "It's okay, you would've known something happened with my face the way it is anyway." Natsu watched as Sting briefly pulled her hand away from her face, chastising her. "Yeah and so will the whole school if you keep that up. C'mon Lu, you're gonna have an awful sore face if you don't stop that. You know how you get." Sting turned to Natsu when he was sure his twin was finished with touching her face. "Why is there a guy in the house?"

Lucy laughed, "Sting. Don't you recognize him?" The blonde male leaned closer, an inquisitive look upon his features as he studied Natsu. Natsu shifted uncomfortably under the heavy gaze, Lucy giggled again with a small sniffle following. "That's Natsu Dragneel. The boxer and lead singer of the band you are obsessed with." The smaller blonde shook her head at her brother, "How did you not recognize him? The pink hair is a dead giveaway."

"Salmon." Natsu corrected.

"What!?" He watched as Sting's mouth gaped open as he leaped toward him, the man's expression suddenly lighting up with glee. He took a startled step backward, his hand being grabbed by Sting, and shook rapidly. "I fought you a few years back! Do you remember me!?" Natsu chuckled and nodded along with the teenagers' excitement, glancing over at his smiling blonde friend as he did. "Oh, my Mavis! I can't believe you actually remember that match! It was so awesome to be able to face you! And now you are making music." Lucy laughed and tapped her brother on his broad shoulders, Sting clearing his throat in, what Natsu assumed to be, embarrassment and let go of his hand before taking a small step backward. Natsu was thankful for his friend getting him his personal space back for him. "I mean, I'm glad I could meet you again Natsu."

"It's nice to see you again too Sting." Natsu laughed and nodded to the teen, "You still keeping up with your training?" Sting nodded earnestly, showing off his bag he takes with him when he goes out to do his boxing and presenting his black and yellow boxing gloves he has. Sting paused and put his boxing gear away before turning to look back at his sister, "But why is Natsu in our house?"

"Oh," She looked over at Natsu with a shy smile before turning back to her brother and shrugging. "I forgot to tell you I guess. Natsu's band scouted me at my dance practice, they want me to choreograph and perform a dance with Natsu in their upcoming video." She watched as Sting's jaw dropped as he turned to stare.

"What!?" He couldn't believe it, he was also offended that his sister hadn't told him this news right away when everything was initially brought up to her. Instead, she kept it from him. "Why didn't you tell me, Lucy? That's amazing news! Dad would be so surprised if he knew!"

"Don't tell Dad yet, I still don't have a good start on the choreo for this song so I want to wait until everything is finalized to tell him." Truthfully she didn't want to get her father involved at all mainly because she didn't want to get him involved with her dancing at all, despite his ongoing encouragement she knew that it hurt her father to watch her dance, following the same path as her mother who she was always reminded she looked identical to. Her brother nodded. "Anyways, I need to do this partnership with Dan, I can't quit just because of this."

Natsu wanted to argue but Sting nodded, he knew his sister better than Natsu so he withheld his coming argument against the smaller blonde and kept silent, watching her saddened expression and increasingly red face. He wasn't sure if he had the ability to make her feel any better by himself and Sting seemed to be at a loss other than to hold his sister while she trembled. Natsu was in uncharted territory and he really wished he had spent more time studying the girls he had surrounding him when they cried and stopped crying, it would have helped him in some way to know what would help ease their worries and dry their neverending tears. Then again, Lucy was a one in a million so maybe normal methods wouldn't work on her.

"Hey, Luce? Why don't we take a break from the math studies and go to our band's usual bar hangout spot?"

"A bar? We aren't old enough for that yet Natsu?"

"You don't need ID for it, it's not purely alcohol, its a restaurant too." He grinned at his blonde friend. "I'm sure you will like it, plus the guys will be there too so you can talk to them and update them on the progress of the dance we're working on." Sting was glancing silently back and forth while Lucy twirled her hair.

"I don't know Natsu-"

"YES! We will go!"


Still Breathing

'-every mistake that I have made.'

Seventh Breath


ALaViola: Sorry, this is a really crappy chapter but I felt bad for not updating for so long. I've also started trying to learn a new language, I have no idea why, but I seem to pick up on them very easily, as long as I stick to it.
I have a few chapters planned out but they are meant more
for later in the story so I'm just figuring out how to get up to those points.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed that!
Thanks for reading!

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