The fire dragon Prince fumed as he paced the length of his bedchamber. From a corner, his groomed and formally dressed exceed companion watched him, exchanging an amused glance with a golden-haired maiden every now and then.
"Whyyyy are my parents doing this? I don't want to go to this damn ball!"
Happy chuckled, bouncing to his feet.
"You can either keep whining, or suck it up and get it over with! Either way, I'll see you both down in the ballroom within half an hour! I'm leaving - I've got a date with Carla now!"
With a cheerful chirrup, the exceed shot his favourite beings a blinding grin, before prancing out of the dragon Prince's chambers.
Natsu pouted.
"What?! Even my faithful exceed has deserted me this evening! Why meeee?"
Lucy rolled her eyes, delicately twisting the rest of her golden strands into the intricate updo she now sported. She leaned back from Natsu's ornate dresser to survey her handiwork in the long mirror with satisfaction. It was not nearly as fancy as Virgo's work, but it would still turn heads at the ball tonight. She glanced back at her whiny best friend. If she were fully honest with herself, there was only one head she truly wished to turn…
With a sigh, Lucy brushed aside her traitorous thoughts. She eyed her recalcitrant dragon friend thoughtfully, and the next time he neared her, she pushed away from the dresser and yanked him down onto an ottoman in front of her. She ignored his startled yelp and his attempt to turn around in place to glare at her.
"What are you doing, Luce? I don't wanna be primped like that stupid icy stripper probably will be!"
"Oh, hush you big baby! I'm merely attempting to make you look presentable for your own ball - one where every female eye will be on you, I might add. Wouldn't you wish to look your handsome best?"
Natsu huffed, willing down the stain of pink that had risen to his cheeks.
"You're the only being who would think of me as 'handsome', strange one. Doesn't matter how much you try to change me, they are still going to treat me as the monster I am…"
Lucy's hands stilled in its efforts to detangle the stubborn cluster of pink locks between his horns. Natsu heard her sharp intake of breath, and felt her gentle hand on his shoulder give him a comforting squeeze.
"Etherious Natsu Dragneel…"
Natsu had heard his full title pronounced by so many beings… most of the time, their tones conveyed their fear and disgust. At best, it had been pronounced with wariness or neutrality. Never before had he heard it uttered with such warm affection and fondness… with such care…
"Why do you think you need to change? And why do you assume that is what I am doing?"
Natsu sighed, his shoulders drooping a little under the weight of his self-deprecating thoughts.
"It's not that I wish to change… I know that the most abhorrent part of me, this demon blood that flows through my veins, served its purpose. It helped us win the war. But I still can't help but detest myself for not being strong enough to halt the horrific acts that it demanded…"
Lucy resumed her ministrations, her hands gently drawing a comb through his pink locks.
"Natsu, your demon heritage is a part of you. I… I know what you were forced to do, but it is not something that you should feel guilty about. You cannot think of yourself as a monster for simply following your demon instincts…"
"No. I… I should have been stronger… I should have had a spirit as strong as yours…"
Lucy blushed, her hands stilling once more.
"Nay, Natsu. You misunderstand. What I am trying to say is that you should not feel guilty about what is essentially a part of yourself. You should not feel ashamed about being a demon when the situation demands it."
Natsu jolted in place. With a gasp and a scowl he turned around to face Lucy, confusion and shock writ on his face.
"Are you trying to justify what I did under the influence of my demon heritage?!"
"Well…"
"Are you saying that fighting to the death simply to quell the bloodlust in my veins was fine?"
"Err…"
"Are you encouraging cannibalism? Does longing to feast on human flesh seem normal to you?"
"Umm…"
"Are you fine with the rough, animalistic, cruel sex I had to indulge in just to sate the never-ending savegery plauging my body?!"
"No! No… I'm not happy with any of that! Nor am I happy that you had to subject yourself to such acts…"
"Then what are you trying to say, Lucy?!"
Lucy took a deep breath, the comb in her hands slipping from her trembling grasp.
"What you were forced to do for the sake of your demon side was barbaric - I won't deny that. But to watch you torment and punish yourself for what you did… That is what I cannot stand."
Natsu's indignation deflated instantly, his shoulders drooping as he turned to face forward once again. He leaned back against Lucy's knees, slouching in defeat. Lucy resumed her gentle strokes in his hair once more.
"Still doesn't make what I did right, Luce…"
"No. It was not right. But truthfully, is any race completely blameless of crimes?"
Natsu cocked his head curiously.
"What do you mean?"
"Take my own race, Natsu. We have many good habits - but our treatment of females is certainly not amongst them. We also lie, cheat and deceive each other at every turn - all under the blanket of 'respectability' and 'high-breeding'. And yet, do you see me despise myself for being a human?"
Natsu frowned.
"No. But you don't do any of those things either…"
Lucy chuckled. "Oh, sweet Natsu. You have not seen me in my court - I can lie, cheat and deceive better than the best of my subjects… Why else do you think they hail me as their leader?"
Natsu couldn't help the small feeling of peace beginning to bloom within him. Her words were more than empty comfort and they made him feel an ease he had never felt since before the war.
"But… what you are forced to do as a human monarch is nowhere near as atrocious as the acts I have been forced to do as a part-demon…"
Lucy sighed. She leaned forward, carefully avoiding his horns to rest her chin on his head as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Dear Natsu." She began, a tone of fond exasperation coloring her words. "What you view as 'wrong' or 'right' has, in a sense, been conditioned into you since birth. You were born a dragon, and raised amongst them, therefore it is easier for you to accept the atrocities of your own kind…"
"Dragons do not commit atrocities, Luce!"
Lucy's voice was filled with quiet venom as she retorted. "And yet your kind believe it perfectly admissible to send children to the frontlines of a war…"
Natsu opened his mouth but found himself unable to respond. She had a valid point.
"I'm sure if you truly examined your customs, you would find many more anomalies that an outsider would find heinous, but that you've come to accept as a part of your culture." Lucy continued quickly. "I am not trying to judge your customs, or those of a human's or a demon's. I'm merely trying to illustrate how accepting one can become of certain customs once they've accepted their own heritage…"
"I understand, Lucy. And I appreciate your viewpoint. Only… I don't know how easy it will be for me to put your wise words into practice. Disgust of demons is part of my dragon heritage after all."
He tilted his head back slightly to shoot the pretty Princess a teasing smile. Lucy sighed, leaning back. Natsu momentarily pouted, missing the warmth of her soft body pressed against his.
"Whatever it is, you are not a monster. You continuously berate yourself for events beyond your full control. You constantly question yourself, discipline yourself and judge yourself. You are a good soul struggling to walk the tightrope of good versus evil…"
Natsu chuckled. "You've more than proven how highly you think of me despite all I've done, strange one. But I doubt many of the females who will be coming to this accursed ball will think the same way you do. A lot of 'em are coming under duress - forced to be there by their magical communities in the hopes of forming a powerful alliance."
"Those foolish magical females who judge you so wrongly, and see you only as a means to an end don't deserve you. And you should not waste your time with them. For you are perfect exactly the way you are, Natsu."
Lucy handed him a mirror, beckoning him to look.
"See for yourself…"
Natsu glanced into it, his gaze instantly drawn to the image of himself reflected back.
"My hair is the same…"
"Only stronger and more resilient - it will not leave this carefully arranged disarray no matter how many scuffles you indulge in with Gray and Gajeel tonight…"
Natsu cast aside the mirror, engulfing the young woman in a strong, warm embrace, ignoring her yelp of embarrassment.
"Thank you, Lucy."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Lucy hummed quietly to herself, her gaze roaming the lively ballroom as she stood discreetly in a corner. The simple, elegant, dragon-style dress she adorned twinkled in the firelight, the figure-hugging gown accentuating her curves. She was oblivious to the numerous appreciative glances she received from many males and even some females as she stood in her shadowy corner of the hall. Lucy had turned down many requests to dance that night - she wished to observe the merry participants in the ball rather than be one amongst them.
If that gave her time to observe the way the females attending this ball interacted with her handsome dragon best friend… well, who was she to deny the role of protector of her dear friend for once?
Not that her friend seemed to need protecting.
Lucy watched as Natsu moved with predatorial grace, dancing with one of the haughty elven beauties who had deigned to accept his attention. Lucy snorted with amusement - the girl looked part terrified and part incensed as she exchanged polite dribble with Natsu, the mischievous fire dragon Prince undoubtedly doing everything in his power to annoy her. The song ended, and the elven maiden turned away from the Dragon Prince, barely sparing him a glance before she trounced back to her giggling gaggle of friends. Natsu caught Lucy's eye, sauntering over to her - an innocent grin attempting to mask the wicked glint in his eyes.
Lucy shot him a mock glare.
"Are you purposefully driving away every poor maiden who agrees to dance with you?"
Natsu scoffed, discreetly drinking in her voluptuous figure as he leaned forward to trap her against a pillar.
"Pot, meet kettle. Don't think I haven't noticed the way you've turned down every hopeful male who has approached you for a dance."
"At least I am not heartlessly leading them on…"
"Alas, instead you cut them down immediately! Dashing their hopes and extinguishing their dreams with one cold word…"
Lucy gazed unblinkingly into Natsu's sparkling emerald orbs, refusing to end their impromptu staring contest first. A snicker escaped the Dragon Prince, just as an unladylike snort issued from the golden-haired Princess. The pair promptly broke down into hearty laughter.
Lucy was the first to recover, dashing a tear of mirth from her eye as she smiled up at her friend.
"Silly Natsu… How will you ever hope to find your perfect mate if you don't give any of these females a sporting chance?"
"I have been giving them a sporting chance… None of them are good sports! All stuffy, silly, scaredy-cat females..."
"Hmph, just wait till Happy hears that last insult - don't forget that your most treasured friend is a cat."
"He's a very good friend, but he's not my most treasured friend, Luce - you are."
Lucy stopped short, a soft blush arising on her cheeks.
"Ah, he'd be heartbroken to hear that!" She teased, endeavouring to control her raging blush and frantically beating heart.
"Nay." Natsu countered cooly, his eyes boring into Lucy's. "He'd understand. Just as he'd approve of what I've planned next."
Natsu broke out into an evil grin as he grabbed Lucy's wrist, dragging her to the balcony a few feet away.
"Natsu! What are you doing?"
"Remember those awesome Pergrande fireworks you gifted my father on your first day here? And remember that inspired prank you played on the water dragons with a few of them?"
"You tricked me into that, you beastly brute! I was aiming for Laxus…"
"I'm gonna do the same thing now. Only on a much grander scale!"
Lucy gaped.
"You're mad!"
"Nah. A mad genius!"
"Wait. What do you mean by 'you're going to do that now'?!"
Before Lucy could complete her sentence, a spectacular pyrotechnic display exploded…
Right in the center of the ball room.
Aghast (and unwillingly amused) Lucy watched as the ballroom devolved into chaos, beings running helter and skelter in a mad dash to escape the flying, fiery missiles. She could not suppress the exasperated smile that pulled at her lips.
"You are a moron."
"Aye. But I'm your moron, Luce. You gave me this idea, so half the responsibility for this prank is yours!"
Instead of vehemently protesting his pronouncement like he expected her too, Lucy placed her hands on Natsu's cheeks, drawing his face down to press her forehead against his.
"Very well. Anything for you, my treasured dragon."
Natsu gulped, his heart hammering wildly as he registered her unexpected touch and tone. After a few panicked seconds, he relaxed into her hold, letting out a sigh of bliss as he wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her in closer.
Thus they stood, their intertwined forms silhouetted by the flaming show behind them, and thus they were found later by the dragon guards, who chased them well nigh across half of Alagesia before catching them. They were duly punished with manual labor for their prank, the pair laughingly accepting their fate.
After all, it was always more fun when they were together.