of golden connections

by caandle

Lucy let out a deep sigh, pressing her face in one of her fluffy pillows. She'd been laying in the same spot for at least ten minutes, completely and utterly bored out of her mind.

There was little to no entertainment that could be found in a cave. The lava and fire got rather plain after being around it for longer than a day, and the heat it caused definitely put a damper on Lucy's wonder.

Surrounded by glimmering jewels and priceless items, Lucy could only focus on that she had absolutely nothing to do. A downside to being stuck in a cave with only an affectionate dragon as your company, Lucy supposed.

Earlier in the morning, it had gotten bad enough that she'd resorted to sorting through Natsu's numerous mounds of trinkets to organise them. She'd only managed it for an hour before her arms got sore and she got bored of the tedious action.

Natsu hadn't shown his snout at all since she'd woken up. It was a little odd – and rather concerning if she was honest – that his scaly head was the first thing she'd wake up to.

He'd taken to sleeping in her bed so she had to have him clear out more space to fit his gigantic dragon form, an order he was more than happy to fulfil. At first, she had complaints but even a 'Lucy Kick!' wouldn't permanently kick him out, so now she just ignored it. At least he'd listened when she said that he could only sleep in her bed if he was in his dragon form. She drew the line when it came to him as a man. Lucy may have let him see her at her most vulnerable state but that was to allow her to bathe, something that triumphed propriety. Sleeping in the same bed as him would send her etiquette teacher and father to an early grave.

Lucy had been shocked, and then worried when she couldn't find him. The woman had searched everywhere she could think of – the secluded lake of lava bubbling further south, then her bathing pools, and numerous other nooks and crannies that his human-ish self would fit into, before looping back to the hoard.

Lucy could find neither a pink hair or scale from the dragon typically glued to her side.

Natsu would turn up eventually so Lucy tried not to worry too much. He was probably out hunting or looking for treasure, although a warning might've been nice.

Lucy scowled as she sat up, crossing her ankles and placing her hands in her lap, gently clutching the skirt's light fabric.

Lucy was tired of seeing the same walls day in and day out. She hadn't felt the warmth of the sun in what felt like forever, hadn't inhaled crisp, fresh air and the smoky scent inside the cave made her throat tickle occasionally. Gold, as beautiful as it looked, lost its pretty charm since she was surrounded by it. She wanted to go outside.

Although not until Natsu got back.

She didn't want him to return to his den and find her missing. Natsu would probably be frantic if his interactions with her were anything to go by. It was better for her just to wait and hope that he didn't take all day, and decide to return when the world was illuminated by the moonlight, rather the sun.

Lucy fell back with a sigh, limbs outstretched, resembling a starfish surrounded by an ocean of exotic fabrics and brightly coloured cloth. Her thoughts wandered, focusing on her dear friend Loke. Worry began to set in. Had his involvement been discovered? Was he currently being punished for assisting with her escape? He'd be anxious and concerned, considering he hadn't heard from her yet. She should've met his associates at the port of Hargeon a couple of days ago to be smuggled out of the country – but she was here. With no way to send word back to him.

Lucy worried her lip between her teeth, staring up at the ceiling. Loke would be frantic, no way of knowing whether she was alive or dead. Another thing she'd have to do when Natsu returned. With a sigh, Lucy rolled to lay on her stomach and rested her head in her palm, thumbing a jewelled necklace between the pads of her fingers mindlessly. It was a sparkling gold lined with red jewels paired with a thin, intricate golden chain. It had caught her eye immediately and Lucy couldn't help but keep it close. It was oddly familiar in ways she couldn't put her finger on... Natsu practically shoved it in her face when she said as much, claiming 'what's mine is yours'. Lucy didn't even want to consider the implications behind that statement, so she just pushed it to the back of her mind, to be ignored for now.

The rumble that echoed throughout the cave told Lucy that Natsu had arrived. Finally! She scrambled up from her bed, pushing up and resting on her knees, watching the entrance to the hoard. The way out was a little too dark for her to feel confident to walk up since the flames had died down from the lack of the dragon's presence, so Lucy decided to just wait for him.

He'd come to her first, anyway.

Lucy listened to the sound of his claws scraping against rock and the way his weight made the cave shudder underneath him. The fire crackled as he grew closer, revived by his presence once again. The light really had dimmed without his magic to react with, and the sudden bright light had her blinking to adjust to it.

An intimidating entrance for one who was not used to it and was unaware of how silly the owner really was. Despite her annoyance of being left alone without warning, Lucy couldn't help but smile, excited by his arrival.

He pokes his head through first, in his dragon form, and his eyes crinkle as they meet hers. "Yo!" He shuffles further into the hoard and drops a few items she can't see properly behind a large pile of gold.

"You could've told me you were leaving." Lucy chides immediately, getting up onto her feet and placing her hands on her hips to paint an intimidating picture – or well, as intimidating as a 5'5'' woman can be to a dragon.

Natsu ducks his head, sheepish. "Didn't wanna wake ya. Looked like ya were sleepin' deep so thought it was better just to let ya be."

Lucy sighed and let her hands fall to her sides. "Okay, Natsu. But next time write a note!" Natsu nods enthusiastically at her words and Lucy is struck with a thought – can Natsu write? He does have a humanoid form and he must be somewhat old (how old was he anyway?) but that didn't mean he had been taught. Then again, Lucy didn't actually know too much about him. Her knowledge began at forest guardian and ended at surprisingly friendly dragon.

She eyes him before deciding to ask later. A way to contact Loke and going outside was a little more pressing.

"Now that you're here, I've got to talk to you." She clasps her hands behind her back, posture straight and eyes demanding. Her etiquette teacher would be proud. Natsu tilts his head at her, blinking slowly.

"Alright. Lemme switch real quick. Wanna see ya up close." The sound of bones cracking, skin pulling and reforming, stretching over the remade muscle, fills the hoard. Lucy grimaces, closing her eyes and turning away. Steam rolls of Natsu as his body rearranges itself, thick and hot. He's turned only once in front of her before and she felt sick for hours afterwards. It looked painful and the sounds made her stomach roll with nausea. Lucy doesn't know how he does it.

Luckily, the change is quick and Natsu moves over to her bed as effortlessly as he would as a dragon. He stays on the outskirts, strangely persistent about not stepping onto it without her permission – unless it was bedtime. His self-imposed rules were apparently pushed aside when it came to his sleeping arrangements, much to her annoyance. "What do you need, golden Lucy?"

Lucy offers him a bright smile. "I'm going outside."

Natsu's immediate scowl tells her the answer long before his mouth opens. "No."

Lucy fights down the frustration bubbling up, knowing that the situation will only escalate if she lets her ire show through. "Natsu, you can come with me if you'd like. I'm not going far. You said nobody enters your territory anyway!"

Natsu crosses his arms and the sight of his biceps leaves her a little distracted but she quickly brings her eyes back to his face. He really needs to put on a shirt. "Not now, Lucy."

Lucy can't help the glare she sends his way. "You can't keep me locked up in your den forever."

Natsu looks up, startled. "What – Lucy, no. I don't want that. Just – ugh – can you go later?" His scowl turns into a pout, eyes begging her to agree. He looks like a puppy... a puppy with scales and sharp teeth.

"Why not now?"

Natsu scrunches up his nose like he's just caught a whiff of a particularly nasty smell. "There's just a stupid strip – I wanna spend time with you!" Lucy's eyes narrow in suspicion. A stupid strip...?

"You should've thought about that before you went off treasure hunting!" Lucy fires back, huffing loudly. She knows it's a bit unfair because it's not like Natsu can help it. Building a hoard was an instinctive, deeply ingrained habit and just because she was somehow wrenched into his life, for the time being, didn't mean that habit suddenly became less prominent.

Lucy's aware she's being a bit whiny but she was bored and had been stuck in a cave with only herself and crackling fire as company all morning!

"Lucyyyy..." A tendril of smoke escaped his lips as the dragon sulked, pinning her down with his best puppy-dog eyes. Lucy swallows thickly and averts her gaze – she will not be thwarted by his wide-eyed begging! No, Lucy was stronger than that...

"I'll take ya out later, promise." He takes a few steps forward, standing at the very edge of her bed, and a few gold coins slide with a quiet clink under his bare feet. The stupidly endearing expression was still plastered on his scaly face, hands outstretched as if Lucy was an angsty animal he was trying to placate. "Besides, I was out lookin' for more of those clothes for ya!"

That gets a reaction out of her and Lucy snaps her eyes to meet his, gaping. "Y-You were looking for stuff for me?" Ah, that must be the items he dropped earlier that she couldn't see. Lucy's heart warms at the thought. It's only clothing but he'd spent all morning looking for things for her instead of treasure for himself.

Natsu scratches the back of his neck, suddenly rather bashful. "Well yeah. The stuff I've got are either too old and would make ya look like a grandma," his eyebrows furrow in thought, "although... don't think ya could ever look like an old lady."

Lucy only blinks at him. "Uh... Thank you?"

"No problem!" Natsu beams at her. "Lotta the stuff is also either too small or way too big, too." His eyes rake over her figure, clothed in a tight-fitting pair of pants and a flowy blouse with gold trim that she'd found in his collection. It's just an innocent look but it sets fire to her veins, face flushing slightly. Lucy shakes herself from the feeling – get a grip, Lucy! - and focus back on the silly dragon who'd spent all morning looking for clothes for her.

"That's very sweet of you, Natsu." The dragon practically glows at her praise. Strains of magic move through the air, glittery and transparent, obviously reacting to his mood. Lucy's heart skips a beat at the sigh slipping from his lips and her own mouth quirks into a fond, tiny smile.

He really was a dork. A dork with teeth that could grind bone into finely powdered dust and fire that could set ablaze an entire kingdom, but a dork nonetheless.

"I'll try them on tonight before dinner." Natsu looks a little dazed at her words, a goofy smile resting on his lips. It's a look she doesn't exactly understand but she just shrugs it off. "For now, though, I'm going to explore the forest for the rest of the day, with or without you."

The smile is erased immediately, a scowl replacing it. Lucy doesn't like the expression on his face much – his eyes are too lively and his mouth too used to curving into sunny smiles. It doesn't look right. Natsu crosses his arms again, eyes flickering between the exit of the hoard and back to her, deep in thought. Lucy, recognising this as an opportunity, bats her eyelashes, expression hopeful and coy.

His scowl deepens as he tosses his head to the side, grumpy. "Whatever. Do what ya want. I'm gonna go get the food ready."

Lucy smiles in victory.

Lucy blinks against the sudden, harsh light of the sun. After so long with only fire and lava granting her vision, the onslaught of the sun left her eyes sensitive. Lucy shielded her eyes with her arm, squinting as her eyes blurred with tears. Lucy batted them away and, once she felt confident that the threat of being blinded once more was no longer a possibility, let her arm fall.

The outside view was almost the same as it had been when she had been standing there a few days prior, facing inwards, alight with nerves and frustration. Now, though, Lucy felt nothing but ease and was entirely comfortable. What a difference a couple of days did.

The only difference in appearance, Lucy noticed as she looked closer, was some of the bushes were slightly bent out of shape, trodden on by what was undoubtedly large dragon claws. Lucy rolled her eyes at the sight before glancing back at the inside of the cave and then taking a step forward. A shudder ripples through her as she fully exits the dragon's den. It's an uneasy feeling as if a blanket of warmth had just been ripped off her shoulders, and Lucy takes a breath to centre herself.

How odd.

Was it a product of Natsu's magic? She hadn't felt this... feeling or whatever it was when she first entered. Could it only be when she leaves? She'll have to ask him later.

Hopefully, it doesn't last for long or there's a way to get rid of the unsettling apprehension that settled deep in her bones. She feels rather naked without the warmth, something she wasn't even aware had been around her in the first place.

Lucy shakes her head, filing the information away for later, and squares her shoulders. She wasn't going to ponder on it any longer, she had a forest to explore!

Now that she wasn't in a rush, fleeing from her father's controlling hand, Lucy could truly take in the sight before her. She breathed the air in, fresh and clean, and it settled some of the unnerving feeling which was a relief.

It was rife with life, animals chittering to each other, leaves swaying with the slightest breeze. The sun was high in the sky, casting its tender glow towards the forest and enveloping her. The temperature difference between here and inside of the den was as stark as night and day.

Lucy bathed in the reassuring light for a few seconds, relishing in its gentle touch, and then proceeded to make her way further into the forest's depths.

'Don't go east.' was Natsu's sulky goodbye as he tugged gently at one of her pig-tails. He didn't reply when she asked why she shouldn't go east so she'd just left. Lucy decided to follow the rule, knowing better to go against it. If a dragon was telling her not to go east, she wouldn't.

It was probably dangerous for her, crawling with vicious beasts or bearing poisonous fruit disguised as harmless food ready to be plucked by the unsuspecting noble's daughter. Lucy wasn't keen to find out.

She'd also been too concerned with Natsu's stubborn refusal to let her go to mention her worries about Loke so she would make sure to bring up the issue to Natsu during dinner. They'd need to figure out a way to get into contact soon. She missed him dearly and not knowing that he was okay was making her very anxious.

Lucy climbed over a twisted, protruding root the size of her thighs, careful not to splinter her palms on the rough bark. She grimaced at the sight of the bugs scattering underneath the shadow it cast, moving away quickly. Ugh, she hated bugs.

A downside to an otherwise gorgeous biome.

Lucy kneels down to brush the tip of her finger against the soft petals of a blooming flower. The flower patch was so bright and cheerful that she almost didn't want to turn away. Lucy briefly wondered if Natsu would like the pretty flowers decorating the golden hair he seemed to like so much, before squashing that thought deep down, mortified.

Lucy's cheeks burned as she shook her head as if the action could rid her mind of the traitorous thoughts. Why did it matter if Natsu liked it? Lucy quickly stood back onto her feet and moved on, without giving the pretty flowers a backwards glance, too embarrassed to remain any longer.

Lucy smiled as a bird with startlingly blue feathers perched on a low hanging branch, eyes boring into her, unnervingly intelligent and all seeing. The smile slipped off her face and she hurried away, skin prickling as the animal chirped – tone almost mischievous sounding – at her retreating back. What a creepy bird.

She narrowly avoids the pile of what she hopes isn't animal droppings (although the putrid smell wafting off it and the fact that's she's surrounded by animals is pretty opposing evidence) and pushed some wayward strands off her face.

A rustling and an annoyed grunt further left sent a bolt of fear through her veins - that was human. Had they found her already? Did her father manage to get Loke to talk? To make him give a clue to where she might be? Lucy's hands curled into fists, skin turning white under the pressure as worry sent her heart sinking. She knew she should turn away, run back to the den and tell Natsu but she had to check if it really was a knight before running back. Regardless, the appearance of someone was nerve-wracking considering Natsu had told her that no one entered his territory... Did this man somehow manage to slip by Natsu? That didn't seem likely but it was still a possibility.

With a shaky breath, Lucy crept forward, keeping behind the thicker trees to mask her presence. The ground was littered with fallen leaves and twigs, making it hard to be silent – plus, stealth wasn't something she had much practice in. Lucy, figuring she's close enough, peeks from her hiding place from behind the trunk and blanched, eyes bugging out.

She had been right, it was a man – but not a knight. If he was, he was very odd for he only wore dark blue underwear. Why was he practically naked in the forest?! There wasn't even a river nearby! She'd only just gotten used to Natsu's habit of walking around shirtless, but he was a dragon! Lucy pressed her fingers over her eyes, peering through the cracks between her fingers, extremely embarrassed.

He was squatting down in front of what appeared to be a rabbit carcass – freshly killed by the bow slung on his back no doubt. Lucy couldn't see his face, the only details she could gather was the bare skin of his toned back, his underwear, and the dark blue hue of his hair. A quick glance around the area showed that there wasn't any form of metal armour around, only a white shirt hanging off one of the lower branches and pants ruffled on the ground, nearby the roots of another tree.

Was he a hunter perhaps? Lucy faintly remembers Loke telling her about a local village to avoid but she had come from the opposite direction so she hadn't even seen it. Did they know about Natsu? That was likely, considering having a dragon so close to your village's borders would be hard to miss. Lucy bit her lip nervously, glancing at the back of the assumed hunter and the way she came. It would be better to return. Lucy wasn't sure if wanted posters containing her image had been sent around the kingdom or if word that a blonde foreigner was to be reported on sight. She was a stranger to this part of Fiore and her skin was too fair, too soft, bearing no signs of hard labour. Lucy also held herself like a noble lady due to her upbringing – it would be obvious that she did not belong here.

Dried leaves crunch loudly under her boot as she shifts slightly, turning away to slink back to the den.

Lucy's heart drops like an anchor. The man spun around so quickly her eyes couldn't follow the movement and aimed the bow, steady and strung, at the middle of her forehead. Lucy swallowed a shriek and stumbled backwards, scraping her hand against a sharp branch in her fright. The pain of the sting was devoured by her fear as they stared at each other. The air crackled with tension, thick and palpable, and Lucy felt a bead of sweat fall from her temple.

Lucy's eyes flickered between the arrow trained on her head menacingly, glinting under the sun sneaking through the canopy, and the man whose dark eyes were as sharp as the tip of his arrow. Her mouth was dry and she swiped her tongue over her bottom lip anxiously, heart beating erratically within her chest.

The man lowered his bow, albeit only slightly, but his muscles didn't relax. The rabbit carcass laid at his feet, forgotten.

"Who are you?"

A/N:

Hiya everyone! Sorry, this chapter came out later than I expected! Some things came up and I wasn't able to get it out as timely as I wanted too. To be frank with you all, I'm not that fond of this chapter (I think there's a lot I need to rework) but I didn't want to hold off updating, because then I'd just obsess over it, begin hating it, and then not update for the next month lol. I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyway!

Tell me what you think! I'd love to know! :)

Also, if you'd like to get updates/sneak peeks of this story & others I'm working on, feel free to check out my Tumblr caandleworks. There's a bunch of NaLu content that's only on my tumblr, so if you liked this, that might be a pretty good place to take a look at. (shameless self-promotion is shameless).

Thank you for reading :)