Part 2 of 5! Please Enjoy!
They thought Lucy had made him up. The first night had been magical for her. Talking to Natsu through the flames, staying warm and getting to know one another. The small girl would have stayed up all night if not for the embers dying down to the point she, excitedly, thought they would be able to see each other with ease. Only to be met with disappointment.
Once the fire was a mere licking of flames, the room she could see disappeared, bricks reappearing piece by piece to separate them. Both children had stared in horror when this occurred, terrified the mystical night was over. That they had lost a friend the moment they had made one. The tears she had shed once she had gone to bed made her eyes puffy the next day.
Lucy chose to try again the following night, ecstatic to find that with the fire roaring, Natsu could be seen once more. The moment the clock struck twelve. It was hard to stay up so late for one as young as she, but they both managed it. Until one morning came to find the little blonde, fast asleep on the floor, fingers clinging to one of her special books she wasn't allowed to read.
"What were you doing down here, my lady?!" Miss Spetto, one of the maids, had asked her. Without any hint of guile, Lucy answered honestly.
"I was reading to Natsu." Beaming, she pointed to the fire place. "He likes to hear them- oh! Can you please not tell Papa?"
The maid huffed in amusement, stating that Lucy shouldn't read to her imaginary friends in the foyer. Especially on cold nights and sent her back to her room to change. No amount of arguing could convince the woman that her friend in the fireplace even existed. Weeks passed, and by the end of the month, all of the servants knew of the 'boy in the chimney' - laughing when Lucy corrected them, but never truly believing.
It was frustrating. Absolutely maddening, and Lucy wanted to prove them wrong!
The day she made her decision to find proof, little Lucy formulated a plan and almost had herself caught by her father in the process. "You should be focusing on your studies, NOT doodling!" He had practically snarled, merely walking into the foyer to glower at her tutor for a few minutes. The small man had stumbled frightfully over his own apologies, quickly grabbing whatever papers she had been using and quickly replaced them with blank ones.
"Now Lucy, you heard your father," The pudgy man began, eyeing the imposing figure of Jude Heartfilia with a gulp, "you need to focus on the notes before you and then we'll get you back to the keys!"
"- but I needed those…" She began, eyes widening in frustration as she watched all her hard work get wadded up into the nearest trash bin. A grunt from her Father had her settling right back into position, tiny hands picking up the music sheets as a small pout formed. "Yes, Father."
By the end of her lesson, Lucy made sure to leave last so no one could see her rifle through the small bin for her 'tossed out' doodles. They were crumpled and hard to view, but she cried in exultation upon their retrieval, rushing out of the room so she could continue with her plans.
Unfortunately-
"You can't really think that's gonna work."
Natsu didn't seem on the same page.
"Sure it will!" She pouted, only realizing her voice was a little more shrill than needed during the night, covering her mouth to glance around nervously. It would do no good to be caught up so late! Though, with Natsu right across the flames, staring at her as if she had ink on her face, being caught would have proved his existence. "We just have to give it a try, please?"
Lucy wanted to prove he was real, but she didn't want to SHARE him with someone else. These quiet nights were HER time with him and she wasn't about to give someone else a reason to be up with her. Holding the paper out to reveal her plans, she still had to explain it to the boy, who could barely see it over the flashing of heated light.
He just had to give her something of his. That was all! She felt images would transfer over the flames better than words. With others seeing the lines as mere doodles, her plan had worked perfectly so far. Why couldn't he just agree to it?
"How do ya' even expect me to get something over there? I mean, fire is great and all, but it would still burn us both if we reached through it!" Well, that was a good point and she hated the fact her was making one in the first place. The last month had been full of fun nights with both of them giggling and talking to one another, but the blonde girl was used to Natsu making the most absurd of notions rather than intelligent.
"Just listen, okay!" She spouted, fingers tapping on the floor in annoyance. "Of course I wouldn't want us to burn ourselves, dummy!" She ignored his squawk of offense and continued, "- but we can throw things over fire, can't we?"
A small whimper escaped Lucy, so intent on proving he existed. The importance to her was clear. She didn't want the servants to think she was making people up. Or worse, envisioning things that weren't there. For now, they would think it cute and adorable, but what about later? "I don't- I don't want the servants telling my Papa, he would think I'm sick!"
That was the true fear. Her father finding out and thinking something wrong with her. She had seen it before, when he visited with other families in high society. They would speak of their sons and daughters strange games and had heard the term 'imaginary friend' spring up during those conversations. His opinion was that a child needed a firmer hand and more focus on the real world if they were lost in daydreams.
Lucy refused to go through that and the way her lip quivered brought the desperation home to Natsu, whose brow furrowed just looking at her. "You don't- Have to look at me like that to get what you want, y'know."
"Huh-?" Look at him like what? She hadn't realized the sad, dark expression that had krept along her face. The way her lip protruded and eyes watered. Could he see the details of her face better than expected?
Apparently, he could, rubbing his nose while his gaze turned to the side, cheeks turning to match his hair. He seemed sheepish, almost: definitely embarrassed. "I was gonna do it no matter what ya' said. So… don't look like you lost, okay?"
Her smile to blossomed as if nothing had been bothering her to begin with and the boys tense shoulders relaxed. "- but, I don't really know what I can give you."
Ah, but that would be a problem. Lucy blinked, trying to think of something. She knew he didn't have any books. That is why she chose to read to him nightly. (And throwing a book through a fire seemed like a bad idea.) And he didn't own many clothes either. In fact, she didn't think she saw him wear anything more than the same shirt each time they met. A lock of his hair? No, that could burn too- so what then?
"You don't.. Have anything?" She wondered aloud, worried her plan really was ending before it could begin.
"Oh!" He exclaimed, sitting up straighter as his smile spread across his face, revealing teeth and tiny little fangs. She often wondered why his teeth seemed sharper than normal, but assumed it was a family thing. He swore his brother's did the same. Though she had yet to meet him to know for sure. "- give me a minute!"
Before she could ask, he had darted off, bare feet echoing across the wooden floors of his orphanage. Seconds passed as the sounds of fire crackling filled the silence and Lucy tapped the floor, impatiently. Was he coming back, or did he get lost? He was certainly taking awhile. A low hum of annoyance vibrated from her throat when another minute passed and the ticking Grandfather Clock across the room began to buzz inside her head.
Footsteps thudded in a heavy staccato that made her heart leap into her throat. Was her father up? The servants? Fright shot through her veins and Lucy stumbled to her hands and knees, hair falling about her face as she looked for a place to hide. She couldn't be seen, not just yet, not until Natsu-
"Oi, Lucy, I'm here!" The Footsteps paused and she choked on her own heart. It was him, just Natsu- a nervous laugh escaped and she slumped back to the floor. "What were you doing, you weirdo?"
"N-nothing!" She squeaked, finally turning her gave back towards the flames, face as warm as the fire. "I- I wasn't doing anything! What did you get?"
"Catch!"
There was no time to react, unable to process the command, she saw the glint of a small object being tossed through the flames, catching the light and reflecting it to the walls around her in a quick flash of rainbow before clattering to the floor. She squeaked, immediately rushing after the item to scoop into her hands, hoping it didn't break. Natsu's annoyed exclamation of 'H-Hey! Careful with that!' Was barely heard through the foyer as the small bauble fit into the palm of her hand.
It was hard, with rough edges, peering into it, Lucy saw what looked to be a tiny crystal, the insides a myriad of different colors. "It's… so pretty…" She breathed.
"It was my Mother's." The quiet answer came back like a ringing bell and it caused Lucy's head whiplash with the speed she turned to face him. A soft smile covered his features, eyes gleaming in the firelight. "At least, that's what brother told me."
"You- but…" She stammered, tongue flickering out to wet her lips as a strange, pain filled her chest. "You can't give me something like this, Natsu, it was your-" He said he didn't have a Mama or a Papa, but he was willingly giving her this? "No. Take it back. I can use something else-"
"I don't HAVE anything else, Lucy." He said with a tone of finality. "It's okay, cause you can keep it safe for me right?"
Fingers closed over the small item and eyes blinked with unshed tears. He was giving her something so precious and smiling the entire time. Heat filled her as her lips quivered once more. All this just so she could prove he was real? How could even SHE doubt him? She couldn't. Not at all. Her head nodded and she swiftly slipped the crystal into the pocket of her night dress.
"I'll never let it break." She promised.
"Can you do me one favor though?" Staring at him, the boy's fingers fiddled nervously together, "Could you… give me something some time? You know, just so I have something too?"
A strange fluttering happened in her chest then, as if her heart and lungs weren't quite her own. The small girl's cheeks heated up to a warm flush as her own, soft grin, matches his own over the fire. Gripping the bauble from within the fabric of her clothes, she nodded her head, eyes watering as a small tear ran down her cheek. It wasn't sadness. Not exactly.
She was touched. "I'll find something that's special and perfect, just for you!"
They shared smiles after that, clearing their throats and shuffling in embarrassment after the moment ended, but quickly reverted back to their usual antics. He laughed and made jokes to entertain her and when they both grew tired, she read from one of her many books until sleep almost over took them.
By the time the fire had dwindled and the wall reformed, both children had fallen asleep- the quiet ticking clock Lucy's only companion until the sun came up. When Miss Spetto came across Lucy that morning, the same chastisements followed, but little Lucy could hardly care.
Instead, she withdrew the crystal from her pajamas, smile full of pride and exclaimed, "Look! Natsu gave this to me! I told you, I told you, he's real!"
The look on the maid's face was a blank stare, completely baffled.
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