A/N: And we're down on the last chapter! Thank you so much for all the cute reviews you've given for last chapter. I didn't expect the feedback for Natsu and Gray's chapter to be like that! Thank you so much! *smooches*
I know this story is a little cliche and predictable so I'm just so happy to get such great responses from you guys.
Here's the last part!
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and Hibi Chouchou belong to their respective authors. This is simply a self-indulgent work to satisfy my need to see both series in one story.
"You seem to be in high spirits today, milady." Capricorn said as he looked at her through the rear-view mirror. "Back in my day, students dreaded Mondays."
Lucy looked back at him and her smile widened. "I'm just happy to have transferred to Fairy Academy." Her smile never wavered as she looked outside the car's window.
"Whoever put that smile on your beautiful face is really lucky."
"My friends." Lucy answered his unspoken question. "They make me happy."
"I see. That's great." Capricorn nodded, accepting Lucy's dodging of the topic. He slowly drove the car into a stop right in front of the school gates. He watched Lucy gather her bag, pat her bangs and open the door by the rear-view mirror. "Have a great day, milady."
"Thanks!" Lucy said as she closed the car's door. "See you later."
Far from the first time she set foot in the Academy, she now walked confidently on the brick road, chin up and waved at her friend waiting for her by the building steps. Levy waved back and together, they let themselves inside the school building.
"Look at you, you're blooming." Levy commented.
"Blooming?" Lucy asked innocently. Her fingers itched to tuck the stray locks that escaped her side ponytail but she resisted it. After all, it was Levy who first pointed out her nervous habits.
Levy clicked her tongue at her and shook a finger. "Don't play dumb, Lu-chan."
The blonde simply raised her delicate eyebrows while smile on her lips turned mischievous. "I'm not playing dumb, Levy-chan."
Her friend pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes, you are," she insisted.
Both girls reached their classroom in no time and went for their designated seats. Levy quickly hooked her bag under her desk then jumped to Natsu's seat beside Lucy. Her eyes were stubborn, demanding more stories from the blonde. Afterwards, she pulled out her smartphone from her skirt pocket and started tapping. Lucy knew exactly when she found what she was looking for as her eyes lifted from the phone screen to meet hers.
Lucy gasped when Levy put down the smartphone on her desk, screen opened to an image that left her blushing to the roots of her hair.
It was a grainy picture of Natsu carrying her during the fireworks festival.
"I want details." Levy demanded. "What happened, how it felt, what happened after. Everything." It was Levy's turn to smile mischievously, her grin almost manic.
Lucy tucked her hair over her ear as she tried to calm herself. "Please tell me this picture hasn't circulated around the school yet, Levy-chan."
"Does having this picture posted on your Facebook fanpage count?" Levy asked tentatively.
"I have a what?!" asked Lucy, incredulous that people would go that far.
Levy sighed as she nodded. "I've been trying to get the page taken down. I kept on reporting it but you know how social media works. Your avid fans keep reviving it under a different name every time." She sounded weary as she continued. "I was only able to take this picture down on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, your fans have started speculating again. With the pink hair, it was easy to find out the person carrying you."
"There is nothing wrong with his pink hair. I like it." Lucy defended.
"Just as you like the rest of him." Levy teased, causing Lucy to blush. Sometimes she regrets ever giving her blue-haired friend ammunition for teasing.
"Now, details Lu-chan."
Knowing that she was trapped and Levy won't back down, Lucy told her friend of what happened in the fireworks festival: the slippers incident, the viewing area, the booths they went to and when he walked her home. She left out the moment Natsu looked at her differently during the fireworks and how they held hands throughout the time they were walking home. She felt that if she shared them so soon, the magical feeling will fade.
Lucy wasn't ready to give up that feeling yet.
"How wonderful! You guys are just too cute." Levy exclaimed. "If only your so-called fans would stop bugging you. Rumors about you two dating are circulating again."
"Ugh." Lucy groaned as she rubbed her temple. Learning that she has a fanpage now gave her a headache. "I don't know what to do with these rumors, really. They never seem to stop."
"What rumors?" asked a masculine voice that Lucy immediately recognized.
Both girls were surprised looked up to see Natsu standing in front of them, pink hair still damp from his post-training shower. His usual spiky hair was relatively tamed down, his fringes not stuck up and spiky. She couldn't decide whether he looked better that way or with his spiky hair since both made her heart race just the same.
"Hey." Natsu greeted them with a nod. "The school's been gossiping again?"
Levy nodded. "Yeah, some people saw you together at the fireworks festival last weekend."
"Sorry, Natsu." Lucy sighed. "You're in this mess again.
He shook his head and smiled warmly at the blonde. "No need to apologize. What's important is that we know the truth, right?"
The gentle heat in the way he looked at her made Lucy blush again. It was the same look he gave her at the festival.
Meanwhile, Levy was watching at the side, silently enjoying the "show". It was like Natsu and Lucy were in their own world at that moment.
Then Gildarts came and their imaginary bubble popped, romantic tension temporarily dissipated as Levy gave back Natsu's seat.
The students settled down as Gildarts took attendance.
Right after Levy's name was called, Lucy's phone buzzed with a text notification.
[I'm cheering for you Lu-chan. Go get him!]
Lunch time confirmed Lucy's worries. 75% of the school body knew she went to the fireworks festival with Natsu. People kept whispering about it as she passed the halls with her friends.
"Why is going to a festival with a friend such a big deal?" she asked Levy as they ate their bentos.
"You're Lucky Lucy, Fairy Academy's sweetheart. That fanpage basically tells every member to not make a move on you because you 'belong to everybody', that you're somehow untouchable Lu-chan." Levy immediately answered. "Then here comes Natsu, who saved you from an awful suitor then went to a festival with you. They feel threatened."
"That's not their business." Lucy pouted. If she weren't holding her chopsticks and bento on both hands, she would have crossed her arms. "Natsu is free to talk to me. I'll choose who I hang out with, not them. Who do they think they are?"
"I know." Levy put a comforting hand over her shoulder. "But they're boys, they're inclined to do stupid things when banded together.
"Ugh." Both girls groaned.
"But then, they're right to feel threatened." Levy wiggled her brows suggestively.
"Levy-chan!" Lucy almost shrieked. She was as red as the tomatoes in her bento.
Her blue-haired friend laughed heartily at her embarrassment then nodded. "Yep, you're too cute for this world Lu-chan."
The rest of their meal was spent in exchanging more stories and other mundane things. Soon, they were packing up their bentos and chopsticks. Then Lucy suggested they go buy their after meal refreshments at the vending machine on the ground floor.
Unfortunately they were prevented from reaching it as some more unrelenting fans approached Lucy.
"This isn't you right, Lucy-san?" asked a sophomore guy with blond layered hair from another class. On his phone was the exact grainy picture Levy got on her phone. It seemed that people already downloaded a copy for themselves before it got taken down in the fanpage. "Dragneel said you two aren't dating so this is impossible right? You're not dating him right?"
Lucy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "No." she answered instead. Years of etiquette drilled into her made it impossible to be rude.
But after that, she cursed her inability to shut people off as it led into a very difficult situation.
"Then, will it be alright to ask you out?" the guy followed up. "I've always admired you, Lucy-san."
"Eh?" Lucy stepped back tentatively. A dreadful sense of déjà vu was creeping inside her. She didn't like where the situation was going again.
"Oscar, you jerk!" called out another guy from the mob. "If you're confessing to her then we'll confess too, fanclub rules or not!"
The mob went crazy. Multiple confessions came from all directions. They were all demanding and relentless. Lucy started to panic, her breath coming short. Her heart was drumming against her ribs too.
"Please, stop." she asked weakly, holding out her hands and shaking her head. "Please."
"Stop bothering Lu-chan!" Levy shouted. The blue-haired girl held out her hand to shield her friend from the mob. "She's not dating any of you!"
Lucy was immediately touched at Levy's efforts even though it was ineffective as she was easily dwarfed by the insistent boys.
"Please notice us, Lucy-sama!"
Both girls started to step back, trying in vain to put some distance between themselves and the mob. But with every step back, the mob moved forward. It was never ending until someone pulled them that they almost fell on their butts.
"Quick, run!" Natsu whispered to Lucy and Levy.
"Natsu!" Levy cried in relief. "But wait, what are you doing here?"
"I was buying a drink from the vending machine," he answered quickly. "Then I saw you two getting mobbed by these idiots. You looked like you could use some help again."
"Yeah," Levy nodded, "these guys won't stop bugging us, especially Lu-chan!"
Despite the noise, Natsu's voice echoed in Lucy's ears like sweet music. It immediately calmed her, soothing her nerves but it also set her heart racing for a different reason. She wondered since when did he had that effect on her.
Natsu let them run to the stairs ahead of him, putting himself in between the girls and the angry mob. "You guys better stop it already!" he shouted at them as he ran.
The mob stilled for a moment as they processed what just happened then all hell break loose.
"Dragneel!" shouted Oscar. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Lucy-chan is everyone's!" shouted another.
"Yeah! Stop acting like you're her boyfriend!"
"You don't even like her the way we do!"
Suddenly, Natsu stopped running. "Don't like her like you do?" he echoed.
Lucy stopped too and looked back at him. "Natsu?" she asked tentatively.
"You keep hogging her all for yourself." Oscar accused. "But you don't even want to date her."
Natsu turned his head angrily back to the mob. "Who said I don't want to date her?"
This shocked Oscar as well as the rest of the boys. "Y-you do?"
Natsu reeled back, surprised at himself. "That's not for you to know." He grumbled as he resumed running.
"Dragneel!" called out Oscar. "Explain yourself!" The rest of the boys were groaning behind him, complaining about lost chances and broken hearts.
As he joined Levy and Lucy on the way back to the classroom, Natsu realized that he practically told everyone within earshot AND LUCY that he liked her and that he was interested in dating her. He wanted to punch himself for making such a mess. Sure, he wanted to confess to her as suggested by Gray, but not that way! He could practically feel himself burning up in shame and awkwardness as he jogged along them. And when Levy giggled knowingly, he wanted to roll down the stairs and disappear to the nearest hole he could find.
Meanwhile, Lucy remained silent although she was blushing as well. Soon, they reached the stairs nearest their classroom.
"We still have 20 minutes until lunch is over." Levy said, breaking the silence between them. "I'll go ahead and let you guys talk alone."
"Levy-chan!" Lucy squeaked, blushing even more.
But Levy has already gone up the last flight of stairs, far from Lucy's reach.
This left both of them staring at the floor, intent on not showing their blushing faces to each other.
"Well, this is awkward." Natsu said as he brushed a hand over his face.
"Very awkward." Lucy nodded. "I'm so sorry for what just happened. You got into trouble again because of me."
Natsu laughed, easing the atmosphere between them. "You do have a knack for getting into those kinds of trouble."
"Yeah, I know." Lucy whined. "They think I owe them an explanation or a date."
"But I don't mind saving you every time." Natsu faced her directly, putting his hands over her shoulders. "I'll save anytime you need me, Lucy." He smiled at her. It was a smile that could melt the polar caps in the Arctic Ocean.
She couldn't help but smile back. "Natsu." Lucy was breathless again, her heart pounding in her ears, but this time, it was the good kind.
Natsu leaned in close and touched his forehead with hers. His breath fanned her cheeks, making Lucy shiver and weak in the knees. "Lucy Heartfilia, will you let me save you from those idiots every time?"
"Yes," Lucy answered softly.
"Will you let me come with you to all the festivals, watch all the fireworks and eat all the takoyakis?"
The blonde nodded slowly. "Always."
"Will you go out with me, Lucy?"
Lucy looked up, brown eyes mirroring the affection in his olive ones. "Yes. Please take care of me, Natsu."
He pulled her close to him as he planted a chaste kiss on her forehead. "Thank you, Lucy." Then he kissed the top of her head as Lucy buried her face against his collar. It felt good to be surrounded with his gentle warmth and scent. Time seemed to stop for both of them at that moment,
"Damn, just the forehead?" Gray complained from above. "Man up and kiss her properly, Natsu!"
"Not with you guys literally watching over us from there!" Natsu hollered back.
Lucy pulled away from her new boyfriend and was surprised to see all their classmates leaning on the stairwell, watching over them. Levy waved back proudly at her.
"H-how long have you been there, Levy-chan?" she asked, cheeks burning in shame at being watched.
"Long enough to see the good parts!" Levy answered back. Behind her was Cana, who was smirking at the new couple, while both Erza and Juvia were fanning themselves. Gray, Jellal, and Max were shaking their heads while Loke held out his palm like he was asking them to pay up.
Still holding Lucy close to him, Natsu looked up to their classmates. "You jerks made a betting pool on us, didn't you?"
"Thanks man! I knew you'd be too pure to do it so soon!" Loke waved the paper bills he got from the other guys in the air.
"You owe me big, Natsu!" hollered Gray. "I had faith in you man!"
"That's what you get for starting a bet, Ice Prick!"
"Boys!" Lucy groaned. "Oh, this is so embarrassing."
"We're dating now." Natsu snickered. "Get used to embarrassments."
"Ugh. What did I get myself into?"
"Hey now."
Their classmates laughed at their antics and moments after, the new couple was laughing as well.
When the bell rang to signal the end of lunch break, Natsu quickly seized Lucy's hand and held onto it just like that time after the festival. They got back to their classes together, walking hand-in-hand.
Their friends are happy for Natsu and Lucy. It's been a long time coming but at least they're officially together now. For sure not everyone will be happy about it, especially Lucy's fan club, but they know the couple will be able to take on any challenge or rumor tossed at them and come out stronger.
THE END.
Thank you so much for reading this fic. All the hits, likes and reviews you've given this fic mean a lot to me. I appreciate the time you've given to read everything in my story. I love, love you all for that.
Until next time!