Welcome back!
As an explanation for where I have been, I completely lost a week of my Christmas holiday to an illness oddly similar to Lucy's in my own fanfic. High temperatures, spells of shivers, not being able to keep down my food and have to rely on fluids to keep me well. No bumbling Dragon Slayer though. However, I'm pretty normal now so I'm back at the keyboard!
Anyway, let's dive in!
Lucy was completely silent, staring into space with frightened eyes. How could someone unknown get in her apartment? The only people Lucy knew that have ever set foot in her place were her friends at Fairy Tail. Even Laxus at one point, believe it or not.
"Hey Lucy, something wrong?" Natsu looked at her with a rather adorable clueless face which surprisingly calmed Lucy down. It was probably a nightmare, something she imagined while in a sick induced sleep. Lucy's next train of thought was what to say to Natsu.
"Oh, u-um, I just realised that," Lucy's frantically looked for some explanation in the room. Her eyes locked on a pile of three books on her desk and lucky for her, the fourth book comes out today. The perfect answer. "...that a new book comes out today and I wanted to get it because the author is doing a signing today." Lucy held her breath. After a moment of thought, Natsu shrugged and bought her lie. Half lie. Lucy felt a tiny bit bad at the thought of lying to Natsu.
Natsu turned onto his stomach and plopped his head the pillow as if he owed it. "So... What's the book called?" Natsu said with interest.
Lucy was caught off guard for a moment. Does Natsu even read?
"It's called The Hollow Crown." Lucy said with a hint of hesitation.
Natsu narrowed his eyes and took care mumbling the words to himself, as if he was revising the words for a exam.
"And who made it?" He continued.
"Um, the author's name is Matthew Gray." Lucy almost blushed at Natsu's sudden interest. Natsu then pushed his self out of his laying position and ran a hand through his hair.
"And you go to that bookshop on Union Street, right?"
"Yes, but how did you know that?" Lucy was slow on the uptake today.
"Lucky guess," Natsu said with a limp wave of his hand as he stood and made his way for the door. "I'll be back soon."
"Natsu?! Where are you going?" Lucy distress made Natsu give a worried glance. He turned and gave her a small but bright smile.
"I'm gonna get your book, stupid." Natsu teased with enjoyment.
"What? Really?" At that moment, Natsu had just learned how to make her smile. "Wait a second! If that's the case then could you get these as well?" Lucy had produced a scrap of paper with a list of books and adjacent author names. At that moment, Natsu also learned that Lucy had a way of getting what she wanted, especially with him. Natsu sighed with a grin and took the list from her fragile fingers. As Lucy watched Natsu turn in the direction of the door, a horrible thought popped into her head.
What if someone got into her apartment while Natsu was gone? Or she got terribly cold like last time?
By reflex, Lucy grabbed Natsu's hand while his back was to her and asked him to wait. When Natsu only turned his head in response, Lucy tugged his arm to face her.
"Whoa, Luce! What's the matter?" Their bodies were suddenly close and Lucy could feel Natsu's heat radiating off him. Lucy struggled for the right words.
"Well, what if I like...freeze up like earlier?"
Natsu thought for a moment and then unexpectedly unravelled his precious scarf and wrapped it around Lucy. It was surprisingly light on Lucy's shoulders despite the length of the scarf.
"There! That should keep you nice and warm. Heh, not many people get to wear the very scarf given to me by Igneel!" Then Nastu added on a lower note. "Actually, you're the only other besides me to wear it. Anyway, I'll go get your books now, bye!" Nastu was purposely quick in delivering his goodbye and rushed out on his errand.
"The money is on my desk!"
"Oh, right!" Natsu quickly scanned the desk and saw the currency, grabbing it in haste. And then Natsu was on his way to the bookstore, fetching Lucy's requested novels. Lucy's eyes were still set on the door, almost expecting something from it. Then she sighed and slumped back into her covers, burying her head deep into the folds of Igneel's pale scarf. Her nose couldn't help but bathe in the rich smell that clung to its fabric. It wasn't a toxic smell of 'guy' that her many of her friends seem to think natural comes from the male population. It was a natural smell of spice and burning which was intoxicating, instead of stifling. Lucy couldn't tell you how long she simply lay there and revel in the scent. Lucy slowly opened her eyes (which she had closed while in euphoria) and felt carefully along the fine stitching of the garment. Lucy fondly remembered a mission client, who happened to be an excellent Seamstress that was positively enthralled with Natsu's treasured scarf. Oh, how she battered him with endless questions about the material, maker, technique, etc. Ultimately, she was left unsatisfied with his answers which wasn't that surprising for who she was asking. Now travelling down memory lane, Lucy revisited the times Nastu spoke about his scarf.
When Lucy recently joined Fairy Tail, she had asked where he got his scarf and after hearing his answer she was left doubtful. Natsu had told her that his father had created the scarf with magic only known to dragons. He had described the event as Igneel using magic to bind his goodwill and love for Nastu and some of his own scales into the finest scarf they had owned for winter time. The scales gave it the likeness to dragon scales and the power from his father gave it that 'good luck charm' properties. One last detail Natsu gave was that the original scarf had been a deep blue but the enchantment had caused it to turn white as snow. Lucy would hate to admit it but at the time, she still doubted that origin story. But over time, she began to believe the story as if she had witnessed it herself. Lucy sank even deeper into the strange scaly scarf and in turn, sank deeper into fond memories involving guild members. But mainly, Natsu.
Natsu idly looked at the list of books and authors again, tracing the graceful hand writing with his gaze. He expelled a sigh into the cold winter air, wispy tendrils of vapour escaping his mouth. He paid little attention to the cobbled streets he walked because he knew Magnolia so well that walking somewhere in the impressive city was simply an on rails experience. He soon arrived at the book store which Lucy was a patron to. For some reason Natsu felt the need psyche himself up before entering, as if he faced a difficult challenge inside the inviting store. He brushed the feeling aside and took a confident inside. His jaw almost hit the floor when he saw the endless lines of books in countless selves. In reality, it was a decently sized bookstore but Natsu felt like he was wondering aimlessly in an endless labyrinth. The spines of books started to blur and become impossibly hard to read.
"Oh, hello Natsu." Said a cherry voice which sounded familiar to the lost Dragon Slayer. He blinked once or twice and his eyes focused on a short bluenette standing in front of him.
"Huh? Oh, hey Levy." Natsu quickly tried to ditch the feeling of hopelessness from a few moments earlier.
"Never thought I'd see you in a place like this, anything you're looking for yourself?" Curiosity was having its way with the petite mage.
"Um, no, I'm getting books for Luce actually." He quickly glanced at the list to remind himself of the particular novels.
"Ah, how sweet of you!" Levy almost squealed which really freaked Natsu out for a moment. He really just wanted to get out of this situation as fast as possible. "Oh, do you need any help?" Levy continued with sparkling enthusiasm.
"Nah, I'm doing pretty well myself." Natsu said with an unconvincing smile. Levy's whole body language changed in an instant. She narrowed her eyes and stood on her toes to get as close to matching Natsu's height as she could. Natsu still had the advantage of height yet whatever the bluenette did, it worked. The confident Dragon Slayer was now suddenly quite squeamish under Levy's piercing gaze. "Oh, really? Well then, what book are you looking for? Ah, don't try and talk your way out of this, Natsu Dragneel, that may work on Lucy but not on me." Natsu looked about him and saw no escape from Levy.
"Er, I'm looking for," He glanced at the rap sheet of books which seemed a mile long now, "The Hidden Alley."
"That's a mystery book." Levy said with surprising swiftness.
"Oh, yeah, so?"
"You're standing in the non-fiction section."
"...What's the difference?"
"Oh, my dear Lucy," Levy fell back onto her flat feet and exhaled a long sigh. "How do you do it, my bookish friend?" Levy had paused to collect her thoughts, then she straightened her back, put her hands on her hips and looked at Natsu with untamed determination. "You, Mister Dragneel are going to listen to my every word with every fibre of your being. The importance of this lesson rivals that of your training in Dragon Slayer Magic."
Natsu gulped.
Levy then proceeded to take Natsu on a full course of 'Book Basics' as Levy said. He learned the genres, classic stories, famous and not-so-famous authors and their specific writing style. Natsu was being transported from worlds of shady characters, grisly murders and intellectual detectives to worlds placed in the stars which were filled with wonder and exotic environments. He even found himself in places where the walls have eyes and ears, heroes are alone and afraid, the sun never seems to shine and where dead men have trouble staying dead. He was rooting for people who stood up and fought against the odds and cheered when they won and got depressed when they lost. Triple digits of page numbers were now his friends instead of looming challenges. In a single evening, the bookshop had changed from a place of insanity written in between the lines to a place of countless wonderful worlds Natsu had barely scratched the surface of. Levy watched in pride as he navigated the bookshop with decent ease (she only had to redirect him twice). Natsu was now carrying several novels of pretty decent size easily in his arms. Most were for Lucy but some were for him. As the two mages made their way to the last book, Natsu noticed a slightly sullen expression painted on Levy's face.
"Yo, Levy, what's the matter?"
Levy snapped out of her previous look with ease and replaced it with a fake smile. "Oh, what? Nothing! I'm just thinking about how much of my current book I've got left to read." The words fell from her mouth too quickly to be anything but natural. "Oh, really? What's really bothering you?" Natsu used his advantage of height this time.
"Fine, fine! You win. I kinda' wished that someone would go around for books like you did for me. I mean, Lucy has sought of already snagged you for her book run." Natsu missed the double meaning.
"Oooh, you mean Metal-head-Gajeel!"
"Okay, Natsu, let's not broadcast it to the whole of Magnolia! But...yes." Levy fidgeted in uncomfortable silence.
"You could just ask him." Natsu said blankly.
"To what?"
"Help you with the books, duh." Natsu gestured with his head at the pile in his hands. "And then maybe he'll do it again, the next time. Coz I know I'm doing this again, this was super fun!"
"Yes, well, while that's great news for you and Lucy, but I don't think Gajeel really likes books. I'm honestly surprised with you Natsu but he's just not like that." This time Natsu was the one sighing.
"Just do it to spend time with him. He's not that hard of a nut to crack, I mean, he's the one with iron shavings for brains." That awarded him with a punch to the arm. "Hey, I'm carrying books here!"
"I hope that wasn't your attempt at a tender moment!" Levy pouted and refused to look at Natsu. Their conversation ended as they reached the final book for Lucy. Like Lucy said, the author was doing a signing, so they left it till last. The line was at a lull so they quickly got a place in the line. Levy explained that she originally came to the bookstore to get a book signed herself but as we know, she introduced Natsu to the world of books beforehand. Natsu let Levy go first so he could see the process, which still seemed foreign to him. When Natsu turn arrived he was slightly anxious. The author known as 'Matthew Gray' was wearing a simple green shirt which matched nicely with his oak-brown hair which was slightly shaggy. He lifted his head from something on the table and Natsu could see that he was wearing thin framed glasses. He beamed as he greeted Natsu.
"Hi there! I'm Matthew, nice to meet you." He extended his hand to complete his greeting. Natsu shifted the books in his hands and extended his right hand to shake. During the handshake Matthew took notice of Natsu's Fairy Tail Insignia on his right shoulder.
"Oh, so you're a guild wizard then?" He asked with large interest. His voice was slightly high but smooth at the same time.
"Yeah, I am." Natsu said simply.
"And a Fairy Tail wizard nonetheless! I'm thinking of writing a story about a wizard guild next, much like your own." Natsu wasn't sure how to react to this; the guy didn't do this with Levy. Then Natsu remembered Levy's guild mark is her back, he wouldn't see it. Maybe Natsu should have thought of his guild's mark placement more at the time.
"Um, that's cool."
"Hm, salmon coloured hair, red guild mark on the right shoulder but no scarf... Are you by chance Natsu Dragneel?"
"Yeah, I am." Natsu just wanted the damn book.
"It's a pleasure to meet you!" He almost jumped up from his chair. "Even my small hometown in the north has heard of you and your guild mates. Oh, oops! I got carried away there. Have you already got a book for signing?"
"Oh, shoot, I don't. Is that bad?"
"No, no! It fine we got copies here." He turned to a dwindling pile of books behind the table. He turned back swiftly with a book place in front of him and pen at the ready. "So, is it for yourself or someone else?"
"My friend, Lucy."
"Right... Oh, that must be Lucy Heartfilia, right? Another guild member, I'll just put Lucy. Huh, it's almost funny knowing that-"Before he could go on Natsu cut him off.
"Wait, that's not the right one." He pointed accusingly at the pages.
"...What do you mean? It's my latest one, The Hollow Crow." The author was totally confused. Did he want a previous book in the series?
"No, it's the right book but the..." He was lost for words. "...the material is wrong. The ones Lucy's got are like harder and made with a stiffer material."
"Ohh, you're talking about the hardbacks. Wow, I never guessed Lucy Heartfilia would be so dedicated but I'm sorry Mister Dragneel, we only have the paperback version on sale." He pushed his glasses back slightly almost avoiding eye contact.
"Well, you must have a hardback. If they cost extra, then I'll pay for it." Natsu said earnestly.
"That's very generous of you but we simply don't have any."
"Ah, come on man, you must-"This time Natsu was cut off. Matthew insisted that they didn't have any copies but Natsu begged to differ.
"Then why can I smell them?" Natsu smiled mischievously. He had caught him out.
"Wait, what? How can you...?" He must have suddenly remembered the heighted senses of Dragon Slayers. Matthew leaned closer to Natsu and kept his voice low. "Okay, you got me but I'm saving them for very special people in the publishing business and I would seriously rather those guys get those copies, understand?"
Natsu kept his cool, smiled and simply said: "I want just one hardback copy of The Hollow Crown signed 'To Lucy', please." Natsu lost his smile on the 'please'. Matthew stood his ground and didn't move. "Don't make me get it myself, because I will for Lucy." Matthew's posture seemed to cave in and he slowly retrieved the hardback. Just before his pen touched the paper, Natsu added: "And in your best hand-writing, please."
Both the Fairy Tail Mages stood outside the bookshop having paid and about to go their separate ways. Snow was starting to fall gently in the darkening sky. Before saying goodbye however, Levy asked Natsu a question.
"So, Natsu, did you just shake-down an author on your first book signing?"
There we have it! Chapter four! Way too late! Any mistakes let me know!
Yeah, sorry about that but this chapter is almost 3,000 words without these author notes so that's a plus, I guess. I always kinda like the idea of Natsu being hopeless when trying to enter the world of reading. But I hope I kept that Dragneel fire with that scene at the end.
Anyway, send feedback if you wish to.
Thanks for reading!