Yee next one! On tumblr I'm at chapter 13 now hehe (so much for that one reviewer saying i need to write more DUDE I've been updating this story pretty much DAILY literally *sighs*). I hope you enjoy this one, it's a little longer than the last ones. x)

Oh and I have another AU coming soon!

fairies and ink

"Thankyou so much for helping me with these."

"Ah, no worries!"

Natsu grinned as he dumped the last of the potting soil bags in the corner and clapped his hands together.

"There's nothing more to carry, right?"

"Yeah."

This could have been the prompt for him to leave, but Natsu seemed to have different plans. Lazily, he walked over to her chair and slumped down, resting his feet on the counter.

"And what do you think you're doing?"

"Keeping you company," he yawned. "Besides, my next appoinment is only at two thirty. Still over half an hour left."

Lucy tried to sound annoyed, but it sounded fake at best. They both knew she loved his company just as much as he loved hers.

And so she simply continued about her previous occupations, but not without giving him a quick warning to not destroy any vases - again.

As she rearranged the decoration, Lucy could hear him rummage through a drawer behind her back. Seriously, had he ever heard of privacy?

Then it became quiet again, and she continued exchanging pots and wilted flowers, until a regular scratching noise diverted her attention.

"Hey Natsu, what are you doing?"

"Mmmh?" he replied, apparently distracted. "Drawin'."

That was enough to get her attention.

"Oh really? Can I see?"

She didn't wait for an answer, but simply interrupted her busy hustle and bustle as she made her way to the counter, rounding it to peek over his shoulder.

Daisies.

Her heart skipped a beat, but then began outright dancing.

"You like it?" he asked, momentarily halting the movements of his hands to glance up at her. He sounded casual, but there was attentive intensity in his eyes.

"I do," she smiled. "Wait, what's that on the right one? Is that a person?"

"Ah, it'll be a fairy! Figured, since you liked them so much…"

So it was true. He was drawing this for her. Or, well - with her in mind. Both of these ideas did nothing to calm her heart.

"It - it looks like me a little."

"It does?"

Was he blushing? No, she must be imagining things. It was quite hot in the store, after all. One of these days she'd have to buy an air-con.

The heat was unbearable these days.

"Hey Lucy, can I ask you something?"

Oh dear. If her heart had been dancing before, then what was it doing now? Running a marathon? And why did he sound so serious? What was he going to ask her?

"Why do you like fairies so much?"

"H-huh?"

"They're everywhere." He gestured towards the figures that stood scattered between the flower pots. "And you told me Faerydae means gift from the fairies, right?"

He remembered?

"Well…" Lucy replied, rather pensively all of a sudden. She pulled herself up on the counter, where she sat right beside his drawing. Her eyes dropped to the paper again. "My mom always used to tell me stories about them when I was still a kid."

She smiled,picking up a stray twig from the counter and twirling it between her fingers."And how they brought magic into our lives."

"Magic?"

" were just fairytales, of course, but they sure felt like magic to me. She was great at telling stories. And I still believe it, you know. That there ismagic in everyday life. She taught me that."

Natsu was chewing on his lower lip, staring at her as if he was expecting her to continue. Unconsciously, she mirrored his movements and brought her thumb up to play with her own lip.

"Magic, she said, is the thing you feel on a really nice day, when you look up at the sky to see some flower petals drifting by. Or sitting at a table with all your loved ones. A nice smell that reminds you of a far gone moment that still lives on in your heart. The small things. Small like the fairies who always look after you. Those are the gifts they give to us."

Natsu had become absorbed in her expression as she quietly told him about her mother and the fairies, but Lucy did not notice. She kept her eyes on the twig in her hands, feeling a sharp piece press into her thumb evertime she turned it to the left.

"She always said I was her gift. And that she had called me Lucy because I was the light in her life, and she would be forever grateful to the fairies for giving her magic in such a beautiful way."

Lucy's eyes turned sad while she spoke. With a sigh, she let the twig drop back onto the counter, but it slipped and fell to the ground. She followed it with her eyes.

"Well, thats all long gone now. But I never forgot about the fairies."

She smiled as her hand moved to his drawing, brushing over the strokes that had begun to look like a little figure atop one of the daisies.

"I've actually - I've never told anyone about this before, but… I've been thinking about getting… a tattoo."

Something in his expression changed, but he remained as quiet as he had been throughout their onesided conversation. He probably didn't approve anyway. He probably was sparing her feelings by staying silent.

"Ah, nevermind. It's such a silly idea…"

"It's not silly at all."

She brought her face back up, meeting his eyes. She was surprised by his serious tone aswell as the heat she discovered in his eyes.

"It's not silly," he repeated, and stood up. When his hands gripped the hem of his shirt Lucy was ripped out of her confused state.

"What are you doing?!"

But he simply pulled it over his head, leaving her gaping at his torso. He looked just like she had imagined him. All lean muscle; defined abs and smooth skin. And there, on the lower right, just above the deliciously v-shaped muscle leading down into his pants, he had scales tattoed over what looked like a scar. She wanted to touch it. Run her fingers along the skin.

His intense eyes were on hers again as he held his shirt in his hands, and all she managed was a nervous stutter as he stepped closer.

"W-w-wha…"

When he turned around instead of leaning down to ravish her, Lucy felt almost disappointed. She had already pictured it in her mind's eye; had craved his lips on hers and his strong arms around her body.

Oh gods, Lucy, stop it!

But her feverish thoughts were interrupted when she was brought face to face with his back.

There was barely an inch of plain skin visible. Instead, his whole back was covered in ink, from the base of his neck down to his pants. The lines merged and wound over muscle, red and gray and black. They danced together when he moved, sending ripples down his back; creating motion.

Her eyes flickered over scales and claws, a tail and blazing eyes, over fire and smoke.

A dragon.

"I got this in honour of my dad."

"It's… it's amazing."

"Thanks."

He turned his head to look over his shoulder, his serious expression replaced by a proud grin. Much earlier than she would have liked, he wriggled his way into his shirt again. She kept her eyes on his dragon tattoo for as long as she managed. The urge to touch him was stronger than ever.

When he spun back around, she snapped out of her mesmerized state. Almost confused, she blinked up at him from her spot on the counter. His eyes twinkled.

"You love your mom a lot, don't you?"

"I…did. I mean, I do, I still love her. But - she's dead."

"Oh."

The smile died on his face. Before he could open his mouth to apologize, she interrupted him. She had heard too many people utter these words. No matter how heartfelt they were, they never ceased to hurt her.

"It's okay, really! It was a long time ago. I was only ten."

"It never hurts any less though, does it?"

His voice was quiet as he stared at her out of dark eyes, and a shiver ran down her spine. Heknew what she was feeling.

"Natsu… your f-"

But before she could utter her question, a loud beep tore apart the silence. They both started, but then Natsu started cursing.

"Fuck! Good thing I set this damn timer, or I bet I would've missed my appointment. Gajeel would've slayed me."

"Oh dear!" Lucy called, jumping off the counter.

But still, Natsu stood in front of her, showing no signs of moving. A pensive look had taken over his face.

"Hey, if you want to… I mean, would it be okay - what do you think - could I design it? Your tattoo?"

As he watched Lucy's mouth drop, he quickly brought his hands up as if to retreat.

"I mean, if you will get it. And you don't have to- I could just sketch something and you could always say no, of course! It's really just, I just had a nice image in mind, it's no big deal if you don't-"

"I'd love for you to do it."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Lucy's heart fluttered as he beamed at her, and she was sure she would not come to regret this decision. If anyone were to tattoo anything on her - it would be Natsu. There was no doubt in her mind about that.

That he had offered it to her first - that was just a bonus.

"He, Lucy!" he called, excited by an idea that had seemingly just crossed his mind. "You wanna watch? It'll just be a small thing, maybe twenty minutes."

Lucy couldn't believe it. There she had been, for weeks on end, not daring to ask the question, and he had simply invited her.

"I'd love to!" she burst out, maybe a little too excited - but she really didn't care. "I mean, if it's okay with the rules and Gajeel and the customer and… uh…"

"Sure thing! It'll be fine, don't worry!"

"But the shop-"

"Just close it for a few minutes. There's been what, one customer in the whole time I was here?"

"Hey! Are you saying nobody wants my flowers!"

"Nah, I'm saying you should take a break and watch me work."

He smiled as he stood up and put his hands on her back, pushing her towards the entrance. Lucy hoped he wouldn't feel her body temperature spiking, even though the rise was more than obvious on her cheeks. His hands felt good; large and strong as they rested against the small of her back.

But then he let go, and she almost stumbled as the light pressure he had provided her with left her and she tilted backwards.

"Woah, careful! Haha, you're so clumsy sometimes."

His words barely registered, because she was in his arms again. His breath hit her neck, and he didn't even move. He stayed exactly as he was, with his arms pressing against her sides.

Everything around Lucy disappeared.

She couldn't deny the things it made her feel even if she tried. While Lucy worked his hands off her hips, she secretly grimaced. The force of the things she was feeling threatened to overwhelm her every time he came too close.

Forcefully, she pulled open the door, annoyed with herself.

These thoughts and feelings had been thoroughly dissected and stomped upon by her heart by now, and it never got any better. If anything, it only added to her state of confusion.

So she simply turned the 'welcome' sign on her door around and marched over to Iron Dragon Ink with him hot on her heels and complaining about her sudden escape.

Cold air hit her when she entered the tattoo parlour. Yes, she would definitely buy an air-con soon. It was a gift sent from heaven. She virtually could feel her clothes drying aready. Lucy sighed happily.

"Hi, Gajeel."

"Eh? Where'd you leave my employee? I don't like to keep my customers waiting."

Grimly, he looked up, and then nodded towards a young girl at the other side of the room. She waved nervously, a small smile playing around her lips as she squeezed her legs together. Lucy smiled back.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! Gajeel, it's my f-"

Natsu entered behind her, quickly assessing the situation as he passed her by.

"I'm here, boss! No worries, aye? Ah, hi!"

His attention had already diverted towards the girl, and he extended his hands as he marched over to her. Gajeel just shook his head.

"How's it going? You ready?"

"I - I think so!"

"Course you are! It'll be fine, so don't be nervous. Still happy with the design?"

"Yeah, I am. I really love it." she smiled as she brushed strands of brown hair behind her ear, and this time she seemed much more confident. Lucy quietly walked over to take a seat, but Natsu motioned for her to come closer. "This is my friend, Lucy. She'll watch, if that's okay with you? She can hold your hand, too."

He grinned, and the girl smiled at Lucy again. She was really pale.

"Maybe that's not such a bad idea…"

Lucy tried to look reassuring, but really, she was almost as nervous as the girl herself. Sharp needles digging into skin over and over - she couldn't imagine it'd be a pleasant experience. She swallowed hard.

While Natsu disappeared for some more preparations, the two women took a seat and fell into a pleasant chatter. Soon, the girl seemed much more relaxed.

When Natsu returned, they both smiled at him, and he seemed rather pleased.

"Man, Lucy, I'll have you come over more often!"

He kept chuckling as he pressed the stencil down onto the inner part of her right forearm, where it left behind a beautiful rose.

"This position ok?"

"Ah, it's just like I imagined it! Yes."

Anticipation was now the predominant emotion displayed on her face.

"Well then, let's get started, right?" Natsu grinned.

"Y-yeah!"

Lucy found herself leaning forward as he got out the tattoo machine. With a spray, that was used to cool the skin, he explained, he covered the sketch one last time.

Lucy noticed she was holding her breath, and inhaled deeply as the last preparations were completed.

"This this your first time, right?"

"Yeah."

"Don't worry, it's really not so bad. I'll give you a quick prick so you know how it will feel, okay?"

"Okay."

Slowly, he brought the needle closer to her skin, and a low buzz filled the air as he turned it on. Then he put it down, and the girl flinched.

Lucy flinched simultaneously, her heart beating into her throat as she watched the girl's face slip for a split second. Oh dear.

Her eyes moved to Natsu, and she found him in a state of total concentration.

That was right. He'd said she would see him work.

He was entirely absorbed as the needle moved across her skin, leaving behind a trail of black that he wiped away from time to time. Lucy, too, forgot the time as she followed the lines that appeared out of nothing, mesmerized by the process.

This was his very own kind of magic.

He created art. Art that would remain forever.

The girl, whose name was Charlotte as she had discovered, kept the edge of the chair in an iron grip with her left, scrunching up her face from time to time.

"Almost done," Natsu mumbled.

He had kept telling her what he was doing, from lineart to shading, and Lucy had not once been able to look away. What minutes ago had been blotches of ink had now indeed turned into a beautiful rose.

In her own heart, a decision bloomed.

It had grown roots for a long time now, but had still been too weak to dig its way out before today. But she could imagine it now; could picture it before her mind's eye.

Her own tattoo.