Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. Please heed my Trigger Warning in Chapter 1, Beginnings.
A/N: I had today off so I spent a big chunk of today neglecting errands to write the third chapter instead. I'm so happy so many people are enjoying this story! Thank you guys, every single one!
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That voice. My breath hitched in my throat causing an annoying hiccup sound to escape my lips. Instinctively, I pulled my bedspread up to my chin.
Natsu Dragneel barged into my room, clutching an overly full backpack in his arms. His goofy grin plastered on his face, eyes squinted in my direction. Loke followed behind him with a scowl, looking over Natsu's shoulder and into my eyes questioningly.
I opened my mouth to kick the dragon slayer out, to yell at him and force him to leave. But something made me change my mind. I visibly relaxed, my shoulders falling in defeat as Natsu propped himself on the edge of my bed, tossing the contents of his pack onto the sheets. This was my best friend. He wouldn't ever hurt me. I allowed a smile to ghost across my lips. "I'll summon you if I need you, Loke," I said.
Leo looked like he was about to protest until he looked into my visibly calmed eyes. He shoved his glasses up his nose with one finger and nodded briefly. "Don't hesitate." With that, the spirit left, vanishing back into the celestial world.
Natsu was busy organizing takeout containers in a shrine over my bed. "Natsu!" I chirped, slightly startled. "What are you doing?!"
"Huh? I'm just setting up our food." He retrieved two pairs of metal chop sticks from his bag and extended one to me, grinning from ear to ear.
I slunk down, guiltily. "I-I'm not hungry, Natsu."
The dragon slayer shrugged, gingerly placing my utensils over my legs. "Whatever, Luc'! More for me!" He reached out and grabbed the nearest box. As he lifted the lid away a delicious aroma hit my nose. My stomach growled in protest. Apparently my body was hungry, even if I was not. The pink haired male inhaled the steam then visibly licked his lips before attacking the contents.
"It'sh good, Lush," he garbled through a mouth of food, spraying particles across my sheets.
Ugh, gross! "Natsu!" I whined, reaching over to push him. A grin spread across my lips and I made contact with his arm, tipping him sideways off my bed. He hit the floor with a loud clunk; somehow his food container remained upright.
I couldn't help it. My body hurt all over. I was exhausted from crying the day away. My soul ached. I was terrified of everything. Nervous that I'd never be okay ever again. But I couldn't help the erratic laugh that escaped from my throat at the look on Natsu's face, staring up at me from his position on the ground. I couldn't control it. I guffawed; tears pricking once more at the corners of my eyes. These tears, however, came from my merriment. I laughed until my sides hurt, my muscles stitching all across my abdomen. I clutched at my stomach, at the bruises from my assault and continued my hysterics.
Natsu watched me, bewildered. My mood was contagious because after a few moments, he began to chuckle too. He drooped his head in shame as his entire body shook with amusement.
I'm not sure how long we stayed like that. All I know is that when we finally had regained our breath his eyes were burning into me and his smile was a thin, concerned line.
"Lucy," he murmured, setting his takeout to the side. I flinched, grasping once more at my covers. "Lucy, I'm not sure what's going on," as he said that he shifted his eyes to the side. I couldn't help but wonder that he was maybe stretching the truth. He rose onto his knees, leaning against my bedframe. Slowly, he lifted his hand over to mine. He brushed his rough, callused fingers over my pink tattoo. As he grazed over my knuckles, an involuntary shudder ran through my body. "I'm here for you. I'll never leave your side. You're my best friend."
His smile brightened my soul and I turned my palm over to squeeze his hand. "Thank you, Natsu," I whispered meekly. A faint blush caressed my cheeks.
"You're hungry, let's eat." He jumped back onto my bed, crossing his legs and facing me.
Reluctantly, I nodded. "Alright."
The dragon slayer smirked triumphantly and handed me a cardboard container. We ate in silence for a few moments, both of us looking down at our food. "Natsu?" I finally questioned.
"Mm?"
"Why is your backpack so full?" He eyed me curiously for a moment and then jammed a hunk of food into his mouth, ignoring the question. I felt my blood shoot with annoyance. "Natsu?" I growled.
He took his time chewing, all the while I stared him down. "Well," he finally began, "You see… Happy's been spending a ton of time with Carla and Wendy lately. My house is feeling kinda empty. Lonely, ya know?"
I watched him with narrowed eyes.
"So. I figured I'd stay here for a while!"
"Natsu!" I protested. "You can't just invite yourself to live with me! This is not the way that the world works. No, absolut—"
"I'll pay the entirety of the rent, of course," he added simply, cutting me off midsentence.
Oh. Rent. I hadn't thought of rent after everything… I couldn't take any jobs. I was too weak. I didn't think I could even leave my apartment again. I clenched my teeth together. "Okay… But Natsu, we need to lay down some ground rules." I took a deep breath, clearing the empty containers off my bed to be thrown away after our conversation.
"Yeah?" he asked, genuinely listening to me.
My eyebrow twitched. "Privacy is important to me. If I want to be alone, you need to let me be alone. No barging into locked doors. Do not leave a mess. Dirty laundry goes in the hamper, not on the bathroom floor. If you spill something, clean it up. No setting fire—to anything."
He nodded as I spoke, smiling slightly. "Okay," he answered when I was done.
"Okay?" I questioned, taken aback.
"Okay. Deal."
I blinked and cocked an eyebrow up, it disappeared into my blonde bangs. "Why was that so easy?" I dreaded the answer.
"They seem like good rules, Luc'. Of course I'll agree to them. But—" Great, I knew there was a catch. "I have some conditions too." I let out a sigh, determined to listen to him just as he had respected and listened to me. "I know something is wrong. Talk to me about it when you're ready. If you're ever ready. We'll just go ahead and say that I realize something is eating at you, so please don't try to hide that you're hurting. If you need to cry, cry. I'll be a shoulder for you to lean on. I'm here to listen when you're ready or just give comfort."
He let out a breath, talking rather quickly. His words caused my cheeks to burn and I guiltily started to nibble on my lip. Natsu continued, "You have to stay healthy. I won't let you waste away." He lifted a finger as I began to open my mouth, silencing me. "Let me finish," he warned and I knew better than to challenge him. "You will not sit in this bed for the rest of your life, Lucy Heartfilia. When I feel you're ready, we will accept a mission. It can be just us two, or we can bring along the rest of the gang. That can be your decision. You're not going to blot Fairy Tail out of your life. You know just as well as I do that no one will let that happen. Mira would go Satan soul on your ass," he smirked wickedly at me and I couldn't help but smile.
"Mm, okay," I whispered weakly, moisture threatening my eyes once more. "It sounds like a deal to me."
I didn't want to admit it but I was overjoyed that Natsu would remain by my side. I didn't want to be alone and I knew that Loke couldn't stay out of the Celestial Spirit world forever. Outside my window, the stars winked down at us. Muffled voices crept through the glass as citizens of Magnolia began to retire for the evening. I considered telling Natsu about everything that had transpired but decided against it when I felt a rush of pain shoot from between my legs and course over the rest of my body.
Suddenly panicked, I tore out of the bed. "I-I need to take a shower!" I cried, sprinting into the bathroom. The door slammed behind me and I pressed my back against the wood, shaking like a leaf. I felt the man touching me, his tongue sliding over my neck. Tears freely streaked down my cheeks.
The water scolded my flesh as I let it cascade over me. I rubbed at my skin viciously with a loofa, burning away the taint of that monster's touch. I stayed under the spray until I began to lose hot water. The chill started to reach my spine and just as I was about to switch the spout off, it suddenly turned blistering again. Natsu.
That man had warmed up the water heater. I rolled my eyes. There he was, already breaking the rules and setting my apartment on fire. Well, I couldn't complain about this. I smiled as I leaned against the tile in the shower, fidgeting with my finger nails.
After I had turned into a giant, pale prune I decided it was time to get out. I wiped the steam away from my mirror and looked at the woman staring back at me. I wrapped my blonde hair into a towel and stepped back, taking in the entirety of myself. The bruises on my arms were starting to get a sickly yellow aura around them. My thighs were still a deep, ugly purple where he'd dug his fingers into my skin. My elbows were skinned. These injuries would heal. As my right hand lifted between my breasts, feeling the trumpeting of my heart, I sighed. I wasn't sure if it would ever heal.
I'd been far too emotional today. I was drained, weak. I couldn't force anymore tears. I couldn't even let the rage build inside my chest. I heaved myself into warm pajamas and left my hair to air dry.
Outside the bathroom, Natsu was cleaning up. My jaw nearly hit the floor. Not only had the dragon slayer thrown out the trash and wiped clean any mess, he'd changed the sheets on my bed and dusted my vanity. "Oi', there ya are. Was scared you'd dissolved in there," he said with a grin.
I stared at him, speechless. My feet moved before I made the connection to what I was doing. I threw myself into his arms, burying my face into his chest. He smelled of campfires and cinnamon and I breathed in the perfume of my best friend as more tears found their way to escape my eyes. "L-Lucy?!" he gaped, gently running his hand over my soggy hair. "What's wrong?!"
"T-thank you," I sobbed.
I felt the rumble in his chest before I heard his chuckle escape his throat. "Lucy, there's nothing to thank me for," he crooned honestly.
"No. There is so much to thank you for," I argued, stepping back from him and wiping my eyes with my sleeves.
He chose not to dispute with me, instead he just shrugged. "It's late. Let's get some sleep, okay?"
I nodded in agreement and climbed into my bed. He hovered outside of my door for a few moments, watching me in the dark. "I'll be right over on the couch if you need me," he finally said before quietly padding away.
I was out like a light the moment my head hit the pillow, physically drained.
The smell of meat sizzling startled me awake. I groaned loudly and propped myself up onto my elbows. My head was slamming and my eyes were terribly sore but my stomach rumbled in annoyance. Light cascaded onto my sheets and I briefly wondered what time it was. One look at the digital clock on the nightstand told me it was 10:39 in the morning and that I'd been sleeping for a very long time.
Outside my room I heard faint whispers of conversation. I strained to pick out the voices that were coming from my kitchen. Laughter assaulted my ears.
"Oi'! Shuddup, Lucy is sleeping." That was Natsu.
"Oops, sorry." Happy, of course. I grinned, that silly little blue cat.
"It's about time that she got up, don't you think?" Another voice? Who was that? I frowned.
"She's not feeling well," Natsu defended me.
"Well sitting in bed isn't going to fix it," the other voice grumbled again and I recognized it. Erza Scarlet.
"I'm almost done with breakfast, so I'm sure she'll be up momentarily." That chipper voice belonged to Levy McGard—no—Redfox, my closest female friend.
That was a lot of company. My stomach churned. I knew Erza wouldn't let me stay in bed and I definitely wasn't going to discuss my rape with anyone. I had to face the music and count on Natsu to be my backbone and monitor my emotions and save me if I needed him to.
Reluctantly, I swung my legs out of the sheets and pulled my robe on over my pajamas. I looked into my vanity and pulled my hair back into a lazy lopsided bun. "Here goes," I whispered, encouraging myself.
I shuffled my slippers over the wooden floor and followed the aroma of breakfast into my kitchen where my friends were conversing warmly.
"Good morning, guys," I said.
"Well good morning, sleeping beauty," Erza teased.
"Lu-chan!" Levy giggled, waving a spatula at me.
A mass of blue fur launched from my counter top and clung to my neck. "Luuuucccyyy!" Happy cried into my chest. "I was so scared you were gonna die," Happy blubbered, overdramatic and obnoxious and usual. I chortled kindly, patting his soft head.
"I'm still here."
"Yes, you are," Natsu said. I turned and felt his gaze penetrating my soul, silently questioning my state of mind, questioning if I was okay with my friends being here. I smiled to answer his soundless query and sat on the bar stool beside him, placing the Exceed in my lap as I continued to stroke the pads of my fingers over his fur.
Once more, I wondered if maybe Natsu knew more than what he was letting on.
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A/N: I hope you enjoyed the third installment of But a Thorn. If you have a second, please shoot me a review or a comment! I really love the feedback and criticism!
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