So, I was thinking about changing the title to 'The Chances' but since the story's almost done, there's kinda no point. TC it is! I was also thinking of changing the rating, but I checked on the uncompleted NaLu Friendship fics, and I'M IN THE TOP THREE. I'M IN THIRD PLACE. Do you know how happy that makes me! YAY! Now let's aim for the top!
Natsu enfolded Lucy's hand in his and slowly dragged her off the stage; not that there wasn't any resistance. Igneel's jaw had fallen to the floor, Wendy was mildly surprised, Grandine was smiling, and Metalicana and his kids were wondering just what in the hell was going on. Sure, they heard of Spirit the bandit, but this puny golden-blonde girl was her? And just why did Natsu just ask her to be his wife?
They were so confused.
Natsu sat down, pulling Lucy beside him onto the chair, ignoring the strange, bewildered looks he got from Sting, Yukino, and Gajeel. Rogue had left for... somewhere. The bandit's cheeks were crimson red, and she was looking down at the floor, mouth opened slightly like she wanted to say something but couldn't. She wondered why her throat just went so dry.
"N-Natsu, what the hell did you just do?" Lucy was just as befuddled as everyone else was. Her thoughts were too scrambled to make any sense of them. Natsu pulled her close in an embrace.
"I didn't like those other girls. Not as much as I liked you. You're a bandit and when I thought you were gone it was like the sun was taken away. Everything I saw reminded me of you and it made me feel sick. But then I smelled you hiding and I asked Freed to put up some Runes so I could get you in the open." He told her, beaming widely.
It took a few seconds for Lucy to speak. "W-Well... it was elaborate... you were the person who stopped where I was hiding." She said, unable to say anything else. She could feel the blood rushing to her face, it was so hot.
"So... do you say yes?" he asked, looking down at the girl his arms were wrapped around.
Lucy smiled back slightly, her face hidden in his chest. He patted her back hard; she was almost tipped off the chair. She growled in response and punched him hard. He really did fall off the seat and crumpled in a heap on the floor. "Y-Yes!" she stammered. "O-Of course! I-I lo—..." She cut herself off, looking beside her.
Only then did she notice that the loud noise of the Dragon Slayer hitting the ground caught everyone's attention. She flushed a bright red, picking Natsu up and putting him on the chair sloppily. Igneel was glaring at her.
"S-Sorry! Nothing to see here..!" She stammered, wanting them to look back at the stage. Natsu smiled cheekily, already a huge red bump appearing on his forehead.
Lucy and Michelle fidgeted, biting lips hard trying to stay in their seats while Igneel stared at them. Lucy sat in the middle, still wearing the dress she stole, Michelle to her right and a calm Natsu to her left, and in front of her a fierce Dragon Slayer who previously wanted to imprison the bandits. Now, Igneel didn't know what to think.
Natsu had dragged Lucy to the side where the Dragon princes were supposed to sit with their chosen brides, before any of the adults had the chance to speak. They had continued, but quite awkwardly. The event was done and over with, people had gone home, and it was time for Igneel to question...
Just what the hell was going on.
So he asked. "What in the hell is going on?" he demanded. Grandine put a hand on his arm to calm him down. Wendy sat behind them.
Natsu spoke up bravely. "I love Lucy and chose her to be my wife." The bandit blushed crimson at his words, looking down at the floor in embarrassment. Igneel's eye narrowed.
"Lucy?"
Natsu blinked. "That's her real name. Not Spirit." He explained for her, shooting her a smile. Lucy smiled back, but only just. Her face was burning in mortification. She was surrounded by all the Dragneel's, She only had her Keys, placed under her dress, so she was sure that she couldn't reach them before one of the family torched her or blew her away, Michelle was beside her, as helpless as she was—
It was like her worst nightmare.
But she didn't feel as terrible as she thought she would have felt. Natsu was there beside her, so that made everything alright. She blushed a little at the thought. Michelle gave her a mischievous grin, knowing her well enough to know what she was thinking, looking over to the side slightly.
"Tell me the events of what happened since now, because I'm sure we are all very, very confused." Grandine smiled slightly, sending them a wink behind Igneel's back. Lucy frowned, wondering that that meant.
"It kinda started when you told me I was being forced to get married and I left—" Natsu, Lucy, and Michelle explained the story, Natsu saying the most of it, with Michelle piping in every so often, and Lucy barely saying anything from mortification. What if Igneel didn't agree with them? He would throw them in jail, lock them up, and... the bandit didn't even want to know.
Almost as soon as Natsu finished, someone burst through the doors. The people inside the room spun around to look at them. "IGNEEL LUCY ISN'T A BAD PERSON DON'T—" Lisanna stopped, realizing there was no struggle or anything of the sort to yell over. She flushed a bit, and Mira came in after her. Elfman, waiting patiently outside, poked his head through the open door.
"Hello, Strauss family. I take it that Elfman was never sick?" Igneel huffed.
Mira smiled. "Nope. Just an excuse so Elfman could watch Michelle at home."
"Which we're going to have a talk about when we get back." Lucy growled, sending a threatening glance at the two. They swallowed, and even the manly Elfman seemed to shrink.
"What makes you say you're going home?" Igneel inquired. It took two seconds to comprehend. Lucy put a hand over Michelle, Natsu and Lisanna covered Lucy. Mira gasped in the background, and Elfman's eyebrows scrunched up together. Even Wendy, who had remained quiet until now, moved around the desk and covered the bandit with her tiny arms stretched out.
"Even you, Wendy?" Igneel seemed surprised. He never knew his daughter was in on this. He shook it off. "But as much as Natsu want to marry her, people simply would not accept a princess as someone who once stole from them." He pointed out. He simply couldn't see it.
"I don't care." Natsu growled, covering Lucy protectively.
"But—"
"Protect what is dear to you with your life; I don't care about her past, I love her. She is dear to me, and Dad, I won't let you past me if you're planning to tear us apart." Igneel seemed impressed. With the dangerous, protective look in his son's eyes, he reconsidered. Natsu ever looked like this, even in a fight.
Igneel had seen that look only once before in his life. A band of thieves had attacked Dragneel castle, and one of the bandit's tried to hurt Natsu's little sister. The look in his eyes was similar. Something dark and dangerous and promising that he would pound you to the ground if you even touched a hair on a person's head.
The older Dragon Slayer thought, for what felt like a long time.
"I'm proud of you son." Igneel started. Natsu faltered for a split second before resuming his glaring. He wouldn't let Lucy go, not again. No matter what his father said.
"I suppose if you love this girl that much, I can't stop you... You've always been stubborn anyways." The pink-haired Dragon Slayer blinked, but then his face stretched into a grin when he understood. He spun around, barreling into Lucy and hugging her tightly, making them both fall back onto the ground. Lucy 'omphed,' wincing when her butt hit the floor, but giggled when Natsu nuzzled her neck happily.
He kissed her fiercely, and Lucy pressed back with just as much effort. The room filled with clapping. She looked up in surprise. Mira, Lisanna, Elfman, Igneel, Grandine, Wendy, and little Michelle started clapping loudly. Lucy beamed as Natsu picked himself up, sitting on the floor beside her, keeping his arm around her waist. Lucy's eyes filled with tears, but they were happy ones.
She had friends, she had a family, Michelle was finally safe, and the best part, she had someone she could put her absolute faith in. Lucy looked beside her, wiping water from her eyes, smiling brightly as Natsu was. She loved him, with all her heart.
It was the best day of her life.
Lucy wrinkled her nose at the room. "I still can't believe you sleep here." She said, looking around at Natsu's room littered with junk. The boy smiled sheepishly, both already in their pajamas.
"I don't clean it much." He admitted. Lucy bent down, lifting up an old shirt that looked small enough for a toddler lying on the floor. Her eyes widened and she dropped it quickly. She had never seen something growing that shade of purple before. And gosh, did it smell.
"Are you sure this isn't a safety hazard?" The ex-bandit inquired, watching carefully where she stepped. "Your room is a total mess." She nearly squealed when her foot landed beside a mouldy piece of half-eaten bread.
Natsu paused, thinking for a moment. "You wanna know what, what about we just go to the room you were sleeping in for the competition? I think my bed's too small for both of us anyways." He pointed out. Lucy nodded quickly and gratefully, tiptoeing past the garbage and exiting the room as fast as she could. Their hands folded in each others; it was the perfect fit, and they walked together until they reached Lucy's old space. Lucy giggled when she saw the hole Natsu blew in the door, still not fixed yet.
Seeing the bed, Lucy yawned loudly, realizing just how tired she was. Natsu chuckled, looking over at her. "Tired?" he teased. She nodded, flumping down on the bed in a heap. The Dragon Slayer smiled and moved to the other side, lifting the blanket so he could slip in. He lifted Lucy easily, tucking her in next to him.
She opened her eyes sleepily. "I love you, Natsu." She told him. He wrapped him arms around her, tucking her in close, breathing in her scent. She honestly did have a nice one. Like vanilla and lilacs.
He smiled.
"I love you too." Lucy entwined her legs with his; lifting her head to kiss him sweetly, before her head fell slightly and she pulled herself closer to him. Natsu brushed some hair tickling her nose; it was twitching like a rabbit's. His chest rumbled in a chuckle, and finally, he lowered his head, kissed her forehead, and his eyes closed.
Phoo! Finally got that aside. I'm pretty sure you guys aren't happy with the late updates. Sorry, I'm a Halloween-crazy girl. I make my costume almost every year. (Epic Quadsuits for the win!) I promise, after Halloween, I'll go back to regular updates. :3
REVIEWS! (Gosh I love you guys. THIRD IN REVIEWS! when I found out I bounced around my house screaming. Seriously.) Thank you UnicornGirl25, CamoGirl14, LiLyRoSe, Guest, Jettstar, Dogs paw burning in hot ash, Fairy-tail's-dragon, ElodieKumari, LyricsGirl, 1fairytaillover, Elie-Glory, Sofia3, TheGrammarQueen, and PrettyKitty! Hearts to all! 3
Metorite103: AWHH! Thank you so much! The plot idea kinda came to me randomly, actually. I didn't like the idea of Lucy being 'a weak whiny blonde,' and I kinda wanted to make fun of Natsu by making him a prince and sticking him out like a sore thumb. XD it worked, and people seem to like it. Thanks so much for reviewing!
Ilovecherrypie: Thanks! I was estatic when I found out my story was in third place for uncompleted reviewed stories. I FEEL ACCOMPLISHED. XD
Hikari: actually, I've recently started to ship Sting/Meredy, after a forum that I started RPing in. It's the only crack pairing I ship, and I know it's weird. I also ship StiKino, but I've grown fond of StiEredy, weird I know. SPEAK WOMAN/MAN SPEAK!
SnowDragonSlayerTasha: D-DONT CRY! Here, here's an update!
Fallen Angel 128: HMMM... I want... lemon meringue pie... mmm... *starts dreaming about desserts* yummm...