A/N: Hey guys! Sorry the update took longer than usual. My life is seriously busy right now. This story has really been gaining in popularity! Reviews, Follows, and Favorites have pretty much doubled overnight. I'm so glad people are getting into this story. I'd like to thank my lovely beta, fairytailcelestialmage, for editing this chapter. It's so much better than it would've been without her. This is my longest chapter yet! I hope y'all enjoy it. :)
Lucy was acting weird. This, of course, was nothing out of the normal. Natsu had only known her for a little more than a week, but he'd already deduced that Lucy Heartfilia was a weirdo. She was just so prim and proper- and entirely too bashful for a girl with curves so dangerous and lips so tantalizing. And the fact that she'd invaded his sleep every night for the past four days didn't exactly help any argument that she was at all normal.
When Natsu hit puberty, things had started getting weird. This, of course, sounds completely normal. But instead of acne and a growing discomfort with his own body, Natsu started having all of these weird dragon-puberty-symptoms. Like being able to tell if a girl was a virgin by the way she smelled (looks like those myths about sacrificing maidens weren't total bullshit). He developed a new timber in his voice that made it possible for him to growl. Like, literally growl as if he was a bear or something. But the weirdest would probably be the recurring nightmare he had where a dragon burned down Magnolia.
Every night he'd dream that he was supposed to slay the beast, and every morning he'd wake up right before he became the monster's dinner. Since meeting Lucy, however, the dreams had changed. He knew that his role had changed. Never before had anyone been in his dreams except for the dragon and himself. But Lucy's appearance had made it clear that he wasn't merely a fighter. He was a defender. This infuriating girl that refused to leave his side gave him the feeling that he was supposed to protect her.
So, no. Lucy being a strange paradox in his little world wasn't something particularly unusual. But when she showed up to school on Friday, she was… different. Lucy was dazed during first period, with Natsu having to nudge her side during role call after the teacher called her name three times. It seemed like she was completely unable to focus, squirming around and fidgeting in her seat.
After this went on for a while, Natsu put a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. But, to his astonishment, she practically jumped out of her seat, looking way too flustered and embarrassed in response to such an innocent touch. She apologized soon after, although Natsu was positive that she did nothing wrong. Something was definitely bothering her- even if she didn't show it. He only hoped that she would be back to normal by lunch. But, of-fucking-course, she wasn't.
"Is Lucy okay," Gray whispered to Natsu, watching Lucy as she sat across the lunch table, looking totally zoned out, with her normally bright eyes hazy and food on her plate left untouched. Natsu looked grim, feeling uneasy about her abnormal demeanor.
"She's been like this all morning. I can't figure out what's wrong with her."
"I can hear you, you know…." she murmured from across the table, squeezing her eyes shut and then opening them before focusing her full attention on Natsu.
"I'm fine. Really," Lucy insisted, giving Natsu a smile that was a fraction too wide to be genuine. His eyes narrowed, looking down at her lunch tray.
"It's probably because you're not eating," he pointed out. Her eyes widened in a sort of realization.
"You're... You're right. That's why I'm- I should eat."
Gray and Natsu only grew more confused when, despite her apparent epiphany, she still didn't touch her food. Natsu sighed before leaning in closer and trying again.
"Um, Lucy? Am I gonna have to feed you," he asked jokingly, poking her arm. He expected an eye roll or an indignant comeback, but- to his shock- she fell out of her seat. Like, literally.
Her face was bright red, and he could hear her heartbeat going a hundred miles an hour. Natsu clamored over and tried to help her up, but she quickly jumped up and gathered her stuff to leave.
"You and I, we, couldn't- Not that I don't want... I have to go. To the library. I'll see you guys at Mira's party. Bye."
And she was off. Natsu watched her go with his mouth open, no sound coming out. Suddenly, Gray burst out laughing, smirking at Natsu like he knew something Natsu didn't. Natsu growled, growing defensive.
"What's so funny, Ice Prick?"
"Nothing. You're just an idiot, that's all."
"Why you-"
"Boys," Erza said calmly as she sat down. "I do hope that you two aren't having a conflict I'd need to settle."
"Argh! I'm leaving. I've gotta see Macao about a special assignment," Natsu muttered, glowering in Gray's direction before leaving the table. Erza eyed his retreating figure with worry.
"What happened?"
"I think," Gray said with a grin. "That Natsu has a crush. And she might just be crazy enough to like him back."
No, no, no. I cannot seriously consider having sex with Natsu. Lucy paced back and forth in her room, trying to get her mind straight. She'd been hot and bothered all day, the feeling only intensifying when Natsu had joked about feeding her. If only he knew what he'd said so innocently meant to her.. And now the idea of the two of them (together) was flooding her brain and driving her crazy- in more ways than one.
Lucy's skin was practically buzzing with the need to be touched, too heated and sensitive for her to properly function. Those brief, friendly touches from Natsu had felt entirely too good to be healthy. And the warmth building in her lower stomach had to be dangerous. These sensations were overwhelming and problematic and- Oh God, she's gonna be late for the party.
In a frenzy, Lucy called a taxi, seeing as the Strauss siblings lived all the way across town with their parents. She could barely sit still on the way there, her smile wide and eyes bright. But the excitement bubbling in her stomach soon turned to uneasiness when she saw the house. The large estate (mansion, really) held a striking resemblance to her home. It's not your home anymore, Lucy, she told herself. You ran away. She couldn't help the sick feeling that swirled in her gut as she approached the front door. She took a soothing breath before knocking, trying to calm herself down.
"Lucy," Mira cried as she opened the door. "I'm so glad you made it! Come on in, and- Are you wearing your school uniform?"
"Uh," Lucy stammered, embarrassed. "Yeah. I don't really have any other clothes."
The only clothes she packed when she ran away were jeans, t-shirts, and the single dress she'd worn to the fake Salamander's party- which was totally ruined after maneuvering through wet, dirty alleyways in it. Lucy avoided Mira's eyes, not wanting to see the pity there. Never before this moment had she felt ashamed in this way. In that moment, it dawned on her that she'd never had so few worldly possessions.
"You know," Mira began, voice warm and thoughtful. "I get so many clothes from my modeling jobs that I can hardly fit them in my closet anymore. I've been meaning to get rid of some, but all the thrift stores are so far away..."
"I couldn't possibly-" Lucy said, waving her hands back and forth.
"Please," Mira insisted. "You'd be doing me a favor. Let's get you changed and enjoy this party!"
Mirajane grabbed Lucy's hand and pulled her along, waving to Erza from across the room. The three went up the stairs to Mira's room, closing the door behind them. Erza gave Mira a look of confusion as she tugged at Lucy's shirt before her eyes sparkled in realization.
"Are we," Erza asked, voice trembling in excitement. "Giving Lucy a makeover?"
"Yep," Mira replied, popping the 'p'. Erza squealed and ran into Mirajane's walk-in closet, undoubtedly eager to get her hands on Mira's pretty dresses. Lucy gave a surprised laugh.
"Erza looks excited."
"She loves fashion," Mira explained. "I swear her wardrobe is bigger than mine."
"What color," Erza called from somewhere in Mira's enormous closet.
"Um, pink," Lucy called back hesitantly.
Erza gave a sound of approval, emerging a few minutes later with armfuls of pink dresses. Lucy's eyes widened, having expected only two or three to choose from. Mira guided Lucy to the mirror while Erza held dress after dress up to Lucy's curvy frame.
When Erza began to pull the fifth dress away in exchange for the next, Lucy stopped her, entranced. The white polka dots, the halter straps and sweetheart neckline sent a rush of deja vu ricocheting through her body. It looked like one of her mother's dresses- her mother's favorite dress.
"Can I- Can I wear this one?"
"Of course," MiraJane said, pulling the dress off the hanger. "I'm surprised that you picked that dress; there are other ones that are flashier."
"It looks like one my mother used to wear," Lucy said absently, taking off her uniform and pulling the polka dot dress on. Erza swept aside Lucy's hair while Mira zipped the back up. Lucy anxiously squeezed her eyes shut, biting her bottom lip and praying that it zipped all the way.
As glorified as her boobs were, they usually prevented the clothes she liked from fitting. When Mira had the zipper pulled up to the top, Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. But when she opened her eyes, the breath was almost knocked out of her.
"Fits like a glove," Mira glowed, smoothing down a layer of tulle beneath the dress's flirty skirt. "I swear that dress was made for you."
In this dress, Lucy was the spitting image of her mother. And for the first time in a long while, she felt unbelievably beautiful. Erza pulled the clip from Lucy's hair, letting her tresses fall around her face in golden waves. Lucy's eyes stung, and she looked up in an attempt to keep the tears from spilling over.
"Are you okay," Mira gasped upon seeing Lucy's glassy eyes, worried.
"Yeah," Lucy reassured, nodding as she dabbed at her eyes. "Thank you."
After the tears were dried and Erza had (rather aggressively) coated Lucy's lashes with another layer of mascara, the girls descended the stairs to join the party. Lucy saw all of the curious glances that turned her way, along with whispers of "transfer", "new girl", "Who's that?". This time, however, being the center of attention didn't bother her. Parties and lovely dresses were her natural element, after all.
Mira pushed Lucy towards the kitchen with a sly smirk, telling her to fetch a drink and enjoy the table full of snacks. It was evident as soon as Lucy entered the kitchen, however, that food and beverage were not what Mira had really intended for Lucy to partake in. Natsu was leaned up against the counter with a Fanta in hand when their gazes met.
Her eyes roamed over him, taking in his distressed jeans and worn tennis shoes and the way he had the sleeves of his hoodie pushed up to his elbows. She was hypnotized by the tanned skin of his exposed forearms and the tendons that flexed just beneath the surface. He looked positively scrumptious. Her attention snapped back to reality when Natsu dropped his can of soda, drenching the kitchen floor and the bottoms of his jeans in orange liquid.
"Oh my gosh," Lucy gasped, grabbing a huge wad of napkins and rushing to help him clean up. Natsu stuttered an apology, dropping down on the floor to help her.
Lucy blushed at his proximity, feeling his body heat warm her skin. Flashes of her earlier fantasies (Not fantasies, Lucy told herself) clouded her mind, and she cursed the succubus hunger that was messing with her mind.
When the floor was clean and the napkins were soggy and heavy with liquid, Lucy looked up to say something to Natsu. Whatever it was that she'd wanted to say was forever forgotten, though.
Natsu's face was startlingly close to hers, and his eyes. Gods, they were just so mesmerising. They were making her bones feel like jello. He looked equally surprised to see their faces so near. But he didn't move away, and Lucy could've sworn his eyes trailed down to peek at her lips for the briefest of moments. Lucy's skin tingled where their noses brushed, sending blood rushing to her cheeks. Her hands fisted in her skirt, and she tried to physically restrain herself from acting on this foreign feeling. The buzzing in her skin and the curling of her toes could not be a good thing- not when it felt like her heart was about to jump out a plane without a parachute.
"Could the two of you please try to get through this party without infecting everyone with your sexual tension," a gruff voice teased behind them. They whirled around to find Levy and Gajeel giving them shit-eating grins.
Traitors, Lucy scowled.
"We were just cleaning up a mess," Natsu defended, voice loud and face on fire. Gajeel snickered.
"I'm sure you two'll make all sorts of messes that need cleaning."
"Why you-" Natsu growled, gritting his teeth and swinging at Gajeel, who only ducked and escaped to the living room. Natsu followed after, looking to get a few punches in. Levy giggled.
"You two sure are getting close," she grinned. Lucy blushed.
"It's not what it looked like," Lucy pleaded.
"Well, that's good. Because it looked like you two were about to confess your love and run away to Crocus to elope."
"Levy," Lucy whined, face hot. "Can you please stop teasing! It's nothing like that."
"But it's so much fun," Levy laughed, poking Lucy's cheek. Lucy was about to huff a response when she heard an announcement from Mira carry through the house.
"Who's ready for some TRUTH OR DARE?"
Cheers resounded through the halls in response, everybody rushing to join in. However, Lucy felt her stomach drop- and with good reason. Mira's games were said to be extremely risqué at times. And in her current state, only God could help her.
"Here at FAEA, we make everything a competition," Mira began, giving her usual pre-game speech. "Even Truth or Dare. And there can only be one winner for this game. Last year's winner, raise your hand."
Natsu rolled his eyes as Meredy waved her hand in the air, beaming with pride. The girl was an empath, able to feel others' emotions and even link herself to people. He was convinced that she cheated last year- no way would he have been beaten otherwise. Meredy insisted that using your powers wasn't against the rules, but Natsu still wasn't convinced.
"So, here are the rules: One. People are chosen by spinning this bottle," Mira said, lifting an empty bottle of Corona (courtesy of Cana). "Two. If you decline a dare, you're out. Three. If you lie when you're supposed to tell the truth, you're out. Four. You cannot dare someone to do anything that might physically harm them. Last man or woman standing is the winner, and the winner gets a prize. Any questions?"
"What's the prize," Gray called out, trying to decide if the game was worth the effort.
"Thirty 'Get Out of Jail Free' cards," Mira smirked, lifting a stack of hallpasses she'd swiped from Makarov's office. Gray gave a low whistle of appreciation, everyone in the room erupting into chatter.
"Now," Mira said, moving to sit in the circle. "Everyone incant your aura spell, and I'll start."
Natsu huffed before doing as Mira said, frustrated with the whole thing. He sucked at aura, and would much rather be off wrestling Elfman than playing this stupid game. All he saw after the spell took effect was a hazy blur of color. Like a lava lamp, the colors were constantly morphing and shifting, making his head dizzy. He could already feel a damned migraine coming on. He spent the next ten minutes staring at the wall while people around him were given stupid dares and asked stupid questions.
Max was dared to make out with Ultear's broom (he got a little too into it), and Erza was dared to perform a scene from Romeo & Juliet (she got stage fright and dropped out). Everyone found out that Rogue had apparently woken up naked on the lawn after every Change for the first year he'd been a werewolf and that Laxus was in love with Mira for two years before they actually started dating. BO-RING.
"Cana," Laxus said, crossing his arms. "Truth or dare?"
"Truth," Cana shrugged, taking chug of her whiskey.
"What were you and Bacchus doing during Junior prom," He said with a smirk, thinking he'd gotten her. But Cana is essentially impossible to embarrass.
"A better question would be 'What didn't we do'," Cana said with a smirk. And, to spite Laxus, she continued to go into such explicit detail about her night that three people forfeited the game in order to escape. Natsu looked over to see Lucy blushing a furious red, but she didn't leave. He grinned. That girl was secretly tough as nails, even though she looked like the damsel-in-distress type.
"And the next victim is…" The bottle slowed before landing on Levy. Cana grinned. "Levs, truth or dare?"
"Truth," Levy blurted out, fearful of what kind of dare Cana would give her.
"Did you read Fifty Shades of Grey," Cana asked, already knowing the answer.
"I… Fine! Y-Yes. I did," Levy said, covering her red face with her hands. Gajeel gave a sort of amusement.
"So that's why you wanted me to-"
"Shut up," Levy shrieked, grabbing the bottle and giving it a wicked spin. It spun out of control before finally landing on Lucy. The girl gulped, looking terrified.
"Lu-chan," Levy said, and evil grin spreading her lips. "Truth or dare?"
"Um," Lucy squirmed, looking ridiculously cute. (Stop calling her cute, Natsu scolded himself.) "Truth?"
"How many boys have you kissed?"
Natsu watched as Lucy completely blanched, her face going blank. Jesus Christ, Levy had broken her. He thought back to the one girl he'd kissed before. They'd broken up Sophomore year when she'd decided to study abroad in Edolas for the rest of high school. He hadn't thought about her in a while. Natsu wondered how she was doing as he munched on a bowl of chips. Maybe he should ask Mira? He focused his attention back on Lucy where she sat, still frozen. It's not that hard a question, is it?
"I- I don't know," she admitted, looking horribly embarrassed. Natsu choked on his snack while Cana gave a hearty laugh.
"Wow," Cana drawled. "That many?"
"No," Lucy yelled in defense, face flushed and eyes panicked. "I worked at a kissing booth once, and it was pretty popular. But my shift wasn't even that long! One of the guys I kissed passed out, and-"
"Passed out," Levy cried, alarmed. Gajeel only snickered.
"Your breath must've been awful," Natsu teased, enjoying the way her face almost glowed with embarrassment.
"Was not! My breath smells fine," She grit out. Natsu scrunched his nose in mock disgust.
"Don't open your mouth so wide. I can smell it from here," he joked, relishing how much he was irritating her. She growled (yes, actually growled) before swiping the Corona into a vicious spiral, done with his teasing.
"Meredy," Lucy said, still irked from Natsu's teasing. "Truth or Dare?"
"Dare," Meredy said confidently. That was, until she caught a hint of the emotion building up in Lucy. The grin on Meredy's face dropped, and Natsu heard Meredy's heartbeat speed up in fear of what Lucy would dare her to do. It soon enough became evident to the entire room that the blonde was out for blood.
"I dare you to link yourself to Juvia. For the rest of the game."
Natsu scrunched a brow, confused, while everyone around him gasped in terror. Juvia sat with her arms crossed, looking slightly offended. And Meredy was absolutely petrified. What was the big deal?
"You- You can't do this to me," Meredy cried.
"Hey," Juvia huffed. "This isn't very nice."
"Why's Meredy freaking out," He leaned over to ask Ultear, who was watching the whole ordeal with a smug grin.
"Juvia feels everything really strongly- you can tell just by reading her aura. When Meredy links up to someone, she feels all of their emotions in addition to her own. Staying linked to Juvia would be emotionally exhausting for anybody, especially if-"
Ultear cut off, trailing her eyes over to Gray. But Natsu got the point. As dense as he could be at times, he still picked up on the ridiculous crush that Juvia had on his best friend.
If Juvia was even half as into Gray as she appeared, Meredy would be in for a pretty interesting night. And it didn't help that Meredy still had some residual fear of Juvia from the brawl they got into Freshman year. Meredy had talked shit about Gray, and Juvia hadn't liked it one bit. One prompt ass-kicking later, Juvia had established herself as someone to be taken seriously. And no one dared speak ill of Gray again- except Natsu and Gajeel, that is.
"Link up. Now," Lucy said, voice threatening. "Or are you backing out?"
Steeling herself, Meredy stretched her wrist out and chanted a spell. Juvia hissed as a rune circled her wrist, scorching a temporary mark onto her skin. After the spell had done its work, Juvia gave Meredy a challenging look before pinching herself on the arm. Meredy squawked, rubbing her arm even though no sign of injury was there. She scowled at Juvia's humored expression before flicking her own nose, reminding Juvia that the link worked both ways.
Annoyed, Meredy spun the bottle. It spun around before landing on Natsu. Finally. He rubbed his hands together, already knowing what his choice would be. Hopefully he'd get to do something crazy and exciting so he could escape this endless boredom.
"Dare," He said eagerly, not even waiting for Meredy to pop the question.
"I dare you to… Massage my shoulders," Meredy said with a knowing grin. Natsu groaned in frustration. Meredy could read him way too well. That was how everyone had gotten him to drop the game last year- one boring-ass dare after another.
He moved to give Meredy a shoulder massage, huffing and puffing the whole time. Meredy sighed, stretching her neck. There was a reason she'd chosen a massage as her boring dare, after all. Natsu was known for awesome massages, due to his hands being so warm and strong. But, by God, you'd have to have some sort of leverage or dirt on him to get one. The only one who got massages regularly was Erza (with the help of a few death threats). As he worked his magic, Juvia sighed from across the room, feeling Natsu's massage through Meredy's link.
"Wow," she hummed, rolling her shoulders. "Natsu-san is good at these."
"I think that's enough," Gray cut in, face red and eyes so obviously filled with jealousy. "You're holding up the game."
Natsu shrugged before going to spin the bottle. It slowed, and for a moment it looked like it would land on Gajeel. Natsu grinned, wanting to give that motherfucker the craziest dare he could muster. But the bottle moved just a fraction more and wound up on Gray. Even better.
"Truth or dare, ice tits?"
"Dare," Gray growled, clearly not appreciating the nickname.
Natsu thought of all the potential dares he could give Gray, cycling through them in his head and holding on to the best ideas. It would have to embarrass the hell out of Gray (for Natsu's own personal pleasure), but it should also be something that affected the other players. Natsu aimed to win, after all. When the idea finally came to him, he gave an evil cackle, effectively making everyone in the room worry about Gray's fate. If this dare didn't make Gray forfeit, it would definitely make Meredy quit. Ah, revenge was sweet.
"I dare you to do a strip tease. For Juvia."
Gray gaped at him while Cana and Mirajane hunched over, clutching their stomachs from laughing too hard. Juvia looked like she'd just been handed a basket of puppies, and she looked at Natsu grateful eyes. He gave her a conspiratorial wink, and his grin only widened when he caught Lucy chuckling out of the corner of his eye. Meredy gaped at him, in a state of shock from the way things were turning out.
"So, Frostbite, are you just gonna sit there or-"
Natsu was interrupted when Gray's jacket smacked him in the face, having been flung passive aggressively in his direction. Everyone in the room (except Meredy) cheered, and Mira ran up to play music on her sound system. A low, heady beat filled the room, making the speakers tremble with the bass and the lamp shades rattle from the vibrations. Cana moved a chair to the front of the room, moving Juvia to sit down on it. Before stepping up to tackle his dare, Gray turned back to Natsu.
"I will destroy you for this."
"Shut up, and shake that ass," Natsu smirked, shoving him towards Juvia.
Juvia gulped as Gray started moving to the rhythm, gripping the fabric of her skirt for dear life. The girl looked like she was already about to pass out. Gray's confidence seemed to inflate upon seeing that Juvia looked positively overwhelmed. He made his way over to her, and Natsu had an errant thought about Gray being a surprisingly good dancer. When Gray was close enough to touch, he looked Juvia dead in the eye and smirked.
Oh, goodness. Juvia had ascended to heaven. That was it. She'd been a good girl (a very good girl, apparently), and this was her reward. Because there was no way this was real life. Only her wildest fantasies involved Gray getting naked for her. And only the kinkiest of those fantasies featured him giving her such a sinfully erotic look. Yes, this was nirvana. Only the burning sensation that seared her cheeks and the too-loud screams of her friends assured her that this was indeed happening.
Slowly, he reached for the back of his collar, pulled his t-shirt up inch by devastating inch. The taut skin that stretches over his abs made itself known, and Juvia felt a foreign heat pool in her stomach. This was dangerous. Juvia couldn't handle this. Was it always so damned hot in here?
"AGH," Meredy cried across the room, obviously hit by Juvia's emotions. She clutched her chest, trying to get the frantic beating of her heart and the fire in her cheeks under control. Meredy turned away from the scene, hoping it would weaken her and Juvia's emotional connection. But when she heard the telltale clink of Gray's belt, she knew all was lost.
"I give-"
Meredy cut off as a sort of haze crossed her face. And suddenly she was sprawled on floor, unconscious. Everyone freaked out, Ultear screaming for a medic, before realizing that Juvia was in a similar state. Gray was trying to shake Juvia awake, but she stayed in a blissful state of unconsciousness. At least she looked happy? Natsu felt a stab of pride. Two birds with one stone.
"Must've been an emotional overload," Mira said logically. Elfman picked the poor empath up, setting her down on the empty couch to recover. Gray followed suit, moving Juvia with a pitying look on his face.
"Juvia really wanted those hallpasses," Gray sighed. When he turned back to see Natsu giving that smug-ass grin, his resolve hardened. He would avenge Juvia.
Gray spun the bottle, praying that it would land on Natsu so he could make him pay. The dragon escaped Gray's wrath, unfortunately, when the bottle landed on someone else. Or did he? Gray took in the golden hair and wide brown eyes of his victim and thought that he still might have a chance to embarrass Natsu yet.
"Lucy," Gray said, expression cold and calculating. "Truth or dare?"
"Dare," Lucy half-asked, voice questioning. Her last truth had been so embarrassing that she probably figured a dare couldn't be any worse. Oh, how wrong she was. Vengeance is sweet, Gray thought maliciously.
"I dare you to," Gray paused, pretending that he had to think about what the poor blonde would have to do. But he had known the instant the bottle had chosen her. He almost felt bad for her, seeing as how Natsu was a total moron. But who knows? She might even like it. An evil smile spread across his face as he sentenced Lucy to her doom.
"I dare you to kiss Natsu."
Thank you for reading! The idea for a strip tease from Gray came from a guest (you know who you are). I literally did the ugliest laugh-snort-thing when I read that comment. Thank you a million times over to everyone who reviewed. You guys are all so positive and awesome. I look forward to reading the reviews for this chapter. (The ending was a little evil, I know.) Until next time!
XOXO,
Mya.