"Where did Gajeel and Levy run off to?" Natsu questioned from the kitchen. He backed up to see the open door, causing him to raise a brow as he glanced at Lucy. His partner had a grin on her face, lighting up her features. "He mentioned wanting to stay for dinner."
"I think they decided to dine in town." The Celestial mage walked into the kitchen, seeing the large amounts of food the Dragon Slayer prepared. Her stomach began gurgling once again, her eyes taking in all of the delicious treats on the stove. "More for us!"
The pink haired wizard chuckled as he nodded in agreement. "It's just about done. We'll be eating soon."
As the Celestial Wizard made herself comfortable at the table, she began wondering what the two Dragon Slayers discussed outside. Lucy definitely heard yelling coming from the garden area. However, it was hard to discern what was actually said. Did they talk about the same stuff that Levy and her did?
Lucy's best friend had a point. She deserved to have her shot at happiness. Natsu has made it clear that he wants the same thing as her. However, it was going to be impossible to bring up! The young blonde had no idea how she would try and slip that into a conversation.
There wasn't really a good time to speak about something so important.
"Got something on your mind?" Natsu questioned. The young blonde had been quiet for several minutes. The pink haired wizard couldn't help but be curious. "You've been pretty quiet over there."
"Uh…" Lucy bit her lip nervously, as if the opportunity threw itself in her face. "I was just thinking about what Levy and I were talking about. She was filling me in on stuff around Fairy Tail. Unfortunately, there wasn't as much drama going on as I'd hoped." The young blonde chuckled.
"Yeah, it was pretty boring without you." The Fire Dragon Slayer admitted. "Most days, I wouldn't even go to the guild hall. I'd just go to grab the next job I was working on."
"Why didn't you go? Fairy Tail is your family Natsu."
The pink haired wizard took a moment to really think about the answer. The Dragon Slayer was unable to look at his best friend as he spoke. He kept his eyes on the stove, being careful not to burn their food. "You're right. Fairy Tail is my family. But… without you there, it didn't feel like home."
Lucy felt warmth inside her chest as the corners of her mouth turned into a smile. The young blonde stood and slowly walked into the kitchen. She knew the pink haired wizard was avoiding her gaze. Instead of forcing that, Lucy wrapped her arms around the Dragon Slayer's waist. She let her cool cheek rest in between his shoulder blades. Closing her eyes, the Celestial Mage smiled as she felt one of his hands rest on her own.
"I'm home." The young blonde left a small kiss on Natsu's back. "While I was gone, I was hoping to find a piece of myself I thought was lost. It only took my absence for me to realize that the missing piece was you. I want to spend the rest of my life having adventures with my best friend."
The Dragon Slayer was still for several minutes, unsure of the right words to say. Instead, he turned in Lucy's arms. Natsu's finger came up to the Celestial Mage's chin, lifting her face up. Flashing her that signature toothy grin, the pink haired wizard leaned in and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Natsu's hand trailed along Lucy's jaw as it ascended into her blonde locks. Holding her close to him, the Dragon Slayer parted their lips enough for each of them to catch their breath.
"The Unity Spell." Natsu whispered against his partner's lips. "Tonight."
From the moment those words left the Dragon Slayer's mouth, Lucy could feel an overwhelming sense of happiness, as well as excitement fall over her. The young blonde leaned in once again, kissing her partner.
"Mmmmm" Happy came floating into the kitchen, his eyes half open and sleepy. The little blue cat was starving, and nearly jumped at the smell of the food cooking once again. "Yummy fooood."
The two immediately parted, a bright red color appearing on both of their faces. As Lucy took her seat back at the table, Natsu couldn't help but laugh as he took the blue cat out of the air.
"You're going to have to wake up if you want to eat, buddy." He placed the Exceed on his shoulder, fixing two plates. The Fire Dragon Slayer handed one of the plates to Lucy, before continuing with making a third.
After he made plates for everyone, Natsu sat down at the table with the Celestial mage. The blue Exceed hopped onto the table, taking his plate to his seat. The television in the background was the perfect thing to ease the awkwardness in the room. The Dragon Slayer couldn't stop thinking about what Gajeel said.
Meanwhile, Lucy was reminiscing about the words of her best friend. The blonde knew Levy was right, she needed to do this for her. It's obvious that his feelings are true and genuine, what was the Celestial mage waiting for?
"Yummm" Happy groaned excitedly at the delicious food on his fork. The blue cat began shoveling the tasty pieces into his mouth. It was like it brought his energy back. "This is delicious!"
"Glad you like it, buddy!"
"Aye!"
The pink haired wizard smiled at his best friend. Shifting his weight in the chair, Natsu moved to a more comfortable position. In doing so, the Dragon Slayer brushed against Lucy's foot.
An inferno of sensations rushed through the Celestial Mage. She could feel her entire leg start to tingle from the slight touch. The young blonde felt her cheeks begin to redden. Leaning her head against one of her hands, Lucy also noticed her face was hot
Instead of flinching away, Natsu decided to embrace the contact. The Dragon Slayer ever so gently began to run his ankle up and down the side of her leg. He did everything in his power to keep his eyes glued to hers during the entire moment.
The young blonde felt her heart begin to race. Lucy's cheeks felt as if they were on fire. However, she was unable to look away from her best friend. As the two of them continued to stare into each other's souls, the Celestial Mage didn't realize she was losing her grip. The fork she was holding fell onto the table with a small clang, causing her to jump.
Happy looked up from his plate of food, seeing the awkward look on both of his friends' features. The little blue Exceed's brow arched in confusion before speaking. "Hey Natsu, Do you think I could go to Wendy and Carla's tonight?"
"Uh, yeah sure." The Dragon Slayer nods. However, he was a little surprised his best friend wanted to be flying around when it was dark. "Why so late?"
"I just wanted to spend more time with my friends." Now even the blue cat was blushing slightly. His infatuation with Carla wasn't a secret. The pink haired wizard thought it was cute that Happy had a crush on her. "I had this really cool photo I wanted to show her!"
Natsu chuckled, nodding in agreement to his request again. "Sure buddy. Just make sure you get plenty to eat before you go."
After the trio finished their dinner, Happy packed a small bag for his night at Carla's. Within minutes the Exceed was out of the house. Lucy offered to help clean the kitchen. However, the Dragon Slayer took it over quickly. Not allowing the Celestial Mage to help gave her some time alone with her thoughts. She moved into the living room once again, awaiting Natsu to finish cleaning.
Lucy couldn't believe it was actually happening! Butterflies were swarming in the young blonde's abdomen. Several questions were taking up space in her brain. What exactly does this spell entail? Was it going to be painful? The numerous piercings on Levy's body indicated that it wasn't exactly a simple process
I wonder what'll happen to me? The Celestial Mage contemplated amongst herself. Gajeel's an Iron Dragon Slayer, which would explain the extra piercings and shiny new look to Levy's hair. Each Dragon Slayer has their own element tied to their magic. Which means each one could possibly have different identifying marks.
Natsu placed the kitchen towel on the counter as he finished the dishes. The Dragon Slayer could feel his nerves subsiding from the moment he looked towards his beautiful blonde. With Lucy on the couch, the pink haired wizard walked up behind her. His fingers grazed her shoulder blades. The Dragon Slayer began to massage them gently, feeling her tight muscles release underneath his fingertips.
"Mmmmmm" The Celestial Mage all but moaned at the amazing sensations running through her. She didn't realize how much tension was being held there. The time she's spent back in Magnolia was supposed to allow her to heal. Instead, all she's done is worry about Dico and Grimoire Heart.
Lucy began to roll her neck clockwise, listening to the random pops.
"You seem pretty tense." Natsu kissed her left ear.
The Celestial Mage let out a breath she didn't realize was being held in. "I can't stop thinking about what Dico is planning to do next."
Natsu's hands moved from Lucy's shoulders to her neck and back. As he continued to massage his partner, the Dragon Slayer wanted to be honest with her. However, it was also his duty to keep her safe at all costs. The Celestial Mage's mental health was included in that.
"You know that we're doing everything we can to find out their next move." The pink haired wizard mentioned. "The best in the guild are working around the clock to find out everything we can. Grimoire Heart isn't going to get away with hurting those people."
"I know." Lucy smiled as she turned her head, looking into the Dragon Slayer's warm eyes. "With you and the rest of our friends at my side, there's nothing we can't accomplish."
"That's my girl." Natsu grinned, flashing his pearly whites. Taking his magic fingers away, the Dragon Slayer walked around the couch. He reached out and took a hold of the young blonde's hand, pulling Lucy out of her seat. Once the Celestial Mage was safely in his arms, the pink haired wizard embraced her as he led her outside.
"Where are we going?" Lucy questioned.
Insead of speaking, the Fire Dragon Slayer let out a breathy laugh. He opened the door, allowing the crisp night air inside.
Looking up towards the sky, the young blonde gasped when she noticed how bright the stars were in the night. The moon and stars illuminated the normally dark exterior almost perfectly. A summer breeze came from the south, causing the Celestial mage to shiver. Still in the Dragon Slayer's arms, Lucy couldn't help but gaze into the abyss of the stars. With her neck craned upwards, the young blonde smiled as she noticed several constellations. The Lion, Maiden, and Mermaid were glimmering brightly.
"It looks beautiful out here." The Celestial Mage said in awe. Fireflies could be seen buzzing around the treeline.
"Let's go to our spot." Natsu's breath was warm on her neck as he whispered to her. Leading the young blonde down the gravel path by his home, the Dragon Slayer could feel his heart racing. The anticipation of what was about to transpire was killing him! Now wasn't the time to get nervous.
As the couple came to a fork in the road, they took the left pathway. This led them to an opening in the trees after walking for several minutes. A small pond was in the distance, along with a field of different colored wildflowers. In the light of the moon, the water began to glisten and shimmer. Lucy's breath was taken away by the wonderful scenery around her.
Out of all the times Natsu's taken her to this spot, this one was going to hold a special place in his heart. Leading his partner towards the reflective water, the Dragon Slayer untangled his arms from around Lucy.
"Wow…" The young blonde gasped, taking in the scene around her. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that Natsu planned this night perfectly. However, as she turned to look at her partner, he was just as awestruck as her.
Taking off her shoes, Lucy smiled as she felt the smooth blades of grass between her feet. Walking towards the water, the Celestial Mage glanced at her reflection.
"Beautiful…" The Dragon Slayer whispered from behind her. His words floated into the blonde's ears with the night air. As Lucy turned around, she noticed her best friend grinning at her.
"This is a beautiful view." the Celestial mage agreed with her partner.
"Yes, the view is beautiful." Natsu continued to smile as he walked toward Lucy. "I've never seen anything as wonderful as this."
A fiery blush arose on the Celestial Mage's cheeks. Her arms ever so slowly began their ascent up the Dragon Slayer's chest and around his neck. She could feel his fingers rest on her hips. Once their eyes met, Lucy was frozen in his arms. Seeing the amount of pure emotion was radiating from her partner. The young blonde could see how much Natsu cared for her, and how happy he was in this moment.
"Our fate brings us together. We are meant to be and so it is." The Fire Dragon Slayer began speaking in a language that Lucy didn't know. Her eyes widened as her partner continued to speak. Natsu uttered this phrase several times. After the fifth or sixth, the Celestial Mage began to understand what he was saying!
The wind began to pick up, swirling around the couple. However, neither of them paid any attention to it. The young blonde was enthralled with the words being spoken by her Dragon Slayer.
"By Destiny We are aligned. Our love Eternal and true. We will face challenges together and find strength in our union."
"By the Sun, Moon, and Stars, our love is blessed." The words came out without Lucy realizing it.
Natsu grinned, his pearly whites flashing brightly in the moonlight. He leaned forward slowly, his lips pressing against her forehead. The Fire Dragon Slayer left a trail of kisses along his partner's features, ending at the juncture between her neck and collarbone. A small kiss was placed there, igniting a fire in both wizards.
The young blonde closed her eyes, the sensations becoming overwhelming.
With these words and symbols of my love, I bond myself to you in all ways. Sinking his pearly whites into her skin, the Fire Dragon Slayer nearly groaned at the hot liquid that landed on his tongue. Natsu heard Lucy gasp in shock, clinging tighter to him. At this moment, the pink haired wizard was unsure of what was supposed to happen.
The wind picked up speed once again, causing a deafening roar to surround the two wizards.
From the moment Natsu's teeth left her neck, his fire began to slither through her veins. It nearly felt like her blood was boiling out of her body! The young blonde was unable to utter any sounds, for fear that they would be a blood curdling scream. Keeping her eyes closed, she felt her body igniting from the inside.
Once her toes left the ground, the Celestial mage's eyes popped open. She'd been swept up by the tornado-like winds. Lucy noticed her partner was right in front of her, transforming in front of her very eyes.
Natsu's pink hair began showing hues of reds and oranges. A fierce Dragon began to show itself on his skin, almost like a tattoo. Along with the change in his physical appearance, the Fire Dragon Slayer's magic power began to morph as well.
Lucy's keys began to surround her, the Celestial Mage watched as they were engulfed in flames! However, instead of destroying them, they were branded with a seal of protection. The young blonde glanced towards the stars, seeing each constellation shine brightly in the sky.
The wind slowed as the pain began to subside. As their feet touched the ground, the two wizards looked into each other's eyes once again. A bright smile on both of their features.
"May we be as happy as we are today." The two whisper in unison, completing the ceremony.