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tokkias · 8 months

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the things we do under the blanket of nightfall ship: natsu dragneel x lucy heartfilia summary: Natsu grapples with his feelings of the aftermath of the war in the only way he knows how—between the sheets in tangled limbs with the only one who can bring him true comfort. ao3

based on this ask from @bearandbirdfan and a reply from @dontpercieveme13

The sound of someone fiddling with the front door lock should have sent Lucy into a panic. She should have been scared of what was on the other side of that door and what their intentions were. Perhaps not too long ago she would have been, but the struggle with the lock, the subsequent squeak of the door hinge, and the sound of the door being locked behind them had become all too familiar to Lucy in recent days, so she knows there’s little to fear.

It comes at around the same time every night, right after she goes to sleep—or, at least, when her intruder thinks she’s asleep. Sleep hadn’t come too easily to her in recent days, and how could it? There's a lot on her mind in the aftermath of the war, and she finds it difficult to turn off at the end of the night. On some nights where she does find herself falling into sleep, it doesn't last long before she's gripped by the night terrors and haunting memories of the threat of losing the very person who finds himself walking through that door, night after night, when he thinks she doesn’t know any better.

“Hey Lucy,” he murmurs.

Natsu’s voice is soft when he speaks to her, in a way she isn’t sure she's ever heard outside of his gentle break-ins.

She doesn’t reply to him—never does—it’s all part of this little routine they have. He lets himself in with the key Lucy pretends to not know he has, and she fakes being asleep. There isn’t a real reason why she does this, mostly just a stream of half-baked excuses. Maybe part of her fears that if he knew she knew what he was doing, he would stop—that he wouldn’t come by every night, that he wouldn’t talk to her when he thought she wasn’t listening, that he wouldn’t crawl into the spot of the bed that she has mentally designated as his.

“Sorry,” he continues in a mumble, but Lucy isn’t quite sure what for.

Natsu doesn’t apologise for the things he should be sorry for, and right now there's nothing she feels warranting it. Still, she stays quiet, letting her thoughts stay just as they were—thoughts—and hoping that perhaps he might choose to elaborate.

“I know you don’t like it when I get in bed with you, but…” He trails off for a moment, and Lucy has to hold herself back from correcting him. Maybe in years gone by she was vocal about her distaste for it, but now it brings with it a sense of comfort that is completely unparalleled by anything she’s felt before. “I dunno; I missed you, I guess.”

I missed you too, is what she wants to say, but instead she simply squeezes her hands together by her chest to mimic the way his words make her heart feel.

It isn’t exactly rational on either end. They had seen each other mere hours ago; there was no reason to be missing one another when they’d only just parted, but feelings like this are never rational, she supposes.

“Sometimes I just get all in my head, and I just gotta make sure that you’re still okay,” he breathes.

Somewhere in his voice, there hides a sense of apprehension, as though this isn’t something he felt comfortable saying to her face. It makes her feel a little guilty for deceiving him like this. She never truly knew if he believed she was asleep or not—she wonders if he has come to memorise the way her breathing patterns differ between when she's awake and when she's asleep. She can’t put it past him. Despite what people might think, Natsu is observant, and he’d certainly spent enough time laying in bed next to her to have picked up the change.

Whether he does or doesn’t, the thought dies in her mind when he speaks up again.

“I’m really glad that you’re safe, Lucy.”

There isn’t any reason she wouldn’t be, but she knows that he doesn’t need a reason to worry. All the trauma, the loss, the heartache—that is all reason enough.

He thought she had died. He had held what he had assumed to be her lifeless body in his arms, and she isn’t sure she could even fathom what that must have been like to him.

They’d never talked about it—not directly, at least. He’d mentioned it to her on another night, just like this one, and he’d never brought it up with her again. She had never mentioned it out of fear that he would stop their little routine, so it simply stayed an open secret between them.

The newly familiar sound of him shedding his jacket, his scarf, his shoes, rings out, filling the otherwise silent room around them. He would place his jacket over the seat of her desk chair and his scarf over the headboard of her bed. Though she had never seen him do it, and they were often gone by the time she rose in the morning, she had caught a glimpse of it on nights she had to worm her way out of his grasp to totter to the bathroom.

The cool air of her room hits her exposed shoulders as Natsu pulls up the sheets to let himself crawl in with her. Any grievances she may have had about the cold are quickly dashed when she feels Natsu’s heat emanating from his body. His arm slips around her, and he pulls himself closer. Her back rests against his strong, hard chest, and she can practically hear the vibrations of his thumping heart beat through their proximity. He presses his nose into the back of her neck and nuzzles in close, making himself comfortable in proximity to her.

Though she knows it’s best to play into the ruse that they had kept up all those weeks, Lucy doesn’t stop herself when she feels her hands trailing down to rest atop his. As if by instinct, their fingers lace together, sitting comfortably against her stomach, slotting perfectly together as though their hands are made to hold one another.

If he notices she’s awake, he doesn’t mention it. It doesn’t change anything—he had already said what he said, and he had already wormed his way into his side of the bed, making himself comfortable with his Lucy in his arms. She’s always had an inkling that he knew—he can probably hear it in her breathing pattern, but like many things between them, it had gone unspoken in favour of letting things stay the way they were.

His nose brushes against the back of her neck, and the feeling of his warm breath against her skin made her shudder slightly before his words graze over her again.

“Goodnight, Lucy.”

A beat of silence befalls them as Lucy lay in quiet contemplation, her mind abuzz with all the things she wants to say but isn’t sure how to articulate, or better yet, if she even should. Her mind begins to calm as she feels his arms squeeze her tighter to his chest, just for a moment, and a wave of security washes over her.

Anything else can be addressed in the morning, should they choose to, but tonight she feels as though a little change in routine can’t hurt as she breathes out her response.

“Goodnight, Natsu.”

#nalu #fairy tail #natsu x lucy #fanfiction #fan fiction #mya writes things

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minkyungseokie · 2 months

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Anime

No Game No Life

Sora and Shiro are two hikikomori stepsiblings who are known in the online gaming world as Blank, an undefeated group of gamers. One day, they are challenged to a game of chess by Tet, a god from another reality. The two are victorious and are offered to live in a world that centers around games.

Blue Exorcist

After discovering that he's the son of Satan, a young man must join the True Cross Academy in order to master his abilities and defeat Satan himself

Naruto

It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village.

One Piece

In a seafaring world, a young pirate captain sets out with his crew to attain the title of Pirate King, and to discover the mythical treasure known as 'One Piece.'

Twin Star Exorcist

The story revolves around Rokuro Enmado and Benio Adashino, a pair of young and talented exorcists, who (according to a prophecy) are destined to marry and have a child that will be the ultimate exorcist.

Jujustu Kaisen

Yuji Itadori, a kind-hearted teenager, joins his school's Occult Club for fun, but discovers that its members are actual sorcerers who can manipulate the energy between beings for their own use. He hears about a cursed talisman - the finger of Sukuna, a demon - and its being targeted by other cursed beings.

Fairy Tail

The series follows the adventures of Natsu Dragneel, a member of the Fairy Tail wizards' guild who is searching for the dragon Igneel, and partners with Lucy Heartfilia, a celestial wizard.

Play it cool, Guys

A look into the daily lives of four guys who walk the line between unapproachably cool and undeniably clumsy on a regular basis.

Black Butler

Ciel has formed a contract with demon Sebastian Michaelis, who disguises himself as his butler, to seek revenge on those who tortured him and murdered his parents. In exchange for his services, Sebastian will be allowed to consume Ciel's soul.

Uramichi Oniisan

Being an adult is hard. For 31-year-old Uramichi Omota, that depressing truth weighs on him. While on TV, he's an upbeat exercise instructor for a children's show, but sometimes he can't keep his sardonic comments to himself.

Overtake

Freelance photographer Kôya Madoka finds himself in a slump due to a certain reason. He goes to Fuji International Speedway to work on a story, and he meets the highschool F4 racer Haruka Asahina. He suddenly finds his heart racing after not feeling much for a long time.

March Comes in Like a Lion

It features the life of Rei Kiriyama, an introvert and professional shogi player, who gradually develops both his play and his relationship with others.

The Devil is a Part-Timer

Hilarity and fun ensues when Satan ends up in modern day Japan without any magic to return, and starts working part time in a fast food joint.

Yowamushi Pedal

Onoda is a cheerful otaku looking to join his new school's anime club, eager to finally make some friends. Unfortunately, the club has been disbanded and somehow he stumbled into the bicycle club.

Tokyo Revengers

Hanagaki Takemichi lives an unsatisfying life right up until his death. Waking up 12 years in the past, he reckons with the eventual fate of his friends and tries to prevent an unfortunate future.

Ouran High School Host Club

One day, Haruhi, a scholarship student at exclusive Ouran High School, breaks an $80,000 vase that belongs to the "Host Club," a mysterious campus group consisting of six super-rich (and gorgeous) guys. To pay back the damages, she is forced to work for the club, and it's there that she discovers just how wealthy the boys are and how different they are from everybody else.

Mashle: Magic and Muscles

The story follows Mash Burnedead, a magic-less kid who enrolls at Easton and aims to fool everyone into thinking he's top of the class

IDOLiSH7

An idol group is named "Idolish7," and consists of seven male singers, each with their own unique personality and background. Tsumugi must train and turn all of them into the famous idols, all the while struggling against the hardships of the entertainment industry

Tokyo Ghoul

Set in a world where humans live in constant fear of ghouls - superpowered humanoid beings who feed on human flesh to survive, a shy college student named Kaneki Ken, who is nearly killed in an attack by one of these monsters, becomes a half-ghoul himself after receiving an organ transplant from the ghoul.

Obey Me

The main character is transported to Devildom by a summoning ritual to attend Devildom Academy as a exchange student for one year. The main character will be greeted by seven gorgeous men that are avatars of the deadly sins.

Buddy Daddies

Kazuki Kurusu and Rei Suwa, assassins who live under one roof; and Miri, the daughter of Kazuki and Rei's assassination target who ended up being picked up by Kazuki, who she thinks is her biological father.

SpyxFamily

The story follows a spy who has to "build a family" to execute a mission, not realizing that his adopted daughter is a telepath, and the woman he agrees to marry is a skilled assassin

Haikyuu

Junior high school student, Shoyo Hinata, becomes obsessed with volleyball after catching a glimpse of Karasuno High School playing in the Nationals on TV.

Food Wars

Teenager Soma Yukihira aspires to become a full-time chef in his father Joichiro's family restaurant, "Restaurant Yukihira", and to surpass his father's culinary skills.

My Hero Academia

Born without special powers in a world where 80% of the population has them, Izuku Midoriya still dreams of becoming a hero.

Black Clover

The story follows Asta, a young boy born without any magic power who is given a rare grimoire that grants him anti-magic abilities. With his fellow mages from the Black Bulls, Asta plans to become the next Wizard King.

The Daily Life of the Immortal King

A boy with extraordinary magical powers tries to pass for average at his new high school, where the students learn to cultivate their spiritual force.

Demon Slayer

A family is attacked by demons and only two members survive - Tanjiro and his sister Nezuko, who is turning into a demon slowly.

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atthestarlite · 2 months

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ch. 4 of one more, one more

in which Tech Week officially starts

rating: E

relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia

summary: When Lucy’s lead actress drops her directorial debut show less than two weeks before it goes up, Lucy must step in to replace her. In the process, Natsu – the lead opposite her – and Lucy must grapple with their intense chemistry and what it means for their longtime friendship. – college theatre!au. nalu.

....

“Wrong!” Evergreen yelled. “No, no, no !”

Gray paused, as Othello ’s lighting designer yelled at him from below his ladder. “I’m moving it to the left like you told me to.”

“That’s not left!”

“Specify whose left then,” Gray snapped.

It was Sunday, the day of Load-in. That prior night, most of them had shown up to help disassemble the set of the Opera Club’s performance of La traviata and had assembled their set. The next day though, with the bribe of donuts and coffee for breakfast and then gyros for lunch, the cast slowly drifted in around 10am to help with the assembling of lights and speakers. But college life dictated that everyone was sleep-deprived and cranky, resulting in no less than seven incidents like the one above and it was only 11am.

Still, under Evergreen’s blunt watch, Focus commenced.

to read this chapter: ao3 ff.net

to read from the beginning: ao3 ff.net

#fairy tail #ft fanfic #nalu fanfic #nalu #natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #natsu x lucy #natsu dragneel x lucy heartfilia #fairy tail fanfic #ft #one more one more fic #star.talks #my writing #fanfiction #manga

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fairytalk · 8 months

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Team Natsu

Natsu dragneel-The team leader and optimistic character of the group. Fire user

good qualities- Natsu Always tries to defend his family when he believes something is unjustified. And often times is there to be the uplifting presence when the people around him loose hope. His admirable trait is that his strength stems from his loyalty to his family and friends.

bad qualities-He goes into situations recklessly without thinking them through first. He is hare-brained about his emotional feelings towards the people he has become closest to and refuses to acknowledge that he may have caused distress. He breaks personal boundaries with his teammate Lucy heartfilia by breaking into her house and touching her body inappropriately without her permission. He has little mental character growth from what we have seen of him from the beginning of the series.

Happy- charismatic counterpart to Natsu and the group. Exceed

good qualities- He is thoughtful and makes good decision a decent amount of the time. He’s aesthetically pleasing to look at. bad qualities- lets be honest he’s a talking flying cat so the most bad he has done is stole some fish or break into lucys apartment with Natsu. besides that I almost didn’t want to add him because he is nearly irrelevant to the development of the series and mostly there as a companion to Natsu.

Erza scarlet-The mother figure / strong physical character of the group. Requip mage

Good qualities- Erza can be a really wise character when talking about her experiences, weather it be with friends or even enemies. She is able to quickly recognize what her next plan of action is. She is open about her feelings on matters during tense situations. She’s always there to offer comfort or advice.

bad qualities- To confident in the power of friendship always pulling through. When she apologizes it’s either too genuine or not genuine enough. I.e when Miliana was upset with her for forgiving Jellal so easily, she didn’t really take any of that to heart and has had a hard time showing her authentic understanding that she did something wrong that has effected her relationship with both people. This sort of happens again during the avatar arc when she offers Gray the position to go undercover in a cult. She tells him not to tell juvia, not thinking that it would screw up her state of emotions. It indeed did and when it was all over she apologized in a half insensitive tone as if she wasn’t all that guilty and would do it again if given the chance. She forgave Jellal to quickly because even though he was mind controlled by Ultear, it doesn’t change all the horrible things he has done to her and her friends. Some character growth but she has blatant issues that are not resolved.

Lucy heartfilia - The book smart / persistent main character of the group. Celestial mage

good qualities- Relatively known for being friendly and forgiving. She doesn’t back down in extensive situations even when her life is on the line. She cares a lot for her celestial spirits and if you come to her with an issue, she is open to talk about it. She’s useful in problem solving even if it falls through a little bit the first time, she masters it pretty quickly afterwards. She’s got extensive knowledge in literature and calligraphy. Power wise she has grown immensely, mentally, she is a wip but she definitely isn’t the same person from the beginning of the series. bad qualities-Thinks to little of her abilities as a mage but then contradicts herself by flaunting her powers to her enemy. Is a bit like erza in that she is ignorant to feelings sometimes i.e she was upset that natsu had left her behind with just a note, but she mostly thought about her losses and didn’t take into account that he had also lost his dad. In turn his runaway quest caused her to isolate herself from the rest of the guild. Keeping track of them only through letters, which she eventually stopped sending because everyone was doing different things. But her insecurities because of the note must of kept her from joining the rest, otherwise she wouldn’t be in a lonesome grieving state. Not that what Natsu did was right but she was definitely blaming him for all of there shared issues. Not to mention when she saw Juvia in a similar depression state she didn’t reflect on it as being similar to her own. When in reality they were both left behind in a different context but shared the same grief. I didn’t appreciate that Lucy didn’t defend Juvia during this time. It was brought back to just her and her friendship with Gray (she slapped him but it wasn’t for juvia.) She never mentioned Juvia at all In that situation even after she had seen the state she was in and knew Juvia had been sick because of it. Why couldn’t she have told him off just like natsu?. Infact she got all blushy when he apologized, it felt selfish. (Further proving that Mashimas statement about writing female characters bad was certainly true. It should also imply male characters as well.)

Wendy marvel - The young healing mage/ younger sister of the group. Air user

Good qualities- Wendy is really useful in dire situations and easily makes amends with a few of her past enemies. She is empathetic and has gained quite a bit of character growth unlike many of the other characters in fairy tail. Once she was timid and felt not useful but now she has some confidence from her experience in battle. She still has a little bit of doubts but she gets back her confidence with a little help from her friends.

bad qualities-She doesn’t really have bad qualities. But in a future post I will talk about her being a child and Mashima really being incredibly gross about it. (Yes she’s over 500 years old but he presents her still as if she is much much younger.)

Carla- The attentive counterpart to Wendy.Exceed

good qualities- she takes up for Wendy that’s it that’s the good qualities.

bad qualities-Grumpy and rude for what. Actually I get it a little bit. But she’s right in that category next to happy.

Gray fullbuster - The quick learning visual expressionist of the group. Ice make mage.

good qualities- Has strong relationships with a lot of people I.e Lyon, Erza, plus team natsu. Reliable, if you ask him to do something, he will try his hardest to get it done. Stays ‘cool’ in most situations. I need help with filling out the rest of his good traits, he’s got to have more*** help.

bad qualities-Back to being reliable, it’s a half and half trait being one of his best qualities and one of his worst. You see when he gets to being obsessed with something he will not stop going after it. It started with Deliora or however tf you spell his name, Gray wanted to be great (Gray-t) enough to surpass him for killing his family and also to surpass Ur his former master. Ok so spoiler alert Deliora is dead and melts away along with the iced shell of UR. Gray’s upset and Deliora still continues to haunt his mind until recently where he is forgotten and is comforted by Ur in an illusion state and his father acting as Deliora to get over his fear. This obsession with something new is created when Silver(his father) tells him to go after the book of E.n.d . Turns out Grays thirst for vengeance never went away, and so with his new devil slaying powers from Silver Gray starts obsessing over finding this book that produced Deliora. Of course Gray becomes a bit of a douche bag in this process, he tries to kill Natsu because he finds out his best friend is attached to the book that caused all his suffering that Natsu knew diddle about. He fiddles with Juvia saying he’ll treat her better or that he’ll give her an answer and runs off to try to get better but really is just holding off on his answer. Much like Natsu he was written with musty traits like, sexually harassing Lucy by asking her for her underwear or commenting on her outfits or her underwear. Stalking Lucy to her home, breaking into her house in an undressed state, trying to spy on women in the hot spring, groping an alchemy of Juvia without consent, putting Juvia in his mouth in her state of undress, this list is unnecessarily long. Next to zero character growth because he hasn’t changed any of his behavior. Please get them all therapy especially Gray.

#fairy tail #ft100yq #team natsu #natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #gray fullbuster #erza scarlet #wendy marvell #jellal fernandes #juvia lockser #rambles

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bumblebeehug · 9 months

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Bittersweet

Ship: Natsu Dragneel x Lucy Heartfilia Summary: When time rolls around a certain anniversary, Lucy tries to deal with her sorrows and learn how to cope. Day 3 of Nalu Week 2023 - prompt: fears Ao3

***

Whenever Lucy struggles to get out of bed, she allows herself five minutes of reflection. Those five minutes usually lead to her falling asleep again, waking up 30 minutes later that intended to – that’s however never a big problem. Other times she spends those five minutes taking a deep breath, swallowing twice or slowly wiggling different parts of her body to see if she’s feeling alright, because some missions bring colds or fevers, and some just makes her so sore that she decides to take her time and spend the day in the apartment. Sometimes the five minutes just gives her more time to finish up a dream she was dreaming, and sometimes she just takes them to properly wake up so she can step out of bed and prepare herself to spend the day as usual.

Every year in late September, she finds herself waking up with a heavy heart. She knows it’s time to properly wake up and make breakfast and get on with her day, because unless she spends her five minutes in the ways mentioned above, she’s supposed to be able to go on with her day. But the skies are grey, the air in her apartment is cold, and her heart lies heavy in her chest, and she knows that the next days will be just as slow and unpleasant, because she remembers that it is late in September and her life will always feel like this during this time of the year. So, she allows herself to lay there for a while. Sometimes she manages to force herself out of bed in just under ten minutes, but most often she lays there for another hour or two before she can even attempt stepping out. Those hours feel like days, and as she feels her body tossing and turning, her mind roams the endless corridors in the Heartfilia mansion. During these hours she relives the first turning point in her life – the death of her beloved mother Layla. It would be fruitless to go into detail about this event, seeing as death has been part of life since the beginning of time; every living organism has witnessed and/or experienced family members dying, leaves falling off trees to rot on the ground during winter, animals taking their last breath as they suffer the consequences of the curse and blessing called life. Lucy is certainly not the first nor the last person who must deal with this phenomenon, so she allows this week to happen.

She wakes up and suffers for a few hours, because that is the punishment of loving the ones who once lived, and then she strains her body as she moves around, forcing it to eat for fuel, to laugh in front of her friends, because she knows that when the month of the anniversary of their dead loved ones comes around, they will do the same and that is how people live. Everyone she knows does this. Natsu goes into the woods for a few days whenever Igneel’s death anniversary comes around, Gray acts similarly to Lucy, spending some days or weeks quietly for himself as he’s reminded of Ur’s unfair fate, Erza spends more time quietly watching the sunset when her past revisits, and Wendy cries by herself in the guild bathroom whenever time rolls around to when her old guild proved to be a lie, a made up fantasy to compensate for not being able to provide it from the beginning. Lucy knows that they need those moments, and therefore she treats herself with the same compassion, because she too was once a child who lost someone important, and though her life changed for the better as she grew up, she’ll always carry that small child, who had to witness her own father become nothing short of a monster in the aftermath of her mother’s death.

For a long time, she managed to deal with this on her own. She took the time she needed, both to be sad and to build up her happiness again. It was never easy, and never would be, but she did it, alone, because that was what she knew. When she was a child, she had done everything on her own, and when it came down to it as an adult, she knew that she would have to get used to living that way. Sure, she had the guild now – it was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and she loved being able to curb the lonely feeling whenever she felt like it, but it didn’t work when she felt her past loneliness take over. She wasn’t alone now, sure enough, but she was then and that would never change. Little Lucy was still dealing with the death of her mother, reliving it every second of her life, and though Big Lucy could try to drown it in the loud sounds of brawls and laughter of the guild, it was never enough to save her from having to deal with Little Lucy’s loss at the end of the day.

When Lucy finally managed to move her heavy limbs, this morning, late in September, she once again wished that she would find strength to live another week. Not because she needed it to deal with this anniversary, or because she wouldn’t be able to live without that strength she wished for, but because she found that that was the only thing she could do. She could wish, and she could hope, and she could tell herself that surviving would be the same as living, even when she knew they were as different as living and dying. So, she wished, and then she stood up and put on the kettle, to somehow drown her morning blues in a hot cup of tea. Then she wished again, as she scooped oats into a bowl, to measure her breakfast. And she wished for a third time, when she accidentally cried into her oatmeal and made it salty, and that is when the Gods must have heard her wishes, echoing in all timelines, beginning when she was still a child, crying loudly in the empty halls of the Heartfilia mansion, because that is when the door flew up in Lucy’s hallway on Strawberry Street. The man she trusted at every other point in her life had entered, not expecting to see his gold haired companion wipe her tears and swallow hard as he hung his raincoat and slipped out of his slippers – an odd combination, but one none of his friends weren’t used to nowadays. Natsu was indeed surprised to hear sobbing this ordinary morning, but Lucy on the other hand just sent a thanks up to the Gods, along with a last wish. The wish that he would be there with her, every other time she had to deal with this phenomenon called death.

“What’s the matter, Lucy?�� Natsu asked as he made his way over to the table.

“Oh,” she began, “nothing much, really.” She took a deep breath, knowing he must be startled by this odd scene. As she gathered some courage, she looked up and met his worried eyes, and then she let go of this responsibility she made up, that for so long had forced her to carry this loneliness and sadness all by herself. “Mom’s anniversary is coming up. I just tend to feel down whenever it comes around, as I said, it’s really nothing much.”

Natsu, who had sat down in front of her, had a difficult expression plastered all over his face. It was soft and kind, sympathetic even, but also something else that she couldn’t put her finger on.

“I’ll probably be like this for a few days, but it’ll pass, so no need to worry, Natsu.” She said after a while, not knowing how else to fill the silence between them.

“Do you wanna talk about her?” Natsu asked to Lucy’s surprise. She didn’t expect him to take a roll to support her during this – after all, he had never been good at comforting people, especially not when it came to death and such. He was known for running away from these things, and she couldn’t blame him, since she’d do the same if she had the energy to.

“I don’t know what you want to hear. There’s not much to say other than the things you already know,” Lucy told him with a faint smile. She truly appreciated his attempt to comfort her. Natsu was awkward about these things, even if he didn’t look it at the moment. While he took his time to formulate a sentence (she suspected he didn’t want to say anything to accidentally upset her – also something she really appreciated) she took a sip from her tea, that now had cooled down slightly.

“Well, I don’t know a lot about her as a person,” Natsu admitted, “other than that the two of you are similar. What were her hobbies? How was she before she met Jude?” The faint smile Lucy had carried grew stronger.

“Our hobbies were quite similar as well actually. She loved to read and write, though the only writing she did was in her diary, and that was buried with her, as per her request. You already know she was a strong mage, but I bet you didn’t know that she actually disliked the concept of guilds. She thought that it was putting normal people out of jobs, and she once compared it to a cult.” Lucy couldn’t stop a giggle as she saw the shocked look on Natsu’s face. “I promise she would think differently of it now, the business is cleaner now. Mom was actually a profound debater, she was great with her words, but she could never make a living out of it since she was too open minded to continue arguing about the same thing. If she argued against guild for example, and then heard a good enough argument as to why they actually are good for socioeconomic reasons et cetera, then she would just fall flat and admit being wrong. Great for making friends, but kind of bad if you want to make a living out of it,” she laughed. It felt nice, being able to talk about her mother as if she was alive. It was rare, which was sad in itself since she was so much more than just another dead mother.

Lucy’s laughter lacked the energy it usually had, but Natsu couldn’t blame her. Even his fondest memories of Igneel made him sad sometimes, just because he knew he’d never get to experience anything like it again.

“Mom was a really happy and positive person, both before and after she knew dad. She knew how to turn every bad situation around; you can say she was a master at seeing the golden edge when life felt grey and cloudy. Though, from what Aquarius told me, mom was fiercer before she met dad. Apparently, she had been taking care of the Heartfilia Konzern ever since she was in her late teens, and business was said to be in its golden age when she took care of it all. I can’t imagine mother being a bossy person, but maybe Aquarius got her temper from her, or the other way around.” She let out another chuckle before looking up at Natsu again. His face was serious, but he didn’t wear the frown she knew he usually got with his serious face. His eyebrows had a soft tilt, as if telling her to continue, and confirming her that he’s listening.

“Do you know what made her fall for Jude?”

“Well, other than the fact that dad had a lot more hair when the two of them met, apparently, he had spent months trying to get her attention by sending her flowers and love letters. They were all kind of bland, just repeating the same principle of ‘I fell in love at first sight, please let me introduce myself’ and a whole lot of stolen quotes by famous poets. She finally gave him a chance one day, and I’m pretty sure she fell for how devoted he was to her. She wrote in her diary once, in the very early entrances, that she hoped he would stay as devoted if she ever birthed him a child. It’s scary how people can change when they’re heartbroken.” Lucy’s voice only barely carried through her last sentence. Scary it was indeed, because there was no way any of the three of them could have predicted how sorrow would look in their mansion. She knew her father must have been extremely depressed, and after her history with him, she became surprised to learn that he never attempted to harm himself in any way. Instead, his sorrow became unrecognisable as it turned into rage and emotional detachment, and he harmed people around him whether he intended to or not.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, and though Lucy felt the same heavy air from this morning return, it returned lighter. Natsu’s presence alone helped tremendously.

“How do you deal with it?” She finally managed to ask, her voice waving. “How does anyone get through it?”

Natsu swallowed, and Lucy could see his eyes flicker around the room, as if his brain was working hard as he carefully chose his words. She allowed him to take his time and brewed him a cup of tea so he wouldn’t sit empty handed while she ate breakfast. She still had her back turned when he answered.

“I don’t think anyone really deals with it. Ya’ know I’m already bad at dealin’ with emotions as is, so whenever Igneel’s anniversary comes up I kinda prefer being alone until I can function normally again. I’m sure you’ve already noticed I go away sometimes.” She turned around, now with a cup of hot water and a teabag in her hands. Natsu didn’t look up from a certain spot on the table, but she placed them down beside him anyways and let him continue. “But I know it makes me happiest when I can talk about him, and all the things we did together. That way he’s still remembered, and even if it’s sad and frustrating that those moments won’t happen again, it makes it a little easier, if just for a while.”

“Remembering them is bittersweet,” Lucy said, moving her own breakfast to the seat beside him so she could sit closer. “I can’t say I mind bittersweet things, because they help me feel things again, when everything just becomes overwhelmingly numb.”

“That’s the word, yeah.” Natsu looked up at her again. Her eyes looked tired, and her skin was pale, so he put his arm around her shoulder and gave her arm a squeeze. “What more are you thinkin’ about?”

Lucy pressed her lips together firmly, in an attempt to hold back her new flow of sadness.

“It’s just… Sometimes I feel so scared. Mom left me with dad, and it was supposed to be okay, because she expected him to continue loving me, even after his death. But it she didn’t know that dad wouldn’t be strong enough for us both, so she accidentally left me all alone, just leaving the empty shell of who was once my loving father. And then, when I finally reconciled with him, he died, leaving me all alone again. I’m just afraid I’ll end up losing someone again, and it’s stupid because I know none of my friends would purposely abandon me, but it has just happened too many times for the fear to feel irrational.” Lucy realised that she had started crying as she talked.

“I know how you feel,” Natsu whispered, pulling her into his embrace in an attempt to stop her shivering.

“The scariest part of this is that all my nightmares already have come true once,” she let out with a shaky voice. “I had already lost Aquarius, and then you had to deal with your stuff, which was totally understandable, but then the guild disbanded, and in less than a week my entire life had just crumbled down. All that was left was me and this stupid fear of abandonment, and even if you came back and brought the guild together again, and I was supposed to heal, this terrifying feeling stayed. You know, the ‘if it happened once, what stops it from happening again?’ type of feeling?”

“Yeah, I know it,” Natsu said again. “But I promise you that it will never, ever, in your entire life, happen ever again. I promise on everything I own and love. No matter what, I promise I’ll be with you, alright?”

Lucy burrowed closer into his shoulder, turning the half-hug into a proper one by wrapping her arms around him tightly. A few sobs slipped out, and it was unclear if they were from sadness, exhaustion, or gratefulness.

“Yeah, I know you will.” She rested her chin on top of his shoulder, practically bathing in the heat he radiated. “Which is why the fear is stupid.”

“I also feel scared of getting abandoned sometimes.” Natsu rarely spoke about his own traumas, especially ones that were this old, but as he rubbed faint patterns onto Lucy’s back, he felt like he could tell her. “It’s a really old fear, and even if it hasn’t resurfaced in ages, it still shakes me. It’s mostly remnants of when Igneel disappeared – and though I know now that he was with me all along, I still thought he’d left me there in the woods.”

They stayed in that position for a while, only changing to get closer. Holding him near like this was partly to ensure she’d never lose him again, but also partly to use him as an anchor. She believed his promises, and she trusted that he would never break the same promise twice.

When she spoke up again the tea had already gone cold.

“Natsu?”

“Mhm.”

“Can we stay inside like this today?”

“Yeah, ‘course.”

“Natsu?”

“Hm?”

“Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

#fairy tail #lucy heartfilia #natsu dragneel #nalu #fairy tail nalu #fairy tail fanfiction #fairy tail fanfic #nalu fanfiction #nalu fanfic #natsu x lucy #prompt: fears #nalu week 2023 #naluweek2023 #bumblebeehug writes

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celestialulu · 11 months

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the coca-cola omake is my fave next to natsu and asuka like its just such a cute little story (sorry this might be a bit of a long post its just me being silly over nalu as per usual)

shes literally ranting so hard shes so cute shes so excited

gray and erzas faces are so funny here everytime i see it i laugh so hard

i really love the framing here its so good even without dialogue to show whats happening

the way they reach for her im sooooo </3333333

natsu and happy care for lucy so much even from early on i mean look at them ???? they searched so hard to find the book for lucy so they could make her happy again

Lucy looks really cute in this panel i love her outfit her little bracelet and i love being able to see her guildmark <333 :)

I love how it looks like everyone gave them so much space for themselves also they look so tiny here their faces are so funny

I really love when lucy brings up her mother because i feel like she has influenced lucy as a person so much so i love it when shes mentioned by lucy because of the impact she has had on lucy as a person

and also lucy was so excited that natsu and happy wanted to read the book she wrote influenced by her mother bc it didnt sell IM SO SAD

happy is so... LMAO and natsu just saying to please not cry and to just punch him is so :( also idk if the translation is right but natsu saying to kill him?? hello??? LMAO hes literally that meme thats like “my girls mad at me i hope i die” and lucy just being the sweetest im going to sob

their sad faces i cant theyre so </333 :,))))

their faces are so cute (natsus smile?? <333) but i cant ignore the big ass product placement with the tagline its so funny LMAO i love this so much but yeah sorry i just needed to rant (i think ive literally ranted about this before but idc idc i’ll do it AGAIN)

#i love this so much because it's just a little window stuff that goes on thats not shown in the main series #and ngl i like these way more than the story heavy arcs sometimes i just like seeing them be silly <3 #fairy tail #lucy heartfilia #natsu dragneel #gray fullbuster #erza scarlet #nalu

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fantasyandromancelover · 1 year

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Titanic AU

In 1996, Shiki Granbell and his team search the wreck of the RMS Titanic and they recover a safe that contains the drawing of a young nude woman The sketch is dated April 14, 1912, the same day the Titanic struck the iceberg that caused it to sink. The discovery is televised by the news and witnessed by Rebecca Bluegarden and her grandmother Lucy. Lucy recognizes the drawing and calls Shiki, revealing that she is the woman in the picture.

Now according to many rumors, countless treasures had vanished the night that the ship sank and Shiki and his team have searching the titanic remains for them. These treasures include a gold pocket watch that had belonged to the shipbuilder, a blue diamond necklace known as The Heart of the Ocean, and a 15-karat rose gold and silver bracelet with the name Wendy encrusted in diamonds.

Wanting to locate these treasures and sell them for profit, Shiki invites Rebecca and Lucy on board their vessel in hopes that the old woman knows where the missing valuables are. At first, Lucy isn’t too eager to share due to the trauma and tragedy of the event, but upon seeing Rebecca and Shiki fall in love at first sight, her happy memories of the event are rekindled and she recounts her experiences aboard the Titanic.

In 1912, young English heiress Lucy Heartfilia is boarding first class on the Titanic with her widower father Jude Heartfilia, her trusted Norwegian maid Levy, and her wealthy fiancé Dan Straight. Also boarding first class is American writer Gray Fullbuster, two newly weds, English shipbuilder Jellal Fernandes and his American bride, nouveau riche socialite Erza. And Scottish designer Mirajane Dreyar and her husband, the captain’s grandson, Laxus Dreyar.

Meanwhile Natsu Dragneel, a poor young, Italian artist wins a third class ticket in a poker game and excitedly boards it along with many other third class passengers eager for new opportunities in America. Among them are Irish siblings Juvia and Gajeel, Jewish widower Gildarts and his daughter Cana, and Wendy a French orphan girl who stowed away on board.

But despite being called the ship of dreams, many of the passengers have terrible misfortunes in their lives. Lucy’s engagement to Dan is one of connvience rather than love, arranged by her father who is in debt and is constantly pressuring her to go through with the marriage even though Dan is snobby, arrogant, and Lucy cannot stand him. Juvia is under the abusive care of her embittered and insanely jealous stepmother Selene, a former stage actress who was forced to retire because she had gotten older but blames it on her marriage to her now deceased husband and her stepchildren. Gajeel is in a secret relationship with Levy and the two both desire to elope, but he can’t bring himself to leave his sister with their stepmother. Jellal and Erza are madly in love and wish to start a family but Erza cannot get pregnant which deeply hurts her.

On the first day, Natsu befriends Gray and Gajeel, and the three discuss their plans for when they arrive in New York. Natsu plans to become a famous artist, Gray hopes to become a self-made man through writing instead of relying on his late father’s inheritance, and Gajeel dreams of becoming a famous musician. As the three young men are goofing off around the front of the ship, Natsu spots Lucy on the first class level, looking over the horizon and it’s love at first sight.

Later that night, Lucy goes to dinner with her father and Dan, and as the two men discuss their plans for her, she becomes distraught over nit having any control of her own life. She leaves the dining room, climbs over the stern railing, and intends to commit suicide by jumping overboard. Luckily though Natsu sees her and coaxes her back onto the deck. As he is pulling her back up, she slips, screams, and falls while pulling Natsu on top of her. Her screams alert the crew who assume that Natsu had assaulted her but she corrects them in that he saved her life and decides to reward him by inviting him to dinner in the first class dining room. He accepts and later as Lucy is getting ready for bed, Dan gives her a gaudy but expensive engagement ring to wear.

That same night, Gray is exploring the ship, keeping a journal of everything he experiences. He is suddenly lured to the third class level by a lovely voice and observes Juvia singing an Irish folk song while her brother plays his flute. He is smitten by her beauty and song but is startled into fleeing when Gajeel spots him. However in his haste, he drops his journal which Juvia finds. She goes to the first class level to return it to him but is stopped by two crew members who harass her. Gray sees this and defends her, making her quite bashful with his chivalry. He thanks her for returning his journal and also invites her to dinner in the first class dining room to make amends for all the trouble he’s caused.

Meanwhile Wendy who has been hiding in the boiler room becomes terribly hungry and sneaks into the first class dining hall for something to eat. She is caught stealing food and is about to be severely punished but Erza kindly pays for the stolen food and allows the child to dine with her and her husband. Both she and Jellal grow fond of Wendy and become sympathetic upon learning she is an orphan with no one to look after her. Unable to let her starve or spend the night cold, they decide to let her stay with them in their suite until they reach New York, then they’ll decide what should be done with her.

The next day both Natsu and Lucy, and Gray and Juvia stroll aboard the ship, getting to know each other. A tentative friendship develops between each couple. At the same time Erza and Jellal take Wendy on an outing, bonding almost like a real family. Jellal even gifts Wendy with a silver and golden, diamond bracelet that belonged to his late grandmother who happens to have the same name as the child. As the day ends, Natsu and Juvia are introduced to Erza who decides to loan Natsu one of Jellal’s suits and her friend Mirajane loans Juvia one of her designer gowns.

Before the dinner, Jellal and Laxus discuss the voyage with Captain Makarov Dreyar and Owner of the White Star Line Precht Gaeblog. Precht insists that Makarov push the ship to go faster for better publicity but Jellal recommends not doing so, claiming that they still are not sure how much the ship can take. Makarov believes Jellal is right but Laxus convinces him to rule in Precht’s favor. The ship’s speed is doubled that evening.

At dinner, Natsu is dressed so handsome like and Juvia is dressed so beautifully that the first class guests are amazed while Lucy and Gray are left speechless. Gray then presents Juvia with a necklace to wear for the evening, a family heirloom, The Heart of the Ocean. They all dine together with Dan being very rude to Natsu and Juvia, much to Lucy’s disgust, but Erza eventually shuts him up by throwing a subtle insult back at him. After dinner, Gray escorts Juvia back to her cabin but she asks him to stay for the third class party which Natsu invites Lucy to as well. The night is spent laughing, dancing, singing, and drinking as Gajeel leads the band in a grand jig and later serenading Levy with an Irish love ballad.

When the party ends, Gray and Juvia say goodbye, and having fallen in love with her, he allows her to keep the blue diamond necklace. She returns his love and accepts his gift. This is witnessed by Gajeel and Selene, but while Gajeel is pleased to see his sister truly happy for once, Selene is jealous of her stepdaughter gaining the attention of a wealthy young man. When Gray leaves, she drags Juvia into the cabin and locks Gajeel out so he can’t stop her from ruthlessly beating the girl. With each beating, she tells Juvia that she’s worthless and that she’ll never be anything but a poor wretch and that she doesn’t deserve to be loved by anyone, let alone a man like Gray. When the beating is over Gajeel furiously tries to kill Selene but she screams alerting the others and whispers a threat that she’ll tell a lie about Gajeel assaulting her which will end with him getting arrested. Juvia then pleads with her brother not do anything for his sake and he reluctantly agrees. Left alone, the siblings comfort each other.

Up above, Natsu escorts Lucy back to first class and he confesses that he loves her. She laughs and calls him crazy, he agrees with her but says he can’t help how his heart feels and calls her the most amazing girl in the world. At that moment, Lucy realizes that she has fallen in love with Natsu. This is witnessed by Dan who becomes jealous and in the morning he orders Lucy to never see Natsu again. When she argues that he has no right to say who she can and cannot associate with, he slaps her and viciously reminds her that they are to married which means (In his twisted mind) that he owns her and that she will do as he says without complaint. Adding to her fear and confusion is her father also forbidding her to have contact with Natsu and calling her selfish for not wanting to marry Dan which would pay all his debts. Scared, she tells Natsu that they can’t see each other anymore when he comes to visit her in secret.

On the other side of the ship, Gray looks for Juvia and finds her still crying over last night. He takes her to his room where he tends to her wounds (his late father was a surgeon) and gently asks what happened. She tells him the whole story of how she and her brother have been abused and mistreated by their stepmother since their father passed when they were children. She wants to leave but she has no where to go because she has no education and she doesn’t want to be a burden on her brother, whom she believes should just leave and live his own life. Unable to bear the thought of Juvia living such a life any longer, Gray asks her to come live with him and to let him take care of her. She declines his offer, saying that she appreciates his pity but cannot accept. He then tells her that it’s not out of pity and confesses his love for her. They kiss, she agrees to go with him, but insists that he ask Gajeel for his blessing first.

Meanwhile in her suite, Erza is teaching Wendy how to read and the girl stops her for a moment to thank the woman for her kindness, saying that if she had a family, she would want them to be just like Erza and Jellal. This touches Erza so much and she realizes that she and her husband have developed parental love for Wendy. She then proposes to Jellal that they adopt her. He hesitates at first but quickly agrees with the idea.

As for Lucy, she is so confused about her feelings for Natsu and is not sure what to do. She goes to Levy for advice and the maid assures her that if she follows her heart then she won’t regret it, telling her of her own love story with Gajeel. Inspired, Lucy runs to Natsu and tells him that she loves him too. She then invites him back to her room where he sketches her nude form, they have sex, and she declares that when the ship docks she’s getting off with him. They sneak off to the forward deck leaving behind her picture, the engagement ring, and an insulting note for Dan. When Dan finds these three things, he is furious and refuses to let Lucy go.

In third class, Gray and Juvia tell Gajeel their plan and he gives his blessing, glad that he’s found someone willing to love and look after her, giving her the happiness she deserves. And he can now elope with Levy without fear of leaving Juvia unloved and unprotected. They rush to tell Levy the good news but Gray is stopped by Selene who tries to seduce him. Repulsed, he rejects her. Enraged, she screams and falsely accuses Gray of raping her. Gray and Juvia flee from the crew members who pursue them and hide in the boiler room until the panic dies down. Gray pleads his innocence to Juvia but she assures him that she knows her stepmother is lying.

Suddenly the ship collides with an iceberg which Natsu and Lucy witness. They separate to warn the others but promise to meet back later. Unfortunately Natsu runs into Dan who frames him for theft by slipping the engagement ring into his coat pocket. His manservant Bloodman drags Natsu off and leaves him handcuffed in the lower decks.

With the ship sinking, panic starts to ensue. The frightened crowds cause Wendy to be separated from Jellal and Erza as they hurry to the lifeboats. Jellal decides to go back and look for Wendy and forces Erza on to the lifeboat, giving her his beloved pocket watch as a promise that he’ll come back to her. Lucy flees Dan and her father, who has boarded a lifeboat and finds Natsu, freeing him but almost drowning in the process. In the third class level, the gates are closed off trapping everyone down there including Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Juvia, Gajeel, and Levy. Gajeel uses his strength to break down the gates so they all have a chance to live but one of the officers accidentally shoot him in his spinal cord, rendering him unable to walk. Juvia tries to pull him along but he knows he’s a goner and makes Gray promise to love and protect Juvia in his place. Gray makes the promise and has to carry a tearful Juvia away. Gajeel urges Levy to go with them but she chooses to die with him, biding a tearful farewell to Lucy. Hand in hand, the couple sings one last love song as they wait for the inevitable.

Makarov and Laxus are both wracked with guilt over what’s happened and have decided to go down with the ship while doing everything in their power to save the passengers. Mirajane begs Laxus to let her stay with him but he refuses to let her die for his mistake. Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Juvia barely make it back to the boat deck and they urge the women to board the lifeboat. Juvia doesn’t want to go having just lost her brother and she tearfully pleads with Gray not leave her too, but he assures her that he has no intention of dying and swears to find someway to survive. Selene is among the group of women boarding and the sight of their love drives her so mad with envy that she pushes Juvia right off the boat. Selene is shot and killed, Gray immediately jumps after Juvia, and they manage to hold each other above water long enough for Erza to pull them on to her lifeboat.

Dan convinces Lucy to board a lifeboat by falsely claiming that he can get Natsu off the ship but has actually just arranged to save himself. As her lifeboat is lowered, Lucy, unable to abandon Natsu, jumps back on board. Furious, Dan tries to shoot the lovers, chasing them into the flooding first-class dining saloon. They get away, and he has no choice but to accept defeat.

Jellal finally finds Wendy and gets her safely on to the lifeboat but gives up his spot for Gildarts, so he can go with Cana. Believing he won’t survive and that the sinking is his fault for not building a stronger vessel, Jellal gets drunk and chooses to go down with the ship as well.

The lifeboats have departed and the ship's stern is rising as the flooded bow sinks. As passengers fall to their deaths, Natsu and Lucy desperately cling to the stern rail. The upended ship breaks in half and the bow section dives downward. The remaining stern slams back onto the ocean, then upends again before it, too, sinks. In the freezing water, Natsu helps Lucy onto a wooden panel buoyant, she tries to get him on too but it only has enough for one person. Natsu makes her promise to survive before tragically dying of hypothermia much to Lucy’s heartbreak.

Erza and Cana quickly take control of the lifeboats and go back for survivors. They rescue Lucy, Jellal who survived the cold due to the extreme amount of alcohol in his blood, and any other survivors. They are then picked up by the RMS Carpathia where the Fernades couple are reunited with Wendy, and Lucy hides from Dan and Jude, changing her name to Lucy Dragneel, in order to finally be free.

The elderly Lucy ends her story by revealing what happened to the other survivors. Jellal and Erza adopted Wendy, Gray published a book about the Titanic then married Juvia who made her brother’s songs famous by singing them and they later had two children, Mirajane never remarried and lived out her days with her sister, Dan committed suicide after losing his fortune, and Lucy herself later discovered that she had become pregnant by Natsu (Making him Rebecca’s grandfather), and raised their daughter alone while living a life of freedom and adventure. She then unlocks a safe in her room which contains the watch, the necklace, the bracelet and many other treasures such as photographs, letters, notes, and keepsakes. As the last living member of that group, she had been trusted to keep these treasures safe so no one would forget the stories behind them.

Touched by her story, Shiki decides not to sell the valuable items but donate everything in the safe to a museum so the memory of all those people would live on forever. Later that night, as Shiki and Rebecca get to know each other, Lucy dies peacefully in her sleep and as a young woman again, she enters an afterlife where she’s reunited with the souls of everyone she knew from her story including those who died on the ship. She is met by Natsu who kisses her and they are applauded by everyone.

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missdeepend · 1 year

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Lucy Heartfilia and Compassion

So while casually thinking about my favorite anime, Fairy Tail, I realized something. This isn’t abnormal as I tend to notice things every once in a while whether or not they are intentional. This time around I noticed that, considering what she goes through in every single arc (this girl cannot catch a single break), Lucy Heartfilia still retains her compassion and kindness for strangers and enemies.

You could chalk this up to bad writing on Mashima’s part, which I would not complain about. I do adore Mashima’s writing but it isn’t perfect. However, I would like to suggest that it fits well with the themes of Fairy Tail. The importance of friendship and family weigh heavily through the series with the main focus being the Guild Hall and the bond of the people within the guild.

The extent of this theme goes even to the villains, where we see countless times either they care for each other, are neutral but are after a similar objective, or they actively do not work well and are injuring each other. Of course the first and last work the best when in a story such as this but I am getting ahead of myself. To get back on track... Through the entire anime we learn the backstory to each of the main characters and some others a part of Fairy Tail. If we focus on the main five; Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster, and Wendy Marvell (sorry Happy and Carla) we can see that each have had personal obstacles that range in emotional impact on their character. Apart from Natsu and Wendy, who have tame back stories (that they remember) compared to the rest, Lucy is definitely the more tame. She was never against some giant demon and was never a slave, both of which ended up hurting and killing others by their actions. Lucy ended up having a peaceful beginning and was a high class girl with a big future ahead of her if all had gone according to plan. Since this is Fairy Tail, and a Shonen manga, nothing comes easy. Her mother died young and thus Lucy was left with an abusive father who and no care for her after her mother’s passing. She had no friends other than the spirits that her mother passed to her when she was on her deathbed. When Lucy was finally able to escape at roughly sixteen, she was able to find Fairy Tail who became her replacement family. In the meantime, Lucy also had been abused in some way in each arc (whether its fighting someone she cares about, sexual harassment and public humiliation, or quite literally being tortured), lost her father that she finally started to build a relationship to once again, lost her doll that was another connection to her mother, lost Aquarius, and even her guild. Yet the biggest thing that sticks with Lucy through all of this is her compassion, the main topic of this post that took oh so long to get to the point of. Lucy still has compassion for enemies and those that hurt her the most. She never has grudges that last long, apart from her father with understandable reasons. However, she even began building that bond again in her last moments and seemed to still have a heart for him. This is shown, of course, when he makes her way to Love & Lucky to protect her father when she believes he is a victim in a hostage situation. This isn’t the case and he is safe, but she still had the heart to put aside her feelings and do what was right. Minerva, who tortured Lucy and put her through immense humiliation and almost killed her if it wasn’t for Chelia and Wendy, was also forgiven by her actions. Lucy passes it as water under a bridge and they were trying to do right for their guild, but this is still a big moment to show Lucy’s kindness. Lucy is shown on more than one occasion to protect the guild, even from the very start, and how big her heart truly is. She could have absorbed it all and became a person similar to her counter in Edolas, but even more cold hearted. She had every right to be angry at Natsu for abandoning her and hardly put any pressure when it was shown she was genuinely upset. She never even let anyone know that Aquarius was gone. In my eyes, Lucy Heartfilia is one of the best characters in Fairy Tail. Once a character seen as purely for sexualization, which still is the case in a few instances, Lucy showcases some of the most important themes of Fairy Tail in her actions and how she continues forward. She is one of the most deserving of the Fairy Tail guild mark. Oh boy that was a long post but I hope I got my point across. As I said in the beginning, I think of these concepts all the time and I am really interested to make more posts about Fair Tail and why it is so great in many aspects. Let me know your opinions and go ahead and post any suggestions for me to cover in the future!

See you later in the Deep End!

#fairy tail #fairy tail anime #fairy tail characters #fairy tail discussion #fairy tail manga #lucy heartifilla #Character Study #fictional characters #main character #Female Character #female main character

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found-family-tournament · 1 year

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Found Family Tournament Round 1 Part 11 Group 51

Propaganda and further pictures under the cut

Team Natsu: Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, Happy, Wendy Marvell, Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster & Carla

Submissions are still open!

Team Natsu:

GIRL!!! THEY ARE SO SUPPORTIVE OF EACH OTHER!!! BEST BATTLE TEAM!!! THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH TOGETHER!!

Yutaka, Minoru & Tane:

Listen! Listen! I have not read the manga. But they have enthralled me within the first episode of the show. They are so fucking adorable! Yutaka had a bad childhood, that makes it hard for him to eat around other people. Which especially sucks, because he's a pretty good cook. One day a kid goes up to him and gets a taste of his rice-ball. And the kid loves it so much. So much that he can't stop talking about it. And his older brother (who is Yutaka's age) ends up inviting Yutaka over to teach them how to make rice-balls. And then Yutaka coming over and teaching them cooking becomes a weekly thing. Please just look at them! I love them so much!

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ao3feed-gratsu-brotp · 5 months

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As It Was

by Eli_Tries_Their_Best

You're used to surviving. You're used to bearing the weight of the world on your shoulders, struggling through each day as your body betrays you. Before you realize it, you've escaped, and you're on the run. Taken in by a group of oddballs, you struggle to believe in safety, in the trustworthiness of the people around you. It won't take long for you to stumble into stolen moments of life, discovering that you don't need to survive, you need to learn to live. And this wayward group of wizards is the best place to do that.

Something dark looms on the horizon, and soon, the story of your life will come to a head with the new reality you're forging. Can you trust your team, or will you find yourself lost to the otherness inside of you?

Words: 2346, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Fairy Tail

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/F, F/M

Characters: Happy (Fairy Tail), Gray Fullbuster, Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, Erza Scarlet, Makarov Dreyar, Mirajane Strauss

Relationships: Gray Fullbuster/Reader, Natsu Dragneel & Gray Fullbuster & Lucy Heartfilia & Erza Scarlet, Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia, Jellal Fernandes/Erza Scarlet, Natsu Dragneel & Gray Fullbuster, Gray Fullbuster & Erza Scarlet

Additional Tags: i dont know what this is, but im doing my best, well see how it goes, multi chapter fic, no beta we die like men, x Reader, Fluff, Angst, everyone has a tragic backstory, probably will be darker than source material, fairy tail - Freeform, gray fullbuster x reader, this is out of boredom, Female Reader, even though im trans, whatever, Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, uh, Dont read if its not your thing, im just trying to enjoy myself, Will add tags as I go, Hurt/Comfort

Source: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52794544

#ao3feed #fanfiction #fairy tail #gray & natsu #natsu & gray #gray fullbuster #natsu dragneel #brotp

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fics-n-stuff-n-stuff · 10 months

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Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia -

all fairy tail characters-

Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic

Follows Fairy tail but with my own twists set in modern day

Fluff and Angst

developing feelings

Lucy has new spirits I checked constellations and gave her ones I thought were cool

Summary

Lucy is thrown into a world she didn’t know existed. Join her as she unravels this new world full of magic that brings adventure, romance and destruction along with it.

———

Just a modern re-telling of Fairy tail following its arcs with a few twists and turns along the way💞

Language: English Words: 3,227

You can also read it here- https://archiveofourown.org/works/49084309

“Fuck”

Lucy was not having a good day, or a good week, or a good year for that matter.

Since running away from home a little over a year ago, and having to financially fend for herself for the first time in 20 years it was a challenge in the beginning for someone as sheltered as she is, and did not come without great challenges.

But it is something Lucy has gotten used to and has actually come to enjoy some odd jobs and trades she's had to learn to get by.

At least to a certain degree.

But with her arrival in Hargeon today, and having spent half of her day trying to find a job, and the other half trying to find somewhere to live. Having no luck with either was a tad discouraging and left Lucy to wonder if her plan to move every few months was actually a smart idea, or if she was just being paranoid.

I mean, she's heard no word from her father or anything about her disappearance. So it's only natural to think he isn't looking.

Then again, it's better safe than sorry, so moving every time she starts feeling like she's suffocating or bored was the conclusion.

She had left Morgate Town fairly easily, it wasn't like she had any friends in the place, and her job as a waitress had her underpaid and overworked, so she was happy to leave.

Now if only she had had the foresight to at least look for some jobs or housing in this area, but no, she decided to treat it like an adventure.

She scoffs now at the thought, right adventure is what she had been looking for when she ran away. Freedom to do whatever she wanted.

Boy, has the real world slapped her in the face.

Her lack of foresight and naivety for adventure is why she was currently walking down the dark streets of Hargeon, following her phone GPS to the inn with the most positive ratings, that wasn't too pricey.

She had found it online earlier when she had stopped to get something to eat and decided to book a room.

Turning the corner of a street, she noticed that everything was suddenly eerily quiet.

People were walking around just a minute ago, looking around she didn't notice anything particularly out of the ordinary, but she couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched.

Picking up her pace slightly, she continued down the street, wishing the inn were closer, so she could just draw a bath and try to figure out her game plan for tomorrow.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, something slammed into her from the side, sending her flying into an alleyway between two buildings.

With a grunt, Lucy landed on the hard ground, slightly disoriented and wondering what sent her flying, looking up, she saw a figure covered by a black cloak standing at the entrance of the alley.

"What the hell is your problem?" Lucy asked, trying to sound confident as she stood up on shaky legs.

They started walking towards her, not answering her question, but she did hear hissing sounds and weird clicking noises coming from under the hood.

Not wanting to figure out what the hell this person's deal is, Lucy looked to the other end of the alley, only to see that it goes one way and is blocked by a wall connecting the buildings.

Dead end.

With a curse under her breath, Lucy looked back at the cloaked figure and tried to sidestep and escape, only to be grabbed by the back of her hair and violently slammed her into the brick wall.

Lucy let out a harsh scream as her body made an impact, and looking at her attacker she finally noticed that it wasn't a person at all that was attacking her because under the black cloak was a figure straight out of a nightmare, a soulless face, with dark gray skin and no apparent eyes started back at her.

Lucy only screamed louder, the creature tightened the hold it had on her and started mumbling words that Lucy could barely make out.

"We could feel your magic, yes, yes, so sweet it smells, a good feast we have found, good, good." It sounded like it was talking to itself.

Not being one to give up, Lucy kept struggling in its hold and kept screaming for help, hoping someone would hear her.

"No, no, no escape. Keep still."

It sounded harsher, and with those words, Lucy was slammed into the wall once more, she heard a crack and could feel blood trickling down the back of her head. That stopped her protest as she felt the pain come in full swing.

The creature above her was drawing closer, its mouth open and sharp teeth on display, gods, is this how she dies? In a dirty alleyway, with no one to miss her, no one to even know she was dead?

'Please don't let me die like this, not like this' Lucy thought to herself as the creature finally started to feed on her, it felt like her very soul was getting sucked out.

She was fading fast and thinking, this time, of her mother, and how she will finally be able to see her again, at the very least.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, Lucy felt the air around her start to increase in temperature, making sweat build up on Lucy's temple she felt a blast of heat and warmth around her and suddenly the creature was thrown off of her with an unearthly shriek.

There were more heat blasts, it looked like fire shooting out of somewhere. She wasn't even sure anymore as black spots started to appear in front of her.

Sliding down the wall, she heard another shriek and after a few beats of silence Lucy was suddenly wrapped in warmth, she didn't even realize she was freezing.

"Crap, he got you good, don't worry you're safe now. I'll take you back to Fairy Tail and-"

The person who had her in their arms was talking, but Lucy was losing consciousness, fast, and could not focus for the life of her. The last thing she saw was pink before passing out.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Waking up disoriented and with a pounding head, when you're 100% sure you didn't drink the night before is not fun by any means.

This is how Lucy finds herself waking up, in a brightly lit room, with her head feeling like someone is trying to escape from inside it.

She sat up with a groan, blinking away the way the light hurt her eyes, and finally able to look around, the room she is in appears to be an infirmary of some kind, but how did she get there? Why is she here?

Suddenly she remembered the attack, a creature of some sort, sucking out her soul, and then fire and warmth, someone fighting the creature and rescuing her before everything went black.

No, that can't be right, there must be a logical explanation for what she saw. She just needs to get up and see where she is, and get some answers.

Going through the infirmary door she sees that she is on the second floor of what appears to be a tavern.

The ground floor was full of people who were laughing, drinking, and playing games.

Some even appear to be fighting.

'What an odd place' Lucy thinks to herself as she descends the stairs, looking around at everyone she suddenly notices that these are no regular people.

She sees what looks like elf ears and wings on some people, and bursts of energy or other strange-looking things from others.

"I must still be dreaming, yes that's it, this is all just a lucid dream." Lucy mutters to herself as she makes her way through the middle of the crowd and to the bar, where she sees a beautiful white-haired girl tending to it.

As Lucy sits down on an empty chair the girl looks up at her with a bright smile "Hello, my name is Mirajane, how are you feeling? You were in quite the rough shape when Natsu brought you in last night."

The girl, Mirajane, puts a plate of fries and some chicken wings on the bar, as well as a glass of water "Here, I'm sure you're hungry, and you need to replenish the energy that was stolen from you."

Lucy smiled at Mirajane, looking down at the food, it smelled amazing and she suddenly felt and heard her stomach growl which is what made Lucy think, maybe she wasn't in a dream after all.

Looking back at Mirajane, Lucy smiled, she could feel it was slightly strained because of the uncertainty of her surroundings, but she tried her best to hide it.

"My name is Lucy, thank you for the food Mirajane, I didn't realize I was so hungry. I am sorry, but I have to ask you, do you know what happened to me? I, I'm not sure what I saw last night, you see I was attacked but I'm not, well, I" Lucy trailed off struggling to find the words to describe the creature that attacked her, fearing she might sound completely insane if she did.

"Yes, dreadful creatures, Lethifolds. They feed off of energy, usually fear. But they are known to attack and take a person's life energy and magical energy as well. You were lucky that Natsu caught the scent of one and found you when he did."

Mirajane explained with a wave of her hand as she went back to wiping the bar.

Lucy just started back at her, stunned. Lethifolds? Magical energy? She felt like she was going crazy.

"I'm sorry, did you just say magical energy?" Lucy asked but her question never got answered as she heard someone yell to watch out and she turned around only to see a chair flying towards her.

Lucy only really had time to close her eyes and try to duck as best she can to try and minimize the damage.

But the blow never came, she only felt warmth at her side and slowly, Lucy opened her eyes to see the chair had been stopped by someone barely 20cm from her face.

"Jeez, you guys gotta be more careful or somethin'." the person that stopped the chair said, throwing it suddenly back, hitting a big guy with white hair. Making him fall back and topple several people along with him.

"That's rich coming from you flame brain"

Another voice chimed in from across the room making the pink-haired man next to Lucy bristle.

"What'dya say ya stripper freak?" He growled back at the man who taunted him.

'Huh, pink hair suits him ' Lucy thinks to herself as she looks at the man who saved her from another possible concussion.

"Thank you, for catching the chair, I would've been a goner." she finds herself saying to the stranger, who, at the sound of her voice snaps out of his staring contest and turns to face her fully with a brilliant smile.

"No problem, glad to see ya're up and movin', I was kinda worried I didn't make it in time, but the mean healer said you'd be awake soon so I guess that's good. I'm Natsu" he rambled on, sitting next to her at the bar as he did.

Natsu.

That's who Mirajane said saved her from that Dementor-looking thing.

"Oh, you're the one who saved me." Lucy said dumbly, wincing slightly as she did.

Seriously what kind of weirdo says something like that?

Natsu just smiles wider and nods "Yeah I did! I was finishin' up a job in Hargeon when I smelt one of those bastards and knew I had to hunt it down before it caused any trouble, looks like I got there just in time, eh." He winks and nudges my shoulder, wiggling his eyebrows, the smile never leaving his face.

Lucy smiles back at him, letting out a slight laugh. This one is a little more real, something about this pink-haired man made her feel warm, made her feel safe.

That is a foreign feeling to one Lucy Heartfilia.

So she lets herself relax if only a little.

"Well thank you, you saved my life. I'm not even sure what happened but I don't think I would've made it if you hadn't shown up. I don't know how to make it up to you."

His expression suddenly turns serious as he turns to fully look at her, from her shoes to the top of her head.

Now Lucy has had many men, young and old, look at her up and down before, and most of them made her skin crawl.

The way Natsu was looking at her was more inquisitive than anything like he was trying to figure something out. He stopped his inspection and looked her in the eyes.

"The creature that attacked you feeds off of energy, positiv', negativ', it doesn't matter, really. Thought this one was going for your magical energy." He says the last part with conviction and looks for her reaction.

Lucy can now say she officially has no idea what is going on, and what is real. He said the same thing that Mirajane had.

Magical. Energy.

"You have no idea, do you?" Natsu's voice broke her out of her thoughts and she looked back at him.

"You just said magical energy, as in like magic? Like Harry Potter and stuff?" Lucy asked, perplexed and not knowing what to think.

This wasn't real, no way. Lucy had always had an active imagination, so yeah that's all this is. She's probably bleeding out in the alley where she was attacked.

Natsu just smiled at her, scoffing slightly at her Harry Potter comment. "Yes magic, no not like Harry Potter. And you have it. I can smell it on you." He said sniffing the air with a shrug, as if it proves his point.

"You can smell it on me ?" Lucy asked, her voice squeaking slightly. She brought her hands to hug herself.

'Do I stink?' Lucy thought to herself, a little self-conscious about what she'd just learned.

"Yeah, I got a good nose, and even though it's repressed or something, I can tell it's there." He answered as if it explains everything.

Lucy felt a migraine start to form from everything going on, she could also feel a pressure in her chest, building.

She tried to wrap her head around magic, and did he say repressed?

"What do you mean by repressed?"

Natsu looked back at her with a shrug, as if trying to find the words.

"Like it's locked inside of you, ya know? But I can tell that it's ripping through the seams like it wants to burst out, that's the only reason that bastard could've sensed it. It's also why I brought ya here, thought maybe you'd like for us to break it for you so you can learn to use your magic." He explained casually like they were discussing current events, and Lucy finally snapped.

Standing up abruptly causing Natsu to lean back a bit from surprise she looked at him, eyes wide and she was panting slightly, breathing deepening from her increasing panic.

"Ok, hold on, stop. You can't really be saying that magic is, that magic is real? Like actually real, casting spells and flying on brooms and wicked witches casting spells?" She spat out, in an obvious panic now, at some point she had started pacing in front of Natsu, who just looked back at her, wide-eyed from her outburst.

Lucy started at him, chest heaving, waiting for a response, only for the pink-haired man to laugh at her.

Annoyed, Lucy let out a groan and hit his shoulder.

"Don't laugh at me, I think I'm having a panic attack, you should be helping, not laughing." She hit him one more time for good measure which made him stop laughing and let out a sigh of his own.

"Okay, okay. Sorry for laughin' at ya, it's just, flying on brooms, really?" Lucy couldn't help the pathetic laugh that bubbled from her throat, she didn't even know what was funny.

It was a legitimate question, she didn't know anything about this supposed magical world.

Looking back at Natsu she saw him already focused on her, with a small smile on his face.

"See, got ya to laugh. Point for me."

Before Lucy could even interject, he continued talking.

"Now, as for the magic part. Yes, to the magic is real part. No, for the flying brooms. Yes, to casting spells, although 'spells' is one term for it, there are others. And I guess yes to the wicked witches part too, but trust me, they are not like the cartoons. "

Lucy started at him, trying to wrap her head around him actually answering her questions, and taking her seriously.

"Here, let me show you my magic, it is totally the coolest in the guild!" He exclaimed, making Lucy smile a little at his enthusiasm, her smile was suddenly wiped when Natsu's right arm catches on fire.

A high-pitched squeak came from Lucy's mouth and before she's even realizing her actions her hands are on Natsu's arm, trying to put out the fire.

"Are you crazy!?? You're going to burn yourself!" She yelled patting his arm, trying to put out the fire as her panic started to kick in again.

Amid her panic, she failed to notice that the fire was not burning Natsu, nor was it burning her.

When she noticed that the flames were dying out slowly, she turned her eyes back to Natsu who was looking at her with a strange expression on his face, something akin to astonishment.

Before either could speak a voice entered their conversation.

"What's all this ruckus about, ey?" Lucy turned to her left and saw a short gray-haired man with a weird hat on top of his head sitting crossed-legged on the bar, their eyes met and he gave her an assessing look before offering a smile.

"You must be the girl Natsu saved last night, good to see you back on your feet."

Lucy smiled at the old man. "My name is Lucy. I'm sorry for disturbing you in your tavern, I was just leaving."

'Yes, I'll just leave and then hopefully this is all just a very vivid and disturbing dream and a pink-haired man did not save me from a Dementor and did not light himself on fire.'

Lucy thought, trying to back up, and out of the building when suddenly, she felt a stab of pain in her chest, making her stop in her tracks and clench her midsection.

Doubling over she felt another pierce through her, this one knocking the air out of her, Lucy felt herself falling but did not have any control over her body.

She felt a pair of warm hands catch her before she had a chance to hit the floor.

Lucy could barely make out the voices around her, everything was spinning, her chest hurt, she could feel something inside of her, something that felt like it wanted to burst.

With one last jolt of pain, a crack resonated within Lucy, and her power was unleashed.

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tokkias · 4 months

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damaged goods ship: natsu dragneel x lucy heartfilia summary: Healing is not a linear process. Some days are worse than others, Natsu finds out. He wishes it wasn't like that, that one day he could just be okay, fine, good even. Unfortunately, things just don't seem to work out that way and some days he finds himself physically bedridden with grief and there is only one person who's words, smile, and touch that he feels can pull him out of his sorrow. ao3

The thing about grief is that it never truly goes away. Over time, it just becomes a part of you, something you learn to live with. Life doesn’t stop moving for grief; the world doesn’t stop turning and the sun doesn’t stop rising because of loss. Things continue on as they always do, and life moves on.

Healing is not a linear process. Some days are worse than others, Natsu finds out.

Some days are normal, hopeful even, like the grief was never there in the first place. Other days, it feels like the world is crashing down on his shoulders, and he feels the weight of all his grief weighting down on his chest. It’s almost enough that it physically hurts him, as though something is gripping at his heart, squeezing until he can only breathe in choked-out sobs.

Today is one of those days.

He doesn’t want to leave his bed, no matter how much Happy insists it will make him feel better. He knows he’s probably right, but he wants to wallow in his own misery, if only for a little while.

He shoos the poor cat off, tells him to leave him alone, which happens eventually but deeply reluctantly and only after hours of trying to cheer him up. Happy just doesn’t get it, and he doesn’t blame him for that. He doesn’t know the sorrow of losing someone so important to him, and Natsu hopes he never does. He never wants Happy to hurt the way he’s hurting right now.

His tears have long since stopped falling, not for lack of trying, but because he’s simply reached the point where there's nothing left to cry. His sorrow comes out in dry heaves and hics. He sounds like a wounded animal, and he feels like one too.

He’s never felt so... vulnerable before, never so alone. Not since the day Igneel disappeared. It’s his own fault. Happy had been there, and he’s done nothing but push him away, but he just can’t find it in himself to be vulnerable like this around him. He needs to be strong for him; he can’t let him see how weak he is in these moments.

There’s no one that he feels he can let himself be truly open with in these moments of true sorrow where he’s at his worst—his weakest.

Well, almost no one.

As he gazes up at the ceiling, he thinks about Lucy.

He finds himself doing that a lot lately.

He wants her to be here, to hold him, comfort him, tell him things are going to be okay. The fact that she isn’t here with him makes his heart ache and throb with an unfamiliar emotion. He thinks he can call it… yearning.

He wonders if he wills it hard enough that he can manifest her presence, that she’ll show up at his door and forcibly drag him out of bed, take him for a walk, remind him of all the good things that exist outside of his grief. He knows it won’t work—she doesn’t share his tendency for breaking and entering. If he wants to see her, it has to be of his own volition. For the first time today, the world that exists outside his bedroom seems tempting.

He doesn’t leave his bed right away—the warmth of his blanket trapping in his own body heat reminds him too much of snuggling with Igneel as a child for him to want to leave so soon.

He wishes Lucy were here. She always seems to run cold, so she would like just how warm it gets beneath the sheets with him. There’s a bitter chill in the air today, the kind that Lucy always whines about before attaching herself to his side in an attempt to leech off of his warmth. He pretends to hate it, but right now he can think of nothing he wants more than Lucy’s touch.

That’s the thought that tips him over the edge, quite literally. He practically rolls out of bed. It’s not graceful; it’s not elegant, but he’s never been either of those things, so it doesn’t matter.

He barely manages to dress himself when he’s up, and he doesn’t bother with his hair. The way his bangs fall in his eyes is mildly annoying, but not annoying enough that he wants to do anything about it. Today he’s sad, and he’s lazy, and he only has a single goal in mind.

Happy seems to perk up when he comes trudging out of his room, seeing his sudden willingness to get out of bed as a marked improvement of the Natsu, who seemed content to do nothing but rot away for the rest of the day.

“Natsu!” He greets. “Are you feeling better?”

He lets out a grunt in response. He is better, he supposes, even if only marginally so. He’s not good, but he’s up, and that’s probably more than anyone could ask of him. He’s dressed, but barely so. He’s wearing the same pants he had on yesterday—the ones he kicked to the floor before crawling into bed before grief overtook him, his soul, his spirit. He makes his way to the door, where he haphazardly tugs on his jacket, not because it’s cold (not that he ever gets cold), but because there’s a stain on his shirt, and though he has enough dignity to cover it up, he doesn’t have enough to change it.

“Where are you going?” Happy asks in curiosity.

Natsu doesn’t need a coat nor dignity to mope around the house, so Happy picks up rather quickly that he’s headed somewhere.

“I’m goin’ for a walk,” he tells him.

It’s not a lie, but it’s not the entire truth either.

He is going for a walk, but it’s less about the walking and more about his destination.

“When will you be back?” he replies.

“Dunno,” Natsu shrugs.

Ideally, not tonight. In his ideal scenario, he falls asleep at Lucy’s house, in Lucy’s bed, in Lucy’s arms. He can’t guarantee that he will get all three, but he knows that she will cave and give him at least two.

He’s not sure if Happy’s had dinner yet—probably not, given that they eat together most nights and food (if they had it) would have been the first thing his buddy used to lure him out of his room. It’s probably why he’s asking. He wants to know if he should prepare something for him, if he should wait until he gets back to fry up one of his beloved fishies for his beloved friend. There’s no need for that tonight. He will surely find comfort in Lucy’s arms and her fridge, should he feel well enough to raid it when he arrives.

“Don’t wait for me, okay?”

Happy knows him well enough that he’s put two and two together. He knows where he’s going, and he knows he probably won’t be back any time soon. Perhaps more importantly, he knows that this is a good thing—that if he can’t cheer his best friend up, then Lucy is the only person who can.

It’s dark out by the time he leaves, indicating he’s wasted most of the day rotting away in bed. Winter in Magnolia brings early nightfall, which he’s not too keen on, but he knows Lucy loves for the ample time it brings for stargazing. He imagines her already prepared for bed, even though it’s barely dinner time, curled up with some book she’s nearly finished, even though she only got it a few days ago. The thought of being able to lay in her lap as she reads is what gets him through each step, heavy and ridden with grief.

He doesn’t burst right in as he would any other night; the thought doesn’t even occur to him. It’s like opening the door is too much for his poor, ailed body. His knocks on the door are soft and lack conviction, so much so that he wonders if she even heard them. He raises his hand to knock again in case she hasn't, but he’s interrupted by the door swinging open.

He was right—she’s already in her pyjamas, her reading time clearly having been interrupted by his unannounced appearance. There’s a look of surprise on her face that quickly turns to worry when she sees the state of him. His sorrow has taken a toll on him physically; his eyes are weepy and bloodshot, tear tracks stain his cheeks, and he lacks any of his usual ardour.

Any other time, he would shove it all down and pretend it’s fine, but as he sees her face, he has to use all of that strength to just hold it together and stop himself from bursting into tears at the sight of her. His day has been filled with such grief from his loss that seeing Lucy, still here, still okay, brings him so much relief that he could cry.

On days like this, he can’t help but wonder who will be the next to leave, to walk out of his life, to be ripped away from his grasp, just as Igneel was. He knows he and his family lead dangerous lives; their line of work always holds a lingering threat of injury or death over them with one wrong move. He had never considered much of their mortality until watching Igneel, strong, fearless Igneel, being taken away from him before his own eyes. Now some days, their mortality is all he can think about.

He always worries about Lucy, but the concern is exacerbated when the thoughts of death, tragedy, and loss insert themselves into the equation. None should be a concern right now. She’s standing right in front of him, looking fine, okay, good even. He needn’t worry for her safety; if anything, his biggest worry should be that she slams the door in his face at his unannounced appearance.

Not that she would. Not his Lucy.

His kind, caring, empathetic Lucy.

In true Lucy fashion, she wastes no time coaxing him inside, closing the door behind him, her hand gently resting on his back as she guides him to the couch. He easily sinks into the cushions and their familiar comfort, the scent of Lucy woven into the upholstery, and the crumbs of Natsu’s snacking habits wedged between them.

Her expression is one of utmost concern. It’s kind and gentle, but it’s full of so much worry that Natsu fears his heart might explode, knowing he’s the reason for it. She doesn’t speak right away, giving him a moment to initiate, should he choose to.

It’s quiet for a moment as he musters up the courage for it. He’s never had to do that before—he’s always been brave at heart, but this feels like a new type of bravery. There is no threat here. He is only threatened with an emotional vulnerability that he’s not sure he’s willing to face, but Lucy looks at him with such sincerity and openness that somehow he feels compelled to speak.

“I’ve been thinkin’ about... Igneel,” he manages to choke out.

It’s hard to admit out loud when he can barely admit it to himself.

Love has never felt like a weakness before, but suddenly it’s crippling, keeping him bedridden as he feels himself swallowed whole by his grief.

“I’m sorry,” is all she says.

From there, a gentle silence falls over them, and she moves her hand to rest on his, their fingers intertwining as she runs her thumb over his skin in soft, comforting ministrations.

“I know what it’s like,” she adds.

Loss is not foreign to anyone in the guild. It is one of the harsh inevitabilities of life. Everyone in the guild has experienced it in some form or another, but few he feels he can confide in about his own loss; even fewer he feels would understand.

It’s a very specific grief to lose a parent—someone who raised you, cared for you, someone who you loved so wholly and truly, and who loved you back with all the same fervour and more.

When Lucy says she gets it, he believes her.

“But I should be over it by now,” he confesses, brows knitted together in frustration.

It’s been what? Three? Four years now? Surely that’s adequate time to have moved on from this stage of absolute sorrow that he still feels. It shouldn’t still hurt like a fresh wound, like it just happened yesterday, but sometimes it does, and it feels like all the progress he’s ever made to move on just fizzles away into nothing. It begins to feel like he will never escape this hole that he’s in, that in losing Igneel, he has somehow lost a part of himself.

“I don’t think that’s true,” Lucy muses. “I think… that when we lose someone so close to us, they take a piece of you with them, but in return, they leave a part of them with us to fill that void in your heart.”

Her hand comes to rest on her own chest, where his ears can attune to the soft thump of her heartbeat. The words come out so naturally, as though this is something she has dwelled on and long since come to terms with. He wishes he were at the same stage of grieving that she has found herself in.

“And it’s not always going to be easy to move on, even if you wish it were, because that loss made you who you are today, for better and for worse. Today is just one of the for worse days,” she says. “Grieving doesn’t make you weak, and I know you don’t like to ask for help, but you don’t have to take all of this on by yourself.”

That’s his Lucy. Eloquent Lucy. Always good with words, Lucy.

She always knows exactly the right things to say, and he doesn’t really understand how it comes so easy to her when he struggles to even untangle his own thoughts himself, but he’s never appreciated it more than he does in this moment.

“Just know that I’m always going to be here for you, okay?”

She looks at him with a gleam in her eyes and all the sincerity in the world, and he wonders if she even knows how much she and her words mean to him.

It’s hard to believe in promises like forever and always when mortality is part of the equation, but he will convince himself because Lucy has never let him down before.

He doesn’t speak because he feels like nothing he can say will adequately convey whatever feelings are swirling around in his chest, but he nods and hopes that she understands.

She doesn’t let the sombre mood dwell for long. It’s never been like him to linger on sad feelings for too long, and given his subdued response, she seems to feel as though a diversion is warranted.

“Have you eaten?” She asks, which would be a strange question any other day, but her intuition has apparently not failed her today.

He hasn’t, which is how you know he’s falling apart.

He affirms her suspicions with a soft shake of his head.

“You want me to make you something?”

It’s a rhetorical question, of course. He’s not that far gone. Still, he croaks out an affirmation, and she smiles, and not for the first time, he wonders how he got so lucky as to end up with a friend like Lucy.

She stands from her spot next to him, and he promptly stands to join her. For a brief moment, she regards him with a look of confusion before her expression softens in realisation. The last thing he wants now is to be alone, a fact that she both understands and comes to terms with quickly, even if it means she risks him raiding her pantry while he joins her. She offers no complaint as he follows her to the kitchen, always lingering close as she prepares him a late-night meal of scrambled eggs.

Once she’s finished cooking, she places the plate down in front of him, and he wastes no time in absolutely devouring the meal. He eats voraciously, as though he’s never eaten in his entire life—which isn’t too different from usual, but today is the closest it’s ever been to being true. Even as he physically licks the plate clean, he glances up at Lucy to find her gazing at him with soft expression. She doesn’t bother to reprimand him for his poor manners—she understands that now is not the time. Instead, she takes his plate without comment and places it in the sink, where she will deal with it when she doesn’t have a Natsu attached to her side, following her through the apartment like a lost puppy.

Though the sun has set, it isn’t too far into the night, and neither is Lucy too far into her book. Despite his interruption, she still intends to finish it tonight, whether Natsu is here or not. She invites him onto the couch with her, and he takes her up on the offer eagerly, quickly finding his spot of comfort with his head in her lap and his arms wrapped around her waist. If she’s uncomfortable in the position they’ve found themselves in, she makes no mention of it, so he lets himself rest there for as long as she will let him.

That hollow pit in his chest still hurts. It still aches and throbs, but the feeling is dampened from the way it lingered earlier in the day. It’s still tender, sure, but the wound no longer feels like it’s bleeding. For the first time today, he no longer feels entirely hopeless; he feels like tomorrow there is potential for it to be better.

Igneel is gone, and no one can replace what he was to him, but as he gazes up at Lucy, eyes trained on her book, he is reminded that there are people here to help him bear this load. It’s funny that he needs this reminder—he seems to always be the one reminding his friends that they’re a family but sometimes he struggles to take his own advice. He’s so used to being the strong one, being the protector, that he feels pathetic being anything but his best self. Even though he knows he would never fault anyone else for being in the same state he is in, he feels as though he cannot extend the same sympathy to himself because he knows he can be better. He hates being bogged down by this, but he is, and he should be better, but he’s not.

Before he can get too lost in those thoughts, Lucy’s hand comes down to rest on his head, nails grazing lightly over his scalp.

It’s as if she knows.

Her eyes flick down to meet his, and she smiles at him before her attention moves back to her book, and he feels the ice of his self-loathing melt away with just one look. It is not a cure in and of itself, but it just seems to dampen the pain enough that he feels comfortable letting his eyes fall shut as he repeats one phrase in his head, a reminder of good things to come.

Tomorrow will be better.

And it is.

Because he wakes up to the sunlight on Lucy’s couch, tied up in tangled limbs with the very person who gives him the hope for a new day.

#nalu #natsu x lucy #fairy tail #mya writes things

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