#natsu continues to be a mood
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Lucy: I promised Master we wouldn't do anything illegal.
Natsu: Why would you lie to Gramps like that?
#nalu#lucy heartfilia#natsu dragneel#natsu continues to be a mood#fairy tail#incorrect fairy tail quotes#fairy tail incorrect quotes#incorrect quotes#incorrect quote#anime#manga
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Gruvia Week 2024:
Day 1: Laughter.
type: soft/comfort, warm, fluff, attempt at humor.
characters: Gray and Juvia, a slight mention of Cana, Gildarts and Macao, and little bit of levy.
this fic is also posted in AO3
Gray likes to joke around, he loves to tease his friends most of the time by cracking jokes or using his sarcastic humour, he doesn't want to admit and say that his jokes are better than Natsu, but judging by the reactions of their guildmates, he could admit just a tiny bit that his humour is better.
And Gray is not boosting himself up, this is coming from an objective perspective not his, because in the end of the day Gray doesn't care if he makes his friends laugh or not, if he finds the situation funny, he'll just use it as an opportunity to crack himself up or to humiliate Natsu, which works everytime.
does he enjoy making his friends laugh? no, not really, or maybe? he doesn't know but he doesn't make an effort to spark the joy around them, that's not his thing it's usually Lucy's.
However, there is an exception where he drops the cold and serious demeanor and tries to elevate the mood.
Juvia is the exception and while he yet does not realise the reason why he tries to goof around her more than usual, he just focuses on that bright smile that appears on her face.
but that realization hit him today and it was quite a hit.
they were on their usual morning routine in the Guild main room, everyone was minding their own business, an unusual and rare moment ( because Natsu and Gajeel aren't around), but Gray would take it any day than losing his cool and fight without sense.
so he was enjoying the quiet ambience and of course Juvia was besides him, knitting some hat for him, although he told her he doesn't need it but her stubborn self exclaimed:" nonetheless Gray-sama! Juvia will impress you with her knitting skills! she has improved over the months".
he can tell by how many bandages were wrapped on her fingers on both hands, he is worried that she might hurt herself if she doesn't tune down her excitement.
and even if he tells her that, she wouldn't listen to him because she will delude herself with 'Gray-sama's worrisome is like medicine to me!' nonsense and it's too early in the morning for Gray to hear that.
so he just enjoyed the silence between them while she focused on her threads.
Few minutes ticked by and he can sense the frustration coming from the water mage next to him, he glanced to his side and noticed the -cute- frown and her hands tightly holding her straight needles.
her hands worked their way through the confusing loops of threads, their movement were shilly shally, not knowing how to continue the work, suddenly her hands stopped working and she dropped the craft on the table disappointedly.
she sighed.
" it didn't work out?" he asked, turning to look at her.
"No" she replied, her shoulders were hunched and her frown was still in her face, Gray doesn't know why he feels annoyed at her dejected expression but he felt the urge of making her feel better.
and what's best than making her laugh? ( also because he doesn't know how to comfort people and he is afraid he might ruin Juvia's mood by trying)
he scanned the guild for a potential target to use them for his humour and saw Cana dazed on the bar, her head between her arms, completely passed out, it is very unnatural for Cana to not express her love to her barrel of wine at his time, but Gray knows the reason.
"So Cana is not herself today", he nodded towards the brown haired woman, Mira was shaking her shoulder to wake her up.
"Yes, Juvia wonders why" she replied, her frown turning from frustration to worrying about her friend, Gray knows how much she cares about Cana, yet seeing her worry about her makes Gray smile slightly.
He got back at the task at hand, humiliating Cana with no guilt.
"well, I know why", with a smug expression he turned to her.
"I heard that she called Macao dad" he started, both of their heads leaned on each other as they began whispering.
"what?!" Juvia gasped, her smile widing a little.
" yeah, she was really drunk that she mistook him with Gildarts" Juvia laughed a little, it was a progress.
"Gildarts heard about it and challenged Macao and almost turned the guild upside down if Cana didn't stop him" Gray continued as he saw Cana batting Mira's hand away, she didn't want to be disturbed from her drunken slumber.
"Juvia can not believe this" she laughed, and it was like the bells of heaven in his ears, he felt satisfied.
"yeah, Cana felt so embarrassed that her dad destroyed half the guild, Macao wanted to seize the opportunity.. like asking her if she wants him to be her stepdad" Juvia cackled at that mention, and Gray joined in, they laughed to the point that their guildmates throw at them weird looks.
"and then she told him that the reason why she confused him with her dad is because he is old" their laughter turned into a chortle, Juvia wiped small tears from her eyes and all Gray could do is laugh beside her, looking at her softly.
that's when it hit him.
he loves Juvia's laugh, that's why he likes to joke with her more than he does with the others, because Juvia's laugh gives life around him. and when that hit him he cringed at himself internally.
You are lost Gray , he thought.
One morning, Levy had a task to sort out the new books from the boxes that were delivered to her in the Guild, and Gray was bored -Juvia wasn't around yet- and saw how she struggled with the boxes, so he offered to help her out. also the fact that she is actually pregnant and shouldn't be moving too much.
Levy was grateful that she got another set of hands to help her organise the books, it was a lot of them, and Gajeel was in a job.
Gray was getting the books out of the box and putting them in their own category of genres.
" Isn't this the book that Lucy wanted to read?" he held a medium sized book, with a hard cover titled 'The Persistence Of Joy', Levy took a look at it and snorted.
"Yeah she did, but she got spoiled by another book nerd when she was in her mission, and dropped it immediately" she replied, sorting the books at the same time.
Gray hummed in acknowledgment and got back to organising the books.
"So, what's up with you and Juvia?" she took a moment and added "again", Gray rolled his eyes at her remark, he adores Levy's company but the amount of books she reads makes her read between the lines a little too much for his liking.
"what do you mean?" he responded with boredom against his will instead of ignoring her completely.
"Well, it seems like you enjoy her company, last time I saw you laughing to tears with her" she explained, a little bit dramatically.
"have you ever laughed with a person before Levy?" he put the book that was in his hand on top of the others with force that dust was coming out of it, he looked at her pointedly.
she rolled her eyes, and went to put them in their shelves, Gray took that as a sign that she dropped the subject and he can finally focus on finishing his job, he began to regret ever offering a helping hand.
after a moment of blissful silence.
" I am just saying that you were laughing because of he-"
"i swear to god Levy" he glared at her, Levy just lifted her hands to show that she completely understood his point and won't make any unnecessary comments.
Finally, after finishing putting the books in their respective places, he hurriedly left the library alone since Levy was more engrossed in reading a new book that she found. the work was not tiring but he wanted to see Juvia so badly, he knows she is waiting in the Guild's Main room.
he heard her laughter from the door of the library's hall, and when he opened the doors, he spotted her laughing with Mirajane and Wendy.
He smiled softly as he looked at her, she shined brighter than ever with her eyes closed and the sound of joy she made, he could never get tired of it no matter how many times he hears it.
Maybe her laughter makes him crave laughing as well, it makes him want to reach for that joyful moment. So he joined them, completely oblivious about Levy's presence, poking her head out of the door and smiling.
#gray fullbuster#gruvia#fairy tail#gray x juvia#juvia lockser#fairy tail juvia#fairy tail 100 years quest#juvia loxar#gruvia week 2024
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Chapter 23
Rating: R
Pairing: Nalu
FF.Net || AO3
[Ch: 1] ||| [Prev] | [Next] -
Special Announcement: I'm going "dark" during November to participate in NaNoWriMo. (National Novel Writing Month.) I'm using this challenge as a way to work more on Flame's Desire, but the next update may not happen during this time. If it does, it will be a surprise!
So, with that in mind- the next "planned" update will be: Dec 16th.
See you then! I hope you enjoy the chapter!
It was three, fretful days before Natsu blearily opened his eyes again.
Another four days and Porylusica declared him stable. With him no longer at the risk of keeling over, she was ready to throw him out of her hut; which is exactly what she did. She claimed the worst was over, ordering him bed rest in his own home (rather than taking up space in her own) and demanded he talk as little as possible.
“In fact,” she had mumbled, almost absentmindedly, “It would be best if you didn't speak at all. Or moved.”
“- but...!” Natsu attempted with a croak.
“No buts and shut up!”
How did she expect him to do nothing? From the moment he first awoke with the scent of Lucy on his pillow, but nowhere to be seen, he wanted nothing more than to escape the healer's house and be updated on everything he'd missed.
Was she safe? Was Kage captured -or better yet, dead? Did the festival continue without him? The fire caused by his battle hadn't damaged more of the forest, had it?
There were too many questions and very little answers given. Only withering glares met his curiosity accompanied by a sharp slap to the wrist and another threat to keep his lips shut. When he tried again, she held up a needle, the silent threat of sewing his lips shut obvious.
“I'm in no mood to explain any of this to you. Just stay still until Makarov comes to fill you in.” Was the only answer she’d give.
Porylusica was not the greatest for information. It was hard to tell whether she truly wasn’t aware or just didn’t care enough to tell him anything. She was, however, true to her word of Makarov's visit. The chief did his due diligence enough to visit him while he rested, but even he was annoyingly tight-lipped with the truth.
“You'll know when you've healed.” Makarov tried to explain, a comforting hand resting lightly on Natsu’s arm despite the other’s stubborn scowl. He patiently sat by Natsu’s bedside as he picked away at the feathers poking through his pillow.
(”Stop damaging my furniture!“ Porly had shouted minutes later. The draconis ignored it until she smacked his fidgeting hands with a ladle.)
His throat stung at the slightest movement. It was a constant ache he now dealt with every shaky breath despite Wendy’s best efforts to lessen it. It was easier to keep his sentences clipped and to the point, if he spoke at all, when even swallowing jolted his nerves and pricked his eyes with hot tears. He didn't want to admit the severity of the pain, but it was too poignant to be ignored. Even so, that wasn't enough to stifle his impulsive need to growl out his frustration at Makarov's unwillingness to provide information.
The choked whine that escaped was more embarrassing than anything and the chief had left without giving him a chance to argue. He only offered Natsu an apologetic smile that didn’t reach his tired eyes.
He’d grown restless. Once returned to his own home, its walls began to feel like a prison the longer he stayed put. He’d yet to see Lucy since he awoke, (“She's helping with cleanup.” Warren had told him the second day when he garbled through his blazing throat to ask. “I'm sure she'll visit as soon as she's able.” That hadn't made him feel better.) He still didn't know what happened to Kage. (A fact that told him the bastard was probably still alive, damnit.) And he hadn't seen a hair of Erza's redhead since waking up. (He was positive she would have checked in on him at LEAST once!)
None of it added up and he was tired of waiting. So what if he was wounded. He deserved to know as much as everyone else, didn't he? Hell he was the one who tangled with Kage! He deserves to know way more than everyone else!
He was done waiting around for answers. First he would head straight for the old man and stare him down until he coughed up whatever truths he was hiding. Natsu nodded to himself, the plan set in his mind as he rose to his feet. With eyes trained on his door his determination was anchored into the depths of his soul.
And he took his first confident step towards his door.
Well, actually, he limped. His body still felt like it was on fire from aftershocks of lightning and refused to cooperate. In fact, he was certain his back was littered in spider web scars though he only caught the tail ends of the scarring that trailed along the side of his ribs, peeking out from under the bandages. Laxus truly did a number on him, but he persisted, intending to get the answers he sought for himself. He twisted the handle and shoved the door open with a grunt.
Unfortunately, he’d taken only one step through the doorway when his body was locked in place against his will.
Red light sparked at his feet and lit up the area around him as magic tendrils snaked their way around his ankles to keep him rooted in place and a literal bell dinged incessantly beside him.
His current keeper, Freed, stood to the left, a sympathetic grin on his face as he clicked his tongue and rested the bell lightly against his palm. “Sorry, but it's back to bed with you.”
Natsu sputtered, eyes wide and fury rising, ”What the-,“ His voice cracked and he winced, “... What... are. you. doing. here.” He took a deep breath, ”Freed?!“
It was weird, punctuating his every word with a pause to avoid as much pain as he could, but the serpentine hiss that pushed through his teeth couldn't be mistaken for anything else.
”I’m making sure you,“ Freed jabbed the bell accusingly at Natsu's chest and stifled a yawn, ”don't do something very unwise.“
'Shouldn't you still be sleeping?' He wanted to ask, the retort sharp on his tongue but his throat had already begun to clam up under the strain, crackling at any attempt to utter a sound. Frustrated, he wildly gestured to the red glow beneath his feet, that he now saw were enchanted runes etched around his front door and curved around his hut out of sight, most likely wrapping around his entire home. Bringing his attention back to Freed, he returned the accusing jab and quickly pantomimed his best impression of a person falling asleep.
Considering how exhausted he felt, it wasn't a hard act to do. Freed watched the display with a keen, amused interest and after a few, confused seconds, snickered behind his hand.
“I'm simply giving Warren a break and then I'll be back on bedrest myself.“ He conceded with a tilt of his head, long green hair slipping past his face to reveal he hadn't bothered to tie it up that morning. ”Makarov wants us to be on rotation after all.“
The draconis motioned once more to the enchantment beneath his feet and grunted, which spurred Freed to laugh again, louder this time. The grunt turned into a deep frown as his face burned in shame. ”My magic was all but drained when Kage attacked, but a simple circle such as this won't hurt me.“
If Natsu hadn't been so annoyed he may have felt relieved to know that. He'd only caught brief conversations over the last few days. Those visiting his keepers or passing by his window during idle talk that managed to reach his ears. It was never enough to know the full picture, but mentions of Freed's health had made the rounds enough for him to feel some concern.
Before he could start considering the strength of Freed's spell (or how long it would last), the other took the initiative to explain further, pushing himself up to quickly usher Natsu back into his home. The bell, Natsu noticed, was left behind.
”It's a preventative measure, meant to hold you still just long enough for anyone who hears it to come get you.“ He explained, hands surprisingly firm even as they gently guided the impatient draconis back into the soft furs of his bed, mindful of his many bandages. ”Everyone knows to listen for it, so I imagine, if it weren't me watching, someone else would have come running already.“
Natsu couldn't resist talking through what felt like a ball in his throat, ”Then... why ring the- “ and was immediately cut off by a fit of hacking coughs that doubled him over in pain.
Setting him down, Freed tried to give his back a soothing pat on instinct. White hot pain seared through his nerves and blinded him. The shock lit up every wound from a dull throb to a blazing fire. Seething through his gritted teeth, Natsu curled in on himself further, biting back a loud, pitiful whine. The humiliation was getting worse by the minute, but Freed jumped back at his error, apologies spewing from his mouth quicker than Natsu could pick them up.
”Of course... Laxus' magic must have...“ Freed began, looking just as flustered as Natsu felt over his own weakness, ”I apologize.“
He didn't bother with a reply, choosing to stubbornly look to the wall instead, arms crossed and ears burning. Taking his silence as a sign, the enchanter readjusted the collar of his shirt and brushed the hair from his eyes, blinking wearily. Uttering a meek farewell, he shuffled away, back to his post, gaze glancing at everything but the pouting draconis behind him.
He wavered at the door with his hand resting lightly over the handle. Whistling, he stole Natsu’s attention from the wall, who turned his shamed glare back at him. Freed met the gaze over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised into the fringe of his hair. “When you have a moment, I'd suggest cleaning up a little before Lucy convinces Makarov to let her join the rotation.”
He swept his hand through the room towards the organized mess of old knick knacks and clothes scattered haphazardly about. Mixed among them was ashen stems and half burnt flowers. He coughed into his fist, “Unless you want her to put it together so soon.”
Natsu didn't resist flinging his pillow with as much force as he could muster, mentally cursing when Freed shut the door in time for the pillow to bounce harmlessly off. His chuckle, however, reached the draconis' ears with ease, raising his ire further.
His place wasn’t that messy! He squinted at the floor, taking in every stray sandal thrown about and a crumpled shirt with broken buds caught in the folds.
Natsu pouted. And so what if it was? That was none of Freed's business. Besides whenever Lucy showed up he doubted she would-...
He blinked, eyes widening at the realization that struck him. His eyes zeroed in on a stray, dried petal and he cursed. He’d have to thank Freed later for the subtle information he’d just passed along.
And chuck a pillow at Makarov too, it seemed. Great. He'd bide his time with that one.
A decision that greatly undermined just how impatient he truly was. Within the hour, he was already attempting to leave once again. Though he belatedly realized Freed had switched places with Mirajane without his notice. The barrier hadn’t a chance to activate when she descended on him as soon as the door cracked. She brandished the bell in her hand like a when she forced him right back to bed with a sweetly menacing smile.
It would be two more days before anything new happened.
Two, long days of being pricked and prodded by Wendy during her check ins, moving mechanically as she wrapped fresh bandages around him.
Two extra long days of half hearted ‘cleaning’ whenever he was up, shoving away evidence under stray clothes and kicking things out of sight. His eyes narrowed, the enchanted barrier was proving harder to trick than the village’s night guards.
He didn’t know the ins and outs of Freed’s magic, but he felt its presence whenever he tried to leave. The barrier wasn’t all that strong. If he was at full strength he could break out just fine. It made him wonder if all he needed to do was give it a further push of power, despite his injuries. The harder the better, right?
If not for that damn bell.
It was more frustrating than the barrier. No matter the force used, it rang faster than he could reach it, bringing anyone in the vicinity his way to reprimand him. He hated it. Each escape attempt foiled by an incessant ringing that rang constantly in his sensitive ears. And it was always annoying out of reach despite Natsu’s best efforts. It would take only one slip up. Of someone absentmindedly leaving it just close enough for him to melt it. When the opportunity came, Natsu knew he’d enjoy the action far too much.
What little patience and self-preservation he had dispersed in a fit of manic clarity that had Natsu chastising himself. How could he be so stupid?
The window. He should have thought of it earlier.
Just small enough to be looked over. It was a shining beacon of victory. Surely there would be a chink in Freed’s barrier somewhere, and if he squirmed just enough, he could escape his house long enough to find it. It made perfect sense- and no one would have a chance to ring the stupid bell! The plan was foolproof.
Hoisting himself with more effort than he’d like to admit, he slipped one leg through the frame while the other feebly balanced him on his bed. With careful, slow movements, he began to pull himself through, grunting quietly from the effort. If there was a pinch in his nerves, or the shock of pain, he bit his lip harshly as he willed himself to stay silent. He could just feel the light echoing tug of the barrier, but no runes or magic coiled around him. It tickled the edge of his senses but moved no further.
Natsu smirked: I knew it.
But a sudden, familiar voice rang loudly in his ears and he froze, attention quickly turning towards the front of his home as the sounds of conversation floated his way.
”I know my leg isn't completely healed,“ Lucy argued. Mirth laced her words and he felt every muscle in his body seize up, ”but I know I can handle this. It's not that hard to ring a bell. Even then I doubt if he'd try and fight me to escape.“
He snorted, but was unsure if it was because of Lucy's lack of awareness towards his impulsivity or the fact she was right.
It took his leg buckling in on itself for him to realize he was still partially out his own window. Biting back a surprised yelp, he clung to the window frame frantically to hold himself up and missed the next part of conversation.
Freed had already hinted the chief wasn't allowing Lucy to watch over him, so the discussion outside was one that grabbed his interest, but once he'd finally settled himself, Lucy's emphatic urging had ended with a tense silence between her and the chief.
The draconis shamelessly strained his ears to pick up any further sound and considered throwing the door open to speak on her behalf if he could.
”All right then.“ Makarov agreed, throwing that plan out the window that Natsu's leg still dangled through, ”but don't hesitate to call on us if anything happens!“
”I won't!“ Lucy cheerily replied while the Chief grumbled a reply so low Natsu couldn’t make it out. His words faded behind the crunching of gravel down the path as he left as quickly as he came. He almost laughed at Lucy’s all too giddy squeal, and watched the door handle jiggle in growing excitement.
She was all right after all! That truth eased the worried pang that dug at him for days. What’s more, she could tell him exactly what had been going on while he was out. This would fix everything-
It was at that moment, Natsu became all too aware of the chipped wooden sill he was still halfway over as the door handle clicked.
Shit!
Many things happened all at once in the seconds it took for Lucy to entire his home. He scrambled to right himself, stepping back in with a rush that dizzied him. His weak leg, already struggling to hold him up, buckled under him, giving away in the tangle of his bed covers. In the struggle to free himself, he (and the blankets) crashed to the floor. The resounding thud not only shook the hovel, but brought down an array of knick knacks and other random things that hung on his walls.
The blanket - now forever labeled a traitor in his mind- snagged on everything nearby as its weight brought no comfort as it shielded his aching body from view.
And when the door swung open, Lucy’s shriek was the first thing he heard, “Natsu?!” The panic in her voice was palpable and her steps were quick. Before he could process his position, she was at his side, pulling the fabric from his face as small, brilliantly colored stones, scattered across the floor. (He would later realize his rock collection was no longer on the shelves above his bed and dutifully recollect every single pebble.)
”Oh my gods, Natsu, what are you doing on the floor?!” Her panicked cries were shrill and made his ears ring, but she worked swiftly, pulling the blanket from his person to toss it behind her.
In that moment, Natsu wanted to console her, but all he managed was sheepish blinking as she grasped his cheeks tightly to look him over, eyes wide and face pale. If he wasn't so dazed from his earlier tumble, he may have attempted to crawl back and bring space between them. Instead, he stared dopily into her brown eyes and gulped, ignoring the reflexive cough that tried to force its way out of him.
Worry knitted her brow as she tilted his head to the side, and there was a darkness under her eyes that was new to him. His entire body was ablaze, wounds screaming out for his attention but they barely mattered.
She was here. And she was safe. That was more important.
Relief flooded into his bones and an exhaustion he wasn't aware of pulled at his eyes. Dazedly, he followed her as she directed him back to the comfort of his bed. Subconsciously, he noted she was stronger than her frame appeared, and she wasted no time in checking him over, tsk'ing at the sight of bandages that had loosened during his less than graceful fall.
“What were you even doing to be on the floor like that?” She muttered, not waiting for an answer as she sat him down and began to fix the bandages along his arms.
Her movements were jerky with inexperience and felt too tight in places, but Natsu didn't mind it. He watched on in silence as she continued to fuss over him, unaware of the draconis' careful examinations, focused on her as much as she was him.
She didn’t have her cane, he noted curiously, and his gaze subtly dropped to the lengthy skirt that kept the old injury out of sight. She wasn’t in pain was she? He had to know, but he didn't dare try to pull her dress up just to see her knee. He wasn't THAT stupid.
A few seconds more of consideration and he threw caution to the wind, reaching over to rap his knuckle lightly against her leg instead.
She froze. He did too. Was that the wrong move? Had he hurt her?
“... if you weren't injured, I'd return the favor,” She muttered, tying his next bandage into a tiny bow, “but I'm fine, Natsu. It's sore, but manageable. Worry about yourself for two seconds. You’re lucky you don’t have a concussion after that fall…”
He didn’t even attempt to resist the urge to rasp out a cheeky response, “ ...Got an answer out of ya at least.”
“What?“ Lucy asked, puzzled, but clamped a hand over his mouth when he tried to respond, ”No, no, no! You should not be talking, Mister!“
Rolling his eyes, Natsu now had an altogether different urge to resist. He remembered, vaguely, many months ago, he'd done the exact same to her, and her response had been to bite him. He wondered if he should do the same...
Instead, he licked her. The cry of disgust when she retracted her hand was more than worth it.
”That’s disgusting!“
He waggled his brows, grinning.
Definitely worth it.
Natsu was a handful while wounded. This was a fact that hardly surprised Lucy. On any other day, he was often seen darting from place to place, his focus shifting as easily as the wind changed. She was no longer a stranger to him running off at the drop of a hat to return just quickly to do god knows what else.
The fiery draconis was simply the type of person who had to always be on the go one way or another.
Which is exactly what made watching him so difficult.
Makarov had given her plenty of warnings about his flightiness when ill and so had everyone else when she pleaded to be let on the rotation. She had expected it, but the guilt still gnawed at her bones as she watched his discomfort play out before her.
Restlessly he fidgeted under his blankets. He couldn’t sleep. When he sat up, he’d cast a longing stare at the door only to hide the expression moments later. She noticed every change in his expression and it attacked her resolve every single time. Any attempt to talk led to her shushing him, fearing his pain and any chance of his healing being interrupted. Each time, he’d throw himself under the covers in defeat, but the pouting lasted a few seconds before he was shifting yet again. His discomfort and inability to sit still was obvious.
He wanted to leave and Lucy hated that she couldn’t let him.
Her mind wandered back to her conversations with Makarov. Asides from the general warnings to his want to escape, Lucy was baffled to learn he was still in the dark over what happened after his battle. All knowledge of Kage and Erza's chase had been purposefully hidden: even her own whereabouts had been kept from him. And for what reason?
Makarov had grunted when she asked, having the self-awareness to look guilty, ”He deserves to know. And will. In due time, but I know this boy. The moment he learns of the truth he’ll take off, no matter the condition he’s in. I’d rather he give chase when he’s not wobbling where he stands.”
Lucy had to begrudgingly admit that the Chief was onto something with that thought. It was easy to imagine Natsu throwing caution to the wind to summon his fire in order to escape Freed's barrier. (The enchanter assured everyone that it would take a lot more than that to break it down, but Lucy wasn't so sure. How much of his abilities could he hold after the mass amount of magic he'd lost?) Then it wouldn't be a shock to find him dashing off into the woods, using his excellent sense of smell to track the others.
But handling another fight in his condition? Lucy dreaded the thought, and dutifully nodded when she was asked to keep the truth hidden as well.
As she surveyed Natsu now, however, she regretted that decision. His restless energy came from more than just a need to be busy. Looking back in her memories, Lucy felt it was much the same as her own feelings when she'd been asked to endure being locked away.
She hated being in the dark, and some of that was still hidden from her. Of course Natsu would hate it as well.
”You'll never get any rest if you keep moving like that,“ She gently chided, fingers moving to straighten his blanket and swipe his pink fringe from his eyes.
Natsu was quicker than she expected despite the injuries. Before the romni could pull away his hand snapped upward, grasping her wrist as he looked at her. His face was set in a careful mask but she could still see the frustration leaking through in the tightness of his jaw and how it thinned his lips.
But his eyes were so tired. Dulled without the usual spark of mischief that was always there.
It stabbed at her heart.
This was all because of her. His pain now, and back then, bleeding out on the ground motionless with breath barely rattling in his chest; screaming in Porlyusica’s hut as he desperately clung to life, crying out for a man she didn’t know as the healer stitched him back together. It was all for her sake while she could only stand by, useless.
The healer's sharp words echoed loudly in her mind, that she should respect his sacrifice. She felt the embarrassing prickle of tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
She had no right to cry.
Too many things weighed her down and here she was, crying. She came here to help, but instead she felt as if things were only worse.
“Natsu?“ Her voice fell to a soft whisper as she blinked back tears, “Just try to rest, please? I know you want to go out and see everything for yourself, but you're too hurt right now. I just..” What? What was she trying to say? Even though she wasn't sure, the words fell helplessly from her lips like stones before her mind had a chance to lock them up.
“You don't know how scary it was to see you like that. Please don't make me see it again….”
For a second, his grip tightened, brows knitting together as he processed her words.
As the pressure began to cut off circulation, his hand loosened just as fast, a silent apology marring the features of his face. Her vision blurred and Lucy realized her thoughts began to escape through her eyes and she quickly moved to wipe them before any tears could fall.
“Sorry, I shouldn't be putting this on you,” She began, hastily turning her attention to the rest of the room. It was a mess. “You were protecting me after all. I shouldn't make you feel any worse than you probably do-”
The words jammed themselves in her throat when he moved his hand again, bandaged fingers moving to clumsily entangle with her own as a comforting heat emanated from his palm. Surprise caused two drops to fall before she could catch them.
“... don't cry.”
His voice was quiet, meek almost, in an attempt to keep the pain of his throat at bay, but the hoarse rasp sent a shiver down her spine.
If Natsu hadn't blocked Kage's attacks, would she be the same as he was right now? No, Lucy shook the thought away, he’d needed her alive after all. It wouldn't make sense to mortally wound her.
When Natsu squeezed her hand again, pulling her from her thoughts, she coughed on a wet laugh. The way he looked at her now spoke volumes: quit thinking so much!
“All right, all right,” She conceded, giving his hand a returning squeeze. “Can you let me go? I think I have something we can do. There’s a quill and parchment in my bag. I think we can talk easier with that. Will that work for you?“
If his disgruntled pout was anything to go by, Natsu would accept this, but grumble about it the entire time. He was slow to ease himself back into a sitting position, scooting to rest his back against the wall for support.
He pouted the entire time she rifled through her pack, carefully stepping over fallen keepsakes and baubles that decorated the floors. It was still there when she turned back thim with prizes in hand. His eyes narrowed childishly at the papers while he drew a pillow onto his lap to serve as a frumpy table. Only her laughter at his expense filled the empty spaces. Though his own, pale attempts at chuckling joined hers when she tripped over and knick knack or two.
“Someone should really clean up in here,” she muttered, casting him a sidelong glance. His answering shrug was all she'd get on the matter for now, but with careful sweeps of her legs, she managed to clear a path back to him with minimal effort.
His gaze never left her leg the entire time, but she waved the stack of acquired parchment in his face to reclaim his attention. “Hey, I said it's fine, Natsu, so quit worrying about it!”
Had he always been this attentive to her leg? She'd pin that thought for later perusal. He scrunched his nose as the edges of the stack tickled it and with a snort, the edges curled back towards her in a flimsy show.
Hoping to prevent any further distractions, Lucy dropped the papers to his pillow and held her quill and ink between the fingers of her spare hand, excitement curling the edges of her smile. “Let's see how good your penmanship is, shall we?”
Natsu huffed, snatching the quill from her without a fight. She didn't expect anything special out of this arrangement. Writing with an ink well over a pillow wasn't the smartest of methods, but Lucy wanted to keep him resting as long as possible. She'd rather a few holes poked through her paper and spilled ink over him hurting himself to sit at the table any day.
But his handwriting was chicken scratch. Or barely a step up from that. Lucy was certain she wouldn’t be able to read it even if he had a stable platform to write on. Seconds turned to minutes as Lucy's earlier excitement shifted to utter bafflement.
Many in the village couldn't write, but she'd seen enough to know that those who traveled learned out of necessity, but how did Natsu get by with this sort of illegibility?
She bit her lip, tilting the paper from side to side as her nose twitched in consternation. No matter how she observed the thick and thin lines that scrawled along the paper, she couldn't make heads or tails of it.
”Whoever taught you how to write needs to give you another lesson,“ She muttered. Natsu's answering response was to scrawl a single letter over the paper, large enough that no amount of chicken scratch could hide its secrets from her: a large E.
Before she could respond with the obvious answer, he quickly scratched over the letter and shook his head frantically, lips thinning as he frowned. In larger letters, he added two more words that Lucy translated to, 'never again!'
She laughed so hard ink sloshed onto her fingers and dripped onto the paper, seeping into the pillow fabric beneath. A subconscious part of her realized she'd have to help acquire him cleaner bedding later if this kept up.
”Fine. No Erza to teach you. Let's try again... slower this time.” Lucy sighed, wiping her fingers on the hem of her dress, “maybe I can understand it then.“
Natsu crumbled the paper under his hand and flicked it into her face, grinning maniacally as she quickly tossed it back which he smugly dodged, and watched it sail by his ear to bounce off the back wall. More laughter ensued and even Natsu managed a chuckle, grunting from the strain.
It wasn’t perfect, and the mess of ink spread out of control, but it was enough to keep him occupied in the following hours while Lucy learned to translate the language he wrote in. It failed to get better under her tutelage, so the chicken scratch remained.
Lucy hoped it was enough to distract him from the burning questions that still hung in the air.
'I hope Erza comes back soon,' She thought, glancing out the window as Natsu, with quill held in the opposite hand, prepared another message for her. 'Maybe then I can give Natsu all the answers he deserves without any problems...'
Though, another more ominous thought struck her pulling a grimace across her face. 'at least then we'll know she's safe. Please let her be safe.'
Unbeknownst to Lucy, in the far off reaches of the forest, Erza still followed the tracks of a man half-dead. Her armor was stained, streaked with mud that dulled its pristine gleam as she tore through the trees with a blade in each hand, hacking a clear path with mounting fury.
Thin scrapes adorned her face from stray undergrowth and dust thrown into her eyes countless times. She’d had him in her grasp too many times and still he eluded her. Their last struggle had him inches beneath the tip of her sword, only for the sharp steel to sink uselessly into a tree trunk. His shadows protected him far too easily, giving him multiple chances to slip away not a moment too soon. Melting away from her sight, the chase would begin once more. It was infuriating.
He was weakening, and he knew it. But Erza was like a bloodhound, following him with a tenacity that matched the ones he'd fought before. Kage could admit to himself, as he struggled to move through the thick, spring bushes, that he'd sorely underestimated the members of the Fairies with Tails.
Escaping the fire and flames of an angry dragon while the bellow of lightning struck from above was nothing short of a miracle. He could boast it was skill and great timing, but the truth of the matter was far less a triumph. He'd panicked, called the shadows back into himself and desperately prayed he could shift his form into the ground and escape before his body failed him. His wounds were far too great to handle such a strike head on and the memory of the fanged smile snarling above him. It was inhuman and bordering on insanity with manic glee. The expression had bored itself into Kage’s memories and he was certain it would haunt his nightmares.
Swallowing back a cough he rubbed his aching throat where scale shaped bruises painted the skin in dark shades of purple. Not for the first time, he considered the draconis he battled a monster.
Battling a Draconis was something he never wanted to do again.
Even now, his body cried as he moved, but adrenaline and survival instincts served him well. What little magic he had left was used to aid covering his footprints and trails of blood or made to cloak him during the night as he sought what little rest he could. If he made one mistake. One misstep. Or lost the ability to draw the shadows around him, he'd be caught.
There was only one choice: find Jose. His own clan should be waiting for him. Kage was certain of this fact. All he had to do was survive long enough to find them and then... then..
He stumbled through a rather dense thicket of trees, and Kage almost wished he was tucked away back in his cell counting the cracks in the wall and taunting whatever guard he had for the day.
At least there he had a warm blanket and fresh food to eat. His stomach, empty, growled in tandem with the thought. Already he could imagine the fresh meals he'd taste once he'd made it safely home.
He paused for breath under a wide canopy and wiped the sweat from his eyes. His hair was dripping and his limbs shook signaling the need for another break. It was near impossible to resist the siren song for rest. The temptation to slide to the ground and lay his back against a sturdy tree trunk to slip off to sleep, but he managed to lock his knees in place as he listened to the natural sounds of the woods. It took a few minutes of sorting through the spring call of birds and buzzing bees to hear what he was looking for.
A restlessness in the trees that came from the source of a higher power, encapsulating a magic that had yet to be unleashed. Erza was still on his trail despite all his earlier escape attempts, and she was closing in once more. Cursing, Kage looked inside himself, eyes sliding shut as he felt for the remaining vestiges of shadows that still clung to his being.
“Just a little more,” he thought, “a little more and I'll be home free.”
The magic answered the call, thrumming softly beneath his finger tips before dark tendrils drilled into the mossy earth to settle in. A little surprise to buy him more time. If he was lucky, the shadows sprouting from the ground would hit Erza's feet and render her incapable of walking without excruciating pain.
He forced himself to move and Kage prayed the diversion would be enough. When the cover of leaves no longer barred his vision, he surveyed the sky to regain his sense of direction when he glimpsed the faint wisps of something hopeful.
A sick, satisfied smile curled his lips. Smoke, no doubt curling away from a campfire further along the hills. The wispy smoke beckoned to Kage and he saw no reason to ignore it. His allies would be more than enough to handle one warrior after all and then the others could finish what he could not. And he could rest.
Pushing through the pain, Kage continued his escape, ignoring the way his eyes swam in and out of focus as another drop of his magic faded away.
Time was unknown to Kage. All he knew was the steps he took. Counting them in his head as he motivated himself to keep moving forward. Eyes trained on the ever thickening smoke trail in the sky as he neared his target.
Just one more step.
And another.
When his trap is triggered, he barely senses it. The last dredges of his magic were too far from his body to strike his senses as they once would.
He was almost there. Just a little further. Feeling exhilarated by his soon to be triumph, Kage pushed passed twigs and leaves as large as his own head and the muscles in his face began to hurt from his relieved smile. Just a little bit further and...
When he stepped into the camp, he stumbled over a tree root and hit the ground, nose crunching against the hard ground. His mind whirled from the pain, curses and exhausted gasps escaping in short intervals as he struggled to reorient himself. He was there. He could smell the burning wood and the thick smoke. This HAD to be where Jose was. Already he could hear a whirl of movement, a clan mate he thinks with a lucid grin, rushing to help him -
”How the fuck did you get here?“ A voice snarled in a deep timbre. Kage stilled instantly, eyes widening as he realized his mistake.
This wasn't Jose's camp. This was-
Calloused hands bunched the thin fabric of Kage's shirt, hoisting him up to his feet as the world spun in dizzying circles. The movements were rough and calculated as an iron gauntlet struck his ear when the hands owners moved away. He barely had time to hiss from the smarting pain before his eyes swam back into focus to see angry, deep red ones glaring back at him.
-The camp of a man he'd been told to avoid at all costs.
“...Gajeel?” He breathlessly asked, laughing hoarsely, “I didn't know you'd be here. W-what a...” Kage swallowed, thinking of the correct words, “What a coincidence!”
A man known to be Jose's right hand when it came to information and trudging through the most dangerous of enemy camps. That was Gajeel. Gleaming iron studs dotted his brow and nose, speaking to a heritage many failed to understand, but the twisted smirk that gnarled his features was an echoing reminder of another deranged grin.
Kage was jolted from his memories when Gajeel drew him up higher, feet dangling uselessly above the forest floor. He shouldn't be here, Kage realized. Whenever Gajeel was sent out, carnage was sure to follow. Something jammed itself in his throat, cutting off his words as his eyes wildly scanned the area for an exit.
“You gonna keep staring or give me an answer, shadow runt?” He pulled Kage's attention back to him, dark amusement running through his impatient words, ”I ain't here all day.“
Was this another lion's den ready to consume him? Or a blessing in disguise? Kage honestly didn't know.
“Point me to Jose's camp,” He begged, words falling from his mouth like water, “I'm being followed by one of the fairies, you can't let them get me. I've- I've got information on their village!“
Hopefully his plea wouldn't land on deaf ears.
#Ft Fanfiction#Fairy Tail Fanfiction#Nalu Fanfiction#NatsuxLucy#Nalu#Natsu Dragneel#Lucy Heartfilia#Fairy Tail#Flame's Desire#My Writing#My Fanfiction
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Rambling about Fairies - Rhodonite Chapter 3 + 4
This spinoff probably has my favourite depiction of Gruvia.
Juvia’s love for Gray continues to be treated as a ‘running joke’ rather than the core of Juvia’s character. After Gray’s very cute rebuttal, it’s quickly pushed aside in favour of the mission/exposition, because despite her joy at this opportunity, she does understand this job is important. She does go back into a joking mood very often, but when things are serious, she is a very competent wizard that does not cite she is ‘doing this for Gray-sama’ or whatever.
And they even slip in a moment where she goes deadpan like ‘yeah no, Gajeel is definitely involved,’ because she’s also exasperated by the coincidence. It’s personality. It’s a subtle sprinkle of personality.
Juvia’s role in this spinoff is mainly to accompany Gray as he does the more investigative and technical talk, but she’s still necessary here because she puts in the important parallel between her and Levy in regards to Gajeel.
Also, she allows the story to continue feeling light and slightly humourous, not simply because of the ‘we’re on a date’ ‘NO!’ dynamic, but because this also brings back one of Gray’s forgotten personality traits...
I am talking about Gray’s part-time Tsukkomi schtick.
Along with the advancement of Gruvia, Gray completely forgot that he was the assigned Tsukkomi when Lucy wasn’t around, and this was important because it shows him as the ‘competent and smart’ one of the group without taking away from his fun-loving side. Juvia’s the type to be exasperated in silence, which is a fun contrast to Gray’s explosive exasperation. Once again, it’s personality. it’s a sprinkle of personality between their ‘ship moment’ panels, personality that’s forgotten about in canon.
Every time a Gruvia moment is on screen in 100yq, Gray is just the Tsundere and Juvia is just the lovestruck Gray fangirl. Whilst when Gray is with Natsu or Lucy, his loving, slightly stern big brother personality actually exists. And when Juvia is with the girls or with Gajeel, she gets up to goofy shenanigans like protecting Levy’s pursuit of love at the start of this spinoff. I miss their personalities! This spinoff literally proves that it doesn’t need to be one or the other, they can coexist!
I like it when Gruvia enriches each other as characters, instead of taking away from each other’s personality like it’s in canon. So this spinoff probably has my favourite depiction of Gruvia of all time.
That’s a bit of high praise, but my standards are just really low since canon is like that.
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Call Me By My Name
Chapter 4 | ao3
"Yo, Salamander," Gajeel grumbled. "What's with the goofy face you've always got nowadays?"
Natsu rolled his eyes, not letting his cousin's bad attitude dull his own good mood. "Wouldn't you like to know," he responded, dopey grin still spreading across his lips as he continued bouncing around the domain, greeting his fellow dragons while stuffing breakfast down his gullet.
"Never mind. I really really don't."
Natsu just ignored his remark, giving a nuzzle in goodbye to his mother and sister and then leaping off the mountain and out of their home, soaring away with a mighty flap.
"That boy has spent no time at home lately!" Grandine exclaimed, watching as her son flew off, most likely not to return until the sun set.
"He's been super weird lately," Natsu's uncle Atlas agreed. "He's always been a free spirit, but he's never been so frequently absent. And I don't think I've ever seen him so giddy, not even when he knocked Gajeel off the mountain last summer."
Gajeel growled. "He didn't knock me off, I happened to stumble!"
Metallicana let out a rumbling laugh, slapping his son on the back as he and Igneel approached. "Oh yeah, cuz that's so much better!"
"But no, you're right, Atlas," Igneel nodded. "He's been grinning nonstop for four months, and spent less than half of that time here. Mostly to sleep!"
Atlas let out another booming chuckle. "He's reminding me of you at his age, Igneel! You were always flying up to the northern dragon clan to see Grandine! Didn't pay any mind to your own family!"
Igneel grinned dopily, wrapping his arm around his wife. "Yes, well, a dragon is focused on nothing else when he's in love," he rationalized, pressing a kiss to Grandine's cheek. There was a beat, and then the group's eyes widened.
"Holy shit. Is the kid in love?" Metallicana pondered. "I mean, there's no way, right? It's *Natsu*."
Grandine thought back. "It would certainly explain his behaviour... The constant smiles and happiness... And he must be visiting this mystery love of his!"
"Now I'm curious!" Igneel chuckled. "What kind of woman could have caught that boy's attention!? A dragon from another clan, maybe?"
"Perhaps a human?" Atlas suggested. "He visits that Magnolia quite a bit, wouldn't be surprised if he fell for one of those girls at the restaurant," he snickered with a sleazy grin.
"Well, we're not gonna figure it out chattering! Hey Gajeel, come here for a second!"
~~~
Gajeel grumbled to himself as he flew through the air, trying to catch a trail of Natsu's scent. The others were the ones going all gaga over Natsu's supposed love, why'd he have to follow the dumbass!? Besides, it's not like he was actually hanging out with some girl. It was *Natsu*. His cousin had never once been interested in romance.
Finally catching a whiff of Natsu, Gajeel reared his head and flew in its direction. Getting close to the source, he landed in a clearing and transformed, walking the rest of the trail. Hearing laughter from his cousin, Gajeel crouched behind some foliage and took a look ahead.
Holy shit, he *was* with a girl, from the sound of her voice! He couldn't see her very well from this angle, but they were laying on a lakeshore, chattering and laughing and splashing their feet in the water. Who was this girl? What manner of creature was she? She didn't have the scent of a dragon, but she had something special beyond a normal human's scent.
The girl sat up and poked Natsu's nose with a giggle, and Gajeel's blood ran cold. Her long ears... She was a fae. Natsu had been enchanted.
Gajeel leapt from his hiding spot, becoming a dragon again and sweeping the fae away from his cousin with a lash of his tail.
She gasped in pain as she landed, the touch of his iron leaving a burning sensation across her skin. Tears flooded her eyes as she stared up at the ferocious black dragon, poised to slash his claws across her.
Before Gajeel could move, he was rammed in the side, falling into the lake. Becoming a human again before his heavy dragon weight could sink down, he gasped for breath as he treaded water. "What the hell!?" he shouted, seeing his cousin's dragon staring down at him, crouched defensively and blocking the fae. "How stupid could you be!? Enchanted by a fae!? You've reached a new level of dumb!"
Natsu growled, crouching lower and stepping over the fae to cover her, a burst of fire coming from his nose as Gajeel swam towards them. "I'm not enchanted, and don't you dare step any closer. You hurt her any more and I hurt you."
"Oh yeah, 'not enchanted', my ass," he grumbled, climbing onto the shore and wringing water from his hair. He seethed as Natsu continued growling, more flames licking around his snout. "She's a faerie! That's what they *do!* Now step aside so I can take care of her, since you're obviously too far gone to kill her yourself!"
Rage filled Natsu as he snarled, teeth bared. Before he could do anything though, he felt a small palm against his scaled shoulder. "Natsu..." Lucy started.
Gajeel watched as the dragon's entire demeanor changed, letting go of his defensive position and moving to nuzzle against her hand and then sniffing at her injuries for blood. He was so obedient and calm with her, being enchanted was the *only* explanation! But... She'd never used Natsu's true name, had she?. Wasn't an invocation necessary to control someone?
"I'm okay," the fae assured. "Talk to him, he was just worried about you." Natsu shot a glare to Gajeel, almost like he'd forgotten the iron dragon was there until the fae had reminded him, and then he transformed.
"You go anywhere near Lucy and you're back in the lake," Natsu threatened, crossing his arms in front of him. "I swear, I'm not enchanted. Lucy does not know my true name." Gajeel raised an eyebrow and looked over to 'Lucy'. "Don't look at her, look at me!" Natsu commanded. Gajeel stood straight and brought his stare back to Natsu, not used to such a serious attitude from him. "She's my best friend. I met her a while ago and we've been hanging out nearly every day. She has never once tried to trick me into revealing my name and in fact ordered me to never say it."
Gajeel sneered. "You're sure putting a lot of trust into a *fae*."
Natsu growled again, but at Lucy's touch, stopped and took a breath to calm down. "Fine," he finally said. "You won't believe me, I'll prove it to you."
"Ha! As if anything you do will-" but Gajeel's eyes widened at Natsu's next words.
"Lucy, my true name is-"
Before Gajeel could react, Lucy had slapped a hand over Natsu's mouth.
"Natsu, you idiot!" Lucy and Gajeel both shouted. Natsu just grinned and licked the hand she still had over his mouth.
"Ewww, Natsu!" Lucy shouted, pulling it back and wiping it on his shirt. He snickered and stuck his tongue out at her, grabbing her hand and threatening to lick it again while Gajeel watched on, frowning.
"Why would you *willingly* tell a fae your name!?"
Natsu rolled his eyes, mood suddenly dampened again as he dropped Lucy's hand. "Because, moron, she would never *let* me. Didn't you see? She doesn't want my name, just my friendship. I don't care that she's a faerie." Gajeel watched Natsu wrapped his arm around her shoulders nonchalantly, almost as if it was instinct and not purposeful. "You're fine with Erza, what makes Lucy different!?"
"You know *exactly* what makes Erza different - she's half dragon and doesn't have fae magic, dipshit!"
Natsu scoffed and waved him off. "And besides. If I was under her spell, why would I keep going back home?"
Gajeel grumbled. "I suppose you have a point there."
"Just trust me, Gajeel. I know Lucy, and I know she's the most wonderful, kind *person* ever. I don't give a shit what kind of creature she is," Natsu declared earnestly, Lucy's heart swelling at his words.
Gajeel weighed Natsu's claims. Ultimately, Gajeel couldn't trust anything about the fae. But Natsu clearly did, and that was all that really mattered, he supposed. "Fine. Whatever," he sighed. "Keep hanging out with a faerie, I don't care anymore." Natsu grinned at Lucy in response, squeezing her hand in his excitement. Gajeel rolled his eyes and continued. "So what's your plan here? Just keep your girlfriend secret from-"
Natsu and Lucy both flushed and stuttered. "Whoa, whoa, who said anything about a girlfriend!?" He shouted. "I told you, 'best friend'!"
Gajeel crossed his arms and cocked his eyebrow. "Yeahhhh... Whatever you say. Either way, I don't think your dad is not going to be happy with you hanging out with a fae."
"So I won't tell him for now!"
"Pfft. That's not really gonna work considering *I'm* about to tell him. He's the one that sent me after you to find out what you've been doing!"
Natsu blanched. "Well, don't tell him! It's not like I'm hurting you by hanging out with her!"
Lucy touched a hand to his arm. "Natsu, I don't want you to get in trouble with your family because of me."
He took her palm and held it, gently rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. "It's fine, Lucy. I'll figure something out. If they can't accept you, then they're a bunch of stupid heads," he smirked. She shook her head at his comment, but couldn't help but crack a smile.
"Gods, I can't stand to watch you flirt." Gajeel ignored their further stuttering. "I'll think of something to tell your dad when I get home but you better come up with a plan."
Natsu opened his mouth to argue, but paused. After thinking for a bit, all he came up with was, "Thank you."
Gajeel grumbled as he shifted forms. "Whatever." He stared down at the faerie for a bit, who was trembling before his iron-clad body. A sting of guilt darted through him at her expression and the obvious worry his cousin had for her fear. Before Natsu could shout at him again, Gajeel gave a nod in acknowledgement to her, let his ever present scowl return, and took off into the air.
"So, what'd you find out?" Igneel had asked when Gajeel arrived home. "My son have a secret girlfriend?"
"No," Gajeel hesitated. "But he's definitely in love."
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Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Gray Fullbuster/Juvia Lockser
Levy McGarden/Gajeel Redfoxall
fairy tail characters basically - Character Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic / Follows Fairy tail but with my own twists set in modern day /Fluff and Angst / Romance / Friendship /developing feelings / Lucy has new spirits
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💞
You can also read it here
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Chapter 9
The air was filled with panic as Natsu and Lucy stumbled through the portal, hands clasped and trying to navigate through the onslaught of people around them.
Amongst the chaos Lucy could see Wendy tending to the Master, his body laid out on one of the tables, her glowing hands hovering over his abdomen as Mirajane went to call someone.
Other members were looking after the injured and unconscious mages as best as they could until Wendy could check their injuries over. Thankfully no one seemed to be severely injured.
As her adrenaline dropped Lucy started feeling dizzy, the noise surrounding her was becoming overstimulating and the room began to sway.
Chest heaving, Lucy took shallow breaths as panic kicked in and her legs gave out from underneath her.
A pair of warm arms were around her waist before she could fall. His chest pressed to her back, warming her from the inside out. The scent of pine and campfire filled her senses and subdued her anxiety.
"I gotcha, just breathe." She heard his voice in her ear as she focused on mimicking his breathing pattern. "There ya go. Relax, you're safe." He continued in a soothing voice as she relaxed into his hold.
Lucy let her head fall back on his chest and closed her eyes.
They stayed like that for a few moments. Natsu's hands around her waist, her head resting near his collarbone as she took deep breaths.
Her eyes closed as she embedded every part of how it felt to be embraced by him while trying to prepare herself for what was to come.
"Could you get Erza, Gray, and Mira? There's something I need to tell you." Lucy whispered out softly knowing he would hear her even with all the noise surrounding them.
"Sure, I can do that. Happy'll stay with you." He told her, his tone confused at her request, but compliant.
Lucy opened her eyes at the mention of their blue-furred partner and looking back at Natsu she saw the cat perched on his head, eyes wide as they both looked at her with worry.
She hadn't even realized he was there.
"Hey, Happy! Sorry for missing your big move on Charla, I was a little tied up." Lucy tried cracking a joke in the hope of lightening the mood.
"Waaa, Lushiii! Never disappear like that again!" The exceed exclaimed with a cry, tears falling down his face as he threw himself into Lucy's chest.
Smiling, she embraced the cat, rubbing his head in soothing motions. "I'm sorry for worrying you."
"Natsu was scary when we found your apartment trashed. He left me behind and I had to go to the guild on my own!" The cat complained and she kept scratching his head as she watched Natsu walk away to find Erza, Gray, and Mira.
"Oh you poor baby, how about I get you some fish later, will that make you feel better?" She asked, making the cat jump from her arms and into the air, wings fluttering.
"Ayee! Give me the fishies!" His antics brought a genuine laugh out of Lucy who watched him as he continued to go in circles and tried to decide which fish she should buy for him.
"Luce?" Natsu's voice called from behind her, and she turned she saw he had gathered everyone she asked for.
"How is the master?" Was the first thing Lucy asked, as she was not able to unsee his lifeless body in Mira's arms.
"Wendy tried her healing, but she isn't sure what happened to him and couldn't seem to do much, so she started tending to the rest of the injured members. We're waiting for Porlyusica to arrive, she will know what to do." Mira's voice cracked a bit a the end, and she cleared her throat before continuing.
"We don't know what happened to him. One second everyone was fighting and the next Master was dropped on the ground from the upper floor, unconscious." Mira answered, her tone staying neutral, but Lucy could see how worried the older girl was, and she felt her stomach drop.
All of this is her fault.
First Levy, Jet, and Droy. Now the master and countless others were injured, just because her father decided he had a daughter again.
"Natsu said you wanted to speak with us?" Erza asked her when Lucy didn't say anything else.
Turning to look at them, she took a deep breath and braced herself.
"I haven't been completely honest with you." She started, wringing her hands together as she started her story.
"The reason Phantom Lord attacked Fairy Tail, and took me hostage, was because my father hired them to bring me back home."
She stated, turning her head to the side so she wouldn't have to look at their expressions at her words. She clenched her fists to keep her emotions in check.
She will not cry, not again.
Natsu, as if sensing her emotional turmoil, moved to stand by her side. Their shoulders were not quite touching, but he was close enough for her to feel his warmth and its calming presence helped soothe her nerves.
Straightening her posture she continued.
"I ran away from home almost two years ago. It was just after my eighteenth birthday and I had been begging my father for months to let me study at an actual university after being home-schooled for all my life." She's never told anyone that she was a runaway, let alone the hows and the whys. But it was unavoidable now. He's made sure of it.
There was a gasp from Mira, and as she turned to look at them she caught Erza's soft gaze. "He called me to his office one evening, and I foolishly hoped he'd let me go." Her voice cracked at the admission, and this time Natsu moved to wrap his arm around her shoulder, bringing her back to his chest.
Lucy was thankful for the drakon's affection, his hold grounding her as she continued. "When I got there he handed me a marriage contract, my marriage contract."
This time it was everyone's turn to gasp, she felt Natsu's hold on her tighten.
"He arranged a marriage for you without consulting you?" Gray asked, outraged clear in his voice. "This isn't the 1500s'!"
A bitter laugh escaped her throat at his statement. "My father has never cared much of my opinion. Why would this be any different? He is not a kind man, my father. Maybe once upon a time while my mother was still alive, but even then his affection was mostly reserved for her. After her death.."
She trailed off, knowing now was not the time for that. "Have you guys ever heard of the Heartfilia Family?" Lucy asked them instead.
"Aren't they like ducks or something?" Natsu asked and a laugh escaped Lucy at his words.
"Duke. Duke Jude Heartfilia, and the late Duchess Layla Heartfilia. They are descendants of the royal bloodlines. In line for the throne, though they are pretty far down the line."
"Why are you telling us this?" Mira asked her.
"They have a daughter. I remember the announcement of the passing of the late Duchess, the guild was in mourning." Erza spoke suddenly, eyes looking over to Lucy.
Lucy's heart clenched at her words, knowing Master Makarov was mourning the death of a friend.
Lucy felt even worse with that knowledge.
"Yes, they do have a daughter. Lucy Heartfilia. My father decided that marrying me off to Pergrande so he could secure a safe trade route for himself was the most of use I was ever going to be to him."
She finally said it out loud, and it felt like a weight was lifted from her. After two years of running, she finally found somewhere she felt safe, and people she could trust.
"So after he went over all the details and dismissed me for the night, I decided that it was time." She shrugged her shoulders.
"I'd been pondering and planning an escape for years, but it always seemed like a fantasy. Something I would do to make myself feel better, lighter." She thought back to how scared she'd been climbing down the window that night, praying no one saw her.
"This was a situation I couldn't talk myself out of, he was very determined to make the marriage happen. So the same night I packed as much as I could carry, scaled my window, and ran until I literally passed out in the woods." She was shaking with emotion as she remembered how she ran so much her feet bled.
Her first months in the real world were humbling, and it was then that reality kicked in. There were people out there worse than even her father.
There was a moment of silence as she finished her story, she let them process everything and ask their questions.
"So you've been running this whole time?"
The first question came from Gray.
"Yes, I've moved locations ever so often since, trying to keep a low profile everywhere I go. But since I never heard word of my disappearance I thought I was scot-free." Lucy answered. "How stupid of me."
"How come no one ever recognized you?"
"After my mother's death, he rarely let me leave the house, and I was forbidden from making public appearances, of any kind." She told them, answering Mira's question.
He made sure to keep her as isolated as possible, cooped up in her castle, surrounded by staff and tutors.
Lucy moved from Natsu's hold and bowed at the waist in an expression of regret. "I want to apologize to all of you, and the guild for all of this. If I had been honest from the start, maybe none of this would've happened."
Lucy wanted them to know she felt awful about her father's actions. "I don't know why he's decided to track me down after all this time, but this was not the way he should've done it." She muttered looking down at the mark on her left hand, tracing it with her finger.
There was a gentle hand on her shoulder and Lucy looked up to see Erza's kind eyes staring back at her. "We are not responsible for the actions of others. You have done nothing wrong, Lucy. You needn't apologize." The older girl told her, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze.
"Yeah, you did what any normal person would in your situation. Or at least what I would've done." Gray chimed in, shrugging his naked shoulders casually.
He seemed to have lost his shirt while she was talking.
"I'm just scared of what he's going to do now that Phanotm failed to bring me to him." Lucy admitted in a small voice.
"I already told ya, ya ain't goin' anywhere you don't want to. And no one here is going to make you! Dukes or Ducks or whatever the hell can piss off! You are Lucy of Fairy Tail now, and we protect our own!" Natsu threw his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his warmth once more as he spoke.
Lucy felt overwhelmed with emotion.
That seemed to be a recurring theme since discovering her magic and joining Fairy Tail.
She looked at all her friends, grateful to have them in her life.
"Everyone has their secrets, and we understand why you wouldn't want people knowing who you are." Mira told her, smiling kindly.
The tears finally escaped, and Lucy cursed inwardly, she vowed not to cry.
"Thank you for understanding. I feel so guilty about everything that's happened." She finally managed to find her words, her voice still a little shaky, but she felt better.
Like a weight had finally been lifted with her admission.
It was at that moment that an old woman, with pastel pink hair and a sour expression, entered the guild through the glowing doors with a bang.
'A portal.' Lucy thought.
"Where is that ridiculous man? What trouble has he gotten himself into this time?" She asked as she beelined to Mira and Erza.
"This way, thank you for coming. Wendy's already tried to help, but she can't seem to figure out -" Mira was talking to the woman as she led her through the guild and to the Infirmary, where the Master was relocated.
The tension was back in the air as they all watched the two women walk away, pondering over the Master's well-being.
"I'm going to go with them, see what I can find out." Erza excused herself, giving Lucy one last shoulder squeeze as she went up the stairs.
"And I'm gonna go see if Wendy can check out my back. Are you gonna be okay?" Gray asked her as he rubbed the lower part of his back.
Lucy smiled at him, shooing him off.
"Go, and make sure to remind Wendy to rest and not exhaust herself!" He saluted her and promptly left her Natsu alone.
"Do you think I could go and see Levy?" Lucy asked the pinkette, who without a word, grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs, and toward the guest rooms.
* ********* ********** ********** ********* *
She cried even more when she saw her friend lying beaten and unconscious in one of the guild's spare bedrooms. Natsu by her side offering her comfort.
Lucy understood where her friends were coming from saying she shouldn't blame herself for other people's actions, but staring down at the sleeping bluenette she couldn't help but feel responsible.
They left the room not long after they came, not wanting to disturb the injured girl.
The scene downstairs had seemed to calm down while they were visiting Levy. Most of the guild members were awake and back on track, with only a few occupying the Infirmary room.
They made their way to where Happy was and joined him at one of the tables. They didn't speak, just sat next to each other, waiting for someone to come back with news about Master Makarov.
There was a somber mood surrounding the whole guild, everyone worried about their Master and their Nakama.
Even Natsu was silent, sitting next to her with a rigid posture and she could feel the heat coming off of him in waves.
He turned his head suddenly, looking at the stairs, and as Lucy turned her head to follow his line of sight she saw Mira, Erza, and Porlyusica appear a second later.
All three had grave expressions on their faces and Lucy's heart sank as she braced herself for the news, darting her hand to grasp Natsu's for comfort.
"It seems that whoever attacked Master Makarov, literally stole his soul from him. We need to get it back, and quick." Erza relayed to the guild.
Mira's eyes were puffy, an indication that she's been crying. Lucy shot the older girl a small smile.
"I called Laxus and the Thunder League, They're on their way back from their job in the Lycan Woods, I don't know when they'll make it back." Mira added softly.
"I've done all I can for him, but we need to put the soul back for him to heal." The pink-haired woman proclaimed curtly as she made her way through the guild, Stopping at the door she summoned a portal. "Call me the moment you retrieve it and I'll be there." And with that, she left.
Leaving Fairy Tail in a state of shock and fear.
The Master was dying. His soul has been stolen by someone from Phantom, which means they're gonna have to go and fight them. Again.
'What kind of magic allows a person to do such a thing?' Lucy thought with a shudder, not wanting to think about what other despicable powers might be out there.
She also dreaded another encounter with Jose, especially after the way she escaped. She had a feeling he wasn't the forgive-and-forget type.
Discussions and shouts were echoing throughout the tavern as everyone debated on what their next move should be. More than half of the guild was ready to march back to Oak Town, seeking vengeance for their Master and to help save him.
While a smaller part argued that they needed an actual plan, not just to run straight into the fight.
As the mages went back and forth, some even started brawling over their differing opinions, a blast shook the building, knocking everyone to the ground in the process.
Natsu's instincts came in handy, as he gathered both Lucy and Happy in his arms and pulled them under their table.
The ground started shaking underneath them and as people got to their feet, they started rushing out of the guild to see what the hell happened.
Natsu was at the forefront, having sprinted away the moment the shaking stopped, leaving Lucy and Happy behind.
Lucy got up and followed behind everyone, her instincts telling her nothing good would come from this.
When she exited the tavern Lucy looked up to see the highest point of the guild was hit, their flag disintegrated by the blast and some of the debris was falling from the roof. Rushing after everyone she neared the back of the building where the crowd was gathering.
That's when Lucy saw the Phantom Lord's castle walking towards them. Walking. With spider-like legs protruding from the sides as it stalked through the forest and straight for Fairy Tail.
"What just happened was a warning shot, courtesy of my lovely Jupiter Cannon. You have fifteen minutes before it recharges to hand over Lucy Heartfilia or the next shot will blow you, and your precious guild away!"Jose's voice boomed through the speakers as the building stopped some distance from the crowd of Fairy Tail mages.
Lucy felt her heart drop at his words.
She looked around at everyone, they looked confused at his request but determined to fight, not even sparring a thought to giving her over.
And that's what set her resolve. No one else was getting hurt because of her. Head held high Lucy made her way to the front of the crowd, stopping as she started down the Cannon, which seemed to be counting down from fifteen.
"I am complying with your demands. Stop the Cannon and I will go with you." Lucy shouted at the structure, desperately trying not to shake with fear.
There was a hand on her shoulder, and suddenly she was being pulled back and Natsu was in front of her, she could feel the anger radiating off of him as he glared at the building. Erza, Mira, Gray even Elfman appeared next to her.
"You want Lucy, you're gonna have to go through us! And we're not letting her go!" Natsu yelled, and the whole guild cheered at his words.
Lucy felt her tears return as she watched her guildmates yell in agreement with Natsu. She couldn't believe the whole guild would fight for her. She didn't know how to feel, overwhelmed with emotions as the tears fell down her cheeks.
There was a cackle from the speakers and the Phantom Lord master taunted them. "I will take great pleasure in taking down your pathetic little fairies!" And with that, countless ghoulish apparitions flew from the building and started attacking them.
"We need to disable the Cannon, it's the only way. Come on, everyone else can handle themselves, we need to go."
Erza ordered the three men as she started sprinting towards the Castle.
Gray and Elfman followed without hesitation, running right behind her.
Lucy saw Mirajane next to her transform into a devil-like creature and viciously start fighting the ghouls.
Natsu hesitated as he looked at her, worry clear in his eyes. "Go, I'll be fine! They need you more than me, I apparently have a whole army looking out for me." Lucy told him as she gestured to the guild fighting off the apparitions around them.
Natsu's brows furrowed at her words and he narrowed his eyes at her, She's only seen that appraising look on his face when he was facing down an enemy, and Lucy found herself blushing in the middle of the battlefield at the intensity in his eyes.
"I need you to be safe, okay?" He told her tone deadly serious, his eyes never leaving hers.
Lucy gulped as she stared back at him. She had a plan. It was stupid but she had a plan and she couldn't promise him that. He will forgive her, she's sure of it.
So instead of answering, Lucy drew him in for a hug, using his surprise to sneak her keys into his pocket.
Either way, they'll be safer with him.
He hugged her back tightly and then turned to dash after Erza and the guys. Calling for Happy as he ran.
"Aye Sir!" The cat flew over her head, ruffling her hair as he did so, catching up to Natsu, he picked the fire drakon up and they sped off to stop the Cannon.
Lucy watched them as they disappeared, hoping they'd destroy it in time.
Though it was Natsu, Gray, and Erza. They had a knack for destroying things, she thought with a small smile. She had faith in them, they would succeed and come out on top. There was no other choice.
A ghoul suddenly charged toward Lucy, and having no time to take out her whip it almost got her, if not for a flash of light aimed at the creature that killed it.
Lucy turned to see Cana, cards in hand as she threw them at several targets at once.
"You need to get out of here and hide, we'll take care of the rest!" The brunette shouted at her.
"I am not going to hide from this! I will fight-" her sentence was cut short as someone hit her in the back of the head making her pass out.
* ********* ********** ********** ********* *
Waking up with a mild headache, Lucy looked around to see she was in a car, on her way out of Magnolia. She looked at the driver's seat to see Reedus speeding down the road.
"What are you doing? We need to go back and help them!" Lucy shouted as she climbed from the backseat to the passenger's.
"I had clear orders from Mira, get you out of the city, I don't want to be on the she-devil's bad side." The curly-haired man replied, shudder at the thought of Mira going after him.
"I can't let everyone else fight this battle for me! I have to at least fight beside them, please Reedus, you have to understand." Lucy pleaded with the man.
He looked at her from the corner of his eye and let out a sigh. Stopping the car on the side of the empty road, he turned to face her.
They were almost at the edge of the city, and given it's a Sunday afternoon, there thankfully weren't any people around.
"We need to keep you safe, the guild can take care of themselves. Someone will call us when it's over, it's safer this way I promise." He told her with a soft smile.
Lucy was about to protest again, or even book it out of the car to try and run back to the fight. But before she could do either a steel rod broke through the windshield, knocking Reedus out cold and making Lucy scream out in shock.
A tall, dark-haired man appeared on the other end of the rod, it seemed to be an extension of his arm. He was grinning at her, a wild look in his red eyes.
The steel retracted back and turned back into a normal arm. 'What the hell was this guy?' Lucy thought to herself as she struggled to unbuckle her seatbelt.
"Gihi, what do we have here? A little fairy thought she could run away?" The man taunted her as he neared the car.
Finally managing to unclasp the buckle, Lucy opened the car door and broke into a run. She hoped Reedus would forgive her for abandoning him, as she didn't have a better choice at the moment. There were no other cars around and Lucy decided to book it through the forest by the side of the road.
The dark-haired man's laugh was sinister as he followed after her.
"You can't outrun me, Princess!" His voice was getting closer as she stumbled her way through the trees, like a lamb running from the wolf. "Unfortunately for you, Jose wants his prize. So I have no choice." There was a shadow over her as he appeared behind her, Lucy didn't have any time to process his words before she was knocked out.
Again.
* ********* ********** ********** ********* *
"10 minutes to detonation of the Jupiter Cannon." An animatronic voice echoed through the halls.
"Fuck!"
Natsu was beyond frustrated at this point. This was the third dead end since he entered this ridiculous building.
"Where is that stupid Lacrima?" Natsu mumbled under his breath as he continued to wander the halls.
Happy was perched up on his head, keeping quiet as he didn't want to further irritate the fire drakon. Erza had ordered Gray, Elfman, and Natsu to find the Lacrima and destroy it before the Cannon could charge, but this whole place is like a maze, how is anyone supposed to find their way?
He suddenly caught the scent of fire and followed that. He could use a good meal at least, he's been walking around forever.
As he stepped into the room where the smell was coming from, Natsu spotted the Lacrima Crystal that charged the Cannon.
"Gotcha!" He smirked and lit his fists on fire.
As he went to charge and destroy the power source, his fists moved upward on their own accord and Natsu punched himself in the face, knocking Happy off his head in the process.
"You okay little buddy?" He asked, looking over to the cat as he caught himself on the wall.
"Aye! But what was that Natsu?" The exceed asked.
"I am Totomaru, one of the element four! And no fire can defeat me!" A voice boomed, and a young man with black and white hair, and a tattoo going over his nose and cheeks appeared from behind the Lacrima.
"I don't have time to deal with you!" Natsu told the strange man, ignoring his words as he charged at him, fists aflame.
Only to be decked in the face by his own hand once more. "The hell?" He yelled annoyed.
"I told you, no fire can touch me! I am the master of all fire!" The man exclaimed and threw a blast of fire towards Natsu, who in turn slurped up the flames.
"Ugh, yuck. You call this crap fire? It tastes awful. At least I have a fire in my belly." Natsu grimaced at the taste of the fire, rubbing his stomach. His opponent in turn was staring at him, mouth agape.
"You just, you just ate my fire?!" He yelled in shock, pointing an accusatory finger at Natsu.
"Well duh, what else was I supposed to do?" With a shrug of his shoulders, Natsu took a deep breath and prepared for his next attack.
"Fire Dragon, Roar!" He sent an inferno at the opposing mage.
The other man flicked his hand, directing the fire around him and smiling back at Natsu.
"Are you slow? I told you already that fire doesn't work on me!" He taunted back.
With a frustrated growl, Natsu lit his fist and went to attack. No one controlled his fire but him. With a determined cry, he went to hit the split-haired freak but his fire was redirected once more and Natsu was blown back by his own flames.
"5 minutes to detonation of the Jupiter Cannon." An automated voice rang through the room, making Natsu remember his initial objective, he needed to destroy the Lacrima.
"How many times are you gonna try the same trick? It's not going to work." The man stated, sounding bored.
"Natsu you need to knock down the Lacrima or the guild's gonna be destroyed!" Happy yelled from somewhere behind him.
"I know, I know!" Natsu huffed in response, he looked back at the annoying fire mage appraisingly.
"Fine. If I can't beat you using my flames, I'm just gonna have to do it the old-fashioned way." Cracking his knuckles, Natsu went to attack again, this time sans fire.
"What you think you're just gonna-" His fist interrupted the rest of Totomaru's sentence as he sent the man flying back and into a wall.
"You got lucky with that one. Let me show you what a member of the element five can do!" The man boasted and started accumulating his magic, focusing it on one point before sending an inferno at Natsu.
Slurping the fire, he noted that this one wasn't as foul-tasting as the last. "Thank you for the meal, and you called me slow. It looks like fire doesn't work on either of us."
Natsu smiled at the man as he approached him. "What are you gonna do now?"
The man started back at him, eyes wide in disbelief and he could smell the fear on him, with a smirk, Natsu threw his head back and head-butted the two-toned man, knocking him out flat.
"He was seriously getting on my nerves." Natsu grumbled as he moved back to finally strike the Lacrima, throwing a fireball that shattered the crystal into pieces.
"You did it Natsu!" Happy yelled out as he flew over his head.
"2 minutes to detonation of the Jupiter Cannon." The voice echoed once more.
"I destroyed it! How is the thing still charging?" Natsu asked in confusion.
Just then, he felt a twinge of a headache and heard Warren's voice in his head.
"Natsu? Can you hear me? I just got word from the others. There seem to be 5 Lacrimas that are powering the Cannon. Elfaman destroyed one, as well as Gray and Erza. There are two left." The telepath relayed to Natsu, who cursed inwardly.
"There is one Cannon left. Do you know where it is? I lost time in this maze of a castle trying to find the first one!" He thought back to the man.
"I can sense you in the east wing. The last remaining Crystal is located on the west wing. Elfman managed to take down Sol, of the element five, and Gray is currently fighting the water woman of Phantom. There are two members of the element five left, and one of them is the mage that stole the Master's soul, so be careful and get to the Lacrima, quickly!"
Warren told him, and Natsu sprinted out of the room before he could even finish relaying all the information, Happy flying behind him as they raced toward the last Crystal.
"What about Erza? Where is she?" Natsu asked, dread filling his stomach.
"She's joined the battle out front." There was a pause, and somehow Natsu could feel his hesitance.
"Natsu, she plans on taking the hit if you don't make it on time." With those words, the connection between them was cut, and Natsu ran even faster as he tried not to think of Erza and her stupid sacrificial tendencies.
* ********* ********** ********** ********* *
Lucy was tired of waking up groggy and not knowing where she was. How many times is this now? She wondered if all mages got kidnapped and knocked out as much as she looked around.
She was not in a car this time or a cell, she was lying on the ground in what seemed to be some kind of throne room.
'Of course, Jose would have a throne.' Lucy thought with disdain as she got up on her feet.
"You're awake just in time for the festivities." She heard his voice coming from the other end of the room.
Turning she saw Jose, and the black-haired man who grabbed her enter the room.
Jose went straight for his seat on the throne perched in the middle of the room, while his gorilla went to stand by his side.
"I was very disappointed in you, Lucy, and the way you behaved after my most generous offer." The auburn-haired man tutted at her. "It will not go unpunished, but first I want you to witness the fall of Fairy Tail." He started laughing as he gestured to the man by his feet.
The younger man moved to open one of the curtains and Lucy saw the guild fighting those ghoulish things. "10 seconds to detonation of the Jupiter Cannon." A voice echoed throughout the building, making Lucy's heart drop.
'They didn't make it in time.'
Jose was laughing like a maniac as the voice continued counting down.
"Nine, eight, seven, six" Lucy was transfixed on the fight below her, watching her fellow guild mates scatter around in panic as the voice counted down. "Five, four, three"
She saw a flash of scarlet, and Erza appeared in an armor Lucy had never seen before. It was heavy-duty, with a giant shield.
She wasn't actually going to try and take the blow?
"Two, one. Firing Jupiter Cannon."
"No! No, Erza!" Lucy screamed as the Cannon fired directly at where the scarlet-haired woman was standing, shield in place as she channeled magic towards it, a determined look in her eyes as she braced herself for impact.
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Everything Changes
Super excited to post another fic for the Fairy Tail Reverse Bang 2022 for @ftguildevents
Please go check out the super cool art that @wolfcry77 made. Im in awe at the absolute talent that went into the piece and I hope that I did the artwork justice.
Artwork Here Go check it out :)
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy some Nalu :)
Pairing: Nalu
TW: Mentions of blood, fighting, losing an arm
---
The mission was going horribly wrong.
It had been a grueling ten days of non stop searching and putting together clues as if they were some type of murder mystery.
“Come on Natsu, pay attention.” Lucy scolded him for the tenth time today.
He was beyond exhausted and he could tell from the amount of yawns she was trying to hide, she was getting there too.
“Luce. We have been at this for hours, can’t we just take a break or have one of your spirits solve it?” Natus complained…again.
The blonde rolled her eyes and shut her book. “I can’t just make my spirits do our dirty work.”
“They battle for you.” He smirked and dodged a book being tossed towards him.
“That's different! This-” She gestured to the books and maps. “This is what we are being paid to do. If we find out where their base is then we can find them. Simple.”
“It’s not simple, we haven't figured it out yet.”
“No, I haven't figured it out yet. You’ve been drooling on a cookbook for almost an hour.”
“See! Even the books say we should eat.” He tried.
Lucy exhaled and shifted through some more papers. “Why don’t you go grab lunch and then bring some back for me. I’m not really hungry right now and I feel like a breakthrough is going to happen.”
Natsu stood and shrugged. “Fine but if you don’t find anything in an hour, you are taking a break.”
“Whatever.” She replied and continued to read.
He found his way out of the library and towards a row of shops they haven't gotten a chance to explore yet. Not only was this mission boring and taking too long, something else had started to irritate him.
He was told that this would be the time that symptoms of his problem would surface. As long as he stayed calm and collected, he would have no trouble keeping whatever was lurking in his body at bay. That would have been easier for someone who could stay calm but his eagerness and tendencies to jump the gun on things wasn’t helping him much.
What also wasn’t helping was going on a solo mission with Lucy. Happy was called to help Carla and PantherLily on another mission and while he had no doubt that Lucy could hold her own, having a flying cat with them was always reassuring.
Natsu chose a random deli from the shops and grabbed whatever was the most appetizing while getting Lucy something of her own. He picked up a few dessert items knowing that she had a bit of a sweet tooth and since she had been working non-stop reading and searching for answers, he was sure a brownie or cupcake would put her in a better mood.
The sun was high in the sky and beating down on him by the time he reached the library again. A strange twinge in his hand caused him to look down and he almost panicked when he saw that his nails looked much longer and much sharper to his dismay.
“Shit.” He said to himself and dropped the bag of food next to Lucy before shoving his hands in his pockets.
“Natsu you’re never going to believe this! I found their base! Or well, clues to it. I am assuming that this location is where they are hiding and if we leave now, we can make it there by sundown for a surprise ambush.” She pointed to one of the maps that had a dense forest area and certain rocky formations.
“These mages focus their magic on nature and their ability to change the layout of the areas around them. They have been known for smuggling expensive cargo and stealing from wandering guilds. They can get away with this because they can alter the pathways of the trees and cause it to become like a maze.” Lucy continued.
“Great so now we get to go get lost in a bunch of trees.” Natsu jokes.
Lucy patted him on the back. “Well if worse comes to worse you can start a forest fire.”
“Fine by me.” He shrugged.
“That was a joke, please don't burn down any trees. I don’t think our planet can handle it.”
“I am making no promises babe.” He winked, causing her to smile.
—
By the time they reach the edge of their location, the sun has started to set. A mix of oranges and reds fill the sky and he knew that if they weren't here for business, Lucy would beg him to take him to the tallest hill so they could watch it together.
Natsu follows Lucy as they try to memorize their surroundings. He was starting to get antsy and his head washed over with the same twinge as before.
“You okay?” Lucy called from behind as she heard him grunt.
Natsu squeezed his eyes shut trying to ignore the way his stomach curled as if he were on a train.
“Do not think of trains right now.” He scolded himself.
Slowly he raised his hand to the top of his head and pulled back quickly. “Uh Luce you go on ahead, I’m going to, uh, the bathroom?”
“Alright but don’t take too long.” She said not bothering to turn around as she was busy drawing her own map.
Quickly he ran behind a tree and put his hand up to the top of his head. Two small bumps were emerging from his scalp.
“Horns?” He whispered with concern. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
He didn’t feel as if they were that big yet so he fluffed up his hair and hoped that his height advantage over the blonde would be able to conceal them. Quickly he caught up to Lucy as they found a clearing in the middle.
“I don’t remember this on the map?” Lucy said.
“Maybe we missed it.” He suggested.
“Or maybe, they know we are here.”
The forest floor rumbled and all of a sudden they heard a group of voices.
Five men approached them, each staring the pair down with an evil hunger in their eyes.
“Looks like we have some fresh meat here.” One says.
The feeling of a good fight didn’t sink in with Natsu as it usually does. He needs to stay in control and not let his new powers take over. They are clearly outmatched by numbers but they don’t seem that big of a threat. It wasn’t long until they began, all clearly on the same page that one team will win while the other will lose.
The battle starts the way it always had. A small stand off. Natsu and Lucy on one-side, determination coursing through their veins while the ones they were trying to defeat looked down on them like they were some kind of bugs. Usually it was Natsu who ran head first into battle. He could claim the first strike and set the tone for the entire team, but not today.
He was silent and still. His fists that were usually up and ready to blast an inferno of flames, were at his side waiting. Just waiting. Lucy's side glance made him shiver but he couldn’t meet her eyes. No not now.
Lucy turned to ask him something but he refuses to even let her get closer than she already is. His feet take off and now he’s letting a ring of fire do the talking.
He can hear her voice call out to her gates. Feel the way she commands power and respect with every attack. And he can smell her intoxicating scent more than he used to.
“Ignore it.” He whispers to himself.
“Let me play.” Something inside of him stirs and he chokes down a cough.
It can’t happen again. Not now. Not ever.
But it's been harder and harder to keep whatever hellscape inside him at bay.
His thoughts disappeared as he looked at the scene. Out of the five dark mages, four had been taken down and Lucy was up against the last on her own. He should help her. He should keep his distance though.
“She's strong, she can do it.” He says to himself as he takes a step back. Maybe he can get a grip and control the beast before it gets any worse.
“Open Gate of the-”
Natsu froze in his tracks as a scream rips through the forest. The sound turned his blood into a boil.
He turns to face the dark mage, to see Lucy kicking his ass, but the scream came from her. His eyes shoot wide open as he stares at the scene before him.
Lucy’s face twisted in pain and a hand around her neck stopping the scream. Lying on the ground with blood dripping is her left arm. That man just ripped Lucy’s arm right off.
And suddenly he can’t breathe.
He watches as Lucy's body hits the ground. Her scream belts from her lips and something within him snaps.
No amount of breathing or trying to relax could help the beast take over. He feels the small horns spike up and his skull rings with a thunderous pain. His nails turn to full claws and he knows that his normal pointed smile has sharpened tremendously.
It’s as if the world had faded to black and all he can see is red. There's no time for thinking as he lets out a roar of his own and an inferno of flames surrounds him.
“I’m going to kill him.” Natsu yells, his voice significantly deeper. And all control he thought he had is now lost.
Dead. Dead. Dead.
That's all he can hear as he grabs Lucy in his arms and places her safely down.
“Natsu-” She calls but he doesn’t have time to listen.
Instead he charges towards the man. He wants him dead with his blood on his hands. He grabs the man by the shirt and throws him into the air with his new found strength. Using his flames, he blasts into the air to meet him and then throws the man down towards the earth.
“FIRE DRAGON ROAR!” He screams with everything in his lungs. The flames are a mix of bright reds and yellows as they cover the man and some of the trees.
He grabs the man who is slightly burnt and punches him with everything he has. The man cries and pleads but he wouldn’t hear it.
“Can you fix her arm?” Natsu questions the man as he holds him up towards the sky by his neck.
The man chokes out a response that doesn’t satisfy him.
“So you rip off her arm and expect mercy from me? Is that what I’m getting at?” Natsu tightens his grip. “I don’t even think hell is enough for you.” He spats and drops him, not giving the body a second glance.
He walks over to Lucy staring at her shaking figure and lost arm. Natsu lowers himself to her and wraps her shoulder with his scarf.
“Natsu, the blood. It will ruin-”
“Don’t.” He pleads and tries not to have tears form in his eyes. “That doesn’t matter right now. We need to get you to a hospital.”
“I-okay.” She doesn’t try to fight him.
Instead he picks her up and begins to walk to the city. Her head rests against his shoulder and she's trying to stay awake.
“Stay with me Luce.” He whispers and he can feel his horns and claws shrink back down.
“Natsu.” She hums.
“Yeah?”
“Are we going to talk about what just happened?” She asks.
“I think we just need to focus on getting you the care you need.”
“That's not what I asked.” Her voice slurs.
Natsu sighs. “I know. Maybe later though.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
–
It had been three days since Lucy was admitted into the hospital. There was no sign that magic could replace or fix her arm and he had left it in the woods anyways.
The entire time she was in the hospital, Natsu was outside waiting for her. His leg would bounce with anxiety and he could feel his horns pop out slightly before retreating back in. everything he could say to her about what happened was playing in his mind. He wasn;t sure what to say or how to go about it.
What girl wants to know that her boyfriend could turn into a psych demon thing at any given moment? The last thing she needed was to worry about the freakshow he was becoming. He just hoped that the transformation wasn’t permanent.
It was night time now and he found a bench in front of the lake behind the hospital. He wasn’t sure what to do when she got out and he knew that she would be let out soon but he couldn’t face her just yet.
He needed to clear his head. The water felt cold against his skin as he made his way into it, ditching his pants and shirt at the shore. It was a small city and he was sure no one was around and he couldn’t care either.
Even in the moonlight, he could see his reflection. It was his normal self. Wild pink hair with fairly sharp teeth but normal enough that it didn’t worry him. His guild mark was the only marking on his body and a sigh of relief left him as he stared at the water.
He closed his eyes for a moment and felt a pulsing feeling run through him. When he opened his eyes again, the reflection was the same. Normal Natsu. However, his nails had sharpened and he felt the horns appear again, this time the pain wasn’t as bad.
He didn’t know what to do.
He wanted to go back to the guild. He wanted a signal or a sign that he was alright. He just wanted peace and most importantly he wanted Lucy to be okay.
“Natsu?” He heard her voice behind him.
Quickly he turned to see Lucy standing there. She was out of the hospital gown and in her normal clothes. She waved at him with a smile.
But he couldn’t smile back. Anxiety rose up inside of him as he realized that he was still in his demon form.
“Natsu.” Lucy called him. She had a relaxed expression on her face. “Don’t make me come in there.”
He felt like a dog that had just gotten scolded as he walked out of the water and to her. He felt her eyes travel around his body and he didn’t want to hear what she had to say. He didn’t think he could take it.
“Relax.” She tells him. “It’s only me.”
He meets her eyes and realizes that what she said is true. Lucy was one of the few people he trusted his life with. A person whose entire heart, soul and being he wanted to share with her.
“I can’t explain why it happens, it just does.” He says.
“Could be because you were raised by a dragon.” She points out.
“I haven’t gotten a chance to ask but maybe.”
Lucy stared at his horns. “Do they hurt?”
“At first but I think the more they appear, the less they hurt.” He then looks towards her side where her arm is missing. Guilt flooded his body and he could feel tears rising.
She follows his eyes to her side and bites her lip. “I’m trying not to dwell on it right now. I could have died.” She says as tears form in her eyes.
In a second, his arms are around her pulling her to his chest. “I’m sorry Lucy. I should have protected you, I should have-”
“I don’t blame you Natsu. Never have, never will. You didn’t do this to me and it's not the end of the world. After all, I’ve always been an adaptable person.” She smiles into his chest. Lucy pulls away to look up at him. “Your horns are gone.”
He notices her fingers are back to normal too. “I think you just calm me.”
Lucy places her palm against his cheek. “You could never scare me, Natsu. No matter what this new look part of you is, I love it just the same as before. Nothing could change that. I won’t look at you differently.”
Her confession made his heart warm and he felt more relaxed than he had in days. “I don’t deserve you. How did I get so lucky?”
She kisses his cheek. “I think you have good taste is all. Now I don’t know about you, but I am craving anything but that hospital food.”
“Then we better get you something good.” He says and holds out his hand.
They intertwine their fingers hoping to find a restaurant still open during the night. As a child the thought of this moment terrified him. A new form of power that he couldn't automatically control was not something he desired. However, he felt like the luckiest guy in the world to have Lucy by his side to not only be there for him, but to love him all the same.
Perhaps a missing arm and some horns was all it took to make them realize that the most important thing to each of them is each other. No matter the battles they faced, everything would be worth it as long as they were together through it all.
--
I hope you enjoyed :)
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Kagehina fanfic: Ch. 18
On AO3
Kageyama
“I’m starved!” Hinata flops dramatically into my arms after all the other team-mates have left from practice. My mouth twitches upward into a smile and I allow my hand to move to the small of his back, cradling it softly.
“Come on,” I say. “We can get some food on the way home. I know a good ramen place.”
“Korakuen?” he asks.
“No.” I shake my head. “It’s a small family-owned business. I like it. All the kids work there with their parents, even the little ones. It’s cute. Wanna go?”
Hinata tilts his face up and smirks at me. “First you play playmobil with Natsu. Now you’re saying little kids are cute. Jeez Kageyama, what would the rest of the team say if they saw this side of you?”
I roll my eyes. “Let’s go, dumbass.”
Hinata
It is a good ramen place. I can tell immediately as soon as I take a whiff of the air inside. And Kageyama’s right – the little kids are cute. At first one of the young ones – probably seven years old or so – waits on our table. But partway through our stay the older daughter takes over. She looks to be about our age and she’s got really thick brown hair and super white teeth. I wonder if she uses some kind of product on them.
“Thanks, Emica,” Kageyama says as she brings us our plates. Apparently he knows everyone in this family by their names.
“You’re welcome.” She flashes him a smile, and I swear her teeth are blinding. “This guy play volleyball with you?” She gestures towards me with her head without looking away from Kageyama.
Kageyama opens his mouth to respond but I jump in first.
“I’m a middle blocker!” I pipe excitedly. “But one day I’m gonna be the ace. I’m the only one who can catch Kageyama’s crazy quick tosses – not even Asahi can. So next year...”
I trail off as I realize that Emica still isn’t looking at me. Her gaze is fixed unwaveringly on Kageyama and she hasn’t put away those freakishly white teeth.
I snap my jaw shut so hard that it hurts. I slump back against my seat and scowl.
Kageyama
Hinata’s just twirling his ramen around in his bowl, pouting. I’m not sure what’s caused the shift in his mood, but it’s pretty stark.
“Hey.” I reach across the table and knock his arm gently with my wrist. ���What’s up?”
His eyes flicker up to me briefly, then he drops them again and continues to sulk. “Nothing,” he mutters. A moment later though, he spits it out like something rancid in his mouth. “Emica likes you.”
I blink. “What?”
“Emica. The waitress. She was flirting with you.”
“Oh!” I flush, surprised and a little uncomfortable. “That’s… that’s so awkward. It never occurred to me... Poor girl.”
“Poor girl?”
“Well, she doesn’t know, right.”
“Know what?”
I cock my head and stare at Hinata curiously. Is he being thick on purpose?
“That I’m gay, dumbass.”
And that I’m in love with you. And that by some wild, incomprehensible downpour of good fortune, I actually get to be your boyfriend.
Hinata’s eyes shoot wide as saucers. Suddenly, he bursts into delighted laughter.
“Oh my god!” He doubles over and clutches at his sides. “Oh my god, I forgot!”
“You forgot?”
“Yeah.” Hinata’s attempts to reign in his laughter turn into a series of ridiculous sounding snorts. “She was flirting with you and she was pretty and I just got jealous and forgot.”
“Wow...” I shake my head, marveling. I also try to stuff down the smile that’s threatening to break out onto my face at the thought ofHinata, being jealous forme. “You really are a dumb...”
I trail off, halfway through the name-calling, and fall silent.
Hinata
As we’re walking home, Kageyama seems oddly pensive. It doesn’t seem like the concerning kind of pensive though, so I just let him be and enjoy walking in silence, swinging our clasped hands between us and bumping affectionately against his shoulder every once in a while. I figure he’ll talk to me if he wants to.
Sure enough, shortly before he drops me off at my door, he reaches out suddenly and catches my other hand in his.
“Hinata,” he says, looking me squarely in the eyes. “I’m not going to call you a dumbass anymore, okay?”
“Huh?” Not sure what I was expecting, but that wasn’t it. “Oh. Okay, sure. How come?”
“I just...” He shifts his feet. “I don’t think it’s good.”
I cock my head, curiously. “But you’ve always called me a dumbass.”
He flinches and his features twist into an expression of distress. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say... But why? It’s true. And I don't mind. I know he doesn't really mean anything by it - not anymore, anyway. It's just always been part of our dynamic, even after we got over our contemptuous beginnings and developed mutual respect.
“I know I have,” Kageyama says. His voice sounds strained. “I... I’m sorry. I don’t want to be like that anymore.” He lifts a tentative hand to my face and softly brushes his thumb along my jawline.
Kageyama’s always so hesitant and faltering when he touches me... It’s like he still can’t believe he has permission.
I watch him wet his lips with his tongue, preparing to say something more.
“I don’t want that to be our relationship, Hinata,” he says finally, fixing me with earnest eyes. “When I think about what I want for you... it isn’t a boyfriend who calls you names. You know?”
I gaze up at him, and I feel something warm spreading in my chest. It's some kind of stirring together of mystification and admiration... And then it becomes a rush of gratitude.
I wonder if Kageyama knows how wonderful he is... Really, truly wonderful... He surprises me every day.
“Sure, Kageyama," I say, my eyes crinkling up at him in a soft smile. I step forward and lean into him, rubbing my nose happily against his collarbone. “Thank you.”
Read more on AO3
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Ko was dying from embarrassment, he pretty much called Gajeel ‘Dad’ “…hehe…true!…” he continues munching on the chocolate given to him, tho he looks at the ones for his brother “want me to give these to Natsu?”
Random Shit
Well, Kohaku had actually called the Dragon 'dad' but the situation had played out as if it was a completely normal conversation that had happened. Rather than dwell on it he'd decided to make candy.
"If ya can find him. I think he might be in my library but I ain't sure."
He'd hand Kohaku the second plate of chocolates. He was never sure what mood the younger Dragon was in so he tended to leave him to his own devices rather than bother him. Plus, he wasn't sure what had caused the other male to need to crash in his place yet.
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Lucy: Natsu, I'm cold.
Natsu: Wait a sec, I'm going to get you a jacket.
Gray: Natsu, I'm cold.
Natsu: Come over here. I'll set you on fire.
#fairy tail 100 yq#natsu dragneel#fairy tail#ft natsu#natsu continues to be a mood#natsudragneel#lucy heartfilia#nalu#sting eucliffe#team natsu#nalu day 2021#fairy tail 100 years quest#fairy tail fanart#fairy tail headcanon#fairy tail incorrect quotes#fairy tail manga#fairy tail nalu#incorrect fairy tail quotes#gray fairy tail#gray fullbuster#lucy ft#lucy fairy tail#lucy heartifilla#gray
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Natsu: I heard you like bad boys
Lucy:
Natsu: Tell her, Gray
Gray, not looking up: He's the worst
#nalu#gratsu brotp#natsu continues to be a mood#gray fullbuster#natsu dragneel#fairy tail#incorrect fairy tail quotes#fairy tail incorrect quotes#incorrect quotes#incorrect quote#anime#manga
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Lucy: You know how we all have that little voice in the back of our heads that tells us not to do bad, dangerous, and destructive things?
Erza: No. Am I supposed to?
Gray: I think mine checked out ages ago-
Natsu: Ohhhh so THAT’s what they were tryin’ ta say!!
#fairy tail#natsu continues to be a mood#natsu dragneel#gray fullbuster#erza titania#lucy heartfilia#natsu x lucy#why are they like this#go team
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#natsu dragneel#nalu#nalu au#nalu baby#edolas nalu#edo nalu#lucy heartfilia#natsu continues to be a mood#fairy tail#fairycore#source: unknown#fairy tail incorrect quotes#incorrect quotes#incorrect fairy tail quotes#incorrect quote#anime#anime fanart#anime icons#anime girl#anime art#manga#bnha manga#manga spoilers#mangaart#manga icons#digitalart#digital art#illustration#drawing#sketch
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Lucy: *drops something*
Lucy: GOD FUCK ME
Natsu: *leans closer*
Lucy: N-No wait *blushes*
Natsu:*gets closer gives a seductive look*
Lucy: Oh god *tomato level and closes her eyes*
Natsu: *takes the chocolate bar from the cup board *
#natsu dragneel#nalu memes#ft nalu#natsu continues to be a mood#incorrect fairy tail quotes#incorrect quotes#nalu fandom#fairy tail#lucy heartfilia
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I just watched the first episode of fairytail galatic version. I have to say i haven't had to worry about my mom walking in to see a girl with less than underwear. On my tv since 8th grade when i watched all of fairy tail in 3 months. its kinda nostalgic
#fairy tail#eden zero#hiro mashima#erza titania#erza continues to be a mood#erza knightwalker#natsu dragneel#igneel#lucy heartifilla#gray fullbuster#anime
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currently cleaning out my account
#attack on titan#aot#snk#fairy tail#fairy tail incorrect quotes#team natsu continues to be a mood#team natsu#mikasa aot#hunter x hunter#demon slayer#demon slayer hashira#jujutsu kaisen#naruto#assassination classroom#assclass#my hero academia#bnha imagines#anime#survey corps#levi squad#104th cadets#nalu#gruvia#eremika#class 1a#eclass#wallpapers
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