TDDUP 27
"Til Death Do Us Part"
Rated M for smut and heavy themes.
Reincarnation/Immortality AU.
Summary: There are immortals and there are those who reincarnate, but it's best to keep these things hidden. Lucy is attending college and meets Natsu, a boy with pink hair, a devilish smile, and a body that never ages.
Read earlier chapters on FF.net
Chapter 27
Winter Break
Patches of grey clouds littered the sky as they bestowed upon the city of Magnolia a thin sheet of snow. It was the first snowfall for the lively city, barely reaching an inch. Still, kids rejoiced as they did their best to pile up the powdery snow to form misshapen snowmen. They even crashed to the ground in fits of giggles, spreading their arms and legs to create snow-angels. Parents watched happily from the side, sipping on their hot chocolate in content. Others who weren't so fond of the icy blanket outside opted for staying indoors, cozying up by the fire with a book in hand.
That was how most people enjoyed their snow days. However, Lucy and her group of ragtag friends were spending the day a bit differently.
"Chug, chug, chug!" the group shouted as Gajeel and Levy shared a quick glance, shot glasses filled to the rim with vodka in their hands.
Not only was their enough cause for celebration with it being the first day of winter break for the college students, but the pair had also taken the next step in their relationship. Gajeel had popped the infamous question while they were alone in Levy's room, bent on one knee and holding a homemade ring in a shaky hand. With tears of mirth, Levy had accepted the proposal, making them engaged.
When they shared the news with the rest of their friends, it was no surprise that they were immediately thrown into a party at Fairy Tail- above the basement in the world of mortals.
Lucy wiped a happy tear from the corner of her eye, watching as the engaged couple downed a shot together. Words couldn't express how thrilled she was for Levy.
"Congrats again, Levy-chan," the blonde said, throwing her arms around her smaller friend.
"Thanks, Lu-chan!" she replied. "You better be my maid of honor!"
A squeal slipped past Lucy's mouth as she nodded her head frantically. "Yes, yes, yes! Of course! I'm going to help you find the perfect dress, find the perfect venue, and plan the most perfect bachelorette party!"
Levy laughed, shaking her head. "There's plenty of time for that stuff. For now, I just want to celebrate with all of you!" She slid a drink towards the blonde, grabbing one for herself as well. "Ready?"
Lucy accepted the shot glass, bringing the rim to her lips. Immediately, she realized her mistake as the foul stench invaded her nostrils. They counted to three before hanging their heads back and downing the shot. The vodka burned as it went down her throat, and in seconds, her belly grew warm. She'd always been a lightweight, which was why she only drank on occasion. She knew that in a couple of drinks, all common sense would fly out the window. But with such a joyous occasion, she couldn't care less.
"It burns!" Lucy exclaimed, waving her hand in front of her face as she set the glass on the table.
"That's 'cause you're a wimp," Gajeel mocked.
"Hey!"
"He's right," Natsu chimed in with a smirk. "You're a real lightweight. Seriously, I think your face is already starting to turn red!"
Lucy slapped her hands over her cheeks. "Is not!"
"Whatever you say, Luce!"
"Well, I don't care anymore!" the girl said with a pout. "My best friend just got engaged, and I plan on celebrating to the fullest! So come on! Drink with me!"
Natsu didn't need to be told twice. Clinking his glass against Lucy's, they took a shot together. Vodka wasn't his go-to drink, but since Erza ordered a whole bottle for their table, he figured he might as well help them out. It was better than letting it go to waste. Or worse, letting Lucy drink it all herself.
"Why don't you two join the rest of us?" Erza ordered, filling their glasses yet again.
Lucy nodded, facing the group. Squeezing her eyes shut, she drank the shot. She could already feel her head start to get heavy. Her stomach felt like a fireball was swinging around. The alcohol was already starting to do her in.
Time ticked on without anyone noticing. They were too caught up downing shots left and right and filling the bar with boisterous laughter. It didn't take long before they were all drunk. Even Gajeel, the one with the highest tolerance, was flat-out wasted.
Juvia was a crying mess, Erza was a menacing threat to all of humanity, Levy was on the floor laughing at the boys' demise, and Lucy whined for Natsu to pet her like a cat. It was all pretty typical for the drunken group.
"Natsuuu," Lucy drawled out. Her face was bright red, redder than Erza's hair. She was on all fours, oblivious to the stares she was receiving from everyone else at the pub. "Pet me!"
Natsu, who was also a drunken mess, shook his head. "N-No way! Quit askin' me to pet you, you weirdo!"
Tears crept up in the girl's eyes. "Fine! You jerk!" She hurried over to Juvia, resting her head over the other girl's chest. Together, they filled Fairy Tail with their incessant wails.
"How is it that even though we're drunk too, we still have to take care of them?" Gray asked, his words slurred.
Natsu shrugged. "I better get Lucy home. She's gonna have a bad hangover tomorrow."
As if her hearing was enhanced with the alcohol, the blonde whipped her head towards him with a pout.
"I don't wanna go home!" she complained, clutching tightly onto Juvia.
"Too bad," Natsu replied. He rose to his feet, grabbing onto the edge of the table to regain his sense of balance. "We gotta pack tomorrow, remember? You're always naggin' me about packing in advance. C'mon."
"No!"
"Lucy."
"I don't wanna!"
Natsu sighed. The alcohol was slowly starting to leave him tired. "I'll pet you nonstop if you agree to come home."
At that, Lucy's eyes lit up like the miniature Christmas tree that sat by the register on the counter. "Okay!"
Saying goodbye to their friends- which took much longer than he anticipated thanks to Lucy giving each one of them a unique goodbye speech- Natsu locked his hand with hers to keep her steady. He shouldered most of her weight as they walked home. With their inebriation and the slippery snow beneath their feet, they had a few slipups on the way before they finally made it back to her apartment.
Stumbling inside, the two plopped onto the couch. Just as he promised, Natsu brought his fingers to Lucy's chin, petting the bottom of it. She purred underneath his touch, scooting closer to him with a dopey smile on her face.
Natsu's eyes landed on his wiggling fingers before trailing down to the girl's neck. Her bare neck. With that, he was instantly reminded of his failure to find her locket.
It'd been almost a week since Lucy returned home from her trip. He wanted to find her locket and prove that she was an immortal just like the rest of them, but wherever Lucy put it, it was proving to be impossible to find. Without it, he didn't have a lick of proof. All he had was his intuition.
He glanced up at Lucy. Her cheeks were still pink, her golden locks were a disheveled mess, and even though she was sitting down, she couldn't help but sway side to side unsteadily. She was still drunk. Hell, drunk was probably an understatement. She was utterly intoxicated.
"Hey, Lucy…" Natsu began, peeking up at her.
"Hmm?" she replied, cocking her head to the side. Her eyes were half-lidded, proof that she was probably tired from the alcohol. There was a pretty good chance she wouldn't remember the night.
Natsu swallowed thickly. He wanted to know the truth. He needed to know. But he couldn't just ask. That would've been too much of a risk, and he wouldn't have just been risking his own identity. He would've been putting his friends at risk too, and he could never do that to them.
But that didn't mean he couldn't nudge her in the right direction a little bit.
"Do you believe in immortality?" he asked. His fingers stopped their movements as he was too concentrated on her reaction to keep petting her.
Lucy blinked once, then twice. Her face hadn't changed in the slightest, causing the tiny sliver of doubt within Natsu to grow.
"Hmm…" she started, rubbing her chin in thought. "Nope."
"No?"
"Nope."
Natsu furrowed his brows. "But you believe in everything! You believe in aliens and ghosts- hell, every time we watch a documentary on some sorta conspiracy, you believe it right away!"
"Well that's different," Lucy replied with a pout.
"How? How is that different?"
"I don't know. It just is!"
"So you don't believe in it at all?"
Lucy shrugged. "Not really. But that would be a really cool idea for a novel! Let me get my journal!" She shot up to her feet. Her legs gave out on her and she went falling forward.
` Natsu caught her, gently pulling her back down onto the couch.
"How 'bout we just go to sleep now and you can write down your idea tomorrow?" he suggested, stifling a sigh.
"But what if I forget?"
"I'll remind you."
"What if you forget?"
"Trust me, that'd be impossible for me to forget it. Now c'mon. Let's get you changed and in bed."
Lucy nodded, following Natsu to grab some pajamas. With her unsteady legs, it took a while for her to change, but once she did, it was like a wave of exhaustion washed over her.
Natsu settled in bed beside Lucy, gently tracing circles over her shoulder to help her sleep. In seconds, he could hear her faint snores. He stared at the back of her head, caught up in his thoughts.
Releasing a soft sigh, the boy frowned. He was starting to think that he was wrong. The sliver of doubt from before now consumed him, driving away all belief that she could ever be an immortal. Perhaps it was just his hope wrenching its way into his brain and jacking up his ability to think logically.
At the end of the day, Lucy was a mortal, and he was an immortal. Whether he liked it or not, their story had an end. And it was a tragedy.
Lucy threw up for the umpteenth time, tears streaming down her face as Natsu held her hair back for her. Her face was dotted with sweat, her head felt like someone was hitting it repeatedly with a baseball bat, and the dim light of the bathroom was making her irritable.
"How's your head?" Natsu asked, smoothing his hand over the girl's back.
Lucy grumbled in reply, shaking her head.
"C'mon, I'll go make you some breakfast!"
"I think that would just make me even more sick," Lucy said, forcing herself to her feet. Narrowing her eyes at him, she asked, "Why don't you ever get hungover?"
Natsu shrugged, giving her a nonchalant grin. "I don't know. I just don't. My tolerance is just higher than yours."
"I'm jealous. I always feel like death after drinking."
"It was fun though. Well, 'sides you asking for me to pet ya all night."
"As my boyfriend, it's your job to pet me when I'm drunk. Deal with it," Lucy said, grabbing a glass of water and sitting at the table. Opening her laptop, she signed into her school account.
"Whatcha doin'?" Natsu asked, sliding onto the seat across from her.
"I'm checking to see if the grade for my story got posted."
"It's only the second day of winter break. You really think that he graded it by now?"
Lucy shrugged, clicking her way to her profile. "I had to turn my story in before the deadline since I couldn't be there the last day of class since my trip was extended."
Her eyes widened as a notification popped up on the screen, alerting her that a new grade was posted. With bated breath, she clicked the necessary links to take her to the new grade. Writing meant everything to her, and this story in particular was very personal and special to her considering it was secretly about her own life. She desperately hoped for a good grade, but with Capricorn's strict grading guidelines and her shortened deadline, she kept her expectations low.
Taking a deep breath, she clicked the final link. There at the top of the screen was a bolded 'A-.'
"I did it," she breathed out, her eyes nearly bugging out of their sockets. "I did it! I aced it!"
"Really?" Natsu asked, his lips curling into a grin almost as wide as hers. "I toldja you'd ace it!"
She beamed at him before returning her gaze to the screen to read the feedback she received.
Miss Lucy, your story was wonderful. I had to deduct some points due to some misspellings and grammatical errors. However, your story kept me at the edge of my seat. I could feel the risk you took in every word. Reincarnation is quite the interesting topic, isn't it? Anyways, you did an excellent job. My favorite part was the ending. I am very relieved that Iris learned to live with her curse and found a happy ending for herself. I hope you do well in your endeavors, Miss Lucy.
Tears pricked the back of Lucy's eyes as she reread every word, then she read them again. Hearing such feedback lifted the weight on her shoulders. It was everything she wanted to hear. Now, she had confidence that she would have made an excellent writer if it wasn't for her reincarnation getting in the way. She didn't need fame or fortune, she just needed to know that she was good.
Shutting the laptop, Lucy smiled to herself.
"So, when are you gonna let me read that story of yours? It's gotta be good since you got an A!" Natsu exclaimed, leaning forward in excitement.
"Hmm, never," Lucy replied. She went to put her laptop away, ignoring Natsu's whines. Her mind was too focused on Capricorn's words.
I am very relieved that Iris learned to live with her curse and found a happy ending for herself.
"Happy, huh?" Lucy thought with a hum. Glancing over her shoulder to find the love of her life casually sitting at her table, she smiled. "Yeah. I am pretty happy now."
"You got enough clothes?"
"Yep."
"Are they warm? We're going to a ski resort, you know?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know! I told you, I'm good to go!"
"What about your toothbrush?"
"Yeah, I got- wait. Nope. I forgot to pack that. Gimme a second."
Lucy rolled her eyes as Natsu walked past her to pack his toothbrush. Thinking over all the essentials she would need on their trip, she doublechecked to make sure she didn't overlook anything. Enough layers to keep her warm in the snow, her writing journal in case she was hit with a stroke of inspiration, and a book to read both on the road and in the cabin.
Once Natsu came back, rolling his luggage behind him, she gave him a pointed stare.
"You sure you're ready to go this time?" the girl teased.
Natsu rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Everyone's waiting outside for us outside. C'mon, Lucy!" Grabbing her hand, he raced towards the door, dragging her behind and barely giving her enough time to lock the door. Excited was an understatement of how he felt about going on his first trip with Lucy.
"Hey, guys!" Lucy greeted with a wave as Natsu threw their luggage in the trunk along with everyone else's.
"You're late," Erza reprimanded. "What took you two so long? You should have been packed already."
"I know, I'm sorry! I was just so hungover yesterday, I ended up sleeping through most of the day."
"That's alright," Jellal said with his signature kind smile. "Let's just get going now. If we beat the traffic, we can make it in time to go skiing today."
The group roared with cheers, jumping in the van they rented before getting on the road.
"Oi, turn the music on!" Natsu exclaimed. He, Lucy, and Erza sat in the middle row of seats while Jellal, Levy, and Gajeel sat in the back. Gray, being the only one in the group with a license, drove while Juvia took the passenger seat.
Gray was about to turn on the radio when Erza spoke.
"Wait," the redhead ordered. "First, I want to explain the details of our trip."
Natsu hung his head back with a groan. "Who cares about the details? Let's just have fun! It's winter break!"
"A trip is only as fun as its preparation."
"Can't we just-!"
Erza's fist rocketed into Natsu's gut, leaving him out cold. Clearing her throat, she continued, "Anyways, I shall now explain the details of our trip."
Everyone nodded their heads frantically, their faces pale out of fear of being the next one on the receiving end of one of her devastating punches. Lucy rubbed Natsu's head sympathetically.
"As you know, we will be going to Mt. Hakobe," Erza said. "With the low traffic, we should be able to get there before dark. We'll be able to do some skiing this evening. As for sleeping arrangements, we will split up in cabins by couple."
"By couple?" Levy asked. "That has to be expensive! How did you manage to book that?"
Erza grinned smugly while Jellal gave an uncharacteristic pout.
"Let's just say I have some acquaintances in the business. Anyways, the next day we will be snowboarding. After that, we will pack our things because we leave the next morning."
"I'm so excited! I haven't been snowboarding in forever!" Lucy exclaimed, clasping her hands together. She used to go on trips with her parents from her first lifetime.
"Oh yeah? You good at snowboarding?" Gray asked, glancing at her through the rearview mirror.
"I wouldn't say I'm good, but I still have a lot of fun doing it! What about you guys?"
"Gray is actually really good at skiing and snowboarding," Levy said. "But he's even better at ice hockey."
"Psh, like that's impressive," Gajeel jabbed. "Those are all the wimpy sports. I could flatten him in football or wrestling any day."
"In your dreams," Gray replied. "Just wait, Gajeel. You're gonna be begging for my help when we get there and you're fallin' on your ass every two seconds."
Lucy sighed. "Can't we just go one car-ride without anyone starting some sort of petty argument?"
It was at that moment that Natsu finally regained consciousness. He lifted his head off of her lap.
"Nope."
Arriving at Mt. Hakobe, they parked in front of a quaint cabin before grabbing their luggage.
"This will be Jellal and I's cabin," Erza stated.
"Wait, shouldn't this be mine and Juvia's?" Gray asked. "You know, since we drove and parked here, and the rental car is under our name?"
"No. Anyways, you can find your cabins by walking in that direction," Erza replied, pointing down the road. "We've rented the three cabins next to this one. Drop your stuff off and get ready for skiing, then meet us at the grounds."
Not wanting to start an argument with Erza about who should get the cabin closest to the grounds, the group walked away. Since Levy and Gajeel just got engaged, Lucy suggested that they get the next cabin. Natsu was willing to fight for the third, but considering Gray was the one to drive them all the way there, she let them get that one. That left them with the cabin farthest from the grounds.
Lucy's face was red from the cold by time they reached their cabin. It was about a fifteen-minute walk from the grounds, as all of the cabins were separated for customers' privacy. Unfortunately, that left them far from the activities and the local shop.
"Bet you feel good about giving everyone else the good cabins, don't you?" Natsu said, his voice laced with sarcasm.
Lucy shot him a glare. "If I had known how far it was, I wouldn't have suggested it."
"Nah, I bet you still would have."
"…Alright, fine. I would have."
Natsu shook his head with a chuckle. Even though the cabin was far, it was still pretty nice. There was a queen-sized bed, stacked with thick blankets and pillows, a desk, and even a TV. The bathroom was small, and the standup shower was sure to put a slight damper on his girlfriend's mood, but it was bearable.
"This place is pretty nice," Lucy said, letting out a low whistle. "The bed looks really cozy."
Natsu grabbed her hand, pulling her flushed against him. His lips were curled in a crooked grin as he replied, "Oh yeah? How about we test it out real quick? Make sure it's up to your standards."
Lucy's face burned bright red, her heart leaping up into her throat. "Uhh, I-"
"I'm kidding, Luce. Erza would kill us if we took too long meeting up with them. In fact, she's probably already thinkin' about how to punish us for being late."
"You're right. Let's go. Oh, but first…" Lucy slid her hand over the slight bulge in his joggers. She stifled a laugh as she felt him harden from her touch. "Alright, now we can go!"
She quickly turned away from him, her hair swaying behind her. Natsu grinned, running to catch up to her.
"You're a lot more evil than you lead people to believe, you know that?"
"Yep."
"It's nice of you two to finally join us," Erza said, her voice stern as they approached. They were standing at the bottom of the chairlifts to take them up to the mountaintop.
"It's not our fault!" Lucy whined between breaths. "Our cabin is the farthest away!"
"No excuses. Now come. Gajeel challenged me to a bet on who is better at skiing and I intend to win."
They went in pairs onto the chairlifts. Lucy made the common mistake of looking down as they went feet in the air. Her feet tingled, her stomach churning. She was about to comment on how high up they were when she heard a strangled whimper coming from her side. Glancing over, she found Natsu slouched over the rail, his cheeks puffed out.
"Oh no, is your motion sickness acting up?" she asked, smoothing a hand over his back.
Natsu couldn't even wrangle out words, instead having to nod weakly.
"We'll be at the top soon, don't worry!"
Though, the lift was a lot slower than she expected. It took them nearly five minutes to reach the top, and by then, Natsu's face was dotted with sweat. Hopping off, he collapsed beside Gajeel, who was also inflicted with a bad case of motion sickness.
"Pathetic," Erza said, rolling her eyes at the two. "Jellal, Gray, Juvia, and I will go grab our equipment. Lucy, Levy, you guys stay with these two."
By the time Erza and the other returned with the gear, Natsu and Gajeel were back on their feet, their cheeks slowly starting to gain back their color. Gray showed everyone how to properly use the equipment, to which Natsu and Gajeel scoffed, saying that anyone with half a brain could ski.
"There are different difficulty leveled hills," Levy said. "Beginner, intermediate, and expert. I don't know about you guys, but I'll be staying on the beginner hill."
"Juvia will join you," the girl replied. She gave Gray a quick hug. "Juvia would stay and watch, but-"
"Don't worry, Juvia," Gray interrupted with a smile he saved for her. "You don't hafta watch me. I want you to have fun too."
"Okay! Good luck, Gray-sama!"
With that, she followed Levy to the beginner hill.
Natsu stood close to Lucy.
"You aren't gonna join them?" he asked.
Lucy shrugged. "I've been skiing before. I think I can handle the intermediate hill."
"Oho, you scared of goin' down the expert one?"
"It's more like I have a brain telling me not to bite off more than I can chew. What about you? You think you can handle it?"
"I know I can! Just watch!"
"Oh please," Gray chimed in. "You're gonna go tumbling down the hill. I'm not callin' for help if you need it, you know."
"You're the one who's gonna need someone to call for help after I'm done kickin' your ass!" Natsu replied, about to lunge for the other boy when Lucy grabbed him by the collar.
"Will you two just enjoy this vacation instead of trying to fight at every chance you get?" she said with a sigh.
"I agree," Erza added. A dark shadow loomed over her face as she continued, "Besides, there is no time for fighting. It's time to see who is the best at skiing once and for all."
"Well, you guys have fun with that. In the meantime, I'll be on the intermediate hill."
"I'll join you, Lucy," Jellal said, walking with her.
Once they were out of earshot, she asked, "What? You don't want to be in a competition with your wife?"
"Oh no. She would kill me if it meant winning."
"That's… endearing?"
"It's okay. You can say scary."
"Good. It's scary."
"I know."
Standing at the top of the hill, Lucy positioned her goggles over her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she scooted herself down the hill until she started to glide over the smooth snow. The faster she went, the faster her heart pounded in her chest. She could feel the wind in her hair and the snow beneath her feet. As the slope started to decline, she slowed to a shaky stop.
"That was great, Lucy," Jellal said, trudging next to her.
"You were better!" she replied. "Seriously, you can handle the expert hill."
"I know, but I wouldn't want to be there with such a fierce competition happening."
"Oh yeah. I wonder how that's going."
"Care to check it out?" Jellal asked.
Lucy nodded. "It'd be good to make sure Natsu isn't buried under ten feet of snow."
Unbinding their boots, the two headed towards the bottom of the expert hill. Immediately, they found Erza standing over a hunched over body.
"Erza?" Lucy called out. She was about to question who was hunched over when she saw tufts of pink. Rushing over, she asked, "What happened to Natsu?"
"Oh, nothing," she answered with a shrug. "His motion sickness just started acting up, so he went tumbling down the hill. He's not hurt too badly. Gray is over there making sure Gajeel is okay."
Lucy helped Natsu into a sitting position. A gasp slipped past her lips as she found blood trickling from his nose.
"You're bleeding, Natsu!" she said. "Come on, let's get you back to the cabin. We'll see you guys tomorrow."
"My stomach…" the boy groaned being forced up to his feet. He was thankful Lucy kept him steady on his feet. He was even more thankful that it was just his nose bleeding and not another part of his body. It would've been pretty hard to explain why his wound just miraculously healed on its own.
Then again, he could always get her drunk enough to black out and forget about it like last time.
Lucy guided Natsu back to the lift. If his stomach wasn't churning enough before, it had to be swirling around like a washing machine going back down the mountain. Lucy did her best to try and help him, combing her hands through his hair and humming a soft tune, but it didn't help at all. His motion sickness was worse than usual.
Once they finally made it back to their cabin, Natsu was feeling considerably better. His stomach had started to calm, his nose stopped bleeding, and his face regained its color. He tore off his boots and plopped on the bed with a sigh. The corners of his mouth were tugged down in a pout.
"Are you upset that you lost the bet?" Lucy asked, moving to sit by him.
Natsu shook his head. "I'm annoyed because my motion sickness ruins everything. Riding in cars, dates with you, trips with our friends, it's always gettin' in the damn way!"
"Nobody is upset with you for it!"
"Yeah, I know. But still. I just wanna have one good day without it ruining everything. Tomorrow is gonna be the same way."
"Hmm. Are you feeling better right now?" Lucy asked, quirking a brow.
"Yeah, but not enough to go back on the chairlift. Why?"
The girl hopped out of bed. "Come on! Let's go get you some motion sickness pills! That way, you'll be able to have fun tomorrow!"
"It's a long walk, and I know you're tired from having to help me all the way here," Natsu replied, his frown deepening.
"I don't care about that! I want you to have fun on this trip, so let's go!"
Natsu rose to his feet with a smile. "Alright. Thanks, Luce."
"Don't mention it," she replied, flashing him a grin of her own. Sliding her hand in his, she laced their fingers together.
Stepping outside, a shiver ran up Lucy's body. The snow was thick on the mountain, blanketing the ground. During the time that it took to carry Natsu back to the cabin, the sun had started to set. Now, the sky had turned black, stars twinkling overhead.
Snow fell from the sky, covering the path that led to the store. Luckily, Natsu already knew where they were going. Lucy had a feeling that if she was separated from him, she'd get lost immediately considering the cabins were so far from each other and they were surrounded by woods. Lampposts were scarce.
"So, who ended up winning your bet?" Lucy asked, glancing up at Natsu.
He pouted like a child. "That damn stripper did. But that's only 'cause I was sick! If I wasn't, I woulda won!"
Lucy nodded. "Mhmm. I'm sure you would."
"Is that sarcasm I'm hearing?"
"Well, it's just that Gray is known for being good at this stuff."
"I can beat him!"
"Then you can prove it tomorrow since you'll have your motion sickness pills," Lucy said with a chuckle.
Natsu gave a face-splitting grin. "I'm all fired up!" He was about to continue when he heard the snow behind them crunch. Throwing a discreet glance over his shoulder so that he wouldn't worry Lucy, he looked for the source of the noise, praying there wasn't a bear there. Not finding anything, he shrugged the noise up to be a squirrel and faced forward.
However, once he heard another crunch in the snow, he stopped in his tracks.
Lucy glanced over to Natsu. His gaze was serious as he looked behind them. Worried, she followed his gaze, only finding a thicket of trees.
"Natsu?" she called out, her voice laced with concern. "Is something wrong?"
He ignored her, keeping his eyes peeled for any movement. His gut was telling him that something was wrong, and he trusted his gut.
"There's something there," Natsu whispered.
Lucy's eyes widened, her heartrate speeding up. "W-What? What is it?"
"I don't know."
"Are you sure it's not just a squirrel?"
Natsu shook his head. "My gut is telling me it's something else."
Lucy clutched onto his arm, whipping her head around to survey their surroundings. "S-Should we run?"
"Running could just trigger whatever it is." Taking slow steps back the way they came, he looked for any clues as to what was out there with them, lurking behind the trees. It could have been a bear, a wolf, even a mountain lion. Whatever it was, he had a bad feeling about it.
He was about to take another step forward when he found a trail of footprints in the snow. They were human.
Natsu heaved a sigh of relief. "Very funny, Gray. Come out already, idiot."
They heard a rustle of a bush to their right, along with crunching snow as someone stepped out of the woods. Wearing a black hoodie, their face was covered.
"That's not funny, Gray!" Lucy scolded, planting her hands on her hips as the man approached. "I thought you were a bear or something!"
Natsu eyed him. The closer the man got, the clearer it became that he wasn't Gray. He was shorter, his walk was different, and even Gray wouldn't try to scare Lucy that badly. Stepping in front of Lucy, Natsu glared at the hooded figure that stood just a few feet in front of them.
"Who the hell are you?" he spat.
Lucy's brows shot up to her hairline as she glanced between the two. Looking over Natsu's shoulder, she watched as the man removed his hood, revealing shaggy locks of dirty-blonde hair. Under his eyes were dark bags. His eyes were bloodshot.
"U-Umm, hello?" she called out. "Who are you?"
The man pulled a shaky hand out from his pocket. Lucy's stomach dropped to the ground as she found a gun in his hand pointed directly at Natsu.
"O-Oh god," she breathed out, tears immediately pricking her wide eyes. Her stomach felt like it was doing flips, her shaky hands flying to her mouth.
Natsu sucked in a sharp breath, a rush of fear washing over him. All color drained from his face, not of fear of being shot, but fear that the man was going to hurt Lucy. Holding his hands up in surrender, he inched closer to Lucy so that he could shield her.
"What do you want? Do you want our money?" Natsu asked, his voice low.
The man nodded. His eyes were brimmed with tears and he was shaking like a leaf. It was obvious this was his first time doing anything like this before.
"I-I need it," he said, his voice unsteady. "I-I have a family and I need to do whatever it takes to take care of them."
Natsu nodded, slowly reaching into his pocket to grab the few bills he brought to buy the motion sickness pills. It was only seven dollars total. Swallowing thickly, he slowly held his hand out to the man.
"This is all we have," he said, hoping he could reason with the distraught father and get him to walk away.
The man looked at the money and shook his head, tears streaming down his face. "You're lying!"
"I'm not lying. This is really all we have."
"You expect me to believe that? You rich people are always coming to this resort and flaunting your money around like it's nothing! I know you have more! Hand it over!" The man shook the gun, threatening to shoot.
Lucy took a deep breath. Before, she was never afraid of death. She knew that if she died, she would just be born again moments later. Now that she had Natsu, however, she was terrified of dying because it meant she would never be able to see him again.
But if it meant he got to live, she would die a million times.
Lucy glared at the man as she stepped in front of Natsu, the gun just feet away from her chest.
"Lucy!" Natsu shouted. "What the hell are you doing!?"
Ignoring him, she spoke only to the man in front of her. "It's obvious you don't want to do this, so don't. Just walk away and be with your family."
"Shut up!" he yelled, fisting his hair with his unoccupied hand.
"Your kids don't want money, they just need you to be in their lives. If you pull the trigger, you won't be there to support them anymore because you'll be in jail. Is that really what you want?"
"I said shut the hell up! You don't know what it's like! Just hand the money over!"
"We already told you, we don't have any."
"Quit lying to me! I am so sick and tired of being lied to!"
Lucy's eyes narrowed at him. "We both know you aren't going to shoot. Just go already!"
The man ran a hand through his hair. "I-If you don't give me the money, I'm really going to shoot."
Lucy stood her ground, daring her luck by taking a step closer to him. "Then do it already! I'm not afraid! Shoot!"
Natsu's heart felt like it was beating a mile per minute as he kept his eyes glued on the gun. It was pointed directly at Lucy's chest. He could tell the man was getting antsy.
"I-I can't go to jail," he said, his hand shaking violently.
"Then just turn around and go," Lucy implored. "We won't tell anyone about this, we swear."
"I-I don't believe you."
"It's true! You have my word! We won't tell anyone!"
The man swallowed thickly, shaking his head. He let out a shaky breath. "I'm so sorry."
Natsu watched the man position the gun directly over Lucy's heart. His fingers tightened around the gun.
And then he pulled the trigger.
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