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doyouevenshipbr0 · 5 years

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gruvia drabble

author's note: yall. the LATEST CHAPTER!!!!! OMFG!!!!!! it was soooo fuckin cute dude i wont ever be over it. ok so this is inspired by natsu picturing juvia topless and gray saying "don't imagine it!" or whatever basically we gon have some ~jealous gray~ hehehehehe ok enjoyyyyyyyy<3

The guild was finally repaired from the Alvarez war, looking good as new, so Fairy Tail decided to celebrate in natural Fairy Tail fashion, with a party.

Everyone was as rambunctious as ever, drinking, laughing, and making a mess of the place. Basically, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Gray smiled as he saw his guildmates celebrating, just as everything was before the war. It all felt like home once again, and he couldn't be more thankful.

"Take another shot, Juvia!" Gray turned and saw Juvia and a few other girls standing around some shot glasses and a bottle of tequila. Erza was cheering her on.

"I dunno', Erza." Lucy interjected. "Juvia's had a lot already."

"Not enough, I say. Drink!" Erza poured the drink into Juvia's little glass, and the water mage picked it up.

She examined it for a moment, took a breath, and down the hatch the drink went. Juvia grimaced at first and quickly took a sip if her soda as a chaser.

"Atta' girl!" Erza laughed, clearly very drunk herself and followed suit with another shot of her own.

Gray couldn't help but feel a pang of worry. He knew all of the girls were a mess when they drank, and Juvia was no exception. He watched from afar as the girls took some more shots, and after the third, Gray felt himself moving to the table they were stood at. Juvia picked up the glass again, laughing and spilling some of its contents on the way to her mouth, but Gray swiftly took it out of her hand before she could get it in her mouth.

"Eh? Gray-sama?" Juvia hiccuped.

"I think you've all had enough." He shot a look at Erza who seemed to be the one encouraging it the most.

"Oh, you men are such a buzzkill." Erza pouted.

"Yeah, yeah, well I'll be taking this now." Gray reached for the bottle and took it from the table.

"Gray-sama is no fun." Juvia whined.

"You guys drank most of the fun as it is." Gray wiggled the bottle that was only about a fifth full. "So I think you'll be fine." Gray rolled his eyes and walked away with the bottle, handing it back to Mirajane who was behind the bar.

"Confiscating the alcohol already? It's only 10:30." Mira chuckled.

"I guess so." Gray sighed.

"Any reason you're playing the bad guy?" She leaned onto the bar.

"I'm not playing the bad guy. I'm just making sure they don't drown themselves in booze." He looked back at the girls who seemed to forget the tequila ever left, and were dancing and singing their drunk hearts out.

"Hmm and you're just so worried about everyone?" Mira pried.

"Whaddya' mean? Of course I'm worried about all of them." He scoffed.

"Didn't seem that way when you were taking the shot glass specifically out of Juvia's hand." She playfully raised a brow.

Gray rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He turned back to the crowd and took a swig of his beer.

Mira hummed a chuckle. "It's alright to be a little protective, Gray. You guys are a new couple and all. It's only natural."

Gray grunted with a slight rose on his cheeks, and his response was finishing off his beer. Mira took the hint, and realized her job was done, moving onto another spot of the bar.

Eventually, Natsu and Gajeel came up to him and the three started goofing around, so he naturally forgot about having to worry about Juvia.

"Gray-samaaa!" Juvia yelled, her syllables slurring together a bit. Gray's ears perked up. He turned around from the bar and saw Juvia standing on a table across the guild, and she was waving her hat in the air like a flag. He slapped the palm of his hand onto his face, letting out groan.

"What the fuck..." Gray grumbled into his hand, and it was followed by Natsu and Gajeel laughing.

"Gray-sama! Why won't you look at Juvia?!" Her voice squeaked a bit, like she was ready to cry. He tried his best not to watch and save himself the embarrassment. Gray still said nothing but instead shot daggers at Erza and Lucy who were right by her side on the ground, as if he was telling them to get her down, but they were having too good of a time to care.

"Juvia, get down! You're gonna' hurt yourself!" Gray shouted back, finally giving in.

A mischievous smirk curled Juvia's lips. "You're gonna' have to come make me!" She giggled.

Gray's face lit up with red, and he spun back around in his barstool, burying his face in his hand once again. "Can you guys just let me know when it's over." He muttered to Gajeel and Natsu.

"U-uhh--" Gajeel suddenly stammered, still having his eyes on Juvia.

"What?" Gray looked to his side at Gajeel.

"I'm not sure if she's taking no for an answer..." Natsu said, his wide eyes matching Gajeel.

"What are you talking ab-" As Gray spun around once again, he saw Juvia's jacket fall to the ground. The only thing remaining on her torso was her bra.

"If Gray-sama won't pay attention to Juvia, Juvia will just strip until she gets someone's attention!" She said through drunken sobs.

"No fucking way..." Gray said under his breath, his eyes were even wider than the two beside him.

"Still nothing?! Fine!" Juvia yelled, straight to Gray. At this point, almost all the men in the guild were paying close attention. She unbuckled her skirt, and let it drop to the ground. She wobbly stepped out of it, and proudly stood in her matching bra and underwear duo.

All the men were ogling, shouting at her, whistling at her. Gray felt his blood quickly rising, and his fists were clenched by his side.

He noticed Natsu and Gajeel still had their eyes on the scene, clearly in shock. "Cover your eyes, idiots!" Gray punched them both in the heads before finally walking his way towards Juvia.

"Don't stop there, Juvia!" Wakaba was standing next to Macao, right by the table.

"Yeah, come on!" Macao agreed, and the two were practically drooling.

"See that, Gray-sama!" Juvia hiccuped. "Everyone would love to see Juvia's body!" She reached behind her back, seemingly going for her bra clasp, and Gray picked up the pace.

He wasn't quick enough, and Juvia's bra fell to the floor along with the rest of her clothes.

"Woooo!" Macao, Wakaba, and most of the men in the guild all cheered, and their eyes nearly fell out of their heads.

"Both of you old perverts need to get out of my way, and look away before I beat your eyes swollen shut." Gray threatened, plowing in between them.

"Are you finally watching me, Gray-sama?" Juvia giggled.

Gray didn't respond. Instead, he grabbed onto Juvia's wrist, and pulled her swiftly off the table, and he carefully caught her, wrapping his arms around as much surface area as he could so no one could see.

"Aw, she was just having some fun, Gray!" Erza drunkenly laughed. Gray glared at her and focused back on Juvia.

Without thinking, he quickly removed his jacket and wrapped it around Juvia. He grabbed her clothes off the table, and escorted her out as quickly as he could. A lot of the men boo'd him for taking Juvia away, to which Gray froze them all in an ice box without a second thought.

Soon, they finally reached the infirmary of the guild.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Gray finally said, sitting Juvia onto one of the beds.

"Juvia just wanted to get Gray-sama's attention!" Her eyes were watering again.

"So you got butt naked?!" He shouted back.

Juvia pouted. "It worked didn't it?"

"Fuck, Juvia." Gray sighed and went over to a sink, filling a small cup with water. He brought is back to Juvia. "Drink this." She sheepishly took the cup and did as he said.

"You gotta' stop with the whole stripping thing." He finally said.

"But why?! Gray-sama does it too!" The drunk tears were building up once again.

"Ok, and no one cares when I do it! When you do it, it's a whole damn show! No one can keep their fuckin' eyes of ya'!" He angrily thought back to all the men staring at her.

"Juvia is sorry!" She cried out.

Gray didn't feel like dealing with anymore tears. "Listen," he took a step forward. "It's different when it's during a fight, but doing it at the guild, drunk, in front of so many people just causes a lot of problems."

"Like what?" Juvia was still holding on tight to Gray's jacket that she was wrapped in.

"Like- like-" Gray crossed his arms and looked away. "I-I just don't like it when everyone's staring at you." Juvia's face completely lit up.

"I-it's just that--" Gray was blushing fiercely. "That's for me to look at and no one else, alright?" He blurted.

"Oh, Gray-sama!" Juvia shot up from the bed, wrapping her arms around Gray and letting her jacket fall to the floor.

"Gah!" Gray gulped when he felt Juvia's naked chest pressed up against him. "Ok, ok, can you get dressed please!?"

Juvia hummed a giggle and released Gray. She did as he said and began to put her clothes back on. Gray turned around, facing the wall.

"Juvia thought Gray-sama said it was ok if you looked at my body?" She innocently asked. Gray felt his blush intensify when he heard the cuteness in Juvia's voice.

"W-well, I can! It's just too embarrassing right now, and you're really drunk, and I-" Gray's voice almost shook, which was completely unlike him. Juvia stopped him with a kiss on his cheek from behind.

"Gray-sama's such a gentlman." She said, sweetly.

"Whatever, are you dressed yet?" He mumbled.

Juvia walked in front of him, finally clothed once again. "Yup." She nodded.

"Ok, good." Gray followd her out the door.

"No more stripping shows tonight, alright?" Gray said, sternly.

"Yes. Juvia will only strip for battles and for Gray-sama." She surely said.

"W-well that's not-!" Gray paused for a moment when Juvia looked up at him with her big, beautiful, doting eyes. Gray felt his breath catch itself in his throat.

"Yeah." He finally said. "Fine."

The two made their way back to the celebration where both of their clothes remained on their bodies, and no one dared to bring up the situation to Gray.

And he made sure Juvia stayed close to his side, 100% clothed.

#doyouevenshipbr0 #gruvia #gray x juvia #juvia x gray #gruvia fanfic #fanfiction #gruvia fanfiction #fanfic #gruvia drabble #fairy tail #juvia #juvia lockser

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leal-5 · 5 years

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Tomb of Time Destiny Chapter 23

Juvia POV

A knock sounded at our door, and then a male servant peeked in. "Misses," he said. "We're here to escort you to the games."

"Come in," Erza said, waving him forward. Another came with him.

"Can you walk? Or should we carry you to your settee?"

"Let Juvia try to walk," I said, taking hold of each of their arms, but when I came to my feet, my knees crumpled beneath me and I felt a wave of nausea. From the pain? Or was it the medicine?

Luckily, the men had a firm grip on me and carried me on my bed to the hallway, with Lucy, Levy, and Erza right behind us.

"You okay?" Levy whispered to me.

"Y-yes," I said. I lifted my hand to my head. A wave of dizziness was there, then gone.

The doctor appeared then. Why hadn't I noticed him before? "Are you sure this won't exhaust you?"

I was sitting there, suspended in the air on a bed. It was all I could do not to laugh.

"Juvia doesn't think so," I managed to say.

"Well then, here is another dose of pain medicine," he said, handing me the bottle.

I gladly took a swig, ignoring the unpleasant taste, if it continued to keep that horrendous pain away, then I wasn't going to complain.

We went out to the courtyard, and I was a bit shocked at the hundreds of people that lined the edge, all sitting in chairs and beneath tented roofs, shielding themselves from the sun. Simon smiled and strode over to us, his cousins at his side, as the servants set me on a platform. I just barely kept my squeal in when I noticed the way Jellal's breath caught in his chest when Erza stepped out in all her ball gowned glory.

I caught sight of his father, beside him sat Carmen's and Ava's father followed by Carmen and Ava themselves. I didn't dare look to see where Gray was.

Simon turned toward us and urged us to him so that two of us were on each of his side.

"Ladies and gentlemen," called Simon. "I present at last, the warriors that turned the tide for Fairytail, the she-wolves."

I had expected a cheer, applause, shouting. But what happened next was something I'd never forget.

Every man, woman, and child stood, and as one they bowed or curtsied, as if we were royalty before them. Just like in Mulan. It was deathly quiet, and in the hush, a wave of honor swept over me. I was overwhelmed. I glanced at Lucy and Levy, who looked like they were about to cry, lifting a hand to their lips.

"Fairy Tail is forever in your debt." Makarov said. "Whatever you need, whenever you need it, ask it of us and it will be yours."

"Thank you." Erza said after a moment. "We did only what anyone else in Fairy Tail would have done, had they been in our places. And we would do it again, for Fairy Tail."

He smiled and raised a goblet in the air. "Well said. With that, I declare these games officially begun." And then he rammed the goblet down, and it shattered into a thousand pieces across the cobblestones.

The crowd cheered and returned to their seats as the jousting line was erected.

We watched through twelve grueling rounds of jousting, wincing whenever the lance struck a man. As hardcore as we were, there was something about trying to pierce a man on a horse with a long lance that was a bit... unnerving. Several men somersaulted over the backs of their horses, sending the crowd into a riot of laughter and shouts.

But then Gray entered the courtyard on his steed. He rode over to Ava, and she rose and prettily handed him her hand, which he took and kissed. Gray never so much as glanced in my direction, which was a good thing because if he had he would have seen me hunched over, breathing heavily, and with my shoulders shaking slightly.

"I'm sorry, Juvia," Lucy whispered urgently, laying her hand gently on my arm. "But you need to pull yourself toge-" Lucy frowned when she was that Erza was also hunched over with her shoulders shaking. She shot a questioning glance to Levy, who looked as confused as she was.

"Are...are you laughing?!" They whisper-screech after they lean closer to us.

I fight back more giggles as I weakly shake my head in denial while wiping the tears from my face. "N-no," I clear my throat along with Erza.

"Of course not." Erza said after a moment when we finally regained control of ourselves. For about five seconds that is. All it took was my snort to send us into another fit of giggles.

"Okay, so Juvia and Erza are officially broken..." Lucy muttered while sweat dropping.

"I knew we shouldn't have stayed here so long." Levy muttered.

"N-no," I said, waving my hands as if to calm them down. "It's just that they always have these little corny chivalry moments that remind us of those ridiculous shows and movies you make us watch."

"We honestly didn't think they actually did things like that." Erza finished for me, still catching her breath. I had to bite my lip to prevent myself from laughing again. Levy sighed and excused herself to go to the bathroom and Erza accompanied her. Ever since the Bora incident she didn't want neither Levy or Lucy alone at any time while he was near.

Coughing, I adjust myself on my seat, wincing a bit from my wound, just as Gray was lowering his helmet. Was it my imagination or did I just see his eyes slide over to me for but a half second? No, impossible. I really need to stop imagining these things. We're about to leave after all.

His eyes were set dead ahead then, studying no one else but his opponent.

"Tell me when it is over," I whispered to Lucy, feeling another wave of nausea. The flag came down, the riders urged their horses into a gallop, and I closed my eyes.

I heard the pounding of hooves and then, impact. The crowd cheered. I peeked up and took half a breath when I saw Gray still on his horse. He was looking at Ava, and I looked there too. But she was staring at me, eyes wide and then narrowing in suspicion. Wah! Oh, nonono now she suspects! I looked over to Lucy.

"A cup of water," I whispered, lifting a hand to my head as another wave of dizziness passed through me.

She rose and then hesitated.

I blinked and dragged my eyes to look where she was looking. To my great surprise, Gray was there in front of me, still on his horse, helmet off, hair blowing about in the breeze.

"Juvia, are your alright?" he asked, his brows furrowed in concern.

Fighting back a blush, I smile weakly and say, " Fine, I'm fine."

He frowned and opened his mouth, but luckily the archery round was announced at that moment.

"Raise the handkerchief if you need to leave," Gray said, repeating our earlier agreement, then trotted off to the end of the courtyard.

Lucy was there then with my wate and I drank, glad to have something to do. I felt the heavy gaze of the crowd on me, assessing, wondering. Gray had paid homage to his bride-to-be, but in the end, as victor, it was me he had gone to. I silently cursed Gray for doing this to me. For confusing me. I cursed my sick stomach. If only I'd kept calm, had not shifted, I might not have caught his eye....

"Lucy, could you bring Juvia some bread?" I whispered.

"I'll send some back," she whispered, looking at me meaningfully. "I'm on deck."

I followed her glance to the ring, where ten targets were set up. When Lucy and Levy rose, the crowd went berserk, cheering, beside themselves to see her in action. Bora rose from Carmen's side, bent, whispered something in her ear, then left her. In the gap he left, I spotted the doctor, but when I caught his eye, he moved away, as if not wishing to be seen. I frowned, puzzling over that.

Such an odd guy.

"Are you worried for your sister?" Natsu asked, sitting beside me. He handed me a plate of bread, cheese, and grapes. "She sent you this."

"You are her servant now?" I asked wryly.

"In every way." He grinned. "She has captured my heart and now she'll capture everyone else's too. I'll have no hope to compete for her. Here, hold my hand," he said, reaching for my right. "Maybe it'll make her jealous."

I couldn't help but laugh. He was so melodramatic. And totally charming. I couldn't believe Lucy hadn't fallen for him, too. She usually liked the guys who made her laugh.

But then we'd both be torn. I watched as Gray took his seat beside Ava again, covering her hand with his. I slowly ate a piece of bread, forcing myself to chew and swallow. The medicine was probably hard on my tummy. If I had taken it in modern times, it'd probably come with the take-it-with-food warning.

The targets were set out, and when Lucy and Levy reached for an arrow in the quiver on their backs, the crowd went nuts again. I smiled as they drew their arrows, pulled, and let them fly at the master's count. Everyones struck within the first two rings of their targets, but my theirs hit dead center. The crowd applauded, and the archers counted out ten more paces, and again let arrows fly. All again were within the first two rings of the center.

Erza returned just when I saw Bora lean over and say something to Lucy. She paused, and I felt Natsu's hand tighten over mine. Then Bora turned and smirked in our direction. The skin beneath one eye was slightly purple where Natsu had decked him.

"Calm down, Natsu," I cautioned, holding on to him.

Erza nodded in agreement "She'll see this through to the end."

He said nothing, which was so uncharacteristic of him that I worried over it. I hoped Bora wouldn't dare to say anything more to Lucy or- God forbid Levy. I was sure I wouldn't be able to hold Gajeel back from pounding him. Also, they'll never let him win if he continues to goad them.

The archers walked ten more paces, let arrows fly, and three of them were eliminated, trudging out of the courtyard in defeat.

With seven left, pigeons were released, all painted in colors that matched the archer's arrow tips. They had to find their targets and bring them down. Levy let one arrow fly, and it missed the bird, but she was already taking aim again and, with the second arrow, brought the creature down just before it escaped over the wall.

The crowd exploded in shouts and laughter and excitement again. Only four had managed to come this far. I wondered for a moment if the emotions of killing a bird would slow them down, but with one look at their faces, I knew we were sunk.

Erza and I groaned.

They wasn't going to let Bora win.

"What is it?" Natsu asked, leaning toward me. "They're doing as great!"

"Nothing. Never mind," I said, shaking my head. I take another bite of bread into my mouth, chewed, feeling a pang in my gut and another wave of nausea.

What would happen if one of them was the victor? Who would be the victor? Lucy and Levy have always been very competitive with each other when it came to archery. Would it make Bora more of a lethal threat to us? It was all so complicated. His relationship with the Carmen's family, their relationship with Fairy Tail...

The games master was calling out the next challenge. Men on the allures above us were carrying hay bales bound to a leather shield. They would appear in random places. The first archer to stick five of them would be declared the victor.

"No," Natsu growled. "Of all the thoughtless, crass decisions..."

I bit my lip. It was too much like Phantom Lord. Too much like that night. Would they dissolve into tears? The others drew arrows across their bows. Two looked at Levy and Lucy with concern, as if guessing at what might have given her pause. The games master shouted his count, and arrows began flying. Bora struck one, turned towards them with a smirk. They tilted their chins in defiance before he turned and fired again, hitting the second. I gripped Natsu's hand, hard again.

The crowd hushed, watching the drama play out before them like a silent movie. They kept staring at Bora, who was aiming at a third moving target, narrowly missing it. Then as if snapping out of their stupor, they suddenly sprang into action, on the move, back to back, searching, locking onto their target, drawing once, twice, thrice, hitting three targets in quick succession.

They looked like true warriors.

Men shouted. Women shrieked. But I knew they heard nothing, acting like they were back at the castle that fateful night. Bora frowned and held a hand out to her, as if complaining about their method, but they both took their fourth down before he had a chance to bring his hand back to his own bow.

There was only one target left and they both aimed for it, their arrows meeting in the center of it in a tie.

Children ran out and surrounded them, arms up, dancing. The crowd followed, lifting them onto their shoulders. Nastu and Gajeel gave a loud roar of approval.

They blinked in confusion when it was over and their concentrated expressions disappeared into an apologetic look as if to say, 'Sorry! Couldn't help it!'

Erza sighed and I smiled.

After all, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

"Wait a minute- A tie?!" Lucy cried out, squinting at the final target.

"Again?!" Levy raged, crossing her arms and pouting. "And I was eager to see who the better archer was."

I could but throw my head back and laugh.

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sassyhazelowl · 5 years

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Fairy Tail Pride

Day 24 Prompt: “Being with you has opened my eyes” Pairing: bi! gray x ace! juvia Additional Notes: For myself, because I needed a challenge. @dragonshost you’re tagged, and @impracticaldemon if you’re interested.

@ft-wwtdp

~*~

“Juvia is breaking up with Gray-sama.”

Disbelief and hurt saturated his expression.

The two were standing in the threshold to his apartment at the crack of dawn, tension crackling between them. Gray slouched against the door frame, blocking the exit with a faux casualness, bare except for his boxers. Juvia hugged herself, shifting nervously in bare feet, but didn’t back down from his piercing, dark stare. She wished she was wearing more, if for no other reason than the morning air had a chill to it. Or was that Gray? She wasn’t sure.

“Look, if it's about last night, I already apologized, ok? You weren’t comfortable, and, well, Loke was always totally into it. I guess girls are different or something.”

Hugging herself a bit tighter, she bit her lip hard, trying not to remember what had happened the evening before. He had stopped and apologized, but that didn’t scrub away the lingering feeling on her wrists or put her at ease.

“It’s… not. Juvia just realized something last night. Being with you has open Juvia’s eyes.”

Gray raised an eyebrow, “And now you want to break up with me? You’re the one that wanted this relationship in the first place. You can’t just bail because you don’t know what happens when you sleep over at your boyfriend’s house.”

“Gray-sama is just like him.” Her mind flashed to her ex.

“What?” “Juvia thought… thought Gray-sama was different,” she hissed.

Before he could retort, Erza’s voice rang down the hallway.

“What is going on here? I came to wake you up as you asked for the mission, yet I see this instead,” she asked, voice low and stare fixed on Gray. His arm dropped off the door frame as he straightened to answer her. Juvia didn’t even listen to his excuses, taking the opportunity to dart past him. She’d almost made it out into the hall when Erza snagged her easily but gently. “Juvia, do not move. I will escort you back to Fairy Hills.”

“It’s a misunderstanding,” Gray muttered, looking guilty and uncomfortable. “We were just having a couple’s argument, that’s all.”

“Juvia broke up with Gray-sama,” she clarified, not sure who’s side Erza would take. The two were childhood friends after all. But she didn’t have much of a choice because Erza was still firmly holding her wrist to keep her from fleeing and Gray was giving her a look that urged her to go along with him.

And Juvia was done with going along with him just because he as Gray-sama.

“I see. Then it was an argument, since you are no longer a couple. Good, that is settled. Gray, get dressed while I take Juvia home.”

He didn’t argue then, merely closing the door without another word. Juvia ignored the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach at what she’d done. It was in the heat of the moment, and now all she wanted to do was sob.

“Gray did not hurt you, did he?” Erza’s voice was stern but soft. Juvia got the feeling it wasn’t the first time she’d escorted home one of the girls after a ‘couples argument.’ Shaking her head, she mumbled, “Gray-sama didn’t hurt me. Juvia hurt him.”

“Do you wish to speak of it?”

“It was a relationship formed under false pretenses,” Juvia replied gloomily, ignoring the rain clouds gathering above them. “Juvia realized Gray-sama… Gray isn’t who Juvia thought. Juvia was frightened. ”

Erza considered that carefully, her boots thumping hard on the cobbles, steadily ignoring the cold raindrops that splashed around them. With a flash, she materialized an umbrella, putting it over the both of them. They were nearly home before she spoke, clamping a warm hand on Juvia’s shoulder.

“It is hard to reconcile who you love and who they truly are, is it not?”

The wistful half-smile spoke the words the warrior didn’t say aloud, and Juvia instinctively knew who she was talking about. The rest of the trip was spent in silence, Erza silently musing and Juvia turning over that odd bit of wisdom in her head.

“We will be on a mission for a week. I hope that is sufficient time to resolve things without complications,” Erza remarked stiffly before dropping her voice tenderly, “Gray is rough but I think he is more than man you thought than not.”

“Thank you, Erza-san,” Juvia replied levelly, shutting the door in her face.

The week went too fast for her liking. She spent her time in her room. She’d already taken down most of the merchandise, tossing it in boxes, when she’d started dating. Now she took the boxes and tossed them in the trash. The walls looked too bare, so she went on a shopping spree with Lisanna, using her rainy day fund to completely redecorate, constantly pausing to admire the transformation of her room. She cut her hair and changed her wardrobe, just because. And she spent time talking to people about Gray, or rather, she spent the time listening to other people.

The last thing she did was pin a note to his door.

Gray wandered into the restaurant, spotting her and waving the note between two fingers lazily in acknowledgement. His face was hard though, and Juvia knew his pride wasn’t taking it well she’d dumped him.

“What’s up?”

“How was your mission?”

“Good. Lucy’s happy about the money, Natsu burned some bad guys, then we all got kicked out of town. The usual.” He flagged the waiter and got a beer. “So you’ve been busy I’ve heard.”

“Juvia was.”

“Redecorating.”

“Juvia did.”

“Nice new look. I think green really suits you.”

“Juvia does too. Green’s fresh and new.”

“Making new friends.”

“Juvia needs more friends.”

Gray laughed lightly, giving up the dance by putting his hands up in surrender, making her heart squeeze and Erza’s advice echoing in her ears. When he was like this it was so hard to remember what she was here for. He could be charming, he could be sweet and attentive, he could be who she imagined him to be. He could be the Gray-sama she fell in love with.

“Whatever you want to say, I’ll listen. Erza read me the riot act, I’ll have you know, and Lucy joined in. I didn’t really think about how scary it was for you, how much bigger I am. You’re a great mage, and it didn’t occur to me I put you in such a bad spot. So, shit, I’m so sorry, Juvia. I’m surprised you didn’t slap me for being such a dick.”

“Juvia accepts the apology. Juvia was very scared but also Juvia would not have slapped Gray. If Juvia only slapped Gray, then Gajeel would have come to make up the difference, and Juvia loves Gray too much to let that happen.”

Gray whistled, losing a bit of cheer as he realized how timely Erza’s intervention had been.

“Juvia also needs to apologize. Juvia was… Juvia was dating someone else.” Gray raised an eyebrow and she swallowed hard. Admitting it was harder than she expected. “Juvia was dating a fantasy that didn’t exist.”

“Oh, that,” Gray sighed, comprehension flooding his face. He scratched his nose awkwardly and admitted with a shrug, “Yeah, that was kind of annoying. I can’t live up to that, y’know? But I’m not an idiot. I could see the rose-tinted lens over your eyes, and I guess I thought I could… y’know, change it? Get you to see the real me. Plus, I really hoped you’d lay off; you were really persistent and it was exhausting.”

She took a moment to take a drink from her glass, and he gulped his beer. Here she’d been under the impression that she could make him the man of her dreams by wishing and clinging. The thought of making someone whole, making them better, it was a tempting premise. While he’d been thinking to change her.

She put her hand out across the table and said softly just above a whisper, “Juvia would like to start over. But right this time.”

Gray smirked, “Are you asking me out on a date.” He reached across to twine their fingers and her toes curled at the voluntary contact outside of battle. He met her gaze squarely and gave her fingers a squeeze, “Deal.”

It probably was coincidence that the sun broke from the clouds at a cinematic moment, bathing the two in a beam of sunlight but the romantic in Juvia liked to pretend otherwise.

#fairy tail #fanfic #gruvia #mine #ftlgbtpride2019

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newgeht · 5 years

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Binding Ink

Uhm... So here’s a new chapter! I hope you all are enjoying the festivities of the holidays. (Or if you’re like me and choose to sit out, I wish you a good month of December)

Chapter 3 : A Date Gone Awry Summary: Everyone had a name forever embellished on their wrist. This was the name of their mortal enemy... at least it was supposed to be. AU Characters: Lucy Heartifilia, Minerva Orlando, Gray Fullbuster, Cobra/Erik, Midnight, Lamy, Gajeel Redfox, Natsu Dragneel, Flare Corona Rating: T Words: 6,832 AO3 | FFnet 1 | 2

It had been almost a two weeks since the events of the beach. Fairy Tail was a place that thrived on gossip even if friendship was one of their highest values. Whispers of that day had been following Lucy around nonstop, and it didn’t seem like she could catch a break. All the kids in magic theory had been talking about was the binding enchantment.

She tapped her pencil anxiously against the chipped table top. This school needed some renovations, but what was it to her? She eyed the clock, waiting for the last bell to ring. She had to dodge Gray and Natsu, they had been around her all week.

Gray had been deemed as her personal bodyguard (by who, she didn’t know). And Erza was constantly surveying who she was socializing with. She was surprised how the red head managed to get so much information when she didn’t even attend the high school anymore. The requip mage had gotten a prestigious internship with the magic council and she had been in Era ever since.

Her social life was placed in isolation because of her best friends, and she couldn’t imagine what would happen if they stepped over the personal boundary. Sabertooth was five towns over, any possibility of an attack during school was impossible.

Though she was worried for Natsu, her best friend’s relationship didn’t seem too bright. Lucy had walked in on him arguing with Yukino over the phone. He was torn between two people, not like she wasn’t either. Gray was breathing down her neck during school and she couldn’t stop thinking about Minerva.

Whenever the dark-haired woman passed her thoughts, butterflies would arise in her stomach. Did she really have to fight such a suitable candidate?

Still tapping the desk, she could feel a buzzing in her pocket. Her ringtone ripping through the chaotic classroom. Everyone fell silent to the obnoxious Six Flags theme song, her face burning red. The silence was followed by an uproar of laughter, her teacher eyeing her with a tinkle of amusement. The bald haired man gestured to the door, letting her go if she choose.

Lucy held her head down as she left the classroom, the boys making jeering comments to her. She clutched the strap of her bag, the voice of Erik (or Cobra as he liked to call himself) ringing out above all the others. “Let the door hit your ass on the way out, Blondie. We know who’s been all over it.” His cackle was the last thing she heard before the door closed. That damned dragon slayer really knew how to press her buttons.

Shoving her hand into her pocket, she pulled her handheld lacrima out, silencing her silly ringtone. Without looking at the caller identification, she held the orb to her mouth. “This is Lucy,” she hoped it would sound cheerful, but Erik’s comment really hadn’t put her in the best mood.

“Sounds like you’re not happy,” the voice on the other end drawled. Lucy didn’t think it would be so easy to detect her annoyance. But she had an inkling of a feeling who she was talking to. A woman who was well aware of her power, unafraid to claw those who threatened her -Minerva. “I can make you feel ten times better.” She spoke with bravado, so sure of her words. And Lucy believed it.

Lucy didn't care how Minerva got her number, she just wanted to get out of school. “Then what do you have in mind?” She replied as smoothly as possible, but the words felt awkward on her tongue. Her palms began to perspire as she clutched the lacrima-com, waiting for Minerva's answer.

“It's a surprise. I'm waiting for you outside.” Minerva replied, the revving of an engine being heard through the phone.

Lucy peered out the window, Minerva straddling a motorcycle. She couldn't say what type it was, but it looked luxurious. It was black and sleek, the afternoon rays highlighting every edge. “I see…” Minerva held up her gloved hand, waving at her. “But I can't just ditch school.”

Minerva shifted, putting her helmet into her lap as she glanced at her wrist. “I don't see the harm in walking out early. You're already out of class. Just come down already.” She was fidgeting on her ride, becoming more curt as she went on.

Lolling over her options, going with Minerva didn’t seem so bad. It was better than making a bigger fool of herself; she still couldn’t believe that Erik would have the gall to say such a thing. But it was to be expected of the school’s juvenile delinquent. Huffing, she pulled her head from the window and headed down the empty hallway. “I’ll be down in about two minutes. If you don’t have two helmets, there’s no way I’m going.” She flipped the phone closed, her heeled boots clicking hastily against the cheap linoleum floors.

While walking through the front office, strange looks were directed toward her but nothing happened. Sure there was about ten minutes before school ended, but was it really so easy to ditch school? Lucy gripped her woven strap and pushed through the glass doors. A sly grin appeared on Minerva’s face as she held up two helmets.

One was a stark black, tinted with violet as the light hit it. The other one was white, shimmering with golden sparkles. “I thought you might like it,” Minerva said, tossing the white helmet to her.

Lucy was known to be very coordinated, but she failed to catch it. The helmet hit the pavement and she squeaked, scooping it up the moment it hit the ground. “L-Like it?”

“Mhmm,” she nodded. “I buy all of my friends their own helmet,” Lucy opened her mouth, but Minerva slid her helmet on. “And yes, you’re my friend. Now get on before I get caught, you fairies are very defensive over the boundaries.”

Lucy compiled very quickly, settling the helmet on over her head. It felt weird, as she hadn’t worn something so heavy before but it would keep her safe. She straddled the seat, barely enough left to fit her bottom. “Thanks, Minerva. Are you sure buying a helmet was necessary, I could-”

Minerva cranked the hand bar once more, the motorcycle roaring to life. “I don’t waste my money on random people, Lucy. You don’t need to pay me back, I have enough money as it is already.” At her last comment, a disheartening chuckle came. “Now get a better grip on me, we wouldn’t want you to fall off. Your ‘friend’ wouldn’t like that too much.” Minerva pulled her hands, wrapping them more securely around her leather covered waist. She took this opportunity to truly embrace Minerva, scooting forward in her seat. She felt so secure being close to the tiger, relishing in the magic that seemed to always pour between them.

She squeezed Minerva’s waist, her smile hiding under her helmet. Lucy was perplexed by the shift when she used the word friend, paying no mind to it. “If I fell off, this would be one hell of a ride. Now take us to your destination, my trusty steed!”

Now it was Minerva’s turn to laugh, it was genuine and filled with heartiness. She pulled her heeled boot up to rest it on the bike, time slowing as they tore off. Minerva’s bike booming with a youthful excitement, the tires careening against the worn asphalt. Lucy’s vision waa black, tinted by her helmet’s visor. A small twinge of guilt passing through her, seeing none other than Gray bounding against the school’s courtyard.

Minerva along with the engine mocked him with their cries, drowning out his own pleas for her to come back. Those blue eyes sent a chill through her but she choose to look forward; right now Gray would only hinder her from her current goal. All she wanted was love, was that too much to ask?

Sure, she had noticed Lucy’s classmate running through those glass doors. But did she care? Not one bit. In her own cunning way, Minerva had whisked the celestial mage away. She was going to give Lucy the time of her life, whether that boy or any of those other fairies liked it or not.

Moving the handle bar forward, she accelerated down the streets of Magnolia. She didn’t have a clue as to where she was going, but she had a final destination in mind. The wind was hitting her sharply, briskly whipping against the wisps of hair that had fallen from her helmet. Those slim hands that were wrapped around her torso granting her more confidence than she typically had. Right now she was riding high, the streets aware of the daring side of her driving.

Keeping her eyes forward, she careened through traffic. Being careful not to startle her sole passenger, but the girl didn’t seem to mind her speed. The stop light ahead had just turned yellow, but she had no intentions of slowing down. “Minerva!” Lucy’s fingers gripped her waist, shoving her head into her back. The wind almost drowned her voice out, but Minerva could hear the urgency.

Feeling the adrenaline course through her, she beamed forward and passed through the crimson light. Multiple cars honked at them, halting as they passed through the intersection but she payed them absolutely no mind. Turning the corner she pushed them through the boundaries of Magnolia.

Slowly the colorful streets became more and more dull with each crossing, the town shifting into desolation. She knew this part of Fiore well, Minerva had grown up on these broken roads. It was a town far from where Sabertooth resided, a city in which she grew up.

The small town of Daffodil was worn down and torn up by the cities surrounding it. Everyone had stomped all over it, crushing and wilting it down to the bare thread it was now. In its prime everything was flawless and stunning, but now it was just a complete mess. Once again, Minerva turned, hitting her bar hard as they sped uphill.

She sped onto a dirt lot, facing a crumbled and abandoned warehouse. There was already a various assortment of vehicles in the makeshift parking lot, but they all had come here for her. Coming to a stop the dirt settled around them, the engine’s call slowly fading out. Minerva placed her gloved hand over Lucy’s and removed her dainty hands. It irked her how much her magic had reacted to Lucy. She figured it would be over in due time, she just had to wait it out.

“I know it may not look like much, but we’re here.” She could feel Lucy slip off the seat, her boots crunching the ground. With a small maneuver of her foot, she kicked the bike’s stand out. The silver piece of metal fitting into the dirt nicely as she set it down.

She leaned on the bike after she pulled her leg over, watching as Lucy pulled the helmet from her head. The afternoon sun shaded her hair the amber but the color of gold was still apparent. “Is there some type of party going on?”

It was apparent that she didn’t know what to do with her helmet, already shifting the gear from arm to arm. Minerva smiled as she pulled her own off, her hair falling in waves over her shoulders. She held out her hand, gesturing to the white headgear. “You could say that, but it’s much better than some highschool party. That much I can tell you.” The moment her fingers touched the pearly surface, the piece disappeared along with her own helmet. “Would you like me to take your bag too?”

Her doe eyes sparked with confusion and Minerva materialized her own helmet again. “I have the ability to manipulate space, remember?” She crooned, a teasing lilt in her voice.

A small blush rose on Lucy’s cheeks as she face palmed. “Yeah, I guess seeing your magic in the works was very new to me. I usually have my spirits store my stuff.” Minerva raised a brow at this.

Lucy continued on shyly, “Yeah, the spirit of the maiden, Virgo will practically assist me in any way shape or form. As long as I ask her…” She paused and looked at Minerva coyly, “...but between you and me, she's a bit of a masochist too.”

The blonde's small remark made Minerva smile. She had heard of Lucy’s relationship with her spirits from Yukino, and she wasn’t let down in the slightest. It seemed as if she were much more fond of them, than her best friend. Lucy held many more keys than Yukino, which meant she held more power. It didn’t necessarily mean she was stronger by any means; this was something Minerva needed to check out for herself.

Which is why she brought Lucy here in the first place -a fight club. The blonde didn’t fit the bill for this place, not one bit. She didn’t seem like the type for such brawls with her cheerleader-like personality, but most importantly, Lucy was a fairy. Most of the people didn’t associate with the likes of Fairy Tail, but Minerva would grant her premier access. It was her club, after all.

“Most maids are,” Minerva quipped in return. She looked Lucy over and was surprised by the girl’s wardrobe. Never had she seen someone dress so provocatively and handle it well. She would be saddened if she had to take her eyes off the blonde. “Now let’s get inside, everyone is waiting for my arrival.” Squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin, she led Lucy inside the graffiti covered building.

The walls were falling apart and there was hardly any lighting. Minerva had heard this site was supposed to be a parking structure but had collapsed due to faulty structuring. It was just another on the long list of failures for the city of Daffodil. She was glad it had fallen, because now she had a place to entertain herself in.

She heard Lucy gasp errantly as they stepped into the main chasm. The space was filled with piles of rubbage, the rocks piled haphazardly on top of one another. These stacks circled around what was the middle of the room, light filtering down from above. The soon setting sun offered little light, but the moon shone desperately into the circle. That same silvery light outlining the two opponents in the center. A mop of blonde hair and a darker head she was fond with stood bloodied and bruised, neither ready to back down.

“Welcome to the party, Lucy.” Minerva chuckled deeply, ushering the blonde in. At the sound her own voice, many who were meandering on the rocks yelled the mage’s name. Hoots and hollers welcomed the two in and she absolutely relished in it.

She was stiff and Minerva placed a hand on her back, closing the space between the two of them. Carefully she pulled a lock of hair behind Lucy’s ear, magic bouncing between them. Minerva managed to hold her surprise in, but the blonde shuddered. “Don’t worry, Lucy. These guys bite, but they are good acquaintances of mine. If they lay a hand on you, they’ll be paying a fair price.” Her lips barely moved against the shell of Lucy’s ear, the blonde fidgeting in her place. The devil in her was currently in play and she couldn’t stop making the fairy quiver, it was too much fun.

She nodded and stepped forward from Minerva, stepping out of the darkness. “This is my guest, Lucy. We are to play nice with her today, if not you are expelled from here. But that’s not before you get a taste of my fists.”

Most of the population were males and they whopped at her introduction. The two in the ring turned and eyed them cautiously before stepping out. The one with darker hair grinned and stepped forward, “Great timing, this demon was just about to get his ass kicked.” Blood covered his fists and portions of his face, brightening the feral look in his crimson eyes.

“The fuck ya mean. One more explosion and it would’ve been lights out for you, pincushion.” Very animatedly the blond shook his fist at Gajeel, his canines bared. Jackal really had a knack for blowing up on people. He did look to be in much worse shape from his combatant, not that it mattered much to her. “Now that the lady is here, I can’t give ya the lights out you deserve.”

Minerva tutted, placing a hand on her hip. “You guys are always so desperate, it’s pathetic. And it’s also very impolite that you started without me, for that you two are punished. You cannot participate in the next meeting.”

Both growled but didn’t dare to challenge her word. The two took their separate ways, allowing the spotlight to be directed upon herself. She grinned as everyone’s attention was finally on her, she loved the attention -it was a home away from home. “Now,” looking around it didn’t seem as if many others had turned up, “I think we should show Lucy how things work around here. Don’t you agree?”

Many blank stares were directed toward her and a single hand lifted. It belonged to none other than Cobra, and he stepped from the shadows. “If Blondie is here, she might as well get initiated. Don’t ya think? It’s one of the rules you implemented from the start, m’lady.” He hissed mockingly, a maniac grin curling on his face. Lucy flinched at his words, shying into her side.

Minerva shook her head, “She isn’t here to join.” She sent a glare his way, warning him to behave.

“She might as well be, why else would she be here? Unless this is your idea of a first date, you lesbian cu-” He sputtered as a hand clapped him on the nape of his neck. Lucy’s face turned bright red at his comment and Minerva wanted to point it out so badly, but she would wait another time.

“You’re so rude, Erik.” Midnight’s two-toned hair glistened as he stood next to the dragon slayer. “Minerva isn’t going to take your bullshit any longer. Last time you pressed her buttons, she kicked your ass to the curb.” The members erupted into laughter and she thought on the memory fondly, it was such a good meeting. She showed his punk ass who truly was boss and she was ready to do it again.

Cobra immediately zipped his lips shut, cursing under his breath. “So what if it’s a date? My personal life does not involve you, Erik. Now shut your trap or I’ll show you the door.” She replied smoothly. Looking around, she eyed the crowd and pointed at two opposing figures -Sting and Flare.

“Get out onto the floor and show us what you’re made of.” Minerva stalked over to a makeshift throne, gracefully sitting upon it. She beckoned Lucy over, gesturing to her lap. “Come and sit.” The blonde blushed, shaking her head.

“If there’s rules here, I will oblige. I can fight instead of Sting.” Lucy wasn’t shy in her words, but there was an underlying uncertainty.

This made Minerva grin, she was just one surprise after the next. “I suppose you can, but it’s not going to be that easy. You can relax for now, Sting.”

Sabertooth’s president groaned as he stepped out of the ring, taking his side next to her. “I wanted to fight today, Minerva. You promised me, “ Sting whined. He sat on the arm of her throne, leaning against her.

“Behave yourself and you can go after Lucy.” With her toe, Minerva nudged Lucy into the circle. “There is only one rule: you must knock your competitor out with the use of magic. Whether you push them out of the circle or knock them out.” She grinned as Lucy shuffled passed the white chalked runes. Minerva didn’t give the celestial mage a chance to back out, those same runes glowing as she stepped over them. With the snap of her fingers, a cage sprouted from the ground, confining the two girls inside.

Minerva stared in awe at Lucy, her stomach turning at the thought of her pale skin being marred by the psychotic red head. Flare was a force to be reckoned with.

Lucy did not come here prepared to fight; her clothes were revealing and she didn’t even have the time to stretch! Eyeing her opponent, Flare (she believed) was dressed like her -maybe ever worse. A long red sundress covered her body, the top v-neck line showing an obscene amount of cleavage. A large tribal-like mark covered her bosom, but it was distinctly familiar to Lucy.

She knew that most of the people gathered here were juvenile delinquents of sorts. It was obvious because of her classmates Cobra and Midnight, but she didn’t have much of an idea who anyone else was. But this was the perfect spot for such shenanigans, and to think Minerva would be the head of it all.

Coming into the rundown place, she knew something was off but she didn’t expect a fight club. Out of all the possibilities, it just had to be this. She wondered what Minerva could possibly be thinking by bringing her here. But if this place had rules, it was her duty to follow them. With or without invitation, she would assimilate with this rag tag bunch. Her end goal was to become closer with Minerva and this would surely do the trick -hopefully.

Looking back, she met those alluring hazel eyes. They sparkled with a unfamiliar darkness, beckoning Lucy to step forward. Minerva crossed her leg, leaning back in her rocky chair of royalty. “She can’t save you anymore, Blondie.”

Flare shuffled across the tattered floor, crooning her head at Lucy. There was only one problem, Lucy wasn’t trained in fist fighting. She didn’t know if she could do this without her whip but she eyed the redhead anyways. “I don’t need her to save me.” As much as she tried, her words wavered. Those gathered snickered and Lucy could feel her face heat up, pulling her hand to her side.

All too familiar keys warmed against her fingers, her spirits consoling her through the metal. Before she could pull one off her ring, tendrils of red wrapped around her wrist. In one quick motion, her hand was pulled from her hip; those same locks glowing red. Her wrist flared up, burning in the wraps of hair. Lucy hollered in pain, yanking her wrist from its bindings.

A manic smile encroached on Flare’s features, daring Lucy to touch her keys once again. Her body thrashed over from one side to the next, sending more of those red strands toward her. Lucy’s heart skipped a beat as she successfully dodged the girl’s assault, pulling Virgo from her belt. “Gate of the Maid, I open thee! Virgo!”

With the queue of bells and pink mist, one of her most powerful spirits appeared. A small flick of her wrist indicated one command -distract Flare. Holding out her hand, her fleuve d'étoiles, her most powerful weapon appeared. Flailing it to the side, the tail radiated with blue magical energy. She cracked it at her opponent as accurately as possible, hoping to get her off-guard.

“If we’re starting, let me introduce you to Virgo!” Lucy exclaimed as Flare dodged her own attacks. At this point Lucy was waiting for her spirit’s own queue.

Multiple threads of hair came at her once again and she barely managed to escape from them. They kept trading attacks, blue and red crossing paths numerous times. Flare’s red eyes burned with each failed attack. “Now sit still,” hunching forward, her hair molding into a large dog, “Hair Shower: Wolf Fang!”

In an effort to block, she placed her forearms in front of her face. This did little against the force of her attack. Flare’s hair barreled into Lucy, making her skid into the white rune border. Immediately she hopped back up onto her feet, her whole body burning from the dog’s bite. “Who said that you could leave?” Those feathered fringes of red, wrapped around Lucy’s boot and pulled her deeper into the ring.

She couldn’t help but scream as her body was dragged across the rough landscape. Lucy pulled at her belt, her fingers skimming over her most reliable spirit. “Le-”

Silken strands wrapped around her mouth, smoldering her lips. Another scream ripped from her throat, Flare’s ruthlessness never ending. “I never said you could speak either. Just scream!” Her red hair pulled Lucy up, holding her up by her wrists. The color glowed brightly, the heat tearing through her smooth skin.

In desperation, Lucy bit down on her tongue as to not let another cry of pain break through. A new feeling of warmth spread over her tongue, mixed with the taste of iron. Everyone was screaming and rooting for Flare, not one call for herself. Lucy hung her head in shame, trying to pull her wrists from their entrapment.

The ground under the red head’s feet began to rumble and Lucy cheered internally. A great big hole appeared under Flare’s feet, gravity doing the rest of the work. She fell into the opening, her hairs releasing their hold on Lucy. “Now Leo!”

Her trusty lion appeared in a burst of gold, winking at Lucy. “Anything for you, princess!” Leo lunged forward, his fists glowing with the power of Regulus. As he jumped down into the hole, she feel to the ground. Her body burned from Flare’s magic, the pain making her vision blur.

Pulling herself back up to her feet, she could feel a great pull on her magic. Virgo’s gate had closed, Flare cackling from the small opening. Lucy picked her whip back up, stumbling over to the deep pit Virgo had made. Leo and Flare were dodging each others close ranged attacks.

“Lucy Kick!” The blonde dived down, feet first. Her heel connected with the back of Flare’s head, sending the girl down to the floor. Her hair spilled around her form like a puddle of blood, those tresses tangled and dirtied from their battle.

She stepped from Flare’s body, the effects of adrenaline leaving her body. Lucy felt a wave of exhaustion pass through her, leaning on the dirt wall. Leo nudged her body with his foot and gave her the thumbs up.

She acknowledged him with a small nod and looked up toward the night sky. The stars called to her and she smiled.

“The bitch down yet?” A head of yellow hair peared over the edge of the hole, his snarl revealing two rows of sharpened teeth.

“Back off, Jackal.” He was yanked back, Minerva’s face appearing instead. A proud smile lifting on her lips as her hazel eyes met her own. “You made me worried for a second. I’m glad to see you could handle yourself, Lucy.”

“You shouldn’t doubt her.” Leo chided, hefting Flare into his arms. “Although I don’t approve of this, Lucy is capable of handling herself any day.” He huffed, a film of dust covering his glasses.

Minerva eyed the spirit with much thought, those red lips falling into a scowl. “I never said I doubted her talents. She wasn’t supposed to participate anyways, lion. I’m not who you think I am.” She turned her attention from her spirit to Lucy, holding her gloved hand out to her.

Lucy could feel Minerva’s magic pour through her, graciously accepting the tiger’s hand. She failed to notice her other spirit’s gate closing. The stars had left her, eyes growing wide as her side burned. Looking down she could see crimson red locks spill through her abdomen, all of it covered in her own blood. She released Minerva’s hand, falling back into the large ditch.

“I win, Blondie.” This was the last thing she heard, Flare completely unhinged as she fell into the space of darkness.

Minerva’s reaction was instantaneous, everyone else in uproar. Her tattooed wrist flaring with a cool heat as Lucy fell, hissing in pain as magic burst from her fingers. A swirling black guise flew at Flare, truly taking the psychotic bitch down now. Deep down Minerva knew it was a bad idea to let Lucy fight.

“Sting, get down there and tend to Lucy.” Urgency was laced in her command, her throat straining against it’s leather confines. Minerva then pointed at Cobra, “You, get Flare out of here. We’ll deal with her later. And to the rest of you…” She paused and quickly contemplated the best course of action. An injury such as this had never occurred before.

“Get the hell out of here. If so much as a word about this gets out, I will come for you personally.” Minerva seethed and threw her hand out to the side. The group of shifty delinquents didn’t question her, meandering on their way out. And there was a certain injured dragon slayer, that stuck out like a sore thumb on the leaving crowd. She needed him for their trip to Lamy’s. “Everyone except for Gajeel.”

The iron dragon slayer stilled in the crowd, waiting until the rest passed by him. “Why the hell do I hafta stay? I did nothin’.”

Minerva eyed him, not amused by his small outburst. “It’s simple really. I need you to carry Lucy, we need to get her to Lamy.”

It was clear that he disagreed with her idea, it was written all over Gajeel’s face. “Isn’t there someone else we can take her to? That… girl really has a knack for grinding my gears. And she’s super fucking creepy.”

She shook her head and pointed to the massive hole. “Just do as I say. Help Sting get her stabilized and I’ll meet you at Lamy’s place.” She began to stalk off toward where Cobra had taken off with Flare. Lamy always fell for Minerva’s tricks, Sting and Gajeel would be good eye-candy for the boy thirsty doctor. The girl wouldn’t be able to resist her finest.

“Aye, where do you think you’re goin’? You can’t just leave us with this blonde bimbo.”

Lucy’s name burned and Minerva grimaced as she turned. “Dealing with Flare is my top priority at the moment. If Lucy dies or gets an infection, or some other debilitating wound because your lazy ass won’t help her, then you’re next on my list.” Gajeel gulped, fear fuming off of him. If she didn’t need him, he would be in just as much pain she was about to give Flare. “Got that, Redfox?”

Without another word, he dropped down and all she could see was the top of his head of hair. Minerva grinned at her win but the feeling didn’t last for long. Once out of the demolished parking structure, her main focus was on Cobra. Pulling out her lacrima com, she dialed the said dragon slayer.

“We got her in the back of the truck. You failed at knocking her out though.” As Minerva walked, his voice echoed through the speaker. “And right now, she’s really putting up a fight against Midnight’s magic.”

Hastily she walked through the makeshift parking lot, searching for the industrial white van. “It wasn’t my intention to knock her out. That bitch needed to be put down until I got to her. Now make sure Midnight keeps his hold until I get there.” Minerva scoffed and ended the call.

A yellow light was timidly shining on the dirt lot, white doors open wide. Positioning herself right in front of those same doors, her hands were consumed with her own magic. “Release her, Midnight.”

Midnight withdrew a relieved sigh and stepped out of the truck, Cobra following in suit. An ear piercing scream shattered what little patience she had left. Minerva was really going to enjoy teaching Flare a small lesson. The red head curled into the back of the van, attempting to hide from Minerva. How silly.

Manipulating the space around Flare, Minerva restrained all of her limbs. A purplish grow radiating off her body as she held the hair mage. “Did you really think you could get away with it? Lucy is mine, not yours.” She seethed, her emotions strangling her thoughts.

Flare cackled, insanity covering her features. “That tramp couldn’t win. Her porcelain skin just had to break. At least the red will compliment her outfit.”

Midnight and Cobra stood with their arms crossed, not once flinching as she began to torture Flare. Her stomach was reeling with anger, pushing it all into her magic. They made absolutely no move to stop her, only stood as watch for the law. Minerva was merciless as her magic dripped from her, making sure Flare felt the burn with every attack.

It felt like ages had passed when she was done with Flare but it had only been five minutes. Five minutes of piercing shrieks and cries of pain. And she did all of it with a smirk on her face, it was a joy to utilize her powers for revenge. If this had happened to anyone else, she knew that it would have been handled differently. But no one was allowed to lay a hand of ill intent on Lucy except for her.

Flare’s injuries didn’t compare to the blonde’s but she left the woman sitting in the back of the truck. Grabbing ahold of the two steel doors, she slammed them shut. “I think red look best suited on her right now. Take her to the doors of Raven Tail and drop her off. If she makes contact with anyone here, let me know Cobra. As far as I’m concerned, she is a traitor.”

Cobra grumbled and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. “Whatever you say, Minerva. Make sure not to dwell on your thoughts too much, they’re dangerous.” He stalked off to the driver’s door and Midnight hopped into the passenger seat.

Shit, Minerva thought. Cobra had just heard every single thing. “Damn right I did.” Cobra yelled as he pulled off.

She hoped he wouldn’t use this information as leverage. Cobra wasn’t the type to meddle in others business, but if he tried to pull anything, he knew she would be on it in a minute.

Walking back to her motorcycle, not one vehicle inhabited the lot. She was impressed by the clear time of everyone, it left her impressed. Her little band of misfits really knew when to listen. Speeding down the dark hill, she took many side roads to Lamy’s shifty clinic. It was after curfew and she couldn’t risk being caught. It would be harder to get things done if she had a run in with the cops.

Minerva cam skidding to a halt in a dark alleyway, knocking on rust-encrusted door. The door squeaked open, a small girl stepping through. “Why can’t I ever be left alone with such lovely boys?”

She could feel her eyes roll into the back of her head, Lamy was the same as ever. “Shut up, will you? Did you manage to get her stable?”

Lamy began her unusual hyperventilating as she led the way through her so-called clinic. The lights were flickering and there was absolutely no sense of organization. The place looked like a rat’s nest, hospital beds strewn about, medical supplies placed were placed in mindless spots, and nothing looked sterile. But it was Minerva’s only option for now.

“I wouldn’t have come to the door if she wasn’t. But you two girls need to leave.” She pulled back a worn and stained curtain, revealing Lucy.

She was lain on a dusty bed, only two bags attached to her. Her wrists and ankles were wrapped, along with her torso. Blood seeped through the bandages wrapped around her midsection, and Minerva frowned.

“I’m gay for christ’s sake. My presence, and Lucy’s do not hinder you from ‘your boys’. Now what’s the final verdict?” A small sigh of frustration came from her as she sat at Lucy’s bed side.

Lamy wheezed and picked up a small clipboard. “She received second and third degree burns on her wrists and ankles. But what we need to worry about it the gaping hole in her stomach.” She tapped the board apprehensively, observing Lucy’s monitor. “Those burns will be easy to heal, but her abdomen will be harder to fix. I can’t do that over night.”

“You mean you can’t be bothered with it.” Minerva snapped, tired with the demon already.

Lamy frowned and spoke quickly, “She’s not really my problem, is she? I don’t see why I have to fix someone who’s already so… pretty.”

Minerva huffed and stood, grabbing the clipboard from the small girl. “If you’re not going to do it, I will. Sting and Gajeel will have no part in it either.” She had Lamy on a string, the girl’s eyes widening with deprivation.

“No, no. I’ll start the preparations now. As long as those boys help me, everything will be done. And this busty blonde will be patched up as good a new. Not one blemish or scar, I swear.” Lamy’s words were rushed, she never wanted to lose the attention of a male.

Pushing the board back into Lamy’s hands, she nodded. “That’s what I thought. Now hurry up, I need to have her back before dawn.”

“Sting! Gajeel! Hurry up and get this bimbo to cylinder one!” Lamy ran from the room, leaving Minerva alone with Lucy.

Once again, she settled at her bedside. Minerva eyed her surroundings before taking Lucy’s hand in her own, sighing in relief as that small twinge of magic jumped between them. She opened her mouth to say something, but snapped it closed. Lucy was unconscious and no one else was there to listen to her.

Her golden hair laid flat against the white pillow, not one person bothering to pull the covers up over her. Leaning down, Minerva fixed it; laying the strachy sheets over her frame. She even went as far to tuck her in, a small smile dotting her lips. Timidly she pet the hairs on Lucy’s forehead, tucking a long strand of hair behind her ear.

“You did so well today, Lucy. You fought with spirit and wit, trumping Flare’s laughable tactics.” Picking up the unconscious girl’s hand, she peppered it with a small kiss.

“Yeah, we’ll get her. Calm the fuck down, bunny girl.” Gajeel obnoxiously clambered into the room, trying to shoo Lamy off. Minerva quickly dropped Lucy’s hand and stood, looking right at the pierced male.

Lamy paraded around him, practically worshipping his every move. “But just let me,” she wheezed, Lamy’s breath hitching, “observe those muscles as you work. It will give me some research material.”

Gajeel’s patience was completely absent as he pushed the small girl out of the way. “Observe this then.”

“Be nice, Gajeel. To Lamy and Lucy, I don’t want to fix anyone else up today.” Smoothing her hands onto her suit, she stood up. Gajeel scoffed and pulled the bed Lucy was in, pushing her out the door.

“Yeah, yeah. No way am I gonna fuck with you, but you should get this demon off my ass.” At his words, Lamy began to maniacally giggle. Minerva felt some guilt, but this situation was also too funny at the same time.

“I’m going to take a walk instead.” Minerva gave Gajeel a pitiful pat on the back as she left the room. “I’ll be back before the night is over.”

She took one last look at Lucy, her wrist pulsating with and unknown flame of desire. She ignored it and exited into the back alley of Lamy’s shit-hole of a clinic.

Her motorcycle was nowhere in sight, the night enshrouding it. Yet she could hear the engine of her bike purr. “Nice bike.”

“Nice to see you’ve finally found us, Gary. Oops, I mean Gray.” Minerva grinned, feigning a small apologetic smile. The lights of her bike flickered on, covering Minerva in a blinding white film.

This weekend didn’t look to be getting any better at this point.

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natsubeatsrock · 7 years

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Juvia Lockser: Death and Rebirth

For the uninitiated, let me explain my title.

On March 15, 1997, fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion were greeted to a new movie: Death and Rebirth. Originally, it was meant to be the conclusion to the series that would explain what happened in the final episodes of the television series. What ended up happening is the half the movie being relegated to flashbacking about eight hours of material into one, the second half ending up as the first half of a movie that would be made later called “The End of Evangelion” and an in-movie five-minute intermission in between the two halves. It’s considered by many fans to be the worst anime entry of the NGE franchise.

In the same vein, I’ve gone on record to say that I believe that the worst thing Mashima has done is kill Juvia and bring her back in the way that he did it. There have been a lot of terrible things that have happened before and after I’ve made this declaration that make it hard to continue to affirm this statement. However, I still think this was still a really terrible decision on Mashima’s part and I want to explain why.

If you’re wondering why I’ve decided to wait so long to talk about it, I’ve wanted to wait until I heard everything I needed to from both sides and the controversy about it died down. Needless to say, I think both have happened. (alsoiseemtoenduptalkingaboutjuviadyingonthisdatesoifiguredthisshouldjustbeatrendfromnowon)

I feel that before we even get to the actual moment, it’s important to remember the context that this moment took place.

Two years ago, we just got chapter 453 and, if the title of the previous chapter - “Prelude to the Final Battle” - was any indication, the Alvarez War was just about to start. This chapter was talked about for a lot of reasons at the time. Natsu broke into Lucy’s house again. Wendy made a promise to Erza that I’m not entirely sure was kept. The Gajevy fandom still questions whether or not they slept together.

However, the most relevant thing is from Gray and Juvia’s conversation with each other. There’s this line where Gray says that he’s going to give his answer to Juvia about the way he feels about her. As you can probably guess, this caused a lot of people to talk about whether or not Gray and Juvia would actually mean they would end up getting together.

However, there was another conversation going on. A few pages before, Natsu and Lucy had a talk about death flags. To quote Lucy, “The minute a character starts talking about how happy life, will be after the battle. you just know a tragedy will happen so that future never arrives.”

A lot of people, myself included, were worried that this meant that something was going to happen. And a lot of people, myself included, guessed that meant Juvia would die. I already had a feeling that Juvia would die, but that’s beside the point.

So that’s what this is about? A bit of disappointment that we didn’t get the death we thought we would?

Well, there’s a bit more than that.

As the arc went on, there were a lot of terrible writing decisions. The Spriggan 12 that was supposed to be super threatening ended up being total disappointments, with the exception of Ajeel and DiMaria. The sacrifices of Aquarius and Ultear were argued to have been weakened by their returns. Brandish went from incredibly intimidating to an even bigger disappointment. Natsu managed to get sidelined by what was considered at the time to be “magical cancer”. And this isn’t even everything.

Most notably was the experiences of Gajeel and Mirajane. Both were considered to have died in different situations, however, both managed to stay alive. Gajeel was brought back from death through questionable means and Mirajane’s was a simple fake out with an even flimsier explanation within the same chapter she almost died.

Eventually, we get to the end of chapter 498 and Invel puts Gray and Juvia into a death match. The only way to get out of the match is by killing the opponent. This is a set-up on Invel’s part. He’s doing this in hopes that Gray will kill Juvia, go berserk and destroy E.N.D. And Juvia has no intentions of killing Gray. She plans to kill herself before she loses control.

The story is basically telling you that Juvia is going to die. There’s not really any other way to read it. There is no reason to that she wouldn’t die. That being said, the rest of the arc has shown that Mashima isn’t willing to kill off members of Fairy Tail and hasn’t been handling the rest of the events well.

An easy assumption to make is that Juvia will be another victim of fake deaths. We’ll see Juvia die the next chapter and she’ll eventually come back right as rain as if nothing happened to her in the first place. Even when Juvia died, people were already acting like she was going to come back.

I really believed that Juvia wouldn’t come back. Today last year, I was really confident that Juvia was definitely dead and the fandom and characters would have to move on. I figured it was possible that she could come back, but I knew that it would be a terrible idea.

Sure enough, we got to the landmark chapter 500 and Juvia came back. Now, I’m going to give Mashima credit and say that this wasn’t as bad as I thought a death and resurrection of Juvia could be handled.

It was worse. It was so much worse.

Part 1: Death

I know what a lot of people might have been thinking about my declaration that these moments were terrible: I hate Juvia and I wish that she was dead.

I want to make it clear now that I don’t hate Juvia and I’ve never wanted her dead. In fact, I was torn up about the idea that Juvia could possibly die for the entire time I thought she would die. Interestingly enough, I don’t think Juvia should have died. I talked about this before but nothing about Juvia dying makes sense.

One thing that I can’t believe I didn’t talk about when it happened is Invel’s plan. It’s incredibly counterproductive to have a plan killing E.N.D if that means that Zeref would die. I get that, from an in-universe point, he wouldn’t have probably known that would have been the result. But like what was Mashima thinking about when he did that?

Juvia’s body is made of water. How come she can’t just phase through it? Look, this is nowhere near a consistent part of Juvia’s magic that has mattered in other parts of the manga, like when she almost died in the GMG arc, and that’s an issue in and of itself. Even still, that’s still a thing that’s possible.

And the big thing that everyone I’ve seen talk about this mention: Devil Slaying Magic. Gray has the power to grow stronger by eating ice. The chains he and Juvia were bound by were made by ice. Need I say more?

I can sort of buy into the fact that Gray and/or Juvia are able to will their way out of Invel’s mind control. They care so much about each other that they’re both able to overpower the grip Invel has on them. Heck, this could even be the scene that makes Gruvia clearly canon, as opposed to the ambiguous “I’ll take you seriously” line I’ve seen argued on both ways.

But I’m actually supposed to believe it took less effort for both of them to make their respective weapons and stab themselves than for either one of them to just escape the chains? Why else would it make sense for them to commit literal double suicide?

By the way, let’s talk about the fact that they stabbed themselves. The big thing I saw thrown around about this scene was something akin to “The did the same thing because they feel the same way.’ I could fight this with Gray’s quote later on, but in the spirit of that quote, I’ll take this argument seriously.

I could see that point working in some scenarios, but I don’t think that this is the kind of scenario for this argument. The conceit that Gray and Juvia would both be willing to kill themselves so that they wouldn’t harm the person that they love is, on its own, disturbing and an understandable reason not to like Gruvia.

However, add into that the fact that Juvia has been an advocate for living for the people that you love and that Gray has been taught and reminded to live for his friends at least two different times throughout the series, one time in particular after remembering Juvia, and that he had a scene earlier in the arc where he remembered the people that brought him to where he was, which also included Juvia and-

Why was it a big deal that I joked that Gray would kill himself with Iced Shell again?

You know, even before writing this, I figured that the conceit that this was the moment that caused Gray to go insane was stupid. But, trying to go through the logic of this is making me go crazy and I’m just reading this series.

Intermission

Before we actually get to the talk about Juvia coming back, I want to talk about the other stuff happening at this moment that has nothing really to do with either that or Juvia dying.

After the “double Gruvia suicide”, the chains on them drop. Now, I’ve actually heard an explanation for this. This happened after Invel saw that they “died”, which means that it’s likely that the condition that the chains drop after they die is dependent on Invel seeing them die.

There are two problems with that. The condition that you have to see someone die doesn’t account for the possibility that they’re playing dead. That’s not an egregious error. I can see that being an actual condition that someone’s magic has.

What actually is an egregious error is knowing that and not making sure that Gray and Juvia were actually dead, especially considering that possibility for faking deaths. Why would you not make sure they were dead? And don’t say it’s because he thought he had control over their bodies because that’s the reason they’re supposedly dead in the first place.

And then there’s the issue of Water Make Magic. I’d argue that the issue isn’t that Juvia knows a magic different from her main magic. There are plenty of examples of that in the series and it’s not too different than her main magic. The issue is that this is the way that we’re learning about her magic. We’re learning about this magic relevant to the story as it becomes relevant to the story. If only there was another time where we could have learned about Juvia having magic she didn’t have before the second time skip...

Part 2: Rebirth

So, what makes the fact that Juvia is even back, despite dying in a fake way, even worse? A lot of it has to do with the way this death was presented.

First, consider the big comparison made to this “death”. The one most people have heard was the comparison to Reina from Rave Master, which I did a whole rant about when the chapters dropped. Long story short, it’s a bad comparison, but not an entirely unwarranted (read: unpredictable) comparison for anyone who has read both series and seeing this moment.

And, even though I was just smack-talking Water Make Magic, there is a clear message behind it. She gave up her life to Gray. Mind you, the fact that Juvia sacrificed her life so Gray can live on kind of goes counter the fact that they both just killed themselves in order to not hurt each other. Whatever, the point is that Juvia giving up her life so that Gray can continue to live.

She even says “Juvia lives within your body” and “Juvia’s live is yours”. I don’t care about how you interpret that from a shipping standpoint. The fact of the matter is that the message of this ought to be that Juvia has sacrificed her own life so that Gray can live. Juvia is dead because she thinks it’s more important for Gray to live than for her to live. If anything, that’s the best thing about this death.

But then she comes back. Yeah, she’s just alive now.

And I know what some of you are thinking. I know exactly what some of you are thinking. If you’ve read enough stuff from me, you can tell where this is going. So, let’s just get it out of the way.

When Lisanna “died”, it was portrayed as a tragic accident. Her siblings decide to live for her sake, but not because she lost her life while trying to protect them, especially considering that’s what lead to the accident, to begin with. They live on because they realize they shouldn't be blaming themselves for Lisanna dying and she would want them to be happy.

And by the way, we got an explanation for why Lisanna might be back.

We got an explanation for how Erza survived Etherion.

We got an explanation for how Gajeel survived Bradman sucking him in.

We got an explanation for how Mirajane survived August’s shot to the chest.

Natsu avoided death three times and there was an explanation for why he wasn’t dead each time.

You can go down the list and talk about how each of those non-deaths did or didn’t make sense or could have been handled better. I even plan on doing that for Lisanna and (to a lesser extent) Erza. However, there is in fact reasoning behind all those characters not being dead, no matter how bad it may seem.

What is the in-series explanation for Juvia not being dead?

There is none.

Wendy and Carla say that if they came any later she probably would have died.

Except everything about the last chapter gave the impression that Juvia was dead.

Now, even if Invel couldn’t be bothered to check if Juvia was actually dead, Gray ought to have been able to see if Juvia was dead. He was holding her head. All he had to do was check for a pulse to see whether or not she was actually still alive. This isn’t a tragic accident. This almost feels like the setup for a joke. I mean, Gray...

May or may not have kissed her?

Yeah, that’s a thing Gruvia fans speculate happened based on Juvia’s line after being brought back. You know the fact that any time in chapter 500 was spent on that and not why Juvia wasn’t actually dead is kind of depressing. But if that’s true, that means Gray prioritized kissing what he thought to be a dead body over checking for a pulse via her wrist or neck.

And you know, I’d almost say this would be a good shocking twist. That, if you somehow forgot about the other fake deaths a few chapters ago, we were supposed to come to this moment and feel like Mashima duped us. That, for as clumsy as this may seem, Mashima tried to pull the rug out from under us.

Too bad he decided to include her on the chapter cover. Yeah, that was a thing he did. He killed her off a chapter ago but thought that he should bring her in for the special cover. Thanks for not even letting us consider the possibility that she isn’t coming back, Mashima.

By the way, thanks for also showing Juvia right before Natsu talks about not letting his friends die and Lucy mentions how they’ve beaten the odds before. Yeah, didn’t think anyone would notice? I’m almost shocked no one thought to bring that up.

Epilogue

A while back, I made a post about why I don’t like when people defend a bad decision with “It’s just fiction” and this is one of the best examples of what I was trying to argue against. I have a problem with the fact that Hiro Mashima sat down and thought that this was a good idea to do.

I don’t have as much of a problem with Mashima presenting people as dead only for them to be revealed not to have died as so many other people do. But I do have a problem with Mashima presenting someone as dead and not acting like they died. He couldn’t have been bothered to give an explanation similar to Lisanna’s where it’s likely what happened but it could be something else at play. Even with Mirajane almost dying, there was a near immediate explanation as to how she didn’t die when she was revealed not to have died.

A lot of people have speculated that this was done because of fan backlash to Juvia being killed in the first place. That his original plan was to kill off Juvia but this end result was the fault of too many people complaining.

As cozy as that line of thinking is, I’m wary of that line of thinking. Not because I’m wary of those kinds of theories anyway. Because if that’s the case, I still have to believe that Mashima’s editor was also okay with a sudden change from whatever his original plan was. (Even though ) And, again, it’s not like the death before was all too good anyway.

Now some of you might be wondering how I would fix this. The complex answer where Gruvia may or may not be confirmed as canon would require me to fix Gruvia as a whole. (more rants for later days?)

The simple answer is to just not have the scene. Yeah, just have fight happen a different way. This could have been a regular Gruvia team-up battle against Invel that starts in one chapter, takes up the majority of a second chapter and ends in a third. Almost exactly like the fight against Jacob Lessio (which wasn’t all that good anyway).

At that rate, it probably could have been about as offensive as some of the other fights in this arc. Who knows, this could have beaten out Wendy and Sheria vs DiMaria as the best fight of last year. But, as it happened, this is one of the worst things to happen in both the arc and the entire series.

To be fair, without this death and rebirth, we don’t get the setup for chapter 507, which is my personal favorite chapters of the arc and even series, as a whole. However, I can’t say that getting some of the worst chapters to set it up was really worth it. (The other chapters before it were also bad.)

#anti juvia lockser #fairy tail 499 #fairy tail 500 #i'm back from vacation #from talking about fairy tail

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lunalockser · 7 years

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Hallelujah

Hey Puddins’. I continue my efforts of reposting now.

So I know that this is posted as 5 separate stories on FF.net, but since on AO3 you can post as many couples as you want, well I decided to post it the way I originally wrote it, as one long songfic. Songfics will always be one of my favorite things to write.

Song by Rufus Wainwright

Link to AO3 version

Links to FF.net versions: Nalu Gajevy Gruvia Jerza Zervis

I’ve heard there was a secret chord

That David played and it pleased the Lord

But you don’t really care for music, do you?

It goes like this

The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, and the major lift

The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Natsu never cared for human culture. Their art and music never intrigued him. He grew up with a dragon. Igneel had taught Natsu his own culture. He taught him that music was the sound his roar made, it was the river slamming against the rocks and the birds flying in the distance. Art was the sun shining on the trees, it was the way their flames danced around, illuminating the forest.

And when Igneel had vanished, Natsu found himself forced to live among humans to survive. He held no grudge, Natsu was aware that he was technically human after all, and Igneel had cared for humans. But adjusting to their way of life had been difficult. He quickly learned that they viewed everything differently.

Fire could not make human art or music, and Natsu had always been fine with that. He wasn’t interested in it, he could make his own. And only a dragon would be able to appreciate it.

But then he met Lucy, and suddenly, he found that he was wrong. Art became the sun shining on her hair, it became the guild mark against her hand. Music had become the sound of her pen against paper, became her laugh. Music had become those three words out of her lips.

He never thought he could create art, and that was fine, but now he knew he could create love. And no sound was a sweeter music than the sound of their love. For the first time in forever, he found that he was building something. He changed Lucy, and she changed him too.

Their love was growing every day, and Natsu couldn’t believe he was actually forging it. Something that crossed cultures, something that fire couldn’t destroy. Love. And Natsu didn’t care that he still couldn’t understand it. He only cared that he was finally composing music, one that both dragons and humans could appreciate.

Hallelujah

And every time those three words left either one of their lips, it was a song. It was a symphony that he never wanted to end.

Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you

She tied you to her kitchen chair

She broke your throne, she cut your hair

And from your lips, she drew the Hallelujah

Gajeel couldn’t remember the first time he saw Levy. Not physically, because that would be a moment he would never be allowed to forget if he wanted to. That moment still haunted his thoughts, even in sleep.

No, he could not remember the first time he looked at her and was stunned. It may have been the first time he walked into a room and she didn’t flinch. It may have been the first time he saw her face harden in concentration as she worked to rewrite complex runes. But no matter when it was, the small woman intrigued him.

How could she let her guard down around him? How could she even begin to trust him? He began getting closer to her, just to get some grasp on how her mind worked.

And then he started noticing everything else. How beautiful she was when she started a new book, her face showing every single emotion. How her demeanor changed when she was directing her team on a job, she got serious and stern, leading the men diligently through any mess they got themselves into. How fucking good she was. In everything she did, her heart was pure. How could she even begin to love a monster like him?

By the time he knew it she had him trapped. Despite his instincts to avoid a relationship with her, because honestly, how could he love her without staining her, she had roped him in. Before he was even aware of it, he had fallen so deeply in love with her that there was no way of climbing out.

But she didn’t stop there, no the hands that were so clean began to work him. She broke everything about him he thought he knew. He never thought he could be gentle, but with Levy, he knew nothing else. He was a beast but how could he be if a creature as caring as Levy even looked at him? He didn’t deserve love, but it didn’t matter because she did, and if he was the one she wanted to be in love with, then only hell would be able to stop him.

So whenever he held her in his arms, whenever his lips moved against hers, only then could he speak those words. Only she could drag the light from in him, only she could be the one to make him repeat over and over again how much he loved her.

Hallelujah

He would worship her forever, and as he pressed her against the wall, their bodies melting together, their sighs and moans professed what words were not enough to show.

Hallelujah

Baby, I’ve been here before

I know this room, I’ve walked this floor

I used to live alone before I knew you

I’ve seen your flag on the marble arch

love is not a victory march

It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah

Juvia knew this wouldn’t be easy. Relationships never were. Anything close to one she had in the past never worked. She didn’t know how to make it work. But she would learn. She would learn for him.

She knew that they were both slightly broken, it was part of the reason she fell in love with him. He wore his pain, wore his past like a badge of honor. She knew he didn’t fully know how to love her. It hadn’t been until later in his life that he would see a functioning couple, his memories of the love his parents shared long blurred by time and tragedy. She had never even had that basis, the only thing she knew of love was what she pieced together from rotten ex-boyfriends.

They had both been marked by love before, and she acknowledged that. She just wanted for them to start. Because that was always the hardest step, it was always hardest to take that leap of faith and come out of your hiding spot. But in the end, you could only hope it was worth it.

She thought that maybe, they could pick themselves up together, because if you’re fighting a war, having an ally is helpful. She knew that loving him would take every ounce of strength she had, but she was fine with it.

Juvia never wanted an easy love, she never had anything given to her. Fighting for something made it that much more satisfying when she finally did get it because she had earned it. She had marked it, and it had marked her. Love was nothing different. If it had been easy, Juvia wouldn’t have been comfortable. Anything that came easily could be taken away just as fast. And in a world as unstable as Juvia had known, anything closer to safety meant the world.

So what if their love was broken, so what if neither of them was fully whole. It just meant that they could fix it, they could make a new love, one that was completely and wholly theirs.

Hallelujah

And as Gray began opening up to her, slowly working up to those three words that would heal them ever further, Juvia knew that she wouldn’t have it anyway. They were broken and fixed, their love should be the same, and then it would be everything she had hoped for.

Hallelujah

There was a time you let me know

What’s real and going on below

But now you never show it to me do you

Remember when I moved in you

The holy dark was moving too

And every breath we drew was Hallelujah

Erza felt the weight of their love on her shoulders. Sometimes loving Jellal was harder than she thought it would be, especially when he seemed bent on refusing to admit it. Every time he found himself ready to confess those three words that were hidden just behind his lips, he would come up with another excuse. He cared for her, yes, but he wasn’t ready to believe that they could be more.

And she respected that. She would never force him to cross that final line before he was ready. The past still weighed him down, and until he was braced to shed that load, she would wait forever patient. But she only wished he could at least say something about it to her. Even if it was just him saying for himself that he needed time. No, instead he only came up with excuses, and he was lucky that Erza saw through him.

She remembers when they were little, how easy it had been for the two to speak. He just knew when she was scared, and exactly what to say to make her find her own strength. They had always been able to read each other, and now Erza guessed it was her time to comfort him.

Even through all this time, through the pain and the fear, they still understood each other. Because deep down they were still those children. Children who crave freedom, who crave affection and peace. And though they had changed, have walked through hell and back since then, have been torn apart by hatred, the council, and time, those two children still believed in each other.

But loving him was not all bad. Every now and then, they would lay side by side. Not a word was ever said, but over and over again their feelings were expressed. His hand roaming across her scarlet locks proved his devotion, his tender gaze confirming she was the one who held his heart. That she was his hope, his only love.

Hallelujah

And though neither of them made any noise louder than a sigh, Erza felt closest to him in those moments. She felt closer to that little girl dreaming of peace and love. And though those three words were never said, they were felt.

Hallelujah

Maybe there is a God above

And all I ever learned from love

Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you

And it’s not a cry you can hear at night

It’s not somebody who’s seen the light

It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah

Zeref had lost everything he ever loved. All he ever wanted to do was bring back his little brother. Bring back a baby boy who had never even had a chance to live. His intentions had been pure, love being his only motivation. But still, the gods shunned and cursed him. All he wanted was to do good, but they condemned him to only be a creature of evil.

Then his true misery began. Everything he loved decayed around him. The birds that sang him to sleep dropped dead from the sky, the trees that gave him shade withered away, any humans he encountered suffered the same fate. The more he loved, the more he lost.

He tried to fix his mistake, brought his brother back and tried to find a way to end his own suffering. But he was just adding to the pain he unleashed on the world. The demons he made were uncontrollable, they didn’t understand their purpose, so he was forced to abandon them.

But he hadn’t wanted to give into the hate yet. Instead, he found a neutral area. He avoided contact with all life, living in the woods, never staying in one area long. Until one day he saw her in the river. She didn’t fear him, even after he told her to avoid him. She created a world just for him, even if it was a brief moment. He could hold something living, something that he hadn’t had the pleasure to do in so long. Against his better judgment, he allowed himself to care for the girl.

He found her again years later, unchanged, cursed just as he was. But even with the curse, she hadn’t allowed herself to fall into the darkness like he did. And when she told him they could find an escape together, he could no longer restrain himself. He kissed her to prove to himself that was capable of love still– and gave the curse what it needed to rip her from him. Love only brought him misery, he had learned long ago, but it hadn’t been until she was gone that he accepted it. Love was nothing, just a broken dream.

Hallelujah

And as Zeref stood now, centuries later, he faced both his brother and Mavis. The only two people he had ever truly loved, the two who had been torn from him. He had a mission, make this world suffer as he had, and a small part of him hoped they saw his state. Saw that he was no longer a man who could be fixed. All he was now was a broken, shattered dream.

Hallelujah

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fairytail-whathesays · 7 years

Note

What are some particularly S-Class trials you would like to see, since it's different every year and Grand Magic Games events

S-Class Trials

I actually have a version of this in my head where the S-Class trials are held by latest guildmaster Laxus, and quite a bit differently. Although quite a few competent wizards were shown to enter the trials, I have no doubt in my mind that Mashima would’ve handed the trophy to Natsu had the trials finished to their end. Here is my revised version, as hosted by Laxus:

The partner system and the 8 candidates system will remain.

Selections have changed. Laxus wants S-Class wizards in the guild who have three factors in balance: power, wisdom intelligence, and courage a good heart. A severe lacking of any one of the three qualities results in being passed over for candidacy. Natsu, onstensibly, has a good heart and lots of power, but no brains in his head at all, so he’s removed from the selections.

The same applies to Juvia “Wasted Potential” Lockser, so she too is passed over.

There’s a post going around reminding people that Levy was S-Class candidate material and that people like to ignore that. I do like to ignore it, because Levy has never shown me anything that would suggest she has what it takes to regularly take jobs with heavy risk to her life. Levy has a good heart and intelligence in buckets, but just doesn’t have the power to back it up, so she too gets removed.

And yes, her replacement is Gajeel, who has shown me time and time again that he has brains, brawn, and his heart in the right place.

Elfman stays, as do Gray, Freed, and Cana. Along with Gajeel, that’s 5/8 spots filled.

To no one’s surprise, Lucy is a candidate. Lucy easily has enough power to be S-Class and more than enough brains and heart.

Wendy. Yes, I’m tired of Wendy too, and I too think it’s ridiculous that a child is a candidate for “status that lets you go on life-risking missions”. But to be fair, she does have the three qualities, most notably intelligence.

The last space? Panther Lily. Yes, I am literally giving S-Class candidacy to an exceed. But Panther Lily has enough power to go toe-to-toe with Gajeel, the brains to figure out Doranbolt’s not a Fairy Tail member, and I need not even mention his heart.

The name of the game would be Capture the Flag. You get to the island with your partner, and you immediately set out for one of eight flags set throughout the woods on Tenrou Island. The person who ends up with all 8 flags wins S-Class status, and the trial doesn’t end until someone has it. You can set up whatever sort of defenses you want around your base to protect your flag. Leaving your base can open it up to be attacked and your flag stolen, and taking the flag with you is an easy way to lose it if you come into a combat scenario. If you beat down another candidate, they’re probably going to be open for taking their flag from them–but causing a big ruckus is discouraged. The reason is that current S-Class wizards–Laxus, Erza, Gildarts, and Mirajane–will be roaming the island at all times, and are assigned to attack anyone holding a flag indiscriminately, meaning making a big scene with a chaotic fight can be a bad idea.

I also think that, in this scenario and with this matchup, everyone has an even chance of winning for different reasons. I couldn’t tell you who’d take the title, because I happen to think all of them deserve it. If I had to pick favorites for the win, it’d be Elfman (who everyone else views as an underdog, I guess) or Gajeel, thanks to their monster endurances. I’d love to play out a scenario like this.

Grand Magic Games

Ditching Chariot, Pandemonium, and Naval Battle. Chariot is just too boring a way for high-power wizards to compete, and really only served to illustrate A) Bacchus’ power, B) a plot point I hate and ignore (all dragonslayers get motion sickness), and C) Natsu’s unbearable friendship speech habit. Pandemonium goes because while the concept is basic, there’s too many details and too many potential ways to throw off the competitive balance. Naval Battle also goes because it was just fanservice.

What you really want is a way to show off wizard powers creatively, but as you can tell from capture-the-flag above, I’m not very good at designing unique competitions or games. What I would probably think up is something besides a footrace where the competitors have to keep moving at all time or risk some consequence.

#discussion #Tenrou Island Arc #Grand Magic Games Arc #fix fic #celestialwarlock #Asks

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mistye-dawne · 7 years

Text

Finding the Words

Summary: A chance meeting while taking a break from her team sends Lucy and Laxus into unfamiliar territory as Lucy tries to find balance between catering to her team and moving forward with her own life, while Laxus fights his demons and struggles to accept that he just might be good enough to have the girl of his dreams.

FF.net

Chapter 7: Here and Now

Natsu had waited nearly a week for Lucy to get back from her mission so when the scent of strawberries wafted through the breeze, he was excited. He wanted to ask her if she wanted to take a job with just him. No team, no Happy. Just the two of them so that he could talk with her. He already knew that her answer would be no since she had only just gotten back home but was sure that if the idea was in her head, then she'd invite him along on the next job she took.

When she walked through the doors, smiling, he frowned. Her cheek was cut, a scab already forming, and her arm was wrapped. The second cause of his frown was that she smelled a lot like Gray meaning they'd been together for day. Had he run into the girls and helped with their mission? How the fuck was that fair since he'd been forced to stay home, still unwilling to face Erza's wrath for disobeying. She smiled at him and sat at their table, Gray sliding in beside her.

"Luce! How come Gray got to help you with your mission but I had to stay home?" he asked immediately.

Lucy ignored him for a moment, rolling her eyes then flagging down Mira for a milkshake. "Don't be sour, Natsu. Erza and I made an unsettling discovery so the master sent us some backup. Gray happened to be the closest so he's who came," she offered.

He should have been glad that she was only minorly injured, though the cut across her cheek might scar since Wendy was away with Gajeel and Levy. Even still he just crossed his arms and huffed. "I could have helped," he pouted, like the child he very much still was.

Lucy rolled her eyes again and shook her head. "That was Erza's call, not mine. You got a problem with who she allows on her missions, tell her."

Natsu shrank back and Gray laughed at him. He looked tired and if how red his eyes were didn't tell you that he had been cry, the smell of salt definitely did. Natsu assumed that things between the two had been talked about and settle as Lucy wouldn't have been smiling with him when they walked in. They chatted for a little bit until Gray started to drift and decided to call it an early day as he had slept very little on the trip home.

Lucy was tired too but wanted to at least pop in and see Laxus for just a moment and maybe invite him over for dinner later. When she stood up, Natsu reached over and grabbed her hand gently.

"Hey, Luce?"

She cocked her head. "Yeah?"

"I was-"

"Luuuu!" a wasted Cana drawled and threw an arm over Lucy's shoulder. "Come on, Lu. you have to come and tell us everything about your date with Laxus."

Lucy looked over to the bar and saw that just about every woman in the guild was waiting for her with Cheshire cat grins on each face. Looking back at Natsu she was waved off by the boy but caught a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

"I'll make it up to you, I promise. Dinner this week and we'll go on a mission soon."

He nodded and she let herself be dragged away to the waiting women. It was a promise. He'd finally get some time with her without interruptions. Curious as he was to know how Lucy's date had gone, he couldn't listen. It hurt a little to see that she was interested in someone else but he didn't feel defeated. Not in the slightest. In fact, it only made Natsu that much more determined to win over his best friend and show her that he cared for her more than anyone else would ever be able to.

At least, he hoped that's what she would see. Her smile was getting brighter each day and it wasn't because of him or her other teammates. It was Laxus and his team. She'd taken to helping the guildmaster to be a lot and from what he could see, she enjoyed the work and the company. Unable to listen to her describe the sensation of lightning licking her skin, Natsu got up and left.

Lucy watched him go with his shoulders slumped and wondered what was troubling him. She knew she should care a bit more and part of her did want to run after him but she fought the feeling. She looked up and saw Laxus looking down at her so she left the women, ignoring their protests, and went to the second floor. If something was troubling Natsu and he wanted to talk, then she would listen. Right now though, she would go against her nature to help someone and spend time with the man who made her happy.

That evening at Laxus' house, Lucy was in the kitchen with Freed cutting up various vegetables for lamb kebabs. Lucy had to admit that the rune mage had a certain charm about him when he wasn't wearing his jacket and had his sleeves rolled up. His hair was pulled completely up and he had a serene smile on his face as he worked and watched his team in the other room.

The other three members were sitting in the dining room playing a game of Splendor. Lucy had never played nor seen it played before so watching Ever, Bix, and Laxus sit around the cards in silence was a little odd to her. Freed explained that the point of the game to collect gems of your choosing and then use those gems to accumulate a total of fifteen points. By watching Lucy was able to gather that it required a strategic mind and a hint of luck to win. You had to know what color gems you wanted to collect the most of because collecting a few of each would only cost you the game.

Turning to Freed, who was now cutting the lamb off of the bone and into smaller pieces, she asked, "So who usually wins?"

The mage tilted his head in her direction and grinned but kept his eyes on his task. "Normally Bickslow or myself."

"It looks interesting," she said with a shrug, "and boring."

"You'll have to play some time. You'll love it."

Freed turned on the gas stove to heat a cast iron grill top and the two started to assemble everything on wooden skewers they had soaked before starting. Lucy was curious about where Freed had learned his way around a kitchen since he too was raised in high society, though maybe he had simply learned after having been gone for so long. Then she thought of how expertly he held a knife and how precise he'd been.

"Freed, where did you learn to work a knife so well?"

Freed eyed her and picked up a cut bell pepper, stabbing it and sliding it down before repeating the process with an onion. "I imagine the same place that you did, Lucy, the kitchen staff on my father's estate," he said grinning.

Lucy shook her head at that. "I must admit, you always struck me as the type to never miss a meal. A proper noble son." The rune mage laughed at her assumption and started cooking the kebabs, while Lucy moved to cut up vegetables for a quinoa salad.

"I was a well-behaved and studious child, sure, but I always seemed to get lost in my studies that I often missed mealtimes," he admitted, "It didn't take long for one of the chefs to get tired of the messes I made." Lucy realized that was so like Freed and didn't even bother to hide her laughter. The rune mage stared at her and his team paused in their game to look at him. He just shrugged and they resumed playing.

"I'm sorry," she said between breaths and wiped away the stray tears that had formed. Freed waited for the woman to get over her hysterics and turned back to the food. "I'm sorry Freed, I guess I should have expected that."

"I'm glad you find it humorous as my parents were none too pleased to find me hidden behind the stacks." He leaned down and she took his lead and tilted an ear in his direction. "Between you and I, they still aren't," he whispered causing her laughter return. "On the rare occasion that I do visit home, I lock myself in the library."

"You do not..." she said incredulously, tossing the fresh vegetables with the quinoa..

"It's nice to see my family every so often but I'm never able to stay for very long as I'm reminded of why I left that life." Freed looked at her then and wondered how different life had to have been for her despite having similar stations. She was an only child and a daughter to boot while he had been a second born son. "If I may, Lucy, what was your childhood like?"

"Mine?" She had to think for a moment when he simply nodded at her. "Before my mother passed, I spent a lot of time with her in the library. After though... my father started to work there and I was barred from entering unless my father was away on business."

"I'm sorry for you loss, Lucy. I can't imagine what that must feel like," he said honestly, feeling ashamed of himself for asking such a question without properly thinking. He turned off the stovetop and removed the kebabs from the heat to let them rest.

Laxus had heard the two mages in the kitchen get quiet and honed in on their conversation to make sure everything was alright. Hearing the last words of Freed's apology, the lightning slayer looked past the breakfast bar at them. Lucy just looked at him and smiled.

"What are your parents like?" she asked softly looking back to Freed. Lucy needed the distraction. Listening and learning about the families of others never bothered her. In fact, concerning Freed, she was happy to know that even after leaving that life of luxury he still kept in contact with them. It comforted her, knowing that he understood what he still had where many in Fairy Tail were without.

"My father is a strict and serious man. He took charge of how his sons would be raised whereas it should have been my mother's responsibility. However, she is a timid woman and spent most of her time doting on my younger brother after he was born." Lucy knew the Justine name well enough as they were a noble family that came from old money.

She remembered once that her father had wanted to her to meet the eldest Justine son but had been turned away. She didn't know what exactly had been said between the men but knew that it had something to do with her magic as her her father had attempted to steal away her keys. A thought struck her, Lucy had inherited her mother's magic while none of Freed's family had any. She was also willing to bet that by looking into the Justine bloodline, she wouldn't find a single mage.

"You're the only mage?" she asked without thinking.

"Self-taught, in fact. There was a section of the library that was always kept under lock and key, and for good reason I might add. I was too curious for my own good and broke in, needing to read and learn what was in those books." He explained that by studying multiple languages and breaking them down to linguistic structures that he was able to learn how to better manipulate runes and make it harder for someone else to break them.

Lucy remembered the book she'd taken from the mages. "Oh! Pardon me changing the subject, but I just remembered that I found a tome of some kind during my last mission. I probably shouldn't have swiped it but it mentions something about the celestial zodiacs. Other than recognizing the star signs, I can't understand what's written. Would you mind taking a look at it?"

"It would be my pleasure. I've never had the chance to read much on celestial magic and would love the chance to learn more about it." There was a glimmer in his eyes that made Lucy beam.

"I'll have to have you over one afternoon then. When my father lost the estate, I was allowed to visit and collect some things. I took all of my mother's books on celestial magic. You're more than welcome to take a look at them."

At the table, while Lucy and Freed continue to compare life on their respective estates, Evergreen and Bickslow join in and ask their own questions. Ever asked if the two had ever met at a social gathering and the the two just shrugged at each other. Freed offered that it was entirely possible that they'd attended the same party before but they had never formally been introduced though he had met Lucy's father on one occasion. That was a surprise to Lucy and she had to know exactly which party that happened.

Lucy remembered that night as it had been one in which she and her father had left early because of a heated conversation with Mr. Justine. She told them that the extent to which she knew the Justine family was that her father had attempted to get something set up between her and Freed's older brother. Freed choked at her admission and they all laughed. He was thankful that as the second born, he wasn't paraded about as much and Lucy was envious.

When the five were done eating, Laxus and Ever started cleaning. Handing a clean dish to Ever to be dried, he listened to everything going on around him. Freed and Lucy were taking a look at the book she'd found and had summoned one of her spirits for help. It all seemed so domestic to him and years ago, he would have hated the feeling. He couldn't help but wonder, was it her doing this to him or was he just finally growing up a little.

Evergreen looked up at her friend when he handed her another plate. All through dinner and well into cleanup, the man had been silent. Nothing seemed to be wrong with him, in fact he looked happy. She had noticed during their game earlier, that Laxus had surprisingly won, how he would look into the kitchen every so often. Ever didn't know if he was listening to whatever she and Freed were talking about or if he was just looking at her. Either way, she was happy for him. Lucy seemed like the perfect addition to their already odd family.

The dishes were done and Laxus moved to put away things that Ever hadn't been able to reach while she put the kettle on for some tea. When he was done, he walked to the other side of the kitchen and looked past the breakfast bar to watch everyone else.

"What's on your mind, Laxus?" Ever asked as she prepared the tea set that was rarely used. Neither were quite sure why she pulled it down but also didn't question it.

"Her," he said honestly. There was no point in hiding it and was not ashamed to admit that. "You know, I'm really glad that you guys like her."

Ever rolled her eyes and poured some cream into it's proper dish. "You're an idiot, of course we like her." she turned on him and watched him shrink into himself a little. He made a point though.

It had always been rare for them to approve of anyone so highly for him because a) both parties were only in it for the sex and b) every woman who had shown interest in Laxus beyond sex were in it for his status as a mage. The man's finances weren't on par with the members of high society, but he was more than just well off since he normally only took the high paying S-Class jobs.

The screeching kettle brought Ever out of her small trance and she moved back to the stove to remove it. She poured the hot water into the teapot and then set the hot kettle on the back burner to cool.

"I like her because she made me reminded me what it felt like to be accepted," she said, crossing her arms and leaning against the counter.

Laxus looked at the woman like she'd grown two heads. "The hell's that supposed to mean?!" he asked with a raised brow.

"Come off it, Laxus, you know that's not what I meant," she scoffed, "I know that you guys love me but the day I went shopping with Lucy, I felt like I was joining the team all over again and I feel that way with her all the time." Laxus looked into Ever's eyes and saw that same glint the day he reached out to her. Lucy really did unbelieveable things to people.

"She's incredible, isn't she?" he chuckled.

"Yep!" Ever chirped, "I've got some much needed female company."

"Blondie's intellect rivals Freed's."

"So does her demeanor." she said raising a brow at Laxus. When he just stood there and cocked his head her, Ever nodded toward Lucy and he turned to look at her. "Look at how she's holding herself. Freed always sits properly, as he calls it, and so does Lucy. Everything about her screams high society."

"Besides the way she dresses," he scoffed.

"True," Ever giggled, "But not the point I was trying to make. If you look at Freed, what do you see?"

Laxus looked at the rune mage and watched him run a finger under a line of text. The green haired man sat back and bit his lip while he thought. He was enjoying himself. Completely comfortable around Lucy and how she held herself. Laxus had always thought Freed to be a little odd in regards to always speaking and holding himself so rigid all the time but sitting beside Lucy, he looked right at home and Laxus was happy for his friend. He had always worried for the rune mage but seeing that the man had found a friend in Lucy put his mind at ease.

"I guess if she sticks around I won't have to worry about him trying so hard to be comfortable around everyone," he shrugged.

"I was thinking the same thing," Ever said caringly. "Now you'll have to help me understand Lucy and Bix someday because if I didn't know any better I'd say the two were brother and sister." Ever removed the teabags from the kettle and placed everything onto the tray before lifting it and walking back into the dining room.

Laxus watched the four mages and whispered to himself, "You're not far off the mark, Ever." He remembered what the mage told several night ago about the celestial mage's soul. Laxus didn't need to see it to know that she did indeed reach out to everything around her. Even when Lucy was an oddity, she always managed to make herself fit in.

And she fit so well into his life. Watching her sitting with his team looked so natural, like she had always been there. There was a satisfied purr within him and he welcomed the thought of being able to have her. Lucy looked at him and smiled, waving him over. He was still worried about not being enough for her but in that moment his instincts won and he was happy to spend the rest of the evening with his team and the girl of his dreams.

"He worries, you know?" Bickslow asked as he watched Lucy jump onto the ledge on the canal. He offered her a hand to help her balance and she took it with a smile.

"Laxus does? About what?" she asked playfully, almost paying the man's slightly serious tone no mind.

Lucy was on top of the world at the moment and really didn't want to have her night end in worry. She had spent the evening with her boyfriend, as the two were forced by Evergreen to officially define their relationship, and his team. She learned a bit more about each of them and was surprised when they all watch Freed work on translating her book.

"He's got some crazy idea in his head that he doesn't deserve you." Lucy just looked at the seith mage and blinked. That was the last thing she wanted to hear about the man she was starting to care for. Bickslow saw the turmoil in her eyes and continued before she started to assume the wrong things. "It's far more complicated than you know, Lucy."

"What do you mean?" she asked softly.

"He told me about what happened on your date," he said plainly. Lucy blushed and cast her eyes down. She still felt embarrassed about what happened at the aquarium and didn't expect Laxus to talk about the date at all.

"I see. He told you everything?" she asked for clarification.

"Not everything that was said, Cosplayer," he said shaking his head, " But enough to know that what happened was serious."

"I really was having fun with him," she admitted. "I was happy that I got to see a part of him that no one else really does. He looked so at ease and I wanted never to have to see that leave his face."

Bickslow only nodded at her observation. It was true. It was rare for even the Thunder Legion to see Laxus be completely at ease though none of them ever faulted him for being tense. The man had a history of self-doubt, no thanks to his father, and living in his grandfather's shadow that he was always questioning his own value but that was just the surface. None of them knew quite what lie beneath but there was something more that Laxus kept hidden and it only plagued the man. Bickslow sincerely hoped that Lucy might be able to get through to him and show him that whatever it was wouldn't keep him from being happy. However, he didn't want to see the celestial mage get hurt because of it. That was just unfair to her.

The two came Lucy's apartment building and stopped. "He really does like you, Cosplayer. Has for some time."

"Ever told me the same thing!" she said brightly.

"Well it's true," he confirmed. "Can you promise me one thing though?"

Lucy paid attention to how serious his tone was now. It wasn't often that Bickslow acted to down to earth but whenever it concerned the well-being of his little family, he was almost a different man. And here he was standing in front of Lucy, asking her to make him a promise knowing full well what that meant for the celestial mage.

"What is it, Bix?" she asked with bated breath. As much as she had come to care for the seith mage, she would never make a promise until she knew all the details.

"Promise me that you let yourself get hurt on his behalf." Lucy just looked at him, not understanding what he meant or why we would say it.

"Sorry, Bix," she shook her head, "I don't understand so unless you explain what you mean, I can't promise you that because I don't know if I'll be able to keep it."

Once again, Lucy had him stunned. She had heard his plea and wanted to promise him, but the nature of her magic refused to let her. This woman, who would do almost anything for someone at her own expense, couldn't make him a promise without knowing exactly what he meant.

"Look, I care about the two of you and really don't want to see either of you hurt. Just be careful and don't cater to him at your own expense," he said finally.

Lucy saw it then. In Bickslow's eyes, she was that he more about each of them than they knew about each other. She wanted to promise him but couldn't in good conscience because in time, if she loved his best friend enough, she would without hesitation allow herself to be hurt just to see Laxus happy.

"Sorry," she said and wrapped her arms around him. He followed suit. "I'm never going to make you choose sides, Bickslow, but I can't promise you what you're asking because I know me. That's probably why you asked me that... Anyway, to put this simply, I don't know where Laxus and I will stand with each other in the future. For now, I really just want to be happy with someone and that happens to be Laxus. Sure our first date may have been a little rocky but it was the best date I've ever been on and one of the best birthday's to date." She pulled away and looked back into his eyes. "So for now, I'm going to let myself be happy and try to make him happy at the same time."

It a wonder how Lucy always knew what to say to put someone's mind at ease. Bickslow just chuckled and pulled Lucy back against him. He cared about the girl but knew that no matter what happened, in the end, Lucy would be alright. She knew better than to think too far into the future and worry about the complicated things because they would only overshadow what was important. The here and now.

"Sometimes I wonder why I worry about you," he whispered and stepped back from her.

"Because I don't ever worry about myself," she smiled then turned to walk inside. "Thank you, Bickslow."

"Night Cosplayer."

Lucy walked inside and Bickslow continued to his place. While they were outside Lucy's building they'd failed to notice the figure standing across the canal watching them. Natsu had decided that he couldn't wait to talk to Lucy and invited himself over only to find that she wasn't yet home. Not wanting to possibly upset Lucy for sneaking into her place once again, he quietly slipped back out and only made it across the canal when he heard her and Bickslow walking down the street. He slid into an alley and listened to the words exchanged.

By the time Lucy finally went inside and Bickslow left, there was a wildfire within Natsu as he tried to make sense of what was happening with Lucy. She'd been spending almost all of her time with Laxus and his team. When she first told him that she was going on a date with the man, he was a little bothered to find out that she liked him but the day before her birthday she informed him and Erza that she would be out with Laxus all day so they had celebrated with her that evening. Natsu was saddened because he had wanted to do something special for her since he'd missed her last birthday. He was losing his best friend and that simple truth stirred something very violent inside of him.

For his own sanity he needed to see Lucy but she always wanted to be elsewhere nowadays and Natsu felt more alone than ever. He sorely wish that he could go back and do it all over again. Make the choice to stay with her and make her happy. Make her pain go away. But he couldn't and was forced to move forward and live with the consequences of his choice.

#ftfanfics #ficsforvera #lalu #laxus dreyar #lucy heartfilia #fairy tail #fanfiction.net #mistye-writes #multichapter

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elementaldragon-slayer-blog · 7 years

Text

Colour War

I actually felt really damn accomplished. Mira and Master asked me three days ago to come up with something I wanted to do. I think I did a great job, who doesn't love getting a little dirty.

“Team Captains are Gajeel and Laxus, this is mandatory guys, so just agree and get your white shirt and come hear the rules.” I hopped off the bar top and settled in my seat again.

“Bunny, why do you do this to me” I rolled my eyes and pushed his head off of my shoulder where he was whining from.

“Oh stop Gaj, you don't even know my genius idea yet” I smirked and passed him his white shirt “Put this on and stop being a big rusty baby”

I could hear him grumbling as he pulled his coat off and threw it on my head. 'Virgo can you bring the rest of the white shirts and pants' I felt a grin pulling on my lips “Gaj, don't forget the pants” Virgo popped up like clockwork and held out a pair of white denims for him and the lightning dragon slayer. Which they took with some trepidation.

“This had better be good Blondie” My smile grew wider when I saw him in his white outfit.

“It is,” I smirked at him and raised my voice so the whole guild could hear me, “O.K. Guys! Come get your outfit from Virgo and then have a seat” I turned and grabbed Gajeel and pulled him to stand beside the overgrown spark plug.

“You both need to pick teams. It'll be one pick then the other, first to go is the one who guesses the closest number in my head”

“26” Gaj grunted, pulling the new white headband on and tying it under his hair.

“13” Laxus looked supremely bored with all of this. I know a few ways to make this better for him

“O.K. Boys, time to learn the rules. You're going to pick your teams and split off, one's sanctuary is going to be Kardia, the others is going to be the east forest. You're going to take 10 minutes and we're going to meet back in front of the guild. The weapons are already at the designated areas, you just need to make up a strategy. Magic is allowed, but the aim is to not break things around us” I locked eyes with both of them “Are you with me so far?” They both nodded so I picked up my permanent marker and put a '1' on Iron Man and a '2' on Sparky.

“O.K. Everyone, when you get called by Gaj or Laxus you stand behind them or in their general area, we're making teams. No trading, no complaining, no bitching, no whining or I swear to Mavis I will hang you by your toes from the bell at Kardia.” I smiled sweetly and let them form their teams, letting my eyes slide down to that fantastic ass in those delicious jeans and I slipped away silently to finish getting ready.

I stretched my arms over my head and reclined back in the chair I was waiting in. This was going to be great. I heard chattering and footsteps coming from both sides, so I flicked on the lacrima stereo and let

'O Fortuna' by Carl Orff play loudly through the speakers. I let a victorious grin slide onto my face as both teams stood face to face, on either side of me, paintball guns resting against each of their shoulders, and their team carrying various buckets of balloons and different types of paint wielding weapons. I smirked and climbed up on my chair.

“O.K. Teams! Yellow is Laxus' team, and blue is Gaj's team, the point is to not get 'killed', if you get hit in a 'vital spot' like your chest, or your face, you're out, but you join my team and try to get other people out, like.. colourful zombies. Last person standing wins for their team. I'm neutral. My colour is pink, and I'll kick all your asses!” I grabbed my whip and flicked it to attach to the flag pole up above the square, and flipped myself up to the roof where my supplies were.

“READY! SET! FIGHT!” I yelled down to the large groups of mages and watched as they clashed in a giant puff of yellow and blue. I grabbed my paintball gun and shot a test run between Laxus' feet. His eyes lifted and I shot the gun in his hands twice. I grinned brightly, winked and promptly ducked down as shots started showering down where I was hiding. I grabbed two paint balloons and threw them down to the middle of the giant clump of mages. Pink splattered everywhere and I successfully gained five more zombies. I scanned the crowd for spiky blonde hair or the even spikier black hair. I watched as Erza sliced through the paint, twirling to avoid backsplash, and how Grey had created a shield to block the blue paint that was being thrown at him. Natsu was being carried by Happy, dodging and twirling the paint that was being thrown his way and shooting everyone with his yellow paintballs. I shouldered my gun and aimed it at the flying furball. I could hear the squawk of surprise as his aera dropped and both of them fell to the bucket of blue paint balloons.

I grabbed my side bag full of pink paint balloons and flicked my whip to wrap around the flag pole again, swinging up over top of the leftover mages, letting my gun shoot constantly as I twisted and landed in a crouch. I grinned and let my eyes scan for the team captains, I saw Gajeel, he was back to back with Lily and Levy. I flicked through plans in my head before rolling backwards and throwing myself up with my arms. Those damn gymnastics classes have been so useful.

I dropped into a sprint, one hand reaching into my bag and the other pulling my paintball gun up under my arm. The closer I got to the trio, the harder I pushed my legs, as I hit the sweet area where I would hit them, and jumped up in a spin to throw the balloon, cackling as I watched it splatter all over Levy's chest and I fired the little paint bullets at Lily, getting his chest and stomach before I tumbled out of my jump and into a somersault. I knew Gaj would be after me now, so I flipped myself over a few times to get a head start and booked it the hell out of there.

I ended up back on the roof to replenish my stores and scope out the mess, less then half were left, and I still hadn't seen Laxus. I hit Levy and Cana in the butt with my gun and laughed loudly when they yelled about being out already. I jumped back down off the roof and ran through the cloud covering Erza from behind, breaking a balloon in my hands and jumping on her back, I pressed my paint covered hands to both of her cheeks and smeared it all over her face before dropping and sprinting the hell out of there. I could hear her mini rage fit as I ran towards Bix, I jumped on one of his babies and vaulted over his uncovered head, smashing another balloon onto the surprised mage.

“Ha! Got ya Bixy!” I let my tongue loll out and grinned at him “welcome to the team, have you seen Laxus?”

He wiped the paint off of his eyes and shook his hair out “Yeah, he was on the roof last I saw him, something about stalking his prey” my smirk widened as he cackled and jumped on his babies to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting leftovers.

Fifteen minutes later and everyone except one person was out, and it was going to be a face off between team leaders, well not Gaj because Levy got him in a place where paint really shouldn't be shot at. Men like Laxus are easy to mess with, and I had the perfect plan. He stood opposite me in the giant circle of paint covered mages, both of our white shirts were near perfectly clean. I checked the bag that was attached to my hip, and cocked my head to the side.

“You ready spark plug?” I smirked and balanced my gun on my shoulder.

“Should be asking you that Blondie” He had a similar ammo situation, just sans paintball gun.

“Count it down” and I heard someone start counting from 5.

“GO GO GO” a loud cheer went up as I pulled up and shot at the spot where Breaker was, 'shit', I dropped to the ground and rolled just as a balloon dropped right where I was standing. My gaze flicked over the arena like area, pulling up to look at the sky, I smirked when I saw lightning streak back down to the ground, shooting rapidly at the area where he landed, but never materialized, I realized I was running out of bullets. I tried to follow the flashes of lightning with my gun, but the awful sound of a click interrupted my assault. I threw the gun to the wall of mages and pulled a balloon out just as he materialized right in front of me.

“Give up yet” he sneered at me and I smirked.

“You wish sparky” I pulled a balloon out of my bag and threw it in the air, followed closely by the tip of Fleuve d'etoiles, letting it wrap around the balloon gently before I brought my whip slashing down towards the blonde behemoth. I flicked my wrist right before it hit him, making the balloon explode right in front of his chest. I heard a crack and watched at the paint splattered to the ground. I let out a huff 'goddamn lightning mages and their stupid teleport bullshit'

I dropped into a crouch and scanned the skies for lightning, I saw a glint and grabbed another balloon. I waited for him to get closer, I saw the yellow balloon flying straight at my face and I turned and tucked into a roll to my left, just as another was dropping from above me “Shit” I grumbled before lifting my feet over my head and flipping away quickly. The gymnastics avoidance tactic worked for a bit, I would throw a balloon at where I thought he was throwing them from and he would send a barrage to try and hit me.

“not now” I whispered to myself as I felt around my ammo bag. He zapped himself in front of me again, his breath heavy and his hands by his side. I have this in the bag.

I smiled sweetly and started towards him slowly, almost predator like, letting my hips sway enticingly. I lifted my chin when I got close, and ran one hand up his torso, biting my lip and smiling as seductive as I could.

He coughed and looked down at me “What are you doin' Blondie” I slid the hand on his chest up around his neck and into the hair at the base of his head.

“You're awfully sexy like that, paint dust in your hair, skin glistening with sweat. It looks like you had one hell of a time... and I want in.” I pulled him down slowly, raising onto my tip toes. Stars I can imagine how sexy it would be to let him take me right here, rolling around in the paint... BAD LUCY no dirty thoughts, I need to focus!

I nipped his bottom lip and heard him gasp, his hands found my hips and pulled them to his, I flicked my tongue over the seam in his lips and let my breath blow out over his mouth. I felt his hands slide down to cup my ass and lift me a little, I lifted my eyes to see his were closed and I smirked.

“You want to kiss me don't you Laxus” I purred softly, rolling my hips against his. I heard his barely audible answer and tightened my hand in his hair, leaving our lips millimeters apart.

I let a small moan escape my throat when his hands tightened on my ass, and I slowly brought my other hand from my hip, pulling his face down against my neck while I licked the shell of his ear and let my breath fan out over the wet skin.

“Hey Laxus” I whispered, dropping my voice and making it as husky as I could

I heard him moan against my neck, his lips sucking lightly on the skin and I let out a small whimper.

“You lose” I whispered, licked the shell of his ear once more and used his hair to steer his face back to mine.

“What?” He choked out and opened his eyes, which had darkened with lust.

“you lose” I smirked and brought my free hand from the bag at my hip fully and smashed the balloon against the side of his face where it exploded everywhere, his hair and face got the worst. I took a step back and absolutely lost it, I ended up on the floor clutching my stomach.

“Blondie...”

I was pretty sure I had tears streaming down my face at this point, it was in his mouth. 'Oh Mavis I got him so good'

“Lucy...”

'I'm so going to be getting it later, he's going to zap me into oblivion. I'm going to fry from the inside, or worse... my hair will never be smooth again!'

“Mavis, LUCY!”

I whipped my face around to see the paint covered mage, his hands crossed over his chest and a deep scowl on his face.

“Yes Breaker?” I smiled sweetly and hopped up onto my feet, still holding back the giggles I knew wanted to break free.

“Congrats Blondie, you won” he smirked and I narrowed my eyes, opening my mouth to reply, and just as I was about to comment, I felt a viscous liquid pour over my head. I watched as the ridiculous amount of blue paint was poured over my head, it went down my face and over my shirt and pants, pooling at my feet.

“Gihi” I heard that distinctive voice from behind me before I heard the dropping of the giant bin. I dropped my head and wiped the paint away from my eyes and nose before slowly turning and putting the creepiest grin I could on my face. I knew there was paint going in my mouth, I could taste the goop on my teeth, but Mavis if it didn't add to the creep factor.

“Gajeel” I let my voice raise several octaves and lifted my eyes to meet his. The laughter died from his face and it slipped into one of horror.

“Why is there paint all over me Gajy” I fluttered my eyelashes and took a squelching step towards him, and he backed one up in kind.

“Heh... Bunny, I-I uh...” He shrugged his shoulders and pointed behind me “It was the Lightning rod's idea” he nearly screamed before he dropped into his shadow mode and flitted away.

I turned to see Laxus' back walking away from me, smirking, I dropped into a semi crouch and took a deep breath before pushing my muscles to surge forward. I quickly reached him and launched myself onto his back, knocking him forwards and onto the ground. I hooked my foot around leg and onto the others thigh, tugging on his arm and flipping him onto his back, settling my legs on either side of his hips.

“Sneaky sneaky Laxy-poo” I smirked and leaned forwards to rest my chin on his chest. His hands moved up to swipe blue paint off of my face, sliding down to grip my butt and pull me further up his body.

“If I didn't know any better I'd say you like me being on top Breaker” I teased, sliding my hands through his half painted hair.

If I was paying attention to anything but Laxus, I would have noticed how literally everyone had dispersed, leaving Laxus and me in the middle of the little square outside of the Guild, me being literally on top of him with his hands massaging my ass. It was an interesting change to say the least, but not one I was totally opposed to. I felt him tense, and next thing I knew I was on my back. 'well this is a position I'm used to'

He leaned forward, resting his forearms on either side of my head, placing gentle kisses on the skin that wasn't covered in blue paint. Hot kisses trailed up my neck and back down, I felt him suck on my pulse point and I let out something akin to a whimper and moan at the same time. I tightened my hands in his hair and steered him from my neck to my lips. I moaned as my lips met his, reflexively wrapping my legs around his hips and pulling his body closer to mine. His hands went under my back, lifting both of us into a seated position as his tongue slid along the seam in my lips and he nipped my bottom lip.

His lips stilled and he pulled away to bury his face in the crook of my neck, and I wrapped my arms around his neck.

“Happy Birthday babe” He whispered against my skin, nipping the pulse point one more time before lifting his face to mine again and kissing me softly.

“I love you Breaker” I whispered against his lips

“I love you too Blondie” He rested his forehead against mine with a soft smile.

It had been a fantastic two years, and I just fell in love with him more and more every day. I couldn't ask for better.

#first fic #laxlu #laxus dreyar #lucy heartfilia #laxus x lucy #constructive feedback #fairy tail #swearing #cutesy bullshit

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leal-5 · 5 years

Text

Tomb of Time Destiny: Chapter 17

Juvia POV

We went through the plan with all the knights and with the servants at least ten times. It needed to appear natural. Nothing could smell of a trap. They had to keep the battle within the courtyard, so that the Phantom Lord knights remained engaged there until the reinforcements arrived, captured, and kill them all. Also so that they wouldn’t give chase to those who were trying to breach the Phantom Lord wall and save our sisters, aka Erza and me.

Five brave servants- Bisca, Mira, Wendy, Cana and Aslak were their names- agreed to make a run from two separate corridors, and into another, making it look like the castle had really been taken by surprise. They practiced it, like actors on a hollywood movie set, timing it, men on horseback charging about, so it was all perfectly choreographed. The idea was that at first Phantom Lord men would think they’d breached the castle doors just as they had planned, surprising all inside.

Ten men were positioned along the roof, hidden behind the peaks, with bows and countless arrows. After twenty minutes of siege, they would rise and take aim at the enemies, but not before then. We wanted to be certain that our reinforcements would arrive in time to capture any that tried to escape.

“If you stay down, they’ll focus on breaching the corridor entry points,” Gajeel said, grinning madly. He was enjoying this a little too much. “And then the secondary barriers.”

All afternoon, men had been busy erecting heavy, new interior doors within four of the corridors, where Fairy Tail’s unarmed would hole up. The other corridors would be locked up tight, but if they were breached by our enemies all they would find are empty rooms.

“They’ll think we're cowards,” Some grumbled, irritated that they weren't allowed to defend the castle the moment the enemy stepped in.

“They’ll be dead by morning, and you’ll be alive,” Jellal snapped back. “Do as my cousin has planned. Nothing different. It’s a brilliant plan and an honor to him to see it done.”

They clammed up then, unable to argue with the whole dying cousin card.

I did fear that Simon was dying though and that he wouldn’t make it until daybreak. He still struggled to breathe and his poor heart won’t be able to handle much more hours of suffering. I didn’t want to leave his side to the point that Gajeel had had to drag me out of his room and in the hall. He shook me by the shoulders, his own features full of heavy misery. “I know. I know. But you said so yourself, there’s nothing more we can do but wait.”

I stared at him for a long moment, trying to pull myself together. “Right,” I said at last. He stared at me for a moment before nodding and releasing me.

I walked away to look for Erza while trying to keep my mind off of what was to come. I found her in a hidden corridor talking in hushed whispers to Jellal. My shipping senses tingled strongly so I creeped closer to eavesdrop on what they were saying, pressing myself to the wall so I wouldn’t be spotted.

So I’m a slight gossip, sue me.

“....Simon wants us to do this and I honor his wishes best by seeing them through and looking to Fairy Tail’s future, the town's future.” Jellal takes a step towards Erza and places his hands on her hips. “And ours.”

I slapped my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming, crying, and fangirling my heart and soul out. ‘IKNEWITIKNEWTIKNEWITIKNEWITIKNEWITIKNEWITIKNEWIT-’

Erza shook her head and broke away from his light hold on her hips. “I’ve been thinking about that, Jellal. You belong here, defending what you love.”

‘Erza, what are you doing?!’ I gripped the wall I was hiding behind tightly, cracking it a bit.

He gave her a gentle smile and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I belong where I can defend all that I love. I will be here at the beginning, engage in a battle or two, then retreat, barricading myself into the first corridor across the way. An empty corridor, of course. Once I see the flags of the town reinforcements, I’ll come and find you and you sisters.”

Erza’s eyes widened with alarm. “Except the Phantom Lord men will be circling the castle, making certain no one escapes.”

He cocked his head. “And we’ll fight our way through.”

“You, Gray, Gajeel, and Natsu,” She said.

He nodded. “You don’t expect us to let you to rescue your sister on your own, did you?”

“I didn’t know what to think.” She rubbed her temple. “This plan….it could go wrong in a hundred different ways.”

“Or perfectly right.” He took her hand in his, and this time I bit the wall to keep from squealing. Erza just sighed and let the subject drop.

“Just….Don’t die tonight, Jellal.” She mumbled while looking away, embarrassed.

He gave her a teasing smile. “So tomorrow or any other day is all right, just not this night?”

“No,” She said with an eye roll. “Ever.”

His smile faded. “Only if you promise to do the same.” He kissed her knuckles once more. “Natsu and I will catch up with you before you reach Phantom Lord, Gray and Gajeel will join us soon afterwards. I promise you that.”

Taking a deep breath, Erza nods and Jellal turns and walks away. After I was certain that he was gone I appeared from the shadows. “What was that?!” I all but screeched. Erza whirled around looking guiltier than a murderer.

“You- You!” I bit my hand to keep from fangirling all over again.

“Juvia,” Erza groaned in relief and exhaustion “How much did you see?”

“Enough!” I screeched while jumping up and down whispering ‘Iknewitiknewitiknewit’ Over and over again like a chant. Erza looked extremely embarrassed and upset. “You know it can’t happen Juvia…” She whispered.

“Oh, shush! Let me have this!” I said, pausing my wedding plans for them to glare at her.

She was right of course. We had our own dimension and time frame. Technically, we weren’t even supposed to be here in the first place. Heck, We’ve only been here a week and we’ve already caused what could scale up to be a war! I sighed and squeezed her hand. “It’s time to go Erza.”

#################

We walked hunched over, as if trying to avoid being seen by those inside the castle but close to the edge, so that those who watched us from the outside could clearly see our progress. We raced to catch up with the guards, Elfman and Redus, who were walking away from us, on point to the plan. “Coming on your left,” I whispered to them as we raised our short broadsword high in the air where it could catch the gleam of torchlight. “Three, two, one,” Erza counted lowly, still mirroring their steps. They pretended to not hear a word from us. We turned the swords and plunged it between their shoulders, where it caught a hidden wooden plate and slid downward. We went down between the edges of the wall where no one could see us and we rolled off of him.

“Nicely done,” I said. “How does it feel, being dead?”

“It doesn’t feel manly,” Elfman said in a whisper, grinning at me as he rolled over.

“Well, prepare for a second death,” Erza said, as we rose and made a great show of stabbing them once more. This time, we knew only we would be visible from the Phantom Lords’ point of view, so we plunged downward, waited for Elfman and Redus to give it a quick wash of cow’s blood, and then wrenched our swords up as if they had been stuck in a body. We raced forward, shoving the bloody sword into our sheaths.

“Be safe miss,” I heard Redus whisper behind me as he slowly lifted his hand pointing towards the sky with his pointer finger, his thumb sticking out to the side. Elfman mirrored his actions. “And remember that Fairy Tail has your back.” Without hesitation we copy the action and sprint away. It gave me newfound comfort and strength.

At the end of the wall, We rose and looked into the center of the enclosed courtyard where Gray stood, Gajeel, watching us. I stared at him overly long, wondering if it might be the last time I would see him alive. But then he pointed at the other guard, approaching me from the other side, reminding me of my task.

We crouched down and moved into position. The other guard, Hades, feigned surprise when he saw us. He moved his hand to his sword as if to draw it. Erza pulled her dagger from her sheath and pulled back, her eyes on the center of his sternum.

“Aim true, miss,” he whispered a second late, since the dagger already flew across the space between us.

His timing was as perfect as Erza’s aim. The blade plunged into the leather and padding, he wavered, then reached for it, pretending to try to pluck it out. Just as I was silently urging him not to overdo it, he crumpled with an anguished groan to the ground.

We hurriedly tied off our ropes and rappelled down the inside of the Fairy Tail wall, shaking in fear when I heard the massive numbers of horses rumbling toward the gates.

“Go, Juvia,” Gajeel mouthed.

We turned to the massive, rusted metal beam and unlocked it, then, pushing with everything in us, slid it back in its track. They didn’t wait for us to open it all the way. The giant door barely missed me as I leaped aside. They burst through with a roar, fifty men on foot, with twenty on horses behind them.

Knights, dressed as servants, ran for the corridors that had two barricades. Our twenty minutes were now counting down. “Knights to arms!” one cried. “Fairy Tail is breached!” Ten knights joined Gray and Gajeel. Women ran screaming to the corridors farther back, just as they had practiced. The first sounds of iron meeting iron sounded in the yard.

Jose came through the gates on his horse and pulled up on the reins when he reached my side. “Off with you, then,” he said, gesturing with his chin over his shoulder. “You have done well. Go and claim your prize.”

We nodded and smiled. We turned and scurried out, straight through the third line of men to the stables where Castor and Pollux were. “No time for reunions!” I said as Pollux licked my cheek a bit. Seeming to understand the dire situation we were in Pollux turned and I lifted myself onto him. Glancing back once to check if Erza was ready I kick Pollux’s flanks and we race across the path that was clearly visible in the moonlight.

We’re coming, Lucy and Levy. We’re coming.

Erza POV

From the corner of my eye, I see a patrol of Phantom Lord men, riding around the edge of the Fairy Tail, just as Simon believed they would. We bent lower and raced down the path, way faster than what was safe, but adrenaline and hope combined to make me feel strong, as if I could see in the dark.

I frowned when Juvia suddenly stopped and motioned for me to slow down. Then I heard it.

Horses, coming our way.

Fast as lightning, we dismounted. “Hide.” I whispered to Castor and Pollux. “Come to Phantom Lord when you feel like we need you.” They whinnied once in protest before turning and running off. We surged over to the right, rolling once, twice, until we were under a low-hanging bush just as four men on horseback raced past us. They pulled up ahead and turned back. I groaned inwardly, just taking in my third breath. They’d seen us. We slowly rose and drew our swords, still trying to get my breathing under control.

The men came into view down the path, and I pressed back among the trees.

“Juvia?” the first said, Juvia looked at me quizzically and I frowned.

“Erza?” called another.

I edged out. “Jellal?”

He rode closer then. “Are you running to Phantom Lord?”

“Not originally,” I muttered while we sheathed our swords. He and Gray surged forward, reaching for our arms and using the momentum to swing us up behind them. How had they managed to escape and get to us so quickly? I thought Gray and Gajeel weren't going to join us till later! Were the town knights already surrounding Fairy Tail, capturing the Phantom Lord forces? I hoped so, but I was most glad they were there, with us. Ready to help us find Lucy and Levy..

Gray tensed and looked back at Natsu and Gajeel. They stayed deadly still and then nodded once. It took a moment but then we heard it then too.

More riders were coming. And they weren’t ours.

We rode hard, then suddenly veering off on a narrow path I was pretty sure didn’t lead to Phantom Lord. We came out on a sandbar, farther up the creek than the normal crossing, and waited in the thick brush that lined the banks. A large group of knights on horses crossed, their mounts sending water flying into the air- a thousand droplets catching the moonlight. Juvia looked at it in awe. It was beautiful, terrifying and gorgeous at the same time. And surreal. Because they were obviously hunting, chasing us.

Gajeel looked over at us. “No one saw us escape. I’m sure of it.”

Jellal tensed. I could feel his torso contract, his breathing hesitate. “Then they’re after you both.”

“Us?” Juvia whispered.

“Yes,” he said simply. “Phantom Lord has sent them to fetch you because you double-crossed him.” Memories of Jose’s threats rang in my mind.

“We cannot let them reach the castle,” Natsu said lowly. “If they do, they’ll warn the guards, and they’ll never free their sisters.”

Jellal and Gray twisted in their saddle, lifting us to the ground so fast we didn’t have time to react. Thick creek pebbles met my feet, and I stumbled a bit backward, against a scrub oak. “Hide, both of you. We’ll be back for you as fast as we can.”

Without waiting for our response, he pressed his mount into action, and they were off.

I bit back my indignation, the desire to call out his name, demanding that he return for me. Natsu was right, of course. Our only hope was that they could overtake the men, surprise them and somehow kill or capture all twelve. And they couldn’t do that with the weight of two people on one mount.

“Four wizards against...What? A bit more than a dozen knights?” Juvia chuckled. “Wagers anyone?”

Despite everything going on I smiled. They’re probably reveling in those odds, I thought, pacing back and forth. Idiots. Brave, wonderful, idiots.

“Wait a minute...They consider us more a liability than an ally!” I shouted outraged. Granted, it probably possible that we’d be more of a liability, but they didn’t know that for sure. “Come on. I’ve had enough of this sexist nature of theirs.”

Juvia didn’t question me as we set off running, moving to the main path. It was like our clothes- despite being a dress for Juvia and and a skirt for me- were made for this. Being active and battle ready and I refused to sit around while they risked their lives for us. Perhaps we could sneak in, take one man down, help them before they even knew we were there. We had to do something. Hide, he had said. Hide! If I wasn’t so smitten with him I would’ve knocked him from here to next tuesday.

We slowed down once we could hear the roar of fire and clashing metal. We snuck closer and then pulled up short, studying the battlefield. Three men were on the ground already and two were sneaking up on Gray as he was fighting against one, they were probably planning on stabbing him from behind as he was distracted. Gajeel and Natsu were back to back surrounded by six knights and Jellal was fighting against three.

“IRON DRAGON-”

“FIRE DRAGON-”

“ROAR!!!”

They still hadn’t seen us. Gajeel was getting tired; I could see it in his breathing. Something in the knights armor must have been tampered with because it didn’t dent or break when it came into contact with either his or Natsu’s magic. One of their attackers advanced forward, sword slicing through the air three times in quick succession. Gajeel spun away from the last a second too late. The swords tip laced his upper arm, and he grunted. The man did not break from his attack, whirling, preparing to bring the full weight of his sword into his neck.

We didn’t think, we just acted upon instinct, running headfirst into battle. Juvia ran to aid Gray while I slammed into Gajeel’s attacker, taking him completely by surprise. He dropped his sword as we rolled in the dirt a bit and struggled. He gained the upper hand and tried to punch me, but I moved my head to the side and bucked my hips, sending him flying off me. I spring to my feet just in time to see him charging at me. Without thinking I immediately punched him in the nose with my right hand and decked him in the jaw with my left palm, denting his helmet horribly. He crumpled to his knees.

Up ahead I see Juvia block one man's attack with her sword and kicking the other hard enough to make him lose with balance. Gray whirls around wide eyed and amazed at the sight of Juvia fighting against a man twice her size, and winning. Her opponent swings his sword the other way as if to slice her left leg, but Juvia jumps up, stepping on his sword for more momentum. Spinning mid air she slams back of her foot to the side of his face. His helmet dented inwards and he fell to his knees. “Focus, Gray!” She yelled at him as she dodged an attack from the second man. Grays eyes widened and he jumped away just as his original opponent, who had tried to slice his head off from behind.

There were only five left Phantom Lord knights left. I shot forward to help Natsu when out of nowhere a large knight appears and plucks me off the ground by the waist and spins me so I’m hanging upside down, surprising me so much I drop my sword. “Erza!” I hear Jellal yell in rage but I ignore him. ‘Focus!’ I growl to myself as I hook my legs around the knights head so that my knees are crushing his temples, surprising him so much he lets go of my waist. Taking that opportunity I crunch forward so my head is level with his side, the momentum causing the knight to flip over and land on his back while I land ungracefully on my butt. ‘Ow ow ow! I’m definitely going to feel that in the morning.’ I thought with a wince.

“Erza! Are you alright?” Jellal said urgently, kneeling down and grabbing my shoulders, scanning me for injuries. He shook me a little when I didn’t immediately respond.

“Fine. Fine.” I ground out while rubbing my butt a little.

“Mard Geer must’ve tampered with Phantom Lords armor.” Natsu growled angrily. “Magic won’t work much if they’re wearing it.”

We were silent for a moment before Gray spoke up. “We need to keep moving.”

No one questioned him.

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lunalockser · 7 years

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Rating: T

Warnings: none

Fandom: Fairy Tail

Ships: Nalu, Gajevy, Gruvia, Jerza, Zervis

Characters: Natsu, Lucy, Gajeel, Levy, Juvia, Gray, Erza, Jellal, Zeref, Mavis

Summary: As each couple moves closer to each other, as their story goes on, let them sing Hallelujah. based on the song by Rufus Wainwright.

Note: Hey, Puddin's. So I know that this is posted as 5 separate stories on FF.net, but since on AO3 you can post as many couples as you want, well I decided to post it the way I originally wrote it, as one long songfic. Songfics will always be one of my favorite things to write.

I've heard there was a secret chord

That David played and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really care for music, do you?

It goes like this

The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, and the major lift

The baffled king composing Hallelujah

Fire could not make human art or music, and Natsu had always been fine with that. He wasn’t interested in it, he could make his own. And only a dragon would be able to appreciate it.

Hallelujah

And every time those three words left either one of their lips, it was a song. It was a symphony that he never wanted to end.

Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you

She tied you to her kitchen chair

She broke your throne, she cut your hair

And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

Gajeel couldn't remember the first time he saw Levy. Not physically, because that would be a moment he would never be allowed to forget if he wanted to. That moment still haunted his thoughts, even in sleep.

How could she let her guard down around him? How could she even begin to trust him? He began getting closer to her, just to get some grasp on how her mind worked.

By the time he knew it she had him trapped. Despite his instincts to avoid a relationship with her, because honestly, how could he love her without staining her, she had roped him in. Before he was even aware of it, he had fallen so deep in love with her that there was no way of climbing out.

But she didn't stop there, no the hands that were so clean began to work him. She broke everything about him he thought he knew. He never thought he could be gentle, but with Levy, he knew nothing else. He was a beast but how could he be if a creature as caring as Levy even looked at him? He didn’t deserve love, but it didn't matter because she did, and if he was the one she wanted to be in love with, then only hell would be able to stop him.

Hallelujah

He would worship her forever, and as he pressed her against the wall, their bodies melting together, their sighs and moans professed what words were not enough to show.

Hallelujah

Baby I've been here before

I know this room, I've walked this floor

I used to live alone before I knew you

I've seen your flag on the marble arch

love is not a victory march

It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

She knew that they were both slightly broken, it was part of the reason she fell in love with him. He wore his pain, wore his past like a badge of honor. She knew he didn’t fully know how to love her. It hadn't been until later in his life that he would see a functioning couple, his memories of the love his parents shared long blurred by time and tragedy. She had never even had that basis, the only thing she knew of love was what she pieced together from rotten ex-boyfriends.

She thought that maybe, they could pick themselves up together, because if you're fighting a war, having an ally is helpful. She knew that loving him would take every ounce of strength she had, but she was fine with it.

So what if their love was broken, so what if neither of them were fully whole. It just meant that they could fix it, they could make a new love, one that was completely and wholly theirs .

Hallelujah

There was a time you let me know

What's real and going on below

But now you never show it to me do you

Remember when I moved in you

The holy dark was moving too

And every breath we drew was Hallelujah

Erza felt the weight of their love on her shoulders. Sometimes loving Jellal was harder than she thought it would be, especially when he seemed bent on refusing to admit it. Everytime he found himself ready to confess those three words that were hidden just behind his lips, he would come up with another excuse. He cared for her, yes, but he wasn’t ready to believe that they could be more.

Hallelujah

Maybe there is a God above

And all I ever learned from love

Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you

And it's not a cry you can hear at night

It's not somebody who's seen the light

It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

But he hadn’t wanted to give into the hate yet. Instead, he found a neutral area. He avoided contact with all life, living in the woods, never staying in one area long. Until one day he saw her in the river. She didn’t fear him, even after he told her to avoid him. She created a world just for him, even if it was a brief moment. He could hold something living, something that he hadn't had the pleasure to do in so long. Against his better judgment, he allowed himself to care for the girl.

He found her again years later, unchanged, cursed just as he was. But even with the curse, she hadn't allowed herself to fall into the darkness like he did. And when she told him they could find an escape together, he could no longer restrain himself. He kissed her to prove to himself that was capable of love still-- and gave the curse what it needed to rip her from him. Love only brought him misery, he had learned long ago, but it hadn’t been until she was gone that he accepted it. Love was nothing, just a broken dream.

Hallelujah

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