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Light and Fire

Lucy hadn’t been to an event like this since running away from home. Home. Home? She thought about the word for a moment. Though she had many fond memories, dear and precious memories, made with her mother at the Heartfilia estate, it had stopped being a “home” long before she ran away. She supposed that meant she needed to find an alternative expression to “I ran away from home.” Perhaps something more along the lines of “I escaped a stifling existence which kept me from practicing my life in the manner I saw fit, overseen by a distant parent only interested in my usefulness as a bartering chip in the business world.” Yeah. That seemed to sum things up pretty nicely.

But she’d be lying through her teeth if she said this extravagant ball wasn’t bringing back memories. Her feminine, princess side enthusiastically took in the tinkling crystal chandeliers, the gentle hum of genteel voices blended with the floating music of an orchestra, the air that seemed to shimmer around the attendees bejeweled and bedecked in finery fitting their stations as the rich and famous. And titled. Her father could be here, for all she knew. It was his kind of scene, filled with people he considered “worth his time.” Lucy grimaced at his treatment of other people, especially herself.

No matter how strong her princess side squealed, however, Lucy was even more satisfied to be there with her guild mates from Fairy Tail. Tonight, she wasn’t a debutante to be fought over, pawed and discreetly prodded by men of all ages, and the victim of jealous eyes and remarks from other slighted girls. Tonight, she was a hired wizard, strong and capable of helping, a being who could act, not just a doll standing there prettily and waiting to be acted upon. Tonight, she was strong, bold, showing her true self to all those who had pandered and lied to her.

She shot her hands up to make sure her pretty red mask was firmly secured to her face. No one said she couldn’t be bold and strong while hiding her face. And it wasn’t like it was her choice, anyway. This was a masquerade. Everyone was wearing masks. It would be wrong of her to show her face when their client, Baron d’Etudes, had clearly declared it to be an event of secrecy and mysterious excitement. To disregard his wishes and efforts in planning this event by not wearing a mask would be the height of blatant rudeness.

“Isn’t it so pretty, Lucy?” Levy asked, adjusting her own dainty cream colored mask. “I’ve never been to an event like this before. Lucky we’re sharing this job, huh?”

The two girls stood in a curtained alcove upstairs, peeking through to see the wonderful sight over the banister. When Erza came out from dressing, they would descend the ornate stairs and begin their mingling with the guests.

“It’s very pretty,” Lucy agreed. She didn’t mention anything about her having grown up in this world. The guild knew, but they kept the secret to themselves in respect to Lucy’s wishes. It was just not something she’d felt the need to bring up elsewhere. That wasn’t who she was any more. That was in the past. “What do you think is taking Erza so long? You’d think that requipping into her gown and mask would mean she was the first one ready.”

“Yeah, but she also is the one looking after the guys,” Levy reminded her friend.

“Oh, yeah. The guys. We’ll probably never make it to the party.”

Levy laughed, but didn’t say anything in disagreement. Natsu and Gray were an interesting duo, to say the least. Getting them to polish up, and, in Gray’s case, keep clothed, would be an event in and of itself. Especially since Natsu just wanted to go straight to eating. As hired security, it’s not even like they had a specific person to keep an eye out for. Just making sure things ran smoothly and people were safe. The chance of anyone attacking the baron’s estate wasn’t high, but as a gathering of such rich and important people could be considered as a temptation to some more daring criminals, Baron d’Etudes had decided to err on the side of safety. He contacted the Fairy Tail guild due to its reputation as being the strongest guild. Lucy thought the man had made a severe tactical error when he asked Fairy Tail of all guilds to be the subtle, discrete undercover agents of safety at his fancy party held at his fancy estate. If Natsu and Gray started bickering, the whole place would come down around their ears.

“Hey, is that Jet?” Lucy asked suddenly, pointing out a tall man with orange hair.

“Yeah, I think it is. Does that mean the rest of the guys and Erza are already down there, too?” Levy demanded incredulously. “What happened to the plan of meeting up here?”

Lucy shrugged. It wouldn’t be the first time a plan had fallen through on a whim. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jet without that hat of his.”

“He is attached to it, that’s for sure,” Levy responded, then thought for a moment. “He’s actually kind of cute.”

Before Lucy could accept or deny the statement, a gruff voice barked out from behind them, startling the both of them into an odd stance halfway between hugging each other in alarm and preparing to battle.

“I asked who you thought was cute,” Gajeel repeated, arms crossed. “Such a pansy word.”

For once he wasn’t taking advantage of the situation to make things more embarrassing for people, and Lucy was very grateful for that. He could have had lots to say about their “battle skills” and being prepared to face danger.

Levy, however, wasn’t taking his new disregard for Lucy’s embarrassments as a blessing. “Since when were you on this job, Gajeel?”

“Since there were no real fighters comin’, that’s when,” Gajeel said.

“Are you saying we’re all weak compared to you?” Levy’s hands were now on her cream and tangerine clad hips. She may be small, but she was a spitfire.

“Don’t feel bad about it, shrimp.”

“What?!”

In an attempt to keep peace, and therefore maintain their cover, Lucy ventured a compliment. “Gajeel, you clean up nicely.”

And he did. Dark suit, dark hair pulled back from his face with a dark headband, and garnet eyes glimmering through a dark mask. With his imposing height and pronounced muscles, he made quite the picture of tall, dark, handsome, and a taste of danger. Of course, the people who knew him knew there was more than a mere taste of danger in Gajeel.

The only response Lucy received in answer to her nicety, however, was a grunt. Levy was blushing, though. That was response enough for Lucy to be satisfied. Now she had something to tease her friend over when they were talking about the job later on, and Levy knew it, too, which was why she refused to look at either Gajeel or Lucy.

“I came to get ya,” Gajeel said after a moment. “The others already went a different route. Yer the only ones left up here.”

Lucy sighed. “So much for planning!”

The three of them entered into the fray, soon becoming just the girls once more when Gajeel split off from them to raid the food tables at the side of the room. After grabbing some drinks from a passing waiter, the girls began to wander about the room, chatting a little. When they reached a quiet corner, Levy commented quietly, “It’s weird not seeing pink on your hand.”

Looking down at her white gloved hand, Lucy agreed. “I know. But it’s hard to blend in and hide the fact you’re a wizard when you’re waving proof of it in people’s faces.” They’d all found ways to cover their guild marks for this mission. Luckily, gloves were acceptable at masked balls.

“But you look gorgeous,” Levy continued. “Red really suits you. I thought you’d have gone for the pink gown, but red is definitely wow.”

“Thank you. You look great, too.” Lucy felt gorgeous in this red gown of hers, with its off the shoulder sleeves, fitted waist, and flaring skirt that swished as she moved. She felt exotic. Levy looked like a delicacy in her creams and splashes of tangerine, like something you’d see on top of a fancy cake at a patisserie. And Lucy knew who she’d like to stick up there along with her little friend. “By the way, didn’t Gajeel look rather dashing?”

She was rewarded with an outstanding blush from Levy. “Well, you can’t tell me you haven’t had your eyes peeled for a certain someone this whole time.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“So who were you looking for then?”

“We were hired, in case you’ve forgotten, to be on the lookout for security purposes. I wasn’t looking for Natsu.”

“I never said Natsu’s name,” Levy crowed in triumph.

“You’re just cocky since you’ve seen Gajeel, and it’s given your girly satisfaction a surge.”

“And you’re just sour since you haven’t seen Natsu and so he hasn’t been able to feast his eyes on you.”

“I didn’t pick this dress to impress him!” Lucy insisted.

“So why’d you pick his favorite color instead of yours, then?”

Before Lucy could retort, some raucous laughter broke through to their conversation. “Let’s go check it out,” Lucy hurried, glad for the escape. Levy just snickered as they hustled along. They made their way over to a group of people gathered near the dancing crowds. Coming closer, they could hear some of the worst of it.

“Of all the guilds, Fairy Tail is the most uncouth of them all. They’re absolute maniacs, incapable of proper decorum or refinement.”

“Disgusting, to be sure.”

“And I’ll have nothing to do with any of them,” continued the first man. “Who would want to associate with their ilk?”

“Can their members even read?” laughed a third man.

Levy stiffened. Lucy would wager Levy could read more languages than that man could, and Freed would put many to shame with his books and learning.

“All they can do is destroy. Perhaps I’ll call on them should I ever find myself in need for a demolition service.”

“Imagine if some of them were to attend an event such as this…” the second man trailed off.

The first man almost choked on his drink. “I don’t think I want to imagine that, thank you. Picturing their dancing methods, eating habits, and the destruction of clothing, goods, and quite possibly even people is sickening.”

Lucy was becoming rather angry at this point, but there wasn’t much she could do without blowing their cover as Fairy Tail wizards themselves. She briefly gave thanks that Natsu wasn’t around to hear this, since he was definitely the most protective of the guild and its reputation. Then again, knowing Natsu’s hearing… Oh, no. She looked around to find her worst fears confirmed. A head of pink hair atop of body quivering in barely suppressed anger was stalking towards the group of men. Sparing half a thought towards the fact Natsu looked very good in a suit, and that his tie and mask were incredibly close to the same shade as her dress, Lucy tried frantically to think of something that would stop this situation from becoming a train wreck.

“There is that blonde mage, though. The celestial wizard. I wouldn’t mind if shewere to come as my escort to a function or two.”

“She is a beauty, isn’t she? Maybe we can convince her to come and join the civilized world. I bet she wouldn’t mind it once she met me,” laughed the first man again.

“Oh, no!” Levy gasped, horrified.

“It’s alright, Levy,” Lucy sighed in longsuffering, taking a moment to place her gloved hand daintily against her cheek. “I’m used to it. With this beauty, it’s impossible to avoid, actually!”

Levy shook her head, saying, “I wasn’t worried about you. They just made things so much worse. Everyone knows not to do that.”

“You should be careful, though,” came a new voice from the right. It was a woman, red-haired and beautiful in her purple gown. And with an extra-large fan that could definitely double as a weapon, Lucy knew Erza had joined the fray. This could end well or very, very badly. “Everyone knows not to do that.”

“To not do what?” Lucy asked, confused. Erza had repeated the exact same thing Levy had just said. But Natsu was getting closer, and she still had no solution to the impending disaster. Perhaps she should faint? It worked in all the novels.

Some light clapping sounded as the dance ended, and in the brief pause in music before the next song started, Lucy could have sworn she heard knuckles cracking in preparation for the punch. And was that Gajeel, too? Oh, no. Everyone was going to die, and they’d never get paid. They’d never get paid, and those nasty men would be proven right. They’d be proven right, and Lucy would have no money, and with no money, she’d have no rent money. She’d have no rent money, and therefore she’d have no apartment anymore. She’d be homeless, a starving vagabond. Then the music came back. She knew this one. Lucy sent praises and thanks to all things holy, grabbed Levy’s arm and shoved her into Natsu who was now right beside them. “Keep him calm,” she ordered.

“But you’re the one he-“

Lucy wasn’t listening to Levy’s protests; she was already moving forward. If Levy could keep Natsu from exploding, they might be able to turn things out to their advantage. She put on her most beguiling smile and approached the first, and most slanderous, of the men who’d spoken. Giving a small curtsy, she proffered a hand. “A dance?”

The man’s eyes showed surprise. It wasn’t often a woman openly asked for a dance rather than hinting at her wishes to be asked. Lucy, however, had no time for such shenanigans. Levy was small in comparison to Natsu, and without use of her magic, Natsu’s muscles would probably win out in a fairly short amount of time. Besides, the man had basically already declared his desires to dance with her when speaking of her acting as his date events such as these. She was really just accepting the offer he’d unwittingly made.

“You know this dance, m’lady?” the man asked.

“Why don’t you see for yourself, sir?”

The man, who was very handsome from what Lucy could see of his face, smiled in return of the challenge, accepting her hand and whirling her out to the floor. This was a dance full of complicated steps, varying tempos, intricate moves, and minute details. It was generally played only once an evening, and not many people actually participating, instead choosing to use it as a breather and a chance for drinks without missing out on the opportunity to “really dance” to a calmer song. That meant Lucy had longed to step these steps from the sidelines of the ballroom too many times over the years. This was a dance that moved and excited her. And now she would finally dance it. Her heart was already racing.

“What’s he doin’?” she could hear Natsu demanding in the background.

“Natsu, calm down! He doesn’t know!” Levy replied, holding onto his arm to keep him from going anywhere.

“That doesn’t make it okay for-“

“At a masked ball, it is impossible for him to be aware of all the facts,” Erza cut him off.

Lucy shut out their voices, ignoring him and everyone else besides her partner. The song’s introduction was ending, and man placed one hand behind his back and another around her waist.

And they started. He pushed her back, leading with confidence. Lucy followed his cues, but did so meeting his eyes with pride, feminine grace, and utter charm. The man faltered a little in his step, but pulled himself together quickly. His eyes sparked with interest. Lucy’s self-esteem was boosted, just a little, by the fact she had so easily won over this snobbish man. She would show him what Fairy Tail was capable of, even off the battlefield. It had been a while since she’d danced at all, let alone something this complicated, but she was fiercely proud of her guild, and she was just as determined to stand up for her family as Natsu. She would just do it without punching anyone.

As she spun around, Lucy could feel her skirt lifting with the motion, flaring out before twisting back in closely to her body as the skirt continued to move when she slowed. Her feet delicately picked around her partner’s and they stepped between, behind, forward, and back, spinning and pausing. The music was beautiful, full of life and fire. She smiled brilliantly. She loved this dance! She loved the pull and push, the give and take of dance partnership. And, despite being a total loser when it came to his conversational opinions, this handsome man was surprisingly good at keeping his hands in respectable positions along her waist and lower back, though there were many opportunities for a little grabbing here and there.

They were alone on the floor now, just the pair of them dancing. Everyone else was watching the rare performance. And Lucy definitely didn’t mind attention. She was used to it, being as beautiful as she was. Her guild mates, especially Happy, enjoyed making fun of her vanity at times. But it didn’t change the fact that Lucy knew she was gorgeous, and she knew she had talents. This was something she could do to stand up for her guild that no one else could, even though they were all stronger mages than her. Her love for her family fueled her energy and steps. She felt like she could just fly right now, fly off like a spark of light and burst with happy satisfaction.

The music finally slowed, then came to a stop. Lucy, dipped forward in her finishing curtsy, was breathing deeply. What a workout! Maybe she needed to do some more aerobics; she would talk to Capricorn about adding that to her regimen. At least her partner was equally winded. That was something to make her feel a little better. While she was at adding items to her to-do list, she wondered if she could ever get Natsu to learn this dance with her. A pattern of steps aligned with fiercely beautiful music surging to the beat of life: Natsu embodied that same description. A gentle pull on her hand brought her up and out of her thoughts from her partner in the guild to her partner in the dance. When her eyes met his, she was gratified to find his gaze full of respect and appreciation. Now that was what she wanted to see!

“Thank you for the dance, sir,” Lucy smiled. Pulling her hand from his, she began her glide off the dance floor as the audience clapped politely. She held her head high, hands clasped before her, taking tiny steeps in that even pacing that had been pounded into her head time and again in training and lessons. It had been a while since leaving home, but she still knew how to be a proper debutante if she wanted to be.

“Wait!” She heard some footsteps following after her. “What’s your name?”

She didn’t stop moving; her eyes had met Gray’s and he was frantically directing her to look to the left. Glancing over, she didn’t see much of note, just that the crowd was moving into the dance space a little in preparation for the next dance.

“Who are you, m’lady?” her dance partner called out again, grabbing for her arm. She turned to face him, but looking down to see his hand wrapped tightly around her wrist in much the same manner as Natsu held her when he took off running like a maniac and wanted her to come along.

A low, dangerous growl sounded out. Gray was now moving quickly through the crowd. Lucy wondered if a threat had been spotted. She needed to deal with this man quickly and then get over there to help handle whatever scenario was taking place.

“Now, sir, don’t you think that would ruin the point of a masquerade?” Lucy laughed coyly, really letting out the feminine charm. No need to anger the man, but she couldn’t reveal herself before all the guests. That would be a breach of contract, as good as announcing loudly there were guild wizards in attendance.

“But how will I find you if I haven’t either a slipper or a name?” he begged, returning Lucy’s smile with his own handsome smile. If asked, she wouldn’t actually tell anyone, but she would think about how much she preferred a certain fanged grin to charming smiles.

“Perhaps you never will,” Lucy said vaguely, ready to leave. Although, he really was good looking. Maybe she should bring him along with her; maybe she would have had he not slandered Fairy Tail’s good name. Smiling, she removed her wrist from his grasp and began working her fingers from her right glove.

“Do you mean to leave me with only a glove?” the man asked. “Then I definitely shan’t find you without all due diligence!”

“Perhaps you never will,” Lucy repeated, getting the glove off. “Unless, of course, you should need help from wizards. Until then, farewell.” Lucy turned, raising her hand so he could see her proud pink guild mark over her shoulder, and continued off the floor as other couples came surging on in response to the start of the next dance. As soon as a little distance was put between them, Lucy hurriedly shoved her hand back in her glove. How foolish was that? She brandishes her guild mark during a secret assignment? Was she going to wind up homeless after all?

It was satisfying, however, that the man didn’t follow her any more, most likely stunned that the difficult dance just performed was successfully pulled off by someone of that “uncouth” guild. Her self-satisfaction didn’t last long. It was run over by a quickly moving Erza.

“You did very well. Now put some more distance between you, and that will be fine,” Erza muttered at Lucy from behind her giant fan as she passed by. Lucy was shocked to see Erza run straight to the man Lucy had just left and drag him out to the floor to dance a waltz. Or what looked like a waltz. A very spirited, spin oriented waltz. What was she doing, though? Hadn’t there been some kind of disturbance earlier? Oh, well. She’d go ask Levy for information.

After a few minutes, Lucy decided that was a rotten idea since there was no way to find her tiny friend in a large room like this. She hadn’t seen any of her companions, actually. The upstairs balcony hallway seemed like a good idea: excellent for reconnaissance work, definitely. She didn’t make it ten steps before she was grabbed by the waist and dragged off to the same alcove she and Levy had been standing in while waiting for the others.

“Gray?” Lucy gasped out when they’d stopped. “What’s going on? What was wrong out there? Did you guys manage to solve everything? And how are all your clothes still on?”

“Erza glued them to me,” Gray said, obviously answering the most important question first. “But we got things mostly settled down before too much damage was done.”

“Then why did you drag me here? Dramatic much?”

“He could tell guys were still looking at you, and he’s not calm enough to handle that yet.” Gray peeked out of the curtains, taking in the lay of the battleground.

Lucy scrunched her nose in confused response. “I’m not getting you. What in the world are you talking about?”

“Just stay out of sight till things calm down,” Gray pleaded. “It’s not usually this bad, but we’re on thin ice right now.”

“Then make more ice,” Lucy deadpanned.

“I’ll get right on that,” Gray agreed, leaving.

“Wait, I still don’t get what’s going on!”

“Just wait a while, then come out. Act like everything’s normal. Have a drink. Talk. Mingle. Do your job. That kind of thing. Just wait a while first.”

And then Gray was gone, leaving a thoroughly baffled Lucy. Well, as long as they had a handle on whatever was going on out there, Lucy figured she could wait in here a few minutes. There was even a nice cushioned bench to sit on. Perhaps one of the other men had caused some trouble during the dance, Lucy mused. Or maybe some other altercation broke out?

Though there was no clock, Lucy guessed it had been at least ten or fifteen minutes by the number of songs that had played. She stood to exit the alcove, hoping to find some answers. Her original idea of higher ground to scout out Levy proved correct: she found the girl in minutes. Going over to her, she loosed the questions that had been stewing in her mind during her miniature exile.

“Levy, what happened? Did someone cause a problem? Is everything alright now?”

Levy gave a humph! sound and replied while they maintained their stroll around the room, “Everything is fine now. Next time you want Natsu calmed down, though, do it yourself!”

“Was he very angry already? He seemed like it. Sorry to throw you to the wolves like that.”

“An angry Natsu is not a rational Natsu. He didn’t accept the fact the man didn’t know who you were, since you’re wearing a mask and all, but that wasn’t good enough for him. He almost lost it!”

“Was Erza the one who calmed him down? And what do I have to do with any of this?”

“He didn’t stop shaking until the dance was over, but we managed to keep him between us the entire time.” Levy stopped walking to meet her friend’s eyes. “You danced with him, that’s what you have to do with it.”

“Yes. I did dance with someone,” Lucy verified. This was not new information to her. “In fact, I think most people were probably watching.”

“You did really well, by the way. Your dress really matched the dance, too, with the way it swirled and flicked around,” Levy complimented. “I take it you had lessons before?”

“It was my favorite dance, actually,” Lucy smiled. “And he was actually a really good partner. I was impressed with his leading.”

“And I with your following,” came a voice behind the girls. They jumped in surprise and turned to find Lucy’s dance partner. Levy’s eyes immediately became cautious, darting about as if searching for someone. Lucy wondered yet again what was happening.

“Thank you, sir,” Lucy accepted his compliment with a bow of her head.

“My name is Theodore Lawrence,” he said bluntly. “There, you know who I am. I’ll give you my address, too, if you’d like more information about me.”

Lucy’s hands came up before her. “Um, no, thank you, that’s quite alright.”

“You know my name now,” Theodore went on. “Might I ask if you are Miss Lucy of Fairy Tail?”

Lucy merely smiled, unsure of whether or not she should actually respond. She knew she technically blew her cover when she showed her guild mark, but perhaps they could still keep things hush-hush enough to get their reward money after this.

Levy, however, jumped in at this point, pushing the lot of them into another little curtained alcove much like the one she’d been in before. This one, though, was only half closed off. “Listen, if you know that, then you don’t want to do anything rash.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Whether you’re here working, or here as a guest, I don’t really care. It’s obvious you’ve been trained as a lady, from the way you walk, dance, and comport yourself. You deserve to be here.”

Once again, Levy broke in, lifting her forefinger in a “hold on a minute” gesture. “You should be very careful, sir.”

Theodore turned his smile on Levy. “Really, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone about you either, if that’s what’s worrying you.”

“Actually, no, I’m more concerned for you,” Levy said truthfully.

“What? Why?” Lucy demanded.

“Please, let me say what I came to say,” Theodore said, not allowing Levy to answer. Lucy was getting frustrated, but bit her tongue in hopes that what he said might answer some of these riddles. “If you heard me defaming your guild, I apologize. I was unaware they had one such as yourself in their ranks.”

“That wasn’t much of an apology towards the guild,” Lucy pointed out.

“One dance, though excellently done, is not enough to entirely convince me of Fairy Tail’s civility.”

Lucy was peeved now, just peeved.

“The way your red dress swirled, your golden hair gleamed, your warm brown eyes sparkled, the way your whole being emitted light during that dance, it was like fire. You were like a flame, flickering. And I’ve always been attracted to fire, you know, its beauty and power.”

Though disapproving his slight against her guild, Lucy was not immune to such pretty lines, and felt herself blushing lightly. She heard growling again, the same growl as before. She secretly agreed with the growl, and wished she could produce such a menacing sound herself for when she was angry.

“So, pretty little flame, how about another dance to clear your guild’s name?” Theodore offered a hand. When Lucy reached out her hand to accept, the growling increased.

Levy was waving her hands back and forth now. “Hey, hey, let’s not be too hasty.”

Lucy looked past Theodore and saw someone coming very quickly in their direction, with two other individuals trying to put things to right as they followed him. Natsu? Oh, great. Not again. Levy wouldn’t forgive for putting her on angry Natsu duty twice in a row.

“What’s the problem?” Theodore asked. “It’s just a dance.” And then he reached out to cup his hand around Lucy’s chin. “Just a dance. Unless you want it to be more.”

“You’re on your own now,” Levy cautioned, stepping back. “Everyone knows not to do that.”

“To not do what?” Lucy demanded yet again.

“Come along, let’s dance,” Theodore repeated, pulling Lucy closer.

Lucy had just yanked her chin from his grasp when a blur of heat, red, and muscle mass whirled into her field of view. Before she knew what was happening, an arm was wrapped around her waist and she was pulled into a very tight grip against some very tight muscles.

“Touch my girl again, and I’ll roast you alive,” Natsu growled out. He held Lucy close to him with his left arm, his right raised in a threatening fist. Despite thinking his deep voice was remarkably sexy, Lucy intuitively reached out and rested her hand on the raised fist. She knew what kind of damage those fists could do when he was-

Hold on a minute. Natsu just said what now?

“Your girl?” Theodore echoed, not backing off. “Who said she was yours? She was the one who asked me to dance last time. It’s just my turn to do the asking.”

“Everyone knows you don’t do that,” Gray sighed, having made it to the group with Erza.

“Don’t do what?!” Lucy cried.

“Did you not see her dancing? You think you can handle her light, her flame?” Theodore stepped closer to Natsu. Lucy could punch Theodore for all the times he’d started talking when someone should have been answering her questions. “You really think someone like you can tame her?”

“Light and fire go together,” Natsu said. “She doesn’t need taming. She needs to be herself. As long as she’s with fire, she’ll be fine. No need to keep her light cooped up when she could help so many people.”

“And you think you’re the fire?”

“He’s better than that,” Lucy heard her voice say. “He’s my dragon.”

Unlike Lucy and Theodore, no one else seemed surprised to hear her say that. Rather, they all just nodded in agreement.

“Dragon?” Theodore asked.

“What’s wrong? You said you liked fire, didn’t you?” And Natsu’s fist burst into flames with Lucy’s hand right on top of his. It didn’t hurt one bit. “My fire burns only what I allow it to. My flames are my own. They’ll never hurt her. You, on the other hand…”

Theodore took half a step back, then stopped. “Are you honestly with this hoodlum? I don’t believe it. Come along. I’ll save you from that guild and bring you to a world where you can shine.”

And that’s when he made his big mistake, that’s when he walked forward and put his hand on her forearm. He was on the ground with a smoldering patch on the front of his suit before Lucy could blink.

“Everyone knows not to do that,” Levy repeated.

“Do what?” Lucy begged to know.

Erza sighed. “Well, there’s no helping what’s happened. At least Natsu didn’t burn down the room.”

“Yeah, who knew he had that kind of restraint,” Gray quipped.

Natsu’s low growl filled the room, as he pulled Lucy closer to him. Levy saw potential disaster rear its all-too-familiar face, and moved to avert it preemptively. “Well, we’ll just take him somewhere he can rest for a while, then find the others and give them an update. Lucy, you calm him down, okay?”

As Erza slung the unconscious man up and over her shoulder like some bag of potatoes, she nodded to the others. “He was fairly warned.”

“Yeah, everyone knows not to do that.” Gray followed Erza and Levy out, kicking the curtain so the alcove was completely closed. “Just wait a while, Lucy, then you can bring him out when he’s calm.” And then his voice was gone.

Natsu’s arm dropped to his side. Lucy looked down at it, then back up to see his eyes searching her face. He wasn’t satisfied, apparently, because he immediately pulled off her mask. She returned the favor, thinking maybe just having that restriction gone would help him cool off. When he just kept staring at her, she remembered what she said and felt highly flustered. She hadn’t planned on announcing anything related to feelings or whatnot this evening. She wasn’t prepared for this! So she looked forward, straight at his chest where her hands were resting, searching for a conversation starter.

“Could you do that again?” she asked, still not looking at him.

“Do what?”

“Let me touch the flames without getting burned.”

“Lucy, no matter when or what, my fire will never burn you. It’s my fire. I control it. You can always feel safe around it.” Natsu put a lot of emphasis on those points, liked he was trying to get a message across.

“Then do it,” Lucy urged.

Natsu chuckled, bringing his fist up to his chest and producing those red and orange flames. She carefully reached out to touch the flickering tongues the danced around his fingers. Wiggling her fingers, she giggled. “It tickles!”

“Yeah, you’re the only one who could say that, though. Most other people would be shouting about now. My fire isn’t some pansy wuss candlestick,” Natsu pouted.

Lucy patted his still burning fingers in a soothing fashion. “I know, I know. Very strong flames. Very strong.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“Since no one’s answering any of my questions, I’m not answering either.”

There was silence for a few moments as they listened to the muffled music and chatter and Lucy played with the fire. They didn’t move from their position, Lucy still pulled close to Natsu, right hand and head rest against his chest and just relaxing there. In her position, she really got a better appreciation of Natsu’s muscles, even if the view was obstructed by wearing two sleeves and a jacket rather than some of his other outfits. He felt strong, solid. Warm. Safe. Secure.

“You really did look beautiful, Luce,” Natsu whispered. “Just like a flame.”

Well, if that weren’t enough to turn a girls’ face into a crimson wash, Lucy didn’t know what would. “Th-thank you,” she replied, whispering as well.

A pause. Then Natsu spoke again. “Did you mean it?”

“Mean what?” Lucy thought that she might be able to get through this without having to embarrass herself too much. But maybe it was just time to accept the facts of her growing feelings for this hooligan of hers.

The fire went up higher, and Lucy’s gaze followed it until it was right in front of Natsu’s face. It went out, leaving Natsu to lower his hand with a grin. “If I’d known how easy I could keep your attention on me, I’d have shown you that trick a long time ago.”

“Heh?” Lucy blushed again.

“I meant it,” Natsu said in a firm voice.

“About showing me the trick? How long have you been able to do that?”

“About you being my girl.”

Lucy found herself unable to look away from his eyes, despite the fact that she desperately wished to hide her entirely stained face. She didn’t know what to say, just that she couldn’t avoid this any longer.

“I don’t like it when other guys touch you. I really don’t like it when other guys hit on you. And I hate it when someone threatens to take you away from me.”

“I won’t,” Lucy assured him.

“Won’t what?”

“I won’t leave you. Never willingly. It seems I get taken away often enough, but I’m working on that. I’m getting stronger every day, you know. You won’t always have to come fetch me!” She spoke with confidence, surprised her voice wasn’t shaking.

“I will.”

“Will what?”

“I will come fetch you. I won’t let someone just take you away from me.” He hesitantly put his hand on her cheek. It was warm from the flames, or maybe that was just him, or maybe it was her flushed face. Whichever the reason, it was a pleasant sensation. Was his face this warm?

“Lucy, the future is-“ Natsu stopped talking when she touched his cheek, brushing her fingers lightly over his skin, trailing along his jawline to his chin. He tried to speak again. “Did you mean it?”

“Mean what?” she asked as her fingers started moving again, this time skimming along his nose and tracing along the outside of his lips, prompting a quick breath of sensation.

“Am I your dragon?”

Lucy shrugged, now running her index finger over his lips. They were warm, too. “I suppose light and fire really do go together. Having a fire dragon is really just an upgrade from-“

Natsu’s lips really were warm. Deliciously so. He’d moved so quickly, her fingers were caught between their chins as their lips were locked together. Natsu fixed that by taking her hand into his, then angling his head to bring her closer. Lucy liked Natsu’s kisses. Warm lips, strong, not too wet or too hard. His hair was pretty nice too, and his neck muscles. As for his hands, they were okayed as well, especially the way his fingers worked their way under her up-do to give her that nice massage. Breathing? That was just overrated.

Unfortunately, air was air, and the two separated. Natsu looked at his girl, at his light, and smiled. “I love you, you know.”

“Good. Because you’re so warm, and I get cold so easily. Now I’ll be comfortable all year round no matter what I wear. I could wear my bathing suit in January, and I’d still be warm!”

“You use a dragon as a personal space heater?”

“I’ll pay you in kisses,” Lucy bargained. “Kisses and light and love.”

And when he smiled that wonderfully crooked fanged grin on his, Lucy decided she loved the fact that she was once again at a ball after all this time. She was glad she was here not as a guest, but a working mage. She was glad she had this friend, this love in her life. She was glad she was strong enough to dance with an irritating and rude man so that she could know what everyone else had known all along: light and fire belonged together.

But everyone else knowing something reminded her of that very persistent, unanswered question:

“Everyone knows not to do what, Natsu?”

“Silly,” Natsu laughed, giving her another kiss. “Everyone knows not to mess with Natsu’s girl.”

Since he’d finally answered the question, Lucy rewarded him with a kiss. Since it had been a longstanding question, it only made sense that the kiss reflected that fact. Since Natsu loved her, he deserved another kiss. Since she loved him, she figured she deserved two kisses for that. And since they loved each other, they didn’t leave the alcove for a rather long time. Lucy just hoped she would still get her cut of the reward money.

Because she definitely wasn’t paying her landlady with kisses.

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#game 2 entry

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#game 2 entry