The greatest gift Ты can give to others is the gift of unconditional Любовь and acceptance. ~ Brian Tracy
The morning rays peered through Lucy's window as she slept in her bed. As the light gently caressed her face, the blonde wrinkled her nose cutely at the intrusion. Finally realizing that she wasn't going to go back to sleep, Lucy opened her eyes to greet the new day.
She stretched her limbs and when she heard a satisfying pop, Lucy dropped them and was fully awake. The Stellar Spirit mage stared out of the window for a moment to admire the serenity of Magnolia. Not for the first time, she was very happy that she was a mage of Fairy Tail.
Lucy removed the light covers that she used for the warm summer months. Normally, she started her день with a light bath to remove the sweat of the night. But today, she made a detour to her стол письменный, стол to check her calendar.
Today is June 29th, X792.
She frowned a bit. It was getting close to that day.
July 1
Lucy realized that that дата was fast approaching... her birthday. She would be 18 years old. (Actually, she should be 25 but she had Остаться в живых 7 years due to the events on Tenrou Island.) Lucy never did like celebrating her birthday. It wasn't that she had an aversion to getting old. There was a very specific reason.
When she was a little girl and her birthday came around, Lucy had made a riceball for her father. She just wanted him to spend some time with her for her birthday. But Jude Heartfilia chased her off, telling her that he had work to do. She cried immensely.
From then on, Lucy never was happy when her birthday came around. Sure, the servants in her mansion gushed over how beautiful she was becoming или how much she reminded them of her mother. The young lady would smile but never feel happy.
Years would pass and her hurt would turn into a dull ache. When Lucy turned sixteen, she remarked the день as if it where any other day. Lucy's seventeenth birthday, she spent on her adventure. Under the stars, she made a wish. She wished for a change in her life.
A couple of days later, Lucy met a whirlwind of change in the form of a pink-haired Dragon Slayer named Natsu Dragneel.
Lucy would have never thought that that guy would become anything еще than a friend but she would have been wrong. Natsu was now her boyfriend, her boyfriend of almost five weeks. Lucy smiled. Although the start of their romantic relationship was... unorthodox to say the least, they were together now and that's all that mattered.
Lucy headed into the bath and performed her ablutions. After drying herself off, she wrapped a towel around her body, making sure that this time it was tied tight. The Stellar Spirit mage didn't want a repeat of last time. Just the thought of last time made her shiver... in a good way. Lucy shook her head. If she thought on that, she'd never get dressed.
Lucy opened her closet. Today she was feeling reserved, so she picked out a light white sleeveless рубашка and a light green юбка that went down to her knees. She also chose some soft heel shoes, a choice made because her boyfriend Natsu (it still felt weird saying that) always dragged her around магнолия to do stuff. But, in all honesty, she wouldn't have it any other way.
Now fully dressed and equipped with her whip and keychain that housed the keys of her Spirits, Lucy gave herself a onceover in the mirror. Winking at her reflection, she knew she looked good.
"I look pretty good today." She сказал(-а) to the reflection.
"You sure do."
Lucy jumped at the voice. She turned around to see Natsu crouching on her windowsill smiling. Perched on the Dragon Slayer's shoulders was his feline companion, Happy.
"Natsu." She shrieked. "Use the front door. It's why I gave Ты the key."
Natsu gave her a childish grin. "But it's еще fun this way, Luce." He told her as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Yeah, Lucy's expressions are the best." Happy chimed in.
Lucy sighed. She would have thought that being Natsu's girlfriend would have changed his barging in on her. But when they started being boyfriend and girlfriend, she was surprised to see that not much changed in their relationship. They still went on missions together. He still barged into her apartment without permission. They were still the best of friends. Really, the only thing that changed is how they would describe themselves to others. (Well, there was still some of the perks that came with being in a relationship: dates, kisses, and the like.) Nothing major changed. For that, she was grateful.
Natsu jumped off the windowsill and moved in close to Lucy. He leaned in for a kiss. She granted it to him. It was a quick peck, not one of those searing kisses that left her weak in the knees, begging for more.
"Morning, Luce." Natsu murmured against her lips.
(Oh, did I mention that Natsu started calling her Luce now? This happened right after the start of their relationship. Rarely would he call her Lucy that was usually when they were on a mission. He didn't want anyone else to think that calling her Luce was okay. Luce was his name for her and no one else's.)
"Good morning, Natsu." She whispered softly.
Happy flew off of Natsu's shoulder. Lucy held open her arms and embraced the Exceed.
"Morning, Lucy." He chirped happily.
"Good morning to you, Happy." She responded.
Lucy then turned to Natsu. "So what's on the agenda today?" She asked.
"Wanna go to the guild to see if there are any good missions?" Natsu asked.
"Sure. I could use the extra jewels." She answered. "That way, I can have some money put aside for Далее month's rent."
"I'm all fired up." Natsu shouted his catchphrase.
"Ayesir." Happy answered with his.
Lucy giggled. Nothing has changed at all.
To tell the truth, she was hoping for a long mission with Natsu to forget about her upcoming birthday. She had no desire to be in town to celebrate. The blonde mage didn't want anyone going overboard for her sake. In any case, being with Natsu and Happy on an adventure was a far better present than anyone can gave her.
There was a knock at her door. Lucy turned to the door. Natsu regarded this noise curiously. Taking a whiff of the air, he could smell that the scent of the knocker was no one he knew.
"Who is it?" Lucy asked.
"Delivery, ma'am." The voice answered.
Lucy was cautious. She wasn't concerned that the voice may try something. She was a mage. Plus Natsu was there as well. The two of them could handle anything. However, it didn't hurt to be cautious.
"Delivery from who?" She asked without hesitancy.
"It says Migdalia Heartfilia." The voice responded.
"Auntie?" She whispered.
Why would her aunt send her something? It's been almost 10 years since they've seen each other. So why now?
Lucy opened the door. A man in brown pants and хаки, khakis smiled at her. "Well, good morning, miss." The man winked, putting on a charm that Lucy felt was so superficial. "I've got a big package for you."
Lucy bristled. Did he actually use that line on her? Does that ever work on any girl, she wondered.
"Hey Lucy, who is it?" Natsu's voice rang out from behind her. He stood Далее to her, observing the man at the door.
The delivery guy's face fell. "Delivery man." The guy mumbled and handed Lucy a non-descript box. He then gave her a pad and asked her to sign for the package.
Lucy signed and then closed the door with the package in her hand. She placed it on her desk.
"So what's in the box?" Natsu asked excitedly. "Is it something good?"
"Yeah, it could be fish." Happy chirped. "You should open it."
Lucy glowered a bit at the duo. "It's my package and they are the ones excited." She deadpanned.
Taking great care not to just rip it open, Lucy used a letter opener to cut the tape on the box so she could open it properly. She reached in the box. The blonde moved the Styrofoam Peanuts inside until she felt something spherical. With a delicate touch, Lucy lifted the object. Natsu and Happy both shared looks of excitement.
She pulled out a dark red glass sphere that was attached to a base. Natsu and Happy stared dumbfounded.
"It's a glass ball." Happy whined, totally deflated.
"What a gyp." Natsu quipped.
Lucy glared at them. "It's not a glass ball." She explained, a little miffed as if they were the ones receiving the gift. She took a good look at the sphere and recognized it for what it was. "It's a magic viewing sphere. It's called the holosphere for short." She explained.
"What's that, Lucy?" Happy asked.
Lucy smiled. "How about I Показать you?"
She put her hand on the holosphere and poured a little magic into it.
"Ballet." She whispered to the sphere.
The holosphere flashed many colors. Then a light shined from the top. The light widened out until it reached the ceiling of her cozy apartment. Inside the light, two figures, a man and a woman, were dancing a ballet. Музыка then could be heard coming from the sphere. The figures danced to the music.
Natsu and Happy stood entranced by the scene. Lucy just smiled.
"That is so cool." Natsu yelled.
"Aye" was Happy's reply.
"You've never seen one before?" Lucy asked.
The two shook their heads.
"Well, this is how it works." Lucy enlightened. "You put your hand to the sphere and place a little magic in it." She glanced at Natsu. "A little magic." She growled at the Dragon Slayer, who noticeably jumped up at the tone. "Then Ты say a word and the holosphere shows Ты the image."
Happy laughed. "Lucy, can I try?" He asked.
"Just be gentle with it." She chided softly.
Happy put a hand to the sphere and poured a little of his magic in it. "Fish." He said.
Lucy blanched. "How did I know he would say that?"
The holosphere shined a light from the top. Now, Обои of рыба could be seen swimming on Lucy's ceiling.
"Oooh. Fish." Happy squealed and shot up to the ceiling to catch one of the fish. But Happy's head met with the wood from the ceiling.
"It's just an image, Happy." Lucy smiled. "It's not real."
Happy just rubbed his head.
Natsu laughed. "Okay. My turn." He put his hand to the holosphere. "I want to see Igneel." He asked the sphere.
But this time, no light came out. Nothing shone. Basically, it just stood there.
"What gives?" He asked Lucy.
"The holosphere only shows things that are in its memory." Lucy told him. "I don't think it can Показать anything specific."
Natsu's face fell a bit. "Too bad."
Lucy frowned. She knew how special Igneel is to him. "Natsu." She murmured.
Natsu then smiled that childish grin of his. "Aw well!" He shrugged his shoulders. "I'd rather see the real Igneel anyways."
Lucy smiled with him.
"Natsu." Happy flew in front of him. "We should get one of these."
"You're right. Luce, how much do one of these things go for?" He asked.
Lucy chuckled in embarrassment. "They start at around 30 million jewels?" She answered.
"Ehhhh?" The twosome yelled, completely deflated.
"But Ты don't have to get one for yourselves." She quickly countered. "You can use mine as long as Ты don't break it."
Natsu and Happy's eyes sparkled. "Thank you, Lucy." They both shouted.
Natsu scooped up Lucy in a hug and spun her around while Happy grabbed onto one of her shoulders. The blonde blushed at Natsu's close proximity but welcomed the embrace. "Luce is the best girlfriend ever." The Dragon Slayer laughed, causing her blush to be еще pronounced.
After Natsu set her down, he then regarded her with a curious look. "But why would your aunt give Ты such an expensive gift?" He asked.
Although Lucy's face was in neutral, internally she sweated. The blonde realized right after she opened the gift and saw what was inside why she was дана the gift. It was a birthday gift. It was unfortunate that she got it while Natsu was here. The Stellar Spirit mage didn't want Natsu to feel obligated to get her something for her birthday. In fact, she didn't want to celebrate it at all. So many memories...
"I guess she gave it to me because we haven't seen each other in such a long time" was Lucy's answer and it wasn't far from the truth.
Natsu just shrugged. The reason really didn't matter to him. "Whatever. Now come on and let's go to the guild. I bet there are some really good missions today." Natsu pumped his fist.
"I hope so." Lucy smiled.
Happy nudged Lucy gently. "Lucy, can I have the box so I can store my fish."
"Sure." Lucy responded.
Happy took the box and flew out of the window. "I'll see Ты two later. I'm going to drop this at the house."
With that, Happy was off.
Natsu and Lucy were now alone. He touched her fingertips with his own. The blonde blushed. Natsu leaned in and captured Lucy's lips. She quivered in pleasure as they kissed.
When they first kissed for the first time on that night, they were sloppy and uncoordinated. And yet, Natsu still took her breath away with these. Now, after weeks of practice, they got into a rhythm. His kisses seared her very soul.
"Come on, Natsu." Lucy whispered. "If we don't go, all of the good missions will be taken."
Natsu whined like a child whose toy was taken away from him. "Fine."
With that, Natsu and Lucy felt for the guild.
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The Fairy Tail guild's door opened wide and allowed Natsu and Lucy to enter. With their victory in the Grand Magic Games over six months ago, Fairy Tail won the 30 million jewels. With that, they were able to purchase back the land under their first guild. The Феи fixed up the building to the way it was before the Tenrou Island.
The couple surveyed the scene in the guild. Mira was behind the bar, cleaning glasses. Erza was at one of the tables, eating some клубника cake. Macao and Wakaba were talking about the old days. Cana was drinking so early in the morning. Team Shadow Gear were deciding on taking a mission. Gray and Juvia were at a table, eating and talking.
Gray and Juvia.
These two had become a couple during the Grand Magic Games. They were very happy together. Gray smiled a lot еще and Juvia was less obsessive. Lucy was very happy for them.
"Come on, Lucy." Natsu guided her to the mission board. "Let's pick something."
They were about to get there when Happy came bursting through the door. "Natsu, Natsu." He shouted.
Natsu's face turned into a frown. "What's the matter?"
"I need to talk to Ты now." Happy looked very serious.
"What's the matter?" He asked, very concerned.
"What's wrong?" Lucy was very worried.
"Something's wrong at the house." Happy cried.
"Really?" He wondered. "Alright, I'll head over."
"I'll go with you." Lucy added.
"Nah. It's Natsu's mess." Happy giggled. "He needs to clean it up. His girlfriend shouldn't have to clean up after him."
With that, Natsu and Happy left the guild, leaving Lucy with a stunned look on her face.
"What was that about?" She wondered.
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Natsu and Happy raced towards the house. When they were inside, Natsu huffed. "There's no mess here."
Happy flew to the box that he got from Lucy. He went digging through the Peanuts and found a letter. The blue Exceed handed the letter to Natsu who read it aloud.
My dearest niece Lucy,
I hope that my gift reaches Ты and that Ты are well.
I am so sorry for the loss of your father. He was always so worried about you.
I know that your birthday will be in two days by the time Ты get this but I've been having issues of my own so I sent it to Ты early.
I hope that the first of July gives Ты great joy.
Your aunt
Migdalia
Natsu held the letter in his hand, thunderstruck.
"Lucy's birthday is in two days?" He asked, already knowing the answer. "How come this is the first time I've heard about it?"
Normally Happy would have a snarky remark here but he was just as sad not knowing about it.
"Let's go ask Lucy." The Exceed told him.
With renewed vigor, the duo headed back to the guild.
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"What do Ты mean Lucy left?" Natsu asked Mira.
Mirajane smiled. "She went with Levy and Team Shadow Gear on a mission the Далее town over. She should be back tomorrow afternoon."
Natsu frowned. It wasn't like Lucy to go off on a mission without telling him.
"Lucy сказал(-а) that she was sorry to leave without saying goodbye and that she'll make it up to Ты when she gets back." Mira comforted him. "She also сказал(-а) that Ты can go to her apartment to play with the holosphere as long as Ты don't break anything." She added.
Natsu sat at the bar, feeling dejected. Mira patted his shoulder
"You don't have to be worried, Natsu." Mira told him. "It's an easy mission. They are just undoing a hex on a building. Nothing serious. Besides, Lucy's strong."
"I know she is." Natsu replied. "That's not it."
Mira gave Natsu her full attention. "Then what's wrong?" She asked, concerned.
Natsu sighed. "Did Ты know Lucy's birthday is in two days?"
Mira's eyes widened. "Lucy's birthday is in two days?" She repeated. "I wonder why she didn't say anything."
"That's my point." Natsu exclaimed. "How come she didn't say anything to me about it?"
"Maybe she didn't want to make a big deal about it." The barmaid pointed out.
"But it's suppose to be a big deal." Natsu slammed his hands against the counter. "The день of your birth should be a big deal. It should be a happy occasion, a big celebration."
Then Natsu stopped. A big smile crept onto his face.
Mira caught it and smiled as well. "So what are Ты going to do?"
"I need your help." Natsu told her.
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June 30th
Lucy and Team Shadow Gear had returned to магнолия Station via train after their mission was complete. It was hassle free. The Stellar Spirit mage felt a little bad leaving Natsu without so much as a word but he'd understand.
Lucy spied a familiar head of розовый hair in the crowd. She ran towards it.
"Natsu!" She shouted to get his attention.
"Lucy!" He greeted her with a smile. "Welcome back." Natsu then embraced his girlfriend. They were about to Kiss when they heard the voice of their blue-haired friend.
"PDA, Lucy." Levy teased, sticking her tongue out at Lucy.
Lucy blushed and removed herself from his embrace. "Sorry." She laughed in embarrassment.
"How'd the mission go?" He asked. "No, wait. Let's go get some food. I'm hungry." And on cue, Natsu's stomach roared.
"I'm hungry too." She answered. Lucy then turned to Levy. "Levy, Jet, Droy, Ты want to Присоединиться us for dinner?"
Natsu cleared his throat. "Actually, they have to go back at the guild." He told her. "Mira wants them for something."
"That's fine." Levy smiled. "Didn't want to see Ты two make out in front of me anyways." She joked.
Lucy smirked. "Remember what we talked about."
Levy, in turn, blushed. With that, Team Shadow Gear left for the guild.
"So, why did they need to go to the guild?" Lucy asked.
"Mira wanted them. I didn't ask." Natsu replied.
Lucy didn't ask any еще questions, hunger getting the best of her.
Natsu walked her to her apartment after dinner. She was getting tired and was about to knock out. To keep from falling asleep while walking, Lucy engaged her boyfriend in conversation.
"So what happened while I was away?" Lucy asked.
Natsu was never a good liar. He knew that Lucy would catch him if he veered from the truth. But he also didn't want to ruin the surprise. The dragon slayer wanted his girlfriend to be completely caught off guard.
"Oh Ты know. The usual." He drawled. "Me and Gray got into a fight. Erza knocked us over the head."
In truth, that is what happened. But he hid the reason for the fight from her.
"Will Ты two ever grow up?" She giggled. Lucy blinked her eyes as if remembering something. "By the way, where's Happy?" She asked
"He's running an errand." He told her cryptically.
Lucy would have pushed this further but a yawn escaped from her mouth. "Sorry." She sheepishly apologized.
"Nah." Natsu waved it off. "Come on. Let's get Ты to bed."
Natsu helped Lucy, who was starting to doze off, into her apartment. The blonde didn't even bother getting undress. As soon as her body hit the bed, the Stellar Spirit mage was out like a light. Natsu chuckled and kissed her on her forehead.
"Good night, Luce. Sleep well." With that, he let himself out.
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The Далее morning, Lucy got up and stretched. During her stretching, she realized what today is. July 1st, her birthday.
It's odd. For some reason, she didn't feel the dull ache that usually accompanied her birthday. Lucy wondered why.
Completing her morning ritual, she put on some clothes. Today felt like a розовый сарафана, сарафан with спагетти straps kind of day. Lucy twirled around in the dress, feeling happy for some reason.
"Good morning, Luce." Natsu's voice rang out from her window.
"Natsu, can Ты one день please use the door?" She pleaded.
"Doors are a hassle." He smiled. "Now come on, Luce. Let's go to the guild."
Lucy smiled. "This time, let's take a mission together."
Hand in hand, they made the journey to the guild.
"By the way, where's Happy?" She asked.
"He's already at the guild." Natsu answered.
They had arrived at their destination. Natsu pushed the doors open.
Lucy narrowed her eyes. The guild was pitch black. "Natsu, what's going on?"
All of a sudden, the lights turned on.
"SURPRISE." A loud shout reverberated through the guild. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LUCY."
Her guildmates, her nakama clapped as she entered the building.
"How did Ты guys know?" She asked.
Happy took this time to fly up to her. He handed Lucy a letter. "This was in the box that the holosphere was in." He explained. "I'm sorry that we read it."
Tears started to form in Lucy's eyes. "You guys..."
Natsu hugged her with one arm. "We were a little sad when Ты didn't tell us when your birthday was."
Lucy shook her head. "I didn't want to make a big deal out of it."
Erza stood up. "It is a big deal." She told the girl. "You are our nakama, family."
Gray was the Далее to speak. "We are Показ Ты how much Ты mean to Fairy Tail."
Natsu held her firm. "So don't Ты say it isn't a big deal to Ты because it's a big deal to us."
The Stellar Spirit mage was in awe. Lucy then remembered all of the good times that she shared with Fairy Tail, with her family. It truly made her happy. All of the pain that she had once associated with her birthday had left. In its place was this feeling of happiness and acceptance. Once again, it was moments like these that reinforced the idea that she belonged with Fairy Tail.
Master Makarov cleared his throat. "Now that the guest of honor is here, I say we party all день to celebrate Lucy's birthday."
A loud cheer erupted from the guild.
Lucy received many presents from her guildmates. She got a new mirror from Mira, a first edition hard cover book from Levy, some extremely sexy Белье from Cana (She blushed when Cana told her that it was also a present for Natsu as well), two tickets to a resort from Gray and Juvia and many more.
But Lucy's Избранное present was from Natsu. He slipped behind her and put something cool around her neck. She looked down and saw that she was wearing a necklace. Attached to it was a key pendent.
Lucy turned around to see Natsu smile down on her. "Do Ты like it, Luce?" He asked hesitantly. "Because I wasn't too sure what to get you. I mean, I've never..."
But that was all he got out because Lucy kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
After the Kiss was done, Natsu smirked. "I guess that's a yes."
"Of course it is." Lucy smiled.
The rest of the день was spent partying and eating cake. There were games and Пение and all around celebrating.
Lucy fingered the pendant around her neck and smiled.
Best birthday ever.
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Word Count: 4220
So how was that? Loved it? Hate it? Have no strong opinions one way или the other? Leave me a review. Любовь to hear from readers. It takes only two минуты to fill my Входящие with something other than offers for viagra. :-P
And here's a Предварительный просмотр for the Далее chapter
Lucy always worried she was bringing the team down. Her Spirits did all the work. Take away her keys and what was she? That's why she resolved to get stronger. That was the strength of her will.
This might be a hard one. Any guesses to what C word I'm using? Leave them in the review.
Those who've read the секунда chapter of my Gruvia fic already know what Lucy was referring to when she mentions "that time". But I am pretty sure Ты can guess what it is.
Until Далее time
