Trail of a Fairy

21. Binding

 Natsu waited just inside his room. He didn't have to wait a long time before Nashi came barreling into the room behind him. His face was blushed in excitement, and his eyes were wide. He was ready to listen. With a light chuckled, Natsu turned towards his closet. Without a word, he pulled a small box off the top shelf. It was a simple leather box, and a small one at that. Turning towards his son, he opened the box.

"This was Lucy's engagement ring."

"Wow" was all Nashi could say. He watched as the stone glittered in the faint light that was in the room. Nashi itched to pull open the curtains so he could see it all, but he wouldn't turn his gaze away from the ring. Its brilliant blues and subtle reds caught every move of the light. The dark brass metal twisted and turned like branches around an invisible finger, and held the stone in place. It had been polished and cared for very well, and not just in the past. It was still being cared for.

"It's a Dragon's Breath Opal. Do you know what one sells for nowadays, Nashi?"

The little boy shook his head, eyes still focused on what Natsu held.

"I'll make it simple, a lot. Igneel found this when I was young. Much younger than you, or maybe even the twins. That young."

Nashi nodded and looked up to his dad. "And?"

"He said to give it to someone special. I decided that someone was Lucy. And I'd use it to propose to her."

"Did you take mom on a fancy date?"

Natsu sighed. "No. I didn't. We never had a single date before the day I proposed."

Nashi paused, and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "If you never dated, how did you know mom was the one?"

"Through many, many events. Bora's charm was merely the beginning."

"Charm?" Nashi titled his head in curiosity. "What's so special about that charm spell?"

Natsu sighed, and sat himself on his bed. Suddenly, it felt like he was sinking through the mattress. He wished for the days that the uncomfortable ground was his bed, and he slept daily in a hammock.

"Charm, kid, is an illegal magic. One that makes people fall in love with the caster. Bora used it on the girls in Hargeon; including Luce." He sighed, and tried to stop his heart from racing, or from seeing red. Damn Bora.

"Oh. Right." Nashi replied meekly. "But how did Mom get out from that Charm spell?"

"Kid, there are two ways to break a Charm spell. One is realization." Natsu took a glance out the window. The moon was starting to come up. "The other, you can ask Mirajane to explain to you. It's late, and you should go to bed."

Natsu shooed Nashi away and out of his room. The boy didn't go willingly, but he did go in the end. And Natsu breathed a sigh of relief once the door was closed. Groaning, he leaned back to crack his back.

"Ugh... Ah, that's better." He mumbled to himself. Rubbing the back of his neck, Natsu chuckled. It's been a while since I've had this haircut.

But he turned away from the door. Throwing his clothes on the floor, Natsu peeled down to his boxers. They were a ratty old pair, but a pair that Natsu never got rid of. The light blue ones with white wings. Fifteen years. He had left these boxers for fifteen years. He swore he could still smell the flames and woods on them.

Finally, Natsu climbed into the bed. He stayed over to the left, cuddling the pillows on the right side. He breathed deeply, glad for keeping dried lilacs in the pillow. Lilacs. And vanilla. And Lucy.