Chapter Text
Natsu Dragneel had been living in Magnolia his whole life. His family owned the same 2 story house with the large fenced in yard at the end of a dead end street since he father had adopted him and his older brother Zeref and finally Wendy. Their adopted father Igneel was a kind and loving man. He put his family above everything. He loved his 3 children and treated them all like they were his own. Natsu and Zeref had lost their birth parents to a car accident and luckily Igneel had taken them in and made them fill what was missing for them. Wendy was the daughter of a friend of Igneel's who had passed from an illness, Igneel had brought the little girl home and the two young boys had fallen in love. They all adored Wendy and admittedly spoiled her. Natsu and Zeref both took their big brother duties seriously even as they all got older. Zeref had recently moved into his own apartment closer to his job at the hospital, finishing his residency and hopefully would be hired on for a permanent position soon. Natsu had followed their fathers footsteps and went into public service working as a firefighter while Igneel worked as a detective for the local police. Wendy was in her final year of high school and had made them all proud of her top marks in all her classes.
Natsu had noticed that their was a moving truck parked in the drive of the house closest to his own. He seen movers bringing in furniture and boxes in the whole weekend. Natsu went on his early morning run as usual curious about the new neighbors. He just hope they were nice people like the old neighbors. Focusing on his run Natsu went on his way not noticing the blue mini cooper parking in front of the house. A pretty long haired blonde exited the car and was followed by a small white dog following her. "Well Plue what do you think of our new home?" said the women while looking up at her new home. Walking up the front walk and entering the home. The excited dog ran from room to room sniffing around the new house excitedly. "Guess I should start unpacking before Levy gets here" she said before opening the first box and getting to work.
Natsu ran back onto his street keeping his pace before stopping in front of the house beside his. Seen the blue car in the driveway spiked his interest. Shrugging he continued the small distance to his own home. Going for a shower before heading to his job. He could hear Wendy getting ready for school, smiling he went to get himself ready and fed before heading to the fire hall. He dad was still not home from his own shift, he normally worked long hours and was usually gone overnight. With Zeref out of the house it was usually just Natsu and Wendy most days. Finishing his shower quickly he went down to the kitchen and was met with Wendy who was cooking breakfast for the both of them. "Good morning Natsu" Wendy said smiling at her older brother. "Morning Wendy whatcha cooking?" Natsu said pouring himself a cup of coffee. "French toast"Wendy replied plating them both some food. Placing both plates on the table they sat down and started their meal.
Wendy looked out the kitchen window while eating her breakfast. She could she movement from the once empty home beside them. "Oh our new neighbors have finally moved in!" Wendy exclaimed in a excited tone causing Natsu to jump in his seat since he wasn't expecting such a sound so early in the morning. "Wendy sensitive ears remember" he said covering his now ringing ears. Giving his sister a stern look before speaking " Yeah I seen a car in the driveway when I came back from my run earlier." Wendy's eyes brightened with the excitement of a possible new friend. "Looks like it a woman, Do you think she will be nice?" Wendy said musing to herself, Natsu could tell his sister was more talking to herself at this point so he didn't bother to reply instead he finished the last bite of his food before wiping his face and standing up from the table. Checking the time Natsu put his dirty plate in the dishwasher before turning to his sister. "I gotta head out Wendy, I should be home by 6 since I only training today." "Okay I plan on making fire chicken for dinner since dad will be home, have a good day" Wendy said with a small wave to him before he left the kitchen. Grabbing his keys and putting on his boots. Petting Happy who was lounging in the sunlight shining in the hallway. "See you later buddy" he said before walking out into the morning sunlight.
Natsu climbed onto his motorcyle and started it quickly. Putting on his helmet before pulling out onto the street heading toward the lights. He saw a familiar truck pass him before he pulled into traffic. "That looked like Gajeels truck"he thought to himself before turning his focus back to his drive. It was a short drive to the fire hall which was already buzzing with activity. Some of the guys were busy cleaning the 2 firetrucks while others were putting away hoses and cleaning the the bays. Natsu parked his motorcyle in the nearby parking lot before walking the short distance to the fire hall. Waving at a few guys as he went by passing Gray who was rolling hoses who stopped to flip off Natsu when he walked past making Natsu laugh. "Yeah Yeah eff you too Ice prick" he said with a playtone tone. The two were rivals at work but were actually best friends. Always arguing and pulling pranks on one another whenever they got the chance but had each others backs when it mattered most.
"Hows it going fireboy?" Gray asked before placing the newly rolled hoses back in their place. "Not bad enjoyed my days off,how was dinner with Juvia?'' Natsu asked while wiggling his eyebrows at his oldest friend. "It was great until we ran into her ex god that Bora guy really is a piece of work" Gray said with anger evident on his face "Oh shit man that sucks did he bother Juvia again?" "Yeah had to start running his mouth the minute he was her, jackass had her in tears before I made it to the table with our drinks" "She okay now or should we take her to see my dad and make the idiot back off?" Natsu said in a serious tone knowing his friend hated the situation Juvia kept having to deal with. "I will talk to her, she was too upset last night we ended up leaving the restaurant and getting food delivered to my place." "So you didn't get to pop the question yet?" Natus asked in a hushed voice knowing Gray didn't want anyone to hear. "Nope jerk ruined it should just kick his ass and get it over with" Gray said rubbing the back of his neck in frustration.
"Well talk to Juvia and let me know what she wants to do and I will help best I can" Natsu said patting Gray on the shoulder before heading toward Makarov's office. "Hey old man I'm here" Natsu said walking in the chiefs office. Seeing the small older man seated at his desk filling out paperwork. "Natsu my boy good morning raise any hell on your day off?" Makarov asked giving Natsu a smile. "Naw I was good just worked out and rested" Natsu replied while looking around at the all photos on the walls. "Boy if I was young again I'd take advantage of it" giving Natsu a knowing look. "You know me old man I'm not that kind of guy, well I should get to it before Erza finds me" Natsu said giving Makarov a wave before heading back to the common area. Getting himself busy before the Captain tracked him down.
Lucy was unpacking like a madwoman hoping to get a good start before Levy showed up. Soon their was a hard knock at the door causing Plue to start barking infront of the front door. "Oh Plue no need to be so loud" she said before opening the door. There stood Levy and her new husband Gajeel Redfox. Both women gave an excited squeal before hugging one another making Gajeel cover his ears. "Damn Bunny girl do you gotta be so loud?" "Sorry sweetie" Levy said giving her husband that look that always made him melt. "Don't worry about it shrimp I know you are excited, you girlies chat while I go move some heavy stuff" He said before giving his new bride a quick peck on the forehead before disappearing into the house. "Oh Lu I'm so happy your finally here We haven't seen you since the wedding" Levy said still hugging Lucy tightly. Lucy tried to pull away from the bluenette smiling down at her dear friend. "Levy that was only 2 months ago" Lucy said laughing at her small friend. "I know but I still missed you and knowing you were going to move here made me super impatient I think I've been driving poor Gajeel nuts" Levy said with a sweet smile knowing her husband didn't really mind. "Lets get you unpacked". Both woman grabbing a box before getting to work getting Lucy's new home in order.
"So Lu have you been able to find a job yet?" Levy asked while they unpacked her kitchen. "The local paper is accepting application for writing staff so I sent my resume over but who knows if I will hear from them." Lucy said not letting her friend see how stressed out she was over this job search. "You could always just finish that book of yours and sell it to a publisher" Levy said poking her friend in the side "You know its not done yet Levy" Lucy said feeling her cheeks heat up. "I know but I just wanna read it all finished I know its going to be amazing". Lucy had been writing her novel since university but never felt like it was good enough no matter how many times Levy had edited it, she just never felt like it was done. This move was suppose to give Lucy so inspiration so she could put the finishing touches on it. "I promise as soon as its perfect you will be the first one to read it Levy". Making the blue haired woman smile. "You know Lu I could always get you a job at my bookstore? Its not anything amazing but I could use the help" Levy said giving her friend a happy smile. "Oh Levy that would be great! Thank you". Both woman unpack and organized the whole kitchen before Gajeel can back covered in sweat and dust. "Can you order some grub Bunny girl? I'm starving" Gajeel said wiping his face with a dish towel. "Sure thing any suggestions?" "Fairy Tail is the best restaurant around Levy can order if you go grab it? Our treat" "Okay" Lucy said smiling at the dark haired man smirking at her.
Lucy grabbed their lunch and brought it back quickly meeting a very nice woman who ran the restaurant named Mira. She even gave Lucy a strawberry milkshake on the house as a welcome to the town. "Wow you guys weren't kidding about this food its amazing" Lucy said finishing her fish tacos . They were delicious and tasted super fresh. Levy was having a veggie burger and sweet potato fries while Gajeel ate his double bbq burger and fries in record time. "Mira can make just about anything. Her and her siblings run Fairy tail but its owned by her fiance Laxus Dreyer's family". "Well I will for sure be making myself a regular there" Lucy said enjoying the last fry on her plate. "Hey shrimp I gotta head to the shop for a bit, you cool to stay here for a bit? I should be done by dinner I need to have a meeting with the guys about the new hire." "No problem I will help Lu finish up, Love ya" Levy said placing a kiss on her husbands lips. "See you later Bunny girl" Gajeel said before heading out.
"I swear Levy that man worships the ground you walk on" Lucy said a bit jealous of her friend. "Well I do spoil him" Levy said with a sly grin which made Lucy blush. The two woman small talked and unpacked the rest of the boxes before Gajeel returned. Levy and him left soon after since both had to work the next day leaving Lucy alone with Plue. Lucy was just loading her dishwasher when she heard her phone ring seeing Loke's picture on the screen the blonde hit the talk button. "Hey Princess hows my girl doing?" making Lucy roll her eyes "Loke you know if Aries heard you say that she would be sad" she said teasing her friend knowing hearing this would send him into a panic "She knows we are just friends. So hows the new place?" He asked changing the subject. "The place is perfect thanks again for helping me find it" "No problem Lucy we will have to come see you soon as your all settled" "I'd love for you both to come visit and I even have a spare room for you" Lucy said excited to have the space for one of her oldest friends. "Aries would love that too she misses you already, I better let you go Aries just walking in talk to you soon bye" "Tell Aries I say hello" Before she hung up.
Lucy was just getting out of the shower when she heard her doorbell go off. The sound sending Plue into a bark fest. Dressing quickly Lucy walked down the stairs and toward her front door. Through the glass she could see it was a teenage girl with long dark blue hair. Opening the door smiling at the girl before her. "Hello I'm Wendy Dragneel I live next door and I wanted to introduce myself" Wendy said extending her hand to the blonde before her. "I'm Lucy Heartfelia nice to meet you." Lucy said shaking the teens hand. "My dad and brothers are working so I figured I should come say hi, are you all moved in now?" Wendy asked curious about the woman before her. "Yeah I had some friends over today and got it pretty much finished, would you like to come in, Oh this is Plue" Lucy said pointing at the little white dog running around the entry way. "Oh he is so cute I would love to come in but I need to get home and start dinner....Um Lucy would you like to join us for dinner?" Wendy asked before looking down at her feet afraid that Lucy would decline. "I'd love to Wendy" Lucy said not wanting to disappoint the girl. "Really perfect whenever your ready come on over, We are the house with the red shutters right beside you, see you soon" Wendy said her smile beaming so brightly. Lucy nodded and waved goodbye deciding to get ready quickly to help the teen cook the meal.
When Wendy got home she texted her family
"We are having company for dinner so be on your best behavior"
Wendy went to change out of her school uniform. Stopping to feed Carla and Happy before grabbing all the ingredients for dinner. The Dragneel Family's Fire chicken was legendary for being full of spices and flavor. Wendy hoped that Lucy like spicy food or she could just make hers at the normal spice level. Wendy heard a know and checked her phone to see who was at the front door from the front camera seeing it was Lucy Wendy unlocked the door and yelled "come in its unlocked". Lucy opened the door and followed the noise until she found Wendy cutting up peppers in the kitchen. "Welcome to our home Lucy, I forgot to ask do you like spicy food? We tend to eat it really spicy but I can make yours the normal level if you would like" Wendy said with a smile. "Normal level would probably be best I like spice but I'm thinking that would be too much for me" Lucy said looking at the amount of peppers the girl was chopping. "No problem do you mind making the salad for ?" "Of course I can" Lucy said and began getting everything ready.
Both women worked side by side happily chatting while preparing dinner. A little after 6 they heard the front door open. They were soon joined by a tired looking man dressed in doctor scrubs with dark hair. He smiled at his sister and gave Lucy a curious look "Oh hello I forgot Wendy said we were having a company, I'm Zeref nice to meet you" he said extending his hand and shaking Lucys. "Lucy Heartfelia I just moved in next door" "Well welcome to the Magnolia" he said with a sleepy smile "Wendy I'm gonna go wash up real quick" Zeref said before leaving the kitchen. He returned shortly after looked much refreshed and offering his help to the two women. "You can set the table and get drinks please" Wendy said while putting the finishing touches on their dinner. Lucy placed the freshly made salad on the table before returning the help Wendy.
By 6:30 they all were placing food on the table when the front door opened followed by heavy footstep soon revealing a tall redheaded man with a smile on his face at the sight of 2 of his children. "Smells good Wendy and Zeref happy to see you home" turning his gentle mahogany eyes on Lucy made his whole face light up. "Oh hello I don't think we have met before I'm Igneel Dragneel" he said before giving Lucy a unexpected hug catching Lucy off guard. "Sorry I'm a hugger" Igneel said with a laugh. "I'm Lucy Heartfelia I just bought the house next door" Lucy replied smiling at the large man in front of her. "Guess Natsu still isn't home yet?"Igneel asked his children. "No but he should be any minute daddy" Wendy said before giving her father a hug. Even Zeref got up to hug his father. Lucy was a bit jealous of this close knit family. They all sat down at the table making small chat waiting for the last Dragneel to arrive. Right at 7 they heard heaving footsteps running across the porch before the front door was flung open. "I'm here" a voice yelled from the front room before a man with bright pink hair camed into view. He was a handsome man with a mischievous grin with bright green eyes. He took his seat greeting his family before setting his gaze on Lucy who had just accepted her plate full of delicious food passed to her by Wendy. "Hi I'm Natsu and you are?" He said looking directly in Lucy's eyes. "Umm I'm Lucy Heartfelia I just moved in next door" Lucy said stammering a little trying to get her answer without sounding like his presence effected her.
The other 3 Dragneels gave each other knowing looks. Watching Natsu pay attention to any woman was comically usually but this seemed different. Usually woman threw themselves at him but Natsu never seemed to notice them but here he was looking this woman straight in the eye and smiling brightly at the blonde sitting across from him. "Well its great to meet you Luce if you need any help getting settled be sure to let us know" he said before taking a bite of his favorite meal. Igneel turned his attention to Lucy as well "So Lucy do you have any family or friends here?" He asked while Lucy took a bite of her meal. Swallowing before speaking Lucy wiped her mouth and spoke "Actually my friend Levy lives her with her husband Gajeel" this made the whole table stop mid bite to stare at her. Before Igneel finally spoke after giving a laugh "Oh you know Redfox thats my nephew and his wife Levy is a wonderful girl". "Lucy I can't believe you know Gajeel and Levy" Wendy said with a smile ,"We had to miss their wedding due to our jobs but I wish I would of went now so we could of met". "Natsu was suppose to be the best man but him and Gajeel got into it like usual so he had to step down" Zeref said while shaking his head. " It would of been nice to meet you all before but I'm happy to meet you all now" Lucy replied smiling at the family before her. " We are happy to meet you too Luce" Natsu said cheerfully. "Lets eat!" Igneel said loudly. Causing to rest to dig into their meals enjoying the delicious meal.
After dinner Lucy stayed for a little while to get to know this lively family. Enjoying their stories and company too much to go home. Zeref had to leave since he had a 4am wake time. At 9 oclock Natsu offered to walk Lucy the short walk home. Neither notice the looks his father and sister gave each other before saying their goodbyes to their new friend. Lucy promising to cook for them at her place next time before leaving the house. Walking the short walk to her place Natsu and her chatted. "So Luce how'd you like the Dragneel family dinner? Bit loud right?" he asked with a smile. "I loved it so different from how my family does it" Lucy said unlocking her door. "Oh good figured we scared you off" he said rubbing his neck without looking at her. "No I adore them all" "Good wouldn't want you to want to leave already". "Well I like it too much here to leave so soon" Lucy said smiling at Natsu. "Guess I should let you get to bed, Let get together soon Luce I can introduce you to some of my friends. They will like you just as much as I do" Natsu said before give Lucy a wave before turning and heading back to his house. "Good night" Lucy said before heading into her house.
Getting herself ready for bed she thought about her evening. She had never felt so welcome into a home before even in her home growing up. Oh how she wished she had a family like the Dragneels. They seemed so loving and close making her envy their bone. Feeling her eyes start to droop Lucy let sleep overtake her. Letting herself dream about the family she always wanted. Maybe one day she would have a family like that.
***Readers I will try to update this story at least twice a week*****