Chapter Text
Lucy felt her legs screaming at her, body pumping blood through her burning veins. The Leo dress burst to life on her skin as she leapt forward. Light enveloped her fist as she landed a heavy hit on her foe. They slid backwards, feet digging a trench in the ground. She landed by her dear friend and spirit himself, Loke.
“If you’re going to try and hold off a fusion by yourself Loke, you could at least keep an eye on your back”
She heard a soft snort before he risked a quick glance towards her.
"I do apologise Lucy, but I believe I said you should run back to the others"
"And I'm glad I didn't. You'd basically given up on beating him and was just going to tank as much pain as you could to let me regroup. That isn't a plan I was ever going to allow Loke."
He frowned at her, upset she was here in the face of danger. But he should have realised abandoning him wasn't in the cards, she'd felt bad enough when she'd left him to Capricorn all that time ago, she wasn't doing that again. They both turned to their foe, who had shaken off her attack pretty quickly.
Fusion had a rough history. Those in power decided based on their own morals or fears whether to allow it or suppress it. It had been known to drive close partners insane if they suddenly couldn't be together and many fled their country to more open ones. In Fiore, it was a recent allowance, for far too long the likes of the council and others in power had suppressed it, fearing its strength and the unknown. Even though their history dictated that it had once been allowed all over. It was still restricted in some areas and competitions, but it was slowly becoming socially accepted that people can fuse. Guilds on both sides of the law were starting to embrace it, Fairy tail especially enjoyed the understanding and teamwork it fostered between guild members, but it had also made it blatantly obvious that she couldn't fuse. No matter her attempted partnership, it never worked for her. She got by fine enough, she had her whip, her spirits and her dresses. With her recent understanding of how to merge dresses she had become even stronger, but it was still a loss she felt to the depths of her soul.
It hadn't stopped her researching fusion and something she knew was that the better the partnership, the stronger and more balanced the fusion. People who were at each other's throats would make disjointed fusions, unable to meet their full potential, but still arguably stronger than one person alone. So, still an adequate challenge for her, even if that was what she was currently looking at.
Two of her foes had come together to create a hulking monster of a man. He towered over them and was clearly all about brute strength if his muscles were any indication, but he seemed to be currently arguing with himself and therein lied his clear weakness. The two who had fused couldn't agree on a plan or even a way of fighting. Their attacks were powerful, but it relied on them actually agreeing on an attack first. His form was constantly bulging and shifting, barely keeping itself together, she just needed time to figure out a way to get them to turn on eachother and they'd be so much easier to deal with.
"Ok Loke, I've got the start of a plan, I just need some time to flesh it out a little"
He sighed, half bemused, half annoyed with her stubbornness, not that he could say anything when it came to that.
"Of course you do. Can't do things the easy way, can you?"
She grinned up at him, trying to cover her nerves with blatantly fake bravado.
“Come on, since when does Fairytail ever do anything easy? And like I keep saying, if easy means abandoning you, then I’ll choose the hard way each and every time”
He sighed heavily and she could feel the tension rising up in him, well he’d have to deal with it. They both felt magic suddenly burst into the air around them and they returned to their previous stances. It seemed he’d finally decided on an attack and was incredibly angry at them.
“Would you stop ignoring us?!”
He slammed the ground with his fist, the earth moving before something raced towards them. Before she could blink Loke had her in his arms as he jumped out of the way. Where they were moments earlier, an explosion of earth rushed up and out. It would have sent them both flying if it had caught them, they needed to be more careful. Loke grunted and he was suddenly darting around again. She flinched in his arms as another loud crash of falling rocks sounded out behind them. She was stuck in his princess carry as he desperately predicted the magic chasing them in the earth and where it would strike. He was stuck getting them out of danger, so she had to come up with something, and quickly. Her eyes darted around desperately to find anything, a way out of this mess. She needed to keep them both safe, she couldn't let him fall back on only saving her, she needed to protect him for once.
Her brain scrambling was cut short by a sharp curse in her ear. Loke was stuck, his foot trapped in a hole in the ground with no way to quickly get it out. Panic struck her and pushed her to move. She got out of his grip, landing harshly on her feet before standing tall in front of him. Her hand went to her whip as she stubbornly stood between him and their foe.
"Lucy! Don't you-"
Loke's panicked argument was shut down by another surge of magic. She was ready to be the target, to bait them away from her trapped friend, who was equally trying to be bait to save her. As she readied her stance to dodge and bait the incoming strike, she felt arms wrap around her waist. Loke's body was twisting, was he prepared to throw her?! No! She wouldn't let him do this! Not again. She wriggled in his grasp, forcing him to pull her close to his chest. A desperate whine escaped him as the jagged rocks charged at them.
I need to protect her!
She swore she heard that loud, desperate thought, before a blinding light engulfed them both.
They blinked slowly awake, completely confused and uncertain. They looked around, finding themselves opposite a stranger, a stranger currently glaring daggers at them.
"Don't think that just because you fused you can defeat us!"
Fused? Their frozen mind picked up on that word, but couldn't truly define it. Everything was weird and new, nothing made sense and it was terrifying. They stared down at themselves, their clothes were a strange mismatch of styles and colours, it was like they'd dived headfirst into a paint factory. They were pretty sure they were wearing some weird half suit, half dress abomination, which just confused them further. It was patchy, it was like pieces of multi coloured dresses were sewn into a suit, or was it the other way around? What were they wearing? And why were they even here?
A primal fear pulsed through them, only aggravated by the fact the stranger appeared to be about to attack them. With a small yelp, they turned tail and ran, so terrified of everything around them.
They left the clearing, running through the trees and doing their best to ignore the yelling behind them. They ran until their chest burned and they felt relatively safe. They hid behind a tree, sitting down heavily and trying to get their bearings. What was happening to them? It was like they could hear two voices, both of whom were equally confused, inside them.
Fusion?! But I've never been able to fuse! What should I do? What happens next?!
Spirits can't fuse with their mages! It's never been done before!
Their fingers went into their hair, nails biting into their skin as thoughts and memories assaulted them, lives lived that were both foreign and something they'd seen before. It was confusing, it was a mess, their distress only increased. Tears pricked at their eyes as despair swallowed them up.
"Am I..am I not supposed to exist?"
The voices, panicked and confused, quietened down at this question, which they were thankful for. There was peace finally as they could finally think things through and try to piece together who or what they were. They brought their hands down from their hair, looking at them in thought, they did seem a little off, like they weren't fully right.
After a moment's contemplation, some form of peace and understanding swelled up from deep within them.
Well, if spirits can actually fuse with mages, then I'm glad my first was with you Lucy.
A blush came to their cheeks, unbidden and they were suddenly embarrassed. Strange.
Idiot. But I know that I can trust you. We'll work this out together.
An understanding bloomed inside them and they swore they heard a click as something seemed to come together inside them. A new certainty rose up within them and they stood up on shaking legs.
"No, I do belong. I'm alive and that's ok"
They were Loke, they were Lucy and yet they were also more than the both of them. Now that they'd calmed and come together in understanding, they could feel that constant conversation happening between them underneath everything else. They were born from love, from trust and a desire to protect someone you cared about. It was a warm feeling filled with relief, like finally coming home and it buzzed through them. A smile spread across their face, it felt good to be together as one, it felt good to be them.
Now that they were at peace together, their body glowed, allowing them to properly become themselves. Their back straightened, newly confident at their perfected form. They stood a head taller than Loke, with a short, golden head of hair, reminiscent of a mane. They were now wearing more casual wear, a white shirt, blue jeans and a hooded jacket that had the galaxy splayed across it. Leo glowed proudly on the back, pulsing slightly. A belt around their jeans held a pouch with Lucy's keys and her whip. Lucy's Leo mark was golden on their chest under their shirt and her Fairy tail mark was still proudly on their hand, matching Loke's on their back. A lion's tail dragged behind them and a quick flicker showed that, to the Lucy inside them's delight, they had feline ears in their mane. They were slim with some toned muscles. Their face was soft yet angular. They wore clear glasses, so their eyes were on display, feline as they were. Their brown eyes could bore into your soul, the universe contained in them.
They gave a little twirl, giddy at their new existence and more than willing to experiment.
“I’m not them, I am my own being, I need a name…Perhaps something beginning with L too?...Hmm I like…Lenna! Yeah, that’s nice”
Lenna rolled their new name around in their mind enjoying it more and more, it was light, not harsh sounding. It was as relaxed as them. Lenna it was then. A loud yell set off their instincts, breaking into their reverie. Ah right, there was a fight going on. Now that they knew what they were they were far more confident in their victory. A toothy grin overtook them as they darted towards their foe, their whole body alight with anticipation.
They soon spotted him among the trees, clearly looking for them and the two sides of them agreed at once, he had to be punished.
Breaking into a sprint they ran up to their foe, before he could even react they'd jumped up and kicked him squarely in the chest. They pushed off him, knocking him down, before fleeing back among the trees. They couldn't be sure they'd beat him in a physical one on one, but they didn't have to. Lucy's plan was evolving and finding new life now the odds were evened. He let out a cry of frustration as he stumbled to his feet.
"Get out here you coward! Afraid you're not good enough?"
The bait was so obvious it was insulting. Still, it provided a very easy start to the plan. They stepped out from behind the trees, doing their best to seem as cocky and sure as they felt.
"Oh please. I’m a combination of two of the most beautiful and perfect members of Fairytail. Look at me, I’m as powerful as I am good looking” They leaned against a tree, posing dramatically. “Maybe you’re just jealous that your two halves could never be this good”
Joy and mortification of equal measure rose up within them, but this was far too fun to stop. A loud growl was his answer as his magic ramped up. They quickly lunged out of the way as the tree behind them was upheaved and destroyed. They darted between the trees, keeping themselves as protected as possible. With how dense some spots were, they could also be temporarily hidden if they needed to be.
They waited until another magic explosion blasted off somewhere behind them, before effortlessly turning and charging forward. They quickly swiped at him then ran back into the trees, leaving him reeling from the punch. As he turned around, they were already darting through the trees before breaking out and swiping him again.
This back and forth continued, with them making arguably cheap shots before heading back into the brush. They were smaller by a wide margin, but they were faster.
"Stay still you little pest!"
They grinned, their plan about to take the next step. They stepped out, hands on their hips, looking him up and down.
"What's the matter? Can't keep up? I don't blame you. Still, I can't help but wonder if perhaps one of you is slowing the other down"
They had to stop themselves before they started really bragging, it was surprising that they could really think of a large list of things to compliment about Lucy and Loke, perhaps a remnant of their own thoughts about each other. There was a palpable rising tension in the air, the hook was deep into his mind now, working its way deep into his psych. It was time to start pushing buttons.
“It has to be it right? One of you is weaker and is making the fusion worse as a result” The lie felt disgusting on their tongue. Lenna was a new experience, but even they could tell it wasn’t about raw power that made fusions strong. “Do you even have a name? I do, Perhaps you can't see yourself ever existing again outside of this fight? Because your two halves are just so terrible together? It’s sad really”
They’d said it to poke the proverbial bear, but they realised they’d made a very good point. They did have a name, an identity. As much as Lenna knew Loke and Lucy were together somewhere deep inside them, they were just helping direct them. They could make their own choices, they were wanted and had every chance of returning after all of this. Love once more pumped through their veins, a strong self-love that motivated them to continue. On the other side of things, their foe's body looked unstable, vibrating and distorting as two voices arguing from one mouth. Lucy’s idea was working, it was time to claim victory. Lucy’s brains and Loke’s skill at hand to hand combat, this was really only ever going to go one way.
“So tell me, who is it? Which one of you isn’t pulling their weight?”
There was a blast of magic and in a cloud of dust one became two. Two rogue mages grabbing at each other, furious and willing to blame anyone but themselves. The duo's squabbling was upsetting to their sensitive hearing, it was like nails on a chalkboard and they just wanted it to stop. The only loud noises they wanted were the homely sounds of the guild. Regulus flared to life on both of their fists. They wound up their arm and, in one giant punch, sent the pair up into the air.
“Don’t think you’re getting off that easy! You were going to torment people with your fusion, so you should see how it feels!”
Lenna quickly grabbed their whip and let it fly. It followed their wishes, chasing after the pair and tying them together. They grinned as they gave the whip a flick, lifting it up, before pulling harshly down. Regulus sped along Eridanus, fusing with it and covering them in light. As they slammed to the ground a miniature explosion of light consumed them.
The light eventually died down, leaving the two victims in a small crater lying unconscious. They raised their arms in celebration of their victory before bowing for an invisible audience.
"Thank you! Thank you! You've been a wonderful audience, but it would seem my time is up. Farewell for now, until next time"
They waved at their imaginary audience, before light overtook them and they fell into darkness.
Her mind buzzed and her ears rang. That's what she was conscious of as she slowly opened her eyes, that and an intense feeling of loss. Her mind was very busy organising so much new information that it took her a while to acknowledge anything around her. She slowly remembered being in Loke's arms, then a bright light and then-
Then they'd fused. A part of her couldn't believe it had happened, but her mind and soul slowly digesting everything she'd learned about him in that small time proved otherwise. She'd panicked at first, terrified that she didn't know what she was supposed to do. Guilt swelled up within her that she'd helped the start of their fusion be upsetting. But when she heard them question themselves, she'd realised Loke had been just as worried and unsure, they'd come together to support one another and that had been the moment she'd understood why people fused casually.
It had felt like she was coming home after a gruelling ordeal, that she was safe and secure in an all encompassing hug. She felt like she could express everything about herself without judgement and just be free to be Lucy, because Loke could understand it completely, he saw her for who she was down to her core, and still stood by her side.
In return, she'd felt centuries of memories flow through her, the reason her brain was lagging at the moment, of thoughts and feelings not her own. A lifetime of serving mages and protecting those dear to him. She saw his friendship with Gray taking form, his inclusion into the guild. Meeting her, being absolutely thrown off course by her saving him and his answering undying loyalty. His love had swelled up to comfort her and she hoped he'd felt her own in response.
At that reminder she finally pulled out of her own mind to turn and look at him. He was staring at her in blatant awe, eyes watering slightly as he did his best to reel himself in. He wasn't successful in the slightest.
"Y-you…I…That was us, wasn't it?"
She slowly walked over to him, careful not to spook him. He was barely holding on, the wrong thing could absolutely break him. She was soft, gentle as she responded.
"Yes Loke, that was us"
His eyes widened as it seemed to sink in for him finally. There was a pause where the world was still before he burst into laughter. She jumped back slightly as he bent over with the force of it, tears welling in his eyes. Was he alright? Her concern was slowly increasing and she was starting to wonder if she should get help for him. He shakily raised his hand to wave off her worries as he did his best to get himself under some sort of control. He finally managed, pushing his words out through his giggles.
“Of course you managed it, of course you did. No mage has been able to fuse with their spirit yet, despite many painful and forceful attempts. But of course you could and not only did I not feel like I was going to be sick, but it was amazing. I’m lighter than air Lucy, I can't stop giggling I just feel so free. If this is what it’s supposed to feel like I can see why humans love it so much”
He managed to pull himself back up, his smile wide and goofy. He was adorable with how he was buzzing with joyful energy, not that she wasn’t currently the same. That had really been amazing.
“Maybe? This is my first time too, but Fairy tail always seems to enjoy it. So I assume that it is?”
He gasped, surprised at some sort of revelation, before muttering to himself softly. She was baffled that he was suddenly so contemplative, but then again, neither of them did know how this was supposed to work or be, maybe she needed to be more inquisitive. She was still caught up in an excess of euphoria, left behind by Lenna no doubt.
"I'd forgotten that I was your first fusion. I'm honoured Lucy, even if you didn't intend it. You were mine too and I couldn't have picked a better partner"
She found herself floundering under his soft and fond gaze. She'd touched upon his love, knew it was real now and it was hard to process that on top of everything else. Still, he deserved a truthful response, it felt wrong to lie about this.
"I'm happy it was you too Loke. I definitely wasn't expecting it but when we both realised what was happening we…we were amazing together"
He lit up even more, bouncing slightly on his feet in his excitement. His joy was abundant, but she found herself wishing she could feel it with her own heart again.
"We were, weren't we? It's no surprise really, any fusion that has you in it would be perfect"
She was struggling to push down the waves of affection surging up within her. He was such a goofball, but it was sweet. He needed to stop flirting though before she started flirting back.
"If you say so, that has yet to be proved. Assuming I can fuse with other spirits"
He tapped his chin in thought, tilting his head as he looked at her.
"I can't see why not. Maybe it's one or another type of thing? Like you can fuse with humans or spirits, not both?" He cringed, his lip curling slightly. "Which means I may have locked you out of ever fusing with your team…I'm sorry Lucy"
He deflated, mood souring rapidly. Perhaps it was something to regret, but how could she mourn something she'd never had? What she did have was a way to be close with her Celestial family, and she'd embrace it wholly.
"Loke, I'm not angry or upset, especially not at you. All this means is that I get to be closer to my spirits, I can't be annoyed about that. But if you're right and I've had this ability all along, then why has it only shown itself now? There have been plenty of fights where I could have used this"
He perked up with the knowledge that she wasn't angry and took her question in his stride. He looked her up and down, trying to see if anything was different about her, yet their relationship felt different now and she felt herself shying away from his gaze. He let out a soft hum.
"Lucy" She looked up to him, his voice catching her attention. He tapped his chest, just above his heart. “Was that always gold?"
She looked down at her Leo symbol, startled that it was now golden, shimmering like Regulus itself. She frowned at this strange change, why had it switched colours? He bit his lip in thought, unsure but an idea started to come to him.
"Do you mind if I try something?"
"Sure, go for it"
Despite her giving him her express permission, he still paused. He slowly reached out, almost pulling back, before nervously reaching out and holding her arm. His fingers became outlined in gold, as did the part of the dress he was touching. It was fascinating to watch, to see the dress react this way to him.
"It's because of the spirit dress. You've become strong enough to combine them, your control of them is immaculate, so they must be strong enough to protect you during fusion now. That's why it's only happening now I imagine. It's based on you and your growth"
Well that made sense she supposed- Wait a minute! Something about that seemed off.
"What do you mean protect me?"
He cringed, lowering his head, sheepish.
“It’s a reason spirits haven’t been able to fuse. I mean there are humans who only want to use us as tools to get stronger so that plays a part, but there’s also the fact I’m not human. I’m Leo given human form Lucy. We had no idea what that would do to someone, which is why I was so terrified when we fused. I panicked, thinking I was going to burn you away and that I was hurting you. But when we calmed down I realised you weren’t hurt, in fact it was a chance for you to thrive and experiment. Realising you were safe helped me to jump into it too, to have fun and love the experience. My heart feels so full right now, it’s hard to imagine ever feeling so complete”
He was diverting a little at the end there. Well he had just dropped a bomb on her. She should have realised that fusing with the stars themselves could be dangerous, not like she could have thought about that during the fight. But if she could only fuse with a spirit when it was actually safe for the both of them, then it was fine right? A shock, but ok? Yeah, she could deal with this.
“So, this means I can only fuse with spirits I’ve perfected the dresses of?”
He blinked at her, probably surprised she wasn’t angry or scared, but as long as everyone involved was careful, then they should be fine. She saw this as a chance to get closer to her spirits, to gain an understanding of them that no other mage could acquire. She wanted to share with them this feeling of being whole.
“I think so, if you don’t mind fusing with spirits of course”
She snorted, not amused that he was still questioning this. Had he not felt how much she’d enjoyed it? How she’d felt like she could fly and touch the stars themselves?
“Of course I don’t mind. Unless you do?”
He was suddenly in her space, hands grasping hers almost desperately, as if this was something incredibly important. Well, in a very personal way, it was.
“Never! Ask me anytime you like, even outside of battle!...Maybe that’s being too forward but Lucy, it felt right.”
A light blush dusted her cheeks as her heart eagerly agreed with him. It was like an itch in her skin to be close to someone like that again, or perhaps it was a certain itch just for him? She wasn’t sure it was safe to define these feelings right now and shoved them right down. She could examine them another day. She tilted her head, glancing back at their unconscious enemies, and a thought came to her.
"You know, it'd be easier to carry them if we were bigger and stronger"
His eyes lit up, he wasn't even trying to hide how much he wanted to fuse with her. She let out a soft giggle, affection blooming inside her. It was cute.
"You sure? I don't want to push you-"
She quickly shushed him with a finger to his lips. She hadn't been thinking about anything in the moment, yet she was rewarded with the image of his lips sparkling like he'd put on glitter lipgloss. His eyes widened in surprise, even as she moved her hand to cup his cheek. He immediately relaxed into her touch, skin shimmering like stars.
"You're not pushing me. Come on, let's go surprise the others"
He beamed at her, body full of nervous energy. Giggles spilled from his lips before becoming full blown laughter. He picked her up, earning a loud squeak from her, and hugged her tightly. She felt them spinning as he rambled his thanks into her ear. They were both glowing, power surging up between the two of them. She relaxed into his arms, cuddling him back, as the light enveloped them.
They found themselves laughing and spinning, hugging themselves around their stomach. Euphoric joy burst through their veins at once more returning and being whole. They came to a slow stop, still uncontrollably giggling to themselves, their tail flailing wildly behind them. Their two inner selves weren't confused anymore, rather they seemed eager to be together and it just made being alive all the better. If they could bottle this feeling of understanding and love for a rainy day they absolutely would. As it was, they felt like bouncing and running through the forest, like yelling at the top of their lungs. They were still in the learning phase, Loke and Lucy were both still experiencing each other's deepest memories, thoughts and emotions. They still needed time to come to the fullest understanding of one another, but the conversation was slowly going on and all that meant was that living could become potentially even better! It was worth the wait.
"Hello world, I'm back by popular demand! Far sooner than I'd expected but hey, it's just great being me, so I get it"
They chuckled to themselves, a dangerous concoction of Loke's want to brag about Lucy and Lucy's willingness to go on and on about her spirits, plus a pinch of both of their self confidence, led to quite the ego. But hey, what could you do? They both wanted to showcase this partnership and Lenna was happy to oblige. They casually made their way over to the unconscious duo slugging one over their shoulder, and the other under their arm. They stood tall and filled with anticipation.
"Oh, I hope my team is happy to see me! Well, more importantly, I hope they're blown away by me"
They laughed good naturedly before breaking into a sprint. Their nose and ears led them down the correct path and they easily made their way through the brush and around the trees. Voices not too far off made them pick up speed, this was going to be so much fun!