louder | natsu x reader

chapter 19

huge time skip lol

the week of the magnolia harvest arrives, and despite the lingering tension with lucy, you're determined to make the event enjoyable for everyone. the guild is buzzing with excitement as members prepare their floats and costumes.

you join the festivities, helping to decorate the fairy tail float and guild alongside happy, peach, and the other members. gajeel and juvia, relatively new additions to the guild, are eager to participate. well.. juvia is.

taking a break from the preparations, you notice Lucy standing alone by the guild entrance. the air between you two is thick with unresolved issues, but for now you decide to set it aside and focus on the celebration.

approaching Lucy with a smile, you say, "hey, Lucy! ready for the parade? it's going to be amazing!"

she glances at you, offering a tight smile, "sure y/n. let's get this over with."

you raise an eyebrow, but choose not to engage in any further confrontation.

"miss fairytale contest sign up sheet is now up!" max, a guild member, announces.

instantly, your ears perked up at the mention of the contest. this was an event you looked forward to every year. determined, you turned to Lucy, who was standing nearby.

"Lucy, we need to sign up! I've been waiting all year for this!" you exclaimed, a glint of excitement in your eyes.

lucy was always intrigued by opportunities for adventure (and perhaps motivated by the impressive prize of 500,000 jewels), nodded in agreement. together, you walked through the guild hall and to the sign up sheet.

"wow! 500,000 jewels is a fortune!" Lucy exclaimed, her interest piqued.

you chuckled, "yeah, it's a pretty tempting prize. I sign up every year, but always end up in 2nd place. erza usually steals the show."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, "second place? that's still impressive. what's the secret to erza's success?"

you chuckled, "are you kidding me? just look at her. but this year, just like every year, I'm determined to take that crown from her."

with the sign up sheet in front of you, you eagerly jotted down your name. Lucy hesitated for a moment, but eventually decided to join in on the fun, adding her name to the list.

as you and Lucy talked further about the contest, a soft voice chimed in from behind, "juvia will also participate in the miss fairy tale contest!"

you turned to see juvia standing there, a determined look on her face. she swiftly approached the sign up sheet, pen in hand, ready to write her name. "juvia is not one to be outshone by her love rivals. gray will surely be impressed."

both you and Lucy share a puzzled glance. juvia's dedication to gray was well known, but neither of you had considered her competition. you exchanged an amused smile before Lucy spoke up, "juvia, it's not like that. y/n and I are not into gray that way. you can participate without worrying about us as rivals."

you nodded in agreement, "exactly! this is all in good fun. may the best contestant win, but it's not a competition for anyone's affections."

juvia, however, seemed unyielding, maintaining her intense gaze. "oh, juvia understands. but she wants gray to notice her efforts and perhaps... fall for her during the contest."

Lucy chuckled nervously, "well, good luck, juvia!" juvia walks away.

lucy leaned in, her eyes gleaming with determination. "you know, y/n, i'm planning to impress natsu in the contest. i'll make sure he sees me as the most dazzling contestant."

you couldn't help but smirk, embracing the playful banter. "good luck with that, lucy. but you might have some tough competition. after all, natsu has been recovering at my place recently. we've been spending a lot of time together."

lucy, aware of natsu's condition after the tower of heaven incident, raised an eyebrow. "oh, has he now? well, i hope he's enjoying your hospitality."

you chuckled, enjoying the banter. "just doing my part for a fellow guild member. but, hey, may the best contestant win, right?"

lucy crossed her arms, a competitive glint in her eyes. "well, we'll see about that. i'm still confident that i can outshine you in the contest and win natsu's admiration."

you playfully rolled your eyes. "bring it on, lucy. it's all in good fun, right?"

as you stood backstage, anticipation building for your turn, you peeked behind the curtain and saw natsu sitting at a table with elfman, gray, happy, and peach. peach notices you looking and waves at you.

you were quite nervous just like every other year. now you have Lucy and juvia to worry about as competition. they both received massive amounts of cheer.

"and last, but not least, known for her incredible magic and undeniable charm, she's a familiar face in our contest, always dazzling us with her spectacular performances. get ready for a treat, as she takes the stage to cast a spell on our hearts! y/n l/n!" max's voice echoed through the guild hall.

as max's introduction echoed through the hall, you seized the moment to make a grand entrance. with a graceful swirl of your hand, you conjured a cascade of shimmering ice crystals that danced around you, creating an ethereal curtain. as the audience gasped in awe, you stepped forward, revealing yourself in a breathtaking gown made entirely of delicate ice petals.

the gown sparkled in the spotlight, catching every glint of light and radiating an otherworldly glow. you moved with a dancer's grace, leaving a trail of frost-kissed petals in your wake. the crowd fell silent, enchanted by the beauty and elegance of your ice magic.

with a flourish, you extended your hand, conjuring a magnificent ice sculpture that floated beside you. the sculpture morphed and twisted, forming intricate shapes and patterns, all the while emanating a soft, enchanting glow. the audience, caught in the spell of your performance, erupted into applause, their cheers echoing in the grand hall.

your heart raced with the thrill of the performance, and you reveled in the magic of the moment. the stage was your canvas, and with each movement, you painted a picture of enchantment that left the audience breathless.

just as you were about to reach the climax of your performance, a mischievous voice cut through the enchanting atmosphere.

"well, well, looks like the ice princess thinks she can outshine everyone with her little snow show."

evergreen, a fellow fairy tail member known for her competitive spirit, stepped forward with a sly grin.

ignoring the interruption, you maintained your composure, a confident smile playing on your lips. "oh, evergreen, didn't know you were a fan of my icy talents."

she smirked, crossing her arms. "fan? please. I just thought someone needed to bring a little heat to this icy spectacle."

a gasp echoed through the audience as evergreen dramatically raised the curtains, revealing a shocking scene. to everyone's surprise, all the miss fairy tale contestants were now frozen in place, turned into lifeless stone statues. the once lively stage now resembled a frozen tableau of magical disaster.

the spectators erupted into a mix of shock, confusion, and murmurs. evergreen, reveling in the chaos she'd unleashed, wore a triumphant smirk as she surveyed the stunned audience. the guild members and contestants who had been eagerly watching the contest were now faced with an unexpected and bewildering turn of events.

you were caught completely off guard by this. "so what do you say we hand over the title to me?" evergreen lowers your glasses and you're turned to stone.