thenalufairy presents

"STAR-CROSSED"

★ ★ ★

before you read!! ⚠️

- this is my first book :D (your cue to run away or stay and see what happens)
- this is a non-magic universe, where the characters are all celebrities instead of wizards
- this story is not set in canon fiore, but a modernised version i made up
- inspired by the romcom movie "Anyone But You"
- strangers to lovers/enemies to lovers (it makes sense later)
- contains mature themes (some that may be triggering): violence, vulgar language, stalking, cheating, smut
- written in third-person
- for wattpad: they are adults!!!
- happy reading, i hope you enjoy!!!!!!!!!

★ ★ ★

She sighed in frustration, stopping in her tracks and turning on her heel to face her manager and bodyguard, not so subtly creeping behind her.

"For the last time, Aquarius!" she crossed her arms in exasperation. "I'll be fine!"

The woman stepped out from behind the tree, clearing her throat as she dusted herself down.

"I know, you keep insisting, Lucy," she started. "But I must admit, I feel uneasy letting you walk around unaccompanied in a foreign place."

"We've talked about this, Stella's perfectly safe!" she assured her.

"Besides," she motioned to the long lines of security planted in almost every corner of the luxury resort. "If anything happens, we've plenty of help..."

"Yes, well," Aquarius averted her eyes. "It's not the island I think will cause the problems."

Lucy blinked. Then she scoffed.

"Seriously?!" she gasped, lifting her sunglasses from her eyes. "You think I'll somehow get myself into trouble?"

She grunted, eye twitching in annoyance at her manager's lack of reply and eye contact.

"Well now, I have to go on my own, just to prove you wrong!" she huffed childishly, waving her arms around, which in turn caused her purse to flail wildly in the air and accidentally hit a passerby in the face.

"Sorry... I'm so sorry..." she squeaked timidly as the irked stranger grumbled something and walked away.

She turned back to Aquarius, who was simply looking at her, but she knew what the expression on her face meant.

She regathered herself and feigned a confident hum. "Anyway, I'll be going now." She turned on her heel again.

"Miss Lucy, wait–"

"Relax, relax!" she reassured her. She closed her eyes and sighed, then smiled at her gently.

"Fine, you win," she began.

"Thank you, M-" Aquarius let out a breath of relief.

"I won't leave the resort," Lucy continued. "But I want to explore it alone, in my own company. Please, I'm surrounded by security twenty-four seven, just let me have this one thing." she clasped her hands together and pleaded.

Her manager sighed and smiled back, accepting defeat. "Okay."

"Yes!" she squealed in excitement, fist-pumping the air. "Thank you, Aquarius, thanks so mu–"

"Ah ah. But." Aquarius interrupted. "Let's go over some rules."

The blonde groaned internally. It was never so easy with Aquarius as her manager. She was meticulous and strict, and determined never to leave Lucy doing anything without a thorough plan in place.

Still, Lucy had grown to appreciate everything the woman had done for her, both in her career and personal life– and as her primary caretaker, she'd grown to be a sort of mother figure to her.

Plus, this was definitely better than not being able to go at all.

"Number one: You're not to leave this resort," Aquarius told her sternly. Lucy nodded in agreement.

"Number two: No interactions with any fans, we don't want the media to know your location until we've left, or there will be swarms of fans." Lucy hummed in acknowledgement of that too, checking out her manicure.

"Number three: Be back in your hotel room by midnight." Her tone shifted.

The air around her changed, and Lucy swore she could see a shadow cast upon her face.

"You break these rules, Lucy Heartfilia, and that purse of yours will be targeted at your face next, understand?"

Lucy gulped. "Yes, ma'am."

She smiled warmly at her.

"Oh, and here," Aquarius suddenly pulled out a comically large, straw beach hat accompanied by a white face mask. "Don't take these off," she warned, smiling warmly as she secured the hat and gave the mask a playful flick.

She watched her, still slightly shivering, as she finally walked away back to the hotel lobby.

"Get out of the bush now, Taurus, we're leaving," she called out.

A tall, burly bodyguard climbed his way out of a green hedge and scurried after the woman.

Lucy rolled her eyes and chuckled, turning around once again and strutting her way through the island's beautiful resort.

This was probably one of the first times she'd been out in public without an entourage of cameramen and bodyguards following her.

She was always working. When she wasn't in the recording studio or at her vocal lessons, she was keeping up her image by attending interviews and talk shows or filming commercials.

"Lucky Lucy Heartfilia". That was the brand made for her by her company, West Fiore Entertainment. A beautiful, elegant idol singer who was born to take the stage.

It was a title passed down to her from those who worked with her late mother, Layla Heartfilia, the opera singer who was adored by all.

Lucy never exactly disliked her life as an idol. Being famous had its perks: you were able to do what you loved and present your talent to the world, people would be inspired by you and make their own art from your influence, and even if you received quite a lot of hate, most people adored you.

She just sometimes wished she could make a name for herself as 'Lucy Heartfilia', not the 'Lucky Lucy' template crafted for her by her company.

She wanted to be genuine and hoped that her fans would support her for who she was.

Her stomach's sudden grumbling pulled her out of her thoughts. She realised it had been a while since she'd eaten a meal outside by herself.

She looked– well, sniffed– around for a bite to eat, and eyed a semi-empty bar right beside the beach.

"A large coke, please," she told the bartender, who raised his hand in acknowledgement.

She spun around on her stool, leaning onto the bar counter and admiring the ocean view in front of her.

The sun was beginning its descent on the horizon, casting a colourful glow over the tranquil waves. The glittering, lilac waves gently caressed the shore, their rhythmic melody echoing through the soft breeze.

As the sky's blue hue transformed into a warm glow of orange and pink, Lucy swiftly took off her sunglasses, admiring the view.

A choked gasp was heard beside her.

She quickly snapped out of it, turning her head towards the sound.

"Oh... my gosh," the person stuttered, eyes wide and jaw dropped. "I-it's y..."

"Ah.." Lucy chuckled nervously, searching her brain desperately for some sort of cover. "Uhh, listen. It's not- I'm not- Please don't-".

The person gulped, covered his mouth then nodded in understanding.

She huffed out a breath of relief. "Thank y-"

"OH MY GOSH!" somebody yelled from across the bar.

"It's Lucy freaking Heartfilia!" she gushed, gathering the attention of the other people in the bar.

People's heads swiftly turned in her direction, and Lucy could hear their curious mumbles and whispers.

"Can I please get your autograph?" a small girl, probably no older than seven, approached her with wide eyes.

"I..." Lucy gulped.

"I want one too!" somebody else yelled from the beach.

Then another, and soon the bar practically swarming with desperate fans.

'Great' Lucy thought, forehead beginning to sweat in a panic.

She glanced around for an exit, then back at the crowd. In seconds, she threw cash onto the bar and sprinted her way through the crowd and onto the beach.

'Look what you've done, Lucy!' she cursed herself in her thoughts. 'Three rules, and you've broken two in less than twenty minutes!'

She glanced quickly behind her, horrified to find that the crowd of fans had increased in numbers, and they were all on her tail, chasing behind her.

'Shoot!' She came to a halt, then spotted a canopy at the secluded part of the hotel's west end. She rushed towards it and leaned her back against the wall.

She let herself relax after watching the crowd continue to run past her hiding place. She snickered proudly to herself, this was not her first rodeo. She knew how to handle herself, easy-peasy.

She wiped the sweat off of her brow.

"Ahem," a low voice grumbled.

She jumped with a yelp, throwing herself off of the wall. Along the inner wall of the entire canopy was a long line of security. They continued to look forward, all seemingly ignoring her but the one she'd bumped into.

"Oh.." she grinned awkwardly. "Sorry... I'll just go." she slipped away slowly, trying not to trigger them with any sudden movements.

"There she is!" a squeal was heard and she muffled her groan with both her hands over her face.

This one evening was making her sweat more than her weekly sessions at the gym. And all she was trying to do was relax!

She was now in the hotel lobby, back right where this whole thing started. She made way for the grand stairs without a second thought.

The floor above served a second purpose as a balcony to the lobby, so she had a full view of the crowd still chasing after her. Strangely enough, they'd seemed to have grouped into two crowds, each one on either of the staircases beside hers.

There wasn't time to analyse; she had to find a hiding place as soon as possible.

She couldn't go back to her hotel room because that would risk them finding out where she was staying, which would create even more chaos.

She couldn't use the elevators because they were too slow, or the stairs because they were coming up from that direction.

'Think, Lucy, think!'

In the corner of her eye was a supply closet. Sucking in a deep, frustrated breath, she ran into it and slammed the door.

Once the door was closed she leaned back and breathed heavily, finally allowing herself to calm down by taking deep breaths. After that whole ordeal, it was clear she needed to add more cardio into her routine.

Her breathing slowed and then turned into an irritated sigh.

"You okay?" a voice asked.

Her head perked up in surprise.

Before her, stood a man, his hair a dull pink and slightly tousled as if he had just run a mile. He had dark green eyes that seemed to hold a spark of mischief as he looked at her.

Lucy couldn't help but notice the way his lips quirked up into a lopsided grin, giving him a sort of boyish charm.

"Yeah, just... trying to catch my breath," she replied, panting. It was now that she realised her heart was still pounding from the adrenaline rush.

He nodded understandingly, his eyes moving up and down her face in a confused but amused manner.

"I like your get-up," he complimented, nodding at her comically large beach hat and face mask.

"Ah," Lucy's brows raised. "These."

"Yeah," she pulled them off, glaring at them in discontent. "They really did nothing in the end."

"Were they meant to be a disguise?" the man asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, but it didn't work out," she motioned to their surroundings. "As you can see, because I wouldn't be here otherwise."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I admit I didn't think you were the janitor."

She smiled, looking him up and down, noticing his formal outfit. He was in a black suit, and though it was dishevelled and crinkled up, she could see the designer logo on the collar.

He had to have quite the reckless personality, to have the luxury of owning such expensive formalwear and not being bothered by it being messed up.

She had to admit though, he seemed to pull it off either way. The ruffled and disordered look was strangely attractive on him.

"I can see you aren't either," she commented. "So, who are you?"

He sucked in a breath. "That, I can't tell you... It's the reason I'm here."

Lucy tilted her head in curiosity. "Let me guess: you're famous and you were being chased by a swarm of fans?"

The man blinked. "Yeah, I..." he scratched the back of his head. "How did you..?"

Lucy broke into a soft laughter, explaining when he continued to look at her with confusion. "I've just gone through the same thing."

The second crowd of fans must've been his.

He chuckled in surprise. "Really? That's quite the coincidence." he stepped forward, leaning closer to her.

"I don't believe you. Are you sure you weren't one of those fans chasing after me too?" he smirked.

Lucy's eyes widened, letting out a playful scoff.

"I assure you, my schedule is way too jam-packed for that. And if I did have free time, I wouldn't be spending it chasing down a man whose name I don't even know."

She crossed her arms and looked up at him expectantly.

"Oh," he realised, clearing his throat and reaching his hand out. "Natsu Dragneel, I'm an actor under Fairytail Industries."

She shook his hand contentedly, she couldn't help but notice how it felt warm on her own.  "Fairytail Industries? They're a big name, how come I haven't heard of you?"

"I'm actually new, I have no official media with them yet."

"Really?" she pondered. "Then why were you being chased down by fans?"

"Well, the company made a trailer announcing my debut and... I guess they like how I looked in the video or something..." he trailed off at the end, attempting to play coy, but Lucy didn't miss the pink dust on his cheek.

She let out a giggle. "Well. If you need tips on avoiding them, you have a sort of expert to go to now, I'm-"

"Lucy Heartfilia," he said, fighting a snicker at her look of shock.

"I recognised you the moment you barged in here," he grinned teasingly. "I was kidding about the fan thing."

"Woah..." was all she was able to let out. A sense of uneasiness and discomfort washed over her body. "That disguise didn't work at all."

"Yeah, it sucked. Was practically see-through," Natsu agreed casually.

She cleared her throat. "Anyhow, sorry for intruding in your hiding spot, Natsu."

"No worries," he brushed it off. "It's nice to have some company in here." he grinned, a playful twinkle in his eye.

"Should we check if they've left?" he asked.

"We probably should," Lucy agreed.

She turned around and slowly pulled the door handle, wincing when it let out a squeaky creak. She scanned the practically empty halls.

"It looks like we're in the clear..." she whispered.

Natsu all of a sudden let out a loud sneeze, tumbling backwards onto a shelf. The vibrations threw the cleaning equipment off balance, and they all began toppling over at once.

Natsu was tripped by a falling broom, causing him to stumble forward onto Lucy, and they both fell into the hallway, the equipment following.

"Bless me," Natsu mumbled, after a beat of silence.

"There she is!" a fan down the hall yelled.
"There he is!" another fan screamed simultaneously.

"Fuck, sorry!" Natsu helped Lucy up, pulling her along as he ran down the hall.

"Just get me out of here!" she wailed as she tried to keep up.

He spotted a large window right in the middle of the hallway, the light outside blocked by tall, velvety curtains. He opted for them immediately, pulling them both behind them and holding her close to him.

Their eyes met, and he gave her his signature playful grin.

She found herself grinning back, trying to hold herself back from laughing.

They could only stare at the other in silence, and time slowed as they listened to footsteps run past them and eventually fade into the distance.

Despite the chaos outside, Lucy found herself feeling strangely at ease in Natsu's presence.
She was suddenly aware of how close they were, pressed together so tightly in a confined space that she could feel his body heat.

She felt heat rising to her cheeks too when she noticed how handsome he looked in the sunset's colours illuminating through the window behind them. It was now that she realised his dull pink hair was really a sweet, vibrant rose.

Forcing herself out of her trance, she cleared her throat. "They're definitely gone now," she whispered.

He nodded in agreement, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment longer than necessary.

"So," he started, and she noticed the subtle pink tint in his cheeks again. "Do you have plans after our game of hide-and-seek?"

"I did buy myself a drink at the beach bar," she recalled, chuckling. "But I had to abandon it due to an unfortunate series of events."

"Oh no," he feigned a gasp, chuckling at the roll of her eyes. "I can buy you another if you'd like?"

She smiled at his offer. "I could use the company tonight," she answered, pulling him away to freedom, finally.

★ ★ ★

They sat together at a (different) bar an hour later, the night sky was now pitch black, the moon barely peeking from behind the clouds.

She was holding her belly from laughter, entrapped by his story of how he decided to become an actor.

"From that moment on, I knew this was my true calling," he finished with a laugh.

"That's amazing," she giggled. "But also incredible how you had your future figured out so young."

He hummed, taking another sip of his beer.

"So, idol, huh?" he quirked his brow with intrigue. "What's that like?"

She chuckled softly, looking down in thought. "It's great," she started. "Every day feels like a dream..."

"Sounds great," Natsu replied, but he sensed her sombre tone.

"I don't know," she sighed. "I guess I don't even know if want to be an idol."

"Oh my god." She shot her head up, fearfully searching for the ears of a fan, her manager, or anyone important who might've overheard. "I did not just say that."

"Woah, that's quite the secret you told me," Natsu teased, chuckling.

He gave her a sweet look, placing his glass on the counter. "Can I ask why?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," she recounted. "I just always feel as if I'm putting up an act, and it feels so fake. I guess I want a job that feels more genuine to me."

He smiled at her, placing a comforting hand on her forearm.

"Then, I'm glad I was able to meet the genuine you tonight."

He quickly pulled back. "Unless I didn't," he teased, acting worried.

Lucy took his hand, intertwining it with her own.

"You did," she smiled up at him.

He could see twinkling in her eyes as she gradually leaned closer. She glanced down briefly to his lips, before meeting his eyes again.

He wasted no time, pulling her in by the cheek and meeting her lips with his own.

The kiss was gentle and hesitant at first, a test of the waters. Lucy's lips felt tender and delicate, dancing softly along his own. He drew her closer, deepening the kiss, his blood rushing to his abdomen when he felt her hum at the added pressure.

Lucy's hands found their way to Natsu's shoulders, heart fluttering when he brought his own down to her waist and squeezed her gently.

They became more eager, breath growing heavy and lips desperately moving against each other: gliding, tugging, pulling.

A breathy moan escaped her lips, inviting Natsu to slide his hot tongue against hers. Her heart pounded in her ears, drowning out the bar music.

Natsu's lips were dominant and slightly rough against hers, it made her feel needy, and her body felt a way that it hadn't before. She could easily become addicted to this.

She flushed deeply after finally remembering that they were in public. Though disappointed to end it so quickly, she tapped his shoulder twice and pulled away, a string of saliva breaking apart as she did.

"We should probably go somewhere else," she tried to say, though it was no louder than a whisper as she tried to regain her breath.

He seemed to have heard her, though, as he quickly composed himself and took her hand.

That was how they ended up in his hotel room, lying on his bed.

He was on top of her, shirtless, kneeling between her thighs and leaving a trail of kisses down her neck, prompting quiet squeals of laughter out of her.

"Do you know what's great about this island?" she asked, once she'd quietened down.

"No, what is it?" he asked.

He propped his arms next to her head, putting his weight onto them as he hovered over her. She reached for the back of his head, playing thoughtlessly with his hair. It was much softer than it looked.

"The stars at night. They're legendary," she started, eyes sparkling.

He moved his eyes to the window. The sky was dim and cloudy, not a shimmer of a star to be seen.

He looked back at her, eyebrow raised. "I can't see anything," he said.

"Not many people get the chance to see them. There are specific weather conditions, and you have to be in the right place at the right time."

"Anyway," she noticed she was rambling. "They say that those lucky enough to see them are blessed to find eternal love."

Her cheeks got hot, suddenly feeling embarrassed under his gaze. "Um, at least, that's what the travel brochure said."

Natsu chuckled heartily, finding her sudden shyness endearing. "It's a shame we didn't get to see them tonight," he told her.

She shrugged timidly. He smiled back, cheeks matching hers as he brought his hand to cup her face.

"Maybe one day, I could take you to them," he suggested. She pretended to miss the nervousness in his tone.

"I'd like that," she agreed, closing her eyes and pulling him in.

His lips were confident as they moved against hers and she felt herself melting into the kiss.

She woke up the next morning to the sunlight peeking through the window. She blinked her eyes, letting them focus and adjust to her surroundings. They fell to the man sleeping below her, strong arms holding on to her as she lay on his chest.

She blushed, the night before coming back to her in a flashback. She had just slept with a man she'd only met that day. It made some part of her feel guilty, but for the rest, it was liberating, and quite frankly, amazing.

The disturbingly loud buzz of her phone made her jump, she groaned and slowly disentangled herself from Natsu.

She stopped the alarm, and the phone immediately flooded with missed calls and texts from her manager.

She laughed emotionlessly as her heart dropped. "I'm screwed."

She quickly gathered her belongings and got dressed. She looked at Natsu once she was done, who was still soundly asleep. This would probably be her last time seeing him for a while. Unless they stayed in touch.

Scanning the room for paper, she pulled out a pen. She decided to write her phone number on a notepad she found, that way he'd call her and they could meet when they were both free from work.

Her phone rang again just as she'd finished, and she scrambled to the door, hopping into her heels before answering the phone and swiftly closing the door behind her.

Natsu woke up moments later, his sensitive ears picking up the sound of the door slamming. He sat up, yawning as he stretched himself fully awake.

"Lucy?" he called out, after realising she wasn't with him.

He climbed off the bed, grabbed a shirt and threw it on before reaching for his phone. A social media notification caught his eye. It was a news article, with Lucy's name in the title.

'Secrets Revealed: Lucy Heartfilia's cheating scandal shocks Sting fans...'

'What the...' his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

He clicked the link, frowning as he read through the page.

'Lucky Lucy Heartfilia has captured the hearts of millions with her charm, talent, and graceful style. This doesn't exclude the popular actor, Sting Eucliffe! However, beneath the heartwarming facade of the picture-perfect couple lies a web of deceit and lies, thanks to one heartbreaking fact: Lucy's cheating scandal.

When did it start? How did it start? And with who, or how many?

Buckle up folks, because in this article I'll be telling you why your favourite idol is not as perfect as she seems...'

His heart sank, and he placed his phone face down, gathering his thoughts. Was the night before a lie? The things she'd told him about her job? Had she lied to get close to him?

Is that why she left without a word? His heart clenched, feeling betrayed as thoughts raced through his mind.

He cursed under his breath, walking into the double of his suite. On the dining table, he spotted a page ripped out of his notepad.

'Had to leave early for work, here's my number. Call me! ♡ - Lucy'

He stared at the note for a moment, before scoffing and crumpling it up in his hand, throwing it into the trashcan next to him.

He couldn't stay hurt for long, he had work and his flight back home was leaving that afternoon. After putting a pod into the coffee machine and turning it on, he made his way to the bedroom to pack his things.

She would regret toying with him once he'd made a name for himself, he'd make sure of it.

★ ★ ★

"I really am sorry," she whimpered, sniffling in her seat as Aquarius typed rapidly into her phone next to her, ignoring her whines.

"I thought of leaving you here on your own, that would've taught you not to be so late," she replied, monotonously. "Next time, I will."

Lucy kept her head down in shame, sulking when Taurus rubbed her back in comfort. She reached into her bag, pulled out her phone and checked her recent messages and call logs.

She found it strange that Natsu hadn't contacted her yet. Had he not seen the note?

"Right, I checked our tickets. Our flight leaves in half an hour," Aquarius switched off her phone and put her arms on her hips. She noticed how focused she was on her phone. "What's wrong? Still hold up on your summer fling?"

"He wasn't a fling!" she retorted defensively. Her manager shrugged and motioned for her to grab ahold of her luggage. Lucy sighed and stood up, rolling her suitcase behind her towards their boarding gate.

In the distance, she spotted a hint of pink. Her eyes widened as she noticed Natsu walking through the airport with his own bodyguards, eyes glued to his phone.

She blinked. If he'd packed and moved out of his suite, then surely he'd seen the message. He was on his phone right now, so why hadn't he called her?

She brushed it off and cleared her throat, raising her hand to the air and waving it. "Natsu!" she yelled out to him.

His head raised, scanning the room for the source of the sound. Finally, their eyes met.

For a few seconds, the eye contact lingered, neither party breaking it. It felt different to how it did yesterday, when she felt so comfortable she thought she could say anything to those eyes. Today, it felt all too distant.

Then, he snapped his head away, putting on his sunglasses and continuing to walk away.

Lucy's hand abruptly stilled in surprise. That was him, right? Of course, it was. They'd looked at each other, and she was sure that, even from afar, she couldn't mistake those eyes. But why did he ignore her?

She watched as he made his way to his boarding gate, not sparing her a glance as he walked. As he disappeared into the plane, her heart sank.

Had he just ghosted her? They had such a nice time the previous night, was that all a lie? She crossed her arms, hugging herself tightly. She felt disrespected and used, her heart was pounding and her thoughts were whirling like a tornado in her head.

Aquarius noticed her change in demeanour, and after quickly realising the situation, placed a calming hand on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy," she whispered, apologetically.

Lucy took in a deep breath, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "I don't understand why he'd act that way," she breathed out.

"You don't want a man like that," Aquarius informed her. "They don't deserve you."

Lucy looked at the gate one more time. She ignored the twinge of pain in her heart.

"Yeah," she answered. "Let's hope our paths never cross again."

★ ★ ★

...And, there we go!

4.7K words, I may have overdone it for chapter one...

But I wrote down everything I wanted to happen, and I actually really like how it turned out

On a different note, thoughts? Natsu's character was kind of hard for me T^T

May I spoil that he's quite different in the next chapter, as there's a time skip

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!! Please stay tuned 🤍🤍