Yes, I made Lucy a perv. Sorry, but I'm not gonna go back and change it. XD Also, at the beginning when Lucy first joined Fairy Tail, yes, I know Lucy was actually standing next to Mira, but I don't care. The holding hands idea sparked when I first realized that Natsu and Lucy, most of the time, were standing next to each other when Master Makarov or anyone was speaking and I'm like "they should hold hands" and wah la! I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail

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Longing (Day 1)

Lucy had originally thought it was okay to hold hands with Natsu whenever she was standing next to him. When she first joined the guild, she glued herself to his hip. Natsu didn't say anything about it so she thought he didn't mind. Lucy didn't know anyone except for him at the guild hall. Plus, she's never been around so many people before, compliments to her father for keeping her locked in that mansion.

Yes, she wanted to join the most popular and strongest guild in Fiore, but it was natural that once you join, you're extremely nervous. This was Lucy's case; so many nervous questions ran through her head as she walked through the doors with Natsu and Happy for the first time: What if they don't like her? What if they figure out that she's the Heartfilia Heiress? What if she doesn't fit in? What if she's just too weird? What if they don't like her magic? Well, Natsu liked her. If he didn't, he wouldn't have invited her to join Fairy Tail; that comforted her a bit, but still…

As a result of her nervousness, Lucy glued herself to his side the first few days. She was totally freaking out when she met Mira, but as much as she looked up to her, she didn't know her too well. She rushed over to Natsu to show him her pink guild emblem on her hand and was little upset he didn't even glance as he spoke in monotone, welcoming her to the guild, but he was the only one she knew and stayed by his side.

Hence, they were standing next to each other when Master Makarov first showed up. He was gigantic and scary and Lucy felt frightened as he looked at her and said, "oh? We have a new member?"

Lucy jumped in her spot and on instinct, grabbed a hold of his hand. She was scared, and she's seen what Natsu could do. Holding his hand comforted her and let her know that she was safe. She expected him to give her a strange look and pull away, but instead, he looked at her, chuckled, squeezed her hand, said, "don't worry, Gramps won't hurt ya!", and then laughed at her reaction when he shrunk down to a short, old man. The only way Lucy thought that made Natsu not pull away, is that her nervousness was obvious. As Makarov complained to the members that they've been destructive again (compliments to Natsu) and held up complaint papers from the Magic Council, Natsu and Lucy continued to hold hands. He only let go of her hand when Makarov burned the papers and tossed it to him so he could eat it.

When Natsu left with Happy to go save Macao, she grew scared again. She didn't know anyone here and her source of comfort was gone, so she went with them. She felt a little selfish, leaving just to be with Natsu, but she convinced herself that she was leaving to help him help whoever this Macao was as well. Really, She did want to help save him, but mainly, she left to be with Natsu.

It happened that the next time Makarov announced something, she always happened to be standing next to him, and before she knew it she was holding hands with him. She would've blamed him for the action, but she knew it was her who grabbed his hand. She knew he didn't mind because he'd never pull away: he simply glanced down at their hands and back up to listen to Makarov speak.

Of course, Lucy opened up and became best friends with everyone, but she still stayed around Natsu. For some unknown reason, they bonded. Lucy thought it was because they were partners.

It had become a sorta tradition thing: whenever they were listening to Master Makarov or anyone speak, they'd hold hands. One day during the announcement of the S-class trial, Natsu and Lucy were separated in the eager crowd. It was weird for her; they always somehow ended up standing next to each other, but not this time. It shocked her that Natsu was walking toward her through the crowd. He smiled, said "there you are!", grabbed her hand, and turned to listen to Master Makarov.

Did he just search the crowd just to hold her hand?! It seemed like it. It made Lucy realize that it wasn't because they were partners that they bonded. If that was the case, she would be holding hands with members of their extended team: Gray, Erza, and Wendy.

Also, partners or best friends, she realized, don't sleep together. Happy never counted: he was a cat and she didn't have a problem with that. However, a boy who became her partner and best friend after a week of knowing each other? Yeah no, that doesn't happen. Yes, Natsu was unique and seemed to get addicted to breaking into her house and falling asleep on her bed with her in it, but still. When Lucy woke up to Natsu sleeping next to her, she was more flustered than angry. After a while of scolding him and such, she just gave up because he wouldn't stop. She wouldn't deny that she loved the heat he gave off whenever he snuggled under the covers.

As she was cooked alive on her way to Tenrou Island on the boat, in between her complaints on how hot it was, she was thinking about Natsu running through the crowd to hold her hand. As she went back through their holding hands moments, it was then it suddenly hit her like a brick wall: she had a crush on him. She didn't know how or when it occurred, but it did and now she knew. She would guess that it was Natsu who had a crush on her because it was he who looked for her in the crowd, but she knew that he was too dense to realize. It was just a simple tradition thing they did and it felt weird when they didn't.

She loved holding hands with him, whenever they got the chance. Now that she knew she liked him, sparks always flew when they touched and Lucy loved it!

But as she fell deeper for him…it just simply wasn't enough…

She didn't just want to hold hands anymore, she longed to feel him. She longed to run her hands up his arms and feel every muscle that was there and then go over his broad shoulders to his muscles in the back. She longed to run her fingers through his hair and feel his scalp. What Lucy longed to feel the most was the part she kept staring at when he was wearing an open vest: his abs.

She thinks about it too much, because having a dream where she makes out with him and touches him in the places she wants just tells her that she's in too deep. Lucy brushed off the strange, but now her favorite dream and tried not to act awkwardly around Natsu, but after having that same dream for the fourth time makes it hard not to blush every time she looks at him.

She was so in love with him that she had to physically stop herself from reaching up and running her finger across his scar on his neck whenever she was standing next to him.

She was in too deep. She was in way too deep that she couldn't take it anymore. Lucy knew that the next time she saw him, she was going to do something she stupid, like randomly kissing him out of nowhere. So she had to get away from him, though it broke her heart to do so. She's been avoiding him for about a week now and it's been hell.

She longed to find him…she longed to touch him in places she wanted to and kiss him as much as she wanted.

That longing was only going to get worse and she knew it.

"Oh! This is so frustrating!" Lucy shouted to herself, flailing her limbs in the air as she walked down the street. People stared, but she didn't pay attention to it. When she reached her apartment, she was looking among her celestial keys for the key to her house. Once she found it, she opened her front door with a sigh, shut it, and leaned against it.

"I guess I'll just keep avoiding him," she spoke to herself. "At least until I figure out what to do…"

She sighed again and made her way to her room. She set her purse and keys down before deciding to take a quick nap before she showered, but as she turned to her bed, she locked eyes with her favorite boy.

She jumped back in shock, "N-Natsu?!"

There was something wrong; Lucy could tell immediately. He had that serious look on his face, the kind of face he wore when fighting. It wasn't necessarily an angry face, but definitely a look of seriousness. Not only that, but Natsu would immediately greet her with a "Yo Luce!" every time he broke in her house. Here, he was just waiting for her to notice him.

Concern flooded through her, "hey Natsu? You okay?"

"I heard what you said."

"Huh?" Natsu's words seemed like they were spit out, causing Lucy to feel confusion and slightly afraid. He was mad at her, no doubt about that. It didn't worry her too much though; Natsu would rarely get mad at her. When he would, it never lasted for very long. "What I said?"

"Yeah…just now."

"Just now?..." Lucy looked toward the wall with a raised eyebrow, trying to figure out what she said just now.

"When you were downstairs. You had just walked in the house."

Lucy looked at him before it clicked. He heard her say that she was going to keep avoiding him! Crap! Crap! Crap! Lucy mentally panicked for a split second before she realized that she didn't say his name:

"Oh! That! I've just been avoiding this guy who I'm having issues with. Nothing else." They weren't lies; she just left a certain name out of her words.

"You've been having issues with me?" Natsu's voice remained hard.

"Huh? You? I didn't say-"

"Don't bother covering up. I know you've been avoiding me," Natsu turned away for the first time that night. His arms were crossed and he was staring down at her pillow. His face expression remained serious, but she could see the sadness in his eyes.

Lucy bit her lip and looked down, guilt hitting her. She was so selfish! She was thinking about herself and her emotions that she didn't bother to care how Natsu would feel when she started to avoid him! Stupid! Stupid! Now she regrets this!

"Are you…mad?"

"Huh?" He glanced up at her. "No, I'm not."

"Well, you look mad."

"I just wanna know why…I just wanna talk."

She suddenly felt put on the spot and stood there awkwardly, shifting her weight from one leg to the other and gripping the end of her skirt. "Uh…"

"Lucy," Natsu leaned forward a bit, "was it something I did?"

"No," she shook her head. "It's just me. Look, I'm really sorry. I was being selfish. I was only thinking of myself."

"You can relax, you know? Even if I'm mad, I'd never hurt you. You know that."

She did relax, slightly. She let out the breath she didn't know she was holding in and let go of her skirt, not caring about the wrinkles she put in them.

Natsu chuckled at her nervousness, but his seriousness never left. "What's the issues? Are you tired of me falling asleep on your bed?"

"No," she blushed, realizing what she just said. She went even redder when she saw him smirk. "I didn't mean it like that! I sorta gave up since you and Happy never listen!"

"Suuure," Natsu smirked again. "Anyway, what kind of issues are you talking about?"

"It's just some personal issues I've been having with myself…and you really don't need to know."

"Actually, I kinda have a right to know. Since you keep avoiding me, it obviously has to do with me."

"No," She shook her head, "I don't care whether or not it has to do with you, you don't need to know."

"Lucy…"

Natsu then hopped off her bed and Lucy immediately knew his intentions. After he took two steps toward her, she took two steps back.

Natsu groaned at her actions, "come on, Luce. Is it that hard to tell me?"

She didn't answer, but stared at the ground as she continued to walk backwards and Natsu walked forwards. When her back hit her bedroom door, her eyes widened. Before she could open it and run downstairs, Natsu's hands on each side of her stopped her. Lucy knew she was screwed.

"Lucy, please tell me what's wrong. It's really bugging me."

"Don't do anything stupid. Don't do anything stupid. Don't do anything stupid," Lucy mentally chanted to herself as she looked down at her feet.

"Luce, please."

"Don't do it, Lucy."

"Lucy…"

Oh gosh! The way he said her name was irresistible. Lucy found herself looking up at him. Her eyes lowered to his lips and she gripped the edge of her skirt again.

"Please tell me."

A few moments of silence passed before Natsu gave up. As he was about to back away, Lucy lost it, flung her arms around his neck, and smashed her lips against his.

Natsu let out a gasp, giving Lucy the opportunity to deepen it. His lips were exactly like they were in her dream: soft, warm, and just the way she liked it, but she's never kissed a boy so it didn't matter. It was Natsu though and that was all she longed for.

And then something took her off guard…

Natsu was kissing her back! And with equal force!

In a blink of an eye, she was back against the door again. His hands were at her waist and her hands wound up in his hair, which Lucy couldn't help but smile into the kiss as she did so. So this is what it felt like to run her fingers through his hair. It didn't feel entirely soft, but it felt nice, like fire.

They pulled apart to breathe, but it was only for a moment. Natsu quickly had his lips against her neck, causing Lucy to gasp in surprise. Her hands fell from his hair to his back and she smiled again as she ran her hands over his muscular shoulder blades. She suddenly felt something sharp on her neck and she yelped, gripping his shoulders. As an apology, Natsu kissed her over the bite mark a few times.

"I love you, Natsu."

It was barely over a whisper, but he heard her and tensed up. He remained frozen with his head in her neck as Lucy opened her mouth again:

"That's why I was avoiding you…"

And she told him everything. From the beginning when they started holding hands to how she felt about him now. Once she finished, she felt a weight being lifted, but was extremely nervous for his reaction. After a few moments of silence, she finally got one:

"Weirdo," Natsu chuckled.

"Hey!" Lucy exclaimed. "I just told you how I feel and-"

He kissed her again to silence her complaints.

"Did it ever occur to you that I feel exactly the same?"

She blinked, "what?"

"I don't like being away from you. That's why I break in all the time. That's why I asked you to be my partner. I didn't think you'd like me so I didn't say anything about it," Natsu then smiled, "but if I knew a kiss from you would feel that good, I would've confessed a long time ago." He then frowned and looked her in the eyes, "the next time something like this pops up, don't avoid me. Come talk to me about it."

Lucy nodded, smiling widely, "okay."

"Oh and Lucy?"

"Yeah?"

Natsu grinned widely, "I love you too."

Through all their adventures, only one thing was certain: that they were together and their longing for each other would only grow larger.

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Finally! Why did take longer than I thought it would? I hope you liked it. Happy First day of NaLu Week and I better get started on the next day.

-zEllie