Pairings: Natsu x Lucy
Timeline: Quite a bit of time from the main story arc. An unknown time, but far enough away for Natsu and Lucy to be together.
Warnings: FLUFF! You have been warned lol
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail
Authors Note: Who loves fluff? I do! In all seriousness I spawned this story from my own habit of asking hypothetical questions, which tends to get me into some interesting situations haha. Enjoy!
XXX
"Natsu, what if Zeref didn't exist?" Lucy asks, kicking her feet up. She was stomach down on her floor, a warm summer breeze rolled in through the open window. Natsu was stationed at the table, playing poker with Happy, using sliced vegetables and fruit as poker chips. Lucy held one of Plue's stout arms, spinning him around.
Natsu stopped in mid chip collection, tilting his head back, "What?"
"What if Zeref didn't exist?" Lucy repeats her question, meeting the inquisitive black eyes of her boyfriend. Natsu internally groaned, already knowing where this was going.
"But he does," he said, finishing scooping his winnings into his much larger pile. Happy harrumphed and eyed the deck as if it was the reason for his loss.
Lucy's lips twisted into a grin, "But what if he didn't? Would Arcadios have existed then? Would Acnologia then have attacked Tenrou island? And if he didn't, since saying he didn't exist without Zeref, the seven years we were gone wouldn't have happened, right? So then what would have happened?"
The dragon slayers brain spun, "What?" She giggled, scooping Plue up in her arms as she stood, settling down into his lap.
"Basically, what if Zeref didn't exist? So many things might not have happened and we could potentially be seven years older now and in an era of eternal peace," Lucy explained her point. Natsu popped a slice of cucumber in his mouth, considering what she said.
"I guess so," he said finally, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"Or it could be the total opposite," Lucy says, "Acnologia could still have turned into a dragon and without Zeref there, destroyed all of humanity." Lucy loved that he put up with her questions, despite not having a clue in the world how to answer them.
So he nods, "Yup." Lucy kissed him softly, stealing one of his sliced strawberries. Natsu laughed, and Plue gurgled a bit.
Natsu resumed his game of poker with Happy, and Lucy occasionally pointed out he should fold instead of loose more of his chips.
It was a wonder these two even began to go out. Lucy always had to laugh a little when she thought of how it happened. They'd gone on a mission, just the two of them, well, two of them plus Happy for old times' sake. And during that mission, Natsu and Lucy had gotten blown back by an attack, and lo and behold, they kissed. Somehow, Natsu ended up above Lucy and his lips were against hers. She kissed back.
"Cheaters!" Happy cried, yanking Lucy from her lull and back into the present. She giggled as Natsu argued with Happy that he wasn't cheating.
"I'm not cheating!" Natsu roared. "I'm simply receiving help from Lucy!"
Happy yelled they were cheating.
XXX
"What if Sakura blossoms were brown?" Lucy questions, leaning her head back against Natsu's chest. She was sitting between his legs, her own up against her chest.
Natsu chuckled, nuzzling her blonde hair. "Then they wouldn't be pink."
Lucy giggled, arching her neck to kiss Natsu's cheek. "Would they blend in with the tree branches?"
"Well rainbow Sakura day would be even more awesome then," Natsu responds.
"What if they weren't rainbow since they were brown?" Lucy retaliates, and Natsu internally groans again. He let his head hit the bark of the tree and loops his hands behind his head after a moment.
"Then I wouldn't have dug up that tree for you," Natsu said.
"Ha! So you're admitting it!" Lucy beamed up at him.
He nervously scratched his chin, "Er, nope." Lucy was giggling again. Couples walked through the park, flirting and holding hands, only attentive to each other. Lucy was still amazed by how different Natsu had been since they started going out. He'd grown more mature. He did have his moments, and honestly, Lucy loved it when he had them.
So to cover up his slight embarrassment, he tickled her, eliciting peals of laughter from the blonde.
"Natsu!" She squealed, her fingers curling in his jacket.
XXX
"Can you believe the irony of it all? How often do you take a job in the same town where we met?" Lucy holds her hand above her brow line, blocking the sunlight, her other hand laced with his. He had his free arm on the ledge of the balcony, his head against the hard flesh, drooling a little. Happy opted out of going for some unknown reason, only quickly muttering off something about fish.
Natsu moved his head a bit and wiped his drool on his arm, "Not really. We get missions all the time."
Lucy shot him a look, "Really Natsu?" She rolled her eyes and tightened her hold on his fingers. They were supposed to be looking for a wizard who supposedly sold magical weapons illegally. Of course no one could prove this fully yet except for the outrage of the shopkeeper in Hargeon.
"We do!" He protested, squeezing her fingers back. He straightened, grinning lopsidedly at her. "Let's go down to the beach first."
Her eyebrows knotted together, "Why? Shouldn't we be looking for the wizard?" He tugged on her hand, pleading with his eyes.
She pursed her lips, "Okay, fine." Lucy really wanted to get her jewels to pay her rent. "Natsu, are you sweating?" His head whipped back to face her, rubbing at his face roughly. His palms were growing damper by the second.
"Nah must just be your imagination. Come on!" Natsu was pulling her through the throng of people and down a massive flight of stairs. He didn't stop till they were at the edges of the water; in fact, he was standing ankle-deep in salt water.
Lucy's expression grew more confused, yet she shrugged. "This is where you kicked Bora's ass for impersonating a Fairy Tail wizard."
Natsu's obsidian eyes widened a fraction of an inch, "It is?" He shook himself, and Lucy swore she heard some bolts rattling around in his cranium.
She gnawed on her lower lip, "Natsu, what if we hadn't met in Hargeon?" She fell back into her habit of asking hypothetical questions.
He didn't say anything, causing Lucy to nervously tug his hand. He always answered her. Yet, somewhere deep down, she was scared to hear his answer. Would he tell her they'd never have met and wouldn't be together now? Would she have joined Fairy Tail? Been taken by Bora's men? Her whole life since she met him would have just been a shame. He was the reason for all the excitement in her life, her world. Without meeting him, there was a chance that when Phantom found her, she'd be back living with her father. She wouldn't have all her keys—
"What if I were to ask you to marry me?"
She probably would be trapped on her father's estate, living a lonely broken life that… Wait, what? Lucy blinked rapidly, glancing at her boyfriend who was now bent down on one knee, fumbling with a black little box.
Lucy's mind was spinning. Is this happening? Finally, he popped open the box and a small pale blue gem glittered on a sliver band. Fear, panic and anxiety watered to the surface of Natsu's eyes. He looked like a dear caught in the head lights, preparing to run at any given notice.
Her heart thundered in her chest as she spoke, "Is this for real? Or are you just asking me a hypothetical question?"
Natsu swallowed thickly, licked his lips, prepared his voice, "This is real."
Lucy's legs felt like Jell-O. She sank down to her knees in front of him, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Yes."
When he kissed her, the world was gone and it was just the two of them. His lips were warm and rocked her inner most core, melting it, liquefying her. She became aware they were both kneeling in water once Natsu broke the kiss to slide the ring on her finger where it belonged.
"How do you like my hypothetical questions now?" Lucy teased, still blown away by his proposal.
"Still annoying," Natsu says lightly, kissing her nose, "but worth it."
"What if I were to punch you right now?"
"You wou—ouch, okay, rings need to come with a warning label."
Lucy giggled, hugging him.
Soooo, not too bad if I do say so myself. Natsu's a little OOC but hey, he's older now… my justification sucks… Well, I hope the fluff made up for the OOCness and I hope you enjoyed!
~Emerald~
