Author's Note: hey, guys! I've been wanting to do something like this for a while, and I'm finally getting around to it! Whoot! This will be particularly beneficial to me, because it will give me something else to work on aside from "Ardor," so hopefully my writer's block for that story will just fuck off. Today's also my birthday! I turn nineteen today. Yay to being able to legally drink on my trip to Japan next month! Also, Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it!

Anyway, "Eyes Wide Open" will be primarily Nalu-centric, but I might add some chapters focused on my other OTPs at some point too. There will be various AUs as well, so feel free to leave suggestions in a review or in a PM! And thanks to the wonderful NilyaKirigaya for being my beta! Love you, boo!

Please enjoy, leave a review, and follow me on Tumblr for updates and previews!

The quote I used for the story's description is from the novel "The Chaos of Stars," written by Kiersten White.

Being possessive is in a dragon's nature. The thing is, he doesn't have a right to be possessive of her.

For Only Him

Natsu hated how close they were.

He hated that they shared similar interests, because that meant they often fell into detailed discussions that would last for at least half an hour. Half an hour of them talking to each other, agreeing with each other, sometimes touching each other, or even worse – laughing with each other. Natsu loathed when he made her laugh, usually as just a reserved giggle from behind her hand, but sometimes he would get her to crack up, throwing her head back, trying to stifle it because laughing that hard in public was embarrassing to her. And then he'd tease her about losing her composure, and in response, she'd tell him to shut up and give him a playful shove, still giggling.

Ugh.

Natsu really hated how close they were.

The worst part about Natsu's current situation? He couldn't go anywhere to get away from the nauseating sight in front of him. Team Natsu had taken a job to take down some pesky "mutant moles" that had been wrecking the crops in a small farming town whose name Natsu couldn't recall. They had successfully accomplished their goal a couple days ago, and since the town was rather secluded, the only way to get to it other than hiking was by carriage. Unfortunately, the dragon slayer's belly had been more queasy than normal during the first few minutes of the ride back to the neighboring town – one that had a train station – which caused him to lose his breakfast all over the seats, promptly getting their whole group kicked out.

This forced them to walk the rest of the way, which, depending on how much ground they covered, could take a couple days.

Natsu didn't have a problem with hiking. In fact, he preferred it. What he did have a problem with, however, was Gray.

Sitting there with his stupid droopy eyes, and his disgustingly smug grin, the way he was talking to his partner, making her laugh as he recounted a story from when he was little.

Tch.

The only person that should be able to make Lucy laugh like that was him. He made her laugh harder than anyone, so hard that she cried occasionally. The lovely sound of her amusement should be reserved for him, and him alone.

Natsu realized he wasn't allowed to feel this way. Lucy didn't belong to him. She wasn't his girlfriend. She was his nakama, his best friend, nothing less, and certainly nothing more. He didn't get to be jealous when other men talked to her, got along with her, especially a man like Gray, who had nothing more than a platonic relationship with the blonde stellar mage. He never had any less than pure intentions when it came to Lucy, and Natsu knew that. She was only a teammate in Gray's eyes, the little sister he never had.

But that didn't stop him from wanting to strangle the ice wizard just for sitting too close to her.

Natsu really, really hated how close they were.

Unable to withstand anymore of the emotional torture, the dragon slayer stood up from his seat by the campfire he'd made for the night, grabbed his water jug, announced that he was going to refill it at the river they'd passed a little while ago, and left the camp, barely acknowledging the "okays" from his team. Once he was out of hearing distance, he let loose a long, aggravated sigh, his hand scoring through his hair as he tried to ease his nerves and cool himself down. He had a bad habit of exerting his magic when he was upset, causing his body heat to rise as well as the temperature of the air around him. He needed to simmer down before his teammates noticed something was wrong and tried to talk to him about it.

I'd rather not lie to them, he groused to himself, kicking an innocent pebble that lay in his path. Lucy can always tell when I do. I hate that. Makes it impossible to keep secrets from her.

He released another sigh as he reached the river, although this one wasn't as annoyed. It frustrated him that his thoughts always managed to wind their way back to his favorite blonde.

Natsu kneeled beside the river and popped off the cap on his jug, dipping it beneath the surface of the water to let the current fill it. Once it was full, he lifted it to his mouth and took a few gulps before putting the cap back on and plopping onto his butt, setting the jug beside him. He rested his arms atop his knees, letting his chin perch on top of them as he watched the water, the fading sunlight creating mesmerizing sparkles on the ever changing surface. He wasn't ready to head back to the camp yet. He still needed a couple minutes to cool off, and the sound of the flowing river paired with the gentle breeze did well to coax the anger and frustration out of his being.

He allowed a small scoff, giving a roll of his eyes at himself. Pathetic, getting so worked up over nothing. Lucy was just having a friendly chat with Gray, something she was allowed to do with someone who happened to be one of her closest friends. He had no right to get so upset that he needed to excuse himself from the group to keep his temper in check. No right at all.

None.

Besides, she didn't need him to be so possessive of her. She was way out of his league, and he knew this. Hell, everybody did. Even Lucy herself probably knew that she was too good for a guy like Natsu. Even if she said she wasn't, he knew she was just being nice. Several people had pointed out to them directly about Natsu not being good enough for her, and every time she defended him, saying that he was a nice guy, one of the nicest she's ever known, and that people often took him for granted, doubting his intelligence or maturity when he very well wasn't unintelligent or immature. To be fair, he wasn't the smartest or the most sensible, but he deserved some credit, and he appreciated Lucy for giving it to him. He knew her words were true, at least to her, but she was still way too good for him.

Let's be honest.

Natsu sighed, turning his head so his cheek leaned against his forearms. Who was he kidding when he denied his attraction to her? It was so painfully obvious, and he was aware of this. It was obvious to everyone except Lucy, apparently. People keep telling him – namely Happy and Mirajane – that he should just tell her how he feels about her. But what good would come of that? She didn't feel the same way, and telling her that he was in love with her would do nothing but make things awkward between them, and ultimately ruin their friendship.

He tucked his knees closer to his chest, fisting his hands.

He didn't want that to happen.

He couldn't stand the thought of losing her.

As miserable as it was being unable to be with her, Natsu would much rather be in her friendzone than not be her friend at all.

So wrapped up in his thoughts, Natsu didn't hear the approaching footsteps until there was a gentle hand on his shoulder, making him jerk and swerve his head around and up to come face to face with the beautiful stellar mage herself. He blinked his eyes a few times, not expecting to see those big, coffee brown orbs staring into his own with their usual brightness, with a small twinge of concern. She offered him a smile and a greeting before taking a seat next to him.

"Hey," she said kindly, crossing her legs and placing her hands in her lap. "Are you alright?"

"Huh?" the dragon slayer muttered dumbly, still processing her question. He nodded once it sunk in, clearing his throat as he tore his gaze away from hers and faced the river once again. "Yeah, I'm okay. Why?"

He noticed her posture change, albeit minutely, from his peripherals. He didn't have to look to know that her hands were now fidgeting in her lap. "Well, you got up a little suddenly. And you seemed a bit upset. Is something wrong?" Natsu cringed internally, biting back a sigh. Damn her, being so fucking observant, he mentally griped. I can't stand how easily she can read me.

"I'm fine," he assured her, offering her a small smile and praying she couldn't tell that it was a bit forced. "Really, Luce. Just wanted a couple minutes to myself." Lucy stared at him, a small frown tugging at her lips. Of course she knew the smile was fake. Natsu was an open book – he was god awful at hiding his emotions. It didn't take a psychiatrist to notice his feigned nonchalance.

"Are you sure?" She placed a dainty hand on his shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze. "You know you can talk to me when you're upset, right?"

He allowed a genuine chuckle, nodding his head once. "I know, Luce. But it's nothing. Really."

"It's never just 'nothing,' Natsu," she informed him, her voice going firm but still maintaining her natural tenderness. He refused to look her in the eyes, knowing she hardened her gaze as well. If he looked into those deep brown eyes now, he would get lost and she could reel in anything she wanted to know from him.

Damn those expressive eyes.

"Tell me," she pressed, softening her voice. "Please?" Her tone persuaded his gaze to finally turn to hers, and he felt himself weaken at the sight of her beautiful face, so full with concern for him. Her expression made him think, was he really that bad at keeping his bad mood from her? She typically respected Gray's privacy when he's in a pissier mood than usual, as well as Erza, Wendy, Levy, just about the rest of their friends. Why not him? Did he really look so upset that she just had to know what was putting him in such a sour mood?

Deciding to voice his thoughts, he lifted a questioning eyebrow, keeping his gaze locked on hers. "Why d'ya wanna know so bad, huh?" he inquired, almost challenging her to answer.

Lucy maintained their eye contact, although he noticed her gaze soften. "Because I hate seeing you upset. I…" He immediately noticed the blush dusting itself over her cheeks before she finally averted her eyes, looking down at her lap. Her hands fiddled even more, her fingers lacing together and her thumbs twiddling. "I-I want to know why you're upset, so that I can help fix it. Because… because I like it when you're happy. It makes me happy."

His heart gave a small trill. Really? he mused, managing to contain his excitement that was brought on by her comment. Me being happy makes her happy? Well, at least we feel the same way in that aspect. Opting to tease her instead of express how much her words moved him, he allowed a playful smirk to crawl onto his face, nudging her with his elbow.

"So you want to cheer me up?" he asked in a sing-song voice, chuckling when her blush deepened a shade. He draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a light side-hug, his smirk turning into a blinding grin. "Aw, Luce! You're so sweet!"

"Oh, let go of me, you dork," Lucy spat, giving him a small push against the chest, a giggle bubbling up and making his heart skip a beat. He relished every moment he got her to laugh. He lived for the sound.

Ignoring her request, he only pulled her back to his side, his fangs poking his bottom lip as his smile broadened. "You're the dork, you weirdo."

"I am not a dork, nor am I weird," she insisted, giving him another push before relenting, knowing it was useless. The dragon slayer was several times stronger than her, trying to push him back would be all for naught, especially since he didn't seem to want to let go any time soon. So instead, she relaxed into his embrace, leaning into his frame and laying her head on his shoulder.

"I beg to differ," Natsu retorted, trying to ignore the way his face heated up at her actions. He kept his arm hanging limply over her shoulders, not wanting to move in any way that could possibly make her withdraw herself. It wasn't like he was never this close to her, they exchanged hugs all the time. But it was rare for them to cuddle.

If you can even call this cuddling, Natsu added as an afterthought. He wasn't used to being this close to someone else, so he couldn't tell if "cuddling" was the right term for their embrace. But nevertheless, it was something he could get used to, being this intimate with Lucy, being this close to her. It was pleasant, and warm, and with her being so close, his sensitive nose could easily pick up the smell of her conditioner.

Cherries, with a hint of vanilla.

The scent almost intoxicated him.

"Are you sure you're okay?" her voice spoke up hesitantly, snapping him out of his reverie. Natsu spared a glance at her, staring at the top of her head for a moment before his eyes fell to her hands in her lap, watching them fidget. "If you don't want to talk about whatever's putting you in a bad mood, that's fine. I won't force you. But… I just want to make sure it's not something I should be concerned about. I want you to be able to feel like you can talk to me about anything, you know? Because… you know… you're my best friend. I just–"

"Luce," he mumbled, gently shrugging his shoulder to bump her head, cutting off her rambling. He chuckled, rubbing her arm. "I'm okay. I promise. I feel better now."

Lucy blinked and lifted her head to look at him. "You do?"

"Yup!" He offered her a toothy grin. "Thanks to you." He chuckled at seeing her blush, laying her head back on his shoulder to try and hide it from him.

"W-Well, I'm glad I could help," she stammered, reaching up to touch his hand as it hung over her shoulders, unaware of the jolt she sent through Natsu's body. He gulped, fisting some grass in his other hand as his heart started to race.

Damn it. Just fucking relax, Natsu. It's just your hand. Whaddya getting so worked up about?

He groaned internally at himself, glancing down at their hands through his peripherals. His chest deflated in a brief sigh, feeling his nerves slowly relax and uncoil, gradually forgetting about Gray's ugly face and the way he made her laugh earlier. Lucy was sitting next to him now, holding his hand and laying her head on his shoulder.

She was close with Gray, but not nearly as close as she was to him.

Lucy never sat in silence like this with Gray, or held his hand, or tried to get to the bottom of why he seemed just a little upset. She didn't do any of those things with anyone else either.

No.

This side of her was just for him.

Only him.

And for Natsu, that was good enough.

At least for now.