A/N: Hello lovelies! It's FINALLY FLUFF WEEK! And I couldn't resist..not one bit..so leave the angst behind and enjoy the fluff!
"Luce? What are we doing up here?"
"I told you, just stay patient!"
Natsu Dragneel? Patient? Yeah right.
Natsu frowned as he watched Lucy's ponytail swing animatedly back and forth behind her head, the scent of her strawberry shampoo dominating his senses. So much so, that he couldn't smell where they were headed, or maybe that had been her plan all along.
Thick trees lined the mysterious path that she had dragged him on, blocking out the moonlight that would usually have been their source of light, but for now, the glowing flame that Natsu cradled in his palm would be enough.
Lucy hadn't told him anything about where they were headed, and to his dismay, she refused to talk.
"Lucy, where are we-" Natsu began, but abruptly cut himself off when Lucy turned around to face him, stopping him in his tracks.
The fire in his palm reflected into her chocolate eyes, making them appear as if they were shining brightly, almost like stars. It had been the first time that he had seen her face since she dragged him toward the path.
"You'll see when we get there." she said, winking mischievously.
Natsu glared at her for keeping such a secret from him. Normally, he was the one to drag Lucy on spontaneous adventures and treasure the looks of amazement and awe she would show on her face, regardless of whether she wanted to be amazed or not.
When Lucy's face lit up with excitement and mystery, Natsu dropped his glare and smiled, unable to resist Lucy's demeanor. She always looked so cute when she was excited about something.
Natsu sighed with amusement. "I can't know anything?"
Lucy shook her head. "Nope!"
"Not even a hint?"
"Nope!"
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Yup!"
They bantered back and forth, neither of them giving into the other. While Natsu was determined to get inside of the blonde's mind, she was determined to keep him as ignorant as possible, trying to aggravate him as much as possible. And it was working.
She got under his skin, and frustrated him to no end. And yet, that was one of the things he loved about her.
"I better be amazed." he jokingly scolded.
"Natsu, you'll be so amazed that it'll burn the flames out of your body, sending you spiraling into a world of wonder and ecstasy, cascading down a wondrous land you never knew could exist." she said sarcastically, and yet also telling the truth.
"Wow, you're so poetic." he laughed.
"Well, I am a writer, you know." she hinted.
Natsu laughed to himself. "Be careful about living up to your promises-"
"Here we are!"
Natsu blinked as Lucy grabbed Natsu's wrist, and suddenly they were sprinting.
"Oi, Lucy! What-"
Their bodies flew through the trees and the summer's night air, the wind and Lucy's ponytail slapping Natsu in the face.
Natsu immediately put out the fire he held in his palm.
If he had somehow managed to burn Lucy's hair, he would never hear the end of it.
Suddenly, the trees vanished in a flourish, and Natsu saw nothing but the night sky stretching out to infinity.
He slammed lightly into Lucy's back when she stopped short, his mouth landing in the crook of her neck, a weak spot of Lucy's. He smirked thinking about her body shivering in delight whenever he kissed her there, hitting one of her sweet spots to a T.
The fact that Lucy barely reacted to his accidental touch meant that whatever she had her mind set on had to be exciting, exciting enough for her to neglect being accidentally touched by his lips.
"Look! Isn't it stunning?!" Natsu watched as Lucy threw her arms out towards the sky, her head flung backwards with a look of sheer bliss on her face.
Natsu was finally able to look at his surroundings, and with his eyes adjusted to the darkness around him with the moon now visible, he realized that Lucy had led him atop a small hill, surrounded by grassy fields dotted with stray fireflies. The moonlight drenched the nearby Sakura trees, dyeing them to a pale pink, almost the same shade as Natsu's hair. Tons, if not thousands of wildflowers were scattered all around them, emitting a sweet scent that tickled Natsu's nose.
It was purely a Lucy place.
But, to get excited over a place like this?
"Oh…." Lucy suddenly whispered.
Natsu immediately shifted his gaze back to Lucy.
Even bathed in the brightest moonlight, Lucy's eyes were lack-luster. Her smile had dropped to a small frown, her face losing its excited flush that had been present just a few moments before. Her outstretched arms dropped down to her sides, disappointment blooming in her irises.
"Luce?" Natsu asked, concerned at her sudden drop of enthusiasm. "Is everything alright?"
"Hm?" she hummed softly, her eyes drifting over to Natsu's, glassy with disappointment.
"I said, is everything alright?" Natsu repeated.
Lucy stared him down uncertainly, her arms crossed in front of her chest, looking up at the sky with a worried expression on her face. Finally, she sighed.
"It's just..oh, it's nothing. You would've thought it was stupid anyway.." she turned her back to him, blonde ponytail swishing. "Let's go back, it's getting late."
Natsu frowned as he stared at Lucy's back. Just a few moments ago, she had been filled with bliss and excitement, her eyes shining in a way that made Natsu smile. Her skin had a way of glowing whenever she was excited, almost as if she were on fire. Her entire being sparkled when she was happy, and it never failed to make Natsu..well..happy.
Natsu clamped his hands down on Lucy's shoulders, keeping her glued to her spot. He couldn't explain it, but he felt a tremendous vibe of disappointment permeating Lucy's body, and it frustrated him greatly. He hated it when she was sad.
"I know that look, Luce." he said softly to her. "Tell me."
Natsu heard a sad laugh escape Lucy's lips, and she turned to face him.
"It's..the stars."
Natsu blinked at her in the darkness, frowning and tilting his head up to the night sky, seeing nothing but a dark blanket of space, endless black stretching to infinity and back.
"But Luce, there aren't any-"
Oh.
It finally clicked in his mind, taking in the eerie darkness of the night sky, the salt and pepper glitter of the stars absent from the vision of night. On a normal night, the sun would set, and the stars would appear one by one, shining in all their speckled glory. Wishes would be made, kisses would be given, and dreams would be created underneath them.
But tonight, it seemed that they were nowhere to be found.
Natsu looked back to Lucy, who bit the inside of her cheek in annoyance.
"And we hiked all the way out here..for nothing."
Natsu took his hands off of Lucy's shoulders slowly.
"Is this what you wanted to show me?" he asked her. "Cause I've seen stars before, Luce."
Lucy laughed half-heartedly, her eyes dull. "Well, kind of."
She backed away from Natsu, and looked up to examine the night sky once again.
"I discovered this place a couple of months ago while on my way back from a job, I saw the path and I figured that I would follow it.
"When I looked up at the sky, I saw the most beautiful array of stars that I've ever seen in my entire life. They were all shimmering so bright, brighter than I'd ever imagined they could be. Natsu I swear they were the most spectacular things that anyone could ever hope to see!
"It was like..a painting that once hung in my mother's room. Each night, she'd tell me stories about the stars and how they would shine for those who had lost their way, and how we will all become stars ourselves one day. It..gave me a sense of hope, that just as the stars shine for us, we shine for them.."
Lucy's eyes softened. "I just wish that you were able to see them too.."
Natsu looked at Lucy for a long time, taking in every inch of her face. Her lips were pressed lightly together into a frown, almost as if they were puckered to kiss the non-existent blanket of glitter in the sky. Chocolate gazed up into black, searching for any sign or indication of a shimmer, while none would be found in the sky, or in her eyes.
Natsu wouldn't have any of that.
"What are you talking about? I can see them."
Lucy blinked and turned to Natsu, frowning. "What?"
"The stars." Natsu said, reaching out and unwrapping Lucy's crossed arms, finding her hands and taking them into his. "I can see them perfectly."
He watched as Lucy's frown deepened, her eyes darting from the sky, back to his eyes.
"Where?" she asked him, cocking her head.
Without breaking eye-contact, Natsu slowly raised Lucy's right hand up so that it was at her eye level, her pink guild mark glowing under the moonlight.
"Here." he said.
Lucy said nothing, her eyes wide with confusion.
"And here." Natsu said, bringing her left hand up to join her right. He squeezed her hands gently before letting them down at her sides.
"And," he continued, reaching out and brushing his fingers softly over Lucy's cheek. "Here."
"Natsu," Lucy whispered. "What are you-"
"I don't know about the ones in the sky, but the stars that I've always seen were visible both day and night. There's no difference.
"I see them everywhere. Your hands, your arms and legs, your hair, your face, your lips…your eyes…" Natsu said softly, continuing to cup Lucy's cheek softly. "I don't need to see the stars in the sky when I have the most beautiful ones glittering on right before me on the ground."
Lucy's eyes widened, her lips trembling. "Natsu.."
Natsu looked directly into Lucy's eyes, placing his hands on her shoulders once more, bringing her closer to him so that their noses were mere inches from touching.
"Lucy, you've got enough stars to last me a lifetime."
He watched as Lucy's eyes widened, tears budding in their corners. He felt her hands grasp his tightly, shaking in small tremors.
Then she laughed, and launched her body into his, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his chest.
"Where did you learn how to be so poetic?" she laughed between spilling joyful tears.
Natsu wrapped his arms around the blonde, and smirked against the skin of her neck.
"Well, I am dating a writer, ya know."