Hello!

Here goes my first fanfiction. I think the characters are not too much OOC, according to the circumstances of the story itself… at least that's what I hope… ^_^

On one last note, this story came to my mind by hearing "Who Am I To Say?" by Hope. It's not a songfic, but in the end there's a little part of the song. You should really, really, get it a try and listen to it! It's simply… awesome *-*

Now, go on and enjoy it :D

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail and all its characters and places belong to Hiro Mashima. I only own the plot.

Lucy walked slowly to the guild, the song that played in the radio that morning repeating over and over on her head. The lyrics had touched her in such a way, she now had less a mug on her cupboard. As she arrived to the guild's doors, she could barely hear her thoughts behind the music.

Reaching for the door handle, she vaguely noticed a fresh drop of water on her jacket. Looking up, she found herself surprised to see no clouds. Then she touched her face and panicked. "I'm crying!"

Rushing, she got away from the front door, calming herself and cleaning her eyes. She inhaled deeply before opening the guild's back doors, praying to her mother that nobody would notice that she had cried.

"Good morning, Lucy! Why are you entering by the back door?"

"Hello, Mira! Oh, I was on a walk and ended up behind the guild so, instead of going to the front door, I just decided to enter here." She smiled, all nervous inside.

"Oh, ok!" Mira thought something was weird with the blonde, but couldn't quite put a finger on it, her own enthusiasm covering everything else. "I think you might want to get to the hall, though…"

"Huh?"

"Don't worry, you'll find soon enough" The older woman winked, pushing the other gently, a warm smile adorning her features. "Finally, we'll have the real smile of our Lucy back!"

"O-okay…"

The Celestial Spirit Mage went to the main room of the guild, the song playing one more time on her head. She had already lost her hopes that he would come back any sooner. And, before that morning, she couldn't understand why that left her so broken.

Now she could only regret not having listened to her heart sooner. She couldn't tell him, now that he was gone for so long and nobody knew when he would come back. She couldn't share with him the relief and pain that was on her heart for not knowing sooner and yet for knowing. It was so confusing and frustrating! She felt the tears again, but held them firmly. "You won't cry until you're home again, Lucy. Don't you dare." She didn't even know if he would come back.

"No! Don't think about that! He. Will. Come. Back." She whispered to herself, fighting back the tears, yet again.

She inhaled deeply once more, before entering the guild's hall and being in front of everyone else.

"Good morning!" She smiled, but today, more than in all other days, her smile wasn't as strong as if he was there with her.

"Lucyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy yyy!"

Next thing she knows, she's on the ground, tackled by a blue ball of fur. Tears come to her eyes, once more, and she looked down to her chest.

"Ha-Happy?"

The Exceed had his big eyes full of tears, most of them already trailing down his face. Hugging her bosom tightly, he spurted out:

"Lucy! I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Happy!" She hugged him back, patting on his head, her tears falling without her noticing and her eyes quickly scanning the room, a new flame of hope shining in them.

The touching scene was being silently watched by the Fairy Tail members, several of them wiping some happy tears away. Most of them noticed the change of expression on the blond, the relief, happiness and care reflected in her eyes and features. They also noticed how those feelings quickly transformed into confusion, worry and angst, when she didn't find Happy's foster-father within the rest of them. Mirajane was one of those who saw the conflicted emotions of the Celestial Mage and approached her to calm her down, but Lucy had already gotten up, Happy on her lap.

"Where?" Her voice was rough from the tears.

The Exceed looked at her, his smile never faltering. "Home."

When she smiled back, everyone started smiling, all thoughts alike: "There it is. Our Lucy is back."

She looked up to face her nakama, being right in front of Mira. The Take Over mage smiled at the girl whom she loved like a sister and whispered a single word.

"Go."

And the blonde left, leaving a guild on party behind.

Out in the streets, Lucy got herself doubting which way to go. Her home or his? She looked at the sleeping Exceed in her arms and smiled. "Why am I even doubting? When they are this tired, where do they go?"

And she ran all the way home, careful not to wake up Happy.

With the still sleeping Exceed on her arms, she slowly opened the door of her apartment, entering with cat steps not to wake him up if he was sleeping, as she was most certain he was.

She closed the door behind her and slowly laid Happy on her armchair. Then she turned to her bed.

Her lips cracked into the most radiant smile since they had left, and tears of joy streamed down her face. She approached her bed, relief swirling on her heart. "Thank you, Mama, for bringing him home." As she kneeled beside the bed, the profoundly asleep boy who lied there turned in his sleep, making his face meet with hers. Her hand shot up instinctively and softly caressed his cheek, taking a few strands of pink hair out of the way. The Stellar Spirit mage blushed when realized what she was doing, but decided to ignore it and let her feelings control her body.

"Natsu…" She whispered. "I'm so glad you're home… so glad you're… alive." She no longer could control the sobs. "I was so worried! You wouldn't come back… a-and even though I knew you would be okay, I c-couldn't help but feel worried... a-and s-sad. Oh, Natsu, I'm so sorry, I didn't want to be sad, I knew you had to go and try to find him… b-but my heart sank with sadness because… b-because… you weren't here… with me." She sobbed louder, covering her mouth with her free hand to do not wake the Dragon Slayer up. Caressing one more time his soft and peaceful cheek, she laid her head next to his chest and let the fatigue wash over her body. "I… I love you."

When she woke up, she could feel her head aching from all the emotion and shed tears. "I guess I'll just lie in the comfort of the bed a little while… WAIT, BED?!"

Her body shot up, her eyes wide open. It was already dark outside. Now that she was awake she could hear thin whispers coming from her kitchen, even though the lights were all off. She felt a sudden shiver of fear cross through her spine. Were there any burglars?

Gazing through the house, she realized nothing was missing... except for Natsu and Happy.

"They left…" She looked at herself and blushed. "I'm in my bed. I wasn't in bed."

"Oh, Lucy, you're awake!"

Her head bolted to the voice, eyes making contact with the boys', and back to her lap, her hands hiding the blush that kept reaching new levels. She had confessed to him! Even if he was asleep…! "Oh God, WHY?"

"Lucyyyy, aren't you hungry? Do you want a fish?"

She laughed, putting her fears aside. How couldn't she? She had missed even Happy's offers of fish!

"No, Happy, thank you." She turned to him and smiled. "But I sure am hungry. What about I do some cooking for us?"

"Nah, Luce, you won't need."

"Aye! We did some cooking for you! Well, Natsu did… but I helped!"

She could feel the tears again, but in an ever so slightly bad way. Those two cooking? It couldn't be good.

"Here…" He reached her a mug with what seemed to be coffee and some overly toasted toasts. "It's not much, but you hadn't much in the kitchen too. What have you been eating, huh, Lucy? Looking at it, you really seem thinner!"

"Are you saying that I was fat?" Asked Lucy, trying to sound angry.

"Of course not! You're perfect, weirdo."

She blushed again and strained her eyes to the blue companion.

"Thank you for the meal… And you too, Natsu."

"It's ok. Now eat, we already did so."

She started to eat, silence greeting the three friends. They were okay with the silence; all they needed was to be on each others' company. While she effortlessly ate the burnt toasts (she was really hungry, as she only took breakfast that day), Happy flew through the window to check on the guild's welcoming party that Mira had set for them. If it was all ready, he would come back to get Natsu and Lucy.

Conversation flew naturally between the pair, with half-hearted insults and bickering every once in a while.

"I'm seeing you had a lot of fun…" The blonde stated smiling, curious for more of his mission's stories, but more anxious to know if it had been successful. She decided to ask softly, not knowing exactly how to be less blunt. "But what about the main mission…?"

His features got serious and his dark eyes darkened further.

"You don't have to answer, it's alright if you don't want, or can't, talk about it." Lucy got herself up, getting her dishes to the kitchen, while mentally scarring herself for being stupid enough to actually ask such a question.

"No… It's not that…" He followed her to the kitchen and back to the room, trying to find the words. "I'm just not… ready?... to talk… But you'll be the first to know, Luce." Natsu smiled his childish grin, reassuringly. "You're the only one I can really trust with this kind of stuff."

She let herself fall in the bed, stunned. Without realizing, Natsu could sometimes have a really good way with words. She felt her cheeks getting hotter and looked for something to change the conversation's topic.

"Don't you think Happy should already be back?" Lucy looked over the window, eyes searching for a blue flying spot in the horizon.

"Nah… he gets distracted easily. And if Carla is there, he won't even remember us."

"Hum… Yeah, you're right. Well, wanna start walking to the guild?"

"Not really…" The boy moved closer to the bed and jumped, lying down across from Lucy, head on the pillow.

"NATSU! Get out of my bed!" The girl jumped up and started trying to make him get up. "You already used it more than enough! Get! Out!"

"C'mon, Lucyyy… it's just so comfy…" He nuzzled the pillow, not moving an inch. "And it has your scent… it's calming…"

The Celestial Spirit Mage stopped on her tracks of hitting him on the head (again) to make him get out of the bed. Frozen. What did he just say? Then she wiped the thought away, thinking she had been imagining things and smacked his head and back with all the strength she could muster.

"Get the hell out, Natsu! You know I don't like you using my bed!"

"Ouch, Luce! That hurt!" He turned to face her. "And you didn't take me out of it when you got home… why bother now?"

She looked at him, speechless. "You were SLEEPING! You had just arrived from a LONG and TIRING journey! Do you think I'm that cold-hearted?!"

"Of course I don't! Calm down…" He sat on the edge, eyes on hers, hands wondering in the air between them. "You're not cold-hearted! Geez, Luce, you're not like the stripper!"

"Gray is not cold-hearted." She let her hands rest on her hips, eyes still glaring.

"Defending the Ice Princess, are we?" His tone got a little colder, even though not enough to be called serious.

"Don't call him like that! Gray's your friend, and he worried for you like all of us." She crossed her arms on a more relaxed way, not seeing right away the light tension on the rose haired's shoulders. "And he helped me a lot; these past months… he and Juvia have been great." She smiled, recalling her friend's new relationship.

Natsu raised himself from the bed, standing in front of the blonde, who had turned to get a coat from the wardrobe, head low. "Great, is it? What have he done? I can't believe… my hearing betrayed me?"

"Been comforting me, they have, both of them. You missed their announcement to the guild when they started dating, it was hilarious." She smiled sweetly, than looked back. "Eh, Natsu? What's wrong?" She stepped closer, raising a hand cautiously.

He looked into her eyes, his disbelieving. "HE WHAT?!" Then he burst out laughing. "Gray actually started dating Juvia?! Ahahahaha!"

The Stellar Spirit Mage reveled on his laugh, smiling for having him again by her side and for having noticed his use of the friends' right name.

"I can't believe it! He finally gave in?"

"Finally gave in…? What do you mean?"

"C'mon, Lucy! Even I could see that they had something special! You couldn't?" He smiled at her, his eyes still wrinkled from laughing.

"I-I did! I never thought you had! I always thought you were super dense in those kind of situations, since you never… showed…" She looked troubled.

"Yeah, I guess I was a little… innocent. Still, not that much!" He got closer to her, resting his palms on her arms. "Hey, are you okay?"

She looked up. "Yeah, you just caught me by surprise."

"Weirdo."

"Don't call me names!"

"But you are, you weirdo!

"I'm not that!"

"Yes, you are, you weirdo! Now, come here!"

"Wha-?" Her words got caught in her throat as he pushed her to his torso, hugging her tightly. "Na-tsu?"

"Shh…" He nuzzled her neck, much as he did with the pillow, not so long ago. "I missed you, you know…?"

She hugged the boy back, relaxing in his arms. "I missed you too…"

He prepared for what he was about to say and encircled more the arms around her. If he was right, she would try to get away as soon as the words came out of his mouth. And if he had learned something in his travelling, was that he couldn't let her go, even if that meant being a little different from his usual self.

"I heard you." Natsu muttered against her gold locks.

As he suspected, she froze on her place. The arms around him became rigid as her mind tried to decide if she had listened well, and if he meant what she thought he meant with those words. He started rubbing soothing circles in her back, to calm her down, or try, whispering this time in her ear.

"I heard you. I was sleeping but my good hearing became more alert during the mission… Even though I didn't hear it all, when you finished your speech I was already sort of awake. I… I'm sorry, I'm not sure if it was supposed for me to listen… Now, I just thought you should know the truth. Sorry."

She made a choked sound and started moving, trying to free herself from his grip. "No, no, no, this can't be happening!" She pushed the Fire Dragon Slayer with all her strength, slapped him and even aimed for his ankles. Tears of grief and embarrassment washed her eyes and changed her voice as she pleaded. "Let go… Let go of me, Natsu! Let me go!"

Her words only made him tighten the hug. "Nope, never..."

"Let me go…" The female's strength was nothing in comparison with his and after a few minutes later she was getting tired of struggling for something she knew she couldn't have: her freedom from that sort of embarrassment and a hole to be buried alive in. "P-please, Natsu… L-let me g-go…"

"Shhh… Calm down, Lucy…" He moved one of his hands to her hair, pushing slowly her head to his shoulder while petting awkwardly her hair. "Shh… I'm here for you. If… If you want to cry, cry, but you're not leaving me. You're not… leaving me."

"I never l-left you…" The blonde gave up into his ministrations and slowly calmed down. He had heard her and yet he wouldn't let go. Did that mean…? She allowed herself a little hope.

"I know, weirdo, I'm the one who left." The Dragon Slayer warmed up a bit his hands and arms and encircled her torso again. "I'm sorry…"

"Aren't you… mad?"

"Why would I be mad, weirdo?"

"Don't call me names!" She smacked him playfully on the chest and the fire mage smiled. "You… you heard."

"Yes, and?"

"Oh, God, why? Why did I have to say it…?" She hid her face again on his shoulder. Despite being her love, in the first place he was her best friend; the one who was always there to comfort her with a silly word and a smile. She couldn't let her love ruin the friendship they had.

"Why, you say? Probably because you never had the chance before, being me so dense."

"…"

"Lucy… When did you found out?"

She blushed. "This morning, I was hearing to the radio and a song played… and my feelings started to make sense."

The boy chuckled a little. "When I entered your house and got on your bed."

"Huh?" But then, Lucy felt his lips on her shoulder, almost next to the neck, and felt herself melt. She totally forgot the question she was about to do. They were just so… warm. He inhaled on her scent, feeling her shiver, and smiled against her skin.

"Do you… want to be always with me? Protected by me?"´

"W-what are you saying, Natsu?" The blonde's thoughts were in chaos and she could no longer recall what she was doing.

He raised his head to meet her dazzled eyes, a slight blush on his cheeks. "Do you? Can I… prevent that I'll never leave you again, nor you leave me?"

She picked up on his expressions and blushed hard. If what he was asking her was what Levy now carried in her shoulder-blade… then it would be a huge responsibility. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. "Do I want it? To be his forever?" The answer came almost immediately. "Yes, I want. But not if he's doing this just for me… I… I want him to love me back." She opened her eyes. "Do you want…?"

"Huh?"

She blushed harder (how's that possible?) and repeated. "Do you want? All that you asked me… do you want it? To… be with me, always."

His face grew hot, but he didn't take his eyes from hers. He nodded slightly, not knowing what to answer exactly.

"Then… I do."

He moved forward, depositing a peck on her cheek before getting to the spot he wanted to mark: the spot between the neck and the shoulder. He kissed the area, making his lips almost burn, licked, making her knees tremble and her body shiver, and finally bit.

"Ah!"

He let his magic flow, making the pain for the bite subdue into a warm, fussy feeling. He licked again the area, like a cat (or, in this case, a Dragon) cleaning its wounds.

"Hum…"

He reveled on her low moan, meaning he was no longer hurting her. Smiling, he raised his head to look at her eyes, but they were closed. During the "act" her hands had escaped and now encircled his neck, her fingers moving through his scalp.

"Lucy…"

She opened her eyes, feverishly, and felt her mind giving a loop to put the thoughts on the right places. Her cheeks were of an adorable pink, but the blush didn't grow more.

"We need to go, right?"

"Yeah, I can smell Happy coming this way."

She let go of him. "Oh, ok… Huh, Natsu?"

"Hum…?" The boy was yet again hugging her and breathing her scent. "You don't know how much I missed your scent, Lucy."

"I… need to get my coat dressed. You're the fire mage, not me."

He laughed, letting her go. Deep inside, from Igneel's lessons, he knew that one day she wouldn't need the coat, his fire now being hers too. But that day was yet to happen, and he blushed slightly at the thought of it.

"Natsuuuuu, Mira threatened me that if I didn't take you both back in 5 minutes she wouldn't give me fish for ALL the night! Hurry!" The little exceed pulled on his foster father's arm, eyes fearing the prospective of having no fish.

"Let's go, then!" And the boy jumped from the open window, followed by Happy.

"NATSU! USE THE FRONT DOOR!"

"Hurry up, Lucy!"

"Urgh! He never changes." She closed the window and left the house, closing the door behind. She smiled affectionately for them. "Let's go. He never changes, but that's how I love him."

He grabbed her hand, Happy flying ahead, and ran through all the way, pulling her behind him.

"NATSUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Now you're a song I love to sing

Never thought it'd feel so free

Now I know what's meant to be

And that's okay with me.

So? How did you like it?

Tell me what you think, good or bad

If you're just looking for something to read and don't want to review… well that's ok, hope you enjoyed! ^^