Valentine's Day
The guild was flourished in red and pink, hearts strung up on all the walls and banners.
Everyone seemed so happy, smiles on their faces, love practically in the air, and yet...
"Damn, you must eat snow-cones all day, cause you're stone-cold!"
"Oh yeah, Hothead? Well, at least my brain isn't made from ash!"
"Guys.." said Mirajane, trying to get their attention.
They didn't hear her.
"I don't care what you think, the present I got is better." said Gray.
"Mine is way better !" snapped Natsu.
"Yeah well she's gonna like mine better." he argued.
"No way! And besides, I found her first!"
"Guys.."
Gray glared at Natsu.
"Oh yeah? Well, why would she want you anyway? What's to like?"
Natsu glared back at him.
"You asshole! Take that back!"
"Make me-"
"GUYS!" yelled Mirajane.
Natsu and Gray turned to her, still in their fighting positions.
"What are you two fighting about this time?" came another voice from behind them.
They turned their heads to glance at the source of the new voice, and their jaws dropped.
"LUCY?"
Lucy stared at them as they quickly separated from each other.
"Nothing!" said Natsu quickly.
"Yeah, we weren't fighting about anything." agreed Gray.
Lucy smiled at them radiantly, making them stare more.
"Well anyway, Happy Valentine's Day!" she said.
"Oh, right!" piped Natsu.
"I have to go and get something from my house, I'll be right back Lucy!"
He ran for the door, and disappeared.
Lucy and Gray stared after him.
"Okay?" said Lucy awkwardly.
Gray turned to Lucy and smiled.
"You look pretty." he said.
Lucy smiled, giving her short red dress a little twirl.
"Thanks." she said.
Mirajane watched as Gray smiled down at her, eying them suspiciously.
'This won't end well..'
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Natsu burst into his home, and rushed over to where he had left the present. He picked it up carefully and smiled. She was going to love it.
Back outside, he started back towards the guild, when there was a scream from not too far off.
He looked up and sighed. He'd better go check what was wrong..
Setting the present carefully on the doorstep of his home, he went to go see who was screaming.
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"Here, let's sit together. I have something for you.." said Gray, smiling at Lucy.
Lucy stared at him, and then smiled back.
"Really? Okay then." she said, sitting down with him.
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Natsu went back to his door step after having dealt with some robbers that were trying to steal some woman's purse. He reached down to grab the present. His fingers grazed against the concrete.
"Hm?" he said looking down.
The present was gone!
Natsu stared at where the present had been moments ago, feeling his spirit drop a bit.
Now he didn't have anything to give Lucy for Valentine's day.
He turned slowly, walking dejectedly towards the guild.
"Now what am I going to give Lucy?" he wondered aloud.
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Lucy watched as Gray pulled out a small white box, and gasped.
"Oh Gray, you shouldn't have.." she said, as he handed it over to her.
She opened it and gasped again.
"It's so pretty.." she said, staring at it.
"Here.." said Gray, reaching towards her.
"I'll help you put it on."
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For the first time ever, Natsu came into the guild silently.
And as soon as he came in he saw them... together..
Mirajane cupped her hand over her mouth, watching Natsu's growing fury as he took in the sight of it.
Gray had just finished clipping the necklace at the back of Lucy's neck, and smiled as she spun around.
The necklace had her name on it in silver, and glittered beautifully.
Lucy smiled up at Gray.
"Thank you so much! I love it!" she said.
"I'm glad-" started Gray, but was suddenly cut off, when Lucy threw her arms around him, hugging him.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw the guild door swinging violently, like someone had just charged through it.
The floor in front of the door was black and charred, as if something had burnt it.
'Strange..' thought Lucy, pulling away.
Gray stared at her for a moment.
"Hey Lucy?" he mumbled, scratching the back of his head.
"Yeah?" she asked.
"I was wondering..." he said.
He glanced down at her.
"Do you want to go out to eat somewhere?"
Lucy stared at him.
"Uhm.. Sure, I guess..." she said, and smiled again.
Mirajane was biting her nails, a sign that she was stressed.
'This is not good. Not good...' she thought to herself, watching as they walked out together.
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It had been two hours since the 'incident' at the guild.
Natsu glared at the clock.
If only he could rewind time, and get the present before it disappeared, then maybe he'd still have something for Lucy.
He fell back onto his pillow.
'Come on Natsu, get real,' he thought to himself.
'It's not like the present is just going to fall on your lap..'
THUMP.
"Huh?" said Natsu, looking up.
On his lap lay a present covered in heart wrapping paper, and ribbons.
Happy looked at him, smiling.
"Surprise!" he said.
Natsu stared blankly for a moment.
"Umm.. Thanks... Happy..." he said staring down at the girly looking package.
Happy blinked.
"It's not for you, silly.. It's your present for Lucy!" he said.
Natsu's eyes widened.
"What? You found it?" he asked.
"It was never lost! I just decorated it for you!" he said, smiling.
Natsu grinned.
"Thanks, Happy, I'm going to take it to her right now!" he said, jumping up enthusiastically.
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Lucy and Gray walked up to her front doorstep.
Lucy smiled at him.
"Well thanks Gray, that was great." she said.
She turned to open her door, and just as she was about to step in, Gray stopped her.
"Lucy.." he said.
Lucy turned to him, and was surprised to find his face so close to hers.
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Natsu turned onto the walk-path that led to Lucy's door, and froze.
He stared brokenheartedly ahead, and felt the package slipping out of his hands.
"No.." he whispered, so low that no one heard it.
In anger he stormed away, package in hand, flames scorching the sidewalk as he charged.
He tried to deny it. Tried to tell himself that it couldn't have been what he really saw, that it had to have been his mind playing tricks on him.
He tried, and tried, but as hard as he tried, he could not burn the mental image of Gray kissing Lucy from his mind.
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Lucy brought her hands up to his chest, pushing him back.
"Gray, stop." she said.
Gray stared at her, and when she met his gaze, he was filled with regret.
"I'm sorry." she said.
Gray pulled away from her.
"No. I'm the one who should be sorry." he said, looking down.
Lucy rubbed her arm, feeling awkward.
"I should go.." said Gray.
"Okay." Lucy agreed.
Gray dragged away in silence, mentally cursing at himself.
'Why did I have to kiss her?' he thought.
'She probably would've had a better time kissing a salamander..'
He ground his teeth together.
'Maybe she does prefer Natsu over me..' he grumbled to himself, kicking a stone as he walked away.
Once inside, Lucy leaned against the door, letting out a sigh.
"What a weird Valentine's day.." she said to herself.
She frowned, looking over at the package she'd left on her couch.
"And I didn't even get to give Natsu the gift I got for him.."
She shivered.
She still felt cold from being within such close proximity to Gray.
Lucy touched her fingers to her lips, and felt sad.
She'd never be able to have her first kiss with Natsu like she'd wanted.
Suddenly the whole room felt a bit colder.
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Natsu glared at the ceiling.
Life wasn't fair.
He'd lost his foster father, he'd lost his best friend...
And now he'd lost the girl he cared about most.
He hadn't even been able to give her his present on Valentine's day.
Natsu glanced over at the clock.
11:38
It wasn't midnight yet.. he could still give Lucy her present before Valentine's day ended..
Maybe it wouldn't make a difference...
But he had to try.
Screw Gray. So what if he kissed her? Natsu still had something to give to Lucy, and he wasn't about to let some icy bastard ruin it.
He stood, and grabbed the package, intent on giving it to her this time.
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Lucy took a deep breath, glancing at the clock on her wall.
11:40
'Maybe,' she thought, 'my Valentine's day was ruined.. But I want to take this.. I want to see him smile just once..'
She clutched Natsu's gift, and stood, willing herself to take the gift to him before Valentine's day ended.
Lucy walked out the door quietly, her breath visible in the cold night air.
She closed the door quietly behind her, stepping quietly out onto the street.
There weren't many people out, just the few passerby that generally kept to themselves.
She gazed down at the package in her arms, thinking of Natsu.
That was where she went wrong.
In tearing her mind from her surroundings for even one second, a stranger grabbed her roughly by the wrists, dragging her over into a dark, secluded alley.
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Natsu walked down the street.
The air was cold and stiff, and whipped at his face as he continued towards Lucy's house.
The people were kind of strange too.
You'd think they'd all seem happier on Valentine's day.
He glanced at the time.
11:42
He let out a sigh, and picked up his pace a bit.
That was when he heard it.
He froze, and for an instant, was almost paralyzed from the sound, but instantly came to life and followed it.
He'd know her voice anywhere.
Lucy was screaming, and she needed help.
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The man cupped his hand over Lucy's mouth quickly, glaring viciously at her.
"Bitch." he muttered, reaching for his belt.
He pulled out a knife, and brought it to her face.
"I'll teach you.."
Lucy tried to scream again, and squirmed, trying desperately to break free of this strangers hold, but to no avail.
It was over.
This man was going to kill her, and there was nothing she could do about it.
She cried.
But just before the tip of the knife could touch her, the man was thrown to the ground, and there was fire everywhere.
"What the hell do you think you're doing to her?" came a stern voice.
Lucy gazed up and tears filled her eyes as she stared at the face emerging from the flames.
It was Natsu's face.
The man gawked up at Natsu in horror, and tried to scramble away, but Natsu picked him up by the collar of his shirt.
"You're lucky I don't burn you to a crisp." said Natsu acidly.
He threw the man to the ground, and glared after him as he ran away, trying to put out the fire on his shirt as he ran.
Natsu turned to Lucy, and bent down to her, worry etched in his features.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly.
Lucy stared at him in awe, and nodded.
"Let's get you home." he said, helping her to her feet.
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Lucy stayed close to Natsu the whole way to her house, and even once they were inside she stayed within at least five feet of him.
He was so warm compared to Gray.
She shuddered, remembering how he'd stolen that kiss from her at her doorstep.
Natsu glanced at her again.
"Hey," he said.
"Are you sure you're alright? I swear if that guy hurt you, I'll--"
"No," she said.
"It's not that, it's just.."
Lucy rubbed her arm.
She looked up at Natsu.
"I think Gray likes me..."
This didn't come as a surprise to Natsu, because he already knew this, but he listened anyway.
"He gave me this necklace, and he took me out to a restaurant, and then when he brought me back here.."
"He kissed you.." Natsu said quietly, just quietly enough that she couldn't hear the pain in his voice.
She looked up.
"How did you know?" she asked.
"I saw it happen.." he said.
He pulled out the present, which was burnt on the outside.
"I came to your house to give you this.. I'd wanted to give it to you earlier, but.. I had some things come up.."
He handed it to her.
"Sorry it's a little burnt, I guess I got a bit carried away back in that alley.."
Lucy smiled up at him, and she cried.
Natsu stared at her in concern.
"Don't cry.." he said softly, brushing her tears away with his thumb.
Lucy blushed, and her tears dried.
She shook her head.
"No, it's just..."
She glanced up at him.
"It's really sweet." she said.
"Here, why don't you sit down. You look tired." said Natsu, guiding her over to the couch.
"Thanks." she said, fumbling with the damaged wrapping paper.
She opened it slowly, and carefully, peeling back the singed wrapping paper.
Once she saw the corner of the gift, she tore off the rest of the paper, and gasped, tears coming to her eyes again.
It was a book, and a gorgeous one at that.
The book had a fine brown leather cover, which was polished to perfection and bordered in gold. Even the pages were perfect. It was exactly the right size for her handwriting.
It was, to put it simply, perfect.
"It's for you to write your own story someday." said Natsu, smiling.
"Natsu.. Thank you.." said Lucy, sniffling.
Natsu peered at her.
"Why are you sad? You like it, right?" he asked.
"Of course I do. I love it, Natsu.. It's just.."
Lucy gazed up at him.
"I don't have anything to give you now.. I had a present for you.. and I was going to give it to you.. But I lost it in the river when that man grabbed me.." she said.
Natsu turned to her and frowned.
"Lucy," he said, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders.
"You don't need to give me anything. I can't bear the thought of what might have happened to you if I'd gotten there any later. But you're okay now, and that's the only thing I need. As long as you're safe, that's a gift enough to me." he said.
Lucy stared at him sincerely for a long time.
"W-what?" he eventually said, blushing.
He dropped his arms.
"D-did I do something wrong?" he asked, averting his gaze.
Next thing he knew, she was holding his face between her hands.
He stared at her with wide eyes; his heart was pounding.
With a look of determination, she closed the distance between them in two seconds.
She molded her lips to his tenderly, securing herself to him firmly.
He blinked, staring at her, not sure whether to respond, or remain still.
She stayed there for at least a minute, and finally, when Natsu's eyes slowly shut, she pulled away.
She stared at him wide-eyed and blushing.
"N-Natsu! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to.. I-I don't know what came over me, I just--" she spluttered.
Natsu just stared at her, blushing.
Just then the clock chimed.
They looked at the clock together.
"Midnight.." they said.
Natsu looked down, biting his lip.
Lucy glanced at him, still somewhat embarrassed with herself.
Suddenly a smile broke over his face like a sunrise.
He just sat there in silence, beaming at the wall.
"What?" asked Lucy, somewhat amused.
Natsu said something about it being Valentine's day, but she didn't quite catch it.
Lucy stared at him questionably.
"You actually kissed me.." he said.
At that, Lucy blushed, looking away.
There was an awkward silence for a moment.
Natsu was the first to break it.
He turned to Lucy.
"So?" he asked, pressing his lips together.
"What?" she asked again, looking at him.
Natsu gazed off to the side for a second, and then back at her.
"Do I get to kiss you back?" he asked.
Lucy went red, and actually, he did too.
"Um- I-I don't know.. D-do you want to?" she stuttered.
"Yes." he said honestly.
Lucy glanced at him, and blushed harder than ever.
"If.. If you want to.." she said.
Natsu stared at her.
"I won't unless you want me to.." he said.
"Of course I want you to! It's just.. weird.. and embarrassing.. cause.. I like you.." she mumbled.
"I like you more.." said Natsu, who was now grinning.
Lucy couldn't help but smile back.
"Well I love you." she said, challenging him to the notion.
Natsu inched closer.
"Well I love you, too.." he said.
Lucy was about to come up with something else clever to say when Natsu pressed his lips against hers, pulling her in by the nape of her neck.
It surprised her so much at first that she nearly passed out.
Lucy moved the book off to the side so she could press up closer to him.
She kissed him back, clutching onto his shirt as his lips moved with hers.
Natsu cradled the back of her head in his hand, bringing his other hand up to her face.
They sighed against each other as they moved closer, wrapping their arms around each other.
The kiss was slow, and tender, and lasted for well over three minutes.
Gradually, they pulled away from each other.
Lucy smiled.
"You have no idea how long I've been wanting you to kiss me like that." she said, half-dazed.
Natsu smiled as well.
"And you have no idea how long I've wanted to kiss you.." he said, gently touching his lips to her forehead.
He smiled, and took Lucy's hands in his own.
She blushed, looking back to the new book.
Maybe... She already knew what she was going to write about..
An untold love..
A future with Natsu..
And it all started on a Valentine's Day.
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Gray was pissed off.
He'd ruined things with Lucy before they even started.
And now today, to top it off, he found out from Mirajane that she and Natsu were dating.
He didn't even think she liked Natsu!
'What the hell does he have that I don't!' he thought.
He sighed.
Well, it was just a girl, right? He'd get over it. And besides, there were plenty more where she came from.
He opened his door, and was about to walk in when there was a THUD.
The door hit something.
He looked down and picked it up.
A present, wrapped in blue wrapping paper.
He looked at the tag, and felt a smile break across his face:
To: Gray-sama
From: Lluvia-san
(A.N.) THIS WAS SO FUN TO WRITE WHEEEE!
I want to fly.
OH. MAHYGAWD. I felt like flying when I was writing that scene with Natsu and Lucy.
I'm HYPERVENTALATING! I AM HYPERVENTALATING! * grabs mirror * AND I'M BLUSHING?
And he was so close to her! And just! _________________! I can't think of anything to say! I think I died! I died and went to NaLu heaven! I think I feel kinda warm and fuzzy inside.. * happy sigh * …..
Looool well anyway.
Pleasey pleasey please R and R, since this is another one-shotter.
I hope you all enjoy!
-Anni Mae15