Last Spring

Chapter 1: Don't Remind Me

'No More.'

"I've reached my limit." Lucy muttered, biting her lip.

She ignored the tears beginning to prick at her eyes, at least they could blur the image of seeing Loke with another woman.

Again.

"You promised me that you wouldn't flirt as much, you said that it was a habit you were truly trying to break, and yet…" Lucy sighed, looking away from his sorry look.

She wouldn't fall into his auburn eyes and forgive him.

Not anymore.

'I wasn't flirting with her; honest!' He began, only to be interrupted as Lucy held up her hand.

"You were just 'helping her' adjust her blouse? Or getting that 'bug' out of her hair?" She mused, the same tired excuses.

His lips quivered as if he wanted to find another quick explanation, eyes widening as she tore away at charm necklace he had given her for her birthday.

"Here." Lucy whispered, holding it out to him.

When he didn't move to immediately accept it, she stepped forward and pushed it into his hands. Her hands shook as she slowly moved her fingers away from him. From his touch.

This would be the last time they were this close.

"I won't need this."

"Lucy, I-"Loke attempted once more.

She tuned him out, shaking her head. With one final weak smile, she turned and left him alone to his thoughts.

That had been last spring.

And the summer and winter that followed she had continued to be so naïve; dating and mingling with men who only desired her body and nothing more while she in vain ached for anything to fill the ugly void she had once felt from being with Loke.

Nothing worked and it after being hurt and hurt, she had learned by the New Year.

No more men.

At least until she had graduated and had a good settled job.

"I don't think you'll be able to last so long Lucy, so you had a few bad dates; that's no reason to give up on the entire male population completely!" Levy had cried when she voiced her resolve to her.

"Juvia agrees. As long as you stay away from my Gray, you have the rest of the men on earth to pick from!" Juvia chimed in from beside her.

'They can't talk.' She thought grimly.

How could they understand when they both had stable boyfriends? They didn't understand, nobody probably could…

'I've made my decision and I'm sticking to it.'

Lucy looked away from the pair to outside, watching the leaves dance outside; it was spring session once again. A blur of pink passed through her field of vision and she hurriedly looked back at her meal before her friends noticed her sudden odd behavior.

'Natsu.'

-X-

No amount of sneaking around had worked; Natsu had indeed saw her.

And followed her back to her dorm.

"Lucy, why did you run off so fast from me?! I figured if you were eating lunch I could've joined you!" Natsu whined.

Lucy responded by burying her head deeper into the pillows of her bed.

'This is the third break in…the third break in this week. How can he keep getting into the girl's dorms so easily without anyone noticing?!'

"I know you can hear me." He muttered softly by her ear and she sprang up, pushing him back.

"Don't do that! Honestly, why can't you just visit me by signing in downstairs like all the other guests to this building do?" Lucy griped.

Natsu shrugged, plopping down in her desk chair and rolling back to her. "Because that's boring?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "More like because you're not normal."

But yet, she allowed him to keep coming back. Even Levy, her best friend and roommate since freshman year hadn't known about Natsu's visits to their room.

'It's not like he's a secret!' Lucy considered, reddening at how odd the circumstances were the more she thought about it.

Natsu was a part of their group of friends and he mainly visited usually if he just wanted help with homework or was bored.

Right now, it was probably the latter.

"Why are you here anyways, Natsu? Don't you have an afternoon class at 2:30?" Lucy questioned, glancing towards her wall clock.

It was almost 2:15 now.

He turned and sent her a sharp gaze and she quickly sucked in her breathe. Goosebumps rose up on her skin as he leaned in closer and the heat of his presence wafted around her.

Her stomach coiled anxiously.

"Natsu, don't." Lucy paused.

The haze of interest in his eyes hadn't left.

"Don't what?"

"Don't do this!"

She shook her head, pushing him further and further away until she managed to get him out the door. Natsu didn't know about her self-imposed rules and she had lasted for a perfectly good 4 months now; no way was she letting it get broken before even half a year had gone by!

Natsu held his hand out to stop the door from completely closing, sending her a giddy grin as if nothing had just happened.

"Alright Lucy, see you later! Or maybe even tonight!"

"You're joking, right? I have a big astrology exam tomorrow; you know that!" She snapped, she needed this A or at least a high B to maintain her low A in the class. 'This was the one class Mom was always good at too, so I know that I can as well despite what father said…'

Natsu nodded his head breaking her from her thoughts as he grinned more sincerely. "I know! I happened to find a book in the library that I heard is often where test questions are taken from!"

Lucy blinked, words gone.

'Not again! Not again!' Her heart thumped hurriedly to remind her of her stained past. She had too many other priorities right now, too many other distractions that she needed to be focused on.

And Natsu blurred all of that.

Because despite his silliness and her constant gripes for him to leave her alone, he had always found a way to help her or be there.

-X-

It's raining by the time Lucy gets out of her exam. Leaves stick to her umbrella and rattle in the wind as lightning crackles from the grey skies.

'I hope this storm is only one of those quick popup ones.'

2 missed calls and a text light up her phone as she turns it off silence and Lucy scowled upon seeing one of the calls is from her dad.

'I told him not to call me during the weekday and he should know my schedule already!'

His voicemail gets deleted without a second glance.

The second call is from Natsu and her chest twinges at the memory of yesterday; the book he had given her really had helped.

It would be a bad idea to let that particularly go to his ego so she skipped his message for the time being and moved on to the text from Levy.

And her stomach drops.

"Tell Natsu not to leave his muddy tracks in the room next time." She reads aloud.

Her mind immediately went into panic mode. How long had she known? Why had she confronted her on it? But most of all, what was she assuming?!

'No, No, No. Nothing has happened; I'm getting to ahead of myself here.' Lucy told herself, still her stomach refuses to stop churning until said questions get answers.

Luckily, Levy is there when she returns. Asleep while the sound of rain continues to tap against the windows. Quietly, she shook out the drops from her umbrella and soaked jeans only to be startled from the "Hey, welcome back!"

Levy tussled sapphire strands of her from her hands, regarding Lucy with a sleepy gaze.

Lucy immediately held up her phone defensively, message brightly lit up. "How long?"

Levy arched a brow, confusion evident.

Lucy pursed her lips, shaking her phone again for emphasis. "Come on; don't play dumb! If you knew Natsu was coming here; why didn't you say something? I could've told him to stop!"

And at that, Levy's sleepiness was gone as she sat up. "Would you have?"

Despite the warmth she could feel coming onto her cheeks, Lucy didn't back down. "Of course I would have! He can be such a slob at times I swear…"

Levy giggled. "Really though, how many times has he come here?"

Lucy shrugged, it wasn't as if she counted. He came once or twice a week usually, more if he frantically needed a quick tutoring session.

Levy paused at her silence, wiggling at her toes still underneath her comforter. "You can do both you know Lucy. Date and go to school; Gajeel and I-"

"I'm not like Gajeel and you." Lucy interrupted warningly.

But she bit her lip at her hurt expression and mumbled out an apology. It still ached to be reminded…

Perfect good looks.

Perfect grades.

Perfect boyfriends.

Her friends had it all.

Envy swirled at her in spite of knowing it wasn't all true.

"Natsu likes you." Levy suddenly confessed.

"He's just teasing me and joking around." Lucy responded smoothly, no stuttering or uncertainty to convey how much she doubted those words.

He wouldn't want her after he knew about her past; Loke hadn't been the only guy to hurt her…

Levy shook her head, unconvinced. "Really Lucy! Haven't you seen the way he looks at you?"

'Yes.' Her mind answered.

Nonetheless, she had an agenda to keep to.

"I told you no men until after college. My grades have been sinking and, and-"Her voice trailed off.

'And I don't want to see that look on father's face again or hear his comparisons and remarks when I'm forced to head home for another school break…'

Levy sighed, knowing the topic was dead. For now.

"I saw they put up flyers for some jobs in the student lounge. I printed them out for you to look over."

Lucy brightened, tying her blonde hair back to go straight into study mode. "Why didn't you say so sooner?!"

Finally, an opportunity to stop taking those dead end weekend jobs that lead to a measly pay. A chance to really have a steady income, to-

'Wait, what is this?'

"Levy, did you seriously read this job offers over?" Lucy regarded, some of these sounded a bit too good to be true.

Levy nodded, looking away from her laptop. "Of course, why?"

Lucy frowned, continuing to stare over one particular posting. "Since when do people offer 100,000 jewels for pet sitting?"

-X-

"She's not going to fall for this stupid plan of yours." Gray regarded with a yawn.

Natsu basically ignored him.

There was so many better things he could be doing on his one afternoon free of classes, catch up on homework, hang out with Juvia, sleep…

But why miss a chance to see Natsu make a fool out of himself?

His smile slipped slightly at the thought though, just how far was he going to take this? Lucy hadn't cracked yet, so why would she now?

"You're being too stubborn about this, Lucy isn't fond of hotheads." Gray went on.

The giddiness in Natsu's expression faded, making him send Gray a sideways glare. "She likes me enough to let me be in her room."

Gray shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "She's too polite to kick you out."

"Whatever, like I really need advice from someone who studies ice and climate patterns of all things." Natsu grunted.

"Better than going around burning things; I don't see how you can want a fire science degree when you're the one who usually causes fires to happen." Gray retorted.

The air in the room grew tight, volleying insults growing too personal. Too painful.

"I promised I wouldn't tell." Gray prompted himself.

Juvia could be a bit too much of a blabbermouth at times.

Though it was getting more and more annoying watching Natsu pace back and forth in front of him.

"She's hurting and she won't let me get close enough to figure out why." Natsu grumbled.

The rain he got caught in makes his clothes stick to him, ear-gratingly squishing with every step he takes against the carpet.

"People lie. People keep secrets; even from friends…"

And then he finally paused.

Natsu gritted his teeth, clenching and unclenching his fists before he sighed. "How come you can know and I can't?"

Gray pursed his lips, saying nothing.

He wasn't supposed to know either; just like him.

It made Natsu scowl as he expected as he turned away. "Fine, be a hard ass and don't tell me! I'll find out eventually…"

"I just knew it was too good to be true." Lucy huffed, abruptly cutting the tension between the two men.

Natsu divulged into a grin, muttering to Gray an "I told you so!"

"I knew the offer of 100,000 jewels was too good for you to pass up!" He beamed.

Lucy shook her head, frowning warily towards Gray who looked weary of the prospect as well. But more so he saw the worry in her eyes if Natsu knew why she refused to push their friendship (or whatever they could really call it) beyond the point it was currently at.

"You want me to watch Happy for that much money?" Lucy went on.

Natsu nodded, pointing in Gray's direction. "That idiot over there didn't even think you would show up! You know I would never try to scam you or something."

Lucy gulped, pushing away said guilty thoughts. "It's just for this one weekend though, right?"

The smirk he sent her made her feel woozy all over again. "Think you can handle that?"

She quickly shook it off as she felt her face flush, frustrated with how easy he made her emotions become jumbled. It was only one weekend, and the money would be a good way to boost up her savings…

"Of course I can!"

Her thoughts were far less confident.

'Of course…'

-X-

"Don't look at me like that!" Lucy huffed.

She got a meow back in response.

Happy was usually a calm cat based on her past experiences around him, usually only purring listlessly for fish or some other food and wandering off once either Natsu or someone else gave into his demands.

His cute façade seemed to end with her though as he leapt into her lap, sharp nails Natsu refused to cut digging into her skin.

"Meow?"

Lucy bit her lip, smiling despite the stinging sensation crawling down her legs. "You had to pick the area where you could do the most damage; didn't you?"

Happy snuggled deeper into her in return, stretching out with a yawn before curling up against her to sleep. Lucy sighed; this was a losing battle anyways to argue with a cat.

'I know I was nervous to come here alone, but Natsu's not even here…'

He would be away for the next few hours on supposed business with renowned Fairy Tail society he often called his second home. 'I know I can trust you with Happy, he's always so comfortable around you!

Lucy looked down, stroking through the blue cat's fur.

Trust.

Pets often liked to mimic their owner's behaviors, right?

She leaned back into the couch, a smile twitched at her lips at the idea. If Happy was this relaxed around her then Natsu too…

Before she could squash it, she felt her heart twinge, cheeks growing hot in realization. These passing thoughts were happening far much too now. It was hard to pretend it was all just a part of her overactive mind if only they weren't so frequent.

But it's those feelings she finds herself drifting off to as she looked around Natsu's mess.

His scent and warmth are all around her.

Hours later, she awoke to piercing black eyes studying her.

Lucy nearly let out a screech, her shifting causing Happy to abruptly hiss and scratch her in alarm for a potential intruder.

Until she catches sight of messy rosy hair and a goofy wide grin.

"Don't scare me like that!" Lucy snapped, settling down. Happy meows delightfully at Natsu's return, hopping from her lap into his arms.

"I wasn't trying to, I didn't think you would be the type of person to actually fall asleep on the job." He teased in return.

Lucy blinked, glancing towards his window. Gone was the sunlight pouring in, replaced the faint glow of moonlight coming in. How long had she been sleeping?

Natsu plopped down beside her, knowing where her thoughts had gone. "You must've been really exhausted; it's almost 10 o clock."

Saying that frazzled her even more.

'What, I should be back at my dorm by now! I haven't even gotten my notes ready for next week's assignments or-'

She scowled at the continued grin Natsu gave her at her panicking. "Alright, when did you get back here?"

The grin never left his face. "About 2 hours ago!"

Natsu quickly held his hands up defensively as she tossed a pillow at him. "Hey, I did try to wake you by shaking you a bit, but I decided it was better not to continue when you didn't move."

Lucy felt her stomach flip despite her anger still simmering. "What would you have done if I hadn't woke up until even later?!"

Natsu's gaze softened then and if weren't for the darkness, she might've believed she saw a blush pass over his features.

"Would it have been so bad to have stayed the night here; with me?" He asked slowly.

Her words became muddled and frantic and Natsu's grin returned. This was silly, they had been alone plenty of times in the past.

"No, but…I should go back; Levy is probably worried and wondering where I am." Lucy considered, sitting up to grab her belongings.

Actually, Levy probably knew exactly where she was. 'And I'm not going to hear the end of it when I get back…'

Natsu nodded, oddly not pushing the topic. "I'll walk you back."

"That's not necessary, I-"Lucy began to protest.

But Natsu adamantly reached out and grabbed her hand, even with her pinching of his hands and complaining.

It's quiet as they walk the cobblestone paths of Magnolia, shops closed up for the day as they head down the streets. Lucy beamed, gazing up towards the night sky. The stars were always brightest near Natsu's apartment; away from the light pollution the city contained.

"You're hands are cold." Natsu pointed out to break the silence, squeezing their entwined fingers for emphasis.

'They feel hot to me.' Lucy wanted to say, but she kept her lips tightly pressed together.

Abruptly though, Natsu stopped and before she could turn to question him; she was being pulled into his chest.

"Natsu; what the heck are you doing?!" Lucy yelped, stiffening. The words came out too muffled to probably be coherent and Natsu quickly shushed her by poking her cheek.

"Just play along." He grumbled.

She followed where his eyes went, a sharp gaze on them.

Loke.

-x-

I have been wanting to write a Fairy Tail story for a good while, so many ideas came and went reading all different types stories until finally I got one that stuck in my head and kept growing until I wrote it out. Fellow NaLu lovers; hit me up with your thoughts! Lol It would be greatly appreciated and thanks for reading as always! :D