Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail...
Summary: What should have happened in episode 50. When Mirajane mentions Natsu is acting in love, Lucy can't help but notice and think it's for her...
Also, I went a little crazy from after the park scene, so...sorry?
Enjoy...
Lucy's day had started out normal enough.
She woke up like any other day, made herself breakfast, got ready for her day, and made her way to the guild like always and awaited her partner, Natsu, to see what kind of life endangering or pointless job he had planned for them that day. She knew something was off when he said he didn't feel like doing a job that day, but she didn't comment on it, instead, going to Mirajane in search for a milkshake and some company, which quickly turned into a pathetic whining session.
"-You could go on a job alone, Lucy-chan," Mira's ever-cheery voice came into Lucy's. Lucy would have loved to take a solo job. She dreamed of doing those on her own and coming back victorious with a sack full of jewels and a triumphant grin on her face, but she knew she wasn't ready. Any attempt at a solo job would either land her in a body bag or cause half the guild to go on a search party to rescue her and she didn't want either of that. Each Fairy Tail member should hold their own, not await the rescue of others when they know they were pushing their limits.
"Mira-chan, I'd never been able to do one of those. I just don't understand why Natsu suddenly doesn't want to do a job today. My rent is due soon!" She slammed her head on the table in defeat, sighing as if it would banish all her worries, which it didn't.
"Natsu has been acting quite strange these past few days; since you got back from your last mission, I believe," Mira said, drying some beer mugs. Lucy looked up at Mira, signaling for her to elaborate on her thoughts.
"...Almost as if he's in love," she muttered more to herself, but Lucy still heard. 'Natsu in love?' Lucy thought. She didn't even think he knew what that word meant in a romantic sense.
"He may even have feelings for you," she turned to look at Lucy as she almost spits out her milkshake. She hadn't looked at Natsu in the light in a long time and she knew opening those doors again would be just as futile as it was back when they first met and he brought her to Fairy Tail.
"M-Me?" Lucy basically squeaked out. She turned to see Natsu sitting with Macao and Cana. He and Macao were talking before all of a sudden, Natsu got onto the table and started dancing in a childish yet oddly erotic way as if he were imitating a pole dancer without even realizing it. Cana was howling in laughter and Macao was wearing a frown, fishing out 100 jewels and shoving them into Natsu's pocket as he danced. Soon, everyone started watching and Happy even joined in on the dance. Mira laughed and Lucy turned back to her.
"I don't know how interested I'd be," she hummed as a sweatdrop appeared on her face. 'That's a lie.' Her mind supplied as she once again turned to Natsu dancing. He was shaking his butt as Happy twirled around him. 'You'd be very interested.'
"Ah! You'd make such a cute couple, imagine what your babies would look like!" Mira closed her eyes as if she was envisioning the image herself and Lucy closed her eyes and sighed.
"If there's no work here today, I might just go shopping and head home. Maybe tomorrow Natsu will want to take a job." Lucy said, ignoring the hearts the fluttered around Mirajane and gave Natsu and the forming crowd one more look, seeing Gray and Erza walking over and stepped out of the guild. If this strange dance show was going to turn into a fight, she didn't want any part of it.
Lucy walked along the river, balancing on the edge.
After leaving the guild a few hours prior, she had spent the day buying some food and going shopping for a few new outfits. Of course, most of the shopping was window shopping as she needed to ration her money and save some for rent, but she was pleased with the skirt and shirt she got on sale at a shop near Fairy Tail. When she got to the door of her house, though, she couldn't say she was surprised to see all her apartment lights on.
'Natsu and Happy must have wondered in again,' she didn't like it when the two barged in unannounced without her there, but after a few months of yelling at them, it turned out to be a loss caused in their favor as she now rarely gives them a hard time unless they go through or touch her things. Pushing the key into the door, she opened it up and walked in. She planned to see both Happy and Natsu either eating her food or sitting on her couch, but neither were in either of those places. Carefully, she put her bags down and made her way into the limited spaces of her apartment.
When she got into her room, she didn't expect to see Natsu sitting on her bed, staring at the wall opposite him with a deathly serious expression on his face.
"Natsu?" She asked, stepping into the room. "Are you okay? Where's Happy?" She asked. Natsu seemed to snap out of his trance at the sound of her voice and blinked a few times.
"Oh, Happy is with at home. He wanted to fish," he said as if that was obvious. Lucy bit back the urge to roll her eyes and walked over to sit next to him.
"You okay?" She asked again. Natsu nodded, once again gazing off into space. Lucy nodded, not pushed everything and the two sat in silence for a few seconds before Natsu stood up, towering over Lucy.
"Lucy, I need to tell you something important. Can we talk?" He stated as a matter of factly. Lucy looked up at him to see a slight blush on his cheeks. Lucy had never seen Natsu blush before It was cute but also somewhat freaked her out. Mira's words came drifting back into her mind.
"He may even have feelings for you,"
In a sudden move of shock and denial, Lucy stood up, pushing Natsu back a few feet.
"It's late!" She stated, a bit frazzled. "You should get back to Happy. I'm sure whatever it is, we can talk tomorrow, right?" She asked desperately. Natsu looked at her intensely.
"Well, yeah, but it's kinda important and I wanted to talk to you in private about it." He said. Lucy's face started heating up. She felt warmth pool in her stomach and on her face. Her heart was beating quickly. Was she ready to hear Natsu's confession? He looked so determined to talk to her and the slight blush on his cheeks definitely made it seem not Fairy Tail or work related. Was she able to confront her own feelings for Natsu after not acknowledging them in so long?
"That's it." She said with finality. "Get out." Natsu gave her a quizzical look. What did he do that was so wrong without him even knowing what it was? Usually, when he got her this fired up, he at least had a tingling feeling as to why.
"But Luce," he tried but Lucy held up a hand.
"No. Get out of my apartment, Natsu. Now!" She basically shouted as she pushed him to the open window she was sure he came in through. He gave her one last look of confusion and hurt before jumping out and running back into the night.
Once he was completely out of view, Lucy fell to her knees and rested her forehead against the cool wall, the change in temperature feeling great.
'Natsu is in love with me?' She thought with disbelief, 'how will that affect our friendship? How will this affect us?' She loved Natsu to death, in the sense of friendship, and she knew she felt strongly toward him in a romantic sense, but she just found out about Natsu being in love with her that morning, she didn't know what to actually do about it yet!
Lucy went to sleep that night dreaming about a certain fire dragon slayer that left her drained, hot, and slightly out of breath the next morning.
The next day, Lucy avoided Natsu like the plague. After last night, she couldn't get his blushing face out of her mind! Since then, strange images of Natsu were popping up in her mind which only fueled toward her unwanted attraction towards him. Images of his black vest off and his torso and abs covered in sweat as he trained with Happy flashed through her mind as well as pictures of them walking together, hand in hand, and of them with small children all looking something like the two.
Lucy knew it was a bad idea to go to the guild the next day. Natsu would without a doubt, be there, waiting for her but she needed to talk to Mirajane. She was the one to plant the stupid idea in her head and Lucy hoped that Mira was just teasing her and this was all in her head and her and Natsu could go back to normal friends soon.
Lucy didn't even make it five steps into the guild before Natsu was pulling her off to the side of the room. He wore the same clothes he always wore with his dragon scarf, but this time he wore an even deeper blush than the night before. He avoided Lucy's eyes and glanced at every part of her, but her face.
"Lucy, can you, um, meet me tonight?" He asked in a rushed and awkward huff. Lucy's heart beat was thrumming loudly and aggressively. She opened her mouth to speak when Natsu continued.
"At the park at sunset, by the Sakura Blossom? I know they are your favorite..." He trailed off, clearly waiting for a response. His blush started to grow deeper as he moved his hands to cover his cheeks. Luc found that incredibly cute and couldn't hide the smile.
"Uh, sure, Natsu. I'll meet you there around six?" She asked, assuming that was close enough to sunset. Natsu nodded and smiled briefly, and without another word, sprinted out of the guild, muttering a 'thanks, Luce,' along the way.
Lucy, still in somewhat of a daze, went to sit next to Mira, who was watching the whole thing.
"I think he just asked to meet me at the park to confess..." Lucy muttered. She then narrowed her eyes slightly at Mirajane. "Unless this was all some elaborate scheme you planned and it's all happening in my head?" Lucy didn't want to admit to how crazy she sounded right then, but Mira shook her head no.
"No, I overheard Natsu mention something about liking someone when he was talking to Happy over drinks. Happy was drunk off fish and Natsu was drunk off...well, drinks. I would have asked him who, but he fell asleep," she said. Lucy looked at the white haired barmaid for a moment before nodding, believing her story.
"Then this is real?" She asked. "Natsu and I might actually get together?" She sounded so unsure and disbelieved. Mira nodded.
"My hopes are in your favor!" She said, turning and washing more glasses. Lucy didn't know if that made her feel better or worse.
"So what did he say?" Mira asked after a few moments of silence. She brought over some water for Lucy who took a large sip.
"He asked if we could talk about something important last night when he was at my place," she said, "but I kinda freaked out and kicked him out. I didn't even make it to the bar when he just pulled me aside and asked if we could meet at the Sakura Blossoms at sunset tonight. I agreed and he ran off blushing." Lucy said. Mira squealed.
"Oh, he is so going to confess to you tonight. It's about time!" She said happily. "You two have been playing around one another since you met," she said. Lucy made a motion to disagree; the 'have not' bite was right on her tongue but one look from Mira had Lucy staying quiet. Instead, she let Mira continue her rant about how after she and Natsu get together, she'll start working on helping Levy and Gajeel get together and then maybe even Gray and Juvia...
Lucy took a deep, cleansing breath as she entered the park as the sky turned into an orange pink hue. It was just around sunset and Lucy was worrying herself sick with nerves. She had always had feelings for Natsu and was more honest about them when they first met, but after seeing them work well as friends and Nakama, she pushed them down, deep inside of her, and didn't think of it again. Now, she was walking to meet Natsu because them being together is a very real possibility and as far as Lucy was concerned, not that bad of a possibility as well. Waking up to Natsu's kisses and in his arms sounded extremely good to Lucy.
All afternoon, Lucy was paranoid about this evening. She was conflicted about what to say, what to wear, and what to do. Natsu never struck her as the most romantic person in Fairy Tail and she honestly had no idea how he'd act with someone he'd have feelings for.
It took Lucy over an hour to get ready for tonight. She put on an outfit that was nice but didn't seem too desperate. It showed off ample cleavage and to Lucy, it looked too cute!
She gripped her keys to her side tighter. It was a nervous habit that she picked up on over the months she's been put into nerve wracking situations and the subtle warmth glowing from her key ring left her feeling slightly less shaky. Lucy still felt like this wasn't real and it was all just some kind of trick. To have Natsu act so in love all of a sudden and to all the fingers to get pointed in her direction so fast wasn't all that calming.
Too quick for Lucy's rapid thoughts, she entered the heart of the park in Magnolia and was standing in front of the Sakura Blossom tree, just as Natsu had asked. She glanced at the sky to see it glowing a serine orange color, signifying the sunset of the day.
"Right on time," she muttered and glanced around the clearing for Natsu. As she was looking around, she felt a finger tap her shoulder and nearly screamed out of her skin.
"Natsu!" She gasped and placed a hand on her beating heart, "you scared me!" She snapped. Natsu smiled unapologetically. The two made eye contacts and quickly glanced away, neither speaking.
"So, you said you wanted to talk about something important?" Lucy asked after a few minutes of silence. Natsu glanced up at her with the faintest blush she'd ever seen and nodded.
"I did!" He said, "and only you can know about it." He leaned in so close to Lucy's face, she could have moved her mouth an inch higher and she'd be kissing him. Instead, she stayed deadly still, not even trusting herself to blink.
"W-Well, what is it?" She whispered. They were the only ones in the park, but her heart was so loud, it almost gave her a headache.
"There's thing secret I've been keeping from everyone for a while now," he mumbled "something only Happy knows and the other day, he convinced me to tell you about it. But if I do, it needs to stay between us for a little bit. I'm not ready to have the whole guild down my neck about it," he glanced away sheepishly. "If it's okay with you, that is." He added. Lucy felt her face heat up. 'This is it!' She thought. This was when he was going to confess to her. Their faces were less than an inch apart and Lucy could feel Natsu's hot breath on her face.
"What's the secret?" Lucy asked, still somewhat in a daze. Natsu pulled away from her face and glanced down at the roots of the tree.
"There's a treasure here. You and I are going to split it, but I need your keys; preferably Virgo!" Natsu exclaimed suddenly. Lucy felt the air rush from her lungs as she gaped up at him.
"What?" She asked dumbly.
"Gramps said there are over a million jewels buried here. I'm going to dig it up. Think about all the rent you could pay with half a million jewels!" He said excitedly. Lucy continued to gape at him like a fish out of water.
"So that's all you need me for? My keys?" She demanded suddenly, surprising herself with the sharpness of her tone. Natsu looked at her confusingly and nodded.
"Well, she can dig a hole all the way across Earthland, I figured only ten feet under isn't too far. Why? Is she okay?" He asked suddenly. Lucy was surprised by his sudden concern toward the spirit. Lucy's mind started wandering in the wrong direction as she glanced from Natsu to her key chain. Did he just bring her here to see Virgo? Did Natsu have feelings for Virgo? Or did he seriously just need a digger to find the treasure that is most likely not even there? Was she just convenient for him so he didn't have to dig it up and get charged with the damage? Did he play with her feelings so that she'd be more willing to help? Did she really hold such little importance to him that he's willing to toy with her in order to get what he wants?
No. Natsu wasn't like that. Right?
"Lucy, are you okay?" Natsu was suddenly in her face. He was glancing into her eyes with an unreadable expression. Lucy took a step back and looked at him, narrowing her eyes into haunting slits.
"Is that why you asked me to meet you here tonight?" She asked, trying her hardest to keep out any emotion from her voice, but failing miserably. Natsu looked confused for a moment before shrugging.
"Yeah, there's a treasure buried here and Virgo is the best person to help!" He said happily, as if unaware of what his words were causing for Lucy.
Lucy glanced at the ground and balled her fists. She glared back up at Natsu and took a step toward him. Without him even realizing it, a loud slap echoed through the now dark park. Natsu's face slanted to the side from the force of the slap as he turned, wide eyes, at Lucy who had her's shut tightly.
"Luce..."
"Dig your own damn hole!" She shouted before turning around and storming away, out of the park and toward her apartment. She didn't look behind her and completely missed the crest fallen expression on Natsu's face.
Lucy walked quickly through the town square. She didn't want anyone to see her in this state. So weak. So pathetic. So confused.
Lucy hasn't had the easiest of lives as a child but one thing she always took pride in was her sense of calamity. She always stayed strong and didn't wavier. She left her father to persue her dreams and didn't let anything stand in her way. She hated crying; especially if the cause wasn't a good one.
Once inside her apartment, Lucy didn't bother with the lights. She walked straight to her bed and sat down, glaring at the ground. She wanted to hit Natsu again, she wanted to yell and scream, she wanted to go on a deadly mission and forget about today; but most of all, she wanted to figure out what just happened.
She started the day off with a strong sense of accomplishment. She felt like she could handle anything and take on the world, but now she felt so deflated and so tired. She thought Natsu looked at her as more than just a friend and teammate, but that isn't true. He looks at her like he looks at everyone else. Just friends. He looked at her like someone who could help him and as much as it irritated Lucy to admit it, it wasn't Natsu's fault she was the one to assume everything. She couldn't blame this on Natsu. She just couldn't.
It was her own fault she was so disappointed in the night's events. Natsu never admitted to having feelings for her. That was something Mira told her. He never said the important thing that he needed to talk to her about was romance related. And apparently, in Natsu's eyes, the treasure is really important. All the hope and all the romance that got put into the evening came from Lucy and Lucy alone. She just assumed it was a date when he never specified and she just assumed if he did have a feeling for someone, it'd be her. But looking back, Natsu treats everyone the same, so what's stopping him from claiming he has feelings for Erza or Levy, or even Mira.
Lucy face planted into her pillows. She's been an idiot.
She over analyzed the day due to Mira's comments and Natsu's drunk ramblings and because of that, she let herself entertain the possibility of seeing Natsu as more than her Nakama, but that wasn't a smart choice. Now she didn't even know how she was going to face him in the morning. He has no idea what was going through her head and will probably demand an explanation as to why he got such an emotional slap when, in his eyes, he's done nothing wrong.
Lucy sighed into her pillow. She didn't want to face tomorrow. She was sure it was going to suck and Lucy didn't know how much more 'suck' she could handle.
Lucy fell asleep that night out of exhaustion from her never ending thoughts, waking up the next morning late into day; nearly lunchtime.
Natsu entered the guild with a determined look on his face. He needed to talk to Lucy, he needed to talk to Mira, and he needed to hit something really hard, but not necessarily in that order. Happy wasn't feeling well and without his blue companion, Natsu was even more on edge than normal; his flying friend didn't only provide company, he also provided a sense of belonging. He got along with Happy more than anyone in the guild and without him, Natsu always felt off. The guild was filled with the normal amount of rowdy people and while normally Natsu would be glad to mold right into the fights and early morning drinking, he wasn't in the mood today and found the noise to be more annoying than settling.
The guild was filled with the normal amount of rowdy people and while normally Natsu would be glad to mold right into the fights and early morning drinking, he wasn't in the mood today and found the noise to be more annoying than settling.
"Natsu!" Mira was waving her arms and calling him over, a plate with flames erupting from it sat right in front of her. Natsu took a breath and made his way over to her, he did need to talk to her.
"Mira, you got a minute to talk?" Natsu asked. Mira placed a plate of eggs in front of a sleeping Cana and smiled sweetly at him. She placed a clean glass under the counter and walked over to him, leaning against the surface and giving him her full attention.
"How did last night go?" Mira asked innocently. Natsu sent her a slight glare and took a bite of his food.
"What were you planning?" He asked. Mira smiled again and shrugged her shoulders.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," she hummed and Natsu knew she was lying.
"Have you seen Lucy today?" He asked. Mira shook her head as her smile dropped slightly.
"You didn't spend the night at her place?" She asked. Natsu shook his head.
"No, um, last night didn't really end that well, I think." He said, slacking into her stool as he poked at some flames. Mira looked at him carefully.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Mira, you said she likes someone, but I don't think it's with me like you said," he muttered. Mira glanced down at Natsu and shook her head.
"Why?" She asked. "What happened last night?"
"None of your business," he said, shoving a large forkful of flames into his mouth to avoid talking. Mira kept her eyes steadily on the fire dragon slayers and watched as he chewed his food deliberately slower than normal.
"Natsu, what happened?" She repeated the question and pulled his plate away just far enough for him not to be able to reach it.
"So, I may have chickened out and had a really lame excuse for doing so and Lucy may or may not have gotten mad and stormed off," Natsu mumbled. Mira gave him a look that made him want to shrink away in his seat.
"Natsu!" She sighed, "what did you do?"
"Look, Mira, I know you said she liked me, but I don't think that's true. Are you sure you just misread the situation? I mean, are you sure she wasn't talking about someone else?" He asked. Mira gave him a look.
"Do you want it to be somebody else?" She demanded. Natsu looked at her.
"What?"
"Do you want her feelings to be for someone else or for you?" Mira repeated. Natsu seemed to be conflicted for a hot moment before looking her dead in the eyes.
"Me." He said. Mira nodded.
"Then tell her, dammit!" She all but growled and for a moment, Natsu was worried she was about to change into her demon form before she smiled too sweetly for their conversation and handed him his food back.
"But how?" He asked, somewhat desperately. Mira shrugged.
"Just be honest. I'm sure Lucy will understand once she hears the truth from you and you alone." She said and went to go finish making other guild members some breakfast.
Natsu finished his flaming food before turning around and glaring at seemingly everyone in the guild.
"Gray, Elfman, Erza, fight me!" He said. "I'm all fired up!" He let out a roar of smoke to prove it and cracked his knuckles as Gray started charging for him.
Lucy found herself wandering around Magnolia, trying to build up enough courage to go back to Fairy Tail and face Natsu. As she rounded the town square for the third tim that day, though, Lucy ran into the woman who owned a small boutique on the edge of town, a boutique Lucy loved dearly.
"Miss Lucy," the woman greeted with a warm smile, "what brings you to the town square in the middle of the day? Usually, you and Salamander have found a jobby now," she wondered. She was a wonderfully kind old woman but had the tendency to question things a little too much.
"Hello, Ma'am. I'm just getting some fresh air for the day. Natsu decided not to go on another job until tomorrow." Lucy lied. She had no idea what Natsu was doing. He could have already gone on a mission without her this morning.
"Well, everyone needs a break, I suppose. Are you okay, dear? You look not quite as chipper as normal," the woman ushered Lucy closer to her as they sat on the edge of the fountain.
"I don't know," Lucy sighed. "I've been acting up these past few days, not really being myself and I'm worried about what might happen when I explain myself to everyone," Lucy said. She was already the butt of many jokes at the guild and the last thing she wanted was to add more jokes than there already were.
"Darling, we all make mistakes. If everyone was perfect, well, life would be boring. There'd be no fault, no issues with life. Your guild would be out of work, and nobody would be happy. I'm sure whatever you've done isn't as bad as it seems in your head. I mean, the guild is still in one piece, you couldn't have screwed up that badly. Your friend will understand, Salamander will understand." Lucy looked up at her at the mention of Natsu. She knew he would understand. He always understands. But when she explained why she reacted so badly, would their friendship really continue to be as strong as it is now?
"Thanks, Ma'am," Lucy said. The old woman nodded and stood up.
"Go talk to him. I'm sure it will all work out for the better." Lucy gave the woman a hug for her encouraging and wise words and left int he direction of the guild. The best way to solve the problem was to go to the root of it.
When Lucy arrived at Fairy Tail, she was about to push open the big wooden doors when a loud 'bang' resounded in the air. Lucy cracked open the door to see Gray slam into a table, pissed off and rubbing his head. His chest was covered in second and third-degree burns and he was wincing as he pulled himself half up.
"Enough!" Erza's ever-commanding voice cut through the air sharply. She was holding down a furious looking Natsu.
"This is Fairy Tail and we are family." She declared, shoving Natsu back into the bar. "We do not burn our family, I don't care what he said or did to you, you take it out the Fairy Tail way with a non-lethal duel. Burning Gray to a crisp can get you expelled Natsu. If he wasn't an ice mage, how likely do you think it would be for him to survive? If had Levy's abilities or even Lucy's?!" Natsu growled at Erza.
"Go upstairs to the infirmary and take a minute. You need to take a minute to calm down and get your arm defrosted. Master will hear about this." Natsu went upstairs as Erza whirled around to Gray.
"And you! What the hell were you thinking?! That wasn't trash talk, Gray, that was talk to purposefully get Natsu to loose control! Master will hear about you too. Next time you want to piss each other off, don't use such foul language and don't use such lethal attacks. We are family. Not enemies." Erza snapped before storming off, most certainly in the direction of Master Makarov's office.
Lucy luckily made her way into the guild unnoticed by anyone and took a seat next to Mira who was watched the whole thing with minor concern.
"Hey, Lucy," Mira smiled at the blonde. Lucy smiled back but turned around and signaled to Gray.
"What happened here?" She asked. Mira shrugged and continued cleaning mugs.
"Natsu came in this morning a little less than his chipper self and demanded everyone fight him. Gray took him up on the offer and at first it was friendly battling like they normally do, but then Gray said a lot of stuff that was really uncalled for and Natsu kinda lost it, attacking him and doing that," Mira motioned to Gray who was getting helped up by Juvia and had gross looking burns all across his chest and stomach.
"Natsu did that?" Lucy asked in shock. That didn't sound like Natsu! Mira nodded.
"Yeah, but if I was in his shoes, I would have done the same. Gray took it way too far with what he said. Besides, Gray also froze Natsu's arm and stomach. He went upstairs to finish healing, but when it happened, it was near blue and purple." Lucy gasped.
"What caused all of that? What did Gray say?" Lucy asked Mira sighed and shook her head.
"I don't think that's something you should know. Let's just say it was foul language that shouldn't be repeated." She said. Lucy didn't like being kept out of the loop but the look on Mira's face made her drop it.
"So," Mira said, changing the subject, "how was last night?" She asked. Lucy sighed and slumped in her chair.
"Horrible. Mira, are you sure he was talking about me? I feel like such an idiot. The whole time I thought we were having a romantic night in the park, he was trying to get me to lend him Virgo to help him find buried treasure. He had no romantic feelings for me at all!" Lucy cried. Mira sighed. She had such a perfect plan; plant the idea of affection in each of their heads and let them find one another on their own, but that clearly didn't end as well as she had hoped.
"Lucy, you aren't an idiot. I'm sorry I even said anything. Natsu seemed so sure he has liked someone and I guess I got excited to see you two together. I'm so sorry I even mentioned anything." Mira said and she was partially sorry, but not because she meddled. Lucy smiled, though and waved her hand in acceptance.
"It's fine, Mira. If the tables were turned, I would have done the same for you," Mira fought a cringe. She hoped not.
"I am just so embarrassed. I was so mad at myself for assuming last night was a date that I kinda took my anger out on him," Lucy placed her head in her hands. Mira's eyes sparkled. Maybe there was still hope for her plan, after all.
"Lucy, Natsu is upstairs in the infirmary fixing his arm. If you want some privacy to talk to him, you can head up there now," Lucy sighed. She knew she had to go talk to him, but she didn't want their partnership to suffer.
"Well, I guess I'll head there. Thanks, Mira!" Mira nodded and watched the Celestial mage walk up the stairs.
"Now to find Gray," Mira muttered, scanning the room for the black haired instigator.
Natsu gripped the edges of the supply container off to the side of the infirmary. His eyes were just as angry as they were when Erza ripped him off of Gray. His arm and stomach have sizzled down into a cold and numb throb instead of the intense cold burn they were only a little while ago. His fingers were shaking in cold though. His mind was going a mile a minute. He started the day with a dull urge to hit something and maybe get a beating in for himself, but now he had a strong ache to destroy anything, everything, in his path to ashes. A small knock on the door made Natsu sigh, trying to calm himself down.
"One second," he mumbled. His mind kept flashing back to the fight and just remembering Gray's words made his body burn with anger.
"A little birdy told me you can't even seal a date with her,"
Natsu gripped the bin so tight, the edges cracked and wood went in every direction.
"You better hurry, Natsu, anyone can come in and easily steal her away from you,"
Splinters entered his hands as another knock was heard on the door but Natsu ignored it.
"Someone can easily take her from you and you won't be able to do a damn thing about it. She could be someone else's entirely and you couldn't do shit."
A third knock on the door but Natsu ignored it again.
"Emotionally...physically..."
A loud bang caught Natsu out of his thoughts as he glared at the door and nearly ripped it off its hinges as he opened it to reveal a half smiling Lucy.
"Oh," Natsu said, his anger melting away as he looked at the Blonde. "Hey." He said.
"Hi, can I come in?" She asked. Natsu nodded and pushed the door open more for her to enter. The supply room was small but not intimatly so. Two chairs sat on one side of the room with a table and counter while the other side was lined with supplys for injuries. Lucy took a seat on the chair while Natsu leaned against the table, facing her. Neither spoke for a while until Lucy rumbled her throat, getting Natsu's attention.
"Are you okay?" She asked, motioning to Natsu's cold arm. He shrugged. It didnt' hurt as bad as it did.
"It's fine." He muttered. Lucy nodded.
"What happened back there?" She asked. "Mira said you got pretty pissed." She commented. Natsu nodded.
"Gray was being an asshole. I reacted." Natsu ground out. "Maybe I shouldn't have burned him so badly, but I'm not sorry," Natsu said. Lucy gave him a look of concern.
"What did he say to you?" She asked. Natsu avoided eye contact.
"It's not important," he mumbled. Lucy gave him a look.
"I'd say it's pretty important if you're willing to burn your friend." She said. Natsu turned away.
"It's nothing." He repeated Lucy stood up and walked over to him.
"It has to be someth-"
"It's. Nothing." Lucy has only ever heard Natsu use that voice with his enemies and the sudden harsh tone sent a shiver up her nerves and fear splash across her skin for a second. She took a step back as if he physically threatened her and Natsu instantly regretted lashing out at her.
"I came here to apologize," Lucy blurted out, the awkwardness of what just happened making Lucy crumble easily.
"Luce..." Natsu trailed off as Lucy held up a finger.
"No, I have had a lot on my mind these past few days and I kinda took my anger out on you last night. I'm sorry I slapped you," she said, playing with the hem of her skirt. Natsu sighed and stood up from the table, starting to pace.
"No, I deserved it. Ever since Mira mentioned that you might like me, I panicked and acted weird. I was so confused and I didn't know what to do." Natsu said, his cheeks tinted pink as he spoke.
"What?" Lucy asked, disbelief coloring her words.
"I've fought dark guilds, evil creatures, the Phantom Lord, and Element 4. I've stood up to so many things that could keep a kid up at night," Natsu said. Lucy giggled slightly.
"I know, I was there for some of it," she said.
"Yet when I even find out there is the slightest possibility that you like me, I freak out and panic and back down. I may be the best fighter around, but when it comes to me as a person, I am completely ignorant." Natsu mumbled. Lucy's giggles stopped and her smile drooped slightly.
"Natsu, you just said you fight stuff that gives kids nightmares and your childhood wasn't one filled with cakes and lollipops. It's so admirable that you can also have the ability to relax and be a kid when you aren't on a job. The fact that you can balance good and bad in your life without crumbling under the pressure is admirable and strong. Not ignorant." Lucy said. Natsu locked eyes with Lucy. They were standing in the middle of the supply closet standing right next to one another, not quiet in each other's arms, but not far enough to be considered just friends.
"Last night, I had every intention of being with you, but then I panicked and backed out last minute. I realized all I had to go on was some observation Mira made and I was worried if you didn't like me, our friendship would be ruined." Natsu admitted. Lucy looked at him and smiled slightly. She took one more step closer toward him and leaned up slightly, pressing her lips lightly on Natsu's.
Neither moved at first, both too shocked at what was happening to really do anything, but Lucy's eyes closed as she lightly moved her lips against Natsu's, smiling into the light chaste kiss. None of them deepened it, and Natsu gave control to Lucy as she set the pace of the tame peck. It was cute and sweet and when Lucy pulled away, Natsu's stomach felt warm with butterflies.
"I was so scared that it was me thinking up all of it. From you avoiding eye contact, to us almost kissing. I was so mad at myself for thinking it all up and letting myself get fooled so easily. I didn't want to be so weak." She admitted. Natsu rubbed her cheek with his fingers and forced her to look at him.
"Lucy, you are one of the bravest people I know. From your family history to become independent enough to take on Fairy Tail and your relationship with your dad, you still wear the brightest smile every day. You are the definition of brave and strong," Natsu muttered. Lucy smiled brightly and brought his face to meet hers in a more heated kiss.
Natsu wasn't expecting it and nearly fell backward from the force, but quickly grabbed onto her waist and pulled her closer. Lucy nudged his mouth open with her tongue as she deepened the kiss as both of them moaned at the sudden sensation. Natsu's hands stayed on her waist as he felt around her hips, but they didn't go near her butt. Lucy smiled into the kiss and threaded her fingers into his pink hair, pulling and tugging the strands and getting a firm grasp on his neck where she pulled him closer.
When they parted, Natsu had a dazed smile on his lips and Lucy couldn't hide her grin no matter how hard she tried. Natsu trailed kisses from Lucy's lips to her neck and she moved her head to the side for better access. She felt her fingers in his hair start to grip tighter at his neck and she had to bite her lip to keep from making noise.
"You have no idea how much I wanted to do this," Natsu sighed into her neck and Lucy found herself pulling his head away from her neck to kiss him roughly on the mouth. She pushed him back into the table as his hands reached around to her bottom and groped her butt.
"Natsu.." She breathed. Her skin was tingling and her fingers tightened around his neck. "Hold on..." She breathed out. Natsu pulled away and looked at her, seeing ifthere was any sign of regret on her face.
"What's wrong?" He asked. Lucy smiled.
"Nothing's wrong," she said, "but I don't think I can handle much more and I don't think a Fairy Tail supply closet is all that romantic," Lucy said. Natsu scratched the back of his neck and nodded sheepishly in agrement.
"Sorry," he muttered. Lucy playfully rolled her eyes and took a step toward him, kissing him full on the lips and lingering with her hands on his sculpted abs for a few hot seconds. Natsu instantly kissed back and wrapped his hands around her waist. When she pulled away, both of them were breathless.
"I'm not," she said as seductively as she could muster. "C'mon, let's get out of here," she pulled Natsu's hand and made their way down the stairs, but before they got tothe bottom, they heard voices.
"Gray, I told you to rile him up, not get yourself nearly killed," Mira's voice floated through the air.
"I did get him riled up, it's not my fault he overreacted." Gray protested.
"You said you wanted to fuck Lucy! That's not what I meant when I said 'rile up'" Mira snapped.
"It worked, didn't it?" Gray asked. Lucy glanced at Natsu to see his fists clenched.
"Aye sir!" Happy's tiny voice wafted through the air.
"I thought for sure this plan wouldn't work when Natsu came in this morning all depressed," Mira said.
"Aye, he was super sad last night at home!" Happy added.
"They've been up there for a while, though, I doubt they are still depressed," Gray said and Natsu could hear the bastard's smirk.
"Then drinks on the house for a success!" Mira said. Happy smiled as Mira handed him a fish and Gray thanked her as she handed him a beer. Lucy and Natsu turned to one another.
"We've been played," Lucy said.
"By Mira, Happy, and Gray," Natsu added. The two shared a look before bursting out into laughter.
"I don't know whether to hug or strangle Mira," Lucy said. Natsu pulled her closer to him and peppered her neck with kisses.
"Since they all think we are up to something," Natsu signaled to the back door around the corner of the stairs. "Shall we?" He asked. Lucy smiled and nodded, taking his hand.
"We shall." She said.
Gah! My wifi has been on the frits so everytime I'd get somewhere with this, it'd force quit me out of Chrome so I'd have to start all over again! Ahh!
Anyway, this fic has been rewritten like, 3 times, so I hope you enjoy it! More NaLu on the way!
Ciao,
~Lizzy