Happy Birthday

The people trudged through the crowded streets, pushing themselves up against strangers and thinking accusatory thoughts against those who bumped into them. Few paid heed to the old, slow moving man caught up in the bustling streets aside from callously wishing that he would move out of their way. The elderly man's aged body made it impossible for him to move much faster than he already was and no matter how daunting it may have been for him to persist onwards through the wall of people, his feet never faltered. Natsu turned his head to the left, his eye catching the reflection of the aged man he hardly recognized in the shop windows. It was not a figure he was used to seeing but the elderly man remained nonetheless.

As if to shield his eyes and spare his consciousness from the terribly decrepit image before him, Natsu abruptly turned his head away and let his feet pull him down the cobblestone road once more. Perhaps it was from the shock of seeing such a geriatric man but for a one moment his mission escaped him. However, he remembered his job soon enough and cursed himself for forgetting. He was going to see her. His thoughts berated him for letting his purpose for the day escape his memory, particularly today of all days because today was special. It was her birthday. He knew that she wouldn't care for anything that he got her or even say a single word to him but that didn't stop him from buying her an assortment of flowers to decorate her new home. The woman at the shop had given him red Camellias, white Forget-Me-Nots, and pink Carnations, knowing just where he was headed with them. Natsu had become somewhat of regular by now, a sobering thought that he forced himself not to dwell on. Instead, he clutched the plastic encasing the stems tighter and trudged forward.

The iron rods surrounding the enclosure seemed to welcome him as he passed through them. It was as if the bars knew that soon they would collect him as well, a fate that he found himself welcoming more and more if it meant that he would finally be able to see her again. He walked down the all too familiar walkways until he found himself at the angelic grave marker. The marble statue of a heavenly host stood before him proudly, a soft and peaceful smile on her face. The dragon-slayer hoped that wherever Lucy's spirit resided that she was just as content as the celestial figure seemed to be. Bending over, he placed his assortment of flowers next to the arrangement of mixed Zinnias, Chrysanthemums, and Poppy's.

'Loke,' he thought, a sad smile gracing his lips. He was glad that Lucy had developed such deep relationships while alive. It was a testament to her kind and loving character that even after all these years, her spirits still mourned her death.

"Lucy," he whispered aloud, staring intently at the name on tombstone, "Happy Birthday." His vision began to grow blurry with tears threatening to fall down his cheeks. Natsu turned his head to the side as if the salty droplets could be quelled if he couldn't see her name. Slowly, he went through the tedious and ridiculously difficult motions that would allow him to sit down and prop his back against the marble slab.

He let out a contented sigh as his body finally hit the cool earth and relaxed. And while his body remained fixated above the plot, he found that his mind was wandering and reminiscing about the times that he had spent with the blonde so long ago. They met in Haregon, a small town renowned for its seafood but that was not why Natsu had been there. He was following a rumor about his pseudo father being in town, although he hadn't taken into account how unusual it would be for average people to interact with dragons. She had wanted to join Fairy Tail and for some reason he decided to help her. The rest was history. He liked working her, no matter how much she complained, gloated, fretted, or rambled, he was happy that she was there. They became fast friends but just when it had evolved into something more, he wasn't sure. However, eventually he realized that his feelings for the blonde were more than concerns regarding a particular guild member but something more.

Sure, Natsu had heard of love but hearing of something and experiencing something are vastly different things entirely. He didn't know what the feelings welling up inside of him meant but he suddenly found himself casting long looks in her direction and the burning urge to blurt out just what he felt about her. And one day, that's just what he did.

It hadn't been planned nor was it romantic. He didn't even use the word love when he confessed.

It was an average day in the guild, Cana was "liberating" beer from wooden barrels, Gray had stripped down to his underwear, Juvia was gawking, Erza happily ate her cake, and Lucy sat at the bar sipping a mystery beverage concocted by Mira. The blonde was exhausted after having burnt the midnight oil into the wee hours of the morning in order to finish the latest chapter of her novel. Levy had been pressuring her to let her read it but Lucy was adamant on finishing the story before letting anyone see it.

Yes, all was as it should be except for one person, Natsu. The dragon-slayer had been feeling odd lately, not that anyone had noticed. He looked fine, the picture of health. He wasn't suffering from a fever, the shakes or shivers, nor was he pale, but Natsu certainly didn't feel normal…and it was all Lucy's fault. He couldn't describe it but he began to feel differently when around her and when he tried to think of a time when this odd sensation didn't afflict him, he couldn't remember one. It was weird. But today, he would get his answer. He was going to ask her just why she was so weird, after all, that must be why she affects him this way. Her weirdness was rubbing off.

With a fierce determination in his step, he approached the blonde who was happily gabbing away with Mira. He didn't say a word when he reached her but rather opted to wait for Lucy to realize his presence first which might have taken her some time if Mira had not acknowledged him.

"Can I get you something to drink Natsu?"

"Nah, I just had a question for Lucy is all."

"What is it? Do you want to go on a mission or something?" Lucy asked.

"Maybe later, but I was actually wondering why you're so weird."

"…Huh?"

"Yeah, you see. Whenever I'm around I feel all weird and happy like I don't want to be anywhere else. And when I think of you I smile and my stomach begins to do summersaults. I figure it's cause you're so weird and I was hoping that maybe if you told me why you're so weird I could make this feeling go away."

"Na-Na-Na-" Lucy sputtered, choking on the first syllables of his name, however her stuttering was drowned out by Mira's sudden gasp.

"Natsu! You love Lucy!"

"Huh?" Natsu asked, turning away from Lucy's red face.

"What you just said! How Lucy makes you feel! It means you're in love and you just confessed!" the barmaid squealed with excitement.

"STOP JOKING AROUND MIRA!" Lucy suddenly shouted, catching not only the white haired mage and the dragon-slayer off guard but the rest of the guild too. No one had been listening in on the trio's conversation before but the blonde's outburst drew all of the member's attention to the discussion. "Natsu could never feel like towards me and I don't appreciate this little stunt that you two tried to pull on me. I'm going home now and I don't ever want you guys to do anything so unnecessary again," Lucy spoke in frightening low tone, her bangs shielding her eyes but not the pain in her voice. With that, the stellar spirit mage stalked out of the guild, leaving a deathly silence in her wake.

"B-But I didn't plan-" Mira managed to whisper after the large wooden doors fell closed.

Needless to say, Natsu's confession didn't go very well. However, once the dragon-slayer learned that Mira was in fact right, he managed to convince the blonde of his devotion and it was only then that he learned why she was so upset the first time. Lucy had wrongly assumed that Mira had put Natsu up to saying such things to her and combined with her secret feelings for the dragon-slayer, it was too much for her to bear. And after hearing her confession, Natsu couldn't help but cup her face in hands and capture her complete attention as he said,

"I love you, stupid, and always will."

That was the start of the rest of their lives spent together in pure lover's bliss, even having-

"Dad!" two voices rang out in unison.

Yes, they even had children together. Lucy had gotten pregnant a few years after them becoming a couple. Their first born was a boy, Ryuu, who shared his hair color with his mother. And in fact, if he had been born a girl, he would have been the spitting image of Lucy for he too had her chocolate brown eyes and heart shaped face. Their second child was a girl with strawberry blonde hair that they named Aimi. Her eyes were a golden yellow and she took more after Natsu than Lucy.

"Dad, are you ok?" his son asked, rushing up to him.

"I'm fine Ryuu," Natsu said, shaking his son's arm away. Really, both of his children had gotten quite overprotective since Lucy passed.

But at least Lucy had left them through natural causes after having lived a happy life together with her husband and children. She looked so peaceful when he had realized that she was in more than a deep slumber that particular morning that he believed that she had decided it was time to go.

"Are you sure? Should we call the doctor?" Aimi fretted, stooping down and giving him a quick once over to make sure he was indeed "fine".

"You two worry too much. I was just tired and wanted to sit down and rest for a while. Sheesh, I'm not going to die just yet," Natsu answered indignantly as Ryuu helped him up. His legs wobbled and he felt as if his weathered joints wouldn't support him much longer.

Growing old was terrible a thing he decided silently as he took a look at his wrinkled hand. The dragon-slayer thought back to his reflection in the shop window earlier that day and the alabaster follicles that now dotted his hairline where his salmon locks once resided and how his once coal black eyes had turned gray, their luster forever dimmed. His muscles had dulled but he managed to retain his trim figure.

"If you say so," Ryuu trialed off but kept his arms hovering around his father just in case.

"Why are you two here anyway? I thought you'd still be away on your mission," Natsu asked, cocking a white, hairy brow.

"We worked our ass-I mean, tails off to finish up so we could get back here today," Aimi told him.

"Yeah, you didn't think we'd miss mom's birthday," Ryuu smiled and Natsu briefly saw Lucy in his face and the dragon-slayer's lips twitch upwards.

"I suppose not," the ancient dragon-slayer answered, returning his son's expression with a grin. Aimi mimicked the two, her lips stretching back into a smile. But little did the trio know that one other person was smiling with them.

"Thank you all for visiting me," Lucy beamed down at them from her position in the sky. "I love you three so very much, especially you, stupid," the blonde said, mimicking what her husband had told her long ago.

And as the three left Magnolia cemetery, Natsu felt the sun shine a little brighter and soft wind kiss his hair and somewhere deep down, he knew that it was Lucy.

"I love you too," he whispered, taking a last glance back at the grave which read:

"Here lies Lucy Dragneel, mage of Fairy Tail, a beloved wife and mother, and a blessing to all those who knew her."

Ok, so I hope you all liked it. This story is technically 2099 now (that's right, I'm awesome) words without the Author's notes and so forth and thus meets the requirement for the litashe's Fairy Tail Writing Challenge. It probably could have been better if I was given the opportunity to make it longer but meh, it was more of a challenge this way! :)

I would also like to say that the names and flowers used in this were not random. I selected each topic depending on what they meant. Natsu got Lucy red Camilla's which mean, you are a flame in my heart, Forget-Me-Nots which mean, true love/memories, and pink Carnations which mean, I'll never forget you.

Loke got Lucy, mixed Zinnias, Chrysanthemums, and Poppy's which mean: Thinking (or in memory) of an absent friend, you're a wonderful friend/cheerfulness/rest, and eternal sleep all in their respective order.

Aimi is derived from- (ai): love, affection (mi): beautiful

Ryuu means dragon which I felt was appropriate for Natsu. :)

Once again, thanks for reading this!