Lucy Heartfilia was on a mission.

The mission? Her best friend Natsu Dragneel.

She had made it her mission to make sure that she would see him smile one more time before he embarked on his trip to find his father.

And she knew how she was going to do it, after all she only had one night to do it.

"Lucy?" Natsu raised a surprised eyebrow. He had not expected to see the blonde on his doorstep at half past seven in the evening the night before he was supposed to take off so early in the morning the next day. Dressed for the bitter November weather either, in her favourite red winter jacket with black tights and brown suede boots that came to her knees.

"Hey! Why aren't you dressed? Didn't you get my text?" Lucy smiled, tilting her head to the side realising at that point that the pink haired idiot probably didn't read it. Natsu was dressed in a white v neck t-shirt and grey tracksuit bottoms, he had a sheepish grin on his face. He looked like he had been lounging around all day. Probably explains why she hadn't seen him at university that day either.

She knew that Natsu's missing father was taking a toll on him. She didn't pay attention to it at first, just thinking that maybe he wasn't feeling well. But then things started to change. Natsu was becoming more and more distant, he had lost interest in his drawings. He even started ignoring Gray's insults!

"Come on loser, get changed." The blonde pushed past him striding into his messy living room. She heard the door close behind her followed by muffled footsteps on the carpet. His living room was absolutely cluttered with clothes and empty pizza boxes!

"What? Why am I getting changed?" Natsu inquired sitting next to the red 60 litre backpack on the sofa shoving more and more clothes into the already full backpack.

"Cause I'm taking you somewhere! If you'd just read the text I sent you-"

"My phone died! It's not my fault I can't find the charger!" Natsu humphed zipping his backpack up fully. Lucy felt a tightness in her throat. He was really going. She wouldn't be able to do or say anything to convince him otherwise. "Besides, I have to leave early tomorrow anyway." He said scratching the nape of his neck.

"Look. I know you're leaving tomorrow. But I want to spend some time with my best friend on the last night before he leaves tomorrow okay? Is that so hard to understand?" Lucy argued. She gave him a look daring him to fight back, half hoping he would and half hoping he would just come along with no questions but knowing Natsu he was unlikely to come quietly. "I don't know when I'm going to see you again Natsu. Can't we just have this one night?" She didn't mean for the words to sound so grim when they left her lips. But she had to get it off her chest, the blonde was worried for her best friend.

Natsu looked around his living room, a look of uncertainty on his face before letting out a heavy sigh. As much as he just wanted to be alone right now he didn't want to leave on bad terms with Lucy either. She was his best friend after all, it wouldn't be fair on her. So with a groan he got to his feet shuffling up the stairs.

"Wear something warm!"

"Luce, please tell me you have an alibi." Natsu groaned looking out the window of her car. He was sick to his stomach. By going out he thought that Lucy was going to take him to their favourite burger bar and eat to their hearts content. Or his anyway.

He did not expect for them to be driving out to the middle of nowhere in the pitch black.

"What do you mean have an alibi?" She laughed looking over at him, quickly checking that he hadn't been sick all over her seats yet. This car may be ten years old but it was still her baby!

"I mean you're taking me out to the middle of nowhere at stupid o'clock at night. I knew there was something weird about you." He grimaced as the car dipped on the one side driving through the rough terrain.

"As if I would need an alibi. I'm too cute to put the blame on." Natsu rolled his eyes tightening the scaled scarf around his neck. "Do you have any idea where you're going tomorrow anyway? To look for your dad?"

"S' long as I'm out of Magnolia, I think that's a good start. I was thinking of starting at Hargeon."

"The port town?"

"Yeah. I mean people are bound to hear some things down there. With people coming and going and whatnot." Natsu could feel Lucy's glances every now and again. As though he was a kid that needed to be looked after.

"Sounds like you've got a plan anyway." Lucy cleared her throat. The tightness was still in her throat. This isn't how it's supposed to be. They were never like this. Natsu and Lucy. Lucy and Natsu. Since when did it become this awkward that they couldn't fill in the gaps. When did the silences become awkward? "I really hope you find him, Natsu."

Natsu looked her way. He could see the wetness in her eyes, the way her eyebrows drew down in concentration the way they always do when she was driving. But there was something different about her this time. Natsu wasn't used to this Lucy. The Lucy that he knew always had something good to talk about, something to help brighten his day up. He liked it when his Luce smiled. He could see the stress in the way her shoulders refused to lean back against her seat, how she kept biting her bottom lip.

"Lucy just tell me."

"What's there to tell Natsu?" There was a light up ahead. "I support you a hundred and twenty percent on this. I know how important your father is to you. I respect that you want to find him."

"But?"

"I just wish you wouldn't leave me out of it."

"I'm not leaving you behind Lucy. It's not like we're never seeing each other again. Besides, you have Gray and Levy and everyone else back at the university-"

"But they are not you Natsu. Get it through that skull of yours. It won't be the same. It just won't. It will be like losing half of my entire being." She snapped. This idea of hers was becoming less and less inviting the closer they got to her destination. She didn't expect them to start arguing on the way there.

"It's not like I want to leave either Luce. All of my friends are here. I grew up in Magnolia! You're here. You're important to me too. But I just need to do this. I gotta know what happened to him. He disappeared without a trace! He told me he was always to be there for me and yet he disappeared into thin air!" He knew this argument was going to get them nowhere. He hated arguing with Lucy. As rare as their arguments, they were passionate. They were both too stubborn to back down. They both had points to make. He didn't want to leave her behind either, but it was better for her to stay in one place where he knew she would be safe and happy than live on the road with him. "Lucy I will come back."

She was fighting back the tears. The ones threatening to break through as she turned to her best friend in the passenger seat. When was she going to see him again after tomorrow? Her best friend with the pink hair and stupid grin? When were they going to have star wars and netflix marathons with pizza and soup mugs of tea again? Their stupid banters at their favourite burger bar? He said he was coming back.

But when?

She pushed all the thoughts out of her mind as she reached across meeting his hand half way, intertwining their fingers. His warm, calloused hand in hers. Small. Protected.

"I know. I'm sorry I'm being a bitch."

"You wouldn't be Lucy if you weren't a bit weird." He had been paying so much attention to the girl that he hadn't noticed the bright lights and familiar carnival music. Lucy let out a giggle next to him noticing how his face literally lit up realising where they were. "But you hate carnivals!"

"Natsu I never said I hate them. I'm just too busy to go to them." The carnival had been set up in what looked like a field not far off the highway, with bright neon lights and rides scattered around. Lucy had first heard about this carnival from Juvia who said that in the previous year, Gray had taken her there on a date.

They got out of the car making their way to the ticket booth where Lucy presented the two tickets from her small black purse. She laced her arm through Natsu's knowing that her idiot of a best friend would want to run for food straight away if she didn't keep a hold on him.

"So what do you want to do first?" He looked around excitedly.

"We're actually not here for the rides Natsu." He squished her cheeks together tightly an irritated look on his face.

"How can we go to a carnival and not go on the rides Lucy?!" She bit down on his thumb hard making Natsu pull away harshly. He hated not knowing. As much as he loved surprises this was getting irritating

"Stop being a dick and just follow me already." She hissed grabbing his wrist.

"You're the one being all secretive!"

"Because it's a surprise you idiot! There's a bunch of other things you can do at a carnival besides the rides Natsu!" She followed the crowd making their way out to the fields surrounding the carnival, hoping that they were going in the direction she'd hoped they were going. Natsu slid his hand through hers tightening his grip on her hand hoping Lucy didn't notice the change.

"I can think of a few things." He smirked her way, resulting in a dead arm.

"Prick." The crowd had stopped moving all of a sudden. They stopped as well in their tracks, standing in awe of the bonfire that they had not noticed had been set up. She could see Natsu's attention being drawn immediately to the bonfire, his pyromaniac side probably dancing with joy on the inside.

"What do you think?" She smirked. He was like a kid on Christmas Day!

"I've seen bigger. But that is pretty impressive." He chuckled. "Normally it would be difficult to set wet wood on fire, especially from the look of that bonfire. Looks like it's got chairs an' stuff too! Normally it's hard to burn off the varnish."

"I worry about you sometimes my friend." It was nice seeing him like this. Even if it was about bonfires and how to burn things the right way.

There was a bubble of nervousness and excitement in her chest, waiting to pop at any given moment. She was worried he was going to get impatient and want to get food missing the whole reason they came here for-

They didn't have to wait.

"It's beautiful." He gasped. The first firework had been set off, a loud bang had captured everyone's attention followed by the red spits of light in every direction. But that was just the beginning. She was beginning to realise why people loved coming to these bonfire events now. One after another a never ending array of fireworks decorated the sky. Swirls and explosions of colour lighting up the dark. Sure, it was freezing and the grass was damp but these fireworks were worth it. Natsu was worth it all.

She allowed herself to turn to her best friend. Swearing under her breath as she did so. She didn't know what it was. Maybe it was the way the fireworks illuminated his face in a way she had never seen before. After weeks of suffering, she was able to see the Natsu that she loved so much. His lips lifted to a grin revealing his slight dimple in his cheek. His hair that normally kept falling over his forehead was pushed back. The little puffs of smoke that left his lips with every breath he took.

Her best friend was beautiful. Too beautiful to look at.

That was until he met her gaze.

His eyes that were normally an olive colour with a mix of hazel depending on his mood were the colour of embers. They held so much emotion that she couldn't tell if he was happy or surprised or whatever he was feeling.

The light in his eyes were brighter than any firework in the sky that night.

She couldn't hold back the tears now. Not when he looked at her in such a way it made her feel so much more in the last hours than she could have felt in the years without him.

Her light.

Little did she know they were filled with adoration. Natsu pulled her to his side, wrapping his arms around her waist as tightly as he could through her thick red winter jacket. Inhaling the smell of her strawberry scented shampoo as he rested his chin on the crown of her head. She was so warm. The way her arms wrapped around his middle, tight as though she never wanted to let go. If she had it her way, she probably wouldn't let him. She made a note to steal one of his hoodies later when she dropped him off.

But for now she was going to enjoy the rest of the fireworks with her best friend.

"I'm gonna miss you Luce." Lucy looked up to meet his gaze.

"You'll come back for me. I won't worry."

"Damn right I will."