Disclaimer : I do NOT own Fairy Tail.
She sat there on the table of her favourite cafe shop by the large glass window watching the rain pouring down.
Pitter Patter.
Surely the weather knew how to contrast with her current situation .. People around her were throwing sideway looks at her helpless state but she will be lying if she said that it was bothering her. The only thing that kept her mind busy were the memories from just a few moments ago. She just ended a relationship, something that she had been trying to save for the last nine months.. Or make it ten if you count the first three weeks when everything started getting wrong. She did not know why was it so hard to stay loyal to someone whom you claim to love? Tch.. She did not have a single idea either, what she did to deserve seeing him in the arms of that slut last night in that cheap hotel.
Her ex Gray Fullbuster really gave her a good lesson on how she should not trust someone blindly.. She trusted him and he proved her blind at the end. Thanks to a friend who actually informed her about her boyfriend's whereabouts last night. Seeing that guy cheating on her with her own eyes, really saved her the trouble of crying over him. If he could have sex with someone while being in a relationship with her at the same time, she can at least make sure not to waste her precious time greiving over that bastard. But the memories of their first meeting, four years ago refused to leave her alone. She still remembers how it was raining then, just like today.
The blonde was standing at the bus stand drenched in rain .. Her clothes clung to her like second skin.. She was not used to such days and unfortunately forgot her rain coat at home. What a lucky day for her! She grimaced. Of all the days she had to forget something that important to her today? She was shivering and refused to walk home since stepping out of the tiny shade the stand provided was the last thing on her mind at the moment.
He chose to arrive her at that very moment. Like a Knight in Shining Armor. He held out his own umbrella to her and she simply stared. The smile he offered left her wondering about the stranger's identity. He was handsome. The way his mouth twitched up while smiling and his brows raised in a forwn , observing her all wet from the rain. His dark locks brushed upwards and she really couldn't make out his hair color. Was it black or the darkest shade of blue she had ever seen?
They ended up in her home, on the couch with a mug of hot chocolate for each while chatting endlessly.
Lucy Heartfilia gritted her teeth at the memory. She bit her lower lip in order to stiffle the cry that threatened to come out. It was raining that day when she met him. And it is raining today when they broke up .. How Ironic .. Four years of nothingness ! Lucy mused.
Not that Lucy was head over heels for that guy. But it was simply humiliating how she kept on trying for him and all this time, he had been spending nights with cheap sluts..
"How long do you plan to sit and cry over that bastard?" She flinched at the sudden interruption.. Wasn't she supposed to be alone at this hour of day? Lucy looked up and was caught by surprise when brown orbs met a pair of onyx ones.. There standing in front of her was a familiar tall man.. Familiar 'cause she would recognize that pink hair color anywhere. The man was none other than Natsu Dragneel .. Her once used to be best friend, used to be 'cause he had been living in another town for over three years then, and never did he bother to contact her even once. So, Lucy wasn't so sure anymore.
Natsu sat down across her, but not before throwing a confused look at her and death glares to those who were rude enough to keep staring till then. She frowned.. The sense of betrayal long forgotten.. Really his presence was more than enough to make everything better. Now that she thought about it, Wasn't he the reason why she was stuck with that filthy unloyal human at the first place?
Yeah, right..
Lucy observed him closely. Nothing had changed about him in those three years. Except the fact that he looked more matured now. And somehow it was attractive. He was attractive.
He was indeed the guy she was crushing on since elementary school but never was brave enough to confess. She knew she loved him. And why wouldn't she? He was the only one that spent nights after nights with her, lending a shoulder to cry on after her parent's unexpected death in a car accident. He was the one hugging her till everything turned out right. He was the one protecting her from everything. Just because he considered her his best friend. And it hurted her, how they were just friends in his point of view
Though Gray changed everything. After Gray had come to her life, she found a good excuse to stay away from him. 'Cause what else could she feel being with him, except for pain? Seeing him consider her nothing more than a friend? She avoided him and started hanging out more with her new friend. And with time it became more like a habit. Though she always thought she heard pain in his voice whenever she canceled their outings for her dates. But it would disappear as soon as it came and left her wondering if her best friend really thought her to be anything more than a friend. And then again this was Natsu, who cared and loved all his friends in the same way. And no matter how much she hated to admit that, she disliked that particular quality of his. 'Cause it would always make her feel like someone ordinary to him, no matter whatever he did for her.
"You are staring at me for the last fifteen minutes Luce. I know I am sexy but you don't need to tense your eyes for that.." She snapped out of her thoughts when he chuckled.
She mumbled a sorry.. And really she missed that nickname he gave her 'cause he kept saying, her original name was critical. But really? What's the difference between Lucy and Luce anyway?
"It's been three years since we last saw each other, ne? I expected that you would forget me in the meantime." If seeing him suddenly in front of her was a shock then this statement was like a slap on her face. Forget him? And the worst part was the way his voice was expressionless.. Lucy felt a sudden pang of pain in her heart... Three years, she thought. How could she forget the day when he came to her home at 1 in the morning?
Natsu had to knock the door several times before it opened finally.. Revealing the girl he had been in love with since the day they met. She was only wearing an oversize shirt that Natsu recognized as not hers. Her hair was tied in a messy bun, few strands clung to her face considering the fact that she was covered in sweat. Natsu could only frown. Just what the hell had she been doing?
"Who is it babe?" came a masculine voice from inside her room and Natsu's eyes widened in realization. She flushed turning her gaze to the floor.. And for the first time in his life Natsu was at a loss of words. He stared at her for what seemed like an hour.. He shook his head to clear the images that were setting in his brain.. The images of his girl doing things with other guys just because he couldn't confess to her in time. His heart beats were getting faster dramatically.. And he had to bit his lip to suppress a groan... Tears threatning to form in those onyx orbs and he had to blink several times to keep himself from shedding tears in front of her.. She moved her gaze from the floor after not getting any response from him, not that she expected either. She stared at him with confusion. He turned his back to her clenching his fists. How he wished to break each and every bone in that guy's body who dared to touch his Lucy in that way.
"Natsu..." her worried voice did nothing to help his current situation.. He took a deep breathe to calm himself down. His breathes felt heavy.
"I am s-sorry if I interrupted s..something.." he started not bothering to care that his voice was shaking slighty. "I-I just wanted to let you know that I am moving to Geneva tomorrow.. And.. And I wanted to say Goodbye.."
The only response he recieved was silence. And Natsu had to glance at her to make sure she was still there. She simply stared back at him.. Her mind still couldn't process the information he was providing her with, at the moment. And he could swear he saw a few drops of tears forming at a corner of those chocolatey brown orbs.. A sense of guilt rose inside him.. But that did not bother him much.. He felt betrayed.. Betrayed by none other than the girl he always valued the most.. Even though he knew she never belonged to him, but tell that to his heart that was aching to scream and yell at her. For whatever she did. How dare she make him feel so worthless? She wasn't even dating that guy..
Is that all she ever wanted? Sexual desires to be fulfilled? If she did then she could have asked him..
Natsu knew he was going too far. But he didn't seem to give a shit.
For what felt like an hour passed finally Lucy mouthed an 'o' .. He was simply shocked. He did not expect her to be that neutral on the news..
"So when do you think you will be back?" she asked after a few moments. Her voice just as neutral as her expressions. Natsu stared at her for a moment before turning his gaze to his hands. He should have known.. He should have known better than to expect something from someone. But he gave her so much.. Didn't he deserve to get anything in return?
"I don't know.. Maybe I won't want to come back. Geneva is a nice place. I will see if I could get settle there." He really did not meant to say that.. But the words came out of his mouth before his brain could process.
"Hm.. Good Luck!" she muttered silently, though loud enough for him to hear.
"...thanks, I guess!" he forced a smile before turning his back to her and walking away.
He learned something new that day.. What hurts the most in the world? Its when she is so close and you have so much to say but then you have to watch her walk away.
The memories of that night was still fresh in Natsu's mind.. Three years .. He had been trying to forget this girl in front of him .. Hell he'd even dated a bunch of beauties, got physically involved with them but no one gave him the butterflies she could even today by just staring at him.
Natsu tried to hate her for doing that to him.. For making him fall for her and then throwing away his heart like a filthy piece of thrash. But never was he able to see her in any other way except that she was the girl he ever loved and he ever will. And gradually he realized that it was him to be blamed.. Not her.. He knew she liked him all along but still choose to keep quiet for he loved their friendship more than anything.. It was his fault that he never confessed his feelings. His fault that she distanced herself from him.. And it was his fault again to let her do so.
After three years though, when Natsu came back to California, his home town he never knew he would be meeting her.. Since he didn't want to see her happy with someone else. Until a recent event changed his mind.
Natsu was sitting in the hotel pub with a glass of scotch when they came in. Natsu knew that face too well to avoid. He noticed a girl with him that he guessed to be a friend or colleague. It didn't bother him the least and he turned to his drink throwing away each and every possibility to make a conversation. But not until he noticed them starting to make out right there and then. Natsu was taken by shock.. Was this guy not dating his Lucy? Or have they broken up already? Several ideas ran through his mind at the same moment.. He shook his head seeing he was getting to nowhere with this.
Natsu took out his phone from his inner jacket pockets and dialed a number. The other side of the phone came alive as he waited impatiently for the call to be received..
"Hello..."
"Hello, Levy?" he glanced back at the scene before continuing.. "I need a favor..."
Natsu paced back and forth in his home. He couldn't seem to breathe properly since he made that call and now he was waiting for an answer. He wasn't very sure if what he did was wrong or right. What the outcome would be. Was he being selfish? Or did he just do her a favor? What would happen when Lucy finds out what her boyfriend was upto.. Natsu did not want to imagine a heart-broken Lucy crying over some filthy bastard, but curiosity was getting the better off him. And no matter how much he tried to shove it off him, the pleasure of having Lucy all to himself again was too appealing to avoid. But what would he do? How would he approach her? What would he say if she asks him about his silence for the past years? Would he confess? Naah.. That would be too soon.. Then what excuse should he use?
Natsu was too engrossed in his thoughts that he did not even notice his phone vibrating. After two more rings he was snapped out of his thoughts. He stared at the phone with confusion but it did not take him a moment more to grab it from the table and tapping the "Answer" option.
"H-Hello..?" he tried his best to keep his voice calm.. But a sudden feeling of hope gave him away..
"Natsu... I thought you slept." came the reply from the other side.
"A-ah.. w-well Noo .. I mean I wasn't feeling like sleeping and all.. Anyways Levy, any news?"
"Hm.. Yeah I guess.."
"What? I-I mean what is it?"
"Lu-chan did not say much.. But she sounded distressed. She said she needs to sleep and.."
"A-and..?"
"And she said that she can't take it anymore.. She needs to end this right away.."
"Oh.. WAIT, Anymore?" Natsu frowned.. What could that possibly mean?
"Well.. Lu-chan and Gray were having relationship problems for the last few months.. Almost a year.. But Lu-chan was trying her best to keep everything alright.. Though seems like Gray thought otherwise,ne?"
"S-She was trying to s-save the relationship with him?" Guilt rose inside Natsu.. All the exitement and nervousness just a moment ago long forgotten.. He ended something precious to her just because he was selfish.. He could have confronted and talked to Gray.. But the idea of getting Lucy back made more sense at that moment.. How could he do this to her,again? She was given the feeling of belonging she deserved, from that guy and not from him simply 'cause he never acknowledged her feelings in front of his own.. And now? He even takes that away from her?
"Natsu..are you there?"
"U-uh y-yeah Levy.. Sorry I..I was just.."
"Its okay Natsu.. I know what you might be feeling now.. Guilt?"
"..."
"Really Natsu, you don't need to.. Fine tell me, if Gray could cheat on her once couldn't he do it again? What would have happened if you never called me and Lu-chan was treated like something unworthy? That idiot never deserved Lu-chan.. You did and still do. Do you get me, Natsu?"
Natsu could only listen to her and hope she was right.. And he knew she was.. She was both his and Lucy's one of the closest friends. No one knew them both better than her. And no way she could be wrong at this.
"I assume you realize what I am trying to imply? Whatever you did till now for Lu-chan was not being selfish.. But what you do now will decide if you are trying to be one or not.. I will be going now.. Good night Natsu.. And good luck. You know where to find her tomorrow." with that the other side of the phone went dead.. Natsu simply stared at the phone.. Everything said by Levy just now was helping another feeling of hope to rise inside him. He took a deep breathe to calm his nerves.. This time he smiled, and then he decided something..
He was not going to make the same mistake twice.
Natsu stared at the woman before him.. She did not change a bit the past years. It felt like she never aged. Instead she looked more beautiful than he last remembered her.. Though the only thing that bothered him were her slight puffy red eyes that stated, she had been crying. Natsu waited for her to say something but the silence between them was doing nothing to calm his tensed self. So he called out for the waitress instead, that he noticed was passing by them..
"What would you like sir?"the brunette bowed before taking out a notepad and a pen from inside the pockets of her apron.
"A chocolate smoothie and..." Natsu trailed off remembering something.
"And sir?" Natsu glanced at the blonde beauty before him who seemed to be following each and every word stated by him.. He smirked..
"A Half-caff coffee with two spoon of sugar and caramel syrup on the top" Lucy's eyes widened in surprise.. He simply shrugged before turning to the waitress again. "Make it quick, 'kay?"
"Sure, sir.. Right away.." the waitress bowed again before heading to the kitchen doors with the new order. Once she was out of sight, Natsu leaned back on his seat turning his attention to the outside world this time instinctively avoiding Lucy's eyes. He watched the rain pouring down.. And a sudden wave of relief washed over him.. Even though Lucy didn't talk at all till now, he knew she wasn't sad or angry at him.. Just a bit shocked at his sudden appearance but nothing that he couldn't fix.. Yes, Levy was right.. It was his decision now, if he wants to be selfish or not.. And he decided that he would be selfish.. He is here to get his girl.. And this time he wasn't going to let go at any cost.
"Y-you still remember?" Lucy's voice made Natsu look up at her.. He noticed her lips curved into a pretty smile and he couldn't help but smile back..
"Well I am not the one here having amnesia, you know.." Lucy frowned as he chuckled.
"What was that supposed to mean?"
"You had been staring at me for the past half an hour so I thought you have some kind of amnesia and having a hard time to remember me.." Natsu's stupid grin only added fuel to her sudden annoyance.
"Sorry to break it to you Dragneel but even if I do have amnesia, there's no way in hell I am gonna forget that ridiculous pink color.." Lucy pointed at his hair and he pouted..
"Its salmon Heartfilia ,not pink." Lucy giggled .. "Yeah, right..." Natsu felt his heart melting away with her laugh.. And soon he was laughing with her too.. Three years of absence from each other's lives already forgotten.. It seemed like, that never even happened.. They were the same old stupid besties who did not care that they were sitting at a public cafe shop and laughing like idiots while everyone else were staring at them.. And why would they care? Nothing mattered to them more than each other at that moment after all.
Lucy took quick steps as she headed for her home. The pavement she was walking on had absolutely no sign of life. It was 1 in the morning and Lucy kept on blaming herself about how she rejected Levy's offer to have a sleepover. She was almost running to her apartment. The creepy silence of the night was giving her unpleasant feelings. How she wished to reach home and tug herself under the warmth of her blankets. The night was getting colder with each passing moment. She sighed in relief as her apartment came into view and increased her pace.
Lucy felt pleased with herself once she was done with her hot bath. The day had been long at the office and then the gathering at Levy's house, enough to make her tired and wish badly for a good night's sleep. Weekends were starting from the next day and Lucy couldn't feel happier. She wrapped herself in a fluffy white towel and stepped outside the bathroom.. She shivered a bit after coming in contact with her cool bedroom air but got adjusted to it eventually.. Lucy closed her eyes and hummed her favourite song, while bouncing and swaying to the tune. She was so lost in her own world that she did not even notice someone watching her, with interest.
Natsu smiled to himself. Seeing her dancing, like that with no care in the world was overwhelming him in a strange way. It took him all his might to resist the urge of getting up there, holding her in his arms and sway to the song she was humming. Her voice was simply angelic after all. But the fact that she wore nothing but a towel questioned his own intentions. So Natsu opted to watch her from a safe distance.. He noticed her damp sun kissed locks clung to her velvety soft skin.. Her cheeks slightly flushed from the hot bath she had just taken. And Natsu could swear that he had never seen something so beautiful and sexy at the same time. And he knew he would never be able to, either. She was a goddess and Natsu had her in his life. It didn't matter that he still did not confess to her. But the fact that he knew just like his name was that she was his.
Lucy kept on dancing.. She never felt so alive again before meeting her best friend in the cafe shop three months ago. Just one look at him, and she knew that she was naive enough not to understand the feelings he bore for her from the very beginning. Just one look at his smile and she knew he had been always there all these years waiting . And even though she knew she was supposed to be feeling guilty for that, she never did actually. Instead a hope of new future danced in front of her eyes and she was more than sure that she wasn't going to miss this second chance.
The memories of that day and the next three months of their friendship till today, had been the best part of her life. Lucy never felt so loved and special. She knew she belonged to someone now. She belonged to him.
Lucy was lost in her own world. And Natsu was too mesmerized by her beauty. None of them noticed the lamp table in front of her until she bumped into it and fell down. Lucy could swear she had a broken ankle. Natsu rushed instantly to her aid. And Lucy squeaked in surprise at the sudden presence.
"Ouch Luce, that was too loud for my hearing senses..." Natsu pouted.
"Just what the hell are you doing in my room? And how the hell did you get in?" she screeched both in annoyance and pain and she was more than sure that she sprained that damn ankle.
"Easy, Luce.. You are such a weirdo. Keeping the window open as if inviting me to your home and then whinning over it." Lucy sweatdropped.
"I did not open it to invite you, idiot. The lock is broken.."
"Oh!"
"Wait, did you just say you sneaked into my room through the window and then had been watching me into this?" Lucy pointed at herself still wrapped in the towel and Natsu flushed.. "PERVERT..." she started hitting him in the chest that he dodged quite easily.
"Will you stop doing that? At least I was just watching you and did not grope you like I wanted to.." It was Lucy's time to flush.. Curse his bluntness.
"Fine.. Now help me up." Even though the thing that she wanted to do most at that moment was change into her own clothes, but she knew it could only make the pain worse. So instead she let him help her.
Natsu wrapped one of his arms around her back, the other reaching to held her knees. He carried her up in bridal style very swiftly.
"Whoaa Luce, I never knew you were that heavy.." Natsu smirked knowing very well that the statement would piss her off..
"Mind your words before I plan to do something with that tongue of yours, Dragneel." Natsu chuckled at the way she put special emphasis on his surname.
He reached to her bed and lied her down gently.. "Be right back.." with that said he went out of the room disappearing in the hall..
After a few moments Natsu was back with some ice cubes and a small towel holding them. He moved to her side and started rubbing the ice on her ankle. She could only smile at such gentle gesture.
Once he was done, and the pain almost seemed to disappear Natsu looked up to see her smiling at him. And there it started again. Really those butterflies in his stomach never failed to surprise him.
"Feeling better..?" he asked after returning from the bathroom where he left the wet towel. Lucy nodded and he sat down beside her. Silence fell between them and Lucy wondered is she should say something that she had in mind for a long time till then..
"Natsu.." Lucy broke the silence and Natsu was brought out of his thoughts.. "Thanks..." He frowned.
"For..?"
"For everything, I guess" Lucy flushed and Natsu's frown only got deeper. Seeing that he was waiting for more explanation, Lucy sighed.
"I never really got a chance to thank you before. You had always been there starting from Mom and Dad's death till now. You always made me feel protected. Even though we never contacted for three long years, you never hesitated to help me out after my break up. And I know it was you who called Levy-chan at the first place. You were there even when I never asked you to be. All this time you did so much for me and I never really did anything for you. Not that I did not want to. It's just that there is so much to pay you back for, that I lost count everytime and..." Natsu heard enough He did not want her to continue anymore so without a second thought he smashed his lips onto hers, to silence her making those brown orbs wide in shock.. But before she could respond he pulled away abruptly.
"Sorry.. I waited forever to do this.." he stated, his mind hovering over what her response would be. She did not respond to the kiss after all. Was he that bad?
Lucy simply stared at him with confusion in her eyes. Why was he being sorry?
"You know Luce, I never really did any of this for you.. All along it had always been me I cared about. 'Cause seeing you upset always made me feel unpleasant.. I did all this to avoid that feeling.
I don't know what you would like to call this emotions. But for me, I never was so desperate for anything or anyone before. And, no matter how much time I spend with you, I never seem to get enough of it.. Is it bad?"
Lucy's eyes were teary at his indirect confession.. She knew he loved her. She felt it over the last few weeks. But she never thought he would be confessing her in that way.
Lucy brought a hand to his cheeks feeling the rough texture of his cheekbone. She started leaning down gradually closing her eyes in the process, until their lips met again. This time it wasn't rushed and hesitant like before. Instead both of them made sure that they pour down all their feelings into that kiss.. Soon enough the kiss turned intense and passionate as his hands reached for her towel slowly sliding it away.. Her breathes were coming in fast and ragged as she tilted her head to deepen the kiss.
Natsu bit her lower lip demanding for entrance and she obliged without hesitation. She gripped his shirt tightly with one hand while the other pulled on his pink locks. Natsu groaned.. Their tongues battled for dominance.
He invaded her mouth with his tongue as she lost the fight. She tasted like cherries and vanilla and Natsu did not seem to get enough of it. A feeling of arousal overwhelmed him and the piece of clothing between them was doing nothing to calm his senses..
Natsu groaned in annoyance.. He reached for the buttons of his shirt and started unbuttoning them.. Once done, Natsu shoved off the shirt like a piece of thrash feeling relieved to be bare skin.
They both seperated in much need of oxygen. Natsu looked up to her searching for any hint of hesitation.. Finding none he smirked.. The way her eyes were intense and dark with lust made a shiver run down his spine, to the core.. And he knew he was no better than her. He leaned forward again.
"Can I?" Natsu asked to make sure that he was not just seeing things and that his mind was not playing tricks on him.. He knew he was more than ready to claim her but he did not want to do it without her consent.
Lucy looked at him with half lidded eyes and closed the distance between them with another heated kiss. This was more than enough of an answer to Natsu as he responded to the kiss fiercely.. After all who was he to deny his woman?
In the end, they never said I Love You 'cause they never really needed to.. The bond between them wasn't something that could be expressed with mere words.
A/N : I had to type this story over and over again to make it till here. Sorry if it sucked but I had the theme on my mind for a long time.. Again sorry to Gray fans, I know I made him look like a villain here but no matter how much I tried I couldn't put any other FT character in this role.
I will be away for two months since I am moving to Geneva (like Natsu *wink wink*) since summer vacations are starting and my aunt asked for my help with her bakery shop. I am more than glad to help her.. But I will try to update FGU before I leave 'cause honestly the reviews overwhelmed me so much that I couldn't make my heart to disappoint you.. Also thanks for your reviews in my other story Never Lose Hope . You don't know how amazing it is to know that you guys liked my story XD And I would really appreciate if you read and review this story as well..
So I will be going now.. Hope to see you soon.. Lots of love and kisses Tee-hee XD