A/N: soo this was originally a warm up with my OCs before I started NSEND but I changed it up bc it was cute and my friend's bday...and you're going to need a fluff piece after the crap Imma put Lucy through in this next chapter ahaha. Enjoy!

Long Time, No See

It's been three years, two hundred and seventy days, and God knows how many hours since I last saw him but I could never forget him. Not the way his hair fluffed back when he ran his fingers through it, or the way he'd fiddle with the strings of his backpack and his Adam's apple would bob when he was nervous, or the way his lips would quirk and light up any room he walked into. I can never forget the way his shoulders slumped and how he couldn't meet my eyes when his drenched form stood in my doorway that night. I can't forget the subtle way his breathing hitched when he told me and tears had pricked my eyes. I can't remember the hint of salt I tasted when I kissed him for the last time, whether they were my tears or his didn't matter. I won't forget how I had laid in bed for the rest of that week, refusing to see anyone and responding only to my mother when she tried to console me.

He mentioned something about his work or danger or something, but frankly, my ears had stopped working after he said: "I'm leaving."

It's been three years since I've heard one word from him. Since I'd seen his face, heard his voice, felt his skin.

But today, something felt…different.

I get up a bit earlier than usual; sadly the only train straight to Narcís leaves at 4:30 opposed to my usual 9 am. Get out of bed is more of an overstatement though seeing as I about fall on my face when the alarm makes me about have a heart attack. If it isn't the near-death experience that wakes me, it's definitely the cause of the massive bruise probably forming on my lower back.

The rest of the morning goes by in a blur, but I'm luckily conscience enough to brew a fresh pot of straight black tea. If I'm going to make it to the train station without committing at least one felony, I'm going to have to down like a gallon of this shit.

I click the stove lighter and mentally go over the packing list in my head. I'll only be gone a month, so the bare necessities are all I really need to worry about. Makeup isn't that important; I'm just going for a personal vacation before college starts, so there's no point in impressing anyone. I tap each finger as I check off box after box. Undergarments: check. Seven pairs of outfits: check. Toiletries: check. Spare money: check. Boarding pass:…

Dammit, where did I put that thing? My lip sneaks beneath my teeth as I fish for the ticket amongst the various piles on the dining room table. Probably should clean those up at some point.

Bill. Bill. Grocery ad. Bill. Bi-

The pot whistles just as I'm pulling out the white slip. I almost drop the darn thing when I race to stop the kettle before it wakes my mom in the other room. I let out a sigh of relief and tilt the water into my to-go cup. The pass goes in my purse, and I slip out the door with a whispered "I love you" to my mom.

The ride to Narcís was generally uneventful. It took about ten hours, but it honestly felt like three. Turns out sleeping through a vast majority of your trip distorts your perception of time a bit. Luckily though, I'm feeling much more refreshed and awake than I had that morning which is probably a blessing to those that have to deal with me for the rest of the day. I order a small lunch, just a sandwich, and some fruit along with a bottle of water to give me a bit more energy when the food cart rolls by.

I'm surprised at how much the scenery changes in the matter of a few states. Gone are the barren, rolling hills of Magnolia and here are the thick, colorful forests of Narcís. The sheer number of trees and wildlife astound me. I mean I had seen forests before when I had lived in Hargeon, but this was something else. They were everywhere, and where they were, they were deep. Thousands of pines lined the tracks for miles at a time. The area behind the vast rows was immersed in shadow due to the heavy presence of trees and brush and undergrowth. It was like I had entered a brand new world filled with life and comfort. Something about it felt…like home, like I belonged there and something was calling me back.

I snack on a sliver of pineapple as the last of a particularly thick patch of woods whizzed past my window. I quickly place the bowl on the empty seat across from me and leaned towards the window to see the town I would call home for a little while. It's pretty small compared to those I had lived in in the Magnolia, its central area only spanning a few miles all around. Compared to my little pile of buildings in Hargeon, this might as well be a kingdom. The town itself was surrounded at all points by thick pine trees and maples. To the west sat the port to the ocean where they no doubt got their supplies seeing as the only way by land into the town is by train. The stores weren't all that much, just a bunch of small, one-story buildings. They lined either side of a long road that spanned the entire length of the town, connecting it as a branch holds onto leaves.

I stumbled across this place when I was researching port towns for some history project in eighth grade or something and just happened to see my project when I was cleaning out my closet. The walls had been pressing in on me at that point, and I had decided to do something about it. I then started saving money and picking up hours at the coffee shop to begin funding my expedition. Now I was finally here, and the anticipation was killing me.

We pull into the main station, probably the biggest building in town, about five minutes later and I don't waste one second before leaping onto the platform, almost losing my floppy hat in the process. I instantly collide with a gust of fresh, salty air and can't help the laugh that bubbles out of my chest. My stomach leaps. I was here. I was finally here. I pull my suitcase behind me and approach the overlook facing the sea.

My mouth about drops to the floor. Water. Dark and blue and everywhere. From as far right to as far left as I could see. That vast expanse spreads up and over the far horizon in the distance. White seagulls fly overhead, cawing and begging for scrap that the few visitors drop in their haste to leave the metal contraption. I don't turn back though; I can't turn back. My eyes are glued to the blue and how the sun peeks out from behind dark clouds above to shimmer on the ocean's surface. It really was like a sapphire, I noticed. The blue was slightly off, opting more of a dark, midnight hue, but the way the sun caught waves that crested and moved was spot on.

Another gust rushes through me, ruffling my hair and raising the hair on my arms. I almost shudder with the wave of freshness and belonging that hits me when the spray of salt caresses my face. My eyes drift back open, and I realize that I can suddenly feel the sun on my head. It takes me a second to piece together that my hat was no longer on top of my head.

I whip around, eyes grazing the concrete floor searching for the golden straw and pink flowers of my hat, landing, luckily, only a few feet away. I start towards it. Then stop dead in my tracks.

Because I see it. I see him. I first notice his hair then his rich, sage eyes then the way his mouth parts. The handle to my suitcase slips from my grasp. The hat floats away, all concerns of it blowing right along with it. Time stills. People filter from my vision until it's just him. Just him and me.

I feel my lips part, my hands rising to cover them. I feel myself mouth his name. I hear my own, his voice floating towards me effortlessly in all its deep, whispered glory.

Then I'm running. And he's running. And I have my arms wrapped around him so tightly I don't know if it's too hard or rough, but I don't care. I don't care. Because it's him. And he's here. And…and…

"Natsu," I murmur, my whispered voice breaking.

I feel the tears sliding down my cheeks. I don't bother to hide my sobs, and I tighten my hold around his neck. He tightens his grip, making it hard for me to breath. I know he's struggling too, but I can't bring myself to let him go lest he slip between my fingers again. He nuzzles into my neck. He mutters something against my skin. I feel something wet slide down my skin, and I know he's crying too. I don't pull back to see. I don't loosen my grip in the slightest even though my body is shaking violently.

I pull back when I'm finally unable to get enough air in my lungs, but I don't untangle my arms from around his neck. I realize that I have to lean back to meet his eyes this time. His rich, olive eyes shimmer with tears that also streaked thin lines down his face. His features are harder, stronger than before and his hair a bit thicker, a bit lighter with sun-kissed streaks of gold mixed with the now light rose. He now stands a head taller than me opposed to level with me all those years ago.

"Lucy," he mutters back.

I can't help the way my heart leaps at how his deep timber whispers my name as if he can't believe that I'm here just like I can't believe that he is either. A smile explodes across my lips.

"Yeah. It's me," I say back.

A toothy grin spreads across his face, and a thick laugh rumbles out of his chest and into mine. The sound sends my heart into a frenzy and reminds me how much I missed that sound. I can't help the laugh that bursts past my lips at that noise. I feel his grip around me tighten, and my feet lift off the ground, and he spins me. And I laugh more. Because it's silly. Because I'm happy. Because it's him.

He sets me back down a moment later. My breath hitches again as I stare back into his eyes. I realize then, with a crushing sense of finality that he's actually here after all this time. I feel my vision blur and a ball rise in my throat when it hits me how much his presence means to me and how much it hurt when he was gone. Not because he was one of the very few in my heart. Not because we were together. But because with him, I felt home; I finally felt right. And it was Natsu. And he was now a part of me, and I was whole again. And I just…

"I missed you," I choke out. "I missed you so much."

His smile softens, and he lifts a hand to wipe the tears streaming down my cheek.

"I missed you so much it ached. I missed you too. So, so, so much."

His own eyes shimmer, reminding me for a moment of the ocean and how the sun made it sparkle like a jewel.

My smile grows, and I hiccup. I pull him down until his lips meet mine. My eyes slip closed. And it's just us.

I kiss him with everything I have, all the pain, the loneliness, the longing. I press my lips so hard against his own, I know they're going to bruise. He presses back with just as much intensity if not more. I don't care that our teeth clack together when we collide or how our lips tingle with the other or the roaring of the blood in my ears. I just want to drink in as much of him as possible. The taste of salt and strawberries slips across my tongue when I slip it between his parted lips. My fingers weave into his hair and slide against his skin, basking in the warm feel of his skin against my own, the way his hair glides through my fingers. He groans against my mouth but continues his assault. His hands slide up and down along my back, trying to feel as much of me as he can. His fingers find the bottom of my t-shirt and slide under. I try to hide my shudder, but struggling is proving pointless.

I have to pull back, whether it's to breathe or stop myself from caving in, I'm not sure. We both stand there panting, foreheads pressed together, taking each other in. We still can't believe our eyes, our lips, our hands. I feel his eyes on me, but I can't bear to open my own. I don't want this to be a dream. I don't want to wake up again only to find him not next to me.

I slowly slide my hand down his neck, down his chest, and around his back. I lean forward and press my face into his shoulder. My fingers tighten on the fabric of his shirt. He lets out a sigh and wraps his warm arms around my back beneath my shirt. His head buries into my hair, the movement so familiar, so…him. I allow his scent, the warm smell of a campfire and sandalwood washing over me, covering me, swallowing me whole.

And I let it. Because it's Natsu. And I'm home.