A/N: This was in my drafts for the longest time now and I honestly don't know if this is going to be well-received but yeah, I love NaLu. Hope you'll enjoy!

She hesitantly glanced at her ringing phone and when she saw the name written on the caller ID, she let out a quiet squeak as she pushed the device away from her.

How... How could she have forgotten about those messages... She should've checked!

She shut her eyes and cursed herself over and over again about what kind of an idiot she was. She waited until the ringing stopped before she reached out for her phone, deciding to put it on silent mode but then it rang again. She almost dropped the phone but even through her panic, she held on to it tightly and turned the cellular device off.

Lucy took a deep breath to try and calm herself down but it did little to slow down her rapidly beating heart. She stood up and paced around her room, what should she do next? How did she manage to throw herself into this situation?

xoxox

A pair of tanned hands slammed itself on the wooden surface of her desk. She stopped reading and looked up from her book, glaring at the person. She knew that there was no reason to feel mad but the memory of seeing him with Lisanna the other day makes her cranky.

"Yo Luce, let's make a bet." The pink-haired boy grinned at her, showing his unusually sharp canines. The boy was too dense to notice her annoyance much less her feelings for him.

"Not now, Natsu. Besides, isn't Gray always willing to make a bet with you?" Lucy tried to resume what she was doing before.

"Feh. Juvia's chasing him down right now so I don't know where that stripper's hiding." Natsu's lips was now pulled into a frown and he folded his arms across his chest.

She glanced up from her book for a split second as she turned the page, "I don't know, Natsu... I'm trying to spend as little as possible right now so I can pay for my rent." She sighed dramatically. It was true and now she's using it as an excuse to avoid her best friend.

"Oh, but it won't involve money, I promise!" He begged, he sounded so desperate that it got her questioning why the bet was so important to him.

Lucy hesitated, what kind of excuse can she make? She really just wants to get over what she saw or else she wouldn't be able to treat him the same way again, she'll be forced to tell him the truth and maybe... destroy their friendship. And she didn't want that.

"You've been avoiding me since yesterday, did I do something?" He asked, his voice laced with sadness.

That snapped her out of her thoughts, "N-No! I'm not avoiding you, it's just that-Fine, what's the bet about?" She sighed in defeat. She almost let her secret slip, good thing she stopped herself before she ruin everything they had.

"How about... the club that Erza will pick? I mean, it's the start of the school year." Natsu beamed at her. "I'm guessing it's the cooking club."

Lucy raised an eyebrow at him as if to ask if he's serious. As far as she knew, Erza really likes sweets but she could never imagine the redhead joining the cooking club since it isn't really focused on sweets but a wide variety of foods. She even heard that the cooking club likes to come up with new recipes and it doesn't always end well. "I'm pretty sure she'll join the council." Erza's leadership-material, everyone takes her seriously and she's a disciplinarian at heart. She's likely to run for the position of president and win just as she had always done.

"Then shall we bet our facebook passwords?" Natsu suggested and Lucy swore she saw a glint in his eyes. It made her a bit suspicious about the bet. Why did he suddenly have the idea of making a bet over Erza's club preferences?

"Why our passwords?" She raised an eyebrow at him. Is he planning on ruining her reputation using social media?

"Because it's interesting, I mean, it's as important as money to you, right?"

Lucy wanted to retort but what he said was true. She's a really private person and doesn't want anyone trying to invade that privacy. Giving her password is something she would never ever do.

"Isn't there anything else?"

Natsu paused and looked up, possibly to think of something other than money and facebook passwords. "I don't know," he shrugged, "how about you?"

"Food?" Lucy asked hopefully, Natsu has a really big appetite and she thinks that it will make him change his mind.

"Mm... Nah. I mean, we always get food from you and when we don't, Lisanna's always there giving free food to us." Natsu grinned at the thought of all those free foods.

Lucy knew that she had no reason to get jealous at Lisanna. They both play the same part in Natsu's life as his best friend and Lisanna knew Natsu way before she did, she was even there when Happy, Natsu's pet cat, was still a kitten. Besides, the silver-haired girl was nice and friendly and she couldn't hold a grudge against someone who really seems like a real angel.

"Is that so..." She faked a smile, "Okay then, we'll go with the passwords."

"Yosh! I'll definitely win this bet!" He pointed a finger at me and cackled confidently as he returned to his seat. She sighed, her shoulders slumped as she relaxed. Being near Natsu makes her feel nervous and she always gets overly conscious about her looks and the way she mingles with him. She wished she never realized the feelings she was harboring for the guy, maybe it wouldn't be this hard to talk to Natsu like she used to.

Well, she doesn't have to worry about the bet anyway, it was a sure win that Erza will join the student council. Everyone feels like Erza is the only one fit to be the council's president and she agrees with that, she's even feared by most of the other schools in the area.

xoxox

She slapped herself. Oh right... the bet. This is why she thinks love is just a waste of time, it messes with you, your mind, and your life. And now she's doomed forever. What an idiot she was for accepting that bet.

"Luce!"

The blonde whirled around to find her best friend already opening her bedroom window, the tail of his scale-like scarf dancing with the cool wind. She shrieked in surprise and with all her strength, clumsily closed and locked her window.

"Damn it, Luce, open up!" Natsu banged on the glass window, not a care if he shatter it or not.

"No! And stop that! You'll break my window, you idiot!" She screamed and closed the curtains, her cheeks were flushed and her heart was beating too fast like she had just ran from a marathon. She didn't expect Natsu to come to her house, and she didn't expect for it to be this fast.

"Luce, open up! Come on!" His voice was a bit muffled by the closed window but she could hear him clearly, possibly because he was yelling and Natsu is a loud-mouthed guy.

She chose to ignore it. She lay on her bed, facing away from the window with her hands pressed against both ears. She was running away from her problems yet again but she doesn't care, she couldn't face him right now. Maybe some other time when she finally mustered up enough courage but right now... no, she'll die.

xoxox

"You didn't enter the student council?!" Erza flinched as she was suddenly cornered by two people early in the morning. One a blonde girl and the other a pink-headed guy, the guy had a wide grin plastered on his face while the girl stared at her in disbelief and disappointment. Lucy and Natsu, two of her close friends.

She cleared her throat. "Yes, as much as I want to, I couldn't join the student council anymore." She smiled apologetically, she's been questioned about this from left to right yesterday.

"But why?" Lucy almost had tears in her eyes as she stared up at the red-haired beauty.

"Apparently, a new rule has been created that the previous president isn't allowed to run for the next election to give chance to others. I was the president last school year so I won't be able to run again this year."

"But what about the other positions?" Erza grew a bit suspicious, why is Lucy making such a big deal out of this? And why is Natsu grinning from ear to ear like he had just won a lottery?

"I thought this out and I think maybe this is a sign for me to step down and discover other things. I think the next council members are capable enough to handle the student body."

"Then what club did you join?" This time, it was Natsu who asked the question.

"I joined the cooking club, I wanted to improve my skills on cooking and I guess the free sweets every now and then are nice." The redhead felt like this was becoming more of an interview but she kept quiet, still confused over the two.

"Ya hear that, Luce? I won!" Natsu cheered, puffing his chest with pride.

"Shut up! I bet you knew about the new rule!" Lucy glared at him. For her, it wasn't impossible for Natsu to do that, he's just like a kid.

"No, er, the new rule was only informed to the past members of the council and those who are running for the positions. It was only allowed to be known publicly after the elections so..." Erza cut in, correcting the blonde.

Lucy sighed in defeat, still cannot believe how she lost to Natsu over a stupid bet. "Fine, you win. I'll give you the password over a text message, don't pass it around or change it. I'll kill you if you do." She gave a glare at the boy who didn't even flinch at her threat, he was still grinning.

xoxox

Lucy woke up early as usual but a little tired. Natsu left after an hour of yelling and banging on the window, even her neighbor was already yelling at her about the noise. She spent the night thinking about how she should face Natsu today after pushing him away the entire night.

The blonde got ready for school and left the house with an hour to spare like usual but didn't head straight to school. She went to the nearby park to pass time, thinking of arriving late to class. With this, she'll be able to avoid a confrontation even if it's for a little while. Lucy knew she won't be able to keep on running away from him, she had to face him eventually, but she wanted to buy as much time as possible.

By the time she arrived at school, she was already thirty minutes late and she didn't think it was this nerve-wracking to avoid teachers in the hallway. If they caught her walking around during class hours, she'll be reprimanded for sure.

Lucy knocked at their classroom's door, it's better to be scolded inside a room with only her classmates inside rather than outside where two to three classes will probably hear them.

There wasn't a response and the usual rowdy classroom seemed to be peaceful from the outside. She slowly slid the door open, careful not to make any noise that may catch attention. When she finally slid the door fully open, she was surprised to find the room empty, not a single person inside.

She didn't understand, there were school bags on each seat indicating that her classmates have arrived but not one was inside their room during class. Why?

Before she knew it, she got pushed inside the room and an audible click was heard. She knew the door was now locked. She whirled around and found Natsu walking up to her, a serious look on his face that she could only see rarely.

"Uh, hey... have you seen the others?" She gulped. When Natsu gets like this, it means that he's angry. And well, he has the right to be angry after she locked him outside her house last night for an entire hour.

"Did you know how long you made me wait?" He asked and she looked away, not wanting to glance up at his burning eyes.

"I didn't know that you were waiting for me." She reasoned out, gripping the strap of her bag tightly. Her hands were sweating from the nervousness. She looked down. She still wasn't prepared.

"Well of course you wouldn't know. If I tell you then you'll obviously avoid me again. I'm not that stupid, Luce." She saw Natsu's feet stop in front of her, just a few feet away. She stepped back but he just took a step forward. "Don't run away from me, the doors are guarded."

She gulped, "Can we please just get this over with?" If she can't run away right now then isn't it better to deal with it now so that he'll stop all this?

"Is it true?" He asked, taking another step closer to her.

"Is what true?" She asked back, still looking at the ground.

"That message you sent to Levy." He took another step closer and she took a step back.

"Which one? We send a lot of messages to each other. And did you just read my private messages?" She was silently praying that this will go well, she really wants to run away. She's afraid of rejection, she knew Natsu and Lisanna had a history together and that Natsu had feelings for her once upon a time... maybe even now, he loves her still.

"That you love me." He didn't move this time and she was also glued in her place because of what he just said.

She cringed. She knew Natsu can be blunt but this level of straight-forwardness was too much for her to handle. She felt her face heat up and she was now biting back a scream of pure panic.

Honestly, she knew from the very start that she had no chance with Natsu. Not only was he an idiot but she was not Lisanna and can never be like her. She can be bossy and hot-tempered, she always yells at Natsu and Happy, and she can complain like there's no tomorrow while Lisanna... she was like an angel, always kind and will always take care of Natsu and Happy without little to no complaint. That's why she didn't need this confrontation, she already knew how this will end.

"Luce, please answer me, is it true?" She couldn't decipher Natsu's feelings right now, maybe it was because her own feelings were all jumbled up and she couldn't concentrate on anything but her own heartbeat.

"Does it matter if it's true or not?" She looked at him in the eye, she was desperate to get out of this without having to reveal her feelings to him.

"Of course it matters! If it's true, how should I respond to it if you won't tell me?"

Lucy bit her bottom lip. At this point, her emotions were now overflowing in the form of her tears. She really doesn't want to admit it but she knew deep down that she needs to let it out, she needed to tell him so that she'll be in peace with herself, so that a heavy weight will be lifted from her shoulders, so that she'll find closure, so that she could finally let go. She needed his answer but she was just afraid that he'll break her heart when he tells her he's sorry and that he loves Lisanna.

"Mavis! Yes, it's true! I love you, okay? Are you satisfied now?" She wiped her tears angrily, she wasn't mad at Natsu, she was mad at herself for being dramatic over this. "Can I leave now, please?" She begged, even if her legs feels like jelly right now, she wanted to sprint down the halls and back to the safety of her home.

"Sorry but I won't let you go right now." She almost squeaked when Natsu walked up to her and planted a clumsy kiss on her lips. "Not when you finally admitted that you love me." He grinned at her, his cheeks were flushed red, and his serious expression earlier was no where to be seen. It's liked he changed into a different person in a blink of an eye.

"Why did you do that?" Nope, she wasn't going to hope for it. This is Natsu for Pete's sake! He's too dense that he might not even know what a kiss means.

"'Cause isn't that what you do to the girl you love? I'm pretty sure that's what Ice Princess told me..." He mumbled the last part more to himself. "Or is this one of his stupid pranks?"

"What? Aren't you... to Lisanna...?" She blinked. What the hell just happened? She was so sure he would reject her.

"Lisanna? What about her?" He cocked his head to the side innocently. When he realized what I was trying to say, he laughed. "Lisanna's a friend, Luce."

"Yeah, well, she was your first love, wasn't she?" This must really be some kind of sick joke from Natsu, no way would he like her romantically.

"Nah, it was more of a crush, really." He rubbed the back of his neck, as if embarassed that they're talking about his almost non-existent love life.

"And what about me? How can you be so sure that you love me?" She wasn't about to hope for nothing even though her chest was practically about to burst due to how fast and loud her heart was beating at this moment.

"Why don't you try dating me and I'll prove it to you?" He smirked and she flushed red, well this was a side of his that she never saw before.

"Where did you learn to talk like that?" She asked, clearly he must've heard it somewhere.

"Gray taught me that one. He said I should try saying it to you if I could man up enough to confess. Did I do it fine?" He grinned at her and she had to control herself from jumping into his arms, this man was too much for her.

"Yeah but next time do something your style. I figured it was from someone else." She shrugged, trying to act as composed as possible.

"So, aren't ya gonna to date me or what?" Natsu squeezed both of her cheeks and pulled them. She whined and slapped both of his hands away.

"I don't know..." What if they did date and broke up? What if it would ruin their friendship?

"Well I still don't know what dating is but I'll learn, I just want you mine, Luce." He chuckled, scratching his nose, embarassed.

Lucy bit her lip, the sight of Natsu being embarrassed with his cheeks tinted pink was melting her heart. "Fine, I'm yours, you cheeky idiot."

She was surprised when a loud cheer erupted around them and party poppers popped. Her classmates simultaneously ran into the classroom, some entering from the windows and the others through the door. They all circled around the two, cheering and congratulating them.

Lucy saw Levy, Gray, Juvia, and the others among the crowd smiling happily at them. Gray gave her a salute, and Gajeel a knowing smirk while the girls hugged her. Even the teacher came in, grumbling about how her entire hour for lecture was wasted over something like this.

Natsu pulled Lucy and planted a kiss on her lips that lasted for a few seconds but to her, it felt slow yet also quick. "Heh, I had always wanted to do that." He chuckled and Lucy laughed, she can't believe she was worrying and getting jealous over nothing. And she can't believe that she's finally Natsu's.

"I'm gonna change my password now." She still values her privacy and she won't let Natsu pry into her messages again.

A/N: I'm thinking of doing Natsu's side because I honestly have a reason about the sudden bet but I don't know if it's better left like this. I wanted to make it less dramatic but honeslty, I just wrote what came into my mind first so this might be crappy. Lol.