It all started after the grand magic games ended. After seeing someone I trusted kill my best friend, it was too much to handle, even if she was a future version of herself. I wanted to protect her, I should've protected her, she's my nakama. "I promise myself next time I will protect her," I think to myself watching her sleep, with Happy at her feet. I drift off to sleep.
"Natsu!" A shrill voice screams in my ear, not to mention I have very strong hearing,
"Yeah Luce? What's wrong!" I jump out of her bed taking in my surroundings, was someone trying to hurt her?
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" she yells in my ear again.
"Uh oh Lucy's angry now!" Happy says looking frightened as he flies out the window towards the guild hall. I realize I had snuck in her window the night before. Just a normal day for me, pretty much. I dodge as she tries to Lucy kick me, but she's too determined to hit me this time. She kicks again with full force this time landing a hit on the place where it hurts me most I try not to yell out in pain. Right as I let my guard down!
"What the hell, Luce, I was going to get out anyway!" I say keeling over on the ground in pain.
"Well next time, maybe you shouldn't sneak into a random girl's house, AND SLEEP ON HER BED!" she yells half dragging me towards the door.
"But you're not a random girl, you're my Luce," I tell her. She shrieks, turns bright red and pushes me out the door. What did I say this time to make her mad? Maybe it was when I said 'my Luce' she does hate to be referred to as an object. I think to myself, what could it be? Then I walk to the guild hall, along the edge of the river. There I eat with Happy telling him about the recent events. "... so yeah after I said that she shrieked, and threw me out!" I tell my blue exceed. Mira overheard our conversation.
"Wait, Natsu, you seriously don't realize what it means to say that to a girl?" Mirajane asks me. What does it mean?
"Wait, Mira, I don't understand, what does that mean?" I ask her. I can never understand girls or their feelings, being raised by a dragon and all.
"Ummm well… it means that you really like this girl, and you don't want anybody else to touch her," Mira says. Well Lucy is my best friend, wouldn't that be normal.
"What's so special about that?" I ask her "She's my nakama of course I don't want anyone to hurt her!" I am confused, why is this so hard for me!
"No it's like you really love her, Natsu," Mira says smiling a devilish grin on her face. Crap, this is bad. But she's just my best friend! I don't love her like that or anything I tell myself. I still don't why she got that worked up, but I guess I'll have to explain to her what I meant. I mean I wasn't trying to confess or anything. "I just like her as a friend, I mean well being with her wouldn't be too terrible, I mean we already are really close would it be that different," I think to myself. "No Natsu keep focused," I tell myself.
"Oh, well then Happy let's go find Lucy. I have to clear something up," I say running out of the hall with Happy right behind me. We run towards Lucy's apartment through the streets of Magnolia. As I approach it her door is unlocked, and she's not in her apartment, that's suspicious, I mean she always locks it. I worry, maybe she is in trouble. "Happy I have to track her," I say. I focus on my breathing, and I pick up her scent trail. "Let's go," I tell him pointing. Today she smells like strawberries, and vanilla, this bothers me why did she wear her best smelling soap today? I have trouble finding her scent for it is tangled up with another familiar scent. A scent that smells surprisingly like Sting Eucliffe. I keep track of her scent and exit her apartment, I follow it all the way to a cafe on the very outskirts of Magnolia. Happy's jaw drops.
"What's wrong Happy…" I don't finish as I see through one of the windows. There, sitting at the table is Lucy and Sting eating together! I suddenly feel very angry, what is she doing? She looks at Sting, and I see them staring into each other's eyes. It can't be, are they seriously on a date? I am hit with a wave of conflicting emotions, Lucy looks happy right? I am confused, I mean even though she looks so happy, I am so angry. How dare Sting go out with my Lucy! She belongs with me, at Fairy Tail! How can she be so happy, with him! I storm into the cafe, my hands unconsciously lit up in flames.
"Oh hi Natsu, what are you doing here?" Lucy asks me innocently
"I could ask the same for you! What is Sting doing here?" I demand
"Natsu settle down! Long time no see," Sting says "I was going to visit you at Fairy Tail earlier this morning, but you weren't there. Mirajane told me you might be at Lucy's apartment so I visited her,"
"and then I asked him out to lunch, since I didn't know where you were Natsu," Lucy finishes
"Wait, so this isn't a date?" I ask Lucy calming down, maybe I overreacted a bit.
"Well…" Lucy said. I lit my flames on fire again
"What's going on Lucy! Answer me," I say in a deadly tone I see Sting shiver, but Lucy just gets more worked up
"First off, you're not my dad, Natsu. I can go on a date with whoever I want! Secondly, I wanted to get to know Sting better, and apparently he is a very nice person, and he's two times as sweet as you'll ever be. So yes Natsu, I'm on a date with Sting. Got any problems with that!" that hurt. I stood in shock, Lucy is on a date with Sting. It takes a second for me to register that. I'm hurt, I don't know why because Lucy is right. She doesn't belong to me or anything. I've never said anything on the terms of us being together or anything. I just assumed that she would not have those feelings towards anybody. Especially not me. I think to myself. I was always disgusted by romance, and all things like that, why am I getting so worked up
"I'm sorry Luce, I didn't want to upset you or anything. This morning, I'm sorry …" Lucy stopped me
"Natsu I knew what you meant this morning. I overreacted, and I know that we are all just nakama. I get it. I'm sorry for blowing up at you, but could you just control your temper jeez Natsu? I know you were just trying to make sure I was safe, but I can take care of myself, baka," she teases me. I feel my cheeks flare up. What is wrong with me? I run out of the cafe. Happy trailing close behind me, I run as far as I can until I'm at a certain house near a certain bridge that I know all too well. I enter the house and shout:
"Guildarts come out and fight me!" but there is no answer. Of course Guildarts isn't back yet from his quest. I wander through the empty house. "What is wrong with me, why am I like this?" I ask thin air. Happy flies in behind me panting,
"Jeez Natsu, don't run so fast I almost lost track of you!" Happy says
"Happy what is wrong with me?" I ask my loyal exceed
"Oooooooh Natsu, you're in love!" that was Happy's response to everything, but then I realized something. May be Happy's right. If I was in love that could be why I was acting so strangely. But who was I in love with?
"Happy, can you tell me who…" but Happy had disappeared. I could see his giggling retreating figure flying back to the guild hall. May be I was in love with Lisanna, I mean she's always shown affection towards me right? Or may be it was Mira, no she was too scary, I shivered out of fear. Or maybe, just maybe it was my best friend, Luce. No it can't be her she's too weird, or can it? I remember the anger when I saw her with Sting. The way my cheeks flushed when she teased me in her cute way. The way I stared at her when I was sleeping next to her. I flush again, I'm in love with Lucy! I realize happy that I figured that out by myself. But then the image of Sting and Lucy smiling at each other invaded my thoughts. Ugggh she was already in love with Sting. I'll just have to win her back then.
"Hear that Guildarts! I love Lucy," I say shouting at the empty house. I run back to the guild noticing that Lucy's not there I pout. "Mirajane, where's Lucy?"
"Oh Lucy is still out with Sting, any reason you ask?" She gives me that incredibly evil grin.
"Yeah, I just need to tell her that I LOVE LUCY," I said that last part a bit too loud. Everyone in the guild shrieks and either faints or freezes. Mirajane is the only one still standing.
"I knew it!" She says "well if you want to crash their date, they should be at the frozen yogurt place downtown,"
"Ummm Mira, how do you know this?" I ask her
"Let's just say I have eyes everywhere!" I shiver it isn't everyday you experience the evil of Miras demon form.
"I'm all fired up now!" I yell as I speed downtown towards the yogurt place. I see the two blondes sitting at the table. Lucy and Sting are sharing a yogurt. I freeze, I don't know what to do. Well I guess I'll just be direct. "Yo Luce!" I run up to their table
"What do you want Natsu?" Lucy asks me looking annoyed
"Guess what I just found out? I love you Lucy, I always have and always will!" I say, but Lucy doesn't look fazed
"I know Natsu, we're all nakama here. You love us all in Fairy Tail," she says
"No Luce it's like…" I can't describe it so instead I lean in and kiss her. She half shrieks, half smiles on my lips,
"I love you too, Natsu," she tells me. I break down inside, but still hold her tight not wanting to let go. Then she breaks away from me, Sting looks shocked
"Well I guess I'll leave," he says offensively
"I'm so sorry Sting, you really are a sweet person it's just…"
"I know, I know, I hope to see you around Lucy. You too Natsu," and he turns away and leaves me and Lucy at the table.
"You gonna finish that?" I ask Lucy pointing at the half full frozen yogurt on the table.
"Knock yourself out," she says giggling as I eat it in one scoop.
"What are we, Lucy? Best friends who fell in love, team mates who became something more?" I ask her grinning as she turns bright red. I look at her, the way she smiles warms me up. She gets me all fired up, even when she just looks at me.
"You're my Natsu," she replies hugging me.
"Well that makes you my Luce," I say. She bursts out laughing. I smile. "You're such a weirdo Luce,"