A/N: This is my first Fairy Tail fic. Pairing - Natsu Dragneel & Lucy Heartfilia
Rating: K+ (No sexual content, no excessive language)
Disclaimer - I don't own Fairy Tail and I never will
Summary:
She has never realized his desperate need for her nor ever noticed the deep affectionate feeling he exposes every now and then. So on one starry night in Magnolia, he decided that he would tell her how much he loves her...through fire. But will everything work out the way he wants it to?
Fire Breather
Natsu Dragneel strolled along a channel that was located in the middle of Magnolia, home of the guild Fairy Tail. It was a dark and cool night, so he decided that he would take a short walk outside of his dwelling. Most of the time, he would be jumping crazily from one area to another due to the amount of energy he obtained. But now, he was oddly calm. Being settle and silent doesn't suit him, but it feels nice to relax every once in a while.
Usually, Happy would tag along. He would always fly and circle around his head, and during other times, he would hook his tail around his arm and carry him high into the sky. It was fun, but he hated it when Happy 'accidentally' dropped him into the fountain. Unfortunately, the talking cat didn't accompany him because he passed out cold when Erza yelled at him for looking at her underwear.
He paused at what was believed to be the midpoint of the river. Sighing heavily, he crossed his arms behind his head and gazed longingly at the water's clear surface. It was glimmering in the faint moonlight and it was oddly captivating. The way the moon was reflected off interested him, although the illustrated picture was distorted by large narrow ripples every few seconds. Suddenly, a feminine figure strode directly across the section, her body cutting off a part of the moon. Looking carefully at the reflection, he found the person to be very familiar. To confirm his theory, he glanced to the right of him where the arched bride stood. He was correct.
There she was, beautiful and mind-blowing as ever, Lucy Heartfilia. Her attention was elsewhere, to his misfortune, but it didn't stop him from admiring her beauty. Her soft, maroon eyes were unusually mesmerizing, and the color surprisingly complimented her blonde curly locks. A gentle and slight smile was playing on her features, which signified that she was indeed enjoying the scenery.
Closing his eyes, he tried to imagine what it would look like if the two of them were a happy-go-go couple. Seeing his arm wrapped around her, her body close to his side, her head tucked close to his shoulder, her hair falling on his chest. He could practically smell her sweet pineapple-mango perfume that she sprays on herself daily—to be honest, he stalked her into her bedroom a couple of times, not that he was obsessed or anything.
His eyelids slowly slid open and his vision was cleared of blur once again. Everything was the same as before—city lights were still flickering, the river was still shining as bright as the moon, crows were still whistling, and the trees were still whistling. Only one thing was off: Lucy's gaze was currently placed on Natsu.
He grinned sheepishly and barbarically waved in the air, a familiar greeting sign that he performed for almost everybody. "Hey, Lucy! Fancy meeting you here! I thought you were watching over poor old Plue. Doesn't he have a fever or something?" He practically marched over to her, his joy high and mighty.
She returned the smile, although it wasn't her happiest. "Yeah, but Plue fell asleep so I decided to take a short walk."
He nodded and allowed his head to hand from the steel railing. He knew he triggered a soft spot and he was beginning to regret asking. Plue has been sick ever since him, Lucy, Grey, and Erza arrived from their latest mission. The poor Celestial Spirit refused to return back to his world so Lucy had no other choice but to watch over him. It has been almost a week since Plue caught the flu and it doesn't seem as if he's getting any better.
The dragon slayer momentarily averted his attention to the Celestrian beside him. She was too observing the channel that ran underneath them. It didn't appear as if the scenery charmed her. It almost seemed as if she was trying to get something bothersome off her mind. His eyebrows furrowed when he spotted a frown tugging at her lips. She was devastated, almost desperate for some happiness, and he was determined to help her.
"Luce," he called out silently, "how about I light up the night for you?"
She stared at him confusingly and mumbled, "Light…up the…night?"
He laughed softly and held two fingers close to his mouth. He eyed her for only a few seconds to find her stiffening—he guessed that she knew what he was planning to do. She shot her arm out to prevent him from acting, but it was already to late. A gust of fire was already blown out above the little river, its intensifying heat singing the nearby trees. But eventually, her horrific gasping turned into murmurs of admiration.
Instead of destroying, the horrific ball of flame was illustrating a very vague picture. It was hard to point out the little details, but she could clearly see two friends, a female and male, holding hands, their faces lifted to the sky. He saw her lips twitch into a small smile and he felt butterflies bounce in his stomach.
"Natsu," she breathed, "it's wonderful. I had no idea that you were capable of doing this."
"Anything is possible with fire, Luce." He took a half step to the left, closer to her. She didn't seem to mind.
He sucked in a bountiful amount of air, his inner cheeks burning with excitement. He held it in his mouth for a while to keep the heat at the right temperature, then a minute later, another wave of flames were blasted out into the open. The fire was big and mighty, but Natsu managed to maintain the size at a reasonable level where it wouldn't damage the surrounding homes. The picture was oddly similar to the previous one, except that the girl and boy were sharing a delightful kiss.
And this illustration struck Lucy directly on the heart.
"Natsu. Why are you doing this?" she questioned curiously, a familiar heaviness creeping into her chest.
He grinned foolishly. "To cheer you up, Lucy." His joy soon faded away as he gazed at the moon, his dark eyes growing pale of its color. "You know, I'm tired of seeing you down. I know you've been frustrated these past days but seriously, you have to lighten up! Your mood is really affecting the people back at the Fairy Tail guild, especially me," he swallowed, "I like the old happy-go-go Lucy better. I hate how you're always avoiding everybody and I hate the way you act when me, Grey, or Erza try to talk to you. I'm sick of your sorrow because it's getting in the way of me telling you how much I—"
"How much you what?" she interrupted angrily. "Natsu, you have no right to tell me to stop being gloomy! You can't just force me to be gleeful when I'm really not! You can't just delete the devastating events that occurred in my life. I'm not your toy!"
He let his eyelids slide closed. "Ah, so you already misunderstood my explanation. How horrible."
"Misunderstood?" she gawked. "I think I already know what you mean, Natsu."
"No, you don't," he backfired, "I don't think you'll ever understand how I feel about you."
Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She suddenly felt a pang of guilt shoot through her, destroying all of the fury that she was holding for him. "W-What?" she gaped.
"That's right Luce," he chuckled nonchalantly. He cupped his hands and held them out in front of him. Something sparked between his fingers, and eventually the sparks formed a small wispy flame. It was a heart. A tiny, compact heart full of his emotions. "I love you." His hands all of a sudden clenched and they dropped back to his side. She found herself glaring at him incredulously with tears welling up in her spectacles. "I love you so much Luce, but I don't think you do," he continued bluntly, "so if you ever decide to talk to me again, don't hesitate to do so. Just don't expect me to still love you."
He walked away, trying to bare the action of looking at her for one last time.
He made a life-changing choice: to tell her how much she meant to him. But his decision really turned against him.
The End
A/N: Unexpected ending? Yeah, unless you saw it coming! So I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot. Sorry if you thought it was a little rushed toward the end. I was eager to publish this story and I was having a hard time on writing the ending. ~embarrassed laugh~
Reviews are Appreciated