Lucy tapped her foot as she gazed at the sherbet painted sunset from where she was sat on the hilltop. She was becoming impatient with each second that passed as she waited for a certain someone to arrive.He was already ten minutes late, the food she had prepared was getting cold, and at this rate they would miss getting to watch the sun set together. A frown settled itself on her face at the thought and she glanced down at her feet with her hands crossed over her knees. She let out a small sigh and closed her eyes.
Quick footsteps and the sound of crinkling paper caught her attention, and she twisted her head to look behind her. There stood the panting form of her now very late date, one hand on his knee, the other behind his back, as he bent his head down to catch his breath. A soft smile found its way to her lips as she took in the unsual sight. He was wearing something rather out of the ordinary, a pair of dress pants and a dress shirt, and he'd even taken the time to put on a tie.
The woman stood from where she had been seated and walked over to the man before her. "Wow, look at you all fancy, mister", she said with her arms crossed over her chest and bright smile plastered on her face.
Natsu's head snapped up. "Lu, sorry I'm la—", he began, his breath hitching at the absolute beauty before him.
Lucy cocked her head slightly, and her brows knitting, "Natsu?"
Rarely did Natsu get flustered, after all he could walk through a shower room full of women naked without batting an eye, but the moment he'd caught sight of his beautiful girlfriend his stomach erupted into thousands of fluttering butterflies. There she stood in a pastel orange sundress, though more conservative than what she'd normally wear, it still hugged her in all of the right places. Her long golden locks were curled, cascading down her back and over her shoulders like a waterfall, and he'd more than gladly bathe in their scent.
He gulped and let out a deep breath, but was soon broken out of his reverie by the sound of Lucy's voice calling his name once more, "Natsu?"
He clutched the item behind his back tighter, his hands sweating nervously, "S-Sorry!"
Why was he so nervous? It's just Lucy.
He shook his head and masked his anxiety with his usual toothy grin, and soon Lucy was smiling once more. He whipped the item from behind his back and shoved it in front of her face, "These are for you! Here you –go…"
The dragonslayer and celestial mage gasped in unison, fire and smoke rose from the bouquet—well, it was a bouquet—and Lucy brought her hands to her mouth as tears formed in her eyes. Natsu dropped the charcoaled flowers with a groan, rubbing a hand down his face. It was all ruined. Maybe he should have just burned the fancy getup he was wearing while he was at it. He couldn't even handle a simple thing like bringing his girlfriend a bouquet of flowers. Even Bolts for Brains could do that, why couldn't he?
He looked up at Lucy's face and braced himself for the angry onslaught he was sure was about to receive, only to be met by her trembling lips and soft whimpers as tears streamed down her face. "Lucy, I'm sorry I ruined thi—"
"Stop", she interrupted, reaching a hand out to trace her fingers along his jawline.
Their eyes locked before she leaped into his arms—wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He nearly fell over from the force, but quickly braced himself. He circled his arms around her, pressing his nose into her neck.
"Luce?"
"Hm?" she asked, holding him even closer.
"Is everything okay?" he questioned, still nervous.
He heard her giggle slightly, her warm breath huffing against his ear, sending shivers down his spine, "Of course. I just—I love them anyways, even if they are burned to a crisp…Thank you…"
He sighed happily and pulled her tighter, feeling the heels of her shoes pushing harder against his lower back. Pain.
Pain!
PAIN! He quickly released her, sending her falling to her bottom on the ground. "Oof!"
He rubbed his back, trying to soothe the pain. "Natsu! What the hell was that!?" Lucy shouted, her arms flailing to accentuate her irritation.
The dragonslayer simply looked her in the eye, seemingly oblivious to what he had just done, "Your heels were digging into my back. Maybe you should wear less painful shoes next time."
The woman's blood was boiling at this point. She shot up from where she was so rudely disposed of, and stomped over to her original waiting spot. He'd messed up and he knew it.
He cautiously walked closer to his girlfriend, "Luce…"
"Go away, Natsu", she harrumphed.
He sighed and sat next to her, crossing his legs and pulling her to his chest, surprisingly with less resistance than he'd expected—even despite her anger. He looked out on the horizon, only a sliver of the sun remained before the sky would be completely dark. Their food was cold, though his stomach still rumbled, and now Lucy was mad at him. Worst. Date. Ever. And it was all his fault.
"I'm sorry...", he mumbled under his breath.
Lucy looked up slightly from where her head lay on his chest, "What was that?"
He hesitated, but continued anyways despite his pride, "I'm sorry…"
Just like that, her attitude seemed to flip like a switch and she quickly pushed away from him to grab the picnic basket behind her. "Apology accepted", she smiled, and flipped it open, pulling out a big container of his absolute favorite food. Fire chicken.
His stomach growled loudly and he ripped the container from her hands excitedly, "Thanks Luce!"
He popped off the lid, pulling out a piece out and bringing it his mouth. He paused before he could even take a bit, spotting the soft smile on her face. He looked between his girlfriend and his chicken, trying to decide what to do. What may be an easy choice for others, was a tough decision for Natsu. His love for fire chicken rivaled no one. Except maybe— "Lucy."
Their eyes locked once more and he threw the chicken back into the container, practically pouncing on top of the woman. Her shocked and excited giggles pierced the air as the dragonslayer embraced her on top of the grass.
Their noses were pressed together with blushes peppering their cheeks as they laughed together. An excited feeling pooled in his belly, and Igneel had always told him that this feeling was more important than any other feeling he'd ever experience in his lifetime. He wondered if this was it, this feeling he'd never felt before. This gut-twisting, heart-pounding, laugh-inducing, feeling. Where, even through the ups and downs, it still coursed through his veins like a raging tornado.
Maybe this was what Igneel meant by the feeling of falling in love, and he certainly hoped that this was exactly what Lucy was feeling too.