My first fanfic! I'm so excited to begin putting down these crazy ideas that have been floating around in my head, hopefully it will be enjoyable for someone out there. Reviews are welcome, I always love to hear feedback :)

Chapter 1: Summer Clouds

"NATSU! You. Thieving. PARASITE!"

Lucy's voice echoed throughout the small apartment, and flew out the window in percussive waves that struck the eardrums of passers-by, leaving those with fully intact hearing covering their ears and granting the small apartment on Strawberry Street a silent glare that carried with it an unspoken exclamation of "Sweet Mavis, is that really necessary?!". From those more familiar with the area though, the only result was a light chuckle. Clearly the salmon-haired boy's appetite had gotten him in trouble again. His pitiful attempt to save himself would be following soon, in 3…2…1…

"Aw, come on Luce! Don't be like that!" One could almost appreciate his bravery in the face of one Lucy Heartfilia's wrath. But the resounding crash that emitted next spelled the end of that, as a muscle-bound boy wearing a muffler leapt from the window and took off down the street running, a blonde haired girl wielding a frying pan quickly appearing in the space he had vacated.

"NATSU! YOU HAVE A HOUSE TOO YOU KNOW! SO QUIT BARGING INTO MINE!"

Ah yes, another peaceful day on Strawberry Street.

Inside of her apartment, Lucy Heartfilia angrily huffed and closed her window, making sure to set the lock in place. Not that it really mattered, since Natsu would undoubtedly find a way to get past it using God knows whatever sorcery. She pondered whether or not his flames would be useful in such an endeavor as she padded to the kitchen to put away her frying pan and begin to clean up the mess he had left behind. Dirty dishes everywhere (but no silverware one might add, her utensils remained untouched in their drawer next to the sink), empty packages strewn about at random, and scraps of food littering the floor. Not a pretty sight.

She picked up a few of the plates and deposited them in the sink while toying with the idea of relocating to a new apartment in secret, stopping to check the fridge along the way. As she expected, the gentle push of cold air that greeted her when she opened the door was accompanied with the sight of completely devoid shelves, except for a small container of fish that she kept stocked for Happy, which was untouched since the exceed had decided to accompany Wendy and Charle on a job for the next couple of weeks. She sighed, knowing that now she would have to go buy more groceries, and closed the door.

Despite all of her griping though, she really did love her boys. Happy was an adorable little guy whose quirky sense of humor made her chuckle (when she didn't feel the urge to skin him alive), while Natsu's grin was contagious, and his childish nature made him all the more endearing to her. She just wished that he would give her a heads up when he decided to eat her out of house and home.

"Ah, Natsu. Gomene, I suppose I went a little overboard, huh?"

Lucy smiled to herself as she washed dishes, remembering the way his face had lit up when she had returned home, waving at her with a chicken leg in hand, face stuffed with what looked like mashed potatoes, judging by the way it had been all over his chin. He was always so happy to see her, no matter where they were, or how long they had been apart. He was a part of her life, both at the guild and outside of it. He was her best friend.

But deep down, Lucy knew that they were going to be more than that someday, in spite of all her fervent denials. The way that they worked together seamlessly on jobs (well, maybe a few seams…), their easy-going banter, the trust they had in each other. They had seen each other at their best and their worst, and for crying out loud they practically lived together!

Lately, Lucy had found herself more prone than ever to his charms, and she felt that his attitude towards her was changing too. Nothing was ever spoken about it, it just happened. He would absentmindedly put his head on her lap when she was reading at home, and she would run her fingers through his soft pink strands as he gradually fell asleep. Or he would grasp her hand as he dragged her to a job, keeping his fingers entwined with hers even when they stopped running. She seemed to be taking care of Happy just as often as Natsu, and when he went on solo missions she sometimes stayed at his house, inhaling the scent of smoke and cedar off of his pillow and wondering when he would return.

From the outside, it certainly looked like they were together, yet every time someone brought it up the pair of them would blush fervently and pretend it was nothing. Mira especially kept pushing for a confession, but Lucy felt that it wouldn't happen with words when they did get together. He would kiss her one day, out of the blue, then she would smile at him, and they would go back to the way things always were, but with a new sense of intimacy.

Lucy pulled herself away from her daydreams as she finished drying the dishes, and looked over her freshly cleaned kitchen before going to open her window. She just couldn't bring herself to stay mad at him for very long. She leaned on the sill and looked out at the Magnolia skyline, relishing in the gentle breeze.

"Maybe I should go make it up to him somehow…"