Of all the people Natsu knew, Gray Fullbuster was the last person he had expected to set him up on a blind date.
Sure, they were roommates, but they had only been so for two months and the one thing they agreed on was that it was only out of necessity. Neither of them could have afforded this apartment on their own and both of them needed a place in this neighborhood for work reasons. And despite what Natsu thought of Gray's brain capacity, and their tendency to argue and fight, they had both decided this was the best option.
Their neighbors probably thought otherwise, though, especially on nights like tonight when Natsu was running around looking for something and shouting at Gray about it and Gray was shouting back, annoyed and wondering why it mattered to him so much.
On any other night, Natsu would've thought Gray was just asking for trouble and shouted back. But tonight, he was on a mission and he couldn't afford to waste time fighting with Gray.
"Never mind, I found it!" Natsu called out before turning back to digging through their piles of unfolded laundry.
He had been looking for a scarf, a very important, very unique scarf. It was a simple white scarf by itself, some would consider it plain to look at, but it was made of some kind of fire-proof material and it was patterned with scales. Natsu had had it as long as he could remember and when he was younger he'd always thought it was made from dragon scales.
It was the only thing he had left from the man who had raised him, or at least as much as anyone had. His father, Natsu thought, even though they didn't look much alike. By the time Natsu was twelve, he'd been living on his own or in an orphanage for most of his life, but he still remembered his father, the man who had given him his scarf. And that scarf, along with everything else his father had taught him, had saved his life many times over.
The first time Natsu's father saved his life in spite of his absence was also when Natsu first found out his scarf was fire-proof. Confused, fresh-faced, and upset, his father only recently disappeared, Natsu had been wandering the streets, looking for anyone who knew where his father was. Unfortunately, he had happened across a brutish gang of fellow 'wanderers', who misinterpreted his approach as an attempt to steal some of their fire. In the end, their efforts to set Natsu's scarf, and head, on fire failed and he escaped.
Ever since then, Natsu considered his scarf a good luck charm and a sign that his father was still looking out for him. One day he would find him and repay all the times he'd saved his life.
But until that happened, Natsu figured he should go about his daily life the same as always. But he was always listening for a hint about his father and he always wore his scarf.
Gray had walked in upon hearing of Natsu's success. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he commented, "You know that's the dirty pile, don't you?"
Natsu ignored the argumentative undertones to that remark as well. "Yeah, that's why I was looking for my scarf in it!" He held it up proudly. "I've had this my whole life and it's never once needed to be washed. But I always throw it into the dirty pile before I go to bed."
Gray considered this. "Well if you're done playing around with dirty laundry, you should follow me. I've got some stuff for you."
He started to leave the room, unconcerned if Natsu followed him or not.
As Natsu rushed to follow, he noted in the back of his mind how strange it was that Gray supposedly had something for him. A few theories about an ulterior motive besides generosity came to mind before he spotted what Gray had for him.
It was an outfit for his blind date, lain out on Gray's bed oddly professionally. Natsu didn't spend too long examining it, but at first glance it appeared to be a collared, white button-up shirt with khakis. What was it that Gray called it? A business casual look?
"Alright!" Natsu crowed excitedly. "Now I won't have to find an outfit on my own in time for the date!" He jumped forward to grab the shirt and khakis.
"No, wait!" Gray leapt towards him and yanked him back by the collar of his t-shirt. "You can't wear a white shirt with your scarf, you idiot!"
Natsu stopped struggling and stood back by the wall near the doorway. He was genuinely confused and out of his element, but also indignant, because it had been Gray who chose the shirt in the first place. "Then why'd you give me one?"
Disbelieving annoyance and frustration flashed across Gray's cold features.
"Because I didn't know you were going to wear your ridiculous scarf on a blind date!" he replied. He shook his head and started efficiently going through his other clothing.
"Normally I'd put you in a white shirt because of that wacky hair of yours, but since you insist on wearing your scarf… I guess I'll have to find something else." Gray called out from where he stood digging through drawers.
After a few more seconds, Gray pulled out a moderately bright red shirt, done in the same style and by the same designer as the original shirt. Natsu had never seen Gray in it, probably because it wasn't a muted enough color for his taste.
"Here," Gray said, handing Natsu the still-neatly folded shirt.
Natsu took it with one hand, wrinkling it as he casually wadded up part of the fabric. He moved to grab the khakis and go get dressed in the bathroom, but Gray stopped him again.
Gray silently removed the red shirt from Natsu's grip, smoothed out the wrinkles, and draped it over Natsu's arm. Then he dragged Natsu, who was standing motionless in his confusion, to where the khakis lay and did the same with them. Lastly, when Natsu continued to stand immobile with a baffled expression on his face, Gray pushed him into the bathroom.
"Don't you have a blind date to get to?" Gray groused through gritted teeth.
Natsu automatically flipped on the lights of the bathroom and began to close the door.
"I better have a date to get to!" Natsu said, poking his head through the door. "Seeing as you're the one who set it up!"
Regaining control, Natsu's desire to be on time for the date reasserted itself and he pulled his head back in and closed the door with more force than was necessary.
He quickly got dressed, fumbling with the collar and buttons on his shirt. After a moment, he glanced in the mirror, grudgingly admired Gray's taste in color combinations, and ran a comb through his hair leaving no discernable difference. He stepped outside the bathroom and turned off the lights.
Gray was still standing outside, leaning casually against the wall opposite the bathroom door as if he had nothing better to do. His bare shoulders and upper arms were the only part of him actually touching the wall and his hands were in the pockets of the only clothing he was wearing, a pair of baggy blue and black trousers. The pose would have looked ridiculous if it'd been anyone but him.
His eyes swept over Natsu, lingering coldly and critically on his bare wrists and shoeless feet.
"Wear your black wristwatch and put on some brown loafers." Gray said without explanation. He continued to stare until Natsu felt the urge to comply.
"Alright, alright!" Natsu held up his hands in defeat. "I'm going."
He hurried into his room, found and put on his watch, before rushing into the living room to get his shoes, which were all sitting in a pile near the front door. He checked the time on his watch, (Maybe Gray is of some use after all), and was startled to find that he had less than half an hour to get to the date. His sense of panic was only increased when he realized he had forgotten to snatch a pair of socks from his room.
Something soft hit him in the back of the head from behind.
Natsu jerked around to look and saw Gray walking past, unconcerned, on his way to the kitchen carrying an empty glass of water in one hand, still filled more than halfway with ice. A pair of black socks, presumably what had hit Natsu's head, was lying on the floor.
Confused as to why Gray was being so helpful but not enough to distract him from the fact he was running late, Natsu tugged on the socks and shoved on his shoes.
He jumped to his feet, excited to be ready. He checked himself over once before grabbing his wallet and keys. His shoes were firmly tied and his scarf was secure. He was all set.
"See you later, Gray!" Natsu called without turning around as he opened the front door. He paused for half a second to hold up a hand in a wave and then he left, closing the door behind him.
The sun was still shining and the air felt fresh. It was a beautiful summer day, ever so slowly dying down into a cool summer evening. Not many people were around and about, probably because it was a Thursday. Not a very conventional day for a date, but Gray had coolly informed him that his date, who worked at the same place Gray did, had the day off and that, in fact, this was the only time they would be able to meet for the next week or so. The reason was probably work-related.
Natsu checked his watch again: 3:37 pm. The date was at four and the meeting place was about five blocks away. It was a lovely café, in the urban part of town. It was a popular area for college students, and although Natsu wasn't in college, for reasons that were his own and no one else's, he felt he could almost fit in with the place.
He started jogging. To be honest, he could have taken a bus, but he didn't really want to. For one thing, he liked jogging, the feeling of strength and independence. Being outside was a plus, too. But the other reason Natsu didn't want to take the bus was more personal.
Natsu had been on his own his whole life, except for when the man he recalled as his father, Igneel his name was, had been with him. Even then, they hadn't had much. They had lived on the streets and Igneel had taught him everything there was to know about survival and fighting and as much as he could about life. So the first time Natsu had ever rode in a car had been when social services found him and took him to an orphanage, after Igneel's disappearance.
At first he'd put up a fight, insisting he could and would survive on his own. But then he had realized that if these people were responsible for randomly taking people away, they might know where Igneel was. So he had stop fighting and started asking questions.
The social service workers answered a few of his questions briefly as they buckled him into the car and closed the door and that had been when he had first noticed something was wrong.
The buckle restrained him and stopped him from being able to move quickly. In fact, the entire space was much too restraining and cramped. What if they were attacked? And from inside the car, Natsu couldn't see all of his surroundings, even if he had been tall enough to easily look out the window.
But then the car started moving and Natsu knew something was very wrong indeed.
Everything was jolting and turning and vibrating. Strange noises surrounded him. The environment was changing rapidly and constantly around him and Natsu's finely developed sense of smell was overwhelmed with toxic and chemical odors. He had suddenly felt acutely ill and over stimulated.
Since Natsu's first experience in a car, he had learned that any kind of vehicle was his enemy. Even now, after several unavoidable experiences in them resulted in the unfamiliarity having worn off, Natsu hated vehicles and the motion sickness they brought.
A block away from the café, Natsu realized that jogging here probably hadn't been the best idea for his outfit. He slowed to a stroll and tried to straighten it out. His hair was practically untouchable, so he didn't bother combing it with his fingers, but he checked it over for stray leaves or fuzz. It had happened before and it would be embarrassing for it to happen again.
The café was in sight and according to his watch he had eight more minutes. He loped towards it cheerfully, letting the light breeze dry his sweat.
There were several outdoor tables available for café patrons, only a few of which were taken. It was a bit before the rush hour.
Natsu wanted one of the outdoor tables, but he decided to check inside the café first, in case his date was already there.
The inside of the café was surprisingly bright even though it had been dark enough that Natsu couldn't see inside through the massive windows on the front of it. It was a nice place with cozy red cushioned chairs and wooden furniture, the scent of baked goods and coffee filling the room, but his date didn't appear to be there and so Natsu didn't linger.
He stepped back outside the café to the jingle of bells and blinked in the sunlight, looking mildly puzzled. One of outdoor tables had been taken, by a young adult about his age, maybe younger. A girl who looked like she was waiting for someone, tapping her fingers quietly against the table.
Natsu appeared in front of her, excited and a small bit nervous.
"Hello, are you Lisanna?" he asked curiously.
She, whoever she was, had short hair in a silvery-white color and the biggest, bluest, sparkling eyes he'd ever seen, which were looking at him with interest and innocent curiosity. She was dressed in a light blue tank top and white shorts, both of which had flower embroidering on them. It was clear she had dressed with care, even if it wasn't quite what Gray would call 'acceptable in a business environment'.
"Yes, I am!" Lisanna confirmed, smiling softly now and looking at Natsu in understanding. "You must be Natsu, Gray's roommate."
"You bet I am." He replied with a grin.
Lisanna giggled shyly and looked up at him. Something about him amused her, apparently, but he didn't mind.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Natsu." She said, seemingly content from her seated position.
It made Natsu feel awkward, though, to be standing so high above her, so he sat down at the other chair.
Lisanna raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "I'm sorry, did you want to go in? I was just waiting here for you because it's such a nice day out, but it turned out you were already inside." She averted her eyes shyly again.
"Nah, it's fine!" Natsu assured her. "I wanted to sit outside as well, but first I had to check that you weren't already inside."
She smiled, a genuine expression of happiness this time, instead of a by-product of knowledge. "You like being outside then?"
"Yeah!" Natsu replied enthusiastically.
Lisanna chuckled again. She seemed less shy and cautious now.
"I love being outside. Especially in forests and parks." She said. "I always played in them as a child and they're where I found my cat, Happy."
"You have a cat named Happy?" Natsu said in surprise. He didn't dislike the name or anything. In fact he thought it sounded like something he would name a cat. But it had surprised him that the first piece of personal information Lisanna had offered him was the name of her cat.
Looking her over again, Natsu understood. She looked exactly like the type of person to whom a cat would be of great importance. An aura of kindness surrounded her and Natsu had no doubt that she was an animal lover. He could imagine she considered her cat to be family and that family was very important to her. Natsu agreed with this ideology full-heartedly.
"Yup." Lisanna answered. "I found him over five years ago, in a forest east of where I work now. I'd been regularly exploring it for a while by then and he just appeared there." She paused. "I get the feeling someone was supposed to find him. Like that was something that always had to happen."
"You do?"
Natsu felt puzzled by Lisanna's way of looking at the world, but he also wanted to hear more. He rested his arms on the thankfully clean table and leaned forward. He figured Gray wouldn't be happy if he got something on his shirt sleeves.
Lisanna nodded. "I guess it sounds a bit strange, but I know Happy had to be found." She beamed fondly. "He's way too important to be lost."
It was Natsu's turn to nod. He knew someone who was way too important to be lost as well. It was the finding him that was difficult.
"I can understand that." Natsu said.
"I'm glad." She looked at him intently, scanning him from his hair to what she could see of his body. Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Would I be right if I guessed that you don't wear this sort of outfit often?"
"Yeah, you would." Natsu admitted. "What gave me away?"
The question had been partly rhetorical, but Lisanna answered anyways.
"Your scarf." She winked at him cheekily. "Most people don't wear scarves with that type of shirt, but if they do, they don't wear them like that."
Natsu looked down at himself. His scarf was wrapped casually around his neck like it always was, with one of the ends in front.
"How do they wear them?" Natsu asked. "I could always use a new way to wear my scarf."
Lisanna reached across the small table.
"Like this." She said, unwrapping his scarf and redoing it with both ends in the front, one hanging down farther than the other. She pulled back and smiled at him.
"You look very nice."
Natsu chuckled, mildly embarrassed. "Thanks." He said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. The tips of his ears felt pink.
Lisanna laughed with him.
"You look very nice as well." Natsu blurted out. "Your outfit really matches your hair and eyes."
Her smile widened. "Thanks, Natsu."
Suddenly feeling a bit overwhelmed, Natsu stood up. "I'm going to go get something to drink. Want to come with me?"
"Of course." Lisanna replied, which Natsu thought was a rather odd way to accept.
She pushed out her chair and grabbed Natsu's hand to pull herself up. The only thing was, she didn't let go afterwards. Instead she stood beside him, holding his hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and then she poked him in the side, grinning.
"Lead the way, Natsu!"
This didn't help Natsu's sense of being overwhelmed, but he also couldn't help noticing that the feeling was a little bit enjoyable, too. Maybe even more than a little bit. His stomach was fluttering, but his face was smiling.
Natsu led the way into the café, holding her hand now, and Lisanna beamed back at him.
"I'm really happy you liked my outfit, Natsu, because I did try to put some effort into it." Lisanna continued from where they'd left off before he'd suggested drinks.
They stopped walking and waited in line to order.
"I'm glad I'm not the only one, then." Natsu grinned, turning to face her while still holding her hand. His thumb caressed the back of her hand as if of its own free will while his other hand went up behind his head again.
Lisanna raised an eyebrow at him for the second time that day. She seemed to have excellent control of each of her eyes independently.
"I had thought someone else had picked out your clothes for you." She half-smiled at him. "You don't seem the khakis and loafers type. Not that you don't look great in them."
The mischievous gleam in her eyes was back. At least that's what Natsu thought it was. If there was anything more he was certainly imagining it. (He was willfully ignoring the deeper aspects of that fact that he was on a date, even if it was a blind one.)
"I'm not." Natsu agreed. "Gray picked out everything except the scarf." He stopped, then added. "That doesn't mean I didn't put in any effort, though. I did!"
He didn't want Lisanna to think he hadn't cared.
"I spent a bunch of time looking for my scarf and then when I found it, Gray said I couldn't wear a white scarf with the white shirt he had picked out." Natsu tried to explain. "And so we had to find another color shirt that went with the khakis I had to wear for some reason! Gray picked out all the color combinations and stuff, but I put a lot of emotional energy and effort into this!"
Lisanna started laughing at him, but not in a mean way. Natsu could tell she found him amusing and endearing and he held his head high even as his ears turned pink again. They moved forward in line, Lisanna still laughing.
Natsu considered for a moment how strange it was that he could read her so well even though he'd only just met her, but he concluded that it must be due to how open and honest Lisanna had been so far. Very admirable qualities to find in a blind date, Natsu mused.
Lisanna's laugher subsided and she put a hand on Natsu's shoulder, or least as high on his shoulder as she could reach. She was smiling at him, as she often seemed to do. Natsu liked it.
"I'm sure you did, Natsu, but you could have stood to do so less." She informed him. "I'm red-green colorblind, so your shirt just looks kind of yellow to me."
A vague memory tickled the back of Natsu's mind. He'd taken a Biology course once…
He squinted at Lisanna as he struggled to remember. "Isn't it super rare or something for a girl to have colorblindness?"
Lisanna's smile briefly shone out brighter. "Yes, it is, Natsu."
For some reason, this only made Natsu like Lisanna more.
"Wow, you're awesome! You're a super rare, one of a kind, collector's edition kind of person!" Natsu said excitedly.
They had reached the front of the line. Lisanna tugged on Natsu's sleeve to direct his attention to the barista.
He quickly ordered a chocolatey expresso drink with extra whipped cream and Lisanna ordered a vanilla latte. The barista glanced at them, looking done, and scribbled down something. Natsu leaned over and saw that it was a random guess at how their names were spelled.
They went over to the far left wall to wait for their drinks. Natsu's hand had found its way back into Lisanna's. It and its self-governing thumb seemed quite content to stay there.
"Do you really think I'm one of a kind?" Lisanna asked. "Or did you only think that when I mentioned I was colorblind?"
Natsu was surprised to hear that what he'd said could be interpreted like that, but it made sense in retrospect.
"You are definitely one of a kind, Lisanna." Natsu answered. "The fact that you're colorblind only added to how unique you are. And how awesome."
Lisanna beamed at him and winked and the fluttering his stomach had been doing turned into cartwheels. He smiled, pleased with himself and nervous, and thought he might be able to get used to this.
Natsu talked with Lisanna for a while before their names were called for their drinks. Or something close to their names. Natsu rushed forward to take their coffees and then returned to walk with Lisanna back to their table.
They kept talking for long after they had finished the coffee. So long, in fact, that Natsu was surprised to find it was seven pm when he checked his watch. He didn't really consider himself much of a conversationalist, (he generally needed something to do in the background), but the more he had heard about Lisanna the more he had wanted to know.
And judging by the amount of information he'd told her about himself, she felt the same way.
It was truly becoming a cool summer's night now. Different people were out and some of the street lights were coming on. The sky had darkened gradually into a clear night with some stars already visible and the temperature was beginning to drop.
Natsu didn't want to leave, but he knew the date couldn't go on forever. The café owners would tell them to beat it eventually, even if Lisanna didn't leave on her own at some point. But according to Gray, their schedules conflicted the rest of the week. So there were a few more things he needed to know before they had to go.
There was a lull in the conversation as Lisanna also looked around and saw how late it had gotten.
"So," Natsu began, his earlier nervousness returning. Throughout the date he'd gotten more and more comfortable with Lisanna, but now that it was time to leave…
"Do you want to do this again sometime?" he finished abruptly. The pinkness in his ears spread to his cheeks, and not from the cold.
Lisanna giggled. She always seemed to find his nervousness when it came to her amusing, but Natsu had begun to suspect her laughter was hiding her own case of nerves.
"I'd love to see you again, Natsu." She was blushing a bit as well, but her eyes were filled with good-natured humor. "I've had a great time."
"Really?" Natsu replied eagerly. "I mean, I have as well!"
He grinned and promptly leaned too far back in his chair, crashing to the ground.
"Natsu?!" Lisanna jumped to her feet.
He raised a hand in a thumbs up gesture from his position on the floor. "I'm okay!"
She started over to him, laughing, and offered him a hand. He took it and leapt to his feet. Lisanna was surprisingly strong and he absentmindedly thought that if this worked out they could run together.
The butterflies in his stomach returned in force.
"Here, Natsu, let me give you my phone number." Lisanna said, pulling her own phone out of a pocket in her shorts. "That way we won't have to rely on Gray as a go-between." Her voice sounded teasing, but Natsu knew she was also being serious. It was extremely possible he would have left without her phone number simply because he wasn't thinking.
He handed her his phone, thankfully stored in a side pocket of his khakis and not the back.
Within a moment, they each had each other's phone number in their contacts and the only thing stopping Natsu from leaving was himself.
"So I guess you had better get home before it gets too cold, huh?" Natsu commented idly.
Lisanna was standing in front of him, reluctant to go. She took a half step backwards, as if to head off. "Yeah, but also because I don't want my siblings to get too worried."
Hesitating only a second longer, she darted forward and kissed him on the cheek before running off.
"I'll see you later, Natsu!" She called, glancing over her shoulder. She waved her right hand behind her, much like Natsu had earlier to Gray when he'd left for the date, and then her gesture changed, so that she was only holding up her index finger. Natsu had never seen the gesture before, but to Lisanna it was clearly second nature.
Still in shock from her kiss, Natsu took a guess and did the gesture in reply and heard someone mutter something about fairy tales, was it?
Natsu started to jog back to his shared apartment, once again oblivious of the effect this would have on his clothes. Even if he had remembered, he would have probably keep going anyways. It was a good temperature for jogging, pretty cool out without much wind.
When he made it home, he changed out of his date outfit, begrudgingly thanked Gray for his help with it, and flopped onto the sofa, not quite ready to go to bed yet.
Gray, who up till now had been doing something on his phone, sighed and put it away. "So how did your date go?"
"It was totally awesome!" Natsu enthused. He continued to outline how it had gone while Gray listened in a detached manner, as if he was only putting up with Natsu because he had nothing else to do.
"Wait a minute!" Natsu exclaimed, looking annoyed. "How come you didn't know Lisanna was colorblind? All that time spent looking for another shirt-!"
In the traditional contrast to Natsu's obvious emotion, Gray just looked mildly irritated. "I did know she was colorblind, you moron, but that's no excuse to let you leave the house wearing something as ridiculous as a white shirt with a white scarf!"
Without the pressing desire to make it to his date on time, there was nothing to stop Natsu from fighting with Gray. As a result it was quite some time before Natsu finished filling him in on how the date had been.
"There was this weird thing at the end, though…" Natsu told Gray, who appeared smug at the date's success. "She did a hand gesture, like this." He held up only his pointer finger and showed Gray the back of his hand.
Gray raised his eyebrows. "And what did you do?"
Natsu was puzzled. "I returned it."
"Heh. Guess you do know something, after all." Gray paused. "You know Lisanna works where I work, right?"
Natsu nodded.
"Well, that's the greeting used among anyone involved there at Fairy Tail Orphanage." Gray reluctantly explained. "How we got the gesture is kind of a long story, but it's a sign of family and companionship, sort of like the Fairy Tail symbol we all have."
Gray pointed at the tattoo on his chest.
Natsu was only getting more questions to ask and more confused. "You all have to get a tattoo to work there?!"
"Of course not." Gray said like Natsu was trying his patience. "Don't you know anything about Fairy Tail? Everyone in town knows about us except for you."
Did they? Now that Natsu thought about it, he had heard the phrase 'Fairy Tail' earlier, but he had assumed it was something about actual fairy tales.
Having grown up in either an orphanage or on the streets until recently, Natsu knew he had a very different childhood and understanding of the world than most people. But had his upbringing really resulted in him not knowing basic facts about the town? He had thought he'd learned everything he needed to know when he'd been able to attend a public school for the first time during his junior and senior years of high school, where he'd met Gray.
"No I don't know anything about Fairy Tail!" Natsu insisted. "That's why I'm asking you!"
"We've been roommates for two months and you haven't asked where I work?" Gray said in disbelief.
"It's your fault for not telling me!" Natsu retorted.
"I had assumed you knew!" Gray shook his head, like he was stunned by how stupid his roommate was. Natsu glared at him.
"I don't, so hurry up and tell me!"
"Fairy Tail's the place where I grew up." Gray told him casually, taking his time. "Most people in town call it an orphanage, but it's really an all-purpose shelter, run by a man named Makarow. All the funding comes from him and the other members, so it's kind of off the grid. No one but the current 'master' of the place gets to decide on policy."
Gray thought for a moment. "Fairy Tail is a whole lot more than that. The kids and other members too become something of a family. Some of us even call Makarow 'Gramps'. And a lot of us stay with Fairy Tail once we're grown up or self-sufficient, working there or helping with funding. That's why we all have tattoos. It's become the traditional way to show that you aren't going to leave the family."
For such an ice-cold guy, Gray sounded proud of Fairy Tail, totally and completely. Natsu wondered what it would be like to be part of a family like that. The closest thing he knew of to that kind of loyalty was his bond with Igneel.
"Oh." Natsu said with a fraction of his usual cheerful understanding.
Gray nodded. "Coming back around to your original comment, I'd say you did alright if she used the Fairy Tail gesture." He stood up and headed off to bed.
A moment after that, Natsu went to his own bedroom and flopped down after loosening his scarf somewhat. He couldn't get the idea of Fairy Tail out of his mind and pondered it idly before drifting off to sleep.
The rest of Natsu's week passed uneventfully, the same as it ever did, but with one crucial difference: he and Lisanna were texting whenever they could. Half of the time, Natsu wasn't even sure what they were talking about, but he always replied enthusiastically. Especially in response to the random selfies Lisanna had started sending him from different places around Fairy Tail's main building.
In reply, Natsu began taking pictures of himself at work, too. If you could call his jack-of-all-trades type of job 'work'. As a freelance worker, Natsu's selfies were taken in a very different place each day, depending on who had hired him. His favorite selfie he had taken so far was outside the mayor's dog's house. The mayor hired a lot of random civilians to take care of his dog in an effort to help the unemployment rates. He had done the same with his cat until one girl, who had been doing community service, had taken over completely. She did such a good job the mayor couldn't bring himself to fire her.
Lisanna had really liked that selfie and had told him she had a special one in mind for tomorrow. So on the Saturday after their first date, she sent him a picture of herself with Happy, standing outside the front door of Fairy Tail.
Natsu beamed at the small blueish cat, who was perched on the shoulder of his owner. Happy was looking straight into the camera and back at him. Natsu liked him already.
Happy looks awesome! I didn't know cats came in blue! Natsu texted Lisanna immediately. He thought about saying that Lisanna looked awesome, too, but they had only been on one date…
He is wonderful, isn't he? He's the only blue cat I've ever seen! Lisanna texted back. She also added a very happy looking smiley face and a cat emoticon.
Natsu started to text back his agreement when Lisanna sent him another message. I don't have to work tomorrow. If you don't either, do you want to come over and see Happy?
He didn't get a lot of work on Sundays. And he definitely wanted to see Lisanna again and meet Happy. So he thought for only a moment before eagerly accepting.
Lisanna replied with another emoticon and instructions for how to meet her in front of Fairy Tail, which, in addition to being close to where she lived, was also by the forest she had found Happy in. She and Happy visited it regularly, or so she'd told Natsu earlier. Natsu agreed to this plan instantly. He'd still been thinking about this place and family everyone was so fond of called Fairy Tail and seeing somewhere so important to Lisanna was important to him too.
They talked for a few more minutes before Natsu had to get back to work. Even though he considered himself freelance, he had several 'clients' he regularly did work for, so he kept busy. This client seemed to want to keep him even busier, though, and he had to rush away from his lunch break to continue working.
He went to bed that night excited to see Lisanna the next day, but he didn't have any trouble sleeping. That client always worked him and any other workers extremely hard. Natsu enjoyed a challenge and he enjoyed the physical nature of his line of work, but even he had to admit that working for this guy was getting old.
The next day, Natsu was so anxious to meet up with Lisanna and Happy (they were planning on spending the whole day together this time), that if Gray hadn't been there he would have left the house wearing pajama pants with a black polo shirt. And of course, his ever-present scarf. Gray sorted him out, allowing him to wear a pair of still-decent cargo shorts and sandals this time. He had approved the black shirt with a white scarf combination while telling him to wear matching shoes, like a normal person.
Finally, Natsu managed to leave the house with everything he needed and he began jogging. Even with all the delays, he had plenty of time to get there. Without the hassle, he probably would have arrived way too early.
When he jogged up in front of the main Fairy Tail building's gate, he was met with the pleasant sight of Lisanna sitting on the ground playing with a familiar looking blue cat, just inside the gate. He shouted and waved at them, stumbling slightly as the pavement turned to grass beneath his feet and then to a worn dirt path. He stopped jogging in front of the gate.
Lisanna had looked up at all the racket and was now watching him with a brilliant smile on her face. Natsu hoped it was because of him, but he figured at least some of the credit should go to Happy.
"Natsu!" She scrambled to her feet and Happy ran forward to see Natsu at the gate.
"Did you jog the whole way here?" She asked in surprise, taking in his windswept appearance. "Why didn't you take a bus?" She seemed to trust Happy completely and was leaving him to his own devices while she talked.
Natsu's hands and arms, which he'd put behind his head the moment he had finished jogging, froze in place along with the rest of him as he thought about her question. He could give her his generic answer, which was that he enjoyed jogging, but he felt compelled to tell her the full truth.
"I don't like vehicles." He admitted. He let one of his arms fall to his side. "I get really motion sick and my first experience with them wasn't fun."
"I understand. Thanks for telling me." Lisanna said, smiling briefly as she went to open the gate. She paused for a moment, though. "I bet you like jogging, though. Just you and the ground and the wind…"
If she hadn't perceptively guessed so many things about him during their first date, Natsu would have been more surprised. But as it was, he just grinned.
"You've got me there, Lisanna." He caught sight of a certain blue cat pushing at the gate. "So are you going to open the gate so I can finally meet Happy?!"
Lisanna looked like she wanted to chide him, but at the same time she couldn't help but laugh at him. She opened the gate and Happy leapt backwards warily.
Natsu hurried inside and Lisanna shut the gate behind him, seemingly still not concerned that Happy was going to run away. The inside of the compound was well-maintained and very green with plants. Natsu speculated for a moment that it might once have been a manor and that perhaps the current master, Makarow, had inherited it. Either way, it was a very nice place. And because it was on the edge of town, there was no back wall to the property, just an expansive forest.
"Wow, I can see why you guys all like it here so much!" He said appraisingly.
Lisanna smiled. "It's more than that, but yeah, Natsu. It's a beautiful place. Just wait until you see my forest."
Natsu very much wanted to see the forest, but he'd already turned his attention back to Happy, who was slowly inching towards him. He crouched down and waved at him. "Hello, Happy! It's nice to meet you!"
Happy stared at him for a minute. Then he did a spectacular leap from a standing start and landed on top of Natsu's head.
"Whoa!" Natsu shouted, staying very still. He could feel Happy turning around and curling up on his head.
Lisanna watched with interest as slowly, Natsu rose from his crouched position. Happy didn't even try to get off.
"Are you really going to stay up there, buddy?" Natsu asked, kindly. He was more than a little bit ecstatic about the turn of events, but he was also concerned for Happy's safety.
Happy meowed, indicating that yes, yes he was going to stay up there.
With an amiable chuckle, Natsu shrugged and prepared to continue about his day with Happy in tow. "Alright, whatever works for you."
He turned to Lisanna; Happy didn't slip at all. "Do you want to show me the forest now?"
"Yeah! Come along, Natsu! There's lots around Fairy Tail to show you." Lisanna set off, seeming to Natsu very content and in her element. She hadn't even seemed the least bit surprised by Happy's behavior, which reinforced the idea that right now, Lisanna knew everything about her surroundings. She wasn't in a building, but she was clearly at home.
"You didn't seem very surprised about Happy's response." Natsu began. "Does he jump on people's heads often?"
"You're the first person he's done that to, actually." Lisanna informed him as she led him up the pathway. "But I knew the two of you would get along, so I wasn't surprised by his reaction at all."
Natsu was taken aback at Lisanna's perceptiveness, something he had thought he had dealt with earlier. He was probably just surprised to find it extended to animals, but really he should have seen that coming. It wasn't a mistake he was going to make again, Natsu noted as they passed a row of bird houses and Lisanna whistled a short tune in reply to their occupants' singing.
As it turned out, there really was a lot to see around the grounds and they didn't make it to the forest for quite a long time. First Lisanna had wanted to show him the main hall. And by the time he'd seen all of that, it was lunchtime and so they went to eat with the rest of Fairy Tail in the mess hall, which was a nice experience. And then Natsu had agreed the forest could wait a bit more and so Lisanna had shown him the dormitories, which were where she and her siblings lived. They still had to pay rent, because Makarow insisted on some self-sufficiency, but a lot of members of Fairy Tail chose to live in their old rooms and pay rent rather than move out, although not all. But now, finally, they were slowly making their way towards the eastern forest.
Happy had gotten off of Natsu's head during lunch, preferring now to follow them on his own. He was either the smartest cat Natsu had ever met or the most loyal. Maybe both.
After a few distractions on both Natsu and Lisanna's behalves, they entered the shade of the forest. It was a very green and shaded forest and despite the great size of each tree seeming to indicate it was also very old, the trees were fairly far apart. The ground was also surprisingly flat, without hills or creeks, and there was evidence of lots of animals.
Natsu and Happy both followed Lisanna through the forest, commenting cheerfully on this and that and Lisanna pointed out places of interest she'd been, like that set of boulders or that circle of closely grouped trees. It sounded like she had explored nearly all of this forest, but still they hadn't reached the place she'd found Happy.
Then suddenly, Lisanna stopped. Happy, who had of course been here before, stopped too, but Natsu nearly ran into Lisanna and in his haste to avoid this, he fell over sideways. Happy came over to him and poked him in the back.
"Thanks a lot, Happy." Natsu grumbled.
Happy meowed and tilted his head like he was pointing.
"Hey, be nice to Happy, Natsu." Lisanna teased. "He's trying to show you something. Look."
Natsu looked and saw before him a massive sloping hill. It continued up steadily, up and up until it passed the tree tops. It continued along horizontally as well, like an unsurmountable boundary to the forest.
Lisanna pointed at a tree to her left, one of the closest ones to the hill. "I found him curled up at the base of this tree, the first time I made it this far into the forest." She blushed slightly. "At the time, I thought he was a reward for making it that far, especially because you can't go any farther."
Natsu stood up and looked at the base of the tree in question, trying to imagine finding a curled up blue cat there. It would have been a pretty extraordinary thing to find. In this fantasy, he ran back with the cat, still unnamed, to Fairy Tail's main building and then showed him off to the others. Lisanna was there and when everyone said the cat was probably too weak to live, she offered to help him.
He blinked and realized Lisanna was telling a story. The very story of how she, not he, had found Happy.
"No one believed he was going to survive." Lisanna said quietly. "But I took him to a little hut I had built, nearby the forest, and I kept him warm and feed him when he opened his eyes and after a few days, he was awake and walking around."
Lisanna glowed at the memory. "I took him back to the main hall and we were all so happy that he had survived that that's what we named him. Happy."
Natsu watched as Happy jumped up onto Lisanna's shoulder. He wished he could have been there, when they named Happy. He knew it was an absurd wish. He hadn't known Happy or Lisanna very long, but from what he'd seen of Fairy Tail, it would have been a joyous occasion like no other.
"That's a really cool story, Lisanna. I bet you all had a great time celebrating after that."
Lisanna nodded, petting Happy, who was still on her shoulder.
Without either of them needing to say anything, Natsu and Lisanna started off back towards the beginning of the forest. Lisanna slipped her hand into Natsu's and his stomach flipped excitedly at her taking their relationship back into romantic territory.
Happy meowed several times and Natsu gave him a look. Not another word out of you.
They alternated between companionable silence and friendly chatter, but for some reason, the walk back seemed to go more quickly. Maybe time was just keeping pace with Natsu's accelerated heartbeat. But then, time always seemed to go faster when he was with Lisanna. This whole day had flown by.
The forest thinned and dim sunlight appeared ahead of them. They were reaching the edge of the forest just in time for sunset.
"Look over there, Natsu." Lisanna pointed out where the hut Happy had spent his first days in was.
They strolled over to it and Natsu automatically turned around to look at the sunset. And with Lisanna holding his hand, she did as well.
It was a majestic sunset, with pinks and reds and purples in it. Everything was made soft and dark around it in contrast. Just a few wispy clouds were straggling in front of it and the rest of the sky was a deepening blue. This was a great spot for sunsets.
"This is beautiful." Lisanna breathed. "It'd be nice to stay in this moment forever."
Natsu couldn't help but agree. However, a thought crossed his mind…
"Aren't you colorblind?"
Lisanna laughed softly. It reminded him of how she'd acted earlier, during their date. A laugh filled with a gentle wisdom.
"It isn't the colors that make this moment beautiful, Natsu." She gripped his hand tighter. "It's a lot of little things, like holding your hand, and breathing this air, and standing in this spot."
"Oh." Natsu realized, turning to look at Lisanna and the sunset together. "I think I get it now."
She glanced at him, a smile on the edge of her lips. A tingling sensation swept over Natsu in complement to his fluttering stomach. They were standing very close together.
The next day, Natsu discovered that he had, in fact, needed to work on Sunday. It had been another job for his client from Saturday. A client who he had just lost the business of, due to his accidental skipping of a work session.
This put him in a rather precarious situation, money-wise. Until now he'd had everything just about worked out. But without this client, not only was he going to be very bored on Saturdays, but he might not be able to sustain his housing agreement with Gray long-term.
Fortunately, Lisanna, well as Natsu's new friends at Fairy Tail, had an idea. And an offer.
"Why don't you join Fairy Tail?" She asked him hopefully. "You might not have known us very long, but… you're just the type of person we take in. And we could see each other more often."
"Really? You guys would let me join?" Natsu said excitedly.
"Of course we would!" Lisanna laughed. "Even if you weren't dating me, we've sort of developed a habit of helping people and letting them join our family."
Natsu felt electric, ridiculously happy and nervous and excited. They were going to let him join the family! And Lisanna had said they were dating! He was beaming so hard he felt like he should have burst into flame. Burning off all of his clothing except his scarf would probably have been a bad thing to do in front of his new girlfriend, though, if it was even a genuine possibility, so he rocketed forward to embrace Lisanna in an effort to expend some energy.
"Ah! Thank you guys so much!" Natsu exclaimed gleefully, still hugging Lisanna tightly. A family. Comrades. Friends. He was going to get to have those things again. And he was going to be able to keep his apartment, which was also good.
A few months after Natsu had joined Fairy Tail, Lisanna officially turned eighteen. Everyone celebrated wildly and Natsu got to experience one of the things that made Fairy Tail Fairy Tail: a fight breaking out in the middle of a party. Finally able to release some of his frustrations with Gray in a suitable environment, Natsu felt right at home amidst the chaos. But soon, Lisanna was dragging him out of the fighting. She said there was something they had to do now.
Natsu didn't protest too much and quickly found himself and Lisanna outside a tattoo parlor. Lisanna was now old enough to get her Fairy Tail sign.
"Oh awesome! Where you going to get it?" Natsu asked, realizing where they were.
"I was thinking somewhere to match yours. Where are you getting to get it?" Lisanna countered.
'What?! Me?!" Natsu looked himself over automatically before facing Lisanna again. "I didn't know I was getting the sign!"
"You've been here for a few months now and you're over eighteen." She stated. "Do you want to leave at some point then? Or are you going to stay with us?"
It was phrased like a question, but Lisanna looked like she knew his exact answer. Still, she definitely wanted him to say it. She wanted to hear him say he was going to stay with them.
Natsu grinned at her. "Oh yeah, I'm definitely going to stay. Sign me up!"
Lisanna kissed him and he turned bright red. He still wasn't used to public displays of affection.
"Come on!" Lisanna took his hand and led him into the shop.
A few hours later, Natsu had a red Fairy Tail symbol on his right shoulder and Lisanna had one on her left. When they held hands, their tattoos lined up, each the color of the sunset.
Natsu had asked Lisanna why she'd decided on a red tattoo as well, when she couldn't see its color. She told him something similar to the last time he'd asked that type of question. It wasn't the color that made it special. It was because it was the two of them.