If there was one thing Lucy hated the most, it was feeling like she was the weakest member of her team. She was just a holder Mage with keys that made her friends come out of their gates to fight for her and she had a whip which she often lost or forgot about in battle.

Her team was made up of her, a blue flying cat that didn't make anyone travel sick, a S-class Mage with cool re-equip magic, an ice wizard who could make a lot of deadly weapons and a fire dragon slayer who could become more powerful then his opponent when he needed to.

She couldn't sometimes feel that way when she had a moment to herself, which was a rare occurrence now as many of the guild members were keeping an eye on her after what they had learnt about future Lucy.

Alone for the first time in a long while, Lucy was thinking of how weak she actually was and how much of a damsel in distress her guild mates must think of her as. Even way back with Phantom Lord, she had been taken away and hidden by Mirajane and lost her keys when she had been kidnapped the first time by PL.

Her room suddenly felt a lot colder as Lucy lay on top of her couch thinking these things. She has many weaknesses which she knows make her a target for many people trying to take down Fairy Tail and she hated it.

After more time with her thoughts, Lucy decided to take a shower and go to bed and hope her weaknesses weren't used against her the next day.

Natsu climbed in Lucy's window. He did this more and more as the weeks progressed. He told himself that is was to make sure his best friend was still alive but he knew deep down that it was because he loved her and never wanted to see her die in front of him, ever.

Climbing in the window, Natsu saw Lucy fast asleep but tossing and turning in her bed. She kept muttering something her sleep. With Natsu's hearing, He heard Lucy say that she was weak and couldn't fight him because she knew she would lose.

he never thought that would be why Lucy was looking so glum these past few days, Natsu thought it was down to everyone, including himself, keeping an eye on her to make sure she was still alive.

Natsu knew he had to wake her up to put her straight.

"Lucy wake up." Said Natsu in a voice that slowly woke up the mage as he crawled in next to her.

"What...What was going on?" asked Lucy, no longer bothered by Natsu's visits if anything Lucy had started looking forward to them.

"You were talking in your sleep. You kept saying how weak you were and how you are a damsel in distress. You don't really believe that do you?" said the fire Mage as he placed his hand next to hers on top of the bed sheets.

"What if I do?" Lucy said tentatively

She received a shake of the head from Natsu.

"You should know that you probably one of the strongest in the guild." he said, looking into her eyes to show how serious he was about his statement.

"Your just saying that."

"no I am not. What made you think you were so weak in the first place?"

"Well...Every time we face off against someone like hades or someone like him, you always are protecting me and...I am just a wizard that uses keys to call on other people to fight for her and sometimes I forget that I have my whip with me... And lately with everyone keeping an eye on me as if I could die any second without constant watch is not helping me feel strong enough to look after myself."

"You are so weird Lucy. Everyone wants to make sure you are still with them after what happened with future Lucy. You may forget about your whip but that is mostly because you are so focused on defeating who ever is in front of you that you don't remember you have it. You fight next to your spirits and you call them friends. None of their other masters had done that. When I protect you, it's because I don't like seeing you get hurt and knowing you will be hurt gives me the strength to make sure that you never are. Your the reason that I fight many of those dark opponents and you are the only thing that comes into my head when I think about who I need to protect."

He wasn't sure when this became a confession but he rolled with it.

"but Natsu that's my point, you think of me as someone to protect not fight next to."

"And you shouldn't care about that. Have you listened to what I have said. I am saying that your biggest strength is giving me the strength to fight and even if it is to protect you, you still have the strength to help me keep fighting no matter what."

"Okay, I think I get it now. My biggest strength is giving you the strength to fight. That sounds like you love me if I can do that."

"Well, what if I do love you?" asked Natsu really wanting to know the answer.

"I would say that I love you too." said Lucy as she looked into his eyes.

They slowly leaned in and they kissed. It wasn't full of passion. It was full of love and devotion to the other as well as Natsu trying to prove to Lucy that she was a strength more than a weakness. She got the message.

They came up for air after what seemed like forever to them but was likely around 3 minutes.

"Good and I never want to hear those things come out of my Lucy's mouth again." said Natsu "Scratch that, I never want you to think it."

"Did you just call me 'my Lucy'?"

"Well I kinder thought it was okay to call you that as I believe you are my girlfriend now." said Natsu as he hadn't realised he had said that and didn't want to freak out Lucy, even if it was entertaining sometimes.

"It's okay, I kinder like the sound of it." Lucy said as she leaned on Natsu's chest as they had both started to lay down next to each other one what Natsu had called the Comfiest bed in all of Fiore.

"Good because I like the sound of it too."

"Night Natsu" said Lucy as she kissed his cheek and then lay down to sleep.

"Night Lucy" replied Natsu as he watched his love and best friend fall asleep on his chest.

Yes Lucy May have a few weaknesses but it doesn't mean she doesn't have strengths and that made Natsu want to protect her more as her strengths would only build with time.

Lucy was the strength Natsu needed to keep fighting whether it had been when they fought Phantom Lord or when he and the 6 other slayers took on the dragons, Lucy gave him strength. And Natsu knew that Lucy needed to know that only she could give him this strength and only would she keep him going in the darkest times.