It was one of these rare time when it was just the two of them out on a job. Juvia had dragged Gray off to some mission she desperately needed help with, Erza was running some errand for the Master and Wendy was off gathering medicinal herbs with Porlyusica. Happy and Carla had gone off to visit the other Exceeds.
When Lucy had come to the guild three days ago Natsu had already been waiting and dragged her off without any explanation. The job was easy enough. A village about a 12h train ride west of Magnolia was terrorized by a dark guild. The village elder who posted the job begged for help and offered a million jewel as reward. Lucy didn't really doubt that just the two of them would be enough to get rid of the dark guild, in fact she was sure Natsu only took her with him because that's what he always did and not because he felt he needed help.
The train ride to the village of Fresia was spent with Natsu curled on the train bench with his head in Lucy's lap, alternating between fitful sleep and absolute misery, while Lucy read a book and shifted her fingers through his hair in a comforting gesture. Once they got to their destination things went smoothly enough. The dark guild only had 5 members and all of them were laughably weak. Natsu took them all out with a single roar. He also did it without destroying anything, luckily enough.
Once they'd handed the criminals off to the authorities, they'd taken their pay and rented a room in the only Inn to spend the night. Lucy had insisted on two beds, but had woken up with Natsu wrapped around her. Why he did that she still didn't know, but the situation had escalated. He'd used to sneak into her bed a few times a month, but lately he was there every morning. In fact he seemed to be wherever she was lately.
She wasn't complaining, not really, Natsu was her best friend after all and she loved being around him, but he'd never been so clingy before. Their other friends had noticed too, and started commenting and speculating. Mirajane was convinced that he'd realized he was in love with Lucy and that was his way of showing it. Lucy wasn't buying it, Lisanna on the other hand supported her sister's conclusion fully. Happy just offered his token, "He liiiiikes her," when asked. Elfman said something about a real man never being far from his love or something like that while Levy only giggled and called it adorable. The general consensus was that Natsu was in love with Lucy and being extra clingy because of it. The only one not buying that idea was Lucy, who was convinced that there was a much simpler explanation and that once she'd gotten it out of Natsu she'd be wishing she'd never asked.
In fact she'd tried talking to him about it while walking to the Inn, but Natsu just changed the subject when she brought it up. That was suspicious But Lucy still wasn't convinced that her guild mates were right. Natsu was infamous for being oblivious to the fairer sex, there was no way in hell he did anything because he'd suddenly decided to hit puberty.
If Lucy had any say about it, Natsu was asexual. Hell, when Lisanna had come back from Edolas, Lucy even went as far as to suggest that he ask the girl out. Natsu's answer was to laugh and say that Lisanna was like his little sister and, 'I'm not into incest, Luce'. How he even knew what hell incest is Lucy didn't want to know.
That was the extent of Natsu's interest in girls. She was probably also a sister to him. That actually explained everything…. Oh well, Natsu is weird like that. And that's why Lucy loved him so much.
AN: There won't be any updating schedule for this. I write everyday, sometimes I exclusively work on my multi-chapter stories sometimes I write drabbles, so whenever one gets done I'll post it. Thank you for reading and all the wonderful feedback.