Lucy's P.O.V.

Lucy had spent all last night in her library with that new boy, Natsu. He was so…she didn't really have a word for it. Outgoing? Confident? Weird? She didn't get him. Everyone knew that she was closed to all people, didn't he know about her? She hated pushing away her friends but everybody she loved left her or turned on her. She didn't want it to happen again, she just couldn't take it. But this boy didn't seem to care.

He had walked into her private library, picked up one of her favorite books and stared at her all night occasionally asking questions. What's your favorite color? Pink. What do you like to do? Write. Do you like fire? What? He made no sense and Lucy tried to keep her answers short. Maybe he would go away. He didn't.

Natsu obviously wanted to be her friend and not just a friend that nods at you when you walk by but a share-you-secrets-and-dreams kind of friend. That was never going to happen, even Levy, her sort of best friend, wasn't really a friend. They had read and talked until 6:00 in the morning and she was a little worried.

Natsu was just so likeable. He was adorable with his goofy pink hair and loud chuckle that made her want to smile. She didn't. He didn't treat her like a beaten puppy even if he did have a little bit of pity in his eyes when she scooted her chair away from his. After one day of knowing this weird boy she already liked his personality. But no friends. That was the way it was and the way it was going to stay.

Lucy sat in her bed and thought about last night again as sun shone through her window and onto her face. She just laid there until she felt ready to get up. Looking over her shoulder at the clock on her bare walls that read 9:00 she sighed a little. Maybe she could write some more today to get her mind off Natsu a little. Lucy threw on some clothes and took a seat on her chair and pulled out the laptop Mira had given her last Christmas. Just as her fingers touched the key board she heard a loud knock, knock, knock! Sighing she just started to write and ignored the knocking; she knew who it was but simply wanted to block him out like she did everyone else.

Eventually the knocking stopped followed by a sad sigh. Ignoring that too Lucy wrote for a good hour or two before feeling hungry. She picked up her phone and gave Mira a text, asking her to bring Lucy food. She always felt bad doing this but downstairs was so full of people and she had gone downstairs last night. She closed her laptop and got up when she heard Mira's happy voice saying, "Luuuucy."

She smiled a little and opened the door to find Mira gone and Natsu in her place with a plate of pancakes and bacon. "Hello Luce," he said with that gigantic grin of his. Mira wouldn't have! Why would she do this to her? Natsu walked in with a smile and sat in her chair. He handed her the plate and asked, "Why didn't you answer me earlier?" His grin turned into a pout. "I was bored and Gray is no fun!"

"And I am?" He smiled and nodded. "Look here Natsu, you need to get out of here. I don't like being around people a lot. I'm up here for a reason you know, thanks for the food…go away now."

Lucy was expecting more hurt or sadness to show up on his face but instead he kept on smiling.

"So you can say more than three words at a time!" What?

Time skip

Natsu had refused to leave her room and instead pulled a board game out of freaking thin air and begged her to play. Why couldn't he just go away? She had sighed again and played his stupid board game. She liked it when his face lit up with triumph when he thought he won and when he pulled his pouting face again when Lucy won instead. He was the human embodiment of pure emotion and it was wonderful. He burst out laughing at his own stupid jokes and flung his arms through the air when he told meaningless stories. He was what she wanted to be again. Alive.

Why was she letting him talk to her? She could have called Mira and demanded that he leave, but she didn't. Because she liked talking to him, or rather listening to him. And the day repeated itself all week. Natsu bringing her food because she didn't want to go downstairs then him talking and laughing and goofing around as she listened. Him being slightly annoying when she was trying to read.

She was starting to enjoy life just a little bit but it didn't last long. Natsu had come in with breakfast like always. He had brought up something new, a misshaped smiley face on a waffle with way too much syrup. "Did you make that?"

"Yeah! What? I can't make my friend breakfast?" He smiled that smile of his and Lucy couldn't do it anymore.

"You're not my friend!" She said loudly.

"Of course I am!" He insisted.

Lucy yelled now. "No you're not! I don't need friends anyway, just get out! I don't want you here!"

She felt awful the second she said it but didn't apologize. Natsu's face was seeping with sadness and disappointment. He looked like he would cry. Instead he slowly put his cute waffle on the ground and walked out of her room, shutting the door too gently. Lucy's eyes watered, tearing begging to fall. She had let her guard down, she let him talk to her and she almost smiled seeing that he took the time to make her breakfast. The problem was that he was becoming a friend, a real friend. And she couldn't let him. Lucy wanted that more than anything in the world. But he would leave her or hurt her just like her parents. Lucy crawled into her bed and let the tears silently fall into her pillow. How did this boy worm his way into her life anyway? She didn't need him. She didn't need anybody.

Natsu's P.O.V.

He had tried. He had tried so hard. Lucy had slowly let him in and he ruined it. Apparently she disliked being called his friend. Why couldn't she take a chance? Why couldn't she have a real friend? Natsu had been surprised to hear her yell; she was so quiet and sweet. Sweet? He shook his head and tried to think of something else besides her. She was clouding his thoughts. He went down to the main floor to find Gray and Cana talking about something with an angry Juvia burning holes into Cana's head with her stare as she hid behind a table.

"Hey guys."

They turned around to look at him. Gray gave him a look. "Where have you been all week? You just got here! The only thing I've seen you do is take butt loads of food upstairs a couple times a day and never come back! You're turning into Lucy!" Natsu involuntarily winced a little at her name, apparently something everyone did, but Gray somehow saw the difference in it. "Natsu, what's going on?"

"I've been with Lucy all week but she flipped out this morning because I called her my friend…"

Cana's eyes popped out of her head and Gray's mouth opened. "But-" Gray began.

Cana interrupted him. "You're kidding! I've been here for a long time and Lucy doesn't talk to anyone! She hangs out with us sometimes but not really. There is no way in hell you were with Lucy!"

He shrugged, "Well I guess I was an exception. She talked a little and played some board games I found in the basement. I thought we were friends but then she yelled at me and-"

This time it was Gray who did the interrupting. "She yelled? Dude, she hardly talks! How did you get her to even look at you?"

Natsu was confused now. "All I did was talk to her and pester her a bit and then she kind of accepted that I wouldn't go away…"

"So you annoyed her into talking to you?" Gray asked.

"No!"

Cana looked at Natsu and explained very slowly, "The thing is that Erza, my friend, and I did the same thing but she still locked us out. For some reason she talked to you and that's unheard of. I don't care if she kicked you out and yelled at you, you need to go back up there, very soon, and annoy her some more! Maybe you can get her to be more like a person and less like a hermit crab. Maybe you could…"

Cana's voice trailed off but Natsu knew how to end that sentence. Maybe he could fix her. She had started to open a little before so why stop now? "I'm fired up!" Natsu yelled and ran back upstairs, not caring about the weird looks he was getting.

He banged on Lucy's pretty white door. "Luce? Let me in."

He heard shuffling then a "No."

"Aww come on! Please?"

"No Natsu."

Natsu though for a moment. His eyes drifted to the doorknob. There wasn't a lock on this door. How could he be so stupid? He opened the door quickly then shut it behind him. Lucy looked up from her pillow, surprise etched into her face. She had red eyes, had she been crying? He strode over to her bed and laid down next to her ignoring her squeak of protest. She wouldn't leave the room; there was nowhere else she would go. He could catch her if she ran to the library and she wouldn't go anywhere else. Too many people.

"Here's how this is going to work. You're going to be my friend whether you want one or not. Because you need one. Simple? Good." She just stared at him again. "Oh and another thing. You need to talk to me. Like actually talk to me, not one word answers and not little nods and shakes of the head. You need to say things."More staring. "With your mouth." He added.

A tiny smile tugged at her lips. He had never seen her smile. Well it wasn't really a smile but it wasn't a frown and that was new. And he loved it.

"Fine." But you need to make me breakfast."

Natsu smiled but she frowned again. "And you can say we are friends but we're not. And we'll never be. Because you wrong; I don't need friends."

That's what her mouth said but Natsu could tell Lucy didn't mean it. Maybe she didn't know that she wanted friends. Maybe she did know she wanted friends but something was holding her back. It didn't matter. As long as he could try to tear down that stupid wall of hers that kept her away from him. And others of course. Not just him. But he kind of liked having Lucy all to himself. That was weird; he never got possessive over his friends, just Lucy. He ignored it.

"Okay." He said. "And now…" He pulled and apple out of scarf like a magic trick. "I brought you a snack."

This time a smile fully reached her lips. And dug its way into Natsu's heart.