"What!" Levy cried as a few people in the guild's hall glanced at her curiously. She ignored the familiar faces staring at her and lowered her voice.

"Natsu doesn't know what Valentine's day is," she spoke softly to her blonde friend sitting opposite her at one of the many tables. Lucy nodded.

"So, you didn't give him the gift?" Levy guessed and Lucy shook her head. She rested her chin in her hand and sighed.

"Maybe…I should just…give up," Lucy muttered, mostly to herself, but her petite blue-haired friend heard her loud and clear.

"No!" she quickly shouted, again earning glances from those at nearby tables.

"You can't give up on the one you love," Levy told her firmly. Lucy wasn't so convinced. No matter how many times she tried to tell Natsu how she felt, he never got it. "No one ever thought Laxus could fall in love, but now he is engaged to Mirajane. And what about Juvia and Gray? What would have happened if Juvia had just given up? They wouldn't be dating after all this time of Gray pushing her away. And let's not even get started on Gajeel and I. I mean, talk about the impossible, but we're now married with twins."

"Yes, but at least all those guys knew what love actually is. Natsu is clueless to it. Sometimes, I wish…" Lucy started, but paused and frowned. There was a lot she often wished for. Especially when it comes to him.

"I just wish I could walk up to Natsu and say…" Lucy started to speak. She didn't get to finish. The sound of his voice silenced her.

"And say what?' Natsu asked from behind. Lucy's eyes widened. She hesitantly turned around to see Natsu and Gray staring back at her. She felt her face immediately go red as Natsu waited for a response. Lucy opened her mouth, but no words came out. Say something! But she couldn't. He wasn't meant to be standing there and he definitely wasn't meant to hear what she was about to say. That was a close call. Suddenly Natsu's face lit up and Lucy watched him wearingly. That expression often didn't lead to anything good.

"Have you decided to be my partner to the free food restaurant after all?" he asked enthusiastically, jumping forward and taking hold of her hands with excitement. He eagerly leant closer as he waited for Lucy's response. Levy watched her friend's face go even redder. Poor Lucy! Gray stood back, shaking his head. Natsu had no idea what his actions were doing to the celestial mage. Poor Lucy!

"Don't get so close!" Lucy snapped at him and pushed him back. He is so clueless! Natsu watched her, confused, as she rushed for the guild's hall doors.

"Honestly, Natsu," Levy sighed and ran after Lucy.

"Is that a no?" Natsu called after Lucy, but she was already out the large open doors. He blinked blankly.

"You knucklehead," Gray muttered as he knocked his fire-breathing friend over the head.

"What was that for?" Natsu demanded and glared at the ice-maker.

"Lucy can't go with you because…" Gray tried to explain, but Natsu cut him off. He had a new idea.

"Then you come with me!" Natsu excitedly suggested.

"No!" Gray quickly shouted, disturbing the conversations of those around them. He ignored the glares he got as he tried to calm down. Natsu had no idea what he was implying.

"That restaurant thing is for…" he tried to explain again. He was interrupted again!

"Partners," Natsu put in. Gray shook his head fiercely.

"No!" he shouted again. Honestly! Just how dense was this fire mage!

"It's for couples," Gray hurriedly told Natsu before he could be cut off. The dragon-slayer stared at him with his eyebrows pushed together. Couples? Gray couldn't tell if he was in deep confusion or deep concentration. There was a long pause of silence before Natsu eventually spoke again.

"Couples are two people. So why can't you come with me?" he questioned. Unbelievable! Gray stared back at him in disbelief. He slammed the palm of his hand against his forehead and shook his head. Natsu was hopeless. A soft giggle unexpectedly caught his attention and he watched Mirajane walk over from a nearby table she was clearing.

"Maybe I can help," she suggested. Gray shrugged and stepped back. He wasn't about to say no, but he had doubts. He glanced at Natsu's blank face and his doubts grew. He is beyond clueless! Mirajane moved to sit opposite where Natsu now sat at the table. Gray stepped closer to the table. He was interested to hear what Mirajane would say, but he was also very aware of the time. Juvia was expecting him soon.

"Natsu," Mirajane spoke, pausing to think carefully about her words.

"What if one day you couldn't have Lucy around anymore?" she unexpectedly asked. Huh? Natsu stared at her as he slowly pressed his lips together. That's an unusual question! Gray looked at her curiously. Where is she going with this? The sweet smile on her face gave nothing away.

"I will never let anything happen to Lucy!" Natsu shouted with a hard expression. The thought of what the s-class mage was suggesting appalled him. He had experienced something similar before. It was when he wasn't able to protect future Lucy. He would never let that happen again! Not to any of his family. His outburst didn't surprise Mirajane. She had been expecting it and she smiled to herself. Gray remained silent, impatient to get somewhere, but intrigued by Mirajane's question.

"Not because of death, but because of love," the s-class mage responded to a baffled Natsu. Gray held the same confused expression as the dragon-slayer. Love?

"You love Lucy, like you love all of us, because we're your family," Mirajane continued and Natsu nodded. His brain hurt from all the thinking she was forcing on him. All he wanted was free food from the restaurant.
"But there's another kind of love that you're not always aware of," the white-haired mage told him and his eyebrows shot up. Another kind of love? That makes no sense! Gray watched Natsu carefully and sighed. He still didn't get it. Mirajane quickly flashed the ice-mage a reassuring smile. She wasn't done yet.

"Take Gray for example," Mirajane said, pointing at Gray and Natsu looked at him. This caught the ice-maker off guard.

"Juvia loved him for a very long time. Not a family love, but a romantic love. She wanted to hold his hand, and kiss him, and be more than friends. She wants to one day marry him, and have a family together, to have children together," Mirajane explained and Gray felt his face threaten to go red. He tried to maintain his usual tsundere expression, but this situation had suddenly turned uncomfortable for him. And Natsu staring intensely at him did not help. Children?
"And now Gray wants the same things," the s-class mage cheerfully added, wiping Gray's usual stubborn look from his face. Her statement surprised him. She wasn't wrong though. He was stubborn about it, but he did want those things. He always wanted Juvia in his life, but he didn't need the fire-breathing mage to tease him about it. Natsu didn't though. He just continued to stare at Gray, making him feel even more uncomfortable. Natsu didn't understand. He wasn't as clueless as they thought. He wasn't completely oblivious to that kind of love. It was all around him. Mirajane and Laxus. Lisanna and Mest. Wendy and Romeo. Erza and Jellal. Levy and Gajeel. Juvia and Gray. But they weren't couples. Not to Natsu. They were soulmates. But what does this have to do with Lucy? Mirajane watched him carefully. She could tell he was in deep concentration. She knew he wasn't as clueless as people believed him to be. He just needed to be made aware.

"Lucy wants that too," Mirajane gently told Natsu, taking him by surprise. Gray was surprised too. So that's where she's going with this!

"One day Lucy will find her soulmate, and you won't be able to barge into her place whenever you want, or go on jobs with her at any time. She will belong to someone else, not like an object, but her heart will belong to him," the white-haired mage concluded. She paused before standing up. Natsu didn't notice. She didn't expect him to. Her words had his full attention, wrapping around him and slowly sinking in.

"And that's why Gray and Lucy can't go with you to the restaurant. It's not for partners or couples, it's for soulmates," she sweetly added. Those words hardly reached his ears. This didn't surprise Mirajane. His thoughts were far away from what was happening now. She smiled knowingly at the speechless Gray and he watched her walk away without another word spoken. He was wrong. Maybe she could reach Natsu. He glanced at Natsu staring intensely at nothing in particular.

Gray wondered what was going on in that brain of his. He wanted to find out, but he didn't want to break Natsu's deep train of thought. And time wasn't on his side. He was already running late. He wanted to see how this would unfold. Mostly for Lucy's sake. But Gray didn't want to keep Juvia waiting any longer. He had done enough of that to her! He took a hesitant step away from the dragon-slayer and turned to the open guild's doors. Maybe Natsu wasn't completely clueless.