Living in Magnolia, Natsu has seen his fair share of tourists. He comes across hundreds of tourists from all across Fiore every day, hearing tons of different languages even while roaming around the streets.
Secretly, it's become a game for him to try and guess the languages he overhears when he's out. Overtime, he unintentionally caught on to what some words mean. He even finds himself being able to communicate with tourists as they occasionally ask for directions.
But as he's on his way to get some lunch, a voice soaked in a foreign dialect drifts into his ears. His steps freeze, turning to connect eyes with the person stumbling past him.
Natsu doesn't need to know what she's saying to figure out that this person has absolutely no idea where they are. Her words are frantic as she speaks into her phone with eyes scanning the signs of stores that surround her.
From what Natsu can tell, this girl is entirely lost. Despite feeling his stomach rumbling with hunger, he goes up to her to see if he can offer her a hand.
Since she's in the midst of hastily speaking on the phone, he taps her on the shoulder to gain her attention. "Hey, do you need some help?" he asks.
The girl spins around with eyes disorganized as her footsteps, causing Natsu to take a step back. His brows slightly furrow as she begins to reply, unfamiliar words spewing out of her.
"What language are you speaking?" As he asks his question, he notices that her eyes aren't focused on his—they're focused on his lips. He subconsciously licks them, not knowing whether to ask someone else to help or try and figure this out himself.
Suddenly, the girl's lips begin to part. "Books," she says hesitantly.
"Books?" Natsu echoes. "Do you want to go to the bookstore? Or the library?"
"Library!" The girl's eyes light up, eagerly nodding.
"The library is a little far, so I'll take you there. Follow me," he responds while heading towards the direction. He has already taken several steps before he realizes she isn't following him. "Come on!" he tells her, waving his hand to beckon her.
It's then once she catches on, slightly walking behind him as they make their way. Despite being in public and surrounded by people, Natsu can't stand the silence just between them. Initially, he isn't sure how to make conversation with her, but he decides to settle with a universal language—gestures.
He points to restaurants they walk past, labeling them by saying pizza or ice cream. He wonders if the girl can understand him until he notices her responses are displayed by the brightness of her eyes, her slight gasps, and her small smiles.
Natsu thought he was simply going to drop her off once they arrive to the library; however, he can't help but follow her inside as she nearly dashes to the first bookshelf she sets her eyes on. For some reason, he wants to see what she decides to pick out.
Much to his surprise, several of the books she gathers into her arms are in his language. She selects books on math, science, history, and everything in between. Although she appears to be in her own world, she's aware enough to sit at the same table as him. She sends him a quick smile before sliding on a pair of glasses and opening one of the books.
Natsu watches her in amazement as words begin to physically float towards her. Her eyes appear to be skimming as her fingers leaf through the pages, but he can tell that she's absorbing every single detail. He doesn't realize his jaw his hanging open until she sneaks a glance at him, tapping his chin with a subtle smile.
"You're pretty smart, aren't you?" Natsu asks, fully aware that she isn't able to hear him, let alone understand. His stomach is being louder than ever, but he can't bring himself to move. For the time being, he just wants to watch. It isn't until an hour has passed when she closes her last book, leaning back on her seat with a sigh.
"Food?" he offers a bit too quickly. It's a relief for him to see her nod—finally a mutual understanding.
Natsu isn't able to fight his smile as his eyes follow her carefully placing all the books back in the shelves she found them in. The care she gives each book is unlike he's ever seen before.
It's now nearing dinnertime, which only gives Natsu more incentive to eat twice as much. He can tell she is just as hungry since her eyes linger onto the food stands longer than they should. Lucky for them, the restaurant he is leading them to isn't too far off.
"Welcome back, Natsu! I was surprised you didn't come for lunch," one of the waitresses greets him with a sweet smile.
"Yeah, I was showing her around," he explains, suddenly realizing that he doesn't know her name yet. He tilts his head at her; the girl tilts her head back.
"Natsu," he states while pointing to himself. "Mira." He points to the waitress. "And you?" He points at her.
"Lucy," she replies, raising her own finger towards him. "Natsu?"
"Natsu," he nods in confirmation. He catches a glimpse of Mira's perplexed expression. "She speaks another language. This is the only way we can communicate."
"Oh, the people you find," Mira shakes her head, stifling a laugh. "Well, anyway! You can pick a table and I'll be right with you."
Finding the menus at the table, Natsu wonders how Lucy is going to find what she wants to order. He's prepping himself to slowly explain each food, but he then notices that she's focusing on the pictures instead.
Again, the silence between them is nearly agonizing. Natsu tries to think of a simple topic, although Lucy beats him to it.
"Yogurt!" she abruptly proclaims, lifting her menu to show him the picture.
"So you like yogurt?" he asks with an amused smile.
She nods as her brows slightly furrow as she thinks. She hesitantly opens her mouth. "Your favorite?"
Natsu places his menu on the table so they're both able to see the pictures. "I like this one," he points to one picture. "And this one. This one, too. Also, this one. Oh yeah, and this one!"
"All of them," she replies with a laugh.
"Yeah," he responds with his own laugh. As their smiles begin to fade, they go back to being quiet. Natsu can definitely say this is the quietest he's ever been in a day. He casually glances to see how Lucy is doing.
Lucy doesn't appear to feel uncomfortable in the slightest. Her eyes wander across the restaurant, absorbing in the foreign culture. She doesn't realize she's in a trance until she sees the menu being taken from the table.
"I ordered the yogurt for you," Natsu explains, afraid she won't understand.
"Thank you," she tells him softly due to her lack of confidence in the language.
Natsu sends her a smile in return. They're quiet again, but he doesn't mind. He can tell that Lucy is consuming in all of her surroundings, just like the books.
They eat silently, the only interaction being when he offers some of his many dishes to her. She gratefully accepts it, eating it slow to savor the taste.
As they finish their meal, Natsu shakes his head when Lucy begins to dig into her bag for some money. He's given a small pout in response; he flashes her a grin.
Now nighttime, they exit the restaurant to find bright streetlights. He curiously looks at her, hoping she can find her way home for the night.
"Home?" he asks. He gulps once he notices her fidgeting in her spot. "Oh, no, you can't—"
His words are interrupted as he watches her step on the tips of her toes, learning forward and brushing her lips across his cheek. "Library tomorrow again," she whispers.
"I'll definitely see you there," he responds with a quick nod, finding the faint pink of her cheeks extremely adorable.
And as they separate with the plans to meet again tomorrow, Natsu is already making a list in his mind of all the books he's going to read so they can speak more than just books and food.
The Nalu just makes me so happy! I love them so much.
I actually wrote this all in one sitting, so if this seems a little scattered, you know why lmao. But I hope you all enjoyed!
I didn't write for the 5th and 6th prompt, so the next time I'll update will be in two days!
I'll also be revealing what I've been working on this past month - please look forward to it!
Thanks for reading, ily, and see you on the last prompt: Intertwined!