Chapter Four - Awkward

Author's Note: I had so much fun writing this chapter. And I know I said I was gonna wait a few days to update, but I was just too excited to get this one up. I hope you guys like this one, because I really do. :3

Natsu nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand touched his shoulder, and he spun around to see Lucy, whom was giving him a weird look. "Are you alright?" she asked, slightly tilting her head to the side. Natsu immediately noted how cute it was, but quickly shoved that thought out of his head, or tried to. He blushed, inwardly scolding himself. What was he thinking?

"Y-yeah," he stammered, trying to ignore the burning in his cheeks and play it off. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You ran out of the store like lightning."

"Oh. I, uh…I just needed some air. It was a little stuffy in there." Natsu prayed to Mavis that Lucy would believe him, and she almost did. It was just…

"Your face is all red," she stated, reaching up to touch his forehead with the back of her hand. "And your skin is burning. Are you sure you're okay?" Natsu pulled away, afraid the blush would darken if her hand lingered for too long. He smiled, hoping to reassure her enough to drop the subject.

"I'm fine, really. Did you find anything?" he asked, glancing down at the bag in her hand. The answer to that question was obvious, hence the bag in her hand, but he really wanted to talk about something else, anything else. Lucy wasn't satisfied with what he had said to her, but decided it was best to leave it be.

"Yeah, a few things, actually," she answered slowly. Natsu stared at her, waiting for her to elaborate. She began to walk down the stone path as she reached into the plastic bag to show him what she bought. He jogged a little to catch up with her, and tried to listen as she briefly explained each of the five books. He tried his best to pay attention to what she was saying, he really did, but he just couldn't. He couldn't stop himself from staring. He couldn't help but notice how soft her hair looked, and how the bright snow gleamed in her chocolate brown eyes, and how full her lips were. They looked as if they were begging to be kissed.

"Natsu." Natsu blinked when he heard his name. He realized that Lucy had finished speaking and her gaze was now focused on his. Shit, how long had he been staring? More importantly, why was he thinking about kissing her?

"Yeah?"

"Why're you looking at me like that?"

Natsu immediately turned away, another blush threatening to sneak up his neck. "No reason," he said quickly. Atta boy, Natsu, he thought sarcastically to himself, rolling his eyes. Way to be subtle. He continued to chide himself as he walked, but he stopped when he realized she wasn't beside him anymore. "Lucy?" he called, looking over his shoulder. She was standing several feet behind him, staring off into space. He turned toward her. "Lucy?" She didn't move, just continued to gaze at something to her left. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, he approached her and followed her gaze, his eyes coming to a stop on an ice skating rink. He turned his head to look at her, grinning when he saw her expression. He gently nudged her with his elbow, causing her to blink and look up at him. He nodded to the rink.

"Wanna go?" he asked, showing off his fangs as he smiled. He was slightly surprised when she shook her head, grinning nervously.

"No, it's okay," she said, waving her hands in front of herself, like telling someone to stop.

"Aw, come on," he pressed, taking her hand and pulling her toward the rink. She pulled back, trying to free herself from his grip, but his hand remained firm on her own.

"Natsu, no." Natsu stopped and looked at her.

"Why not?" he inquired, giving her arm a light tug. "It'll be fun."

"I can't."

"What do you mean?"

"I've never done it before." Natsu snorted, causing her to blush. He softened his smile and tugged on her hand.

"You'll be fine."

Lucy shook her head again. "What if I fall?"

"I won't let you," he promised, his voice sincere. "Come on." He gave her hand one last tug, and she finally complied, allowing him to lead her to the rink. She stared at their intertwined hands, another blush dusting her cheeks. His hand was so warm…

Natsu slowly moved backwards across the rink, holding onto Lucy's hands as he pulled her along. Lucy was staring at her feet, afraid that she would slip if she were to look up, while Natsu's gaze was fixed on her face. She was so cute when she was concentrating. He shook his head. What's with all of these random thoughts all of a sudden? "Okay, I'm letting go now," he warned, carefully removing his hands.

"No, wait!" Lucy yelled, not yet ready to do this on her own. She waved her arms as she tried to keep her balance. "Whoa…"

"There you go." She looked up at him to see an encouraging grin on his face. She smiled back as he motioned for her to come to him. She carefully pushed herself forward, but just as she thought would happen, she slipped and stumbled into his chest. Out of instinct, she gripped his shirt as she attempted to regain her balance. "Told you I wouldn't let you fall," he said softly. She smiled and pushed herself up to look at him. Both of them froze at how close their faces were. After a moment of silence, he felt that annoyingly familiar heat in his face, which was his cue to release an awkward laugh. He steadied her and pulled away.

"Thanks," Lucy murmured, her face heating up as well. "For catching me."

"It's nothing," he dismissed, his voice muffled as he his his face in his scarf. "You've had worse falls." Lucy stifled a giggle at how cute he was at the moment, trying to hide his blush from her and play it cool. He was adorable when he was embarrassed. It wasn't very often when she got to see him like this.

"We should…um…probably get going," she suggested after a while. Natsu looked up at her, slightly disappointed that she wanted to leave so soon. He was about to ask why, but she answered his question before he even had the chance to ask it. "It's getting dark. And I don't know about you, but I'm already pretty cold with the sun out." Natsu nodded slowly. He supposed that made sense, but he was still a little let down.

"Yeah," he said softly, trying to mask his voice with passive agreement. But his disappointment was still evident in his tone. "Okay."

The walk back to the hotel was long and quiet. Neither of them had realized how far they'd wandered until the sun had set completely and they were still on their way back. It had begun to snow a few minutes ago, which gave off the perfect mood. He stole a glance at her every now and then. She noticed every time, shyly turning her head to look back at him. Their eyes would connect for not even a second before they quickly looked away. He'd never felt like such a moron before. But despite how stupid he felt, he couldn't keep himself from stealing peeks at her. She was just simply gorgeous, her hands buried deep in her pockets as she tried to keep them warm, her nose flushed red from the cold. Why hadn't he noticed how pretty she was before?

"Natsu?" she said after a few minutes, turning to him with a questioning look. Natsu looked down at her.

"What?"

"You've been acting…strange since we left that store," she said slowly. "Is there something wrong?"

Natsu chuckled and shook his head. "Nah."

Lucy lifted an eyebrow. "Then…why do you keep looking at me with that weird look on your face?"

"I was just looking at how beautiful you are," he blurted, the words slipping passed his lips before he could register what he was saying. Lucy's eyes widened and she turned away, a raging blush taking over her features. Natsu's face turned just as red, if not more. He automatically lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck, awkwardly clearing his throat. Smooth, he thought bitterly. After a moment of unpleasant silence, Lucy tentatively looked up at him.

"R-Really?" she stuttered. Natsu glanced at her through the corner of his eye before nodding, feeling the heat in his face increase. She released a breathy laugh, catching his attention and he slowly turned his head to look at her. "You…you think I'm beautiful?" If it was even possible, his face turned even darker, and he felt the blush extend down his neck. He didn't answer, just lifted his scarf above his nose to hide his scarlet face. He'd never been so embarrassed in his life. Lucy couldn't hide the nervous giggle, switching her gaze to her feet as they walked. "Thank you, Natsu," she said sweetly. Natsu moved his scarf higher up on his face.

He wanted to crawl into a hole.