future: [noun] what will happen to someone or something in the time that is to come
Lucy had been thinking a lot about the future lately.
Of course, not in the same way she used to, when she was young, back when her mother was still alive and everything about her life was perfection and sunshine and rainbows. She used to think she would grow up to inherit her papa's estate and fortune, dress like a princess every day and, in the meanwhile, become a great Celestial mage like her mama. And perhaps marry a wealthy and handsome prince who would treat her like the princess she was. And they'd live happily ever after, like in her books.
She sighed. No, definitely not in that same way. Besides, her dreams had changed... quite radically since then.
Natsu and her had been... a thing for some, what, two, three years? Ever since the defeat of Tartaros. Ever since they'd suffered the fear of losing each other for the umpteenth time. That fear had become relief, when the last of their enemies had kissed the ground. And the hug they'd shared had become a hungry kiss before they even realized what they were doing. Since then...
To be honest, not a lot had changed for them. It had taken a long time for the guild to recover from the harsh experience, but of course they came out victorious, as always, and Fairy Tail was as rowdy and merry as ever. The mages had resumed, or at least tried to resume their normal lives, as if Tartaros had been just a bad dream. Obviously enough, the darkest of guilds had left its mark on many of them; a mark like the nightmares that would wake Lucy in the middle of the night, crying and screaming, from time to time. She had almost overcome them now, but still, even when years passed, she would still wake up from time to time, trembling and frantically seeking Natsu with her hands.
Because, yes, he slept in her bed every night now. And he'd been the one to comfort her and dry her sweat and tears.
Actually, most of the time, they behaved as if nothing had ever happened between them, as if that first kiss had never been. They were close friends, as always. But from time to time, Natsu would put an arm around her wrist and bring her close, or hug her, or unexpectedly kiss her in front of everyone, which embarrassed Lucy to no end (though she never managed to blabber her complaints quite clearly). And, when they were alone... her face flushed red and she shook her head, struggling not to remind herself of the heated closeness and the intense sensations.
Well, the most logical assumption would obviously be that they were going out. Boyfriend and girlfriend. A couple. Lovers.
He even took her out on dates, for Celestial King's sake.
But, then again, Natsu never asked her out. He never said the words. He just displayed his affection whenever he felt like it, and took hers whenever she returned it, and dragged her out with the sole sentence "Let's go do THIS RANDOM THING, Luce! It'll be fun!". He just seemed to go along with it, with whatever it was his heart asked of him, like he did with everything else. It wasn't that she didn't like this... arrangement, whatever it was they had. It wasn't that she didn't want it. She was comfortable with him, and she... (why bother denying it) yeah, she loved him.
What bothered her was, she didn't know what to expect of this, or what he expected, or wanted, from it. She didn't know what future she and Natsu would have. She didn't know what was the future he wanted for this – this sort of a relationship.
She wanted to ask him what they were, or what he thought they were. But, when they were together, she could never muster up the courage to talk about it; and when she thought she could, she was always interrupted by his demanding lips or his big hand taking her somewhere.
As long as she was unsure whether he was – he was committed in some way to her or not, she couldn't think about a future -whether long or short term future- with him. She was too afraid of taking this too seriously, and afraid of getting hurt in the end. It also worried her to think that it could end up just not working, like it didn't work with all her previous sorry attempts at a boyfriend. She loved Natsu, she did oh so much, and she feared she was already in too deep to let go – but she wanted to be sure that he loved her back, in the same way. They needed to talk about it, so she wouldn't have to worry about that aspect of the future anymore.
That was it! Tonight, when he came over – because he sure as heck would – she'd speak to him before he had the time to react. It was the only way to approach serious business with that airhead. Decision taken, she darted up from her seat and rushed to the bathroom, so she could take her usual bubble bath before he showed up and tried to take a peek like the pervert he was.
As expected, when she was just done having dinner and was pouring herself a cup of tea to top it off, a pink-haired young man rushed in through the door. It still felt strange, to not have him use the window, but after he insisted on coming in night after night and the landlady questioned her about the strange man climbing over to the window, Lucy had no choice but to give up and give him a spare key.
"Lucy!" he chanted, signature wide grin on his face, as he came forward intending to wrap her into a hug.
"Stop right there!" she extended her palms and put them against his chest, barely managing to stop his rush. He gave her a confused and half-hurt expression, so damn cute it made her heart skip a beat, and her conviction waver. But no! She couldn't hesitate now, and his pouty eyes wouldn't make her! She shook her head and stared at him with seriousness. "Natsu, I need to talk to you. About... about something."
"Huh?" he blinked, not understanding what on Earthland could be so important to forbid him from hugging her voluptuous, pleasantly warm and nicely scented body. "Well, talk, then!" he crossed his arms, with an annoyed pout on his face. "And make it quick."
Lucy sighed, mustering her courage. "It's just... I've been wondering, and... well, since you never really asked me – asked me out, I mean, I..." no good, there was no way on Earthland he'd be able to get anything out of this blabbering mess of words. Her cheeks and ears blushed, realizing the nonsense she was saying, but once her mouth started speaking, she couldn't seem to stop herself. "And I just wanted to know if – if, well, if you... if we are..."
"Lucy" Natsu interrupted her, touching her shoulder with his hand. "You know I'm not understanding a thing, right? Will you calm down and tell me what's wrong?"
And there he was, being all soft and nice and understanding. It'd be easier if she could get angry at him, she thought; it was much easier to get her point across when she was too enraged to think of what she was saying. But she could never really get angry at him.
"I just..." she groaned in frustration, and stared right into his eyes, fighting off her hesitation. "What are we, Natsu!?"
He seemed surprised to hear that question, and at first she thought he hadn't understood what she meant. Then, he grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her, warmly.
"I thought it was clear" he murmured, when he broke apart. "I'm sorry, Luce. I should've known you'd be too dense to notice."
"Wha – hey!" she protested, lightly punching his chest. He laughed, ruffling her hair.
"Seriously, though – you know what you are to me. You're my best friend, you're my support, and you're my girlfriend" he grinned, widely, and there was not even a hint of blush in his cheeks. Lucy envied him, how he could be so open without getting embarrassed, while she was afraid she'd die right then from the sudden blood rush to her head. "If you'll take me, of course."
"You're such an idiot" she muttered, covering her face with her hands to hide her blush and the enormous smile that threatened to spread all over her lips.
"Oh, I'm sorry, would you rather be my fiancée? I can do that, too" he was just starting to get down on one knee when Lucy threw a pillow straight at his face.
"IDIOT!" she squealed, then broke into a giggling fit, covering her mouth with both her hands.
"Oh, throwing pillows, are ya?" Natsu peeked over the thrown object, a menacingly naughty glimmer in his eyes. "This calls for... punishment!"
"Aaah – no!" Lucy giggled, scurrying away from him, bed sheets getting in her way. "Go away, idiot, idiot – GYAH!" she gasped as she was grabbed from behind, prevented from escaping. "Naatsuuu!" she squealed, and felt his fingers creeping over her sides. "AH, DON'T -" she started laughing loudly and squirming, trying to get away. Pinned down against the bed, she was an easy prey for his merciless tickling.
"When will you learn?" Natsu laughed along, covering her sweet face in kisses. Lucy snickered and protested, trying to push him away by putting her fingers to his face, but he simply kissed them as well. "You can never win against me!" he got up over the bed and posed in a victorious stance, with both his fists raised. "I AM THE UNBEATEN KING OF THE APARTMENT!" by then, she was laughing so hard, her abdomen started to hurt.
And Lucy knew that this was the only future she wanted.
This one had me quite satisfied. I feel it's a bit inconsistent - but what I wanted, regardless.
This was the last day, and the last prompt, therefore, this is the last oneshot.
I hope this was enjoyable for all of you. Thanks for reading!
