BlackLynx17: LAST BAD CHAPTER! I PROMISE! Thank you for enjoying this story so much
They were in love. They were in love and it should be simple and easy because saying being in love was simple and easy. If only it was as easy as it actually sounded though. If only...
He loved her. From the moment he first saw her he knew he loved her, it took a while for him to realize it though. She loved him, maybe not as much as he did, and no way did she accept these feelings or acknowledge them, but she did love him.
How did they meet this time? Childhood friends. They grew up right next to each other, went to the same schools, had the same friends. Constantly teased that they were dating or would get together, but each time they would blush and deny it. It wasn't until their final year when both of them found themselves single that they talked about it.
"Do you think this rain is going to let up?" Lucy asks holding her hand out from the shade they were hiding under.
"Who knows? It's not like it matters. We can just run home you know." Natsu tells her.
"But I just went to the salon and got my hair done! Unless you're going to pay for it to get redone we're waiting here until the rain lets up." Lucy puffs her cheeks out.
Natsu looks at her and resists the urge to say cute, but instead reaches his hand out and ruffles the top of her head.
"Fine, put this on at least though. You're shivering right now." Natsu says shrugging his jacket off.
He handed it to her and Lucy smiles brightly as she put it on, burying her face in the sleeves taking a deep inhale of his scent. She always loved the way he smelled, she could never put her finger on the scent though. It just smelled like Natsu.
"So? How've you been lately?" Natsu asked.
Lucy snorts, "are you really asking that? With how much time we spend together in a day?"
"Yeah, you're right. I feel like we've had every conversation together."
Lucy giggles, "I'm sure that isn't true. There must be something we haven't talked about yet."
Natsu hummed and bend his knees down, tossing his bag on the floor next to him for Lucy to sit down on if she wanted.
"We haven't talked about why we never got together."
The rain was the only thing that could be heard between the two of them. Natsu leaned against his hand and looked the other way while Lucy looked at a puddle that was forming in the street.
"Are you being serious?" She whispered.
"We can talk about this another time when we have absolutely nothing to talk about."
"It's not something- it's just- it was never between us."
"What wasn't?"
"I-... I don't know. If it was meant to happen though it would have happened, wouldn't it?"
"I thought you didn't believe in fate and destiny, I certainly don't. If I see something I want I reach out and grab it."
"Well then if you wanted me why didn't you reach out and grab me?"
He still wasn't looking at her, but he reached out his hand and grabbed whatever he could of her, which turned out to be the bottom corner of her skirt. Lucy finally looked down and over at him, seeing his cheeks pink, but she couldn't tell for sure if it was because he was blushing or because it was cold out. She bent down next to him and sat on the ground with him, his fingers still clutching her skirt.
"Are you being serious right now?"
"Why not?"
"I don't want to date a friend on why not. It'll be too weird-"
"Then!... I think were such good friends Lucy we never thought we could be anything more since we were so good at this, us. We're used to us being us."
"And you want to change that? Is this because you're bored? Since we have nothing else to talk about?"
"I want to try it."
"Natsu I hate you 90% of the day."
"I'll try to make it only 70%."
"You're a horrible boyfriend."
"Exactly! But not anymore, after all the love advice you've given me to fix myself I should be good right now."
"Why are you doing this Natsu?"
"I've always wondered about us and right now it just seems like the perfect time. We're young, reckless, about to graduate high school. We've finished our finals and have nothing big to worry about other than getting accepted into college. I finally want to find out what us would be like."
"Do you love me Natsu?"
"Of course I do Lucy."
"How about in love? Any romantic feelings in me?"
"I think you're beautiful... and at certain moments I think you're really cute. If you're asking if I've ever had the urge to kiss you it's only when you help me past tests, but I'm sure I can start feeling that way sooner or later."
Lucy starts giggling, "you're making this all sound like a bad joke, but alright Natsu. Senior life was getting a bit boring anyway. We can try this out between the two of us, if anything I don't see us really changing if it doesn't work out or not. To be 100% honest with you I did wonder sometimes why I didn't try having you as a boyfriend."
Natsu finally looked over at her, "you did?!"
Lucy smiles at him, "yeah, and then right after I wondered you'd always do something stupid that would make me retract that thought."
"Well I promise I won't do that this time!"
"We'll see Natsu. Here's to a good run, I guess we're dating now."
Natsu chuckled lightly and looked up at the sky, seeing the clouds start to clear up as the rain stopped. He stood back up and dusted himself off, doing his first boyfriend as he reached his hand out to help her up.
"We'll take this slow, one step at a time." He tells her.
"That sounds good. Please talk care of me." She says grabbing his hand.
Natsu nods his head as he helps her back up, "take care of me as well."
They defy fate. He's an idiot. She's too full of herself. He's a knucklehead who loves fighting, she's a bookworm that loves shopping. Of course problems would arise between the two of them. Despite every problem threw their way though somehow they stayed together. He trusted her, she believed in him, she was there for him, he was there for her. They both tried to keep their promises, and when they couldn't, they would make it up to each other. The two of them were learning from their mistakes.
They made it through the rest of the school year, something neither of them believed would happen.
"So are you sure you want to go to that fancy college of yours across the country?" Natsu broods flipping random pages of his comic book.
"I've been sure since before we even started going to high school Natsu." Lucy sighs brushing her hair.
"Are you sure this isn't just a way to break up with me?"
"Why would I want to break up with you?"
"Exactly, why would you when I've been such a good boyfriend?"
Lucy laughs and places her brush on her counter, turning around seeing Natsu on her bed flipping through one of her comics. She stood up and joined him on her bed, lying down right next to him as she curled into his body.
"I love you Natsu."
Natsu places his book down and wraps his arm around her, "I love you too Lucy."
"We don't believe in fate and destiny right?"
"Yeah, right."
"So if I love you and you love me then that's all there is to it. As long as we still feel this way with each other we'll always stay together."
Natsu takes a deep breath and sighs out, "if you say so Lucy."
At the end of summer she leaves him behind for a school he was too dumb to get into. It hurts the first year, but by the second they have it together. She calls, he visits whenever he can, holidays are the best for them, but during the second year it starts. The doubts, the yearning, the fear, the suspense. She never answers, he yells at her, she says it's all in his head, she can't handle him anymore, the long months of refusing to take the first step to talking with each other before finally...she's the one who says it first.
"Maybe we should take a break," she tells him over the phone.
"You want to break up with me?!"
"No Natsu! I love you! It's just- we can't keep doing this. I'm tired of arguing with you every time we talk with each other, it doesn't make me want to answer the phone! I almost didn't right now!"
"We'll fix this, we'll do better."
"How can we do that when-... Natsu, I thought we can do this, we can do this... we're breaking though. I don't want us to break up, but maybe we should just take a break and... whatever happens happens until we see each other again."
"So what you're saying is that we're not breaking up, but I'm allowed to cheat on you? Look Lucy I don't want anyone else other than you! Are you only saying this because you want to be with someone else?!"
"Calm down Natsu! See, this is exactly what I meant! Listen, if I wanted to be with someone else I would be breaking up with you right now. But I'm not, I'm telling you that we should take a break so we can sort through or feelings, find out if this is really worth going through or not, remember why we started dating in the first place, and figure out if we want to do this. I still have three more years out here. Can you last that long?"
"That is ridiculous! I'm coming out there!"
"To do what Natsu?"
"Live with you obviously! There must be a college I can go out there to, I'll get a job, we can live together, we can make this work. Please just stop talking like we're breaking up."
"You can't do that Natsu."
"I love you Lucy."
"... and I love you too Natsu. But I don't want you changing your whole life for me... especially since I didn't for you."
"Then that only means you'll have to change it next time."
Lucy takes a deep breath and sighs out, "one more year Natsu. Let's try this for another year and if it doesn't work out I'll accept you moving out here."
"Why wait a year when I can go now?!"
"Right in the middle of the semester? No, besides it gives me a year to prepare if this really is going to happen, maybe."
"Lucy if you think we're breaking now how are we going to be in a year?"
"I love you, you love me, no fate or destiny. That hasn't changed. Listen Natsu, I'm sorry but I have to go. I have class in a couple of minutes, we'll talk about this again next time and please don't let anything go to your head. I love you, bye."
Before Natsu even has a change to say anything else she hands up and he's left with only his dial tone. He sighs out and takes a look at his phone before he drops it on the floor.
"But we have Lucy."
Six months later Lucy got a knock on her door, her boyfriend standing right outside carrying about half a dozen bags. She couldn't have gotten mad at him and simple stepped aside, letting him walk on in before he dropped his things and pulled her into a desperate kiss. Things became better after that, much better for the two of them. It was hard to imagine the fighting that went on between the two for so long.
A year passed, then another, and another, more problems came and went, but they loved each other and that's all that mattered. It was the longest time they've ever lasted together. Maybe, maybe they could make it this time. So what happened next? Happily ever after?
"So what happened Lucy?"
"Nothing."
"Avoiding him for a month straight is not nothing."
"Come talk to me when it gets to be four months."
"... he didn't cheat, did he?"
"He did."
"HE DID?!"
"It wasn't his fault though, Natsu doesn't have the capacity to cheat."
"Oh... then why are you mad at him?"
"I'm not mad, I'm just... I'm tired. This isn't the first time we've had a huge fight like this. I know we argue, then we make up, but this time around I'm... do you ever feel like the universe is against you Levy?"
"The universe?"
Lucy takes a deep breath and sighs, "I don't know Levy, it's just a feeling."
"If it's a feeling shouldn't you be talking to your boyfriend about this? Lucy it concerns him too. If you're tired of dating you need to tell him and break up with him. If you just tired, but still love him, tell him you need a small break to yourself. Natsu will understand."
Lucy takes another deep breath and sighs out, "alright Levy. I'll think about it."
"Do it Lucy! Matter of fact I'm calling him right now to meet you here!"
"What?! Levy! Don't!"
Levy didn't listen and send him a quick text instead, running out of the room and holding it close so Lucy couldn't get out.
"Levy! Levy! You open this door right now!"
"I will when Natsu gets here!"
"Levy!"
Twenty minutes later the doorbell rang and Levy raced to get it, letting Natsu in and wishing him good luck before she left the apartment. He found her in Levy's bedroom, placing on her boots and a jacket.
"Lucy-"
"I don't know what Levy told you, but I have to go Natsu."
"Can't you at least talk to me?! You already know I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to happen-"
"I know that Natsu, excuse me." Lucy said walking past him.
"You know? Wait! Lucy! Dammit Lucy talk to me!" Natsu yells going after her.
Lucy quickens her pace and goes downstairs, pushing the door open and walking down the street. Natsu is right on her tail and grabs a hold of her shoulder, squeezing it tightly under his grip as he stares at her.
"Lucy?! What is with you?!"
"I think we need a break Natsu."
"A break? Again?! Why?! Tell me a reason and I'll understand, but right now you're not telling me anything! You're just leaving me!"
"I'm just tired Natsu-"
"Of what?! Me? Us?! So you want to break up-"
"I'm scared Natsu!" Lucy screams.
Natsu froze, "scared? Of what?"
Lucy takes a deep break before sighing out, stopping where she stood to look up at the sky.
"Do you ever feel Natsu like we've done this all before? That we're always getting pulled apart?"
"What do you mean Lucy?"
"I've felt like we've had all these fights before, which is why I know how to deal with them and what to do about with you. Lately though I've been feeling like something has been tearing us apart, like we're... like we're not suppose to be together."
"What are you talking about Lucy?! Like we're being pulled apart? We don't believe in fate or destiny! I love you, you love me, as long as that's true we're together. Remember?"
"Don't tell me you haven't been feeling it too Natsu."
"I admit, sometimes instead of doing one thing I'll do something else, and that'll usually make you forgive me, but I think that's just because I know you so well. Nothing more than that; it's the same for you. You felt like we had these fights before because we've probably had. We've known each other since we were children Lucy, we've had ever fight in the book!"
"It's not only that Natsu... don't you feel..."
"What? Lost? Scared?"
"Like we've done this before?"
"If that's your way of saying we should spice up our relationship then fine, we'll start being more daring, more adventurous."
"I'm sorry Natsu, I don't know what's wrong with me, but I'm scared-"
"Of what Lucy?! What are you scared of? If you tell me I can help you!"
"Of you Natsu! I'm scared of losing you! I dream that you disappear from me! That you leave! You die! You run away and I can never find you! Or I leave you and run away, when that's not what I want at all, and I'm scared that might actually happen!"
Natsu blinks, "you've been avoiding me... because you're scared I might leave you? Lucy, all this time I've been scared you might break up with me."
"Natsu, I love you so much it's crazy. I never want to break up with you."
Natsu reaches out and grabs her hands, "neither do I Lucy."
"But-"
"There's not suppose to be any buts, remember?"
"But my dreams Natsu, what I've been feeling lately. What if there premonitions? That if I stay with you something will happen? You might die, disappear, I might hurt you. I'm scared, I don't want that to happen Natsu. I rather be miserable and heartbroken while you're safe."
"Lucy, that's so stupid. Nothing is going to happen to me out of nowhere. What you're feeling right now is... I don't know, but you don't have to listen to it. Look, I love you. I love you and you love me, that's all that matters. If we want to be together we should, but if you want to break up with me Lucy I'll understand. Only if you don't love me anymore though. I'll accept it only if you no longer have those feelings."
Lucy takes a deep breath, ready to grab his hand, but jerks back instead. She starts shaking her head and takes a deep breath.
"I'm sorry Natsu, but I- I need more time to think about this."
"Do you still love me?!"
Lucy's face scrunches together and she sighs out, turning around and walking away. Natsu watched her leave, his heart racing. He felt like he was never going to see her again if he let her go. He felt like- like- he felt like he's made this mistake before. There's something he can do, something he hasn't told her yet, something that he can say- something- anything-
"Lucy wait!" Natsu yells out running after her.
Lucy turns around and he sees the tears in her eyes; Natsu's eyes widen and he went running faster after her.
"Lucy don't go!"
"Natsu?!"
There's a sharp noise in the air and both their heads turn; without a single hesitation Natsu reaches out and pulls her into his arms, Lucy grabbing onto him just as tightly. It only hurts for a second before she wakes up with them lying on the ground. He's staring right back at her, blood everywhere.
"Na-na-Natsu?" She whimpers out.
His eyes are hazy and lowered, but he still makes out her beautiful face even if it's stained with tears, "you... you, alright?" He struggles to say out.
"Natsu," it hurts to cry for him, but she can't help the emotions escaping from her now, "you idiot. This is exactly why I wanted to go. Look at what happened?"
"I know, I'm sorry, but I couldn't have let you get away from me. I love you Lucy," Natsu heaves out heavily.
"Natsu, oh Natsu."
He can't feel his hand, but he sees it moving up and landing on top of her head. With what little strength he had he pulled her as close as he could despite the pain and sighed out.
"I'm sorry Lucy."
"I'm sorry too Natsu, I do love you, I do want to be with you. I don't think-... I don't feel like I'm going to make it out of this though."
"Don't worry, I'm here, if it hurts too much you can fall asleep. I'm going to be right here with you." Natsu breathes out.
Lucy sniffs and slowly closes her eyes, "Natsu..."
"You have nothing to worry about Lucy, I promise, I promise you, next time we'll get it right."
