Chapter 8

(Lucy)

A week had passed since she went and saved her friends from that mysterious wizard. It took them a day, but Gray, Erza, and Natsu were back on their feet and ready for another adventure. Lucy, on the other hand, wasn't in the same place. She sat at a table in the guild and watched as Natsu and Gray's bickering turned into a brawl that sent Gray flying back and Natsu laughing. That is, until Gray came back and sent Natsu flying.

Lucy sighed. All she could think about was Natsu. Her feelings for him were growing stronger, and she knew she loved him, but she had no idea where he was when it came to his feelings towards her. Maybe she should ask him about it to see how he felt. Lucy rested her head on her hand when she heard Erza yell something and grab Natsu and Gray to stop them from fighting. "That's enough, you two. I don't want to see you fighting again, am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Natsu and Gray replied, their voices heavy with fear. Natsu walked over and sat across from Lucy at her table. She looked up and saw him staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

Natsu tilted his head and frowned. "What's the matter, Luce?"

"Oh, its nothing, Natsu." She grinned.

"You're lying," he said in a serious tone. Lucy was taken back by his statement. How did he know?

"What do you mean I'm lying?"

"I mean, I can tell something's bothering you and you're not telling me what it is." Natsu put his hands together and leaned forward. "Now tell me," he said softly. Lucy's face got red, but she gave in. It was Natsu, her best friend.

"Natsu, I was thinking about you and me, and how we said we loved each other the other day..."

"And...?" Natsu looked clueless. Inside, Lucy just wanted to run away from this entire conversation.

"Okay, look. I don't know if its a friendly love... Natsu, I think I'm in love with you." Lucy covered her face. Natsu grabbed her hands and held them.

"Lucy, I'm in love with you, too. And I don't know about you, but I've been thinking about that for a long time now." Natsu squeezed Lucy's hands. She looked at him, silence filling the space between them until she broke it.

"You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that," Lucy said.

"And you have no idea how relieved I am to finally have gotten that off my chest." He laughed slightly. Neither of them had any idea what they were doing, but Natsu leaned closer to her and Lucy did the same until their lips touched. At first, the kiss was soft, but eventually it deepened. Lucy put her hands on Natsu's face and his hands made their way through her hair.

"Wow, who knew they were into each other?" Mira said excitedly.

"I cannot believe it. Natsu and Lucy?!? Such an unlikely pairing, yet somehow it works," Erza said with a smile.

"Got that right," Gray commented. Once they pulled their lips away, Lucy wrapped her arms around Natsu's neck and pulled him into a hug. He held her by her waist, and buried his head in her neck. They stood there for a while, thankful to finally have each other in this way.

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(Natsu)

Natsu's fingers were intertwined with Lucy's as they made their way back to her apartment. When they got to the door, Lucy unlocked it and Natsu followed her inside. She set her keys on a table by the door and Natsu plopped down on her couch. She shook her head and grinned. "You just make yourself comfortable, don't ya?" She walked over and kissed his forehead. He smiled and pulled her down to kiss her lips. Something about their kisses felt so right.

After they pulled away, Lucy went into the kitchen to make dinner when Happy flew in. "Natsu! Natsu! Is it true?!"

"Is what true?" Natsu asked.

"Did you and Lucy kiss?" Happy said in a teasing voice.

"Yeah, Happy. The rumors are true. I kissed the Lucy Heartfilia, twice!" Natsu sounded like he was trying to be cool, but it wasn't working. Happy thought other wise.

"Twice? No way! So are you guys dating?" Natsu looked confused. "Natsu, did you guys not make it official?" Now Happy looked confused.

"I didn't know we had to. I just kinda figured we already were." Natsu scratched the back of his head. "Guess not, huh pal?"

"Natsu, you gotta ask her out. I'm sure after your guys' moments, she'll totally say yes."

"You're right, Happy. I'm gonna ask her. So how should I do it?" Natsu asked his flying friend.

"I don't know. Maybe you should go to her and just ask," Happy replied. Natsu nodded his head.

"I'm gonna ask her right now."

He ran to the kitchen, grabbed Lucy's waist, and pulled her away from what she was doing. Lucy looked annoyed and confused. Natsu let go of her waist and held her hands. He looked down at her and his voice got quiet. "Luce, I want to make this official. I want to make us official, so I wanna know if you'll be my girlfriend." It was quiet for a moment until Lucy finally responded.

"Of course I will." They kissed for the third time that night, but something about this one was different. It was intense and filled with love and compassion. It was long and sensational, the best kiss they've shared, until it was interrupted by the smell of their dinner burning on the stove. Lucy ran to turn off the fire while smoke filled the room. They heard the smoke alarms go off. Natsu laughed as he grabbed a hand towel and waved it in front of the alarm in an attempt to stop the noise.

Once he succeeded, he felt Lucy wrap her arms around him and lay her head on his chest. He returned the gesture by placing one hand on her back and running the other through her beautiful blonde hair. God, he loved her so much. And it was almost like she read his mind because the next words that were spoken were simply, "I love you."

"I love you, too, Luce." With that, Natsu took Lucy's hand and walked her to the living room where Happy greeted them.

"You guys looooooooove each other," he teased.

"Shut it, cat!" Lucy yelled. Natsu laughed then looked outside. It was getting late. Natsu took Lucy's hands and touched his forehead to hers. This entire day had been like a dream.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Wait, are you going home, Natsu?"

"Yeah," he hugged Lucy one last time before letting her go for the night.

Or so he thought.

"Natsu, you should stay. I don't mind company." She smiled. Happy instantly started snoozing away on her couch while Natsu and Lucy lay with each other in her bed, Lucy tucked safely in his arms.

Even if they had just started dating, lying next to one another felt so natural and so comforting, especially considering it was how they slept anyways because Natsu was always in Lucy's house. And with that being said, the three of them slept peacefully for the rest of the night.