Hey guys here's the new chapter. Enjoy!
The moment he heard her voice, he sprinted along the street, hopped the iron barred fence, and tumbled into her, smacking himself against the wall of the building.
Soft and silent tears fell from her cheeks as she clutched him tightly, her nails digging into his jacket.
"natsu…" She whispered softly. "Thank you…"
He just patted her hand and responded. "It's alright. Now let's go back to Fairy Tail Luce. Everyone's worried about you."
She nodded and let him lead her away, leaving Jose dumbstruck on the fourth floor of Phantom.
As Lucy hopped onto Natsu's bike though, she realized how much she really was grateful for him.
"Hey Natsu?" She said.
"Yeah Luce?"
"… Nevermind. It's not important."
She smiled to herself, knowing that this wasn't the right time to talk to him. For now, she could just be glad she was alive and going home without her father.
"Lucy! Oh my Mavis! I'm so glad you're safe!" Levy cheered.
"It's nice to see our comrade's home safely." Erza smiled pulling Lucy into a far-too-tight hug.
"… Erza… can't…. breathe!" Lucy wheezed.
Meanwhile, Natsu sat at the bar, drinking silently. An unusual sight for the guild.
"Oy! Flamebrain!" Gray taunted trying to get a reaction out of his friend.
But Natsu just ignored him and kept staring at the counter. Mira was starting to get worried. He wasn't talking to anyone, and just seemed so lost in thought. So she signaled Lucy to come over and try to talk to him. She gratefully obliged an opportunity to escape Erza's death grip.
"Hey Natsu! Are you okay?"
"Hm? Yeah, I'm fine…"
She sat silent for a moment as if waiting for him to break the silence, but he didn't.
"Um… so what are you thinking about?" She asked awkwardly.
He sighed and answered. "Just a familiar face from my past."
Mira slowly grew more worried about her brother-of-a-friend, and tried to help Lucy get a conversation out of him.
"Hey Natsu…" The barmaid began. "so… did you know Lucy lives in your apartment building?"
This shocked both the pink haired boy and the blonde.
"What?! Mira, how do you know where I live?" Lucy interrogated.
Mira just smiled her sweet smile. "I keep tabs on all of our regular customers. Especially if they're good friends of mine!"
Gray chimed in for a moment from across the bar. "Careful Mira, you're wandering into stalker territory!"
She just ignored him though and went back to washing dishes.
"Wait… so you own a flat in the same building as me Natsu?!"
"I guess so… don't know how I never saw you before…"
"Huh…"
They sat in silence for quite a while, unsure of what to say next. Until…
"So… I guess do you want to come over sometime neighbor?" Lucy asked.
Natsu smirked at her dorkish charm.
"I'd love to neighbor." He responded teasingly with a bow.
Lucy giggled. She finally got him out of his daze. It was good to see Natsu being Natsu again!
