That Saturday rolled around with a surprising degree of speed. So much so that Lucy hadn't even realised until the event reminder on her phone went off. She had just fixed herself a fresh cup of coffee when the alarm caught her attention; she shuffled over and grabbed the device. Frowning at the reflection of her messy bed-hair in the screen, she quickly scanned the alarm title and almost dropped the phone in surprise.
Her cheeks burned a bright red with the embarrassment at not having realised. Her horror was further emphasised as she realised that it was already a quarter to ten, and that Natsu would be coming to pick her up before too long. She drank her coffee at lightning speed and dashed back upstairs just about as fast as her legs could carry her.
She quickly showered and applied her day's make-up as hastily as she could before throwing open the doors to her wardrobe and staring at the rows of garments that she had hung up within. She flitted through them all before ultimately settling on a form fitting shirt-miniskirt combination that accentuated both her natural curves and her long legs. She smiled, hoping that Natsu would notice.
She had just finished taming her hair into her usual side-ponytail style when the doorbell rang downstairs. Tucking a few final strands of hair behind her ears she made her way down the stairs towards the door. Her stomach growled loudly, protesting at the lack of breakfast, but Lucy ignored it. She would be getting lunch with Natsu before too long, so she could hold out until then at least.
As expected, the one stood on her porch was Natsu. His rosy coloured hair was in its usually messy state, but beyond that it seemed that he had made efforts to tidy himself up at least a little bit. He was wearing a thick blue cotton shirt that appeared to have been freshly ironed and a pair of khaki slacks to match. Over the top he had a black blazer that appeared to fit him well. Lucy allowed herself a moment of guilty pleasure in noting just how well the shirt seemed to fit him, highlighting what appeared to be a well-defined physique.
"uh… Hey Lucy, why are you staring at me like that? Did I spill something on my shirt?" He asked curiously before running a frantic inspection of his clothes.
"N-no! No, you don't." Lucy answered a little too forcefully, further fuelling the blush that coloured her cheeks. "I was just thinking that you looked really nice. Your outfit suits you."
By the time that she had finished speaking, her voice was only a little above a whisper. Internally she cursed herself for being so nervous around him. This was Natsu! She had been around him so often that he was practically part of the furniture. Besides, this wasn't the first date that she had been on, so why did it feel like she was back in her senior year about to head off to prom for a night of awkward dances and nervous Smalltalk?!
"Oh…" He answered, scratching the back of his neck as he always did whenever he felt nervous though if he was feeling as nervous as she was it didn't show. No sooner had he said it than he had snapped back into his usual confident persona. The fire in his eyes ignited and the grin re-affixed itself to his features. "Well, how about we get going? I've got this great place in mind for lunch. You're going to love it! I hope you're hungry!"
"Starving!" She nodded, glad that he had diffused the tension between them. She opted not to tell him about her having skipped breakfast for fear of hurting his feelings. She didn't want him to think that she had forgotten after all. Grabbing a jacket and her bag she followed him out of the door and locked it behind herself. He led the way out of her home and a little ways up the streets to where his car was parked.
The car still looked as beat up and abused as ever, but Lucy had long since gotten used to 'Igneel' and its rough appearance. She knew that it wasn't indicative of the old car's true self. Under the bonnet it had the engine of a car only a fraction of its age. What might look like an old dragon on the brink of death was actually a fresh hatchling will all of the eagerness and ferocity that comes along with it.
He held the car's passenger side door for her. She thanked him with a smile and slipped into the car's soft interior. The upholstery was something to marvel at to be certain, though she didn't get much of a chance to do so as Natsu closed the door after her and hastily climbed into the driver's seat. She had scarcely clipped her seatbelt in than he pulled away and took off down the street.
Lucy giggled softly to herself, amused by how his excitement seemed to spill over into everything that he did. It was a kind of contagious enthusiasm that had her heart pounding ever faster in her chest. It wasn't long before she had been completely swept along with the feeling until her own feelings matched his. She thought that the atmosphere around them must have been palpable to anyone that might have walked by.
Natsu rolled the windows down and turned the stereo up as hit after hit played on the radio. At first it was only Natsu singing along with the tracks, often putting on his best attempt at a falsetto to match the female artists. It never failed to get a laugh from the blonde sitting beside him, and before long she joined in, putting on her deepest voice to match the male artists too. It was the most fun that she could remember having, and time itself seemed to slow to a crawl around them. So far as Lucy was concerned they could have stayed like that forever, just jamming in his car until sunset.
"Okay, we're here. I don't think I can justify driving around the block for a fifth time." He laughed.
"I thought that everything looked a bit familiar! Why were you driving laps?" She asked with a look of surprise.
"Well, to hear you sing of course. You looked so into it that I didn't want to stop you! Your cover of Johnny Cash was amazing by the way!" He replied.
Lucy didn't answer him. Instead she let the playful pout on her face express her sentiments. A sense of flattery bubbled up I the pit of her stomach when he told her that he had enjoyed her singing. She hadn't been taking it very seriously of course, but she couldn't deny that some small part of her drew immense satisfaction from his appreciation of it.
Chuckling at her reaction, he slowly pulled the car in towards the curb and came to a stop. He applied the handbrake and snatched the keys from the ignition. In a flash he was out of the car and round to the passenger side door. Opening it out for her he gave a mock bow with a look of amusement clearly etched onto his features.
"Madam." He said in his best attempt at a snobby accent, before offering her his hand to help her out of the car.
Lucy looked at him with an expression of incredulousness. Laughing it off, she took his hand and climbed out of the car. A blush crept up and onto her features as she felt the warmth of his skin against her own and silently cursed as her hands began to clam up. She could do little more than hope he wouldn't mind.
But if he noticed at all, he made no show of it, keeping hold of her hand as he shut the door behind her with a foot and hit the central locking button on his key fob. All the while, the brilliant smile never once left his cheeks. Just seeing the intense joy that he seemed to radiate had the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. It was a situation further exacerbated by the fact that her hand was still held in his.
"Mr. Dragneel." She said haughtily, attempting to mimic his accent from only moments before. "Was this simply an excuse for me to seize my hand? I am not certain that I can permit such behaviour!"
At that, he deadpanned and stared at her unyieldingly for several long moments. Lucy was shocked to see the smile vanish from his face, and for the briefest of moments she feared that she might have gone a little too far. Such fears were allayed when she heard a sudden bark of laughter.
The sound startled her at first, and her eyes frantically wandered around to search for the source of the sound. It took her only an second to notice that it was Natsu that was laughing. His eyes were squeezed shut, and tears had formed in the corner of his eyes. Lucy felt relief wash over her, despite feeling more than a little baffled. Yet before long she found that she too was laughing, the mirth overflowing until they were both doubled over and their sides ached.
Members of the public walked past them, shooting quizzical or concerned glances at them before continuing on along their way. Lucy couldn't blame them for their confusion; she had no doubt that she would be a little baffled if she saw two people in the middle of the pavement, laughing as though they had just heard the funniest joke ever written. In truth, she didn't even really know why it was that she was laughing, but she put it down to Natsu. The man's emotional state and views on life were contagious. Whether he was laughing or crying, Lucy didn't doubt that it never ceased to affect the people around him. It was one of his best traits.
"Honestly Luce, you crack me up." He managed to say in-between hasty breaths when at last he had brought his laughter under control. "I can always count on you to make me smile."
Once again, Lucy felt her heart swell within her chest. Was that really how he saw her? She wasn't sure what to do with that information, but it made her glad to know it. Her mother had always said that the key to any good relationship was humour. Recalling those words, she quickly fell into embarrassment, feeling her cheeks heat up with the inevitable blush that followed.
She wanted to hide her face in her hands but couldn't. That would have required taking her hand back from Natsu's, and that was something that the blonde was simply not willing to do. Refusing to allow her embarrassment to get the better of her, and instead choosing to wear it like a badge of pride, she placed her free hand on her hip and levelled a stern but playful look at her date.
"Anyway, we can't stand here all day. If I don't eat something soon I think I might die." She stated, bringing all that remained of her confidence to bear. From his expression, it seemed that she had caught him off guard but it was short lived.
"Well we can't have that! Who else would I hang out with? And I think Levy might die if you never finished your manuscript… and well, I kinda wanna read it too…"
The last of his words were scarcely above a whisper, and left her wondering whether she was meant to have heard them at all. Yet, heard them she had, and once again she found herself relegated to being on the back foot. A part of her cursed the fact even as her cheeks turned red for what felt like the hundredth time.
In all of their 'back-and-forths', she always seemed to find herself scrambling for solid footing whenever Natsu offered her a compliment or sweet statement and Lucy could only lament as she fell powerless into his words. Half the time she was convinced that Natsu wasn't even aware of what he had said! It was like he instinctively knew just what words would prove to be her personal emotional kryptonite at any given moment. There were times where she was completely unsure about how much more her heart could take.
Not that it was all bad of course. She couldn't deny that she did enjoy his comments and the warm feeling in her heart whenever he said them. It had her feeling like she was truly important to him and that alone meant the world to her.
That was not to say that she took it all lying down. She was getting increasingly better at managing to elicit similar reactions from him all by herself. It was certainly not a talent that came as naturally to her as it seemingly did to him, but to her mind, that was a part of the challenge that made the game all the more fun.
Before she got the chance to offer any kind of retort however, he gently led her by the hand down the street a short way. After only a short distance, he stopped almost as suddenly as he had started. So much so, that Lucy had to struggle not to walk straight into the back of him. He turned to fact the building that he had stopped them in front of. Lucy followed his gaze until her bg brown eyes settled on their destination.
It was a good thing that she trusted Natsu's judgement enough to believe him when he said that it was a good place to eat, because the first impression wasn't necessarily favourable. It was what appeared to be an older style town house, converted into a restaurant property. The lights on in the upper floor windows told her that the upstairs of the property was likely a living space for the building's proprietors.
The door was aged and quite heavily weathered as a result of the harsh weather systems that often struck the city. A similarly worn sign was hung above the door and painted up with the name '8 Island'. Though once colourful, the majority of the pigments had long since washed out. The large windows were leaded and bore what Lucy assumed to be the restaurant slogan; 'An oasis for good food and better company', though from appearances Lucy was sceptical.
She was about to turn to Natsu and ask him if he was kidding when her eyes caught sight of one last feature that disabused her of the harsh judgements forming in her mind. Hung from the stubby porch structure above the door was another sign, much smaller than the rest. It was freshly painted in a brilliant red and featured three words in beautiful calligraphy. It simply read; "All Fairies Welcome", and above it was a stylised depiction of the fairy. It was one that she knew well, both from the tattoo on Natsu's right shoulder as well as the banners from the orphanage. It was a haven for Fairy Tail.
Once again, Lucy was astonished by just how far reaching a community the orphanage seemed to have. Perhaps they had a much greater influence on the city than she had thought at first, she wondered. The blonde made a mental note to keep an eye out for any other places through the city that might have similar connections, and visit them whenever she found one.
Before she could ask Natsu about it, he led her up to the door and stepped inside. Just as they were passing the porch, Natsu reached up with his free hand and allowed his fingers to brush against the little sign. It was an adorable touch, Lucy thought to herself, before stepping through the doorway and leaving the city behind her.
The inside of the restaurant was a far cry from what she had been expecting. Much like Natsu and Gray's car, the restaurant's rough and ready exterior was completely offset by the immaculate interior. The floors were swept clean and the decorations were tactful.
Each of the ten to fifteen tables featured a vase filled with lilies in full bloom, and the air was thick with the heady scent of cooking meat and a multitude of vegetables. A modest bar was set up in one corner, behind which stood a slender man with waist length hair, tied up into a tidy ponytail. A large fireplace was set into a back wall, in which there were several logs alight and crackling delightfully, filling the air with a delightful kind of warmth.
It had an atmosphere that sent her flying back to the winter days at her grandparents' house, sat beside the roaring fire and eating her grandmother's rich fruitcake. It filled her with warm feeling of nostalgia and memory.
"So what do you think?" Natsu asked, levelling his sage eyes on her with an expectant expression.
"I like it. It reminds me of when I went to spend the holidays with my family as a little girl." She replied, offering him a smile.
He nodded, seemingly satisfied with her response. They stepped into the centre of the dining room and took their seats on opposite sides of a table for two. In what felt like an instant reaction, one of the wait staff came over to them bearing menus. They set them on the table before settling a lit candle in between them.
Lucy looked up and around at the other tables. Many were empty, but those that did have occupants lacked candles of their own. Locking eyes with the server, she gave a quizzical glance, only to have her brows further furrow as she recognised the waitress as Levy. Before she could so much as utter a sound, Levy shot her a wink before darting off and leaving them alone.
After having watched her go, Lucy levelled a flat stare at her date for the day. It was meant to be her best attempt at a stern expression, but if the look on his face was any indication then it simply wasn't working. He looked at her with the same easy smile that he always did and seemed almost entirely unaffected by the fact.
"Okay Natsu… explain." She demanded when there was no explanation forthcoming.
"The old guy that runs this place was a good friend of Gramps' way back when in the olden days. Apparently he used to help gramps out a load whenever he was in trouble and before he joined Fairy Tail. When Gramps took over the orphanage, he called in a few favours to help get a couple of the older kids some jobs in here. It wasn't anything solid or with set hours, but it was a great way to keep us busy and earn us a little bit of cash here and there. It's been pretty much the same ever since, even Wendy and Romeo come in here to help out from time to time. It's like the sign outside said; 'all fairies welcome', anyone from Fairy Tail's past present or future will always find a place by the fire waiting for them in here. It's just the way that things have been here as long as I can remember."
Lucy was quite taken aback at first, amazed that there were still such people in the world. It almost seemed as though something had leapt straight from the pages of the fairy tales that she had read as a child. In those too, there always appeared to be a kindly old man that would take in the town's people in need and offer them both food and warmth. It almost seemed too good to be true in the real world.
"But what about Levy? Surely she doesn't have to work here for the extra cash, right?" Lucy inquired, still trying to wrap her head around the whole situation.
"That's right, I don't. I just like to pick up a few extra hours here and there to help keep the place running smoothly. It was this place that helped my buy so many books when I was little."
Lucy jolted with surprise when it was Levy herself that answered the question instead of Natsu. Just how had she managed to sneak up on them so easily? It's like she was a ghost! Yet the more that Lucy considered it, the more sense it made. Both she and Levy were kindred spirits when it came to their love of books and the worlds of fantasy that they offered, so it was only natural that Levy should want to help the place that granted her the ability to first explore those worlds in the first place.
"I'm sorry for listening to your conversation. I only came over here to see if you wanted some drinks and offer up a menu." The blue haired bookworm said, though if her playful tone was any indication, she wasn't feeling all that apologetic at heart.
Both Lucy and Natsu quickly scanned the drinks menu and placed their orders while Levy dutifully jotted them down and dashed off towards the modest bar over in the corner of the dining room. The barman seemed to jolt back into reality in an instant as she approached.
"Two orders for you Fried! Look alive!" she chirped, placing the order on the bar top. He scanned the paper for the briefest of moments before setting about preparing the drinks in a flash. He seemed to be little more than a blur of motion as he went.
Lucy watched him for a second before shifting her attention back to the menu that she was holding. Much like the exterior of the building, it was quite shabby. The faux leather binding had seen better days but that did little to detract from the items listed within. Her eyes scanned from one item to the next, and grew a little wider with each one.
There was a wide range of grand sounding foods ranging from delicate seafood through to rich and hearty meat dishes that were perfect for a winter's day. To say that she was impressed by the selection would have been an understatement. So much so that no one dish appealed to her any more than another.
Natsu placed his menu back on the table and leant forward to rest his elbows on the table. His fixed her with his eyes and seemed almost lost in his own world for a long moment. It was only the arrival of Levy again that seemed to pull him out of it. She placed their drinks on the table top and drew a notepad and pen from the pouch on her apron.
"So what would you both like?" She asked with a warm smile.
"The usual for me Levy, I'm not feeling too adventurous today." He chuckled. She quickly jotted down the information before turning to look at Lucy. A brief moment of indecisiveness shot through the blonde as she hastily scanned the menu yet again. Eventually she caved and went with her first instinct.
"I'll have the smoked salmon please. It's been a long time since I've had any seafood."
"Well you're in for a real treat; the chef here knows exactly what to do to bring out the full flavour of the fish. Anyway, I'm sure that you'll find out for yourself. With that, I will leave you lovebirds to it~" With another wink, Levy left them alone again before Lucy could so much as muster her retort.
The blonde could feel the blush growing across her cheeks, but wasn't entirely sure why. She was here on a date with Natsu, and there was little secret that she felt some degree of attraction to him, so why did she feel so embarrassed? Was it Levy's use of the word 'love' that did it; reminding her of all those instances of it that she had read about, as far back as she could remember? It had long since been her dream to find her own prince charming to sweep her off of her feet, but she had never really given much thought to the idea that Natsu could have been that person.
"What's on your mind Luce? You have that look on your face again, the one where you're trying to work out some kind of problem." Natsu's words pulled her out of her thoughts and back into the moment at hand. Unwilling to discuss the actual issue that bothered her, she fumbled for a quick excuse.
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about what you told me, about how this place used to play such a big part in the lives of everyone that grew up at Fairy Tail. It's so unusual to hear about things like that, especially in a word where everyone seems to be getting further and further apart from each other." She answered. It was not purely an excuse given that she did have some degree of interest in the topic.
The two spoke further, and in much greater detail about the ways in which Fairy Tail tried to branch out and form a wider community for the children under its care to grow up into. All the while that Natsu spoke, Lucy could only marvel at the passion with which he spoke. To her, it seemed that Natsu had an unwavering feeling of faith in the upbringing that he had and that only served to strengthen Lucy's own admiration for him.
He had just begun to speak at length about some of the stories from his childhood when their food arrived. Levy approached their table carrying the two dishes on a large platter. Resting it on the edge of their table, she distributed them to the duo before turning and leaving just as quickly as she had arrived.
Lucy looked at her meal with wide eyes. The serving might not have been as generous as she liked, but the blonde simply couldn't deny that it was beautiful. The salmon was resting on a bed of greens with a generous drizzling of sauce around the plate. Delicate looking vegetables were carefully and deliberately stacked off to one side of the dish. To her mind, it was one of the most beautiful plates of food that she had ever seen. Once again, the little restaurant had managed to surprise her.
She looked over to Natsu and saw that his own plate had been laid out in a similar manner. The steak had been grilled and peppered but seemed to be cooked to perfection. The sight of it alone was enough to make her mouth water in an instant.
Picking up her cutlery, she tenderly cut a piece off of her salmon and dabbed at some of the sauce on her plate before raising it to her lips and delicately placing it into her mouth. She closed her eyes and savoured the rich flavours of the fish as they registered across her palate. It was incredible, matching the strong and heavy flavours of the smoked fish with the more light and refreshing flavours of the sauce.
Has she had her eyes open, she would have seen the smile on Natsu's face grow. His sage eyes marvelled at the way that the blonde's whole face seemed to light up as she tasted the food. Relief flowed through him at seeing the clear signs of approval etched into her features. She almost seemed to radiate some kind of celestial glow. His whole heart swelled with happiness and left him feeling just like he was on cloud nine.
"Natsu? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Natsu was pulled crashing back into the restaurant. Lucy had him fixed with her warm brown eyes, seemingly searching for some kind of answer within him. She had a slightly shy expression on her face that almost melted him then and there. Once again he found himself taken aback by the effect that she had on him, it was completely new to him and he wasn't sure if his heart could handle it.
"O-oh, nothing, you're just gonna think I'm weird."
"Oh come on Natsu, tell me. I promise I won't laugh." She replied, offering him a slight pout that had his heart beating even faster.
"Well, I was just thinking how pretty you look. You looked so cute when you took a bite just now. You kinda glow when you're happy, and it's amazing."
When he finished saying it his breathing hitched. Those same brown eyes that he had been looking into only moments before suddenly grew wide as the shock at his statement registered. She broke eye contact and looked to the dish in front of her, seemingly to hide her reaction from him; but Natsu's eyes were sharp. He saw the happy little smile that danced across her full lips, and the gentle tinge of pink that coloured her cheeks.
"Thank-you… that's so sweet." She said with her voice scarcely above a whisper.
Natsu considered a reply by quickly opted against it, deciding that in this case, less was definitely more. Picking up his steak knife and his fork, he tackled the steak on his plate. A warm smile crossed his face at seeing the lighter red colouring of the meat on his plate, just how he liked it.
They ate in companionable silence, occasionally broken by small talk about their food. Neither of them minded the silence so much, simply savouring one another's presence and the delightful flavour combinations of their food. Lucy found herself thrown for a loop when half way through their meal, Natsu proffered up a bite-sized piece of his steak for her approval.
Lucy paused for a long moment before leaning in and taking the food off of his fork. She smiled shyly, realising that she had just eaten from the same piece of cutlery that he had been using himself. Any trepidation was quickly lost as the sensational taste filled her mouth. The meat was tender and flavoursome. The pepper added a spicy punch to complement its impact. Despite being cooked much rarer than she might have usually liked, it was excellent and left her wanting more.
Wanting to return the favour, she quickly picked up a piece of her salmon and held it out to him with a shy smile. She barely caught the twinkle in his eyes before he darted forward at lighting speed and nabbed the food off of her fork, completely unabashed. A wide grin spread across his face as he nodded emphatically to show his approval before returning his attention to his food and demolished the remainder of it.
Lucy followed in short order, lamenting as she finished the last morsel and wishing that she could have gone on eating more and more until she was full to bursting but that just couldn't be. She pouted slightly and savoured the taste as long as it remained to her.
The two of them left the restaurant before long, after a short debate on how best to settle the bill. Natsu had ended up paying in the end, giving her his best attempt at puppy-dog eyes until she eventually conceded the argument in between fits of giggles.
After that, they had left the restaurant and made their way to the theatre singing together the whole way. Lucy loved every moment of it. When at last they arrived, they quickly shuffled inside and bought tickets. Natsu paid for the tickets while Lucy had insisted on paying for the snacks. Walking side by side, they walked into their screen and took their seats to await the start of the film.
It was some hours later when they emerged into the foyer, blinking in the face of the bright lighting. Natsu stretched with a slight yawn. He found himself feeling drained after the movie.
"That movie was way longer than I was expecting!" He laughed.
"What did you expect? it's a really long musical in the theatres. They actually did a great job to cut it down so much and still keep the key essence of the story. It was a really great adaptation." She answered, rolling her eyes playfully.
She had been in her element the whole way through, mouthing the lyrics to all of the songs and grinning whenever her favourite lines had come up. She had read the book many years ago and had fallen in love with it, but even she had begun to feel a little worn out once it had crossed the three hour mark.
"Wait, that wasn't the whole thing?!" He asked in complete surprise. He had loved seeing Lucy so happy as they watched it, sneaking glances over at her whenever he believed that she wouldn't notice.
"Yeah, there is easily another hour or so of material that they could have put in, but I'm glad they didn't. It was great as it was, thanks for asking me out here today Natsu."
When they stepped outside, Natsu was shocked to see that the sky had darkened and that the first inkling of the stars had begun to show in the sky. The two of them climbed into Natsu's car and he began to drive her back to her house. She leaned her head against the window and looked up at the sky with an occupied expression. With each moment that passed, and every mile closer to Lucy's home that they got, he felt his heart sink. It had been a great day and he lamented the idea that it would soon be coming to an end.
"You can never see the stars clearly in this city…" Lucy said with a sigh. "I wish that sometimes they would turn off some of the lights so we can all see the stars."
Natsu listened to her and the idea leapt into his mind. Quickly planning a route in his head, he turned off from the main road and drove down a side road leading to the suburbs. Lucy turned to look at him quizzically but refrained from asking when he shot her a knowing smile.
He drove out through the suburbs and beyond a short way. The skies above darkened into an inky black as the city lights faded away behind them. After a half hour driving, Natsu pulled in at the side of the road and switched off the engine. Climbing out, he walked around and popped the trunk of his car, even as Lucy made to follow. She found him stood behind the car, wrestling with a blanket in an attempt to roll it up and tuck it under one arm. By his feet rested a large torch.
Before she could say anything, he managed to get the blanket under his arm and picked up the torch. He held it with the same arm that held the blanket clamped to his side and switched the light on. Taking Lucy's hand with his free one, he led the way away from the car and onto a small walking path. He kept the torch levelled on the ground in front of them and set off along it. Lucy followed eagerly, trying to watch her step while keeping pace with her date.
She was confused as to where they were going but trusted that everything would become clear before too long, knowing that Natsu had to have brought her out here for a reason. As it turned out, the answer to her questions presented itself before too long.
They had been walking for only five minutes when the path that they were on began to climb. The slope was a subtle one at first but quickly grew in its incline until they were both out of breath and their legs burned. As they walked, Lucy regretted not having worn a more robust pair of shoes but didn't say a word in complaint.
Before too much longer, the path crested the hill and Natsu pulled her off to one side and came to a stop. Lucy opened her mouth to ask one of the multitudes of questions that were whizzing around in her mind but she was stopped when Natsu calmly placed a finger to her lips with a smile.
Lucy was glad for the darkness on the hilltop for hiding her blush but couldn't bring herself to look away from him. With a smile, he withdrew his hand and silently pointed up before flicking off the torch in his hand.
It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the pitch dark once the torchlight was gone but once they did, she understood just what Natsu had been pointing at and why he had brought her to the hilltop in the first place. Looking up she marvelled as one by one the countless numbers of stars began to appear. Her breath hitched in her chest as their radiance presented itself like so many brilliant diamonds laid out of a deep velvet cloth.
"Natsu I…." She began but the words died in her throat before she could finish. She looked over each and every one of the constellations overhead, recognising them all in an instant like old friends she hadn't seen in years but had never truly forgotten.
"You said that you missed the stars, so I thought we could make a slight detour." He said with a slight chuckle, even as he laid out the blanket on the grass of the hilltop. He took a seat and patted the ground beside him, inviting her to join him.
She hesitated for a moment, torn between the stars overhead and moving to join him. She quickly looked away and dashed over to sit beside him. No sooner had she sat down than her eyes returned to the sky above with a wide smile on her face.
"Look over there, that's Aquarius the water bearer! That was always my favourite when I was a little girl." She said excitedly, pointing to a cluster of stars in the southern sky before shifting to point at another. "And that's Leo the lion, and ruler of the twelve zodiac."
"You really know the stars well don't you?" He asked, happy to see her excitement.
"Yeah! My mom and I used to stay up in the summer and look at the stars. She is the one that taught me everything I know about them. She even bought a telescope so that we could see them all better. She always loved the stars, and after a few years, I came to love them just as much as she did."
"That sounds amazing. I'm glad that you got to spend that time with your Mom. So what are the other constellations up there?"
With that, Lucy launched into a long talk about all of the constellations that she knew as well as the stories that were associated with them. All the while Natsu listened, marvelling at the enthusiasm that was rife in her voice. Time passed and even as they sat there the moon began to climb ever higher.
When she finally finished, the winds had risen and begun to blow across the exposed hilltop. Natsu noticed as Lucy shivered beside him. Quite without thinking, he leaned over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Without hesitation, she leaned into him and marvelled at the incredible warmth that his body seemed to radiate.
Looking up at him, she caught his eye and favoured him with a smile. She stared into the depths of his sage eyes and felt like she could stay there enveloped in them forever.
"Thanks for this Natsu. It feels like it's been forever since I last got to sit and see the stars. It's almost like I'm back at my Mom's telescope again and I can't tell you how much that means to me. It feels like I'm connected to her again." She whispered above the wind.
"That's okay Luce, I just wanted to make you smile. I'm just glad that you had a good time."
"I had the best time. It was almost perfect." As she spoke, she felt herself subconsciously begin to lean in ever so slowly towards him, their eyes still locked together.
"Almost?" He asked, beginning to lean in towards her. By now his voice was barely a whisper, the slightly gravelly tone still creeping in to provide it an almost carnal nature that set her heart going "What can I do to make that totally?"
"Just…" She answered, bringing her lips to within mere millimetres of his. "One…" she said as her eyes fluttered closed. "Thing…" She finished as she brought their lips together at long last in a final action that fate itself seemed to want.