It's just simply my favorite scene.
Natsu and Gray had left on a mission together a week ago and while Lucy was a little irritated they didn't invite her, she decided that the break could give her time to catch up on her writing considering when the fire slayer was around, he'd often be too distracting for her to concentrate. For the first few days she worked at her novel, slowly chipping away at the story, line by line, paragraph by chapter. She was almost finished with it, after what, 10 years, but eventually she hit a wall, as she sometimes did letting her know it was time to take a break.
She had breakfast at the guild that morning, lunch at a café with her friend Levy where they chatted about a new book the girl had just purchased, and after a simple dinner at home, Lucy was ready to settle into her PJ's with a cup of tea. Curled up on her couch with a notebook and pen in case inspiration hit her, the warmth the drink brings is so tepid compared to her best friend. A sigh escapes her lips, she didn't always like it when he snuck into her home or bed, especially when she was in it, but on cooler nights, like this autumn day, the heater like qualities of his body was a soothing comfort that nothing else could provide; not that she was going to admit that to him. If you didn't count the seven years they spent frozen on Tenrou, she had only known him for three, and yet she often felt like they had known each other forever. They had been through so much, both come so far together, and it was quite an amazing journey; but nothing can top the beginning of it. Lucy smiles when she remembers their first encounter and her pen touches down along the lines of her notebook…
I had managed to reach the Hargeon port city and learned that the famous Salamander would be in town.I was quite excited, assuming it really was 'thee' Salamander, as in from Fairytail, the one guild I dreamed about joining since I was a lonely little girl.Following the sounds of screaming women, I knew he had to be close, Oh My Goodness I was really going to meet him! But when I arrived the man standing before us didn't seem like the person I had read about in my Sorcerer's Weekly, come to think of it, his appearance didn't match the descriptions at all.But none of that mattered once I was swept up in the wave of fan girls, hooked by an illegal charm spell…And that was when he arrived.Another males voice calling out 'Salamander…' broke the hold of the spell, shattered it, never to lure me again.I looked and a young man, maybe my age, maybe a little older with a blue cat ran into the crowd.Who was this guy with the crazy spiky pink hair?
The man surrounded by all the woman turned to look and the boy stopped cold, he wasn't the 'Salamander' he had been looking for.Upset and irritated, a comment he uttered sent the entranced women into a frenzy.I stayed out of the fray and waited till he was left alone before approaching him.Thank you for breaking the spell on me, I had told him, but he just looked confused, he hadn't done anything was his response.But still, I wanted to thank them regardless if they understood what they had done or not and lunch seemed like a simple way of showing it.
Of course, if I had known then, what I know now about Natsu's eating habits, I might have picked a cheaper establishment, my goodness that guy could put away some food!I babbled about what I was doing, how I hoped to one day get in to my dream guild…I can't believe he didn't tell me at that point who he really was!But I digress, the events that took place afterwards were the beginning of my adventure with him, and, sigh, a pattern of saving my butt time and again, but still looking back on it all… it was such an amazing sight to see Natsu in action that first time!I watched from the shore as he clobbered Bora, simply in awe; this was the real Salamander of Fairytail!
I think a small part of me fell in love that very moment, but I had chalked it up to simply being amazed at seeing a real dragon slayer, I mean a real dragon slayer!It was naivety on my part, I mean it's not like I had experience with guys before to know the racing heart, the flushed sensations, the electric shocks pulsing through my body, were all signs of attraction.And Natsu was no different.Caring, touchy feely, fine, but love, as in romantic love, I don't know if it ever crosses his mind… Sigh…At least when it comes to me…
Anyways, maybe a year after joining the guild I over heard a couple members talking about charm spells and that's when I found out only a soulmate can break it.No special incantations necessary, they just need to be in the area and poof, it breaks the spell.I remember looking over at Natsu, who was sitting at a table bickering with Gray and thinking, could it have been…Again, at the time my naivety said no, that it couldn't be true, maybe someone else was in the area and it just so happens Natsu was the only other male I saw.
Regardless of what is true or not, if he broke the spell or not, what is true, is I fell in love with my best friend.Who wouldn't?He is always there for me, brings me the most comfort, and joy, and laughter, and tears both happy and sad… I wouldn't trade him for the world.I'd risk my life, and I have, to save him.She shudders and stills her pen; the words disappearing from his book still give her nightmares. As far as I'm concerned, he is my soulmate…And thanks to that accidental meeting in Hargeon, where our relationship all began, I'm happy, and right where I belong.Maybe one day, I'll even have the courage to tell him the truth…
Lucy puts the pen down and closes her eyes. Sigh, So many wonderful memories… A yawn escapes. And so many more to come she's sure of it… With a lingering smile on her face she drifts into slumber-land...
~x~
Late that evening, around midnight, Natsu reaches the city and the first thing he wants to do is check on his teammate. He hasn't seen her in a week and frankly, missed her a lot; well maybe worried was another way of putting it, he hated being separated from her for too long. Even though she was most likely asleep by that hour, if he could just see she was okay, he'd feel better. He didn't know why Gray had dragged him on that mission in the first place, why not Erza or Juvia, or at least let Lucy come along, but no he had insisted on just the two of them. Yeah, it was to grill him about his relationship with Lucy, or lack thereof. What relationship? The fact she's my best friend? It was about time to just make her an official girlfriend, was the leading argument, everyone thinks so, was the next. Did Gray really think he was going to tell him the truth? Snowflake tried his best but Natsu wasn't gonna give it up. He didn't care what anyone else thought, all that mattered to him was Lucy's opinion.
The truth was, he loved her, always has, always will. Natsu remembers the day they met like it was yesterday, Hargeon port, the fake Salamander, getting beat up by those women and then looking up into those pretty brown eyes... Of course, he didn't know it at the time, but that was the moment that would change his life forever. Even though he had been angry for being given wrong information, and was sad that his dad wasn't there, when he thinks about it now, thank Mavis he had gone. Their friendship had grown so much until the bond they shared was simply unbreakable and yes, undeniable. All he thought about, or cared about now was her safety and he'd be damned if anyone ever tried to hurt her! His mind slips back to that day when Dimaria was torturing them and he woke to see his teammate bloody and bound; a switch flipped in his head and just the thought of losing her was too much on his mind. He shakes the images away, never again did he want to feel those emotions.
But the problem was, he could never tell her, he just didn't know how to say how he felt and so, he kept it locked away, carrying on as the best of friends and nothing more. Lucy didn't seem to mind keeping things that way, she's never given him a reason to think otherwise, and since she's always turned away other suitors, he figured why rock the boat now.
His smile brightens as her apartment comes into view; the window was open, but the lights were still on and that he hadn't planned for. He listened for any noises but heard none, so with a quick leap, ventured into the abode. 'Figures…' he chuckled in his head as soon as he saw the notebook in her lap; she had fallen asleep while writing. It was a common enough sight to find and usually he would bundle her up and carry her to her bed but as soon as he looked at the words on the paper he stopped dead in his tracks; this wasn't one of her stories, it was more like a journal entry. He looked away, feeling guilty for even seeing it, and yet his curiosity screamed for him to read it; and won.
The first four paragraphs simply made him smile as she recounted their first meeting but as soon as he started on the fifth his heart began to pound… '…I think a small part of me fell in love that very moment… it's not like I had experience with guys before to know the racing heart, the flushed sensations, the electric shocks pulsing through my body, were all signs of attraction.' Reading on, it was the final paragraphs that simply brought tears to his eyes. 'Regardless of what is true or not, if he broke the spell or not, what is true, is I fell in love with my best friend.Who wouldn't?He is always there for me, brings me the most comfort, and joy, and laughter, and tears both happy and sad… I wouldn't trade him for the world.I'd risk my life, and I have, to save him.As far as I'm concerned, he is my soulmate…And thanks to that accidental meeting in Hargeon, where our relationship all began, I'm happy, and right where I belong.Maybe one day, I'll even have the courage to tell him the truth…
Natsu's knees buckle and he kneels on the side of the couch just staring at Lucy. The flood gates had opened and there was no stopping them, this girl not only felt the same way about him that he felt for her but… her words… She was truly a queen in his eyes, beautiful on the inside and out; Lucy kicks and all. Exhale. How did he manage to win the heart of someone so special, so… "perfect…" he breathes out; it almost scared him more to know she felt the same way. How was he supposed to hide his emotions now? Every time he looked at her the truth would be dancing in front of his eyes...
The sleeping girl smiles like the dream she was having just turned pleasant, "Natsu…" mumbling his name. Was she dreaming about him too! That, was it for him, whatever tears had begun to slow became a torrent once again as he crushes her in a hug and the notebook tumbles to the ground. "Natsu?" Lucy's eyes pop open and the first thing she hears is sniffling and wetness against her skin. "Natsu, what's wrong?!" Panic sets it, did something happen on the mission? Is he okay? Why is he crying! "Natsu, tell me what's wrong!" she hugs him back. "Oh, my Mavis are you hurt? Are you okay?"
"N-nothing's wr-wrong…" he stammers and buries his face against the crook of her neck. "I… I saw what you wrote about me…"
"You what!" her scream echoes in his ears. "You read my journal!" She tries to push him off, completely mortified. "I can't believe you…"
But his grip tightens around her; it was the moment of truth. With a deep exhale, "I love you…" the words that had plagued him, scared him, wisp past his lips as softly as a breeze stunning the blonde into silence. He sits back to meet her gaze, tears were already pooling at the edges of her lids, "…and I'm right where I belong too."
