Lucy sighed when the final bell rang, being reminded for the fifth time that day that it was her last Friday of high school. Every other senior seemed to be buzzing with excitement, discussing their plans before going off to college.
"Yo, Luce, how're you doin'?" Natsu asked when she stepped into the hallway. He could always tell when there was something wrong, but he still wouldn't pry unless he absolutely needed to, knowing Lucy would open up if she wanted to.
"I'm fine, Natsu…" Lucy lied, avoiding his gaze. "You wanna come over for a bit? I got more of those spicy chips that you love."
Natsu gave her a look before grinning, pulling her through the crowd. "Then what are we standing around for?"
Natsu put down his 3DS, looking to Lucy as she stared blankly at her screen. "Alright, Luce, what's wrong?" He asked, scooting across Lucy's bed so they were closer.
Lucy turned her 3DS off, placing it next to Natsu's on the bedside table. "We only have three days of high school left, which means we're just a few months away from being separated by college…" She almost whispered, pulling her knees to her chest. "I'm not ready to be an actual adult." There were tears in her eyes now, the lump in her throat making it hard to talk.
"I don't want us to be separated either, but we still have four months, why not make the best of it?" Natsu suggested, putting a comforting arm over Lucy's shoulder.
Lucy turned her head into his scarf as her tears began to fall. "We both know it'll feel like less than a month." She said weakly, curling into Natsu's side. "Even when I come home, we won't have time for anything…"
Natsu pulled Lucy into his lap as she began to sob, ignoring the conflicting feelings within him to try and properly comfort her. "We don't have to do anything big when you visit, we can just talk and hang out."
It took Lucy almost half an hour to calm down, realizing just how close her face was to Natsu's when she had finally done so.
Their noses were nearly touching, breath mixing between them with every exhale. He shamelessly stared at her lips as she felt his heartbeat increase to a rate quicker than hers.
The distance between the two slowly began to shrink as Lucy's eyes drifted shut "Only four months left…" Lucy thought as their noses brushed, heat practically radiating from her face.
She could feel the smallest touch on her lips before it was gone, her shoulders being pushed back. Her eyes shot open, barely catching herself before falling off the bed.
Natsu was holding her at arm's length, eyes wide with fear and confusion as he stared right at her. "Luce, I'm so sorry, but your emotions are all...weird right now." Natsu almost whispered, releasing his grip on Lucy's shoulders. "I should go." Natsu stood up once Lucy slid off his lap, grabbing his bag and leaving without another word.
Lucy shoved her face into a pillow once she heard the front door close, letting out a muffled scream.
Quite a short chapter this time, but worry not, this is just build up for the last part! I'm roughly half way done with the last bit, so it won't be too long before I post it, but I need to write what may be the epilogue first to see if I want to just make it the end of the last chapter or its own little thing.
Either way, the last piece of this fic that I post will have some big news in it about future stories that I plan to write, and some last little side notes about this story!
Thank you all for reading, remember that reviews are greatly appreciated!