Bonus Day Drive prompt
He'd learned over the years not to bother her when she was like this, hunched over her laptop, consigned to the study only stopping to eat, sleep, and take care of personal hygiene. Lucy's routines had changed little, only increasing if anything now that she had made it as an author. But Natsu didn't mind one bit.
They had met before she became famous, back in middle school the stories were just ideas, by high school they had been committed to paper. She always shared them with him and he thought they were great, so he supported and coaxed her to never give up on her dreams, so by the time they graduated, Lucy had been published several times as an amateur writer. Her short stories and poems gave her a purpose in life and Natsu would do anything to help her with that. He was there through all the trials and rejections, and he was there when she had her first success.
It was in their senior year of college that Lucy had finally garnered the attention of a small publishing house who sent her first novel to print and now 5 years later, her third was almost complete. The deadline for her editor was just one month away, hence the seclusion, so Natsu bided his time, patiently waiting like he always did and planning…
~~X~~
Natsu hears the front door opening and closing, keys heard clattering onto the counter signaling his girlfriend's arrival home and he rounds the corner just as Lucy is shrugging off her coat.
"How'd it go?" giving her a quick peck on the cheek
"Levy thinks it'll be another success."
He takes her coat and hangs it up, "sounds great Luce, now you can relax."
"And that starts right now with a nice hot bath."
"Thought you'd say that," smiling, "got the tub all ready for you."
"Mmm," kissing him, "what would I do without you Natsu."
Grin, "seeing you happy, makes me happy," returning the kiss, "now you go relax and by the time you get out I'll have dinner made…"
~~X~~
A week later, the young couple were driving through the countryside on their way to a bed and breakfast Natsu had found. It was a nice change of pace, Lucy had to admit, usually he'd book them a flight somewhere to get away, but this time had chosen to drive. There were no airports where he planned to take her, was his explanation but, frankly, she didn't care where they went so long as he was at her side.
She stared out the passenger window, watching as the landscape changed along the way from grasslands to forests and back again, rolling hills dotted with livestock, wooden fences and scattered homes, it was all so beautiful for the mostly city girl. Lucy sees the smile on her boyfriend's face in the reflection and it brings out her own. While writing will always be her first love, Natsu Dragneel was the love of her life, second to none. She'd give up writing in a heartbeat if he asked her to, but what made her fall in love in the first place, was he encouraged the opposite. His gentle pushes to follow her dreams, and the ever-present comfort and support he gave her is the reason she was a success.
"Penny for your thoughts," Natsu's voice pulls her away from her day dreams.
"This trip is different from the others," she smiles and turns to face him, "but that somehow makes me more excited."
"Oh?"
"This scenery is so refreshing," gazing out the window again with a sigh to her tone, "I could almost picture living in a place like this, maybe at least having a cottage to run away to," turning back to him, "wouldn't that be nice?"
He takes her hand, squeezing lightly, "I agree."
~~X~~
"So, what's on today's agenda?" Lucy smiles at the man in the driver's seat. Natsu had done a great job planning out this little vacation, from the beautiful bed and breakfast they were staying in, down to their daily activities, always making sure to mix relaxation in with fun and new sights to see. It was almost sad to think they'd be heading home the next day.
"For the morning I though we'd play tourist," smiling back at his girl, "the next town over has a lot of little shops and road side stands to see, maybe pick up a few more souvenirs."
"You really did your homework, I see my research obsession may have rubbed off on you."
He laughs, "How could it not, especially once I started assisting you with them."
"And I appreciate it all. I even get the sense that parts of this trip have had a purpose."
Gasp! "You've caught me," grinning, "I know you've never really experienced the country-side and now if you want to write about it, you'll have a better understanding of it."
"If that's the case, the next trip should be to some tropical island cause you know," tossing a wink, "trying to describe sand beneath your feet would be much easier when you've tried it before."
He grabs her hand and brings the back of it to his lips, "I'll keep that in mind…"
There was one main street in the town and true to his word there were many little stores to peruse through. Curio and antique shops filled with trinkets and unique items, hand crafted art pieces, and other knick-knacks showcasing the areas agricultural heritage. Lucy didn't think little ceramic cow figurines could be so interesting because frankly they weren't, but it seemed much more exciting to find with Natsu as her treasure hunting buddy.
The locals were friendly with outsiders, and that made it all the more refreshing to see such down to earth people when you're usually surrounded by city dwellers more interested in anonymity and privacy. Everything about the picturesque town appealed to the young couple, fresh air with hints of citrus from nearby orchards, sounds of birds and crickets instead of cars and machinery, and the stars at night, so unbidden without the glare of false light to hamper their glow.
As Natsu watched Lucy chatting away with one of the roadside vendors he could only stand back, smitten. It was so natural to envision her in this setting on a permanent basis, maybe a child or two at her side… He smiles at the picture in his mind, is it really such a farfetched idea, she did say that it would be nice to have a home out here. One day, maybe, his girl in a light summery dress, in an apron, baking cookies in the kitchen or tending to flowers in a garden, yes, such a beautiful sight it would be.
~~X~~
After paying the entrance fee for the apple orchard, Natsu and Lucy follow a guide around the expansive property. Storage buildings, machinery for watering and fertilizing, this farm used ATV's and trailers to transport harvested apples from the fields to the processing stations, and teams of people picked the apples by hand to reduce damage and bruising. This was a fairly large operation but it sure didn't seem like it since everyone was working so smoothly. They had been told that the owners treated their employees well and it kept moral and production up, even hiring many of the high schoolers during the summer for the peak picking season.
At the end of the tour, they were taken to a section of the orchard close to the main facility, where guests were given a box and allowed to pick as much as that box could hold which Natsu guessed was about two dozen. So, with one last lesson on what to look for in terms of ripeness and quality, the young couple set off into the trees.
Natsu carried their box as Lucy walked ahead of him searching through the branches for apples that caught her eye. She was so striking with the light filtering against her sun-kissed locks created an aura around her and for a moment he needed to release the breath he had been withholding. It was magical in a way, as he gripped a small felt box in his pocket, the Gods were setting up the scene he had only hoped for, but it was up to him to take advantage of it.
"I think we can reach these," her voice transports him back to their mission. She turns to look at where her boyfriend was standing, staring at her. "What?" checking her clothing. "Do I have a bug on me or something?"
"No," he smiles and closes the distance, "I was just thinking how the sunlight makes you shine."
She blushes, "Natsu, is the heat getting to you? Maybe we should hurry and get back to the B&B, so you can rest."
"I'm fine," reaching up to pick an apple, "nothing wrong with admiring something beautiful, right?"
"You're such a weirdo sometimes!" Lucy turns to focus on picking more apples and hide the crimson coloring her cheeks.
This was such the perfect opportunity with her back turned, as Natsu pretends to go about their task of filling the box with apples.
"Hey Lucy, come see this apple, it's got something sticking out of it."
"What are you talking about," she turns and walks back to where he is, "it better not be just the stem…"
"I swear it's not," he hands the fruit to her, careful to face the object away from her.
Lucy takes it, "It looks norm…" turning it in her hands she pauses, eyes widening at the sight and heat rushing to her face as she sees him drop down before her.
He takes the apple back, pulling the ring from where he'd stuck it into its flesh, and holds it up to her. "Will you marry me Lucy Heartfillia?"
Seconds tick by, counted by each beat of her hammering heart as Natsu grasps her left hand. He watched with earnest for her response, and moisture gathers around the corners of her brightened eyes while her brain caught up to what was happening. The internal voice was screaming yes over and over, but her mouth ran dry, choking on the word that wanted to escape its lips, so she did the only thing that she could force out.
Nodding her head, Lucy drops to her knees and throws her arms around him.
"You're nodding yes, right?" he hugs her close.
And its just a whisper mixed with sobs, "yes! Oh God, Yes!"
Natsu leans back enough to kiss and lean his forehead against hers, "You've made me the happiest man in the world Luce." He takes a moment to slip the ring on her finger. "And I'm gonna take care of you for the rest of our lives."
"You had this all planned, didn't you? Driving us out to the country to relax? Even coming to this orchard?"
"The driving part yes, I wanted to propose somewhere away from the city." He sits back and caresses her cheek, "but this place ended up being a perfect impromptu choice."
She sniffles but smiles and leans into his hand with her eyes closed, "that it was," sigh, "that it was…"