I wrote this chapter in one sitting.. Am I okay?
Everyone's reviews last chapter made me so happy, honestly. It really encouraged me to do a better job. You guys are amazing. :') Thank you.
NEW ONE-SHOT COMING NEXT WEEK.
I will be publishing a one-shot on January 1st! And of course, it will be an angst one-shot~
I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and I hope everyone has a great New Year's Eve/Day!
See you guys next year. ;3 And enjoy the cute Nalu fluff in this chapter!
"I am so not ready for the physics test, Lu-chan," Levy says as she anxiously gulps her bottle of water at lunch.
"My studying has helped a little," I admit, although I was helped by Natsu and it actually helped a lot.
"Tell me your secrets," she pleads.
"It looks like you're about to kiss Lucy," Cana laughs loudly from across the table.
"You're not allowed to do that," Gajeel states, wrapping an arm around Levy's neck to pull her back from me.
"I don't want to fail the test, guys!" she whines like a child.
"Juvia believes Levy will do great," she encourages.
"You'll do fine," I agree, giving her a pat on the shoulder.
"I took my physics test today," Wendy reveals quietly.
"How was it?!" Levy exclaims while slamming a hand on the table.
"It was a lot easier than I expected it to be," she smiles.
"There's hope," Levy breathes out in relief.
I give her a strange look; I thought I was stressed. Looking at Levy, it seems as if her hair is falling out.
"We can do this," I tell Levy.
"Yes, we can," she nods confidently.
Despite the fact that what we're saying are simple words, they seem to work. Throughout the rest of the day, I feel positive I will make a decent grade on the test.
With that feeling, I find myself in a better mood than usual. When was the last time I felt this happy?
"You're happy," Gajeel remarks behind me as we walk into English. He must see the bounce in my step.
"Just a little," I reply.
We sit down and I anticipate for the bell to ring so I'm able to see Natsu. I'm so filled with glee I feel as though I could laugh.
Truthfully, it's odd to feel my heart speed up at the sight of Natsu. It's almost nostalgic.
"Everyone looks exhausted," Natsu immediately notices, leaning against the board.
"So do you, Natsu," Meredy is the only one to respond.
"I'm old," he shrugs.
"How old are you?" she asks.
I stare at the fuchsia-haired girl who thinks she's the only person in the entire room. I hold back an annoyed sigh.
"That's not important," Natsu shakes his head slightly.
"But I want to know," Meredy complains childishly.
"Meredy has no boundaries," somebody whispers, but Natsu doesn't hear.
"Since we're all tired, I'm going to do you guys a favor and not teach today," Natsu states.
It's silent as everyone looks at Natsu with large eyes.
"What?" his eyes widen with us. "Is there something behind me?"
"You're the best, Natsu!" somebody cheers.
"I know," he gives us a smug smile. "Everyone relax today. I'll be at my desk."
"Natsu is happy, too," Gajeel says slowly.
"It's weird," I look at Natsu ruffling the large sheets of newspaper in front of him.
"Well, whatever," Gajeel folds his arms on his desk. "Wake me up when class is over."
"Sure," I roll my eyes.
I blankly look down at my desk for a while. I could use this free time to study, but I'll be studying with Natsu after class.
I raise my head slightly to steal a glance at Natsu. I'm only able to see his right eye. The hazel eye is completely fixated on what he's reading—steadily traveling left to right.
His eye twitches for a second and then instantly connects with mine. I'm about to nod my head as a hello, but I freeze.
His eye nearly squints; he's gently smiling at me.
Then as if nothing happened, he returns to his newspaper.
I try not to smile too wide and go back to looking at my desk. I feel like an excited child for some strange reason.
"Meredy, you're so sneaky!" a girl giggles, pushing Meredy lightly.
"Do you think it's going to work?" Meredy questions with mischievous eyes.
"It has to work," another girl says with a grin. "You're a genius."
"I know," Meredy brushes her hair to the side.
I'm assuming the gesture was meant to make her look cool, but all it did was mess up the back of her hair.
The girls continue to babble nonsense, but I don't miss a word. They're my only entertainment for the class.
"Hey, Gajeel," I give his shoulder a push. "Class is almost over."
His snores don't falter and I look at my hand hesitantly.
"Gajeel," I force myself to push him harder.
"There's only one thing I can do," I sigh nervously. I reach for a random lock of his mane-like hair and give it a light tug.
"What do you think you're doing?" Gajeel growls immediately. He turns his head to me with sharp red eyes.
"Y-You wouldn't wake up," I stammer, scooting my chair away so if he reaches for me I'll have time to scream for help.
"If you touch me one more time," he threatens.
"It won't happen again!" I squeak.
"Good," he says as the bell rings. "See you tomorrow."
"Bye," I wave while he walks away.
My heart is pounding as I lift my schoolbag from my desk. I'm passing by Natsu's desk when his soft voice floats in my ear.
"Did you just get bullied?" he chuckles.
"You saw that?" I ask with warm cheeks. He nods with amused eyes.
"I hope Gajeel bullies you someday," I pout after realizing Natsu is simply mocking me.
He continues to chuckle as I stick my tongue out at him. Then with one last look, I nod my goodbye.
I thought I was the only one in the classroom, but I notice Meredy with her two friends are hardly rising from their seats to leave.
I make my legs move as I exit the classroom. Before I realize what I'm doing, I'm leaning against a wall that is somewhat near Natsu's classroom.
My breath hitches in my throat when only two people exit the classroom, leaving Meredy inside.
I'm too far away to hear the girls whisper together. I'm brimming with worry and I'm just about to go inside Natsu's classroom, but Meredy exits the classroom with a grin. She does a thumbs up to her friends.
"I can't take this anymore," I mutter as I watch the girls skip away into the opposite direction.
I stride to Natsu's classroom and try to close the door behind me as quietly as I can.
"Natsu?" I ask with a voice that I didn't expect to sound so afraid.
"Luce," he realizes as he turns to me with surprise. "You're early."
"What did Meredy say to you?" I blurt out.
He gives me a look with a flicker in his eyes.
"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you."
"Why not?" I inquire.
"It's something I can't tell another student," he responds.
"Really?" I ask dumbfounded.
"Sorry," he scratches the back of his head.
"Is it anything bad?" I ask out of curiosity.
"I've heard worse," he shrugs. "There's some food in the teacher's lounge and I don't want to miss it. Can you stay here while I go get some for us?"
"Sure," I reply as I stroll to the desk I sat at yesterday during our studying. He exits the classroom without another word.
Meredy is still in my mind, but I shove her all the way to the back.
I lounge around the classroom for several minutes when there's a knock at the door. I don't hesitate to open it.
"Oh," Gray and I say together after our eyes land on each other.
"Natsu is helping me study," I tell him right away.
"Well, that's good," Gray clears his throat. "Where is he right now?"
"He went to the teacher's lounge," I inform awkwardly.
He nods and is about to leave, but he pauses.
"Are you and Natsu alright?" he asks.
"We're alright, I think," I frown at the question. "Why?"
"Lately, Natsu seems depressed about something," Gray mumbles.
"Really?" my mouth falls open slightly.
"Talk to him soon, okay?" he says.
"Will do," I nod.
"Thanks," he gives me a smile. "Enjoy you're studying."
"Wait!" I call out to him after he begins to walk away. I poke my head out of the classroom to get a better look at him.
"Are you and your girlfriend doing well?" I ask.
"Extremely," he replies then spins around to resume walking away.
I whistle as my response and he waves his hand to me without turning around. I grin while going back inside the classroom.
For some reason, Natsu's chair lures my legs to it. I sit in the comfortable chair and imitate his movements by resting my feet on his desk.
"What are you doing?" Natsu scoffs when he comes back. He has two plastic plates in his hands.
"Your chair looked comfy," I answer.
"Is it?" he asks, getting closer to the desk and placing the plates down.
I nod with a smile. I remove my feet from the desk and I'm just about to lift myself off, but Natsu gets in my way.
"This food looks delicious," he states while sitting down on top of me.
"Natsu!" I giggle as his back presses into my face.
"I wish you could try it, Luce," he says, chewing his food. "But it's a good thing you're comfortable."
"I would try it if you got off of me!" I exclaim in between my giggles.
I poke his back several times but he doesn't budge.
"You're so heavy," I groan. I lean my cheek against his back in the meantime. I'm able to hear the strong thump of his heartbeat.
When I think he's completely calmed down, I swiftly push his back.
"Do you actually think that type of thing would work?" he chuckles after my arms go limp.
"I didn't think you were paying attention to me," I sigh.
"I always am," he responds softly.
I look up at him and view his hair; the ends of his hair has a slight curl to it. I want to reach for it.
My hand is halfway in the air when my stomach growls.
"Somebody's hungry," Natsu says, rising from the seat.
"My legs are asleep," I examine my non-moving legs.
"Here," he leans down to me with his hands extended to me.
"Thanks," I reply as I slip my hands into his. He pulls me out from the chair, but my legs feels like jello. I lean against Natsu's desk, placing my hands down as my support.
"This is your fault," I whine.
"That's alright," he shrugs.
"You were in a good mood in class today," I say, looking down at our feet instead of him. "Why were you?"
"I noticed you were in a good mood, too," he counters.
"I'm not worried about my test that much anymore," I explain. "I know I'm going to do well on it."
"That's right," he nods in agreement.
"Why were you in a good mood?" I ask.
"Because," he coughs, averting his eyes away. "I saw you smiling in the hallways."
"So what?" I raise an eyebrow.
"Seeing your smile relaxes me," he answers.
"Oh," my eyes widen.
"Let me be happy, Luce," he mutters, leaning towards me and pressing his forehead to mine.
"I want you to be happy," I reply, looking at his eyes that I've missed so much. Gray's words replay in my ears.
"Are you happy?" I ask.
"Only when I'm with you," he breathes out.
We're silent as we listen to our heartbeats.
"Can we go somewhere on Saturday?" I ask.
"And Sunday?" he adds.
I laugh softly as we nod—our foreheads bumping against each other gently.
It's clear we've both missed each other to no end.
The feel in the classroom is much more different compared to yesterday. Today it seems as if we're really together. It's a nice feeling.
"My legs aren't asleep anymore," I say, but I don't move from my position.
"Can I kiss you?" he asks just above a whisper.
"Okay," I answer while his hand comes up to hold my chin.
I'm on a cloud when Natsu's lips brush upon mine. His lips are warm and only heat up the more we kiss.
My hands have naturally entered his hair and aimlessly run through it. When we part, we're out of breath. His breaths tickle my skin.
We're quiet as we catch up with our breaths but my stomach slices into the silence.
"Somebody's hungry," he repeats with a chuckle.
"We've been here for an hour already and I haven't started studying yet," I realize.
Natsu ignores me as he leans in to give me another tender kiss. I feel his teeth graze my bottom lip as he pulls away.
"Okay, let's start now," he says.
"You can't just do that," I pout, reluctantly following him to the desks after stealing a few bites of his food.
The air surrounding us seems to shine as we study.
"Time for a quiz," Natsu reveals after we've studied for an hour and a half. He goes to the board.
"W-What?!" I exclaim.
"For every equation you get wrong, there's a penalty," he warns, popping the lid off his marker.
"What is it?" I question.
"You'll see," he gives me a smile that's layered with mischief.
I watch as Natsu starts to write equations all across the board. Looking at it as a whole makes my head ache, but I understand it.
"Too easy, Natsu," I grin as I answer the equations like it's simple math.
"You're done?" he inquires once I drop my pencil on my desk.
"Yep," I reply confidently.
"Hey, you might just pass this test," he smirks after grading the pop quiz.
"What do you mean might?" I narrow my eyes at him.
"Jellal will be extremely impressed after you take his test," he corrects himself.
"I'll take it," I shrug at the exaggerated compliment.
Natsu and I share a laugh. With him helping me study, I feel that I'll be able to ace anything.
"Can you help me study with all my tests?" I ask.
"All of them?" he inquires.
"You don't have to do help me on all of them," I stammer. "But every other test or so…"
"I'll help you on all of them," he declares.
"You don't have to—"
"We'll see each other more that way, right?" he reminds me.
"Yeah," I nod.
My eyes follow him sitting beside me. His eyes bore into mine.
"I'm not going to be able to control myself anymore," he admits as he runs his thumb across my cheek.
I don't say anything back; it's tempting to see him without control, but we promised that we'd wait until I'm an adult.
I don't want to break one of our many promises.
Many kisses later, our shadows jumping across the walls tell me it's time to go home.
"Let's go," I say with my hand extended out to him.
Our fingers intertwine with each other so naturally it seems like my hand isn't fit for anyone else's but his.
"Why did you stay behind at the teacher's lounge yesterday?" I wonder aloud.
"It was too awkward yesterday," he shudders. "I didn't want to put us into anymore torture."
"And why didn't you text me back last night?"
"I accidentally fell asleep," he explains.
I feel a weight I didn't know existed drift away in my chest. Somehow, at that moment, everything with Natsu seemed okay.
"You have to go to sleep in two hours in order to get enough sleep," Natsu informs when we arrive to our homes.
"What if I don't go to sleep?" I challenge.
"I'll break down at your door and force you to sleep," he answers simply.
"That's tempting," I muse the scenario.
"Go to sleep early," he knocks his head against mine.
"I will!" I assure. I rise on the tips of my toes to give him a soft peck.
"See you tomorrow," I whisper against his lips.
"I hope you have more tests soon," he murmurs against mine.
"Me too," I giggle, pulling out my key.
"We still have our Fairy Tail key chains," he pulls his key out after noticing mine.
"Except mine's the original," I state.
"Don't remind me," he groans, gaining unwanted memories of a certain blonde-haired boy.
"Bye, Natsu," I wave.
"Bye, Luce," he returns the wave.
We enter our apartments simultaneously. I shut the door behind me with a wide grin.
"I love him too much," I shake my head, stepping towards my room to change.
And hopefully, Natsu loves me too much, too.
"You may now begin taking your test," Jellal says after the tests have been passed out.
I try not to pay too much attention to Levy's ragged breaths that I'm able to hear.
It's strange. Everything on the test makes complete sense to me. Right now, I see Natsu as nothing but my lifesaver.
I've reviewed all four sheets of my test about five times when Jellal gives the two minute warning.
I glance over at Levy to see her frantically flipping through the pages and checking through each of her answers in a rush.
And beside Levy, sits Gajeel with a frown. I can see the multiple question marks in his mind.
Though I feel bad, I'm relieved at how easy the test was for me.
"The test wasn't actually that bad," Levy says when we exit the classroom.
"Really?" I give her an incredulous look. "I could hear your breathing all period."
"I was nervous, okay!" she defends herself.
"I'm excited to see my grade tomorrow," I state.
"I'm not," she shakes her head rapidly.
With Levy's anxiety and my excitement, we patiently wait for tomorrow to arrive.
The test is the only thing on my mind and it seems that it's taken over Natsu's mind as well.
"How do you think you did?" he inquires as he walks past me after fourth period. Levy and Gajeel don't pay attention to my direction.
"It was easier than your quiz," I respond.
"That's good," he grins. "Show me your grade tomorrow."
"Of course," I guarantee.
The day rolls on—too slow for my taste—and at last it's the next day. I step into the school and immediately feel too miniature hands hold my arm.
"Lu-chan, I don't want to go to physics!" she complains.
"Let's just get it over with!" I urge.
I attempt to pull her with me, but her feet seem to be nailed into the floor.
"Lu-chan!" she cries.
"If you don't come with me, I'll tell Gajeel to be extra mean to you," I threaten.
"Gajeel is already mean to me!" she exclaims, restraining me from getting any closer to Jellal's classroom.
"I'll buy you a book?" I offer.
Levy instantly looks at me with eyes full of interest.
"How many books?" she inquires.
"Three," I answer.
"Let's go to physics now!" she cheers, skipping to Jellal's classroom happily.
When we enter the classroom, I'm able to feel the anxiety oozing out of each person already at their desk.
"I think I'm too confident," I realize, the anxiety beginning to get to me.
"You deserve to be confident," Levy assures. "You finished the test in 20 minutes."
I bite my lip when the bell chimes and Jellal enters the classroom. Every student watches him being fully aware that in his hands he holds our fate.
"I was a little surprised with the outcomes of the tests," he reveals, flipping through the sheets.
He starts to pass every test out slowly. Jellal has passed by my desk four times and I feel as though I'm going to throw something any second now.
There's only one more test in his hand when he hands it to me.
"I was impressed, Lucy," he gives me a smile.
"Thank you," I reply, not daring to look at it yet.
When he shuffles away, I hesitantly look at the paper.
I have to blink several times to see if the score in front of me is real.
"Lu-chan, what did you get?" Levy asks.
"100 percent," I grin.
"I got a 93 percent!" she grins with me.
We look towards Gajeel to see him with a deep grimace.
"What did you get?" Levy inquires.
"62 percent," he groans, his head falling onto the desk with a loud thud.
"Pick up the pace, Gajeel," Jellal tells him sternly.
"Whatever," he growls. He crumbles up the test into a ball.
"Scary," my eyes widen.
"At least you didn't fail!" Levy proclaims optimistically.
"But he's 2 percent away," I point out.
"Shhh!" she puts a finger to her mouth and pleads.
I stifle a laugh, feeling nothing but bliss.
All of this happened because of Natsu. All because of him.
"Lu-chan, where are you going?!" Levy exclaims when the bell rings.
"I'll meet up with you in second period!" I tell her as I rush out of the classroom.
I push through the crowds in the hallway, making a beeline towards Natsu's room.
"Natsu," I say breathlessly when I reach him.
"What happened?" he asks from his desk. It's been a while since we've seen each other in the morning like this; I can still see the tiredness in his eyes.
"This," I reply as I gently lay the test down on the desk, the 100 percent as big as the entire sheet of the paper.
"Was Jellal impressed?" he smirks.
"He even said it!" I declare with a grin.
"I'm proud of you, Luce," he smiles.
"Thank you," I reply.
He looks at me for several more seconds then he abruptly turns away.
"You're too cute," he mutters.
"So are you," I whisper, taking my paper and putting it back in my schoolbag. "See you during seventh period."
"See you during seventh period," he echoes, waving me away.
I leave the classroom with a permanent smile. Catching a glimpse at the time, my eyes widen. I only have one more minute to sprint to my next class.
As my shoes quickly click against the floor, I breathe out in content.
I hope the air continues to shine this bright just for a little longer.
