Chapter Fifty-Three: Lucy's little adventure

"Fine Pidgey! I didn't want you anyways!"

Natsu snickered as he looked over at Lucy. Her brows darted in as she glared at her screen. "It ran away?"

She puffed out her cheeks, frustrated at the animated bird that zipped away. "Yes."

"Sorry," he laughed, knowing how irritating it could be when a Pokémon bolted, especially after wasting items on it. "Maybe next time."

Lucy sighed. "Maybe."

The two were already four miles into their walk. Lucy's legs started to burn, but she didn't want to stop. Natsu was going strong, a smile on his face as he kept on walking. They decided to play Pokémon GO in the mean time. It seemed like a good way to get some distance for their eggs, plus they could catch some Pokémon on the way.

Lucy already had one egg hatch, but it was a dumb Exeggcute. She was hoping for something new, but she knew she had no control over what she got.

They found it was a little difficult to catch Pokémon while walking, but they didn't want to slow down. They accidentally skipped over some Pokémon since it took longer to catch them, but they still managed to have fun.

The trail around the park was three miles long. Each mile was marked so they knew what their distance was as they went. Playing their game definitely helped keep Lucy's mind off her sore legs and feet. It also made time seem to go by faster. Before she knew it, they were already six miles in.

Shortly after that, Wendy and Sherria stopped. They said they were too tired to continue, but Natsu assured his sister she did great. Her legs were a lot shorter after all. He said he would keep going since he promised Lucy he was going to beat his last year's record.

Lucy on the other hand was regretting ever mentioning that. She was growing tired and sweaty with every step, the sun was high in the sky, hot rays of light beating down on her body.

She couldn't even hold Natsu's hand anymore. Not only was it harder to play their game with one hand, but her hands were constantly wet, even after wiping them on her shorts multiple times. Nothing seemed to do the trick.

When Lucy thought about walking with Natsu through the park, she thought it would be romantic. It turned out it was definitely not as she expected.

Especially when someone else joined their little group.

"Ugh! Another Spearow!"

Lucy narrowed her eyes, barely resisting the urge to huff. While Lucy was on Natsu's right, Sting was on his left. Apparently Rogue twisted his ankle when Sting and him were jogging, so Yukino went with him to go sit down and ice it.

Lucy wanted to ask why Sting didn't just run with Minerva, but he beat her to the punch by saying he wanted some more 'Natsu time'.

Lucy didn't want to sound rude, so she kept her mouth shut. It wasn't like she owned Natsu's time anyway. He could spend it with whoever he wanted to. It turned out for the best when they approached the seven mile mark.

With a sheepish grin, Lucy tugged on Natsu's shirt. He glanced at her, smiling despite her appearance. It didn't matter to him if her hair was getting frizzy from the heat or sweat beaded her forehead. She was still beautiful. "What's up?"

"I hate to do this, but I think I'm going to stop..." Her legs burned and her body ached. She couldn't walk much further even if there was a prize at the end. "I'm sorry-"

"No." Natsu shook his head, reaching over to give her a half-hug. "No need to apologize. You did great." His toothy grin let her know he was being genuine. "Go get some rest. I still got a few more miles to go."

Lucy frowned, but nodded. "Text me when you're done?"

"Yeah."

Lucy wanted to give him a kiss, at least on the cheek, but she could see Sting looking at them through her peripherals. With a sigh, Lucy said, "I'll see you later."

"Don't get into trouble," Natsu teased as Lucy made her way off the trail.

"I won't!" she promised, planning on sitting down the entire time they were separated. She would need the rest. "Good luck!"

Lucy headed back to the main part of the park where people and booths were gathered. She bought water from one of the vendors before planting her behind on a bench, her legs immediately thanking her for the break.

While Lucy rested, she transferred the Pokémon she didn't want while sipping her water. She heard it was bad to chug water after exercising, but she didn't know if that was a fact or not, so she settled with what she was doing.

After ten minutes, Lucy started evolving whatever Pokémon she could. Pidgeys, Caterpies, and Weedles were first since they only needed twelve candies, but the rest were tricky since they varied between twenty-five, fifty, and one-hundred. She was only able to evolve a Poliwag and a Geodude before she ran out of options.

Next she raised some of their CP by feeding them Stardust and candies. She found it oddly morbid considering the candies came from the Pokémon she transferred.

What happened to them after being transferred to the Professor? Nobody knew...

After thirty minutes Lucy did everything she possibly could with her game, so she exited out. She didn't want to drain her phone's battery if it wasn't needed. She looked around her, seeing children running around and adults talking. She didn't see anyone she knew, so she stayed seated.

That only worked for a few more minutes until she got restless. Her legs still hurt a little, but she was feeling better already. She stood up, testing her stability before heading off towards the trail. She wasn't planning on joining the walkathon, but she thought it might be fun if she saw Natsu walking by.

After discarding her empty water bottle, she headed that way. She went through an area with a lot of trees, feeling the cool air rushing by since it was nice and shaded. She might have lasted longer if the sun hadn't been beating down on her the whole time.

"Please, just listen to-!"

Lucy's ears perked up as she jerked her head. She recognized that voice. It belonged to-

"I already heard you! Now listen to me! I can't take it anymore!"

Lucy's eyes landed on Gray and Juvia standing a bit away from her. They were surrounded by thick trees, but from where she stood she could see bits of them. As much as Lucy wanted to walk away or towards them, she couldn't. Her feet felt frozen to the ground as she listened.

"Juvia just wants you to-"

"I know exactly what you want!" Gray threw his hands in the air in exasperation. "You want me to spend every waking hour with you! Well guess what, I have a life too!"

"Juvia is sorry! She just- I just don't want you to leave me for some other girl."

Lucy's eyes widened when she realized this was a conversation she wasn't meant to hear. She forced herself to take a step forward, but she stopped as soon as she heard one of the angriest tones she had ever heard come from Gray.

"You don't have to worry about that! I'm done!"

"D-done?" Juvia took a few steps towards Gray, but he was already turning away.

"Yes! Done! I'm done with you and every other girl out there who isn't fucking chasing me! I don't understand it! You act like there's a line of girls trying to jump me! I can't do this petty jealousy anymore! I've never once done anything that remotely resembled cheating, yet I get the third degree for wanting to go to a fucking party with my friends! No! I'm done!"

He took two steps before Juvia cried out, "But-"

"No buts!" He whirled around, giving her the nastiest glare Lucy had ever seen. "We're done! Leave me the fuck alone!"

He stormed off, leaving Juvia alone. Tears streamed down her eyes as she fell, knees giving out. Lucy rushed over, but she didn't get there in time to catch the girl. Luckily she wore a thick dress, so her knees and legs were safe, but Lucy had a feeling Juvia wouldn't have cared either way.

Lucy hesitated before putting her hands on Juvia's shoulders, feeling them shake as the girl cried into her hands.

"H-h-he l-left J-J-" She couldn't speak through the sobs.

Lucy felt her stomach twist as she tried to figure out what to say. She had never been in a position like that before. She didn't know what would comfort Juvia and what would make things worse.

"Wh-what happened?" It was all she could come up with.

It was hard to understand Juvia through her broken speech, but from what Lucy gathered, Gray was upset at Juvia for saying he couldn't go to Loke's pool party. She said she knew Gray wouldn't cheat on her, but she was still worried about him being surrounded by girls in bikinis.

Apparently they had been fighting every day since then -when Gray wasn't ignoring her. Every day it got a little worse until Gray finally couldn't take it anymore.

Lucy made the mistake of asking why Juvia was worried about Gray seeing other girls like that, to which Juvia could only respond with, "I d-don't kn-know!"

Lucy frowned, not understanding why Juvia was jealous without having a solid reason to feel that way. Instead of trying to offer Juvia advice -since she had absolutely no clue how to do that without making matters worse, she offered to help Juvia get up and out of the dirt.

Juvia accepted the offer, drying her tears with her sleeve as she leaned on Lucy. They walked to a secluded bench, not wanting to attract attention from other people.

Juvia had barely calmed down, causing Lucy to panic. She wasn't used to consoling people. "I-is there anyone I can call? Your parents maybe?" Any other time she would have sought out Gray for help, but that wasn't an option.

Juvia started shaking her head, but she stopped after a few seconds. "A-actually, c-call Merudy."

Lucy furrowed her brows as she repeated the name in her mind. She hadn't heard of that person before, so she had no idea how she was supposed to contact them. Thankfully Juvia handed Lucy her phone, screen already unlocked.

Lucy scrolled through Juvia's contacts until she found someone with the name of 'Merudy'. She ignored the fact that she noticed her number was saved in Juvia's phone as 'Love Rival #1'. She could deal with that later.

Lucy clicked call, pressing the phone to her ear as she waited for it to connect.

"Hey Juvia! How's it going?"

Lucy couldn't help but notice the voice sounded really young. She stole a quick glance at the girl beside her, seeing her tears were still present despite her desperate attempts to dry them. "H-hi, umm... This is Juvia's friend. She's uh, upset right now and asked me to call you?" Lucy didn't know how much she should say over the phone.

"Really? Where is she?"

Lucy frowned when she realized she had no idea how to give directions. She looked around her, hoping to find something to help identify her location. "Umm, we're on a bench at Magnolia park. We're... we're right by a... umm..."

Lucy jolted when she felt Juvia tap her shoulder. She reached a hand out to grab her phone. Without a word, Lucy handed over the device and listened as Juvia spoke, her voice coming out strained and scratchy.

"I-I'm on the East s-side. By the second m-mile marker."

Lucy couldn't hear the rest of the conversation, but she saw Juvia nodding a little before saying, "Th-thank you." She hung up before slipping the phone back in her pocket.

The silence that fell around them while they waited made Lucy uncomfortable. Besides being in art class together, Lucy was never alone with Juvia. She didn't know what to do.

She opened her mouth a few times, but she found she had nothing helpful to say. She wanted to ask why Juvia was always jealous if Gray didn't cheat on her, but she already knew Juvia didn't know the answer to that question either.

She wanted to ask if she had a past boyfriend that cheated on her, but she remembered hearing from Natsu once that Gray was her first boyfriend, so it would be pointless to ask.

Lucy settled for gently rubbing Juvia's back, but when the girl leaned away from the touch Lucy stopped. She wished she could make things better, but she seemed to only be making things worse.

Finally, after what felt like forever, a feminine voice called out. "Juvia!"

Both Lucy and Juvia's heads lifted to see two females approaching. Lucy didn't recognize the younger one with wavy pink hair, but she knew the second girl. It was Ultear.

"What happened?" the girl Lucy didn't know asked, kneeling beside Juvia. Lucy could only guess that was Merudy since she had nothing else to go on. She didn't exactly know the connection between everyone, but she figured it wasn't an appropriate time to ask.

Lucy held her tongue, not knowing if Juvia wanted to say it or not. When all eyes -including Juvia's- landed on Lucy, she felt compelled to say, "Gray broke up with her."

Ultear scowled while Merudy gasped. "Why would he do that?!"

Lucy turned her attention back to Juvia, knowing there was no way she could give the reason out loud. It wasn't her place to share that information. Hell, she already felt uneasy with what she said before. Her gut twisted at the thought of revealing more.

Luckily for her, Juvia told the two other girls what happened. Of course her voice shook and more tears flooded her eyes, but she was able to give them a general idea of what happened.

"I think you should go," Ultear said as she sat between Juvia and Lucy. "We'll take it from here."

Lucy blinked, realizing she wasn't needed. "Oh... okay..." She slowly stood up, seeing Merudy sit beside Juvia's other side. She stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before wrapping her arms around her waist. "Call me if you need anything, Juvia."

The girl nodded before Ultear patted her back. Lucy's shoulders fell when she saw Juvia leaning into the touch. Lucy turned away from the scene before she could feel sorry for herself. She wished she was able to comfort Juvia, but she knew they weren't on that level of friendship.

'Maybe one day...' Lucy thought as she headed back into the main part of the park. She wanted to be surrounded by people. It was the best way to distract herself from the slight disappointment of not being able to help a friend.

As much as Lucy knew she couldn't be upset, she was. She couldn't blame Juvia though. They only knew each other for less than a month after all. Not a lot of people would be so trusting to someone they just met.

Honestly she was surprised she gained Natsu's trust so quickly. Well, most of it. He still hadn't told her what happened to him with that girl he supposedly paid for sex. She knew in her heart it wasn't true, but she still wondered why he didn't mention it at least once. Then again he hadn't told her some of the things Levy did about his bullying.

Kids picking on him for his hair, his motion sickness, the rumor that he had a disease... She only had what Levy said, which still left her curious about his past.

With a deep breath, Lucy shoved that out of her mind. It wasn't too late to turn the day around. She didn't want to let it get ruined with her thoughts.

As Lucy walked through the crowd of people, one couple caught her attention. She smiled when she saw Natsu's parents standing at a booth, his father's face painted to look as if he had red scales growing on his skin.

She quickly walked up to them, smiling as she waved. "Good morning!"

Grandeeney startled before looking down at Lucy. A smile worked on her lips as she returned the wave. "Hello Lucy. How are you doing?"

"I'm good," she said, realizing she was in a good mood despite the thing with Juvia. She didn't know if she should feel guilty for having her own happiness, but she figured as long as she didn't rub it in the girl's face she would be fine. "I'm waiting on Natsu to finish. He was seven miles in when I left."

"Sore feet?" Igneel asked, smiling down at his son's girlfriend.

She nodded. "They're feeling a little better though."

Grandeeney seemed to like that answer. "That's good. Make sure you drink plenty of water. Wouldn't want you getting dehydrated."

"Thanks," Lucy said, looking around for the nearest food and drink stand. "I'll be sure to drink some." While looking, she decided to see what booth they were in line for. "Are you two donating blood?"

"Yup!" Igneel's smile grew, the red scales on his face shifting with the movement. "Are you going to?"

Lucy shook her head, putting a hand over her left elbow. "I'm only sixteen. I can't do it yet."

"Sixteen year olds can do it with parental consent," Igneel pointed out.

Before Lucy could say her 'guardian', who was Virgo, wasn't there, Grandeeney spoke up. "It wouldn't be wise for her to donate today anyways. She should get her rest after all that walking."

Igneel chuckled as he cupped the back of his neck, a trait Lucy saw Natsu do a few times. "I guess you're right. Never mind."

"Maybe when I turn seventeen I can?" Lucy asked, wanting to help out any way she could. "My birthday's in July."

"Really?" Grandeeney cocked her head, an amused smile playing on her lips. "What a coincidence. Natsu's birthday is in July as well."

Lucy's brown eyes lit up at the information. "Really?! That's so cool!"

Igneel laughed at the girl's reaction. "His is the second of July. Yours?"

"The first!" Lucy wanted to bounce up and down at the news. Their birthdays were only one day apart! She could hardly believe it.

"That's pretty neat," Grandeeney said. "Natsu doesn't like celebrating his birthday though."

Lucy's excitement dipped. "Huh? Why not?" She knew why she personally didn't like celebrating her birthday. After her mother died she only had the maids to celebrate with her instead of family, but Natsu had friends and family. She couldn't figure out why he wouldn't want to celebrate.

Igneel and Grandeeney shared a look of sympathy. In a quiet voice, Igneel confessed, "Natsu's biological parents died on his third birthday."

The light in Lucy's eyes vanished as she soaked that in. As if it wasn't enough, Grandeeney added, "The report said a faulty outlet caused an electrical fire. Natsu and Zeref were the only survivors."

Lucy didn't think the empty feeling spreading through her body could get any worse, but it did. She had no idea the fire occurred on his birthday. If she had she wouldn't have asked when his birthday was so many times.

Now that she thought about it, Natsu always changed the subject as soon as the date of his birthday was brought up. She suspected he was being secretive, but now she realized he didn't want to remember the horror associated with that day.

"Oh," was all Lucy could say.

"It's a lot to take in," Igneel said, resting a hand on Grandeeney's shoulder. "It's probably best not to mention his birthday around him. He gets a little shy about it. He knows it's not his fault since he was just a kid, but it still gets to him. It was just a coincidence it happened that day."

Lucy nodded, already swearing herself to never bring it up unless he did first. She realized the list of topics that made Natsu uncomfortable kept growing and growing. If she didn't start writing them down soon she might forget something important.

Or worse, accidentally upset him by bringing something up.

To lighten the mood, Grandeeney said, "We celebrate the Forth of July though. We get his favorite cake and ice cream and cook out. Zeref comes down from Crocus to spend a week with us. You're more than welcome to come this year if you'd like."

As an afterthought, she added, "He doesn't like receiving gifts, but he will if you're persistent enough."

Igneel chuckled, a faraway look in his eyes. "You should have seen how stubborn he was last year. I had to get this subscription to some website just so he'd accept something. I think it's for that anime stuff."

Lucy remembered Natsu telling her the story of his Funimation subscription. Now the story didn't seem as silly anymore. He made it seem like he didn't want Igneel to spend money on him. Now she realized he didn't want to celebrate his birthday at all.

"I'll keep that in mind..." Lucy's voice reflected the way she felt. Small.

"Cheer up," Grandeeney said, causing Lucy to lift her head to meet the woman's gaze. "It's just the way Natsu is. I'm sure you understand where he's coming from."

She didn't hesitate to answer, eyes wide and heart pounding. "Absolutely!" She could never hold Natsu's dislike for his birthday against him after hearing what happened to him. She would be the same way too. "And I won't mention it, promise."

"Who's next?!" a woman in blue scrubs asked from behind the booth. Igneel raised his hand as he walked towards her, saying goodbye to Lucy in the process.

Grandeeney tore her attention away from her husband to look at Lucy again. "So do you think you'd want to spend Fourth of July with us? I'm sure it would make Natsu very happy to have you there."

Despite everything she heard, Lucy couldn't help but smile softly at her kind words. "I'll be there," she promised, knowing she would need to ask Virgo the next time she saw her. She didn't think it would be a problem since Virgo let her hang out with her friends a lot. Plus it would be during the summer time when school was out.

"I'll be looking forward to it," Grandeeney said, offering Lucy a soft pat on the shoulder.

Lucy couldn't help but feel a warmth from the Dragneels. She couldn't believe so many caring people belonged to one family. She wondered if Zeref was like them as well, but she wouldn't know until she met him.

Which from the looks of it would be in July, meaning she would have to wait a while since it was only halfway through April.

"I'll see you two later," Lucy said before stepping away. She waved goodbye to Natsu's parents just as Grandeeney was called to donate blood next.

Lucy went straight to the nearest food stand, ordering a bottle of water to hydrate her body. She looked for a place to sit since all the benches were taken, wanting to rest her legs again.

On her way to find a place, she walked by the Heartfilia booth. Wanting to please Virgo and her father, she decided it would be best to at least say hello. She hadn't seen Capricorn since she first met him back in Crocus, so spending a few minutes there wouldn't hurt.

It helped that Natsu wasn't with her. She wouldn't have to ask him later to go hang out with someone else or wait until she finished talking. She could get this over with without worrying about making him wait.

Lucy walked up to the booth, fully prepared to reintroduce herself, but Capricorn spoke up first.

"Hello Miss Lucy. How are you this afternoon?"

Lucy blinked, caught off guard. "Afternoon?" She quickly took out her phone to check the time, seeing it was in fact past noon. She didn't realize their walk had taken so much time. "Huh, guess it is."

She pocketed the device before flashing Capricorn her famous fake smile. "I'm doing well. How are you?"

"I'm doing fine, thank you. Nice weather we're having," the older gentleman said. She couldn't see his eyes, blocked by the dark sunglasses on his face, but his smile seemed to be genuine.

Lucy stole a glance at the guy standing next to Capricorn, seeing he was setting out flyers. "It does feel good outside... So, what are you doing here?"

Capricorn pointed towards a paper in the middle of the stand. "We're trying to promote the Magnolia branch. We're offering intern positions as well as some entry-level jobs to those who qualify." He smiled as he added, "Trying to get some young blood interested."

"Ah," Lucy said with a nod. They were recruiting. "Well, good luck!"

"Thank you. We already have a few promising people express interest." Capricorn paused before asking, "Do you know when you'll be joining the company?"

Lucy paled. She didn't think he was going to ask her that -or anything really. "Umm..." She felt her fake smile slipping. "I don't know yet..."

"Well, when you do I'll be happy to teach you what you need to know. Heartfilia Corps. would benefit with someone like you joining."

Lucy bit her inner cheek to keep herself from groaning. "Thank you. I hope I can handle the job..." Before Capricorn could say anything else, Lucy asked, "How's my father doing?"

He seemed amused with himself as he spoke. "He's as busy as ever. I hear he spent all last week going to the different branches around Fiore. He should be coming here soon for an inspection."

Lucy perked up instantly. "He's coming here? Soon? Do you know when?"

Capricorn shook his head, smiling to himself. "I don't know the exact date. It's a surprise inspection, but it shouldn't be too long. I think last time i heard he was in Gallowstown."

Lucy cocked her head. She hadn't even heard of that town before. "Is that close to Magnolia?"

He shook his head. "It's on the opposite side of Crocus, but he's going through the inspections rather quickly."

"Okay..."

She wanted to introduce Natsu to her father the next time he was in town, but how could she plan for that when it was a surprise? She supposed she could try to call him, but there was a high chance he wouldn't pick up. 'Maybe if I get Virgo to make the call...'

Lucy worried what her father would think of her wanting to date, but she hoped Natsu would be enough to impress him. He certainly impressed her. She considered inviting a few people over to sort of buffer their meeting, but she figured the direct approach would be better.

"Is there a reason you're asking?" Capricorn's voice caught Lucy's attention.

She blinked, realizing she was still standing in front of the booth. "Oh, umm..." After swallowing, she said, "I had someone I wanted him to meet. I was hoping I could schedule something, but it sounds like he's not planning on staying in Magnolia for very long..."

Capricorn nodded to himself. "I could tell him you want to see him. Maybe he can arrange to stay a little longer?"

"Maybe..." Lucy doubted her father would change his business plans for her benefit. He always chose the company over her in the past. Why would this be any different? "Thanks."

"It's my pleasure," Capricorn assured. He looked up from Lucy to something behind her.

She turned, seeing a small group of people approaching the booth. "Looks like you have company." She turned back to Capricorn, giving him a wave. "It was nice seeing you again. Good luck."

He bowed, but this time Lucy was expecting the odd gesture. "Same to you, Miss Lucy. Enjoy the rest of your day."

She started walking off just as she heard someone ask Capricorn about the company. She smiled, thankful someone was interested. Maybe if they got enough people they wouldn't need her to join.

Lucy rolled her eyes at her own thoughts. Her father would still find a place to put her, even if she wasn't needed.

On her way to find a bench to sit down, Lucy spotted a couple making out behind the large fountain in the middle of the park. Lucy was about to let it go, but stopped once she noticed the tufts of black hair mixing in with blue. She groaned, dragging a hand over her face.

She walked straight up to the couple, quickly tapping on the girl's shoulder. "You two should try to keep it rated G in front of the kids."

Levy and Gajeel pulled away from each other, eyes growing wide when they saw Lucy staring at them with a smirk. "Lu! I- We-"

Lucy shook her head. "No need to explain yourselves to me." She giggled, pointing to the playground that wasn't far away. "But maybe next time don't make out so close. Kids are very impressionable."

Gajeel snickered, "Maybe they'll learn something for when they get older."

Levy cringed as she scooted away, swatting at his hands. "Maybe here isn't the best place." She looked at Lucy, sighing. "We thought no one would pay attention."

Lucy shrugged. "I could see your hair from over there, but if I didn't know you guys I would have kept walking."

Levy frowned, realizing their 'hiding spot' wasn't so hidden. "Thanks." She stood up, motioning for Gajeel to follow her. "Say, where's Natsu? I thought you two were together?"

Lucy tried to keep her smile on her face, but she had to admit to herself how lonely she felt being away from him. "He's still walking. I had to stop..."

"Us too," Levy said, pointing at her feet. "They're swollen."

Gajeel snorted. "I coulda kept going, but she said I should carry her around."

Lucy giggled to herself when Gajeel effortlessly picked Levy up, swinging her over his shoulder. She let out a shriek as she clung to the back of his shirt. "Don't carry me like this!"

"Too late," he laughed, walking away from Lucy towards a cluster of trees. "See ya later."

"Bye Lucy," Levy called out between yelling at Gajeel.

"You two be careful!" Lucy yelled, not wanting them to get carried away in public. They clearly had no reservations about kissing outdoors.

Lucy finally allowed herself to frown. She wished she could kiss Natsu in public without worrying if someone they knew saw them. Her father needed to hurry up and come to Magnolia so she could introduce them. She grew impatient every day.

Since the fountain was now free from people making out, Lucy decided it was a great place to rest. Once she sat down she felt relief flood her system, her legs relaxing as they pressed against the cool stone of the fountain.

Lucy pulled out her phone to see if any Squirtles were lingering by the fountain as she waited for a text or call from Natsu to say he was done walking. She wished she remembered what time she left him, but she hadn't been thinking about it.

With the cool breeze drifting by and the sound of the fountain behind her, Lucy felt pretty good. She even crossed her legs under her as she put her focus into her game.

She was so distracted she didn't even notice the new group who sat beside her.

"You did great!" a chipper female voice cheered, startling Lucy.

"A man never gives up!" a deep masculine voice replied.

Lucy didn't recognize either of their voices, so she tried not to pay attention to their conversation. Instead she tried to catch a Goldeen that popped up next to her avatar.

"I can't believe you ran fifteen miles," a different girl said, finally catching Lucy's attention.

She furrowed her brows as she tried to figure out where she recognized that voice from. Trying not to be obvious, Lucy stole a quick glance at the three people sitting near her. There were two females and a male, all with snowy white hair.

It only took Lucy a minute to remember where she saw the girl sitting furthest away from her at. She was the lady who was in Fairy Tail when Natsu and her had their first date. Lucy never caught her name since she didn't think she would see her again.

"I believe it!" the girl Lucy didn't recognize said, throwing her arms out to show her excitement. She accidentally bumped her arm into Lucy's shoulder, causing the girl to jolt.

"I'm so sorry!" The girl put her hands over her mouth as she gaped at Lucy. "I didn't mean to hit you!"

"It's okay," Lucy assured, scooting a little away to give the girl with short white hair more room. "It didn't hurt."

"Still, I'm sorry." She sighed, dropping her head. "I can be clumsy sometimes."

Lucy giggled, a smile working itself on her face. "Me too. Don't worry about it. Accidents happen."

"Thank you," the girl smiled before turning back to her group. She was about to say something to them before she looked back at Lucy. "Wait a minute, I know you."

Lucy blinked, trying to remember if they met each other before. She couldn't recall. "You do?"

The girl shook her head. "Well, I know of you. You're Lucy, Natsu's friend, right?"

Lucy smiled wider at the mention of his name. "Yeah, that's right. Are you one of Natsu's friends too?" She half-expected the girl to say a snide comment about Natsu -most people she met did, but the girl did no such thing.

"Kind of. We don't talk a lot, but he's really nice. We've had a few classes together over the years."

Lucy felt herself easing into the conversation. "Years, huh? How long have you known him?"

"Since elementary school." The girl turned her body to face Lucy. She held out a hand. "My name's Lisanna."

"Nice to meet you," Lucy said, shaking the hand. It was rare she met someone who didn't start out asking her why she hung out with Natsu. People like that used different insults to describe him, but she didn't want to think about that now.

Both girls opened their mouths, laughing after they asked the same question. "So how'd you two meet?"

Lisanna and Lucy both took turns telling how they met Natsu. Lucy went first, smiling as she reminisced about him saving her from getting hit by a car, all the way to their first 'date' at Fairy Tail. She made sure to include seeing the other girl at the restaurant, to which Lisanna said that was her big sister, Mira.

Lisanna's story was a little more typical than Lucy's. They met in school when they were put in the same class. She sat next to him and they talked every once in a while. Lisanna mentioned he was a little shy back then and only really talked to Gray and Erza.

Before Lucy could ask more about Natsu as a kid, a deep voice spoke from behind Lisanna.

"We're going to get some food. You want to come?"

Lisanna nodded, "Yes, just give me a second, Elfman."

The man nodded while Lisanna turned her attention back to Lucy. "Natsu seems really happy since you came around."

Lucy felt a warmth spread through her chest at those words. "I'm glad." She smiled softly, hoping she was helping Natsu come out of his shell. Some days were harder than others, but she felt like he was making progress.

Lisanna stood up, still keeping Lucy's gaze. "Stay by his side. He's a lot happier around friends."

Lucy nodded, taking that advice to heart. "I will."

"Good," Lisanna whispered as she turned away. "Have a good day! Tell Natsu I said hi?"

"I will!" Lucy waved until the three siblings were out of sight. She couldn't deny how happy she felt knowing there were other people out there who weren't mean to Natsu. She wondered if maybe Natsu could have more friends if he opened up to people, but she understood why he didn't.

He didn't want to get hurt. How could she blame him for closing himself off?

With her legs feeling a little better, Lucy got up to walk around again. She idly went from booth to booth, seeing if anything caught her interest. None did, but she did manage to get another bottle of water to sip on.

Lucy ventured away from the crowd of people towards the south side of the park. Of course she had no idea which direction she was going. She was just walking and enjoying the scenery. Magnolia Park was a beautiful place.

Lucy's eyes widened when they landed on a large tree. It was isolated as if it were on display. She walked closer to it, seeing it provided a large coverage of shade.

She sat down next to the thick trunk, smiling as she looked up. The sun shined a bit through the colorful leaves, making the tree look almost magical. She couldn't stop herself from taking a picture, wanting to capture the moment forever.

Lucy sighed in contentment, resting her back against the bark as she shut her eyes. If it weren't for her butt vibrating at that moment, she would have fallen asleep.

Lucy pulled out her phone, seeing she got a missed call from Natsu. She quickly dialed his number, pressing the phone to her ear as she closed her eyes again.

"Luce?"

"Hey," she breathed, sounding a little tired. "Are you done?"

"Yup! Finished right at eleven miles."

Lucy smiled to herself. He beat his last year's record. "That's great. I'm proud of you."

She heard him suck in some air before asking, "Where are you?"

"Hmmm..." Lucy didn't know where she was. "Umm, I'm by a really large tree..."

"Is it the biggest tree in the park?"

"Has to be. I've never seen a tree this big."

"Oh okay. You're probably at the Sola tree. I'll be right there."

"Call me if it turns out I'm somewhere else," Lucy giggled, hoping that wouldn't be necessary. She wanted to see Natsu as soon as possible. She couldn't think of something she wanted more than a hug from him in that moment.

Well, a kiss or two from him would be nice, but first she wanted that hug.

"I'll be there. Bye Luce," he said before hanging up.

Lucy dropped her phone to her lap, keeping her eyes closed as she enjoyed the peaceful lull around her. She couldn't hear people talking, only the sounds of birds chirping and wind rustling the leaves above her.

"Yeah," she sighed, feeling her body relax against the trunk. "This feels magical."


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Up next, Chapter Fifty-Four: Adorable

Can anyone guess what's going to happen next chapter? :) Remember what happened the last time a girl called Natsu adorable...? Also, can anyone see why Natsu didn't want to think or talk about his birthday before? (The birth dates given are not canon with Fairy Tail since currently we don't have official dates)

*Also some people have been asking about their grades and ages. Lucy is a sophomore and 16 while Natsu is a junior and 17. This story is based off American high schools since I'm in America and it's the only type I really know.

9th grade-Freshmen, 10th grade-Sophomore, 11th grade-Junior, 12th grade-Senior. You graduate after completing your senior year, then you can either go get a job or continue your education with college. I hope that helped those who aren't familiar with American high school systems. Also, school years are typically some time between August-May.