036: Inseparable
"You know you're my best friend, right Lucy?"
Lucy jumped up from her slouched position, her side pony tail seeming upright and alert at Natsu's sudden statement.
"W-Why are you saying this all of a sudden?" the blond managed to get out as she somehow maintained eye-contact.
Natsu gave a shrug before saying, "I just thought that you should know."
The Guild's bustling noise around them seeped in to the silence between them and distracted Lucy. She looked up to see Erza and Gray at the bar, who looked like they were talking about combatant strategies. Juvia and Lissane were alongside them, giggling about something while Mirajane polished some glasses. Even Gajeel and Levy were here today, the metal dragon lazily blinking as Levy seemed to enthusiastically explain the latest book she had found to help her with her magic. Of course Pantherlily seemed very interested as his tail flicked back and forth.
As Lucy continued to look around, she realized that while she had many she knew and loved, Natsu had even more so. To be told that she was the closest one to him out of all these wonderful people made her chest feel a little constricted.
"I would think that your closest person would be Gray or even Erza, maybe even Lissane," Lucy stated before she could stop herself.
Natsu blinked owlishly before opening his mouth to give a laugh. After a few short barks of laughter, he said, "While they are very precious to me, it's not them who I spend most of my time with. I see you the most becuase I like being around you the most."
Lucy felt a blush creeping on. That sounded more like a confession than anything else.
"It's you who I chose to finally team up with, you who I go out and fight with most often."
He was staring at her so intensely now, even with that large grin, that Lucy looked away. Her blush was increasing; she had to think of something to say, and fast!
"But you guys grew up all here, you even bathed together," she finally laughed out, although it felt all little painful to be reminded by just how much of a newcomer she still was; "How can I top something like childhood friendship?"
"It's just time and years, we'll make up for it soon," Natsu said with sincerity.
Lucy felt like hitting him for being so understanding at the most crucial moments.
"And we can bathe together," he added with a fanged smile.
Although his suggestion was most likely innocent and not totally thought out like usual, this didn't stop Lucy's face from promptly burst into a flush.
"You idiot!" she yelled, and this time she didn't resist in punching him in the head. The action seemed a little mute as her knuckles now hurt and he seemed unaffected, the only damage being a few deflated pink locks.
"Why not? I bathe with Happy when I manage to drag him in," he said with that ever-constant grin.
"You make a cat go into water?" Lucy asked with amusement and slight horror.
"Aye," Happy agreed a little regretfully, momentarily taking the fish he was sucking on out of his mouth. Natsu leaned over to ruffle his blue fur.
"Look, no bathing together," Lucy said with a sigh, "We already have enough privacy and personal space issues."
"Well, we can still do missions together?" Natsu asked.
Lucy blinked as she realized he was suddenly sulking. She really never did reject anything he wanted to do, and now that she had for once, he was sorely shot down. How childish and like Natsu.
"Of course we can," she laughed as she grabbed his arm and hauled him up from his slumped position, "What type of best friends do you think we are anyhow?"
His smile was back to full force now. She should have known he was never sad for longer than a few seconds.
"Any good ones?" Happy asked as he jumped up to her head.
"I believe I did see an especially good one on the board today," Lucy said as they began walking over, still arm in arm. While she truly had not looked at the board extensively, Natsu always thought that practically any job, especially one close by and without much travel, could easily turn in to a good mission.
This caused Natsu to give a hoot of job before he began dragging Lucy and a contently perched Happy over to the posters.
AN: I wanted a lovably friendship-alluding-to-more moment :)
