Lucy was frozen in place. What the hell was that?! Her mind was jumbled to the point where she was unable to even form one coherent thought. She couldn't even determine how she felt after watching that. Her thoughts wandered to her conversation with her counterpart earlier that day.
"We're doing well, so I'm sure you two will too."
Clearly she hadn't been exaggerating about them "doing well" at all.
She risked a glance over at her partner and noticed that he seemed to be frozen in shock as well. It was all too much at once. If Natsu was even bothered, she knew there was no way she was overreacting.
It had not been long ago that he had grabbed her hand and dragged her on this mission, much like he had that day in Hargeon. Moments before she had been pulled to start their job, she had been driven to tears. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks.
She had a little (ok, a lot) too much to drink at her awards night and completely blacked out. Natsu, without even a second thought, had stepped in to take care of her. In a situation that should have been highly embarrassing, she did not feel awkward at all. Time and time again, he had proven that she could trust him wholeheartedly. He would be there for her, even when she didn't recognize that she needed someone.
That was the moment she realized. Random memories of their lives together flashed before her eyes as the truth became undeniable.
She was in love with her best friend.
Looking back now, while she had practically just watched herself full on making out with him, she wondered how long she had actually been denying or unaware of her feelings. Every one of those memories seemed to play themselves regularly now. Some even went back as far as when he had rescued her from her father so long ago. Had she loved him then? There was no denying that Happy had been more accurate than she had given him credit for. At least, on one side of his predictions.
There was absolutely no way that Natsu felt the same, and, at least for now, that was okay. It really was better for this mission. They had so much to accomplish and something like a one-way confession would only complicate things. Not to mention, she would have no escape if things got awkward. They were stuck together for who knew how long. She would already risk losing the friendship by speaking up when she did. She definitely couldn't risk failing the mission by being selfish.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts and smiled at his red cheeks. It was very rare to see him blush and she couldn't deny that it was adorable. She highly doubted that Natsu would appreciate the compliment anyways.
Her hand grabbed for the milkshake and took a long sip. Having now seen what it would look like to kiss Natsu was making it hard to focus. Standing from her stool, she adjusted the barely-there outfit that Lucy Ashley had loaned her. "Coming Natsu?"
"Huh?" His head shot to the side to look at her. Her voice had surprised him and pulled him from the confusing thoughts that had consumed him. As soon as they made contact, he dropped his wide eyes to look at the lowball glass. "Oh! Y-yeah, sure." He stood gracefully from his stool and walked beside her towards the table. Lucy's concerned stare was making him nervous. Could she tell where his mind had been wandering?
Lucy took a seat next to her Edo version while Natsu sat across from her. He wasn't sure he could handle sitting right next to her after what he had just watched. It had been so easy for Fireball to get pulled in and kissed like that in front of everyone. What if Lucy….? Would he care if she did?
"Sorry about that." Lucy Ashley laughed and chugged half of her milkshake in one go. "Habit. Didn't think about how weird that may be for you two."
Cheeks colored again, but neither dared to speak. In all honesty, they had no clue how to respond, even if they wanted to.
"Oh you mean…" Edo-Juvia peaked around her husband's many layers to look between Natsu and Lucy. "You two aren't a thing, too?"
"No!" They both shouted at the same time, faces turning down slightly to hide their eyes. There was absolutely no way they could risk looking at the other.
"Oh, sorry. We all just assumed…" Juvia's voice trailed as she worked on her milkshake as well. "What about your Gray and Juvia? I noticed she's not here, so I wasn't sure."
"No, they're not together." Lucy started, finally looking up. From the corner or her eye, she noticed that Natsu's eyes were still downturned and the pang of rejection made her heart ache. Was the idea of kissing her or being with her really so awful that it completely caused him to shut down?
"Well, not technically anyways. Our Juvia is openly in love with Gray. She makes it very well known that she would be with him in a heartbeat, if he would allow her. For a long time, it was only one sided. But ever since a big battle we had a little over a year ago, things have...changed."
"Changed how?" Edo-Lucy had finished her first milkshake and raised the glass in the air towards Mira. She flashed the white haired mage a smile and the small chuckle sounded from the bar as she worked on a refill.
Lucy smiled at the interaction and continued. "In the battle they were chained together and forced to fight to the death." Gasps sounded from the couple on the other side of the table, but Lucy continued. "Apparently they both decided to try to kill themselves rather than know they were responsible for killing the other. Kind of romantic, you know, if it wasn't so morbid. They were both lying there dying, but Juvia used the last of her magic to heal his wounds. I think the fact that they both almost died put a lot of things into perspective for him. When he thought he had lost her, I think he realized that he loved her too."
Natsu's mass of pink hair shook as his head shot up to look at Lucy. She turned to meet his gaze, eyebrows knit together in confusion. She was met with wide eyes and an overwhelming expression that was a mix of shock and something else she couldn't quite recognize. "You ok, Natsu? Something wrong?"
He blinked quickly and shook his head with a force that did nothing to prove that everything was normal. "N-nope. Nothing at all!" He raised the glass to his lips and downed it in one gulp. Luckily Fireball had chosen that moment to return and pulled the attention back on the Edolas couples.
"Sorry about that," Edo-Natsu sunk back into the seat on the other side of his wife. "The rest of your group heard us talking about bed and decided they wanted to head up too. I showed everyone else to their rooms and got them all set up."
"Thank you" Lucy gave him a small smile, a little disappointed that she wouldn't be able to question Natsu again for his strange reaction. "I really appreciate you all welcoming us like this."
Edo-Gray shook her comment off with the wave of a gloved hand. "It's nothing, really! We're just sorry we can't help you get home."
The conversation quickly shifted to the plans for tomorrow. The four seemed to believe that Mystogan would have an answer. He was really the only hope they had left.
Mira appeared with drinks in hand. Somehow she must have seen Natsu finish off his glass and had a refill for him as well. He held the glass in his right hand and swirled the fire whiskey around inside. His thoughts were jumping all over the place and he soon found himself spacing out. Lucy watched carefully. She knew something was wrong and couldn't understand why he wouldn't talk to her. Hopefully there would be time to ask later.
The group sent her a round of 'thank you's to Mira before she returned to the bar. "What's your Mira like?" Edo-Lucy asked between a few more sips.
Lucy resisted the urge to laugh. Edo-Mira hadn't been lying when she said she loved these shakes! "They're honestly not that different," She followed suit and took a sip of her own refilled drink. "Except she does take-over magic and has a Satan Soul form."
The mouths of the group dropped and it caused her to laugh. Natsu was still radio silent. The rest of the night was filled with questions the Edo guild had about the Earthlanders they didn't have the chance to meet. They were very curious, asking questions about a member and then explaining how different their version was. They talked for hours, joking around and laughing at the worlds that they considered 'normal'.
Natsu was noticeably quiet throughout the entirety of their talk. He had only spoken a few words since then, and it was mostly just to answer questions she couldn't, like what some members were like as kids. She had no clue what had shaken him so much, but it worried her.
"Last call!" Mira's voice disrupted a particular interesting conversation about Cana, and caused all eyes to drop toward their drinks. "Do you all want one last drink?"
"I think I'm good." Lucy took the last sip of her milkshake and pushed the glass towards the center of the table. She flashed the barmaid a wide smile. "They were delicious, but I should probably head to bed. We have a busy day tomorrow!" Turning back to Natsu, she noticed he had also pushed in his empty glass to meet hers. "Ready?"
"Yeah, probably a good idea." Her heart shattered when she noticed he was avoiding her eyes. They stayed glued to the glasses in front of them before shifting to look between the stairs and Fireball. "Mind showing us?"
"Course not" Fireball downed the last of his drink and turned to his wife. Having learned his lesson from earlier, he leaned forward to place another kiss on her lips. She allowed this one to be what he wanted and didn't push for more. Lucy's eyes avoided their interaction at all costs, except her plan had been to look at the other couple instead to thank them again for their hospitality.
What she hadn't expected was to see them in a passionate lip lock of their own. Edo-Juvia's hand had worked itself underneath a few of his layers and was pulling at the fabric that was covering his chest. Her body was pressed against his and, judging by the abandoned glove on the table, it looked like he may have taken it off to tangle in her hair.
If only Gray had still been there for karma to get him for making fun of them!
She felt like she was imposing on a private moment and risked a glance at Natsu. His cheeks were red and he was avoiding making any eye contact. He was sitting right next to the couple, which probably made it even more awkward for him.
Fireball standing from the bench pulled their attention. They quickly followed suit and stood as well. Lucy waited until they were a few steps away before turning back with a quick smile and wave. "Thanks again! Have a great night everyone"
Despite walking right next to each other towards the stairs, not a single word was spoken. When they reached the narrow opening, Natsu paused to allow her to walk first. She spoke a quick, nervous thank you before moving forward.
The timid pinkette lead them down a hallway before stopping in front of a wooden door. He pushed it open, allowing them to look inside. "Here you are!"
Lucy peaked inside and panicked. She had expected to see a sleeping Ezra, Happy, Wendy, and Carla with a few open spots for them to join. What lay before them was a small empty room with two sleeping bags and pillows laid out on the floor. Fireball laughed nervously. "Sorry about that. We only had a few small rooms opened so we have to split everyone up. Earlier, I thought…" He lifted his hand up to scratch the back of his head. "Nevermind."
She looked up and gave him a nervous smile. "It's fine, thank you." It was obvious he was trying to give them privacy, having previously thought they were, in fact, a couple. That just made the situation that much more awkward and stressful. Making the first move, she stepped into the room, claiming the side farthest from the door as her own. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight you two." He gave his Earthland counterpart a sympathetic smile and tapped him lightly on the shoulder before walking off.
Natsu watched after him nervously before stepping into the room and closing the door softly behind him.
A/N: I am so overwhelmed with the support from this story so far! 2 reviews, 17 favorites, 33 follows, and it was even added to a community! Thank you all so much! :) Like I mentioned, I respond to all of the reviews and really appreciate those that take the time to leave them! It's looking like there will be at least 2 more chapters in what I have planned for this fic. I don't know about you all (those that read 100YQ) but I am severely disappointed in the lack of ship moments in this arc. I feel like we get the semi-fluff between arcs, so hoping that happens soon!
Lucy H Lover: Thank you so much for reading this fic, too! Are you reading 100YQ? What do you think so far?
LI0NKING1: I'm so glad you're liking the story so far! I hope this chapter didn't disappoint! :)