Category: Romantic Fluff
Characters: Natsu Dragneel, Millianna
Requested By: AwarenessBringer (FanFiction)
Millianna's earthy-brown eyes were lidded in perfect contentment as she gazed out of the train window at the picturesque countryside just beyond Magnolia City stretching across the horizon. The gently rolling hills dotted with great oak trees and the occasional isolated homestead against the backdrop of a clear blue sky really had a painting-like quality that made Millianna feel at ease, almost as if she were home; it was an odd dichotomy, considering that she was far from her home, the mage guild Mermaid Heel, and traveling to the city for a personal visit. Everyone always just assumed that she was coming to see Erza- which she would definitely do before leaving- but in actuality, the people that who would be greeting her at the train station were none other than a certain cotton candy-haired fire mage and his little Exceed partner.
Millianna had been routinely commuting to the home of Fairy Tail for several months now, after the dramatic upset at the Grand Magic Games. The first visit really had been to visit Erza, considering that the fiery redhead had been missing for several years which had saddened Millianna terribly, but foiling a plot to effectively end the world really didn't make for the best situation to play catch-up. During that jaunt, Millianna had run into Natsu and Happy; Millianna, despite growing up, was as enamored with adorable kitties and kitty-like creatures as she had ever been, and so naturally she had fawned girlishly over the confused but delighted Happy. Natsu had ever so graciously told her that she could come visit Happy as she pleased, and she had been elated to take him up on his offer. So, whenever she found herself off from missions, she meandered over to Magnolia City in search of the dragon-slayer and his beloved partner. At first, Millianna had really only been concerned about the little cat, but in time she had actually come to enjoy the time she spent with Natsu as well. He was a bundle of energy and fun that never ceased to make her laugh or smile.
In fact, Millianna was considering the possibility that she had a slight crush on him.
It wasn't the most concerning revelation in the world. It wasn't like there were any policies or laws forbidding relationships between members of different guilds. It was just strange because Millianna had never even considered any romantic pursuits at all, let alone with the fiery, passionate fire mage who had foiled their plans at the Tower of Heaven (which worked out perfectly well and for the greater good, but she digressed). Most of all, Millianna was just concerned that such a crush could only lead to her own heartbreak; she was almost positive that Natsu did not see her in that kind of light. There were plenty of beautiful Fairy Tail women that were much better options for him than herself.
Delving into her own subconscious made the landscape suddenly seem lifeless and depressing. Despite the blooming green and brown tones of the rolling landscape, that's all it was- smudges of color with no real life to be had, just endless hills and forests. With a small groan, she tore her gaze away from the window to stare sadly at the empty seat across from her. Suddenly she imagined Natsu sitting there, holding his belly and groaning from motion sickness but still flashing her a small smile insisting that it was nothing, he would be just fine. He was a tough guy, both in talk and in action, but it was amusing how such a little thing could affect him. Millianna felt the smile forming on her lips; with a startled gasp, she smacked her cheeks and squeezed her eyes shut to banish the phantasm. It was utterly useless, because Natsu's beaming smile just danced in the dark of her closed eyes, adorable and enticing.
"Oh, dear… This is not good," she tutted to herself as she opened her eyes again to pull her knees to her chest and prop her chin on them miserably. Her inner instincts were buzzing for her to hop right on the train back, because surely this evening would go quite differently than the ones before. How was she going to be able to keep a straight face when she was head-over-heels for the handsome Natsu Dragneel?
As Millianna stepped off the train onto the platform, she instantly caught sight of a shock of bright pink hair. A beaming face and an excitedly waving hand were next to grace her vision; a pink rosy tint matching the shade of the dragon-slayer's locks rose to her cheeks as Natsu ran over to her, little Happy tottering at his heels. Oh, here we go…
"Hey, Millianna! Glad you could make it," Natsu grinned at her. He always had a habit of smiling so widely that his eyes scrunched up and one would swear that his face hurt. Millianna found it one of his cutest habits. Ah! Stop! You can't think anything he does it cute! She scolded herself, discreetly pinching her leg through her striped stockings to punish such thoughts. Trying to seem nonchalant, she returned his beaming happiness with a small smile appropriate for a young lady who had no romantic interest in a young man- or, in her case, was desperately trying to hide blossoming feelings for said strapping young man…
"Hello, Natsu. Hello, Happy," she added while crouching down to pat the blue Exceed on the head. As she scratched a little behind his ears, his tail waggled and he sighed in utter bliss.
"Millianna, you give the best head scratches," he purred quietly. Millianna giggled, but the cute moment was cut abruptly short when Natsu grabbed her by the wrist and all but yanked her back to her feet. She cried out in alarm as he thrusted her hand into his fluffy locks of hair with a serious face.
"Really? Lemme see! Scratch my head, Millianna!" If her face had been the color of a carnation at the beginning of their exchange, then it was certified to be a rich, luscious shade of red now. Millianna knew that Natsu was just going to bug the hell out of her until she did as asked, so she resigned herself to the situation up front. With a hesitant expression, she gently began to run her fingers lightly through the tousled pink locks to lightly run her nails over his scalp, and was struck at how impossibly soft his hair was; it really did feel like cotton candy, bouncy and pillowy. After a few seconds she shifted her hand to scratch the area of his head right above and behind his ears, and almost like a cat would, Natsu leaned into the action with something very reminiscent of a purr. He gave her a sleepy smile with lidded eyes as she continued her ministrations. "Ahhh… You're right, Happy… This feels so nice," he sighed as his shoulders slouched down. He really was enjoying it!
"All right, that's enough!" Millianna huffed. Natsu looked impossibly sad when she retracted her hand and even let out a miserable "Aw…" That sad little pout is so adora- Agh! No, Millianna! Bad! Bad! she scolded herself once more with an even more painful pinch. Dammit, she was going to get over this crush even if she went home with bruises dotting every inch of her skin. "Wh-What do you want to do today?" she asked quickly, trying to distract herself (and Natsu, so he could wipe that aggravatingly cute pout off his face). Like a switch had flipped, that equally endearing smile was back on his face. Millianna truly could not win; no matter what little action he performed, her little heart went a-fluttering. This is going to be harder than I thought…
"Oh, yeah! They're having a little flower festival in the town square for a few days, Millianna, and I thought you might like to see it! I got dragged along by Lucy and all the other gals already, but it was kinda fun. So whadaya say?" he asked her. Millianna absolutely adored flowers and was definitely willing to visit the limited-time installment. Still, that nagging little voice in the back of her enamored mind could not help but chime that a flower festival was an undoubtedly romantic setting… Shut up, she told it grumpily, Natsu went with other girls already. He doesn't find it romantic at all! She told herself that, but she still couldn't help but blush brightly again when he grabbed her by the wrist and took off with her in tow when she nodded in agreement.
Millianna momentarily forgot her present predicament when the two of them arrived at the town square. She stood in the entrance, eyes glimmering with unbridled joy as she basked in the brilliance of the flower festival. Though it was a small area, the town square was exquisitely decorated, beginning with an arch wrapped in trawling strawberry vines, complete with a mixture of blooming white flowers and succulent red fruits that begged to be plucked from the vine. There was no one around to chastise her, so she snuck up to the arrangement to do so, biting down on the end of the berry and practically melting as its tart yet sweet juices spread across her tongue. "They're absolutely delicious!" she told Natsu as she chewed on the yummy fruit. Natsu nodded eagerly in agreement, having shoved a fistful of them into his mouth already. As he reached for another one, she walked over and lightly popped his outstretched hand. "Leave some for others to enjoy!" she scolded him with a waggling finger.
"Okay! Okay! No need to hit me," he whined while waving his hand about. She hadn't even hit him hard enough to leave a red mark; he was just being dramatic, she could tell, from the hint of a smirk that pranced in his pouty lips. Oh, there he goes again! So cute… she lamented silently as her heart began to incessantly pound against her rib cage. To avoid further dwelling on the situation, she hastily whirled around and marched through the arch.
"Let's go!" The town square was arranged in a circular fashion with a large bubbling fountain as its centerpiece; spreading bilaterally in either direction from the arch were various sculptures made of flowers and hedges, finally meeting in the middle directly parallel to the arch with the grandest of them all. Millianna did forget her schoolgirl crush temporarily as she walked alongside Natsu around the town square, pausing to admire each work of floral art. One of them was a pair of little girls in pigtails carrying baskets of daisies carved from thick green hedges with their matching dresses demarcated by bright red poppies. Another bore the likeness of a massive dragon propped back on its powerful haunches, its wings formed by curtains of wisteria blossoms and its body formed by a collection of violets, complete with roiling flames made of white bell-like flowers spilling from its mouth. The next was a knight that bore eerie resemblance to Erza, down to her streaming red hair woven from huge roses. With each statue came a menagerie of soothing aromas wafting into Millianna's sharp nose and easing her tensed nerves. How could she not be soothed among the beautiful flowers?
She would think that, until Natsu did something undeniably cute, like making funny faces at the Erza-yet-not-Erza sculpture or playing in the fountain with Happy until he got yelled at by the resident officiator of the festival. As she watched his energetic antics, Millianna laughed amiably with one hand over her mouth, unable to contain the sheer joy she got from seeing him live his life with complete zest, no matter what he was doing.
"Come on, Millianna, let's go see the big one!" he called to her, running off for the other end of the square. As she watched him go, smiling back at her with his dragonscale scarf waving in the wind behind him, Millianna's happiness was replaced with the sharp bitterness of pain. I really am… in love with him, aren't I? she thought as her hand came to rest against her fluttering, fragile heart. No amount of reverse psychology or painful punishment was going to change that, despite her best efforts. Her gaze dropped to the cobblestone walkway; a smile was again on her face, but one of defeat and sadness. There's nothing for it…
There was only one way out of it for Millianna: she would have to confess and have heart her broken, and that would be that. "Millianna? Are you comin' or what?" came Natsu's impatient cry from the large sculpture. Sucking in a breath to steel her courage, Millianna raised her head and hurried over to stand beside him in front of the festival's pride and joy. It certainly was a magnificent specimen, a grand white castle with daffodils as gold accents and even a functioning drawbridge with a running-water moat. A blonde-haired princess waved a handkerchief from her tower window down at a young squire in a red-and-blue tunic. "Man, how long do ya think it took to put this thing together?" Natsu grinned in admiration as he craned his head back to observe the entire piece, one hand over his green eyes to shield it from the sun's bright rays. Millianna only shrugged slightly in response. Though they had given her much joy beforehand, now Millianna couldn't even force herself to enjoy the spectacle of nature's brightest and most beautiful blossoms. Her sudden melancholy did not go unnoticed by the boy. "Millianna? Are you okay? You tired?" he asked her while cocking his head to the side. Under his innocent, curious gaze, Millianna squirmed uncomfortably. Of course the fact that he was concerned with her well-being ignited those butterflies in her stomach. There was currently no one else admiring the castle sculpture, so if she confessed now, there would be no one to witness the embarrassing spectacle of her rejection…
It's now or never, she insisted, but despite her consciousness raring to go, she could not force her tongue to form the simple words. She clutched her hands in front of her chest tightly, quivering as the anxiety gripped her body. She would've never imagined that it would be so impossibly hard! Millianna had always been a direct individual, always saying what was on her mind, but for once in her life, she could not do so. "Millianna?" As Natsu stepped closer to her with his eyebrows knitted together in concern, all she could do was eye him fearfully out of the corners of her eyes. Would he laugh at her? Would he find her crush on him abhorrent? As her mind spiraled rapidly into dark, depressing possibilities, the little voice in the back of her head actually said something useful for once. Natsu isn't like that.
No… No, he isn't. Millianna found that realization incredibly reassuring. Of course Natsu would never react so horribly; he was just such a nice, genuine person, after all. Even if his feelings for her were completely platonic, he would do his best to let her down easily and try to salvage their friendship, at least. Millianna sucked in a breath, finally ready to admit the truth to him. She turned to face him, determination flaring in her dark brown eyes… But she couldn't open her mouth to speak for Natsu's lips lightly brushing over hers.
Any bravado that Millianna had mustered up vanished like smoke in a fierce wind. Her face burned in an inferno so intense she could swear that Natsu was using his magic on her; of course, he was not. Natsu's eyes were nearly as wide as hers. It seemed that Natsu had been leaning forward to peer into her face at the exact moment that Millianna had turned around, yielding their present compromising position. Though several seconds had passed, neither of them had moved an inch, so their lips were still locked in a light, feathery kiss that had Millianna both internally screaming and with the overwhelming urge to push forward to claim Natsu's mouth fully. She almost, almost found herself doing so, but caught herself as her eyes were drifting shut. With a startled gasp, she jerked back, finally pulling her lips from his.
"I-I'm sorry, Natsu! I-I didn't mean- um- o-oh dear…" she stammered as she turned her back to him, hands squishing her bright red cheeks as she effectively overheated in mortification. It felt like the world was spinning around her. Crap, crap, crap! What do I do now?! We just kissed! With a long, uncomfortable whine, she squirmed about as her jellified brain attempted to arrive at some logical follow-up, but it was pretty much useless. Her neural synapses were firing in all the wrong ways, more focused on her body's physical reactions than actually being useful. She had her eyes shut tight the entire time, and once she cracked them open, she was terrified to find that Natsu had walked around to stand in front of her. With a loud "Kyahhhh!" she went to whirl right back around again, but he caught her by both her wrists to prevent her from doing so. "Wah! N-Natsu, what-?"
He didn't answer her, just pulled her forward to crush his mouth against hers. Her brain melted further into a pile of goop so not a coherent thought formed in her mind; her body took over for her, thankfully. A soft "Mmm…" rumbled in her throat as she melted against him and her eyes drifted shut once more. The way his lips were dancing gently and rhythmically with her own sent electricity humming through her nerves, sending a warm, fuzzy feeling buzzing in every cell of her body. The butterflies were back, but not uncomfortable flapping in a frenzy, just lazily fluttering about to yield an oddly pleasant humming sensation. Her heart settled from a pounding drum to a steady thump in tune with the beating of Natsu's own heart, which hovered over hers as their chests flushed together. She could faintly feel one of Natsu's hands releasing her wrist to thread through her wavy chestnut locks; similarly, Millianna's hand had migrated to the back of his neck to twist those fine, pink locks around her fingers. Millianna was not sure how long they stood there kissing in front of the magical castle sculpture, nor did she really care as Natsu pulled back slightly. Their eyes opened to lock gazes, Millianna's warm brown tones meshing with the bright green of his. "N-Natsu… I don't understand…" she managed to murmur finally. Her gaze dropped down to her feet as she tried to process what had just occurred. It couldn't possibly be that Natsu… has feelings for me, too…? She did not resist him as he curled a hand beneath her chin to force her gaze back up to his. He had a saccharine sweet smile on his face that made Millianna's heart clench in happiness and love. The way he was looking at her right now, like she was a divine blossom more beautiful than the crafted arrangements that surrounded them, unique and perfect… There was simply no denying it.
"Well, we came so close that I figured I might as well just finish the job," he grinned teasingly. His hand left her chin to sweep across her cheek, as lightly as a feather but Millianna continued to feel his touch long after his hand had retreated to settle on her hip. "You were… going to say something?"
"I like you, Natsu… A lot." It came out so easily that she didn't even quite realize that she had uttered it. A satisfied smirk mixed with a loving smile crossed his lips, and intense feeling smoldered in his spring green irises as he continued to just gaze at her like she was the only thing in the world. She peered at him shyly through her lashes and was relieved to see that big smile that scrunched up his eyes with pure elation appear on his boyish yet handsome features.
"That's good, otherwise that woulda been kinda awkward," he laughed while rubbing the back of his neck. After he chuckled a minute at his own joke, he opened his eyes to look at her adoringly. "I like you a lot too, Millianna."
"So… Does this mean you want me to keep coming to see you?" she asked with a small smile as she swayed slightly back and forth, hands clasped behind her back. The action really did make her look like a confessing schoolgirl.
"Uh-huh! And I'll come see ya, too! I wanna see Mermaid Heel."
"Oh, why?" He looked at her in amusement, like she had asked a really silly question.
"Because I wanna learn all kinds of things about you, Millianna." Her heart hammered against her ribcage as she swooned dramatically at the purely effortless, endearing line. She was definitely head-over-heels now; little pink hearts were practically beating in her eyes. He grinned boyishly at her as he took her hand, entwining their fingers, and using his other to point towards the other side of the flower festival that they had yet to observe. "Whadaya say we call this our first date, yeah? We still got plenty of flowers to look at, and we can go eat afterwards, too!" He's so dreamy! Millianna shrieked internally, clutching her heart as it threatened to pop right out of her chest from how hard it was beating. She simply couldn't handle all his adorable lovey-doveyness.
"Okay!" she nodded gleefully, and even dared herself to lean her head on his shoulder. It was the perfect size and shape for her to nestle comfortably against him, making her feel even more giddy; dare she say they were made for one another! Pretty much nothing could bust Millianna's elated bubble… except Happy, standing in front of them and sniffling as he stared up at them with tears dripping down his furry blue face.
"Happy? What's the matter, bud?" Natsu gasped in alarm. Happy sucked in a breath through his nose to try and keep the snot from dripping from it as he rubbed at his big black eyes.
"You won't forget about me now that you've got her, right, Natsu?" he asked miserably. Millianna couldn't help but feel guilty at the poor little kitty's distraught display. He loved Natsu so dearly; of course he would be worried that Natsu would become so engrossed in a new relationship that he would be left behind. Natsu shook his head firmly.
"Of course not, Happy! You're my bestest bud!" Happy stared at him with wide eyes for a second, then began bawling harder than before. With a loud, relieved wail, he ran forward to hug one of Natsu's legs and bury his teary, snotty face into it. "Hehehe, I love you too, little guy," Natsu mused and leaned down to reassuringly scratch the top of his head when Happy mumbled something of the same sentiment into the fabric of his pants. Millianna watched to heartwarming exchange with a small smile. While Happy calmed himself down, Natsu tossed her an amused grin. "Shall we?"
"Mhmm!" Happy just sat on Natsu's foot, arms and legs wrapped around his leg as he continued to cry of happiness, while Natsu began walking with Millianna to enjoy the rest of the festival. She nuzzled into him contentedly, enjoying the natural heat of his body spreading through her.
She had been right when she had envisioned that this visit would be different than the others, but she was so grateful that she hadn't chosen to take the train back…