*Chapter Fifty-Five: Table for nine
(April 13th, 2018, Friday Evening)
Something was off, but for the life of Natsu, he couldn't figure out what.
It started earlier when Lucy told him how she knew Loke, his world turned upside down for a moment. He thought the anxious feeling in his chest would fade after she had her little talk with him, but even after they made it back into the school and Loke went to his new room, that feeling stayed firm.
Seeing Happy had greatly helped, Natsu's heart full as he scooped up his cat and cuddled him against his chest. Happy had missed him too, instantly purring and meowing as he sniffed all over Natsu's shirt and face. It had brought a tear to his eye. He thought things were returning to normal.
But then he turned to Lucy to share in the moment, only to realize her eyes weren't on him. He paused, brows furrowing as he tried seeing what she was looking at, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary by the wall.
"How was he while I was gone?" he asked, hoping to engage her in some conversation. That was sure to get her to look at him, but he was wrong.
Happy, the wall, the floor, even his arms... Lucy looked everywhere but his face. He tried not letting it bother him at first, thinking she had regressed some of her progress when he was gone, but the evidence didn't add up.
On the way to their room they had passed three other survivors, all greeting Lucy and him. Natsu had returned the pleasantries. It was the normal thing to do, but instead of shying away or staying silent, Lucy actually spoke back each time, no hesitation or timidness in her tone. She spoke clearly, voice firm and sure, even if she had just been saying, "Hey."
"He was good," she mumbled, scratching at her arm as she looked up at the ceiling. He wondered if she was fascinated with the stars still stuck up there, but her eyes were unfocused.
'Is... she pretending to be interested so she doesn't have to look at me?'
The question died when he glanced at her arms, noting the various scars etched in her skin. He didn't notice the definition to her arms, only the marks Ivan left her. They were different shapes and sizes, raised, flat, jagged, and straight.
Lucy didn't bother covering them, even when they were outside surrounded by people. She hadn't been expecting his arrival, walking around like there was nothing to hide before he showed up.
'Good,' he thought, realizing that was exactly what he had hoped for a while back. He wanted Lucy to build her confidence, to be unashamed and unapologetic of her body. Of course, he wanted to ask why the change, when it started, and if the weather had anything to do with it. It was only halfway through April, but it was warming up outside.
He had so many questions about her lack of cover, but he didn't dare ask. He didn't want to spook her, so he held his tongue. It was always a hit or miss if Lucy would answer his questions, and the best thing to do was read her body language to see if she was in the mood.
He sensed she was guarded, a little hesitant and uncomfortable, but maybe it was all in his head.
'I'm imagining things,' he reasoned, setting down Happy when Lucy poured the feline some dinner, Natsu's own stomach growling in anticipation. Though, he was less excited than he had been while eating at Hargeon. He would miss getting fresh meat, but he supposed meat out of cans wasn't bad.
Of course, that was if it was even available.
"Did you—" Natsu started, his train of thought broken when he noticed where Happy's food bowl was placed.
"Hmm?" Lucy looked over her shoulder before straightening. She wasn't meeting his gaze, keeping her eyes trained on the wall beside him. "What?"
"Why..." Natsu furrowed his brows, trying to understand why instead of being beside their stacked beds, Happy's bowl was in between two beds, clearly separated by at least three feet.
He recognized Lucy's pillow and blanket on one of them while his bedding was on the other. He considered not saying anything, but it bugged him, and he didn't like that it bothered him. "Why're the beds apart?"
Lucy's eyes snapped down to Happy, petting him as she shrugged. "I was airing them out," she said, her clipped answer suggesting she didn't want to say more.
He frowned, shoulders falling as he tried fighting the disappointment, but the more he thought about it, the deeper the ache in his chest became.
'Does she want to sleep separately now?' His gaze dropped to the floor, trying to make sense of it. 'I guess... it's not so cold out now.' She had only started sleeping in his bed to siphon his heat on those chilly nights, but even though it wasn't freezing anymore, he had hoped they would continue their sleeping arrangement.
The idea that she didn't want to sleep beside him, well, it made his stomach twist, the man swallowing as he forced himself to take a steady breath.
How many nights away had he wished he had her beside him? To have that comfort? He wanted to share his warmth. Breathing her in every night had been so ingrained in his routine that when he suddenly couldn't have her as a bed buddy -a phrase he would never share with her, he had found it harder to sleep.
Coming back to Fairy Tail, he thought things would be exactly like he left them, but...
Things were different, and it didn't sit right with him.
"— for dinner?"
Natsu jolted, surprised as Lucy walked past him towards the bookcase, grabbing her dishes. His eyes caught the stacks of notebooks and loose papers on her shelves, his eyes widening when he remembered what he was going to ask before he got distracted by the beds.
"Did you write any more?" he asked, causing her to pause.
She turned, Natsu's chest lightening as she looked up, but the second her eyes met his they were off to the side again, avoiding his gaze once more. 'Am I imagining it?'
"Y-yeah," Lucy mumbled, her fist tight around her utensils with her plate hugged against her chest. She looked over at the notebooks, voice growing softer, like she was unsure. "I wrote um, I think five... maybe six more chapters f-for the Game of Thrones story? I umm, also wrote some for... for an original work, but it's uh, it's not ready... yet."
Natsu didn't know what to think, what to feel. He had been craving Lucy's writing while gone, excited to see how the story progressed, but now... The way she said it, the way she wouldn't look at him...
'Did I do something wrong?'
Was she mad at him for leaving? She had been on board, not trying to stop him from going on the mission. Sure, he had been gone longer than they planned, but she couldn't blame him for that.
'Can she?'
He didn't think she would, but she had mentioned thinking he wasn't coming back. Maybe she resented him for leaving afterwards? "Sorry..." he started, seeing her still. "I was gone for a while..."
"Don't be," Lucy said, a sad, soft smile twitching on her lips, but she still wouldn't meet his gaze. "I'm sure at dinner you and Gray will tell us all about your adventure."
"Yeah," he mumbled, frowning when she busied herself at the desk, the conversation dropped.
Natsu looked back at her bookcase, wondering which notebook contained the story for him, but he lacked the enthusiasm he held before. He forced a smile, honestly looking forward to reading more of her story, but something felt hollow in the center, a void he couldn't quite figure out.
'Maybe I'm overthinking it. So what if she wants to sleep in her own bed. It's not like we coulda kept that arrangement forever. She was bound to separate things once it warmed up, so I shouldn't be so shocked. It's not like our beds are that big anyways. She probably wants to stretch out. I know I used to do that, so it's normal to need more room... Maybe I could get a bigger bed? But maybe she wants space, which is... It's fine, really. And so what if she won't look me in the eyes. She... Well, she—'
Actually, Natsu had no reason to justify that bizarre behavior. He didn't want to admit how badly it stung when she walked past him towards the door, doing her best to keep her eyes ahead.
'What happened while I was gone?'
Part of Natsu's question was answered when she turned around, his gaze falling to her plate before his brows darted inward. "What's that?" he asked in a soft tone, raising a brow at the pale pink marking on her hand.
At first glance, he thought it was a healed burn. Before he could ask how she got hurt, he realized the marking had a distinct shape. Natsu moved before his brain had a chance to catch up, snatching her hand to pull it towards him.
Lucy barely caught her plate before it could fall, gasping as he looked at the Fairy Tail tattoo adorning her skin. "Y-you like... it?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Natsu's thumb rubbed over the tattoo, lips parting when it didn't smudge. "Is this real?" He didn't have to see her nod to know it was, the thing not budging from her skin. "When'd you... How'd you—"
Natsu's eyes flitted to her face, and soon Lucy was looking down, his cheek twitching when he realized he wasn't imagining it.
Lucy was purposely avoiding eye contact.
"Why?" he asked, forgetting she thought he was still talking about the tattoo.
"Rogue did it," she said, swallowing before gently tugging on her hand. Natsu let it slip between his fingers. "He tattooed e-everyone. It was... about a month or... so ago."
Natsu made a sound, but even he didn't know what he was trying to say, the words dying in his throat. He looked at her face, seeing how uncomfortable he made her. She flushed, the girl looking feverish the longer he stared.
He watched as she swallowed, giving off a nervous chuckle while she readjusted her dishes. "I uh, decided I wanted a uh... a F-Fairy Tail tattoo too, to match." Her jaw tightened for a moment, Natsu unable to tell what she was thinking.
He leaned in, but that didn't help. Lucy cleared her throat before literally ducking away to get to the other side of the room, grabbing her cup.
"Almost forgot this," she rushed out, eyes flitting from the floor to the wall before finally settling on his chest. "We should um, go get in line."
Natsu didn't hear her, his thoughts muddled as he tried making sense of everything. He wasn't imagining it. Lucy was acting weird, but not in the way he liked.
Sure, Lucy was never exactly normal, but he had grown accustomed to what felt normal to them, and what happened in front of him was not that.
"You got a tattoo to match mine?" He had dozens of questions, but that one slipped out first, followed by, "Didn't it hurt? Why would you do that?"
"We can talk on our way," she answered, the red on her face slowly fading into a faint pink. "I-I don't want to be late."
Natsu studied her, wanting to demand answers, but deciding it was best to follow along with her plan. "Yeah, okay." He didn't imagine the way Lucy went out of her way to avoid accidentally brushing arms as they passed, the girl stepping a good foot away from him when he got near.
It hurt. He didn't bother denying that fact to himself.
'I thought... I thought we were friends, Lucy.'
He grabbed his dishes on his bookcase, surprised to see no dust had collected on them while he was gone. In fact, everything on his bookcase looked—
"Did you tidy my stuff?" he asked, eyes roaming from shelf to shelf, seeing everything organized. He vaguely heard her reply, his focus now elsewhere.
His scarf was resting on the middle of a shelf, folded neatly. He grabbed the material when he saw the absence of dirt and holes, brows darted in as he stretched it out. "Did..."
"I sewed it," she answered, sounding unsure of herself at first, but she grew confident the more she spoke. "After I cleaned it... I hope you don't mind. I um, I found a good sewing kit and thought it would be nice for you to wear it, but it's kind of warm now, so maybe a scarf isn't really practical."
She sounded strong, but as soon as he turned around, her voice cracked.
"I'm s-sorry if you didn't want um, that. I..." Her eyes searched the room, unable to stay still for long. "I can probably remove the thread I used... It's a slightly different white. It was er— The color was really different before I washed your scarf. I took really good care of it though!"
For a second she made eye contact with him, pleading with him to believe her, but before he could open his mouth, she was looking away again.
'What did I do wrong?'
He wanted to ask her, but he couldn't get the words out. Instead, he sighed, staring down at the scarf before gripping it. The material was soft against his rough hands.
"Thanks," he mumbled, heart panging as he recalled how happy he had been when Igneel gave it to him.
Natsu's hope to find his dad raised when he remembered Lucy and Loke finding each other again. If they could do it, why couldn't he?
"This... this was really nice."
He thought he would have been upset. He had purposely left it out of his laundry so a stranger couldn't touch something that meant so much to him, but Lucy wasn't a stranger. She was his roommate, his friend, the person he thought of often while he was away, and now she couldn't even look him in the eye.
'Just... look at me.'
Natsu swallowed past the lump forming in his throat, feeling his eyes prick before he steeled himself. After exhaling a shaky breath, he moved to wrap the scarf around his neck twice before letting the ends hang over his chest and back. He wouldn't bring it with him off base, but it would be safe wearing to dinner.
"Let's go," he said, nodding to the door after grabbing his dishes. Natsu kept quiet when she slipped out of the room, like she was glad to get some space between them. It made him wonder what the hell happened in the last, what? Hour? She had been shaking in his arms when they were finally reunited, he could feel the relief in her as they hugged, but now?
She looked like she wanted nothing to do with him, merely tolerating his presence.
Natsu stilled his lower lip when it dared to quiver, his forehead creasing as he pressed his lips into a tight line. He wasn't going to give into the weird rush of emotions crashing over him. They were unrelenting, but he was stubborn.
"So it was Erza's idea," Lucy started when they made it into the hall, Natsu momentarily stunned to see her standing right outside the door. She hadn't bolted like he thought she would, but she did keep her eyes on her hand where a pink tattoo laid. "We still had a good amount of gas, but it was becoming unusable, so they asked Makarov if Rogue could use it for a tattoo machine."
As they walked down the stairs, Lucy continued, her voice growing bolder the longer she went uninterrupted. He didn't know what to make of her odd behavior, so he stayed quiet, observing and listening as she filled him in.
"It was really odd, but he got it to work. He had to use an amp or something, I'm not sure, I wasn't paying a lot of attention to the set up, but to answer your earlier question, part of it hurt."
Natsu raised a brow, still dealing with his unsettled stomach as he opened his mouth, but decided against saying anything. Luckily, Lucy took the silence as an invitation to continue.
"He got some numbing cream and let me use a bit. I had to leave it on for a while so it worked. I only put it on the center, so the outside parts hurt, especially here," she said, maneuvering her dishes so she could point at part of her hand. "But I think it was worth it. I really like it."
Natsu nodded, the tension in his shoulders slowly loosening. Maybe he had been imagining Lucy's earlier avoidance. Maybe she was just shy to be near him after so long? He frowned, wondering if she was lonely when he was gone, but he was yet again reminded she spoke to those other survivors so easily.
'What the heck is going on?' He sighed before asking himself, 'Why am I trying to read into things? She doesn't seem in distress, so why am I so worried?'
When a solid minute passed without her saying anything, Natsu finally asked, "You got it to match?"
He saw her head move towards him an inch, but she pulled back before her eyes could follow. "Yeah. The others also got them too, but Jellal took it one step further."
"I saw his face," Natsu offered, remembering his surprise in processing, but his thoughts had stayed on Loke's relationship to Lucy. He couldn't focus on the red tribal on Jellal's face.
The corner of Lucy's mouth twitched, Natsu feeling his heart pulse a little faster as the smile reached her eyes. "That was crazy. Most of us got Fairy Tail symbols, but Jellal had to be different. Oh, Sting also got something different too. He got Yukino's name tattooed on his chest. Can you believe that?"
"Yeah," he mumbled, a little too pleased she was actually engaging in conversation instead of just talking at him. Natsu couldn't sort through his thoughts and feelings, both changing in the blink of an eye. 'Maybe I'm overreacting. Everything is fine, maybe better than fine.'
He looked over Lucy, noticing her carrying herself taller than when he left. Instead of closing herself up, she looked open, almost ready for something. What that something was, he wasn't sure, but she seemed more sure of herself.
"Oh shoot, we should get Loke," Lucy said, halting before looking over her shoulder down the hall.
Natsu wanted to protest, but instead he let out a subtle sigh. Loke was new, and walking with him was the nice thing to do. With a reluctant nod, Natsu started turning, Lucy already on her way down the hall to fetch Natsu's newest friend.
'Who's also her ex.'
Natsu tried living in the moment instead of in his head when he entered the arena, but it was hard not to overanalyze every little thing.
Rejoining his friends had been a nice distraction from his thoughts, Natsu hugging each one of them extra tight, especially Cana, who seemed more reserved than when he left. He assumed it was because Gildarts returned that her eyes were red and puffy, the girl clearly crying before arriving for dinner.
"You okay?" he whispered as he pulled back, seeing the strain in her jaw and the twitch in her cheek.
"I'm fine," she mumbled.
"Glad to have Gildarts back?" he asked, seeing her eyes growing watery, but she blinked to rid herself of the unshed tears before pulling away.
"Glad you're back," she said, patting his shoulder twice before taking her seat next to Erza.
He almost cocked his head, thinking that was strange since Cana always sat next to Levy, but instead chose the seat Gray normally picked. Deciding he didn't want to comment on everyone's seating arrangements, he picked up his dishes and headed towards the line.
On his way there, he cursed himself, realizing he forgot to bring the presents he got for his friends from Hargeon. He left them in the vehicle. He would have to do it later, possibly tomorrow at dinner or right before bed that night.
Natsu thought Lucy would be right behind him, but once he secured his spot in line and turned, he saw her still at the table with the others, gesturing towards Loke. 'Oh... She's introducing him,' he realized, though the explanation didn't loosen the knots tightening in his stomach.
'Get a grip,' he thought, relaxing when he saw Gray approaching, clad in only his jeans. "Lose your clothes already?"
"Huh?" Gray looked down before sighing. "Whatever." He got behind Natsu, readjusting his own dishes to get comfortable. "So Makarov said we'll be getting a few days to adjust before going back to work. The only thing we gotta do is brief him tomorrow about what happened on the mission, so be in the office at noon."
Natsu nodded, deciding he could handle that. With everything that had happened since arriving, he forgot he was going to drop the news about the human experiments to see what Makarov thought.
If they were going to trade with another community, it seemed reasonable to know what they could have to deal with.
"When're they starting the solar panels?" Natsu asked, seeing the Hargeon electrician already at a table, munching away. Natsu wondered if he thought their food at Fairy Tail was plain after eating fresh ingredients in Hargeon, but it didn't matter. Gildarts was paying the electrician for his labor, then he would be leaving, presumably when the Hargeon team left.
"Tomorrow morning. Laxus is gonna try to help and keep learning," Gray said. "It'd be pretty cool to get some power."
Natsu nodded, a smile working itself on his face. "Hell yeah! Maybe then we can grab a TV and console off base and play video games like the good old days?"
The grin that took over Gray's face seemed ill-placed since his friend was usually more reserved, but he didn't complain. Gray finally looked happy, Natsu feeling some excitement himself.
"Things would feel kinda normal then," Gray said, earning a nod from Natsu.
"Speaking of going off base," Natsu started, almost cupping the back of his neck before remembering he was carrying dishes. "Uh... would you be willing to run an errand with me in the morning? Before the meeting with Gramps?"
"What's up?" Gray asked, his expression turning wary as he nodded for Natsu to move, the line getting shorter.
"It's nothing crazy," Natsu assured as he moved, hoping to ease his friend's concerns. "I was just thinking... of getting a bigger bed."
That had Gray raising a brow. "Really?"
Natsu nodded, unsure why his stomach started feeling fuzzy. He wasn't sick, but he couldn't deny the odd sensation.
"Is it for you or Lucy?"
Natsu's brows shot up, but he quickly recovered by saying, "Me. I uh, haven't heard Lucy say anything about the size of her bed," he rushed out. "I'm gonna go anyways, but it'd be easier if I got some help."
Gray studied him for a moment before slowly nodding. "Alright, yeah. We can go after breakfast?"
Natsu smiled, relief pushing that fuzziness in his stomach away. "Thanks. I owe ya."
"You do," Gray said with a cheeky grin. "'Cause we're getting me a bigger bed too!"
Natsu laughed, giving him a fanged grin. "Sounds fair."
After they shared a chuckle, Natsu looked back at the table where his friends were gathered, brows furrowing upon seeing Lucy still hadn't left Loke's side.
Gray must have noticed Natsu staring, nudging his elbow before saying, "So that's Lucy's fiancé? Looks like she's into pretty boys."
"He's her ex," Natsu corrected, though he didn't know why he said it. Did it even matter?
Gray raised a brow at Natsu's tone, but didn't comment. "Seems everything's mostly the same."
"I'm not sure about that," Natsu mumbled, shifting his plate between his chest and arm so he could grab the end of his scarf, trying to distract himself.
"You're finally wearing it again?" Gray said when he noticed the newest addition to Natsu's wardrobe. "It's been a while."
Nodding, Natsu looked down, admiring Lucy's stitchwork. He frowned when he realized something, wondering why Lucy worded it so weird. She said she found a sewing kit, not that she got it from the commissary. 'She just misspoke,' he decided, putting that thought to rest before it could take root.
He was dealing with vines of thoughts which kept growing the longer he didn't address them. Some were even tangling together, giving him a dull headache.
But, all in all, Natsu felt it in his heart as he said, "I am glad we're back." Hargeon hadn't been all bad, but it wasn't home.
Gray nodded, a smile sliding on his face. "You can say that again."
Natsu couldn't help but smile too, seeing the ease in Gray's shoulders and the light slowly returning to his eyes. The dangers they faced and the distrust Gray gained while being away had been rough.
He couldn't imagine the mental torment that came with being held at gunpoint, but being back at Fairy Tail was the best thing for Gray, especially when he saw Ultear come by and give him a hug.
"Come on," Gray groaned, but his smile gave him away. "I think five hugs is enough!"
"I'm going to give your stupid ass one hug for every day you were gone," she said, squeezing tighter before pulling away, unable to stop herself from ruffling his hair. "You had me and Lyon worried sick."
"I know," Gray sighed, running his fingers through his hair to fix it. "Where is he by the way?"
"You haven't seen him yet?" Natsu asked.
"He came by the room to say he was glad I didn't die," Gray said, shaking his head. "But then he was gone before I knew it."
"He's with Merudy," Ultear said when Gray started looking around the arena, spotting Lyon at a table on the opposite side with Merudy and a few others.
"He's still with her?"
Ultear nodded. "I was unsure at first, but she's a good person, and she makes Lyon less of a dick to be around."
Natsu snorted, thinking there was no way that was possible. He supposed if it were true, that would be a good thing. Lyon had been moody and pessimistic since the outbreak started, but to be fair, not a lot of people were overjoyed that the world had ended.
Natsu tried to find the good in life, even if sometimes his hope ran thin.
"He doesn't sleep in the room much anymore, maybe once a week if that," Ultear added with a shrug, tearing Natsu out of his thoughts. "It's been kind of lonely, buuuut, thankfully you're back! Now I have someone to bother again!"
Natsu watched with amusement at the expressions playing on Gray's face. Normally he would scoff or tell his sister to cut it out, but Gray ended up releasing a breath as he nodded. "You'll have to fill me in on all the shit I've missed since being gone tonight."
Ultear was all too happy to agree.
"I wonder what we're having tonight," Gray said, trying to change the subject before things got too emotional.
Natsu held in a grumble. "I already miss having fish..."
Ultear looked between the two before she smiled. "Trust me when I say you two are absolutely going to love it!"
Dinner itself was a spectacle to behold. Gildarts made a speech, Makarov made a toast, and everyone at Fairy Tail was buzzing with conversation.
Natsu's group was no exception, his friends taking turns asking what their adventure was like and how the world was beyond Magnolia.
"Once you hit the highway there's way less zombies," Gray said, taking his first bite of stew. "Hooooly fuck! This is awesome!"
"It is?" Natsu asked, looking down at his bowl. When he saw it was stew he assumed it was poured out of a can. He took a sniff, eyes widening at the delicious aroma.
"Mira's cooking has gotten much better lately," Erza noted, savoring a spoonful of broth before swallowing. "We've been spoiled with all the fresh produce and meat."
"Meat?!" Natsu grinned before digging in, not caring how weird it sounded when he moaned. It was that damn good.
"Bisca catch something?" he asked with his full mouth, ignoring Erza's narrowed eyes at his bad manners from across the table. He figured he had a grace period before she would start scolding him again, so he took advantage of it.
"I think this is just rabbit," Levy said, catching Natsu's attention. He looked over to his left where she sat, but the girl was smiling at Lucy. "The bigger the garden gets, the more they come."
"And you guys kill them?" Natsu asked, furrowing his brows. When Levy nodded, he asked, "How? Shoot 'em?"
Levy stayed quiet, letting Lucy speak up. However, the woman remained silent, getting another spoonful of stew. With a raised brow, Levy said, "Um? Lucy?"
Natsu looked over at his roommate, who was thankfully sitting next to him. She hesitated before stealing a peek at him once before quickly averting her eyes. Her face flushed again like earlier, Natsu figuring she was embarrassed by the attention.
"What?" he asked, wondering if he was missing something.
Seeing she wasn't speaking up, Levy decided to do it for her. "Lucy got them. She's been catching rabbits for weeks now."
Green eyes widened, Natsu's jaw going slack as he asked, "You have?"
"I— Uh," Lucy started, the red tint on her face growing brighter.
Concern etched its way into his chest, wondering if she was okay. "How'd you do it?" He figured she would say she read something in a book recently, probably found a plant that kills them but didn't contaminate the meat, but when Lucy failed to form a proper sentence, Loke spoke up.
"Lucy's an awesome huntress."
All eyes fell on Loke, but he didn't seem to mind the attention. He beamed down at Lucy, seeing as he sat on her other side. He put his hand on her shoulder, shaking her a bit. "Don't be modest, Princess."
Natsu's stomach jerked, but he ignored it, focused on Lucy's expressions and Loke's words.
"She's an expert with a bow and arrow. Trained with the best!"
"Is that true?" Gray asked, leaning on the table in interest. He sat across from Loke, with Cana and Ultear on either side of him.
With a slight nod, Lucy said, "Yeah."
Natsu thought she was going to revert back to her meek self, but Lucy surprised him by raising her head, voice growing stronger as she spoke to Gray.
"I trained with Sagittarius. He's famous in the archery community. I even won a few competitions..."
"That's pretty cool," he said with a nod. "Is that how you got the rabbit?"
"Rabbits. Plural," Levy added as she smiled. "She's been catching so many they actually had to put someone else in the kitchen to keep up with skinning and dressing them." She shivered as she muttered, "It looks gross, but they taste delicious!"
"I would help," Lucy said as she shrugged. "But I'd rather stay a—" Her voice caught in her throat, Lucy coughing before looking at Gray. "I uh, I didn't shoot them. I've been making snare traps."
"I have no idea what that means, but if it gets us more meat, I'm on board!"
"If you like that," Loke started, nudging Lucy's shoulder. "You should see her hunting deer! Most women can't handle a forty, but Lucy kicks ass with a sixty, which is like, unheard of for a woman! And she always hits her target!"
"That sounds impressive," Ultear said, giving Lucy a smile.
"I'm actually best with a fifty. I can handle a sixty, but I get tired easily."
"Fifty is still incredible." As Loke patted Lucy on the back, Natsu found himself clenching his teeth. Swallowing, he tried to figure out why he felt weird. Wouldn't he be happy to learn Lucy was apparently a badass archer?
He wanted to be happy, but all he could think of was, 'Why didn't she say something? We've known each other, what? Four months before I left for Hargeon? There wasn't one time she could have mentioned that little fact? I guess maybe I should have known she knew something about archery. One of her original characters in her story uses a bow and arrow, and it always sounded realistic... Also, she did say she killed an animal when I found her, but I assumed it was a rat or something...'
Another thought crossing his mind at the same time was, 'Why is Loke being so familiar with her? So what if they used to be together. It's over, so just stop touching her. She doesn't like that stuff.'
However, Lucy didn't seem to mind. In fact, she smiled at Loke, Gray, and Ultear, made eye contact with them and didn't stumble over her sentences. Yet, when Natsu nudged her and said, "You should show me your traps later," she got flustered and quieted down, his heart sinking in an instant.
What was going on?
Was her progress gone, or had she surpassed where he left her? Why was she carefree with literally everyone else at the table except him? Did he do something wrong? Had she grown tired of him? She acted as if looking at him physically hurt her, doing everything she could to avoid his gaze. He hated how confusing his thoughts grew the longer he went without answers, unable to concentrate on anything else.
He revisited everything that happened since arriving at Fairy Tail, thinking things had been great when they finally saw each other, then he brought her to the truck and she started being distant when she saw Loke.
But, if she was upset over Loke -which didn't seem likely because she was actually looking and talking to him, why would that change how she acted around him? Literally nothing drastic happened between them hugging and seeing Loke.
He spoke with Elfman, he brought Lucy over so she could make sure no one dangerous entered Fairy Tail, then—
Natsu's mouth parted as his eyes went round in realization, thinking he had figured it out.
'I never would have guessed.' He looked over Lucy once before frowning. 'She must know I told Makarov about her secret. That has to be it. That's why she won't look at me.'
It was the only thing that made sense, and it had to get addressed sooner than later.
He had already planned on talking to her about it tomorrow, but he would have to do it tonight when they were alone again. He couldn't stand the thought of Lucy being upset with him, his stomach growing more unsettled the longer she went without looking him in the eye.
It just didn't feel right, and he had to fix it.
"I never knew you liked hunting," Gray said, causing Lucy to chuckle.
'She chuckled? In front of everyone? Anyone around us can hear her, yet she doesn't look concerned.' Natsu almost gaped, wondering where his timid, shy roommate had gone. Sitting beside him was not the girl he left behind, but it was for the better.
He just... couldn't enjoy her changes with that hollowness in his chest, that twist in his gut. She was upset at him, and he had no one to blame but himself.
Lucy answered easily, telling Gray she didn't particularly like killing, but she did enjoy the sport of hitting her targets as long as they weren't breathing. "There's a bow in the arsenal Makarov said I could use, but it's for a kid. It could take out a squirrel or rabbit, but nothing big."
"Why would anything big get on base?" Natsu asked, hoping Lucy would look and talk to him with that same enthusiasm she showed Gray, but her eyes fell to the table, fidgeting with her food.
"Oh, uh, I didn't... Not big-big, just like, um..."
Natsu's face fell, hating his decision to tell her secret. He wanted to ask her to talk right then and get it over with, but he didn't want to cause a scene at dinner. They were supposed to be celebrating, but he knew something was off, and he had to deal with it in silence.
"Never mind," Natsu mumbled, returning to his food. "It's cool you can hunt and stuff."
"Yeah," she whispered, the table silent for a moment before Erza asked Gray about his favorite part of the trip.
"Returning."
That had everyone laughing, though Natsu couldn't find it in himself to relax. He knew it was a joyous occasion, but celebrating fell further down his priority list.
'What if Lucy never forgives me? What if this is it, the end of our friendship and she's just unsure how to cut it off? Maybe she's been mad at me this whole time, she has to know something's up. Why else would Makarov let her see everyone who got off the truck to make sure they were safe? She knows. I fucked up. I really really fucked up. I should have just told her first. She's never going to look at me again. She's never— Will Loke fucking keep his hands to himself! Stop rubbing her back!'
Once again, Natsu clenched his teeth, forcing himself to breathe easily. His thoughts continued to spiral, most of them a repeat, but the last had him freeze.
'What if she doesn't want to live with me anymore?'
He felt the color drain from his face, his heart sinking so hard he thought he might fall with it. What if she planned on moving out? His thoughts didn't last long, Loke's voice causing Natsu's eye to twitch yet again.
'Loke's my friend! Why am I acting like he's suddenly my enemy?! So what if he's friendly with her. As long as she's okay with it, why does it matter?'
"By the way, nice tattoo," Loke said, taking Lucy's hand in his.
Despite trying to calm himself down, Natsu almost broke his teeth as he gritted them. However, seconds after Loke held her hand Lucy jerked it away, pressing it against her stomach. A knot in Natsu's stomach loosened just as another one tightened, worried she was uncomfortable.
"Sorry," Loke said, causing Lucy to shake her head. "I was curious, but—"
"It's fine. I just..."
"You don't have to explain," Loke said, offering her a smile. "That's the symbol that's on the flag outside?"
Lucy nodded, Natsu noting her shoulders slowly relaxing. He hadn't realized she tensed. "Yes, it stands for Fairy Tail. It was the mascot of this high school before they converted it into this base." She looked over at Erza before smiling. "All of them went here growing up."
"So you guys have been friends for a while?" Loke asked, earning nods from the rest of the group. "That's amazing you were able to stick together."
"We were on a camping trip when it started," Levy explained, shivering when she added, "It was really scary. The first one I saw was actually with Natsu. We were in his truck and one came out of nowhere. He hit it but it just got right back up."
"It was pretty crazy," Natsu added. He ended up killing the zombie by slamming his door on its head, causing blood to gush everywhere. Natsu had been convinced he committed murder.
"I bet." Loke nodded. "I was in Hargeon. I didn't see what happened in town since I was already on the base when everything went down. There were a few reports of people exhibiting rabid behavior that morning, but no one paid attention to it."
He sighed before running his hand through his orange mane. "I still wonder if things would have been different if we were more prepared."
"We'll never know," Ultear sighed, causing Loke to look across the table at her. Their gaze lingered for a little longer than Natsu thought necessary, wondering if Loke was setting his sights on someone else.
'Good,' Natsu thought, hoping Loke would stop flirting with Lucy. 'If that's even what he's doing. He's probably just being friendly and I'm worrying for nothing.'
He furrowed his brows as he thought, 'Why would I even be worried? Lucy made it clear they weren't really in love... So, why do I even care? It's... UGH! Just stop fucking thinking!'
He couldn't explain the feelings behind his thoughts, so it was better leaving it to rest. The more he pressed, the worse it became. He took a deep breath, deciding to engage in a side conversation as Ultear and Loke shared their first experiences, the two at the end of their sides of the table so it would have been a little difficult for Natsu to participate there.
"So, what made you decide to tattoo your face?" Natsu asked, peering over at Jellal. The red tribal looked even and steady. Rogue did a great job despite not finishing his apprenticeship.
"I've always thought it'd be cool, but couldn't for obvious reasons."
"Guess you don't gotta worry about a career now." Natsu frowned towards the end, wondering where they would be had the apocalypse never happened. He would be a firefighter by now.
While he felt a yearning for something that would never come, he found himself thankful for only one thing the apocalypse brought.
Had the world ended, he never would have met Lucy. A trickle of warmth entered his chest, but it was chased away when he remembered she wouldn't look at him.
'I need to fix things between us. I can't lose her as a friend. I can't.'
"It hurt like a bitch," Jellal said.
"I bet," Lucy laughed, Natsu steeling himself so he wouldn't look over.
He didn't want to risk her withdrawing again.
"Yeah," Jellal said with a shrug. "Wonder what hurts worse. Face or ribs?"
Natsu blinked, realizing the attention had been directed at him. The side of his face felt a little warm, as if someone was looking at him, but he didn't dare glance towards Lucy in fear of spooking her.
When had he become so cautious? It was like when he first brought Lucy to Fairy Tail, feeling like he was walking on eggshells.
His nervous chuckle soon turned into a laugh as he recalled the pain that came with his dragon scales tattoo. It had been the most painful. "That hurt too,, but I think the face would win. Uh, Levy, did you get one?"
She nodded, patting over her back. "I got the Fairy Tail mark too. It's on my shoulder. Next time I wear a tank top I'll be sure to show you."
He nodded, able to wait. His eyes found Erza and Cana, not needing to ask for them to show him their ink. Erza's was on her left arm, a bold blue that seemed to match Jellal's hair. Cana's was black, resting to the side of her navel.
When she sat down, a natural lull had fallen over the table, even Loke and Ultear's conversation ending. Natsu took that as an opportunity to chow down on more of his stew, the smell and flavor easily beating anything else he had eaten since the outbreak started, even when they went to Hargeon.
Taking a chance, Natsu cleared his throat. "Whatever you're doing Lucy," he said, purposely keeping his eyes on his bowl, "keep it up. This is great!"
He almost sighed in relief when she let out a soft chuckle, Natsu's chest feeling lighter.
"So I'm assuming you all got the Fairy Tail tattoo because you went to high school here?" Loke asked, causing Erza to shake her head.
"We got it because this is our home now," she said softly, Natsu catching Lucy nodding in his peripherals.
He didn't know why that made his chest warm, a small smile forming on his face. Fairy Tail was home, Natsu surrounded by his friends that felt more like family with all the shit they had gone through together.
"I kinda want one now," Gray muttered, causing Natsu to snicker.
"And you thought me getting this tattoo would be a punishment!" He stuck his tongue out at Gray, eyes widening when he heard Lucy actually giggle before she quieted up. Something in his stomach felt a little tingly, his face warming as he pulled back, deciding not to retort when Gray threw an insult his way.
"The gas is unusable now," Jellal informed before furrowing his brows. "Which brings up something I meant to ask earlier. How were you guys able to drive?"
"It runs on diesel," Natsu answered, trying to take his mind off his crazy feelings. "They let us borrow a van that uses it too. Gas is only good for like, six months tops without those additives, but diesel is good for up to a year. Hargeon actually wants to go to Clover Town since there's an oil field there. If they can get their hands on it, they can try to make more fuel for stuff."
Bicycles helped move around base, but if they wanted society to grow, they needed reliable transportation.
"So until then," Jellal started, shoulders sagging a bit, "we're out of luck."
Gray practically grumbled as he asked, "Lemme guess, everyone off base has to walk everywhere now?"
"Actually," Erza chimed in, Natsu noting an expression he couldn't quite place on her face. If he had to guess, he would say she looked disturbed. "Makarov implemented Natsu's idea."
"My idea?" he asked, feeling multiple pairs of eyes on him, but he kept looking at Erza.
She nodded. "Lucy told Rogue and he told Makarov about using zombies to pull the trailers. It's actually working."
Natsu almost asked why Lucy would talk to Rogue of all people, but then he realized it probably happened when she got her tattoo.
"So, it actually works?"
"Yes," Levy said. "They call it a zombie chariot. It's... unsettling."
Erza looked uncomfortable as she said, "They actually caught some of the undead you attracted with that semi. Tomorrow they're going to work on building another chariot so we can increase productivity."
Then she did something Natsu wasn't expecting. Erza took her eyes off him to look at Lucy, his brows furrowing when Erza said, "Mavis had an idea to run boards along the rows so they don't get tangled together when they're not moving."
Natsu looked down at Lucy, catching her nod before looking at Erza again. He opened his mouth to question it, but stopped when Gray said, "Now that I have to check out! Flame Brain! Let's go after this!"
"But—" he mumbled, wanting to talk with Lucy and admit his mistake and ask for her forgiveness. He did admittedly want to see the zombie chariot, wondering how they brought his idea to life.
Or... unlife.
"I uh, me and Lucy were gonna walk Loke back to his room," he said, hoping that was a good enough excuse.
"Lucy can walk me back," Loke said, glancing at Lucy. "If that's okay with you?"
Lucy nodded, voice a little quiet as she said, "That works."
"Then it's settled," Gray decided, Natsu doing his best not to slump in his seat.
"Yay," he muttered sarcastically, scooping up the last bit of his stew.
"But," Lucy started, gaining everyone's attention as she looked at Erza. "We were going to watch a movie tonight? Is that still on?"
"Right..." Erza mulled over her thoughts for a moment before grinning. "We can try again tomorrow night. I want to see what they think of the zombie chariot. Plus, I don't think any of us would be able to focus on the movie with all this excitement.
"She's got a point," Cana said, swallowing as she added, "I was actually going to skip out on the movie anyways."
"Me too," Levy said, Natsu not missing the way Cana sighed.
He didn't get a chance to ask, Ultear quickly jumping in. "I wanna see Gray's reaction!"
"We should all drop off our dishes before going," Jellal added, casting a look at Lucy and Loke before saying, "Then we can go."
"Sounds good to me." Lucy nodded, causing Natsu's stomach to jerk, still wanting to protest.
He wanted to clear the air with Lucy, but it seemed he was going to have to wait. He needed to set things right with her, to make sure she still wanted to be his friend after he betrayed her trust.
After the way she had been acting towards him, he worried there was no chance of repairing the damage done.
.
.
.
Poor Natsu! He thinks Lucy's pissed at him, but she's just worried he'll find out about her crush! (Although, Lucy's quickly realizing it's a bit more serious than a crush)
Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! Natsu is confused as heck! He has never experienced this type of jealousy. Jealous of the other kids at school for having fancy ripped jeans has nothing on what he's feeling right now! Next chapter will be in Lucy's POV picking up shortly where this chapter left off. We'll get a bit of her thoughts on Natsu being back.
Up next, Chapter Fifty-Six: We need to talk
Thank you so much for your continued support! Shout out to those awesome people who reviewed last time: ghostini, Ryu of Konoha, Doginshoe, phenobarb, Amara Kalliope, valerioux, animagirl127lover, ElementalMiko12, shootingstarssel, Dezez, sonikastalker, stranger1999, Hayitsmay363, ottermadness, Lovesmutbabe, xXxMysticBeastxXx, Smartyul, MeteorWars, CathJorda, Chibi-Umaru, darkestangel944, Screeney, Sam, sakshishetty3003, Stellar Spirit Mage, Jellal Frenandes, n. kukurichan, sthokat, Guest1254, Guest, Guest, Guest, Guest, Guest, Guest, Smarty, Guest, AlphaAngel, Wolfcry77, dareaderreads, car213, Guest, annegirl13, Mara fray, FlameDragonHime, ReynaSofy997, SistershoOk, Ejjderiaa, GothBanshee, crimsonlotus400, SaraphinaK, SamSlaya, Evah33, ariesdragon2000(x2), Guest, Chivan, and bookgirl18!
ariesdragon2000- I've gotten some long reviews before but that HAS to be the longest, and I absolutely loved it! All the points you made had me smiling, and I'm so glad Google led you this way! Welcome! Hope you enjoy your stay!
Lemme know what you thought! I absolutely love hearing from you! :D