A/N- Hello! I've had this story completed for a while now so I'm glad I've had the time to post it now! Enjoy!
Natsu would consider himself pretty tough.
He was strong physically, and trained both his body and mind for battle. He has an abundance of scars and bruises and he wasn't ashamed of showing them off. Every scar that appeared was a reminder to keep training to protect the ones he loved.
To protect the guild.
It was not a secret to anyone that he enjoyed testing his strength. Especially to those supposedly stronger than himself. No matter how many fights he lost, he knows there's no giving up in Fairy Tail.
He was a simple man and tried not to complicate things.
So why...
Why couldn't he say no?
It was so stupid, it should of been so easy to spit out that one syllable word. But his tounge was tied and that look on her face was irresistible.
Maybe he should explain.
Natsu and Lucy, along with Happy had stopped into a town on their way to a job request. Apparently, there was a shop that sold very expensive and very hard to come by clothing. A limited edition set of the Hearts Kreuz clothing line. Natsu didn't get it. It was just clothes.
Apparently that was the wrong thing to say.
"Just clothes!? Natsu, Hearts Kruez is one of the most popular clothing brands in Fiore! And this shop is full of clothes I've never seen before!" Lucy gasped, offended by his disinterest in the brand.
Natsu rolled his eyes, not realizing the blonde was already dragging him in the store. He sighed and watched as Lucy skimmed through the endless amount of clothing. It hadn't even been five minutes yet and he was already bored. He didn't understand the hype around clothes. He wore the same ones everyday and he was doing just fine.
Lucy snorted. "I wouldn't say that. The amount of rips and tears I've had to sew up is pathetic. You really need a new wardrobe."
Wait? She heard that? Had he said that aloud?
"Oh wow!" Lucy's voice jolted him from his thoughts. "This is the cutest outfit I've ever seen! I need it!"
"What? It looks exactly like the clothes you wear already?"
"No it doesn't! It's completely different! Look, the skirt is a different length and style. Plus, the shirt is long sleeved."
He studied the two pieces of fabric as he rubbed his chin in thought. Lucy rolled her eyes at the sarcastic way he was studying it. Natsu pursed his lips and shook his head.
"I'm gonna have to disagree with ya, Luce."
"Jeez, whatever! Happy, what do you think!?" The blonde turned to the feline that was happily perched on Natsu's head.
"I don't understand why humans wear clothes in the first place. Isn't it itchy?"
"Got that right buddy!" Natsu laughed, holding up his hand for Happy to high five.
"Ugh, my fault for trying to ask what two males think," Lucy sighed and checked the price tag. Her jaw practically hit the floor.
80,000 Jewels!? That's more than her rent! In fact, she didn't even have enough money on her to pay rent!
But...
Doesn't Natsu brag about how much money he has saved up?
Now don't get her wrong. It wasn't as if she wouldn't pay him back if he agreed to buy her the outfit. She just couldn't let a chance like this slip from her fingers. She needed this outfit! Her eyes caught Natsu's as she gave him a shy smile. Natsu's brows furrowed at her strange expression.
"What are you scheming?" He asked outright. Lucy jumped and nervously twirled a strand of hair with her finger.
"Me? Scheming? Of course not! But...I wanted to ask a favor of you..."
Natsu didn't like where this conversation was going. A favor certainly meant she was going to ask something completely unreasonable of him.
"...What?"
How he will forever regret saying that.
"I don't have enough money to buy this, but I know you have some money saved up. But don't worry! I'll pay you back!" She spat out, so quickly Natsu almost didn't hear a word she said. "Please?" She whispered, her doe colored eyes growing bigger. Her lower lip jutted out slightly in a pout as she peered into his eyes. She even clasped her hands together as if to beg.
It was so easy.
He and Happy had been saving up for months, there was no question as to what he should of answered with. Happy was all but whispering it into his ear!
"C'mon Natsu, you seriously can't be considereding this!" The exceed scoffed while crossing his arms.
Of course he wasn't considering it! But then why hadn't he said anything yet?
"Oh please oh please! With this next job I'll be able to pay you back!"
"Then why not wait and we come back later so you can buy it yourself?" Happy huffed. He wasn't really mad at Lucy, but more so at Natsu for his hesitation.
"You do realize how busy it is in here right? If I set this down, I'll have to fight for it back. I can't let go of it, let alone come back later," She turned back to Natsu, who was unusually quiet. In the heat of the moment, she grabbed his hand and clasped her hands around it. "Please Natsu! I'd be so grateful!"
And just like that, he thought he heard the sound of a shell cracking.
"Oh...okay..." He muttered, fishing in his pockets for the money. He handed it to Lucy. The blonde looked at the Jewels in astonishment. She for sure thought he'd say no.
They had only known each other for a couple months at this point so the fact that he trusted her like this...
It warmed her heart.
"Thank you! Thank you thank you!" She giggled, wrapping her arms around his middle. Her head rested briefly on his chest before she let go and ran to the cashier.
"There goes our food money...bye bye fishies..." Happy whined sadly. He turned to Natsu to comment on his stupidity, only to freeze.
Natsu had his scarf covering his nose and mouth, but Happy noticed the small smile hidden behind it. But what was really surprising, was the softness in his eyes. It was a look Happy had never seen on Natsu's face. And the cherry on top was the redness dusting across the tips of his ears.
"Natsu...?"
But the pyro paid no mind, and kept his eyes on Lucy as she paid. Lucy came back to the both of them shortly and they left the store.
"Hey, Lucy?"
"Mhm?"
"You don't have to pay us back. My treat, okay?"
Lucy whipped her head so fast to look at him that her hair slapped her face.
"Seriously...?"
Natsu grinned with a nod while Happy's eyes bugged from his face.
"Yup!"
"Wow, that's so nice of you..." Lucy turned her head from him, trying desperately to hide her growing blush. Where was this nice streak coming from? By now he should be complaining about the money he lended and how he was going to starve.
Although she wasn't complaining. Better than him nagging her about paying him back.
A smile stretched across her face as she shifted closer to him. Her shoulder bumping his elbow. Natsu jumped from the sudden contact, looking away while he scratched his cheek.
...
The crack grew bigger. It had only gotten worse the closer they became.
He was still tough, he still trained and still liked to test himself.
He just...didn't test himself against Lucy is all.
Nothing wrong with that, he just needed more training.
Speaking of, Lucy waved him over from where she was standing at the request board. They had known each other for two years at that point, nine if you counted Tenrou. So they always chose jobs together. Without even thinking about it, he stood and made his way over to her.
"There he goes again..." Wakaba chuckled.
"Like a puppy I tell ya'" Macao chimed in.
"He's like two different people. There's Battle Natsu and there's this Natsu. He's seriously not even that nice to us compared to her." Kana sighed with a sloppy grin as she lifted a bottle of liquor to her lips.
"Makes you wonder when he started gettin' so soft on her." Wakaba wondered, blowing smoke through his mouth.
"I noticed it from the beginning," Kana hummed with a confident nod. "He never formed a team with anybody before she showed up. With the exception of Happy. I'd say she's pretty special to make him change his mind like that."
"Maybe because she's just as hot headed as him."
"I'm sure that has something to do with it."
Laughter bursted from the table. Eyes landed on the cackling trio, followed by shrugging once they noticed the alcohol bottles.
"Wonder what's up with them?" Lucy tilted her her head in confusion as she watched them. She had a feeling she didn't want to know.
"Don't worry about it," Natsu sighed, eye twitching in irritation. "So what job did you pick?" He asked, in hopes of changing the subject. Lucy smiled and handed him the request. She shifted and put a piece of hair behind her ear.
"I know you probably want something more exciting, but I'm sort of beat from our last one. So I thought, y'know, maybe...?"
Natsu froze as he stared at her nervous expression.
How could he possibly reject that?
"Uh, sure, I don't mind." He blinked down at the job again. It was fairly easy.
Which was a dramatic understatement. While it paid a lot it sounded like the most mundane and simple job on the board. Apparently they were going to be delivering an important package to a duke.
But, if Lucy wanted to take a less intense job, he was on board one hundred percent.
"Jeez, sounds boring, it's a surprise you agreed so quickly." A voice mumbled from behind him. Natsu turned to glare at Gray, who was reading the request over his shoulder.
"Going on an easy mission every once in a while won't hurt."
"Yeah, for a normal person. Not you. Seems you're agreeing for another reason entirely," Gray shoved his hands in his pockets as he dodged a punch. "Oo, someone's embarrassed. You can't even properly aim."
"What's he talking about, Natsu?" Lucy asked, completely ignorant to the situation. She carefully placed her hand on Natsu's forearm, peering up at him.
"Ah, don't worry Lucy, it ain't nothin' bad. Enjoy your mission." Gray winked, walking away completely smug.
"Bastard. He knows just how to get under my skin..." Natsu relaxed as he ran his hand through his hair. His eyes darted to the blonde below him. He noticed her troubled and confused frown.
Shit.
"Natsu, is there something going on?" Lucy pouted as she crossed her arms.
"What gives you that idea?" Natsu laughed, although it was painfully obvious how fake it was. Lucy certainly wasn't fooled.
"It's just that, whenever we do anything together, it feels like the whole guild is laughing. I feel like we're the butt of a joke somehow." The blonde sighed. Natsu shifted awkwardly. He didn't want to lie, but telling the truth would freak her out.
"They're just...teasing me is all. About what, I have no idea."
That answer seemed to suffice.
"Jeez, if they weren't my friends I'd be taking out my whip by now. Jerks..." She huffed, taking the request from his hands and having Mira approve it. "C'mon, we could use some fresh air huh? Good thing we won't have to ride any vehicles for this job." Lucy continued to chat as she grabbed his hand and led him out of the guild. Natsu didn't even have the strength to tell Happy they were leaving.
She stuck by him, even if it meant disagreeing with the entire guild. She hadn't even been told the whole situation.
The crack was beginning to create large chips.
And...
Had her hands always been so soft?
...
They were completely comfortable with each other now. Natsu wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.
Natsu wasn't very touchy feely. It was much easier to just punch your feelings out and also punch anyone who touched you.
Well, there was an exception to that rule.
Staring up at the nightsky, he positioned his hands behind his head. They were currently camping out on their way back to Magnolia. Gray, Erza, and Wendy went out to fetch food and fire wood. While Charle and Happy scoured the forest for any sign of danger.
Lucy and Natsu decided to stay back and set up the campsite. Much to Natsu's dismay. And like he predicted, they finished early. So, he laid out a blanket an got comfortable. It didn't take Lucy long to follow suit. She plopped down next to him and angled her head to rest on his shoulder.
If it had been anyone else...
Okay, so he admits it.
Although, he never really denied it.
Looking down at his blonde companion, he realized pretty quickly just how soft he was for her. Out of everyone else, she was his priority in every situation. She could make his heart beat rapidly with just a simple gesture. And he couldn't bring himself to ever disappoint her, in fear her happy smile would disappear.
"Your scars..." Lucy mumbled, suddenly, her finger tips raking across the large scar on his side. Natsu's heart jumped into his throat at the movement. "A lot of these are my fault...especially this one...I'm sorry."
Natsu grabbed a strand of her hair that fell across her face.
"Nah, don't apologize. I don't mind em, in fact, I like them. Reminds me that you're still here. Without them, I don't know if we'd be sitting here right now." He gave her a wide smile, even though she couldn't see it.
"I like that, it makes me feel better about my own."
"You have scars?"
"Well yeah, with all those battles we went through, did you think I came out unscathed?" She giggled.
Well, when she put it like that...
"But I never notice them."
"Well, I cover up a bit more than you do."
He could of busted out laughing from that one.
"Shut up! I know what you're thinking you jerk!"
"Alright alright, I'll stop. So why don't you show me one?"
"One what?"
"One of your scars."
Lucy froze for a moment, before sitting up and pulling down her one of her thigh high boots. A large scar ran across her lower thigh and ended at her knee. She ran her fingers along it and sighed. Natsu blinked. How could he not notice such a huge scar in such an obvious place?
Well, she did wear those long boots all the time.
"Cool."
"Cool?"
"Yup, it's cool, don't you think so?"
Lucy turned away from him as she cuffed her hand over her mouth. So blunt. So Natsu. Here she was, so insecure about it and he calls it cool. She let out a small giggle, before it exploded into laughter. She slapped his arm playfully and laid back down.
"Way to make a moment like that anticlimactic," She sighed wistfully, turning her gaze to the stars. "Well, I'm glad you think they're so cool. After all, I really only care what you think."
What was that supposed to mean?
"Huh?" He said intelligently.
"Well, y'know..." Lucy murmured, turning her body to face his. She lifted herself slightly and hovered close to his face. "We spend the most time with each other, and well, you're my frie- you're very important to me. So of course your opinion matters the most."
Was it just him, or did the air around them suddenly get hot and tight? Why was his throat so dry?
"You too...I mean, your opinion matters to me too..."
Jeez, he sounded like such a sap. Thank Mavis Gray was out looking for food with Erza. He didn't even want to imagine his stupid smug face.
"Well that's a relief, it would be pretty awkward if I was the only one who felt that way..." She laughed under her breath. The air coming from her lips fanned his face, and he suddenly realized how close they were.
"Uh, I'm not used to all this touchy feely stuff, but-"
"Ah, a tough guy huh?"
"I, well- I mean..."
Lucy rolled her eyes and placed her hand on the side of his face.
"Talking isn't doing you any favors, Natsu."
Before he could reply, her lips shifted over his. It was only for a second, but it was the longest and most intense second of his life. She leaned back slightly, only to giggle when Natsu pulled her back down for another kiss.
And another.
And another.
And an- well, you get the point.
"Man, maybe one of us should of stayed to supervise." Gray chuckled as he dropped a boar to alert Natsu and Lucy. Lucy lifted her face from Natsu's to eye Gray.
"Well that'll bring anyone out of the mood."
Gray stuck out his tongue, to which Lucy reciprocated.
Natsu, on the other hand, was not only confused and flustered, but pathetically calm.
Before Gray ruined it all.
"Seems Mr. Tough ain't so tough." Gray nagged, not aware that Erza was coming up behind him.
"I'll still kick your ass into next week!"
"Cool it Romeo. You already got the girl."
"He just doesn't know when to quit..." Natsu growled, trying to ignore his embarrassment. Lucy watched the interaction between the two wih amusement. She hid her smile behind her hand as Erza finally slapped Gray on the back on the head.
"That's enough. He's embarrassed as it is. Guys like him don't like it when anyone else witnesses his nice side." Erza added unhelpfully.
"Will you all stop teasing me!?"
The cracks and chips grew until what was there completely crumbled away.
The facade.
And he was okay with that, but only for Lucy.
A/N- And that's it. I really love the stories where Natsu is only soft for Lucy. It's so cute!