Things were going as they usually were in the Fairy Tail Guild. Random fights breaking out, people getting into crazy contests. In fact, in that moment Cana had challenged the bar stool to a drinking contest, much to the amusement of the people around her. Bets had exchanged hands and despite the bar stool's lack of ability to drink everyone still bet on Cana for fun, half expecting her to win somehow. Gray was at the bar with Juvia, trying out Mirajane's latest dish. Overall, nothing out of the ordinary was going on until Lucy turned in a job request for her, Natsu and Happy to go on. Mira scanned it over and smiled at Lucy, "I'll turn in it. Be safe you two.~" Lucy smiled back at her with gratitude while pulling out her notepad, "Thanks Mira! It was Happy's idea but Natsu was all for it." After jotting down a few details she closed the notebook and exclaimed with a big smile, "Looks like we've got a date." After waving hi to Gray and Juvia she made her way back and informed Natsu, whom was stuffing his face with food as usual that the job request had been turned in. In his own way he conveyed his excitement while eating.
Gray looked over at his frienemy and pondered for a while. Thinking back to how he turned up at the guild as kids. How he grew and the person he used to be compared to now. In many ways Lucy was the best thing that ever happened to him. He calmed down a lot and truly found someone he bonded with as a friend. He alerted Juvia vocalizing his opinion, "Oi, don't those two seem closer." Juva put a finger up to her lips and pondered, "Juvia thinks they're the same as usual. What makes you say that, my love?" Gray deadpanned, "Flamebrain didn't argue with the job. If Lucy or Happy picked it then it'll be a walk in the park and that ain't his style." Mira, overhearing it over the bar counter stifled a giggle, "I didn't know you paid that much attention to him, Gray." Gray deadpanned with a sweat-drop, "ANYWAY, he'll usually pitch a fit about how there's no action and start a fight with me. Look at him now, he almost seems...content." Mira responded, "We all have to grow up sometime~ I'm happy for them." Looking back over at Natsu and Lucy as they chat with each other Juvia chimes in, "Juvia thinks they deserve each other. Juvia wants to help get them closer." Looking over at the job request Lucy turned in, Gray asks, "What was that job they took?"
After getting the details from Mira, a plan of action was created on Juvia's request. In the back of his mind Gray was hopeful something would work out for Natsu. He's been through a lot and he's saved everyone in the guild at least once or twice, but if nothing else it could be pretty fun messing with him. Juvia on the other hand wanted an everlasting romance between Lucy and Natsu so she could keep Gray all to herself. Also she believed they made a good match and were good for each other. They both lived and breathed Fairy Tail and loved everyone in the guild like family, and they were always around each other, evolving together in their own little ways. So to say the least, she was hopeful that a little something would spark some romance between the two. Their first objective was to case the area. The job was an easy one as Gray suspected. It was at the local library, which meant Lucy would do all the work while Natsu took a nap somewhere until she was done. After all, Natsu and delicate books don't quite mix with each other. The second objective was keeping Happy distracted, which would be a trivial manner. His achilles heel was fish or Carla. Fortunately, with Juvia's mastery of the water element, catching hordes of fish would be a breeze. Finally, setting the scenery is all that's left, as well as some planted spots for their route back to Lucy's. If all goes as planned, maybe that little extra push will finally lead to a confession or at least a something.
By the end of the planning phase, the mystique behind it grew. Before they knew it a bunch of the guild members wanted in on it. Almost as if the "mission" grew into something that everyone believed in, in the back of their minds. After casing the route from the library to Lucy's, it was determined to be a simple walk along the canal. Erza voiced her opinion, "Usually after missions, Natsu complains about being hungry. We should hire a food cart to stand outside the library. This way Natsu won't bother Lucy too much." With widespread nods of approval it was deemed a good idea, and a hot dog vendor would be placed there. Levy chimed in, "Lu loves window shopping, we should help decorate the front of the shops to make it a bit more moody." Again this is met with widespread approval. "Speaking of the mood..." Erza states with intense thought. "Perhaps seeing a lot of other couples together will spark some thought for them. We need some kind of event to bring people together." Everyone thinks hard on the subject before Lisanna speaks up, "Gray and Juvia freeze the top of the river." Gray sweat-drops, "Why us?" Lisanna elaborates, "It'll be like an attraction that brings people together. Think of all the couples that'll want to go check out the frozen canal, or even go ice skate on it! It'll be dreamy!" She states clasping her hands together by her face with heart eyes. Levy chimes in, "That sounds perfect!" Gajeel detects that he'll likely be dragged into this. Gray scoffs as Juvia gets excited about the prospect of creating something beautiful like that with her darling, Gray.
The day of the mission everything went off without a hitch. That morning when Natsu and Lucy arrived at the guild, Juvia surprised Happy with a whole basket of fish, playing it off as thanks for his help distracting a bandit on a previous mission. His eyes lit up into stars and he took the basket and headed home. With operation "Tricky Kitty" (Coined by Erza with no resistance) a success they acted as normal in the guild hall until Natsu and Lucy went off to do their job request. All parties helping out with the special job followed from afar until they arrived at the library. As expected Lucy went inside to get to work while Natsu slept on a bench outside. Keeping Natsu asleep while everyone went to work was tricky, however, Freed was perfect for the job. As soon as Natsu dozed off (Literally immediately before his head could hit the bench seat) Freed placed a rune barrier around the front of the library which would block out outside sounds and smells. Figuring Lucy would finish the job and likely want to do some book browsing, they had plenty of time to get everything set up. The miraculous thing was that no one questions the motive of this special job, and everyone worked coherently without incident. Almost as if they were guided by a wave of destiny. In their hearts and souls everyone knew Natsu and Lucy were meant to be, and they wanted to play a part in their happiness together. Once everything was done, Freed lifted the barriers just as Lucy walked out of the front door and woke Natsu up. It was show time.
"Thank you so much!" Lucy waves to the librarian as she walks out. She looks down to where she left Natsu last, still asleep of course on the bench. Smiling down she reaches out and ruffles his hair a little bit. "Wakey wakey Natsu. Look there's a hot dog stand!" Grumbling awake he looks up half asleep and mutters, "Lucy? Food?" Before yawning and smiling big. Lucy giggles to herself at his usual behavior. After grabbing some hot dogs they look down the canal after hearing all the commotion. The inquisitive side of Lucy jumps out, "Hey, let's go check it out." Natsu responds, "Sounds good to me!" With a little giddiness in their step they head further down and look down to the water to see what all the murmurs are about. Natsu is the first to react, "Woah..." Lucy exclaims, "It's frozen!? Also people are on it playing!" Natsu squints his eyes, "Is that Gray and Juvia down there?" Lucy thinks, "I wonder if they did this for some reason." Natsu has a look of nostalgia while chuckling, "Doesn't it remind you of the first time we-" Before he could finish Lucy grabs his hand and yanks him down onto the ice so they could skate around and have fun with everyone. After having their fill they head back up onto the walkway and start heading to Lucy's, much to the amusement and satisfaction of certain onlookers.
Going down the walkway Lucy couldn't help but be excited, "Hey Natsu let's check the shops out it looks like they really re-decorated. Everything is so beautiful, maybe there's new stuff inside!" Natsu smirked, one of his favorite parts about Lucy is her adventurous side. Giving a nod she lights up and shuffles to the first shop. Using some of the money she earned from her last job she picked up some replacement key holders in case something happened to her current one. She couldn't help but admire the lengths all the shop owners went through to decorate their store fronts so beautifully. With the way everything was going and how many people were enjoying the frozen river, the scenery seemed so lively and romantic in a way, sparking ideas for her novel. Looking over at her companion she decided to reward him a bit for his patience. "Hey Natsu let's go grab a sweet snack!" He smiles big as his stomach growls. Lucy sweat drops considering he just ate recently, but isn't surprised a bit. He does burn right through his food. Eyeing her destination they make their way to the newly decorated cake shop. Lucy rings the bell, "Hello! I'd like to order a cheesecake!" The employee appears behind the bar with a grin, "Can I make that a strawberry one?" Lucy and Natsu gasp collectively, "E-Erza!?" Twirling a whisk in one hand she explains, "I've decided to take a job today here, baking my favorite food. Taking a serious pose in her apron she proclaims, "It's an art form I take seriously." Lucy and Natsu sweat-drop, knowing full well she just wants to taste test everything.
After fulfilling the request, Erza looks at Natsu and Lucy with a fond smile. Thinking back to all the rigorous discipline she had to instill into Natsu as a kid. How much he's grown over the years, and how much Lucy has impacted him. Seeing Natsu laugh at something Lucy said made her really see the bond between the two, as well as the palpable love in the air. It really made her think back to her own life and how much she missed a certain someone. As she got lost in thought Lucy placed some jewel on the counter and thanked her. "Erza, it was amazing! You've really got a knack for it! You'll have to make something for the guild hall sometime." Feeling the pressure from the praise she smiled proudly with a feint blush, "O-of course. It's more than an art, it's a way of life. That's the motto here." Natsu couldn't help but chuckle to himself seeing the usually General-like and serious Erza feel a little rustled under the praise. Erza flips the script on them and offers some sincere words, "You two look really good together. So go out and enjoy your day, and (with a stern and piercing look) Natsu. You better be good to her." Natsu sweats under the intense stare he's always feared, "A-Aye." Lucy stifles a giggle behind her hand before grabbing Natsu and waving goodbye, "Thanks again, we'll see you at the Guild!" Outside the shop they run into Levy and Gajeel. Levy exclaims kinda nervous about her cover being blown, "Lucy, Natsu!" With Gajeel giving a simple, "Yo." Lucy excitedly shares, "Levy! You've got to try the food in there! Erza is cooking!" Gajeel laughs aloud, "I've gotta go see this, come on shrimp!" He states while dragging Levy to the door while waving with the other hand, "Later Salamander!" Lucy scratches her cheek, "I wonder what that was all about..." Natsu just as confused shakes it off and grabs Lucy's hand puling her further down the canal to check out more stuff.
Eventually Lucy gets her fill on window shopping, even dropping in to a few places to check out any new inventory. By the time the two arrive at Lucy's it's made clear to any onlookers the deep connection they have. Lucy smiling at Natsu with a love as bright as the sun. As well as Natsu's smirk back at Lucy showing there's nowhere else he'd rather be in that moment. After reflecting on the events after the job they decide to go there separate ways. "Thanks for walking me back Natsu, and taking the job with me. I had so much fun!" Lucy exclaims with glee. Natsu smiles back at her excitement, "We always have fun. Don't forget, next time I get to pick to the job." She shoots back, "And I'm sure it'll be just as fun." She thinks of the time and reminds him, "It's getting late, you should probably go check on Happy and make sure he didn't eat all those fish in one sitting." Natsu scratches his cheek with with a sweat-drop, "Well..he does tend to take after me. You're probably right." Lucy giggles before leaning up and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Have a good night for me, i'll see you in the morning." With a smile Natsu hums a yes and heads off. Little do they know the little exchange was seen by many, from across the canal. The next part was the fun one for them.
The next morning at the guild Natsu, Lucy and Happy walk through the doors. They give their usual greeting to everyone before falling into their typical places. They feel a little strange due to the abnormal amount of glares on them. Levy decides to be the one to break the ice and be the one to tease them about the little smooch. "So Lu, you and Natsu..." She begins with a teasing tone, earning curious looks back at her. "I hate to be a little, tongue and cheek about this, but I couldn't help but notice passing by your apartment yesterday, you putting tongue to cheek on Natsu." This garners some giggles from the other guild mates as well as some gagging from Gray. Lucy looks confused for a moment while looking at Natsu questioningly, he simply shrugs his shoulders and replies, "Wouldn't be the first time." If the guild hall was a body it's spirit would of left it from the sheer shock in the room. Juvia stammers, "D-D-D-Did I just hear that correctly?" She looks to Gray for answers, he's in a similar state of shock and oddly still clothed. With a sweat he nods his head back at Juvia. Lucy bluntly states, "Natsu and I have been together for months, in a way it feels like it's been a lot longer. Yesterday did bring a lot of nostalgia though." Happy floats above their table giggling with his paws covering his mouth, "Pfft...they're in llllllove." The final blow is dealt by Natsu of all people. He simply looks at all of them and declares, "I figured you all knew already. I guess you're all just oblivious."
A/N It's been a while since my last writing. Lately I've had the itch and I thought of this one. Normally when I write something I have some kind of musical inspiration or a certain tone I may be connecting with that makes the writing come out. However, this one was purely just for fun and it came out in a purely organic sense. I'm quite pleased with it. I hope you enjoyed it as well. This was a writing purely meant for laughs and smiles :)
-Ant