say i love you

summary — the five different ways to say 'i love you' and the one time natsu actually says it

pairings — natsu/lucy

tags — fluff

setting — after fairy tail is reunited

note — this kind of oneshot is popular in tumblr. so of course, i'm doing one for natsu and lucy. and you can bet that i'll do different kinds for the other ships. and i've got a lot planned.

[ FAIRY TAIL ]

The first time Natsu Dragneel said he loved her, he was frantic and impossibly worried.

Following the rotation of Team Natsu, it was finally Salamander's turn to choose a job. And of course, courtesy to the adrenaline and destruction flowing down his veins, he chose one a mission that involved monster hunting. He made sure that Lucy's share would be enough for her rent, it was practically embedded in his mind. And so, the group of four—five, if you included the adorable Exceed—headed off to Magnolia Station, where it would start to go downhill from there.

And because of the Fairy Tail Curse, what was considered to be a simple mission, became a battle for life and death. Members of some weird cult began to attack them, their only advantage was the surprise and the amount of numbers they had on their side of the battlefield. Honestly, the Fairy Tail wizards could never catch a break.

Nonetheless, the cult members were swiftly dealt with by the amazing Team Natsu.

The last time that Natsu saw Erza was when she took out a whole brigade of her opponents with her Ataraxia Armor. The last he'd seen Gray was a few minutes ago, when he froze the incoming attacks from every direction with just a flick of his fingers. Happy currently was perched on his head, curled up and snoring soundly. But Lucy, for the love of all things good, he couldn't remember the last time he saw her. Lucy, of all people!

The moment Natsu took out the last of his adversaries, he was hellbent on finding his partner. Now, of course, he knew how strong she was, with or without her spirits—believe him, he was on the receiving end of her Lucy-Kicks one too many times, and boy did it hurt—so he wasn't really worried. He hated to admit it, but whenever Lucy was in trouble, the damn perverted lion seemed to take care of her just fine. So there, Lucy was in great, capable hands.

But Natsu had two problems with this.

The first being he actually needed to confirm Lucy's safety with his own two eyes. He was desperate to hold her against him tightly, just to feel that she was actually there. He wanted to see that she had no injuries, and that she was completely fine. He needed to hear her voice, boasting about how she took all of her enemies out on her own.

Damn it, he needed her.

His second problem was that Lucy had no luck at all. Most of the times, it was her who got the short end of the stick, who got beat up painfully, who got kidnapped with her life as the bargaining chip. Add that to the Fairy Tail Curse, and Lucy was a goner. If he couldn't find her this instant, he was completely sure that something happened.

"Lucy!" Natsu called out as he trekked deeper into the woods. The sun was beginning to set, he needed to find her fast.

Thinking about Taurus's battle ax, Virgo's trusty pitfalls, Sagittarius's exceptional shooting skills, Aries's soft but deadly wool bombs, Cancer's peculiar fighting style, and Scorpio's sand busters, did absolutely nothing to calm Natsu down.

At first he was okay with the idea of entrusting the Lucy's life to others, but there was something primal about his need to protect her. To shield her from every bad thing in the world, to make sure that she never knew pain again, and to ensure that she would never, ever shed a tear from those beautiful brown eyes.

An image of Lucy's limb body laying on the ground, bleeding from the gaping hole in her chest, flashed in Natsu's mind. Yes, he did get over Future Lucy's death. It was hard but he did. Seeing how much stronger Lucy got over the year, he knew that she became the fighter she always wanted to be. But that didn't mean that the memory of his didn't haunt him at times, especially situations like this.

"Lucy! Where are you?!" Natsu yelled. The sheer volume of his voice was enough to scare a few birds away from their nests. But he didn't care, he needed to find his best friend.

He begged to whatever deity was listening that she'd be alright. That she was just somewhere out there, probably doing the most Lucy thing. But, if he was going to be honest, not even the gods could ease his worries now. There was only one person who could calm him down, and she was missing.

"Lucy! We need to go home now! Come on!"

Natsu's heart kept pounding against his chest, begging to be let out. His breathing became ragged. Every fiber of his being seemed to be consumed by the mere need to have Lucy by his side. And the worst part of it all, was that he didn't know why he'd been so driven by her, as if she were the meaning of life itself.

He shook his head. There was no need to ponder over what she was to him. Lucy was Lucy. His best friend, his partner, and his precious comrade.

But why did he feel like there was something missing in that list?

Natsu slapped his cheeks harshly, trying to come back to reality. His priority was to find Lucy. He could fixate on the other stuff when she was safe and sound.

"Lucy!" He cried out. At this point, it sounded already like he was begging, just pleading to have Lucy in his arms.

And so he turned to the most reliable person he could think of, Mavis Vermillion. He kept his prayers to her—yes, he was that forlorn that he'd actually pray to the First Master—short and simple. Bring Lucy home.

"Natsu!"

And there it was. The high-pitched typical screech of hers that managed to pierce his hearing quite painfully. But despite the loud ringing in his ears, there was nothing that made him happier at the moment than the sound of his name coming from her lips.

Natsu barely managed to hold back the laughter that erupted in his throat as he turned around and saw the current predicament she was in. High up, perched on a thick branch of a tree, was Lucy, with her Sagittarius Star Dress twinkling against the light ever so perfectly.

"Lucy?" He called, taking a step further to the tree as he lifted his head—totally not peeking at her underwear, mind you—to get a better look at her. Thankfully, she didn't seem too beat up. "What are you doing up there?"

A few rustle of the leaves and creaking branches later, her reply came. Her voice was as quiet as a whisper. "Well, I climbed up here to get a better shot. Good news, I think I took out a few of them."

"That's really good, Luce!" He said instantaneously, a surge of pride replaced the anxiousness in his body. He then beckoned for her to come down. On the ground. Safe. With him. "How about coming down now?"

Lucy shook her head. She gripped whatever part of the tree she could hold on too. "Bad news is that I climbed way too high. I can't get down anymore."

Natsu wanted to throttle her for the look in her eyes. She was scared. How dare she be scared when he was right there? Didn't she get it in her pretty, thick head that he would most likely do anything for her?

With a small sigh, Natsu stepped back, his arms motioning to come to him. "Alright, Luce. Jump."

"What?! No way!" Lucy shrieked.

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Come on, Lucy. I'll catch you, you dumb girl."

"Me?!" Lucy screeched, already hovering the edge over the branch. "I'm the one being dumb? Well, I'm not the one who suggested that I fly headfirst into the ground and possibly get a concussion doing so!"

Natsu huffed, agitated with her lack of compliance, as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you trust me?"

Silence answered him.

But no sooner than a second later, Natsu found himself laying flat on the forest floor, with all of the air rushing out of his body. His stomach was being tortured with the worst kind of pain ever. He probably couldn't sit up if he wanted to. From the distance, he could hear Happy shouting frantically.

But all the pain became dull when he realized that it was, in fact, Lucy who crashed into him. He was glad that she trusted him. Even when he was taken by surprise, he still managed to catch her. Somehow.

"I'm sorry for crushing your lungs," Lucy murmured sorrowfully as she nestled deeper into the crook of his neck. She, too, was unable to move and so she stayed sprawled on top of him, not like she wanted to move anyway.

Natsu answered her with a small chuckle. He traced the outline of her back tenderly as the other hand combed through her golden locks. She was here, with him, safe and secure. He said, "It's okay."

"I'm just glad you're safe."

[ AND SO! ]

The second time Natsu said he loved her, he wanted to snuggle with her.

Because Natsu wasn't really discreet with his love of Lucy's bed, and seeing as it that he wouldn't go anytime soon, not even if Lucy would kick him all the way back to Edolas, Lucy just decided to give him what he wanted. And thus, he got the majority of the bed—and no matter how much he denied it, Natsu did it exactly so Lucy would cling against him.

On a particular night, an evening wherein the stars shone brightly more than ever, Natsu woke up to find the other side of the bed empty and cold.

Still drowsy from dreaming, Natsu absentmindedly let his hand travel around the bed, trying to find his cuddle buddy. But after minutes of finding nothing, he finally sat upright.

He scanned the room for a glimpse of yellow hair, but couldn't really see anything with his cloudy vision and the terribly dark room with only the moonlight to illuminate the room.

After a while, he finally then he found her.

And by God, was she beautiful.

Natsu's throat parched up right away at the sight of Lucy. The glowing light coming from the lamp revealed to him the peaceful state Lucy was in. In that exact moment, the light from the moon hit her perfectly and she brightened like a star, like a thousand suns, like an angel.

Like a fairy.

He noticed the small golden waves that caressed her back, the exposed skin from her shorts and tank top that glistened beautifully as if she were the nymph of beauty, he drowned in the small smile that tugged at her lips as her tiny hand curled around the pen, slowly dragging it down the paper in graceful strokes.

Natsu didn't know why he felt like he'd been punched roughly in the gut. Or why he was so damn dizzy. The erratic beating of his heart rushed to his ears. He then decided that the most plausible explanation for this was that he was sick. Yep, that's why this was all happening.

"Lucy," He croaked out softly, still partially in the state of slumber. "Come back to bed."

"No."

Natsu whined, throwing back his entire body back into the now less comfortable bed. He needed his human pillow right now. The only reason that Lucy would wake up at such an ungodly hour was because she most likely got hit with a wave of inspiration for her novel. Curse her writing urges!

The pillows underneath his head, and the satin sheets covering his waist, didn't feel complete unless his best friend was beside him. For some twisted reason, he liked the feeling of her arms around him, of waking up to her face first thing in the morning, and just being with her in general.

"Lucy, please." His eyes were starting to droop from sleepiness but he utterly refused to go back to sleep without her.

A sigh came from Lucy. "Natsu, I'm going to be up for a long time. If you don't like the lights on, go home."

From then on, Natsu decided she was the dense one. He didn't mind the damn lamp. He wanted her beside him. More importantly, he wanted to snuggle with her, she never knew but she also did give warmth to him. Plus, he was being perfectly reasonable, that woman needed sleep and she knew it too. He didn't understand why she was being so stubborn.

He didn't smell, did he?

Nevertheless, Natsu let a yawn escape. He fully settled himself in the Lucy-less bed. Dreams began to run through his vision. But before he fully succumbed to the clutches of the deep slumber, he had the energy to say one last thing.

"But. . . You are home, Lucy." Was what he said before he comfortably fell asleep with Happy nestling at the edge of the bed.

Just then Lucy thanked all of her Celestial Spirits that it was pitch black in the room. She didn't know what she would have done if he saw the growing blush on her cheeks.

[ THEN! ]

The third time he said he's in love with her, Natsu was absolutely livid.

This time, it was Erza's turn to choose a job. Natsu didn't really care for the particulars but he did know that their mission was in Magnolia, therefore there was no form of transportation needed, he felt like kicking one of them trains now in pure happiness.

One thing he noticed about their new client was that he was most definitely rich. He gathered that from the gigantic mansion—but no matter how big of a house you had, that was nothing compared to Lucy's bed—and the array of butlers and maids waiting for their next command. Not to mention the pompous suit that he wore proudly.

He also observed that their client was one peculiar man. Natsu figured as much when the Duke practically threw himself at Erza.

"Titania! Fairy Tail's strongest mage!" Duke cried out in adoration with the constellations twinkling in his eyes. He inspected her carefully, twirling a lock of fiery red around his finger and glancing at his own reflection through her polished armor.

Erza nodded sternly, not paying heed to the proclaims of love before her. "It's nice to meet you too, sir. We're glad you entrusted the job to Fairy Tail. I can assure you—"

Without giving Erza the chance to finish her sentence, Duke moved on the legendary wizard who stood beside her stiffly. This time, everyone could see his heart being ripped out of his chest from the excitement he was feeling.

"Gray Fullbuster!" Duke yelled out in shock. His eyes widened inhumanly as he tried to not so subtly place his stubby fingers on Gray's now naked chest. The client was too in shock to realize that the man before him was half-naked already. "It's an honor to meet you!

Natsu had the urge to scoff. He could understand fawning over Erza, but couldn't for the life of him, comprehend why someone would fall over heels for their resident stripper. Sure, he could pretty ice castles or skate on the ice itself, and that his magic literally meant cool, but that didn't mean he was cool, right?

Gray laughed nervously as he tried to slowly pry Duke's fingers away from his chest. He also needed to find clothes before Erza whacked him in the head. "It's an honor to meet you too, sir. I guess."

When Duke came up to Natsu himself, he paled for a second. A moment later, Duke was jumping up and down, shaking Natsu's hand like a little kid. For an old man, he acted like he just received presents from Santa. His weirdness began to scare Natsu, and that said a lot considering that he spent time with the epitome of weird, the pretty blonde one.

"Wow, wow, wow, wow," Duke gasped, staring at the Salamander with lovesick eyes. "I can't believe I get to meet Fairy Tail legends all in one day. Oh my, and you brought your pet cat! How delightful!"

That, for Natsu, was the first strike. Nobody would ever get away with calling Happy a mere pet. Happy was a comrade, partner, friend, and family. He would have socked the guy in the jaw if it weren't for Erza's bloodlust glare at him.

"This is Happy," Natsu pointed to the cat behind him that had now sprouted wings. "He's my friend."

"Aye, sir!" Happy proclaimed with a fist raised to the air proudly.

Instead of apologizing, like Natsu thought he definitely would, Duke ignored him and went to the last person of the group. And to say that they were surprised with his reaction, was a complete understatement.

When Duke stood in front of Lucy, he changed his whole demeanor. The light in his eyes disappeared, leaving behind soulless orbs. His smile turned right into a grumpy frown as his eyebrows furrowed. And unlike all the other times, he didn't even try to shake Lucy's hand.

It confused Natsu, to say the least. He couldn't think of any reason for Duke to stay away from Lucy. And so he concluded that their client was allergic to blondes.

"And who are you?" Duke sneered in her face. His upper lip curled into a snarl, obviously disliking her presence.

Lucy, who decided to ignore the hostility, only smiled and waved cheerfully. "I'm Lucy, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Duke huffed, angrily crossing his arms around his tubby chest. "And why are you with Fairy Tail's strongest team? Are you even part of Fairy Tail at all?"

"Yes, sir, I am," Lucy answered in glee. "I joined Fairy Tail a long time ago."

Natsu couldn't believe his ears. It was unimaginable to think there was a person who didn't know who Lucy was. And surely, if this guy knew Erza, he must have heard of Lucy.

Lucy took on three of Tartaros's lackeys—and when the others tried to take on one of them, mind you, they almost died—and managed to hold them off, especially that Jackal guy. She was the one who tore up Everlue's mansion—which was pretty cool if you asked Natsu. She managed to save Loke's life and summon Mustache in the process. Heck, she event took out that Mary girl with a freaking Lucy-Punch!

So why, on Earthland, did this bastard not recognize the coolest legend in front of him?

"Oh, I know you now," Duke said with a nonchalant laugh. And yet, the snark in his eyes didn't match his own uplifted tone.

Lucy remained silent, only opting for a kind nod of the head. Natsu immediately noted that it was such a Lucy thing to do. To respond first with respect or kindness. Or actually gossip with Gray in secret. But still, out of the three of them, Lucy could actually keep a great composure the longest.

"You're the Heartfilia heiress, right? The one who ran away?" Duke spat in disgust, towering over Lucy as if he were a force to be reckoned with.

He didn't give Lucy any time to answer as if continued on with his harsh words. "Aren't you the one who got kidnapped by Phantom? The one who lost to Raven Tail? Who got beat up by Sabertooth's Minerva Orland? Aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," Lucy replied meekly, her head hung low.

Natsu could feel his rage burning every inch of his body. Nobody deserved to be belittled like that, especially not Lucy. He didn't dare look at Lucy's sullen face for any longer, because if he did, he knew that he would have done something reckless. He thought he could control his anger. But his self-control went out the window as soon as he heard Duke's next words.

"Do they bring you along out of pity?" Duke continued, not aware of the torment he inflicted on each and every one of the team members. "I truly admire them. It must be hard to carry dead weight."

After that, Natsu only saw red.

With what little restraint he had left on his rage, Natsu settled to back Duke into the wall, like a predator cornering its weak prey. His gaze settled on the man that hurt his best friend. Natsu's hand viciously curled around the neck of Duke's shirt, making it impossible for him to escape.

Because once you angered the dragon, there was no room for mercy.

"What the hell did you say?" Natsu growled deeply. The locks of pink hair fell over his eyes, hiding the madness in them, and yet he still felt the cowardly man trembling in his grasp. In fact, he could feel everyone's fear in the room.

"I–I did–didn't kno–know that you wou–would get this ma–mad," Duke stammered fearfully. He tried to pry Natsu's fingers away from his shirt, but to his dismay, failed utterly.

Natsu started to pant, exhausted from trying to keep his anger at bay. His hands yearned to slam the guy against the wall, pay him back a hundred times for ever humiliating his trusty partner. He brought his other fist and punched the wall with all the strength he had, just inches away from Duke's shivering figure.

"Apologize." It was a demand.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Duke squeaked. Once Natsu finally released him from his tight hold, Duke immediately scampered off away, most likely to call the guards and escort the crazy wizards outside his home.

Natsu took a couple of minutes to himself. Breathing in deeply and exhaling loudly to calm himself down. And after a few moments, all the fury in his veins dissipated completely. But there was something missing. Someone he needed.

"Natsu?"

Lucy brought him out of his reverie. Her hands came up to soothe the worry lines on his face, eventually bringing him closer to her, letting him rest his forehead on hers. She brushed away the salmon shaded strands away from his eyes.

"Natsu," Lucy whispered again, chocolate eyes gazing up to intense raven eyes. A small smile tugged at the edge of her lips. "Thank you. But you didn't have to do that," She said ever so softly.

Before he could say anything, Lucy pointed to their two other best friends. "If Gray and Erza didn't do anything, you shouldn't have done that too. We had a lot riding on this job. Plus, I was fine with it anyway. Just don't do it again, please?"

That was something he could never promise. Natsu was surprised at how Lucy could say that she was okay with being degraded like that. And because Natsu understood her from head to toe, he bloody well knew that Lucy had already forgiven Duke.

"But, Lucy, I—"

"You're a damn idiot, Lucy." It was Gray who said that. He had his arms crossed around his bare chest. His pants had gone missing somehow. But all of that became overshadowed by the furious gaze in his eyes.

"Eh?" Lucy gasped, pulling away from Natsu, much to his dismay. She stared at Gray with wide, confused eyes.

With a slight blush tinting his cheeks, Gray scratched the back of his neck nervously. "One second longer, and I would have punched the guy. 100,000 Jewels or not, nobody gets away with saying stuff like that."

"He's right, Lucy," Erza commented with a nod. She sighed deeply. "No job is worth my friend's tears. Although, I wouldn't have gone to such extremities. I have class, after all."

"Of course, you do, Erza," Lucy whispered with a sniffle. She wiped a few tears that cascaded down her pale cheeks. After slapping her face to get rid of all the sad tension, she smiled radiantly. "Thank you, guys. You honestly didn't have to."

"Know this, Lucy," Natsu said tenderly. He took her chin, lifting her face to meet his own stare. "You are not dead weight to us."

"Luce, you are one heck of a girl."

[ NEXT! ]

The fourth time Natsu said he loved her, he wished she wasn't so pretty.

"Natsu, how does this one look?"

Lucy came out of the bathroom, her hair damp and loose, skin moist from the warm shower she took a few minutes ago. She had a red dress on that ended above her knees and cinched at her waist. For a brief moment, Natsu was reminded of her regal lifestyle with how elegant she looked, especially with her fancy makeup.

"You look weird," Was his answer. And frankly, he'd been telling the truth. He preferred to see her when she was most comfortable. In her usual outfit, like she was ready to go on another adventure with him.

The blonde pouted with a disappointed huff escaping her now red lips. She grabbed another dress, this time a light blue one, and headed off into the bathroom once more. Not before giving him a glare, playfully sticking her tongue out. "Do you even know what pretty means?"

"Yeah, I do!" Natsu retorted as he threw a pillow at her, which she caught effortlessly with a happy squeal. When she disappeared in the bathroom, Natsu turned to Happy who was sleeping soundly on her bed. "Lucy is being mean again, Hap."

He threw his whole body back on the fluffy bed. His arms were behind his head as he stared at the blank ceiling. There was a depressed feeling that settled uncomfortably in his gut and it began to throw him off.

Natsu loathed the idea of Lucy going on a date. That meant someone else would see how pretty she was. How good she smelled. How strong her kicks and punches were. Or how beautiful a feeling it was to be able to run their fingers through her golden locks. How smooth her fair skin was. Or maybe how cute she was when someone teased her. For some reason, Natsu didn't feel like sharing that.

But he just couldn't understand why.

Natsu laid on the bed, trying to wrack his head for some reasonable answers. But ultimately failed. Thankfully, he didn't get to fixate on how pathetically bored and dumb he was as the doorbell's ringing echoed across Lucy's apartment. That just made the sinking emotion even worse.

Her date was here.

"Luce, door!" Natsu called for her. He then widened his eyes as he thought of the most perfect idea. Damn, he was smart. "Nevermind, I'll get it!"

"Alright," She answered. "Just don't scare him off!"

"I won't!" Natsu smirked. He totally was going scare him off. No man was good enough for her.

He quickly scuffled to the other side of the room. A wicked grin plastered on his face as his hand met the doorknob. He just couldn't wait to set his plan in motion.

"Alright, you little bastard, who the hell do you think you are?" Natsu practically ripped the door open. His eyes set on the scrawny man in front of him with shaggy blonde hair, dressed in a casual shirt and pants. He wanted to laugh in his face, and at Lucy's ugly taste in men.

Natsu towered over Lucy's date with ease. He noticed the small tremors that wrecked his legs, and the slight confusion in his eyes, most likely wondering what he was doing in Lucy's room. When he narrowed his eyes slightly, Lucy's date jumped and took a step backwards.

"Uhm, excuse me, but is Miss Lucy around?" The man said quietly, yet not wavering his eye contact, fiddling with his fingers nervously. "I'm Reiko, her date."

Natsu's eyes raked over Reiko's figure. He was decent. But decent wasn't perfect enough for Lucy. He crossed his arms as leaned on the doorway. "Did you bring an extra coat?"

Reiko shook his head, puzzled eyes widening even more. "No. Why?"

Natsu scoffed. "It's common knowledge, buddy. If you take Lucy out this time of night, you gotta bring an extra coat for her."

"Shouldn't she bring her own coat?" Reiko furrowed his eyebrows. He gestured subtly to the array of fancy coats that layed on the bed.

And while he had every intention to light the guy on fire—and they said he was dense—for such a dumb suggestion, Natsu held back for the sake of Lucy. But then realized it was pointless since he was gonna drive the guy away in a while.

"If you're going to deal with her," Natsu huffed out loud, spitting out the words like it was the truth written stone. "She forgets to stay warm during the cold. So bring a damn coat. Or a blanket, she likes thick blankets. Got it, man?"

Unfortunately for Reiko, Natsu wasn't done yet. Not in the least bit.

Who was dumb enough to steal a dragon's treasure anyway?

This time Natsu stood up straight, his gaze sharpening and piercing right at the intruder who had come to try and take away his best friend. He loomed over Reiko darkly, subconsciously pronouncing that he was the alpha male. To be honest, he didn't know where all of this possessiveness came from.

"Would you do anything to make her happy?" He asked pointedly.

Reiko gulped down his fears. "Yeah. I guess so."

"Would you illegally uproot a tree from the mayor's garden if that made her happy?"

"Eh?!" Reiko's eyes bulged out of his head. He shook his head frantically as his arms waved around. "I follow the rules, sir. I'm pretty sure there are plenty of ways to make her happy without involving me getting arrested."

Natsu magically pulled a notebook from his pocket, a pen in the other hand as he scribbled down something on the paper hurriedly. "Okay, crossing out happiness."

The Dragon Slayer turned back his attention to Reiko. Natsu's eyes burned with a new wave determination. "Alright, buddy. What are you gonna do when she cries?"

Reiko shrugged. "Hug her?"

Natsu shook his head. He patted Reiko's head out of sympathy. "First, you gotta beat the crap out of who made her cry. Then, you do the sappy stuff."

"What if I was the one who made her cry?" Reiko asked.

"Then you beat yourself up," Natsu answered way too nonchalantly. The pen and notebook reappeared in his grasp, the sound of him scratching out something from his weird list filled the conversation's void. "There goes her emotional being."

"Alright, last question, it's the most important question so think carefully." Natsu grinned radiantly. As fun as interrogating him was, it was time to end the fun. "How far would you go to protect her?"

Reiko furrowed his eyebrows, clocking his head to the side a bit. "I'm not sure what you mean."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Lets say she was kidnapped, which happens way too often, what would you do?"

"I don't know. Call the Council, I guess?" Reiko's words came out slowly, as if unsure of himself.

"Well, I gotta erase her safety from the list. Damn." Natsu sighed. But really wasn't disappointed. "You take the matters into your own hands. You don't rest until she's there with you, safe and sound."

"But I'm not a mage like you two!" Reiko exclaimed. "I can't do anything!"

Natsu shook his head. "Wizard, Non-Magic user, cat, lizard, dragon, anyone can do anything. You just gotta believe you can do it. That kind of thinking is going to get you stuck in one place forever."

Reiko hung his head down low. "If you say so."

Natsu gave him a subtle nod. He was pleased that he won this round. Although, he still couldn't understand why he'd been so drive to scare all of her suitor's away, like he was afraid of sharing her with someone else. To lose her forever.

"You like her, don't you?" Reiko asked softly.

Well, did he?

"Yeah, I do," Natsu after careful moments of deliberation.

It made sense now. Saying those words out loud lifted a huge weight off his shoulders. He finally understood what he felt. He saw her more than a team partner. And as ecstatic as he was to make this revelation, he was sure it wasn't the appropriate time yet to bring about a whirlwind of change. Not when Lucy still had a lot to adjust too after such hectic years.

Reiko nodded solemnly. He gave Natsu a reassuring pat on the back before he said goodbye. "Take care of her, man."

"I will," Natsu replied with every intention to keep his promise.

"Natsu?"

Lucy came out of the shower, now dressed in an angelic blue dress and glass sandals. Her soft voice caught his attention. "Who was that? Was that Reiko? Did you scare him off?"

Natsu whistled playfully, avoiding her gaze. "Reiko? Who? I don't know anything. Who are you?"

"Natsu," Lucy whined. She pointed to her dress and her face covered in makeup. "What am I supposed to do with this now? I got all dressed up for nothing."

Natsu saw the downtrodden look on her face. Well he did suppose that he canceled their dates. But never fear, he had a great plan.

He quickly padded across the room, taking her hand in his. He relished in the feel of her dainty small hand against his own. And then he began to pull them out of the room and into the comfort of the starry night.

"Natsu? Where are we going?" Lucy asked, a little winded.

Natsu turned back to face the precious blonde. He shot her one of his infamous grins, which could only mean one thing. A fun night out with a little sprinkle of trouble.

"Lets go on an adventure, Luce!"

[ AND THEN! ]

The fifth time time Natsu said he loved her, he almost lost his life.

The sun had already set, allowing the bright moon to take it's place high up in the sky. Half an hour of taking out the countless members of a newly pledged dark guild took a toll of Natsu's energy and magic. He made way to a tree, dropping to his knees and leaning against the trunk as he began his rest.

He fought hard to keep his eyes from closing down, he needed to stay alert in case of anything happened. But every fiber in his being practically begged for him to sleep, to hibernate for a few hundred years. That was how tired he was. But in a matter of seconds, his magic power gradually risen from the ethernanos in the air.

Natsu didn't see it clearly, but in the midst of his somnolent vision, he was sure that he caught a glimpse of a fair skinned angel with flaxen hair that fell down to her waist. It wasn't until he heard her squeaky voice that he realized who she really was. A pretty blonde angel who had violent tendencies when provoked.

"You alright, Natsu?" Lucy gently cooed, brushing away the roseate bangs from his face so she'd be able to bandage his head easier.

Natsu nodded absentmindedly. "So tired," He mumbled.

Lucy giggled, carefully bringing the bandage wrap around his head. "That part's not so surprising. You took out half of them. Honestly, you should learn how to share."

"Nah," He whispered, sending her a devious smirk.

The soft snap of a twig caught Natsu's attention. He immediately sat up straight, eyes glazing over the surroundings in search for the new intruder. His heightened sense of smell caught the scent of someone unfamiliar. And for now, he classified it as a threat.

His sight concentrated on the man behind Lucy. At that exact moment, time began to stop. In spite of that, his mind focused on two things: One, was that the intruder had a gun ready to fire, there was no mistaking the bloodlust in his eyes. And two, Lucy was in between them, meaning she would be the one to take the hit.

But ultimately, Natsu immediately knew what he had to do.

Without giving anyone the chance to react, Natsu pulled Lucy behind him, shielding every part of her with his own body. Once the blast hit his back, he let out a pained groan. His entire body seared with utmost pain, vision blurring to the point of not being able to see at all.

And then, he fell to the ground.

Lucy was quick to introduce the guy to her trusty whip, and not sooner than a minute later, the enemy ran for the hills. She immediately came back to Natsu's side, affectionately bringing his head to her lap.

"Natsu," She called out softly, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Salamander choked up a garbled chuckle. His hand came up to slowly trace his angel's cheek. "There. . . wasn't a lot of thinking involved. I just saw you about to get hurt and then I just moved."

A restrained laugh escaped past Lucy's frowning lips. Her hand acted on it's own accord, covering Natsu's hand softly and then bringing the entwined hands to her chest, right where her heart rested. "Damn it. You could have been worse than this. Just hang on, okay? Wendy is coming in two minutes."

Natsu nodded, already slipping into the depths of sleep. "It's gonna take a lot more than this to put me down."

[ LASTLY! ]

When Natsu Dragneel finally had the balls to tell her that he loved her, with those exact words, he woke up to the beating of a lifetime.

He woke up with his nose incredibly itchy and runny with snot. His muscles and limbs ached all over, not to mention that his head ached terribly as well. It felt like something tickled his throat mercilessly as it was sore and scratchy. To make matters worse, his vision became completely blurry, as if he was intoxicated.

He might as well been dying!

But that wasn't the worse of it. Standing in the middle of the guild infirmary, just at the foot of his bed, was Lucy Heartfilia. And boy, was she angry. The spark in her eyes never burnt out as she slowly stalked over to Natsu.

Not caring that he was actually a patient recuperating, Lucy grabbed ahold of the collar of his shirt, bringing his face oh-so close to hers. "I told myself that I wasn't going to do this, Natsu Dragneel. But you were out for a week. Do you know how worried I was? I'll ask you once again, what on Earthland were you thinking?"

Lucy pulled back to jab a tiny finger at his chest. "The next time you let yourself get hurt. I won't be so forgiving. You're lucky that the guy wasn't as strong as Bisca. Just imagine if he was, you'd be dead right now!"

Natsu didn't like the idea of Bisca sending him to his grave. But he knew if he said anything while the demon slash angel of his was ranting, he would have hell to pay. And so he just kept silent, staring absently at the pretty girl in front of him.

"What if the guy aimed for your head?!" Lucy screeched, now pacing back and forth like a madwoman. "What if you never woke up?! Did you stop to think about the consequences of your recklessness?! We're a team and I'd be damned if I was the cause of your death. I'm supposed to protect you, you know! That's it—"

"I love you."

Natsu couldn't help it. He'd been so consumed with every part of her. The way her high pitched voice rose louder and louder. Her soft footsteps as she stomped around crazily. The few beads of sweat that dripped down her forehead, moistening her pale skin a bit. And the little puffs of breaths she took as she faced him.

"What?!" Lucy yelled once more, her eyes wide as she stared at him incredulously. "Did you just—"

"Yeah, I did."

Natsu didn't give anymore time for her to react as he pulled her into the bed with him. He made himself comfortable, snuggling beside her as he settled his head in the valley of her breasts. Ah, this was the life, he thought.

"Luce, stop squirming," Natsu murmured to the wriggling girl in his hold. "I'm supposed to be healing, y'know?"

Eventually, Lucy stopped her frantic movements. After a few deep breaths and a loud gulp, Lucy relaxed under his touch and began to dig her hands deep into the pink spikes of hair. "You–you–you love me?"

"More than a partner." He confirmed with a yawn.

"Oh. Cool."

The two partners settled in a comfortable silence. Lucy ran her hands through Natsu's hair in random patterns. Whilst Natsu drew circles animatedly on Lucy's thigh, occasionally tracing a dragon as well. But, unbeknownst to the two of them, they both had a heart that throbbed quickly and painfully.

It took a while. But Lucy finally broke the silence. "Natsu?"

"Hm?"

"I love you, too."

[ END ]