Hello everyone! I'm so happy to see that more and more people are reading this story! I even got a few of my Naruto fans to read it –snickers-. I love everything you guys have said, so thank you so much for the support. This has two more chapters after this, so we're half-way through already! Hope you enjoy the second half as much as I did writing it!
Disclaimer: I don't own The Notebook, The Vow, Pride and Prejudice, The Ugly Truth, or Fairy Tail…I don't own anything! –cries-
Warning: At some point, there will be some lemony goodness =P
Chapter Four: A Hangover Remedy for the Heart
Lucy had never puked more in her entire life. She had woken up just as the sun was rising to feel her entire body screaming at her to get to the bathroom. So wrapped up in her need to not throw up on the bed, she almost missed the fact that Natsu was sound asleep next to her. She didn't have time to think about it before her body shifted and she was puking out everything she had eaten or drank in the past seven years. The sound of her crying must have woken up Natsu, because it was seconds later that she felt her back being rubbed and her hair being swept out of her face. She cried like a baby, though it did nothing to help ease the turmoil of her stomach. The whole process was disgusting and had Lucy swearing off alcohol well into the morning.
By the time she finally got her body under control, the pounding of her head promised her that this would not be a day she would be leaving the apartment. After brushing her teeth and changing into the comfiest pair of sleep pants she had, Lucy curled up in a ball on the couch in the living room. She knew she looked like death, since Natsu continued to tease her even as he got ready for work. Too sick to fight back with him, Lucy only yanked the covers closer to her face to hide from his continuous glances over to her. She tried not to look back, feeling uncomfortable with making eye contact with him. Doing so only reminded her of the events that had gone on the night before. Especially after they left the party. Did he regret kissing her? She frowned at the question, knowing that it wasn't lack of skill that would have changed his mind. Lucy had been complimented more than once on her technique. And though she knew it had been over a year since her last kiss, she doubted she would lose her form so easily. He sure seemed to enjoy it from the way he had pressed her into the door.
"I'm heading out now, Lucy!" She looked up from her pondering to see him slipping his shoes on by the door.
"Will you be late tonight?" She asked, knowing his job could keep him out past midnight. He shrugged, looking back over to her and grinning.
"If I am, I'll shoot you a text. The girls have been blowing up your phone all morning, so I'm gonna assume they'll be over soon. Girl talk and all that pointless shit." She had forgotten she left her phone in the other room. Though she was tempted to get it, the warmth of the blankets was too much to move out of.
"Or to kill me for last night," She joked, which Natsu laughed at. She nervously slid some hair behind her ear, looking down at the coffee table in front of their couch. "Hey, uh, Natsu…"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry about everything last night. For the party and making you take care of me. Plus, the…" She bit her lip and stopped herself from finishing the sentence, though she was sure he knew what she was implying. When he didn't respond, she wondered just what his facial expression was. Maybe angry for bringing it up?
"Don't worry; I'm sure the girls will forgive you. It wasn't like you were lying to them or anything." But the unexpected answer made her look up to see Natsu's hands linked behind his head, staring at the ceiling. "Juvia will probably be happy with you, honestly. Maybe not Erza or Levy though."
"Yeah, but—"
"And of course I'd take care of you!" He looked down at her then, his stare once again capturing her breath. Though his smile didn't waver, there was something serious in the look he gave her. "If I didn't, someone might take advantage of the situation and do something to hurt you. And…I can't let that happen. Not to you, Luce. I wouldn't forgive myself if I let someone hurt you."
"Natsu…" What was he trying to say? She wanted to press the subject further, but she knew he had to get to work. The conversation would have to wait until he came home. She gave him a soft nod, trying to smile as cheerfully as she could. "Do your best today, okay? And don't fight with Gray."
"He starts it! Always saying he's the best bartender there is; I make way better drinks than that ass could even dream of!"
"Not if you don't get there in the next fifteen minutes," Lucy said, pointing to the clock on the wall. He swore and quickly grabbed his keys, shouting a quick 'bye' before running out the door. She smacked her forehead, knowing Natsu was bound to run over several people on his way to work. He was reckless when his mind was set on something. It was even worse when it involved Gray. Thankfully he didn't own a car, or else he'd be in jail by now. But that was just another thing Lucy loved about Natsu.
In a purely, platonic friendship kind of way. Not one that made her heart skip a beat or anything.
True to Natsu's prediction, it didn't long for a knock to come at Lucy's door. She yelled for the guests to come in, only to regret it when seeing the aura of death around Levy. Erza was quiet, but Lucy feared her more than the seething girl next to her.
"Lucy!" Well, at least one of the girls was happy to see her. With glowing hearts around her, Juvia wasted no time in embracing the still queasy girl. "Juvia owes you more than life itself!"
"What do you mean, Juvia?" Lucy asked, praying she didn't throw up on the excited girl. That would put a damper on anyone's perfect day. Ignoring the girl still glaring at her, Lucy tried to focus on Juvia's explanation.
"Juvia was speaking with Lyon at the party, when Gray pulled Juvia outside to talk. Gray said that he wanted to know if Juvia had let Lyon kiss her on our date, which Juvia did not! He then asked if Juvia was interested in Lyon at all. Juvia was so shocked to hear the anger in Gray's tone, Juvia didn't answer. Gray thought Juvia was unsure of her feelings, and Gray admitted he didn't want to lose Juvia's attention because of his personal hang-ups. Juvia said she'd only wish to be with Gray, and Gray asked Juvia on a date tonight!" The more into the story Juvia got, the higher her voice became. By the end of it, Lucy was positive the girl had run out of octaves.
"That's great Juvia; really I'm happy for you. I told you that he had a thing for you, even if it took a slight misconception for him to act upon it." Lucy smiled at her friend's instant blush, which seemed to even calm down the plotting girl in the corner. After all, how could any of them stay mad when something so important happened? Juvia finally scored her first real date with Gray.
"I owe Lucy thanks as well." Lucy's head snapped up to Erza, who was rubbing the back of her neck in an unusually modest fashion. "Jellal returned to my apartment that night and asked me if your statement was true. When I refused to answer, Jellal got upset and we got into an argument."
"And you're trying to thank me?" Lucy asked, awkwardly laughing when Erza nodded her head.
"You sparked a conversation that needed to be had. Jellal refused to be my l-lover for the time being." A sad smile was placed on Erza's face, which pained Lucy more than a physical punch would have. "He still hasn't gotten over the pain of our childhood, and he can't face me as a man until he battles his own demons."
"I'm so sorry Erza, really I am."
"Don't be. If there is one thing in this world I have learned, it's that fighting for something makes it twice as worth it in the end." If nothing else, Lucy wished she could be as strong as the woman in front of her. "Jellal asked me to stand by him in this fight, so that we could be together in the end. He says he sees nobody in his future besides me. That he couldn't love anyone besides me. That's enough for me to keep fighting."
"Did everyone get a happy ending besides me? Juvia gets a date, Erza gets a confession. I get Gajeel denying anything 'bunny girl' says is true AND still refuses to call me by name." Levy pouted, looking out Lucy's window in anger. Erza laughed and shook her head, catching Lucy's attention.
"But you ended up cuddled together on the couch when Jellal and I left last night. He was even spooning you. How do you call that nothing?" Levy blushed at the words, looking over to the group in exasperation.
"Because after three years of beating around the bush, I wanted fireworks! I wanted romance or an acknowledgment of feelings. Even just a tiny kiss would have been a step in the right direction!" At the mention of kissing, Lucy's smile dropped to panic. She tried to cover her reaction, but Juvia caught it.
"Are you alright Lucy?" Laughing far too loudly for anyone to believe her, Lucy quickly waved her hands in front of her.
"It-its nothing! I mean, maybe it's better if Gajeel didn't kiss you, Levy! Because what if he ch-changed his mind later on? What if he pretended it didn't ha-happen or…or…or something like that!" Knowing she was digging a hole bigger by the second, Lucy shut her mouth and stared down at her own lap. A silence fell through the open space, each girl seeming unsure of what to say.
"Did Natsu kiss you?" Levy's question was quiet, like she was afraid to break the fragile girl's ego. Lucy closed her eyes for a second before opening them to look at her friends.
"No." Lucy paused then sheepishly smiled. "I kissed Natsu."
"WHAT?!" The three girls shouted, and Lucy knew her story had taken the cake. Flushing at how excited they looked, Lucy tried to explain herself.
"I was really drunk. It seemed like a good idea at the time. And it's not like he pushed me away! Or, not at first. But then, he got all weird on me. He just tucked me into bed and ignored the whole situation. Today too! He didn't bring it up once."
"Well of course he didn't," Erza said, confusing Lucy. Giving her a scolding look, Erza shook her head. "He never told you about that girl at the party, did he?"
"Wh-which one?" Lucy tried to pass it off like she didn't know what she was talking about. Not like that single girl had been plaguing her thoughts for the past two years. Erza arched an eyebrow at Lucy, proving she knew exactly what Lucy was thinking. "Oh, that. We never really discussed it."
"Juvia remembers which girl Erza is speaking of. The one Natsu hooked up with?" Juvia asked. When Erza nodded, Juvia looked to Lucy sadly. "Juvia knows how upset Natsu was over that night."
"Oh yeah! That was the party Gray, Gajeel, and Natsu went shot for shot, right? How does Lucy not know about that? Natsu was out of it for like, that entire week after." Even Levy knew about the story?
"What are you guys talking about?" Lucy asked, wanting to know whatever it was Natsu hadn't told her.
"Natsu came to the party really upset over a fight you two had. Gajeel and Gray didn't like seeing Natsu so emotionally messed up, so they challenged him to a drinking game. You know how those three always deal with things. After like, the seventh shot, Natsu was completely hammered," Levy said, Lucy nodding in understanding. She knew her fight with him had bothered Natsu, but not to the extent that Levy was explaining.
"You all went to that party?"
"Juvia goes to all of Gray's parties," Juvia replied. "This party was a lot bigger than Gray's normal parties. Juvia barely had room to move. Juvia remembers seeing Natsu looking for someone after his match with Gray, but Juvia was too busy taking care of Gray to see much else."
"I was in the same boat with Gajeel. I couldn't even make out the name he was calling when he passed by us," Levy said, Lucy unwillingly wincing.
"So he was the one who sought her out," Lucy mumbled, wrapping the blanket closer to her. It was one thing for Natsu to hook up with some random girl. But to go looking for her? Now that cut like a knife.
"He was looking for you, Lucy," Erza said, leaving no room for Lucy to question her. "And he thought he found you."
"W-what?" Lucy whispered, not sure she had heard Erza right. The red head didn't falter, knowing it was time for her friend to know the truth. It had been two years too long, and she was tired of seeing her two best friends destroy each other.
"I didn't go to that party; my job required me to work the graveyard shift. I only saw the aftermath. Natsu told me the girl who he slept with was a blonde. A drunk blonde whose laughter reminded him of you. Natsu never intended to sleep with some random girl. All he wanted that night was to see you. He was drunk and desperate—"
"Erza, maybe we shouldn't be telling her this!" Even at Levy's shout, Erza didn't look away from Lucy.
"—and he made a mistake because he wanted to be with you. He can never erase that night, no matter how much he wants to." Lucy's hands were clenched in her blanket; her eyes wide open in shock. Why had nobody ever told her the real story? Natsu never said a word about being drunk or looking for her. The girl was blond? He regretted it? She should have known something was off when he swept the night under the rug. Any other guy would have boasted about their first time to anyone with ears. Natsu made it like it never happened. Now Lucy knew why.
But Lucy wasn't quite sure how to handle the situation. It was extremely hard to deny her feelings for him when her heart was beating out of her chest at the idea of him searching for her. The fact that he slept with someone because it reminded him of her wasn't overlooked by the attentive girl either. If she got anything from the uncovered story, it was that Natsu felt something toward her. More than he let her believe, at least. Maybe it was in their nature, because Lucy hadn't really depicted her feelings for him either. Half of the time, she was trying to shove them into any hidden crevice she could find in her brain to save their friendship. Maybe Natsu did the same thing? And if so, was there really a reason to hide their feelings?
"Juvia remembers that morning as well. Gray knew something was wrong with Natsu the second they made eye contact. Juvia was requested to help Lyon pick up after the party while Gray and Natsu went somewhere Juvia does not know. They didn't return until nightfall, both bruised up and dirty. Natsu left without a word, and Gray didn't say much when Juvia questioned him. The only thing Juvia could conclude was Natsu and Gray had been fighting all day. But Juvia still does not understand why."
"It's Natsu's way of dealing with emotional pain," Erza answered. "Natsu and Gray understand each other better than most would expect. Natsu lets out his feelings through his fists, and Gray is one of the only people who could properly fight him in that state. They've done this since they were children."
"Though most of the time you stop them," Levy said, smiling at the sisterly nature that Erza had.
"Sometimes it's necessary to let Natsu deal with his pain." Erza looked over to Lucy, who had dropped her head down to hide her face. She sat down next to the silent girl, placing a comforting arm around her shoulder. "I'm sorry it took so long for us to tell you this, Lucy. I hope you'll forgive me."
"We just…thought it wasn't our business to tell," Levy added, sitting on the edge of the coffee table. Juvia nodded in agreement, kneeling next to the couch to place her hand on Lucy's knee.
"Juvia only wants to see Lucy smile. Telling her this story would hurt Lucy."
"You knew Natsu would be upset if you told me. I'm not mad at any of you. If anything, I'm mad at myself," Lucy whispered, leaning her body against Erza's side. She clenched her eyes tighter, trying to keep any tears from falling. "I was so wrapped up in my own feelings that I couldn't even see Natsu's pain. During our entire friendship, all he has ever done is protected me. Taken care of me, made sure I was okay. This should have been my time to help, and I failed him. How can I face Natsu after knowing this?"
"Don't think of it like that Lucy! You didn't know the truth; you couldn't have known what actually happened that night," Levy said, shaking her head. "Beating yourself up over this won't change the past."
"All you can do is look to the future." At Erza's comment, Lucy took a deep breath and lifted her head to nod at her friends.
"Alright then; no more running away! I'll talk to Natsu tonight and sort this whole mess out. Even if it takes all night, I have to figure out just what Natsu's feelings are for me!" Two of the girls cheered at Lucy's new enthusiasm, though one seemed bothered at the answer.
"Not to rain on your parade, but isn't your project due in two days? Juvia thinks it may be weird to draw Natsu naked after talking about such a sensitive subject."
"Oh my god, my project! How am I supposed to draw Natsu like that when I have all of this on my brain? I'm going to fail this assignment and ruin my chances of getting picked by Professor Mira! Why me?" Lucy slumped back onto the couch, the feeling of queasiness coming back into her stomach. The moment of confidence she had was gone, plagued by the deadline of her nude drawing. And, when she felt like it couldn't get worse, the lurching of her stomach proved her wrong. She threw her blankets off as she ran to the bathroom, Levy taking a slow breath before she rose to her feet. Yanking out a piece of paper, Levy handed it to Juvia.
"You really shouldn't have put all of this on her while she has a hangover, Erza. Juvia, will you go look in Lucy's kitchen and see if she's got these ingredients? I have a feeling she's going to need my hangover Getrank," Levy said, moving toward the bathroom.
"Will Lucy be okay?" Juvia asked, Erza smiling softly and nodding.
"The greatest thing about Lucy is her heart. Now that she's accepting the feelings she has for Natsu, it will only be a matter of time before everything is right between them. Because Lucy is the only one who has a heart big enough to love Natsu's huge personality."
"Juvia is glad, but, Juvia was more concerned about Lucy's hangover."
"Oh. Well, despite Lucy's many great qualities…I'm not sure drinking is one of them." At that, the two girls looked at each other before they started to laugh. Lucy groaned as she tightly held the toilet, cursing Cana and her demonic drinks.
"Thanks again for taking care of me. I feel so much better. Where the heck did you get that hangover recipe from, Levy? It worked amazingly!" At Lucy's enthusiastic tone, Levy grinned and gave her a thumbs up.
"I got it from my trip to Germany last summer. They drink so much there, it's no wonder they've come up with the best hangover remedies." Lucy nodded; laughing when Levy teasingly threw a handful of popcorn at Erza's sleeping body. Letting out a slow breath, Lucy looked around the apartment and smiled. After taking Levy's advice, Lucy tried the nastiest looking mixture that had ever been blended in her kitchen. The color of it alone almost made her run to the bathroom. But after Levy promised Lucy fast results, Lucy plugged her nose and chugged it down. Within minutes, the color had returned to Lucy's face and she was able to walk around the apartment without the queasy stomach. After an hour, it was like she had never had a drink in her life.
The four of them had spent the rest of the day watching romance movies and mowing down pizzas by the box. The delivery guy had been expecting a party by how much food the girls had ordered. Despite her slim figure, Erza had to eat a lot to keep up with her hectic life. Lucy was dying of hunger after throwing everything she ever ate up, and Levy was just as hungry after slaving over her hangover concoction. Juvia was the only one with a normal stomach.
While waiting for their dinner to arrive, Juvia had disappeared to Gray's apartment and returned with many of her romantic comedies. She later admitted that Lisanna would sometimes go home on the weekends to visit her family. Never liking to be alone, Juvia would ask Gray and Lyon to use their TV to watch her DVDs. She had a TV in her own apartment, but Gray's was much bigger. After a year of lugging the movies back and forth, Gray bought her a bin to keep her movies in his closet. Knowing that she hated to be alone, Lyon would always offer their apartment for her to stay in. She had never taken his offer, feeling like a burden on Gray. It wasn't until a weekend Lyon and Lisanna both had gone home that Gray told her to spend the night whenever she was lonely. They talked for hours that night, Gray proving that he hated to be alone just as much as Juvia. It was the first time Gray opened up to Juvia. When it came time to sleep, Gray gave her his bed while he slept on the couch. Not once did he act as anything but a gentleman, something Juvia knew was rare in guys his age. It was just another reason that Juvia had fallen head over heels for him.
"Who knew that Erza could fall asleep so fast?" Juvia asked, keeping her eyes on the movie.
"Well, she did say she had a long night talking with Jellal. She's probably really worn out. I already texted him; he said he'd come pick her up after work," Lucy said. She watched Katherine Heigl's character get on the elevator with Gerald Butler, completely hooked on the plot line of "The Ugly Truth". Before it they had watched "The Notebook", "Pride and Prejudice" and "The Vow". Though she enjoyed the three movies before, Lucy loved anything that had the blonde actress in it. Somehow, she related to how she always contrasted personalities with her partner. Since Lucy had never seen this particular movie, she gasped when she watched the unexpected make out scene in-between the elevator doors.
"See, that's a man! All of these movies…this is what I want from Gajeel. Some kind of passion or interest! The only time he even shows excitement is when he's arguing with Natsu. Is it such a crime to have a dream like this?" Levy asked, leaning on her hand as she sighed. Lucy shook her head, ruffling the blue hair on her best friend's head.
"No, it's not. We all deserve it for putting up with everything we do. Gajeel's still got a lot of guilt in him; he's not ready to think he has a shot with you."
"So he puts me down and calls me names? Not my version of true love," Levy said, blowing her hair out of her face in frustration.
"Juvia thinks she knows why Gajeel calls Levy names." Not wanting to miss a minute of her guilty pleasure, Lucy paused the movie to listen to Juvia's explanation. "Gajeel has been a friend of Juvia's since high school."
"You've know him that long?! How come I never knew that?" Levy asked, shocked at the new information. Though many of Lucy's friends had been from Magnolia, Juvia and Gajeel were both not. She just never expected them to be from the same town.
"Juvia is sorry; she didn't think to tell you. You see, Gajeel always had a tendency to hang out with the wrong crowd in high school and early college years. Juvia tried to stop him, but Gajeel felt like these were the only people who would accept him. Gajeel wasn't truly evil, but he did a lot of bad things with them in the past. Things Juvia won't speak of. That was the guy who bullied Levy. The old Gajeel. But once Levy entered Gajeel's life, he changed. He stopped hanging around his old group of friends to be around Levy. There he met Natsu, Gray, even Lucy and Erza. Juvia was happy to see the true Gajeel come out. Juvia thinks Gajeel doesn't believe he deserves Levy's time, so he hurts her to make her stay away from him. But, Juvia knows Gajeel truly cares for Levy, which is why he can never stay away for too long. It's Gajeel's heart against his mind."
"You really think that's it?" Lucy asked, amazed at how much thought Juvia put into the situation. Juvia nodded, a look of confidence in her eyes.
"Juvia knows love better than anyone else. Just like Juvia knows her love for Gray will never subside!" Lucy nearly fell over at Juvia's sudden burst of energy, though she should have expected it. Whenever Juvia talked about love, Gray was bound to come up.
"So then what do I do?" At the timid question, Lucy looked over to her blushing best friend. Normally forward and sure of herself, Levy looked to her friends for an answer. "If Gajeel likes me, but won't show it, what do I do? Keep asking Juvia to decipher Gajeel's language? Take her with us on dates to find out if he's really enjoying his time with me? Have her read his vows at the damn wedding? I don't want to have to do that, especially if I might like him too!"
"Juvia thinks the 'might' is not needed in this situation." It was only obvious Levy's feelings for Gajeel after her last few comments. Lucy smiled at the confused girl, doing her best to comfort her.
"It's up to you, Levy. You say you want love like you see in the movies, but you pick a guy who is as opposite from romantic as they come. He's gruff, anti-social, and won't smother you with affection. He may take years to drop the 'L' word on you, and he may never call you by name. But Gajeel is protective, intelligent, and always wants you by his side. The first person he takes care of, even before himself, is you. So, you have to decide which dream you're going to let go of; prince charming, or Gajeel?"
"How could I ever just let go of Gajeel?!" Levy snapped instantly, standing up in irritation at Lucy's question. Though Juvia gasped at the outburst, Lucy only smiled.
"There's your answer," Lucy replied, knowing what Levy's heart wanted all along. Watching love movies were great, if you didn't base your life off of them. The reason Noah and Mr. Darcy seemed so perfect was because they weren't real. Gajeel, Gray, Jellal, and even Natsu were unscripted men. They weren't told to say any of the stupid remarks they did on a daily basis. There were no guides in how to express their feelings. And even if there were, they were too stubborn to let anyone tell them what to do. Even now, Lucy could picture Natsu lighting the script on fire while shouting he didn't need help.
But these real men had character traits that not even the best actor could perform better. Gajeel travelled all over the world just to be near Levy. Jellal was willing to face down past demons for the slim chance of a future with Erza. Gray had etiquette and respect for Juvia, even if it meant getting teased by his guy friends for not making a move. And Natsu would move mountains to keep Lucy from crying. Every one of them had their own ways of showing their true feelings. But deciphering them was what made the girls crazy to begin with!
"Lucy!" The front door opened, revealing two male figures. Recognizing them instantly, Lucy smiled at her roommate and her guest.
"You got out early, Natsu."
"What are you talking about? It's almost nine; I've been there for eight hours while you sat on the couch all day and ate pizza without me!" At Natsu's bellow, Lucy quickly put her finger up to her lips while pointing to Erza. He paled at the sight of the sleeping girl, taking a step away from her and lowering his voice. "And I was sent home with a note for Juvia about tonight. He said he lost his phone last night, but he wanted to show he was 'trying' or something. Stupid bastard wouldn't let me read—"
"Is it from Gray?!" At Natsu's nod, Juvia quickly snatched the piece of paper out of Natsu's hand before cradling it to her chest. Both boys were shocked by her actions, though neither Lucy or Levy blinked. Instead, Lucy turned her attention to the man with the intricate face tattoo.
"Hello again, Jellal. You here to collect your prize?"
"What prize? All he's here to do is bring Erza home," Natsu answered, scratching his head at Lucy's dumbfounded stare.
"I'm almost scared to know he's graduating this year," Levy whispered, Lucy nodding her head in agreement. Jellal smiled at the two girls before moving forwards, effortlessly picking up Erza from the floor. She squirmed a bit, which scared the whole group equally. The only thing worse than a pissed off Erza was one who was woken up from her sleep. The tense air subsided when Erza curled closer to Jellal, an action an awake Erza would never do.
"Thank you for taking care of her today," Jellal said, politely bowing his head to the three smiling girls. Lucy was happy that Jellal came back into Erza's life, knowing he was a good match for her. Sure, he had some demons, but who didn't? She could tell by the delicate way he brushed her hair from her sleeping face that Jellal was in love with her. And Erza deserved that happiness more than anyone.
"It was nothing, really! I should be thanking her if anything," Lucy said honestly. It was her fault that the four of them were stuck at her apartment all day, after all.
"I'll have her call you tomorrow when she wakes. I'm sure she'll feel bad about falling asleep at your house." Lucy could already hear Erza's over the top apology in her head.
"Juvia should be going as well. Gray would be upset if Juvia was late tonight."
"Do you need help carrying these downstairs? I should probably go find the lug-nut since I kind of bailed on him this morning without even saying goodbye. He's never going to let me live this down." Lucy exchanged her collective goodbyes with her friends, letting out a relieved sigh when Natsu locked the door behind them.
"Today was exhausting!" Lucy said, stretching out on the couch and yawning. She blinked when a shadow fell over her, blushing when she realized how close Natsu's face was to hers.
"Lucy?"
"Y-Yeah?" She stuttered, her thoughts instantly going to the night before. He stared at her intently, making it hard for her to keep her heartbeat under control. Whatever moment Lucy was hoping for was quickly erased by the grumbling coming from Natsu's stomach.
"Please tell me you saved some pizza for me, I'm so hungry!"
"That's why you're leaning this close to me?! For pizza?" She wanted to strangle the guy above her when he nodded happily, glancing away from her and toward the piled up pizza boxes.
"I haven't eaten anything since the party last night; of course food is a top priority right now." Silently counting to ten, Lucy pointed to a single box that was sitting on the opposite side of the table.
"I got you a pizza in case you came in too late to cook. I didn't want you to go hungry," Lucy muttered, pushing to sit upright the second Natsu moved away from her. She watched him eagerly grab the pizza, shoving the first piece in his mouth before looking back to Lucy.
"Thanks, Luce! You're the best roommate a guy could ask for." He smiled brightly after swallowing his food, affecting Lucy's sour mood. She leaned her elbow on the coffee table, her head being held by her hand as she softly smiled.
"We're best friends right? I've always got your back, Natsu." He gave her a thumbs up before continuing to devour the pizza, making Lucy laugh. "Hey, you want to know why Gray wouldn't let you read that note?"
"How would you know? You didn't even read it!"
"Let's just call it women's intuition," She said, smiling. "It probably had to do with the fact that Gray's trying to be more open with Juvia about his feelings. He did ask Juvia out on a date last night."
"A date? Wait….with JUVIA?!" Natsu burst out laughing at Lucy's information, making her smack her forehead. Sometimes he acted a little more like he was twelve and not twenty one. "Who knew the guy had it in him to actually ask her?"
"Be easy on him, Natsu. If not for his sake, then for Juvia's. If you embarrass him too much, he'll probably never ask her again. And if she finds out you were the one who ruined her chances with her 'soul mate', there wouldn't be enough places in this universe for you to hide."
"I wasn't planning on it!" His response surprised her. Normally, Natsu would use any type of embarrassing information against Gray. It was why she had truly thought Gray was keeping the date away from Natsu to begin with. But once Natsu caught his breath from laughing, he pushed up off the ground and sat next to Lucy. "It's just that Gray's always denied ever having feelings for her. I'm closer to him than most; I know when he's putting on an act. It was kind of frustrating to see him ignoring her feelings because he's afraid of his own. He's been all stoic like this since he was a kid; never letting people he cared about know. Of course me and Erza see through him, so sometimes I call him out on it."
"You knew he liked her?" She asked, Natsu nodding once.
"When I found out he let her sleep in his bed, I knew. Gray's big on personal space. I don't remember a time he's brought a girl back to his apartment for that very reason. That's why at parties, he always has his bedroom door locked." Lucy had noticed that weird habit the first time she went to one of Gray's parties, but she never dared to ask. Her imagination got the better of her, and her thoughts ranged from hidden illegal animals to a secret shrine of herself. "I'm pretty sure Juvia's the only girl he's ever let in there. If it was any other girl, he'd offer them Lyon's room. That's how I knew!"
"Your logic is that simple, huh?" She asked, smiling when he nodded feverishly. "So then you must know about Gajeel and Levy."
"What about them?" The urge to tease him was too great to resist.
"They're getting eloped." Natsu almost spit out the food he was eating at her comment.
"When did they even get together?! Lucy this isn't a good idea, Gajeel will probably eat her one night for a midnight snack. The stupid guy probably thinks eloping is a type of food! And why not a real wedding? We have to go stop her!" Lucy laughed so hard her sides hurt, wiping a set of tears from her eyes at his panicked reaction.
"I-I-I'm kidding!" She breathed out, completely winded from her laughter. She leaned against the side of the couch, throwing her feet up onto his lap to try and relax her body. Even though her hangover was gone, her body was sore from hitting into the wall the night before. Closing her eyes, she wiggled lower onto the couch to get comfortable.
"That wasn't funny Lucy; Levy would have made a huge mistake." She heard his mutter, Lucy shrugging her shoulders and leaning her head back on the armrest.
"Is marriage such a bad thing?"
"Not when it's done right!" She was going to open her eyes, but moaned when she felt warm pressure on her foot. She had expected Natsu to throw her legs off of him or at least make a fuss. Instead, the unpredictable boy was gently rubbing the sore spots on her left foot. It was making Lucy's toes curl in pleasure.
"So not eloping, you mean?" She shivered at a gentle roll of his knuckles in the center of her foot. She wanted to question when Natsu had learned to massage, but it was probably natural to him. Natsu had a knack for anything hand-oriented, which was why she was so surprised he didn't go into mechanics or engineering of some sort.
"If you're going to sign the papers, might as well get a party out of it." Lucy was in heaven, and it took her a few seconds to think of what to say next.
"Do you think you'd ever get married?" His hand paused on her foot, but the momentary silence quickly shifted into Natsu switching feet to work on.
"Who would want to marry me?" Though he was still invoking blissful tremors through her body, Lucy opened her eyes to look over to her concentrated roommate.
"Why wouldn't they?" She asked, not liking the furrowing of his eyebrows. Natsu always played cocky, and most of the time it was because he truly believed what he was saying. Still, even superman had his moments of doubt.
"Ask yourself this, Luce; would you want to marry someone like me?" He lifted his head to look over at her with uncertainty.
"I would." She didn't have to think twice about it. The fact that he was sitting here, rubbing her feet without rhyme or reason, showed her just what type of husband he would be.
"Why?"
"Why not? There's nothing wrong with you, Natsu. I like you just as you come," She answered truthfully, ignoring the quickening of her heartbeat. When she felt his fingers tense on her feet, she quickly laughed and tried to break up the intense atmosphere. "You'd just have to find someone like me to marry."
"Impossible!"
"Eh? Why do you say that?" He laughed at her confusion before going back to massaging her feet. His smile was bright, like she had just said something amusing to him. But it was his next sentence that left Lucy completely breathless.
"Because there's nobody else in this world like you, Lucy."
And that's the end of chapter four! I know you're all waiting for the sketch scene, and I'm happy to announce it's the next chapter! =) So, how will Lucy deal with drawing Natsu? Will she bring up Erza's confession? What are Natsu's true feelings for Lucy? And will Lucy regret not using Gray for her project? Review to find out!
Chapter Five: Drawing Out True Feelings