A/N: Hello, friends. I've been having a harder time coming up with events for the next chapters, I have an idea up until chapter 4 – but I really need you to tell me what you'd like to see or else I don't know how I can go on (dramatic, yes. :D). Understand my situation: I'm very nervous to have to type something such as smut shamelessly. I'm a good girl… I, like Lucy, am inexperienced in that division.

Character wise, it's rather difficult for me to really get a firm grip on Natsu and Lucy's character personalities. Yes, I've been doing my homework and watching endlessly of episodes so I know what they'd say in (mostly) any situation, but when it comes to smut… uh… have to go off of what I feel is romantic and what I think would make some girl go 'Kyaaa! *blush* so cute!' It's difficult, but I live to entertain and deliver - Thank you very much.

I'm trying my best to get characters besides Natsu and Lucy into the story more. Personally, I'd just like them to be together the entire story, but that wouldn't have much variety and would bore me and you to death. So, I tried the e-mail deal and it seemed to be working. I'm going to try a different (something I'm not used to) approach this time around.

Please, I'd appreciate your comments and judgment more than ever for this story.

Love & Rockets,

E M I R O Z U .

Natsu sat at the bar stool as the guild was empty, only the cleaning staff was present and Mirajane at the counter. Most of the main lights were turned off, like the tables and the main ceiling light. The bar light gave a soft, dim glow to the guild. The cleaning staff turned on few lights as they scrubbed down the tables and hauled broken pieces of a table that Natsu recalls fighting with Gray on, thus destroying it and 3 other tables. It was quiet. Well, quieter. The cleaning staff vacuumed and talked amongst themselves. Mirajane was quiet, though. She glanced over at Natsu worriedly as she cleaned a beer glass to occupy her time. She sighed.

Natsu rested his head on his hands, fighting the memorable lightheaded symptom of being practically wasted. Often, Natsu reached over to his beer glass and gave a large chug, and then he put it back and resumed his pitiful position. He had bags under his soft, swamp green eyes. It looked as if he was dozing off to sleep at times, then he'd murmur something and continue drinking. Mira put the, now clean, beer glass on the counter. She approached him from behind the bar table. He gazed up at her with a wobbly head.

"Is something wrong? Your not usually here this late," She looked at him with concern, "Did… something happen?" Natsu, even how drunk he seemed to be, knew what she was implying.

Two days ago was the famous Starry Night of Natsu and Lucy everyone seemed to strangely know about. He shrugged, avoiding the topic.

"I was talking to Lucy yesterday," Mira continued. Natsu's head lifted a little more toward Mirajane at the sound of Lucy's name. He was interested now that she was being brought up, "It seems to be on her mind, too,"

'how does she feel about it?' Natsu wanted to ask. Mira probably wouldn't tell, only ask his side of the story. That's kind of how Mira was; she wasn't two faced and tells one person everything that the other did. She was a simple and curious mind, not to mention awfully kind. Natsu knew Mirajane well enough to know what she'd say and what she'd seek to find out. It's best not to lie to Mira… Mira might get very angry. Natsu shuttered at the thought.

"I don't think it was a bad thing," Mirajane poked his arm gently, regaining his attention, "I think it was awfully romantic. Not to mention something both of you won't forget, in a good way, y'know?"

"eh," Natsu shrugged.

"The last time you were in here really late was when Lucy got mad at you," Mirajane cocked her head to the side, getting a better angle at Natsu's avoided gaze, "Do you think she's mad at you or something?"

"Who knows," he finally spoke up, "It's what I don't know that's getting me worked up."

"Talk to me," Mirajane smiled, "I can help, you know there's nothing better I do than help out." He did know. Secrets were always kept with Mira; problems always were explained simply to make it seem like a worthless thing with Mira; no one was as understanding as Mira… Except Lucy.

"What if it wasn't a big deal to her?" Natsu wondered out loud, giving in to Mira, "It probably wasn't. She's probably done something like that to Gray or whoever," He growled the last three words.

"How do you take it?" Mirajane asked politely, "do you think of it as something more than what you'd think about doing with Lucy, your friend?"

Natsu nodded, "It wasn't bad, though." He smiled to himself, "Nothing intense happened, either. It was just so innocent and painless, but it impacted me." 'a lot,' he wanted to add.

"Her nuzzling on your shoulder? Her being close to you and you wrapping one arm around her, as if to say 'don't leave me'? Looking under the bright, twinkling stars that don't compare to her beauty? Sounds very nice to me…" Mira laughed under her breath, blinking her blue eyes dreamily.

"…" he blinked, "you've been reading too many chick books, haven't you?" Natsu laughed, too. "But yeah, it was something like that." He hiccupped.

"Girls don't do that to just anyone," Mirajane said matter-of-factly with a lovey-dovey smile implanted on her pale face. She gave him hope, something Mira did so well. "And well," Mira said, walking around the bar table to the stool next to Natsu, "from what I know, it takes a real man to make a girl feel so safe with him that she'd crawl into his arms without hesitation." She punched his arm playfully, as if it was her way of patting him soothingly on the back.

"I-Is that so?" Natsu blushed a little, looking up at the ceiling in a lovely daydream. Lucy, he imagined her in a beautiful simple dress at her house. He'd walk in and smile brightly at her smile. A smile that she'd smile just for him. A dress that she wore just for him in mind. Dinner already made, just for them. A family. Something Natsu wasn't used to feeling or knowing. All he needed was her.

"You should confess," Mirajane said bluntly, snapping Natsu brutally out of his daydream with a flinch. Natsu spewed a mouthful of beer onto the freshly cleaned bar table. He coughed wildly, blushing madly. He wiped his mouth, like a male, on the back of his hand.

"W-what are you saying?" Natsu almost yelled. Mirajane laughed loudly as he kept yelling at her, "S-something like that, a-aren't you being to bold? I-I mean… T-that's absolutely impossible! Impossible! Y-you weirdo…" he turned away.

"How is that impossible, Natsu?" Mira asked. She looked genuinely confused, like it was clearly possible, and she wondered how he couldn't see that.

He opened his mouth to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. He cleared his throat, "It's impossible for a girl like Lucy to love me,"

"Oh, Natsu…" Mira sighed, putting a hand on his, "You are one of the sweetest people I know. Lucy would be very lucky to have you and you would be very lucky to have a beautiful girl like Lucy." She turned his head to face her, "Listen to me, 'kay? If you're the man I truly believe that you are, you will go to that girl right now and tell that girl that you love her. Unless you want me to believe in a lie, do the opposite." Her expression was serious. This was new for Mira; usually she'd have a bubbly look on her face as she was saying something important.

"Right now?" Natsu groaned painfully, like a child not wanted to go to bed when his parents told him that it's bedtime.

She nodded quickly. "Yes, right now, manly Natsu." Mirajane laughed. She took him by the arm and practically threw him out of the guild. He stood staring at the guild entrance for a while, and then he gave a 'huff' and marched in the direction of Lucy Heartphilia's home. Mirajane, looking from the guild, smiled brightly to herself.

"Atta boy, Natsu," She said to herself, "Good luck."

Natsu felt so sure of himself, confidence was practically beaming off his body like the sun. He walked along the river's walls like Lucy did when she'd walk home. He looked down at his feet, though, something that Lucy carelessly never did. Once he got a good rhythm and he didn't feel that he'd slip, he looked up… then his stomach lurched and his feet stopped.

Ah, there it is.

Lucy's house. He saw some lights on through the curtain covered window. All he had to further do to get to her house was cross the bridge and walk 7 yards. Natsu felt himself blush violently, he scratched is head nervously. He moved his feet inch by inch… before he knew it, he was on the doorstep. One foot away from her door. He stared at the door for a bit, regaining his bright confidence that he once had. He breathed a shaky, uncontrolled breath. Natsu managed to lift a fist a centimeter away from the door.

Ah, he's so close.

'c'mon, c'mon…' he thought. Natsu cursed under his breath and let down his fist. He let it hang lifelessly at his side as his head looked down. Almost casually, his feet led him away from her house. It started to rain gently as he walked to his small home.

Ah, man…

To: Mirajane

From: Natsu

Subject: I'm a failure. Ha.

I'm really sorry, I was so close – at her door step – and I felt as if I was going to puke.

I'm still kind of a kid, y'know? I get scared easily… how funny.

In my mind, I'm not deserving enough of her. So, I'll work to be!

I'm sorry, Mirajane, your gonna have to believe in a lie for a little bit. I promise to be someone worthy of a beautiful girl like Lucy. I'm just not ready quite yet.

-Natsu

A/N: Like I've sead, this chapter was especially hard to write, but I got it done in just two days (I hope my lack of time didn't seem noticable). Thank you. The next chapter is coming up very, very soon. (Either tomorrow or in two days. Most likely tomorrow.)