Natsu was stony as they walked through the pub. He ignored all shouts of "Salamander, hey!" and "Good to see you, Salamander!" as he shoved his way through the drunkards. Lucy's hand was squeezed between his fingers as he dragged her forward. The crowd parted like always before them, but it didn't have the same respect it always did; they were afraid.
When they burst out of the door, Natsu showed no signs of stopping. He turned toward the back alleys, still dragging her, and Lucy decided to put her foot down. She twisted her wrist out of his grip and side-stepped into the first alley. Natsu turned, looking mildly shocked. He followed her skeptically into the alley, eyes wary. "Luce?"
Lucy knelt on the ground, patting the ground next to her invitingly. He didn't sit. "Natsu," she sighed. "Are you…okay? I haven't had the chance to ask you yet, but you seem…" Lucy couldn't think of the word: Different? Scarier? Both more in control and like a loose cannon?
Luckily, it seemed like Natsu got what she meant. He leaned against the wall, and Lucy's eyes drew to the spot where his shirt lifted up just a little bit. His loud exhale pulled her attention back up to his face. "Yeah, Luce. I'm…" He let out another breath, his head tilting back to look up at the sky. "I actually don't know how I am. I just got out of a literal hellhole just to jump back into more hot shit with Don, except this time I pulled you with me—"
Lucy shot up and hugged him, effectively cutting him off. Because she knew where this was going, and she was not going to have him think he was a monster again. Don was the real monster in this, or her father, or even the Cobesons. She only wished he would realize that. "Natsu, you didn't drag me anywhere. I needed to talk to him. I have to figure out what's going on. There's more going on than I've found, or even—" She stopped herself; she didn't know if Don lived in these streets, too, and she couldn't let Capricorn's existence be known to the Keeper. But Natsu knew who she was talking about, and he nodded.
His arms wrapped around her waist tentatively, and his head rested on top of hers. He chuckled lowly, his chest vibrating against Lucy's. "You know, despite the hell that place was, I miss the action." Lucy choked in surprise; from Capricorn's sources, he had been used as a hired gun to beat rebellious prisoners into submission. And he missed it?
He continued, and he must have realized where her thoughts would take her. "Not because of the actual violence," he rushed to explain. "But I never had time to really process everything. I never let myself think about how I was caught or that I missed you." Lucy's breath hitched, and her cheeks burned. "I was just always moving. I just let the Salamander go, but now…" He let out another breath and picked up his head. Lucy looked up, and his head moved down toward hers.
Their foreheads connected, and Lucy forgot to breathe; he was so close. She could see every fleck of green in his black eyes. "I missed ya, Luce," he whispered huskily. Lucy thought she was going to faint, her knees felt like jelly. She swallowed thickly, trying to calm her head enough to respond.
She was surprised when she answered with a relatively smooth voice. "I missed you, too." Her voice was soft, so soft she was worried he didn't hear her. But he closed his eyes and smiled, a real smile that she hadn't seen in a year. She smiled, too, even when he stood back up and turned back toward the opening.
"Now come on, you gotta get home. The last thing I need is another kidnapping charge." He laughed at his own joke, and Lucy rolled her eyes. She went to follow him, but she caught sight of his hands. They were trembling, his fingers twitching occasionally. Lucy remembered Don telling them that he wasn't going to be in the ring any time soon.
Lucy sighed, warring with herself only briefly. She could give him some of the action he craved, at least. Her secret would come out sooner or later, anyway. Still, she couldn't meet his eyes as she called his name. "Natsu?"
She caught his feet rotating back toward her. "Yeah?"
"Um," she started. This was going to be a little more awkward than she thought. "You wanna…" She glanced up at him, looking confused yet expectant. She sighed, swallowing her nerves.
Lucy put her fists up in front of her chest and straightened her spine, looking him dead in the eyes. "Fight me, Natsu."