Hey, guys! I feel like it's been years since I've updated, tbh. I hope you're having a nice Wednesday.

I've missed writing (and you guys) so much, so I wanted to give you a cute Nalu scene in the beginning to start the chapter, heh.

I only wanted it to be a few hundred words, but it ended up being over 1k. Oops. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I wanted to write a lot for this chapter since I rarely post long chapters. And before I knew it, this chapter ended up being really long! I'm so happy it is, I hope you guys like it as much as I do.

I'm really feeling up for putting a cliffhanger on some of these chapters… Beware. ;-)

Thank you so much for 920 follows, I seriously cannot believe it. Thanks for making feel fuzzy, guys~

Well, that's all I have to say now. All the chapters from now on are going to be intense (well, not intense but well... intense).

Glad to be back, please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you thought about it!

Worrying about Juvia all day left Lucy completely exhausted once the day was over.

She couldn't figure out why she was feeling this way. Juvia had nothing to do with her, so why was this strange feeling bothering her so much?

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Lucy sensed this feeling had to do with Gray. It was logical since he looked nothing but nervous when Juvia attempted to talk with him.

Gray and Juvia were definitely the ones making Lucy's stomach flip.

"I didn't think the first day back could be so long," Lucy sighed out the moment she returned home.

She lazily made her way to the couch where Natsu was already in the middle of playing his video games.

"Why are you so tired?" he raised a brow. "You were fine earlier."

"I don't know!" she sighed again. "I think I need a bath or something."

"Yeah, go," he shooed her away. "I don't want you to spread your negativity everywhere. Happy doesn't like it."

Stifling a laugh, she picked herself up and entered her room to get what she needed to fully enjoy her relaxing bath.

It wasn't long until the tub in the bathroom was piling up with pink bubbles and Lucy was happily sinking into it.

"This is exactly what I needed," she moaned out, instantly feeling her tense muscles loosen up.

Since there wasn't a clock anywhere, she relied on the sunlight from the window and the shadows that came along with it.

"I'll get out in five more minutes," she told herself for the fifth time, sinking in deeper into the water with her eyes closed.

As she half-heartedly counted in her head, she was only on the second minute when several knocks sounded from the door.

"Luce?" Natsu spoke from behind the door. "Can I come in?"

"Of course not!" Lucy exclaimed, frowning at the door. "Do you need something?"

She couldn't do anything but watch in horror as the door slowly creaked open. She immediately covered her chest, although the bubbles wouldn't have let him see anything, anyway.

The door was pushed open just an inch so Natsu could let her hear him loud and clear.

"I'm hungry," he stated.

Lucy's body begged her to tell Natsu to make his own dinner, but she knew she had to get out of the tub someday.

"I'll get out now then," she responded. "What do you want to eat?"

"Chicken?" he suggested.

"We don't have that," she replied.

"How about rice?"

"Rice with what?"

"Chicken."

She opened her mouth to repeat there was no chicken, yet after noticing that half of the bubbles were down the drain, she dismissed him.

"We'll talk about this when I'm dressed, okay?" she said quickly. "Close the door now!"

Natsu obediently shut the door; Lucy sat back in relief.

Feeling more depressed than she should due to her bath ending, she hastily dressed herself. She was beginning to feel her stomach growling.

"Are you sure we don't have chicken?" Natsu inquired as she exited the bathroom.

"I'm sure," she answered confidently, heading towards her room.

"Then what is this?" he smirked while holding up a plastic wrapped piece of meat.

Lucy paused, eyes flicking at Natsu's expression and the chicken a few times.

"It's chicken, isn't it?!" he called out as she walked away without another word.

His smug look remained when she came back out of her room to go up to him at the fridge.

"Yes, it is," she snatched the white meat away from him. "Be quiet."

He sent her a grin as she began to prepare the dinner he would surely enjoy.

The smell of different spices in the air only made his stomach growl even more.

Once the meal was made, the couple joined each other at the table. They didn't hesitate to start eating the second their food touched the plate.

"If I help you out with dinner from now on, will you let me cheat off you during tests?" Natsu pleaded desperately as they ate.

"Never," Lucy refused instantly. "I don't want to get in trouble!"

"Lisanna never got in trouble whenever I looked at her tests," he grumbled. "You won't help me at all?"

"I'll help you," she guaranteed, watching his eyes light up, "but not on tests."

"Luce," he whined, unhappily falling back into his seat.

She looked down at her food to keep herself from smiling. Both of them knew that he didn't actually need help; he was simply too lazy to do his work.

There was something inside of Lucy that just wanted to see him squirm.

"You know what we haven't played in a long time?" she blurted out.

"What?" he inquired.

"Two lies and one truth," she stated. "It's been a while."

"Let's play again then," he smirked. "You go first."

Lucy took a deep breath, thinking of what she should say. She knew how good Natsu was at this, so she was determined to stump him at least once.

She wasn't even halfway into her lie when he had already pointed it out.

"How are you so sure?" she sent him a suspicious look.

"You loving rain is like me loving to be in a car," he scoffed. "That was too easy!"

"You go then," she retorted, crossing her arms. "Don't go easy on me."

"You sure?" his lips tugged up into another smirk. "Well, if you insist."

Although he had only said one statement, Lucy was already clueless. Natsu meant business when it came to games like this.

"How am I supposed to know if Happy's previous owners liked seafood?!" Lucy complained, throwing her hands up in the air.

Natsu's eyes twinkled with amusement, a sweet smell wafting into his nose.

"Your hair."

"What about it?"

"It smells good," Natsu commented.

"Is that the lie?" Lucy narrowed her eyes at him.

"Not at all," he chuckled slightly, looking down at Happy whom was purring against his leg.

As he looked away, Lucy felt warmth swirling on her cheeks. She was grateful that Happy was distracting him so he wouldn't be able to see her flushed face.

"Okay, back to the game," Natsu cleared his throat when Happy was given some food. "Which statement do you think is the lie?"

Lucy bit her lip, pretending to think about it when she didn't even know where to begin. She let out a heavy sigh.

"You want a tattoo on your left arm?" she guessed.

Natsu's eyes widened. "That's right."

"It is?!" she gasped, sitting upright in her seat. "Where do you actually want the tattoo then?"

"My right arm," he replied, pointing at his right bicep. "Right here."

"What do you want?" she questioned.

"Who knows," he shrugged. "I haven't thought about it yet."

A small smile placed itself on Lucy's lips. The little things about Natsu were always her favorite.

And with her winning that round, it was no surprise that he wanted to play until she eventually lost.

These nights and these moments with him—she wouldn't give up anything for them.

Despite it being the second day of the second trimester, it was already feeling like school had been in session for months.

Lucy was zoning out every few seconds—until Natsu distracted her by tapping on her desk—and the worksheets she hated seeing were being passed to her once again.

Of course, Natsu begged her to help him out with the work he was too disinterested to do. And of course, she gave in. There was absolutely no way she could say no to those puppy eyes of his.

The second trimester was always the most tedious one; everyone could feel it after it was noon.

However, there was one thing that motivated Class S to endure the pain.

"Tomorrow makes one month until the field trip!" Lisanna proclaimed when lunch began.

"I've been waiting for this trip for months," Cana said.

"We'll be learning a lot about nature there," Erza chimed in.

"Never mind that!" Levy shook her head. "It's all about the campfire and the midnight hike!"

Lucy was about to add something in, but she was distracted by a chair screeching extremely close to her. So close that when he sat down, his knee was nearly pressing against her thigh.

"Hey, Lucy," Gray sent her a smile, though his tone was soaked in anxiety. "What's up?"

"Nothing much," Lucy answered slowly with a puzzled expression. "Why do you look so nervous?"

"What are you having for lunch?" he babbled. "Can I see?"

Lucy couldn't say a word as he shoved his hand in her lunch bag and took out the first thing he felt.

She had noticed how Gray was purposely facing away from Juvia during class; she just didn't know he was this jumpy. He was virtually knocking down everything he touched.

The flips in Lucy's stomach started to increase.

"Gray, I think you need to—"

"Are you guys excited for the field trip?" he interrupted Lucy to speak to the girls.

"More than ever," Lisanna nodded energetically. "What about you?"

"I'm not really looking forward to sleeping in the same room as Flame-brain, but," he shrugged.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot about the rooms," Cana recalled. "Do we get to pick our roommates?"

"Yes," Erza confirmed. "Student council is almost done planning everything."

"Leave it to student council," Lucy responded, becoming distracted again because of the apprehensive Gray.

"Do you want some of my water?" she offered hesitantly, noticing his trembling hands. "You look like you need some."

She watched as Gray's eyes shifted from hers to someone behind her. She turned around with a tingling neck.

"Can Juvia talk to Gray for a moment?" Juvia requested.

Lucy was seconds away from saying yes; she didn't have enough time as she felt a hand seize her wrist.

"Lucy and I need to go," Gray spoke.

Before she realized what was happening, Lucy was being hauled out of the classroom with him. She was forced to match his quick steps.

"Gray, what are you doing?!" she inquired with bewilderment. "Why are you taking me with you?"

There was no reply from him as he frantically searched for a place for them to go. When his eyes landed on the open door to the back of the school, he automatically took Lucy with him.

Meanwhile, Lucy's mind was going haywire. She didn't even want to think about what everyone must be saying about them in the classroom.

"Gray, your hand," she squeaked. "It's starting to hurt."

Gray abruptly stopped in his tracks, releasing her hand in an instant. He lifted it up to the back of his neck.

"Sorry," he muttered. "It's just that girl."

"Do you know Juvia?" Lucy questioned, viewing him lean against the wall with a distressed sigh. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I met her at the beach during the summer," he answered with his eyes closed. "She won't stop following me around. What should I do?"

"Why don't you give her a chance?" she suggested. "She doesn't seem too—"

"She's been following me, Lucy," he repeated as though she didn't understand the first time. He opened his eyes to check if she was being serious.

"I still think you should give her a chance," she countered, taking a quick glance behind her, just in case. "And anyway, I think you two would look good together!"

He paused, sending her a hard stare. None of this was making sense to him.

"So, if someone was following you around, you would give them a chance?" he scowled.

"I don't see why not," Lucy mused with a shrug. "As long as they don't mean any harm, it's fine."

"Then I'll follow you around," he threatened.

"And I'll give you a chance," she replied with a smile. "People are all about chances, you know."

They shared a look, but after taking one look at her smile, Gray couldn't hold back his.

Despite feeling conflicted with his stalker, Lucy managed to make him forget it just for a bit.

The tense air surrounding him began to lighten up.

Lucy noticed the tension fading from him—she smiled with content.

"Oh, there's a confession happening," she pointed to an area where two students stood directly in front of each other.

"What if he doesn't like chocolate?" he squinted at the girl who was holding out a heart-shaped box to the boy.

"The boy should still accept the chocolate," she responded. "I'm sure that girl worked hard for this confession."

Gray scoffed, looking down at her. "You're weird."

"Says the one who wants to follow me around," she grinned.

He chuckled in response, a warm feeling spreading across his chest. This was the kind of moment he had been waiting for.

"Hey, I've been meaning to tell you something for a while now," he mentioned.

"What is it?" she looked back at him with wonder.

He opened his mouth to tell her what he had been wanting to tell her for weeks—he even rehearsed it in front of a mirror a couple of times.

Yet before he could utter a word, the bell began to echo in the air.

"We better go or we'll be late," Lucy said, stepping away to go back inside of the school. "What is it that you want to tell me?"

"I-It's nothing," he coughed as he allowed her to walk inside first. "I'll tell you later."

"Don't forget," she commanded.

"I won't," he mumbled, but she didn't hear him since she was being circled by her worried friends.

Stealing a few bites of her untouched lunch, Lucy hurried back to her seat before the next teacher arrived.

"Where did you and Droopy Eyes go?" Natsu inquired.

"He wanted to show me something," she responded simply, surprised that he was the one asking. "Why?"

"Juvia looked pretty mad," he nodded towards her seat. "She still looks mad."

Lucy gulped, taking a glance at Juvia in the front of the room. However, Juvia was already looking at her—shooting lasers.

"You don't think she got the wrong idea, right?" Lucy whispered, averting her gaze from Juvia.

"Oh, she did," Natsu assured, leaving Lucy wide-eyed. "But it should be okay, because you don't like Gray."

Lucy's eyes remained large as Natsu lifted a brow at her silence.

"R-Right!" she nodded.

A smile began to peek out of him; he turned away before she could notice.

As the rest of the day continued, Lucy looked down and only down at her desk. If she slightly tilted her head up, she would see Juvia glowering in her direction.

She didn't want to know what Juvia was capable of. It was frightening to think about.

"How did I end up in this?" Lucy silently cursed in her mind.

With their last teacher of the day allowing them to speak amongst themselves for the last few minutes of class, she didn't even think about looking up.

One look up meant one direct glare from Juvia.

But after hearing footsteps coming her way, on instinct, she lifted her head.

"May Juvia speak with you in private after school?" Juvia asked politely.

"S-Sure," Lucy accepted before she knew what she was saying. "Where do you want to meet?"

"Behind the school," she arranged. "Juvia will be there as soon as the bell rings."

"Okay, I'll meet you there," she replied, trying not to let her voice waver.

Giving Lucy a smile before walking away, Juvia returned to her desk without another word.

"Whoa," Natsu whistled. "You look like a nervous wreck."

"W-What do you think she has to say to me?" Lucy spoke as fast as she could. "What do you think? Does she look mean to you?"

"First, calm down," Natsu tried not to laugh too much. "Do you want me to wait for you after school?"

"Could you?" she whispered. "That'd mean a lot."

"I don't have anything to do today," he shrugged. "I'll make sure to check if you're still alive."

Lucy sighed out in relief, her body becoming frozen at the sound of the dismissing bell. Juvia was already gone from her seat.

"I saw Juvia at your desk," Cana remarked while everyone packed their things. "What did she want?"

"She wants me to go talk to her outside," Lucy answered cautiously. "She's waiting right now."

"Do you want me to go with you, Lu-chan?" Levy offered with a concerned look.

"No, it's okay," she assured. "I'll be alright."

"You better be!" Lisanna scolded. "Call us if you need anything."

"Thanks, guys," Lucy smiled at her friends. It was comforting to know that they were all caring for her.

"Well, I don't want to make Juvia wait too long. I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

Leaving before Gray could speak to her and cause even more misunderstandings, Lucy exited the classroom and headed to the back of the school.

The voices of students gradually became fainter and fainter as she went to meet up with Juvia.

Her anxiety level was starting to rocket into the sky.

"Natsu is waiting for you," she reminded herself softly, gripping the strap of her schoolbag to ease her nerves.

Once she finally spotted a bluenette standing by a tree, she held her breath while anxiously sauntering up to her. She was preparing for the worst.

"Hey, Juvia," Lucy breathed out.

"Hello, Lucy," Juvia replied.

"H-How do you know my name?" she questioned, her heart pounding in her ears.

"Gray said it before he took you away with him," Juvia answered.

Lucy's mouth opened into a small o shape. This whole situation was making her far shakier than she expected it would.

With a deep breath to calm her down, she loosened her hold on her schoolbag.

"Is there something you need?" she asked.

"Juvia would like to apologize for making you afraid of me!" she blurted out. "Juvia did not want that to happen!"

This time, Lucy's jaw fell. Out of all things she was thinking, an apology was not one. She was entirely speechless.

"When Juvia loves someone, she doesn't think about what she's doing," she explained bashfully. "Juvia didn't realize she was glaring at Lucy until she noticed you were afraid of me."

"I-It's okay!" Lucy guaranteed in a rush. "I knew you didn't mean any harm."

"Juvia would never want to harm anyone!" she proclaimed. "All Juvia wants is to talk to Gray."

"How long have you been trying to?" Lucy inquired.

"All summer!" Juvia burst out. "Gray didn't answer Juvia's calls or emails once!"

"Is that why you transferred here?" Lucy assumed, receiving rapid nods by Juvia.

"Juvia hasn't loved anyone like Gray before. It hurts that he doesn't want to talk to Juvia at all."

Lucy watched as Juvia's posture slumped, all the energy she had earlier deflating out of her.

Before she knew what she was doing, Lucy was placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"It's not that he doesn't want to talk to you," she confirmed. "He just doesn't like the way you're trying to talk to him."

"What should Juvia do?" she whimpered. "Juvia has never been treated this way."

"Start off by saying hello to him in the mornings," Lucy proposed. "Since you sit next to each other in class, it'll be easier to talk to him little by little."

"Juvia will try to do that!" she declared confidently.

"You can do it," Lucy encouraged with a small nod. "I know you can!"

The two shared a smile—Juvia's eyes brighter than the mid-afternoon sun above them.

"Wait!" she gasped, clamping a hand on her mouth.

"What?" Lucy tried not to freak out as much as her. If there was a bug on her, she knew she had to be still.

"Doesn't Lucy like Gray? Why is Lucy helping Juvia out?"

Lucy's eyes widened at the unexpected question, her mind going entirely blank in less than a second.

"I-I don't like Gray," she stuttered.

"But Gray likes you," Juvia countered.

"What?" Lucy nearly choked out. "No way, he doesn't—"

"Juvia can tell by the way Gray looks at you," she smiled sadly.

"There's no way," Lucy disagreed, waving her hands in front of her.

The sad look didn't falter from Juvia's face. Lucy tried to think of all the ways to cheer her up; she ended up saying the first thing on her mind.

"I'll make sure Gray falls in love with you."

"You will?!" Juvia shouted with surprise, a grin spreading across her face. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Lucy replied with her own grin forming.

Then, without any warning, Juvia lunged towards her and embraced her with all her might.

"Juvia didn't think something like this would happen!" she exclaimed, squeezing Lucy. "Juvia is so happy!"

"It's going to take some time," she tried not to cough out at the great strength Juvia had, "but it'll happen someday."

"Juvia is willing to wait forever if that's what it takes," she asserted firmly, pulling away from Lucy.

Lucy continued to smile at the now radiating Juvia. It was at this moment where she was glad she said what she did to Gray during lunch.

People were all about chances.

"Well, I have to go now," she confessed, although she didn't want to ruin the moment.

"Juvia will try her best to talk to Gray tomorrow!" she vowed. "Thank you for coming here."

Lucy nodded. "You're welcome! Tell me how it goes with you and Gray, okay? See you tomorrow!"

As she walked away while waving goodbye, Lucy could see Juvia's eyes brighten even more when she lifted her hand.

It was as if Juvia had never waved to someone before. It made Lucy want to giggle at how excited the bluenette was to wave back.

Overjoyed that everything worked out, it wasn't until Lucy turned the corner to get to the front of the school when it all hit her.

"Gray likes me?" she thought to herself. "Is that really possible?"

She was so engrossed in her thoughts, she didn't notice who was trying to talk to her.

"Earth to Lucy?" Natsu called out, poking her cheek.

"N-Natsu!" she jumped at the contact. "When did you get here?"

"I've been trying to talk to you for two minutes," he scoffed. "So? What did Juvia want to say to you?"

"She apologized for the looks she was giving me during class," she answered plainly.

"That's it?" he looked at her skeptically. "Nothing else?"

"And then I told her I was cheering her on," she added. "That's it."

She had no intention to tell anyone she almost swore that she'd make Gray fall in love with Juvia. This was going to be a secret between Juvia and her.

"Something smells fishy," Natsu hummed.

"You're smelling Happy's food," she waved him off.

"We're not even home!" he retorted.

Lucy stifled a laugh, looking up at him. "Thanks for waiting for me."

"Anytime, Luce," he grinned.

She immediately felt her heart speed up at his smile. It was only him that had the power to make her heart throb in her chest like this.

Returning home for the day, she busied herself by cooking dinner. Even though they played last night, Natsu and Lucy decided to play two truths and one lie again.

With all these distractions, she didn't have time to let her thoughts go free until she went to bed that night.

And the first thought she had seemed to be the one that wouldn't give her a break.

"Gray likes me," she tested out the sentence into the darkness of her room. "Out of all people, he likes me?"

It was then when it all came together.

Lucy now understood where this worried feeling from before was coming from. She didn't even realize that she had unknowingly felt this way during the summer, too.

She wasn't sure what to do now, but she knew sooner or later it would all come out.

And when it did decide to come out, Lucy didn't want to even think about the consequences that were inevitably going to come with it.