Updating in the morning before school is so weird, I feel strange doing this omfg.
Guess who wrote another 5k word chapter in three days! ;-) I'm literally unstoppable, and nobody can try and stop me now.
The reason why I'm updating so early is because I'm a busy bee today and it was either I update now, or I update on Thursday. And since this is the second to last chapter, it's against my morals to update a day late.
So yes, this is the second to last chapter! Good news is that there's still one more chapter left. Bad news is that I have decided there will not be an epilogue for this story. I don't believe this story needs one, honestly. Hope you guys understand!
omg okay, so I've seriously been holding this in since July, but after reading this chapter I command (yes, command) you all to listen to the song Oceans by Seafret.
That is literally Natsu's song right there. When I listened to it for the first time, I was like this is Natsu in Living With Him af.
I cannot believe I just wrote af on my A/N.. What has this world come to.
I'd just like to thank you guys all so much for joining this story whenever you did and reading it. I cannot express how entirely grateful I am to have so many people read my fics and appreciate them. I wish I could give you all hugs to let you know how thankful I am, but my updates will have to suffice for now. :')
Thank you so so much for the reviews, favorites, and follows! You are all amazing, and don't you ever forget it.
Okay, before I become too sappy and gross you all out, I'll end the A/N here, haha.
See you next Wednesday on the final chapter of Living With Him! :]
"Are you sure we're doing this right, Natsu?" Lucy questioned uneasily.
"Of course we are! There isn't a wrong way to do this, Luce," Natsu assured gently. "Keep trying to put it in."
"But it's not fitting!" she exclaimed, biting her lip while she shifted her body around to make it slide inside.
"Are you putting it in the right hole?"
"I'm pretty sure I am," she nodded with her brows furrowing in frustration. "Oh, wait! I got it!"
The couple grinned in satisfaction as they hung the Fairy Tail logo in the middle of the classroom. It had taken them much longer than they expected it to take due to the holes in the wall that kept making the logo slant to the side. They fell back against the desks behind them for a much needed break.
"We're finally done setting up for the festival," Natsu sighed out in relief. "I need your rice balls as soon as possible. I'm exhausted."
"What about me?" Lucy countered. "I ended up helping you set up when I was the one that won the bet!"
"We helped each other," he corrected with a smirk. "Anyway, let's go see what everyone else is up to."
Although she wouldn't have minded spending more time with him, Lucy didn't complain once they went to see where their friends were. She had spent all afternoon and evening with Natsu after all, since they somehow switched partners with Juvia and Gray. It was fun—being together with him like this.
"Are you guys finished, too?" Cana inquired, sitting down in one of the desks, putting the final touches to the centerpieces.
"Thankfully," Lucy replied. "How are you and Lisanna doing with those?"
"I didn't think these were going to be so much work," Lisanna admitted. "We're almost finished with them, though!"
"I can help, if you—"
"Someone's calling you, Luce. Let's go," Natsu interrupted her by snatching her wrist and tugging her out of the classroom.
"Natsu?" Lucy gaped at him, not having a chance to look at Cana and Lisanna. "What are you doing? Who's calling me?"
"You know you're too tired to help anyone else out," he responded as he glanced at her over his shoulder. "Why don't you let yourself relax already?"
Lucy kept quiet, her gaze dropping to the floor. She couldn't deny her feet felt like they were on fire, and her arms were already sore from carrying all sorts of things around the school.
Ending up in another hallway where more friends were setting up, they watched them prepare for the festival tomorrow. It was anticipating to see how everything was being created, but not once did Natsu allow Lucy to help. Instead, he kept her to himself by hanging on to her wrist.
Lucy knew she wasn't imagining how close Natsu had gotten to her in the past day. He didn't let her out of his sight, though she was happy knowing that he was fully focused on her now. There was nothing getting in the way of both of them anymore; the only distraction they had was each other.
But as expected, neither of them were sure who was to take the first step.
By the end of the night, Class S had officially transformed into Fairy Tail. Lucy observed the classroom with awe—it really was as if it was the restaurant.
"We did a great job painting the logo, Lucy!" Juvia proclaimed.
"We did," she confirmed with a smile. "What did you and Gray do after we switched?"
"You know, the usual," Gray quickly answered for Juvia. "Festival stuff."
"Something smells fishy," Natsu squinted at them, taking note of Juvia's rose colored face.
"I have some booze, if you want to stop smelling it," Cana chimed in.
Before they could refuse the booze Cana stuck out of them, Erza's voice echoed throughout the classroom.
"Ladies and Natsu, be ready for your shifts tomorrow! You are all dismissed, see everyone at the festival!"
"Does she really have to add me in there?" Natsu grumbled when the group began to leave the classroom.
"I'm going to take so many pictures tomorrow," Gray sneered. "I'll let you pick the pictures you don't like."
"Delete all of them," Natsu commanded.
"I'm glad we don't have to come back here until the afternoon," Levy yawned. "I don't think I'll be able to wake up early tomorrow, I'm so tired!"
"Juvia, too," she said wearily. "Juvia doesn't even work this hard at her job."
"Me either," Gajeel agreed, gaining a scoff from her and Gray.
"Are any of your parents coming to the festival?" Lucy questioned the group.
"Mira and Elfman are planning on coming," Lisanna replied. "They want to see how our classroom looks."
"I don't think mine are going to come," Levy responded with the rest of the group nodding along.
Lucy returned their nod with a slight shrug—it wasn't like her parents were able to come.
"Well, see you guys tomorrow, then!" Lisanna started to wave once it was time for them all to separate. "Goodnight!"
Not paying attention to the several elbow nudges she received, Lucy trotted beside Natsu as they headed to the apartment. Their steps were brisker than usual because of the chilly weather, but Natsu's abnormal body heat was enough for both of them to not freeze.
"Hey, do your feet still hurt?" Natsu randomly asked halfway into their walk.
"How did you know?" Lucy blurted out incredulously, giving away her answer. Her steps paused as he went in front of her and crouched to the ground.
"Come, hop on," he offered.
"Do I have—"
"Yep, you have to," he didn't let her finish her sentence. "We're not going home until I take you there."
She already knew protesting would be useless. "Fine," she mumbled.
Despite feeling incredibly bashful, she mimicked the movements she did last time and wrapped her arms around him. Immediate warmth embraced her in return.
"Do I have to pay for your meal at that restaurant again?" she joked when he resumed walking.
"That'd be nice," he chuckled, his back vibrating.
Lucy couldn't help but lean her cheek against his shoulder, being able to feel his faint heartbeat. She was able to do this freely now—there wasn't a voice in the back of her head telling her this was wrong anymore. If anything, this felt right.
She could smell the cologne she bought for his birthday. She was surprised he still wore it after all these months. It was making her want to fall asleep; never did she want this piggy back ride to end.
However, nothing could compare to the apartment's lukewarm heater. All Lucy wanted to do was go straight to bed and fall asleep. Having no choice but to release Natsu, her feet connected with the floor.
"Goodnight," she spoke after yawning for the fifth time. "Get ready to fulfill your side of the bet tomorrow."
"I'm excited for the festival, but not that," he groaned. "Goodnight, Luce."
Giving him a content smile, she entered her room and closed the door behind her.
There were still dozens of things she wanted to tell Natsu, yet she knew she had to be patient. Her patience was going to run out soon, though, and she knew she wasn't going to be able to keep it in any longer.
So with the plans of telling him absolutely everything she'd been holding in for all these months during the festival, Lucy jumped into bed and made herself comfortable beneath the covers.
She could tell that the festival tomorrow was surely going to be a festival she wouldn't ever forget. And if she was lucky, neither would Natsu.
Feeling nothing but reenergized the next morning, Lucy leapt out of bed to get ready for the day. The festival wasn't starting until early afternoon, so it wasn't necessary to wake up when the sun wasn't even in the sky yet.
"You look so excited," Lucy giggled from the kitchen as she viewed Natsu shuffle out of his room.
"Why wouldn't I be excited to wear a maid outfit today?" he inquired dully, dragging his feet across the floor while he walked.
"Don't try to get out of the bet, because it's not going to happen," she replied with a grin.
Natsu nodded with a grimace, accepting his fate. There was no way out of this one, especially if Lucy was the ruler.
Once breakfast had been eaten and it was time for them to go, Lucy frowned at what Natsu was holding.
"You don't need to bring your schoolbag today," she pointed out, dumbfounded.
"I'm not going to wear that maid outfit all day," he stated stubbornly. "I'm bringing extra clothes."
Lucy stifled a laugh as she took his arm and hauled him out of the apartment. If bringing his schoolbag was going to make him feel better, then so be it.
The atmosphere surrounding the school was a lively one, making it impossible for someone to not feel excited. Already, students at the front of the school were dressed according to their classes' theme.
"Why don't we have any flyers for our class?" Natsu questioned as they went past students passing out papers to the parents.
"We do, it's just that Erza already sent them out," Lucy answered, lifting a finger at the orange flyers every adult seemed to be holding onto.
"How does she do that?" he muttered.
"No idea," she shrugged.
Arriving at their class, the two were put to work immediately. Even though Lucy's shift wasn't until a few more hours, she still had to help out in the back with pouring the drinks and giving them to the waitresses.
"I'll see you later, then," Natsu smirked at her.
"See you," Lucy waved with a smile. It wasn't until he had joined the group of boys when she realized—she forgot to ask him when his shift was. If they didn't have shifts around the same time, then she wouldn't be able to see him in his maid outfit.
Lucy shook her head, not being able to accept it. She wasn't going to miss seeing him in a maid outfit. "I'm going to see it, no matter what," she vowed under her breath.
She was instructed to stand behind a counter with multiple cups lined in front of her. Thankfully, all she was to do was pour whatever drink the customer ordered and hand it to the waitresses.
"Lu-chan!" Levy proclaimed as she soon joined her behind the counter. "Are you ready for today?"
"More than ready," Lucy grinned. "Let's go!"
Business was definitely slow in the beginning; however, as soon as the time struck noon, Class S was as busy as Fairy Tail was on a daily basis.
Lucy had poured so many different types of drinks, her hands moved instinctively, knowing where each type of soda was on the table. She could tell Class S was bustling with people just by how loud it was when the door to the back was swung open by a waitress.
Despite not actually working yet, Lucy was already breaking a sweat. She couldn't imagine how much work it would take to actually serve the customers.
"I feel ridiculous in this maid outfit," Cana sighed while entering the back. "I'm so happy my shift is over now."
"Having only two waitresses is not enough," Lisanna breathed out, fanning her flushed cheeks.
"There's only two people working per shift?" Lucy's mouth fell with surprise.
"Yep," Cana nodded, "and it sucks with this maid outfit since it sways everywhere you go."
"You know you love wearing it," Lisanna scoffed. "You were getting compliments the entire time by customers!"
"It's really short," Levy stated hesitantly, examining the hem of the skirt. "I hope I don't drop any of the food out there."
"You won't," Lucy guaranteed as she took a step back from the counter. "And hopefully, I won't either. It's time for me to get ready."
"Good luck, Lu-chan!" Levy waved with Cana and Lisanna joining in as well.
Lucy returned their waves, the small of her back tingling with anticipation. Once she received her maid outfit, she squeezed it to her chest as she went to the changing rooms. She was more energetic than she thought she would be.
It was incredibly easy to put on the maid outfit—the zipper being on the side instead of the back. Lucy subconsciously began to tug the hem of the skirt down so it would cover more of her exposed thighs, but it didn't work in the slightest.
"I can't believe Natsu is wearing this, too," she thought to herself in amusement. After giving the end of the skirt another yank, she unlocked the door.
As Lucy stepped out of her room, so did someone in the room beside hers. She glanced at the person to see who she would probably be working the same shift as.
"We're working the same shift?!" Natsu and Lucy exclaimed in bewilderment.
Instantly, Lucy's eyes scanned his outfit to see if making the bet was worth it. And oh, it was.
"This is so embarrassing," Natsu mumbled while shifting his scarf higher up to his face like that would help.
"I'm never going to forget this," she grinned, observing his slightly bulky figure being squeezed inside the tight outfit. "Can you walk normally?"
"Just give me a few minutes to get used to it," he responded once he turned around and took several awkward steps.
"Where's your headpiece?" she pointed at his bare head.
"Do I really have to wear one?" he asked with disbelief.
"If I do, you do, too," she remarked with her grin never faltering. "Let me go get you one!"
Natsu was still in the midst of getting used to the outfit when Lucy returned with the white headpiece which was soon adjusted onto his head.
"It's so tight," he frowned, giving his head a couple of scratches. "Why do you girls wear this stuff?"
"We don't wear it every day," she giggled. "When is your break, by the way?"
"After this shift," he stated. "What about you?"
"Me too," she nodded, trying her best to not give away how overjoyed she felt.
"We can go see one of the classrooms together after this, then," he suggested smoothly.
"Sounds good," she smiled at him. "Okay, let's get to work now."
Natsu's uncomfortable movements in his maid outfit were painfully obvious. It looked as if the outfit's fabric was going to rip across his body at any given moment, but he demanded it to stay intact. And if that wasn't enough, the looks he received from the customers were stranger than ever.
Lucy wasn't able to suppress her laughs, proudly informing all the customers who asked why Natsu was in the situation that he was in.
"Be quiet," he grumbled each time they passed one another and another laugh had escaped her lips.
Strangely enough, Natsu wearing the same outfit as Lucy started to attract even more customers. Natsu was all the customers were talking about. The two were serving foods and drinks like they were in Fairy Tail, which also meant it was just as exhausting as well.
"You look lovely, Lucy," Mirajane complimented after she eventually entered the class to see how it all turned out.
"Thank you," she replied bashfully.
"What kind of man are you?" Elfman grunted, taking a look at Natsu and his swaying outfit.
"A real man goes through with the bet he lost," Natsu declared firmly, though it was clear he was having a hard time saying it.
"Well said!" Elfman approved. "You look very manly today!"
Natsu gave a quick nod with his chest puffing out more than usual. Lucy rolled her eyes with a smile, knowing that was the self-esteem boost he needed.
With Lisanna joining her siblings at one of the tables, Lucy served them as though they were just like any customers. But of course, she lingered at their table to talk to them for a few extra minutes.
Before Lucy even knew it, her shift was coming to an end. She wasn't lying if she said she was relieved—having only two people per shift was an extreme amount of work.
Once two new people took over their shift, Lucy swiftly took a hold of Natsu's arm.
"How's the maid outfit?" she questioned.
"I finally got used to it," he admitted. "But now that our shift is over, I'm going to go—"
"Let's go check out the classrooms!" she proclaimed, cutting him off. Before he was able to react, she linked arms with him and dragged him out of the classroom with her.
"Wait, I need to go change!" he protested.
"You can change later," she assured with a grin.
"Luce," he groaned in embarrassment. Looks were already being thrown his way as they strolled through the hallway.
"Everybody's looking at me," she stated in an attempt to make him feel better, but all he did was start to narrow his eyes at anyone that dared to bat an eye in their direction.
As expected, it didn't take long for Natsu to forget what he was wearing; the multiple classrooms that sold food were enough for him to completely forget where he even was.
"Good thing all of this is free!" he spoke while shoving multiple kebabs into his mouth.
Lucy giggled in response, more than satisfied with her pink cotton candy. She didn't mind that Natsu was more focused on the food than her, since that's how he naturally was, anyway.
So instead, she noted just different each classroom was from one another. Every class had done a remarkable job, and she wasn't the only one that had realized it.
All of the parents were entirely awestruck at the sight of the classes. A heavy feeling promptly surfaced onto Lucy's chest—would her parents be impressed at the work she had done for her class, too?
"You okay, Luce?" Natsu inquired, noticing how quiet she became.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine," she stammered. "I was just thinking."
"About what?" he tilted his head at her.
"About my…" her voice trailed off as her eyes landed on a familiar set of faces farther up in the hallway.
Natsu's head remained tilted, feeling her slowly unlink her arm with his.
"My parents," Lucy whispered before taking off and sprinting into the crowd in front of them.
She wasn't sure if her eyes were playing tricks on her or not while she pushed past the crowd to meet up with her parents.
"Mom!" she called out without a second thought.
A grin broke out on Lucy's face once Layla's eyes connected her hers.
"You found us!" Layla laughed lightly, trying not to stumble back when Lucy collided into her with a tight hug.
"Why didn't you two tell me you were coming here?!" Lucy exclaimed frantically, pulling back to look at them.
"We wanted it to be a surprise," Jude responded with his usual emotionless face.
"How are you feeling?" Lucy asked softly. It wasn't like them to hug as much as her and her mother, so she remained in her mother's comforting arms.
"Better," he answered. "It feels nice to feel fresh air again."
"That's good," she smiled at him. "How long will you two be here today?"
"Not long," Layla confessed with dejected look. "We have another flight tonight to go to Acalypha for your father's work. This is one of our stops, so we just wanted to come here and see you again until our next flight."
Disappointment immediately entered Lucy—she hadn't realized how much she missed her parents until now. She didn't want to see them leave again.
She was about to tell them she'd show them around the school until they had to leave, but after noticing that her father was looking at someone behind her, she spun around.
"Who is that?" Jude inquired.
"This is Natsu!" Lucy proclaimed, introducing him. "He's one of my friends."
"H-Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Heartfilia," Natsu spoke anxiously with a subtle bow. "I'm Natsu Dragneel, nice to meet you."
"Interesting outfit you're wearing," Jude commented.
Despite his eyes being already large, Natsu's eyes widened once again as he looked down to see that he was still wearing his maid outfit. Lucy wasn't able to stop her fit of giggles.
Layla's eyes instantly lit up at the sound of Lucy's laugh. Turning to Natsu, she sent him a warm smile. "Natsu, may we pull Lucy away from you for a while?"
"Yes, of course," he nodded.
"I'll meet up with you later, okay?" Lucy told him.
"Alright," he replied, taking steps away. "Enjoy your time together."
Lucy wanted to laugh even harder at his response, but she held it back. Natsu clearly wasn't used to saying polite things like that; she was definitely going to tease him about it later.
She didn't hesitate to begin her tour of the festival. Layla and Jude listened intently, not paying to anyone else except their daughter.
Lucy couldn't help but feel like them being together again was just like old times, when she always had someone to come home to.
However, after that thought, she realized that she always had someone to come home to—Natsu.
"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" Layla predicted after the tour was nearly finished and they were simply walking around now.
"A-About who?" Lucy blurted out with a puzzled look.
"Natsu," Layla replied. "Your eyes light up when you think about him."
"Do they?" Lucy's cheeks reddened.
"You like him, don't you?" Layla assumed with a smile.
Lucy knew she didn't need to say anything; the answer was written all over her face.
"Mom, I have something to tell you," she whispered. "Promise you won't get mad, okay?"
Layla began to raise an eyebrow, but she silently nodded to see what she had to say.
"Natsu and I have been sharing an apartment since you and Dad left," Lucy revealed in one breath, shutting her eyes so she didn't have to see her mother's expression.
Although dozens of people were surrounding them, Layla's silence was unbearable. Lucy opened an eye, peeking up at her.
"You've been living together this entire time?" Layla asked with a voice Lucy hadn't heard before.
"There weren't any apartments left, so we had to share one to live there. We had boundaries, though!" she guaranteed quickly. "He doesn't go inside my room when I'm sleeping or anything, we have our own personal spaces, and we don't—"
"I believe you," Layla interrupted her.
"You do?" Lucy gaped at her.
"By the pictures you've sent me of the apartment, I know that you've kept it clean," she spoke. "I can tell Natsu isn't a bad student, and I trust both of you to know how to handle yourselves."
Everything her mother was saying was angelic music to Lucy's ears. If she knew her mother was going to be this understanding, she would have told her on the first day.
"Thank you so much for understanding, Mom," she wrapped her arms around her as tightly as she could.
"Always, dear," Layla smiled down at her, returning the hug.
"Are you going to tell Dad?" Lucy looked up at her nervously.
"Let's keep it a secret between us for now," Layla responded with a sly look. "It won't hurt if we keep it from him a little longer, right?"
"Right!" Lucy rapidly nodded.
"Let's resume the tour now, shall we?" Layla suggested.
Not being able to get enough of her mother's touch, Lucy led her throughout the rest of the school which she hadn't seen. Every part of her didn't want the tour to end since that meant she had to say goodbye.
She didn't want to bring her parents to the front of the school to see them off, though she knew their goodbye was inevitable. She was going to have to do it sometime today.
"We'll see each other again soon, right?" Lucy asked with a lump in her throat.
"We'll tell you next time we're coming so we can spend more time together," Layla answered.
"Okay," Lucy whispered, blinking away the tears that begged to leave.
"You've matured very much since the last time we saw you," Jude stated. "Keep maturing."
"I will," she assured confidently. "Don't get sick again, okay?"
"I won't," he replied with a hint of a smile. "See you another day, Lucy."
"Bye, Mom and Dad," Lucy began to wave. "See you later!"
"Talk to you soon!" Layla waved back before catching up with Jude whom was already on his way.
Lucy wasn't able to move her feet until her parents had eventually disappeared from her sight. Her glassy eyes and the lump in her throat remained, but reminding herself that she would see them again made the ache inside her subside just a bit.
It was sunset which meant that there was around an hour left of the festival. Lucy's breath hitched—was this enough time for her to tell Natsu everything she felt?
Well, she was going to find out.
Not wasting a second to rush back inside the school, she tried her best to avoid the crowd blocking her way. Though she had no idea where Natsu was, Class S was going to be her first stop.
"Does anyone know where Natsu is?" she questioned breathlessly.
"Oh, he's waiting for you," Lisanna said from the table she was lounging around at. "He's waiting for you in the last classroom on the right."
Lucy couldn't stop herself from hesitating at Lisanna's reply. Lisanna noticed it as well, so she sent her an assuring smile.
"Go before it's too late!" she ordered. "Tell me how it goes!"
"Thanks, Lisanna!" Lucy exclaimed, hurriedly leaving the classroom to get to where Natsu was as soon as possible.
She wasn't sure why he was waiting for her in a particular classroom, but she understood why after seeing that it wasn't being occupied. She didn't breathe as she slid open the door and stepped inside.
"Natsu?" she spoke softly. While she closed the door behind her, the voices in the hallway were nonexistent—it was just them now.
"Hey, Luce," he glanced at her over his shoulder. "Come look outside this window with me."
Taking baby steps up towards him, she placed her hands on the sill and gazed out the window. The window had the perfect view of the entrance of the school—everyone attending the festival was scattered across the area.
"How long have you been here?" she questioned, breaking the silence.
"Long enough to see you say goodbye to your parents," he responded, pausing before what he said next. "Did they think I was weird because of the maid outfit? I changed as soon as I could."
"I explained to them why you were wearing it," she laughed lightly, being able to see the pure relief on his face. "Mom liked you a lot, though."
"That's good," he sighed out.
"I also told her that we're living together," she mentioned.
"That's not good," he turned to her with wide eyes.
"No, no, it's good!" she guaranteed. "Mom is okay with it."
"Oh, okay," he swallowed thickly. "That's good, then. What about your dad?"
"He'll know another day," she shrugged.
"Okay," he repeated shortly.
"Yeah," she nodded, rotating back to looking outside. The silence that soon drifted between them made her heartbeat instantly accelerate—this was her chance.
"Your headpiece is messed up," Natsu stated before she was able to. She froze after feeling gentle fingers ruffling through her hair.
"Is it fixed?" she squeaked while looking up at him.
"Hold on," he muttered as he gently took a hold of her shoulders and shifted her to him. He leaned closer to her, straightening the headpiece on her head.
Lucy didn't know where to look; her thoughts were going everywhere and anywhere. She ended up staring at the floor, so she didn't notice Natsu leaning in even closer to her. Before she realized it, a pair of soft lips were brushing across her cheek.
"What was that?" she breathed out in surprise when he pulled away.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that," Natsu apologized immediately. "I don't know what I was doing just now."
Lucy blinked at him a few times, rejection flickering in her eyes.
"I-I knew what I was doing, actually," he corrected himself. "I wanted to do it, but I didn't know if you wanted me to, and now I'm not sure if I made the right choice, and—"
"It's okay," she smiled at him with a soft laugh, amused by how flustered he became. "I wanted you to do that."
"Really?" he cleared his throat to regain his composure. "Hey—"
"I have something to tell you," the two said simultaneously.
Lucy forbade herself to become overly excited—she had been dreaming about this moment for months and it was finally becoming reality.
"I want to go first," Natsu stated.
"Okay, go ahead," she replied.
"Let's play two truths and one lie."
"What?" her brows furrowed at him in confusion. "Why do you want to play that now?"
"It'll be a quick game!" he guaranteed. "I'll go first."
It took all of Lucy's strength to keep her patience. Taking a deep breath, she allowed him to begin.
"I have a cat named Happy," he began.
Lucy gave him a look, trying not to roll her eyes.
"I wanted to be a dragon slayer when I was younger," he added.
It was then once she noticed that she had heard these before—he said all these statements on their first time playing this together. She wasn't going to be tricked again this time.
"And I don't have any regrets in my life," he concluded.
She tilted her head in confusion. "Natsu, these are all true. You forgot to say a lie."
"Nope," he shook his head. "The third one is a lie."
"What do you regret?" she hesitantly asked.
"When I said yes to Lisanna on the night of the campfire," he revealed.
Lucy's mouth opened, but nothing came out. She was under too much shock to think of what to say.
"I didn't know what it was like to regret something until that night," Natsu continued. "To this day, I can remember the regret I felt when I saw you during the hike. I wish I could redo that night all over again."
"W-What would you have done differently that night?" she forced herself to ask, although it came out as a whisper.
"I would have went to you," he answered with no hesitation. "I would have told you how much I've liked you."
Lucy's heart instantly leapt into her throat, hearing the words she yearned to hear for months.
"I like you, Luce," he reached out for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I like you a lot. You might think I'm weird and gross because I always eat your food when I'm not supposed to, but I can't help myself."
A giggle left Lucy's lips as he started to scratch the back of his head with his free hand, listing off other strange things he had done in front of her.
"Anyway," he shook his head, dismissing all of what he mentioned. "You probably don't like me because of Gray, but I'm going to make you like me back no matter what."
"I don't like Gray," Lucy said before she said anything else.
"You don't?" Natsu inquired with disbelief. "Really?"
"Really," she nodded.
She was about to continue to let him know that it was him she liked, yet for some reason, she couldn't get the words out. No matter how hard she tried to say it, it wouldn't come out. She had always wanted to say these words to him, but when she was able to, she couldn't.
"It really hurt when I found out you said yes to Lisanna's confession," Lucy blurted out instead.
Why was she saying this? This wasn't what she wanted to say.
"Even before that, everything hurt when it came to Lisanna," she went on. "I didn't say anything, though, because she's one of my best friends."
"Lucy—"
"Once I saw you two holding hands, I couldn't stop thinking about it," she spoke over Natsu. "You won't ever know how much it hurt to see you two together."
Lucy couldn't believe these words were coming out of her instead of her confession. Her unconscious feelings were flowing out before she could stop them.
"I hate myself for being happy that you and Lisanna aren't together anymore," she stated with frustration while hastily wiping her tears away.
"It's okay," Natsu murmured gently, not being able to hold back the urge and envelop her and his arms. They stood there for a few moments until Lucy wormed her way out and took a step back.
"So I have to think about this," she finished with a deep breath. "Is that okay?"
"Take your time," he assured. "Take all the time you need, Luce."
"Thanks," she whispered gratefully.
"The festival is going to end soon. Let's go back to our class," he began to head to the door.
Lucy could already feel the awkward tension between them as she walked beside him to the classroom. Natsu wasn't making an effort to touch her anymore; another lump formed in her throat.
Did her mentioning Lisanna ruin her chances of being with Natsu? Did she still have a chance?
She wasn't sure of anything anymore, but she was certain of one thing.
This was surely a festival she was never going to forget.