OMG! It's been since July?! I thought I updated in August! I am SO sorry! Please forgive me minna! I didn't think it had been THIS long. But the wait is over, here's the newest chapter of What Once Was!

Thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites! *smile* I appreciate every single one!

Also I apologize for any grammar errors I might have made. I wrote most of this late at night after homework. Haha. That's the struggle. *wink*

Don't speak
I can't believe this is here
happening
Our situation isn't right
Get real, who you playing with?
I never thought he'd be like this
You were supposed to be there by my side

What If- Ashley Tisdale

What Once Was

Ch.5 Clueless

"Ugh…" Lucy groaned loudly as she rolled away from the sunlight that was beaming straight onto her face through her window. Her head was killing her, how much did she have to drink last night? She slowly attempted to open her eyes only to shut them instantly once the brightness of the room overwhelmed them. She rubbed her closed eyes and sat up cautiously. "What time is it?" she asked herself in a whisper. Usually in the morning birds were chirping away, especially outside her apartment. She opened her eyes and instantly was confused. She wasn't in her bedroom.

She looked around for a clock and she found one on the wall across the room. Her eyes squinted so she was able to read the time. "Ten…thirty? Are you serious!" she shouted, jumping up out of the bed faster than lightening. "I'm at Gray's and Juvia's…" she remembered as she started to panic, she frantically pulled at the hair. "We all need to be at Lisanna's for the dress fitting at eleven thiry! I need to shower! My god!"

Without a second thought she bolted out of the room, her door slammed opened as she sprinted into the hallway. "I can't believe I overslept! What happened last night?" she groaned grabbing her head. She was too busy looking at the floor to realize that she wasn't the only one in the hallway. "This is the wors…" and before she could finish her sentence she ran into something like a brick wall, taking the breath straight from her lungs. Lucy tripped forward, face planting into a hard, warm surface. "O-ow…" she moaned lifting up her head.

Her eyes widened as she realized she was lying on top of Natsu. Their legs dangled around each other's and her hand resting on his firm chest. "A-ah! I'm so sorry!"

Natsu's eyes opened as he rubbed the back of his head. "Damn…that was one hell of a wake-up call…" he groaned.

"S-sorry," Lucy bowed her head. That's when she took the time to observe their situation carefully. She was laying on a shirtless Natsu, and he had a rather nice toned and tanned chest. That's when she noted that the only thing hiding the rest of him from her was a white towel that was wrapped tightly around his waist. "Why are you only wearing a towel?!" She jumped off of him as quickly as she could, her face furiously red.

"I just took a shower," he informed her as he stood up onto his feet. He offered her his hand like he had the night before.

Lucy observed his damp hair and the small drops of water that were still on his delicious looking body. She took his hand and let him assist her back onto her feet. "I apologize, I'm hung over and overslept, so pretty much I'm running late," she claimed, trying her best to avoid eye contact.

He nodded. "Well the bathroom is all yours now," he stated, walking passed her heading to his room, but before he disappeared into it he looked back at her. "Was my shirt warm enough?"

Confusion was written all across the blonde's face as her eyes traveled down her own body, and sure enough she was wearing a man's shirt; that was all she wore besides her panties. How did she not notice before? She blinked and looked back at him, blushing slightly this time. "Uh…yeah I guess. Um…thanks? But why…"

"We all tried to take Cana on in a drinking challenge of hers," he answered her while chuckling. "She ended up winning. That girl can drink."

"Ah Cana," she hissed, nodding her head, understanding that she must have lost her dress in the challenge. "She loves a good stripping game…"

"Anyways, I gave you my shirt so you wouldn't be too embarrassed," he told her while grinning wide. "You can just return it to me later. It's one of my favorites."

She looked back down at the shirt and grabbed it gently. "It is red, your favorite color," she observed, "well at least that was your favorite color."

"Still is," he nodded. "Well ja ne!"

And with that he went into his room and closed the door behind him, leaving the blonde female alone in the hallway. Lucy touched the collar of the shirt and pressed it to her face; breathing in the scent was on it. It smelt like musky cinnamon. "So that's why I had a dream about you last night…" she whispered to herself. She let the fabric go and shook her head lightly. "Enough, Lucy. Let him go, its better this way. If you keep thinking about the past you are going to get hurt again." She turned on her heel and went towards the bathroom. She needed to get ready in less than an hour. A quick shower and an easy hair-do would have to work for today.

As she entered the bathroom she paused briefly as fragments of memories from last night surfaced. "Oh god…I begged him to stay…" she grabbed onto the sink and bowed her head. "How could I let myself act like that in front of Natsu for pete's sake?" She gave her forehead a quick hard pound. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

She groaned as she started to unbutton 'his' shirt. "I can't seem to recall what happened after that…dammit why did I drink so much? What if I tried something?!" she spoke to herself, trying to understand the situation she was in. "He isn't acting like something else happened though," She noted to herself trying to calm herself. "Forget it. Just get in the shower and get this day over with. You just have to survive one more week!"

Natsu walked into the kitchen with his hands in his pockets. He had taken his sweet time getting ready so he wouldn't have to bump into Lucy once again, but his hunger pains were really getting to him and he couldn't ignore them any longer.

He saw Gray at the table with his breakfast and coffee already in front of him. "Well good mornin' dragon breath," the raven-haired male greeted.

Natsu shot him a glare as he helped himself around the kitchen. "Is Lucy gone already?" he questioned.

"Yep, the girls should be gone most of the day," Gray stated, "So what are you going to do all by your lonesome?"

"I'm meeting with Laxus at noon," the rose-haired male answered with a groan.

Gray chuckled. "That'll be a blast I'm sure."

Natsu walked back to the table and took a seat. "I have to get it over with anyways," he sighed. He took a look around the room to observe if anyone else is around before he continued with a new topic. "Did Lucy talk to you this mornin'?"

Gray stopped mid-sip on his coffee and peered at the male across the table. "Did she talk to me about what?"

"Anything…was she actin' weird…"

"What did you do?!" Gray was on his feet in seconds. He was acting like any overprotective big brother would, even though he really wasn't Lucy's brother. He saw her as his younger sister and he still felt like he needed to protect her.

"Nothin'! I didn't do anything!"

"I swear if you did something, I'm going to blast your ass to the next fucking country, you bastard!"

"Will you listen to me, you damn stripper?!"

Gray took a deep breath before returning to in his chair. "You have less than a minute to explain."

Natsu didn't know where to start or how to word what he was about to say. But he needed to talk to someone about it and Gray was the closest person he had to a friend right now. They obviously had some kind of friendship since Natsu was his best man, but the two defiantly wouldn't admit it out loud. But who else was Natsu going to go to? "Last night…Lucy tried to kiss me," he stated in a whisper.

"Lucy…tried to kiss you?" Gray questioned as one of his dark eyebrows rose in question.

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Natsu huffed angrily. His eyes traveled to the only other person in the room, and watched as said person started to laugh. "And what's so funny about that?! Do you know why she would do that or not?!"

"Oh cool it," Gray chuckled. He leaned back into his chair as he continued. "She obviously was so drunk she thought you were someone else. What other reason would Lucy have to kiss an idiot like you?"

"And who did she think I was, huh?" the pinkette snarled.

"Sting I'm guessing," Gray shrugged with his answer.

Natsu's onyx eyes widen and his heart stopped at the mention of a male name he didn't recognize. Why was this name making him feel so low? Did it bother him that Lucy would picture him as some other guy when they were having a moment? Did they even have a moment last night? What the hell is he thinking about? "Sting? Who's Sting?"

"Some guy that's been chasing after Lucy the past two years, Lucy's really close to him and I honestly expected them to be in a relationship by now," Gray stated casually.

"Lucy said she didn't have a boyfriend," Natsu growled, and for some reason he felt anger boiling deep inside him. Was this Sting guy the one she mentioned for a brief moment in their conversation last night? "And she knew it was me! She even said my name."

Gray's gaze became sharp on Natsu. "What do you mean she said your name? Did you let her kiss you?"

"No I stopped her. She would have regretted it in the morning and I didn't want that. Look I know you think I'm a total dick for leavin' and all that shit. But I wouldn't do that to Lucy, I'm not a complete asshole, you know!"

"Hm. Well things just got even more complicated…how is this even possible?" the model grumbled, rubbing his fingers onto his temples. "You really are a clueless idiot."

"What's that suppose to mean, prick?!"

"Not a damn thing. You wouldn't understand even if I spelled it out for you. But you're right Lucy doesn't have a boyfriend. Maybe she was just lonely or something. You know girls have their needs and all," Gray stood up getting ready to make his leave. "Just make sure if she gets drunk and tries to do something else again, you stop her just like last night."

Natsu stood up so that he could step in front of the other male. "So you don't think there was reason behind her trying to kiss me? She was just too drunk and would have done that with anyone?" He knew Lucy better than that, Lucy wouldn't just kiss anyone. He could understand the lonely possibility, but Natsu honestly believed there was more to it than just that.

Gray stared hard into Natsu's eyes before he spoke his harsh words. "Don't over analyze things, you pink haired doofus." Gray walked around him, leaving a confused friend behind. Gray knew the reason behind Lucy's actions, he knew exactly what happened. But he wasn't about to let Lucy get hurt again, especially not by the same guy. He was going to protect her at all cost, just like he promised her five years ago. 'Sorry Natsu. It's best for you not to know, no hard feelings.'

Natsu's brain was on over load as he thought back to everything Gray had told him just moments before he left. "And who is this Sting guy anyways…." He was trying his best not to feel bitter or jealous, but he didn't like the vibe he was getting by that mere name.

"Do ya really believe that load of horse shit?"

Natsu's attention was drawn to a new comer. "You heard?"

Gajeel was leaning against the door frame of the kitchen, arms crossed. "The neighbors probably heard ya two idiots with all the bellowin' you were just makin'. I'll ask one more time; do ya really believe that load of horse shit Fullbuster just fed ya?"

"What do you mean?"

"Blondie obviously had a reason to try and pull a move on ya last night," Gajeel snickered. "Gee hee. You're just too dense to figure that out. I almost feel sorry for her." The tanned-taller male turned to leave the pink-haired male alone once more.

"What the hell am I missin'? What does everyone know that I don't!?" Natsu shouted angrily as his hands turned into fists. He inhaled deeply before adding more, this time talking in a normal volume to himself. "Why won't anyone tell me what the hell is going on…" he groaned as he too left the kitchen to go to his room and prepare for his lunch with his hot-headed cousin. "This is just great…"

"Ney, Lucy, are you going to come back to us or are you going to continue to stare out in space?"

Lucy blinked several times before coming out of her trance like state. "N-nani? You were saying?" she asked looking at the woman who had spoken to her just seconds before.

Lisanna Strauss, Mirajane's younger sister, smiled while she laughed at her long time friend. "I was asking you how the dress fit. Is it perfect? You sent me your measurements since I unfortunately I wasn't able to do them myself and I want to know how it feels on you. But I think I did a pretty good job, don't you agree?"

Lucy smiled and nodded as she observed her reflection again. She was wearing a light purple bridesmaid dress that was cocktail length and had a champagne sash across her mid section. "It fits just right Lisanna, you did great! Thanks!"

Lucy turned around and faced all her fellow bridesmaids who wore their dresses as well. They all had the same exact dress and they all fit perfectly. "Well it doesn't get more real than this, does it?" the blonde giggled.

Levy smiled and nodded. "Now we just need to double check Juvia's dress!"

"If she'd ever come out of that damn dressing room," Cana groaned from her spot on the couch.

"My partner is helping her get it on," Lisanna stated as she looked back in the direction where the blunette's room was located. "Shouldn't be too much longer now."

"Hey Lu-chan, what have you been thinking about? You've been distracted ever since you got here," Levy stated looking over her best friend.

"And you were late," Erza exclaimed, giving Lucy one of her famous looks; the kind of look that said 'you better start explaining. You're busted.'

Lucy hummed as she hopped off of the platform she had been standing on. "I overslept is all. I mean I did drink quite a bit last night."

Cana snickered as she thought back to the little game she had the others play. "You were so wasted! Guess you have lost your touch Luce, you use to be so much better than that."

Lisanna eyed Lucy. "Does it have anything to do with the fact Natsu is back in town?"

Lucy looked away from all of their gazes. "We all played the game. It wasn't like I played because I was upset."

"Natsu carried you to your room, didn't he?" Levy questioned, stepping in front of the blonde so she could better observe the taller girl's reactions.

Lucy tried her best to fight the blush that was surfacing on her skin. "That's right, he did. So?"

A red eyebrow rose on Erza's face. "Did anything happen after that?"

"Why are you all asking all of these questions about Natsu!" Lucy huffed folding her arms across her chest. "He's back in town, so what? What's the big deal? Why does everything I do have to be because of him? I haven't even been paying any attention to him and I have barely said more than 50 words to him. Yes he did take me to my room, but only because I passed out from all the shots I took and Gray was busy taking care of Juvia. Nothing else happened. Why would anything else happen?"

"Maybe because you were in love with the guy?" Cana suggested with a shrug. "Or is it more accurate to say, 'you're still in love with the guy?'"

Lucy's eyes widened as she gasped. "T-that's ancient history!"

"Even Cana-san knows about Lucy-san's feelings for Natsu-nii?" Wendy whispered covering her mouth.

"Well of course!" Cana grinned before she looked at the blonde, whom was giving her a death glare. The brunette winked in response. "I know all of Lucy's darkest secrets kid!"

"Lucy, is there a chance that you're not over Natsu?" Lisanna questioned, grabbing onto one of Lucy's hands. "We're your friends. We won't judge you."

"And it's understandable if you still have feelings for him, Lu-chan," Levy added.

"We all know how it affected you when he disappeared," Erza stood next to Lucy as she spoke. "You don't have to pretend you're not hurting, we're here to listen."

Lucy frowned. "This day is supposed to be about Juvia."

"We're just worried Lu-chan," Levy defended.

"And I appreciate it. Ok?" Lucy mumbled. "But I'm fine. Sure some memories have been surfacing and I've been struggling just a bit, but none of that matters. I'm here for Juvia and Gray. I can always worry about Natsu later on in life."

Cana snorted. "Later in life could be too late." Chocolate-brown eyes narrowed in her direction. "I'm just stating the obvious. Sure this week is all about Gray and Juvia, but Gray and Juvia want you to be happy. What if this is your chance for happiness? Let's say you're not over Pinky, well there's a reason for that right? What if he's the one for you? Ever consider that?"

"You haven't had a boyfriend, Lu-chan."

"Neither have you Levy-chan!" Lucy snapped back. "And I've been on dates."

"But you didn't take them seriously."

All the girls turned their attention to the newest voice entering their conversation. There stood Juvia wearing her wedding dress. The blue haired beauty didn't wear a smile; the expression on her face was full of concern, concern for her maid of honor.

"Juvia, it's perfect! Oh my gosh, it's gorgeous on you!" Lisanna beamed with a huge smile.

The white haired girl was ignored as Juvia continued to stare at the blonde who stood a few feet in front of her. "Lucy."

"I'm over it okay? I don't have feelings like that for Natsu anymore. That's all in the past, and that's where it's going to stay; in the past. And this conversation is over, I'm going to go change," tired of being pestered Lucy dismissed herself and disappeared towards her dressing room.

"She still loves him," Erza whispered, her eyes traveling to the ground. "It's painfully obvious."

"Well as stubborn as she is, she won't ever admit it," Levy groaned, rubbing her temples.

"Well how about we give her a push?" Cana offered an idea.

"No, Juvia doesn't think that's a good idea," Juvia claimed. "That might make things worse. We need to let Natsu-san and Lucy work it out. And just hope for the best." All women agreed.

"Juvia-san, that dress really is beautiful," Wendy complimented with a small smile.

"You think a simple apology is going to cut it?!" Laxus Dreyar bellowed from a private booth inside his favorite restaurant. He was enraged at the pink-haired male who sat across him.

"Laxus, honey, tone it down a bit." Mirajane smiled gently as she grabbed his hand he had pounded against the table just moments before.

Natsu rubbed the back of his head. "I know that's not enough…"

"No shit!" the blonde older male growled. "You think you can come back and everything be all flowers and roses? Shit. You better get on your knees and apologize like the bitch you are."

It was Natsu's time to glare. "Want to repeat that?"

"My, my," Mirajane hummed. The reason she was with the two boys was to make sure they didn't get into a fight and try to kill each other. She knew her boyfriends temper. And she did well deciding to come with him instead of going to the last dress fitting. "Come on boys, let's calm down some. Ok?"

"I said get on your knees and apologize bitch," a smirk formed on Laxus' amused face.

Natsu was on his feet within seconds, and Mirajane joined him, putting her hands up between the two hot-headed males. "Natsu, please take a seat."

Natsu stared hard at his dickhead of a cousin. "I don't have to take shit from you Laxus, you're not anyone special. I can kick your ass."

"Is that so? Then why don't you try it now punk?"

A vain popped out of the white haired beauty's forehead. Her eyes became evilly dark as she lost all of her patience. Her gaze fell hard on the man she had been dating for years. "Laxus. Stop now."

A sweat-dropped form on the back of his blonde head. "M-Mirajane…"

Her gaze was now on the rose haired male. "Natsu. Sit."

Natsu gulped and obeyed the order given to him.

"Laxus, Natsu is sorry. I know that isn't enough for you, you can forgive him on your own time. Wendy has forgiven him and I bet your grandfather would like to see him. Now you're going to let that pride of yours go and allow him to visit his grandfather. And Natsu, Laxus is upset because of how your disappearance effected both Wendy and your Grandpa. He didn't like seeing them in pain, and also deep down he missed you as well. You two are going to work out your issues, but obviously not today and not in this place. If you need to duke it out then you can do it some other time. But this week is pretty booked, and already full of other drama. I want you BOTH to listen to me and not touch each other at all this week. And if I find out that you didn't listen, then there will be hell to pay, understood?" she warned.

Both men nodded slowly.

"Laxus, honey you need to head back to the office," the dark aurora disappeared from Mira as she smiled. "If you hadn't wasted all this time fighting, you could have talked some more. But you have an appointment in thirty minutes. So run along, now."

Laxus' eyes twitched as he stood up. He gave her a goodbye kiss on the check, glared at Natsu, and left without saying another word.

Mira continued to smile as she looked at Natsu, Natsu shuddered from his nerves. She was making him nervous from the look she was giving him. "Um…well…you…how…"

"None of that is important now, is it?" she giggled. "So Natsu, let's talk."

It was Natsu's turn to sweat. "Talk about what?"

"Lucy."

Her response was short and right to the point. The mention of her name brought pain to Natsu's chest. "What about Lucy?" he grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Now now, don't be like that. You don't need to act like a tough guy. I already know how tough you are," she teased.

"Mira, why do you want to talk about Lucy? What is there to talk about?"

"Well, what exactly do you plan on doing with Lucy?"

"E-excuse me?" he stuttered an embarrassed response. "What do you mean?" Visions of last night slowly crept into his mind.

"Do you want to be best friends again?"

"Of course I do."

"Is that all?" she asked, tilting her head.

"What do you mean is that all?" Confusion was clearly written all over his face. What is up with everyone about him and Lucy? "What all is left?"

"I think you know what 'all is left', Natsu," she giggled as she saw a tint of pink cross his cheeks. "You don't have to pretend to be the clueless boy you were in the past."

"What's that suppose to mean? Clueless?! Why has everyone been callin' me that lately? It's gettin' really annoying! And it's pissin' me off!" he bellowed. "Why can't you all stop talkin' in riddles and say what's exactly on your mind?"

"Normal people would be able to understand. Guess you still are the same old Natsu then?" she sighed.

"Don't sound so disappointed!"

"Natsu, let's not play dumb anymore ok?"

Natsu closed his mouth as he stared at the woman across from him. He wasn't 'playing dumb', he knew what Mira meant he just didn't understand why she was expecting more from him and Lucy. He wanted their friendship back. Yes, that was one of his top priorities. He wanted to go back to how it was more than anything. He would go back in time if he could. He would have stuck to their original plan. They had had it all figured out; where they both were going to go to college, what they were going to study, all the parties they planned on going to, and even them eventually being roommates. She had talked about it for years. She was so excited to be able to get away from home, and he promised he would help her. He would give anything if he could fix those broken promises, each and every single one of them.

He had been selfish, bitter, hotheaded, jealous, enraged, hurt, and a teenager when he left. He wasn't known for making wise choices, but during that time, he was at his worst. No one would fully understand his thought process. Only he knew all the burdens he had been dealing with. And it was his own fault for not relying on his best friend. She would have listened and probably would have helped him, and he wouldn't have made the biggest mistake ever. He fucked up. He hated it, but it happened. That's the reason why he came back, he wanted to fix everything. And friendships could be fixed. He believed his and Lucy's was strong enough to be saved.

"Let's speak hypothetically. What if there was more for you and Lucy than just friendship? How would that make you feel? Be honest. I'm the only person here to hear it. I won't say anything to anyone else. I won't judge you. I won't really voice my opinion. You just have to be one hundred percent honest," her blue eyes stared hard into his onyx ones. "If you and Lucy could have something more than friends would you be all for it? Or do you really want to keep trying to feed everyone this 'best friend' bullshit. Excuse my harsh language. But love isn't something to joke about. If you feel or have ever felt something more for Lucy, I think it's time for you to fess up."

He didn't flinch. He didn't blink. His breathing was so calm you could assume that her questions hadn't fazed him. His external image was all a lie though. On the inside his heart was pounding violently, his ears were ringing loudly, his throat was painfully dry, and he, the man who doesn't get hot, was burning up. Natsu Dragneel had completely lost his cool.

He sighed as he prepared to answer her.

"Happy Birthday Lucy!"

Shouts from four girls echoed loudly as Lucy opened her front door. Her eyes widened as she looked at Erza, Levy, Lisanna, and Mirajane who all had a gift with them. "T-thanks!" she beamed with a bright smile. Today was her seventeenth birthday and the girls were coming over for some girl time. "Come on in!"

They had small chit-chat as they made their way to her room where they would spend the next couple of hours, painting nails, doing hair, and gossiping.

"Say Lucy, when are you going to that concert?" Erza questioned as she sat down on Lucy's large bed.

"About eight this evening I think," she answered.

"You're going with Natsu, right?" Mira asked, a smirk forming on her face.

A smile blush grazed the blonde's cheeks. "Y-yes. Why are you giving me that look Mira?"

"Just wondering if you were going to make 'the big move' tonight?" the older white haired woman giggled.

"N-nai? W-w-what big move?!" Lucy bellowed in surprise.

Levy snickered at her best friend. "You know what move Lu-chan!"

"Yeah! Aren't you going to confess to him tonight? Tell him how you feel?" this time it was Lisanna who spoke. Lucy couldn't help but feel weird that Lisanna would ask such a thing, Lisanna also had feelings for the pink-haired teen.

"I-I don't think I'm going to do that," Lucy admitted bowing her head in defeat.

"Eh? Why not?" Lisanna questioned with a frown.

"Because Natsu doesn't like me like that," Lucy stated with a straight face.

"You don't know that for sure, Lu-chan. He might," Levy insisted with a smile.

"That's true. You can't be positive about that till you tell him and get his reaction," Erza agreed with her arms crossed. "It's okay to be nervous."

"I'm happy how things are though," Lucy mumbled, "plus I don't think I should do it on my birthday. Don't the boys confess on the girl's birthday in those Shoujos you read Erza?"

"Sometimes the girl takes the lead," the red-head claimed with her head held high.

"But this is Natsu guys. Come on, really, do you think the guy would take me seriously? I'd have to spell it out for him. He's kind of clueless. It wouldn't be as simple as saying 'I like you.' He would look at me and say 'I like you too, Luce.'"

"Then why not tell him how you really feel? Why not say 'I love you, Natsu!'?" Mirajane snickered. Little hearts where in her eyes as she thought of the 'possible confession.'

Lucy shook her head violently. "N-no way! And besides he still might take it as the 'friend way'!"

"True," Levy grumbled. "Hhhhmm…we need to get Natsu to realize his feelings for you, but how?"

"You can make him jealous!" Lisanna suggested pounding her fist into her other hand.

"Jealous? How would I make him jealous?" Lucy asked. "And what do you mean his feelings for me Levy-chan?!"

"Simple, you can tell him that you're thinking of getting a boyfriend!" Lisanna insisted. "He'd get jealous for sure!"

"Oh Lisanna that's such a clever idea!" Mirajane squealed thinking of how jealous Natsu would act; she could just see him saying 'No Luce, you're mine!'. "Natsu wouldn't like that idea at all!"

"He does think you like some guy, doesn't he?" Erza questioned as she remembered a conversation they had a while back. "You told him you liked someone didn't you?"

"Yeah…but I really don't think he'd get jealous guys," Lucy grumbled with her shoulders slumped.

"You don't know unless you try, Lu-chan. All you have to say is 'Hey Natsu, what do you think about me getting a boyfriend?' or something like that. He's your best friend so he'll know you're coming for him for honest advice. And knowing Natsu he will be nothing but honest and tell you 'I don't like that idea at all!'" Levy raved throwing her hands into the air.

"Oh my!" Mira beamed clapping her hands. "And in no time he'll tell Lucy how he truly feels about her!"

"Why do you all think Natsu has feelings for me?" Lucy asked as she became annoyed. She didn't understand why they kept saying 'Natsu's feelings'. He didn't have any special feelings for Lucy, she knows this. She's his best friend. She would know if he was interested in her.

"Because it's obvious that he does," Lisanna stated.

"I think you are all reading into this way too much," the blonde teen insisted.

"Maybe, guess we'll see, won't we?" Lisanna teased as she nudged the birthday girl in her side.

"I haven't decided if I'm going along with so called 'plan' or not. I don't want to make things awkward."

"Well if all else fails, you can really get a boyfriend, that would make Natsu jealous for sure!" Mirajane replied.

"N-nani?! This is crazy talk!" Lucy growled pointing at the older girl accusingly.

"Let's all calm down and just wait to see how tonight goes for them. I think we're making Lucy more nervous with these suggestions. It's her birthday, we don't need to be stressing her out," Erza declared.

The other three guests nodded their heads in agreement, and then all four looked at the blonde birthday beauty and smirked. Because they all had a plan to make Lucy look super hot so that said rose-haired boy would drool at the sight of her.

"W-why are you all looking at me like that?!"

**Couple hours later**

"I'm late!" Lucy grumbled as she frantically ran as fast as she could to the meeting spot her and Natsu had agreed on. She was running behind thanks to her friends and their determination to make her drop dead sexy. And Lucy would admit that she did look hot for a fresh seventeen year old. Her blonde hair was down and full of fun curls instead of being straight and half pulled into a side pony tail. Her makeup was more exotic and she believed the girls had called it the 'smokey eyed' look. She also wore a black tank top, a red mini skirt, and black knee high boots that had a bit of a heal on them, but nothing too dangerous because Lucy was known for her clumsiness.

Her accessories weren't anything too crazy either. She wore red heart earrings, one red bracelet, and a red choker collar. She had small black handbag that held her cash and her phone. Lucy had to say, her friends went 'all out.'

She had to be at least fifteen minutes late and only hoped that Natsu wasn't annoyed and hadn't already entered the concert hall. "Ugh, this is the worst!" she groaned.

She had finally reached the event center and it was packed. How was she going to find Natsu with all these people around? He said they would meet under a clock didn't he? She searched for a clock and she found one to the far right. She smiled and raced towards it and when she got closer she noticed there was no pink-haired teen around. She stopped running and frowned. Feeling disappointed her shoulders slumped. "Just great…"

"Luce!"

Hearing her name Lucy looked back in the direction she had just raced through. There was Natsu sitting on top of statue, waving like an idiot.

She smiled and started walking towards him; at the same time he hopped off his seat and approached her. "You're late!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Just because it's your birthday doesn….woah….look at you Luce!"

"Eh…do I look weird?"

"No…not at all! You look great!"

She blushed at his words. "T-thanks."

He grinned at her. "Well let's go get in line. We want to be able to get spots where we can see right?!"

She nodded and with that they headed towards the doors. "I'm sorry I'm late, Natsu."

"It's fine. Oh, and Happy Birthday! Got any presents yet?!"

"Levy got me this purse, Erza got me these earrings and necklace, and Lisanna and Mira bought me some new makeup," she answered.

"Well that explains this new look," he chuckled.

"Are you sure I don't look weird?"

"You're weird Luce, for thinking you look weird. You look fine."

She couldn't help her eyes from twitching. "What do you mean I'm weird?!"

"Because you are!"

"So are you!"

They broke out into laughter realizing how silly they were acting in public. They were not acting like seventeen year olds, but more like five year olds.

"Nothing's changed, huh?" Natsu snickered as he placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair.

"Hey quit it! You'll mess it up!" she shouted as she smacked his hand away and glared at him. "It took forever for them to get my hair like this!"

'And I wouldn't say NOTHING has changed, because I can name one thing that has changed,' she added to herself.

"Sorry, my bad Lushey."

"Baka! It's Lucy!"

"Hai. Hai."

Before Lucy knew it she was tripping and Natsu reached out his hand to catch her. "Watch where you're going!" His hand wrapped around her arm and he pulled her back to her feet. "Jeez what am I goin' to do with you? You shouldn't wear shoes you aren't use to Luce. You could get hurt. Good thing you have me to protect you huh?"

The grin he gave her caused her skin to break out in goosebumps. She smiled at him. "Thanks Natsu. You're a lifesaver."

"I know!"

"Hey, Natsu. You got the tickets right?"

"…"

"Natsu?"

"Um."

"Natsu, you have the tickets don't you?!"

"Er…about that…"

"You idiot…you have got to be kidding me!"

"Yep!" he teased as he pulled out two tickets from his pockets. "Have a little bit of faith, Lucy."

"Don't scare me like that," she grumbled as she punched his arm playfully.

"Ah come on, it was fun though," he stated smirking at her.

"And you say I'm weird."

"Natsu! Hey there man! Is that you Lucy?"

They both turned around to see Loke behind them. "Hey what's up?" Natsu questioned.

"Not much, just going to this concert. Looks like you two are too. What do you say about hanging out together? It's Lucy's birthday right?" the orange haired teen questioned.

Lucy bit her lip. 'Well there goes any alone time…' she couldn't help but feel disappointed. Sure Loke was there friend, but she wanted to have a special birthday evening with Natsu and Natsu alone.

"Hm. Aren't you on a date though?" Natsu asked, noticing a brown haired girl clinging to Loke's arm.

"Yep!" Loke answered grinning.

"No offense. But Luce and I don't want to intrude."

"You sure you don't want to hog 'Luce' all to yourself, Natsu? Because she's looking rather sexy tonight. Lucy, you are absolutely one hot babe!"

Lucy blushed at his 'compliment'. "T-thanks Loke…"

Natsu narrowed his eyes at Loke. "I guess you could say I want to 'hog' Luce. She's my best friend and it's her birthday. We promised we would go to this concert together, and I think it would be weird watchin' you and your date make out all night. I think Lucy would feel really uncomfortable, and I also think your date would like it to be just you two."

"It is a date right? I think it would be fair to her to give your undivided attention," Lucy agreed.

"Ah, I guess you're right," Loke grumbled. "But Lucy if you get bored later, call me. I can show you a great time after the show! My treat!"

"I'll keep that in mind," Lucy mumbled.

"Happy Birthday Lu-Lu! You two enjoy your night!" Loke shouted as he and his 'date' dismissed themselves.

"That idiot, remind me to punch his face the next time we see him. I didn't want to embarrass him on his date," Natsu growled.

Lucy looked at Natsu, observing his clenched fists and hard glare. "You ok?"

Natsu relaxed and sighed. "Yeah. Let's get going."

Lucy titled her head in confusion. "Does Loke get on your nerves that much?"

"You could say that, come on, let's go. The doors are opening," he urged, he grabbed onto her hand and started pulling her with him.

Lucy couldn't help but blush and smile once she felt her hand in his. 'He has no idea what he's doing to me, this baka. Why does he have to be so clueless?'

"Hey Luce…there's a lot of guys staring at you."

Lucy observed their surroundings and sure enough at least ten guys were looking towards their direction. Were they really giving her those looks? How does Natsu know for certain that they are staring at her? They could be watching anyone. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No…baka. It's your outfit."

"I asked you if I looked weird!"

"You don't! It's just causing you to get a lot of attention!"

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Well…" Natsu paused for a minute. He wasn't looking at her, his gaze was straight forward. And Lucy could have sworn his cheeks were turning pink. "It's just annoying."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, baka!"

"Stop calling me a baka, baka!"

"Then don't call me a baka either!"

"Well you are one!"

"And you're still weird!"

"Natsu Dragneel!"

"Luigi Heartfilia!"

"Ugh! You're so irritating!"

"But you love me for it!"

Lucy's eyes widened and her face turned cherry red from his last statement. "N-nani?! You seriously are stupid!"

Natsu looked back at her, grinning as wide as he could. "Ah come on, Luce. You love me and we both know it. We're best friends, aren't we? You can't help but love me for my flaws? Isn't that what being a best friend means?"

"I-I wouldn't be throwing the L-word all over the p-place N-Natsu," she stuttered nervously.

Natsu blinked for a minute before realization set in. "Ah! I'm sorry! You know I didn't mean it like that!" he emphasized, and he too started to blush hard like Lucy.

They both were frozen in place as silence filled the air. Lucy could feel her heart pounding and her hand was starting to sweat in his. 'This is seriously awkward! He's just so clueless for his own good! There's no way I could confess if it's already weird between us just after that,' she thought.

"Sorry Luce, I didn't mean to embarrass you. I know you like that one guy, so you know I didn't mean anything by that."

Lucy's head snapped up to meet his gaze. 'Ah that's right. My 'crush' is on someone else, isn't it Natsu?' she kept talking to herself. "I-it's fine. I know you didn't. I was just teasing also. If someone had overheard us, they would have thought we were a couple or something."

"Ah right…" Natsu replied and with that he let go of her hand. "Well let's find some spots. We want to be able to see right?"

Lucy did her best to hide the fact her feelings were hurt from their separation. "Yeah. Let's go."

They entered big doors and followed the crowd into a small room. The band playing was newer and wasn't well known, but they played Natsu's favorite kind of music and he enjoyed them already. Lucy had been at his house when he was playing their CD and she commented on how good they were and he then revealed they were having a concert on her birthday and that Natsu wanted to take her to it. And well, here they stand now. There were no chairs which meant that they would have to stand through it all, and boy, Lucy's feet were going to kill her tomorrow.

Lucy looked at Natsu as he stood by her, his attention was on the stage as he waited for the band to come out and perform. Lucy bit her lip. How come things turned out so strange? Why did she have to make that comment? How was she going to fix this? How was she going to explain her weird behavior? She kept questioning herself until she remembered her conversation with the girls just hours ago. She sighed. 'Well, I don't think it could cause anymore damage,' she told herself.

"Natsu."

"Hm?" Natsu's onyx eyes were on her.

"W-what…what if…I…"

"What if you what, Luce?" His pink eyebrow rose up in confusion and Lucy noted how cute he looked.

"What if I…you know…got a boyfriend?"She stared at him, waiting for his reaction. If he showed any type of emotion that seemed like he was disappointed she wanted to see it. She wanted to know if what the other girls said was true.

But nothing happened. He just stared back at her for a few moments before he gave her a toothy grin. "Haha. Well I wouldn't have to worry about takin' care of you so much! Someone else could catch you from fallin' and scare off all the jerks that look like they want to eat ya! I guess you say my life would be a lot easier right? This is about that one guy huh? Ah Luce! I'm so happy for ya! Congrats!"

Lucy tuned him out once she heard 'my life would be a lot easier'. She felt like her chest was full of stones. She knew this was going to happen, she just didn't know that she was such a pest to him. She didn't know that she troubled him so much. The frown on her face wouldn't disappear and she fought desperately to keep her forming tears from dropping. She was not about to cry. She lowered her head so Natsu wouldn't notice her heart broken expression. She rubbed her eyes and sniffed just as the music started to play. On her seventeenth birthday, Lucy felt the pain of rejection for the first time.

Natsu's placed his hand on top her head as he patted her hair lightly. "I'm just glad you're happy, Luce. Happy Birthday." He had mistaken her tears of heartbreak for tears of joy or relief. Natsu was indeed really clueless.

What if I need you baby?
Would you even try to save me?
Or would you find some lame excuse to never be true?
What if I said I loved you?
Would you be the one to run to?
Or would you watch me walk away without a fight?

So I am really sorry that I have taken so long to update. School has been stressful and my mind has been in other places. Plus I had some serious writer's block. I will do my best to update sooner next time. Please forgive me! And I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was extra long just because I took forever! Seriously didn't mean to take as long as I did!

Also don't hate me for clueless Natsu. He really is clueless and seeing what he wants to see! You know, being a teenage boy and all.

Also I didn't describe Juvia's dress because I wanted to wait till the wedding chapter! *snickers*

Please read and review! It doesn't take long to write a review and I enjoy reading them. Even if it's telling me what I can improve on. I always look forward to what you all have to say. *smiles* I will give you a cookie! Tons of cookies!

Until next time!

Cookie-chan91