"Yo Luce, let's go on a mission!" he grinned at her as he walked into the doors, approaching her while his hands were positioned at back of his head. For the past weeks he had spent with her, he felt like she was the same Lucy, the same person whom he is engaged to. Nothing changed with the way she treated him, and thankfully now that he knows what he feels for Lucy he'll be able to make her fall faster unlike the time when he was still a bit dense and confused with his feelings.
"Oh, hey Natsu!" she greeted with a smile and boy does he love seeing that smile that he feels his knees melting.
"So do you like to go on mission? But this time it's just me, you and Happy" he leaned into her to whisper the last part and gave her a little wink. She giggled at his gesture for the last time they went on a mission, Erza almost hanged him to death when he threw a tantrum around the city.
"Alright! Come on Happy, let's go pick a mission"
"Aye sir!"
He approached the request board as he scanned through the list of papers. "Oh, this one looks pretty good" as his hand grabbed the paper, another hand also had plans to pick out that specific mission.
"Hands off flame brain, I saw this first" the guild's exhibitionist slash ice mage bored his eyes into his frienemy
"Tse, don't get your hopes up. I came here first which makes me the one who saw it first"
"Why don't we see who really saw it first, wanna go firebreath?"
"I'm already fired up" he tackled and gave Gray a punch straight into his face. Soon, the two started a ruckus that resulted the guild to end a in a brawl.
"I guess that mission would be postponed for a while" she sighed as she saw the brawl that seemed to catch everyone's attention and made them join in. She rested her chin on her hand as she felt a bit down; she was really in the mood for a mission but because of Natsu and his childish fights, that plan was now delayed.
"Don't worry Lucy, I'm sure there are other days for you and Natsu to go on a mission" the barmaid decided to approach Lucy who was sitting on the counter to keep her company
"I guess so"
"How's your memory?" her expression became dimmer as she got thrown with that question
She shook her head "Still no improvement, Mira. I know it's been more than a month now and I should make at least a little progress but – ″ she trailed off. "But somehow I'm fine with it" a small smile formed on her "Really I am. It feels like a new start for me and as long as I have my friends and the guild beside me, it's going to be alright. l have this strong feeling that nothing's really changed with the way people see me, they still see me as Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail and I couldn't ask for more".
Mirajane listened to every bit of her word noticing if she was masking her sadness but when she found none, she gave her a loving smile. She turned around to see what was now happening, her eyes stopped on a specific pink haired guy and as if by chance, Natsu paused for a moment as he saw her staring and flashed her a grin. Lucy gasped as she felt a familiar quivering in her chest for the past weeks now. Little did she know, Mirajane saw the exchange of the couple's glances and felt she was about to faint. Lucy's face turned into a soft expression as a smile formed on her lips.
"Oh, is something wrong Lucy?" the barmaid teased trying to see if she'd spill what's going on her mind
"Eh? N-nothing Mira" she tried to deny but her cheeks betrayed her as they turned into a shade of red, damn her fast reacting stimuli.
"You mouth says nothing, but your face tells something else. C'mon spill it, don't worry I won't tell anyone." Well she did need someone to talk to because lately she felt confused, but is Mira the right person to talk to? She might take things the wrong way and mislead things, but she seems to know a lot of things when it comes to "that" so she'll go ahead and talk.
"I have something to ask you Mira"
"Sure, what is it Lucy"
"Are you Natsu and I are just best friends?" Mirajane was taken aback by her sudden question. What is she supposed to say to her now? She hated lying but if she told the truth, Natsu would kill
"E-Eh? Of course Lucy! Why'd you ask?" the blonde raised her eyebrow at the barmaid's stutter
"Really?" her face scrunched up as she thought of it deeply "because for the past month I've been with him, there are a lot of times when I feel like we're more than that you know. Everytime he does something I consider sweet for me, I feel this fluttering in my chest it almost feels as if he's my…" she didn't get to finish her sentence as she felt her face becoming hot and turning into a beet red shade. The barmaid giggled for she knows what she was feeling, she just wasn't just there yet to realize it herself
"Lucy, do you trust Natsu?"
"Of course! Besides, I always feel safe and protected when he's beside me" she smiled as she remembered their past missions for the past weeks, he was always there beside her making sure she's safe but not too much to make her feel weak and fragile.
"Don't you think you like him?" her brown eyes went wide as she heard what the woman in front of her said
"M-me?! Like Natsu?!" she thought about it for a moment but dismissed it immediately "he's my bestfriend! Besides, I'm not saying that I am, but if I do for example have feelings for him it would be awkward and I don't want it to be that way between us."
"Why don't you go for a walk Lucy? To clear your mind, besides I think this brawl ain't going stop until Erza comes" she suggested
"I guess your right. Tell Natsu I'll go for a walk if he comes looking for me"
"I will Lucy" she stood up from her sit and approached the doors and took her leave. This is really leaving her confused, she wasn't really sure what she felt for Natsu.
"Alright Lucy, you can do this" she told herself as she tried to compose her thoughts. She gets annoyed when Natsu barges into her house without her permission, worse is that he uses the window. She doesn't like it when Natsu sneaks in her bed, but she doesn't complain about the radiating heat coming from his keeping her warm during cold nights. She doesn't like it when he gets all childish and always start a fight in the guild, she hates it when he attacks immediately at their enemies without devising a plan first. But despite his temper and childishness, he's a very soft-hearted person that cares for all his friends. He's been protecting her since they started going on missions, at times he says things to her that makes her heart go mad and her face scarlet red. He does things that leaves her awestruck and and..
"Ah! This just got more confusing than ever" she sighed as the situation got her all tied up, eventually she found herself in front of a bookstore
"Oh a bookstore, something to get my mind off of things a bit" she heard a ding as she opened the door leading inside the shop "Hmm now what was that book Levy was recommending to me?" her fingers scanned through the pile of books on the shelf until she found what she was looking for. She approached the counter and dug up her purse to get some jewels
"You like literature eh? Good choice" she looked up to see the person in front of the counter who was now talking to her.
"A friend recommended it to me, but yeah I do like literature" she replied at the mysterious man who was now smiling at her. He looked someone her age with wavy blonde hair that was a bit messy but fitted him right and he had one of the most intense blue eyes she had ever seen. He was wearing a white shirt and vest with some black pants on and she has to admit, he was pretty attractive.
"You own this place? You seem a bit too young"
"No, this is my grandfather's. I just came here at Magnolia recently so I'm still a bit foreign with this place. I insisted working in my grandpa's shop since he's getting too old to work plus I love books" he chuckled as his deep voice racked Lucy's mind
"Aw, I think that's nice of you taking over the shop for your grandpa" she smiled
"I'm Yuka"
"Lucy" she reached out her hand as they shook each other's hands.
"Here, this one's on me" he handed the book to Lucy and flashed her a smile
"I can't take this, here at least take my payment"
"No, I insist"
"Wow, thank you Yuka. If there's anything I could do to repay you"
His smile grew wider as he thought of her offer for a moment "Hmm well you could tour me around Magnolia later in the afternoon and maybe a hang-out?"
"What?" she was taken aback with his question. She wasn't sure if she should go, he seems he could be trusted and if he does try to do something to her she has her keys with her
"C'mon, it'll be fun. Is it a deal?"
"Deal"
"Great, I'll see you later then?" she nodded and took her leave, what has she gotten herself into this time?
Natsu noticed Lucy wasn't around the guild since a while ago, he approached the barmaid and asked if she has seen where Lucy is.
"She went to take a walk but that was hours ago, I guess she went home"
"Alright, thanks Mira. I think I'll go check up on her" just as when he was about to leave, a familiar shade of blonde hair entered the doors. When she saw Natsu, she immediately approached him and beamed a smile
"Hey Natsu"
"Luce! I was just about to go to check up on you. Want to go afternoon fishing with me and Happy?" He noticed her clothing was a little bit beyond the normal she wears when she just spends the day at the guild
"What do you got all dressed up for Luce?"
"Oh this. I'm sorry Natsu, I can't hang out with you and Happy today. I made a deal with a friend that I'll show him around Magnolia"
"What friend? Do I know this guy?" his voice became a little rough, she shook her head in response
"He's a guy I met at this bookstore earlier and I kinda ended up making a deal with him"
"So what like a date?" his voice was now cold that it alarmed Lucy, this was the first time she heard him use that tone of voice on her
"No! It's not a date really, I'm just gonna show him around and that's it" she searched for his eyes but he had his head looking down making his bangs cover his eyes. Her hands reached up for his shoulders
"Natsu, look at me please" he raised his head as he met her eyes "Please tell me you're going to be alright with this?" she couldn't think of anything to say to him and she had no idea why she said that but right now, the look on his face made her heart ache.
"Okay" he muttered. She sighed in relief and let go of his shoulders
"I'll go now, I promise I'll be careful" she looked at him once last time before she took her leave. Natsu's fists and jaw immediately clenched, the look in his eyes were like he was about to kill someone. He headed for the door as left the spot where he was standing for quite some time now.
"Uh-oh, you better go after him Gray" Mira pleaded
"I'm right at it" he finished his glass and followed where his idiot friend went
"Natsu wait up!" soon, he caught up with him and held him tightly at his shoulder "look Natsu, Lucy's going to be alright. Right now I know you feel like shit but just trust Lucy on this one." After hearing his friend's words he began to loosen up
"I promise I won't do anything stupid" Gray understood what his intentions were and let go of his friend, knowing this time he won't screw things up. Meanwhile Yuka and Lucy were now at a stop as their stomachs grumbled so they decided to take a break and grab something to eat
"Is everything alright Lucy? You seem distracted"
"Hm? Oh no, it's nothing." She tried plastering a smile to convince him and worked it did. "Nothing, I feel nothing" she said to herself
The blonde opened the door to her apartment and entered going directly to her bed after an exhausting day
"Well that went hmm what's the word? Oh yeah, bad" she landed on her big bed spreading her arms. The whole time she was Yuka, she got pretty uninterested with whatever he was saying and got distracted easily. He was a nice guy and all and very attractive but there's just a missing edge that she was looking for. She lay on her left side and came face to face with a Panda bear, she suddenly sat up and stared at the stuffed toy.
"Like Natsu huh?" she poked the nose as a smile formed on her lips "I like the sound of that." She finally said. After spending time with another guy, she realized that she really likes Natsu. When she was with Yuki, she didn't feel her heart go berserk the way it did when she first saw Natsu, even though she tried to deny it her emotions says otherwise. She took the bear into her arms and squeezed it tightly, she inhaled the scent as it acquired Natsu's scent during the time he was carrying it around for her at the carnival. Her eyes were beginning to fall as exhaustion took over her and she drifted off to sleep right after.
Natsu watched her the whole time from her window. He heard every single thing she said focusing his hearing senses if he heard it right. He lifted the window but only enough space for him to fit and entered her apartment. He felt his pride swell when those lips admitted that she liked him, at least he was making progress. He approached her quietly as he tip-toed to her bead, he stroked the hair that was dangling on her face and brought the blanket over her as he leaned down to kiss her on the forehead.
"Sleep tight Luce" he whispered once last time before he climbed out of her window landing the ground.
"I gotta admit, I thought you were gonna pounce on the guy Lucy was with but I was wrong" a familiar voice said as he slowly approached Natsu.
"You didn't need to follow me Gray"
"I had to, like I said you might pounce on the guy and if ever that happened I will inevitably come to the rescue and stop you"
"Tse, whatever. Don't be so full of yourself" he snorted as he was starting to get annoyed by his presence, he purposely jumped out of the window to get rid of him first before he climbs back at Lucy's apartment
"Why don't you just tell her the truth Natsu? Wouldn't it be easier that way?" he turned to face him, surprised at what he had just ask
"I don't want to simply because I don't want to force myself to her, if I told her who I really am in her life it would just confuse her more in her situation" he chuckled as a sad smile formed on his lips "Besides, I want her to love me truly because of who I am not because of some fact that I'm his boyfriend. I did it once and I can do it again" there was a silence between the two for a while until Gray broke the tension
"You got it bad huh?" he uttered as he looked up the sky coming face to face with the moon
"Yup, and I'm never letting her go"
A/N: Huzzah! Probably the longest chapter I have ever written, I hope you liked it. And as the majority decision this story remains rated M so expect the Lemon in the future *wink. Again, I asked your opinion about the ratings because last chapter because there were two possible ways on how this story would go, and yes that is the non-lemon way or the lemon-way. But I think I won't make it too much smutty and overboard lemon, but I promise a lemon.
Sorry for the typos and other grammar mistakes, didn't have time to proof read it
Anyway what do you think of this chapter? Write em in!
