Chapter 12
My Heart found a home
It was now 9pm, Natsu and Lucy had headed back to her place after they finished at the dojo and ate dinner at the restaurant below. Natsu complained how good Lucy had it getting free meals from the best restaurant in town whenever she pleased. She laughed and teased him about marrying Alex to forever get free food. Two spent the entire afternoon that way, just cracking jokes and making each other smile.
The two now sat on Lucy's bed, covered in mounds of blankets and pillows as they watched Christmas movies on Lucy's laptop. It was snowing softly outside, making the entire night feel so surreal.
"You know, you're a lot like buddy Natsu." Lucy commented as they watched the movie, Elf.
"Am not!" Natsu retorted.
"No, I definitely see it, your both clueless idiots." She laughed. Natsu pouted and swatted her with one of the many pillows adorning her bed.
Natsu looked around the room, it was a simple bedroom with grey walls and plants everywhere. Lucy didn't really have any personal items lying around. No trophies or medals from childhood, no childhood toys that had been held on to or anything. The only sentimental thing Natsu could see was a singular photo that lay on Lucy's bedside table. It was an old photo in a wooden frame, within it stood a little girl with her two parents. They were all smiling brightly as they enjoyed what looked like a picnic in a garden. He stared at the photo a moment longer and instantly recognized the little girl as Lucy, she hadn't changed much since childhood. Next to her must have been Lucy's mother. Natsu almost gasped when he took a closer look at the women. She looked exactly like Lucy, same eyes, hair, smile. Natsu felt a tug on his heart, he could almost see the love between them as if it were a tangible thing. His gazed turned to Lucy, who sat watching the movie eagerly. Natsu knew how much she loved Christmas, he smiled as he watched her, looking at her he would have never guessed how much she had truly been through. Its not that she hid it well, she simply chose to not let her pain define her.
"Whatcha looking at? Oh, do I still have pasta on my face?" Lucy said embarrassed, rubbing her cheeks to remove what she thought was pasta sauce from dinner on her.
"Ha, no, its nothing Luce." He said while looking at her. She gave him a sweet smile and returned to watching the movie.
The two sat next to each other in the bed, Natsu's legs on top of hers and her shoulder leaning on his. Natsu wished he could freeze time in this moment, he wished he could capture this moment in a bottle and save it for when he had a bad day. His heart felt more at home in this moment than it ever had before.
He jumped a little when he felt a weight on his shoulder. He looked down to the side to see Lucy laying her head on his shoulder. He smiled and lifted his arm to go around her shoulder as she laid her head on his chest. It took everything within his power to not blurt out how much he liked her, he knew he couldn't. It was too soon, and he didn't know how she'd react.
He could hear Lucy's breathing slow as she began to fall asleep. He nestled into her a little, moving his legs so he could cuddle her more. Lucy made a little noise, disturbed by him moving. She placed a hand on his chest and nuzzled her face as she continued to fall asleep.
Natsu knew she probably wasn't aware that she was doing it, but even then, his heart began to beat out of his chest. He tried not to move, scared to wake her. He laid his head on hers and enjoyed the feeling of his Luce on his chest as he let the movie drawl him to sleep.
When Lucy opened her eyes, it was clearly passed nightfall. Her room was pitch black aside from the small light her fairy lights provided hanging off her curtains. She lifted her head to see her pillow had not suddenly gotten harder, but she in fact had fallen asleep on Natsu. To her surprise, he had fallen asleep too, using his shoulder and her head as a pillow.
The rational part of her brain knew she should've woken him up, made him go home or sleep on the couch. But the other part of her mind won this battle without much of a fight. She got up and changed into some PJ's in the bathroom. When she returned Natsu had moved to sleep on her pillows. Lucy laid down next to him and covered them both with a blanket. She turned away from him, not wanting to cross any boundaries between them and make him uncomfortable, but she was surprised once again when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her into him.
Natsu nuzzled her neck as he spooned her. He wasn't completely awake or aware of what he was doing. For the most part he thought this was a dream. He breathed in her sweet scent and hugged her to him.
Lucy froze for a second, she felt like she should move, that this was not appropriate for friends to do. But she was far to tired to fight with herself over what was right or wrong in this moment. She let Natsu hold her close and relished in the feeling of pure bliss that his touch brought. Pure passion flowed through her veins as she fell asleep peacefully watching the snow fall outside, safe and sound within Natsu's arms.
Lucy woke up to someone whispering her name.
"Luce, Luce! C'mon Luce please, we have school today." Natsu whispered
Lucy groaned and threw a pillow in the direction of the noise, she caught Natsu dead in the face with the pillow. Lucy then jolted up, "Wait?! Who the hell is here!" She said wildly as she looked at her bedroom door. She expected to see Alex standing there telling her she would but late to school, her mind froze when she heard Natsu's voice once more.
"Luce its me…Good morning! How'd ya sleep?" Natsu said with a grin. Lucy's head snapped towards him. He was sitting up in the bed next to her, his arm still loosely draped around her waist.
"Natsu! I- uh…. I slept well how about you?" She said trying to calm down. Memories of the night before rushed into her head. "Holy shit." Her brain repeated over and over.
"Really well. Your bed in the best thing ever, much more comfy than mine. I declare that I sleep here more often for the sake of a good nights rest. Sleep is imperative to growing boys you know." Natsu said in a matter-of-fact tone. Lucy laughed and slapped his arm playfully.
The two hopped out of bed and they got changed. Luckily Natsu still had his uniform for school still tucked in his backpack from yesterday. They both munched on some bagels Lucy had and then were out the door for school as they were going to be late.
"Good morning CeeCee, lunches are on the counter… Morning Natsu, you must've gotten here early because I didn't see you come in." He said while wiping some tables down. Lucy turned bright red; Alex seemed clueless but if Natsu didn't play this cool then they were both dead.
"Ha, uh… yeah. I came extra early today to practice a song with Lucy for class." He said while rubbing the back of his neck. His cheeks were also flush.
"Good to see you two working hard! I expect to hear that song later okay CeeCee?" He said.
"I-I captain." She said jokingly as she grabbed her and Natsu's lunches. Alex laughed and waved them off as they ran out of the restaurant.
The pair remained silent as they walked, neither sure if they should bring up last night. Technically nothing happened, but it felt like it was a notable instance that they slept in the same bed together, cuddling, the entire night.
Lucy's face had a slight blush as they walked, the entire night playing over in her head. Her stomach did a flip each time she thought of Natsu pulling her into his chest.
"So, Luce…" Natsu finally broke the silence. "Whatcha wanna do afterschool today?" He said nonchalantly. Natsu feared Lucy was uncomfortable that he spent the night, he feared he had crossed a boundary with her.
"How about we go skating?" She suggested
"Sounds fun… fair warning I'm an amazing skater." He said, full of pride. Lucy laughed
"Well, you're looking at a competitive figure skater here so careful cus you may have just met your match." She said teasing him.
"Yeah, I have definitely met my match…" He said with a smile.
Natsu walked into first period with Lucy. The two sat next to each other and chatted as the lessons began. Levy stared at them, something had changed between the two and it was obvious. Natsu kept blushing and Lucy had a huge smile on her face. Levy noted that she would have to interrogate her friend later to know what happened, but her thoughts were cut short by Erza storming into the class late. Erza's cheeks were bright red from the cold, her hair was frozen. Despite that, she was glowing, happiness radiated off Erza. Levy then made a mental note to interrogate Erza on what had happened to her… but nicely of course as Erza still scared the Bejesus out of her.
"Nice of you to join us Erza, please take a seat."
"Thank you Sir I apologize for my tardiness." Erza said politely as she walked to her seat. The teacher nodded with a smile a continued to teach his lesson on Acid base buffers.
"I wonder what happened to Erza." Natsu whispered to Lucy.
"Something good obviously, only time I've ever seen her smile like that is when they served strawberry cake in the cafeteria that one week." Lucy whispered back.
Lucy stared at Erza, did this have to do with what happened between her and Jellal the other day? Erza hadn't talked to her about it but considering Jellal had been keeping his distance from the group, it was assumed they had a nasty fight. Lucy took a closer look and almost gasped, Erza's slips were swollen. "OMG, SHE KISSED SOMEONE! WAS IT JELLAL? DEAR GOD LET IT BE JELLAL." Lucy's mind screamed.
"Maybe it has something to do with Jellal." Natsu wondered aloud. "He told me they had some sort of fight or falling out. I hope they fixed whatever happened because I miss having him at lunch. Without Jellal the girl to boy ratio is just way off balance." He said.
Lucy face palmed, "I'm more concerned about their friendship then the girl boy ratio at lunch Natsu, you should be too." She said
"Yeah yeah, I'm sure they finally kissed and made up. About damn time too, he's been in love with that girl since the day he met." He said with a smile.
"Anything you would like to share with the class Natsu and Lucy?" The teacher asked them.
"Uhhhhhh sorry Sir, I was asking Luce what uhm- what a buffer was." Natsu said trying, and failing, to come up with an excuse.
"Well, if you paid attention maybe you would know." The teacher said with a smile. Natsu put his face in his hands, he really needed to get better at lying.
After the teacher continued on with the lesson, Lucy turned her attention back to Erza, she clearly wasn't paying attention either.
Lucy was right too, Erza's mind was stuck on replay, rewinding the memories from only moments ago.
*Flashback to this morning
Erza stood in the shower, she let the water pound on her head as she tried to clear her mind. She has been a wreck since her fight with Jellal, without him she felt like half a soul.
It was only 6am and the sun still hadn't even risen, but Erza hadn't been able to sleep so she figured she would start her day early. As she stepped out of the shower, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.
Erza stared at the women in the mirror before her. No longer was she the weak child that was scared of love, yet here she was still pushing it away. Anger welled up inside her, anger at herself, at the people who made her this way. Yet she was taking this anger out on Jellal, on her love for Jellal, how was that fair?
Erza took a step closer to the mirror, she touched the glass with one hand and placed the other on her heart, she thought of Jellal's words… "Do you feel that? My heart beats for you, I promise you I will not go anywhere. If I try my heart would cease to beat…." Erza felt her eyes fill with tears.
"My heart beats for you Jellal, and now I've forced you out. I've pushed you to the point of not return." She said, her hand on her chest shaking. Erza wanted to fall to the floor and cry, she wanted to scream out of frustration with herself, for denying herself the one thing she wanted most. But this time she wouldn't, she would not allow herself to wallow in self pity. She had to try, she had to at least try to get Jellal back she vowed. She had to show him that her heart beat for him too.
With newly found conviction, Erza dressed in her school uniform and shoes, she ran out the door in a rush, she had to go see Jellal this moment, she had to tell him while she had the courage that she too was in love with him. No longer would she let herself be scared. She had to choose between the fear of her past and the love in her future, and for the first time in forever, she looked forward.
It was still dark as Erza ran down the streets, her hair whipping violently behind her as it began to freeze. She didn't care, she barley noticed how cold it was outside or how she was loosing feeling of her fingers and toes. Her only thought was him, she had to get to him in time.
She didn't know how long she ran for, but by the time she reached his house the sun had began to rise. Erza pounded on his front door frantically. Her lungs were screaming for air, her heart was beating a million times a minute, and her teeth chattered as she battled against the cold. She felt like her entire body would fall apart if she didn't see him in the next few moments. To her absolute joy Jellal opened the door He was shirtless only having on some loose grey sweatpants that hung low on his waist. Her eyes widened as she saw him, for a second she forgot what she was even doing there on his doorstep.
"Erza? Erza… why are you here?" He said sleepily, he sounded sad.
"I-I, Jellal. I- needed to tell you I-"Erza stuttered, she tried to speak but her teeth chattered so hard she could barely get out a word.
"Erza? Where is your coat? Did you walk here like this?" He said concerned. His eyes took in her sight, her hair was frozen to her skin, her lips were almost blue as were her fingers. Her cheeks and nose were bright red and her teeth chattered so loud he was sure it would wake up his parents.
"I ran here." She managed to get out.
Jellal's eyes widened. "Erza, I live across town from you. Why didn't you just call me." He said with a surprised yet confused tone.
"I had to say it to your face... Jellal I, I love you. I love you so much that I don't want to be scared. And I think the fact that you made me want to let go of the fear is what scared me most. But I don't want to be like this any longer, I don't want to fear my fear! I want you! My heart, my soul, all of me wants you Jellal." She blurted out. She breathed heavy as she awaited his response. But Jellal just stood there, shocked. He couldn't believe his ears.
Erza began to shake; she was beginning to feel how cold she really was. But Jellal's lack of a response sent adrenaline pumping through her veins. She began to ramble.
"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I pushed you away all these years. I'm sorry I dismissed your love and made you feel that way for so long. I wish I could go back and change it, but I- I simply can't. So, I'm here now…. But if I was too late just…. Just tell me an- and I promise I will leave. I promise I will let you go…" Erza said, looked down as she felt her heart plummet into her stomach. She was too late she thought. She felt tears prickle her eyes once more. She looked up to Jellal who just continued to stare at her, she frowned. She had been too late… She took a deep breath and began to turn to walk away…
Suddenly she felt a hand wrap around wrist. She turned back to see Jellal grabbing her.
"Don't go." He said alarmed, his eyes wide as he came to understand what she had just done.
Erza turned to face him once more. Her eyes wide, she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
Jellal gave her a surprised smile, "You're letting me in… you- you love me." He said shocked as his smile continued to grow. Jellal could feel his heartbeat back to life. He felt the world regain his color as Erza's words sank into his soul. She loved him, she finally admitted she loved him too.
Erza stood shocked for a moment and then gave him a big smile, "I love you." She said with a laugh. Jellal began laughing. He scooped Erza up and spun her around out of excitement. Both laughed as they twirled around. Jellal placed her down carefully then cupped her cold cheeks with his hands. "Say it again." He said to her
"I love you." Erza said confidently looking into his eyes. She said the words as if she had just discovered the secret to life, full of joy and passion.
"Again." He said as his smile grew so big his eyes crinkled.
"Jellal, I love you." She said as she smiled into his eyes. Jellal didn't wait a second more, he lowered his face and kissed her.
Erza responded to the kiss and wrapped her hands around his neck. Jellal pulled her close until she was flush against him. The two stayed there kissing as the sun began to rise softly around them.
Finally, Jellal pulled away, "Come on in Erza, you're freezing cold, lets get you warmed up." He said. He took her hand softly and brought her inside.
The words "Say it again." Could be heard echoing throughout the house the rest of the morning as he made Erza say I love you enough times to make up for all the time they had lost fighting against their love.
*End of Flashback
The bell rung and students began to file out of class. Erza looked out the window and smiled, she finally let her heart find its home.
Authors Note: Good evening! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I really wanted to get Erza and Jellal's love story complete. I really liked the way it turned out and I hope you did too. Anyways let me know what you think. Love you all! Cya!
I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS; I simply write the plot : ) All rights are reserved to the creators of Fairy Tail.