They needed a little break from the 100 Years Quest.

Returning to Magnolia every now and then was an opportunity to recharge the batteries, and Lucy had taken advantage of it to accept the invitation to a walk with ice cream from a cute boy who had been buzzing around her for a few months, faithfully awaiting her return.

Matthew Sydney was a good young man, a carpenter who worked together with his father and grandfather, an honest worker.

Lucy had decided to think about it, after all he was really cute, with long black eyelashes, wavy black hair and dark green eyes.

On the other hand, she didn't want to bother herself anymore with that other one, and so she might as well chase his thought away forever.

That afternoon she had prepared carefully, wearing a cute pink sleeveless t-shirt with white lace ruffles and black shorts. A bit of lip gloss, a little mascara, glittery eyeshadow and off she went.

Conversing with Matthew was really pleasant, he was polite and sensitive, capable of listening.

"Lucy, can I confess something to you?" he had told her at a certain point, while they were sitting at a table in a bar with a tasty granita, "... I didn't think you would accept my date, in a few days you will leave again for your mission and also..."

Lucy stopped eating her granita and looked at him, feeling a thrill that had nothing to do with what she was tasting.

"… I always see you with Natsu and then I thought…"

"Don't worry, we're just friends." she promptly replied, with a dazzling smile.

Matthew was taken aback by the dissonance of those words with her beautiful smile: she had closed the sentence with a grip on the word friends, almost as if she wanted to suffocate it.

Perhaps she would have wanted more from the Fire Wizard?

However, Matthew tried to push away those bad thoughts; Lucy had agreed to be there for him, and he wouldn't let anyone else interrupt that idyll.

Once the granita was finished, the two youths got up and continued their walk, deciding to make a stop at Book Land to enjoy the latest news in terms of reading.

Lucy bought a new novel by her favorite author, while Matthew found an encyclopedia of the various types of wood from the softest to the hardest, and leafed through it avidly on a bench, telling Lucy about the properties of walnut wood and the incredible lightness of the balsa one, managing to get the girl interested in that niche topic, and transmitting to her the love he felt for his profession handed down for generations.

It was now sunset, and Lucy observed Matthew's face against the light: she could have fallen in love with a boy so dear, so friendly, so... perfect.

But no.

Never, not even once, had her heart skipped a beat.

Dang it.

Maybe it was too early, and yet…

No, she couldn't make excuses anymore.

She had to admit it once and for all.

At that precise moment she felt the young carpenter's hand touching hers. It was warm, welcoming.

"Lucy, do you think we could try being a couple?"

The blonde's heart screamed no, but for too long it had been disappointed, perpetually waiting.

So, she decided to let her mind speak:

"I can't give you an answer, but we could meet up, try to see how it goes. No hurry."

There was a flash of disappointment in the boy's eyes but it only lasted a moment.

"All right. See you soon!"

Lucy smiled at him and started to take leave, but as she jumped up from the bench she bumped into someone.

"Lucy, do you need glasses?"

The girl would have recognized that irreverent voice anywhere… Happy!

"B-But what a surprise! What are you two doing here?"

The girl thought she was stupid: since when did Natsu's presence intimidate her? And why had she used that guilty tone?

"We went shopping for the Guild… I see you're in good company…"

Matthew took Salamander's last words as his signal to leave.

"See you then!" he yelled at her as he walked away.

"Sure!" Lucy echoed.


The return to Fairy Tail was silent, broken only by the lapping of Lake Sciliora.

Happy flew between Natsu and Lucy, unable to break the tension that had arisen between them.

As the familiar building began to come into view, Natsu stopped dead in his tracks.

Happy and Lucy looked at him questioningly.

"Um… Is everything okay, Natsu?" Lucy dared to ask him.

"I want to know who that guy is. Why there's always some man who sticks to you like a mussel, eh, Lucy?"

Natsu's tone made her uncomfortable.

"Excuse me? Do I have to ask your permission to date? And what's with that imperative? I certainly don't criticize your acquaintances!"

"Because I always go out with the same people!"

"And I love meeting new ones!"

"Isn't the Guild enough for you?"

"That's not the point but as usual you didn't get there. Enough, this conversation is already boring me. I'm going to wash. See you for dinner!"

And having said that, Lucy quickly got past both Natsu and Happy and ran towards her apartment.

When Lucy had disappeared from their sight, the cat turned to his companion:

"Natsu… Talk to each other during dinner… Please."

The only response he got was a groan.


That evening, Lucy had worn an elegant dress, of an almost black dark purple, sparkling like the Universe.

Feeling beautiful, however, hadn't cheered her up, on the contrary, it had made her sink into droop, even if she impose on drying her tears in front of the mirror, while she tied her hair up and put on the pearl earrings that belonged to her mother.

While arriving in the main room of Fairy Tail, she had collected astonished comments:

"Wow, Lucy, you really look stunning!" Wakaba had told her.

"Can I make a picture of you?" Reedus had proposed.

Lucy felt pampered by those little attentions, but at that moment they also aroused great anger in her:

"Everyone, everyone notices me and instead he…"

"Lucy, how elegant you are!"

Juvia's cheerful voice brought her out of those dark thoughts.

"Thank you, Juvia, but you look very good too!" Lucy complimented, observing the indigo tulle skirt she was wearing, which made her look like a water fairy.

"Come, let's sit together!"

The blonde sat close to Gray and Juvia. Natsu hadn't arrived yet.

Her two friends saw her acting strangely, with her head bowed and her eyes fixed on the knife and fork she was playing with.

"Did something happen, Lucy?" Juvia asked her, worried.

"Did that big head Natsu make you angry?" Gray asked, and to him it was a rhetorical question.

"No, nothing happened guys, don't worry..." Lucy murmured, putting the cutlery back in its place.

Juvia's gaze then fell on Levy, who had a hand on her belly, gently escorted by Gajeel to their place. The two girls nodded to each other, to which the boys then responded too.

"Aww, I wonder if it'll be a boy or a girl! Juvia also can't wait to have a family with her sweetheart Gray!" the rain girl sighed, earning an embarrassed look from her beloved.

Maybe it was seeing Levy so happy with Gajeel, maybe it was Juvia's enthusiasm, but Lucy couldn't take it anymore and she burst into tears.

Her exposed shoulders jolted rhythmically as her tears fell downwards, wetting her fine black patent leather shoes.

"Lucy! Lucy, what's happening to you, are you sick?" Juvia asked, hugging her.

"I can't do it, guys... I can't forget Natsu... Yet I should, it's clear that whatever he feels for me isn't enough to be defined as love... I'm envious of Levy and of you too, who are so good together!"

"Er… Well…" Gray grumbled, feeling even more embarrassed.

"Juvia frankly doesn't believe that Natsu is disinterested in you, he just doesn't show it in a classic way."

The young Heartfilia stopped to think for a moment, but her irritation immediately took over again:

"I don't think it would be that complicated to tell me how he feels about me! I tried over and over again but he always ignored my attempts, only to then start acting jealous in a completely inappropriate way! Even Edolas Natsu managed to communicate his feelings to his Lucy..."

That sudden thought made her cry more; was it possible that the most withdrawn and unattainable Natsu had happened to her?

At that moment dinner was served and Lucy began to nibble listlessly, under the worried gaze of Juvia and Gray.

Just then, Natsu entered the building.

"Master, sorry, I'm late!"

"You were missing the stew, you know?"

Makarov knew how to tempt his acquired grandson. Eager to enjoy dinner, Natsu went to sit next to... Laxus.

He only glanced briefly at Lucy's group, and was greeted by a glare from Gray.

Happy didn't seem very satisfied with that situation, but he sat down next to his close friend without saying a word.


Once dinner was finished, Lucy got up and cleared the table for Juvia and Gray as well. Anything, just to not have to feel Natsu's ember eyes focused on her back.

Coming back from the kitchen, she sprained her ankle and almost fell, but was grabbed by her arm by Natsu himself.

"It's not exactly the right clothing for helping in the kitchen, don't you think?"

Irritated, Lucy pulled away abruptly.

"Thanks for the compliment, Natsu. Next time I'll go barefoot." she spat out, venomously.

"Can I know what's happening to you today?" he asked her.

"Nothing, Natsu. I'm still the same Lucy, the one who catches you sleeping in her bed as if you were her husband and who suffers your jealousy without having any reason. Why, do you find me different?"

Her brown eyes met Natsu's onyx ones. They didn't even realize that the whole room was now watching them.

"Lucy…"

The girl struggled to hold her gaze, she felt like crying again.

"Sorry, can I go? I've cleared the table, now I'd like to go home."

Natsu didn't want to let her go.

"First explain to me what's happening."

"You're just the usual idiot, that's what's happening!"

The roseheaded shot up in the direction of his rival.

"No one asked your opinion!" he growled at him.

"Oh, no? So why did you start making this scene in the middle of the common room?"

"Don't you have anything else to do this evening?"

"No." Gray replied, defiantly.

"Enough, guys!"

Punctual as always, Erza was here to mitigate the misunderstandings between her friends.

"What's the problem?"

"The problem is that Gray can't mind his own business!" Natsu burst in.

"Shut up, you're the one talking!"

Needless to say, they were both zapped by Erza's glare.

At that moment, something unexpected happened: Natsu's jealousy came out again, overpowering.

"Coincidentally, when Lucy has a problem you are always on the front line. Funny that Juvia doesn't say anything..."

The blue haired girl gasped and Gray got even more nervous.

"Don't make that face, you think I didn't notice? You've always liked Lucy but who knows why you never came forward..."

Gray's hand moved on its own, heavy, to hit Natsu's cheek and erase from his face the hateful smile with which he was mocking him.

Silence fell on the room.

Cana stopped drinking her maxi-sized beer.

Mira slowly placed a mug on the bar top, the slightest noise could blow everything up.

Laxus closed his eyes, almost annoyed.

"You really pissed me off, you know that?"

Gray's voice sounded like the growl of a rabid wolf.

"Is it possible that your feelings for Lucy scare you so much? You always have to find an excuse to hide! Well, you know what? Hide as long as you like, but don't bring me into it, okay?!"

Having said that, Gray quickly made his way out, without even waiting for Juvia, who followed him, calling him in an almost desperate voice.

Heartbroken, mortified, Lucy took Natsu's hand.

"Let's go out. We need to talk."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Erza asked her.

The beautiful blonde girl replied with an effort to smile:

"Yes, don't worry. Thank you, Erza."


Natsu and Lucy walked for a long time through Magnolia, without a specific destination.

They could hear the crickets and the air was clear, warm.

They walked almost to the edge of the West Forest.

The sky was dotted with stars, occasionally they could glimpse a distant comet.

Lucy thought of the romantic landscape, with the lights of the city contrasting the sleeping darkness of the forest, just as the sadness contrasted with the hope in her heart.

"Lucy, do you really need me to tell you?"

That question shocked her: that could have changed everything between them.

She knew exactly what he was referring to.

Yes, she needed to hear it, because Natsu had been a flame for her: present, hot, powerful but impalpable, impossible to grasp, an illusion that was there and wasn't there. She couldn't go on like this.

"Yes…" she only whispered.

Then the boy approached her and hugged her tightly.

"I thought that my actions were enough to make you understand that I would like you as a life partner, but I was wrong... I love you, Lucy, and when today I saw yet another fly going around you, I..."

"Matthew is not a fly." Lucy feigned resentment, pouting.

In response, Natsu placed his hands on her shoulders and pulled her into a breathtaking kiss.

"True, and this is not a kiss." he told her, winking.

The girl giggled and looked up.

"There are lots of shooting stars tonight. I would like to make a wish..."

Natsu looked at her; he had always considered Lucy an attractive girl, but he had never really thought about how beautiful she could be, and not just on the outside. Looking at her warmed his heart, but his immature feelings had always prevented him from fully realizing it.

He blushed, and luckily it was dark, otherwise he would have felt terribly embarrassed.

"Look… Is that true? What you said before… Did Gray really have a crush on me?"

"Huh? Well… In my opinion, yes. He liked you, but he never had the courage to point it out to you, perhaps because..."

The girl looked at him, smiling.

"…Because he met Juvia then?"

"Yes, too."

Lucy was amused, it had a funny and endearing effect on her to see Natsu in difficulty.

They sat on the damp grass, and Lucy no longer cared about her dress or her shoes sinking into the ground. She was there, with her love, and now she could lean on his shoulder without having to hear the same little voice in her head telling her not to fool herself.

"Hey, Natsu…"

"Yes?"

"What would you like to do now? You know, we're a couple now... How will we behave in the future?"

"Well…"

The Fire Dragon peered at the sky, which seemed to suggest to him the smallness of human problems in the face of the vastness of the cosmos.

"All in all, if you think about it, we are already behaving like a couple. Of course, we will also think about our future, but slowly."

Mischievously, Lucy wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Wouldn't you like to imitate our friends from Edolas?"

"Well… Yes, but… But anyway, Lucy! Aren't we going a little too fast?"

The blonde laughed.

How happy she was.


The next day, Lucy was in great spirits and she wanted to let Erza know right away, as she was worried about them.

She also went to meet Juvia.

"How did you go last night? We parted a bit badly and I was sorry..."

"Oh, we went to Tomas's Coffee and cleared things up. It was a romantic evening, we had the same ice cream..."

"I'm so happy for you!"

At that same moment, Gray held out his hand to Natsu, the same one he had slapped him with.

"I apologize. Yesterday I went too far."

Natsu didn't hold any grudges, but seeing his rival so stiff and contrite was tickling his sadistic side.

"I'm not sure I can forgive you, Gray… You should squat on the ground and bark like an obedient puppy."

"WHAT?! Have you lost your mind? Don't you think you're exaggerating?"

"I remind you that I owe you a slap!"

"I can even give you another one, Cinderello!"

"What did you say, Melted Popsicle?"

The two girls watched as their boyfriends fought as usual.

Lucy had finally made her relationship with Natsu official, but some things would never change.