Natsu's stomach had finally settled again, and he was over the moon to be feeling normal again.

"Next time you pick a job that requires us taking the train, you can count me out!" He said pointedly at his partner.

"Oh, please, Natsu," Lucy said, "you say that every time."

He grumbled in response, interlacing his fingers behind his head as they continued the short walk back to the guild. Happy flew over their heads, going on about how he had been craving fish and was going to pack more for the next job they went on.

Natsu and Lucy had been going on a lot of jobs together recently. Happy normally tagged along, save the few times he stayed back to be with Carla. Erza and Gray had been taking more solo jobs recently, leaving the two alone.

They didn't mind, though. The more time went on, the more they became inseparable. At the guild, they were side by side. Neither could remember the last solo mission they had taken. It was just a given that they would do them together. Their teamwork became seamless, understanding each other's thoughts and motives.

Where Lucy went, Natsu followed, and where Natsu went, Lucy followed. If you wanted to find one of them, it was a near guarantee that you could ask the other and they'd know what their partner was up to. It became a new normal. Natsu showed up unannounced at Lucy's apartment more frequently, and she got used to it enough that she stopped blowing up at him when he did. Most of the time.

Everything felt as it should. They both grew fond of each other, and there was no doubt in the rest of the guild's mind that they meant a lot to each other. Mira began teasing Lucy of a relationship sprouting, but Lucy always shut it down. She persisted in her matchmaking anyway, joking but also hoping that one day her 'ship would sail.'

And then, Edolas happened.

Lisanna had returned, and everybody was beyond ecstatic to be reunited with the once lost Strauss sibling. Nobody forgot the day that she returned. Many tears were shed and there were plenty of hugs to go around. Natsu was both thrilled and in disbelief, bragging about how he knew it was the real her in Edolas all along.

It wasn't soon after Lisanna's return that Natsu's time with Lucy had begun to take a hit. They took a break from going on jobs, and Natsu ended up going on a few with Lisanna. Lucy didn't mind, in fact, she supported it, stating she was glad that the two could make up for lost time.

While preparing for their next job, Lisanna suggested Happy stay back with Carla, since it was an easy mission for her and the dragon slayer. The exceed agreed without question, and Natsu was a bit suspicious when Lisanna said they should take the two day walk over a much shorter train ride.

He didn't argue though, gladly taking walking over vehicles any day. Lisanna was right, it was an easy job. They spent more time on the walk there and back than they did actually fulfilling the task. With only a few hours left until they got back to the guild, Lisanna decided it was now or never to ask Natsu what had been bombarding her mind since the moment she'd gotten back.

Her hands were behind her back as she fidgeted with her fingers. She was nervous but she asked the question, admitting her feelings for Natsu and asking if he'd felt the same. When Lisanna explained what romantic feelings were, Natsu said he wasn't sure if he felt the same way about her. She was determined, asking if he'd try out a relationship with her, just to see if those feelings came to the surface, and he agreed to it.

And the two returned, entering the guild hall hand in hand, announcing to the guild of their newfound relationship. They received a lot of cheers, and everyone celebrated that night. Lucy congratulated the two, complimenting how well they looked together.

Natsu wasn't sure if he'd imagined it or just overanalyzed, but he could've sworn he saw a flash of hurt in her eyes. He was pulled away by Lisanna, grabbing his arm and yanking him towards Mira and Elfman. Elfman started drilling him on all sorts of questions on how he'd treat Lisanna, confusing him because he wasn't all that sure what went into a relationship yet.

He saw an opportunity to leave the conversation and ducked out, walking over and taking a seat by the bar. He looked around, seeing a lot of chatter and cheerful conversations. His eyes wandered, searching for Lucy. He took a whiff of the air, confirming his suspicion that she had already left.

Before he could wonder why, Lisanna was back, grabbing his hand to hold and kissing his cheek. He didn't know why, but something about all of it just seemed off.

Lucy heard the familiar slide of her window, continuing to read her book despite having read the same page over and over, absentmindedly as she kept forgetting to focus on what the words meant. Natsu peeked over the book, and she closed it with a sigh, placing it down on the table.

"How come you left the guild so early?" He asked.

"I wasn't feeling good."

"You seem fine to me," he eyed her.

"You can't be here, Natsu."

"Why not?"

"Because you have a girlfriend now."

Natsu could've sworn there was a sense of longing in her voice. Something about her attitude, her posture, her tone, it all was wrong. It wasn't Lucy.

"So?"

"So," she stood up, "you shouldn't be sneaking into other girls apartments when you're dating someone. It's not okay."

"It isn't?" He asked.

"No, Natsu, it isn't!"

"Why not?"

"You're completely hopeless!" Lucy said, throwing her hands up in frustration.

She paused, taking a moment to even her breathing and sort her thoughts. She pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes closed as she thought of the best thing to say, while Natsu thought she looked funny. It made him smile.

"When you have a girlfriend, you have to treat her right. You have to be respectful, and loyal. And that's why you can't have close friendships with other girls, because it's not respectful," Lucy explained.

"We can't be friends anymore?" Natsu asked, dread evident in his voice.

"No, of course not. We can still be friends. We'll always be friends," Lucy added softly, earning both a smile and sigh of relief from Natsu that made her heart skip a beat. "We just can't be the friends we've been."

"I don't understand…"

"You don't have to!" Her voice slightly raising in frustration at his lack of comprehension. She paused, adjusting her tone to be more gentle. "Just… things are different now. I'm happy for you and Lisanna. She's amazing, and she deserves to be treated good."

"So no more showing up at your place?" He pouted, crossing his arms and sighing. "I guess I can do that."

He sat on her couch, propping his feet up on Lucy's table, despite her protests. It wasn't too often he was lost deep in thought, but this was one of those moments. He looked at the ceiling, wondering if he was actually ready for a relationship.

He agreed with Lucy, Lisanna deserved to be treated right. He didn't want to do anything that would hurt or upset his childhood friend. But something about the whole 'dating Lisanna' just seemed off to him. He couldn't pinpoint what it was.

But Natsu told Lisanna that he was unsure of his feelings for her, and despite that, she still wanted to try. So he at least owed that to her. And if that meant no surprise visits at Lucy's anymore… ever again… he supposed he could give it a shot. Just to test the waters.

"Not only that," Lucy continued, pulling him away from his thoughts, "but no more jobs with just me and you."

"Even if—" he shot up.

"Even if Happy came," Lucy finished his sentence for him. "Lisanna might be okay with us going on a job together every now and then…"

Natsu lit up before his spirits were quickly shot down again.

"But I don't think I'd be comfortable with it. So no more jobs for us. Also—"

Also? There's More? Natsu thought, bewildered.

"I don't think we should sit next to each other so much. Maybe even not at all. It's in Lisanna's best interest that we don't spend any time together, just the two of us. Hanging out in groups is fine, but otherwise, I don't think it's acceptable. No more calling each other partner, and no more walking me home, either."

"But that's different, I'm just making sure you get home safe!"

"I know you are," Lucy smiled sadly, "but things are different now. Now you should be walking Lisanna home."

"Why can't I do both?"

"You're going to have to do some serious research on how to be a good boyfriend, Natsu! Don't worry about me, I'll just ask Gray or someone else to walk me home. Either way, I'm still a wizard. I can walk myself home, too."

"I know you can," Natsu said bitterly, glaring holes into the ground.

He didn't like the sound of her walking the streets alone at night, and he definitely didn't like the sound of stripper walking her home any better. Like Gray could really protect her if something went wrong.

Neither spoke for a few minutes, an unease floating in the air. Lucy did her best not to cry, and not to show that she was fighting the urge to. Natsu felt lost, wanting to have restarted the day and responded differently to Lisanna's question. But he promised her, so now…

"I think it's best you leave now, Natsu," Lucy said in a choked voice.

Try as she might, she couldn't hide the way her voice wavered, the break in it when she said his name, and the tears that spilled down her face. He'd looked up at her, taking a step towards her to comfort her before Lucy shook her head firmly.

He froze in place, while Lucy continued shaking her head as she covered her face with her hands. Her sobs grew more violent with each one that came, but she wouldn't let Natsu comfort her, insisting that he go.

"All right, I'll leave," he finally caved, hoping it would help to stop her crying. "Just promise me you'll be okay?"

He watched her expectantly, but she gave no nod or looked his way. She remained the same, a sobbing mess and his heart twisted and pulled at the sight of her.

"Just… go," her voice broke.

He obeyed, silently walking towards the window he had entered. He lifted it back up, turning to her one last time—

"—For God's sake, Natsu, use the door!"

"Oh, hehe," he laughed awkwardly, regretting it when Lucy only cried harder, if that was possible. "Right."

Natsu wanted to say something before he left, comfort her, reassure her, anything to stop her tears… but the words just wouldn't come. He opened his mouth to speak, unable to find the words to express what he wanted to say, he reached for the doorknob in defeat and left silently.

Upon hearing the click of the door closing, Lucy fell to her knees, sobbing her heart out. She hated that she had been too late. Hated that even though Natsu was in a relationship now, she still had feelings for him that she knew would take a while to go away. Hated that she pleaded for him to leave when she wanted nothing more than his comfort.

Just when she had begun to fall for Natsu, just when she had realized she had fallen for him, Lisanna had come back. She couldn't blame the girl for liking him too, but damn, the timing couldn't have been worse.

Lucy turned on her side, laying in fetal position as she held herself. Her sobs continued, remembering the moment she saw the new couple enter the guild, hand in hand. Remembering the sting of regret that had formed in her when she realized she had been too late. She cried until she had no tears left.

Natsu stood on the other end of the door, pressing his forehead to it as he heard the pained and loud wailing of his partner. Or… of his friend. His now former friend.

Though Lucy had said they could remain friends, with all the new stipulations and boundaries she had set, he knew it would never be the same. It wouldn't be close. He didn't realize how fast things could change, how fast his life could take a turn. Seemingly, for the worst.

He stood there, for how long, he didn't know. He waited, listening to Lucy's sobs die down, turning into crying, down to small hiccups, and eventually, silence in which he assumed she had cried herself to sleep. When he was sure of it, he finally lifted his head, a dejected look on his face as he turned to go home.

What had he done?

X

This story was originally going to be a oneshot, but then I reached over 6,000 words and I wasn't halfway through the story, so I decided to break it up into multiple chapters.

Please let me know what you think and leave a review! It means a lot ◡̈