prompt twenty nine: rollercoaster of emotions

rate: T for Teens and Up

Twenty nine out of one hundred.

"Friends with benefits? More like friends with potential." —Unknown

x

.

Opening the front door to see the many bags of takeout sitting on the ground made Natsu beam in joy. He rushed to grab the large bags before slamming the door shut with his foot.

"Luce, food!" He shouted and he went straight to the living room, putting down bags that crinkled against the movement. He heard the pitter patter of her feet and by the time he had fished out all the chinese, she was seated on the couch with damp hair and her most comfortable sleep shorts and t-shirt.

"You got the crab rangoons, right?"

"How could I forget your favorite?" He held up a paper bag, smiling mischievously at his best friend who lit up at the sight of it. He tossed it in her direction while she pulled her legs up to tuck underneath her, the remote already in her hands while she flicked through channels to find something worthy.

Natsu sat back against the couch once he had taken everything out of the bags and he handed Lucy a pair of chopsticks and a carton of whatever he grabbed first. He immediately dug into his meal with the company of his best friend as they watched whatever was on the television, comfortable silence mushroomed between the two adults.

It's been like this for as long as he could remember. They met back in college when she had lived right down the hall from him and even years later, she still did. While he lived on the third floor, Lucy lived on the fifth and they always rotated which days they spent at whoever's even though he liked her place a lot more. He would always sneak in (is it sneaking in if he has a key?) and find home in her place. Sometimes she's not even home and he still prefers to lounge in the apartment.

Maybe it was the sweet addicting scent of hers or how she always keeps her place tidy but he always felt at home and comfortable with her.

He even brings his cat along just so Happy could enjoy some nice peace and comfort as well.

To be fair, Happy is theirs since they found him together back when they were still in college but Natsu took him home with him at the beginning so he's mainly his responsibility. Lucy, of course, does her part as she always said she doesn't care too much about the furry creature but he knows that's all bluff with the way she cares for Happy.

He considers them one big old family and he wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.

"These movies and shows are so unrealistic," Lucy clicked her tongue in disapproval as lo mein noodles hung from her chopsticks. "Honestly, do people think it's that easy to find the one? Try finding a date in this modern world. All men want is someone pretty and someone easily accessible."

Natsu snorted as he shoveled fried rice into his mouth, not even caring to respond at the moment since Lucy always loved to be such a critic. She loved to sit and complain about how unrealistic and cheesy some of the movies were and he had learned his lesson that she wasn't looking for someone to argue with about, she just wanted to voice out her thoughts in peace. She was really just talking to herself most of the time and he's caught her doing this even when nobody else is around so he lets her take her frustrations out on the plot.

"It's been months since I've actually been on a nice date and even longer since I've seen a penis."

Natsu nearly choked on his food, the burn of the spices causing his throat to sting and his eyes water. He quickly reached for his drink to wash it all down and he turned to look at his best friend in bewilderment and she huffed and continued to stab at her own rice.

"All you have to do is ask, Luce." He said jokingly and she tossed him a glare making him quickly turn away and resume his meal. "And the reason why you can't find a nice date is because you pick the stupid ones."

"You're not wrong." She sighed heavily.

And it had become silent once more as they continued to watch the god awful show and finish their Chinese food. Lucy had tossed in the towel after she had finished her portion but Natsu was still as strong as ever, scarfing down anything in his sight. There were all sorts of sounds coming from his mouth as he slurped, crunched, sucked, and burped throughout. Lucy could only giggle before she was up on her feet and wandering back to her kitchen.

He heard the fridge door open (he could recognize that sound from a mile away) and the clanking of her silverware before she was coming back to the living room with said spoon in mouth and a carton of ice cream.

He watched how she plopped herself on the couch beside him before twisting and laying her head on his lap. He didn't pay much attention to her as she happily ate her dessert while he finished his meal. Soon, she was spoon feeding him ice cream for dessert which she made a comment about how much of a black hole his stomach really is.

"And getting married after a couple months? How crazy is that!"

"Well, they did know each other for years prior."

"But they just started dating!"

"So? That's like us. We know each other really well."

"Yeah, but we're not together."

Natsu pursed his lips in thought as the topic of romance had come back up. Obviously this wasn't the first time the topic had been brought up since everyone and their mothers thought the two were an item for a very long time and as much as he thought Lucy was attractive, he cherished their friendship too much to ruin it. Lucy had also voiced the same concerns but this was spoken about when they were still in college and they were now twenty-three.

They've dated others throughout the years but none really stuck around so it was always the same cycle.

"We could be." He said nonchalantly as he accepted the scoop of chocolate in his mouth. "I'm a pretty good package deal." He just shrugged and she rolled her eyes as she swirled her spoon around the slightly melted frozen dessert.

"Pretty good ain't gonna cut it with me," she scoffed as she lapped up her spoon. "Besides, we can't date, Natsu."

"Whoa, can't?" He held his hand up, brows furrowed. "Why can't we date?"

"Because," she seemed distracted as she scraped the bottom of the carton while her eyes wandered over to the screen to keep up with the plot.

"Because?" He quirked a brow, arm tossed on the backside of the couch.

"Because," she repeated while holding out a spoonful of ice cream to him. He took the dessert without complaint as he waited for her to continue. "Because I feel like if we did, we would end up married and I don't think I'm ready for that type of commitment yet."

Natsu snorted at the idea and she twisted her head to give him a hard look.

"I'm serious."

"I'm sure you are."

"Really. I am."

It was his turn to give her a hard look and she just shrugged before she twisted her head to focus back on the television.

"So, then, are you not dating these guys to marry them? Isn't that the goal of dating?"

She shrugged again, shoveling more ice cream into her mouth. "Maybe I'm just looking for someone to relieve my stress."

His face scrunched at her answer as he didn't know how to respond to it.

It's not like he hasn't thought about dating Lucy, he just didn't know if Lucy felt the same so they had just left it at that. Of course he thought about what it would be like to kiss her, take her out on dates, and do some naked wrestling but Natsu was a respectable gentleman and he will not be jeopardizing his friendship with said blonde for a night out. And he also knew that if Lucy truly wanted to, she would come to him.

"If relieving stress is what it is then I can gladly help." He grabbed at the empty carton as soon as she was done with her last bite to lean over and place it on the coffee table.

The way Lucy bursted out into laughter made him look down at her and he furrowed her brows at the way she was giggling so much. "Did I say somethin' funny?"

"Natsu, I don't mean that kind of stress relief. I was talking about sex."

The crease between his eyebrows deepened while he continued to look at her. "I know."

A heavy silence mushroomed itself between them and it was as if time had come to a stop. Dark onyx eyes bore into wide brown ones and he watched how she mimicked a goldfish out of water. He found it amusing as the corner of his lips pulled up into a half-smile and then it turned into a full on smile when her face bloomed in color.

He couldn't help but chuckle as she gawked and she swatted him in the chest.

"That's not funny, Natsu!"

"Never said it was funny," he leaned back against the couch, rolling his neck around to stretch it. He watched how she rose and sat up beside him, giving him such a quizzical look that he raised a brow at her.

"Are you…" she started and she wet her lips before continuing. "Are you saying… you would have sex with me?"

He bursted out into laughter once more at the way her small squeak traveled through his ears and she flushed crimson at the sight of him toppled over. Even with how his stomach cramped with how hard he was laughing and the soft pounding on her fist on his back, he couldn't stop.

Something about Lucy being so timid and embarrassed always got him laughing and feeling so bubbly.

Sitting back up and wiping the tear from his eye, he flashed her a wide grin. "All you have to do is ask, Luce, and I'm all yours."

He felt like he may have broken her or maybe she had finally gone brain dead after all these years but she just simply sat there staring at him. No words came out of her mouth and she was gawking at him as if he confessed to murder.

But he was serious and he didn't care so much because if this meant he was helping Lucy in some type of way then so be it. He'd gladly take her to bed and soften her out.

Lucy narrowed her eyes before she huffed, adjusting herself to sit back against her own couch. "I'm not ready to get married."

"Why are you so convinced that if we date we'd marry?"

She turned her head away in a fit of a tantrum and exhaled through her nose. "I just know."

Natsu rolled his eyes as they went back into a comfortable silence, finishing up their movie that they had missed the majority of. "And just so you know, I'm not asking to date ya, I'm telling you that if you need a stress reliever, I'm here."

"What? Like a friends with benefits in this type of situation?"

He shrugged. "Sure, whatever you want to call it."

And he was one hundred percent sure he had now broken his best friend because she had gone deadly silent for the rest of the night. She was usually loud and could talk to a brick wall for days but she had grown very quiet.

He decided to leave her to her own thoughts as he finally realized it was time for him to head out. He stood from his spot and stretched his limbs, groaning as he felt his joints pop. He rolled his head around once more before he was gathering all the trash on the table.

"Well, it's time for me to head out, I got work in the morning. I'll see ya then?" He looked over his shoulder to see her still in her thoughts. She only gave him a small nod and he flashed her a wide grin before he spun on his heel and leaned in to peck the crown of her head. "Night, Luce. Sweet dreams."

He didn't know if he'd be able to keep his cool in there if he continued to sit with Lucy who he could tell was contemplating his offer. And if that meant she had to go through a roller coaster of emotions then so be it. She goes on those at least three times a day, what's one more going to do for her?

And who knows? Maybe she's right, maybe she's wrong, but all he knew was that they'd be together forever. Regardless if they marry one another or not.

X

.

Fin