Hey, Dark Gothic Lolita here!

It sure has been a while since I last updated or came out with any new stories. I got a promo at work and since then, it's been pretty hectic. I just want you all to know that I still do write Navia in my spare time, but I need for the long stories to be completed before I publish them. If not, you guys will be waiting forever and a day for updates.

I don't own Fairy Tail. Sorry for any grammatical and spelling errors, but google drive on my phone hates me and changes words.

ENJOY!

To carry you home

One-shot

Juvia hissed as she stumbled over yet another tree's roots. Her eyesight was fuzzy and where it was dark, it wasn't the best of combinations. She staggered with a limp as one of her arms was wrapped firmly around her torso, trying to press her hand down on her injury. It had been a while since she had been hurt like this and she was beginning to think that maybe she should've seen the doctor like her client wanted to. She had just been desperate for her own bed.

She sniffed lightly, not sure if she was trying to recall snot or blood that was trying to drip out of her nose, but not like that mattered. Both of them were just as disgusting and she didn't even have any tissues. Hell, she didn't even have any bandages. She hated being a burden to others and she didn't want to be seen as weak. She would just rather much go to her flat and help herself out.

That was the plan, until some idiot who lives out in the forest flung open their door next to her and light streamed out, burning her eyes. She had hissed, half squealing as she felt herself trip up over a tree root yet again, only this time she was actually going to fall on the ground. She braced herself for the fall, ready to pass out. The fall never came as she felt herself fall into a pair of arms that encased themselves around her battered frame and held her up.

She was seeing double for a little bit and it took a while for her eyes to get adjusted to the fact that there was now light and that she could see a little better. There was so much warmth surrounding her that all she wanted to do was snuggle up to it, so she did.

"...via. Juvia."

She furrowed her eyebrows. Was someone calling her? She moved slightly, trying to look up at the person who had caught her when she realised that it was Natsu.

"N...Natsu?" She was way too weak to even continue speaking.

"Yeah, it's me." His voice was soft and Juvia appreciated that. She wasn't sure if she would be able to handle his usually loud tone. Still, she was glad it was someone from her guild and not some random person who may or may not have taken advantage of her.

He didn't ask her any questions as he immediately brought her inside. There was a soft purring sound coming from somewhere and Juvia could only guess that it was Happy sleeping and softly snoring. She tried her best not to cry out when Natsu gently let her go so that she could sit down. She must've still reacted because a soft "sorry" fell from his lips. He sat her back against his sofa and Juvia let out a sigh of relief.

"Wait here, let me get some stuff."

Juvia didn't need to respond as Natsu left her and went to get whatever bandages he could find. She was happy that her wound had closed up well enough, so that was fine. Still, she was ashamed that she needed to be looked after, especially by Natsu. She felt bad for him having to do this so she hauled herself up, even though her body screamed at her to sit back down.

"What the hell are you doing?"

She was sweating just from the amount of energy she had to exert to be able to stand up and then turn around to face him. He didn't look impressed with her, in fact, he looked straight up annoyed by whatever she was doing.

"Juvia is sorry for bothering you-"

"You're not bothering anyone, sit back down. You're getting blood everywhere!"

Juvia could feel the tears start to pile up. She was such a burden!

"Juvia is sorry!"

Natsu's thumb gently wiped away her tears as he sat her back down gingerly. He had a soft smile on his face, one that Juvia couldn't say she's seen before. She welcomed the look as she relaxed from the look and his touch.

"Don't be, just stop moving, okay?"

Juvia sighed and then glared when she saw Natsu's smug look. She had given into him easily and without a fight and clearly he was extremely proud of himself. She saw all the bandages that he had and sat back into his sofa. If there was one thing that was confusing her, it was the fact that it was Natsu doing this for her. Just why? Did Natsu even know how to patch anyone up? He seemed to have the right equipment, but Juvia still wasn't all that sure.

She watched him through fatigued eyes as he sterilised her wound. The shame and embarrassment fled her as pain took over. She didn't even care much that her clothes were tattered in front of him. She didn't hiss much when Natsu rubbed the rubbing alcohol on her and he made an impressed noise.

"Wow, doesn't that sting?"

Juvia shook her head. "Not really. The wound is what really hurts Juvia."

He nodded his head in understanding as Juvia resorted to watching him in silence once more. She had never seen him look so focused on anything that wasn't a fight. She couldn't help but marvel at the way his hair fell around his eyes. It looked like he needed a haircut. She remembered what Lucy had said about him not getting a haircut for the one year that the guild disbanded and she had almost kicked herself for finding the thought of Natsu with longish hair attractive.

If anyone asked her why she did what she did next, she was going to blame it on her being delirious from the pain. She had absolutely no reason to do what she did and she had absolutely no reason to do it to Natsu above all people.

Reaching her hand out, she ran her it through his hair, getting him to pause and peer up at her with wide, confused eyes. It didn't make her stop. If anything, it spurred her on to continue.

"Natsu-san needs a haircut, although your hair does look good like this," she murmured. Despite her words, she continued to run her hand through his pink locks, marvelling through the pain at how soft it was. Did he shampoo and condition like Gajeel does? Or is this the work of some 3-in-1?

He slipped away from her touch almost reluctantly as he chuckled slightly and reached over for a large gauze. The moment he was close again, Juvia's hand found his hair. She realised that she hurt less when she was doing something, even if that something was running her hands through Natsu's hair. He didn't seem like he wanted to stop her.

"I guess it's been a while. You seem to like it though."

"Hmm. It suits Natsu-san."

Her eyes closed as Natsu placed the gauze over her wound. She missed the fact that he was watching her intently.

"You're gonna need to go to Wendy in the morning. I also forgot to get you some painkillers, I'll be right back."

He slipped away from her touch yet again and Juvia found herself pouting. His hair was so soft. It wasn't fair. Why did guys have soft hair when all they used was some stupid 3-in-1? She sank further into the sofa as she could feel her eyes fluttering before Natsu gently shook her shoulder. Her eyes pinged open as she saw him give her a sheepish grin.

"Hey, I've got some ibuprofen and water. Take some before I take you to bed."

Juvia could barely register what he was saying as she reached out for the tablets and water. She swallowed it down with a sigh and continued drinking the water until the glass was empty. She smiled softly in thanks as Natsu took it and placed it on the coffee table.

"Thank you, Natsu-san. Juvia should get going now-"

"Get going? Nah, I told you I'm taking you to bed. You can sleep in my bed, I've still got my hammock, so I'll sleep there."

Juvia frowned, but before she could say anything, Natsu gently scooped her up into his arms, making sure he didn't hurt her side before he held her against his chest and made a beeline for his room. Juvia couldn't even find the strength to tell him to let her go as she placed her head against his chest. She could feel his ethernano in his chest as it converted to fire. The warmth made her snuggle up further against him as she closed her eyes slowly.

"Here you go," He stated as he placed her down on his bed. Juvia heaved a sigh of relief as she lay down.

"Juvia feels bad that she has taken over your bed," she whispered softly. She knew that he would still be able to hear her as if she was talking properly. Still, he shook his head as he leaned back to place a blanket over her.

"Don't worry about it. You just focus on getting better. Plus, I don't actually use my bed, I still use my hammock. Luce just made me buy a bed, thinking it would get me to use it. I don't, not when I have a perfectly good hammock."

He would never know how grateful Juvia was for Lucy making him buy a bed, otherwise she didn't know what would have happened to her by now.

"But still-"

"But nothing. Just go to sleep now and I'll take you to go and see Wendy in the morning. Get some sleep now."

Juvia found that she didn't need to be told twice as she just closed her eyes and let herself be taken to the land of sleep.

Juvia woke up feeling extremely refreshed and not at all groggy. She stretched slightly before wincing in pain. The painkillers had obviously run its course during the night and now she was feeling the pain. As she clutched at her side, she looked around the place with a slight frown. This wasn't her place.

"Oh hey, you're up. How are you feeling?"

Juvia turned to face the doorway and found Natsu standing there with a smile on his face. Juvia couldn't believe her eyes as the memories of last night started to fall in place in the gaps in her mind. She blushed at the embarrassment. She hated being a liability to people and she had been a very big one the night before. She even had to have Natsu help her out.

She placed her head in her hands. "Ugh, Juvia can't believe this! Juvia is so sorry for giving you so many problems last night."

She heard him laugh and her face burned hotter. "Nah, don't sweat it. I hope you're hungry, because I made breakfast. You might wanna get some in ya before Happy finishes it all. Actually, you might be fine because there's no fish on the table. Do you need help getting up?"

Juvia shook her head. Natsu had already done too much for her, it wouldn't be nice to continually ask him for help. She placed her arms by her side and started to push herself up, but a loud groan passed through her lips and she staggered back, falling onto the bed, her side killing her. Natsu was by her side instantly as he placed his arm around her and hauled her up so gently, almost as if she weighed nothing.

She sighed in relief at the help, but she couldn't help but feel bad. "Juvia is really sorry for troubling you like this. Juvia promises she'll be out of your hair soon."

"No rush. Stay as long as you need to get better. Besides, you like my hair, don't you?" He teased lightly and Juvia found herself growing hot yet again. The memory of his fingers in between her fingers came flooding back to her as she remembered the soft sensation.

"W-Well it suits you!"

Natsu snorted in amusement. "I'm glad you like it. You can use my shower if you need to. Or if you want me to get you home, I can do that as well. Just gonna need Wendy to heal you first."

Juvia thought about it. It would make sense to have a shower first so that she could clean the wound and then not wash off any balms or creams that she might need. Juvia just didn't know how clean Natsu's bathroom would be, and she didn't know how to say that to him. He must've read her mind because he laughed.

"I promise you it's clean. Erza makes a weekly inspection whenever she's not on a long job. Annoying, but at least it gets me to clean my stuff. It's nice having a clean house actually, although I'll never admit that to her. Don't tell her that she was right."

Juvia laughed as she acted, zipping her mouth. "Your secret is safe with Juvia, don't worry. Thank you for the offer, Juvia will take you up on it."

"Cool. I'll get you a towel and stuff to use. I've got some things that Luce leaves lying around if you wanna smell like a girl."

Juvia raised an eyebrow. "Lucy-chan leaves things here?"

"Yeah, of course."

Juvia swallowed thickly. Were the two of them dating? Was Juvia intruding on their relationship? She felt bad for being here. It's rude to be in another man's house like this when he has a girlfriend.

"Oh-oh? Are the two of you...together?"

Natsu gave her a blank look. They were in the kitchen by this time and Happy cackled from his seat, causing the two mages to jump and stare at him. Happy didn't seem to notice as he just found the whole situation funny.

"Natsu doesn't know what you mean when you ask him stuff like that, so I'll answer it. No, they're not. Lucy figured that if Natsu barges into her place unannounced, she's going to do the same thing. She did it once, left her stuff and hasn't been back since. It probably backfired on her. You think Natsu can get a girlfriend?! Not even if a girl kissed him on the lips!"

Juvia felt her heart unclench as she laughed a little bit. Natsu looked offended, so she stopped laughing and gave him an apologetic smile instead. He just sighed and helped her sit down.

"Juvia is sorry for laughing, Natsu."

He grinned and shook his head. "It don't matter. What matters right now is food!"

There was an assortment of bacon, eggs, sausages, bread and pancakes. Juvia knew she wasn't going to eat as much as they were going to eat, but she was grateful for their hospitality. At one point, Juvia was looking around the kitchen for a toaster when she remembered that Natsu might not have one. She didn't know how to ask him exactly, but he noticed that she was playing with her bread gingerly.

Sticking his hand out, he beckoned for her to give it to him. "You want me to toast it, right? I'll do that."

Juvia lit up, happy that her wants had been recognised. "Th-thank you! Juvia didn't want to seem awkward."

She placed it into his hand, their fingers brushing lightly against each other's. Natsu didn't seem phased by it, so Juvia tried to keep it together. Immediately, Natsu placed both hands on it and lightly toasted each side as Juvia looked excited. She didn't know why she found it so cool that he was able to do something so mundane with fire, but it seemed amazing to her.

"There you go."

"Thank you!"

Natsu laughed at her excitement, but otherwise couldn't keep his eyes off of her. She seemed so happy to eat some toast that he had personally toasted and he watched her reach out for more bread and pass it over to him. Natsu couldn't deny her. She was just too cute. Even with the way she thanked him as if he had just saved life. Happy snickered quietly which made Natsu hit his arm, but Juvia was wrapped up in her buttered toast.

Breakfast was done quickly and Natsu gave Juvia some more painkillers to help her with the journey to Fairy Hills.

"I could just lift you."

"That seems extremely inconvenient, Natsu-san."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Anything to make sure you're not in pain, right?"

Juvia's eyes almost fell out of her head. Did Natsu know what he was saying right about now? He sounded so chivalrous, like a husband doting on his sick wife. The thought of it made her heart thump erratically and she tried to calm it down, knowing that he would be able to hear it.

She watched as Natsu turned to Happy and let him know that the two of them were going now. Juvia wanted the exceed to change his mind and say that he was coming with them, but Juvia's prayers went unanswered. Happy looked like he had eaten too much at breakfast and was actually going to go back to sleep!

"Sometimes Juvia forgets that he is actually a cat."

Natsu closed the door and turned to Juvia with an easy grin on his face. "Looks like it's just you and me."

That was what Juvia wanted to avoid. Ever since Natsu had helped her with her wound, she was starting to see him in a different light, a light that shouldn't be shone on him. She had come to grips many years ago that Gray just wasn't going to like her the way she wanted him to, and she was fine with that. She lived her life to the fullest, not caring about whether or not she found love.

"Are you sure you don't want me to hold you? You look like it hurts to walk."

Juvia was staggering next to him. He was right, it did hurt to walk, but she wasn't about to go from the forest to Fairy Hills in his arms. Everyone would stare!

"Juvia is sure. The painkillers should kick in anytime soon and then Juvia will be fine! Please don't worry about Juvia."

Just as she said that, she tripped on a pothole and hissed as she lurched forward, grabbing her wound. Natsu was there to catch her as he tutted and hoisted her up into his arms, ignoring her feeble shouts of protest.

"Nah, I'm carrying you. I can't stand to see you in pain, so the quicker we get to Wendy, the quicker you can get healed."

There was a tone of finality in Natsu's voice that made Juvia accept her fate. Her cheeks were rosy red as she settled into his arms, enjoying the feeling of being safe. He was so warm, his fire warming up the water within her. She unconsciously sighed at the feeling and Natsu couldn't help himself as he smiled at making her feel good.

"So how was the job?"

Juvia shrugged. "It was okay. Juvia ended up getting jumped which is why she has this injury, but they weren't strong enough to overpower her. What's with that look?"

Natsu's face had practically stormed over, not at all impressed with the fact that she had been jumped.

"You got jumped so I'm mad. I'm mad because I wasn't there to give them all a fucking beating."

Juvia found it cute that he seemed so angry on her behalf. She smiled, even though she used her hand to cover her mouth. She didn't know that he was such a concerned person and it was refreshing to see.

"What was the job about anyway?"

"Juvia had to retrieve a stolen heirloom. Turns out a relative had hired assassin's to steal it AND kill his cousin! It was such an interesting job."

Natsu hummed before asking, "why do you do your jobs alone?"

Juvia sighed. "Well, Juvia used to do jobs with Gajeel-kun, but then he started doing more jobs with Levy-chan. Juvia almost joined Shadow Gear in Levy-chan's place, but decided against it. Anyway, Juvia just works well alone."

It wasn't exactly a lie. She does work well being alone, but she did miss working with friends. Gajeel and Levy did invite her to go on jobs with them, but she hated third wheeling and said no most of the time. It wasn't fun listening to them have their after work fun in the next room along.

"You know, you could always come on a job with my team."

Juvia scrunched up her face and Natsu frowned. "And what's that look?"

"No offence, Natsu, but Juvia doesn't really want to work with your team."

"WHAT?!" He squawked. "What's wrong with working with my team?! We're amazing and have the most amount of fun!"

Juvia laughed before groaning because of her side. She felt Natsu hold onto her tighter.

"You guys are amazing, Juvia has no problems admitting that. It's just that...you guys are pretty destructive. You take 'go big or go home' to heart and well, some of us need to care about money."

Natsu huffed and rolled his eyes. "Now you sound like Luce."

Juvia giggled which in turn made Natsu, although Juvia didn't realise she was the reason for his smile.

"That's because Lucy has sense. Fairy Hills' rent is super expensive, so Juvia is selfish in that she likes to do jobs with as few people as possible. You guys recently added Wendy and Carla to the team, that's way too many people for Juvia to do a job with."

Natsu pouted. "So you won't ever do a job with us? Not even if Gray is on the team?"

It was Juvia's turn to roll her eyes. "What does Gray have to do with anything? Juvia hasn't liked him in years, so he can't be used as a selling point."

They were walking through town now as people were looking at them, taken aback that Natsu was holding Juvia above all people, but they also didn't question it. Natsu has been seen carrying one of the women of Fairy Tail at some point.

"So that's for real? Some people were saying you might be playing hard to get, just to get his attention. You saying that's not it?"

Juvia couldn't quite place it, but it was almost like she could hear something like a tinge of happiness mixed in. She put it down to Gray's number one fangirl no longer being a fangirl.

"No, Juvia doesn't like him like that. We're just friends and that's all we'll ever be. Juvia is happy with that. So with that, Juvia is happy enough to work alone."

"What if I worked with you once in a while? I won't invite the whole team, just Happy! That's only if you don't mind."

They were in front of Fairy Hills now. Juvia stared up at Natsu who had pink cheeks as he voiced his suggestion. Before Juvia could even respond, they came face to face with Erza. The three of them blinked at each other before Erza finally registered what was going on.

"Natsu, Juvia? What is going on here?"

Natsu grinned. "Juvia got injured on her job and I could smell her as she was passing my house, so I took her in for the night. I brought her back so that she can get healed by Wendy."

Erza looked suspicious. "You're sure? You didn't finally get to have your way with her?"

Both of the mages in question blushed as they stuttered.

"H-have my way with her?!"

"F-finally?!"

There was something in the way that Natsu was looking at Erza, as if trying to tell her not to blurt out a secret and it made Juvia curious. Because why the hell would she randomly ask something like that?

Erza finally averted her gaze before glancing back at Juvia. She suddenly noticed the wound that Juvia had. Natsu had actually done a good job of making sure that he stopped the bleeding. Erza's eyes went wide as she opened the door, allowing the both of them in.

"My goodness, are you okay, Juvia?"

"Juvia will be fine, thank you for asking."

The red head nodded. "Just this once, I will allow for a male to be in here, seeing as he is helping you. I'm sure Wendy will be awake by now. Do you need me for anything?"

Juvia shook her head. "Thank you for your help so far. Juvia will see you later!"

Erza smiled softly and nodded, before heading off to the guild. Natsu carried Juvia up the stairs and the water mage couldn't help but watch Natsu in awe. He had really carried her from his house and it didn't even look like he had broken a sweat.

"Natsu, you can put Juvia down now. Juvia doesn't want you stressing yourself having to carry her up the stairs."

"Nah, you're good. The stairs are the worst part! I've gotcha."

His grip on her tightened yet again and that feeling of feeling safe in his arms came back. She leaned her head on his chest where his heart was and heard it beating quickly. Taking it as him quietly exerting himself going up the stairs while holding her, she continued to listen, not realising that she was the cause of it.

Juvia had to knock on the door for Wendy and the younger dragon slayer opened the door in surprise. She hadn't been expecting to see Juvia in Natsu's arms and her door, but here they were. They honestly looked like a couple who had just been hitched.

"Mawnin' Wendy!"

"Good morning, Wendy-chan," they both said at the same time.

"Uh, good morning! This is an odd sight-wait, do I smell blood? Juvia?!"

Juvia looked sheepish as she nodded. "Ano, Juvia got jumped on her way home yesterday and got hurt. Natsu let Juvia stay the night and helped with her wound, but he's still insisting Juvia comes to see you. Honestly, Juvia is okay, Juvia doesn't want to hassle you guys-"

"It's no hassle, not when I'm a healer! I'll get some stuff. Natsu, take Juvia over to her place. It makes sense for me to heal her there so that she can rest."

"Sure."

Juvia didn't even need to tell Natsu where she lived, because he could very clearly smell it. He made his way over and Juvia passed him the key that was in her pocket. He made his way in and left the door slightly ajar so that Wendy could come in. He looked around the place, surprised that it was relatively normal looking.

"Wow, this definitely looks like a place I could just hang out at."

Juvia gave him a dull look. She knew of how he barged into Lucy's place and that will not be tolerated here. "Don't even think about it."

He sent her a smirk that sent a tingle down her spine. "Already thinking."

She blushed and turned her head away. She then pointed at a room. "That's Juvia's room over there."

With a nod, Natsu made his way over to it. He couldn't help but take a deep breath, further etching her scent into his brain. He placed her down on her bed gently and Juvia thanked him. Before he could say anything else, Wendy burst into the room with Carla behind her.

"Okay, let me see the wound. Oh wow, that's nasty! Do you know what they shot you with?"

"Juvia could tell there were some anti-magic properties in the bullet. Not enough to cut off her magic completely, but enough to penetrate the isolated area."

Natsu stood aside as he let Wendy do his thing. Juvia glanced up at him and shot him a heart stopping smile.

"Thank you for your help, Natsu. Juvia will find a way to repay you."

He blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck, a little shy. It wasn't a look that Juvia was accustomed to, but she liked it. "Nah, you don't gotta do that. I didn't help you out just to have you owe me one."

Carla grumbled something that not even the dragon slayers could hear, but Natsu felt like it was something to do with his little secret and his blush deepened. He looked back over to Juvia who looked thoughtful before she smiled.

"Well, Juvia is going to repay you anyway! Thank you!"

Natsu nodded. "I better get going. Thanks, Wendy. Juvia, take care."

With a simple wave, he was gone. Juvia couldn't get rid of the smile that she had on her face as she kept replaying in her head how Natsu treated her. She had never felt more cared for in her life.

"No way," she thought to herself as she realised what was going on. Does she have feelings for Natsu?! That couldn't be right, right?

It had been a few days since Wendy put Juvia on bed rest. She wasn't allowed to go anywhere for a week and that meant no jobs, which made Juvia annoyed. Still, her last job paid well and her client gave her extra money because she had to end up saving his life from assassins. It was great, so she just focused on sewing, decorating and a little bit of cooking and baking.

The entire time, she couldn't get Natsu out of her mind. Since she stopped liking Gray, no one consumed her thoughts. She would think of people in passing, but she never thought about them too deeply. Natsu was someone she currently couldn't shake from her brain and it was shocking.

She never saw him as a potential boyfriend, he probably didn't even know what that was. She was also very well convinced that Lucy was the only person who would be right for him and who was she to accuse someone of being her love rival, and then she turns around to become her love rival instead? That would be extremely hypocritical of her. Happy might have said that they're not dating, but what's to say they won't start?

Still, she baked a cake that she had once heard Natsu sing praises about when Mira made it. She got Mira to text her the recipe under the pretence of trying to keep herself busy, and it wasn't really a lie anyway. She then made the very same bento that she had once made Gray the very first time she made him something, but Natsu ate it instead. That was after the time Phantom Lord had destroyed Fairy Tail's guild building and they were all fixing it. At the time, she was furious that Natsu had eaten it, but looking back on it, she knew that Gray wouldn't have appreciated it the way Natsu did.

"Juvia wonders when they'll be back," she mumbled to herself. The day after Wendy had healed her, the wind dragon slayer came with an ointment that she had made for her, before saying that she was going on a job. Having joined team Natsu, Juvia knew that she was going on a job with the entire team. Honestly, it would be nice to go on a job with them, but it would just end up being a crowd. If there was one thing Juvia was selfish about, it was her money. Having struggled once in her life before she was headhunted by Jose made her that way.

She finished with Natsu's bento, wondering when she'll be able to get it to him. She jumped when she heard a knock on her window that sounded too loud to be a bird. She almost screamed when she saw Natsu on the fire escape, grinning widely as he was waving to her.

Juvia's heart fluttered in her chest when she ran over to open the window in excitement. "Natsu, what are you doing here?"

"Lemme answer that question inside before Erza comes back and spots me. Don't worry, she's back at the guild with Luce and Wendy for now. They're in the onsen."

He slipped past her as Juvia closed the window. She then remembered what she was wearing when she saw Natsu staring at her, and her face turned crimson. She was wearing something comfortable, which had been a bandeau and a very small pair of shorts. Her wound had healed nicely, but it left a scar on top of the scar that she had already gotten from when she fought Gray.

She could barely bring herself to use her arms to hide her body when she saw the way Natsu's eyes slowly travelled up her body, as if slowly appreciating the way she looked. When he finally caught her eyes, the two of them stood there, staring, not quite sure how much time had passed.

"You look a lot better. You good?"

His voice was just as soft as the day he had found her in the forest outside of his home and he was calling out to her. It sent shivers down her spine as she nodded her head, trying to hide behind some stray hairs that had fallen in front of her face.

"Ano, Juvia is a lot better, thank you. Oh! Seeing as you're here, you can take this!"

She ran past him to the table and Natsu turned around to follow her. She could feel his eyes on her, burning holes through her as he was staring at her legs and her behind. Still, she ignored it and picked up the bento to show him. She beamed up at him as she held it up in his direction.

"Juvia said she was going to pay you back, and this was the best way she could think of. Juvia made this bento for you. It's actually a good thing you came, because it's still hot and fresh now."

She wondered if he would remember the connection with this particular bento, but she quickly shook that thought out of her head. There was no way Natsu would remember-

"This smells just like that first bento you made for the ice prick, but I ate it instead."

Natsu was standing in front of her now, staring down at the bento as Juvia stared up at him in surprise.

"Y-you remember? Wait, you even knew it was Juvia who made it?"

Natsu chuckled with a nod. "How can I forget a delicious meal like that? Your scent was all over the bento box, of course I knew it was you. Besides, I could smell you in the area and I even heard how pissed off you were when I ate it instead of him."

Juvia nervously giggled as she averted her eyes. "So-sorry about that."

"No harm, no foul. All that matters is that this one is made with me in mind, right?"

Juvia nodded. "Right! You must be tired from your job. Here, let Juvia give you a bag to carry it back home in and then Juvia can cut you a slice of cake that she baked too. Juvia knows it's your favourite, so she got the recipe from Mira-san."

As she turned around to place the bento on the table, Natsu reached out and picked her up by the waist. She squealed at the sudden action, but Natsu ended up pulling out a chair at the table and plopping himself down while holding Juvia in his lap. The water mage covered her face with her hands, not wanting him to see just how embarrassed she was.

"N-Natsu!"

The said man laughed in ear as arm wrapped around her waist.

"Why waste time taking it home, when I can just eat it here with you?"

Juvia's heart sounded in her chest and she just knew that Natsu could hear it. She snuck a peek through her fingers and up at him and noticed that his face was just as red as hers felt, but he was still looking at her through hopeful eyes. It gave her the courage she needed to peel her hands away from her face and accept that she does have feelings for Natsu. For once, it looked like someone might actually like her back.

"Well, Juvia only made the bento for you."

"And I wanna share it with you. I can't eat all of this by myself, y'know."

Juvia actually laughed at that, practically wiping tears out of her eyes as to how funny that was.

"Natsu, you literally can. This portion is almost 20 times less than what you eat in a buffet."

Natsu huffed as his arm around her tightened. "Just play along, would ya?! I'm trying here!"

Juvia's laughs wound down till she was just left with a smile on her face. Natsu looked flustered and it was clear he was experiencing an emotion that he had never felt before. He probably didn't properly know how to express himself when it came to things like this, so Juvia decided that she was going to get the ball rolling. After all, she has made many love declarations and confessions to Gray in the past.

"Natsu...Juvia-"

"No. I told myself I'll say it first. I want you to know that I'm different from the others. I won't string you along. I won't ever feel embarrassed by you. I won't ever mind if you're clingy. So I'll say it. I like you, Juvia. I've been asking Erza for advice, because I don't really know how else I'm supposed to act. I understand that we can go out and do stuff together like friends, but I don't really understand the other stuff that makes us boyfriend and girlfriend."

Juvia's smile softened as she watched him trip over his explanation. Her heart was filled with joy just looking at him, and she reached out for his hand.

"There's no rush. We can take it slow and get to learn more and more about each other. But if you really want to know what makes us a couple...do you remember what Gildarts told you? About growing up?"

Natsu looked confused before slowly nodding, as if wondering where this was going. Juvia had heard from Cana that her father had been the one in charge to give the talk to all the young boys in the guild when they all turned 13, while Macao's ex-wife had told all the girls how Romeo had come about.

"Well...we basically get to do that stuff together."

Natsu's body ran hot from underneath Juvia and she had to choke on her laugh to see how worked up Natsu was getting over it.

"Like Juvia said, we should just take it slow. Ease our way into things, there's no rushing it. Like for now, we should eat our dinner together and take things as they come."

That seemed to calm him down as he nodded his head. Juvia reached out for 2 pairs of chopsticks, grinning that Natsu didn't want her leaving his lap for too long. It was indeed a comfortable seat and Juvia found herself getting addicted by being held by him.

"Tell Juvia about your job, I know it must've been exciting."

Juvia listened to him talk. He was so animated and comical as she laughed at how stupid his team can be sometimes. It almost made her want to join his team. Almost.

Eventually, when he was done, he looked down at her. "Hey, we should go on a job together soon. Not with my team! Not even with Happy! Like a...a date! Yeah, a date. Would you be interested?"

His eyes had doubt hidden behind his hope. Juvia snuffed out at that doubt when she snuggled his chest with a nod and a hum of agreement.

"Juvia would love to. Only if Juvia gets to be carried like this at the end of the job."

Natsu laughed his weird laugh.

"You've got yourself a deal."

So how was that one shot? I know I've written something similar where Natsu was hurt and Juvia took care of him, but I wanted to write the opposite of that and I decided to put them as a soon to be couple. Nightingale Syndrome and this story aren't linked, but if you want to link it as some sort of prequel, go ahead.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.

Lolita-love,

Lolita-chan

Dark Gothic Lolita