Day 1 - Cuddling/Nightmare: Back Home
Lucy deals with Natsu's disappearance at the same time she realizes she's in love with him.

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Lucy sat down all at once. Her heart was beating incredibly fast in her chest and there was a thin layer of sweat on her chest and face. She had another nightmare that night, a recurring thing since Natsu disappeared, as well as the rest of the guild. She stood still for a couple of minutes in the silence and suddenly looked around her house with widened eyes, looking for him after hearing his voice. Disappointment was written all over her face when she realized it was all in her head. He hadn't come back. She lied down in her bed again and let out a heavy sigh before drifting back to sleep.


Lucy woke up a couple of hours later or so, when the sunlight was already illuminating her house. With a yawn, she rolled over and stared at the ceiling. Happy was still sleeping in a small space on her bed, or so it seemed. She decided to take care of him while Natsu was gone. It seemed like the right thing to do. The celestial wizard couldn't help but smile and stroked her friend's soft blue fur gently.

"Natsu?" Happy asked loudly, waking up right away and looking for his partner all over Lucy's place.

"No, Happy, it was me." Lucy said in a low tone and picked him up, placing him on her lap. She felt her heart shattering in a million pieces seeing how badly Natsu's absence affected him.

"Lucy, do you think he will ever come back to us?"

"I don't know, Happy." She replied at last, after taking a few minutes to think about what to say. She tugged on her sheet tightly, suppressing a sob and her tears as well. "I would like to think so."

The blue cat walked to the window next to her bed and looked through the glass. Lucy could see all the sadness he was feeling through his eyes.

"Natsu."

She blinked a few times to stop tears from falling from her eyes. The truth was she realized she was in love with Natsu. She intended to tell him after they defeated their enemy, but fate seemed to have its own plans for them. And now she didn't know how she would be able to keep going without him. But she did know she had to be strong for Happy, she owed it to Natsu.

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It was a beautiful day in Magnolia. The sun was already shining bright and there was a nice breeze. Happy quickly took off to meet Carla and Lily, something that made Lucy really happy. She was still watching them when Mira approached her.

"Happy seems to be handling it well."

"He's trying." She looked down. "He still misses Natsu terribly. Earlier this morning he asked me if I thought he was ever coming back."

She had to fight against the lump on her throat and Mira put her hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly.

"What did you tell him?"

"That I… I didn't know." Her voice broke and she knew right away it would be impossible to stop her tears. "The truth is I don't think Natsu is ever coming back. It's been a long time."

"Hey." Mira hugged her and knelt down when the blonde broke down at last. "Wherever Natsu is, I'm sure he's alive. He's strong, he wouldn't be killed like that."

"But it's been months, Mira." She said desperately. "Shouldn't he be here by now?"

Mira didn't say anything, simply kept on hugging her friend. She was still sure Natsu would return. But she also knew Lucy had to get everything that she was feeling out.

"I know it's hard to be away from the ones we love." She spoke after a few minutes. "But I truly believe he will come back to you. And it's gonna be sooner than you think."

"Huh?" Lucy pulled away and looked at her with a confused expression. "Do you know something I don't?"

"I don't know anything. It's just my intuition speaking."

"Oh okay." She wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. "I should start doing the things I have to."

"Lucy?"

"Yes?"

"Are you gonna be okay?"

"I am." She gave Mira a reassuring smile. "Happy needs me."

"You know you can count on me for anything you need, don't you?"

"I do." She nodded. "See you later."

.

The following days were pretty much the same for Lucy and Happy. The girl felt gradually better and happier. One morning, she rolled over and slowly opened her eyes. She saw a shadow in her room and her eyes widened. She sat up and was about to scream when she realized who it was and her heart started beating faster.

"Natsu!"

"What?" Happy said sleepy and then flew towards him. "Natsu!"

"Hello, Happy."

"I missed you so much!"

"Is that really you?" Lucy was still too shocked to even do anything.

"Of course it's me." Natsu said with his usual bright smile. "Who else would it be?"

"I can't believe you're actually here!"

It was only then that she jumped out of her bed and rushed towards him, throwing herself into him and causing both of them to fall on the floor.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't ever do that again!" She said loudly and started punching him on the chest. "Do you have any idea about how worried I was?"

He was very tense at first, but quickly relaxed and wrapped his arms around her.

"I missed you too, Lucy."

"Will you promise me you will never disappear and leave me like that again?" She rested her chin on his chest and looked at him with pleading eyes.

"I promise." Natsu replied rather serious and stroked her cheek softly.

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There was a nice breeze blowing that night, but it was still warm.

"Here you go." Natsu said when he and Lucy arrived at her house. He turned to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Please, don't go." Lucy reached for his hand and let her forehead touch his back.

"It's kinda late."

She could tell he was smiling while saying that and couldn't help but do the same.

"You can stay over if you want."

"Stay over?" He turned around and looked at her, intrigued; their fingers still intertwined.

"That's right." She confirmed. "You love to stay in my house. I'm inviting you to spend the night."

"Hmm, I don't know."

"I don't want to be alone tonight." She was surprised herself with what she had just said, but didn't regret it at all.

"Okay, I think I can stay." He let himself be guided to the interior of her house.


Being at Lucy's house felt different for Natsu that time. He couldn't explain why exactly, nothing had changed between them. So why was his heart beating faster?

"I can sleep on the couch." He spoke, without making eye contact with Lucy.

"Don't be silly." She replied from the bathroom. "There's enough space for us in the bed."

He looked at it with a suspicious expression. Lucy would be completely against the idea of them sharing her bed in the past. He was intrigued, but at the same time he couldn't bring himself to ask, for fear of her answer. He watched her crawl on her bed and then tap on the empty space beside her and he followed her order with a smile. She immediately snuggled close to his chest and closed her eyes. He stared at the ceiling, realizing he actually loved having her so close to him.