Gajeel really didn't get scared.
He never found, say, Erza or Mirajane scary, even upon first joining the guild.
He was on their level at the time, and he hadn't been mentally scarred and conditioned to fear them from a young age like most of the guild.
There were things that he worried about, tons of things, but nothing that truly scared him.
Well, until he found out he was going to be a father. That was far more terrifying than anything he had ever faced before.
"Gajeel, what are ya doing up here?"
Correction, Gajeel did find one person scary.
Yelping, the stack of S-class bounties in his hands were thrown into the air as Gajeel jerked around to face one confused Natsu Dragneel.
Respect was a far more fitting word to describe what he felt for the dragon slayer alpha, if there was such a thing.
But the things he had seen Natsu do, the extent to which Natsu could push himself, that scared him.
The universe was incredibly fortunate that Natsu was such a gentle soul.
Not that Gajeel would ever say that aloud.
"Gah, fuck, the hell Salamander!? Don't sneak up on me like that!" he scolded as he hastily attempted to snatch the falling papers out of the air, all the while Laxus cackled in the background.
Moving away from the top of the stairs, Natsu plucked one of the swaying papers from its delayed uncontrolled fall to read it.
"These are some heavy-duty quests man, Levy know about this?" Natsu cocked an eyebrow, almost surprised he had been able to sneak up on a dragon slayer.
In an uncharacteristic state of disarray, Gajeel stomped over to swipe the bounty from him, adding it to the fistful of scrunched paper in his other hand.
"No, and she never will, ya hear?"
Natsu blinked, saying slowly, "Okay, uh, lips sealed. Where is she anyway?"
"Lily is distracting her, but that is only gonna buy me so much time. I'm gonna take these and pretend I'm going out of town to do some boring security detail gig."
Sharing an amused glance with Laxus, who was plopped in his usual seat off to the right overlooking the railing, Natsu asked, "What do you need S-class quests for? Thought you didn't care about that stuff."
"I don't, I just need the money." Gajeel gave a tut, loosening his shoulders in an attempt to ease budding goosebumps that spread infectious across his skin.
"Why? Those Christmas cover albums of yours not selling too well?"
Gajeel turned back to the quest board, retorting, "200 copies in a day, suck on my success."
As Gajeel fiddled with the bounties, trying to pin them back to the board with shaking fingers, his gaze flit to the side to inspect Natsu.
He wasn't going to pretend he was ready to admit how happy he was to see him.
Natsu seemed to be ready for a job of his own, wearing a duster with two long sleeves, his travel pack slung over one shoulder.
Clearing his throat, Gajeel's growl softened, "How you been holding up Salamander?"
Gajeel hated this new smell that clung to Natsu's every pour, one of ash and fried flesh.
Natsu responded with a worryingly non-emphatic shrug, "Fine. How's Wendy?"
"She's been staying busy, but I'm keepin' an eye on her. She's out right now, so I'm taking a job. We've established why I'm here-"
"Have we?" Gajeel rolled his eyes at Natsu's sly interruption,
"But I don't know what you're doing here. What gives?"
"I want some peace n' quiet." Natsu replied.
Gajeel grunted at the cryptic response, shuffling from one heel to the other in an anxious ballet.
"Wait, what do you need this type of cash for?"
Seeing Gajeel freeze at the question, Natsu's subdued curiosity was given a very unsatisfactory scratch.
Gajeel mumbled something under the guise of a breath.
"Was that a response or your impression of a fly?"
"I need money for a wedding n' shit, okay!" Gajeel finally gave in, whirling around with the slightest flush on his cheeks.
Natsu's visage bounced between expressions ranging from surprise to amusement, before his brow finally loosened, smoothing out the lines that had been drawn on his scarred forehead.
Gajeel rubbed a pectoral with his palm, a frown disturbing the alignment of his piercings. Even the spectating Laxus stared with quiet shock.
Gajeel sighed "Look Salamander, a ring, a ceremony, that junk is expensive. A-and right now, Levy is so hyped up on hormones, she refuses to listen to the reason that we need money for a kid. She's been gnawing my ear off about all the ways I could get hurt."
"You're serious about this? You planning to propose?"
Gajeel pursed his lips, before giving a strong nod, not a hint of hesitation ghosting his face.
"I love her. I wanna make her happy."
Such dulcet genuine words coming from Black Steel Gajeel would normally be enough to stun most who heard it into complete stillness.
The permanent bags that dug into the skin beneath Natsu's eyes were pulled as he offered a slim smile, "Alright then."
Sliding his bag from off his shoulder, he let it rest at his feet as he dug into the inner pocket of his duster.
Withdrawing his hand, Natsu produced a brown checkbook with a sticker of Happy's face cemented to its back.
Opening it, he took the pen inside and began scribbling on a blank check, "Here's what we'll do. You give me some of those quests, I'll do em'."
There was something deeply, intricately unsettling about watching Natsu write a check, something Gajeel couldn't quite put his finger on.
"In th' meanwhile, take this." Natsu announced, ripping the check out before holding it out for him to take.
Gajeel remained in place for a moment, searching for any discriminant signs of a prank. He slowly crept up to Natsu, and exchanged the most paying jobs he could find for the check.
"I dunno how expensive all that stuff is, but that should cover it. Then all this reward money will go to the kid." Natsu explained, sliding his checkbook back into his backpack.
Upon reading the number of zeros the check contained, Gajeel's eyes were eager to pop from their sockets.
"14 million fucking jewel! W-what!? How!? Where did you get this money? Did ya rob a bank? Is this all the tax money you haven't been payin'!?"
Natsu didn't bother taking in the gobsmacked look that dragged Gajeel's jaw downwards, opting to sort through the quests while giving a lackadaisical,
"Life savings, what's left of it anyway. I have nothing to do with it, so take it. Happy and Lis helped me deposit a bunch of money in the bank over the years, but I hate those really boring funky lines, so I never did anything with it."
Gajeel furiously shook his head, sending his mane of jet-black bristles every which way, "Wait a goddamn minute, there ain't no way I'm gonna be eating into your life savings! You expect me to take this?!"
Natsu shouldered his backpack, passively pointing out, "Uh huh. It's signed, yer names on it."
Gajeel tried to reason through this one, but it was beyond him. All he could do was stare down at the check aghast, croaking, "I-i… I can't take this."
"You sorta hafta. I ain't taking it back." Natsu stated blankly, tone chillingly enervated.
The constantly swallowing Gajeel pushed a heavy exhale through the confines of nostrils, "This is too much Salamander-"
Natsu held up a hand "Gajeel, dude, just take the dough." he stated as he folded the bounties, stuffing them in an open pouch in his bag.
"H-how am I supposed to-to pay this back?" Gajeel's pierced brow was rearranged into creases, "When shrimp finds out where the money came from, she's gonna flip her lid."
"Ya've saved my life multiple times, so consider us equal I guess." Natsu reasoned, "Levy deserves a happy ending, so do you. This is what you fought for."
"No, this is what you fought for. Against Acnologia, you gave everything-"
"And if it meant you and Levy get to grow old together, if it meant you get to be a dad, I would do it again ten more times," Natsu interrupted, "You deserve a happy ending."
"And you?" Gajeel shot back, "What about you, you and bunny girl? Your future, your ending?"
Natsu gave a small shrug, "That's your adventure man, not mine."
Gajeel felt something in his chest hurt bad. Like getting sucked into that portal while Levy and Lily watched. Like saying goodbye to Dad.
"Look, it's done. If you can't take it for you, do it for Levy." he finished.
Gajeel's shoulders slumped in defeat, not thrilled the expense of his happiness was being paid for by someone who had already given everything and more.
But, if there was one man on the planet more bull headed than himself, it was Natsu standing before him.
"I'll tell you what, wanna make it up to me? Start training again, and don't stop." Natsu recommended.
Gajeel's mouth twisted as he clicked his tongue defensively, shoving his hands into his pockets.
He could easily see through the pathetic attempt at making him feel better.
Natsu's voice firmed, "Gajeel, what if I ain't here when something real goes down? Heck, what if one of these days death sticks?"
Gajeel froze, his eyes flooding with dread.
"The only way I can truly make peace with not being here for the guild is if you are."
Gajeel's trembling fists further curled in on themselves as he muttered quietly, "Salamander, we both know I'm ain't ever gonna be as strong as you."
"I don't believe that for a second, and if there's one thing Fairy Tail shoulda' taught ya is that everyone is so much stronger then they think they are." Natsu clapped right back.
He finished his prudent advice, "You have a kid on the way and a girl to marry, so start working at yourself."
"I'm sure Elfman would be ecstatic to have a training partner he can actually go all out against. So go." Natsu informed.
"N-natsu-"
"Go! Be a man!" Natsu sharply cut in as he gestured to the stairs behind them, scooching to the side to allow Gajeel space to brush past him. "Go make her happy, stop fussing over me, I don't deserve it."
Gajeel, eyes a bothered red, sniffed discreetly before giving a staunch nod.
Having no idea in which faucet to express his gratitude, Gajeel resorted to a simple pat on the shoulder as he breezed past Natsu.
He should've hugged him. Gajeel knew he should be saying and doing so much more.
He could with everyone else, with Wendy and Levy and Juvia.
Why couldn't he just look Natsu in his stupid face and tell him he loved him?
Was he not ready? Had he not come far enough? Was he not strong enough?
"Hey Gajeel." Gajeel hadn't even gotten to the bottom of the stairs before he was prompted yet again.
He looked back up to see his fellow dragon slayer wearing the signature Natsu Dragneel smile, wide and eager and warm.
"Your my brother Gajeel." Natsu stated bluntly.
Gajeel sucked in a sharp breath as he blinked rapidly, doing everything he could to fight tears.
"Your gonna be a great dad man, I just know it," Natsu encouraged, shuffling giddily, "And I can't wait to see the future your gonna create."
The fact that Natsu sounded as excited at the prospect of Gajeel building a family as Gajeel himself made him want to break down.
"Except your singing career, that needs to be taken out back and shot." Natsu added coyly.
With a mouthful of salt and sorrow, Gajeel could only warble out a feeble retort, "Fuck off."
He took in a deep breath, wiped his eyes, and turned around to walk off. Because the longer he stared at that damned smile, the more memories would begin to surface, and he quite frankly wasn't ready for the heartbreak.
Natsu watched his brother go, his smile slimming a tad.
"You know, I still don't understand why he couldn't just slip out when she was having the baby. He ain't pregnant, why does he need to be there?" he confessed aloud, glancing over to Laxus, who had just finished rubbing his own puffy eyes.
Laxus gave a few slow blinks, almost as if he was waiting for Natsu to reveal that it had been a joke.
"You were this close," leaning forward in his chair, Laxus held his hand up, two fingers less than an inch apart, "to making it through an entire conversation without sounding like a dumbass."
Natsu reiterated impatiently,
"That didn't answer my question."
Natsu was snapped from his cognizant trance when he felt something tug at the bottom hem of his pants, prompting him to make a quick sweep of his surroundings.
The train station, one of the crucial arteries of the city, was rampant with its usual teeming buzz of people.
One metal carriage after another rolled in with raucous screeches of grinding steel far more painful on the ears than the discordant conversation that raged on behind him.
Natsu remembered bringing Mavis to this very place before the Grand Magic Games, he remembered her mane of delicate gold swish around as her head darted to and fro to take in every little detail, those soft emerald eyes of her's glistening with so much intelligent and bliss and innocence.
His chest suddenly began to hurt, and it wasn't because of the overbearing noise that made him want to glare at every wild shadow as if to prove it wasn't dangerous.
He despised crowded places just as much, if not more, than taking transportation.
Too many faces to scan, too many smells to track, too many sounds to store in his memory.
An attack could come from every single direction.
Of all of the things on Earth that he found overwhelming, one of them was something as simple as crowds.
So when he looked down expecting the worst, Natsu was pleasantly surprised to find that at his feet, stood a as always grooving Plue.
The little snowman gave him a wave and cheerful 'puu-puu!' in greeting.
Natsu gave a small genuine grin, "Plue? How ya doin' bud?"
It was nigh-impossible to not like Plue, even Happy liked him, despite Plue being a 'dog'.
Sure, Natsu himself loved dogs, but Happy, well he was basically a cat, and yet he still got along with Plue.
"Puu-pu!"
"Good to hear." he lowered onto his haunches to meet the celestial summon in a fist bump.
"Pu-puu-puu!"
"I'm right as rain, just going on a little trip."
"Pu-pu!"
"I'm a mage, that's kinda my only source of legal income. Taking missions over and over again gets boring, sure, but I don't know how stocks work so this is how I make money."
"Puu!"
"Eh, after everything, getting on a train ain't so bad anymore."
"Puu-pupu!"
"Wait a sec, if your here, then-"
"Plue honey, where are you?!"
A familiar voice managed to cut through the swathes of meaningless noise that surrounded them despite its softness.
The little snowman gave a little wiggle of excitement at the sound of his mistress, waddling on over to where the call had come from all the while pointing back at Natsu.
Natsu was instantly able to spot her as she emerged from the dizzying sea of faces.
Her angelic blonde hair shone with unrivaled brilliance, her ponytails bobbed as they crashed over her shoulders, casting errant strands of soft gold to brush against her heart shaped face.
The pleasant bubble that was her voice was as warm as the chestnut brown of her eyes, which gleamed with happiness when they spotted her beloved celestial summon prancing up to her.
Natsu found his partner, Lucy, beautiful in every sense of the word.
To him girls were usually more adorable than beautiful, with Lisanna being the exception. She was pretty, so like a little bit of both.
But Luce... Luce was beautiful.
If his precious little Wendy was the cutest darn thing to ever be created by God, a sentiment he would express till he died, then his partner was the most magnificently gorgeous.
"There you are, little one!" Lucy swooned as she scooped Plue up into her arms, scolding lightly, "I put you down for a second and you dance your cute little tooshie to where I can't find you."
She planted a kiss atop his little white head, turning to leave before Plue's incessant chirping and pointing forced her gaze to follow along.
Their eyes finally met, blank coals greeting clarion almonds.
Elegant bafflement stretched the graceful contortions of Lucy's face as she registered his existence in front of her.
If his heart skipped a beat, her heart beat several ticks faster.
Lucy didn't remember him being this large.
It had probably been that way for a long time, but only now did she really notice how much bigger he was than her.
Before, his body was like it had been built from the sturdiest yet smoothest of marble. Now, his muscles were blocky jagged stones that rippled from beneath his duster.
The horrid scars that painted cruel pictures on the canvas of his face somehow managed to enhance his features, the masculine warmth he exuded uniquely his.
He wasn't steely like Gajeel, nor icey sharp like Gray, the unfathomable power that kept close to him could either wrap you up in a gentle hug, or relay an eerie message.
"Hey Luce." he rumbled gently, offering a smile not as bright as it once was, but just as kind.
The powerful baritone spread kisses of pink across Lucy's fair skinned cheeks as she bumbled, "N-natsu, i-it's you."
"It's me." Natsu agreed, "Are you on a mission too?"
She nodded dumbly.
He gave a brief chuckle, knowing if he didn't get close for a hug she would be tripping over her words like a shy school girl.
Wendy was the shy and timid one in his life, Lucy was outgoing and bright, and above all else, fiesty.
And as pretty as she looked with a blush on her cheeks, Natsu didn't think sheepishness suited her.
Lucy's feet were glued to the ground against her own will as Natsu walked forward. Putting Plue down at the last second, she couldn't help but squeak when strong arms came together around her.
She had been hugged by him more times than she bothered to count, but now of all times, close contact made her palms all clammy.
That being said, Lucy eagerly hugged her partner back, sinking into him just as she always did.
Her sweet vanilla scent seduced Natsu's nostrils as he leaned down so they could press their heads against each other.
"It's so good to see you. I've really missed you Luce." he practically purred, having been granted contentment for the first time since his trip with Juvia.
The blushing Lucy hummed in agreement, asking the most important question that came to mind, "How are you? Really?"
That assertive and almost fiery look he loved so much stared Natsu down as his Luce got straight to the point, "I want the truth mister."
Natsu snorted in amusement as they parted to look at each other, Plue now marching circles around them as if to deter any interruptions.
"I'm pretty banged up." Natsu admitted with ease Lucy wasn't expecting, "That's okay though, me and pain go way back."
Lucy could feel the very first waves of grief creeping upon her, telling of the tidal waves yet to come.
She wanted to put up a strong front as he always did, to make sure he knew that all she cared about at the moment was him, that she had spent so much time thinking about him.
Managing to hide quivering lips, she gently grabbed his hand.
His skin was so marred and rough, eliciting the memories of seeing revolting ruined skin and tendons slide from his far overexerted arms, so burnt his blackened flesh steamed as it peeled from the bone.
Everyone had been so foolish to think he would come back from that the same, just as he always did.
"I'm assuming there is nothing I can do to make it go away." Lucy whispered hoarsely, batting her now moist eyelashes, "Could I have prevented it? If I had been better, cou-"
"Luce, there is no possible way you could have been a better partner than you already were."
"Yes there most certainly is. There were so many times where I should have stopped and asked what's wrong, and I didn't. If I had paid attention, then I could've been there to support you, to keep you from falling down the path you did." she replied snippily, pencil thin eyebrows furrowing to wrinkle her face in ways it shouldn't.
"My partner destroyed himself for power because he didn't feel he was good enough to protect me and his family, and most of the people he was killing himself to protect, me included, just sat by and watched."
Natsu shook his head,
"Lookin' at it like that, it don't help nobody. Everyone I've been talking to has been making the same mistakes I have, they've been focusing on the 'if's' or 'what's' instead of movin' forward."
Tears finally sprung free from her eyes, welling against her wishes as her voice finally broke as she hissed,
"How the hell am I supposed to live with myself knowing that you're in so much pain?!"
She had been surprised, actually shocked, when she had come to the conclusion Natsu had wanted alone time.
Surprised that the man who just fought a god and a dragon, the man who had been forced to kill his own brother, needed some time to cool off.
She might as well be in awe that the sun rose every morning.
That excuse she had murmured to herself so many times, 'it's Natsu he can bounce back from everything', had been deployed yet again.
Then the remorseful realization set in, the heartache and sorrow, questions she should have answered by now filling her head to the brim with one miserable prompt after another.
She had been so unbelievable blind.
Natsu registered her heaving words before lifting a hand to brush away her tears.
"I've been making a lotta my friends cry as of late, making em' hurt, making em' sad. And as much as it drives me up a wall, I know it's necessary. They have gotta get everything out before they can be happy again."
Natsu tucked a stray strand of star beam gold hair behind her ear before he grasped a shoulder.
He set his jaw and squeezed a few blinks before continuing, as if to amp himself up.
"Trust me, I know how easy it is to say all these things about movin' forward, about getting over all th' crap you feel whenever ya fail."
Lucy, eyes wide as saucers, stared as he spat out word after word, his voice so strained yet hoarse it was like he had to strangle each syllable out of himself.
All the while Natsu's fingers shook against her shoulders.
"Sometimes it feels like it's nothing but a buncha crap, because the fact of the matter is, Dad is gone, Mavis is gone, that whole timeline is gone, and I still had to put down my brother like he was a rabid dog." he seethed bitterly, the sheer astringency in his voice making Lucy flinch.
"Nothing I say will bring them back, no amount of advice can just get rid of the guilt, I know, Lucy, I know."
Natsu's shaking hands slowly trailed down his partner's lithe arms to gingerly grasp hers, "I ain't saying your right or wrong for feeling the way ya do, I'm just saying moving on is the only thing we can do."
"Yesterday I did, today I do, and tomorrow I will. You get it?"
Lucy sniffled, her dainty nose crinkling as she drank in his words. She just needed to let regret do its job, and move on to put those lessons to good use.
He was right, the ability to move forward was all she had.
This didn't stop silent tears from shedding, it didn't stop her voice from quivering as she mewled that she understood.
"If you need to let it out, if you need help, then you know I am always here, and so is the guild."
Her face buried in his shoulder, Lucy protested, "I-i can't put that on you, not now. It's not fair to you, you have enough going on."
She felt his long fingers hook her shapely hips to pull her close, pressing Lucy against the warmest brick wall in existence.
Lucy's bones shivered in delight when he rumbled right into her ear,
"Ya don't get to hide things from me Luce, so spill it."
Lucy, cheeks burning, nodded timidly.
She wanted to protest, because even she could tell dumping all her feelings on him, right after learning of so many of his own sentiments that needed to be fixed, wasn't right.
Natsu was a little too busy carrying the all the guild's burdens on his shoulders to hear a confession.
But when he growled like that, reason was thrown from the window, and some surge of obedience she didn't even know she had come surging forward.
Lucy wasn't prepared to say how she felt, she probably never would, but orders were orders.
As a train came tumbling and screeching into the station, its engine hissing as if sighing, Lucy attempted to speak.
"I-i want to say thank you." she began, unable to stop a gushing smile from revealing her angel-white teeth, "For everything you've done. For giving me a family in Fairy Tail, for all these wonderful adventures."
She played with her own wafer thin fingers, "When I met you I was just a clueless 18 year old girl, and thanks to you, I got to go on so many adventures and meet so many amazing people and even help save the world."
Natsu couldn't resist tangling his hand with hers, attempting not to focus on her puffy lips as she spoke. His desires, however unhealthy repressed to the point of non-existence they may be, were flaring without his consent.
They stood as two defiant stones in a river as the exiting passengers of the train behind them weaved around what they presumed to be departing lovers.
"I wouldn't be the person I am today if it wasn't for you. You helped me learn so much about myself along the way." her voice grew more and more brittle as Lucy valiantly fought the tears and the stuttering.
Even he could see the ridiculous pile of courage Lucy had managed to channel within herself.
Lucy looked up at him, her virility-brown eyes shining bright,
"One of those things being, that I love you."
Natsu's instinctive reply of 'I love you too' had its wings clipped, resulting in it never taking flight from his tongue.
This wasn't the species of love he was accustomed to. It was the type of love that, against his wishes, made his heart move.
But not upwards, soaring on a rocket ride to the moon, but downwards, to plummet into thrashing seas of pain.
At his slack jaw, the beet red Lucy couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably, chest thumping erratically,
"You've stolen this girl's heart Natsu Dragneel, can't ya see?"
"This crush I've had on you for so long, i-it... it lifted me up. I gained more confidence than I thought possible just because you thought I was someone worth talking to, someone worth fighting for as hard as you did."
She couldn't help but press her comely figure against him, her insides in such a tingling state of blissful anarchy that Lucy wasn't sure what to do with her body.
And from the looks of it, Natsu could claim the same.
Words were not able to cleanly reflect Natsu's awe, nor his confusion, or most importantly, his dread.
The magnificent Lucy Heartfilia had chosen, out of the entire planet's population, the broken mess that was himself to fall in love with.
As much as Natsu loved her back, in that same special way, he knew why his stomach had taken up a new occupation as a gymnast.
Aware of the bleeding heart that had been placed in his hands, Natsu answered honestly, interrupting the hopeful anxious silence Lucy had left.
His answer came in non-verbal form.
Natsu once again gripped her tapered waist to press her against him, but this time, his neck craned as he leaned down to capture what his instincts had been telling him was his for a very long time.
That being Lucy's dangerously soft pink lips.
The dark red that settled on her cheeks practically emitted steam as she melted into the sacred kiss they shared. His own lips, rough and aged, yet very demanding, conquered her instantly.
He was confident, she was a whimpering mess.
Millions of thoughts were forcefully condensed into one as Natsu allowed himself a moment of weakness. He just wanted to enjoy kissing the woman he loved. He deserved that much.
For a moment, there was no pain, no aching, nothing, just him and his Luce.
Okay, and maybe little Plue dancing happily around their ankles.
Her delicate eyelashes were in a constant state of flux, the beetle-legged hairs fluttering as her toes curled and her free hand found purchase over his shoulder.
Lucy never realized having Natsu command complete control over her would feel so amazing.
Natsu himself most certainly agreed.
His control was truly pushed when Lucy mewled into the kiss, a cry for air.
Their first kiss had been so naïve and affectionate, as it had sprouted from a simple dare by Asuka.
But this was an entirely different beast, a very passionate one.
After a heavenly eternity, Natsu knew it was time to part, despite being aware this was a sensation he may never experience again.
The two separated to press their foreheads together, Lucy panting out her giggles as her rib cage struggled to contain the expanse of her heart.
Natsu's 'I love you too' had been told in a way she would expect from him.
But the grimace written across his torn face forced Lucy to halt the euphoric train in its tracks.
"W-what's…. Wh-what's wrong?" she breathed, her warm breath tickling his cheekbones.
For just a moment everything was right in the world. What could be the problem?
"I love you too Luce, y-ya know?" Natsu's gruff came strangled, reminding Lucy of how he spoke right after a grievous injury, "B-but...I can't, I-i mean I don't think... there's just so much ya don't know, so much ya don't need to know."
Lucy's impeccable complexion merely shone with understanding as she sung softly, "T-then tell me Natsu, help me understand. We both wanna be on the same page."
"I-i don't know where to start, a-and... and I ain't sure I'm strong enough to tell you everything, about what I am."
"I know what you are." Lucy brought his ravaged knuckles to her lips, "You're a human, you're my Natsu. That's all that matters."
Natsu's sharp teeth pressed against each other with the force to effortlessly tear through steel.
"I-i'm not human Lucy."
At the forlorn reveal, she muttered, "What? Of course you ar-"
"I'm not!" Natsu huffed, teeth still grit, "Luce ya fell in love with a demon!"
Lucy held her eyes closed, unable to believe they were having this conversation in public, "T-that doesn't make any sense." she rejected, rebuking firmly, "You can't still be it, I rewrote the freakin' book, it nearly killed me! You're no longer connected to it!"
Natsu disconnected the sweet contact between their head's as she glanced away, stare fixated on nothing.
"It was never the key Luce, it was the lock. You undid that lock."
The dangerous way his look darkened and the concerning heaving of his chest told Lucy that she needed him to think about anything other than his battle with Zeref, other than E.N.D.
She knew much less than she should about E.N.D, but calling it, or him, or whatever it was, a demon, was akin to saying Igneel was 'just' a dragon.
Despite the long list of questions she should rightfully ask, Lucy didn't think it right to make him go through that again. He would reveal what he wanted when he wanted.
"I-i... don't understand much, about it, about me, but you still deserved to know more than anybody." his voice thick with shame.
"Natsu I don't care about that-"
"I know Luce, I know you don't, it's not that... it's..."
"I-i mean, so what if our kids aren't one hundred percent human? That doesn't mean I'm going to love them any less." Lucy stated with a soft laugh, her attempts at massaging the tension that called Natsu's body home instantly backfiring.
Mirajane had been teasing her for ages about how cute she thought her and Natsu's children would look. It was the first thing that came to mind, and the first thing out of her mouth.
The vibrant expressiveness his face once held made a momentary return as Natsu flinched.
The scrunching of his features, the hair raising treble of his hoarse exhales, the way his fingers fell to knead her slim biceps anxiously, it bothered Lucy's very bones.
How much time had he spent building courage for this moment?
Maybe that's why he couldn't cry, maybe that was just another reason he had been gone this long.
He was all dried out from preparing himself for heartbreak.
Chest tight at the sight of his desiccant eyes struggling to produce moisture, Lucy pleaded, "N-natsu, c'mon, talk to me."
There was too much going on, with not enough space to let it reach her.
But considering this was just a feeble taste of what her partner dealt with from dawn to dusk, Lucy bared with it and pushed higher up the steep mountain of angst.
"Please, I know I'm not Lisanna, but you can tell me anyth-"
"Fairy Tail is the only family I am ever going to be able to give you." Natsu croaked, his baked yet penetrating stare finally gaining enough moxy to look her in the eye. He was done hiding this.
She squinted, "W-what?" Lucy tucked a lock behind her ear, "I don't think...I don't think I follow."
"I'm not a human Luce, a-and, and I've taken a few too many knicks f-for that to be in the cards."
"Y-you mean…"
"I'm sterile, Porlyusica says," Natsu's voice was gravel among the train station's train screeches and passenger blather, "Some parts of me a-ain't working all that well anymore, n' combined with the fact I'm not human... she said it's just not happening."
Her lips pursed as she pressed a hand to his cheek, shivering at the scarred abundance there to meet her.
"Oh Natsu," Lucy grieved with a moan, "I'm so sorry." she hiccupped, able to do what he could not, shed tears.
Fighting back waves of weeps and cries, she smiled through it, "As much as you don't deserve that, it doesn't change a thing, you hear?"
"B-but there's nothing here, I-i mean, there ain't no future with me." Natsu argued.
Behind them, the train conductor stepped from the locomotive to announce its departure. However, upon spotting the two, the north of middle aged man softened his look and made his subsequent 'all aboard!' hushed.
Lucy continued to stroke his valleys on his cheek, wiping her eyes with her sleeve to murmur tenderly,
"This doesn't have to happen now, it doesn't have to happen anytime soon. It can happen when you want. What matters to me the most Natsu is you, so take all the time you need."
He blanketed her hand with his, Natsu's twitching cheek warming from the pleasure of her touch.
"B-but I don't think I can be who you need me to be."
"Doesn't matter." she swiftly chirped back, "When you think you've done all you can to heal, then know I'll be here waiting to help finish that process, to love every bit of you."
When Natsu circled and embraced her with his free arm, Lucy slid her eyes shut and hummed softly, sitting there holding him with as much love as she could muster.
"There is one man in the world for me Natsu, and that's you."
They finally untangled themselves from each other, but not before sharing one last kiss. Their lip lock was a far more adoring rendition when compared with its passionate predecessor.
The fair skinned plums that were Lucy's cheek still had rosy pink kissed across them as she stepped back.
"I have to go." she told him, crouching down to pry little Plue from Natsu's ankle. The spirit had attached itself to his leg somewhere along the way.
With her beloved summon against her hip, Lucy gripped her luggage, "I love you."
"I love you more." Natsu's impossibly quick response made her smile, which in turn spread right back to him.
Lucy turned on her heel to board the train, giving a nod in thanks to the patiently waiting conductor upon realizing she had delayed the trip a minute.
Natsu would have been able to crum together some sleep that night if Lucy hadn't added one last thing from over her shoulder before leaving.
"I'll wait as long as I need to, Natsu."
The train's blaring horn sounded off before its engine began to roar its song, chugging its way out of the station, leaving Natsu alone.
His eyes gradually fell down to stare at nothing as he felt the temptation to fall apart tug at his sleeve like a needy child.
He could disobey its request, but he couldn't ignore it.
Because the harsh truth was, there was something else Lucy possessed that he did not.
Time.