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“Natsu-sama! Come to me, my Natsu-sama!”
“Would you just go away?!”
Lucy sighed as she watched the newest member, Touka, once again try to woo Natsu only for the dragon slayer to reject her advances.
At first it was kind of amusing watching Natsu deal with an obsessive fan. She’d never seen him so frustrated in all the days she’d known him. But there was also annoyance, due to the fact that Touka was relentless in her affections. Couldn’t she give the poor boy a break? He obviously wasn’t comfortable around her.
“Juvia doesn’t like her.”
Lucy jumped as she was brought back to the world around her. She was so caught up in her musings and staring at Natsu and Touka that she never noticed the water mage place herself next to her on the bench.
Turning to her friend, Lucy raised an eyebrow, “Really? You two are so similar I figured you’d get along well. Especially since she’s made it clear she’s not after Gray.”
She was surprised when the water mage glared at her. Lucy yelped and hoped the woman wouldn’t drown her for the comment.
“Juvia is insulted Lucy would say such a thing! Juvia thought she and Lucy were friends!”
Shocked, Lucy waved her arms around as she hastily explained, “No, no, no, I didn’t mean to offend! I just thought, you know, ‘birds of a feather’ and all that. I’m so sorry!”
The explanation seemed to placate Juvia, much to Lucy’s relief, as the blue-haired woman huffed and went back to glaring at Touka.
“She had insulted Juvia and her devotion to Gray-sama. Therefore, Juvia does not take kindly to her. And she’s a copycat, too!”
Lucy nodded, fighting off the urge to chuckle at Juvia’s disdain. It was kind of amusing, if she were being honest.
“Juvia is actually surprised Lucy does not dislike Touka. Isn’t Lucy angry that Touka is trying to steal Natsu away from her?”
Lucy blinked at Juvia’s question. For the longest time, she thought Juvia would never get it in her head that it wasn’t Gray she liked, but Natsu. Granted, Lucy wasn’t parading around her feelings for the fire dragon slayer, but given how she was always hanging around him instead of Gray it should have been obvious! But no, it was always “love rival” this, and “love rival” that.
Maybe this was Juvia's twisted form of an inside joke?
Pushing that new and weird thought into the back of her mind, Lucy shook her head at Juvia’s previous question. “No, actually. She’s a little…overbearing, yes—and I do wish she’d leave him alone after he tells her to—but I don’t dislike her.”
Juvia cocked her head in curiosity. “Why not? She is your love rival. She could woo Natsu and sweep him off his feet! Then poor Lucy will be all alone and loveless!”
Lucy snorted at that. It was always a romantic drama with Juvia around. She pointed her thumb to the two, where Natsu was trying to climb one of the guild’s support beams to get away from the fawning girl. “Please. You think Natsu’s turned on by this?”
Juvia chuckled at the scene but still had that look on her face that told Lucy she still didn’t quite understand. Lucy understood her confusion. Juvia had been mooning over Gray for years, and finally managed to melt his cold heart and have her affections returned. If it could happen for her, who’s to say it won’t happen for Touka?
But Juvia doesn’t know Natsu like Lucy does. Juvia isn’t privy to those rare moments Natsu opens himself up for the world to see. Or rather, for Lucy to see…
“I’m not worried, Juvia. Honest.”
“Why?”
Lucy smiled, staring at Natsu and remembering what he told her before he dragged her out of her apartment to start on the 100 Year Quest.
“ What does it matter, though? We’re still gonna be together from here on out, right?”
“I just know.”