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There was nothing different about the night that Natsu Knew. It wasn’t special; it wasn’t anything new; it was just like every other night they spent together after coming back from the guild.
His head rested against the arm of Lucy’s couch, one leg hanging off the side while the other was stretched out across the cushions, making the most of the time he had before she got out of the shower and scolded him for having his feet up on the couch. As soon as he heard the water turn off, he swung his legs around and off the couch before leaning back casually, as if he had been sat like this the entire time.
Not long after, Lucy peeked her head out of the bathroom door to see if he was still sitting in her living room waiting for her. When her eyes met his, he flashed her a wide grin, and she responded in turn with that soft, gentle smile that she reserved only for him.
By the time she stepped out, she was clad in nothing but a fluffy towel to cover her body—something that years ago would have earned him a Lucy Kick to the jaw if he even thought about looking at. She had grown more comfortable with it these days, now that he had seen every inch of what was underneath of her own volition.
"What did you get us?" She asked, already feeling the itch of hunger settle in from the long day behind them.
"Thai," he replied, gesturing to the bags of food that sat on the coffee table across from him.
"Thank you," she said, as she took a detour on the way to her bedroom to place a kiss on the top of his head. "You’re the best."
Her words elicited a grin so wide that it began to hurt his cheeks, but the pain didn’t even register as he felt the high of her praise kick in.
"Don’t spill any on the couch while I’m getting changed," she called out to him as she sauntered into her bedroom, Natsu admiring the view every step of the way.
Although the food called out to him every minute she was gone, he patiently awaited her return so they could share the food with their company. His patience was rewarded when Lucy came out with bowls and cutlery so they wouldn’t have to eat out of the plastic containers their food came in.
She had abandoned her day clothes for something comfier for their night in: a baggy t-shirt (one that he could have sworn belonged to him a few years back but now smelt too much like Lucy that he couldn’t really tell) and a pair of soft cotton shorts, with her hair held in a loose ponytail behind her back.
She looked pretty like that, he thought.
Comfortable.
Like she didn’t feel like she had to try hard with him.
It made an unusual warmth spread throughout his body, knowing that the ever prim, proper, and refined Lucy was unafraid to be a little lazy and a little messy around him.
She set the bowls out on the coffee table for them and served up a good portion for both of them before she staked her claim on the couch, nestled up into his side.
"Is yours spicy?" Lucy asked, eyeing up his curry like she wanted a taste.
"No, not really," he shrugged.
"Can I try some?"
He held his food out to her, an offer he would never extend to anyone but Lucy, and she helped herself to a generous spoonful before giving it a taste. Almost immediately, her face began to turn red, and she began to cough and sputter as she scrambled for her water. She gripped at her glass as though it were the last thing keeping her alive, and she chugged the entire contents in one go as Natsu howled in laughter. Part of him, deep down, felt a little bad for her, but his Lucy was smart enough to know by now that their definitions of spicy were vastly different.
"You said it wasn’t spicy!" She whined as she fanned her face in a sad attempt to cool herself down.
"It’s not," he argued, shoving another spoonful of what he considered to be mild curry into his mouth.
By the time she looked back at him, her eyes were watering and her nose was running, and he could not hold back the cackle that left him at the sight.
"You are such an ass!" She cried out as she pathetically tottered over to the kitchen, no doubt to pour herself a nice, cold glass of milk to fight off the heat.
Her face was still red, and she was panting like a dog when she came back out, clutching her mug in both hands, periodically taking a sip of her drink in an attempt to neutralise the burning in her mouth. Despite any animosity she may have been holding towards him for letting her eat perhaps the spiciest meal in all of Magnolia, she nestled comfortably back into his side.
"Ya want some more?" He teased, holding out another spoonful to her, to which she only responded with a firm whack on his arm and a deep scowl on her face.
Comforted in knowing that he wouldn’t have to share any more of his meal, the two of them finished their meals as they enjoyed each other’s comfortable presence. He tried to sneak a spoonful from her bowl, only to be swatted away and left to whine over how unfair it was, considering how generously willing he was to share his food. Lucy merely rolled her eyes and shuffled to the other side of the couch to avoid his predatory gaze at her dinner; an unfair punishment in his eyes.
It seemed karma immediately caught her back when she spilled a glob of her own food right on her shirt, eliciting another howling cackle from Natsu as she pouted over the front of her favourite comfy shirt being ruined. Had there been others around, she might have been mortified over it, immediately scrambling to clean herself up, but considering she was just with Natsu, who had spilled more food on his clothes than an average person might eat in their entire lifespan, she didn’t feel so compelled to do so.
It was just them, the way he felt it always should be.
He could hear the bowls clatter in the sink when Lucy took them back to the kitchen before she left them out of sight and out of mind in favour of returning to her Natsu, who was eagerly awaiting her return. He welcomed her back with open arms, which she took advantage of immediately, taking up residence in his lap and burying her face in his scarf, enjoying the way the soft fabric felt against her face.
Perhaps it was the domesticity, the mundanity of it all. Just the two of them, him and his Lucy. He could do this every night for the rest of his life, if she would let him.
"Hey Lucy?"
"Yeah?" She murmured into his neck.
"Do you want to get married?"
The sudden question very obviously caught her off guard, almost convinced that she may have misheard him.
"W-what?" She exclaimed, perhaps a little louder than necessary in her shock as she pulled herself away from his neck to look him in the eye.
"Do you want to get married?" He repeated, as if she hadn’t heard him the first time.
"To you?" She asked, seeking clarification on his strange and out of character question.
"Yeah, who else?"
"I- I mean, yeah, of course I’d want us to get married someday…" She trailed off slightly at the realisation that this was the first time she had admitted it out loud.
She had always known that Natsu was the one that she wanted to spend her life with, long before their relationship had become romantic. Really, there was no need for a contract of marriage to bind them together when she already felt as though fate had already done so, but to say she’d never thought about it would be an outright lie.
Thoughts of walking down the aisle, clad in pure, virginal white that hugged every dip and curve, to meet Natsu at the end, had plagued her mind for months, perhaps even years.
"Why are you asking this all of a sudden?" She asked, curious where this had come from when marriage wasn’t something she was even sure Natsu was interested in.
"Because I want to get married to you," he stated plainly, as if he weren’t just asking her the question that she had spent her entire life waiting to hear, even if it was in his weird, roundabout way.
She stared at him for a moment, searching in his eyes for some sort of indication of what exactly he meant. As well as she thought she knew him, he always remained inscrutable to her in moments like these.
"Natsu, are you... proposing?" She asked, still uncertain of what exactly his intentions were in asking.
"Yeah, I guess so," he shrugged with complete nonchalance.
"You guess so? Natsu, that’s not how you’re supposed to propose to someone. There’s rules and rituals."
"Alright, then teach me."
"Teach you?"
"Tell me how I’m supposed to propose to you," he said, bluntly, his gaze completely serious.
If he was going to do this, then he was going to do it right. The way his Lucy wanted.
Her breath hitched in her throat, and she had to hold her hand up to her chest to still her beating heart. She had never expected this moment with Natsu to be romantic; in fact, she hardly expected this moment to come at all.
Sure, she’d considered marriage to be in the cards with him, but she always imagined she would have to be the one to bring it up. The last thing she expected was for him to ask while they were sitting on the couch doing nothing but sharing each other’s presence and fooling around.
Though perhaps, considering their relationship, there could be no time more appropriate than then.
"Well... first you get down on one knee," she began, avoiding his gaze to try and hide any of the nerves that she was beginning to feel. "And then you take out the ring and ask if she’ll marry you…" Any settling of her heartbeat had long since been undone, her heart thumping so loud that she was certain he could hear it. "And when she says yes, you put the ring on her left ring finger."
Following her directions, Natsu shifted her out of his lap and got down onto one knee before her.
"Like this?" He asked, gently grasping her hand to pull her attention back to him.
"Yeah," she breathed. "Like that."
Her cheeks were painted a pretty pink all the way up to her ears, though from the curry or the fact that he was on her knees before her preparing to ask her to share their lives together for ever, he wasn’t quite sure.
"I don’t have a ring," he frowned, running his thumb over her bare fingers, noting how depressingly naked they looked, considering the circumstances.
Rather than dwelling on it for long, instead, he found himself removing his scarf before placing it over her shoulders and winding it gently around her neck. Once he was satisfied, he got back down on one knee and grinned up at her.
"So? Are we gonna get married?" He asked, antsy for all this formal stuff to be over so they could get to the good part.
"Y-you’re supposed to wait until she says yes to put the ring on," she explained once she understood what he was trying to do.
"But you were gonna say yes, right?"
"Of course I was gonna say yes, but-"
Her elaboration was quickly cut off by an over-enthusiastic Natsu, who was already rushing far ahead of her.
"Great! Let’s get married, right now!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet and grabbing her hands, ready to pull her up and take her to the nearest courthouse, only to be met with resistance as Lucy held herself down to the couch.
"W-what! No wait!" She cried out in protest. "If we’re going to get married, I want a real wedding, at the guild, with everyone there," she began. "And I want a dress, and a bouquet, and-" She stopped in her tracks before she could let herself get carried away, realising that there was still something missing. "And well… you haven’t even properly asked me yet."
"Right, sorry," he replied sheepishly, realising that he may have gotten a tad ahead of himself.
Getting back on his knee, Natsu intertwined his fingers with hers and looked up at her, her face all flushed and flustered, just the way he thought she looked the cutest.
"Lucy, will ya marry me?" He asked, a grin spreading from ear to ear as he awaited her inevitable yes.
"Yes, Natsu, of course I’ll marry you."
With a loud whoop, Natsu jumped to his feet, bringing Lucy up with him, who let out a squeal of surprise at his sudden enthusiasm. In a moment of joy and passion, he leaned down to encase her lips with his own in a kiss that she eagerly responded to.
"Ow! Ow! Hot!" Lucy cried, her mistake immediately dawning on her as she tasted the lingering spice on his tongue, shoving him away from her as she frantically reached for her drink once more.
"You did that on purpose!" She accused between sips, pouting that she had once again fallen victim to her partner’s wildly high spice tolerance.
"You were the one who went in with tongue!" He retorted, not wanting to take responsibility for his fiancée’s suffering when all he wanted was a kiss.
She childishly responded by blowing a raspberry in his direction before going back to nursing her burning tongue. There was no holding back the loud chortle Natsu let out at her reaction, and soon his arms were wrapped around her in a gleeful bear hug that had Lucy’s drink sloshing over the lip of her mug as she let out a surprised squeal.
This is what he wanted.
Forever, until death do they part.