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Natsu would have liked to say he’d never been happier. By all accounts, he was supposed to be having the time of his life. The guild was together, there was always food, and he had plenty of places to explore, complete with adventures and monsters and fighting. And Lisanna was back, returned from Edolas and still amazing in a way he could never work up the nerve to tell her. No one else was amazing in the way Lisanna was amazing.
Maybe that was why Natsu wanted to be with her more than he was getting. It seemed like whenever he went to talk with Lisanna, ask her if she wanted to come exploring with him, or go on a mission, she was already talking with Lucy, looking very happy. Natsu could never make himself break up a conversation that two of his friends were clearly enjoying. He always retreated and complained to Happy. Soon they both moved on.
But later Natsu would come back to it, confiding in Happy at night before either of them went to sleep. It had been a ritual of theirs to talk before bed, even before Lisanna’s stint in Edolas, and ever since she’d come back, Natsu had found he had more to talk with Happy about. Lisanna and her return had brought up thought processes and conversations long forgotten. But they were strange conversations, weird thought processes, about things Natsu didn’t fully understand and Natsu had always reacted to things he didn’t understand with frustration.
“I don’t get it, Happy!” Natsu complained one day. “Everything should be fine! Lisanna’s just hanging out with Lucy for a change. That’s got nothing to do with building that new future we were talking about. It shouldn’t affect me at all!”
“But it is,” Happy pointed out. “What’s going on, Natsu? Why are you being so grouchy?”
“I’m not being grouchy!” Natsu said hotly. “I’m… just annoyed! Why’s Lisanna spending so much time with Lucy instead of me? I want to be the one to go on adventures with her! I want to spend time with her! Why isn’t she hanging out with me?”
“Probably because every time you two hang out you try to impress her and always end up getting super protective.”
“No I don’t!” Natsu denied, his face steaming.
“Yes you do,” Happy insisted, stifling a giggle. “One time, you jumped up onto a bridge to scout out the area and nearly fell off it into the river. And when Lisanna tried to help you, you got all embarrassed. You like her and want her to think you’re cool.”
“That’s not it!” Natsu argued with him. “At least, I don’t think that’s it! I’m just trying to get us back to where we left off. And… I want to help protect her.”
“Lisanna can protect herself, Natsu,” said Happy.
Natsu nodded his head fiercely. “I know, I know! I’m not sure why I’m being like this. But I…”
He trailed off, lost in thought, his brow furrowed heavily. Happy watched him for a moment before opening his mouth to speak again.
“You should talk to Lisanna about this. It sounds like something the two of you should work out.”
Natsu grumbled. “Maybe you’re right. I’ll talk to her in the morning.”
And with that he turned over and went to sleep, leaving Happy looking at him rather dubiously. Natsu’s track record wasn’t the best when it came to talking about his feelings and he had a tendency to forget promises made right before sleeping.
The guildhall was full of talking, laughing, and chattering people when Natsu strode in, bursting through the doors with Happy close beside him. The volume went up in pitch for a moment as people recognized his entrance, but everyone soon carried on with their usual activities. There was noise and chaos and movement everywhere. Natsu loved when the guildhall was like this. Everyone seemed so happy.
Lisanna was sitting at a table with Lucy, talking without a care in the world. At least that’s how it seemed to Natsu.
“She’s right over there, Natsu!” Happy pointed out. “Just go talk to her!”
Natsu didn’t move. He kept staring at Lisanna, trying to pin down the feeling he was having as he looked at her. It was complicated and unfamiliar, but he felt like he should know it. It must have a name.
“Go on!” pressed Happy.
Natsu’s gaze snapped back to Happy and he started to move. “I’m going already!”
He picked his way through the crowds towards Lisanna, feeling his nervous system light up as he got closer to her like her presence was electrifying every cell in his body. She didn’t seem to be aware of him just yet.
Lucy noticed him first. “Oh hey, Natsu. How’ve you been?”
“Fine,” he said gruffly, his focus not on the conversation. “I need to talk to Lisanna about something.”
Lisanna turned around at the sound of her name and smiled at Natsu. She looked happy to see him and it made his heart ache. Her wide eyes shone beautifully when she smiled and it made Natsu feel a little lighter too. No wonder I want to hang around her more, he thought to himself. She’s incredible. The effect she has on people… there’s nothing like it.
“What do you need to talk to me about, Natsu?” Lisanna asked. She was welcoming and open, with a hint of mischief in her expression, and Natsu had to admit he loved that expression on her.
“Uh…” he blanked.
“One of those conversations, is it?” Lisanna teased gently. She turned to Lucy. “I better go talk with him somewhere else. But I’ll catch up with you later, right?”
Lucy nodded and started to leave. “Of course. I’ll see you around, Lisanna.” She paused and smirked at the two of them. “Good luck with your conversation.”
Lisanna laughed and Natsu reddened. What was that supposed to mean? He was just going to ask about seeing her more. And maybe figure out why his heart was beating a million times a minute, but that always happened when he was with Lisanna. It wasn’t a priority to figure out. Really, the sensation was starting to grow on him. The world looked a bit more vibrant and colorful when his blood was rushing through his veins and Lisanna was smiling at him. Even the noise of the guildhall was more intense.
“So come on, Natsu,” Lisanna said as they walked, “what’s going on with you? You’re being almost serious.”
Natsu looked sheepish. “I guess I am. But I don’t really know what’s going on. It was all Happy’s idea, getting me to talk to you. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to be talking about!”
Lisanna appeared thoughtful, like she’d gained more from Natsu’s comments than he had.
“What did you say that made Happy send you to me?” she asked, trying to help and somehow hitting the nail right on the head.
“Uh, not much!” Natsu protested. “Just that you’ve been hanging out with Lucy a lot and I wanted to see you more.” His tone changed before continuing. “I thought we were going to be doing stuff together, you know? And I want to be there by your side whenever you go on adventures and stuff, to make sure everything goes down okay.”
Lisanna listened quietly, a neutral expression on her face until the end. Then she gave a small smile and tilted her head.
“We can see each other more,” she said softly. “In fact, I’d really like to. But after the incident where you were avoiding me, I wanted to make sure everything was okay. I wasn’t sure you wanted to see me very often.”
“And I thought I should get to know everyone new who’s joined the guild,” she added with a smile. “We’re all a family, right?”
“Yeah,” said Natsu dazedly. “But are you saying I was the one who messed this all up? With my cowardice from earlier?”
“I don’t know about cowardice, Natsu,” Lisanna replied reasonably, “but I think it’s a little bit of both of our faults. I should probably have talked to you more about what you wanted in this relationship.”
“R-relationship?!” Natsu stuttered, struggling to keep up. “What’s that supposed to mean?! Oh, why is this all so confusing?!”
To his surprise, Lisanna laughed. They were outside the guildhall now, walking alongside the river, and Natsu realized it was a nice day, now that he stopped to pay attention. He stared at Lisanna in confusion.
“What do you think it means?” Lisanna asked him. “I’m not totally sure either. It is all very confusing.”
“I think it means…” he started. “Oh, I don’t know! It’s probably related to how my heart always beats fast when you’re around! And how I want to make sure nothing bad happens to you again! What doyou think, Lisanna?”
She stopped suddenly and Natsu had to stop as well. They were standing oddly close to each other and he admired the rosy color in her cheeks. It’d only just appeared, but it was calming him already. He was nervous for some reason, but it was more like excitement and a confused smile spread across his face as he stared at her.
“I think,” Lisanna began, reaching out and putting a hand on Natsu’s shoulder, “it means we should definitely spend more time together. And that it’s taken you an awfully long time, Natsu, to figure everything out enough to come talk to me about it. So I think it’s about time I give you some help.”
Lisanna leaned closer to Natsu and kissed him. He was mostly too shocked to do anything, but just before Lisanna pulled away, he kissed her back and the realization clicked in the back of his mind.
Oh. Right, he thought. Of course. I’m in love with her.