Work Text:
It was an off day at the guild. The stormy weather had not only made it impossible for anyone to go home, but it had also made it impossible to complete any jobs. So, they were all stuck.
It was a rare time when at least half the guild were all in the same place. Often, too many members were off doing their own quests or daily life activities. For example, between jobs and having their hands full with Asuka, Bisca and Alzack were rarely physically in the guild these days. No one blamed anyone, that’s just how life went sometimes. But, that meant it was more of a celebration when everyone was together–even if it was just because it was a stormy day.
The drinks were making their rounds and so were the stories, laughter, and smiles. Quickly, a game of truth or dare had somehow started up. No thanks to Cana who had already dared Lucy to kiss Natsu on the cheek. Ok well, she had actually dared Lucy to kiss him on the lips, but there was no way in hell Lucy would let a drunken game of truth or dare steal her first kiss.
With a slight tremor that only Natsu would be able to notice, Lucy managed to press her lips against the softness of his cheek. Her face had felt reminiscent of Natsu's fire and unfortunately that hadn’t gone unnoticed by the prying members of the game, but that was easy to blame on the alcohol.
(What wasn’t easy to blame on the alcohol, was the hammering of her heart as she had gotten closer and closer to Natsu, but Lucy shoved that thought down with a sip of her beer).
Soon enough, it was already Natsu’s turn and Lucy hoped she wouldn’t somehow be roped into it yet again, but based on the way the game had been going thus far and the fact that it was Cana’s turn to ask the question once more, she wasn’t holding her breath.
“Alright Natsu, truth or dare?” Cana asked with a smirk before taking a sip of the beer she hadn’t been nursing for long.
“What kind of question is that? Dare.” Natsu answered. The guild erupted in a chorus of exhausted sighs and rumblings.
“You can’t always choose dare, you pyro. That’s boring,” Gray muttered.
“Yeah, you’ve gotta keep it interesting, Natsu. You’re always the first to dive head first into a fight, it’d be nice to get some truth out of you for once,” Mira chimed in. Lucy didn’t miss the way Mira threw her a look after she said that. Lucy raised her eyebrow, wondering what nonsense had been planned by Mira and Cana before the game had even begun.
She took another sip of her beer anxiously waiting for Natsu to take his turn.
“What’s that supposed to me?! I always tell the truth!” Natsu shouted back as he stood up from his spot in the circle.
“Calm down, Natsu. You know that’s not what she meant,” Lucy offered, tugging on the end of his shirt lightly to pull him back down into his chair.
“Fine, fine. Truth, then or whatever,” Natsu sighed leaning back into his chair, his arms crossed in front of his chest.
“Alright. Would you choose Lucy or–”
“Lucy, next question.” Natsu answered. Lucy blinked at him, her breathing holding in her chest. She heard snickers from various guildmates, her face becoming hotter and hotter by the second. Maybe she needed to slow down on the alcohol. And Natsu needed to too. He didn’t know what he was saying. Surely, that was it.
“You didn’t even let me finish my question, you idiot. Would you choose Lucy or the–”
“I said, Lucy. I don’t need to hear what the other option is,” Natsu answered again, turning his face away from Cana, clearly unentertained by it all.
“Ok well for the sake of MY entertainment, if you had to choose between Lucy or the sun, which would it be?” Cana asked once more.
Natsu scoffed as he fell further into his seat.
“Well, that’s a dumb question. Lucy IS the sun. I can't choose between that. They’re the same thing.”
Yep. This was how Lucy was going to die. Of complete and utter embarrassment. She didn’t think it was possible, but her cheeks were feeling even hotter, clothes beginning to feel just a little too tight on her body. Her palms felt wet against her thighs, teeth sinking into her lip so hard that she could taste blood.
“Aww, look! Our little Lucy’s blushing!” Mira announced. Everyone then turned to look at her, including Natsu. Normally, she could read Natsu like an open book, but he could be a complete stranger for all she knew at that moment. His furrowed eyebrows and pressed lips gave her nothing. Maybe it was the alcohol still in her blood or the fact that her eyes were starting to sting from the embarrassment, but whatever it was, she had no idea what was going on through his head.
“Well, Lucy. Whattya gotta say for yourself, huh? You’ve got a not so secret admirer” Cana smirked.
“Yeah come on, Lu! Don’t leave us hanging!” Levy nudged her playfully in the arm, making Lucy jump.
“Well I-” Lucy was about to argue that this wasn’t how the game worked. She was in no way obligated to give them any sort of response, but then Natsu began to lean in closer to her, presumably to ask her if she was alright, but Lucy never gave him the chance.
Suddenly, before she could even think it over, her legs were carrying her out of her chair and out of the guild, protests from her guildmates calling out to her.
“Lucy! What are you-”
“Lucy!”
“Luce! Get back here, it's too dangerous out there!”
The only one she could make out truly was Natsu’s pleading for her not to go out in the storm, but that only made her run faster. She didn’t care about the storm. All that she cared about was getting her stupid heart to stop hammering so hard that it made her head hurt and for her palms to stop sweating and her body to stop trembling like a goddamn scaredy cat.
Why was she like this? She was braver than this. She’s off of scarier looking opponents. This was her guild and her best friend. They didn’t mean anything. They were just teasing.
Still, Lucy ran all the way home. At some point, she didn’t know where the rain drops began and her tears ended.
When she finally made it back to her bedroom, her legs gave out on her, her back sliding against her door.
She hated feeling small. It was stupid to feel like this over something so good. It was just her friends that cared about her and her wellbeing. It was just Natsu, who saw so much more in herself than she ever did.
So, then why was she collapsed on her bedroom floor, knees pulled up to her chest, head hiding in her arms on top of her knees, feeling like a kid again?
Suddenly, Lucy felt a heat radiate from in front of her. She didn’t need to look up to know that it was her best friend. But, she did. And there he was. There he always was.
Natsu.
There he stood, right in front of her, his hair disheveled from the rain, clothes sagging against his body, arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed.
“Care to tell me what the hell just happened, Lucy?! You could’ve gotten seriously hurt out there! No one should be out there in this weather and certainly not you what with that outfit that somehow qualifies as clothing and all and-” Natsu began to rant, but Lucy cut him off.
“Did you mean it?” She asked softly. Natsu blinked and scratched his chin.
“Did I mean what?” He sighed. Lucy stood up slowly to level with him.
“That–that I was the same as the sun. That-you would choose me?”
“THAT’S what all of this was about? Jesus christ, Lucy, of course I meant what i said. I don’t really see the big deal here,” Natsu answered matter of factly.
Just as quickly as her anxiety sprung on, it dissipated then because there in front of her was Natsu. Her best friend. Her best friend that chooses her time and time again. Her best friend that believes in her so confidently, he doesn’t see what the big deal is out of all of this.
And, now, neither does she.
Lucy didn’t say anything, instead, she lunged herself forward, collapsing into his chest and wrapping her arms around his back, his heat reminding pooling into her so quickly that she forgot what it was ever like to be cold.
“I choose you too,” She mumbled into his stomach. She felt his muscles relax underneath her hands, his own finding purchase against the small of her back, extra heat radiating off of them in an attempt to keep her safe and warm.
“Well good, I’d need to actually start paying for my meals if you didn’t,” he teased into her hair.
Any other day, Lucy would’ve given him a good ‘ole “Lucy Kick” for saying that. But for now, she just wanted to bask in her own sun.