Archive of Our Own ^beta

“What?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah…”

Natsu was in complete and utter disbelief. He thought that it was a little weird that he never saw her doing it, but it being confirmed so suddenly kind of shocked him. He thought that, perhaps, since she was taught by all those private teachers during her time in the Heartfilia mansion, she would know how to do something so simple… but she didn’t.

“You really don’t know how to cook?”

“Will you stop that already!? No, I don’t. I was never allowed in the kitchens back at home, actually, my father forbade me from doing so, and the year I spent in the streets I survived from buying pre-heated food that I bought with the money I got from doing small jobs. So, no, I don’t know how to cook, Natsu.“

She looked unusually nervous, perhaps being caught that she couldn’t do something so simple as fry an egg embarrassed her. She was a strategist, one of the smartest mages in all Fiore, if not Earthland, but she didn’t know how to make some pasta. He never thought much of it, how she would avoid cooking for him when he asked for some breakfast, how she would nervously laugh and tell him to go to the guild to eat Mira’s food. The lack of fresh food like vegetables and meat in her fridge, how the only available food he always found was pre-heated food or straight up junk food, save for some fruit that she would always have at her disposal. He just thought it was her being her weird self, but apparently, it wasn’t.

“I know how to boil eggs tho? Does that count? I tried making a cake once but it kind of caught on fire… I don’t even know how, I was just doing the dough, the oven wasn’t even on…”

That was it, he couldn’t hold it anymore. He wanted to, she looked rather embarrassed, but it was just too much.

“You made raw dough catch FIRE!!!???!?” He asked while he let out the loudest laugh she had ever heard come from her best friend.

“That’s it, OUT!!!!!!” She felt so exposed, humiliated even – she knew it was stupid, that she shouldn’t feel so embarrassed from something so insignificant; she had saved the whole damn world for fucks sake. But she was embarrassed, and her stupid idiot best friend wouldn’t stop laughing.

“Wait, wait!!! I’m sorry, really! I just… wasn't expecting it, alright?” He was taking deep breaths, trying to calm himself down from the fits of laughter. He knew she didn’t need to be embarrassed from something as insignificant as not knowing how to cook, but after smelling the faint scent of salt he knew he had to stop: the last thing he wanted was a crying Lucy.

“I tried, I really did. But it doesn’t matter how hard I try, something always goes wrong. Sometimes I mistake the salt from the sugar, other times I overcook everything, and when it’s not overcooked it’s straight up raw… I gave up, that’s why I have never cooked you anything. It’s not that I don't want to, It’s just that I can’t.” She felt so vulnerable, she knew that she could rely on Natsu, but sometimes he should really know when to shut up.

“Why didn’t ya’ tell me, I would have understood, you know?”

“I don’t know, I thought that maybe you would think less of me for not knowing how to do something so easy… I DON’T KNOW!”

“You are stupid-”

“I’m going to Lucy-kick you so hard in the balls you won’t be able to have kids, Natsu.”

“WOW, okey, I was just tryna say that I could have taught ya’.”

“What? You don’t know how to cook.”

“Yeah, I do?”

“Since when! I’ve never seen you cook anything!” He looked at her as if she was the one saying crazy things, he had never cooked for her, not even once, how was she supposed to know that he supposedly knew how to cook?

“It’s kinda hard to cook when the only thing ya’ have in the fridge is boiled eggs and an open can of tuna, Luce.” Okay, he had her there, but could he blame her? He was always asking if she could cook for him, the only logical reason, in her mind, was that he couldn’t cook for shit either.

“Why not buy groceries yourself if you wanted breakfast so bad? And how the hell do you even know how to cook in the first place?” She shifted nervously in her place, still feeling way too exposed for her liking.

“Igneel made me hunt for myself during my time with him, and since I couldn’t eat raw meat, I learned how to cook it.” Did he avoid her first question on purpose? “And then when gramps found me, he took me to Fairy tail, but I still had to find my own place. They helped me build my house but that was it. Sometimes they would give me food in Fairy Tail, but they thought my appetite was too big so they had to limit it. So I started hunting and growing my own crops. When I harvested my first tomato, I took it to the guild so everyone could admire my incredible work.” He was smiling proudly, clearly fond of the memory. She loved to learn these things about Natsu, it was really hard to make him talk about himself. He was incredibly honest and direct, but he could be just as private. She tried not to pry – she wanted to know everything about him, but only when he was ready to do so. She would always be there waiting for him, and he knew that.

“Gray made fun of me, saying that I took the tomato way too soon. He was right, believe it or not, it was as green as its leaves, but I didn’t care. It was the first time my hands had created something, instead of destroying it. I'd made fire, I'd punched Gray with, but that was a life. So I couldn't care less about what he had to say about it. Besides, it’s not like he could grow anything himself – so technically I won over him.”

Lucy lightly laughed. That was so incredibly Natsu. She wished she could have been there for him during those times – even if he sounded so happy about those memories, there was a hint of sadness. He must have felt alone, just like she did back at home.

“Hold on a second, I’m gonna get some things and I’ll be right back. Don’t move!” he said as he moved towards her window, sounding weirdly excited.

“Wait! Where are you goi- aaand he’s gone.” Couldn’t he have finished his story? Sometimes she hated his short attention span, who knows when he would open like that again. With a sigh she sat down at her desk and started writing to keep her occupied. He did say he would be back, so she figured she might as well make the time well spent.

______________________

“Luce! I’m back!” Natsu was entering through her window, but with something that he didn’t leave with: bags – plastic bags, to be more specific.

“What’s that?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know – knowing how much of a menace he could be, those bags could be filled with bugs as far as she knew.

“I bought ya’ groceries, with actual food.” He had a smirk plastered on his face that she did not like one bit. “Vegetables, some meat, seasonings, eggs and stuff.”

Lucy eyed him up and down as she watched him place the bags on the kitchen table.

“I told you, I don’t know how to cook.”

“And I told ya’ that if you asked I would teach ya’. You didn’t ask, but I’m gonna teach ya’ anyway.”

“This is going to be a disaster, I just know it.” She didn’t want to sound so defeated but she couldn’t really help herself. It’s not that she didn’t trust Natsu in her kitchen, she didn’t trust herself.

Natsu gave her a reassuring smile, easing her never just a bit.

“So, since you already have the incredible ability to boil eggs, we are going to step it up a level; scrambled eggs, sounds good?” He wasn’t going to lie, he was excited, Lucy being taught something new wasn’t something that happened everyday, even less when he was the one teaching. He couldn’t stop feeling like he was finally doing something that would genuinely help her in the future, as small as it was.

“Okay… But if I catch something on fire, please, take it out.”

“It’s so weird when you’re the one saying it.”

He could feel Lucy’s glare through his skull, but paid no mind to it.

“Shut it.”

He started taking ingredients out of the bags; eggs, milk, oil, salt and pepper.

“I thought we would be making scrambled eggs?” She asked, because there was no way scrambled eggs needed this many ingredients... Right?

“We are?”

“What is going on with all the ingredients?”

“What do you mean?”

“Aren’t scrambled eggs just… eggs?”

He had to take a deep breath before speaking. This woman would be the death of him without even trying, and she didn’t even know.

“I mean, you could make them with just eggs, but if I’m gonna teach you, Imma do it right.” He started explaining everything like he was made for it. “Scrambled eggs can be made with only eggs, but the rest of the ingredients are used to make it taste better, or to add texture – otherwise they just taste bland. If you’re scared about the process don’t worry, it’s really easy, and I’m here to teach ya’, alright?” He was trying to sound as assuring as he could, because if a little bit of oil and pepper was scaring her he had to make sure her first recipes were easy. Otherwise she might not want to try it again.

“Right…” Oh she was scared all right. What the hell would they need milk for, damn it, she was regretting this already. But seeing Natsu so excited about it… she would do it for him.

“Okay, so I think the best way to approach this is if ya’ just copy what I do. There is no way you can catch something on fire if ya’ copy me during the whole process.” And that came from his mouth, the world was surely about to end.

“Watch me.” She sounded positively exasperated.

He sighed, she definitely didn’t believe in herself. He could understand why, she probably spent entire evenings trying to cook something decent, only to end up with piles of burned pans and dirty dishes up to her chin. Everyone has their limits, even Lucy. He took out all the things needed to prepare the eggs, giving Lucy a reassuring smile. He wanted her to know that he believed in her, no matter what.

“By the way, where was I?” He asked her, while he started preparing the eggs, making sure to go slowly so Lucy would be able to follow him without problem.

“What do you mean?”

“Before I left, I was telling ya’ about how I learned to cook, but I can’t remember where I left the story.”

“Oh, yeah, um…” She took a few seconds to remember, “something about making fun of Gray about not being able to grow his own tomatoes?”

“Right! After that I went back home, I learned my lesson and waited until the tomatoes were actually ripe. I knew I had to wait until they were somewhat red, but the first time I was too excited to wait and I couldn’t wait to show everyone. After that I showed up more at the guild, that’s when I started to hang out with Lisanna. We became close really fast, and before I knew it I started inviting her to my house as much as I could. She would try all my weird food creations and give me feedback. Sometimes she could be a bit brutal, but I knew she just wanted me to get better so I never minded. I was really thankful, actually.”

By this time in his story they finished the mix – apparently the milk was used to make the eggs more creamy. She was impressed that there was no fire in sight though. Yet.

“Then Happy came, and I was terrified. Taking care of his egg was pretty easy, thanks to Lisanna, but everything went downhill the moment he hatched. He was a new species that we didn’t know anything about, I felt like I was constantly walking on eggshells; I didn’t know if something could be poisonous for him, so I based his diet on something a cat could eat, and thankfully it worked. But for a really long time I was constantly worried. I would cook meat and fish for him, until he grew old enough to tell me he just preferred raw fish, obviously.” They both laughed, because of course the first words coming out of Happy’s mouth would be to give him raw fish. Suddenly the domesticity of everything hit Lucy, heartbeat picking up in a nervous flutter - were they acting like a family? She quickly decided to take this realization to the grave.

“When Happy’s diet was figured out I went back to experimenting,” Natsu continued. “I started feeling better with my cooking skills. Sometimes I would take some of them to the guild and make everyone try it – and hear this – there have been times that not even Gray could deny my magnificent skills.” He wiggled his brows, making Lucy laugh.

She loved how much he could relax with her. Sometimes she wondered how the Natsu that acted so rowdy in the guild could be the same Natsu that was standing right next to her at home. She felt privileged though, like she was the only one allowed to see this part of him. She would take that thought to the grave, too.

“And I never stopped, I’ve helped Mira a few times in the kitchen for some events of the guild too. Now that I think about it, you’ve tried my food already. Never occurred to ya’ why I went to Fairy Tail’s kitchen so much?” He asked, genuinely confused how she never noticed before.

“Natsu, you really think that my first thought of seeing you entering a kitchen would be ‘oh yeah, he is definitely cooking something’, I THOUGHT YOU WERE EATING THE FOOD!” She exclaimed, and let’s be real for a second, anyone would agree with her.

“Okay, point taken.” They were almost done with the eggs, she followed all his instructions and the only thing left was actually cooking them, in the pan.

“Ya’ ready?” He asked with an eager smile. He was sure nothing would go wrong, not even he had ever caught his food on fire. Burn it? Yeah. Actually had it catch fire? No. He felt a little guilty though, kind of wanting to see if her food actually would go up in flames. Being in her position for once; the trainer, not the trainee, was sort of funny.

“Nothing’s on fire yet, so I guess.” She was so nervous – everything was going great so far, and that scared her. That damned fire was destined to appear at some point, the question was just when.

“Nice! Now we make sure the heat isn’t too high, low-medium heat is the best. That way the eggs won’t get cooked all the way and it’ll stay creamy.” He was speaking while pouring his mix into the pan, demonstrating Lucy how to do it, stirring the eggs slowly but constantly.
“And… ta-daa!!” He was plating the eggs, signaling her to start doing her own. Lucy stayed calm, asking Natsu to make sure the pan wasn’t too hot and then she poured the mix. She was starting to feel really good about herself, realizing that maybe she just needed someone to teach her. She could be really stubborn when she wanted to.

Though she was a sweaty mess for almost the entire process, and still expecting that fire to make an appearance, she finally plated her eggs. They were a little bit overcooked, but looked good nonetheless. She couldn’t believe her eyes, she actually did it, she actually cooked something and didn’t fuck it up in the process.

“You did it!” Natsu cheered, happiness and excitement overtaking him.

“I did it!!!!” She was euphoric, jumping and shouting out of pure happiness. She must have looked crazy, but she didn’t care one bit. She finally cooked something edible!

When she finally calmed down, she looked up at Natsu, her eyes widening a bit seeing the way he was looking at her. His eyes were full of pride, a tender smile adorning his face, for a second she was sure that was how someone looked when being in love. She slapped herself mentally, sometimes her writer side took complete control of her, putting her in these silly kinds of headspaces. She hoped that maybe, one day, she could take control of herself, grow a pair and confess her feelings to him. For now though, she was content with the way he looked at her.

Yeah, that was enough.

“I’m so proud of ya’, Luce. I really am.” And he couldn’t be more honest: so what they were just some eggs. He knew this meant a lot to her, and seeing her so excited was making him so damn happy. He wanted to stop time, just for a little, so they could enjoy the moment a tiny bit more.

“Thank you, Natsu. You have no idea how much this means to me,” she said, as a wave of bravery overtook her. Without her permission, her body moved, wrapping her arms around his torso and nesting her face on his chest.

Natsu was taken by surprise for a moment, freezing up, before realizing he was wasting precious seconds of hugging her back. He got his shit together and returned the action, embracing her with his arms while taking in her sweet scent.

“Should we eat them?” She asked, angling her head upwards to look at him, with her arms still surrounding his body.

“You bet! I wanna try yours first!” He was so excited – this would be the first time someone tried her food, and he couldn’t shake the thrill from the idea of being the first one.

“Okay, okay. Let’s take this to the dining room.” Lucy took her plate and a pair of forks, bringing them straight to the table. Her anticipation was visible. She wanted to impress Natsu, having always wanted to cook something for him, feeding her delusion that they would look like an actual family if she did. Call her old school, but she liked the idea of cooking for him, even if they were just some bland eggs.

Natsu followed her, bringing his own eggs to the table. He separated them a little, making clear that he wanted to try hers first.

“Okay, before you try them, remember that I have never done this before. They’re probably salty, bland, overcooked and undercooked all at the same time, somehow…” She started babbling, trying to make excuses for something that didn't need any. A blush started creeping on her cheeks, and Natsu found himself thinking that she looked kinda cute. Making her blush was something he could simply do, and sometimes he allowed himself to think that it was because she liked him too. A boy could dream.

“Will ya’ calm down? You are acting like I’m some kinda royalty or somethin’. It’s just me, Luce.” He deadpanned, finally sitting down. She was really cute when she was nervous, but it was just the two of them for God’s sake.

“Technically you are.” She said half jokingly, following Natsu and sitting down on her own chair too. It was true though, Igneel was his father, a king, making Natsu a prince, sort of. She wasn’t even going to think about Zeref being a “ruler” too.

Close enough, she thought.

“Ha ha, funny, just pass me the damn fork, woman.” He laughed lightly. Royalty, as if. That life was too much, and too little at the same time, at least for him. Too many rules and too little freedom.

Definitely not for him.

“Yes, your majesty.” Lucy said with a playful tone, passing Natsu the fork while doing an exaggerated bow in the little space that she had. Natsu took the fork from her hand, sticking his tongue out to her. He loved to soak up these little moments between them. Pure, unadulterated Natsu and Lucy moments. He felt guilty for not bringing Happy, but he was allowed to be a little greedy from time to time, right? He would buy him fish later.

“Okay, let’s do this!!” He was so excited to finally try her food – he knew it would taste good, no matter what she said.

Lucy had a horrible tendency of underestimating herself, and Natsu hated it. He noticed how sometimes she would look a little less like his Lucy, and instead her eyes would lose that spark that he loved, her smile would be forced, and her shoulders would become more tense. He knew that sometimes she didn’t feel like she did enough for the team, a blatant lie, may he add, but everyone had insecurities. That… fear, of letting the people you love down, of never being enough, he knew that feeling a little too well. That’s why he always made sure to let her know how good she did on a job, or how her strategies made them win a fight. Maybe they were little, insignificant things, but he knew how big of an impact they made. After all, she did the same for him.

People tended to make fun of his intelligence, and sometimes he found himself regretting how good the dense act worked – leading to people, comrades, and even friends, to make fun of him. Even Natsu has a limit when it comes to being insulted; but nothing got past her. They never talked about it, but he knows that she knows. He's glad that she doesn’t ask, because he's not good with feelings or vulnerability. Acting like an idiot has always been easier. But Lucy… she tells him how smart he actually is, how fast he thinks during battles and how his experience in fighting has saved them all more than once. Her utter and total trust in him gives him peace of mind. And he loves her for that.

“Natsu, seriously, don’t expect much. I know they are just some eggs but knowing me they cou- aaand they’re on fire.” She sighed. She knew it would happen, somehow, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t disappointed in herself… again. She didn’t know what she did wrong, she followed Natsu’s directions like her life depended on it, but compared to hers, his eggs weren’tfood wasn’t on fire.

Natsu’s mouth fell open. He was in absolute and utter disbelief. What, when, HOW, did the damn eggs catch fire? He would never prank her like that, knowing how much Lucy cared about it, and she didn’t know any fire magic, so, HOW? The eggs were fine just a second ago, looking surprisingly good for being her first try, and the next one, boom, up in flames! He didn’t even know what to say.These flaming eggs were like the biggest mystery in Earthland.

“Damn it! I knew this would happen. Listen Natsu, I’m really so- What the hell are you doing?” Lucy’s apology got cut off by the bizarre sight of him scooping her eggs – that, mind you, still were on fire – onto his plate.

“I’m trying your eggs.” Plain, simple and direct. He thought he was being clear, but Lucy's face was enough to make him doubt himself.

“Natsu, they are on fire.”

“You say that like I can’t eat fire?” Natsu pointed out, and for a few seconds that felt too long for his liking, he could see the gears turning in her head. It seemed like her brain restarted out of nowhere.

Shit.

Holy shit.

He could eat fire! She felt so stupid, forgetting her best friend was a damn fire dragon slayer. Who could EAT fire. She was beyond stupid.

Natsu let her little crisis be for the meantime, because at the moment his stomach was still rumbling, and that flame glazing the yummy-looking scrambled eggs made his mouth water. Still letting his eyes linger at her, he finally took his first bite.

He didn't know if it was the eggs or the fire, but it tasted amazing. He snapped open his eyes and looked directly at Lucy, for a second she was scared for his neck, seeing how fast he turned to look at her.

“Natsu? Everything okay? You look sick… Oh my god was it the eggs? SPIT THEM OUT!!” She was officially freaking out – her best friend looked constipated, did her eggs really taste that bad? Did she give him food-poisoning? She felt as if she was about to go into cardiac arrest.

“Hey, HEY! Stop with that, you crazy weirdo , I’m fine! Amazing, actually.” Natsu tried to stop her from taking the flaming eggs away – she would have to fight him if she wanted to pry them away from him. “Luce, the eggs taste amazing, I love them.” He said, the serious tone surprising her a bit. He liked them… he liked the eggs she made.

“You… do?” She watched him as he violently nodded while taking another bite. If the sounds he made were anything to go by, then he really wasn't lying: he did like her food.

Natsu didn’t want to sound like a weirdo, but there was something in how the eggs tasted that reminded him of Lucy. Perhaps it was the fire; maybe years of being by his side made her learn a bit of fire magic unconsciously? It was a difficult element to control, but making food just catch on fire like that was weird. Maybe she had a motivation of some kind? Why else would only the food she made catch fire, but not anything else… Well, those were questions for another day.

Lucy watched how he devoured the scrambled eggs like they were his last meal, excitement running through her body. He liked her food. A lot. Suddenly she realized how ironic everything was. The only reason she started cooking again (or tried to) after years of failing was because she wanted to surprise him with a home cooked meal for once. Nothing complicated, just a little something for him to snack on, as everyone knew the way to his heart was through his stomach. Then her food would catch on fire, and she would get depressed each time – in the process completely forgetting that her best friend, and probably love of her life, could eat flames. A “cook” who sets her food on fire, and a fire-eating enthusiast; maybe it was meant to be.

As soon as he finished the scrambled eggs, he put the plate back on the table with a content sigh and a smile on his face. “That was really good, thank you for the food, Luce!” Not only was the food good, but thanks to eating the fire he felt brand new. He wouldn’t mind eating her flaming food every day if these were the results; not even a little bit.

“I can’t believe I forgot you can eat fire… All that food, thrown away. I’m so stupid.” She had a giddy smile on her face, her cheeks hurting. Hundreds of different recipes flashed before her mind as she realized all the future meals she could prepare for him. She couldn’t wait!

“I’m not your personal bin, ya’ know?” He shaked his head, a smile threatening to appear. He was sad about all that food though… if it tasted even remotely as good as the eggs did, the thought of all the good grub he’d missed out on, was just sad.

“You’re my personal furnace, heating pad, and weighted blanket, but you draw the line at acting like a food bin? Keep acting like you don’t want to.”

“Touché”

And it was true, even if he had to gain those titles by force. The first time he sneaked into her bed and used his hands in her lower belly to calm her period cramps she kicked him so hard in the head he thought she gave him a serious concussion. She got used to it though, he was relentless about helping her after all, and, apparently, his magic was a 100 times better than her stupid heating pads. She was pain free and he was able to help her, it was a win-win situation.

“Now, Trashbin, let me try your eggs.” She said with a smirk. Unphased by their usual banter, he brought his plate to her with a confident smile. With years of experience he was sure she would love his food.

“Let’s see.” She generously plated a portion for herself, no hesitation about trying his eggs. Her eyes flew open in an instant, looking at Natsu with disbelief. They tasted amazing, his scrambled eggs were full of flavor, fluffy and juicy, in a non-disgusting way. He brought her to heaven with some simple scrambled eggs and she didn’t even know how.

“Natsu, this tastes heavenly! How- I don’t even have words.” She wasted no time having more, each bite better than the last one.

“Ya’ are so dramatic, they are just eggs.” He tried acting indifferent to the compliments, but his little blush betrayed him.

“You have officially become my personal chef, too. These are amazing Natsu! Just why didn’t you cook here before? I’m still waiting for you to give me a reason.” Her smugness lasted a few seconds before she almost choked with her own saliva after looking at Natsu. He was avoiding her eyes like the pest while his face looked positively red.

“Well… you know… I…” He started playing with the end of his shirt, like a teenage girl talking to her crush, and Lucy swore she had never seen him so out of character in her life. She tried to understand what he was saying but he started mumbling and she couldn’t make anything out of it.

“Natsu I can’t hear you.”

“I just… wanted you… to cook for me… I guess.” He was looking at the floor, giving the impression he was either ashamed of saying that, or scared. Feeling a little too good with herself she decided to just ask him.

“Why? Your cooking skills are by far better than mine.”

“It’s not the same ya’ know? I didn’t want you to know because I thought ya’ would be angry or something… One day I told Erza I wanted you to cook for me and she started screaming at me telling me how I should respect ya’ more and that women weren’t men’s personal maids or something…” Erza, bless her heart, completely misunderstood Natsu. She probably thought Natsu was telling her that he wanted Lucy to cook for him as an obligation, when he only wanted to try Lucy’s food. Apparently it was enough to make Natsu scared of asking directly to her. “And every time I asked for you to make breakfast ya’ would avoid the topic like the pest so I kinda gave up, for some time I thought the idea of cooking was making you relive bad memories and I didn't wanna make you uncomfortable.” And it was true, he knew her father tried to sell her to some old dude to become a freaking baby incubator, a trophy wife to show off while she stayed silent, which made his blood boil to no end. He thought that perhaps she was forced to cook to become that “perfect submissive wife”, so he ended up thinking the entire idea of cooking made her uneasy, so he just let it go.

“Still don’t know why you wanted me to cook for you so bad?” Lucy knew she was being pushy, but she had a gut feeling that whatever was going to come out of his mouth would be worth making a pedestal off and she just couldn’t let the opportunity fly.

And just like that, Natsu started becoming a human tomato once again.

Oh?

“Well… because… you know… ”

“Natsu, just say it!”

“I wanted to imagine how our lives would be living together, okay?!” Wow, she thought it would be embarrassing, but not that. Natsu thought about… living together? Both of them were now looking at the floor, their faces red as Erza's hair and smoke coming from their ears.

“Oh…” It was the only thing she could say at that very moment, that simple phrase made her delusional mind run at 100 miles per hour about her future with Natsu. Living together, dating, getting married, having kids… Lucy felt like she was going to pass out.

Natsu on the other hand, felt like dying, he wasn’t good about keeping secrets under pressure, at least not when it came to Lucy, that girl had him wrapped around her finger and she had no idea. He wasn’t supposed to say anything, and she wasn’t supposed to ask, simple as that. But now he spilled the beans and her reaction was everything but good, `oh…` who the hell answers that to what he just said.

“Lucy, just… forget it, ‘kay? It’s stupid.” He sounded defeated, tired, almost. He was risking his relationship with Lucy for something he thought he could live without, a future with her. A family with Lucy was everything he wanted, but he didn’t want to lose her for it. He preferred a future with her being just friends than a future without Lucy at all. He couldn’t be that greedy.

“No, no, Natsu, it’s not that. You just surprised me, that's all…” He looked at her, her face red and her eyes moving nervously around her apartment. She looked flustered, but not upset. Natsu’s head started working overtime, taking in Lucy’s reactions and body language. Over time he knew her more than his own head, and his verdict was clear; she wasn’t upset by the idea, at all. So he was going to do what he did best, push her limits.

“I like to imagine us living together in my house, ya know? I was thinking about making it bigger too, build a nice porch, an actual bathroom, with a bathtub, I know ya’ love ‘em. Build a second floor, for the bedrooms…” With each word that came out of his mouth Lucy became a deeper shade of red. Mentally clapping himself for reading her so well. She wanted that life too, it was crystal clear, not even he could miss the signs.

“T-that sounds very nice, re-really, Natsu, but we can’t– we aren’t– it’s not like we can just live together j-just like that.” She started backing up, her mind foggy with all the images that came uninvited to her mind. He sounded like they were married, but they weren't. He was her friend, who had no interest in relationships. Lucy’s and Natsu’s idea of living together were vastly different, that’s why she knew she couldn’t risk it.

“But you just said it sounded nice, why the hell not?”

“Because only couples do that Natsu, and we aren’t, simple as that.” The way she snapped took Natsu aback, her statement was firm, but Natsu knew she was just being defensive. So after years of whatever situationship bullshit they had going on, he decided that it had to come to an end, a guy could hold on so much after all.

“Okay then, be my girlfriend.” Simple as that, right?

“What?” She looked back at him, a confused expression plastered all over her face.

“Be my girlfriend.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean for ya’ to be my girlfriend.”

“No– but, what do you mean by that?”

“What do ya’ mean “what do you mean by that” ?”

“Exactly that, what do you mean?”

“I’m so confused right now, I just meant that I want to be your boyfriend and I want you to be my girlfriend. I’m sure there ain’t more interpretations to what I just asked ya’.” Natsu felt dizzy from their exchange of words, how did she not understand it?

“Do you know what that is?”

“What? Being boyfriend and girlfriend? I just asked you to be my girlfriend, obviously I know what it means.”

“Oh, I just thought– I mean, I thought you never cared about those things, that's all.”

“To be honest, I never did, not until you.” He really wanted to be done with the conversation but apparently, Lucy, wasn’t.

“Oh, shit, so you mean it? Like, actually? Wait, what if I’m actually dreaming, there is no way…” She kept on rambling and rambling for another solid 5 minutes about how there was no way it could be real and Natsu was positively done with the whole thing.

“LUCY!” He shouted, reaching out to Lucy’s arms and making her look directly at him. “Are you going to answer or are you going to keep mumbling shit. This is real, answer, now.”

“Oh, right, sorry. Wait, can you do it again? I feel like I fucked up the whole thing.” Natsu's head fell to his hands, a frustrated sound coming out of him. He loved her, he really did, but sometimes he wished he could just kiss her silly and end everything. Natsu looked at her through his fingers, her cheeks tinted with a lovely shade of red while squirming nervously, Gods she was gonna be the end of him.

He took a deep breath and tried to recompose himself, somehow feeling even more nervous than before, the unfamiliar feeling of a blush making an appearance. That didn’t stop him though, he took her hands in his and went for it.

“Lucy Heartfilia, will you be my girlfriend?”

“YES!!” She screamed, jumping while still holding his hands like a little girl after being told they are gonna buy her her favorite ice cream. She launched herself to him, clinging to him like a koala, a happy high pitch sound coming out of her. She was in pure bliss.

Natsu wasn’t much different either, smiling so hard his cheeks hurt. The familiar sound of their laughter filling Lucy's apartment.

After a few minutes of squeaking and spinning, they relaxed, refusing to abandon her position as a koala Lucy leaned back so she could look at Natsu, his eyes sparkling with joy and his familiar smile as wide as it could get, she really was in love with him.

“Is this real?” Lucy whispered, their foreheads now touching and their eyes never leaving each other. A fire could start and none of them would realize.

“Yeah.” He breathed, his cheeks unfamiliarly red, but he couldn’t care any less. He watched as Lucy’s smile grew even wider, letting out little giggles that she tried to contain but simply couldn’t. She was happy, really happy.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for you to say those words.” She was still whispering, thinking that if she spoke too loud their little perfect moment would end.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for me to say those words either.” Her laugh filled the place, she just couldn’t stop smiling. She looked at him, her hands cupping his face and looking at his growing smile. She really couldn’t believe that after all those years, waiting, yearning, for being more than friends– it finally came to a reality. Lucy really thought she would’ve to be the one to ask, nothing wrong with that, but with Natsu being so forward with everything she thought he would’ve caved at one point, and she was right.

“I don’t know what to do now.” Natsu said, blushing red and growing a little bit insecure.

“What do you mean?” She really didn’t know what he meant, what to do now? It wasn’t like this would really change much between them, they acted as a couple as it was, the very reason why she was always so irritated and confused with him, but now that everything was cleared she didn’t feel like they had to proceed with anything.

“Shouldn’t I kiss ya’ or somethin’ ?”

Oh, she wanted to cry, she knew he wasn’t as dense as he made it to be but sometimes he was genuinely cute. Lucy guessed with time she would have to teach him how relationships worked.

“You just made it weird.” She said while going back to her feet. Her tone wasn’t mocking him, at all, she just found the whole situation kind of amusing.

“That’s why I’m asking! God damn it…” Blushing like crazy he jerked his face the other way, avoiding looking at Lucy at all. If he was honest, he had no idea how he should act with the situation, he was a total idiot when it came to relationships, yeah he wasn’t stupid about women– but dating them was a whole nother story. He guessed it would go like this: He asked, she said yes, and then they kissed, simple, no bullshit. He managed to fuck it up, somehow.

“You’re so cute when you’re blushing.”

“I’m not blush–” He didn’t even have time to finish his sentence before her lips crushed against his. She caught him off guard, making him still as a statue for a few seconds before he realized he should return the kiss. She moved her lips with experience, like she knew exactly what she was doing. He was hesitant, he didn’t know what he was doing and he couldn’t avoid comparing the difference between their skills. Her hands now gripping his hair felt confident and bold, compared with his own, very shaky hands. He wasn’t even sure what he was supposed to do with them, feeling like touching her would taint her skin.

Feeling like someone like him didn’t deserve to touch someone like her.

Noticing his hesitancy she took matters by her own hands, grabbing his wrists and making him grab her from her waist. The action made him let out an embarrassing sound, not expecting it at all. Her hands squeezed his lightly, a clear message saying she wanted them right there, and, who was he to refuse her? She took advantage of his surprise to explore his mouth with her tongue, making him squeal yet once again. He was shy for a few minutes, still figuring out the kissing mechanics. After a couple minutes he grew bolder and decided that he should just copy what she was doing. Their tongues moved slowly against each other, nothing too aggressive, scared that if she went all out it would scare Natsu away, even if it was clear that he was really into it.

Without really meaning to, Natsu hit the top of her mouth, making Lucy jump from the feeling. He pulled back slightly, not realizing he completely forgot to use his nose to breath while kissing. He was out of breath and dizzy. What Lucy just did to him made his knees feel weak and his mind blurry, she almost made him forget his own name.

Lucy looked like a mess too, at some point during all the kissing he guessed one of his hands grabbed her hair, because it looked disheveled. Her blush reached her ears and her breathing was ragged. He felt giddy knowing he affected her just as much as she did him.

“Are you okay?” Lucy looked genuinely worried for him, he was giving her the impression he was gonna faint any second now.

“Yeah, yeah… Just give me a sec- SHIT!” He wanted to lean onto the table behind him, but severely miscalculated and fell down, hard. Usually with his senses and his incredible reflexes he would have been able to avoid the fall, but from the kiss leaving him dizzy and with weak knees he had no other option but to accept his destiny.

“Oh my god, Natsu! Are you okay?!” She wanted to laugh, she saw how his hand reached behind him trying to grab the table, but the only thing he grabbed was air, making him lose his balance and fall on his ass. She really wanted to laugh.

“Fucking shitty table…” He was sitting back up, Lucy kneeled right beside him, making sure he didn’t hurt himself. After making sure he was okay she couldn’t hold back the laugh she tried so hard to swallow. That sweet sound he loved so much filled the whole place, making him completely forget about his brushed butt, he couldn’t help but join her in her fit. They kept laughing for another good 5 minutes before they stopped, needing to breathe again. After calming down Lucy stood up, offering her hand to Natsu to help him get up.

“Come on, help me clean all of this.” They weren’t rushing, clearing the table and cleaning the dishes. Lucy was in charge of scrubbing and Natsu took care of drying them.

When they finished cleaning, they went to the bathroom to brush their teeth. They had their toothbrushes sharing a cup, something that happened suddenly without Lucy's permission. One day she came home and simply found Natsu's toothbrush sharing space with her own. She knew that removing it wouldn't do anything, Natsu would just put it back, so she didn't even bother to scold him. When they finished Natsu went to her bedroom, looking inside his assigned drawer. A few months ago Lucy grew tired of finding his clothes everywhere and gave him an ultimatum: use the drawer, or his own house, and it worked.

Lucy was putting some lotions on while Natsu changed into some oversized clothes that he used as pj’s. After finishing her routine she went for her pj’s too, some oversize pink shorts that reached her knees and one of Natsu’s shirts that he forgot to reclaim almost a year ago after spending the night on her couch. It took Natsu so long to claim his shirt back that, according to Lucy's logic, it was already hers, so she never gave it back to him. Natsu was persistent for a while, until one night he saw her wearing it (which was ridiculously big on her by the way) and he never demanded it back. She never questioned why.

Lucy went to the bathroom to change, even if they were officially dating now, she felt too shy to change in front of him, the time would come, but for now, baby steps. When she changed she made a beeline to her bed, not a single word was exchanged, she thought they would be on the same page, but apparently she was wrong. When she was almost in bed, she saw Natsu from the corner of her eye. He looked nervous, his feet restless but refusing to move from where he was. His face screamed "I'm having an internal debate, but I don't want to risk anything". She didn’t know why, he slept in her bed countless times before being official and it never stopped him from invading her bed. Not having enough energy to even say a word she made eye contact with him, so confident it made Natsu tense from the intensity of her gaze.

He thought he fucked up.

But when she lifted the sheets, clearly indicating that she wanted him to get into bed with her, his body didn't hesitate for a second, joining her in bed. It was silent, but comfortable, laying down facing each other.

“Hi.” Lucy whispered, not even sure what she should say.

“Hey.” Natsu wasn’t much different, somehow being directly invited to bed to be with her was making him embarrassingly nervous, he didn’t know why. He guessed it was easier to just invite himself during the middle of the night when Lucy was too tired to call him out and just apologize in the morning, it was their routine.

It was weird, usually he hated change, but this– it felt different.

Feeling his nervousness Lucy cupped his face gently, making him look at her, his expression relaxed and his shoulders loosened.

“What's wrong? You are making that face.”

“I don’t make faces.”

“Natsu Dragneel, I’ve known you for years, I know all your faces. What’s wrong?” Now she was getting nervous, overthinking all the possibilities. She couldn’t stop the thought that maybe he regretted asking her out, he hated change after all.

“It’s just… I don’t know how to feel about this… about us. I’m happy, I really am, but change is something that has always been hard for me. I don’t know what to do when I’m not in control.”

Her breath stopped for a second, she wanted to ask him more but her voice wouldn’t come out. He was happy, that was good, but it didn’t stop her chest from feeling too tight.

“I love you, Lucy. I love you so much, but I have no idea what’s gonna happen next, and I hate that feeling. I can’t stop feeling like I’m going to fuck something up and lose you. You have become so integrated in everything I do I can’t see a future without you there. I just can’t.” He was trembling, he knew that fear was not reasonable, he knew Lucy would never leave him, that everything would be fine, but he couldn’t help it.

“Hey, look at me.” With a gentle hand she made him look at her, fear clear in his eyes– no, not fear; uncertainty. “Do you really think this changes everything so much? I know you hate change, Natsu, and we can take this as slow as you need to, but we’ve known each other for years. We’ve been on countless adventures and lived so many things together. You’ve done so much for me, and I’ve done everything I could for you. There have been ups and downs, but at the end of the day, we've always been there for each other.” His eyes grew slightly, and his breathing relaxed, he knew she was right, but that didn’t stop him from being afraid. “To be honest, Natsu, we have been acting like a couple for so long I don’t feel like this change is really a change. We’ve been exclusive to each other for years, I know you haven’t been trying to find anyone else, and neither have I. All those gifts you have given me, all those incredible moments we’ve shared thanks to you… You have been the perfect boyfriend for so long and you didn’t even realize it.”

“I never did any of that to try to win you over.”

“I know, and honestly, it makes me feel like I don’t deserve you.” He tried to speak but she stopped him. ”I know you did all those things because you just wanted to make me happy. You didn't have any ulterior motives, you never tried to seduce me or made me fall for you. Everything you did was genuine and that’s what made me fall in love with you. I feel like I don’t deserve you because I had ulterior motives, I tried to seduce you, I wanted you to notice me because I loved you so much I thought I had the right to have you for myself, I was greedy. When I heard about Touka for the first time, I got jealous. I thought that if someone showed so much interest in you it would take you away from me. I tried to gaslight myself into thinking that since you never made a move on me, after all that time, you wouldn't notice Touka either. I was in deep denial to protect myself, not you.” She was about to cry, she felt filthy, unworthy of him. She knew he was far from innocent, but his love for her was so pure and bright. She didn’t deserve him at all.

Natsu could only stare at her, she started crying, sobbing, because for some reason she thought she didn’t deserve him, when it was the other way around. He helped dry her tears, handling her with such tenderness he made it look like he was touching something holy.

“Lucy… I don’t know why you think of me like that. I don’t know why you think I’m this kind of pure soul that doesn’t deserve you when I’m just as guilty as you.” Her breathing calmed down, her eyes expressing the confusion her lips couldn’t word. “It’s true that I never tried to “seduce” you, all the things I did, it was because I wanted to make you happy, but I’m guilty because I was being greedy too. I wanted you for myself. The moment someone came too close to you I chased them away thinking I had the right to do it, when I didn’t. I took away your right to choose so many times, all because of my fear of you leaving me. I touched you, when we never talked about us, I thought I was in my right to do it, because I didn’t mind if you touched me, I wanted you to. I got jealous when other men did the same things I did to you because I thought I had the right to that exclusivity, when I didn’t. I took advantage of you and our situation, and you should be mad at me but for some reason, you aren’t. I took so many things from you… and I’m so sorry.” He had no right to be upset, he knew what he was doing. He knew all the things he did to Lucy were intimate, something only partners did, but he did them anyway. He had no right, but his greed took the best of him.

They were silent, processing all the situation. Lucy thought they would have had a cuddle session but somehow ended up spilling whatever they just spilled, making the situation heavily uncomfortable. But somehow, she was glad. She felt like making everything clear from the start would be better in the long run. So, knowing Natsu would refuse to start speaking she took the initiative.

“Okey… So it’s clear that both of us did things wrong, but that doesn’t change my feelings at all, Natsu. I lived those moments myself, and even if you are right, I still love you. I could have done better, you could have done better, but all those mistakes and all those moments we lived together took us here… I don’t regret that, not now, not ever. We will work things out, like we always do. It’s more fun when we are together, right?” She felt embarrassed for using that line, it was going to follow her to the depths of hell, but it felt right anyways.

Natsu looked at her, she was right, they always managed to figure it out, no matter what.

“Yeah… you’re right.” He felt calm now, the unsettling feeling in his chest fading away. It would take them time, but they had a lifetime to figure everything out.

She smiled back at him, the air between them lighter and more comfortable now, this is how it was supposed to be like, they would discuss their relationship later, but now, she got to soak up in this moment. They deserved it.

“I want you to kiss me.” She whispered, taking in his reaction. He didn’t expect her to ask, making him nervous about initiating anything at all. She gave the impression of knowing more about the whole kissing deal anyways, he wasn’t used to it yet.

“I don’t– I’m not– How do I even– ” He was stuttering now, this is what he meant about change, now he was supposed to go and start kissing her like it was something they’ve been doing since always, when it wasn’t. He was blushing and stuttering like an idiot, he was nervous and he felt insecure, how was he supposed to start a kiss without making it awkward.

Lucy on the other hand, was kind of amused by the whole thing, she didn’t mean a full on make out season, just a peck, but Natsu tended to go wild, and so did his mind, so he probably thought exactly that.

“Natsu, just a peck, for the love of God. Let’s start slow, okay?”

He nodded, his blush still at max capacity. With trembling hands he cupped her face, slowly approaching Lucy's lips, not touching them yet. He was hesitant, no reason to be, really, it was just a peck, but looking at Lucy’s lips, so full and inviting… It made him feel dizzy. He was a breath away from kissing her, but he just couldn’t take the final step.

Lucy sensed his hesitancy, gently, she touched his hands, making him open his eyes to look at her. Her tender smile eased his nerves, his hands felt less shaky, and his shoulders weren't so tense anymore. He knew she was testing him, edging him beyond his comfort zone. She could have taken that final step, but she didn’t. He had to be the one to do it.

He decided to finally erase the little distance between their lips, the plan was a simple peck, but with Natsu always giving his 100% it was inevitable that their teeth would collide, making it slightly painful. That small accident did not make them separate though, Natsu’s sudden boldness made Lucy open her mouth enough for him to use the opportunity to explore her mouth. Passionate was the only word Lucy could use to describe the kiss, it was clear that Natsu wasn’t experienced at all, but the kiss was pure fire, making her ignore the little mistakes he was making.

For a few minutes the only thing that could be heard in her apartment were their lips dancing and their moans and whimpers resonating within the walls. Lucy finished the kiss, gently biting Natsu’s lower lip in the process, he would never admit the pathetic whimper that came out of him at that moment.

“I’m sorry, I knew you said a peck but… I don’t know, I didn’t want to regret anything.” He was breathless, he needed to remember to use his nose more or one day he would actually pass out from lack of air.

“You’re sorry? God, Natsu, I’m sorry. I told you we would take things slowly and I fully made out with you. Good God.” She felt ashamed from not being able to control herself, but he just was so damn irresistible.

“Okay, wait, let me try again. A peck, really.”

“Now you want a peck?” Really? This guy did everything backwards.

“Just shut up and let me do it.” He felt better now, even if he let himself go earlier, he could control himself now. Much more confident than before, he gently brought their lips together, barely touching. Comparing it to the last kiss, this one felt almost innocent. It was just a moment, a few seconds, but it made his stomach dance anyways.

“That was good.” She told him, barely a whisper. Her smile was wide and sincere, she looked like an angel.

“Yeah… I liked it… a lot.” As he was saying that his smile grew wider, feeling giddy and excited about everything. It was a change, but he liked it… a lot.

“Okay enough kissing for today, let's go to sleep.” She was still whispering, not wanting to ruin their little perfect bubble. She was excited about the future, their future.

“Okay…” They rearranged their sleeping positions, Every part of their bodies touching, their legs were entangled and their arms surrounding each other. Lucy couldn't help but snuggle right into his neck, they just fit perfectly together.

“Good night, Natsu”

“ ‘Night, Luce.”

And right there, in each other's arms, they realized they were right where they belonged.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

“Where did you learn how to kiss like that?”

“Natsu… Sleep. Now.”

“Alright”

…

“Ya’ sure you don’t wanna tell m-”

“NATSU!”