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"I hate pineapple on pizza," Natsu muttered between bites, not even bothering to chew the chunks.
"I know." Lucy handed him a napkin.
He took it with an annoyed huff.
"I also wanna go back 'n join the others."
He took another aggressive bite, making sure his irritation came through loud and clear.
"I know," Lucy sighed.
"An' it's Gray's fault just as much as mine."
Right on cue, Juvia's piercing "Gray-samaaaaa~" rang through Lucy's living room.
Natsu caught a glimpse of Gray dodging a tackle before his attention snapped right back to Lucy, the last slice of mediocre pizza disappearing into his mouth.
Lucy didn't even look.
She straightened from her crouch, smoothing the folds of her skirt with slow, deliberate calm. Her fingertips were pink—cold, probably. The air around her felt just as chilly.
"I know."
"Then why isn't he—"
"Stage two," Lucy said evenly, eyes locked on his.
Natsu had the sudden urge to glance over her shoulder, but he didn't dare. Somehow, he knew breaking eye contact would only make this worse.
"Okay, okay. I get it. Learned my lesson." He leaned back against the wall, wincing as his weight shifted. His ass was definitely starting to protest the hard wooden floor. "Promise."
Her eyes widened.
Hope sparked. Maybe she'd finally let him out of this stupid cor—
"Stage three," she said.
Natsu groaned, dragging a hand down his face before letting his head thunk against the wall. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Cana watching from the couch; way too entertained.
He slumped deeper into the corner, crossing his arms. One knee bumped into Lucy's leg.
Bare.
The word snagged in his brain before the thought even finished forming.
His gaze followed the line of her calves before he could stop it, dragging upward along her knee, the inside of her thigh—
—and then he stopped.
"Dark red," he said flatly.
Lucy blinked. "What?"
He looked her straight in the eye.
"Your underwear."
The shift was instant. Her composure cracked, color rushing into her face as she stared down at him, suddenly very aware of how she was standing. Her knees pressed together, skirt tugged down with one sharp, flustered yank.
Natsu's grin spread, slow and sharp.
There was a flicker of something else, too. Something that lingered a second too long in his chest before he shoved it down.
Before Lucy could choke out a response, Cana slung an arm around her shoulders.
"Sooo~," Cana drawled, taking a long swig from her bottle. "What're you two little angels talkin' about?"
Lucy coughed, straightening fast.
"Not sure he—" she shot Natsu a lethal glare, still not quite meeting his eyes, "—deserves that title."
Cana's gaze flicked between them. Whatever conclusion she came to showed instantly in the wicked grin spreading across her face.
"Hehhh~"
Lucy didn't wait to hear the rest. She grabbed Cana's arm and dragged her back toward the party. Cana leaned in, whispering something that made Lucy stumble mid-step.
Natsu didn't bother listening.
He let his head fall back against the wall, grin still lingering.
His pulse was still going a little harder than it should've been, a restless heat sitting somewhere in his sternum that he couldn't quite shake loose.
Probably just the win.
Obviously. Definitely.
So why was he stuck in the darkest corner of Lucy's apartment, cut off from the noise and laughter filling the room, chewing on leftover pizza?
Because it was Lucy's birthday.
And because that morning, when he and Happy had shown up way too early, she'd asked for exactly one thing.
"Don't cause me any trouble today".
That was it.
Easy. Stupid. Kind of insulting, honestly.
Natsu shifted against the wall, shoulder blades scraping as he adjusted for what had to be the hundredth time. The wooden floor had long since gone from uncomfortable to personal enemy.
He dragged a hand down his face.
Hadn't he planned to give her the best birthday ever? Yeah. He had. He'd meant it. But when she'd started listing off the disasters from the past week: him, Happy, Gray, even Erza. He'd run out of arguments faster than usual.
He hadn't missed the way her smile had been thinner lately.
The napkin crunched in his fist.
So yeah. Promise made.
And then cards happened.
He remembered Lucy sitting cross-legged between Levy and Wendy, explaining the rules for the third time while pushing her bangs out of her face. She'd done that a lot tonight—a quick, impatient brush at her temple. Again and again.
His fingers twitched at the memory.
By round three, Natsu already knew Cana was cheating. He'd caught the glint in her eyes, the way her bottle conveniently tipped whenever Gray leaned forward. By round five, the room had detonated.
Gray lunging. Cana twisting away. Juvia shrieking. Erza stepping in with that terrifying calm that somehow made everything worse. The coffee table nearly flipping. Cards everywhere. Lucy's voice trying to rise over the chaos—
He hadn't meant to move. He really hadn't.
But when he looked at her, he saw it: that tightness around her eyes. The way she pressed her lips together and brushed her bangs back again, fingers shaking just a little.
That had been it.
He'd stood. Tried to pull them apart. Failed. So he punched Gray.
Gray punched back.
The others had stopped after that.
Lucy hadn't.
Natsu shifted again, his knee knocking softly against the bedframe. "Timeout," she'd called it. Ordered him to sit. To think. To "come to his senses".
He tugged at his scarf. Too warm; Too tight.
From his corner, he could see the living room in pieces—and Lucy moving through it.
She laughed at something Loki said, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. A second later, she leaned over the table to gather a stack of empty plates from in front of Erza, who had apparently finished the last of the dessert cakes. Charle perched beside her looking very satisfied.
Lucy's fingers lingered on the plates a second too long.
Pink.
Still cold.
Something about that snagged at him. The image of her cold fingers, the way they'd looked curled around the ceramic. He shifted his shoulder harder into the wall before the thought could go anywhere useful.
She carried the plates toward the kitchen, narrowly avoiding Gajeel's boot as he stretched across the floor. On her way back, she bent to pick up a discarded jacket—Gray's, probably—and draped it over the couch arm without even looking. Someone called her name. Levy, maybe. Lucy turned, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
A minute later, she did it again. And again. Eventually, she let out a quiet breath, gathered her hair with both hands, and pulled it into a ponytail.
Natsu went still.
The motion lifted her shirt just slightly. A thin strap slipped off her shoulder.
Dark red.
It matched.
His gaze dragged before he could stop it: shoulder, collarbone, that stupid strap. His fingers curled against his knee, pressing down hard like that'd do anything.
Why would she even bother matching? It was her own party.
Her own apartment, for fuck’s sake.
She adjusted the strap quickly, glancing around to check no one had noticed.
Natsu dropped his gaze a beat too late, sinking lower against the wall.
Stupid.
Lucy moved to Happy next, crouching to wipe at a spill near his paws while still answering something Wendy was saying. Music drifted through the room, Cana's doing, probably, and Lucy swayed absently to it as she worked.
Smiling. Nodding. Fixing.
Fixing everything.
She hadn't wanted this. She'd said she just wanted something quiet. Cozy. At home. So naturally, they'd dragged her to the guild first.
He'd known about the surprise party here, too. Of course, he had. He'd just…forgotten—too busy watching himself. Making sure he didn't wreck something.
Her eyes kept darting: to the kitchen, the bookshelf, the cracked vase in the corner that hadn't been swept up yet. Always scanning. Always bracing for the next thing to go wrong.
Natsu's jaw tightened.
She laughed again. Too loud this time.
His foot started bouncing before he noticed. He stilled it. Then his fingers started tapping against his knee instead.
He wasn't supposed to interfere. Wasn't supposed to cause trouble.
But watching her clean up her own birthday while everyone else partied—
His stomach twisted, sharp and hot, and it definitely wasn't the pineapple.
He shifted again, shoulders pressing harder into the wall, eyes never leaving her.
Timeout, huh?
Fine.
But if someone made her look like she was about to cry again—heat flared low in his chest—this time he wouldn't stop at just one punch.
She'd disappeared into the kitchen so many times now, he'd lost count. In. Out. Smile. Repeat.
Natsu propped his head into his palm, elbow digging into his knee.
"She should just kick 'em out if she's that overwhelmed," he muttered under his breath.
But that wasn't Lucy.
His eyes drifted to the narrow gap between the curtain and the wall before he could stop himself.
There she was. Half-hidden. One flat hand pressed to her chest. Eyes closed. Breathing in slow. Out slower.
His gaze caught there—on her chest rising under her palm, on the way her fingers curled slightly in her shirt.
His throat went dry.
He looked away. Looked back.
Her ponytail had slipped loose again, strands clinging to her cheek. She pushed them back automatically—even there, even alone—before straightening. When she stepped out, the smile was already back in place.
Natsu's jaw tightened. His fingers started tapping against his thigh again. Faster. And faster.
"Oi, Bunny! You got a stick?!" Gajeel's voice boomed across the apartment.
Lucy blinked at him. "A stick?"
"Yeah! Like a wooden one," Levy chimed in, giggling into her drink.
Lucy hesitated, just long enough for Natsu to catch it. "Um—I can look?"
"Hurry!" Erza called, far too invested. "Before it's Cana's or Juvia's turn again."
Turn for what?
Lucy didn't ask. She just nodded and started checking drawers, cabinets, shelves—moving quicker now. Her bare feet padded across the floor, weaving between scattered cups and kicked-off shoes. She nearly tripped over Happy's tail.
"Sorry," she murmured, steadying herself.
On her own fucking birthday.
Natsu's jaw tightened.
He still had no idea what they needed a stick for. Didn't care.
They were laughing. Loud. Carefree. Cana already halfway draped over the couch. Gray and Gajeel arguing about something stupid. Wendy trying to explain rules to someone who clearly wasn't listening.
And Lucy was working.
"Hey, sorry," she murmured as she stepped around him toward the narrow closet beside his corner.
He stiffened when she brushed past. Her arm grazed his shoulder.
Cold.
The contact lingered a second too long in his skin, prickling down his arm and settling somewhere in his chest. He shifted his weight into the wall.
She crouched, rummaging through the closet. Her ponytail slipped forward. She huffed, blowing a strand out of her face before tying it back tighter.
"Aha!"
She pulled out a broom, fingers wrapping around the handle. Bracing the brush between her knees, she tried twisting the stick free.
"Lucy, hurry up!" someone shouted.
"Y-yeah! Just a minute!" she called back, not even turning.
Her hands slipped once. She adjusted her grip, lips pressing together. The thin strap on her shoulder threatened to slide again; she shrugged it back impatiently, still twisting.
Natsu's tapping stopped.
He unfolded from the corner in one sharp motion, his leg half-numb from sitting too long. He ignored it, closing the half-step between them.
"Oi."
Before she could react, he took the broom from her hands. She made a small sound, fingers tightening instinctively around the wood—and for a second, his hand closed over hers, warm against cold.
Then he twisted. The handle came free easily. He shoved the brush back into the closet with his foot and turned away, the stick resting against his shoulder.
"Nats—"
He didn't look at her. He just walked toward the noise.
A few people noticed him coming, their chatter fading as he approached. When he stepped up onto the low table, the rest finally paid attention.
"Natsu? What are y—" Erza started.
"Party's over," he said flatly, looking down at the stunned faces.
"Huhh? Who are you to decide that, Salamander?" Gajeel grumbled, pushing to his feet.
Gray didn't even bother standing, half-sprawled across the couch. "Did sittin' in the corner fry your brain, jerk?" He lazily circled a finger beside his head.
Natsu ignored the jabs. He lifted the stick and pointed it toward the door.
"Out."
When Gajeel realized he wasn't joking, he stepped forward. Natsu lowered the stick and jabbed it lightly into his chest, just enough to stop him. Gajeel's glare sharpened.
"You're going too far, Natsu," Erza warned.
"Told you. He's gone crazy," Gray muttered, finally pushing himself up. He circled closer, flanking him with Gajeel and Erza.
"Maybe we need to knock some sense into you." Gajeel cracked his knuckles. Levy tugged at his arm.
Natsu's grip tightened around the stick.
Cana was standing near the table, strangely quiet. Instead of watching him, she was staring past him—at something behind him. Before he could turn, she raised both hands casually.
"Nah, he's right," she said. "Booze is empty anyway. And Gray wrecked my last card deck." She shook the bottle for emphasis.
Everyone except Gajeel turned to stare at her.
"What are you talking about?" Gray snapped.
"Yeah, Cana, Natsu's just—" Wendy started.
Cana tilted her chin subtly toward the back of the room. Wendy followed the motion. Then Levy. Then Loki. Something in their expressions shifted immediately.
"You know…maybe Natsu and Cana are right," Wendy said quickly. "It's getting late. And didn't we say we had a mission tomorrow morning?" She tugged on Erza's sleeve.
"Y-yeah," Loki added smoothly. "And I'm running low on magic." He nudged Gray before he could argue, then vanished in a flash of light, his usual grin lingering.
"Happy Birthday, Princess."
Right.
Lucy.
She'd gone quiet. Too quiet.
Before he could turn, Gajeel grabbed him by the scarf.
"Way to kill the mood."
Natsu's eyes dropped to the fist Gajeel was pulling back. Heat flickered in his chest, fingers tightening on the stick.
"Hey, hey," Levy cut in quickly, pushing at Gajeel's arm. "Didn't you say ten minutes ago you wanted to head home anyway?" Her voice wavered just enough.
Gajeel clicked his tongue and let go. "Fine." He grabbed his jacket and Levy's hand. Levy stumbled after him, throwing Natsu an apologetic smile—and a quick glance past him.
Wendy had already managed to get a slightly drunk Erza into her shoes, a cake box swinging from her bag.
Cana leaned in and whispered something to Juvia. Juvia's eyes widened.
Natsu barely noticed Charle and Wendy waving goodbye before Gray stepped forward and blocked his view.
Natsu exhaled slowly, resting the stick against his shoulder. "Didn't I tell you to leave?"
His voice came out low. Steady.
Gray stepped closer, staring up at him. Natsu didn't raise the stick this time around. For a second, neither of them moved. Gray studied him like he was trying to figure something out.
Juvia placed a careful hand on his shoulder. "Gray-sama, we should also—" she said quietly.
Gray held his gaze a beat longer. Then he shut his eyes, exhaled, and turned away.
"Whatever."
The tension in Natsu's shoulders eased—not that he let it show. A fight with Gray right now would've wrecked the entire apartment. And Lucy would definitely kill him for that.
"Bye, Lucy!" Juvia called.
The door shut.
Cana stretched like she'd just finished a job well done, grabbed three bottles from the table, and scooped up Happy by the strap of his backpack.
Happy blinked awake groggily. "Huh? Natsu? Lucy?"
"Well," Cana said, slinging him under her arm, "we'll get going too." She kicked the door open, glanced once at Lucy—then at Natsu. Her grin turned sharp.
"Try not to get killed, flamebrain."
The door shut behind her.
Finally quiet.
Natsu hopped down from the table and dropped the stick onto the floor. He rolled his shoulders, stretched his neck side to side.
Then he remembered where he was.
Lucy's apartment.
…Shit.
She was probably furious.
He turned slowly.
Lucy was still standing in the corner; the same damn corner he’d been stuck in earlier. Her eyes were on him, but somehow looking straight through him at the same time.
Natsu stepped closer, raising a hand carefully. "Lucy—"
A tear slid down her cheek.
He blinked.
…Tear?
Something dropped in his chest.
And then Lucy broke. The tears spilled all at once. She sank to the floor, shoulders shaking, the sound tearing out of her.
Natsu froze.
He'd expected yelling. A hit. Maybe getting thrown out. This—?
Lucy crying was always worse. Especially when it was because of him.
He moved again, slower, crouching in front of her. "Hey…Luce…don't—"
Wrong.
Her sobs only got worse. Natsu flinched.
"Lucy, c'mon…" His voice came out rough, useless. "M'sorry."
His hand hovered and settled on her bare arm.
Cold. Too cold.
His fingers tightened before he realized, heat slipping out of his skin without thinking. Lucy's sobs softened into shaky sniffles.
Sniffling was better than sobbing.
…Right?
Natsu shifted awkwardly in front of her, still crouching, his hand warm against her arm.
Didn’t move it.
Didn’t really want to.
"Lucy, I—" He scrubbed the back of his neck, words tangling. "I didn't mean to mess it up. I just…you kept runnin' around all night doin' stuff for everyone while they just sat there, and you said you wanted it quiet, and they were loud, and—" He grimaced. "I know I promised, alright? Tried to keep it. Sat in that stupid corner forever. Ate that crap pizza. Didn't punch Gray—" a pause, "—not after the first time."
He dragged a hand through his hair.
"But you looked like ya were gonna cry before, and you kept cleanin' up and gettin' stuff, and nobody noticed and I just—"
His thumb brushed against her skin.
"...Had to."
Lucy's shoulders had stilled while he talked. She lifted the back of her hand and wiped at her cheeks, smearing the tears away. Her voice came out small.
"I know."
Natsu blinked. "Huh?"
Lucy sniffed, still catching her breath. When she looked up, there was a faint smile tugging at her lips. "I know," she repeated.
Natsu just stared.
Her cheeks were flushed, lashes clumped together, eyes bright and glassy under the light. She looked—
His hand slipped from her arm.
His chest hitched, sharp and sudden.
Lucy pushed herself up, brushing away the last of the tears. Standing, she looked down at him with that same soft smile.
"Thank you, Natsu."
Before he could react, she leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to his forehead.
Warm. Soft. Gone.
She pulled back just as quickly and stepped past him. Already picking up empty cups, straightening the table. Like nothing had happened.
Natsu stayed exactly where he was.
Still crouching.
Staring at nothing.
His brain tried very hard to process the last ten seconds. It didn't get very far.
The crying. The smile. The "thank you." And—
The kiss.
…Huh?
He must've stayed like that for a while. The apartment was quiet now, too quiet after all the noise. Somewhere behind him, Lucy was moving around, but it all blurred together, distant. None of it stuck.
All he could feel was the warmth on his forehead.
Right where she'd kissed him.
It was already fading.
His hand started to lift toward it—halfway there, he froze.
Natsu shot to his feet so fast the chair beside him scraped across the floor. He spun around—
—and blinked.
The apartment was spotless. Cups gone. Cards gone. Chairs straightened. Even the shattered vase—gone. But Lucy wasn't there.
He moved toward the kitchen when he heard the faucet running. The curtain shifted just as he reached it—
And Lucy stepped out.
They both jerked back. Lucy steadied herself with a small laugh, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Oh! Sorry, Natsu. I just finished—" She smiled at him. Like nothing had happened. Like she hadn't been on the floor crying ten minutes ago. "Honestly, you wouldn't believe the mess they made. I think Gajeel spilled something on the shelf, and Cana left cards everywhere and—"
Natsu didn't hear a word.
He was staring. At the strand of hair still slipping loose against her cheek. At the faint smudges of mascara under her eyes. At the pink still clinging to her skin.
At her lips.
"…and then I had to pick up the—Natsu?"
"Huh?"
Lucy tilted her head. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," he said.
His hand lifted before he thought about it. His fingers caught her chin and tipped her face up.
And then he kissed her.
Lucy made a small sound against his mouth, breath catching—but she didn't pull away. Her hand shot up and grabbed his scarf, bunching it tight between her fingers.
The kiss stayed slow. Careful. Weirdly so.
Natsu wasn't usually careful about anything. But his head still felt a second behind, like everything was moving without him.
Lucy's lips were warm. Softer than he'd expected. He leaned in a little more, his thumb shifting slightly against her chin.
When they pulled apart, he was still holding her. Lucy was still clutching his scarf. They stared at each other.
Her cheeks deepening, lips pressing together, eyes wide like she didn't know what to do next.
Natsu's heart kicked hard.
Right. He'd just—
Oh.
He dropped his hand and rubbed the back of his head, glancing away. "I just…wanted a real kiss," he muttered. His voice came out strangely calm. Which surprised him. Apparently, that was happening a lot today.
The tug on his scarf caught him off guard.
He looked down. Lucy was still holding it. Cheeks flushed, breathing uneven. Her other hand lifted—warm palm pressing flat against his cheek.
Before he could react, she rose onto her toes and pulled him down.
Their lips met again. This time, there was nothing hesitant about it.
The push of it knocked the rest of his thoughts clean out of his head. Her lips moved against his—firmer, deeper—and when her tongue brushed lightly against his lower lip something in his body just…moved. His mouth opened. The kiss deepened. His hand found the back of her head on its own, fingers tangling into her hair, pulling her closer.
Lucy moaned softly when their bodies pressed together, fingers tightening in his scarf, and heat bloomed low in his gut—spreading fast, spreading lower—and for a moment, Natsu forgot where they even were.
His other hand dropped to her back, fingers spreading wide, pulling her in. Then lower. The curve of her waist. The dip of it. The way she fit against him like she was supposed to be there.
His grip tightened.
Closer. Pull her closer.
His hand shifted, thumb dragging along her side, thin fabric moving under his fingers—
—and then the strap.
That same strap.
His fingers caught it without meaning to. Pulled. It slid down her shoulder.
Lucy's breath hitched sharply against his mouth.
That sound—
His chest clenched. When they broke for air, his gaze dropped for half a second—
Shoulder. Collarbone. That strip of skin.
Dark red.
His stomach twisted.
Right. Matching.
His fingers flexed against her back. For just a second—one long, bad second—he thought about pulling more. Seeing—
He stopped.
Jaw tight.
Lucy's grip loosened on his scarf. Her face was bright red. Instead of looking at him, she ducked forward and pressed into his chest, hiding her face like she'd just realized what she'd done.
"Sorry," she murmured. "I just…wanted a real kiss too."
Natsu blinked.
Then his arms wrapped around her. Pulled her in.
Lucy was warm against him now, really warm, and she fit against his chest so easily it made something in his head go quiet in a way he didn't have a word for.
Natsu slowly lifted one hand to cover his mouth, staring over her head.
"Hey…," he mumbled.
"Hm?" Lucy didn't break the hug.
His ears felt hot. "What was with the 'Stage Three' stuff?"
He felt her laugh softly against his chest. "Stages of grief," she said matter-of-factly.
Natsu had no idea what that meant.
Didn't care.
He leaned down and nuzzled his face into her shoulder instead. She smelled nice. Like always.
And she was still really warm.