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She was head over heels for this stupid man.
More than that if possible.
Lucy Heartfilia had been helplessly in love with Natsu Dragneel for quite literal years, yet she had never made a move on him. Well- actually she had but he never seemed to notice anyways. At least she thought, for there have been instances where he showed jealousy and possessiveness regarding males attempting to woo her.
She still recalled when he burnt some guys who hit on her at the beginning of the indeed years quest (and poor Wendy who got in the wrong place at the wrong time). Lucy yelled at him to lecture him as a first reflex, or that’s what she wanted the others to believe. Right before she began lecturing him there had been a part of her- made of her most impulsive, private thoughts- that was hoping, begging for his actions to be prompted by jealousy. It even took more delight when Natsu got flustered when she asked him why.
“Natsu! Why did you just burn those people off?!? You could’ve endangered people, you reckless jerk !”
Lucy, with half-burnt clothes and light scorching marks on some of the now bare skin- nothing too indecent per se; she could go out like this in public- but having one of her favourite outfits ruined by the pink-haired dragon slayer of all people genuinely pissed her off.
Though, Natsu’s response turned her scowl into a blush, ever so slight it may have been. He crossed his arms behind his head and looked away.
“I just didn’t like that they talked like this about ya, Lucy. I don’t want anyone to flirt with yo-“
He cut himself off before saying too much, as he now slipped one of his hands in his scarf. He tried to look nonchalant, but anyone with functioning eyes could tell by the reddening of his cheeks and irises going anywhere but in front of him that he didn’t care. Quite the opposite, in fact. He cares a lot, a lot more than he let on.
Was he just about to admit that he didn’t want anyone to flirt with me?
Lucy was furious until now. But here she was, her face flushed by Natsu putting words on what he felt towards her. It was weird, really.
Does he…
She shook her head before she could finish this sentence. There was no way he’d think of her like this anyway. This was Natsu; he only cared about food and fights anyway! Him? Romantic?
He’s totally not the boyfriend type. Right?
She had left the conversation with herself at this point, deciding that there were more important matters to deal with than her feelings for him. So the quest went on as if this minor incident never durably changed Lucy’s brain chemistry, even if she did her best to ignore it. Obviously she couldn’t do this eternally, because other signs that translated Natsu’s attraction started to appear.
Sometimes, when they were sitting next to each other somewhere- trains, restaurants, bars- he developed a habit of running his fingers on her thigh, even placing his whole palm on her upper thigh once in a blue moon.
Whenever those moments occurred, her brain would short-circuit. Could you really blame her though? This poor girl’s crush was rubbing her thigh goddamit ! Obviously she’d have some kind of reaction. Especially when it looked so natural for him to do that to her specifically.
Or when he hauled her onto his lap for no reason at all. At some point the whole team got into a meeting to make a plan for their future mission. Lucy was standing up, right in front of the edge of the table, while Natsu sat in silence close to where she was. The celestial mage explained some important details, with the whiteboard behind her of the plan she had carefully crafted the night before and exposed the global strategy to her friends.
There was an unspoken rule about plans- whenever someone had opinions to give, they had to go to the whiteboard and explain it to the whole group. This way, there wouldn’t be any rude interjections during the debrief- and while it might sound counterintuitive because it was the Fairy Tail guild after all, work ethic was a serious topic, hence why clear communication is needed at all times.
Anyhow, Erza had clarifications and nuance to give to Lucy’s strategy, which she happily welcomed. The blonde then started to walk away to reach Erza’s seat, on the opposite edge but before she could make another step, strong hands gripping her waist in a tight hold dragged her down to sit right onto Natsu’s lap. Oh boy did she go very stil on instincts only. She shivered when he adjusted his position to make them both comfortable, before wrapping his arms around her waist.
Oh. Oh.
She was pretty sure that her face on that day was redder than the knight’s red hair.
There were more signs here and there such as him grabbing her hand more when they walked, becoming cuddlier at night- there were moments when she woke up spooned by him- twirling her hair between his fingers before smelling it- and sooo much more.
It had become unbearable.
One day- she decided she’s seen enough and sat down to think things through. There was no way something wasn’t going on with him. He was just acting too- too-… too..
Too what?
She had asked herself. Because the more she thought about it, the more she realised…
Wait.. hadn’t Natsu always been like this with me?!
Yes, yes he had. She just never let herself notice for she shut down all signs of him possibly loving her back. And now, as she was realising the extent of the moves he pulled to get her attention, she panicked over what to do.
Okay, calm down Lucy, he totally might like you too, and has for a long time but that’s FINE ! You’ve got this, you know how he is and uhh.. Why is this so hard?!
…
Lucy rolled in her bed for what seemed like hours at this point, until her plans reached the same point.
Natsu was a guy whose actions spoke louder than his voice, while Lucy was a girl whose words were more effective than her actions. At least that’s how they used to be, but ever since they met, Natsu had become wiser while she had gotten more impulsive. They influenced each other a lot.
With this logic in mind, Lucy concluded that she had the one to be making a move, as, even if he got better with his words, he had yet to ask her out. She’d have to confess her love for him in a way that combines their strong points.
So… should I give him chocolate on Valentine’s?
Yeah! That could work, that should- not that must work out! This way she wouldn’t have to say the words but the feeling would still be conveyed. Amazing.
With a huge smile plastered on her face, Lucy began the “Special Request: watch out for the guy you like!” Operation.
It took a bit of time and a bigger amount of effort to get the plan to work out. Indeed, Lucy had the great idea to make the chocolates alongside the boxing herself, to please Natsu more. Making them alone already was a hassle, but even more so when the receiver of the gift would show up uninvited to her apartment, sometimes in the middle of the chocolate making. She had to hide everything in record time to not alert him and either spoil the surprise or provoke an unexpected response.
Then, the celestial mage had to get him to come without Happy. Otherwise- well she would rather not think about it. She pretended it to be a meeting, just the two of them to hang out since most lovebirds in the guild would spend the day with their significant other, including Happy.
“Yeah sure, whatever makes ya happy Luce !”
She had blushed when he said that. How could he just so casually utter those words? Yes it was Natsu and all and he didn’t show signs of intelligence in casual settings but still! She shook her head to maintain some form of composure in front of him, before replying.
“Alright, see you there then!”
She was about to turn to leave when he grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. Here she thought she wouldn’t have a heart attack before the fatidic date. However, in a weird moment of lucidity from his part, she was proven wrong in an instant.
“Hey, ya good?”
Her heart flew out of her chest.
“I- u-um.”
The hand he held was brought up to his lips and she melted on the spot. How could he-
“Wh- w- wha- I-“
His eyes widened, as if he realised the extent of what he was doing. He let go of her hand, while his gaze dropped to the ground. His cheeks reddened ever so slightly as well- this man was embarrassed. For the second time in her life, she got to see a flustered Natsu. The young woman had no idea how to respond to that.
“Um…”
How could- did he just- WHAT??
“U-um yeah BYE !”
Lucy yanked her head away in the opposite direction of him and left in a matter of seconds. She was way too flustered to stay with him for the day… and maybe the week. Seriously, what was wrong with that guy? Flirting out in the open like that? Jesus. She would never get over it. How was he so- gosh he was driving her insane, and she doesn’t think the flush that climbed on her cheeks dimmed at all. In fact, it got even worse but whose fault was it ? When she reached her house that night, her heart was beating in anticipation…
There it was, Valentine’s day. She was not ready for the outcome, regardless of what it could be.
Lucy sat on a trunk stump in a clearing where a small path was dug into. She was clearly stressed out about her upcoming confession, but she had to stay composed. The heart shaped box laid in her bag, safe from everything. She added spices to them, because she knew how much he enjoyed dishes that could tear one’s tongue in half if a bottle of milk wasn’t near. Yes, he would definitely enjoy them ! he better enjoy them because she made them for him goddammit, he would be such an asshole if he didn’t !
By the way, shouldn’t he have arrived by now? It’s time now, and I don’t want this to drag on foreve-
She yelped in surprise when suddenly, her feet were above the ground as she felt hands under her knees and around her middle. Out of instinct she reached for her whip, until the familiar warmth surrounded her. Of course it was her beloved pink haired friend. Who else? The flustered expression her face wore suddenly turned into a scowl, while he was grinning like nothing happened.
“Natsu ! Sheesh, you dummy ! you’re literally driving me insane, jerk !”
His laughter intensified while she pouted, even if secretly relishing in his affections.
“That’s why you’re sticking with me”
Lucy could hear the smirk in his voice, even as she looked away.
“Yeah, sure. Put me down now, will you?”
She could also feel his eyes rolling as let go of her to stand on her own.
“Well- so, what did ya want to do today?”
The blonde sat down where she had been before she was swept off her feet- (rather butt in this situation), then patted the spot next to her. Natsu crashed next to her with a nonchalance that was so him- but also not him. She missed the embarrassed Natsu she saw earlier this week and last time, but hey, who knows, maybe he’ll show up when he’d see his gift. It was about time her efforts were rewarded.
“There you go !”
She handed the craft she took so long to make with a bright smile. He seemed surprised. Then raised an eyebrow. Then a side eye.
Silence.
Lucy had expected so many reactions, but this one. She barely had time to sink any disappointment when she felt rain drops rolling on the bare skin of her shoulders and thighs.
“Hey, let’s not stay here, okay?”
He grabbed her hand, took the lead of the jog they were taking to hide from the upcoming storm.
No ! this isn’t how it should end ! She had the perfect opportunity to tell him everything, and now, everything was ruined ? because of rain? And why didn’t he say anything about it? Gosh this was pissing her off, but it was now or never. He had clearly avoided the topic but also put those incredibly damn bold moves on her, whether he was conscious of it or not. She didn’t do all of this for nothing.
It really is now or never, I don’t know if I’ll have this much courage ever again.
She stopped running and tugged on his hand. He stopped as well to turn back and give her the “what’s up?” look. Her eyes, brown like the treats she gave him, stared into his. She could feel it, the rush of adrenaline, piercing her blood vessels, making her hyper aware of her environment. She sighed.
C’mon Lucy, say the words, don’t chicken out, you can do this !
“I love you Natsu.”
It may have been a small whisper, but he heard it- dragon slayer hearing and all. And even without that, she could see it on his face. His features displayed an illegible expression. She had no idea what he was thinking of now, but he could not run away from it this time.
On the other hand, she looked like she was pleading. Well- she was pleading for an answer- anything, it didn’t matter. Silence hurts the most. Time seemed to have frozen for a little. Lucy closed her eyes.
Please say something. Anything. Don’t leave me like th-
Her thoughts were cut off when she felt his lips covering her own. Not only that but- a firm, yet comforting presence wrapped around her waist- and her own arms moved without her knowledge- one was around his neck whilst the other hand cradled his face impossibly closer.
When did this happe-
He pulled back. This time wearing one of the most beautiful smiles she’s seen him wearing. He looked even more handsome than what she’d picture in her imagination. It almost appeased all of her thoughts, if she hadn't found herself missing his touch.
“Can we do this again..?”
He pressed his forehead against hers to place himself within kissing range again.
“What do you think?”
She kissed him with a huge grin. It felt good to know she bewitched him too.