#and im supposed to stay sane??? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

emmyrosee · 2 months

Note

EMMY MY DEAREST MY BABY MY BELOVED <333

could I be a bit greedy and make another teeny tiny request?? you don’t have to feel obligated to do it AT ALL if you don’t want to!!! I’ve just been having an interesting time lately and you do comfort so well ☹️

genuinely all I’ve wanted all week is to be babied a bit/taken care of/pampered/absolutely smothered with soft gentle affection by atsumu when he starts to notice I’m getting overwhelmed or burnt out :(

I think he’d be good at catching it before it gets too out of control and keeping me sane. he wouldn’t let me lift a finger and he’d be so over the top with his physical affection cuz he knows I love that 😕

I feel so bad bc I feel like I’ve been bugging you a lot lately so pls pls pls don’t feel like you have to!!! I completely understand, there’s no pressure 🫶🏻🫶🏻

anon <3

YOU HAVENT BUGGED ME IN LIKE. FOUR MONTHS HUSH YOUR CUTE FACE- EVEN IF YOU DID SEND ME ANYTHING RECENTLY, YOURE NOT A BOTHER AND I LOVE YOU 😠❤️

he catches it pretty much immediately, with how you were clinging to him a little bit more than usual last night, brows seemingly forever pinched in the middle of your head and your fingers fisting the collar of his night shirt. he didn't say anything, but he definitely makes a note to keep an eye on it.

especially when, the next morning, you turn to your side to let him get ready for practice, and you hike the blankets higher and screw your eyes shut to try and tune him out.

he sees this, and crawls his body back into bed, mind now only focusing on taking care of you before you drown.

"peepee-poopoo," he whispers, hanging his head upside down to look at you, his blonde hair hanging shaggily. "where's my fighty baby this morning, hmm?"

you shrug and avoid his eyes, and pulls his head back to take this more seriously, "c'mere. come talk to me."

"you have to go-"

"i don't have to do a thing," he assures. he's quick to take out his phone and text coach that he's not going to make it, but he doesn't tell you that because the last thing you need is worrying about him missing a day to care for you.

which is one of his favorite things to do- but you fight him on it constantly. and he hopes today you're compliant enough to let him be here for you.

"do you want to talk about it?" he asks, gently rubbing his knuckles over your shoulder, and when you shake your head, he leans over your body again to kiss your cheek. "okay," he whispers, lingering for a minute before pulling back to head to the kitchen to make you breakfast.

breakfast, that was supposed to be in bed, but you worked up the courage to wade into the kitchen not long after him. "hey-" you begin, but you're cut off by the yelp from his lips and the dropping of an egg square to the floor, which you both look at blankly.

he starts to snicker, "whups."

"sorry."

he clicks his tongue, "shut up- come get a kiss," he says, stepping over the egg and pulling you into a hug, and his shoulders relax when you loosen in his arms. he sponges kisses to the crown of your head, "don't ever be sorry for something i did. it wasnt your fault."

you immediately tense back up, and atsumu knows his hit the nail on the head with it, and you burrow your face deeper into his chest and he tightens his grip on you to keep you grounded. "go back to bed," he soothes. "im with you today-"

"i dont want to be so far from you," you say, and he smiles as you dont put up an argument, dont scold him for staying, but his heart sinks slightly at the idea that youre so in your head all you can think about is him right now. "not today. can i stay?"

"id be bummed if you didn't," he says. he smirks and scoops you in his massive arms, relishing in the giggles you let you as he carries you and sets you on the counter, where he then feeds you slices of fruit while your eggs sear on the oven. he feeds you breakfast bite for bite, placing a straw in some water for you to drink before carrying you to the bathroom, where he tells you to brush your teeth.

you get shy, "can... do you think... maybe-"

"yeah," he smiles. "open up, babe."

he brushes your teeth, sure to get all the areas the dentist warns him about, before pulling back with a happy sigh and holding out his hand.

you quirk a brow, "what?"

"spit it into my hand."

"ew!" you laugh, and god it truly is his favorite sound, and you turn your head to spit the froth in the sink. "youre nasty."

"and you picked me first. too late to question your choice."

"yet i do every day."

"little fucker," he snickers, and when he makes a move to tickle you, you dart away, laughter ringing in the air as he barrels down after you, down the hall and into the bedroom, where he tackles you onto the bed. "i made you breakfast and this is the thanks i get?" he sighs, playfully punching your tummy, successfully dodging your hands to try and still his barely touching fists.

"l-learn from osamu," you manage, and his jaw slacks at your audacity while you giggle more in anticipation.

"you're annoying," he snorts, leaning down to nibble your ear and neck while his fingers spider up your sides, you shriek and shove his shoulders weakly. he stops and kisses the rest of the giggles from your lips, and he hums when you wrap your arms around his neck. when he pulls away, you mewl and tug him closer. he shushes you easily, "not going anywhere babydoll, i promise."

and he doesn't. he doesn't go anywhere, merely rolling you both onto your sides where he cradles you close, cupping the back of your head protectively as you burrow into him.

every now and then, he feels your shoulders tense up and quiver, as if you're fighting tears, but he doesn't make you say anything. not until you're ready to.

and when you are, he's there, his thumb gently stroking the back of your head while your tears soak into his shirt. he shushes you softly when your cries turn to sobs, or your breathing picks up too much for his comfort.

he reminds you he's not going anywhere, ever, he's got your back no matter what, and if it takes one day or fifteen, he's more than happy to stay in that bed, brush your teeth, feed you food, anything to keep you from drowning in your own anxieties and thoughts.

"thank you for telling me," he whispers every now and again. "im so proud of you."

"im so tired, atsumu... i don't know what to do anymore."

he screws his eyes shut as your voice cracks, "you're doing great, angel. keep doing what you're doing, because its your best, and its more than enough. and i'm sorry the world hasn't let you think it has been.

"you're more than enough. please keep going for me, okay?"

"okay..."

"I love you."

"I love you too atsu..."

186 notes · View notes

rassvetsky · 2 years

Note

there's bucky on your masterlist so here i go, bucky hiding and taking care of reader when the reader is being searched for? maybe the reader is a former enhanced soldier or something like that too. i hope i made myself clear lol thanks!

tysm for the request!! im actually so happy that i got a bucky barnes request hehe (and this specific anon sent me another ask with a pt. 2 idea are they perhaps an angel.)

Lost & Found

bucky barnes x gn!reader

it takes one brainwashed soldier to find another.

[3.6k] | ex hydra!reader, mentions of torture, mentions of brainwashing, mentions of murder, being chased, trust issues, traumatized reader, my poor english skills & bucky being a sweetheart. pt. 2 later maybe??

reblog and/or like for a kiss, feedback much appreciated! not proofread.

Your legs felt like they could give out any minute, your lungs burning with the lack of oxygen. You didn't feel like you had enough time for a deep breath as your feet carried you forward, making you feel a bit dizzy and disconnected. The relief of knowing kept you sane, however. Knowing where you were, what you were doing, who you were.

God, you missed knowing who you were.

Before it all, you were an excellent Intelligence Officer, under SHIELD's wing. Kept your personal life and job far away from one another, divided by a three-meter long rampier. Came back from work to a quiet, warm apartment where you could finally relax and unwind.

That was until during one mission, everything went downhill and you lost contact with the rest of your team- your tracker was broken to pieces after the fall, your body covered in debris. And even though you expected to see familiar faces when you finally opened your eyes with a pained grunt, you only saw the muzzles of a few guns pointed at you, before you blacked out again.

That's where a brand new chapter in your life started, erasing each and every single one behind.

Memories of the past few years were reduced to snippets of gore. Your blood, mixed against someone else's. Torture, inflicted by you, or to you. Information that didn't belong to you instilled in your brain. You didn't have a say in it. You couldn't, because how could anyone stand their ground against scary men with weapons bigger than themselves?

It took them a long while to trust you with missions. Your mind refused to let them in at first, knowing exactly what was to come. Exactly what they were trying to create out of you. You held on for as long as you could, no matter how painful it was because you still knew that even if you cooperated, they'd still hurt you, just to break into the barriers of the human mind.

When they started making progress with the brainwashing period, the training period started. That part was a bit rushed, you were a needed asset and you couldn't be kept in a base forever. Certain missions were supposed to be completed, and most of the time, they weren't that hard on you. Even though they didn't let you go on every single mission, the ones you went on were exactly what you were trained for. Infiltrate, execute, abandon. Nothing big. Get back to the base, and wait. Until next time that they'd need you.

You didn't plan on going back. Not anymore.

And that's why when the base got raided down, you didn't stay to help. You didn't stay to be rescued, even though you knew exactly who was behind the raid and they could definitely help. Through the sound of bullets shooting through, walls being broken down, and screams of pure agony, you still ran, far away from anyone that could recognize you.

But Bucky did.

You gave him the push to escape after the Battle of Triskelion, and still, let him go. Told him to never come back, no matter what. Didn't tell anyone.

He wanted to come back for you, he tried to; but you were moved away before he could get to you. And with that, you were a ghost again. Untraceable. Back to square one, former intelligence officer of SHIELD that got 'killed' after a certain job. Someone who knew too much, someone nobody dared to look for.

He tried to get his hands on everything he could find about you. The school you went to, your late family, former co-workers; everything. Intervention after intervention, at some point, he finally stopped chasing after a ghost, taking Steve's advice. But even when nobody saw you run, he did, and he would recognize you anywhere. Just like you did for him years ago, he let you go, and didn't tell anyone.

It took you a while to get back to your senses. Your brain desperately wanted you to go back to the base, just because you got used to it all. It was a constant battle between knowing you should never go back to that hell, and feeling worthless unless you do.

You knew that couldn't just resurface after all those years, after everything you've done. After everything they made you do. Even though you didn't have a say in anything, you were still the one who pulled the trigger, and you wouldn't exactly blame anyone for thinking that you changed your side on purpose, brainwashed or not.

And back to the moment, as everything you've been through flashed before your eyes, you kept running. It was the desire to stay alive that kept you up on your feet, that let you run even faster than you thought you could.

Out of all the other places, you didn't expect to be found in Slovakia, and honestly, you weren't even sure who it was behind you, but you still ran through the empty streets in the night, footsteps as quiet as they could get as you pushed yourself forward with every ounce of power left in your body.

But the sound of the motorcycle engine kept drawing closer and closer, as you held onto the straps of your backpack tighter and kept going. The pads of your feet, your calves, they all hurt but you weren't going to stop now. Not that easy. And when you finally saw your figure shadowing the motorcycle's headlight, you reached for your pistol, silencer worn.

The engine stopped. You stopped. And for a moment, nobody dared to make a move. Not even a sound was spared through the quiet nature of the night before you slowly turned around, pistol pointed towards the driver. Tactical outfit, fully black as if he wanted to blend in with the shadows, just like you. He seemed muscular, biceps visible through the thick material. And he just stood there, not even daring to draw a weapon. Just stared, you assumed, behind the helmet.

"I'm going to ask this once," you spoke up, voice raspy and a bit out of breath. "and you're not getting more than ten seconds to answer. Make a move, you're dead." you took a few steps towards him, shaky hand clutching the cold metal weapon so tight that you felt like it wasn't even shaking anymore. "Who are you?"

He didn't answer at first. Just reached for his helmet, as slowly as he could, before lifting it off his head. Brown, medium-length hair fell against his face before he pushed them behind, and a pair of eyes locked gaze with yours. You could see him with the street light's contribution, and the face was way too familiar, so you figured he was one of the-

Oh.

Of course.

Those steel blue eyes. You'd recognize them anywhere. "Got your answer?" he spoke, for the first time, and his voice erased every single one of your suspicions. It was him. The one and only, Winter Soldier, most important asset of HYDRA. The one you were sent a hundred times to clean up after, to protect, to report to. Only he could be dumb enough to come back for you, even when you specifically told him not to.

"Asset."

The long motorcycle ride didn't help with your exhaustion, it only added to the fuel in the end. No words were spared until he led you to an empty apartment and locked the door behind the two of you, as you dropped your backpack on the couch before sitting down with a grunt. The place seemed quite rundown and empty, it was even cold. You didn't let your attention linger for any longer though, as your gaze fell to the hardwood ground beneath your feet.

Feeling his eyes on you, you decided to keep asking your questions until you could feel satisfied. Until you could feel trust forming. "How'd you find me?" you asked, watching him as he handed you a bottle of water, which he took from the console by the side of the room. He didn't speak until you took a few sips -which kind of made your throat hurt after all those hours of endless running and gasping for air-, taking a seat on the couch right by the side of yours, leaning back with a sigh of comfort.

"Let's just say I know the path a brainwashed soldier would follow," his tone was soft, almost as if he was trying to assure you that he wasn't posing as a threat here. He was on your side, his eyes desperately tried to tell you that. They held a glint of sympathy and understanding that you haven't seen from him before, back then you only knew him as HYDRA's fucktoy, held up to a certain importance which didn't keep him off from torture by any means. "You weren't easy to find, I'll give you that-"

"Why?" you blurted out, elbows against your knees as you buried your face in your palms. It all hurt- your brain felt like it was way bigger than your skull and you swore you could feel the pressure against the bone. Your throat was still sore, your legs felt numb and you just wanted to keep your eyes closed for a week straight. And through it all, you knew it wasn't worth it to go through all of that trouble, just to find you. You couldn't help but wonder if he had other plans with you, but for some reason, a voice in your head kept telling you to trust him. "Why would you even fucking bother?"

"Why did you bother?" he snapped back, one side of his lips tugged upward in a cheshire-like grin, just a bit more friendly than that. "I'm just paying you back." you didn't answer that, not exactly knowing what to say. You just exhaled through your mouth, looking up at him after a while of contemplating everything.

"I don't even know your name. You're just- Winter Soldier. The Asset, for me."

"I know yours."

"That's just creepy." and he chuckled at that, amused.

"It's Barnes. Bucky Barnes. Kind of surprised I wasn't the first thing you looked up after escaping." you shook your head, only able to offer a poor excuse of a smile as you rose up to your feet, all-tactical outfit not comfortable in the slightest bit.

You didn't tell him that you barely had an hour to sit down, the paranoia of being found eating you alive as you kept yourself in the shadows.

"I'm going to take a shower. And go to sleep. Don't make me regret trusting you, Barnes."

Let's just say, he didn't make you regret trusting him one bit. The two of you remained hidden for a couple of days in Slovakia, before escaping to Romania through the Hungarian border. It was an almost an eight-hour drive including your stops and the detours -and God, it made you hate motorcycles- before you two reached a safer spot -in his words-, to plan what to do next.

Bucky knew that the Avengers wouldn't trust you at first. For all the right reasons, obviously, he wasn't even sure why he trusted you in the first place. You just had something about you, a light in your eyes that still persisted, gentleness in your movement. He saw himself in you.

You weren't exactly in a condition where you could trust anyone either, you knew that the Avengers weren't the bad guys, not in the slightest, but you knew what kind of judgment you were going to face. The man helping you hide told you all about the judgment he went through. The fight between Stark and Rogers, how things that happened outside of his control caused a turmoil of events which eventually led to almost being killed by an Avenger. Not that Stark was wrong whatsoever, but you both knew that if HYDRA wanted you to do something, you would do it. Because the consequences would be far more horrendous.

And honestly, after all of that trauma, you weren't sure you could go through another set of people telling you that you're a disgusting murderer, nothing above an asset, nothing more than a toy. An evil being by choice.

And sure, you weren't former best friends with Steve fucking Rogers, you and Bucky barely knew one another. It only made sense for you to fear whatever it is that could come from the Avengers. "You know, you can't be on the run forever," Bucky absent-mindedly mumbled when you two were relaxing by the couch one day, while snacking on the leftover fries you ignored earlier, as you kept your eyes on the cartoon playing on the screen.

"Nothing else that I can do," you shrugged, reaching for his lap to steal a piece of food. He kept looking at you, this couldn't be kept up forever. The Avengers kept asking him where he was and what he was doing, and just for the sake of you, he had been lying to his friends for weeks now.

"Look, even if nobody else does, Sam and Steve would trust you," he huffed out, trying to reason with you. He understood the paranoia that kept you on the edge, but it wasn't like you were completely helpless. "Can't we give it a try?"

"If you want to leave so bad, Barnes, just go. You don't have to drag me along." you sighed, tucking your feet under your body to keep them warm. "I'm so grateful for everything you've done but please, I won't need your protection forever."

"And I know you don't, sweetheart," he wasn't giving it up, not that easy. Getting a hold of your wrist, he tried to tug you a bit closer. "But you need to trust me, yeah? Nobody's going to judge you while I'm here, not like they judged me. I'll make sure of that."

At that, you finally looked at him, heaving yet another sigh before reaching in to wrap your arms around his neck.

That was new.

You buried your head on his shoulder, eyes closed as you felt his arms wrap around your figure, too. His embrace was warm, humane, and so foreign that it made you flinch against his figure at first. Even though you fought against the trauma, it had still been years since you've had anyone touch you in a friendly way. "It's not that I don't trust you," you whispered. "I'm just afraid of everything going downhill again and- and ending up exactly where I started."

Bucky felt your pain in his chest, too. "That's not going to happen," he whispered back, reassuringly patting your back. "Not while you got me by your side. And if you'll only let me, Sam and Steve, too. Nothing you've done is unredeemable, there's nothing to be ashamed of." he pulled you away a bit, just to have you looking at him. "This isn't nearly as safe as where I want us both to be. Nobody can hurt you there. We'll- we'll find a way to get rid of the nightmares, the guilt- everything."

You could only nod as an answer, already -mentally- exhausted by everything that had been going on. You leaned on him for a while longer as he held you, whispering things in your ear that felt just right to hear. Some way, somehow; he knew exactly how to keep your mind at the moment, rather than in the past. He knew exactly how to remind you that it was all behind you now, and you only had the moment and the future coming after.

A few more days passed until you gave in and let him give the infamous Captain America and the Falcon a call, you specifically waited in your room until his conversation with them would be over because you didn't feel like you could handle the slightest bit of distress on his face at that moment. Your worries proved themselves to be unnecessary though, as Bucky burst into the room after a few minutes, relief clear on his face.

"Steve said he'll talk to Tony," he hummed, settling down on the bed right next to you. "Tony can be a bit suspicious of literally anything, but he means well. Hopefully, they'll arrange a ride for us and we'll be on our way, alright?"

"Right," you noted, a timid smile on your lips as you reached for his hand, holding it between both of your palms. "Thank you, Bucky."

"Anything for you."

You noticed how time would pass a bit faster in the Avengers Compound, as you were surrounded by things to spend your day with. You often found yourself in the training room, taking your frustrations out from a poor punching bag -which you started to feel bad for, even though it was clearly inanimate- or watching whatever movie you could find.

You didn't really talk to anyone else other than Bucky, and they didn't push it. After a few interrogation sessions -which Steve assured you that they were done just to learn more about what HYDRA did to you-, you were finally left alone -at least a little bit-, deciding to spend your time trying to get to know these people. You knew they used to work for SHIELD as well, but you never personally worked with them.

You found it easy to be comfortable with Natasha, she wasn't the most emotionally available person ever but she understood what you went through.

She'd try to drag you along to get-togethers, brush out your hair when you felt too out-of-it to do so, and sometimes even sit with you through a movie.

Sam was a bit harder to be around, but he was way too sweet for his own good. He did almost everything in his power to get you to play table tennis with him and to make it a usual "Y/N and Sam time" event, and it meant the world if he could get a smile out of your mostly-neutral expressions.

Steve was patient. He was easy to talk to, and easy to be around. And you knew that it was him who trusted you the most, after Bucky. He made sure you didn't skip any meals and kept your training up just so you wouldn't fall behind.

"If you want to redeem yourself," he said one day, after a particularly exhausting session, "You could help around in the Compound, or with missions. Not saying you have to, but if you ever wanted to, I'd love for you to tag along."

You were forever grateful.

The rest took a bit longer to give you the benefit of the doubt, but your fears diminished with time. There were certain ground rules -such as an alert system going off whenever you left your room, and of course, any sharp objects were kept far, far away from you- but finally, you were above a freak. A murderer.

After one long day, while everyone was huddled up in a room to watch a basketball game -which, according to Sam, was the most important thing to happen in the past few years-, you decided to get some fresh air and join them later.

Stepping out of the compound building, you sighed contently, the late night breeze waking your entire being up successfully. You paced around by yourself for a small while, before hearing the sliding door open, a smile making its way to your face almost immediately when you noticed it was Bucky. "Hey, you," he walked towards you, hands tucked tight in his jeans pockets.

You kept your eyes on him, expression soft and relaxed -which, Bucky wasn't used to seeing, but he could admit that it was one of the most beautiful sights he laid his eyes on-. "Aren't you gonna watch the game?"

"You weren't there, so," he shrugged, earning a subtle chuckle from you. It was then, that he reached for you and wrapped his flesh arm around your shoulder, tucking you close to his chest. "I'm glad you're here, you know?"

"Me too," you leaned against him, wrapping your own arms around his waist loosely as you looked up at the stars, at the moon. You were sure Bucky was the one to hang it there. "I'll- I'll get back on my feet as quickly as I can. And then I'll be of use, I promise."

"You don't have to rush," he snickered against your hair. "Let yourself heal. It's just nice to know that you're safe."

You slightly pulled away from him, hand against his chest as you looked up at his eyes. They were shining in all the right ways, reminding you where home was. By his side.

Now or never, you thought, before raising yourself a bit on your feet and planting your lips against his, unable to break away from the tentative kiss even after a few moments as he held you there. As he kissed you back. And he was so gentle as if you were made out of porcelain; soft lips brushing against yours with a meek passion. Each and every touch of his lips added fuel to the wildfire burning through your insides, keeping you warm through the breeze. You held his face in your palms as he tucked you closer to his body, both of you smiling against the kiss until it broke away.

"I've been planning on doing that for weeks." he breathed out, chuckling to himself in disbelief as he shook his head. "So thanks, for stealing my idea."

"Oh shush."

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes drabble #bucky barnes blurb #bucky barnes fic #marvel x reader #marvel fic

429 notes · View notes

tokkias · 1 year

Note

i beg on hands and knees. i need to see jealous natsu and/or lucy 🥺🙏 (most preferably humor but im down for any :D)

this ask awoke a sleeper agent in my brain and i blacked out for 5 days and woke up with a 7000 word fic that was definitely not supposed to be longer than 2000 words, because we need more jealous lucy fics that aren't misogynistic lisanna bashing.

it's mostly angsty lucy introspection & fluffy lucy + everyone friendship, with some cute fluffy nalu bants at the end <3 i hope you enjoy!

as always thanks to @nalunalu for being my beta, keeping me sane, and at this point practically being my co-author on this fic.

When Lucy’s turn to choose their next job rolled around, she found herself picking out an easy escort mission. It was low risk, high reward, and not even her reckless teammates could screw this one up. After a handful of missions gone awry and the due date for her rent swiftly approaching, she was more than keen to take on something that wouldn’t involve potential threats of severe injury and mass destruction.

The instructions were simple: escort a wagon of goods from point a to point b through a route that had been the scene of minor bandit attacks in the past. It would be a three-day trek on foot, but for the reward, it would be well worth it. What the instructions didn’t specify, however, was that alongside the goods, they would also be escorting their employers’ daughter. It was a minor detail; she would sit in the wagon while the wizards escorted it on foot, leaving them to their own devices while she remained nice and safe inside the vehicle. That plan had been thrown to the wayside however, when the young girl had found herself rather taken with Lucy’s pink-haired partner. She had instead insisted that she join them on foot so she could spend time with him instead of rotting away on that boring old carriage for the next three days.

It should have been no real issue; she was sweet, if not a little more talkative than they might have been used to, but overall she seemed to be a nice, kind, and polite girl. There was just something about the way she clung to Natsu’s side, her arms wrapped around his as she tried to hold herself closer to him, that made Lucy’s stomach lurch. Almost immediately, she began to swoon about how big, and strong, and handsome he was. With her free hand, she began to run her fingers up and down the exposed muscles of his arm, in what Lucy found to be an egregious invasion of personal space. But the worst part was, she couldn’t even find it in herself to blame her. Natsu was strong, and kind, and handsome, and funny, and yeah, he was a bit of an idiot sometimes, but Lucy always thought that was part of his charm. She adored all those things about him, finding them so incredibly endearing, and that was why she had chosen to stick by his side through everything as his best friend. Watching this stranger so blatantly flirt with her partner made her wonder: if she hadn’t found herself so deeply ingrained in the friend zone, then maybe she would be throwing herself at him like that too.

A part of her ached for the confidence to do that—to push their relationship into something more than friendship. There was always something bubbling just beneath the surface with them, stuck between the space of more than friends but not quite lovers, and while Lucy had been content to let things stay the way they were, lately she had been longing for a little more than that. What had started as a teeny tiny little crush on her partner had grown into a full-fledged yearning for him. She was all consumed by her desire for him as more than just his best friend. Many times she had found herself wondering what it would be like to hold his hand in hers, to feel his arms wrap tightly around her body as his lips grazed her cheek. The reasonable part of her brain had been the one to hold her back; there was no way she was going to face the possibility of rejection from Natsu of all people. It would be embarrassing, but more importantly, it could prove to ruin the friendship that they had spent years building together, and that would always be worth more to her than some silly crush.

She was beginning to regret offering to trail behind alongside Gray, because at least if she were in front, she wouldn’t have to bear witness to some of the most obvious flirting she had ever seen, directed right towards the man who had long since been the object of her attraction.

"You okay there, Lucy?" Gray asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine,"

He shot her a sceptical look before his gaze flicked over to Natsu and then back to her, but didn’t say anything. Lucy didn’t want to talk about it, and neither did he, especially not when the daughter of their generous employer was within earshot. Instead, the pair, alongside the rest of their team, continued in silence, only filled by the idle chatter of their esctortee.

Usually, low-effort jobs like this were filled with playful banter between the wizards, but instead, an awkward hush had fallen over the group. Even Happy had forgone multiple opportunities to poke fun at Lucy, seemingly also feeling a little neglected from having Natsu’s attention taken away by the new addition to their group. She seemed more than content to chat away with Natsu—well, more at him than with him. Her eyes were glued to Natsu rather than the path in front of them, relying entirely on him and the tight grasp she held on his arm to keep her from tripping. From her view from behind, Lucy couldn’t quite gauge his reaction to this whole situation.

Usually she could be confident in how her best friend would react in most scenarios, but this wasn’t like most scenarios. Looking back, she couldn’t say that she recalled Natsu ever finding himself on the receiving end of any flirting, much less flirting of this caliber. He was most certainly not the romantic type, finding more joy in poking fun at Lucy for being such a hopeless romantic than in thinking about romance himself.

Occasionally he would nod at what she was saying, but without seeing his expression, Lucy couldn’t tell if that was because of his disinterest or because he was focusing on not letting her fall on the rocky terrain that they were traversing.

The rest of the day passed by similarly uneventfully, and Lucy was almost hopeful that Happy would find some way to insult her as they walked. It would probably have brought out a cackle from Natsu, his attention turned back to her as she and that damn cat argued about whether or not she had put on weight recently. At the very least it would have been a distraction from the self-torture she had been putting herself through as she forced herself to watch the two their whole trek. The more she thought about it, the more having Happy call her fat seemed like the preferable option.

Once the sun began to set over the horizon, the group made the most of what little light they had left by setting up camp in a small clearing within the woods. Gray, Erza, and Lucy worked away at setting up their tents, while their guest sat in awe as she watched Natsu use his magic to light their campfire. He seemed more than happy to have a chance to show off, being met with her fascinated oohs and aahs as she watched the flames flicker to life with nothing more than the touch of his hand.

While Lucy had hoped that the weird tension that had followed them the whole day would dissipate as they gathered around the fire, any chance of that happening was drowned out by the incessant rambling of their guest. It was becoming increasingly clear that this girl could talk about anything and everything at length, regardless of whether anyone was actually listening.

Gray seemed wholly uninterested, not-so-subtly rolling his eyes at every compliment she threw Natsu’s way, while Erza did her best to pretend that she was interested in what she had to say out of politeness. Any attempt that was made to add to the conversation was futile in the face of her obvious infatuation with Natsu, and Lucy couldn’t find it in herself to stick around much longer to find out how the rest of the night would play out. Instead, she excused herself to her tent to distract herself within the pages of a book.

A good romance novel was what she needed to pass the time—just her and the characters inside her book, and none of the thoughts about how much she wanted to know what her partner's lips would feel like against her own. She bit down on her lip, her brows furrowed, as she tried to allow herself to get lost in the words. It wasn’t until the last embers of their fire were flickering out and her tent buddies came in to join her that she realised how much time had passed and how little progress she had made on her book.

It was a little cramped as she and Erza had to find space for their unexpected visitor within their two-person tent, but thankfully neither of them seemed to mind all that much. Usually on jobs like this, they’d split themselves up so Lucy and Natsu slept in one tent with Happy, while Erza and Gray took the other, but there was a silent agreement between them that maybe their normal would be a little awkward to explain to someone they had just met. Natsu, on the other hand, seemed none too happy with their new arrangement, pouting at the prospect of change, though whether that was because of having Lucy taken away from him or from being forced into close proximity with Gray, she couldn’t quite tell.

Though not as outwardly upset as he was, Lucy found herself a tad bummed by the change in routine. She always looked forward to when the three of them got to wind down for the night, chatting away about anything that caught their attention until they found themselves in a fit of giggles, like a couple of preteens at a sleepover. She appreciated Erza's company, but falling asleep without Natsu's comforting presence besides her wasn't the same.

Lucy was content for the three of them to sit together in silence as she made her way through the pages of her book, but it seemed as though their new companion had other ideas for how they were going to spend their downtime before bed.

"You guys are so lucky to be friends with Natsu~" she said with a dreamy sigh. "What’s he like? Like, really like? I want to know everything!"

Erza’s silence and awkward glances towards Lucy signalled that she was deferring the conversation to her, and with a quiet sigh, she decided that she could indulge the poor girl.

"He’s... nice," she said, not really knowing where to begin or even what this girl even wanted to hear from her, but her wide-eyed eager expression as she began spurred Lucy on. "He’s really kind, and he cares about his friends more than anyone I’ve ever met." She paused as she looked down at her hand, her finger trailing over her guild mark, as she reminisced about all the time she and Natsu had spent together. "He’s fiercely loyal and would do anything to protect the people he cares about." Thinking about him had her heart racing faster, and any embarrassment she might have felt about swooning over him like this fizzled away as she continued on. "He kind of doesn’t think before he acts, which gets us into trouble sometimes, but... I suppose all of his good qualities make up for that."

"Wow~" she swooned, "he sounds like real boyfriend material."

"Yeah, I guess so," Lucy murmured in reply.

Before the conversation could go much further, the familiar voice of a certain exceed interrupted them from the outside.

"I’m coming in!" Happy cried, not leaving the trio much warning before barging in on their already cramped space, flying straight into Lucy’s arms. "Luuuucccyyyyy, I don’t like it in the tent with Natsu and Gray; all they do is fight," he whined, "can’t you just come back and sleep with me and Natsu instead?"

Lucy sucked in a breath at the exceed’s absolute lack of tact, trying to figure out a way to explain exactly why she couldn’t do that, though a mischievous glint in his eyes told her that he already knew exactly why and that he just wasn’t having it.

"Well, Erza and I have already settled in for the night; I don’t want to have to upend everything just to swap tents now," she suggested, hinting that he should drop the subject.

As much as she wanted to go back to their usual sleeping arrangements, things were already weird with the way their client’s daughter was so eagerly throwing herself at Natsu and screwing with their group dynamic entirely. Lucy didn’t want to risk upsetting the girl and risking that sweet, sweet reward money just because she was desperate to snuggle with her best friend.

She didn’t really even know if she wanted to see Natsu right now. Having spent so much of the day thinking about her most-likely unrequited feelings towards him, all the while watching this stranger have the courage to do what she did not, had her heart feeling a little tender. If she forced herself to partake in their meaningless little affections, she was sure she would simply burst at the seams and begin to cry right in his presence.

"Pllleeaaaaassseee?" he begged, looking up at her with puppy dog eyes (or at least the best approximation a cat could make). "You, me, and Natsu can cuddle together just like we do every night!"

"H-Happy!" Lucy cried as a deep red blush spread across her face.

What he said wasn’t a lie per se, but he was certainly exaggerating the truth, either to ward off Natsu’s new admirer or simply to embarrass Lucy in front of her. Regardless of his intentions, she was now getting confused stares from both of her roommates.

"I-it’s not like that!" she clarified, her blush spreading to the very tips of her ears.

"My, I didn’t know you two were like that…" Erza pondered with an expression on her face that looked as though she had just uncovered a deep, dark secret.

"That’s because we’re not!" Lucy snapped, her obvious frustration and anger dripping from every word.

She had tried to keep her voice down so that Natsu wouldn’t hear from his tent, but judging by the way his and Gray’s squabbling had quieted down, there was no way the both of them hadn’t already heard her outburst. Today’s events already had her a tad pent up, and even though she knew Happy had her best intentions at heart, she really didn’t want to hear it. Her and Natsu were friends and nothing more than that, so there was no reason to try convince anyone else that they weren't.

"Look, just drop it, okay, Happy?" She sighed, "I’m going to sleep."

"Sorry Lucy…" he murmured as he watched her roll over in her sleeping bag, her back facing the rest of them. "Can I… stay here?"

Lucy didn’t say a word but opened her arm out for him, which had him diving into her grasp and snuggling up in her chest as the two of them dozed to sleep.

There was an air of awkwardness that followed them the next morning that made Lucy feel uneasy. She knew why that was, of course; her little outburst the night before was still lingering in the back of everyone’s minds, but there was no way any of them were going to address it with their new friend still with them.

Happy had opted to linger around Lucy as they made their trek, feeling bad for provoking her earlier but not knowing what to say to make it better. Really, just having him there made her feel even just a little bit more comfortable in their unconventional situation. Usually it was always her, Happy, and Natsu, walking side by side, chatting away about anything and everything, smiling and laughing together the whole way through. Losing out on that on their first day had made her feel rather lonely, but having Happy by her side made up for that, even just a little.

Natsu hadn't exactly looked pleased to have his little buddy leave his side, but he also hadn’t mentioned anything about it, perhaps because he simply didn’t have a chance with his new partner chatting his ear off. Lucy hadn’t even had a chance to speak to him since they’d set off, and she had a feeling she wouldn’t get one until after they had arrived at their destination. Fortunately for her, Happy didn’t seem too interested in letting any silence linger between them.

"I’m booreeed," he whined, "and- and- and my legs hurt."

"What do you mean your legs hurt? I’ve been carrying you for the past 20 minutes!" Lucy countered.

"Yeah, well, that’s cause you need to lose some weight," he said, looking up at her innocently.

Lucy huffed at his comment, but ultimately didn’t pay it much mind. She knew Happy meant well; his tasteless teasing was just his way of showing her affection and an attempt to keep her mind off of Natsu.

"How about we play some twenty questions?" he suggested.

She had spent the whole day prior wallowing in her own pity, and the lack of any sort of conversation between her and her teammates hadn’t exactly done her much good either. It seemed as though Happy was acutely aware of this and was now attempting to compensate by filling in the silence any way he could.

"Yeah, that could be fun," she smiled.

"Okay, I’m thinking of a food!" Happy chirped.

Lucy raised her eyebrows slightly at his very obvious choice in category before making her guess first try.

"Is it fish?"

"Wh- Hey! How did you get that so fast?"

She snorted at his genuine surprise, "Because it’s always fish."

"No fair! Let me go again!" He paused to think up a new answer before speaking up again, "I’m thinking of a person this time!"

"Alright, is this person famous?" she asked.

"You could say that," he replied, coyly.

She raised her brows a little at his unconventional answer but continued to push on.

"Is it someone we know?"

Happy nodded along as she asked questions, letting the pieces of the puzzle fall into place with each answer he gave.

"Is it…" her eyes scanned their teammates before landing on the obvious answer: "Erza?"

"Yeah!" Happy cried out in celebration

"Hm?" Erza looked over at the two, her attention having been caught by hearing her name.

"Lucy and I are playing twenty questions! Do you wanna join us?"

"Well, I suppose it could be fun," she mused, "so yes, I would like to join you."

"Okay! It’s Lucy’s turn now!" Happy cheered.

A short hum left her lips as she pondered her options before settling on one. "Alright, I’m thinking of a person as well."

"Do we know them?"

"Mhmm," she nodded.

With the start of the game, Erza was quick to pick up the rules, chiming in, "Has this person fought alongside us before?"

Her unique question had Happy’s face lighting up as he looked over to Lucy to see if it would get them any closer to the answer.

"Yes," Lucy confirmed, sending the pair into an excited frenzy of questions.

"Are they a member of the guild?" Happy asked.

She took a moment to consider it, not knowing how she would fit it into a simple yes-or-no answer.

"I suppose so," she shrugged, prompting the two players to share a mildly confused glance in response to her vague answer.

They weren’t given much time to mull over her answer before they were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"It’s Loke," Gray chimed in, subsequently catching the attention of the three players.

"Yep, I was thinking of Loke," Lucy confirmed.

"No fair! Gray wasn’t playing!"

Gray simply shrugged, unphased by Happy’s emotional response to him joining, "well, the answer was pretty obvious, and you guys weren’t getting it."

Lucy could have sworn she saw Natsu turn his head for a split second, with that eager look that sparkled in his eye whenever he was given the chance to compete, only for his attention to be pulled away with a tug on his sleeve. She frowned slightly, knowing that he probably wouldn’t be taking part in their games any time soon. She would have been happy for the both of them to join; the girl seemed nice enough, if not a tad clingy, but she just didn’t seem to pay the rest of them any mind when Natsu was around.

"It’s my turn next!" Erza cried out, perhaps a tad too eager for a game with stakes as low as this, but Lucy supposed there were no stakes too low for her teammates. "I’m thinking of an animal! Now guess!"

The group of them immediately began their interrogation, throwing out questions and guesses along with accusations that Erza had changed her answer to win (before Lucy was forced to clarify to the group that there really was no winning or losing in a game like twenty questions).

Their game was cut off by Natsu abruptly stopping in his path, holding his arm out in front of his teammates to shield them from any oncoming danger. His sudden change in behaviour had the group’s guard up, not knowing exactly why he had stopped but trusting in his instincts. Natsu’s senses had never let them down before, and they weren’t about to start now.

"I can hear you guys, so either come out and fight us or go scram," he called out into the nothingness of the forest.

His demand was met with silence, save for the quiet rustle of the leaves when the wind passed as Lucy tried to tune her ears into whatever it was that Natsu had heard but ultimately was not able to find it.

That was until a hand grabbed at her arm, and she found herself face-to-face with a bandit who had picked her out as the group's weakest link. He clearly found himself regretting that choice when a brilliant light surrounded her, his eyes agape as she transformed into her Taurus Star Dress before promptly using her newfound strength to send him flying into the dirt.

With a grin on his face, Natsu looked eager to join in on the action, cracking his knuckles as he scoped out their assailants. Lighting his fist on fire, he was about to send it flying in the face of whatever fool was stupid enough to come near him, until he was stopped by a dainty pair of arms wrapped around his torso, holding him back.

"I need you to get off of me," he hissed, trying to convince her to let go before he physically threw her off of him.

"I’m scared…" she whimpered, her nose buried in the back of his shirt as she trembled.

He ground his teeth together, conflicted between protecting their obviously frightened client and wanting to get in on the fight. The rest of his team, however, didn’t give him much time to make that decision himself, with the three of them taking care of the bandits with swift ease.

"Is everyone okay?" Erza asked, being met with a chorus of nods, and a disgruntled huff from Natsu. Choosing to ignore his grouchy mood, Erza turned her attention to the wagon driver and their escortee, "and are you two alright?"

The driver flashed her a thumbs up, but the girl still seemed rather shaken up from the incident, hiding herself behind Natsu’s larger frame. He had since detached her from himself now that they were safe, but she still clung to the fabric of his jacket, seeking comfort from him despite him clearly being unhappy with the arrangement.

A very obvious pout had made its way onto Natsu’s face; his arms were crossed and his shoulders slumped, obviously unhappy with the way that things had played out. Lucy shot him a sympathetic look that she knew he wouldn’t see; his attention much more focused on the rock he was rather aggressively kicking down the path ahead of him. Any other time, she would have jumped at the chance to cheer him up, to repay him for all the times he had been there for her when she was at her worst, but the girl had quickly rebounded and attached herself to his side, demanding his attention with her constant chatter. Instead, Lucy found herself walking by his side, matching his stride as she listened in on what she was talking to her partner about. She swooned about how heroic and brave he was (which Lucy found rather ironic, considering he hadn’t actually done anything once she had held him back), which was met with little acknowledgement from Natsu. His lack of reaction did little to deter her, though, and she continued to chatter on and on, leaving no space for anyone else to join in the "conversation".

Lucy knew it wasn't right for her to be resentful of her; she hadn't done anything wrong, after all, Natsu didn't belong to her; there was no agreement between them that they were anything more than friends, but seeing her openly swoon over and flirt with him made her sick.

She didn’t want to admit why it made her feel that way, but there was really no denying her feelings for much longer.

Lucy was well and truly jealous.

Natsu hadn’t said a word since the attack, but he had seemingly loosened up from his ill-temper, his hands now resting behind his head as they walked, and Lucy selfishly decided that maybe it was because she was there next to him.

She glanced over at him, and seemingly noticing her gaze, Natsu looked back at her and flashed her a grin before returning his gaze to the path in front of them. Seeing it for the first time in days made her heart ache in the best kind of way. She had to look away before that stupid smile of his made her want to do something stupid herself.

Suddenly she didn’t mind so much that the daughter of their client had her arms wrapped around his waist, because at the end of the day, she wasn’t the one eliciting smiles like that out of him. The air of awkwardness still lingered slightly as silence befell all but Natsu’s admirer, but Lucy had decided she wasn’t going to let that bother her anymore.

When nighttime had rolled around once more, Lucy found herself sitting out beside the flickering flames of their campfire, her legs held up to her chest and her chin resting on her knees as she looked up at the stars through the gaps between the leaves. While today had gone better than the one before it, she really couldn’t wait for all of this to be over and for everything to go back to normal. Or at least, that’s what she told herself.

Was she even satisfied with their "normal" anymore? She had let herself be content with the way her and Natsu’s relationship was, but seeing someone else in such intimate, close proximity with him was starting to make her realise that that was what she wanted. She wanted to be the one attached to his arm, their fingers intertwined as he swayed their arms together while they walked. She wanted to be with him through everything, both the good and the bad, and to feel his hand squeeze hers in a way that said, "It’s okay. I’m with you. I love you."

Wait…

Love?

Where had that come from?

Sure, she loved Natsu, but in the same way she loved all her friends. She loved Natsu just like she loved Happy, and Gray, and Erza, and Wendy, but she wasn’t in love with Natsu.

Was she?

Before she could let that thought consume her, she was distracted by the little pitter-patter of their exceed friend’s footsteps approaching her.

"Hm? Happy? Why are you still awake?" she inquired, her head cocked to the side.

"Natsu snores," he stated, matter-of-factly, and almost as if on cue, Natsu let out an all-too-familiar snore.

Lucy let out a short laugh at his answer: many times she had fallen victim to it on nights where she was unfortunate enough to fall asleep after him, so she sympathised with his grievances.

She unfurled herself from her coiled-up position, repositioning herself so her legs were stretched in front of her, inviting Happy to sit in her lap—a request he eagerly took advantage of, quickly joining her to curl up in her lap.

"I don’t like her," Happy said, his voice hushed so no one, aside from maybe their very much asleep teammate could hear.

Perhaps it made her selfish for Lucy to find reassurance in his statement; Natsu and Happy had always been attached at the hip, and they practically shared the same brain. They may not have shared the same opinions on everything, but it was generally safe to assume that if Happy wasn’t fond of someone, Natsu wouldn’t be either.

It’s not like she had expected Natsu to pursue a romance with this random girl they had met only days prior, or anyone else for that matter, but even the thought of it caused her to feel uneasy. She wasn’t his girlfriend, and he wasn’t her boyfriend; they just shared a deep emotional bond that others often perceived as romantic, but that’s all it was: a perception. There was no agreement, no dates, no vows, no "I-do's." There was nothing that tethered him to her beyond their friendship, so she had no say over his love life, but the thought of him spending his life with another woman felt wrong to her. The only woman she wanted to see him commit himself to until the end of his days was her.

"I think that Natsu deserves someone really special," Happy continued, "someone who can keep up with him, someone who’s going to take care of him."

There was something that remained unspoken in his words, but he didn’t need to say it for Lucy to understand.

Natsu deserves you.

"Thank you, Happy…"

The silence that had befallen them was broken when Happy let out a long yawn as he stretched himself out on her lap.

"Time for bed?" she suggested, giving him a gentle scratch behind the ear.

He nodded lazily in response, spurring Lucy to gather the snoozing cat up in her arms and carry him back to his tent.

When she poked her head into the boys’ tent, Natsu and Gray were both, unsurprisingly, sprawled out on the floor, limbs overlapping one another as though they had both been knocked out in a fight (and knowing them, she really couldn’t rule out the possibility). She set Happy down next to Natsu, who instinctively wrapped his arm around his buddy when he snuggled into his side, and Lucy couldn’t help the soft smile that overcame her at the scene. Upon her exit, she quietly zipped up the door so as not to disturb its sleeping occupants before she heard Happy call out to her.

"See you tomorrow, Lushheee…"

"Yeah," she breathed, "see you tomorrow."

Knowing today would be their last on the job had Lucy even more excited than the promise of payment at the end. Sure, she would have her money, but even better, she wouldn’t have to endure her new form of self-torture by questioning her relationship with her best friend. Once they had dropped off their client’s daughter, the group dynamic would go back to the way it always was, and she could stop overthinking about what it would be like to hold his hand, to rest her head on his shoulder, to feel his skin sear against her own.

She squeezed her eyes shut to rid her mind of that thought before planting her gaze squarely on her feet in front of her. She could hear their client’s daughter chatting away, just as she had been the past two days, but Lucy didn’t want to look at it; didn’t even want to think about it. Right now, it was just her against her brain, trying not to think about why exactly seeing it made her upset.

They had left early, and the last stretch would only take them half a day of walking, which Lucy was beginning to feel infinitely more thankful for.

As they passed over the hill, a large town slowly came into view, and she couldn’t help the sigh of absolute relief that escaped her upon seeing their destination. Lucy took in the sights of their destination as they escorted the carriage through the streets to their drop-off point at the port on the other side of the city. It was a sweet little town and a welcome change of scenery from the two and a half days of non-stop forestry she had endured. Despite that, all she really wanted right now was to be back home and recover from the emotional turmoil this job had put her through with a nice long bath.

Their approach had captured the attention of a middle-aged-looking man, whom she could only assume to be their client based on the way he was waving for their attention and the resemblance between him and the girl who was currently attached to Natsu’s arm.

Even through all the treacherous and life-threatening jobs she had endured over the years, Lucy had never felt more thankful for a job to be over.

She found herself hanging out of the way with Gray and Happy while Erza spoke to their client, Natsu begrudgingly at her side, having been dragged over by their clients’ daughter.

"You’ve been a great help," the man smiled as he handed over their allotted payment (thankfully in full), "and thank you for ensuring that my dear daughter made it back safely as well."

"It’s our pleasure," Erza nodded, "thank you for entrusting your goods to our care."

His daughter, on the other hand, seemed less excited upon her arrival, still attached to Natsu’s side, looking weary at the prospect of him leaving.

"Oh Natsu~" she began, her hands clutched to her chest and a dreamy look in her eyes, "why don’t you stay here with me? That way, we can always be together~"

Natsu remained unphased by her proposal, his hands held behind his head as he mindlessly kicked his leg back and forth.

"Nah, sorry, but I’ve already promised that to someone else," he replied casually, "plus, I gotta stick with Lucy, make sure she doesn’t get herself into trouble."

Her shoulders slumped over at his response, eyes now trained to her feet as she stood in silence for what seemed like the first time since they had embarked.

"Oh… well…" she mumbled, "thank you for escorting me home…"

He acknowledged her thanks with a curt nod before turning on his heel when Erza approached him so the two could join the rest of their team to begin the long journey home. Before they could get too far, the familiar voice called out to them from behind.

"Goodbye Natsu! And- and goodbye everyone else!"

As soon as Natsu and Erza joined them, Lucy felt an arm slung around her shoulder, pulling her closer to his warm body. When she looked over, she was met with Natsu beaming at her as though he hadn’t seen her in days, even though they had technically been together the entire time.

"Hi," she greeted softly.

"Hey!" he replied, none of his enthusiasm waning.

All of the anxieties and bad feelings that had built up in her mind over the past few days slowly began to melt away in his presence, and she felt her entire body relax into his hold. This is what she had been craving—to feel him, his presence, his touch—not even in a romantic way. Natsu was her best friend, the beginning and end of everything good in her life, and just being by his side was privilege enough.

Now that they were alone, she felt herself loosen up, feeling comfortable enough to gently tease him about the whole scenario.

"So, you're not going to run away with the love of your life today?" She asked in a teasing tone.

"Nah, not my type," he shrugged, his voice solemn in response.

"What? Since when did you have a type?" She gawked, looking into his eyes to try and find some shred of evidence that he was just joking around with her, but his gaze remained dead serious.

He looked at her as though she had grown a second head before saying, "You didn’t know?"

Having gained this new information, she could only sit there and stare at him, mouth agape. She didn’t even realise that he could even be physically attracted to someone, let alone have a "type", but here he was, acting like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Geez, you’re kinda dense," he mumbled, "weirdo."

Wh- Her? Dense?

If anything, he was the dense one! She had been crushing on him for months now, and it wasn’t like she had exactly been subtle about it, but he never seemed to acknowledge that anything in her behaviour had changed.

"I am not dense," she ardently defended.

"Sure, sure," he brushed off, ready to move on to the next topic. "You’re pretty crappy at pickin’ out jobs Lucy."

Her first instinct was to jump to her own defence once more, but if she was being honest with herself, she couldn’t exactly disagree with him on this one.

"Well, it wasn’t exactly my best choice…" she murmured.

"Which is why you’re not allowed to pick out a job for the next three months!" Natsu declared.

"Aye!" Happy agreed, a little too enthusiastically for Lucy’s taste.

"You’re not supposed to agree with him, you stupid cat!"

While she had grown to enjoy Happy’s friendly companionship over the past few days, she secretly welcomed the return of his snarky remarks because it meant that finally things were going back to the way things should be.

"You're usually quick to complain when you don't like a job," she pointed out, "so what was different this time?"

"Yeah well, I didn’t wanna piss her off or anything," he shrugged, "otherwise, I woulda had to put up with you complaining about losing out on some reward money the whole way home."

Even though he may have used it as an excuse to get a jab in on her, his words sent her heart racing just a little faster. And to think, this whole time she had been stressing out over seeing another girl practically hanging off his arm, when the only reason he tolerated it in the first place was to make her happy.

"You did that… for me?"

He tilted his head and gave her that look again, like she had just said something completely outrageous.

"Course I did," he said, "did you hit your head or somethin’? Is that why you’re being so weird today?"

Not bothering to acknowledge his thinly veiled insult, Lucy wrapped her arms around him, an action that was quickly returned by Natsu as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Thank you, Natsu," she murmured into his chest, "that really means a lot to me."

"Oh uh- yeah, no problem, Lucy," he mumbled, clearly taken off guard by her sudden sappiness.

When she finally pulled away, her gaze was once again met with that goofy smile of his that she was certain could cure her of any emotional ailment.

"Are you guys done having your moment?" Gray interrupted, "‘Cause if you are, we’ve got another three days of walking ahead of us, so let’s get a move on."

A deep flush crossed Lucy’s face when she realised that her little emotional moment had held up the rest of their team, and she mumbled a quick apology as she lightly jogged over to join the two. Natsu followed close behind, catching up to her so they could walk shoulder to shoulder, savouring the feeling of closeness to her after being deprived of it for much too long.

Lucy was content to walk in a comfortable silence with him, just enjoying having him there and knowing that they would have all the time in the world to talk. Natsu however, didn’t seem to share in her feelings, quickly finding himself filling the silence.

"You’re walking too slow, Lucy," he complained.

"I’m walking at the exact same speed you ar-ah!"

Natsu left her no time to rebut, throwing his heavy pack over her shoulders before lifting her up onto his back, eliciting a frightened squeal from Lucy as she suddenly found herself instinctively clinging to his neck as he hoisted her up to adjust his grip on her legs.

"Natsu!" she squealed, as he began to dash ahead of their teammates, earning them baffled stares from the townspeople as they passed them by.

Despite her half-hearted protests, he continued to run, with Happy chasing behind them as the trio broke into a fit of giggles. His speed had her slipping from his grasp slightly, leading her to grip onto him even tighter and bury her face in the back of his neck until he could pull her back up.

Being back by his side, holding onto him, feeling his entire body shake as he laughed with such infectious joy was all the reassurance she needed. Any doubts she might have had about her place in his life were washed away as he whooped and howled in delight through his antics.

It was always going to be them.

#nalu #fairy tail #fanfiction #mya writes things #the way this fic got so out of control so fast

150 notes · View notes