The comfortable silence that had lingered between them gradually dissipated, giving way to something lighter. Lucy took a deep breath, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she tried to regain her composure. Her face was still warm, but now for reasons she didn't want to examine too closely.
She cleared her throat, trying to sound casual as she brought up a topic after all the emotions of their "reunion."
"So… that mission you did with Juvia. Was it important?"
Natsu tilted his head slightly, as if the change of subject were the most natural thing in the world.
"Ah… no. Nothing special. Just a band of thugs bothering some villages near the border. Juvia ended up coming along at Mira's request…"
"Just thugs…?" Lucy blinked, frowning a little. "The Master said it took you a week to complete the mission. But why were you away for two weeks?"
He shrugged, completely relaxed.
"The fight was quick. I think it was over in about ten minutes. They were pretty weak."
Lucy nearly slid off the couch.
"Ten minutes?!"
"Yeah." He smiled simply. "After that… we kind of spent some time traveling."
"T… traveling?"
"Mm-hmm." Natsu leaned back, hands behind his head, as if he were recounting the most ordinary thing. "I wanted to see some new places and clear my head, so I invited Juvia to come along. We passed through a bunch of cool towns. There was even one with a huge lake that looked like a star when the sun hit it. It was really nice…"
Lucy felt something catch in her throat.
An uncomfortable, sharp sensation that she tried to ignore but failed miserably.
"…You two went traveling. Alone. Together."
"Yes."
The answer came naturally, sincerely, as if there were nothing unusual about it. And really… for the old Natsu, there probably wasn't. He had always been straightforward, simple, carefree about implications.
But now…
Why did it feel "different" to her?
Lucy crossed her legs unnecessarily, trying to mask the sudden discomfort that had no name but burned slowly in the pit of her stomach.
"…I see."
Natsu noticed the faint trace of jealousy in her. Unlike his former self, he had experience in romance and sex—like any college student from his old world. Still, he chose not to comment. That subtle yet revealing reaction only reinforced his own conclusion: Lucy didn't see him merely as a friend…
He then calmly probed for more signs. "It was good for Juvia too. She'd been kind of… down."
Lucy looked away.
Of course she had been down. In a way, Lucy had already sensed what had happened between Juvia and Gray on Tenrou Island in the weeks since everyone returned. And earlier, when she'd run into the water mage at the guild, Juvia had seemed lighter, happier… less gloomy. Only now was she truly reflecting on it.
The reason was easy to guess—probably because of Natsu.
Had she fallen for him?
"And you…" she asked with a weak smile, "did you have fun too?"
He nodded immediately.
"Yeah. It was good to see new places. And Juvia's company is… peaceful. She talks a lot, but… it's comfortable. I think I needed that."
Lucy felt her heart squeeze.
Hard.
So hard that she had to take a deep breath so it wouldn't show.
Why was this bothering her so much?
Her mind raced back through every moment she had shared with Natsu. It had all started as an impromptu partnership on her first mission, evolving into constant companionship marked by small experiences that, individually, seemed trivial but, taken together, had slowly and deeply made her start to fall for him…
She cared about him.
It was impossible not to.
Natsu had saved her from loneliness when he brought her to Fairy Tail. Every playful fight she'd witnessed between him and the guild members, every spontaneous act of protection where he risked his own life for her, every adventure they shared without hesitation… all of it had made her realize she could no longer imagine life without Natsu by her side.
He always showed up when she needed him, even when she said nothing. He protected her with a determination that went beyond simple camaraderie. He included her in his plans, dragged her into his adventures as if she were a natural and indispensable part of his path. For someone who had always searched for a place to belong, that was profoundly moving.
Over time, she noticed her mood improved when he was around. She felt safer, more confident, and—without realizing it—happier. Their constant companionship had made her develop the habit of looking to him before making decisions, as if Natsu's opinion had become a silent anchor in her life.
Even in dangerous situations—like on Galuna Island, during the fight against Phantom Lord, or in the battles against Laxus—she always felt something different watching Natsu fight. It was a strange, uncomfortable mix: absolute trust in his strength and, at the same time, a silent, suffocating fear of losing him.
That feeling had reached its peak on Tenrou Island.
The constant threats, the most intense battles they had ever faced, the sense of death lurking at every turn… it all forced her to confront a possibility she had always avoided: what if Natsu died?
That was when she realized how emotionally dependent she was on him.
And she didn't want to admit it.
But she was in love…
There was just one problem…
I mean… it was Natsu, right?
So she had never consciously acknowledged it as love. She preferred to label it appreciation, concern, friendly affection—any excuse possible to avoid facing the obvious. Mira had once teased that they would make a perfect couple, and that alone had been enough to leave her completely paranoid.
Yet in the short time they had spent together since the reunion, she had noticed he had matured. Obviously, she had never imagined something like that could happen. But after everything he'd been through, after such a devastating loss, it was understandable. Anyone would change a little after losing someone they loved… even Natsu, right?
Thinking about it inevitably brought back the memory of Happy's death. After everything they'd lived through, it was the first time she had seen him break so deeply. In the days that followed, she took care of him. She stayed close. She saw his vulnerability laid bare with no defenses, and she realized something inside her hurt too—but in a way that had nothing to do with the guild as a whole or the death of their friend Happy. It was far more personal and intimate…
She hadn't suffered only for the loss of a dear friend, but because seeing Natsu devastated had struck a place inside her she never wanted to face…
Yes, she didn't even want to touch on that subject right then. But all the memories—whether the adventures beside Natsu or everything they had experienced on Tenrou Island—inevitably converged on a single fact:
She was deeply in love with him.
Yes…
She was…
Just admitting it to herself made her heart race, almost painfully, and the butterflies that had only fluttered in her stomach before now seemed to come fully alive, vibrating even more intensely.
I mean… it was almost obvious, wasn't it? As a romance writer, she often used Natsu as the basis for her protagonists because, to her, he was the ideal hero.
In a way, he had always been her knight in shining armor.
Only now was she seeing it clearly—especially hearing him talk about Juvia and feeling that same discomfort she had once felt with Lisanna and her Edolas counterpart when they got too close to him, and remembering that the water mage had been by his side at a time when Lucy secretly wished she had been there herself. All of it only because, over the years, she had built perfect mechanisms to ignore her own feelings—even after Tenrou Island, when everything had changed. She had buried herself in work, focused on repairing the guild, rebuilding lives after the seven lost years… and avoided feeling.
Deep down, she knew Natsu was emotionally naive, impulsive, and hard to read. That had led her to believe he would never understand something so delicate. She thought he would never see her that way, so she decided to keep it all to herself—even from her own awareness. Telling herself he was just a friend was far easier than facing the truth.
But now, with him different, more mature… she was suddenly forced to confront everything she had buried so deeply inside…
Lucy looked at Natsu beside her, and his unusually serious expression—so focused, so different from the impulsive, chaotic boy she knew—hit her like a sudden wave.
The realization that had been quietly growing inside her since Tenrou Island exploded all at once, as if every piece had finally fallen into place.
My God…
What was happening to her?
It was ironic, almost cruel, to realize something so profound at such a delicate moment, when she was still trying to process her reactions to hearing about Juvia, her insecurities, and everything she had been swallowing for years. But the heart doesn't follow logic; it doesn't wait for the right time. It just happens. And now… it was happening with full force.
Lucy felt the air catch in her chest for a moment. Seeing Natsu like this—so calm, so attentive to details, so perceptive—gave her a new feeling, one that hadn't existed before. That subtle maturity, that unexpected depth, that air of someone who had lived, suffered, changed, and reinvented himself… it was shaking her defenses with frightening ease.
He had become so handsome…
He looked like a real man now…
It was in that instant she realized she was only now truly understanding how much he had grown and how directly it affected her feelings. Because he was no longer just the impulsive partner who dragged her by the arm into missions. He was no longer just the friend she protected, or the partner who protected her.
Lucy swallowed hard, trying not to let the whirlwind forming inside her show.
Because in realizing Natsu had changed… she also realized that maybe, just maybe, this feeling finally had a real chance to blossom.
It wasn't a romantic fantasy, it wasn't a literary idealization, it wasn't a projection from her stories. It was real. It was her, it was him, it was what they had lived through, what they had lost, and what they could build now.
For the first time since she met Natsu, she felt hope. Not a vague, timid hope buried deep because of his former naivety. But a concrete hope…
Because she wanted to be by his side. Not just on missions, not just in tough times, not just on adventures. She wanted to be by his side forever.
She wanted to be present in his life in a different way. She wanted to be someone he chose, someone he trusted, someone he truly saw. She wanted to be part of his future, not just his past. She wanted to walk with him through every change, every step, every new beginning.
Lucy swallowed the knot rising in her throat—an entanglement of confused emotions, repressed desires, and thoughts rushing so fast she couldn't even organize them. It was as if everything she had buried for years was resurfacing all at once, mercilessly, taking shape in the frantic beating of her heart and the heat she could barely hide on her face.
She took a deep breath, trying to keep her composure, but the attempt failed. The feelings were there, overflowing, pressing against every word before they were even spoken. The simple thought of Natsu and Juvia traveling alone together for two weeks made her mind spin in a way it never had before. It wasn't just jealousy. It was fear. Fear of losing a place she had never allowed herself to admit she wanted.
And yet… she couldn't look away from him.
Lucy moistened her lips, her stomach tight, and even though she tried to keep her tone light, the jealousy slipped into the sentence before she could stop it:
"I see… It sounds like it was really nice. Did you have fun?"
"Did I have fun?" Natsu repeated the question as if making sure he'd heard right. Then he gave a smile so honest it made Lucy's heart stumble, and answered, "A lot. It was… like being able to breathe again after being underwater for too long."
He then began recounting, with complete naturalness, several of the things he had experienced alongside Juvia. They weren't incredible stories—just simple details: places they visited, different foods they tried, little mishaps they got into, and even funny situations that only someone as spontaneous as him could attract.
With each piece of information, Lucy's discomfort grew.
It wasn't dramatic, but quiet and progressive, slowly eroding her composure.
As he spoke, she began to feel increasingly childish in her own reactions. It was as if simply imagining Natsu and Juvia laughing together, walking side by side in distant towns, or sharing moments that seemed "too light" to be merely casual made something inside her twist.
Lucy had always been rational—or at least tried to be. She could explain other people's emotions, wrote romances with ease, understood nuances most people missed. But when it came to herself, especially her feelings for Natsu, all that maturity evaporated. And at that moment it was painfully obvious.
She tried to maintain her posture while he described his days with Juvia, but her mind began unconsciously comparing them to her own memories with him. She noticed small patterns she hadn't seen before: places she wished she had visited with Natsu, moments she wished she had lived with him, conversations she wanted to have had… and above all, an intimacy she secretly longed to build but had never dared attempt.
When Natsu finally finished his explanation, Lucy could no longer pretend she was unaffected. The whirlwind of emotions had turned into something sharper—a mix of insecurity, painful curiosity, and fear of confirming what she was desperately trying not to imagine.
That was why, driven by an impulsive courage she didn't recognize in herself, she asked the question she would never have had the nerve to ask on any other day:
"…Natsu, do you think Juvia is pretty?"
Lucy immediately regretted it, feeling her face burn even more, but it was too late to take it back. She looked away, pretending to be fascinated by a crack in the wall, her heart pounding as if it wanted to escape her chest.
Natsu blinked, surprised by the directness, but didn't hesitate. He tilted his head and answered with simple honesty: "Yeah, I do. She's pretty. As pretty as you, Mira, or Erza."
When a woman you're not in a relationship with asks whether another woman is pretty, the best move is always to include her in the answer. Usually she'll store that comment away and start trying harder to earn your validation, attempting to prove she's the prettier one. Women tend to be naturally competitive, so you just let that dynamic run its course. But you have to be careful: don't overdo it and keep the answer neutral, without implying one is prettier than the other.
It was a trick he had used many times in conversations and dates in his previous life.
Catching him off guard with that? Nearly impossible.
Lucy froze.
The air seemed to vanish from the room for a moment. She slowly turned her face back to him, eyes wide, processing the words as if they were in another language. He… had compared her to Juvia? To Mira and Erza? As if it were obvious and casual…
The Natsu she knew—the one from before Tenrou Island—would never have answered like that. He would have blushed, gotten confused, looked away, asked why she wanted to know, maybe even thought she was teasing him. Usually he wouldn't even understand that kind of question because of his innocence…
But this Natsu… he had said it with mature calmness, like someone who could acknowledge beauty without shame or childishness.
That was when it truly hit her.
He had matured in these matters too. It wasn't just the calm in his expression and speech or the depth in conversations about loss. It was this: seeing the people around him—including women—with a perception that went beyond the surface. Without the innocence that had always defined him…
Lucy's heart leapt, mixing the lingering jealousy with something new, something warm and hopeful that left her even more confused. If he could talk about beauty like that… did he really see her? Could he…?
In that moment, it felt as if a part of her that had been asleep for years had been abruptly awakened. The comparison he made—placing her on the same level of beauty as women like Mirajane and Erza—shook her deepest foundations…
It was then she realized, with painful clarity, that the image she had of him hadn't kept up with the man Natsu had become. And seeing it so suddenly left her vulnerable in a way she wasn't prepared to admit.
Her mind jumped between sensations: surprise, embarrassment, timid joy, anxiety, insecurity… all mixed together, all compressed in her chest as if there were no room left. The truth was that simple comment had torn down the wall she had built around her own feelings. She couldn't pretend anymore.
Lucy felt her face grow hot in an almost humiliating way—not the soft, shy blush of awkward situations, but a dense, chilling heat that rose from her chest to her ears.
She tried to open her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Her mind was chaos: part of her wanted to grin like an idiot; another part wanted to hide under the couch; another wanted to ask exactly when he had started thinking that way. In the end, what escaped was a shaky attempt at rationality.
"I… didn't know you… thought like that."
Her voice came out low, almost choked, as if she were trying to push the emotions back down her throat before they escaped without permission.
It was the best she could manage.
To pull herself together, she grabbed the glass of water she had set aside earlier and—even though she wasn't thirsty—downed the rest in one go. The gesture was almost desperate, as if drinking water could cool the avalanche of emotional heat she felt. When she finished, she took a deep breath and slowly set the glass down beside the couch, trying to look like she wasn't on the verge of an internal collapse.
She attempted to change the subject, or at least pretend normality.
"…So… are you still going to the guild? Now? At night?"
Natsu confirmed with the same calm as before.
"Yeah, I am. I promised I'd stop by later." He then tilted his head slightly, watching her for a moment that felt longer than it was, before asking naturally—but with a tone that, to her, sounded almost intimate: "Want to come with me?"
Lucy felt her heart give another leap—smaller, but just as strong.
The question was simple.
Normal.
Something he would have asked hundreds of times years ago. But now, after everything she had just felt and heard… the question carried something different.
And she carried something different inside herself too.
The answer came without hesitation—because, in that moment, being by his side was exactly what she wanted.
"…Sure. Let's go."
Natsu smiled, satisfied with the answer, stood up unhurriedly, and waited for her to do the same. Lucy smoothed her hair, took another deep breath, trying to quiet the butterflies that insisted on multiplying in her stomach, and walked to the door beside him.
The two left the cabin together, and when the cool night air touched her skin, Lucy realized that all the emotions she had tried to bury were now completely on the surface—alive, intense, and more impossible to ignore than ever.
______________________
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