•••
If anyone's in mood for some angsty NaLu, you can go check out my friend Mishka-adv story 'Homesick'.
•••

"So you've felt it too?"

"Yes."

"I knew it! I couldn't have had been the only one!"

"It's so weird." Carla began. "It's like.."

"..she's hiding something big?" Erza sighed, crossing her arms against her chest.

"I know that it isn't something of our concern, but at the same time I do. I feel this overwhelming urge to just know."

"You usually are the one most cautious around new people. What do you think of Lucy?"

"It's... it's so hard to put in words..what I feel around her." Carla sighed. "She isn't someone I can be cautious around. It's like I've trusted her even before I'd known her."

"Mmh. You can say that again." Erza agreed. "But all that magic power I felt earlier...I wonder if it was hers. And if it was..why is she hiding it? From everyone?"

"That monster had resistance against magic. It was weak, but it was there. It would've been almost impossible to defeat it with the feeble power of a weapon."

"She said that Wendy already wore it down before she was hit."

"It's a convincing story, but for some reason I don't believe it. It's almost as if I don't want to believe it."

"It isn't just her power that bothers me."

"Hm?"

"It's the nature of it. It felt so familiar...so very familiar. Like I had known that power for the longest time."

"Do you think we knew her?"

Erza closed her eyes, a small sigh escaping her. "I honestly don't know. I know she says that it was all a joke, but what I've been feeling lately definitely tells a different tale."

"It's like that void is filled, don't you think?"

"Almost." Erza let out a small smile.

"Almost." Carla repeated. "Have you told the others about it?"

"Just you and Wendy. I'm debating whether to tell Gray about it or not, but Natsu and Happy are definitely a no."

"And why is that?"

"Wendy, Gray and you can handle all of this well, but Natsu..Natsu will just burst. Either at us, or at her. And I don't think it is something we would want."

"So what do you suppose we should do? Keep our guards up? I won't lie, that wouldn't be an easy thing to do."

Erza got up, stretching a bit and staring up at the darkening sky.

"I know. It's all so peculiar, but it's true. It'll be hard. But it always is better to be cautious."

Carla got up too, changing back into her exceed form, dusting off her skirt. "It will be hard. Especially for those two." she said, obviously referring to Happy and Natsu. "In such a short while they have grown quite attached to her."

"Yeah." Erza gave a short laugh. "And in all honesty, it isn't even that surprising. It's almost natural."

"That's true."

"Anyway. Did you have any premonitions lately?"

"No." Carla sighed. "And this headache isn't making things any better. Everytime I try to focus.." Carla mumbled.

"You shouldn't over exert yourself about all of this. I guess time will reveal everything on its own accord. We've just got to keep an eye out for when it does." Erza smiled. "Come now, let's go back. I could really use a good night's sleep."

•••

"We are back~"

Wendy threw open the door to the guest bedroom, startling it's occupants. Lucy followed in soon after, carrying her bags.

"Welcome back."

"Where's Natsu-san?" Wendy asked, setting down her shopping. "And Erza-san and Carla aren't back yet?"

"Aye!" Happy answered, munching on a fish like always. "And Natsu went out for a bit. Didn't say where but knowing him he would probably be hovering around a food stall or a fight."

Lucy let out a short chuckle, sitting down on the bed next to the one Gray occupied.

"We got you all something!" Wendy exclaimed excitedly.

"Presents!" Happy exclaimed, flying over to Wendy's side.

"Yes but the others aren't here yet. We gotta wait."

"It's their loss that they aren't here yet. But we are. We should have our presents."

"Wow Gray." Lucy laughed. "I never took you to be the one who'd be so eager to get their presents."

He gave her a playful wink, shaking his head slightly. "It's my secret side. Nobody knew about it..at least till now.."

"Except maybe for Juvia.." Wendy mumbled, but everyone in the room heard it. Gray 'tsked', looking away while Lucy had her mouth wide open in surprise.

'Did he finally accept her feelings for him?'

"Juvia?.."

Wendy smirked, looking smugly at the ice-make wizard. "Oh that's just his special som-"

"We're back!"

The door to the room opened suddenly, successfully interrupting Wendy. A slightly exhausted looking Erza came in, Carla in her arms.

"What's all this?" she asked, eyeing the shopping bags with Wendy and Lucy.

"We got presents for everyone!" Wendy explained, smiling. "Come! Come!"

"Presents? But why-"

"You'll see!" Wendy said, grabbing the first bag and emptying it's contents one by one.

"Oh! Before I forget!" Lucy exclaimed, looking inside the bag she had. "Here." she said, taking out a box and extending it towards the others. "I got you all some mochi cakes."

Gray, Wendy and Happy were quick to grab one each, however Lucy noticed that Erza and Carla hesitated for a moment.

'Are they wary of me?'

She knew it was probably for the best, and that it'd help her keep her distance, but it still stung. Her hand was still outstretched, offering them the cakes, and they both only finally gave in when the other three threatened to finish them all off.

"Thanks Lucy."

"Man, Natsu's missing out!" Gray said with a mouthful of cake. "This is delicious!"

"Aye sir! Because we can't promise any leftovers."

"Don't worry about it." Lucy laughed. "Eat up to your fill. He'll have a chance to try them out tomorrow."

Wendy gulped, swallowing the last of her cake."That was really good! Now back to the presents!"

She held out a purple yukata with a beautiful and intricate cherry blossom design on it. "This is for Erza!" she exclaimed, handing the requip mage the robe. Erza awed at it's sight, totally smitten over it.

"It's beautiful!"

"That's not all!" Lucy exclaimed, standing up and walking over to her. She caressed Erza's scarlet hair, twisting it up in an elegant knot, securing it with a hairpin. Erza stiffened for a moment before relaxing, however it didn't go unnoticed by Lucy. "We got you a matching accessory too."

The scarlet haired mage stole a glance in the mirror, letting out a soft smile. "It's so pretty. Thank you so much."

"Lucy picked it out." Wendy revealed, and then smiling, held up two, smaller pieces of clothing. "This is for Happy and Carla!"

Carla's was a pink robe with a flower pin and Happy's was Jade green. Next was a blue robe for Gray and a red one for Natsu. Wendy was pretty excited showing off her aqua blue yukata herself. Everyone was cheerful, chattering animatedly and admiring the purchases, the atmosphere warm and fun.

Times like these, moments like this, were what blurred the lines of the past and the present. It was easy to get lost, forget that nothing was the same anymore.

For it was all so familiar.

"We've got to wear these for the festival tomorrow!"

"I wouldn't miss an opportunity." Erza said, stretching her arms. A yawn escaped her and she tiredly put her head on the table.

"You should rest now." Lucy said, getting up. "Tomorrow is going to be super tiring too so you all should rest up as much as you can. I'll get going now."

"I wonder where Natsu-san is? It's pretty late now."

"He'll show up sooner or later." Lucy smiled reassuringly, grabbing her bag and moving out. "Good night."

She closed the door behind her, a deep sigh escaping her.

'I know it'll be for the best if they distance themselves from me..if they are wary of me..so oh god why does it hurt so much?' Lucy thought, clasping her hands together. 'Oh God please let it not hurt so much.'

She took a deep breath and counted till three, trying to relax. "Things have been going haywire lately.." she mumbled, rubbing her forehead. "And I don't feel so good either..I think I should go lie down now.."

It was dark in the hallway, the only light source being that of the dim hall lamp. Lucy slightly smiled to herself, finally moving away from the door.

"BOO!"

Startled, she yelped in surprise, clutching her top tightly.

"You really shouldn't do that especially when it's dark!"

"It was totally worth it though! Your expression was priceless."

"You jerk! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Lucy lightly punched him on the shoulders, but Natsu still didn't stop laughing.

"Just stop laughing already!"

"Can't, I ca-okay okay! Ow! I'll stop!"

He pouted, rubbing his arm, right where Lucy punched him for real this time. "Gee, 'twas just a joke Luce."

"Hmph! It wasn't all that funny."

"Of course it wasn't..after all it was me who saw her face.." Natsu muttered under his breath, sniggering slightly.

"What'd you say?"

"Huh? Oh nothing! Nothing!"

Lucy eyed him skeptically, but finally averted her gaze, shaking her head. "Anyway.." she began. "Where were you?"

"Since you and Wendy wouldn't let me tag along..I went exploring on my own."

"You missed the mochi cakes I bought."

"What?!"

"Don't worry though you'd get to try it tomorrow. And Wendy got you a little gift too."

"What is it?"

"You should see that for yourself.." Lucy smiled, winking at him playfully.

Natsu groaned, sitting down on the stairs with a thump.

"What's wrong? You tired?"

"I'm hungry." he whined, patting his stomach. As if on cue, it made a loud, rumbling noise, making him groan more. "And it's worse because now I know I missed those delicious cakes you bought."

"Hm. That's rough." Lucy said, crouching down next to him. "C'mon, let's go." she said, grabbing his wrist.

"Go..where?"

"Well food isn't gonna come to you on it's own..you've got to go to it. Come on now!"

She led him down the stairs, towards the café part. Their shoes clicked against the wooden boards, and Lucy straight away headed towards the staff kitchen.

"It's so dark out here. Hold on a sec."

She switched on the lamp lacrima and the café was finally illuminated with a dim, golden glow.

"So how'd you get in? The main gate and the back gate are closed." Lucy asked opening the door to the kitchen. "Wait..you didn't break open the door or something right?" she asked, eyes wide in questioning.

"No. The window. It's much more efficient than the door."

Lucy stared at him for a good minute, before breaking into a laughter. "That's so you!" she giggled, shaking her head. "You haven't changed a bit."

She started walking in, when a sudden hold on her wrist stopped her dead.

"Natsu?"

"What did you mean by that?"

"Huh?"

His grip tightened and he moved a little closer to her. "Just now.." he began. "You said that I didn't change one bit. You talked about me as if you've known me. Why?"

Lucy's eyes widened when realisation hit her, inwardly cursing herself for the slip up. Natsu had fixated his intense gaze on her, and she was a nervous wreck now, wondering how on Earth was she going to get out of this one.

"Oh-Oh?" she stuttered, trying to find any way out of this mess. "D-Did I say you? Oh no no!"

She freed her hand from his grasp, and he let go a little hesitantly, a gesture not going unnoticed by her. "I didn't mean you! Oh no no. R-Remember I said how you reminded me of someone I was close to? W-Well looks like it was just a slip of tongue."

She started walking inside, and she could hear him following her. "He used to break in through my apartment window all the time." she laughed, remembering all those times Natsu did that. "And took over my bed. Said it was like 'sleeping on a fluffy cloud'. Idiot." she mumbled, shaking her head slightly. "The concept of 'door' was alien to him. I had to sleep on the floor because of him! Gave him my Lucy kick."

"Ouch. That must've hurt."

"Oh it did!" Lucy laughed. "And he was such a cuddler. If you were caught in one of his cuddles, you could forget about getting out till he wakes up."

Reminiscing about these memories, memories only she had, made her so happy, for these were her treasure, her lifeline. And talking about these memories she shared with Natsu himself was weird, but a good weird. He might not remember, but still talking about these precious moments with him was the greatest gift Lucy could ask for. Ever.

"So what do you wanna eat?"

"You're cooking?"

"Woah woah what's up with that expression mister?" Lucy asked, eyeing his uncertain look. "For the record, I'm a fabulous cook."

"Yeah..I can't really stomach that fact.."

"Hmph!" Lucy turned away grabbing some bread. "Since you think like that, you're only getting a sandwich. Jerk."

He watched her work her way through the kitchen, uncharacteristically silent and concentrated. It surprised her a bit, but then again, he really was not the Natsu she knew three years back.

"You really know your way around here."

"Well what'd you expect? I work here."

"Really? I thought it were the late night snacks."

She shot his sniggering self a dirty look, handing him the plate a little too aggressively. "If you're gonna be a jerk at least be a helpful one."

"Priceless.." he laughed, moving out.

"Where'd you want to eat?"

"Here?" he proposed, but then started smiling. "Unless you have somewhere better."

"Actually." Lucy smiled. "I do."

•••

"The roof."

"That's right!" Lucy said cheerfully. "Now hurry on up!"

"Hold on a sec. I got all these plates too."

"Well I told you to give them to me. Or use a basket or something. But you were like 'No'!"

"I take that back." he mumbled. "I can't climb and hold them at the same time. I'd end up dropping them, or myself."

"Don't you dare drop my sandwiches Natsu!" Lucy deadpanned. "Here, give them to me."

He passed her the plates, and she watched him climb up.

'Idiot' she thought, smiling slightly.

"Hey? What's with the creepy grin?"

Lucy hit him on the shoulder, an offended expression on her face. "Excuse me! I am not grinning creepily."

They both settled down next to each other, and Lucy took a deep breath, looking up at the sky.

"It's so beautiful out here." she mumbled, staring up at the stars in contentment.

"Do you come up here often?"

"All the time!" she smiled. "It's my sanctuary."

"Woah."

"Yep." she breathed. "I love watching the sky. And the stars. They're so....infinite."

"Dash wealy iche-"

"Seriously?" Lucy asked, looking at him. "You're actually gulping it all down in one go? Slow down, sheesh."

Natsu swallowed his mouthful, a satisfied smile on his face. "Can't." he answered simply. "They are really good."

"See?" Lucy said smugly. "What'd I tell you? I'm a good cook after all. Pity that you pissed me off earlier otherwise who knows..you could've had something even better to eat."

Natsu sighed, lying down on the slanted roof, looking up at the stars. "I never would've guessed you were like this."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, lying down next to him herself.

"You are opening up. You were so reserved and distant when I first met you but now..it's a really nice change."

"That so?" Lucy mumbled, shifting her gaze to the sky. "Huh."

"I like this Luce the most." Natsu said, smiling. "It's amazing when you talk about yourself. It somehow eases me."

Lucy didn't say anything, choosing to remain silent. However, her breath hitched a bit when she felt his hand brush her own, wondering if he was going to hold it or move away. However, his hand just stayed there, not yet holding hers but not letting her forget it's presence either.

Lucy couldn't help but let out a short, unamused laugh, when she realised how this represented her life too. She wanted to hold on to her past, but she couldn't, and so she wanted to deal with it by forgetting about it. But cruel life, in it's own twisted way, had now led her to a point where she couldn't hold on, nor could she escape from it's presence. Life really was the worst.

"What's so funny?"

"Life." Lucy answered. "What else? It's always so funny. So terribly funny."

Natsu went silent after this, and Lucy made no attempt to start up a conversation either. They both just lay, side by side, stargazing.

The silence. It was comforting.

Before Natsu decided to break it.

"Hey?" he asked, still looking up. "Where is that friend of yours now?"

"He." Lucy sighed. "Is back home. With the others."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because..I left."

He went silent again, leaving behind only the sound of their breathing. His hand shifted a little, covering just the tiniest part of her hand.

"So.." he began, shifting to look at her now instead. "Why'd you leave?"

There it was, the question she had dreaded from the start. Lucy closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. Her hand shifted just a little, pulling away from his warm one.

'Because..sometimes leaving is the only way to avoid hurting..and getting hurt.'

"That Natsu.." Lucy breathed, turning over to look at him too.

'And because I never wanted to hurt you.'

"Is a story for another time."

•••
3000 fucking words. Dammnnn.
That's like two chapters in one
And that's the longest I've ever written.

Though I loved writing this chapter. My fav yet❤

Oof.

Anywayyy.
Please vote, comment and share this story! I'd love to get to know your views!

Gruviaaaaa❤

lol I'm actually excited to see how this turns out

Ayeeee old fights!

Until next time!
Belle 🌸
🔥❤🔑