"Hey Luce," Natsu asked. Lucy looked up from her writing desk and looked around. She had fallen asleep again.

"Yeah?" Lucy answered. She felt Natsu come up behind her and sat up more.

"Were you okay without me around?" Lucy didn't reply. Why was he asking this? She was too afraid to answer, thinking if she said yes that he'd leave her again, but she didn't want him to feel like she was weak without him. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." He simply answered. She hesitated but guiltily told him the truth.

"I was alright after a while, but it was really lonely." Lucy swallowed her over an excessive amount of spit in her mouth, making a gulp sound that seemed much too loud for comfort.

"Oh." That was all he said? Couldn't he at least apologize? She understood that he was training, and he did get stronger, but "oh" was his reply? Something in her started to make her fume.

Lucy bit back anger as she stood up to tell both Natsu and Happy to stay out of the bathroom so she could take a bath and recedes behind the curtain that blocked the bathroom from the living area. She wants to hear snickering and footsteps come her way but hears nothing and starts to strip off her clothes and turn the bath water on. After she felt like the water was hot enough, she slipped in, immediately relaxing her muscles. She was still upset though. "Oh"? That's all he had to say? Lucy pushed her face further into the water, her body sliding to lower herself. She played with her hair that was floating around her chest, lost in thought. Why was she so angry? She wasn't expecting a specific answer. Lucy wanted to scream but instead submerged her whole head in water, attempting to drown out her angered thoughts. Be happy again, your whole life is back, you have the job you've always dreamed of having, and you're perfectly healthy. Be happy with what you have.

"Lucy!"

Lucy was jerked from her thoughts as she gasped for air. She sat frozen as she analyzed the situation. Natsu had his grip on Lucy's shoulders and his legs were in the bath, soaking the hem of his pants. He was bent down and staring at her with his muddy green eyes that filled with worry, his lips thin and frowning.

"Everything was eerily quiet and I came to check on you to see you underwater and--" Lucy hushed Natsu and shook her head.

"I'm okay."

Natsu hesitantly lets go of Lucy and stood there for a minute, staring at Lucy's eyes. Then he stepped out of the bathtub and walked away, not even bothering to dry his feet.

Lucy's heart was pounding. He just saved her from drowning herself.

He saw me naked.

Lucy's face burned with embarrassment and she splashed her face with the bath water. It's not like she hasn't been butt- naked in front of him before, but this seemed different. She didn't know what made it so different from the others, and it didn't matter because it wasn't a pleasant feeling at all.

Lucy, after awhile, got out of the bathtub after she started to notice her fingers looking wrinkly. She wrapped the nearest towel around her and flipped her head upside down to twist on another towel to hold her hair.

Nervously, Lucy tiptoed out of the bathroom to see where the two rascals were and found Natsu sleeping on the couch, his hands tucked under the back of his head with his elbows sticking out, and Happy resting on his thighs.

"Phew." Lucy let out a sigh and swiped pajamas from her closet to put on before going to bed.

She tossed and turned and could not sleep at all until she gave in and walked over to Natsu without thinking.

"Natsu," Lucy shook his arm to wake him and it took a few more tries before she earned a hoarse groan from him as he turned his head from the couch to her.

"I can't sleep." She whispered, feeling like a child. A blush was painted on her face as Natsu's drowsy eyes tried to focus on Lucy. He raised himself up and rubbed his eyes of sleep before answering, "Okay." She fiddled with her fingers in embarrassment. What was she expecting him to do anyway? Hold her? Hell to the no. Lucy had to think before she came up with a somewhat okay idea.

"Could you go on a walk with me?" Lucy asked. "Uh, sure." Natsu drearily stood up and stretched, turning his head towards a clock before lowering his arms.

"I know it's late," Lucy quickly answered, already knowing what he was thinking. "But... I need it." Natsu looked at his blue cat friend and probably was debating whether to wake him or not. "Okay, let's go."

When the two walked out of Lucy's apartment, leaving Happy sleeping, well, happily, Natsu had turned even quieter than before.

"I'm sorry about earlier tonight." Lucy apologized. Natsu chuckled lowly and shook his head before declining her apology. "Don't be sorry, I was just overreacting." She swallowed and bit her bottom lip in nervousness. She thought this walk was going to be relaxing, but it wasn't even close to being "relaxed". Lucy looked at the tall buildings around both of them that she now called her home and suddenly became homesick. She wanted to walk along the river edge and be warned by the people in canoes saying she would fall in. Lucy started to tear up. She only left to get away from the memories of Fairy Tail, but it didn't seem like it was worth it. She didn't expect to completely forget about Fairy Tail, but she wanted to get away from the past. Yet, she still felt like she was stuck in the past. Lucy glanced at Natsu who let out a yawn but stifled it at the end.

"Do you want to go back? I'm sorry." Lucy started to turn around but Natsu refused.

"No, it's nice outside." She smiled at his small grin as he looked at her, and started to feel her cheeks get heated. No.

Lucy looked away quickly to hide her blush and tried to laugh her sudden movement off to keep Natsu unsuspicious. Luckily, he didn't notice or didn't show his notice in her act, which made Lucy silently let out a breath of relief.

She then had the urge to get the weight of keeping her admiration for him a secret off her shoulders. She didn't know why, but a feeling in her chest burned as her heart squelched, Tell him. It's the best time to.

That's when Lucy stopped thinking. Talking. Or breathing. Her sudden halt made Natsy stop too and turn to ask her what was wrong. But before he could ask her, she blurted,

"I-- I love you."

The world stood still. The earth stopped moving. Lucy couldn't shudder from her own voice saying those 3 words that could make anybody's heart pop out of their chest. Natsu stood there, face straight and stern, but a hint of guilt washed over his eyes.

"I... Know it's a bit late. But, I love you."

No response. It made her flustered and angry as he stood like a statue. Frustrated, Lucy snapped, "Why won't you say anything? Don't you love me back? If you don't just say so."

As soon as Natsu answered her, the world started spinning again, but it made her sick to her stomach and her mouth start to taste like liquid metal as his words stabbed her like a knife.

"...I'm sorry. I can't love you back."

"W-what?" Lucy sputtered. Her heart cried in desperate need of his old joking around, but from the looks of it, this was no childish game. This was the truth, and boy, was it colder than Gray's ice.

"I can't love you back." Natsu repeated, a little louder and more saddening. Lucy stepped back a step, her nerves taking over her body more than her mind as it screamed, Ask why! Run away! Do something! Don't be a dumbfounded fool!

Lucy couldn't breathe any more than she could before. She gasped for air to enter her needy lungs, panting and turning red. Why am I freaking out? I was expecting something different than I can't love you back. But I didn't want to act this upset!! Forgetting all emotion, she trudged into Natsu and grabbed his cloak collar with one hand, and the edge of his scarf with the other, pulling as hard as she could on his clothing to lower his head to her height.

"Why?"

She could hear Natsu swallow and hesitantly whisper, "I met someone on the trip." Her grip tightened on his white scarf, knuckles white and face red with embarrassment mixed with anger. Her senses snapped into place as she softened and let go of his clothing, starting to cover her face with her hands to hide her emotional breakdown.

"Who?" He didn't make eye contact with her, but answered, "A girl.. named Riji." Lucy's mouth agape, she fell to the ground and cried out, "Why did my gut say it was time when it clearly wasn't?" Her voice cracked and a high pitched squeak left her mouth making her cry even harder. A warm hand touched her shoulder but she slapped it away, not wanting any attention from her crush.

"D-dont touch me." She sobbed and stood up, no longer wanting to break down in front of Natsu and ran for her goddamn life. She couldn't comprehend the embarrassment, the anger, the possession she had before crying. She ran where her feet took her until she found an alleyway, where she slipped into and cried. Leaving Fairy Tail, Natsu leaving me, confession turning into an excruciating crush of guilt. What more can this world give me to bring me to my knees and have me beg for mercy? Quiet sobs left her lips as her mess of drool and tears kept having to be wiped up from her face. Clearly, it wasn't meant to be, and clearly, he wasn't in love with her. So why did she try any more?

After a while, Lucy was brought back to her self, occasionally heaving sighs to replenish herself, but it felt nice to stop grieving. She brought herself up on her feet and wiped the rest of drool and slobber off her face and whispered to herself,

"Natsu Dragneel, you've only made me stronger."

Kms :>

So. If you want to continue this story yourself, PLEEEASE PLEASE PLEASE Message me and I will reply and we can work it out. This was meant to be a one shot, but if you're willing to keep this going you can, just ask for permission. Also, don't use the picture above without my permission because I drew it :3 tyvm and I love you.