HOME | DD

Description
NaLu- Furry

That was it. That was the last straw as far as Lucy was concerned. He had to know. There was no other way he would've done that if he hadn't known. That stupid fire breather.

Lucy's feet slammed down on the cobblestone as she marched back to her apartment, not even paying attention to the man in the boat who called out to her to be careful, and that if she stomped that hard she'd break her foot. She didn't care. That pyro was finally going to get a piece of her mind whether he wanted it or not. She was tired of the embarrassment.

She shook her head in frustration. Natsu was so oblivious, so stupid, so dense, and yet there was no doubt in her mind that he knew. He knew that she was filled to the brim with unexpressed emotion for him. She had fallen for Natsu, the dense one, and yet he had figured her out. Perhaps that's what made her the angriest, or maybe it was the fact that he'd somehow tricked her. He wasn't as oblivious as she had pegged him to be. He just played the stupid card to embarrass her. She was sure of it.

Every little gesture he administered onto her. The casual times he would throw his arm over her shoulder, grinning ear-to-ear. She would blush furiously while he floated high with ignorance. The times he'd stretch out on her bed and ask to sleep with her. She'd squeal, throwing a pillow at him and yelling that he needed to get out. She realized how it'd look if they slept in the same bed, he didn't. It was like that. She liked him, and he was clueless. However Lucy was slowly learning that perhaps those moments when he'd do things like that, completely oblivious to how they made her feel, were all an act.

He knew. He knew how those things made her feel. And in an act of amusement he'd continue to do them, acting as if he had no clue every time, while secretly understanding it all.

That was the only explanation Lucy could think of. Those gestures had been going on for too long and had been getting too intimate for him to just be doing it in a friendly way. No way. Not after today when he'd given her a peck on the cheek. Friends didn't do that. Especially not Natsu. Lucy had been nearly 100% sure that Natsu hadn't even known what a kiss was let alone how to perform one. Even if it was only a peck.

Yes, that moronic dragon knew a lot more than he let on. And it infuriated her.

Lucy turned the corner, stomping just as hard on the steps up to her apartment, all the while mumbling under her breath about various ways she could make Natsu pay. It would all be easier if he was embarrassed by anything. But he wasn't. He was always so happy and carefree. Nothing seemed to embarrass him, and that just made Lucy's blood boil even hotter. That fire breathing moron had embarrassed her to no end and there was no way she could get back at him.

She shoved the key into the lock of her apartment, turning it and storming into the room, slamming the door behind her with her foot and tossing her bag onto her bed. It was brainstorming time. She'd find a way to get back at Natsu. She would. A way that would make him regret ever embarrassing her in the first place. Oh yes, he'd regret the times he made Lucy Heartfilia blush. He'd regret them all.

She stomped into the kitchen, yanking the fridge door open and kicking off her shoes. A good brainstorming session required a good sandwich. She pulled out the jelly and closed the door with a bang, whirling around to the counter, where suddenly on the other side a certain salmon haired boy was sitting, staring at her with a confused look on his face, his head leaning on one of his hands. Where had he come from?!

"KYAAA!" Lucy yelled, nearly jumping out of her skin and the jar of jelly flying into the air.

Natsu jumped as well at her loud shout, slipping backwards and falling off of his stool, disappearing behind the counter with an 'oof'. The jar of jelly came crashing back down on the counter a moment later, exploding on impact, glass and goo flying everywhere.

Lucy cowered, slapping both hands over her face in an attempt to shield it. Luckily, all of the debris missed her, and the condiment landed with multiple splats on the floor. She peeked through her fingers when the room was finally quiet to see Natsu peering over the counter hesitantly, only his face from the eyes up visible.

"You okay, Luce?" he asked hesitantly, his eyes crossing as he focused on a splat of jelly right in front of his nose.

All of the malice she had felt toward him only a few seconds ago seemed to fly out the window when she saw his completely innocent expression. "Don't scare me like that, Natsu," she breathed, taking her hands away from her face and resting one on her heart while glowering at the mess she'd made.

Natsu grinned, hopping back up on his stool and placing his elbows on the counter, a blissful smile stretching across his face.

Lucy glared at him for a moment before sighing and reaching over to the sink for a towel. That smile. It made her thoughts trail back to why she'd been so peeved by him. He acted so oblivious and yet he wasn't. That's right. That was why she was so mad. Mad at him and his stupid embarrassment tactics. Yes, that's right.

As she began to clean up the mess she let herself wallow in the frustration again. If she could get her irritation back up to how strong it'd been before, maybe she could yell at Natsu properly. She could accuse him for his act, put him on the spot, and then maybe he'd be the embarrassed one. Oh yes, that'd be perfect. But before her annoyance had built back up enough for her to speak up, Natsu had beat her to the punch.

"Hey Luce, about todayâ€¦," he trailed off.

Lucy had bent over to pick up a chunk of glass but froze, shooting back up to look at Natsu. What was this? He lookedâ€¦ hesitant. Natsu never looked hesitant. Lucy squinted one eye at him. Was this some act too? Was he planning on piling on more embarrassment for her? If soâ€¦ that was it. She'd have to put him in his place.

Natsu looked up to her, with what she swore was a hint of a blush on his face, his hand scratching the back of his neck. "Sorry. I guess I kinda just got carried awayâ€¦"

Lucy cocked an eyebrow. Was he referring to the peck on the cheek? The thing that had finally pushed her over the edge? Her curiosity was piqued. Was he regretting it? Why? She tossed down the towel on the counter and rested her elbows on it, mimicking Natsu's former position. "What'ddya mean?" she asked.

"Well," Natsu coughed, looking to the side, "Y'know. I kindaâ€¦ kissed ya, and that was probably too far," he said slowly, looking down at his lap sheepishly.

If Lucy had been drinking something, it would've been all over Natsu. Surprised was an understatement. Confused was an understatement. She had no idea what her partner had meant by that. She squinted harder at him. Was he finally owning up to the fact that he'd been putting on a charade of oblivion? Was he admitting that teasing her was one thing, but toying with her emotions by kissing her had been too far? Surely.

Natsu dared a glance back up at her, before cringing under her stare and frowning. "Sorry," he said carefully, "I mean, if you're mad."

She cocked her head to the side. Mad? Really? She wasn't mad. Did she want to pummel him for being so insensitive and for teasing her to no end? Oh heck yes. But she wasn't mad.

She wasn't sure what to say, the urge to reprimand him once again fizzling out. If she could only keep up her irritation toward him for a few minutes she'd be able to rat him out, but with that cute innocent face she just somehow couldn't. She sighed at her own weakness and shoved off of the counter, wiping up some of the jelly while shaking her head, "You're a sneaky one," she mumbled to herself.

"Eh?" Natsu peeped, straitening up in his chair with surprise. "Sneaky?"

She rolled her eyes and nodded, tossing a chip of glass into the trash. "Yeah. You've got everyone thinking you're so clueless, but you're really not. You're a good actor, Natsu," she said, nodding to him with a reluctant smile.

Natsu paused for a moment, staring at her with what looked to be disbelief. "A good actor? What are you talking about, Luce?"

"Yeah, like that," she said, nodding and pointing to him before placing the towel in the sink again. She'd cleaned up the kitchen enough for it to not be a minefield of glass and jelly. She figured she'd go back to it later and really clean it. But at the moment she had a more pressing problem in the form of a very confused-looking fire mage, who wouldn't own up to his act.

"What?!" Natsu asked, "I have no idea what you're talking about Lucy. I think you've spent too much time in the spirit world lately," he said, shaking his head and tsking to himself.

She glared at him as she paced out of the kitchen and over to her desk. It was alright if he played the fool, but if he was going to insult her while he was at it, that was too much. "C'mon Natsu," she said through gritted teeth, "You know you've been embarrassing me on purpose. Just own up to it," she grunted, reaching down and ripping a small scrap of paper off of her notebook.

"Embarrassing you?" Natsu asked, as if he hadn't heard those words before in his life. "I still have no idea what you're talking about."

Lucy's eyes were glued to the Dragon Slayer who was still perched on his stool, his eyes wide with exasperation and his hands held out slightly as if he was literally trying to grasp onto what she was saying. She stalked back over to the counter, scribbling down a note to buy jelly the next time she went to the store before pinning it on the fridge with a magnet. Fine, if he wasn't going to admit to it, she'd force him to answer. "Well then why'd you kiss me today? It was to embarrass me, right?" she asked.

Natsu's already wide eyes grew even larger, this time what she was certain was a blush making itself known on his face. "I-I already told you I just kinda went too far-" he cut himself short at the glare Lucy was sending him. He wasn't answering the question and she wasn't amused. Natsu sighed, slumping over in defeat before answering. "Cuz, I meanâ€¦ maybe I kinda like you, Luce."

Lucy's tense features relaxed immediately, her eyebrows drifting apart from one another before shooting upwards. "What?" Of all the things she'd expected him to use as an excuse, that sure wasn't one. Wait, was that really an excuse, or did he really mean it? That look on his face sure made it look like he was serious. No. There was no way that flame-brain could comprehend a feeling like that. There was no way he could reciprocate those feelings she held for him. He was just playing. He was the one to feign cluelessness, not the one to seriously have those kinds of feelings.

Natsu's cheeks heated up further, the room seemingly growing a few degrees hotter as his body began pumping out warmth in his embarrassment. "Don't make me say it Lucy," he said slowly.

Waitâ€¦ was he serious? He was serious! Make him say what? Lucy's brain couldn't possibly comprehend the fact that Natsu was truly embarrassed. He was seriously and truly embarrassed. Over kissing her. She slowly began to go over all of those instances that he had embarrassed her. Could she have been wrong? That maybe his carefree attitude with those stupid gestures wasn't because he was oblivious or because he was trying to embarrass her; but perhaps because of a third reason: he actually enjoyed them. He actually cared about her and so he wanted to be close to her. She hadn't thought there was a third option in this situation; but as Natsu spoke up once again, his voice barely louder than a whisper, she realized there in fact was a third explanation.

"I likeâ€¦ like you-like you, Lucy. More thanâ€¦ y'know, a friend or partner," he said, his words rushed and his eyes on anything but Lucy in that moment.

Even though he'd sounded more like a kindergartener than a grown man saying that he 'liked her-liked her', Lucy felt like she'd been hit by a bus. There was his confession, and she was beyond elated. Her insides felt all warm and fuzzy and her brain seemed to fail her. This boy that she'd helplessly dreamed about for so long now actually somehow had not only comprehended the feeling of love, but he actually felt it for her. Her muscles seemed to freeze, her face permanently stuck with her mouth hanging open slightly and her eyes wide. Was this a dream? If so, no one wake her up.

Natsu leaned away from the counter as if to get a better look at her, his blush fading. "L-Luceâ€¦ you okay?" he asked for the second time that evening. "Wait a second," Natsu said quickly, cocking his head to the side and bringing up a finger to his chin. "You said I kissed you to embarrass youâ€¦ why would I do that? Why would that embarrass you?" he asked.

Mavis, he was just as oblivious as he looked. Lucy took back all of the accusations she had made about Natsu on her way home. Nope, he was just as clueless as he let on. At least when it came to other people. Somehow he'd managed to comprehend his own feelings, but anything anyone else felt, he was in the dark. Lucy sighed, finally wiping the shocked look off of her face with some effort and stuttering over her words as she tried to answer Natsu's question. "Well, I thought you'd have noticed by now," Lucy whispered, that damn blush coming right back to her cheeks. Dammit Natsu, why did he make her so flustered?

Natsu's eyes widened, "Noticed what? You're not dying or something are you, Lucy?!" he gasped, shooting forward and over the counter so his face was mere inches from hers.

Lucy's face fell into an unamused look. Why did she have to fall for someone so dense? But at least he cared. He really did. She sighed, "No I'm not dying, Natsu. It's just that, well I guess maybe Iâ€¦," she paused, backing away from Natsu's face slightly. Man, this was uncomfortable. And in a moment of desperation she used the fire mage's words against him in one of the most childish things she'd ever said. "Maybe I like you-like you too, Natsu," she said, resisting the urge to slap a hand to her forehead.

She watched with intrigue as Natsu's face turned from concern into one of the largest smiles she'd ever seen. "Really?!" Natsu asked, bouncing up and down with excitement, still basically laying across the counter and still just as close to her face as before. Every time she'd back away, he'd scoot closer. He just didn't understand personal space, especially when they were having a talk like this one.

"Yes, really," Lucy blinked, wondering to herself if it had been a mistake or not to tell him. Did he really understand all this? Or for some reason had he mistook it for something else? Maybe he thought saying that youâ€¦ "like-liked" someone, was a way of saying you were best friends, not just friends. Lucy barely stifled the exasperated groan she wanted to make at that thought. He looked so giddy that there was a pretty good chance that was correct.

"So does that mean I get to kiss you again, Luce?"

She froze, her entire body going rigid and her eyes wide and searching Natsu's for some kind of answer. That hadn't been real had it? He hadn't just seriously said that, had he? He almost looked like an excited puppy as he looked over at her with question, purely elated to even be near her.

"I-I guess," she squeaked, "If you want to." This was all moving too fast. How had this happened? Nearly five minutes ago she'd been cursing him in her mind and trying to come up with ways to get back at him and now here he was, inches away from her, asking to kiss her. She guessed crazier things had happened, although she couldn't think of a specific example.

"Ooh, really?" he asked excitedly, "Like, can I now?"

Was he serious?! Did he even understand what a kiss was? Or was he just wanting to give her a peck on the cheek again? Lucy's mind was a tornado of confused and jumbled thoughts as she contemplated her answer. And after a while she realized she wasn't getting anywhere, and that perhaps the only way to find out which he wanted, was to say yes. Was she really doing this? Yes, yes she was.

"Yeah, yeah you can," she breathed slowly, her eyes closing in anticipation. She couldn't watch. She couldn't watch and try to guess whether he was going for her mouth or her cheek. She'd rather sit in the dark that her eyelids provided and wait. And that was what she did, until she felt a strong gust of wind on her face, her hair blowing backwards and something warm coming into contact with her mouth.

She scrunched her eyebrows together. Oh Mavis, this is not what she'd expected it to be like. No, when she'd thought about what her first kiss with Natsu would be like, it had never felt like this. It was soâ€¦ furry. Furry? What on Earthland was this? Had he not shaved? She dared a peek through her eyelashes and instead of seeing the closed and contented face of Natsu, she saw blue. Bright blue fuzz.

"AAACK!" Lucy yelled, shooting backwards and vigorously wiping her mouth, trying to get any remnants of fur off of her lips. "Happy what are you doing?!" she shouted, shivering in disgust.

Happy was frozen on the spot, even his wings unmoving, and a very shocked expression on his tiny face. He didn't even move when Natsu shot back from the kiss as well, wiping his tongue with his hand and asking his buddy what the heck he was doing there.

Lucy realized that the gust of wind she'd felt before the kiss had most likely been Happy shooting through the window and in between them. She'd ended up kissing his belly, and Natsu had ended up kissing his back. Lucy had seen the small cat have a lot of disgusted faces throughout the time she'd known him, but this one rivaled them all.

"I feel so... violated," Happy squeaked, his eyes squinting.

"Well no dip!" Lucy yelled, her cheeks flushing bright red. She'd been oddly excited to kiss Natsu, even in this weird circumstance and she was very disappointed that it hadn't happened. "Why did you do that?" she asked a little louder, still trying to pick blue fuzz off of her lips.

Happy shook his head, bringing himself back to reality and letting his wings disappear in a poof of magic, landing on the counter in between Lucy and Natsu, who looked just about as peeved as she felt. Lucy couldn't help but smile at Natsu's face. He was disappointed too. And for some reason that made her stomach fill with butterflies.

"I-I just," Happy stuttered, his paws moving around and his eyes slowly filling with tears, "I mean, I just," he stuttered further, his small furry chin quivering before he finally blurted it out. "I'm just afraid if you guys get together I'll be the third wheel in our team!" he wailed, tears slowly trickling down his cheeks. "I don't wanna be left out!" he said, sniveling pitifully to himself.

Lucy's mouth dropped ajar slightly. That was sure not what she had expected. With all the teasing Happy administered upon her she figured that besides Mira, the blue Exceed was the number one supporter for her to get together with Natsu.

"Natsu talks about you all the time and I know if you two finally confessed to each other, you'll be all like, couple-y, and I'll be left out and-," Happy cut himself off with a strong hiccup, tears still running down his cheeks no matter how many times he wiped them away with the back of his paw.

Lucy's irritation with the interruption to her kiss with Natsu disappeared. Happy was incredibly distressed about this. She figured now they needed to attend to the cat; she'd have plenty of other times to kiss Natsu. At least she hoped so.

"No you won't, buddy," Natsu said, looking almost offended, "If you think I'd let you feel left out, you're crazy," he said, patting Happy on the head and sending the cat one of his signature smiles.

"Really?" Happy squeaked, sniffing again and turning to Lucy for confirmation.

Lucy paused for a second. Happy always teased her, no matter what the subject, he teased her. Should she take advantage of this situation and tease him back? But with the pitifully desperate look on his face, she decided against it. As much as she hated to admit it, she cared for Happy more than she could fathom. She loved that cat as much as Natsu did, even if he was annoying at times.

Lucy reached forward, gently picking Happy up off of the counter and holding him at eye level. "Of course. We're all a team. A three person team. We'll always be together, no one left out," she said with a smile.

Happy's tears sprung to life again after that comment and he nodded vigorously, shooting forward and hugging Lucy, much to the blonde's surprise. She looked at Natsu with shock, almost wordlessly asking him what to do. The salmon-haired mage grinned back, his eyes holding an emotion she couldn't place. Perhaps he was glad to finally see his two partners getting along so well? She didn't know.

Lucy sighed and wrapped her arms around the Exceed, resting her cheek on his head. Even if the little cat had interrupted a kiss she'd waited for for longer than she could remember, he was part of the team. Because after all, Natsu and Happy were a packaged deal; you couldn't have one without the other. Lucy smiled to herself and closed her eyes. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

Description
NaLu- Furry

That was it. That was the last straw as far as Lucy was concerned. He had to know. There was no other way he would've done that if he hadn't known. That stupid fire breather.

Lucy's feet slammed down on the cobblestone as she marched back to her apartment, not even paying attention to the man in the boat who called out to her to be careful, and that if she stomped that hard she'd break her foot. She didn't care. That pyro was finally going to get a piece of her mind whether he wanted it or not. She was tired of the embarrassment.

She shook her head in frustration. Natsu was so oblivious, so stupid, so dense, and yet there was no doubt in her mind that he knew. He knew that she was filled to the brim with unexpressed emotion for him. She had fallen for Natsu, the dense one, and yet he had figured her out. Perhaps that's what made her the angriest, or maybe it was the fact that he'd somehow tricked her. He wasn't as oblivious as she had pegged him to be. He just played the stupid card to embarrass her. She was sure of it.

Every little gesture he administered onto her. The casual times he would throw his arm over her shoulder, grinning ear-to-ear. She would blush furiously while he floated high with ignorance. The times he'd stretch out on her bed and ask to sleep with her. She'd squeal, throwing a pillow at him and yelling that he needed to get out. She realized how it'd look if they slept in the same bed, he didn't. It was like that. She liked him, and he was clueless. However Lucy was slowly learning that perhaps those moments when he'd do things like that, completely oblivious to how they made her feel, were all an act.

He knew. He knew how those things made her feel. And in an act of amusement he'd continue to do them, acting as if he had no clue every time, while secretly understanding it all.

That was the only explanation Lucy could think of. Those gestures had been going on for too long and had been getting too intimate for him to just be doing it in a friendly way. No way. Not after today when he'd given her a peck on the cheek. Friends didn't do that. Especially not Natsu. Lucy had been nearly 100% sure that Natsu hadn't even known what a kiss was let alone how to perform one. Even if it was only a peck.

Yes, that moronic dragon knew a lot more than he let on. And it infuriated her.

Lucy turned the corner, stomping just as hard on the steps up to her apartment, all the while mumbling under her breath about various ways she could make Natsu pay. It would all be easier if he was embarrassed by anything. But he wasn't. He was always so happy and carefree. Nothing seemed to embarrass him, and that just made Lucy's blood boil even hotter. That fire breathing moron had embarrassed her to no end and there was no way she could get back at him.

She shoved the key into the lock of her apartment, turning it and storming into the room, slamming the door behind her with her foot and tossing her bag onto her bed. It was brainstorming time. She'd find a way to get back at Natsu. She would. A way that would make him regret ever embarrassing her in the first place. Oh yes, he'd regret the times he made Lucy Heartfilia blush. He'd regret them all.

She stomped into the kitchen, yanking the fridge door open and kicking off her shoes. A good brainstorming session required a good sandwich. She pulled out the jelly and closed the door with a bang, whirling around to the counter, where suddenly on the other side a certain salmon haired boy was sitting, staring at her with a confused look on his face, his head leaning on one of his hands. Where had he come from?!

"KYAAA!" Lucy yelled, nearly jumping out of her skin and the jar of jelly flying into the air.

Natsu jumped as well at her loud shout, slipping backwards and falling off of his stool, disappearing behind the counter with an 'oof'. The jar of jelly came crashing back down on the counter a moment later, exploding on impact, glass and goo flying everywhere.

Lucy cowered, slapping both hands over her face in an attempt to shield it. Luckily, all of the debris missed her, and the condiment landed with multiple splats on the floor. She peeked through her fingers when the room was finally quiet to see Natsu peering over the counter hesitantly, only his face from the eyes up visible.

"You okay, Luce?" he asked hesitantly, his eyes crossing as he focused on a splat of jelly right in front of his nose.

All of the malice she had felt toward him only a few seconds ago seemed to fly out the window when she saw his completely innocent expression. "Don't scare me like that, Natsu," she breathed, taking her hands away from her face and resting one on her heart while glowering at the mess she'd made.

Natsu grinned, hopping back up on his stool and placing his elbows on the counter, a blissful smile stretching across his face.

Lucy glared at him for a moment before sighing and reaching over to the sink for a towel. That smile. It made her thoughts trail back to why she'd been so peeved by him. He acted so oblivious and yet he wasn't. That's right. That was why she was so mad. Mad at him and his stupid embarrassment tactics. Yes, that's right.

As she began to clean up the mess she let herself wallow in the frustration again. If she could get her irritation back up to how strong it'd been before, maybe she could yell at Natsu properly. She could accuse him for his act, put him on the spot, and then maybe he'd be the embarrassed one. Oh yes, that'd be perfect. But before her annoyance had built back up enough for her to speak up, Natsu had beat her to the punch.

"Hey Luce, about todayâ€¦," he trailed off.

Lucy had bent over to pick up a chunk of glass but froze, shooting back up to look at Natsu. What was this? He lookedâ€¦ hesitant. Natsu never looked hesitant. Lucy squinted one eye at him. Was this some act too? Was he planning on piling on more embarrassment for her? If soâ€¦ that was it. She'd have to put him in his place.

Natsu looked up to her, with what she swore was a hint of a blush on his face, his hand scratching the back of his neck. "Sorry. I guess I kinda just got carried awayâ€¦"

Lucy cocked an eyebrow. Was he referring to the peck on the cheek? The thing that had finally pushed her over the edge? Her curiosity was piqued. Was he regretting it? Why? She tossed down the towel on the counter and rested her elbows on it, mimicking Natsu's former position. "What'ddya mean?" she asked.

"Well," Natsu coughed, looking to the side, "Y'know. I kindaâ€¦ kissed ya, and that was probably too far," he said slowly, looking down at his lap sheepishly.

If Lucy had been drinking something, it would've been all over Natsu. Surprised was an understatement. Confused was an understatement. She had no idea what her partner had meant by that. She squinted harder at him. Was he finally owning up to the fact that he'd been putting on a charade of oblivion? Was he admitting that teasing her was one thing, but toying with her emotions by kissing her had been too far? Surely.

Natsu dared a glance back up at her, before cringing under her stare and frowning. "Sorry," he said carefully, "I mean, if you're mad."

She cocked her head to the side. Mad? Really? She wasn't mad. Did she want to pummel him for being so insensitive and for teasing her to no end? Oh heck yes. But she wasn't mad.

She wasn't sure what to say, the urge to reprimand him once again fizzling out. If she could only keep up her irritation toward him for a few minutes she'd be able to rat him out, but with that cute innocent face she just somehow couldn't. She sighed at her own weakness and shoved off of the counter, wiping up some of the jelly while shaking her head, "You're a sneaky one," she mumbled to herself.

"Eh?" Natsu peeped, straitening up in his chair with surprise. "Sneaky?"

She rolled her eyes and nodded, tossing a chip of glass into the trash. "Yeah. You've got everyone thinking you're so clueless, but you're really not. You're a good actor, Natsu," she said, nodding to him with a reluctant smile.

Natsu paused for a moment, staring at her with what looked to be disbelief. "A good actor? What are you talking about, Luce?"

"Yeah, like that," she said, nodding and pointing to him before placing the towel in the sink again. She'd cleaned up the kitchen enough for it to not be a minefield of glass and jelly. She figured she'd go back to it later and really clean it. But at the moment she had a more pressing problem in the form of a very confused-looking fire mage, who wouldn't own up to his act.

"What?!" Natsu asked, "I have no idea what you're talking about Lucy. I think you've spent too much time in the spirit world lately," he said, shaking his head and tsking to himself.

She glared at him as she paced out of the kitchen and over to her desk. It was alright if he played the fool, but if he was going to insult her while he was at it, that was too much. "C'mon Natsu," she said through gritted teeth, "You know you've been embarrassing me on purpose. Just own up to it," she grunted, reaching down and ripping a small scrap of paper off of her notebook.

"Embarrassing you?" Natsu asked, as if he hadn't heard those words before in his life. "I still have no idea what you're talking about."

Lucy's eyes were glued to the Dragon Slayer who was still perched on his stool, his eyes wide with exasperation and his hands held out slightly as if he was literally trying to grasp onto what she was saying. She stalked back over to the counter, scribbling down a note to buy jelly the next time she went to the store before pinning it on the fridge with a magnet. Fine, if he wasn't going to admit to it, she'd force him to answer. "Well then why'd you kiss me today? It was to embarrass me, right?" she asked.

Natsu's already wide eyes grew even larger, this time what she was certain was a blush making itself known on his face. "I-I already told you I just kinda went too far-" he cut himself short at the glare Lucy was sending him. He wasn't answering the question and she wasn't amused. Natsu sighed, slumping over in defeat before answering. "Cuz, I meanâ€¦ maybe I kinda like you, Luce."

Lucy's tense features relaxed immediately, her eyebrows drifting apart from one another before shooting upwards. "What?" Of all the things she'd expected him to use as an excuse, that sure wasn't one. Wait, was that really an excuse, or did he really mean it? That look on his face sure made it look like he was serious. No. There was no way that flame-brain could comprehend a feeling like that. There was no way he could reciprocate those feelings she held for him. He was just playing. He was the one to feign cluelessness, not the one to seriously have those kinds of feelings.

Natsu's cheeks heated up further, the room seemingly growing a few degrees hotter as his body began pumping out warmth in his embarrassment. "Don't make me say it Lucy," he said slowly.

Waitâ€¦ was he serious? He was serious! Make him say what? Lucy's brain couldn't possibly comprehend the fact that Natsu was truly embarrassed. He was seriously and truly embarrassed. Over kissing her. She slowly began to go over all of those instances that he had embarrassed her. Could she have been wrong? That maybe his carefree attitude with those stupid gestures wasn't because he was oblivious or because he was trying to embarrass her; but perhaps because of a third reason: he actually enjoyed them. He actually cared about her and so he wanted to be close to her. She hadn't thought there was a third option in this situation; but as Natsu spoke up once again, his voice barely louder than a whisper, she realized there in fact was a third explanation.

"I likeâ€¦ like you-like you, Lucy. More thanâ€¦ y'know, a friend or partner," he said, his words rushed and his eyes on anything but Lucy in that moment.

Even though he'd sounded more like a kindergartener than a grown man saying that he 'liked her-liked her', Lucy felt like she'd been hit by a bus. There was his confession, and she was beyond elated. Her insides felt all warm and fuzzy and her brain seemed to fail her. This boy that she'd helplessly dreamed about for so long now actually somehow had not only comprehended the feeling of love, but he actually felt it for her. Her muscles seemed to freeze, her face permanently stuck with her mouth hanging open slightly and her eyes wide. Was this a dream? If so, no one wake her up.

Natsu leaned away from the counter as if to get a better look at her, his blush fading. "L-Luceâ€¦ you okay?" he asked for the second time that evening. "Wait a second," Natsu said quickly, cocking his head to the side and bringing up a finger to his chin. "You said I kissed you to embarrass youâ€¦ why would I do that? Why would that embarrass you?" he asked.

Mavis, he was just as oblivious as he looked. Lucy took back all of the accusations she had made about Natsu on her way home. Nope, he was just as clueless as he let on. At least when it came to other people. Somehow he'd managed to comprehend his own feelings, but anything anyone else felt, he was in the dark. Lucy sighed, finally wiping the shocked look off of her face with some effort and stuttering over her words as she tried to answer Natsu's question. "Well, I thought you'd have noticed by now," Lucy whispered, that damn blush coming right back to her cheeks. Dammit Natsu, why did he make her so flustered?

Natsu's eyes widened, "Noticed what? You're not dying or something are you, Lucy?!" he gasped, shooting forward and over the counter so his face was mere inches from hers.

Lucy's face fell into an unamused look. Why did she have to fall for someone so dense? But at least he cared. He really did. She sighed, "No I'm not dying, Natsu. It's just that, well I guess maybe Iâ€¦," she paused, backing away from Natsu's face slightly. Man, this was uncomfortable. And in a moment of desperation she used the fire mage's words against him in one of the most childish things she'd ever said. "Maybe I like you-like you too, Natsu," she said, resisting the urge to slap a hand to her forehead.

She watched with intrigue as Natsu's face turned from concern into one of the largest smiles she'd ever seen. "Really?!" Natsu asked, bouncing up and down with excitement, still basically laying across the counter and still just as close to her face as before. Every time she'd back away, he'd scoot closer. He just didn't understand personal space, especially when they were having a talk like this one.

"Yes, really," Lucy blinked, wondering to herself if it had been a mistake or not to tell him. Did he really understand all this? Or for some reason had he mistook it for something else? Maybe he thought saying that youâ€¦ "like-liked" someone, was a way of saying you were best friends, not just friends. Lucy barely stifled the exasperated groan she wanted to make at that thought. He looked so giddy that there was a pretty good chance that was correct.

"So does that mean I get to kiss you again, Luce?"

She froze, her entire body going rigid and her eyes wide and searching Natsu's for some kind of answer. That hadn't been real had it? He hadn't just seriously said that, had he? He almost looked like an excited puppy as he looked over at her with question, purely elated to even be near her.

"I-I guess," she squeaked, "If you want to." This was all moving too fast. How had this happened? Nearly five minutes ago she'd been cursing him in her mind and trying to come up with ways to get back at him and now here he was, inches away from her, asking to kiss her. She guessed crazier things had happened, although she couldn't think of a specific example.

"Ooh, really?" he asked excitedly, "Like, can I now?"

Was he serious?! Did he even understand what a kiss was? Or was he just wanting to give her a peck on the cheek again? Lucy's mind was a tornado of confused and jumbled thoughts as she contemplated her answer. And after a while she realized she wasn't getting anywhere, and that perhaps the only way to find out which he wanted, was to say yes. Was she really doing this? Yes, yes she was.

"Yeah, yeah you can," she breathed slowly, her eyes closing in anticipation. She couldn't watch. She couldn't watch and try to guess whether he was going for her mouth or her cheek. She'd rather sit in the dark that her eyelids provided and wait. And that was what she did, until she felt a strong gust of wind on her face, her hair blowing backwards and something warm coming into contact with her mouth.

She scrunched her eyebrows together. Oh Mavis, this is not what she'd expected it to be like. No, when she'd thought about what her first kiss with Natsu would be like, it had never felt like this. It was soâ€¦ furry. Furry? What on Earthland was this? Had he not shaved? She dared a peek through her eyelashes and instead of seeing the closed and contented face of Natsu, she saw blue. Bright blue fuzz.

"AAACK!" Lucy yelled, shooting backwards and vigorously wiping her mouth, trying to get any remnants of fur off of her lips. "Happy what are you doing?!" she shouted, shivering in disgust.

Happy was frozen on the spot, even his wings unmoving, and a very shocked expression on his tiny face. He didn't even move when Natsu shot back from the kiss as well, wiping his tongue with his hand and asking his buddy what the heck he was doing there.

Lucy realized that the gust of wind she'd felt before the kiss had most likely been Happy shooting through the window and in between them. She'd ended up kissing his belly, and Natsu had ended up kissing his back. Lucy had seen the small cat have a lot of disgusted faces throughout the time she'd known him, but this one rivaled them all.

"I feel so... violated," Happy squeaked, his eyes squinting.

"Well no dip!" Lucy yelled, her cheeks flushing bright red. She'd been oddly excited to kiss Natsu, even in this weird circumstance and she was very disappointed that it hadn't happened. "Why did you do that?" she asked a little louder, still trying to pick blue fuzz off of her lips.

Happy shook his head, bringing himself back to reality and letting his wings disappear in a poof of magic, landing on the counter in between Lucy and Natsu, who looked just about as peeved as she felt. Lucy couldn't help but smile at Natsu's face. He was disappointed too. And for some reason that made her stomach fill with butterflies.

"I-I just," Happy stuttered, his paws moving around and his eyes slowly filling with tears, "I mean, I just," he stuttered further, his small furry chin quivering before he finally blurted it out. "I'm just afraid if you guys get together I'll be the third wheel in our team!" he wailed, tears slowly trickling down his cheeks. "I don't wanna be left out!" he said, sniveling pitifully to himself.

Lucy's mouth dropped ajar slightly. That was sure not what she had expected. With all the teasing Happy administered upon her she figured that besides Mira, the blue Exceed was the number one supporter for her to get together with Natsu.

"Natsu talks about you all the time and I know if you two finally confessed to each other, you'll be all like, couple-y, and I'll be left out and-," Happy cut himself off with a strong hiccup, tears still running down his cheeks no matter how many times he wiped them away with the back of his paw.

Lucy's irritation with the interruption to her kiss with Natsu disappeared. Happy was incredibly distressed about this. She figured now they needed to attend to the cat; she'd have plenty of other times to kiss Natsu. At least she hoped so.

"No you won't, buddy," Natsu said, looking almost offended, "If you think I'd let you feel left out, you're crazy," he said, patting Happy on the head and sending the cat one of his signature smiles.

"Really?" Happy squeaked, sniffing again and turning to Lucy for confirmation.

Lucy paused for a second. Happy always teased her, no matter what the subject, he teased her. Should she take advantage of this situation and tease him back? But with the pitifully desperate look on his face, she decided against it. As much as she hated to admit it, she cared for Happy more than she could fathom. She loved that cat as much as Natsu did, even if he was annoying at times.

Lucy reached forward, gently picking Happy up off of the counter and holding him at eye level. "Of course. We're all a team. A three person team. We'll always be together, no one left out," she said with a smile.

Happy's tears sprung to life again after that comment and he nodded vigorously, shooting forward and hugging Lucy, much to the blonde's surprise. She looked at Natsu with shock, almost wordlessly asking him what to do. The salmon-haired mage grinned back, his eyes holding an emotion she couldn't place. Perhaps he was glad to finally see his two partners getting along so well? She didn't know.

Lucy sighed and wrapped her arms around the Exceed, resting her cheek on his head. Even if the little cat had interrupted a kiss she'd waited for for longer than she could remember, he was part of the team. Because after all, Natsu and Happy were a packaged deal; you couldn't have one without the other. Lucy smiled to herself and closed her eyes. And she wouldn't have it any other way.