Hello, this is my first Fairy Tail story! I've read one too many -surprisingly awesome- romance stories, and now I'm throwing one of my own into the pot, although I admittedly start off rather slow in the love department. Each chapter focuses on a different couple (Lucy and Natsu, Gray and Juvia, Gajeel and Levy) but it's all one big overarching plot. Hopefully there's a little something for everybody!

With that being said, I hope you enjoy! ^^

"Cana, what exactly are you doing?"

That was the vocalized thought of the first batch of wizards who had gathered in the Fairy Tail guild that Wednesday morning, the collective few now huddled around the Card Mage that was carefully eyeing the arcana cards that were splayed out before her. Chocolate brown hair draped over her shoulders and created a curtain around her thoughtful expression- a concentration only broken when she reached for a jug of wine and started heartily chugging it.

"Nothing, nothing…I just decided to do a fortune reading and see if anything interesting was going to happen anytime soon," she mused between gulps, although the likes of Macao and Wakaba knew that there was more to it than that. The smug look that stained her alcohol-glazed lips was far too coy at the moment.

"And did you discover anything?" asked a curious Mirajane on behalf of the also early-risen Master Makarov and Erza, who were intrigued by Cana's findings but were pretending not to notice. Cana shot them all a fierce look as she reached into the myriad of cards spread in front of her and plucked out one that was definitely out of place among the rest.

It was a playing card rather than one of her tarots, and it wasn't even anything of value- just the rather ordinary six of hearts. To the untrained eye, there was nothing significant about it at all.

"So…what? Did a card from last night's Poker game just get mixed in with your own deck?" remarked Wakaba with a flick of his cigar.

"Whether or not that's the case doesn't even matter," Cana practically sang, waving the playing card around like it was a winning lottery ticket. "Because when it comes to fortune telling, everything's got a meaning, and boy is this a big one…"

"So what is it?" demanded Laki, and everyone really wished to know the same. They could tell Cana was dying to draw this out as long as possible, but she was also known for giving people precise what they wanted when they wanted it, so she casually flicked the questionable card into the air and leaned back lazily in her chair.

"It means that six people from the guild are in for a little romance, which'll be kicking off today."

Her eyes narrowed slyly as whispers were born from the crowd, as gossip was a hot commodity around Fairy Tail, with romance being among the biggest topics. A few prodded Cana eagerly for more delicious details that they knew she had, but she just grinned with a drunken smirk and refused to spoil any surprises.

The six of hearts fluttered to the ground, landing face up and displaying its value to the world…completely ignorant of the events it had somehow managed to foretell.

.:The Six of Hearts:.

~Act 1: The Implications of This Are Interesting~

"Good morning, everyone!"

The bright and cheery voice belonged to none other than Lucy Heartfilia, greeting her guild family in her usual upbeat manner with full confidence that today was destined to be a good one. She waved at everyone she passed with her emblem-endowed hand; a gesture repeatedly returned by the group with smiles, nods, and waves of their own. But no matter what the reaction she received, arriving at the guild each day was always a pleasant experience.

Lucy took her usual seat up at the bar, where the faint aroma of wine and alcohol tinged the air. Glancing slightly to her left, she noted that Cana had already guzzled down her morning keg at a nearby table, and was now doing a fortune reading for Wendy. Carla was wrapped in Wendy's arms as the young girl happily bounced in place with anticipation, wondering what the cards would predict for for her.

Lucy kept scanning the main hall, wondering who else was loitering about that day. Gajeel was helping himself to a breakfast that was rich in iron –scratch that, nothing but iron- while the males of the Thunder Legion were teasing Evergreen about Elfman as per usual. Erza and Makarov were discussing something about an S-Class mission, and Lisanna was assisting Mirajane with people's orders. Even Romeo was actually laughing and spending time with his father Macao, which was a rare sight nowadays.

Essentially, everything was quite normal…except that there was no fire-breathing Salamander stomping around looking to pick a fight with just about anyone who leered at him the wrong way or who was looking to test their strength. Frankly one of Lucy's highlights each day was learning what insanity was brewing long before she ever arrived at the guild, but that particular day seemed to be devoid of such antics. It was almost a little disconcerting…

Lucy slightly frowned to herself as Gray Fullbuster sauntered over, one hand in the pocket of his pants as he greeted her with the other accompanied by a lopsided smile.

"Morning, Luce," he said casually enough, taking a seat next to her. To her surprise he was fully clothed for once. "What's on your mind? You look confused."

"I was just wondering where Natsu was at," Lucy remarked, leaning around Gray to double check the area. Natsu and Happy were pretty tough targets to miss, but… "Hard to believe he isn't here already filling the room with his bombastic personality…"

"Oh! He, Juvia, and Levy went off on a job together sometime last night after you left!" Mirajane exclaimed brightly from the other side of the counter. "It was a request that specifically asked for them, and it supposedly included a surprise reward that Nastu and Happy were really interested in learning about!"

"Those fools were wanting it to be a million Jewels…and I don't even want to know what was going on in Juvia's head," scoffed Gray offhandedly. Lucy smirked and elbowed his arm.

"Yeah, I hope she wasn't thinking you were somehow going to be the prize!"

Gray shot her a look and grunted something under his breath as Lucy started giggling to herself. As much as Juvia was obsessed with Gray, she still was a true friend, and if you got past the "Love Rival" thing, Juvia was one of Lucy's favorite people to talk to.

"Oi, don't rush them so much Lucy!" called Macao from the back of the guild. "We're all just trying to enjoy a nice day without the place being flooded or burnt to a crisp!"

"I wasn't rushing them!" Lucy insisted adamantly over the roars of laughter and agreement that arose afterwards. "I just wanted to know where they were, sheesh."

"WE MISS LEVY!" wailed Jet and Droy, cuing various groans and less than pleasant remarks telling them to pipe down.

Seeing as she opened a can of worms that wouldn't be closing any time soon, Lucy groaned and slammed her forehead into the counter, with Gray giving her a half-reassuring half-sarcastic pat on the back. This only caused her to gripe even more disgruntledly, and suddenly Mirajane was stifling laughter. Not amused, Lucy brought her head back up and quirked a golden eyebrow at her.

"And what's got you so giddy, Mira?"

"Just you- you're so adorable!" Mirajane gushed. Lucy already didn't like the track this conversation was headed down. "I bet you're so interested about their whereabouts because you were looking forward to seeing Natsu!"

Mirajane's teasing was thick with implications. Lucy felt her face gain a shade of red at the mere suggestion, and failed to notice the shrewd look Cana was giving her from across the room.

"I wouldn't say I was utterly looking forward to it, but he is my teammate," Lucy huffed in her defense. "He's always so eager to drag me everywhere that it's just weird whenever he goes on a job without me, not that there's anything wrong with that."

"Just ignore everyone- they'll be back soon enough, and then Erza will probably whisk our team off to slay a giant poisonous eel or something," murmured Gray, and the saddest part about that statement was that it was more than likely to happen. Lucy's gaze darted over to where the armored wizard was standing- thank goodness she hadn't heard. Otherwise both she and Gray would probably be acquainted with a wall right about then…

As Gray sipped on an ice-cold smoothie and Lucy took Mirajane's mind off of her wild romance fantasies that were only a step down from Juvia's, Gajeel stomped over and nearly knocked Lucy out of her own chair with the force he used upon sitting down. She stared at him bewilderedly; he didn't even look at her as he eyed Mirajane with his usual neutral sneer.

"Got any more silverware? I just finished up a pretty tasty ladle but I'm still starving," he said with the utmost deadpan, and Gray couldn't help but make a face.

"What kind of messed up world do we live in when that is a perfectly normal statement?"

Gajeel's eyes intensified as his fist slammed the counter. He rose as quickly as he had sat down to lean over towards Gray, hovering above a shuddering Lucy at the same time.

"You've got something you want to say to me, you brainless popsicle?"

Gray stepped to the challenge and brought up his fists. "Who are you calling brainless, tin head?! With all that metal you eat I bet you've got bolts for brains!"

"Guys, do we really have to do this now…?" Lucy winced, surrounded by the rising tension that would eventually escalate into her being smack dab in the middle of a showdown. Both Gajeel and Gray tossed her out of the way so they could lock heads with each other, and a few particularly scrappy guild members started gathering around to encourage the violence. Lucy yelped as she landed on the floor, knowing nothing good was about to come from this.

"Good heavens, and here I thought the barbaric factor would go down without Natsu around," remarked Carla, she, Wendy, and Cana observing from a distance. "I suppose we can't even go an hour without someone beating on a fellow guild member…"

"Think about what you're doing, Gray!" Wendy shouted, harboring a strong dislike for violence when it wasn't necessary. "Gajeel doesn't exactly have the softest fists…"

"Ya got that right," snarled the Iron Dragon Slayer, shifting his arms into metal rods and eagerly flashing his fangs at Gray. Lucy was scrambling away on the floor as Gray lost his shirt in the process of taking a fighting stance, punching a fist into his opposite palm and calling out a spell.

And that was the end of any decency.

Tables went flying, chairs were spontaneously airborne, and Lucy was screaming for her life as she managed to take cover behind the counter with Mirajane. Even with the meager protection, chunks of ice and iron still managed to find their way over to her and clonked her repeatedly in the head. Mirajane hastily asked if she was fine, and while Lucy assured that she had worse, it definitely wasn't appreciated.

"Next time you better watch yourself when you make fun of my diet!" Gajeel roared, swinging at Gray with an Iron Sword. Gray swiftly dodged and ducked under it before conjuring up twin ice swords of his own and hacking in retaliation.

"You started it by calling me brainless! I'd expect such a lame insult from Natsu, but-"

"Don't compare me to that dork! I'm better than him anywhere, anytime!"

"Then why do we have yet to see you live up to that claim?"

Gray barely managed to finish that sentence as Gajeel nearly pinned him to the floor, which only allowed Gray to drive his boot into Gajeel's stomach. Iron abs or not, it was still a tough enough blow to send Gajeel skyrocketing. Gajeel adjusted himself in the air and released an Iron Dragon Roar, which managed to break through Gray's Ice Shield and propel him backwards.

"Aren't you going to do something, Master?" Erza murmured seriously, all the while Makarov was pinching the bridge of his nose.

"As long as it isn't Natsu instigating the fighting, I'm not going to get involved," was the haughty response. Erza put her hands on her hips and gave Makarov a rather disapproving glance.

"Such a reckless way to run a guild…"

"Oh come now, like you haven't had your fair share of all-out brawls with Mirajane back in the day."

Erza had opened her mouth to retaliate, only to find that she couldn't and slowly closed her jaw again. Her eyes rolled over to where Lucy and Mirajane were poking their heads around the corner of their makeshift shield, with the white-haired wizard chuckling with bemusement at the Master's attitude.

"There's nothing like starting the day off with some adrenaline!"

"Apparently it's the only way to start a day around here," murmured Lucy wearily. Mirajane's smile was practically permanent as she put a hand on Lucy's shoulder. Her expression seriously contrasted the boiling rage between Gray and Gajeel at the moment, and even for Mirajane that was a little strange. "…what are you so inexplicably happy about? You've been more giggly than usual and now you're smiling like a fool while two people are beating each other senseless!"

"But how can I not smile when that bit of information I learned about earlier has me so bubbly?" An huge icicle sailed over Mirajane's head as she spoke and crashed against the wall behind her. Even that wasn't enough to faze her. "I mean, six lucky people from our guild are getting a chance at romantic happiness!"

Lucy's heart skipped a beat as her head whipped around to face Mirajane straight on, just as an explosion of steel and ice erupted behind her.

"Wh-what did you say…?"

But Mirajane had clasped her hands together, hearts dancing in her eyes as she daydreamed happily and stuff continue to fall apart all around her.

"Ah, it's such a wonderful thing! I've been around the guild for so long, and each and every one of you deserves a shot at happiness and love…I just can't wait to see who gets to be that lucky!"

Lucy stared at a contently gushing Mirajane for a moment longer before blinking herself out of her stupor and glancing at the ground. She had once told Cana that maybe love wasn't exactly in her future…but she'd be lying if she said she never thought about it. Who didn't? Whether it be as extreme as a future family to simple fantasies of a nice date, Lucy probably fell square in the middle- she just wanted someone to be happy with, regardless of the circumstances.

Sure, she had her ideal man all pictured in her mind- attractive, but maybe not quite "Blue Pegasus standards". Intelligent enough to discuss literature in his free time, but also socially educated and would fit right in at a party or two. Kind, of course, but a few quirks in his personality to keep things interesting…

Bah, who was she kidding? While she could probably snag a guy if she really, really wanted, she was already plenty content enough with her lifelong friends here at the guild.

…but it would be nice if she was among the lucky few Mirajane had spoken of.

Now mildly curious herself, Lucy's mind was hardly on the fierce battle to the death with Gray and Gajeel anymore. Gray's pants were now among the dearly departed, leaving behind only his navy boxers, and Gajeel was taking a bite out of anything remotely metal that he came across and was repeatedly scolded by Pantherlily. Aside from a few tables, chairs, and holes in the wall, hardly anything had been destroyed. Props had to be given for a relatively clean a fight…

A fight that finally ended when the entrance to the guild was kicked open and a fang-flashing Natsu Dragneel popped up on the other side.

"...hey, what the heck? What are you doing having a brawl without me?!"

Happy, Juvia, and Levy stood wide-eyed behind him, with Gajeel and Gray braking in midair just as they were about to land final blows on each other. The duo dropped to the ground with their mouths slightly hanging opening while Natsu happily marched forwards with his arm muscles bulging and ready for a fight.

"Come on guys, deal me in! I'm getting fired up just thinking about this!"

Lucy could feel the panic rise in the room as the thought of Natsu ramping up the destruction crossed everyone's minds, and she was inclined to agree. Natsu had that dangerous toothy grin on his face and fire was already leaking out of the corners of his mouth.

"Nope, I'm drawing the line here!" Makarov interrupted, using his powers to pull Gajeel and Gray apart. Erza nodded in approval behind him. "Get it out of your system now, you brats!"

Natsu paused in mid step and pouted slightly while Gray and Gajeel exchanged rather spiteful looks before turning away and calling off the feud for the moment. Juvia took in Gray's near-naked visage and sighed with her own brand of disappointment.

"Ah, but I wanted to see my darling Gary show off his vastly superior strength against Gajeel…" she swooned, with Lucy shaking her head. "Surely his power would increase the moment he noticed me cheering him on with all my heart…!"

Levy of all people puffed out her cheeks at that statement, but quickly realized that she had to be the responsible one this time around and stepped forward.

"Um, anyway, you'll all be happy to know that our job was a success!"

At these words, the mood in the room entirely turned upside down, and now everyone was curious to some degree about the mystery mission and the strange combination team designated to complete it. Levy beamed at the collective interest –sans Jet and Droy clawing their way to the front of the crowd to hear her next words first. Lucy had eventually pulled out of her hiding place and hustled over to hear the news, always eager to hear what was going on with Levy.

"Our client was a kind nobleman who needed a little security for the party he was throwing last night," Levy began, tucking a strand of blue hair behind her ear. "I was tasked with deciphering a coded note he'd received beforehand, and the suspicions he had were true- an old enemy from his past was planning to seek revenge at the get together."

"Yeah, Juvia and I got to toss out a couple of rowdy idiots and it was awesome!" whooped Natsu with a pump of his fist. Happy copied the action as he took to the air with equivalent glee.

"Aye, and they were serving a ton of tasty fish! Ooh, it was worth it enough just for that!"

Lucy smiled bemusedly at Natsu and Happy's expected reaction but found herself curious about Juvia's role in things. As if the water mage had read her mind, Juvia's eyes had sparkled as she somewhat shyly turned her gaze towards her shoes.

"In fact it was I that apprehended the criminal," she mused with a small satisfied smile. "Of course, Natsu and Happy took care of the majority of the underlings with quite a bit of finesse, which left me to handle the ring leader…in the end it was hardly any trouble."

"That's a pretty manly move!" called Elfman, and a few other guild members voiced their agreement.

"I wouldn't expect anything less, Juvia," Gray remarked with a smirk, turning Juvia's once pale face a bright vermillion.

"So what's the reward?" Erza demanded out of the blue once Natsu and Happy launched themselves into a reenactment of the hard fought battle. The duo halted in the middle of Happy pretending to be punched by Natsu, then stood to attention to answer the question…but were beaten to the punch by Juvia and Levy, who had bizarrely latched their hands together and squealed like excited school girls.

"Our client's paying for dinner at the fanciest restaurant in town!" they shrieked, unable to contain their enthusiasm. "Fully paid for all three of us…plus one guest each! So six of us are getting a free meal on Friday!"

Mirajane was the first to congratulate the trio on a job well done, followed by Erza, Lisanna, and a knee-slapping chortling Cana. A few of the lesser members of the guild had lost interest at this point, but suddenly Lucy's full attention was on the trio after hearing the number "six". Her jaw dropped as she watched Juvia and Levy bounce gleefully in place, but her eyes eventually fell onto Natsu, who was giving off as many vibes of excitement as the girls.

But for whatever reason he was subduing it, glancing away slightly as he scratched his cheek.

She removed herself from the now buzzing crowd, making her way backwards toward the counter and gripping it for support. Only minutes ago had Mirajane been gushing about six lucky people...and were three of them now standing in front of her?

And was one of them really Natsu?!

"Woo, get a hold of yourself Lucy," she scolded herself, grabbing at her heart in an attempt to make it stop beating so fast. "No need to get so worked up over something silly Mira heard...Mira tries to pair up people all the time! She probably latched onto the first piece of romantic gossip she got her hands on and was spouting nonsense!"

Yes, that had to be it! The mere fact that particular trio had earned a special dinner was just a crazy coincidence. Lucy laughed as she pulled herself back onto her bar stool, mostly cackling at herself for getting so anxious at Juvia, Levy, and Natsu of all people getting lucky in love, given their track records with such a topic. She almost launched herself into hysterical tears after thinking up that one.

Mirajane had returned to her post moments later as Lucy was grabbing her stomach and dabbing her eyes, and the She-Devil had to look over Lucy twice to make sure the blonde wasn't having some sort of seizure.

"I'm fine Mira," Lucy waved off, feeling a little like she did the day Natsu had her all worked up over digging a hole for some embarrassing photos- all because of Mirajane's silly implications! She wasn't about to fall for a seven-year-old trick again! Eventually she calmed herself enough to smirk at Mira. "Ah, I was just thinking about what you said to me earlier, about the six lucky lovers."

Lucy stifled another round of giggles as Mirajane put a hand to her hip. "Oh yeah? And what about that has you in stitches?"

"Ha, because I almost thought that three of them were Levy, Juvia, and Natsu. The girls who can barely grab their crushes' attention and the most clueless boy in the world when it comes to love..." Lucy mentally admitted that the description was a touch harsh, but that was just the harsh reality at the same time. Mirajane gave her a disapproving look, and Lucy decided she'd better clarify everything before laughing any further. "...who told you that malarkey anyway?"

"From Cana, of course! She did a fortune reading this morning while some of us early birds were lingering around!" Once again Mira's expression was bright as a star as she clasped her hands together. "She said that six people were about to come into some romance within the next few days. Isn't that exciting?!"

Lucy felt her chest lock.

"...well crap."

Cana Alberona's fortunes were scarcely ever wrong. And if Lucy's hunch was correct, then that mere dinner outing was going to be the start of something huge for that particular trio... The people who'd be involved with Levy and Juvia were more than obvious, yet Lucy wasn't worried about that.

It was the fact that in an instant, thanks to one fortune and one single job reward, Natsu Dragneel would finally get a taste of what romance was like...that was what had worried her most.

And at the same time, she couldn't figure out why that utterly scared her.

. . .

"You know, I was really hoping for some cold hard cash, but there's no way I can complain about free food!"

Natsu finally had a chance to sit down once the curious crowd had dispelled, the pink-haired dragon slayer leaning back in his chair while Lisanna treated Happy to a much deserved fish. The small Exceed chomped on it contently, fully engrossed with the flavor, while Natsu was just glad he could take it easy for a little bit. As weak as their opponents had been, tossing out mook after mook was still exhausting, and camping out last night hadn't been the most luxurious experience.

"The fanciest restaurant in town…ooh, what if they have an all you can eat fish buffet?!" exclaimed Happy between bites, looking dreamy just thinking about it. Natsu let out a low chuckle and ruffled the fur on his head.

"Yeah, that'd be a dream come true for you, wouldn't it?" he hummed, and Happy acknowledged this with a nod and cheeks stuffed to the max. Natsu would be lying if he said various fish, meats, and savory dishes weren't on his mind, but thanks to a certain conversation his super-sensitive hearing was picking up on, there were other things on his mind as well…

He tried to drone out Happy's muffled and barely coherent fantasies on what would be on their plates that upcoming night, instead trying to focus on a discussion Wendy and Carla were having. Normally he wouldn't be prying, but he'd heard his name crop up and of course had to see what was up.

"…at least they have something to look forward to," Wendy had commented with a small smile, the tips of her canines just barely protruding out of her mouth. "You certainly can't fault Natsu and Happy for their consistent enthusiasm!"

"Yes," Carla agreed evenly, leaping out of Wendy's arms and taking a stand on the table. "But those two numskulls are forgetting a certain aspect of the reward…"

Wendy tilted her head curiously, her long blue hair sweeping over her dress. "What do you mean, Carla?"

"I mean that they're so focused on the food that they're neglecting the other half of the reward, child!" the white feline exclaimed. "And that's whom Natsu's plus one is going to be. Surely he wouldn't be so daft as to go to this outing with just that tomcat as company..."

Oh, Natsu hadn't forgotten, and the whole reason he hadn't chimed up about it was so that people wouldn't talk, but lo and behold, people were talking anyway. Yes, he was pumped about a vast sea of free food, but he wasn't stupid either. Of course he'd been thinking about it…

"But it's not even that big of a deal!" Wendy assured, holding her hands up. "It's just a reward in the form of a nice dinner! It's not like Natsu's -or anyone's- choice is going to be a life-changing decision!"

Natsu noted that a spark suddenly danced across Cana's eyes, and reading her lips managed to derive "Well there's three" from her. What the hell was that supposed to mean, and did it have something to do with him…?

"You know what I mean, child." Carla's stare narrowed as she folded her arms. "I respect that boy, I really do, but when it comes to fine etiquette…I fear he lacks in that department."

Her eyes darted over to him for a split second; Natsu pretended to be far more interested in Happy licking a fish bone, but kept his ears trained on the discussion.

"Like I said, it shouldn't be that big of a deal," Wendy insisted, determinedly clenching her fists. "As long as Natsu chooses someone he'll have fun with, I doubt anything can go wrong."

Carla knew she wasn't going to be able to win that debate, so she let the matter drop and suggested that Wendy take on a job for the day. As the two whisked themselves over to the request board, Natsu tried not to look too suspicious as he mulled over what he'd heard.

He was well aware that he wasn't an expert in…date situations, but if Wendy was certain that it wasn't something to take seriously, then he wouldn't get so worked up. She was right; as long as he picked someone he could have fun with, nothing could go wrong at all…

Natsu's first thought was actually Lisanna, as the two had barely interacted since her return, and it would be nice to catch up on old times. It was a near perfect idea- Lisanna was quite free when it came to plans, and she'd been working so hard around the guild. Which, in hindsight, probably helped constitute why they didn't hang out with each other as often…

…but his true first thought, originally in the back of his mind, had been Lucy.

It would be a perfect way to repay her for that meal she'd paid for the day they had met, and while they spent a lot of time together on missions –including but not limited to saving each other's lives, fighting to the death against a plethora of foes, and proving Fairy Tail's worth- rarely did they ever hang out simply as friends…unless you counted the very few times he got away with sneaking into her apartment through the window. She really was his best friend and if anyone deserved this it was her.

Natsu turned around in his chair to check up on her- after all the commotion, she had migrated back to the bar, facing away from him but looking deeply in thought about something. His head tilted with interest, wondering what she was thinking about, until his mind drifted into thinking about how she'd react to going out to dinner with him.

"I know she's always obsessed with getting a boyfriend," he rumbled under his breath with a touch of disdain. "What if she gets some solid idea for this outing and it doesn't live up to expectations…?"

And now he was torn, huffing as he leaned forward and rested his chin against the table. Happy's ears twitched when he picked up the light thud sound, prying away from his fish to acknowledge Natsu.

"Hey, are you okay? Is your tummy experiencing some backlash from the train ride home?"

"No Happy." Thinking about that nauseously horrific train ride home was not helping calm the torrent within him. Still, he managed to crack a smile and wink at his blue companion. "Nah, I was just thinking about how much it sucks that we have to wait two more days before this free meal!"

"Aye sir!" Happy chirped in agreement, even giving Natsu a salute before deciding that Carla needed some of his attention. Natsu smirked as he sauntered away, although it slowly dissipated when his gaze turned back to Lucy. Her back was still facing him, but somehow he could sense she was feeling as conflicted as he was.

Grah, he didn't want to ask her if she'd just wind up disappointed…! But then what if he didn't ask her, and then she was disappointed about THAT?!

Anyone watching him would think him even more insane than usual as he made many various zany and exotic expressions at himself. But eventually he resolved to make Lucy the first one he'd ask. Ideal scenario, they'd just go have a meal as friends and come out with a better bond and refreshed spirit…

…but best case scenario, maybe that little outing could be a real date, even if it was just to see what it was like.

And best case scenario, he wouldn't find some way to screw it up.